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

Chapter 1

Several weeks have passed since the battle against Galaxia, but Bunny was not the same anymore. Deep sorrow gnawed at her heart. Ever since she bid farewell to Seiya and the others on the school rooftop, something was missing inside her. A profound emptiness haunted her. No matter how hard she tried, Bunny couldn't feel joy anymore. She withdrew more and more into her room, avoiding everyone. Her behavior didn't go unnoticed, and even her parents and Mamoru began to worry. At first, they thought it was just a phase and that it would pass, but instead of getting better, her condition worsened.

Once again, she lay on her bed, clutching the small bear Seiya gave her tightly in her arms, staring at the ceiling. Luna, the small black cat, leaped up beside her and looked down at her with concern.

"Bunny, get up. This can't go on! You can't spend all your vacation in bed. Everyone is worried about you," scolded the little cat. Dazedly, Bunny turned her head to Luna and briefly patted her head.

"Oh, Luna," she mumbled and turned away. Luna grew impatient and nudged Bunny's hand with her nose.

"Please tell me what's going on with you," she tried a different approach.

Bunny sat up, her eyes red and dark-circled, the sleepless nights evident in her pale face. Luna pushed herself up with her front paws, placing them on Bunny's shoulder.

"I've lost him forever," Bunny mumbled, still dazed, and stared at the wall. Luna became puzzled.

"Who have you lost? Mamoru is back, he's working a bit more than before, but I'm sure if you call him, he'll make time for you."

Absent-mindedly, Bunny shook her head. The words had been on the tip of her tongue for weeks, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.

"I love him. I love him, and I never told him... and now he's gone." Luna began to understand that this wasn't about Mamoru. She had noticed that Seiya had set his sights on Bunny's heart, but Bunny held onto her relationship with Mamoru all this time, so Luna hadn't worried. Mamoru was her past and also her destined future. Luna nudged Bunny again and nestled in her arms.

"Bunny, you must look forward. He returned with his princess to Euphe and has a destiny to fulfill, just like you have yours here. Think about it, you are Princess Serenity, and later you will be the Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Doesn't that fill you with joy when you think about Chibiusa, your daughter?"

Sadly, Bunny shook her head, and she fell back to the side, pulling the blanket over her head. She just wanted to be alone in the darkness with her pain.

"It has affected her worse than I thought. I need to talk to the others; this can't go on," Luna thought and hopped out of the room.

Luna gathered everyone at the Hikawa Temple. She hopped onto the table and was curiously looked at by everyone. "Luna, what's wrong? Why did you want to speak to us so urgently?" Amy asked with a worried voice.

"It's about Bunny. As you probably noticed, she's been acting strangely for weeks. She withdraws from everything and everyone, hardly leaving her room anymore. She is also physically in poor condition, waking up crying or screaming at night and staying awake in bed for the rest of the night. Since you have finally driven away all the evil here, I had a thought, and I wanted to hear your opinions," Luna began, she jumped off the table and paced a few steps through the room before continuing. "Artemis and I will also return to our time, but before that, I want to offer you something. The Elixir of Oblivion. It will erase all memories of everything supernatural from you, and you can be normal girls again."

Luna looked into expressionless faces. Amy, Minako, Makoto, and Rei seemed visibly overwhelmed. Of course, they had occasionally wished to lead a normal life again, but they also knew how unique it was to be a Sailor Senshi. A heavy silence settled in, and each one pondered over the offer.

"Luna, I will accept your offer. If we have nothing more to fear from the forces of darkness, then I want to lead a normal life again," Minako was the first to speak up. Satisfied, Luna nodded at her.

The other three didn't make the decision lightly, but their resolution ended just like Minako's, with a return to a normal life. However, Amy furrowed her brow. "Amy, what's wrong?" the little cat inquired, missing nothing.

"Luna, you said the elixir erases memories of everything supernatural. But that won't help Bunny with her feelings... they originated on all levels," Amy pointed out, deliberately avoiding mentioning Seiya by name.

"What feelings?" Rei asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Rei, didn't you notice? Bunny is lovesick," Makoto informed her.

But Rei didn't understand. "Why would she be? Mamoru is back."

Minako rolled her eyes. "Were you blind for the past few months?"

Finally, Rei caught on, her mouth opening in disbelief, unable to say anything. Luna elegantly hopped back onto the table. "I've been thinking about that as well." Luna performed an elegant backflip, and six small vials appeared on the table. "One for each of you. To be on the safe side, I included the memories of our visitors from Euphe. It will be as if they were never here."

Curiously, they examined the vials, each one engraved with a symbol - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Moon. Makoto picked up the last vial and turned it around. "Luna? Whose is this? There's no symbol on it."

"That one is for Mamoru. Artemis was with him, and he also wants a fresh start in peace. It's best if you all take it simultaneously to avoid misunderstandings. I wish you all the best of luck." Luna bid a heartfelt farewell to everyone present and left with mixed feelings from the group of girls who had been her second family for so many years.

Originally, she had planned to say goodbye to Bunny, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Artemis sat beside her, regarding her with a compassionate gaze. "Luna? You really don't want to say goodbye to Bunny?" Luna sadly shook her head. "No, I've made my decision. She'll have forgotten about me soon enough once she's taken the elixir. Come on, Artemis, it's time for us to go home."