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Fsssh.
Thwak!
An arrow from March's bow buries itself in a Mara-Struck Soldier, sending it crashing to the ground.
“I don't see anyone else from here! I think that was the last one, Stelle!”
“It's finally over... Be careful when you come down.”
“I will, but get underneath me just in case...”
Stelle and March are currently on The Xianzhou Luofu, more specifically at Stargazer Navalia.
Yukong had given the Astral Express crew a commission, and Stelle and March had been the ones assigned to handle it. Although the greatest threats had been defeated during their previous journeys, there were still several areas infested with those affected by the Mara that needed to be cleared.
The strategy was simple. Stelle took the lead with her Preservation's Flaming Lance, while March tracked the enemies from above and fired arrows at them. After what seemed like an eternity, they managed to completely clear the area around Stargazer Navalia.
March is about to step down from her strategic position, one of the crates containing a seed for one of the Starskiffs.
Stelle raises her arms.
“I've got you. Just let yourself fall.”
Without hesitation, March lets herself fall into her arms, and Stelle catches her perfectly.
“Nice catch!”
“Thanks.”
Stelle carefully sets her down.
“I've seen you getting pretty skilled with the lance. Have you gotten used to it after using it for so long?”
Stelle shifts the weapon slightly in her hands.
“I'd say so. I like it quite a bit. It's more comfortable to use than it looks at first glance. Although it is pretty heavy.”
“Can I try it?”
Stelle carefully hands March the lance, but even though March tries to keep it raised, the weapon falls to the ground.
“Wow! It's way heavier than it looks.”
She crouches down to try to pick it up again.
“Careful, March. You could hurt your back if you—”
Suddenly, Stelle grabs March around the waist and throws her to the side with all her strength. March goes flying through the air and crashes into one of the crates.
Slash.
“O-ouch, why did you...?”
When she raises her head, she sees a Mara-Struck Warden standing right beside Stelle, with the edge of its weapon covered in blood.
March still doesn't quite understand exactly what happened, but one thing is clear to her.
The blood on the weapon belongs to Stelle.
“Stelle!”
With barely any strength left, Stelle manages to grab the lance from the ground to protect herself from the second attack.
“F-Focus... Shoot!”
March tries to regain her composure and, although she's still shaken by Stelle's injuries, draws her bow and fires a precise arrow into the Mara-Struck Warden's skull, causing it to collapse to the ground, completely defeated.
“Are y-you okay?!”
March runs toward her, crouches down, and examines her wounds. Stelle has a cut running across a large portion of her abdomen and extending to her left arm.
“I’m... sorry... for... pushing you.”
“I-It's okay. You did it to protect me.”
Stelle remains on her knees on the ground. Ignoring her own condition, her gaze stays fixed on March's body, checking to see if she has suffered any injuries from the impact.
“Sorry for... hurting you.”
“I-I told you I'm fine. Now isn't the time for that. Your wounds are still bleeding. We need to—”
Before she can suggest treating her wounds or helping her to her feet, Stelle collapses onto the ground.
“S-Stelle...?”
A pool of blood begins to form around her, leaving March frozen in place.
. . . .
Beep.
Beep.
The beeping of the medical monitor fills the silence of the Medicine Bureau.
Inside the operating room, Stelle is being treated by Lingsha and Bailu. In the hallway outside, March sits with her head lowered, her eyes dull and her hands trembling nonstop.
“...”
She had barely managed to administer first aid and contact Lingsha, who sent a medical team to the scene.
The image of her companion lying in a pool of blood remains fresh in her mind, along with the memory of freezing in place, unable to do anything to save the person most important to her.
She can still see her hands stained with her companion's blood.
“I couldn't do anything.”
Her eyes, completely red from crying, fill with tears once again.
“If I hadn't asked to try the lance...”
“If I'd paid more attention to my surroundings...”
“If I'd checked the area even more carefully before saying it was clear...”
“If I...”
She covers her face with her hands, trying to hold back her tears.
At that very moment, after several hours, the door opens. Lingsha and Bailu emerge from the operating room together.
“H-How is Stelle?!”
She rushes toward them.
Lingsha stops her and tries to calm her down, placing her hands on March's shoulders.
“Calm down. She's stable. Fortunately, the Stellaron inside her seems to have helped with her recovery and lessened the severity of her injuries.”
A little light returns to March's eyes.
“It was a complicated procedure, but she's out of danger,” Bailu says. “She's still unconscious, though.”
March looks at Lingsha.
“Can I...?”
“Yes. Stay by her side.”
“Thank you so much.”
“While you're with her, we'll contact Yukong and the members of the Astral Express to let them know about Stelle's condition and what happened with the commission.”
“Leave it to us!”
Bailu says, thumping a fist against her chest.
Afterward, the two of them walk away down the hallway, while March doesn't waste a second before entering the room.
Inside, there is a folding screen, with part of the bed visible behind it. She approaches and finds Stelle, still unconscious. She's covered in bandages, with several IV lines attached to her, but she's in much better condition than she was a few hours ago.
March's eyes begin to glisten, preparing to burst into tears again. Suddenly, she feels her hand being gently squeezed.
Stelle is awake, looking at her with concern.
“... Are you okay, March?”
Without saying a word, March takes her hand.
“Did I hurt you badly when I pushed you? Did they treat you too?”
Seeing that Stelle is still more concerned about her than herself, even while recovering in bed, March can't stop her tears from falling again.
She squeezes Stelle's hand tightly.
“I'm sorry...”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“It's my fault you're in this condition...”
Stelle smiles.
“Don't be silly. It was my fault for getting distracted and not making sure the area was clear of enemies. Besides, the important thing is that you're okay, so—”
“No!”
March lets out a deafening shout, leaving Stelle startled.
“What's the point of me being okay if you're in this condition?!”
She falls to her knees, bracing herself against the bed while still holding Stelle's hand.
“Why do you have to go that far...?”
“...”
Stelle remains silent for several seconds, contemplating the answer to a question she herself had never asked before.
“... It's something I do instinctively.”
March raises her head to look into her eyes.
“You're important to me, so I won't hesitate to protect you if I see you in danger. I want you to be happy, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you.”
March slowly gets to her feet, visibly angry.
“Do you think I could be happy if you died because of me?!”
Stelle looks away, remaining silent, unsure how to answer the question.
March carefully leans against Stelle and hugs her.
“I'm really happy that you protect me, but you have to understand that if I lost you because of it, it would be like receiving a wound that would never heal.”
“... I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize, idiot. I'll get stronger, too, so I can protect you and prevent something like this from happening again in the future.”
She hugs her a little tighter.
“Stelle. Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll value your life just as much as mine.”
Stelle remains silent for a few seconds, thinking, until she finally opens her mouth.
“It'll be difficult for me, but if that's what you want, I'll try. But don't expect me to stop putting your life above mine if an emergency comes up.”
March pulls away from her and gives her a little flick on the forehead.
“Ow...”
“That's your punishment for not valuing yourself the way you should.”
“And here I thought saving a beautiful princess would come with a reward...”
“And what reward am I supposed to give someone who doesn't value her own life?”
Stelle thinks for a moment.
“How about a date once I've fully recovered?”
“A date?”
“I-I'd recover from my injuries faster if I knew I had a date with you waiting for me...” she looks away nervously, “O-Or something like that...”
“...”
March falls silent.
“I-It was a joke. It wouldn't be right to pressure you into going out with me just because I protected you. It would feel like I was forcing you into it—”
Just as she's about to finish her sentence, March takes her by the chin and turns her face toward her.
“M-March...?”
“...”
Slowly, she leans closer, bringing her face toward Stelle's.
. . . .
Lingsha, after explaining the situation to Himeko and Yukong when they arrived, heads back toward the room where Stelle is being treated.
When she reaches the door, she hears voices from inside.
“I-I only did this because I wanted to. It's not your reward.”
“Oh, it sounds like March is talking to Stelle. Thank goodness she woke up so quickly.”
“W-We can have that date when you're feeling better.”
“A date?”
When she opens the door, March finds herself face-to-face with Lingsha, who was about to enter.
“Oh, March. I was just coming to see how Stelle was doing and to find you. Himeko wanted to ask you about...”
She falls silent as she looks at March's face.
March, realizing that Lingsha has figured out what's going on, looks away and starts walking past her.
“Y-Yeah, I'm going to go talk to her now.”
She hurries down the hallway, passing Bailu as well.
“Lingsha, did you see March's face? I think she might have a bit of a fever. She was really red.”
“... It's possible the room was a little warm.”
Lingsha lets out a small smile, hiding it behind her hand.
Bailu enters the room.
“I think you're right, Lingsha! Stelle's face is red too!”