A new future

New Strength for Bunny

Seiya looked at the clock, it was 5:10 am, and they had been discussing for nearly three hours without reaching a conclusion. He stood up, pushing his chair back. He still had his last conversation with Bunny on his mind. "What are you planning to do?" Yaten whispered to him.

"It's enough. I'm going to talk to Bunny now and tell her everything. She should also have a say in how things proceed, even though I already know her answer," he said sadly, taking a deep breath. "Go to sleep; it's going to take a while," Seiya grumbled as he left the room. Everyone watched him in surprise.

Seiya lay down next to Bunny again and lovingly stroked her face. She smiled at him in her sleep. "Oh, my darling," he sighed. Bunny was still in the dream world, he could feel it, so he went to find her there. She was still sitting on the beach, watching the sunrise. He sat down behind her and pulled her into his arms so that she couldn't see his tears. But she sensed that something was wrong. "Seiya, what happened?" she asked without turning around. His embrace tightened; he had to feel her, be sure that she was really here in front of him and that she was okay. How could Luna say that she wouldn't make it? How should he tell her? He didn't know where to start.

"Darling... I love you more than my life, I hope you know that," he began, his voice trembling. Bunny turned to him, looking concerned, and saw tears filling his blue eyes.

"I know, and I love you at least as much. So what happened?" she asked.

"Luna just conveyed a message... or rather, two..."

"And? What was it about? How is Luna?"

"Bunny, Luna is fine, but your body can't heal itself anymore... Before, it would regenerate because of the power of the Silver Crystal, but because of the pregnancy..."

"Seiya, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

"It's possible that you won't recover without external help."

Bunny paused briefly when she realized what he was trying to say. "You mean I'm going to die without help?"

Sadly, Seiya nodded and wiped a tear from his face. "Luna suggested that we pool our powers and try to heal you, but she doesn't know if it will work. I'm so afraid of losing you."

Bunny was now crying, and Seiya held her tightly.

"I don't know if I can expect that from the others. Channeling our powers is extremely exhausting for everyone. It's always been the last resort," she whispered to him through her tears.

"Bunny, it's likely your only chance, do you hear me? The others would stand by your side with this at any time, but you have to allow it. You have to fight," he told her. Calling her by her first name all the time made her realize the gravity of the situation.

"Okay, if it really is that bad. Then we'll try it, but I want everyone to decide for themselves if they want to participate... and no one should put themselves in danger."

He gently lifted her chin and looked deep into her eyes. He was relieved that she had agreed.

"Promise me you won't die. Understand?" His eyes flickered briefly, and he kissed her very demandingly. As he pulled away from her, she nodded dazedly.

When Seiya went back downstairs to the others a few hours later, everyone looked at him expectantly.

"And? What did she say?" Minako blurted out when she saw him.

"She's hungry," he called over his shoulder and headed into the kitchen.

"I've already prepared something for her here. Go back to the others; I'll take it to her upstairs," Minako said, pushing him out of the kitchen. The three young women were already sitting at the breakfast table with his brothers. Tiredly, Seiya grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee.