Daddy's Little Girl

Disclaimer: I didn't get the rights for my birthday so I guess they still belong to Tatsunoko and ADV. Bummer.

His journey into fatherhood hadn't begun in the conventional way. Yes, he had participated in the ancient ritual of pacing outside a birthing room waiting for news, but that had been to keep his best friend company; the woman had not been his wife, the child not his, at least not at first. No, that had come several years later when he found himself foster father to two young boys within six months after their parents' deaths. Three more had come along a couple of years after that. But of the five, only two could really be called only his. And today, he'd had to give one of them away. But as he watched his daughter dance with her new husband, his mind couldn't help but wander back along the paths of his most unconventional journey through parenthood.

Over the years he'd heard many colleagues talk about the first time they saw their daughters, usually gushing most uncharacteristically over tiny fingers and toes and big wide eyes. The first time he'd seen his daughter was when he saw her squaring off against a boy twice her size, green eyes snapping like flames, to protect her little brother. While she hadn't been the boy he'd originally come to find in that place, the pure fire he saw in her prompted him to choose her, and the brother she wouldn't leave without, instead. And it was the best decision he'd ever made.

Parenting a daughter had been different from parenting the boys, to a point, but despite the fact that they'd been training to fight rather than living like normal children, he had many special memories of times with just his little girl. He'd been the one to choke down her early attempts at cooking with a smile on his face, even as the boys ran in terror. She'd melted his heart about a year after he'd adopted her when she called him 'dad' for the first time, during a private talk between them. He'd watched proudly as she'd progressed quickly through her martial arts training, especially when she'd taken Joe down a peg for the first time. Nor had he been able to scold her when she bypassed his computer's security system, the first time of many, in order to plant a Happy Father's Day message for him where he would be sure to find it; he'd been too busy fighting back tears. And the times she'd come to him for comfort after trying so hard to be strong for the boys through some issue convinced him that, despite his doubts, he must be doing something right for her to trust him that much; she never showed grief to others easily.

Of course, there had been rough times. During the couple of years that the kids had attended public school she'd come to him in tears on more than one occasion, distressed because she didn't fit in with her classmates. She'd stopped speaking to him on more than one occasion when he'd (unjustifiably in her opinion) scolded Ken or forced the team to not do something in the field that she thought was right. There was the fear for her, for all of them, every time they went out on a mission.

And God knew he'd never forget the pure, unadulterated grief he'd felt the time he'd thought he'd lost her to those damn flowers, made worse by the fact that he'd been forced to remain stoic throughout the ordeal and try to think, even when the rest of the team turned away from him as well. The guilt he'd felt over the whole situation and the fact that they'd nearly lost Ken on top of everything else had nearly crushed him. He'd never admit it but he'd spent the entire time the team was flying back that day in the base's chapel, sobbing like a baby and thanking God she was alive; the only sign of his relief he'd been able to give was nearly crushing her in a hug when they'd returned.

As the newlyweds passed in front of him once again, he had to grin ruefully; in one respect, he'd been just like any father: he'd never wanted to admit that he might lose her to another man. Throughout her teens, he'd felt he hadn't had to worry about her dating; between the missions and four brothers, when would she be able to date? God knew he'd had enough to worry about in that respect with Joe's shenanigans. But no, instead of her bringing home some boy she'd met at the Snack that he could intimidate and threaten to kill if he so much as laid a finger on his little girl, he was blindsided with the fact that she'd fallen in love with his best friend's son, who she was with every single day. How had he not seen it coming?

Oh, he'd seen signs, once or twice, that it was a possibility but nothing ever seemed to come of it so he'd brushed it off as his imagination. Didn't seriously consider it a possibility, only to have Ken come to him a month after the last battle with Galactor and ask him for her hand. He was still certain that Kentaro had been laughing his ass off somewhere at his poleaxed expression at the request; a reaction he couldn't deny since the little bastard he called his youngest child had caught the whole thing on film. But despite the shock, he couldn't have withheld his blessing even if he wanted to; she looked so happy that he wouldn't have been able to bear putting a damper on it in any way.

So here he was; he'd fought back tears when he'd given her away at the ceremony a few hours earlier and was trying to do so again. As the last notes of the song died away, he crossed over to the newlyweds and tapped his son-in-law (God help him!) on the arm, "May I cut in?"

Ken smiled, as happy as he'd ever seen him, "Of course Hakase. " He kissed his bride on the cheek and let go of her hand, "See you in a little bit love."

Jun smiled at him as he went to join the others, and then allowed Nambu to lead her back onto the dance floor. He could feel her watching him carefully for a few moments before she asked, "Dad, are you alright?"

One of the many blessings that had come with the war's end had been the fact that she and Jinpei had begun calling him 'Dad' on a regular basis, rather than the 'Hakase' they'd used when he was their superior as well as their parent and it still thrilled him every time he heard it. Seeing a flash of concern cross her face, he realized he'd yet to answer and hastened to reassure her, "I'm fine sweetheart."

"You looked sad."

Nambu brushed a kiss over the crown of her head, "I'm alright honey. Believe it or not, it's hard to believe that you've grown up and gotten married. When I look at you I still see the little girl that I brought home that day ten years ago."

That got him a giggle and an "Oh Dad!" before she looked worried again, "Are you going to be ok while we're gone?"

He had to chuckle at that, "Sweetheart, don't worry about me, you just enjoy your honeymoon. I'll be fine; I'll torment your brothers for a few days and catch up on some things around the house that I've been putting off for a few years. And when you get home, I'll come by so often that you'll get sick of me within a week."

She shook her head, "Dad, don't be silly. Just do me a favor and don't pull any all-nighters while we're away."

"I won't."

"Sure."

Ok, he had to admit, she was right; he could get just a little involved in his projects and often lost track of time when there was no one to pull his attention away and force him to get some rest. His daughter knew him too well. "I'll do my best, alright. Now don't worry, we'll be just fine."

That seemed to satisfy her and they danced in silence for a few moments before she spoke again, "Thank you Dad."

"For what Jun?"

"For today. For not freaking out when you found out about Ken and I. And for adopting me all those years ago."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to thank me for that. I'll admit, I was a little surprised when you and Ken came to me, but even this old man can see that he makes you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you. And believe me, adopting you and Jinpei was the best decision I ever made. When you become a parent, you'll understand what I mean." Realizing what he'd just said, he hastened to add, "Just…don't make that too soon, okay?"

That got him a laugh, "Don't worry Dad, we're not rushing that."

"Thank God. I don't know if I'm ready to be a grandfather just yet."

The song was coming to an end and out of the corner of his eye he could see his eldest making his way over to claim a dance with his little sister. So with a sigh, he drew Jun into a hug and kissed her head once more, "I'm happy for you sweetheart. I love you." His ribs were crushed with all the strength of a ninja's arms as she returned the hug and reminded him that, married or no, she was still his little girl.

"I love you too Daddy."

The End

A/N: I have to extend my deepest apologies for my absence from the Gatchaman realm in the last few years. I have not abandoned any of my stories! Unfortunately, the life of a full-time mom and college student doesn't leave a lot of time for writing; add in the fact that my Gatchaman muse decided to desert me for a time and there's the reason for my absence. The only reason this got out was Nambu wouldn't let me study until I wrote this; I guess he got tired of waiting. The good news: in six weeks I will be done with college and, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, have more time to write! My thanks go out to those who have PM'd, poked and prodded to make sure I was still alive and kicking! I hope to have more out for you soon!~~Whiteswan