Doppio was around eleven years old, when life began getting complicated.

It started when it was revealed that he was adopted, he never thought for a moment that the priest he knew as his father wasn't related to him. His once simple and carefree life was seemingly shattered, the life he had been living was a lie, he thought to himself.

He had been sitting by the edge of the cliff, near the church he resided in, when a strange car pulled onto the curb, with tinted windows and the silhouette of a woman in the front seat. The lady opened the door and stepped out, she stood there for a moment, Doppio couldn't tell if she was looking at him, or just at the view of the ocean. The woman walked toward him slowly, a friendly smile was on her face, but a sense of dread overcame him when looking at her, his breathing got heavier and his face felt red as she got closer and closer. That's where the memory cuts off, he would occasionally have dreams of this, but would always wake up with a sharp jolt before the woman got close enough to touch him. It seemed like there was something keeping him from remembering what happened that day, but whatever it was, he never saw that woman again, or at least that he could remember.

He was also around that age when he met a friend, not just any friend but a friend he relied on when times were difficult, who whenever his life seemed to get strange and confusing, was there to explain or straighten things out. Doppio always wondered why Diavolo chose to be friends with someone boring like him, when he was so charismatic and interesting, Doppio never felt like he deserved to be friends with someone cool like that. Even though they were the same age, Diavolo always seemed wiser and more mature. Diavolo's family and backstory was a real mystery, he never talked about his own life, all he said was that he didn't go to school, and he came to Sardinia when he was eleven years old. He would call Doppio on the phone quite often as well, he always looked forward to getting a call, but tried to speak to him in private only, making each phone call seem secretive and exciting. They only saw each other alone, Diavolo didn't like seeing the other people, he was odd in that way. There were a few odd things about him that confused Doppio. He once told his father, the priest, about his new friend, surprised with the response, he reported back,

"I told my father about you the other day, I was so happy we became friends, nobody at the church said they'd met you, it's probably because you're new in town. He said that your name means 'devil' which is interesting. I like your name, although it's strange to be named after Satan himself. He said it sounds like I've befriended a hooligan, and that I should instruct you to join us for the Sunday service," he explained happily,

"Please do not tell people about me, I mean it, I really don't want you to tell everyone you know about who I am. I prefer to keep to myself, and I don't like it when other people whom I don't know know who I am. It just... scares me to think about." he said, almost seeming a little angry. It was the first time Doppio had heard his friend express himself that much, let alone talk about being afraid of something. The tone of his voice was serious as always, but it has a desperate feeling about it, he really was afraid of strangers knowing who he was,

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything," Doppio blushed after hearing his friend talk, he didn't quite know why, but hearing the emotion in Diavolo's voice made his heart flutter. They were young when this exchange took place, but staying true to his word, Doppio never talked about his anomaly of a partner to anyone, he took it upon himself like an oath.

The real problems arose when Doppio was sixteen. Tourists cycled in and out of the town, but one day a girl arrived at the small town in Sardinia by the name of Donatella Una. She was tall for a girl, a little taller than Doppio, she had light brown hair and deep brown eyes, her fair complexion quickly burned and tanned in the blistering heat. She spent most of her time sunbathing on the beach, Doppio didn't think much of her arrival at first, thinking she was just another tourist who'd come and go. Her family rented the house by the church, so she ended up walking beside Doppio almost every day. His kind and friendly nature made it very easy to become acquaintances, or perhaps friends? She would be staying in Sardinia for three months, during summer vacation, after a few weeks she knew Doppio as a kind young man who could be a bit clumsy and slow at times, but always tried his hardest and never gave up.

Although she appreciated his company, it didn't take long for Donatella to pick up on the odd things Doppio did. He was always on the phone, but never in public, and would never let her be in the room while he was on the phone. He never introduced her to the friends he had in town, at first she thought maybe he didn't have any, but she knew for a fact he walked down the beach every day with an old friend, whom she was never introduced to. Doppio hadn't considered the thought of Donatella and him romantically, he wasn't very skilled at that kind of thing. Most girls thought he was too feminine, too small and too thin, it's not like he minded all that much, but he had never had a girlfriend before, so the thought of him and Donatella didn't occur to him.

A few more weeks into her stay at Sardinia, she saw Diavolo. Intrigued by her, he decided to meet the young lady. He had seen her through Doppio's eyes, she was very pretty to look at, her soft features and full lips, her tight summer clothing that highlighted her chest. He was ashamed of himself and his desires, he thought it was below him to be lusting after a girl like this. But alas, images of her were drifting in and out of his sixteen year old mind, so he decided the only way to cure himself was to see her in person. He wasn't particularly bothered by impressing her or anything like that, his spotty, shoulder length hair was just brushed the usual way. He wore a white shirt, embroidered on the shoulders, with silver buttons. And tight fitted pants to show off his slim figure and long legs. He wasn't much worried, he knew he was charming and good looking enough to pull any girl, it was rare for him to be interested in that sort of thing. Diavolo saw her sitting atop a hill on a bench, so naturally he climbed the hill and sat on the other side of the bench, looking at the sea.

It felt like a long time before anything happened, she sighed contently, putting away the book she was reading and simply gazing at the waves colliding with the sand,

"Hi, I don't believe I've seen you around town," she said sweetly,

"My name is Donatella, I'm here for the summer," she slid towards him on the bench ever so slightly just to be friendly,

"Hello." he said,

"My name is Diavolo," he didn't know why he offered up his name so quickly,

"Do you live on the island?" she asked,

"Yes, I've lived here a few years," he said formally,

"It's odd that I've not seen you before, you have a very striking appearance," she said dreamily. He didn't care to answer, it was an odd thing to say, he looked away slightly,

"Oh, I didn't mean it to be an insult or anything, I just think your hair is rather lovely, I've never seen anything like it," she was trying to compliment him, but it was a difficult statement to respond to,

"...Thank you." he said after some time, putting a lock of hair behind his ear. Donatella sighed, she straightened out her shirt, if you could call it that, and looked back out onto the ocean, holding down her skirt, preventing it from flying up in the wind. Diavolo glanced sideways at her, then crossed one leg over the other,

"Hey, I think I do know you from somewhere, or at least, I think we share a friend here," Donatella didn't seem to be making any sense,

"Pardon?" he said, convinced she was just making conversation,

"Yes, a friend of mine, Vinegar Doppio, do you know him?" she asked casually.

Hearing this froze him in his tracks and sparked countless questions,

"Yes, I do know him, what do you mean?" he said for lack of better words,

"Well, he and I live next to each other, so we've become friends, and he's... a little strange, he's very kind, don't get me wrong, he's just weird. Anyway, he is always on the phone, which is odd, and I overheard him once talking to someone named Diavolo, that must be you, right?" she explained. He thought for a minute, hoping Donatella was the only one who knew who he was,

"That's right. I am good friends with Doppio," he relented,

"That's such a coincidence! It's a small town, so it makes sense, the three of us should go for a walk some time," she cheered,

"Oh, It's almost dinner time, I've got to go! I'll see you around, Diavolo," she said as she jogged away. He uncrossed his legs, and stared blankly at the ocean. Donatella, she certainly is something, he liked the way she made him feel tingly and alive. He walked back down the hill, and back home to his room by the church. He sat on the floor, thinking, he thought seeing her in person would make him stop thinking about her, that he would stop thinking about her. Perhaps... manually relieving himself would satisfy him and that would be that, he could only hope. Nobody was nearby at the moment, and he had a picture of her at the emerald cost that Doppio had taken. It was a nice picture, she was leaning over the stone statue at the beach, her shirt slipping down slightly, and her eyes glanced just beyond the camera. It definitely was a nice picture.