Once he felt his foot touch the familiar floors of the Astral Express, Dan Heng felt the heavy weight of dread go away. His blue eyes glanced up at the room to find it empty with its passengers fast asleep. Except one. To his surprise, he saw the familiar pink hair of a friend, March, sitting on the couch. She was fidgeting with the ribbon in her hair, anxious and worried. He wondered what had gotten the excitable and careless ice weider so nervous.
"March?"
She turned her head to his voice, and her eyes brightened at seeing him. She immediately jumped off the couch and ran to him. "Dan Heng! You're back!" She greeted him, going straight into a hug with relief. The action caught him off. He was confused. One moment nervous. And when he entered the room, she was her cheery self again.
"Yes. I have returned." He responded, patting her head as a way to return the hug. He smiled softly at her, appreciating her concern for his wellbeing. "Have you been waiting for me this whole time?" He asked her curiously as she parted from him. "Yeah. When Welt told me that something serious came up in the Xianzhou and you had to go, I felt something wasn't right. Then I heard about the High Quintet and did some looking up...." she started to trail off when she noticed how his look went solemn.
His eyes held a sadness and some confusion in them. She was aware that there were moments he seemed dazed or deep in thought before coming to Xianzhou. But here now, she could see that there was some sadness weighing him down. She had learned what had become of High Quintet. How one of them sacrificed themselves in a battle. How this Dan Feng that her friend gets confused with committed a crime. And how this crazy Mara lady had returned, causing disturbance among the already fallen group of heroes. She felt sorry for Dan Heng. Especially because he couldn't remember any of it and was responsible for someone else's mistakes.
"Dan Heng?"
He glanced back at her, noticing the worry on her face. "I'm alright, March. You should get some sleep. It's late. Goodnight." He told her nonchalantly, walking away before she could ask anything else. He wasn't trying to be rude. He just didn't want to involve her in these feelings from the past.
As he entered his room and shut the door, he took a deep breath, letting his clothes change, and his vidyadhara features appeared. Once the transformation was done, he let out the breath he was holding and lied down in his bed, feeling every bit of energy lost.
'I am not Dan Feng. And yet, everything that happened fills me with....regrets and sadness that are not my own.' He thought in his head with conflicted emotions running through his mind. His eyes drop slowly, feeling sleep taking over his body. "Have I lost everything that means much me before I even knew?" He whispered to him before he dazed off and allowed sleep to take over.
The vidyadhara was so deep asleep that he didn't notice he hadn't completely closed the door. Nor a certain pink hair girl quietly sneaking in his room. March approached with caution as she eyed his face and sleeping form. Everything seemed calm and relaxed. But she knew he must be sleeping with questions and confused thoughts.
Noticing the blanket on the floor, she picked it up and gently placed it on him. She even made sure that his dragon tail was covered by it, lifting it up to put it on the mattress. 'Oof! This is heavier than it looks.' She thought in her head, not expecting it to be so heavy that she needed both hands to pick it up.
Dan Heng moved slightly, making March freeze. She held her breath with only her eyes moving to his face. Once he stopped moving, she let out a quiet sigh in relief. Looking at him, she noticed how features seemed relaxed. 'Does he sense I'm here?' She wondered curiously as she gently brushed a strand of his hair back behind his horn.
"I don't know if you can hear me. But if you do, just know you are still Dan Heng. Our Dan Heng. My Dan Heng. And we're always here for you, even if you're feeling down. Alright? Well, goodnight." She whispered to him softly before she quietly crept out of the room, closing the door quietly.
Dan Heng smiled as his eyes opened slightly before closing, resuming his sleep as he felt the conflicted thoughts go away with gratefulness to have March at his side always, even when he wasn't aware.
