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KNOCK KNOCK!
Two loud knocks hit Diego's door. Diego groaned and stirred slightly, but then his eyes flew wide open when he saw the little girl, or as he had named her, Jessie, sitting on his chest, her wide eyes staring into his.
"Jesus... How long have you been awake for?" Diego growled, voice still dripping with sleepy exhaustion. Jessie just shrugged and leaned in with those wide eyes.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Both Diego and Jessie turned to look at the wooden door. Diego didn't want to open it just yet. He didn't know who was on the other side, and he wasn't ready to explain why he had a little child sleeping on his bed.
"Hide," Diego yawned, and when he looked back again, Jessie had seemingly disappeared. He didn't know if her hiding skills were a blessing or a curse. Diego got off the bed and cracked the door open just a bit to see who was there, and a frown grew when he saw Misa. She shoved past him and entered his room like she owned the place. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one with a wink.
"Good morning, Red," she said and looked around the room.
"It was good until you showed up," Diego muttered. He closed the door and called out, "You can come out now." Misa looked confused but it quickly turned into surprise when Jessie peeked over his shoulder to stare curiously at Misa.
"Daddy... who's she?" she asked with childish innocence. Misa dropped the cigarette and smiled warmly. Almost like a big sister or a mother.
"You're so cute~" Misa said and picked Jessie off Diego's shoulder. Hearing her talk like that was still as disturbing as ever but Jessie seemed happy though. "What's your name?" Misa asked and carried Jessie like she was a baby.
"Daddy calls me Jessie!" she said proudly and that's when Misa finally noticed the nickname the child kept calling Diego.
"Daddy?" Misa snickered and smirked at Diego. "Guess that makes him both our daddies now," she rasped, her thumb brushing lazily across Diego's jawline as she held her gaze. "And honestly? I'm not fucking complaining."
"Just shut up," Diego groaned and pulled back. "And don't say stuff like that around the kid."
Misa looked visibly satisfied by his discomfort. "Sorry... daddy~" she drawled and turned her attention back to Jessie.
"What are you doing here this early?" Diego asked while carding his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"I came to see the kid," Misa said and ruffled Jessie's long dark hair. "And also, Kelly wants to see you."
"Kelly? You mean the kid who made the weapon?" Diego asked.
"Yeah," Misa said and stood up. "And by the way, I think he's got a little crush on you." Diego blinked in confusion.
"But he's a guy..." Diego muttered.
"So? I don't see the problem there," Misa said and lifted Jessie off the ground. "He's on the ground floor with the other guys he's selected." Misa walked past Diego and headed for the door with Jessie still clinging to her.
"Where are you taking her?" Diego asked.
"We're going out for a little girl fun." Misa stopped and winked. "That's okay with you right... Daddy~?"
"Yeah! I wanna go too!" Jessie yelled in excitement. "Please daddy!"
"I'm not sure trusting you with a whole child is a good idea," Diego sighed but Misa shrugged him off and left the room.
"Just take a shower before you go," she called out over her shoulder. "You smell like cigarettes and bad decisions."
"She's one to talk..." Diego muttered. Even though Misa was a living disaster waiting to happen, Diego still trusted her enough to leave Jessie with her. She was right about the shower though. He'd just woken up to her and he was already regretting letting her in.
Apparently, Kelly Starr was still waiting for him so he didn't waste much time getting prepared. Once Diego was done getting ready, he put on his jacket and opened his door and was surprised to see Kelly standing right in front of him.
"D-Diego Torrez," Kelly stuttered and looked away with a bright red blush on his cheeks. "You're more handsome than in my pictures..."
"What?" Diego asked with pure confusion but Kelly's breath hitched and he tracked back awkwardly.
"I mean you're not what I expected— N-not in a bad way—" Diego pressed his palm on Kelly's lips to calm him down.
"Take your time," Diego reassured and closed the door behind him.
"I'm just a little nervous..." Kelly admitted and fiddled with the edge of his turtleneck sweater. He wore a fitted black sleeveless turtleneck mini-dress that hugged his slim frame, with bold white horizontal stripes running down one side. Long black-and-white striped arm warmers stretched from his wrists up past his elbows, and matching thigh-high stockings with the same striped pattern covered his legs. His clothes were just as bizarre to Diego as ever.
"So, Misa said you wanted to see me?" Diego asked. Kelly nodded without looking at him.
Kelly pointed at the elevator behind them and said quietly, "The rest of them are waiting for us... I'll take the stairs and meet you there." Before Diego could say anything else, Kelly ran in the opposite direction away from him. The whole interaction was... odd...
After a short ride, the elevator's door opened on the first floor. Diego stepped out and instantly bumped into Frost. Frost glared at him and shoved him hard, making Diego stumble and hit a wall. Diego retaliated and shoved back even harder.
"That's it!" Frost growled and swung a fist that snapped Diego's head to the side. Diego struck back harder and this time, Frost actually fell.
"If you want to kill me so bad, then come do it! I'll make your vision come true right now!" Diego yelled and lunged but before the fight could escalate any further, Kidai came between them. He grabbed Diego's fist just before it hit Frost and tackled him down to the ground.
"The both of you need to calm down!" Kidai yelled even as Diego kept fighting against his grip. The struggle continued until Kidai finally got him under control.
"Having a fallout at a time like this is pointless," Kidai said and helped Diego up. He gave Frost a look of disappointment. Frost stood up and shoved his way past both of them.
Diego's gaze followed him and that's when he noticed the people staring at him. Kelly held a large tablet and hid his face behind it when Frost walked past him. Romeo and a few other Hunters Diego didn't know were there too. They were whispering and staring at both Diego and Frost. Even a few onlookers had gathered to see what was going on.
"Umm... Now that everyone's here... L-let's head out," Kelly whispered loud enough for all of them to hear.
"No," Romeo said quietly but firmly. "I'm not ready to babysit these two and make sure they don't fight each other again."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Frost said, his voice boiling with anger.
"He's saying the two of you should settle it," Kidai chimed in. "A fight to settle your differences for now."
"Sounds good to me," Diego smirked. Frost scowled back but nodded.
"All that's left is permission," Romeo muttered and drew his gaze back to Kelly. "Will you allow them to settle this or is the mission more important? It's your call."
"Just... make sure it doesn't get too crazy," Kelly sighed. "The back of this building should be open enough."
"That's it then," Romeo said.
---
"I wanna go back to daddy," Jessie whined.
"He's a bit busy right now," Misa groaned. She'd been out with Jessie for an hour or two and the kid was already begging to go back to Diego. They were in a quiet park and Misa was casually smoking while Jessie held an ice cream cone in her palms.
"Do you speak French?" Misa asked. Jessie looked up at her and shook her head. "Je pense que ton daddy veut se tuer," Misa said, testing if she really didn't understand and Jessie's confused stare was all the answer she needed. "Don't you know anything other than English?" Misa said and exhaled all the smoke in her lungs.
"No," Jessie said. "I remember seeing daddy but... that's it." Misa choked when she heard what Jessie just said. She didn't have any memories... at all? Misa was about to speak when her phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket and tossed her cigarette into the bushes behind her.
"It's Kelly," Misa muttered and answered the call. "You're calling to tell me about your crush aren't you?" Misa teased. Jessie watched Misa's expression morph from surprise to shock and finally, a lazy smirk. Misa ended the call and stood up.
"Guess we can go see Diego after all," Misa said and took Jessie's arm. Jessie squealed in excitement and hopped off the park bench, dropping her ice cream without even noticing.
Diego Torrez, the son of the strongest being alive, was going to fight Frost Wheeler, the last member of the Wheeler family. Misa wasn't going to miss this for the world...
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END OF CHAPTER 27
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