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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 9: The Treasure in Pink, Part 3

Leone Abbacchio was already regretting having accepted this friend to Sakura.

The plum-haired girl had vouched for her, Bruno had given her a thorough look before being fine with this development as she had helped with Trish's protection, and he hadn't seen anything worrying out of this unusually familiar individual. One moment he thought that this one would have been as polite, if not more than Sakura considering her pious predisposition but… that ended up being the least of his worries. A glance, that was all it took to Abbacchio to actually be uneasy around this girl. The silver-hair, the golden eyes and the delicate features of her face…

It was her daughter, wasn't it? That woman back in that park many years ago, the one that Leone had given the idea of naming her child with that unique name. After all, how many bore that resemblance and were called Caren? He wanted to be wrong, he really did, and yet the girl proved him wrong as soon as they were en route to get back in Naples. It all started when Bucciarati was promoted as Capo, giving him control of the casinos and the hotels in the former Two Sicilies' capital, as their newest goal became hiding Trish and waiting for the boss' next orders regarding her protection. It wasn't going to be easy considering that Pericolo had given them some bad news: atop those that were tracking them down, the Squadra Esecuzioni was planning to make it a big hit on the boss.

And that wasn't a group Leone felt confident they had high chances of dealing with as smoothly as they did with Zucchero and Sale.

So, as he somberly thought what could happen once they arrived at their planned hideout for the next few days, the secondary source of his unease decided to pipe in and try to get him to talk. One thing that he could pick up through observing the conversation between Caren, Sakura, Trish and even Narancia was that the first girl was… careful. Methodical. It was intriguing to see a teen her age this well-mannered and careful with some situations, which is why he felt incredibly unsure how to handle someone so cautious with her own words.

"Signor Abbacchio?" Caren's quiet voice shattered the suave silence he had immersed himself into.

It's been a while since he had grown accustomed to his lonely perch, a small chair he retrieved from the inner section of the boat they were taking to get back to the mainland that he saw fit to place as distantly as possible from the others. There was much to think about, and the last thing he needed was to receive some frustrating teasing from either Mista or Narancia. Of course, that plan had backfired as he was now alone with Caren from the looks of it.

He blinked, his gaze turning to the girl that wore clothes akin to a nun. "What?"

Rude, impolite- he didn't want to engage in any conversation at the moment and he was doing his best to do so while creating further reasons for the girl to avoid him. Sadly, that only seemed to intensify her stubbornness.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

His lips twitched, he knew the brat got the message but she was doing her best to press on this matter with as much leverage as she could out of his moderate rejection.

"I'm not your father. Go ask him whatever questions you want."

The girl raised an unflattering look, clearly upset by that full-front rejection she was being subjected to… but she had an ace in her sleeve which managed to get another reaction out of Leone.

"Well, since he is not here, I wanted to ask the closest family I got here."

"..." Abbacchio kept quiet, but his face and mind were acting the opposite. Surprise swelled in his eyes as he narrowed his gaze at the minor smug on the girl's visage, while his mind tried to wrap around that sudden comment. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you really want to know?" The smugness exuded by that petulant child was quick to restore the previously-forgotten irritation.

"I'm not sure of that right now," He rebuked, and his words held a dual reasoning.

First, he wasn't sure he wanted to know how that actually worked. It was a long lost memory, the one that tied Caren to that bizarre woman back in that park. The other reason was more immediate, as it was becoming clear to Abbacchio that Caren was far from the usual bratty girl. This one was using this attitude as a mask to hide her true intentions, and it worried him immensely about the motivations driving her to behave like this. But, as he would soon learn, Caren was far from willing to let this go and she had a couple more tricks to employ.

"Apologies. For being too rude."

"You weren't. You were confrontational, and not in a rude way."

A frown adorned the girl's face as she was surprised by that correction.

"Wouldn't that still make me a rude person?"

"Sometimes. Not always- not in this case." Abbacchio replied curtly, staring away from the girl. "Now, if you are done with this-"

"Why don't you want to talk with me?" She pressed on, interrupting the man. Her eyes narrowed at his displeasure, "I just want to set things straight."

"In which regard? Wanting to be rude?"

"You knew my mother."

"…And what if I did?"

"Do you even know why she was so interested in talking to you?" The girl grew more stubborn with each question. "Why do you and her, and even me, share so many physical similarities?"

He blinked, he was once a police officer, so the current situation gave him some weight over a possibility. One of the few ones he had started to think about as soon as Caren became part of the group. He could tell this was tied to it, to Claudia and her odd questions.

"We are related," Abbacchio replied flatly, stunning Caren for a moment and the reaction drawing a small smile on his face. "She asked about my father, about the fact he didn't have parents. I might have been a child once and not connected dots back then, but I can connect dots, especially when you present me with an extra clue to it."

Caren remained quiet, but she tensed up a bit as he stood up from his chair and took just two steps towards him, stopping right in front of her and crouching down. A mostly blank look lingered on his face as only curiosity persisted through his composure.

"The only thing I still have to understand is… what does that make you to me?"

For the first time since he got to know her, Leone saw Caren stare at the ground, showing genuine embarrassment as a girl her age would. It took her a moment to either think about it, or to try to find the voice to bring up the truth. But she did and… it sounded really different with how genuinely honest her response was.

"You and mom were… cousins. So, that means that we are… second grade cousins," She hummed nervously. "But… Can I ask you something?"

He didn't answer, yet the girl decided to finally be 'rude' and ask anyway.

"Can I call you… Zio(1)?"

Abbacchio paused over this kind of question. Ever since he joined the Mafia, one thing that he outright refused to give a thought of was having to deal with children so close to himself. Until that very confession, he never had to worry about it as he had been an only child, thus no sibling of his would have given him nephews or nieces to worry about. But this? This was a curveball. Sure, their connection wasn't the same as uncle-niece, but there was no reason to believe it could have been due to their difference between their ages and the fact he had once seen her mother as 'sister material'.

"That sounds like a big request. You have just met me, why would you want that?"

Instead of being pressured by that kind of question, the girl half-smiled at him. "It's easier to call you that, plus… it fits, Zio."

His left eye twitched at the cheeky last bit. "I didn't give you permission."

"What if I called you that even without permission?" She inquired back, her amusement growing as her soft features… took a familiar expression. One that he had seen back with… her mother.

Eh, I guess she is her mother's daughter...

"Then I would be quite crossed. Also, I would have to respond to that kind of behavior."

A hint of nervousness filtered in her smile as Caren saw Abbacchio reach out her face with his hands, seemingly ready to slap her and force her to close her eyes… only for something else to happen. Something painful but… far from what she expected. Her eyes opened in shock and upset as the smug-looking Leone had started to pinch her cheeks as earnestly as he could.

"Owie," She lamented. "T-That hurts."

"Oh? Does it? Well, I guess that's what happens when girls your age behave like cheeky brats."

Caren pouted. "Then I shall call you Zia(2), OWIE!"

The pinching increased at that threat, raising the level of playfulness between the two and… mellowing both at the prospect of this dynamic bond.

"I think not, little brat."

Despite the rocky beginning, Abbacchio couldn't help but hope that this wasn't going to backfire horribly on him. Last thing he needed was to babysit this pesky girl during the whole trip. Also, why the hell did her father send her on her own and…

Why could he tell that there was something else beyond that thick veil of childishness?

The mission was finally over!

He could now enjoy a break from all the hard work as the Boss had promised him. Yes, it was time for one Doppio Vinegar to enjoy some peace and relax after making sure the Turin's branch stopped being this riottish against Passione's demands.

The Consigliere was fairly young despite his high role within the group with a few elements on his appearance, his freckles in particular contributed to his boyish looks. His orange eyes lacked any hints of maliciousness, a perfect testament of a professional member of Passione that knew when to be happy and when to be… cruel. His pink hair was tied into a small ponytail, with the frontal locks left loose turned to the side by one side lock. His outfit was made by a light-purple-colored sweater with gash-like openings that left part of his upper chest, his midriff and a bit of his thighs exposed. He also wore a loose pair of jeans pants.

After years of good service, the young man just knew that his beloved Boss would allow him some slack after a job well done. He was young and quite timid at times, but never too shy from enjoying a proper break before getting back into action and… as much as it dismayed him, he was soon contacted with a new mission.

He was sitting inside a taxi, ready to reach his hotel and spend a few hours of sleep when he received a call. For some reason the driver spared him some odd looks as he retrieved his phone, but Doppio had long learned that some dumb people just didn't seem to grasp how sweet and cool his phone's ringtone was.

"Doppio here."

"Doppio. I heard you managed to succeed in your mission… as usual."

The pink-haired man smiled, elated by the sudden praise by his leader. It's been years now since he was given a chance to become a fundamental part of Passione, and he has never disappointed with the completion of the tasks pushed forth by the boss. He was picked up from the ground, as a nobody, and given the opportunity to really show his value to others through his determination and loyalty to the noble cause of Passione. It was the boss that took over the underworld and removed all drugs, he was the one that supported charities and progress in the peninsula where politicians would just bicker and do nothing to help the needy.

"Yes boss, I managed to get the nasty morons under check. They will not disappoint ever again."

"I believe you, Doppio… but I'm afraid I have to ask a favor out of you," The boss expressed with a degree of mournfulness. "I could tell you were set to enjoy a minor break from work, but there is a new matter that requires your attention. If you reach out in your bag, you will find the documents that will provide you with some insight on the next task."

Doppio was slightly unnerved by that missed chance to rest, but he knew better than disobeying his leader's request. So he complied, reaching into the bag and pulling out two files, one describing a message from Capo Pericolo and another from the boss himself. His eyes widened as he realized the content within the message and then, he focused back on the call.

"B-Boss, you have a-"

"It's unimportant for now, Doppio. What I need you to do is reach Venice. There I will meet with you and discuss what we will have to do over this unexpected development. You shall do so as I command, understood?"

A slow nod. "O-Of course. I will never stray away from your orders, boss."

"...Thank you for being the most loyal to me, my dear Doppio."

His cheeks flared in embarrassment, the praise striking deep as he felt the most loved by his leader. No responses came out of it as the call ended there, with Doppio ready to get back to his hotel and retrieve his things. Things were set to be quite smooth with no major issues up ahead. Or at least, that was until something rather unexpected unfolded. The taxi suddenly stopped, surprising Doppio as someone rushed to the side and forced their way into the car. Soon the scene turned into the most chaotic possible situation, with a woman suddenly sobbing close to his ears as a masked man yelled orders at the driver.

"Start the car, get us out of there!"

The old man driving the vehicle only nodded, panicking as the speed was suddenly increasing. The pink-haired young man was stunned by the development, caught off-guard by it as he tried to make some sense of it. The masked man was clearly a robber, his deduction tied to his current outfit and the fact that he was holding a sack filled with paper money, while the other held the handgun currently aimed at the young woman. That woman… she sure reminded him of something familiar. The way she was crying and screaming, begging to live… A knot twitched deep within Doppio as he stared at the scene in pure shock and dread, his own good morals flaring in horror at his inaction. He should act but how? How was he supposed to do anything about this? He didn't have any of the boss' gifts with himself at the moment. Only his own body and his own experience… but nothing that could have allowed him to move without getting shot by the criminal. It was absurd that someone would dare to go against Passione's orders. Peace was restored and crimes weren't meant to be this direct and chaotic. No, he couldn't allow this and…

And then the woman opened her eyes. It was there that something burned within Doppio's head. A memory. A smiling brunette posing for… him, as he took a picture of her. What a pretty girl, he thought as he felt his consciousness faltering for just a moment. It was brief, but enough to allow a change within the scenario he was in. A blink, the criminal was now slumping, his arms falling limp as a shocked look formed on his face… while he drowned in his own blood. A large gash crossed his neck and ended his life instantly. The taxi driver took notice of this and stopped the vehicle, trying to check on what was going on as soon as he realized that the criminal was slumping in such a manner, the wound having appeared out of nowhere. Then, he also realized another thing: the previous passenger, the bizarre young man that he had been taking back to his hotel before the escaping criminal hijacked the vehicle, was no longer there.

Meanwhile, Doppio found himself several meters away from the car, standing on some sidewalk while staring at the concrete ground under his feet, frowning as he tried to recollect what had… happened. He was sure that he had taken a taxi, but he couldn't remember what unfolded inside of it and he got taken off. Still, he was quite close to the hotel, and he decided to shrug off at that normal 'forgetfulness' that he tended to face from time to time. Yet, as he retreated towards the hotel's entrance and got prepared for his trip to Venice, he could tell that he did something… good. Maybe he gave the tip to the driver? He looked quite poor so… maybe?

Then again, this reasoning faltered as he felt warm in his chest. His fuzzy memories on the matter showed a crying woman sparing him what he could only describe as a beautiful and thankful look and… and then he was there. It made him feel like this was familiar to something he saw in the past, something important. Doppio wasn't sure how that had worked, and why he felt convinced that this was the best feeling he had ever experienced, even more than just fixing some affairs for the boss. He almost tensed up in shock at that thought, horrified at the notion of the boss learning of these traitorous ideas of his for believing this kind of madness.

After all, Doppio was the most loyal servant to the boss and while he wanted to change the world for the best, it would be wrong to bite the hand that had taken him off the ground and given him worth.

He just couldn't imagine a world with that ever happening.

AN

Uncle Abbacchio is now a thing, sorta, and I have plans for Doppio. Will those be for the good or for the worst? It will definitely give him some role beyond being the boot-licking puppet for the main antagonist.

Glossary:

1) Zio: Uncle;
2) Zia: Aunt;

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Guest (Chapter 8): Let's just say that the 'Holy Grail War' will be hella nuts.