Okay, so four years ago when "Finding Dory" came out, I set up a poll asking viewers what family role Dory filled best for Nemo. 'Aunt' got the most votes, so in honor of that and of Mother's Day, here is this story. :)

"Finding Dory" belongs to Pixar and Disney.

The Best Aunt In The Whole Ocean

Nemo was alone by some coral as he was deep in thought. It had been a few months since Dory had found her family and life at their reef was happy, especially when Hank, Destiny, and Bailey had come to stay.

Movement suddenly came around him and he shrieked in surprise when something coiled around him and the coral moved, turning a familiar red before two eyes opened up. "Hey, kid, keep it down," a familiar voice said gruffly.

Nemo calmed down at seeing it was Hank who had been camouflaged as the coral. "Sorry, Mr. Hank," he said contritely.

The septopus lightly huffed. "What are you doing here alone?" He asked. "Usually you're with your friends."

"I was just thinking," the young clownfish said. "It's been a few months since Dory found her family and you guys."

Hank chuckled. "Yeah, that was quite an adventure," he admitted.

Nemo smiled. "Dory admitted she couldn't forget me or Dad," he said. "She's really important to the family."

"Of course she is, kiddo," the septopus said gently. "By the way, I hope you won't think I'm being nosy, but...what happened to your mom? I never see her around."

"Well, Daddy said she fought off a big fish to save me, but...she didn't make it," the boy said.

Hank winced. "I'm sorry, Nemo," he said gently.

"I guess that's why I was so worried Dory would forget me and I was so happy when she decided to come back to the reef," the young fish said. "She's...well...she's like...uh...,"

"Like an aunt to you?" The septopus supplied gently.

Nemo gave it some thought before nodding. "Yeah," he admitted. "Cause she's not as strict as Daddy is, but still makes sure I'm okay and she's there for me."

Hank chuckled. "She certainly is upbeat," he said.

"Mr. Hank, what does Dory like?"

He looked at the young clownfish. "Why do you ask?" He asked.

"Well, I want to give her something to show her that I love her as an aunt and so that she'll never forget me," Nemo said.

Hank chuckled again. "Kiddo, you're a hard one to forget," he said. "I doubt she'd ever forget you, even with her short-term memory loss."

The clownfish smiled. "But really, what does Dory like?"

The septopus thought for a moment. "Well, she likes seashells," he said. "I remember that from when we were looking for her folks."

Nemo grinned, getting an idea. "Maybe I could give her a special seashell?" He said.

"Great idea, kid," Hank said with a smile.

Nemo at once began hunting for a shell. "Okay, it has to be the best one ever," he said to himself before looking all over the ocean floor.

Mr. Ray, who was floating around after having come back from migrating, smiled as he saw one of his youngest students hunting for something. "What are you looking for, Nemo?" He asked.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Ray," the young clownfish said before looking around to see that they were alone. "I'm looking for a seashell for Dory."

Instantly, the ray got the idea that the seashell would be a present for Dory. "Oh, I see," he said with a chuckle. "Have you found any yet?"

"Not yet," Nemo admitted. "I want it to be really special."

Mr. Ray smiled. "What if I told you I knew a place that had neat shells?" He asked.

"Really?" The young clownfish said excitedly.

His teacher chuckled. "Let's ask your dad if it's okay for me to take you there," he said.

When Marlin heard what his son had in mind, he smiled and nodded. "Just be sure to stick close to Mr. Ray at all times, son," he cautioned.

"I will, Dad. I promise," Nemo said.

Not long after, Mr. Ray took him to a part of the water that was near a beach. "We have to be careful here," he said to the boy. "Luckily, it's high tide right now."

The young clownfish looked around before seeing something. "What's that?" He asked.

The ray chuckled. "Hermit crabs," he said. "They hunt for new shells when they outgrow their old ones."

The hermit crabs were scurrying about and Nemo looked around before seeing one with a shell that was blue and yellow and he grinned before seeing the hermit crab wriggle out of the shell. Swimming closer, the young clownfish took a deep breath. "Excuse me," he said politely.

The hermit crab looked at him before his eyes widened. "Hey, you're the kid who's father crossed the ocean to rescue you," he said with a chuckle. "What can I do for you, kid?"

"Well, I'm here with my teacher and I'm looking for a special seashell to give someone who's like an aunt to me," Nemo explained. "And your shell is really neat."

"Well, thank you," the hermit crab said. "Though, it's a bit small for me." He then smiled. "Tell you what, kid. Can you find me a bigger shell for my home? If you do, then my old shell is all yours."

"Okay!" Nemo said happily as he began hunting. His teacher chuckled as he watched before the young fish found a bigger shell and pushed it over to the hermit crab. "How's this one?"

The crab looked it over and tried it on before nodding. "Perfect," he said. "Thanks, kid. The shell's yours."

"You're welcome and thank you!" The young clownfish said happily as he managed to pick up the shell.

Mr. Ray smiled. "Climb aboard, Nemo," he said, letting his student climb up to his back. "You picked a good one. Dory will love it."

Back at the reef, Dory was humming as she fixed a few things around her home, smiling. "There," she said before seeing Marlin pass by. "Hey, Marlin. Where's Nemo?"

"He went exploring with his teacher," the adult clownfish said.

Dory chuckled. "It's funny how you used to be so overprotective of him and now you're chill about it," she said.

He chuckled. "Well, you certainly influenced that," he said without heat.

"Dad! Dory!" Came Nemo's voice and they saw the small fish was swimming towards them fast and he managed to stop in time.

"Whoa, tiger," Marlin said with a chuckle as Dory laughed a little.

"Did you have fun exploring?" She asked.

"Yeah!" Nemo said happily before looking at her. "Dory, um, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, kiddo," she said with a smile. "What's on your mind?"

The young clownfish took a deep breath. "Is it okay...if I call you Aunt Dory?" He asked.

The blue tang was surprised before she smiled. "An aunt," she said softly before nodding. "I like it, kiddo. Though, what brought that on?"

The gentle question made Nemo smile. "Well, you're like an aunt to me," he admitted. "A fun-loving aunt."

Dory smiled and looked at Marlin, who nodded, indicating he knew about his son seeing the blue tang as an aunt and was okay with it. "Aw, Nemo, you have got to be the best nephew ever," she said.

"And you're the best aunt in the whole ocean," the young clownfish said before revealing the blue and yellow seashell and giving it to her. "I wanted to give this to you, so you'll always remember."

She gasped as she accepted the shell. "It's beautiful," she said before smiling and hugging her nephew. "And don't worry, kiddo. I may forget a lot of things, but I'll never forget you. It's impossible to forget you."

Nemo grinned and snuggled into his aunt's hug before she smiled. "I know just where to put this," she said before going to the door of her home and placing the shell gently by the entrance. "There. That way, I'll always see it and so with everyone else and when they ask me where I found it, I'll tell them my awesome nephew gave it to me."

The young clownfish grinned and hugged his aunt again.

I just had another cuteness overload. :)

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GoldGuardian2418