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

Chapter 30

Bunny had fallen asleep on Seiya's chest, he still held her tightly in his arms, watching her sleep. His darling lay there like an angel, smiling in her dreams. He could hardly believe his luck, he had longed for this moment so many times and finally, it was here.

Bunny sleepily opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "What time is it?" she mumbled. Seiya glanced at the clock. "Almost 10 PM, why?"

In an instant, Bunny jumped out of bed, whirled around his room, ran into the living room, and gathered her things. "Damn it! I'm always late!," Seiya heard her curse. Bunny was used to getting ready very quickly due to her morning sleepiness. Seiya, on the other hand, was impressed by her speed; if only she had shown that kind of speed during the sports festival. He slowly put on his pants and threw on a shirt, then approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you really have to go home already?" he whispered in her ear.

Bunny was trying to put on her shoes at the same time. "Let me go," she giggled. "Yes, during the school year, I have to be home by 10 PM, or else I'll get in huge trouble with my parents."

Seiya sighed sadly. "Alright, but at least let me take you home. It's already dark, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

He grabbed his jacket, and as he opened the apartment door, Yaten fell into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" Seiya asked his brother, who jumped up.

"I rang the bell at least 20 times and knocked for minutes. If you were there, why didn't you let me in?!" Yaten immediately scolded, but he stopped when Bunny emerged from behind Seiya. He stared in shock from his brother to Bunny and back. "Maybe it's better that I stayed outside," he then laughed and grinned meaningfully, patting Seiya on the shoulder.

Silently, they walked side by side, each processing what had happened in the past few hours. Then, Bunny suddenly felt his hand holding hers, gripping her tightly. She looked at their hands and gave him an affectionate smile. "Never let me go," she said. Seiya laughed briefly. "Then you'll have to explain to your father why I need to sleep over at your place. I wouldn't mind, though." Bunny joined in his laughter. No, her father would never allow that. In the four years with Mamoru, she had only been allowed to spend the night there twice, and Seiya was a stranger to him.

Arriving at her parents' house, he gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I love you, my sweetheart. Until tomorrow," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her passionately. It was one of those kisses that you wished would never end. Reluctantly, they pulled apart, and Bunny turned around at the front door to give him one last look. As soon as she opened the door, Ikuko's voice was already heard. "Bunny! Do you even know what time it is? You have school early tomorrow! You can barely get out of bed as it is!"

"I'm sorry, Mom. It won't happen again," she muttered and quickly went upstairs.

The next morning, Bunny had no trouble getting up, her excitement to see Seiya again was too great. She had been standing on the schoolyard for a few minutes before the bell rang, waiting eagerly. Amy, Minako, and Makoto arrived shortly after her and joined her. Then Taiki and Yaten came around the corner.

Seiya was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Seiya?" Bunny asked anxiously and looked around behind them.

Yaten and Taiki exchanged glances, their expressions suggesting that something was amiss.

Yaten pulled Bunny aside by the arm. "We thought he slept over at your place. His room was empty this morning."

Bunny shook her head in shock. "No, my father would never allow that. He dropped me off at home just before 11 PM and said he was going home."

"And where did he go after that? Did he say anything?" Taiki asked.

"No, he just said 'see you tomorrow' and then I went inside the house." Bunny felt panic rising within her. It couldn't be true. Her gut feeling told her that something had happened to him, he wouldn't just leave her again like that.

Angel approached with a broad smile. "Hello, everyone," she chirped with exaggerated cheerfulness. As she got closer, she noticed the concerned looks on everyone's faces. "Is everything okay?"

"No, Seiya has been missing since last night," Minako informed her. Feigned shock appeared on Angel's face. "Oh no! Do we know what happened?"

Minako shook her head. "No, we just realized he was missing. Taiki and Yaten are calling hospitals right now."

Angel saw Bunny sitting on the ground, weeping, her face buried in her hands. "What do we know so far? I'll definitely help with the search," Angel offered. "Not much. Yaten saw him last night, then he went out again... and never came back. His room was empty this morning."

"He'll probably turn up again, maybe he got stuck at some friend's place," Angel tried to find comforting words.

Yaten came running back, and Bunny lifted her head hopefully. "No, nothing. His phone is off, and no hospital on my list knows his name."

Bunny's throat formed a burning lump. She wanted to scream her heartache to the world. But she couldn't move; her body felt paralyzed. She could barely recall her conversation with the policeman; it all passed by her like a movie. In her mind's eye, she could only see him. Where was he?