La Ventesima Doppia
"The Dual Twentieth"
PROLOGUE
The sky was dark, the streets were wet, and the storms' jazz engulfed the peaceful Namimori to its wake. The people rushed to nearby buildings and houses that would shelter them from the storm. Not far from Namimori Middle School, late students were running towards the entrance, while holding their bags on top of their heads to at least give some protection from the rain. Among them were two of the unnoticed, though significant, students of class 2-C.
The two rushed towards the entrance; without looking at each other, when the next thing they knew was that one of them was on top of the other. Looking at each other as they process what had just happened, other students were already walking their way through the door. As if they were not even there. The boy was still looking surprised at the girl below him and was absolutely in no conscience to move. The girl was also too surprised to move and the only thing that made them come back to reality was a single necklace. The necklace fell from the inside shirt of the boy and dangled in front of the girls face. The two finally reacted as the boy took hold of the end of the necklace, as if trying to hide what was hooked with it.
"Uh…" The boy started as he was standing up. "I'm sorry for stumbling into you." He apologized; bowing his head slightly. "I was in a hurry and…" He was stopped by the girl with her own light apology. The boy looked at her surprised. "Next time, you look where you're going. You might regret the next time you will bump into me." The girl added as she picked up her bag, ending the encounter with a 'tsk', before continuing her way to her classroom. The boy was left there, half bowing. "Who is that girl anyway?" He asked himself as he didn't want to let the girls comment affect him. He picked up his own bag and started walking towards his classroom.
Opening the door to 2-C, he walked to the middle of the room to sit down on a vacant chair. He was unaware that beside him was the girl whom he had bumped into earlier. He had no time to even sit comfortably as the teacher finally came in and started homeroom. The teacher was new and they knew nothing of each other, so as far as the new teacher was concerned, a proper but fun introduction activity was to be held. The teacher asked only to say their name and the meaning of it. It took time before it was already the girl's turn to say her name. "I'm Kimiko Chihage." As the boy looked at the girl, his eyes grew wide as he remembered her from the school entrance. "My fathers' family name, Chihage, means tempestuous blood. Plus my first name, Kimiko. This means child noble." The boy was not paying attention to what she was saying as the problem earlier came back to him. The bump with her was not really the problem but what she saw. He was afraid that she might have seen the ring on his necklace. It was something he wouldn't want anyone to know, much more, to see. It was a very important ring, well, half of a ring. This so called, novantesimo, told him to keep it real safe as a favour, as he was already in his last breath. As a promise he made two years ago, he still kept the ring and waited for the day, novantesimo told him; the day where he will meet the one wearing half of the ring.
A tap on his desk helped him come back to his senses and as he looked at who did it, he saw the girl from earlier. No, she was no 'girl' from now on, he already heard her name. She was Kimiko. "What are you staring me at? It's already your turn." Kimiko told him as calmly as she can before sitting down on her chair. He suddenly leaped on his two feet before facing the teacher in front. "I am Daiki Suchiyuu. Suchiyuu is for calm blood. Daiki is the great noble. It's a pleasure to meet you, sensei." With a slight bow, he already knew this new term will definitely be different from usual. Not only because of this girl Kimiko, but because he really felt this is the term he will finally meet the one holding the other half of the ring; the half of the so called, Aozora Vongola ring.