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

Chapter 2

Amy, Minako, Makoto, and Rei sat together in the temple, with the small vials in front of them. "I don't think Bunny will drink it willingly," Rei said, looking at her friends' faces. "Yes, I agree," Makoto added. "Then we'll have to administer it to her without her knowing. She's just tearing herself apart right now," Minako decided, earning astonished expressions from the others.

"Do you mean that seriously? And how do you plan to do that? Bunny hasn't left the house for days," Amy asked.

Minako thought for a moment, and an idea came to her. "Makoto and Amy, you prepare a picnic. Let's say... in about two hours. Rei and I will make sure Bunny comes along. Oh, and someone needs to inform Mamoru too. Luna said we should take it together," the suggestion poured out of her with excitement. She had always enjoyed being a Sailor Senshi, but the prospect of a normal life filled her with joy.

Rei rolled her eyes at the thought of having to get Bunny out of her bed. But they had all decided together that it was best to look towards a future as normal girls.

"And how are you going to get her to drink this?" Makoto gestured towards the vials.

"Well, that's simple. We'll toast together and pour the elixir into the glasses beforehand. It will be fine, trust me," Minako chirped happily. The idea of a normal life had her ecstatic.

Rei and Minako rang the doorbell at Bunny's house shortly after. Ikuko opened the door with joy. "Rei, Minako, it's nice to see you. You must be here for Bunny," her voice turned sad, "She's upstairs in her room. I hardly get to see her anymore. Maybe you can cheer her up. She doesn't tell anyone what's wrong."

"Hello, Mrs. Tsukino. We wanted to pick up Bunny for a picnic," Rei greeted Bunny's mother.

"Well, then, give it a try," Ikuko made an inviting gesture, and Minako and Rei slipped into the house. Minako timidly knocked on Bunny's bedroom door, but there was no response. Rei knocked louder and then opened the door without waiting any longer. Luna hadn't exaggerated; Bunny looked terrible. Tiredly, she turned around and glanced at her friends.

"Oh, it's just you. What do you want?" she mumbled and was about to turn away again.

Minako was still shocked by Bunny's condition, but Rei had had enough. She walked to Bunny's bed, threw the blanket aside, and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Ouch, Rei, stop it, that hurts," Bunny protested immediately.

"Have you looked at yourself? Enough with all this self-pity. You're getting up now, taking a shower, and putting on something decent. Minako and I will wait for you here... Now, Bunny!" she thundered.

Bunny knew that Rei wouldn't tolerate any backtalk, and since she hoped to get rid of them soon, she dragged herself to the bathroom. Bunny had no energy to argue with them; she just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Seconds later, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. Ikuko peered curiously and amazedly through the door of Bunny's room. When she realized that Bunny was actually in the bathroom, she laughed at Rei and Minako, giving them a thumbs-up.

Bunny took her time in the shower and prayed that Rei and Minako would be gone by the time she finished. She just wanted to get back under her blanket and be alone with her thoughts. Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered. When she reentered her room, Rei was sitting on her bed, and Minako was on her desk chair.

"Great, then we can go now," Minako sang cheerfully, pulling Bunny along by the hand. Before Bunny could grasp what was going on, they were already in the hallway, putting on their shoes. But then she paused. "Where are we going? I really don't feel like doing anything," she grumbled. The previous night was still tangible in Bunny's bones; she had woken up multiple times from nightmares until finally deciding at 4 a.m. that the night was over.

"Makoto invited us for a picnic. All of us," Rei said firmly. Bunny was about to turn around and sneak back into her room, but at the foot of the stairs, her mother stood, blocking her way.

"Oh, Bunny, I think it's nice that you're going on a picnic with your friends. Here, I baked a lemon cake yesterday. You can take it with you," she said.

"Thanks," Bunny mumbled, taking the cake from her mother and reluctantly following Minako and Rei.

In Juban Park, they quickly found Makoto and Amy sitting on a blanket. Minako greeted her friends loudly. When Bunny lifted her head, her heart felt like it was in a vice. Mamoru was also sitting there on the blanket, looking directly into her eyes. Bunny didn't know if she wanted to cry, scream, or run away. She loved Mamoru, and she knew that her behavior was hurting him, but she couldn't bear his presence. Being close to him reminded her even more that Seiya was gone for good, a thought she could hardly bear. Mamoru stood up and approached her. A dull feeling of panic spread in Bunny's upper abdomen. Tenderly, Mamoru kissed her cheek and took her hand, leading her to the blanket.

"It's nice that you came," he whispered to her.

"I didn't really have a choice," Bunny thought, forcing herself to smile but saying nothing. In the meantime, Minako and Amy had labeled paper cups with the symbols of the planets and filled them with the elixir of forgetfulness. Rei was currently dealing with a bottle of sparkling wine.

"Champagne?" Bunny wondered.

"Yes, we wanted to celebrate a little. Luna and Artemis can't detect any more enemies. It looks like there is truly peace now," Makoto explained quickly.

Bunny stood up again. "I'm not in the mood to celebrate. I'll take a walk and then head back home. Don't let me spoil your mood," Bunny tried to get out of it. Mamoru looked at her with sad eyes, wanting to help her, but he still didn't know what was wrong. Why his Bunny was acting so differently. Minako reached for Bunny's hand and pulled her back.

"You can go wherever you want, but not until after we've toasted. That much time is necessary," Minako insisted. Bunny gave in and took the cup from her. However, she didn't notice the symbol of the Silver Moon on it. They all gathered closely and raised their cups. "To us." "To peace," they made their toasts.

Bunny drank the entire cup in one go, wanting to leave quickly. But suddenly, something halted her. Why did she want to go back at all? There was no one at home; all her friends were here. She looked at Mamoru, who was still standing at the edge of the group. In Bunny's stomach, butterflies fluttered as she approached him, but something was different. Mamoru looked at Bunny, and her eyes sparkled brightly. He gently embraced her and kissed her forehead. "Oh, my Bunny. I don't know what happened, but I'm glad to have you with me," he whispered in her ear. Hesitantly, she raised her head, a vague feeling telling her that something had happened, but she couldn't remember what it was. "I love you, Mamoru," she said softly before kissing him.