At the end of the first season, when Usagi and Minako lost their memories, how do you think Luna and Artemis reacted to them "losing" their partners? I assume they were still hanging around them but acted like regular household pets (since Usagi recognised and was rather shocked Luna could speak prior to regaining her memories), but that period must have been difficult for both cats.
I tend to put Artemis as suffering a whole lot more than Luna did.
I have absolutely nothing canon to base this on. I think the impression started with the fact that we always see Artemis hanging out with Luna at Usagi’s place, but Luna is never at Minako’s. There are extra-universe reasons for that of course. (Usagi doesn’t have her Senshi right now, and barely seeing them helps to highlight how apart from her lives they are now), but it gives the impression that there’s really only Usagi they’re focusing on.
That makes some measure of sense. Whether or not she remembers, she’s still the Princess, and now she has no one to protect her at all. Evil won’t stop coming, just because she can’t remember it.
I actually had it in my mind that Luna and Artemis BOTH were living with Usagi, but a cursory scan of the pertinent episodes shows that’s not the case. Luna is, for sure, under the guise of a normal house cat.
There’s no sign of Artemis, though. It could totally be that he’s at Minako’s right now.
But you know, I just don’t think so. I don’t think Minako remembered him at all.
I don’t think Artemis really gave her the CHANCE.
Consider how that all must’ve unfolded. The cats know that the Senshi have died. I completely believe that they felt it, Artemis knowing that Minako died well before Luna had any idea. But then, just as suddenly, they’re back.
The cats are still terribly injured and aren’t even sure where to start looking, when there’s Usagi coming home! Luna running to her, just so relieved and happy.
Usagi has no idea who she is.
How utterly devastated would Luna have been?
But Usagi and the girls are safe and that’s the important thing. But now the vigil begins. With no one else to protect the Princess, it falls to the cats. They make regular checks of all the girls, but sleep outside of Usagi’s house, on the roof over her bedroom. They debate/argue about what to do, probably every week or so I’d imagine, but for the moment agree to keep everyone ignorant of who they are.
Meanwhile Usagi, usually about as observant as a bag of Doritos, notices Luna’s always around. A perfect opportunity! Luna adopts Usagi/gets herself adopted. Or maybe it’s even easier than that and the Tsukinos recognize her and keep her inside. At minimum, they won’t question her return
“Mama, Papa, can I keep this cat?”
“What, Luna? Of course, we’d never get rid of her!”
“Luna? What a cute name! I’ll call her Luna!”
“That’s nice, dear.”
“What about Shingo being afraid of cats?”
“Oh why should we worry about that now?”
“Hooray! I have a cat!”
Luna tries to convince Artemis too, but he resists. He’s enjoying his freedom, and he has important things to do. You be Usagi’s 24/7 bodyguard, I’ll keep tabs on the others.
Which he does, faithfully. He makes his rounds. First Ami’s apartment, then Mako’s (she leaves the window open a lot, which is helpful). Rei’s shrine, where he exchanges knowing looks with Phobos and Deimos. Always last is Minako’s.
He’s considered trying to work it like Luna and get Minako to take him in. Minako never really wanted a cat, exactly, but he thinks he could pull it off. He’s pretty good at playing Minako by now, even if she’d never admit it, and he knows just the right combination of meowing and cute eyes to get what he wants.
But Minako isn’t Usagi.
Usagi is a bunny of very little brain. She doesn’t recognize Luna (or she really really doesn’t WANT to recognize Luna), so she doesn’t. Minako though?
And Artemis isn’t sure he wants that.
He’s pretty sure she’ll have to remember at some point, because life has a sense of humour like that. It doesn’t have to be right now, though. He hears her talking to her friends about maybe rejoining the volleyball team, wondering why in the world she ever dropped out. He can hear her singing at the top of her lungs when she should be doing homework, but there’s no one to push her into it. She’ll fail her test tomorrow, but she won’t be trying to hide a dislocated shoulder behind a dismissive joke and a false smile.
So Artemis curls up in a tree branch where he can easily see Minako’s room. He can see his favourite sock drawer from there, and that stings a little, but when Minako closes it all the way instead of leaving it open for him, he reminds himself that’s for the best.