The mind can forget... but the heart never!

Chapter 5

It was the first night in a long time that Bunny slept peacefully. When she woke up in the morning, she had vague memories of a dream in her head. However, they were just fragments that didn't make sense. She remembered bright blue eyes glistening at her, but she was sure they weren't Mamoru's. Then there was a voice; she couldn't recall exactly what the voice had said, but the word "darling" echoed in her ear. When she thought about it, her heart felt warm, but she couldn't make sense of it. She got dressed and went downstairs. Ikuko had already set the table and was very happy that her daughter was in a much better mood.

"Good morning, Mama," Bunny said, letting her eyes wander over the well-set table.

"Good morning, Bunny. I'm glad you're feeling better. Would you like to tell me what has been bothering you in the past few weeks? I was really worried about you." Ikuko sat down beside Bunny and looked at her expectantly. The past few weeks? Bunny pondered. Yes, she had spent a lot of time in bed and felt sad, but why was she so sad? Had she had a fight with Mamoru? No, she would remember that.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I just thought... sometimes talking about things can help," her mother interrupted her thoughts.

"Mama, I'd like to talk to you about it, but unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure what was going on with me," Bunny said and grabbed a roll.

Ikuko gave her daughter a loving smile and stroked her hair. "That's okay, my little one. The important thing is that you're feeling better."

Yaten opened all the cupboards and, to his horror, found that the kitchen was completely empty.

"Will you make me some coffee too?" Taiki called out to him. Yaten snorted.

"I would like to, but there's nothing here, not even a crumb of coffee, nothing to eat, nothing at all. I'll have to go shopping then. Can you handle him on your own if he crawls out of his cave?" Yaten asked, nodding toward Seiya's room.

"I think so, besides, it's still early, I don't think he'll be getting up anytime soon," Taiki replied and opened the newspaper in front of him.

Yaten went to the nearby supermarket and filled his cart with everything that seemed important to him. Suddenly, he paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that caught his attention. He slowly turned his head and saw the blonde hair with the red bow turning the corner and disappearing behind a shelf. He didn't hesitate and grabbed his cart, turning the corner as well. His heart skipped a beat only to double its speed immediately after. He would recognize those blonde hair with the red bow anywhere. Minako. She stood in front of the shelf, looking at the different items. Hesitantly, Yaten stood beside her, hoping for a reaction. After a moment, he cleared his throat and mumbled, "Good morning."

Minako replied, "Good morning," without looking at him and continued studying the prices on the items. Yaten was getting impatient, and he felt his palms getting sweaty. He cleared his throat again. Finally, Minako looked over at him, and he smiled at her.

"Oh, excuse me, am I in your way? Did you want to access this?" Minako apologized with a smile and took a few steps to the side.

Yaten had never expected such a reaction.

If she had been angry because he had simply left back then, okay. If she had hugged him because she was glad he was back, even better. But what was this?

"Um, thank you," Yaten stammered, confused, and automatically put a pack of rice in his cart as he lifted his head again. However, Minako had already disappeared between the aisles.

The whole situation seemed strange to Yaten. He searched for her throughout the supermarket; he really wanted to talk to her. But when he found her, she was already at the checkout, paying. He quickly put his groceries on the conveyor belt, trying to keep an eye on Minako. She calmly left the store and stopped at the ice cream stand across the street. Yaten paid a little later, threw everything into a bag, and rushed after her. When he spotted her at the ice cream stand and called her name, she turned around, but her gaze seemed to go right past him. Only when Yaten stood in front of her did she seem to recognize that he must have called her.

"Excuse me, but do we know each other? How do you know my name?" Minako asked, looking puzzled.

"Minako, what's going on? I know I messed up... and... and I wanted to apologize," Yaten stammered, looking at her expectantly.

But Minako didn't recognize the young man with silver hair and bright green eyes in front of her, nor did she know what he wanted from her. He vaguely seemed familiar, but she couldn't recall where she might have seen him before. The situation made her feel uncomfortable. "I don't know what you're talking about. I really have to go now," Minako said hurriedly and turned around, running away. Left behind was a bewildered Yaten, watching her disappear.

Yaten needed some time to process this strange encounter before returning to the apartment. Taiki was still sitting at the table, engrossed in his newspaper. He only lifted his head briefly. "You've been gone quite a while. Did something happen?"

Yaten started putting away the groceries. "I met Minako," he said as he turned on the coffee machine. Taiki now raised an eyebrow curiously.

"And you're still in one piece? What did she say?"

Yaten pulled a chair over and sat down next to his brother. "It was weird. She acted as if we didn't know each other. She even used the formal 'you' and asked how I knew her name... and then... well, then she just ran away."

"It sounds like she's really mad," Taiki couldn't help but resist a laugh. He would have loved to see that. "Seems like she's really angry."

"Yes, I even apologized, but she didn't seem to care," a hint of sadness echoed in Yaten's voice.

Suddenly, both of them became alert as the lock on Seiya's bedroom door clicked loudly. Seiya looked terrible as he dragged himself to the table, cold sweat on his forehead, and his hands trembling slightly. The first signs of withdrawal were showing.

Silently, Taiki placed a coffee in front of him, alongside a pack of painkillers. Gratefully, Seiya swallowed two pills and washed them down with a big gulp of coffee.

"Now, please explain to me again why we're here," he asked his brothers, breaking the silence.

"The princess sent us back here to give us time to resolve all the unresolved issues. You never got over the hasty departure and sudden separation from Bunny, and Yaten and I have something to take care of as well," Taiki began, blushing slightly at the last part.

"If we want, we can return, but we should at least make use of this chance," Yaten continued.

"What is there to resolve between Bunny and me? She has made her decision," Seiya deliberately avoided using her name; it was too hard on his tongue.

"You need one last conversation with her to be able to move on once and for all. You've been drowning in self-pity for weeks, trying to drown it in alcohol. That needs to stop," Taiki tried to reason with him.

"Seiya, you have nothing to lose. Taiki and I will help you sober up, have a conversation with Bunny, and if you still want to go back home... then we'll contact the princess," Yaten offered the suggestion.

Seiya knew his brothers wouldn't give up until he agreed. But even the thought of seeing Bunny again made his heart stop. "Darling," he thought wistfully.

"Fine, one conversation, and then I'm leaving again," he grumbled and took a big gulp of his coffee. "But I want to talk to her alone."

"We can manage that," Yaten winked at him.

"Unless she acts like Minako," Taiki teased his brother.

Curiously, Seiya looked at Yaten. "Why? What's wrong with Minako?"

"She acted as if we didn't know each other. I ran into her while shopping earlier," Yaten began, recounting the strange encounter to Seiya.