Chapter 1: Forget-Me-Not, Faithful Love and Memory
"Tsuna, your aunt's in the hospital."
His head shot up and he gaped at her.
"HIIIIIIIIIII, WHAT HAPPENED? IS SHE OKAY? WHAT-"
"She's very sick. She's been working so hard since old Mr. Takahashi died, and I think it's affecting her health. She's been so very sad lately, too, Tsuna. Every time I see her, the bags under her eyes are worse. And she's so skinny. Please come to the hospital with me to see her. She misses you."
"O-of course!"
Tsunayoshi Sawada was trying his very hardest to ignore the glare that Reborn was shooting him from his seat across the table that was threatening to drill holes into the back of his head. He had never told Reborn about his aunt, and he never intended to. Because he didn't want her involved in all of this mafia nonsense, and he knew that her involvement was unavoidable if he continued to visit her every week with Reborn around. She was much sharper than his mother, and he was sure she would notice something was up if she ever saw how crazy his life had become. Still…he felt guilty. He loved his Aunt Miyu. She was there for him more than his dad was, and she understood him better than his mom did, at any rate. He hadn't even known she wasn't sleeping properly, or that she had been losing weight. It scared him.
"What time are you leaving, mom?"
Nana smiled at him, though preoccupied with thoughts of the sister she had raised.
"Right now. I'm glad that you're coming Tsuna. She'll be very happy to see you. You know, she was quite sad when you stopped going over every week. I was surprised when you stopped going. I always thought she was like a sister to you. I remember when you were a little boy, you wanted to marry her! It was the funniest thing! You'd run around and-"
"OKAY! Okay, mom! Are we leaving?"
He was practically red in the face as he ushered her out the door. So what if he had had a crush on his aunt when he was little? He was little, for Pete's sake! It's not like he knew any better! But to bring it up at the kitchen table, in front of Reborn! He would never hear the end of it! And then, despite his feelings of embarrassment, he felt guilty again. She had been sad when he stopped visiting? It was true that he'd stopped going over to her shop or her apartment without a single warning, but it was for her own good. He didn't want her to get mixed up with the mafia, he just wanted to keep his kind, gently aunt out of it, so that she wouldn't-
"Hurry, Tsuna! The bus is leaving!"
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, COMING!"
Sakamoto Miyu was twenty four years of age, known as a very soft spoken, spontaneous person, shy, and always ready to lend others a helping hand. Her flower shop was well-known, and her prices were fair. She made a living for herself, and took pride and care in her work, and that was enough.
So what, now, was she doing laying on a hospital bed, languishing about like an invalid? She had a shop to take care of, bouquets to arrange, and rent to pay. As it was, though, she had been prescribed to bed rest, and the doctor had wished to oversee her recovery, so in her little cot she would stay.
She had nothing better to do than to lay in bed and daydream-of the future, the present, the past…of her much loved nephew and his new friends, of how her flowers were doing in her absence and how she forgot to leave a note with the flower of the week for the boy that came in regularly to buy a bloom for his lady love's locker, of her childhood trips to Italy and of him who she left behind.
"Miyu, are you awake?"
She started and grinned at the gentle knock on her closed door.
"Nana? Come in, it's open!"
The door opened and her smiling sister came into view, a familiar brown head in tow.
"Yoshi-kun? Is that you?"
The corners of Tsuna's mouth tugged upwards at the familiar nickname.
"Hi, Aunt Miyu. How are you feeling?"
Miyu bolted into a sitting position and beckoned him closer.
"Much better now that I've seen you! Wow, you've grown a few inches since I last saw you! Broader in the shoulders, too! He looks a bit like Iemitsu, doesn't he, Nana?"
His mom nodded as he awkwardly blushed and hugged her. His mom was right, she was looking thin, not like a skeleton, but still…Perhaps it simply looked worse because of the purple bruising under her eyes and her pale, peaky coloring. Or lack thereof. It worried him, surprisingly enough more than the whole mafia thing did at the moment. Suddenly, the door opened with a resounding bang that seemed to go right through his frail, young aunt and that, oddly enough, instilled him with a familiar sense of terror.
"JUUDAIME, I HEARD YOU WERE REALLY SICK!"
Tsuna's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as Gokudera-cigarette and all-burst into the room. He immediately snatched the offending object from his friend's mouth and stomped it out, throwing it in the trashcan.
"Don't smoke in my aunt's sickroom!"
His mom just smiled happily, obliviously.
"Oh, hello Hayato-kun. Are you here to visit Miyu with Tsuna?"
The silver-haired boy looked extremely confused.
"JUUDAIME, YOU'RE NOT SICK? I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR IT!"
Tsuna, in an uncharacteristic show of sternness, shook his head, frowning.
"Gokudera, keep it down! Aunt Miyu isn't well, and-I won't tolerate anybody disturbing her!"
As the bomber stared at him with tears in his eyes, about to embark on a long speech praising his boss' sudden show of boss-like inner strength, the door opened again.
"Yo, Tsuna, I heard your favorite aunt was sick and that you were visiting, so I brought some sushi for her, since my pop said it helps build up your strength."
Nana happily turned to her sister and said, "this is Takeshi-kun. He is another one of Tsuna's friends. The boy with the silver hair is Hayato-kun. They're very sweet boys, I'm sure that you'll like them very much."
"MISS MIYU! KYOKO AND I HEARD FROM YOUR NEIGHBOR THAT YOU WERE EXTREMELY SICK, SO WE CAME BY TO VISIT YOU, TO THE EXTREME!"
"I brought you something, Miss Miyu. I hope you like it! I thought it might cheer you up!"
Tsuna gaped at them.
"KYOKO? NII-SAN? YOU GUYS KNOW AUNT MIYU?"
Gokudera was suddenly in Ryohei's face.
"Don't make noise in Juudaime's favorite aunt's sickroom, stupid lawn head!"
Kyoko turned to Tsuna with a smile that would have melted his heart had he not actually been "extremely" concerned about his aunt's welfare.
"Miss Miyu is your aunt, Tsuna?"
He never got the chance to answer because a group of suit-clad men suddenly stampeded through the door, followed by a familiar blonde. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets again.
"DINO?"
Said blonde grinned at him.
"Hey, Tsuna. Heard your aunt was really sick, so I've come to take her back to Italy to be treated in the facilities there. It's safer, you know. A mafia boss' loved ones are always in danger, and they're especially vulnerable in hospitals. You haven't had any trouble, right?"
"So this is the woman that baby was referring to?"
"N-no, I just got here-HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, H-H-HIBARI?"
The Demon of Nanimori dropped into the room from the window sill, going over to his aunt and looking her up and down.
"Hey, I know you…Sakamoto Miyu, you're the herbivore that runs the flower shop. Some thugs broke in a few months ago, didn't they? I bit them to death and you bought me a hamburger."
Tsuna stared. He couldn't do much else. His aunt smiled weakly at the head prefect.
"I hope you are well, Hibari-san? Thank you very much, by the way, for allowing me to watch you fight. You are incredibly skilled. It was your tonfa that saved my rent money, so if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask. I am in your debt."
The sixteen-year-old prefect inclined his head to the side, smirking.
"Think nothing of it. Anyway…I have rounds to do. I've been away too long, but it was nice seeing you. Perhaps I'll drop by later."
Miyu politely inclined her head as he had in his direction.
"It was lovely seeing you as well. Have a pleasant evening, Hibari-san. Enjoy your rounds."
He nodded once at her, almost gallantly, and jumped out the window, black silk jacket fluttering in the breeze behind him. Everybody in the room gaped at her. Tsuna included. Hibari could think it was nice to see someone? Tsuna just kept staring until he came to his senses, at least, and remembered that he had been in the process of trying to usher everyone out so that his aunt could get some rest.
"Ciaossu."
Right when he thought it couldn't get worse, it did. Just as bad-his mom was excusing herself and saying bye to his Aunt Miyu as she had to go home and start making dinner, would she like her to bring some food down later? And then she left. He was alone in trying to get rid of everybody, who somehow seemed to be almost sucking the life force out of poor Aunt Miyu.
"REBORN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
The baby eyes him disapprovingly.
"You never told me you had an aunt…even less one that you seem to care so much for."
Tsuna (tried) to glare at him (and failed).
"Reborn, you will NOT get Aunt Miyu mixed up in all this mafia business. I won't allow it!"
Needless to say, he was ignored. The baby hitman was gazing at his aunt the same way an art collector eyes a Botticelli piece with a seventy-percent-off sticker on it. Like a hawk.
"Hibari seems to have taken an interest in her. His liking for older women may come in handy."
Tsuna jumped.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HIBARI'S TAKEN AN INTEREST IN HER? WAIT-older women?"
The last part was hushed, not through discretion, but because his voice died in his throat in his shock. Not that his aunt was that old…she was only twenty-four, and she looked as though she were in her late teens, (quite the accomplishment, really, the sort of miracle that Miyu herself blamed on ice-water baths, minimal sun exposure, and a relaxed lifestyle) BUT STILL! She was like, NINE YEARS HIS SENIOR! No, EXACTLY NINE YEARS HIS SENIOR! And Reborn was looking pensive. Tsuna gulped. That was never good. Indeed, it wasn't.
"I think this is an excellent opportunity to strengthen Hibari's ties to the family. I've thoroughly researched Sakamoto Miyu, and she's not married nor dating, nor has she any potential interests that couldn't be taken care of. You wouldn't mind having Hibari as an uncle, right?"
Tsuna about fainted. He was saved, though, by someone calling his name.
"Tsuna-nii! I heard your number one closest person in the world was sick! So I came right over to see if I could help. Your mom is making Italian food tonight, by the way."
Gokudera stared at Miyu in wonder.
"Y-you're Juudaime's number one closest person in the world?"
She tilted her head to the side, confused.
"Well, I suppose I know him better than anyone. I was there when he was born."
The silver-haired bomber nodded one affirmatively.
"Don't worry! I'll prevent anyone from disturbing you! FOR JUUDAIME!"
Tsuna thought for a moment before realizing that he really WAS closest to his aunt. And then he felt terrible for having abandoned her. Reborn, however, didn't care about how he felt. The baby hitman turned to Fuuta, who had, of course, been the one to mention rankings, and asked, "can you do a ranking of best love matches for Tsuna's aunt, Fuuta? It would mean a lot to Tsuna, and it might even make Miyu feel better."
Tsuna was about to attempt to berate him for calling his Aunt Miyu by name when suddenly he felt his left shoe float off his foot. Everyone in the room was attentive, even his aunt, who looked on with curiosity. Fuuta's eyes had gone into that familiar blank stare and he and the objects around him were suspended in the air.
"Come in, Ranking Planet…Fuuta calling…The number five best love match for Miss Miyu is Basilicum, of CEDEF…"
Tsuna now wanted to know what CEDEF was and hoped it wasn't mafia related.
"Number four is a bookstore…"
Everybody sweatdropped.
"Number three is Cavallone Dino…"
The blonde started choking in the corner of his room and all of his men surrounding him stared at Miyu, who lay innocently on the bed, not knowing what a Cavallone Dino was, before they rushed to their (dying) boss' aid.
"Number two is Xanxus…"
Reborn's face grew greatly troubled at that. In what Tsuna could understand of his facial expressions, at least.
"And number one…"
Tsuna waited with baited breath, and, disturbed, prayed for anyone but-
"Hibari Kyoya."
There was shocked silence in the room. Minus Dino's sputtering. Miyu's face had taken on a faraway look. Reborn frowned.
"Alright, Fuuta, can you give us most likely love matches?"
Fuuta nodded, still in his trance.
"Based on current relationships…number five…Cavallone Dino…"
Romario escorted his boss out of the room for fear of his life.
"Number four…grape flavored Hi-Chew…"
Kyoko giggled.
"Number three…Hibari Kyoya…"
Reborn raised an eyebrow.
"Number two…the bookstore…"
Once again, everyone sweatdropped.
"Number one…Xanxus…"
And there was pandemonium.
"Aunt Miyu!"
Tsuna jumped to his aunt's side when he heard the heart rate monitor flatline. She laughed and shook her head, saying, "Sorry about that, Yoshi-kun. The little clip slid off my finger when I tried to sit up."
Everyone relaxed. Gokudera took out a note pad and started scribbling down notes in his "Study of the Boss' Number One Closest Person" notebook. Tsuna took hold of his aunt's hand for a second, but then let it go, embarrassed. What if Kyoko saw? She would think he was a wimp! He swallowed and thanked the gods that she hadn't before turning very seriously to the crowd of people in the room.
"Thank you all for visiting, but my aunt needs to rest now. We can come back to see her later, maybe, when I bring her down some dinner. Mom's making your favorite today, auntie."
Miyu grinned.
"You know how much I love Italian food. Same as I love a good cappuccino and a book in Italian. Keeps me from being bored and getting rusty."
He smiled at her for a moment before ushering everyone out the door.
"Miss Miyu?"
GAH, HE HAD FORGOTTEN KYOKO! Said object of his affections placed a single flower in his aunt's hand, smiling shyly.
"I hope you like it. And don't worry, my brother and I will come visit you again, okay? I know you've been feeling lonely since your nephew, Yoshi, stopped visiting you."
"YOU BET WE'LL COME AGAIN, MISS MIYU! NEXT TIME, I'LL TEACH YOU SOME EXTREMELY AWESOME NEW MOVES!"
"Miss Miyu," as they called her, nodded at them and they said their goodbyes and when Tsuna finally left the room, gently closing the door behind him, he felt as though he had missed out on an important part of his quiet aunt's life, and he felt bad for it.
Miyu sighed, turning over the flower in her hand. It was a forget-me-not, and tired as she was, she couldn't help but dwell on the memories dredged up by hearing Xanxus' name again. She hadn't seen him since the summer before she moved out, and she missed him. One never forgets a childhood love, and a childhood love always has a place in one's heart. She remembered meeting him for the first time, the look on Nana's face when she came home with the burns that she hardly felt at the time…the last day of that week, when they lay in the meadows. She remembered how happy she'd been when she saw him again the next year, and the year after that. She wondered, vaguely, if he had ever read her letter, and if so, why he hadn't answered. She had sent one on via Nana explaining why she wasn't there…
She sighed. The bad thing about being a florist was that flowers could so easily stir up feelings and emotions in her based on their meanings. Forget-me-nots were the flower of faithful love and memory, of remembrance and care. It would be difficult for her to avoid the thought of Xanxus when he had been so important to her. Perhaps, though, with Yoshi and his friends visiting, she might not feel so lonely anymore…
Elsewhere, the group of people-consisting mainly of Italian émigrés-that stayed in the Sawada household stopped for a moment. Had Fuuta said that Aunt Miyu's favorite was Italian…? There was a pause and then chaos.
Forget-Me-Nots/End.
