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"Diego's your... brother?" Zany was stunned and Romeo kept smiling like a child at her reaction. There was tense silence as everything suddenly clicked in her head. No wonder they were both half angel and half demon. Zany's surprised expression suddenly turned skeptical. She looked down at Diego who was still knocked out and then at Romeo.
"Yep!" Romeo yelled childishly but slowly the smile faded from his face. "I found out after his fight with the Homura boy," Romeo added. The Homura boy he mentioned was Mercer, Misa's older brother.
"What?!" Zany exclaimed in surprise and grabbed Romeo by his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?! You found a part of your real family and you didn't tell me?!" She yelled and asked but Romeo just shrugged in response.
"That's because I didn't want to help you achieve your crazy fantasies of him," Romeo said bluntly and Zany's cheeks tinted pink almost instantly.
"You little brat! I'd kill you if you weren't my brother," Zany huffed loudly without denying anything. Her eyes tracked back to Diego and she let out a dreamy little sigh. "How is he your brother?" She asked with clear interest. "You're rude and annoying but he's..." She trailed off but then her little moment was interrupted when Romeo burst into laughter. She ignored him and pouted.
Romeo stretched a bit and walked to one side of the bed. Diego's breathing was slow and even which meant he wasn't in a critical state anymore, which meant he would live, which also meant he could wake up. Without warning, Romeo lifted his arm and violently slapped Diego's face. He did it over and over before yelling into his ear, "Wake up already!"
Zany frowned a bit at the rude awakening but her mood lightened up when she noticed Diego beginning to stir. Romeo made his way back to Zany and sat beside her as Diego groaned.
"By the way, I think he might have a girlfriend," Romeo whispered into Zany's ear. Zany's face fell for a split second but then she grinned with both her fangs on display.
"I'm definitely better than whoever that nobody is," Zany whispered back proudly but she went silent the moment Diego sat up.
"Ugh... my head..." Diego groaned loudly. He ripped the bloodied bandage off his head and tossed it away weakly. His red bangs covered his drowsy eyes as he slowly regained his bearings.
"Catch," Romeo said and tossed a bottle of water at Diego who caught it reflexively. He turned and that's when his eyes landed on Zany. She had that wide grin on her face and she waved at him. He waved back but then he remembered the reason why he was knocked out in the first place... he lost.
"Thanks," he muttered to Romeo and took a long sip of water. He was still replaying the whole fight and he had more questions than answers. Blood took control and everything went black. He didn't remember anything that happened after that until he regained consciousness and saw Zany. She looked scared back then, unlike the grinning girl she was right now. He remembered blacking out again after that and now he was in a bed with bandages wrapped around him. What had happened in that fight? What did Blood do? The questions were piling up and that only made Diego's head hurt worse. He flopped back onto the bed and groaned even louder than before.
"Zany here fixed you up. You should be grateful she didn't kill you," Romeo said and subtly left the room. Zany's gaze shifted from Diego to Romeo as he left the room and she looked visibly confused. Why did he just leave her alone with Diego and why did he talk about her like that? She blinked twice when she realised Romeo was probably trying to be a wingman in his own weird way and it was kind of sweet from the kid.
"How do you know Romeo?" Diego asked out of the blue and her attention shifted back to him once more. His arm covered his eyes and he looked like he was lost deep in thought as he lay there.
"I saved him years ago," Zany said proudly and stood up. "He's like a brother to me," she added and sat down beside Diego. He sat up and Zany's grin faltered for a moment. Diego looked... defeated. His eyes looked into hers and the gaze made her heat up again.
"If there's anything you need... j-just tell me..." She stuttered and shifted closer but then 'BAM!' The door slammed open and Misa stomped in, right at Diego who looked terrified. Misa grabbed his face and slapped him hard on the cheek.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Diego hissed and Misa growled dangerously in response before hugging him tightly. Zany still sat there as the whole thing happened. Jealousy wasn't something that she had ever experienced growing up but she knew whoever this girl was, she wanted her as far away from Diego as possible.
"You're a crazy, masochistic, psychic..." Misa kept listing harsh descriptions of Diego and Zany stared at her with clenched fists. This girl was the girlfriend Romeo talked about and Zany was damn near ready to throw fists with her when Frost walked in... Misa slowly trailed off when she noticed him and Zany's grin grew back and it turned playful when she saw him.
"Frosty~ You're here!" She yelled and teleported right in front of him. "Did you come here to check on me~?" She cooed and Frost glared at her.
"Diego. You lost," Frost pointed out but it was clear he had other things on his mind.
"Yeah... I did..." Diego muttered and that's when Misa noticed the defeated look on his face. He looked down in the dumps but it seemed like it wasn't because of the loss.
"Come with me... We need to have a talk..." Frost said and left the room. Diego sighed quietly and followed him. The two girls watched in silence then Zany huffed loudly.
"Meanie..." She yelled as Frost left with Diego. She turned her attention to Misa and grinned again. "Now we need to have a talk of our own," she said ominously and shut the door behind her.
Outside the room, Diego and Frost kept walking down the halls of the mansion.
"You dropped this," Frost said and tossed Diego's red jacket at him.
"Thanks..." Diego mumbled and put it on. When the two left the mansion gates, Diego took in a deep breath and a light smile covered his face but it didn't reach his eyes. "I feel like I'm going insane..." Diego said and ran shaky fingers through his hair. Frost didn't answer but the two kept walking. Night fell without the two talking. They reached a quiet part of Helryh High. A waterfall was in view and Frost sat a distance from it. Diego sat down beside him and hugged his knees to his chest tightly.
"You're in a dark place Diego. I've been there before too," Frost said and his cold eyes shifted to an almost fond look as he talked. He was only like this when he was around Diego. The pair had spent two months together and arguably, they were best friends.
"I'm not sure you get it," Diego said while hugging his knees tighter. "There's a—"
"A demon," Frost cut Diego off. Diego's eyes widened but then his brows furrowed.
"How did you know?" Diego asked.
"I know because I'm a demon too," Frost said. "I was a kid when I first talked to mine... Thanks to my father, that demon became a part of me that I can't imagine my life without."
"Must be nice... Mine probably wants me out of the way," Diego sighed. "She makes threats to take away my powers like my Hell Breaker," he admitted and Frost let out a little laugh.
"Is that why you weren't yourself in your fight with Zany?" Frost asked and when Diego confirmed it, he laughed again. "It lied to you then. They can't take your power away," Frost reassured. "Long ago, my father told me 'You may have your demons but just know... you're a demon too.'"
"Your dad huh? It's the first time you're talking about him," Diego pointed out with a less sulky face. "Where is he right now?" Diego asked.
"My father's dead," Frost said plainly. "My katana used to be his but I took it after he was murdered. His death gave me strength and the death and pain you experience should make you stronger as well." Frost stood up and helped Diego to his feet. "There's the saying 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' That doesn't mean they make you stronger. It just shows you how much pain you can survive. It takes a part of you away and you can never grow it back. The things that don't kill you show you exactly how much of yourself you can lose and keep your sanity and your life. You're still alive Diego and that means you're a long way from finding what will kill you."
"You should be a philosopher," Diego said sarcastically with a glimpse of his normal self coming back. Frost smiled and started walking away.
"I won my match by the way. I'll beat Zany in the finals tomorrow so just rest up for now," Frost said from over his shoulder to Diego who nodded and walked in the opposite direction.
"Your date finally ended," a voice said from the shadow in front of Diego and out walked Romeo.
"How long were you there?" Diego asked and kept walking.
"Just got here," Romeo replied and walked beside him. "You're having a hard time using your Halo Mode. I can help you out with that," Romeo offered.
"That's true but, what's the catch?" Diego shot back suspiciously.
"I just want to help. Isn't that what brothers are for?" Romeo asked and Diego smiled at the words. He was still feeling off because of Blood but right now, he wasn't going to think too much about it.
The next day, Diego yawned loudly. He got out of bed with groggy feet and shuffled around the small room. He listened for the usual bird chirping but he soon noticed there wasn't any noise coming from them. That was odd. They usually made a lot of noise in the morning along with the roosters but there was just radio silence. Diego yawned again and checked the time on a clock by his bed. 2:23 pm. It was afternoon already? Diego shrugged but then he remembered Frost's match with Zany! It was supposed to start at 2 and right now, Diego was already 30 minutes late. He had overslept because of his training with Romeo as well as all the injuries he got thanks to Zany. Without wasting another moment, he ran right out of the dorm, putting on his clothes as he ran down the halls.
Eventually, Diego reached the entrance arena and the yells and screams from the crowd told him he had missed out on a lot.
"You missed the match," a voice said from behind him and he turned to see Ivankov. The tall man was leaning on his car with his phone to his ear.
"How did it go? Did Frost win?" Diego asked as he got closer to his principal.
"Ask him yourself," Ivankov said and Frost appeared out of nowhere, spooking Diego a bit.
"I won. And you seem to be feeling better," Frost said while casually examining Diego's old wounds.
"I thought you'd be more happy about the win," Diego pointed out. Just then, the students spectating from the arena began to leave and as soon as they saw Diego and Frost, they screamed in excitement and rushed towards them.
"Get in the car. There's a lot we have to discuss," Ivankov offered and the pair wasted no time in doing so. As soon as all doors were shut, Ivankov sped off.
"What did you want to talk about?" Diego asked and let out a relieved sigh as their pursuers faded into the distance. Ivankov didn't answer with words but instead, he held out his phone. Diego leaned forward to get a better look.
***
SELECTED PARTICIPANTS FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF THE INTER-SCHOOL TOURNAMENT {HUNTER HIGH}
First Years
- Mirelle Crowe
- Diego Torrez
- Dannie May
Second Years
- Kidai Bachi
- Vincent Singer
- Misa Homura
Third Years
- Paige Riot
- Frost Wheeler
- King Hayes
***
It didn't take long for them to understand what they were looking at. The school had already selected the participants for the second round and unsurprisingly, both Diego and Frost were in it.
"I get why the Bachi kid is in here but... why was Homura selected too?" Frost asked with growing confusion. Ivankov shrugged in response and took another turn.
"She can take care of herself in a fight. She is a Homura after all," Ivankov said casually.
"Who's Bachi?" Diego suddenly asked and Frost glared at him almost instantly.
"He's an angel. An insufferable one..." Frost growled. Well that was interesting. Other than Romeo, Diego didn't know any other people of that kind and now he had the chance to meet one. Ivankov placed his phone back in his pocket and slowed down, soon coming to a stop in front of a small building. The three got out of the car and Diego examined the building. It wasn't anything flashy but just... plain.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Diego asked.
"Waiting for some people," Ivankov answered. Diego leaned back on the car and Frost did the same. There was silence between the three until footsteps could be heard approaching them. Diego's ears twitched and he turned to see who it was. Before them was a young woman, probably nineteen years old. She had blonde hair and wore a black leather jacket with ripped jeans and had gum in her mouth. She had her phone out and her eyes were glued to the screen. She wore headphones that were blaring music loud enough for everyone to hear and once she reached them, she gave a faint wave and went back to her phone. Diego couldn't take his eyes off her. She was tall. Taller than Frost who stood comfortably at 6'5".
"Paige, this is Diego Torrez. The first year I was telling you about," Ivankov introduced and turned back to Diego. "And Diego, this is Paige Riot." Diego remembered her name from the list of selected students Ivankov had shown him.
"Sup," Paige greeted without looking away from the screen. "King's not here yet?" She asked and lowered the headphones from her ears. Ivankov shook his head in response and Paige groaned in frustration.
"Knowing him, he's probably gotten into a fight by now," Frost said. A white cat strolled right towards them at the same time and Ivankov grinned.
"Look who finally showed up," Ivankov said as the cat got closer. "I'm surprised you're early for once, King." The cat was King? Diego expected someone grand and elegant or maybe someone at least human but he never expected a cute cat. How was it even a student? It locked eyes with Diego and purred playfully.
"It's nice to meet you," Diego said and crouched to pet it. His hands were inches away when it hissed dangerously. "Feisty one ain't ya," Diego teased but all of a sudden, the cat's form began to change and before Diego knew it, a gigantic man around Frost's age stood a breath away from him. The man had long dark hair and a short beard. His face was handsome with perfect jawline and eyes. He was ripped and the grey singlet he wore did little to hide his muscles. Diego had to look up just to see his face and the man seemed pissed.
"What's up with the kid?" The man asked with a deep voice. He grabbed Diego by the neck and casually lifted him up to get a closer look at his face. Diego struggled against the grip but soon realised it was futile.
"Let go of him before you lose that hand," Frost warned coldly and gripped his katana. King held Diego there for a few more moments before reluctantly letting him go. Diego fell to the ground and rubbed his neck in pain.
"I see you've already met Diego," Ivankov said while patting King's back. "King here's seven feet tall and his temper gets just as high."
"Alright you bastard, why did you call us?" King asked and sat on top of Ivankov's car.
"Yeah. I've got better things to do than be around this oaf," Paige commented while pointing a finger at King. King ignored it and kept his gaze on Diego who was still a bit rocked by his grip.
"As you may or may not know, Frost here won the first round for the school and the second round will be starting in a few days. The first and second years aren't a priority going into this round which means all focus will be on the third years to win," Ivankov said and Diego raised his hand to ask a question.
"If this is about third years, then why am I here?" Diego asked.
"You're our wild card going into this round," Ivankov answered. "A wildcard isn't the strongest person in the room. It's the one nobody can prepare for. You're the kind of fighter who makes strength, speed and experience all meaningless. Every time an opponent thinks they've figured you out, you pull out something new. That's what makes you dangerous." There was respect in their principal's tone as he said those words and it seemed everyone there agreed. Ivankov looked back at the building and ushered them to it. "Let's get inside. There's a lot of planning ahead of us," he said and made his way inside. Both Paige and King followed him inside leaving Frost and Diego to trail behind.
"How do you know those two?" Diego asked curiously.
"King, Paige and I are the three strongest in the entire school. The fact that Ivankov brought you to meet them says a lot. No matter how much they hide it, they all respect you as much as I do," Frost said and started walking. Diego smirked lightly and followed. Whatever waited for him behind those doors, he was ready for it.
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END OF CHAPTER 13
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