OpalescentGold: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Missing
This is how they find out.
Engaged
They're all rather preoccupied.
Tsuna's trying to become friends with Enma, Hayato's trying to figure out Shitopi-chan, Takeshi's trying to teach Kaoru baseball, Ryohei's trying to fight Koyo, Kyoya's trying to get rid of Adelheid, and Chrome and Mukuro are trying to avoid Julie.
There's that, and Noriko left on a Saturday.
Hence, it takes some time for any of them to notice she is missing. And by the time they find out...
Worry
Tsuna's been worried over Nori for a while now. It started back in the Future, with the Choice Battles looming over them. Noriko was...distant then, always there but lurking in the back, watching but not participating.
Part of that, he knows, is because, with all of the insistence on Box Weapons, they were alienating her. Nori doesn't have Flames, doesn't have those defenses, so Tsuna tried to keep her safe by telling her to stay out of the battles.
And, then, after that final Eclipse with Byakuran, Nori was distracted. Sad and inattentive and melancholic. He didn't know why, and he was afraid to ask. She was bedridden for most of their remaining time in the future, and when they came back -
Well, as soon as they came back, there was the Simon Famiglia and the Inheritance Ceremony, and Tsuna's just been caught up in trying to get everything figured out. It doesn't help that there was an actual assassin sent after him, and...
...and these are all just really bad excuses.
Because the more truthful version is that Nori's been avoiding him, and Tsuna's been letting her. The more truthful version is that Nori's been acting weird, been shifty-eyed and almost-but-not-quite cold, and Tsuna's been scared of reaching out and getting rejected by his best friend.
The truth is, Tsuna doesn't know what to do.
Noriko's always been strong. Stronger than Tsuna, always stronger than Tsuna, if not physically than mentally. When he was a crybaby on the playgrounds, she chased his bullies away. When he was terrified of talking to others, she pulled in friends. When he was faced with battles and potential death, she told him it was going to be okay.
Tsuna doesn't think he's ever seen Nori cry. Doesn't think he's ever seen her distraught and uncertain and lost, not even when the Varia came, not even when they were stuck in the Future with Byakuran.
She makes everything look easy, simple. She's never been anything but a constant source of light and comfort, never ever turned any of them away. She's affectionate and doting, and they've all been taking it for granted.
Noriko's never been anywhere near overwhelmed and exhausted, and now that she's on the verge of acting like she is, Tsuna doesn't know what to do.
Absent
It's halfway into the first class of the day when Tsuna abruptly realizes that Noriko's seat is empty. He should have noticed sooner, but she's been quiet these past few days...weeks...and he's been thinking about his talk with Enma about being bosses.
Tsuna frowns, his Hyper Intuition stirring uneasily. He'll give Nori a call later, he decides. Maybe she's just sick or something.
When he finally does get the chance to call at lunch, he's informed that her phone is off.
Tsuna bites his lip, but shakes his worries off.
It's Nori-chan, he justifies to himself. She's probably off on some crazy adventure or something.
And he ignores the voice that whispers she hasn't done that since Reborn showed up.
Check
Noriko's absent on Tuesday, too. Tsuna shifts in his seat, taps his fingers on his desk, and worries for the entire school day, even more confused by the material than normal because he's too busy thinking up worse-case scenarios.
"Juudaime? Where are you going?" Hayato asks after school when Tsuna doesn't take his normal route home.
"Nori-chan's been absent for the past two days," Tsuna says. "Her phone's off, too, so I'm going to drop by her house and see if she's okay."
"Sounds good!" Takeshi smiles and throws an arm around his shoulder, but his eyes are sharp. "But, hey, it's unusual for Nori to turn her cell phone off."
Hayato frowns, snapping his mouth shut rather than going on a rant about Takeshi intruding on Tsuna's personal space. "That's...weird."
"What is?" Tsuna really does feel uneasy about this whole thing now.
"Hitmen sometimes go after the subordinates instead of shooting directly for the boss," Hayato explains. "I would expect them to go after a Guardian...but you've never publicly claimed Noriko-san for your Famiglia at all. "
"Hieee!" Tsuna freaks out. "You mean Nori-chan might have gotten attacked!?" He breaks into an all-out sprint, not even bothering to apologize to the people on the street he almost runs over.
"It was just a thought, Juudaime!" Hayato yells apologetically, only a step behind him with Takeshi frowning uncharacteristically.
Tsuna skids to a stop in front of Noriko's house and knocks three times in quick succession. He braces himself on his knees and pants for breath, heart thudding a mile an hour, eyes wide with dread.
Come on, come on, come on...!
The door opens. "Oh. Good afternoon, Tsuna-kun," Kiku greets. "Are you alright?"
Tsuna breathes a heartfelt sigh of relief, all but melting into the sidewalk. "I'm fine, Kiku-san," he gasps out. "May I see Nori-chan?"
"I'm sorry, but she's visiting her Aunt right now, Tsuna-kun."
"...what?"
Records
Reborn says blandly, "She took a plane to Italy four days ago."
"WHAT!?"