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i. a gift from the heavens, her
She was crying.
The girl — saved from within glistening ice — had tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. She had been trying to speak, but her hoarse voice, evidence of being trapped in the ice for a lengthy period, surprised herself and made it hard for her to say a word.
"It's alright dear, you don't have to force yourself. Take all the time you need." Himeko's reassuring voice was the only sound in the entire train aside from the gasping cries of the girl.
The moment Mr. Yang had freed her from the ice, Himeko had already prepared a bathrobe for her to wear, and even a cup of warm water. Yet, the cup remained untouched by the girl's side as she scanned her surroundings fearfully.
What was she so afraid of?
Dan Heng knew that was a stupid question; anyone would be frightened out of their minds if they were in this situation. They had tried everything to make her feel comfortable; from rubbing her back to reassuring her with sweet and gentle words, all for naught.
As he squeezed the temples of his forehead in frustration, Himeko whispered in his ear, "Watch her for a moment, I will discuss this issue with Mr. Welt for a while. Make sure not to scare her, alright?"
He nodded solemnly as she and Mr. Yang retreated to a far corner together. Then, as if approaching a frightened wild animal, Dan Heng cautiously bent down to meet her eyes.
"I'm going to sit right here with you, okay?"
The only response he got was a loud sniffle as he sat down next to the girl. He stared at her posture, noticing her curled up form resembled the way she was found within the confines of the ice. It seemed that even after being freed, the girl still wished to shield herself from this foreign world.
Dan Heng then realized what they had been doing wrong the whole time: perhaps what this frightened girl needed wasn't worried glances and attempts to comfort her but something exciting to distract her instead.
But what could possibly be exciting enough to make her forget her own predicament?
The soft "pitter-patter" sounds of a creature interrupted Dan Heng's train of thought. Ah, perhaps that would do the trick… He hurriedly stood up and chased down the little creature, carrying it towards the girl.
"You should meet our conductor: Pom-Pom." Dan Heng declared.
"Hey! How rude of you to kidnap a conductor while they're working hard! Put me down!" Pom-Pom complained pompously.
As Dan Heng wrestled with the conductor, trying to make them stay put, one of Pom-Pom's long and fluffy ears smacked him square in the face. He bared his teeth in frustration and begrudgingly let the creature back down. While he was doing so, Dan Heng suddenly heard it.
A quiet giggle — a sound so soft that only his dormant dragon senses could have picked up.
Swift as the wind on the tip of his cloud-piercer spear, Dan Heng turned to stare at the girl. She was still giggling, a hand raised to cover her mouth as her cheeks flushed with amusement.
How mystical she sounded — much like the soft tinkling of fairy wings, of wind chimes in the gentle spring breeze.
Dan Heng relaxed at the sight, nudging the tiny conductor to take the hint and approach her.
"What do you think, aren't they cute?" Dan Heng said as he trained his eyes on her, steeling himself for the possibility of her rejecting yet another of his attempts to reach out.
The girl who had begun to emerge from her defensive state slowly reached out to touch Pom-Pom's fluffy ears.
"... Y-yes, cute!" She exclaimed, her melodic tone ringing throughout the entire train compartment, startling Himeko and Welt who had been in mid-conversation.
Her voice was truly a work of art, chiseled with careful hands from the most splendid ice, and Dan Heng realized he wanted to hear more of it.
ii. pet als of crystal flowers everglow, her smile
"March 7th" Dan Heng spoke, his tone of voice soft yet firm, still trying to get used to her uniquely chosen name.
She had gained so much confidence after that little moment between them, jumping up from her spot and immediately exploring the Astral Express, leaving no stone unturned. Himeko and Mr. Yang were both relieved that he had managed what seemed impossible at the time. And when asked of her name, she quickly decided to be called March 7th.
How witty and sly of her to have done so.
Because now, whenever he said her full name, he would be reminded of their first ever meeting. And with it came the memory of that precious first laugh she gave to him: a gift from the Aeons above.
The now cheerful girl beamed at him, "Yes, Dan Heng?"
He sighed as he watched her dress the poor conductor up in frills. "You need to let Pom-Pom go soon, they look just about ready to hiss and scratch at you."
Her newfound curiosity and interest towards Pom-Pom was partly — or well, mostly — his fault, so he would often try to persuade the energetic girl from playing around too much.
And yet, as he watched her, he began to wonder: Perhaps her attachment was more due to the fact that there was someone on the Astral Express that was different like her. He suspected that her fear of being unable to fit in was what drove her to cling onto Pom-Pom and by extension, her obsession with doing things that girls her age would do.
"I hope she'll find a real hobby soon, one that she's genuinely passionate about… One that doesn't involve torturing our poor conductor on the daily." Himeko sighed, pushing a cup of freshly brewed coffee towards Dan Heng.
Mr. Yang winced in sympathy as he watched Dan Heng down the entire cup in one go. "Yes, it's great to see her become so cheerful in such a short span of time. However, it's clear that there are still many things weighing on her mind."
Dan Heng remained silent as he contemplated their words. "... Well, if there isn't anything more to discuss, I shall be retreating back to my room. There are still some things from our last mission I'd like to record. Thanks for the coffee, Himeko." he declared as he got up from his seat.
"Ah yes, if you see March 7th, let her know she's more than welcome to come try a sip of my brew. Maybe she'll find the taste to her liking this time!"
—-----
A loud crash could be heard from within the archives cabin. Dan Heng sighed as the door slid open, revealing a disheveled pink haired girl on the floor with books scattered all over her. "D-Dan Heng! You're back! So soon… I thought you would have a lot more to discuss with Himeko and Uncle Yang! Ahaha, sorry about the mess, I'll clean it up right now!" March 7th stuttered.
"It's fine. What were you looking for? If you needed someone to help you get a book from a higher shelf, you could have just asked me."
March 7th flushed even redder,"No! No, it was nothing. I was just being clumsy, as usual."
Dan Heng regarded her in silence. She was still on the floor, hastily grabbing the books that had fallen. He then crouched down and reached out to her, "Come on, you can tell me what it is you really want."
March 7th looked down, a troubled expression on her face, pink lips pursed in such an adorable manner that made Dan Heng suddenly aware of the fact that they were alone together in his room.
Made him aware of the fact that as he was crouched beside her, it wouldn't take much effort to touch her slender hand, caress her soft cheeks, to kiss —
"Heyyyy, Dan Heng! Express to Dan Heng?!! Can you hear me?"
Dan Heng startled, his eyes widened in shock as March 7th stared at him, her face unbearably close to his.
"What's wrong? What were you thinking so deeply about? You didn't hear a word I was saying!"
"...Sorry, what is it?" He shook his head in a desperate attempt to clear the clouds tinted in pink and blue hues and bubblegum sweetness from his mind.
March 7th pouted, sulking over Dan Heng's lack of attention towards her, "I was wondering if you have any… romance novels," She squeaked out, looking away. "Maybe some comic books or something similar? I know, dumb question! But I was just getting kinda bored with these heavy dictionaries and data books. So, do you have anything like that?"
iii. twinkling silver bells in the moonlight, her laugh
Heavy mahogany lined the walls, with endless rows of books placed in perfect condition upon the shelves. The faint smell of thick leather bound books and springtime vanilla wafted through the afternoon air. Lazy and warm was the atmosphere of the bookstore, with only two dazed trailblazers wandering through the ageless and silent shelves.
"Wow, it feels like there could be books on any topic in the entire multi-galaxy here! Don't you think so, Dan Heng?", the latter could only nod as he followed March 7th closely, watching as the energetic youth seemingly teleported from one part of the bookstore to another within seconds.
They had decided it would be easier for March 7th to take her own pick of romance books, which led Himeko to ask Pom-Pom for a quick stopover at a nearby planet. And now, March 7th was scouring the bookstore for her next obsession. It didn't take long for her eyes to shine with excitement, holding a manga in front of Dan Heng's face.
"Look at this! It's all about the ups and downs of teenage first love! Oh, I must have this. I should get the entire series since we're here already. Maybe I should look for more books from this author too!"
As she rambled on at the speed that could challenge the Astral Express' leaping, Dan Heng observed her. Perhaps some would be turned off by her enthusiasm on everything she laid her sparkly eyes on, but Dan Heng never complained. With each word that tumbled out of her lips, her voice would wrap around him and pull him along effortlessly.
It was hard not to be swayed by March 7th.
"Just look at the art style, isn't it so beautiful?"
Dan Heng's eyes wandered slowly from the manga cover and landed on March 7th. "Yes, beautiful." He whispered softly, praying to the Long of Permanence for the patience needed to suppress the desire to reach out and kiss her smiling lips.
iv. shining eternally in the fading sun, her face
Needless to say, Dan Heng ended up carrying the many paper bags containing March 7th's big splurge at the bookstore as she sauntered in front of him, hips swaying with the gentle breeze. Then, as if struck by some brilliant idea, she swiveled around with a confident smirk.
Oh. She's up to something again.
"First one to the Express is the winner! Aaaaand the loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day. Ready? Let's go!"
Off she went, leaving Dan Heng behind as he grunted and chased after her. She hadn't even waited to see if he agreed to the race. Why would she? March 7th had never known rejection, and certainly not from Dan Heng.
And yet… Dan Heng's mind began to wander as he ran, watching March 7th's back like a hawk. Here he was, playing the role of a protector, a guard yet again. Fate seemed intent on making the highest mockery of him.
He had run far away from his long and cruel past of being a protector of the Ambrosial Arbour and prisoner of the Xianzhou. Yet now he was thrust back into a similar role once more? How ironic, how pathetic, how ridiculous. He should be furious, he had every reason to reject the idea. Free himself from the cage of having to always take care and watch over others. Wasn't he allowed to be selfish too? Couldn't he just worry about himself for once?
Did he really have to bother taking care of someone as carefree and careless as March 7th?
As his thoughts churned darker and darker still, the oblivious girl's trail of playful laughter ended abruptly, replaced with a frightened shriek; almost as if she had heard his forbidden and cruel thoughts. Dan Heng felt the blood drain from his face as he ran forward, chasing after the sound of March 7th's voice with newfound anxiety.
It was already too late when he finally arrived.
March 7th was collapsed on burning grass, torched by the monstrous enemy that loomed over her. Its bloody claws reached for her delicate face. But she wasn't looking at the monster, she was looking at him.
"Dan… Heng?" Her voice cracked, and he felt his own heart do the same.
Seeing March 7th struck with fear on her pale face, his body moved swiftly, instinct of a fierce defender kicking in. He secured her in his arms in a flash and dashed across the decaying field. He could already see the parked Express in the distance.
"I– I didn't mean it, March. You have to know, I didn't mean any of it. Please, stay with me. We're almost there." He begged and begged as he carried her body towards the Express. Why was she so light? It was as if she could shatter and fall apart like glass in his arms. Just like the day he first saw her, cocooned in ice as if she were nothing but crystal.
"Look, we're here. You'll be fine now." Dan Heng spoke as he gasped for air. March 7th remained silent as she did throughout the entire journey back to the Express.
"Himeko, we need first aid assistance right now. Hurry!" Mr. Yang called out as he helped set March 7th gently on the floor.
Dan Heng scanned March 7th, looking for any serious injuries she might have sustained. As he was doing so, she finally let out a laugh, breaking the heavy tension. "Did you know you called me 'March' just now? Is that like a new nickname for me?"
The boy in his burnt teal jacket froze, his mind a frenzy. He had been in such a terrified state that he had blurted out her nickname carelessly. They were not that close, she would find it inappropriate, it was inappropriate—
"Y'know, I kind of like it coming from you, you can keep calling me that if you want!"
Dan Heng's mind hushed for a moment before resuming its panicked orchestral piece. What did she say? How could she be so at ease after what happened? Did she not blame him for anything?
March watched him with a soft smile, "Hey, Dan Heng. Looks like our race ended with a tie, huh? I guess we both get to grant each other one wish. What do you think?"
Dan Heng's ears perked at the suggestion, but he still couldn't bear to look at her.
"Hmmm, then for my wish… I want you to go back and help me pick up all the books you dropped. They were expensive, you know? And I was really looking forward to reading them!"
Finally, finally , Dan Heng let out a deep full-body sigh as he turned towards her, his dark eyes filled with determination and resolve.
"Alright, March. Let's go and get your books back."
As they walked towards their destination together, Dan Heng made sure to keep close to her.
Never again , he thought. Never again would he fail to save her.
He didn't know how it was in the past, but the choice to become a protector in this life was his own, not anyone else's. The choice to watch over March was his own.
The ice that she emerged from may have imprisoned her as she drifted in space with no direction, but Dan Heng vowed not to be the same.
He would follow her as she chose where to go, no matter how reckless or carefree her path was or would be.
She would never be a prisoner of the ice again.
He would never be bound by shackling chains of the past either.
And together, perhaps they could ensure that neither of them would ever have to face these storms alone.
From then on, Dan Heng became the ever vigilant guard of the Astral Express. Always keeping an eye on March 7th as they blazed through countless planets together; liberated prisoners of their past, nameless protectors of the universe… and of each other.