Forget-Me-Not

By: AtomicKokoro

Storyline

A question is brought up around the table at the Russian Sushi restaurant. Mikado and Masaomi gladly answer Anri and Saki's question, only to trail deep down into Memory Lane.

…

Before You Read

I was going through some of the things my friend was showing me; flowers and what they really mean. So, I found Forget-Me-Not means Memories. As I came up with this idea, I consulted the title idea with my friend. She suggested the Forget-Me-Not.

I gladly took up the idea.

To add to the Memory Lane thing, I decided to make it in a similar format to How I Met Your Mother. I think it's personally a great idea.

I'm actually kind of hoping that the author of Durarara! will show how Mikado and Masaomi really met instead of I just taking a wild guess.

Anyways, on with the story!

…

Chapter 1

Yellow Zinnia – Daily Remembrance

I remember that day, Mikado.

Ha ha. It's weird, isn't it? To think a flower could mean so much.

Do you miss home, Mikado? Sometimes I do. I kind of want that peaceful life back, with you, but with Saki and Anri there, too. Do you think that could ever happen? I'm hoping so. I think that's what I want. Come back with me, okay? Ikebukuro's a pretty lonely city when it's just you.

…

"And I'll take the spiciest stuff you got!"

Simon laughed wholeheartedly at Masaomi's final order, retrieving the menu from the blond boy's hands. "Good, good," he said. "I be back with orders soon." With that, the Russian man left, leaving four teens at the table in the back.

Saki, Masaomi's current girlfriend, turned back from a rather heated discussion with Anri about their chest size (it was more heated on Saki's side than Anri's side). "I mean, seriously! You're are so much bigger than me. It's not fair!" She clung to Masaomi's arm at that point, earning his attention.

"Saki," Masaomi laughed. "Don't worry. You're fine."

Mikado, who had been nearly dead silent the whole time due to the content of the conversation, decided to switch the topic of the conversation. "A-Anri, you look nice today," he stammered out quickly. Saki thought his flustered act when addressing the other female at the table was cute, while Masaomi was beginning to find it down-right annoying.

Nah, but he's been this way forever, he told himself.

"Thank you," Anri replied, smiling a bit.

"Ne, Masaomi!" Saki began. "How do I look?"

Masaomi looked her up and down once, pondering his thoughts carefully. "Like a bouquet of flowers," he finally replied.

Saki leaned in closer. "And what kind of flowers?" she asked.

"Forget-Me-Nots," Masaomi replied confidently.

Saki leaned back, dropping her chin a bit, her expression showing the line, "You're kidding me, right?" "Forget-Me-Nots?" she repeated, dumbfounded.

Masaomi nodded once. "Forget-Me-Nots."

There was a pause as Saki tried to picture a Forget-Me-Not in her head, slowly recalling seeing a few over Masaomi's shoulder when he was on the internet. Suspiciously, she simply stared at him through her peripheral. "Elaborate," she said. Masaomi blinked stupidly. Saki turned her head, dropping her chin a bit in some form of disappointment. "Tell me why."

"It's my favorite flower," Masaomi smiled, not fazed by Saki's suspicion at all.

Saki nodded slowly.

"I didn't know," Anri said from across the table, having only heard the tail end of the conversation as she was talking to Mikado about some homework due the next day.

"Mm, hm!" Mikado confirmed for Masaomi. "It's my favorite, too."

"Eh?" Saki gasped. "What? You guys have the same favorite flower? That can't be coincidence."

Mikado and Masaomi shook their heads. "Nope!" they said in unison.

"What's the story?" Anri asked, folding her fingers on the table.

"Spill it!" Saki gasped, setting herself like an excited child would sit to listen to an old fantasy or folklore.

Masaomi and Mikado smiled at each other briefly. "When did it start, Mikado?" Masaomi asked.

"Kindergarten," Mikado replied, chuckling as though surprised that Masaomi forgot so. "When we first met, remember?"

"Right, right!" Masaomi gasped. "I remember now. Ah, we were in Ms. Kyouyu's class, right?" Mikado nodded. "Ah, the first day of school, back in Saitama..."

…

Twenty-six little kindergarteners stood side-by-side, in a straight line, some fiddling with their clothes and hair nervously. No one knew the other, and felt all alone, even though there were lots of other kids around.

The teacher, Ms. Kyouyo, started to name off the children, one by one, for attendance. All the children responded with a small, "Here." when their name was called.

There was no instant connection when Mikado and Masaomi met eyes for the first time. Indeed, it had been during the third name activity did they ever speak.

For the first activity, the twenty-six children were all sprawled out on the floor, each in their own separate space, far away from the other children. Masaomi grabbed himself a yellow marker and tried several times to write his name in the small card given to him, but neither could he spell his own name nor fit what he could spell of it. All he had managed to do was write, "Masa" in large, messy letters, almost illegible for the kindergartener to read.

Mikado, on the other hand, wrote his name in blue marker with too much space left over. He tried to write his last name, too, but it bent downward in a U when he ran out of space for his rather long last name. "Ry...you...ga...mi...n..nee...eehhh..." several children muttered when they tried to read his last name. They started getting into his personal space to read his name and he turned away, blushing madly.

"J-Just Mikado is fine!" he would gasp.

"For the first activity," the teacher began, earning the attention of all the students in the class. "We all have to get into a big circle. Okay?"

The children looked at each other than attempted to sit in a circle, trying to stay away from each other as much as possible. Masaomi looked around trying to meet the eyes of every student in the class. His eyes passed over Mikado like everyone else, as though looking for his first friend. He blinked and sat down again.

Mikado didn't bother looking up. He stared at the ground the whole time, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He was so scared, his small fists trembling as they clutched the red cloth of his school uniform. He wouldn't survive this.

"The first game we'll play is the basic name game," the teacher said. "First, you say your name. Then you say your favorite color and what you like to do. I'll go first. I'm Ms. Kyouyo. My favorite color is blue and I like to read in my free time. Why don't you go next?"

The girl beside her blinked then smiled. "I'm Ai! My favorite color is pink, and I like to play soccer!"

"I like soccer," said Ms. Kyouyo. "What about you?"

The next boy fumbled for some words. "I'm...Hideaki...I like the color green...and I like to watch cartoons."

"Cartoons are great. And you?"

This went on for a while. Soon enough, it was Masaomi's turn, who had been between the first and second quarter of the circle. "I'm Masaomi Kida!" he cheered, beaming. "I don't have a favorite color, and I like to play video games!"

More children went, before it came to Mikado, who was almost too nervous. "I..I'm...Mikado...Ryūgamine..." he whispered. "I like blue, and I...I...uh..." Mikado stumbled for some ideas before muttering something incoherent. Ms. Kyouyo asked him to repeat himself. "I like...to play on my computer..."

Ms. Kyouyo smiled and continued to go onto the other children. A few moments, the circle had been complete. "Now, we'll play the second game. This one is called the Name Game." She taught the game with her own as an example. "Kyouyo Kyouyo bo Byouyo. Banana fanna fo Fyouyo. Fe fi mo Myouyo. Kyouyo!"

The circle went the same way. "Ai Ai bo Bi! Banana fanna fo Fi! Fe fi mo Mi! Ai!"

"Hideaki, Hideaki bo Bideaki... Banana fanna fo Fideaki... Fe fi mo Mideaki... Hideaki."

Moments later, Masaomi's turn was up. "Masaomi! Masaomi! Bo Basaomi! Banana fanna fo Fasaomi! Fe fi mo Masaomi! Masaomi!"

Another few moments came Mikado's name. His voice was almost impossible to hear, but if one strained their ears enough they could hear him. "Mikado, Mikado, bo Bikado... Banana...fanna? ...fo Fikado...? Fe fi mo Mikado... Mi...kado...?" There was doubt, but he managed to get through it.

"Alright," the teacher said again, once the circle was finished. "One more name game. This one is going to be tough, but it's the Adjective game."

One of the children raised their hands. "What's an adjective?" she asked.

It wasn't Ms. Kyouyo who answered. "A word used to describe an object." Everyone turned to Mikado, who immediately regretted speaking up and stared at the ground.

"No, you're right, Mikado," Ms. Kyouyo said. "See. But my name starts with a K. So I have to choose an adjective that starts with a K. Maybe... Kooky Kyouyo! But it has to describe you, okay?"

Ai had to think about for a moment, before saying, "Amazing Ai!" she said after a moment.

"Good!" the teacher praised. "Hideaki?"

"...Hopeful Hideaki...?" he tried.

"Good!"

Again, the circle went on until it got to Masaomi. Masaomi thought for a moment. "Marvelous Masaomi!" he insisted, puffing his chest pridefully, beaming again. Some of the children chuckled at his actions.

One last time, the circle continued up to Mikado. Mikado, however, was stumped. He could not think of a word to save his life. "Oh, the smart kid can't think of anything," one of the boy at the back of the circle scoffed.

Mikado hid his face in his hands, unsure if he could handle the pressure. This is going to be the worst ten years of my life, he moaned in his head, silently praying for something to happen.

"Mysterious Mikado!" someone yelled suddenly. Mikado looked up. A blond boy was pointing at him, smiling with some sort of devious intent. "Mysterious Mikado," Masaomi repeated. "because you never say anything."

Mikado thought about it for a moment, before smiling a bit. "Mysterious Mikado," he agreed and nodded once.