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

Chapter 37

Mamoru stood in front of the door, behind which he would soon meet Seiya. The man who, with his appearance, had actually set everything in motion. He was tense but knew he had to take this step.

Mamoru contemplated his plan a bit more, then allowed one lock after another to click open. Seiya heard someone at the door. He was curious about what would happen next. Would they take him to Osaka now? What was even in Osaka? But the moment the door opened, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"You?" Seiya gulped, looking directly into Mamoru's eyes.

Mamoru closed the door and leaned against it, his expression unchanged, weighing how much or what he should tell Seiya. They stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to look away.

"Yes, me. Stay seated, I'm going to tell you a lot now, even at the risk of you, or rather Bunny, hating me when she finds out, but Bunny needs us. Both of us..." Mamoru began calmly.

"Why? What happened to her?" Mamoru didn't miss the concern in Seiya's voice. He tossed a water bottle to Seiya.

"Bunny has been kidnapped," Mamoru said tersely.

Seiya let his gaze sweep over the four black walls, to the 68 tiles on the floor, and then back to Mamoru.

"I have too, which leads me to the question, why are you here? How did you get in here, and where is Bunny? Is she down here too?" Seiya looked skeptically down at Mamoru. He didn't look like he had struggled to get to him.

Mamoru clenched his teeth tightly, his hands balled into fists, but if he wanted Seiya's support, he had to establish a foundation of trust.

"No, Seiya, she's not here. I made a mistake, you were brought down here on my orders. I wanted to apologize for that," the last words almost choked him. Bare horror reflected on Seiya's face. "Why on your orders? I can't follow you, and what about Bunny?"

Mamoru sat down on the floor, casually resting his forearms on his bent legs and tilting his head back. He knew it was time to open up about his past.

"Before I met Bunny, I was the deputy leader of the Black Moon Circle, Tokyo Metropolitan Area. You're in the basement of the headquarters. I was blinded by jealousy and just wanted you out of the way. I know now that it was the wrong approach... I heard what she said to you, that she wanted to leave me, on the night before you disappeared... I just couldn't accept it, she's the most important to me, and then you came along. After I was ordered to remove you, I resurfaced on the radar of some people I still have unsettled scores with. Bunny was kidnapped by my former arch-enemy, Shin. Until a few days ago, I firmly believed he was dead... unfortunately, that's not the case. Shin isn't squeamish when it comes to torture and suffering, which means every second counts. How far are you willing to go for Bunny?"

Seiya stared at Mamoru in disbelief. Was he serious? He had allowed himself to be kidnapped. Seiya's mind was racing.

"How far would you go for Bunny?" Mamoru asked again, growing a bit impatient.

"I would give everything for her, up to my last breath, as a life without her is unimaginable for me."

A reassuring grin spread across Mamoru's lips. "Good, then at least I don't have to worry about you. So, are you in?"

"Yes, definitely, when it comes to saving Bunny," he assured his help without thinking much.

"Good, then come upstairs, you can shower and have something to eat there. In the meantime, I will take all the necessary precautions. I know you probably have many questions, I will answer them when the time comes, but Bunny's life is at stake, time is against us."