A new future

Sitting, waiting, and fearing the worst

Bunny sat huddled in front of the large fire in the temple, staring into the flames. Minako had helped her out of her wedding dress and was sitting by her side. Absolute silence filled the room; no one dared to speak a word, only the crackling of the fire could be heard occasionally. The waiting was driving them all to madness, not knowing the fate of their loved ones and friends. Hotaru stood by the door, her eyes scanning the area vigilantly. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her, and she let out a piercing scream. Minako jumped up. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Hotaru turned to her, her words calm and almost numb. "One of our Stars has extinguished."

Bunny began to cry, her thoughts racing. "Who?" Minako sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

"Pluto, but two others seem to be severely injured; their energy is dwindling," Hotaru replied.

Bunny pulled the blanket tighter around herself and wiped her tears away, but new ones took their place. She felt so helpless, and this feeling was worse than any battle she had ever faced. Minako handed her a fresh tissue. "They will make it. They have to," she tried to comfort Bunny.

"And if more of our friends... Minako, I can't bear this," Bunny sniffled.

Brr... brr... brrr...

It took Bunny a moment to realize that her phone was ringing. She fumbled in her bag, and there was a message from Rei.

> Bunny, come home. We did it, but we need help! Rei <

A wave of relief washed over her. She read the message out loud, and Hotaru exhaled heavily. "Good, then I'll take you home, and then I'll attend to Haruka and Michiru. They will surely need my help."

Bunny couldn't understand how the Outer Senshi could remain so cool and detached. After all, one of their friends had just died, yet Hotaru hadn't even flinched when she spoke of Pluto's death.

Bunny and Minako were the first to arrive home. They rushed upstairs and brought down the first aid kit, also boiling water to clean the wounds. "Where are they? I'm losing my mind waiting here," Minako grumbled. The waiting was torturous.

Hotaru, who was still by the door, suddenly turned to them and spoke in a distant voice. "They're coming."

They ran to meet their friends, but Bunny came to an abrupt stop when she saw Seiya being carried by his brothers, unconscious. "What... what happened... what happened to him?" she stammered.

Chibiusa came over and hugged Bunny tightly. "He saved me and intercepted a red bolt from Aislinn directly. I'm so sorry, Bunny," Chibiusa began crying again. "I couldn't use the Silver Crystal as you can. It just didn't work. I know what it's capable of, but I could only use a fraction of its power," she sobbed into her sleeve, and Bunny held her close.

"It will be alright, Chibiusa. We just have to trust," Bunny reassured her. "How is Seiya?"

Yaten and Taiki placed him on the sofa, and Taiki replied, "Not good." Bunny rushed to his side, her heart pounding. But it wasn't just Seiya who was injured. Amy had a gaping wound on her shoulder that she was currently cleaning and stitching up. "Taiki, could you please help me? I can't reach the areas in the back. There are still two or three stitches to be made, then I can tend to the other wounds." Taiki looked at her in shock. "Uh... sweetheart, do you really think I can do that? I don't want to hurt you more."

Rei intervened and went to Amy, taking the needle holder. "Come here; I'll do it."

Amy guided her on how to properly knot the stitches. They were far from perfect, but they did the job; the bleeding had stopped, and the wound edges were closed. Amy taped it up and then started attending to the others. Mamoru lay beside Seiya on the sofa, the only one without visible injuries. Yaten had a broken arm, which Amy splinted. Taiki had a gash and some burns, Rei had a sprained ankle and a deep wound on her forearm. Amy rushed from one to another, giving Bunny and Minako instructions on how to help.

"Now, I need some space. Can you all move Mamoru downstairs to the guest room? Seiya's condition is becoming critical," Amy said, her voice getting a bit panicked after gathering all the data. Makoto and Rei carried Mamoru to the guest room on the lower floor. Amy began a thorough examination of Seiya. "Amy, you'll get him back to health, right?" Bunny pleaded.

"I urgently need better equipment. His cracked rib was never fully healed; now it's completely broken and puncturing his lung. I can't handle this here. Let's get him to the car; my mother is on night duty tonight," Amy said, almost panicking after assessing the extent of Seiya's injuries. Taiki and Yaten picked up their brother, and Amy and Bunny rushed him to the hospital. During the drive, Amy called her mother and explained Seiya's injuries. When Taiki screeched to a halt in front of the hospital, Amy's mother was already waiting with a stretcher and two staff members. Seiya was placed on the stretcher and immediately rushed into surgery.

Bunny trembled all over.

"Amy, please don't lie to me. What are his chances?" Amy approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know. He has lost a lot of blood, and his right lung barely worked. But, Bunny, it's critical; his vital signs have always been on the edge. But my mother is a good doctor. Come on, let's go inside. She will inform us soon," Amy said. They went into the hospital together.

Inside the waiting room:

Brr... brr... brr...

Bunny took out her phone and saw a message from Minako.

> Is there any news? Yaten should also get checked again; he's limping. We're checking M every 30 minutes, and he's stable. Do you need anything? Mina <

Bunny pressed the reply button and typed her response.

> Seiya is in surgery; the condition is critical. I'll let you know. Thank you.<

Bunny then tapped Yaten on the shoulder. "Mina's worried about you. You should get your leg checked."

"Oh, that's not a big deal. I'll stay here until we know more," he waved it off.

Then began the longest hours of Bunny's life. Once again, she could only sit, wait, and fear the worst. "He has to make it. He can't leave us here alone. Seiya, you have to fight!" she kept thinking. She wanted to cry, but there were no more tears left; they had run dry. A lump the size of despair burned like fire in her throat. She just stared at a point on the wall, lost in thoughts of Seiya.