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March 7th was cold.
Normally she was—with her gifted six-ice prism ability and her tiny hands freezing to the touch.
But this was different. With each passing minute, her body temperature dropped significantly. Her lips turned abnormally blue. Her eyes, once bright and shining iridescence were disappearing under her half-heavy lids.
She was no longer smiling, no longer laughing.
She was wilting before their eyes, her rosy-pastel hair fading and drooping.
March was dying.
“Stelle, get the first aid from the storage!” Their red-headed navigator directed orders to any able person she could find, her voice booming with authority. “Pom-Pom, set our destination course to the Space Station as soon as possible!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Right away!”
As the pair headed off to instill their tasks, Himeko picked up the pace, returning to the couch to find the raven-haired man who stayed put in his post. He refused to budge, his head hanging low as his arms cradled the limped form of his friend closer to his chest. He had voluntarily removed his coat and made sure to help the poor girl put it on. It was too large on her frame but for now, it would have to do.
She was surprisingly light too. Had she been skipping her meals lately? Knowing her, she would probably be drinking juice the whole time, as per her addiction to it.
“How are you, Dan Heng?” asked Himeko softly, getting his attention. “Do you need a break—“
“I’m fine.” Dan Heng interrupted, his eyes still on March.
Himeko mustered a small smile at his dedication, then hovered a little to check the unconscious girl. She wordlessly placed one of her fingers against the base of March’s left wrist, seeking a pulse. Ten seconds later, she released a sigh.
“Her pulse, it’s faint but it’s there.” She said with a strained smile, eyes somewhat glassy.
Their March was still holding on.
“The train is about to make the jump!” Pom-Pom’s voice rang through the intercom speakers. “Preparing for takeoff!”
“Everybody, sit down!” Welt yelled across the other side, already seated with his cane pressed firmly on the floor.
Himeko nodded and glanced over to the tired-looking young man next to her. Her motherly instincts kicked in, patting him on the shoulder.
“She’s going to be fine, Dan Heng. Our girl’s strong.” She guaranteed, her words a source of hope not just for his ears but for herself as well.
“I know.” was all Dan Heng could say and pressed March’s cold, limp form closer to his chest, bracing for the turbulence.
As the Astral Express prepared its cosmic jump, Dan Heng closed his eyes.
Peace and prosperity were restored in Jarilo-VI.
With Bronya hailed to be the next Supreme Guardian to the Overworld and Underworld, the bubbly girl thought it’d be a great idea to retrace their steps and explore more uncharted territory.
“We still have some time right? Why don’t we go out and adventure around?” March suggested, grinning. “Who knows what sorta treasures we’ll get to find out there!”
“We’re not here to play around, March.” Dan Heng countered, giving her a stern look. “We are here to complete a mission and now that it’s over, we should head back to the Astral Express.”
But of course, she was stubborn.
“Well, I’m not going back till I get to see everything!” March argued, sticking out her tongue in retaliation.
Dan Heng snorted. What he didn’t know then was that his next words would trigger a forthcoming tragedy. “Suit yourself.” He said, fixing his gaze back on his book. “I’m not accompanying you.”
“Fine then! I didn’t ask you to!” March retorted back.
That was the end of their conversation.
He hadn’t seen her then.
It wasn’t until he grew worried and decided to look for her in the middle of the night…only then, he bumped into Stelle, that it finally dawned on him.
March went out exploring by herself.
With the help of Wildfire, they had managed to track down the thick-headed girl…which led to the outskirts of Belobog and…
They found her, lying in a fetal position, her hand pressed weakly on the fresh wound which struck her abdomen. The remains of her six-ice prism sparkled beautifully around her, under the rays of the bright sun. A few feet away from her was a floating Fragmentum, howling loudly through the snowstorm.
Dan Heng didn’t have time to think. Summoning Cloud-Piercer, he dove straight into the action, ignoring the loud protests by the others.
The last thing he remembered was seeing red, red, red.
“We’re hereeeee!”
Pom-Pom’s announcement rang loudly through the Parlor Car, forcing Dan Heng out of his stupor. He looked around, noticing the other members already out and about.
“Dan Heng!”
The call of his name made him blink twice and turned, locking eyes with a pair of golden ones.
His friend’s steely gaze signaled Dan Heng to slowly rise from his seat. Carefully but steadily, he tucked March inside his arms, holding her close to his chest. He was the first to exit the train and into the empty platform railway with Stelle not too far behind.
“We’ll take it from here,” Himeko assured the older gentleman. Spotting their tiny conductor waddling off, she added, “Keep Pom-Pom company. We’ll be back.”
Welt nodded in return. “Contact me if anything happens.”
Off they went—Dan Heng, Himeko, and Stelle, running as fast as they could. As they made it through the entrance, they were greeted by a familiar face.
“Oh! Everyone! You’ve returned!” Asta cried with a polite smile. “Pleasant surprise to see you all here and—“
“I’m afraid there’s no time,” Himeko cuts her off, slightly out of breath and disoriented. “Please Asta, where’s the clinic? March, she’s—"
Right away, Asta was quick on her feet. “Follow me! Right this way!” She led the charge to get to the Base Zone where the infirmary was located.
Luckily, it didn’t take too long and they managed to reach it in one piece.
“Please, is there a doctor on sight?” Asta cried in urgency, alerting a few researchers wandering the small room. “We’ve got an emergency here!”
“Yes! I’ll be right there!” An older lady cried from the back, waving them.
Thanking the lead researcher, Himeko hurried over and explained everything to the physician.
“I see. Bring the girl to me and put her on the bed.”
On cue, Dan Heng appeared from behind and ever so slowly, managed to lay March safely on the soft mattress. So used to keeping her close, his heart sank when he had no choice but to let go of her.
Upon placing her on the bed, he and Himeko made quick work of bundling her up with his coat and adding layers of blanket over her freezing body. His fingers accidentally touched the side of her cheek, the feeling still numb and cold.
“I’m sorry.” He wanted to tell her right then and there, but the words refused to come out of him. The emotions he built inside were choking him and that’s when he remembered… another eerie, distorted memory.
The sight of her weak state, how dangerously close the Fragmentum was in approaching her.
Dan Heng veered to his hands and in a flash, they were coated in a pool of blood.
Hers and the monster were mixed together.
That’s right, he managed to eliminate what harmed her. But the cost of it was too great.
“Hey Dan Heng, you coming?” Stelle called from behind the curtains. No response, Stelle called out his name again.
Still no response.
“Dan Heng?”
Curious, Stelle looked over the curtains and found the tall guard seated on a stool, close to the edge of March’s hospital bed.
“…I’m staying.” Dan Heng murmured, head still low. “I’ll accompany her until she wakes up.”
Stelle nodded, giving him a look of understanding. “Okay.”
Asta, Himeko, and Stelle left to get some fresh air.
With Dan Heng close by (and hiding on the other side of the curtains to give them some privacy), the physician managed to do incredible work, often asking the latter for more gauze wraps and pads to close off the wound.
Half an hour later and the physician allowed him to return to March’s side.
“Your friend is gonna be alright now,” The physician assured and he believed her.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Dan Heng thanked, bowing graciously.
“I’ll be over there if you need me,” The physician told Dan Heng, pointing over to where her office was.
And she, too left.
Now that he was alone, Dan Heng finally let out a deep, long breath.
His tired body gave in, causing him to stumble over and hit his head on the edge of the mattress. Luckily, he didn’t hit March who remained fast-asleep.
He forced himself to reopen his eyes, adjusting himself a bit to get a better view of the sleeping girl. She had overcome so much danger, so much torment, and yet, after all this time, she was still here with them.
“Our girl’s strong.”
Reminded by Himeko’s encouraging words, Dan Heng cracked a soft, tiny smile. “She really is.” He said to no one, allowing himself to take a moment to admire her.
A long silence pierced through the space of the infirmary. He, who was so used to it, felt strangely annoyed.
This peace, this moment of tranquility…without March filling it with some sort of silly remarks or her giggles, it felt wrong.
For the first time in his life, the silence became unbearable.
This wasn’t the first time Dan Heng saw her in such a state.
March 7th—that was the day they found her and the origin of her eventually bearing the said name.
It had happened so suddenly.
Five months after he was welcomed in by the Astral Express team, Pom-Pom announced a shower of debris heading their way. As they braced themselves for the impact, Dan Heng found himself somehow drawn by a large diamond-like structure floating by. Pointing this out to Himeko and Welt, soon they decided it'd be best to check it out and investigate.
Later that day, they discovered that someone was enclosed within the six-phased ice shard.
Pink hair and frail body with features distinctive of a girl. Her hands and legs closed in to hide her stark nakedness, frozen in time and drifting off in a dream-like state.
Beautiful was the first word Dan Heng thought when he first laid eyes on her.
At that same time, he made it his own duty to pct this girl.
Sadly, the aeons were never in his favor.
It seems, for some reason, things from his past and mistakes were coming back to haunt him, to remind him of his worthlessness.
Before he knew it, it happened again.
The living proof of this was here in front of him.
A nearly identical copy of said memory.
The many times he was tasked by both Himeko and Welt to safeguard the girl…and the one time he refused to do so, it nearly killed her in the process.
He failed as her guard.
He failed as her friend.
And that was more than enough reason for her to disregard him completely.
What if he hadn’t dismissed her and instead, went along with her?
If they had encountered the same enemy, if he had been faster and pushed her out of the way and taken the damage in her place…
Would he be the one in her place while the girl in question would be seated where he was, hysterically crying her eyes out and begging for him to forgive her?
So many ‘what if’ scenarios ran through his mind. But all Dan Heng could do was ponder. His growing worryworsenedn as he spotted the fresh traces of scratches along her exposed neckline. His breathing staggered as he clenched his teeth, grabbing a bunch of the blanket, enclosing i,t and turning it into a fist.
The reality was that March got hurt and he wasn’t there for her and it hurts.
His hand slid over to take hers and squeezed it, hoping that perhaps his warmth could help her. It bothered him how cold she still felt.
“Please wake up.” He said softly, his words muffled by the blanket sheet. His eyes were beginning to grow heavy. “I…” need you, he wanted to add, only to stop himself midway and shake his head.
No, now wasn’t the right time not to say anything ludicrous. “We, the Astral Express need you.”
There was so much light.
Could this be…the other side?
Slowly, March opened her eyes. Blinking a few times, it dawned on her that the lights shining down were not stars but ceiling lamps. Where…was she?
She tried to move, only to feel a surge of pain piercing down her abdomen. She gasped, trying hard not to cry. Grunting, she forced herself to turn her head over. A messy, mop of black hair caught her attention.
“…Dan Heng?”
It was him, sound asleep and noticeably close to her. The way he was angled looked awfully painful with his arm serving as a pillow for his head…wait, where did his white coat go?
March giggled at the rare sight, then tried to move one of her hands.
“Huh?”
Weird, her left one felt heavy. Her eyes trailed over to where it was and…
Her eyes slowly widened.
Dan Heng’s larger hand was on top of hers, his warmth welcoming and making her feel safe.
March smiled, blushing a little at the kind gesture. Oh, if only she had her camera somewhere so she could take a photo of this!
“Hnngh?”
Blinking, March looked over in his direction to notice Dan Heng stirring.
March frantically looked around, the redness taking over her face. Before she could try to lay back down and pretend, the rare sight of Dan Heng’s groggy, cute face made her stop and just stare.
“…Hmm? March?”
Shaking away her daze, March forced a smile to greet him. “Heyyyyy~”
Eyes wide open, Dan Heng bolted out of his seat. “MARCH!” He suddenly cried, fully awake.
March giggled at how funny he was acting, only to start coughing brashly midway.
Quickly, Dan Heng snatched some water from the bedside. “Here, drink.” He told her, offering her the cup which she took graciously.
Gulping it down, March let out a loud, “Ahhh, that hits the stuff!” Smacking her lips, she beamed. “Thanks so much, Dan Heng!”
“How are you feeling?” Dan Heng asked, straight to the point.
March shrugged. “I don’t know. Better, I guess?”
Dan Heng sighed. “Okay,” He uttered, nodding along. “Good to hear.”
“Yeah.”
March sat upright, closing her eyes shut and hissing as another shot of pain hit her. She was surprised to find Dan Heng quickly come to her aid, shaking her head and waving it off. "Don't worry, I'm fine! Really!" She told him, followed by a short half-hearted laugh. "So, how long was I out?"
Dan Heng took out his phone, checking out the time. "4 am." He stated matter-of-factly, pocketing his device. "You were asleep for almost a full day.
"Huh."
Dan Heng nodded silently.
Silence returned to the infirmary room.
Collecting himself, Dan Heng heaved a deep breath. “March…”
“Yeah?”
“…Forgive me,” He finally said, “I shouldn’t have brushed you aside like that. If I had been with you, then this wouldn’t—“
March brought up a hand, stopping him. “No, don’t.” She said, her usual cheery voice falling flat. “This whole thing wasn't your fault. It was my silly idea to begin with, you know? Not only that but I decided to leave Belobog without telling you or Stelle. What a stupid move, huh?”
Dan Heng opened his mouth to retort, only to close it halfway.
Seeing this, March chuckled. “See what I mean? You don’t have to force yourself so it’s okay! I learned my lesson from all this and I learned it the hard way, so let’s leave it at that.”
Dan Heng nodded his head, taking a moment to process her words.
“Don’t…do that again.” He murmured, meeting her eyes. “I mean it. We almost lost you.” I almost lost you. “If you ever need to go anywhere, tell me and I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, no, no, you don’t have to! As I said, I learned my lesson, haha~” March sputtered, laughing to ease the tension of the conversation. “So no more exploring for me for a while ~ Besides, I don’t wanna bother you or Stelle—“
“You’re never a bother.” Dan Heng cuts her off, raising his voice. “Not to me. Not to Stelle. Not to Himeko nor Mr. Yang. You are never gonna be a bother because—“ And then he stopped there, conflicted over which words to say next.
March tipped her head, making her iridescent eyes big, wide, and puppy-like. “Oh? Because what?” She echoed in a teasing manner.
Dan Heng steeled himself. “…Because you mean more to me than you know.”
…
…
…
March squealed, eyes wide as saucers. “Whoa wait, did you just—“
“I’m not repeating myself!” Dan Heng said suddenly, looking away to hide the blush blooming on his face.
March shook her head, face somewhat flustered. As embarrassing as it was, the thought of him getting worried about her made her feel tingly and warm inside. She lets out a giggle and when their eyes meet again, she awards him with one of her toothy grins. “…Thank you so much.”
Dan Heng cleared his throat. “Do you need anything right now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Water, food?”
“I think…I’m good for now.” March replied and she meant it.
She spared a glance to their interlaced hands, his hand still placed over her own…when something else caught her off-guard. The long, white sleeve she was wearing…it didn’t belong to her, did it? Her eyes traveled upwards and recognizing the green patterns, she tried her best not to squeal and alert the cool-headed man next to her.
The thought of him giving her his coat to keep her toasty and warm… for some reason, it gave her a strange sort of feeling she couldn’t figure out.
In the meantime, she would relish this small moment, a moment only between the two of them.
Outside the clinic was a different story.
As Arlan walked around on his daily patrols, he spotted a familiar trio crouching down and leaning close to the infirmary doorframe. Baskets of fruit, sweets, and 'feel better' signs filled the space around them.
“That’s weird, what are they doing over there?”
Curiosity got the better of him as he waltzed over. Noticing his boss to be part of this, he was quick to speak up. “Hey, is everything—“
Asta quickly looked over her shoulder, glaring and shushing him.
Behind her were Himeko and Stelle who, too put fingers over their lips.
“Uhh…am I not supposed to—“
Another unanimous shushing erupted from the group, causing the poor boy to sigh and shake his head. “Don’t know what’s going on but I’ll be with Peppy if you need me.”