Eyes as black as the abyss and just as merciful scanned his surroundings by instinct at this point. He had a deadline to keep and he was damn well going to keep it. He slowly opened the door...and braced himself long before his 'attacker' got within range.
"Papa! You're back!" said the girl happily, attempting to tackle him to the ground and failing yet again. She didn't mind though, she was just happy he was home.
Renato Sinclair looked down at the petite girl hugging him with all her strength. Her mid-length dark caramel colored hair went down her back in waves and she wore comfortable, but fashionable clothing. Her wide amber colored eyes looked into his own happily as she snuggled into his side. Her name was Daniela Sinclair, though many were unaware of her connection to him.
He knew she had some major abandonment issues when it came to her male role models, and he was still baffled how the girl managed to worm her way past the black hole his heart had become long enough to anchor herself there.
"Did you behave yourself while I was gone, tesoro?"
"Uh-huh! I made sure to do my schoolwork too! Plus I made dinner!"
Renato patted her head and went inside. He saw his favorites...apparently she had been really lonely while she was gone.
Once he was done eating he went over her homework and outside of a few errors it was done to his satisfaction.
Seeing him wince over a minor bruise, she went to get the herbal first aid kit.
"Where did you get hit Papa?" she asked with a tone of long tolerance and some exasperation.
The first time he came home with a minor bullethole in his outfit, she had fussed over him without once mentioning the cops or a hospital. The first time she patched him up, she didn't even bat an eye over it.
"I think someone deserves a day out tomorrow," said Renato.
"Really?"
Renato had just gotten paid after a hit, not that she ever spent much when they went out. Besides, he could tell her clothes were getting a bit too small just by looking at them. A day out shopping sounded like a fun way to unwind.
The next morning
"So anything interesting happen while I was out?"
"The cop next door apparently hasn't figured out the reason why the drug dealers two floors down leave me alone when I come in, despite the fact I'm unarmed and in his words 'a vulnerable kitten'. Then again he has yet to get the same memo those fools did about not pissing off the shark."
Renato, who had been taking a drink of his soda, choked for a second the second she casually mentioned a cop next door.
Though he did smirk at the way she described him.
When they first came to the safe house, Renato had taken immediate note of the drug dealers on the first floor who belonged to some low-level no-name famiglia with ties to the cartels.
While she was out getting groceries, he went to have a little...chat... with the fools about irritating a much bigger fish than them. One call to their bosses and they had all but fallen over themselves to avoid doing anything that would be considered "irritating" the World's Greatest Hit Man.
Up to and including leaving the girl under his open protection the hell alone, even if she saw something she shouldn't. If they tried to threaten her, he had made it abundantly clear he would not hesitate to pay them a little visit in the night that would leave them very, very dead in short order.
It probably didn't help that he happened to casually kill the most stupid of the trio without a second's hesitation the moment the fool opened his mouth and didn't take Renato's warning seriously. The way he did it so easily and gave the survivors a Look that all but said he would not hesitate to do the same to them if they didn't get the message was warning enough.
"So what does the cop want?"
"The idiot drug dealers downstairs and with any luck their famiglia. I pretty much busted him the first time we ran into each other, before turning him into my pack mule for when I buy groceries."
"...You turned a cop into your personal pack mule how?"
"Like I said, I busted him from the start and told him as much. He's there undercover and one word from me would result in him being full of bulletholes. I merely told him I would keep my silence and would even cover for him so that the idiots didn't catch on so long as he did me some simple favors in return," she smiled beautifically.
Renato's smirk was vicious.
"That's my girl. I'm so proud of you," said Renato honestly with dark amusement. Served the idiot right for not picking his apartments more carefully.
If the guy had done any background research he would have figured out there was a much bigger fish living there simply from the fact they left Daniela alone unmolested despite the fact she did look something like a 'vulnerable kitten' as some would put it.
He sometimes wondered how his daughter would react to meeting the woman he named her after. He didn't know why, but his little treasure reminded him strongly of the Vongola's Eighth (and only) female boss.
When they got back, Renato had the amusing sight of the cop taking one look at him and freezing in shock.
"Dani, who is this?"
"This is my Papa," she said rather proudly.
Seeing the sudden realization in the man's eyes about why the drug dealers left her alone was very gratifying. Seeing him pale when he smirked at him, more so.
Even a cop knew when he was up against a very territorial shark and he wasn't stupid enough to piss this particular one off. The sheer ease Daniela had around such a dangerous person, even if she did call him father, was astounding.
Daniela looked at her Papa with a knowing gaze.
"We're going to move again, aren't we?"
Renato merely hid his eyes with his hat.
"I'll start packing tonight, and put it in our usual bolt hole in case we need to split up at any point."
"Good girl," said Renato, patting her head.
"Why can't I just attend the mafia academy Papa?"
"Not until you explain what your trump card is that is on par with having me openly allow you to call me father," he said firmly.
He didn't like unknowns, and whatever Daniela's "trump card" as she called it was, she seemed to be of the belief it was as powerful or more so than being able to call Renato her father and having him publicly confirm it in front of witnesses. Considering the amount of pull she could have with him backing her up, even unofficially, it had to be something good and he wanted to know what.
Daniela winced.
"I don't want either of us to end up on their radar. I know you like being a freelancer more than being tied down to someone who wouldn't understand you."
It was part of the reason he had never joined a famiglia...not without harmony backing it up. He would eventually grow bored or someone would piss him off and then he would have far too much trouble getting out without burning far too many bridges.
Renato felt Daniela hug him, and he relaxed internally. So long as he had her, had this, he had no complaints. He had been through so much crap for years that the feeling he had around Daniela made him feel it was all worth it. So long as she needed him, treated him as something precious, he would kill any number of people to protect it.
It was as they were familiarizing themselves with the area that they ran into him.
Renato tensed, recognizing one of the few people he called 'friend'...in that if they were ever sent to target one another they would announce it openly before attacking, as a courtesy.
Daniela promptly went behind Renato, without him having to ever verbalize it or make a single move.
The long haired Chinese martial artist looked at Daniela with a rather odd expression, before commenting in Japanese "She's a bit young for your normal tastes, isn't she?"
Daniela bristled at that. How dare he imply such a thing!
"Don't insult Chichiue like that!" she hissed at him in the same tongue.
The man's eyebrows openly shot up in shock. Not just because she said that in fluent Japanese, but for what she called Renato.
"Apologies miss," he said carefully. "I was merely hoping to catch up with an old acquaintance."
"Apology accepted," she replied. "Papa, do you want me to set up the apartment or should we find another safe house?"
"Let me find out what he wants first. If he's just in the area temporarily, we can still stay here for a while," said Renato. "Go case the grocery store for now, but stay within sight and text me if you have to make an exit out the back."
Daniela kept the Chinese man in her peripheral view, but at the same time allowing her back to mostly be exposed.
"Cute girl. Who's the mother?"
"No idea. Adopted," said Renato evenly. "And I'm still trying to figure out how she pulled that off when she wasn't even seven yet."
The man, who's name was Fon, chuckled.
"Ah Renato my friend, I can see that close proximity has blinded you to the obvious."
"What was that word she used earlier? I don't think I've ever heard it before," he asked.
"Chichiue is a very respectful term for father. It's not really used casually and it shows how highly she thinks of you if that was the first thing that came to mind when reprimanding me. Hahaue would be the female equivalent for a mother. How long have you been hiding her?"
"Since she turned seven. Our birthdays are one day apart, amusingly enough. I suspect she might be part of a famiglia that was taken out, but she won't tell me which one."
Rather sensible, actually. If she was the last remaining member of a dead famiglia, then common sense would dictate she not broadcast that fact until she was older and had an actual power base to work from. Having him wasn't enough, not by a long shot.
Fon hummed, wondering how exactly Renato had missed the fact his adopted daughter was also his Sky. A powerful one too, if she was able to pull in someone as unpredictable as Renato without him even noticing it at such a young age.
Renato's head suddenly whipped towards the grocery store, and without thinking he went in...and found Daniela putting some Storm into a very painful hold while his buddy was already on the floor out cold.
"What happened?"
"These two were giving me a look that spelled trouble. I quit trying to avoid them when I realized they were trying to herd me in the direction of the back door," she said flatly. The Storm cried out in open pain when she twisted just a little bit.
Renato gave the suddenly paling Storm and his awakening Lightning friend a Look.
"And what..." he said icily, "Were you attempting to accomplish by trying to kidnap Daniela?"
The Lightning whimpered, and was so weak willed he wet himself under the Hit Man's unamused gaze.
"She's Flame Active!" said the Storm, trying not to shout in pain. "Boss wants to make a bid for power with another territory!"
Renato stared him down. Then gave Daniela a Look.
"It would seem, tesoro, we will have to find another area to set up in, if this one is full of such fools," he said evenly.
"Do I have to let them go?" she asked.
"Oh I'll make sure they send a message to whatever idiot they work for. Why don't you go exchange recipes with Fon or something until I'm done?"
"Is that the martial artist outside?"
Renato nodded slightly, and she let up. But not before kicking both of the idiots in the balls for good measure. Renato dragged them both outside to beat the living shit out of them.
He came back from dealing with the trash to find Daniela talking happily with an amused Fon over food.
"Am I to assume we're going to be hosting him for dinner then?"
She nodded.
"Just remember we don't have any chopsticks or the spices in the safe house," he replied.
"I may know of a market that sells them. They're not the best quality of course, but they're better than what you'll find at a normal store."
Daniela perked up at that.
"It's been far too long since I had some proper mochi or gyoza. I might even be able to find the ingredients for mapo tofu!"
Fon only had to hear the words "mapo tofu" and "gyoza" in the same sentence before he was in. He gave Daniela the most 'sad' looking puppy dog eyes before she giggled.
Renato had to withhold his own amusement when, after Fon took one bite of her cooking, he almost melted in his chair.
"I hope I didn't make the tofu too spicy. Though I'm sure I got the rice right this time."
"The rice was perfect, and the tofu was fine. I tend to add a few spicy peppers to mine anyway," Fon assured her, with a small smile on his face.
"Do you want me to put in my ear buds while you talk to Fon, Papa?" she asked, gathering the dishes.
"If you wouldn't mind," he said, tilting his hat slightly.
Daniela took the dishes and started on the water, putting in her ear buds and having them at a low enough volume that she could ignore whatever they were discussing, but still hear Renato easily when he indicated they were done.
Fon looked at Renato with open amusement.
"She's a rather beautiful girl. I can see why you're so fond of your daughter. You must be beating off the boys left and right."
Renato's aura darkened. It had been getting more annoying lately, after Daniela hit puberty and started blossoming into a young woman. She had gone from an adorable little girl to a petite, confident young woman that drew eyes to her wherever she went. He was highly tempted to actually send her to the Mafia Academy purely so she would be allowed to carry a gun in order to shoot an prospective boyfriends.
He was damn well allowed to be overprotective of his little girl.
He had been lucky that Daniela was able to get a few of her female friends and their mothers to take her shopping when her "monthly friend" started while he was out on a job. They had explained the 'facts of life' to her, while Renato had concentrated more on teaching her how to get the message across that she wasn't interested to any boys stupid enough to bother her or suicidal enough to try and get into her pants without her consent.
Oddly she took particular glee in nailing the groin area with some very unfortunate 'practice subjects' who were too stupid to avoid annoying him at the time.
"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Renato.
"I was mostly hoping to share various gossip and catch up on the latest rumors," admitted Fon.
Renato relaxed a bit at that. He vaguely caught the scent of garlic, but ignored it. Daniela was likely making a snack they could eat later, or something for Fon to take with him when he left.
Fon had a rather curious expression when he tried one before he left, but thanked Daniela for the gift.
They would stick around for a week before they found a new area to settle in.
A few days later...
Fon was back.
"Would you be open to me teaching your daughter martial arts? I've seen how she moves and I think she might have a knack for it."
"She did take to the lessons on hand to hand rather quickly, and she usually joins gymnastic clubs or goes to yoga whenever we set up shop... having her learn from someone who knows what they're doing and won't shy away from the lethal moves might be good for her," mused Renato.
The fact he even trusted Fon to teach her spoke volumes. He didn't like having unknowns around his daughter for extended periods. Especially since she started growing into a young lady.
Fon observed Renato's expression for a moment before he chuckled.
"Ah, Renato my old friend, you have been well and truly caught that I'm surprised you haven't noticed the truth."
Renato frowned.
"That's the second time you've said something like that."
Fon blinked.
"You mean you haven't noticed?"
Renato paused, before adding up the little clues and Fon's slightly cryptic hints.
He reached inward to his Flames to feel for any abnormalities... before his eyes widened in absolute shock as he felt the clear and distinct sensation of a Harmony bond wrapped around his core, causing it to purr content. The bond lead straight back to Daniela, who was hiding her amusement behind her hand from an angle he couldn't see directly.
"It really took you this long to figure it out, Papa?" she asked, not trying to hide her laughter.
Renato turned to look at her incredulous.
"You're a Sky?"
How the hell did he not pick up on that fact sooner?
Daniela openly rolled her eyes.
"Just because I have Sky Flames doesn't mean I'm going to shove my soul onto people who might not even be compatible," she said pouting. "Bonds like that are supposed to be about trust and compatibility, not about power and domination."
Fon hid a surprised smile on his face behind his robe sleeve. She had hit the general attitude of modern Skies and why he disliked them right on the head with that comment. He couldn't count the number of times he had to take a shower because some Sky tried to shove their soul onto his and force a bond, rather than work for it. It always made his skin crawl and his soul lash out in fury at someone attempting to control him, rather than forge a proper bond among equals.
Renato eyed Fon suspiciously.
"You're trying to Court her as a potential Storm, aren't you?"
"That would be a bonus, but mostly I'm rather curious as to where she found the recipe for the special gyoza buns needed for gyoza kempo. The fact she appears to have the natural inclination for my preferred style of fighting made the decision easier," he admitted.
Renato thought it over...for exactly ten seconds.
"At least if you had to catch the attention of another Element it's one I can tolerate," he said finally. Then he smirked viciously. "Besides, this means I can be an extra overprotective bastard over any boy stupid enough to date you and claim it's my Guardian instincts."
Daniela perked up at that.
"Does that mean I can finally go to the Mafia Academy?"
"Give me some time to adjust to this information and see if there's any connection between you and Fon. If I did allow you to go, then I want at least one of us to pick you up from the school at all times."
Daniela smiled so widely it was like looking directly at the sun. Fon chuckled...it was no wonder Renato fell so easily for her Flames.