A new future

Until Euphe and beyond

It didn't take long before they arrived in front of a lovely little house. Bunny only now realized that she had never been to Seiya's home before. The garden looked well-maintained and tidy. It didn't seem like no one had lived here for a year. Seiya patiently showed her around. On the ground floor were the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and an office. In the basement, they had a large room for practicing. Upstairs, each of them had their own spacious room and another bathroom. They were now standing in the middle of his room. It was nicely and modernly furnished. Bunny looked around curiously, but apart from a picture of her, there were no personal items here.

"Would you maybe like to take a bath first? You look very exhausted." She could tell that he was still somewhat distant.

"Yes, gladly." Seiya took a stack of towels from a small chest of drawers and handed them to her.

"I'll start making us some food in the meantime, and then we'll talk. Just come downstairs when you're done."

He gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before leaving. Bunny filled the bathtub with water. Brr... brr... brr... A final glance at her phone.

Message from Minako:

> Hey there Bunny, How's it going? I found your purse here. It was under the bed. I'll bring it back to you. Tomorrow afternoon at the Crown? I have soooo much to tell you. Mina <

"So they're coming back tomorrow." Time seemed to be flying by for her at the moment. She eased herself into the bathwater and submerged herself. She wanted to wash away and forget all the worries for a moment, but that wasn't so easy. She took her time in the bath to postpone the conversation with Seiya a bit. He looked so hurt when she told him about last night.

Why couldn't she remember anything? She replayed the evening over and over in her head. It didn't make sense to her either.

"I have to ask Mamoru what happened yesterday. Only he knows the answer. But Seiya won't like it if I meet up with him... What if I just message him?" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Bunny? The food has been ready for a while. Are you going to take much longer?"

"No, I'll hurry. Give me five minutes," she called through the door. It was strange for her that he just called her Bunny. She immediately noticed that. Slowly, she descended the stairs and followed the smell of the food into the kitchen. It was also quite large and modernly furnished. On the counter was a pizza alongside two plates.

Seiya stood with his back to her. Suddenly, he pounded both fists on the countertop. Bunny flinched slightly at first. She cautiously approached him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, tears streaming down his face. "Seiya... I..." she began but trailed off. Quickly, he wiped the tears from his face.

"Oh, I didn't even hear you."

"Seiya, I can imagine how you feel... I'm truly sorry."

"You can imagine how I feel? I don't think so," a cynical laugh escaped him.

"Bunny, I've loved you since I first saw you at the airport. I've always been just a friend to you, and I had accepted that. You were happy with him, and that was the most important thing to me. Your happiness. That's why I held back and took on the role of a friend. But then... then you finally chose me. Made me the happiest man in the world, but only for 12 hours. Because as soon as I turned my back, you ran back to him! Can you really imagine how that feels? And the worst part is, I love you so much that it hurts. Just the thought of having to leave you again..." He suddenly stopped and kissed her.

It was a wild, commanding kiss that said, "You belong only to me." Bunny was taken aback by it; it felt so different from just yesterday. When he released her, she replied, "I chose you. I love you, Seiya Kou. Only you, and I sincerely apologize. I truly don't know what happened last night, but... you should know that my heart belongs to you, forever. And if you dare leave me here again, I'll follow you all the way to Euphe." She gently kissed his cheek. A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Her declaration of love was like balm for his wounded soul.

"You can choose." She realized that she seemed to have found the right words. His gaze was no longer cold and empty when he looked at her; instead, it flickered with desire. Bunny had no chance to react; Seiya had suddenly lifted her up and thrown her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Hey, what's this? I'm hungry, you know. The pizza is probably already cold. Put me down," she squirmed on his shoulder, but it was futile, he was much stronger. "Pizza tastes good cold too." Once they reached the top, he tossed her onto his bed and leaned over her.

"You can't imagine how much I want you right now." Suddenly, Bunny felt butterflies in her stomach again, filled with euphoria, joy, and relief. His kisses were still demanding, just like in the kitchen. He showed her that she now belonged to him, it was all new to her, but she liked it. She allowed him to take control and surrendered to him.

Breathing heavily, they both eventually collapsed backward.

"Seiya, that was amazing," Bunny gasped as she caught her breath. Seiya propped himself up on his forearm and traced the contours of her body with his finger. Bunny started giggling. "That tickles." Seiya paused briefly. "Hey, Bunny, was what you said in the kitchen earlier all true?" Bunny nodded.

"Yes, you're the one my heart beats for."

"I don't mean that. Would you really follow me? All the way to Euphe?""Yes, to Euphe and even farther if needed. After all, you came back for me too. That's how couples do it. It might take a while, but I would find a way." The sound of those words echoed in Seiya's ears as she gave him a kiss, then suddenly threw on his shirt and left the room, leaving him in bed. "Hey, that was mine! What am I supposed to wear now?" he called after her. "You'll figure something out. But if I stay upstairs any longer, I'll really starve," she shouted from downstairs to him. That's her, as she is, his Bunny.