Chapter 1: Your Unknown Past
Chapter Text
"Mitsuki Nanoka"
- Third semester Photography Student
A school ID left on a bag near a beach read. The plastic of the card already showing some of its age. The bag had colored pins of many things, from cartoons or album covers to a few with landscapes or memoirs of various travels. The bag held a notebook, a digital camera and some spare clothes. Mitsuki wasn't so far away from her bag, only a few meters away on the shore, spending some time with her friends.
Life was easy for her, or at least she felt it was. She had friends, she had her family, and she was doing what she had always loved: photography. Life was perfect for her, so perfect that she swore she would never forget it, no matter what. Although life had always been a daily routine, of course, something different would always happen, making each day special.
A happy world, an Aeonless world. Those anomalies never end up surviving for long...
It was only a matter of time that this world...her world, was absorbed by an Aeon's path.
In the end, that day soon came. A few days before her birthday. The few people and stellar beings often described this once in a hundred years event as a freezing death to all life before a path was rooted deep into the life on the planet. Some Aeon's preferred a more peaceful approach to this, but not the creator of the Stellarons. In the end only a few memo keepers managed to have bits and pieces of this world. Too late to even search for any survivors, it wasn't worth a shot anyways. The IPC would take care of it, and Nanook wasn't known to leave any survivors in his destruction. The end of a world, soon a new one would appear, and no one would remember this Aeonless planet.
However, only a single survivor of the whole Planet had already been saved—not by any Memo Keeper or any member of the IPC, but by an Aeon. Fuli is always present in every great event of the cosmos, yet their presence is so silent. Even their followers never knew the Aeon of Remembrance enough. Better not to know than to know the harsh truth, certain people around the cosmos would reply to this scenario.
Much wasn't known about Fuli, no one could exactly predict their future actions. Some higher ups of the IPC and Memo Keepers would say that perhaps it wasn't an Aeonless planet, but a forgotten one by Fuli. But it wasn't time to worry, that place had ceased to exist anyway. There were no survivors, so it was expected everyone would forget about its existence completely in perhaps a month or two.
No one survived...The Aeons had another version of the story. Only one person did. The girl managed to survive thanks to her finally following a path—the path of remembrance. A block of strange ice or perhaps crystal was used to preserve her—enough to keep her alive, but her memories...Fuli decided it was best to let her forget about her past life. Better to have a new life than to keep spiraling into never-ending despair once she woke up and found her home was now ashes.
***
Years, perhaps even decades passed. She was found by followers of Akivili. Rescuing her, she felt so out of place as she slowly regained the strength to move her body. Yet her past a blur. Yet the crew of the Astral Express would always help her. The strangers in front of her back then when she awoke, they were the closest thing she had to family for now.
Perhaps she would never get her memories back or even she might forget her current ones too, but she knew that the Astral Express would always be her new home ever since she woke up a 7th of March a year or two ago. She would always know it would always be her home thanks to all the pictures and scrapbook pages she made of them and their adventures...
But more especially. She would always know that the train traveling around the cosmos was her home because the crew members were always there for her and promised her to always be there for her no matter what even if she forgot her new memories or regained her old ones.
Chapter 2: Change
Chapter Text
雪钗 (Xuě Chāi): translates to "Snow Hairpin" in English, symbolizing elegance and delicacy.
________________________________________________________________________________
When she first joined, March took quite some time to get used to the Astral Express and everything related to trailblazing. But there was always the archiver to show her the ropes to everything and how her new life would be.
Dan Heng had joined the Express some time before March did. Before her, he often joined Himeko and Welt on the journies. Often as an excuse from Himeko that he could probably find a place to stay wherever they traveled. However, when they found March, she reminded him of someone from his past, one woman he used to know back when he lived in the Luofu. However, that woman looked somewhat different from March.
He still remembered her, she was an assistant for a member of the alchemy commission. She often just helped around, carrying scrolls, taking care of the plants used for research, and writing reports. She was as cheerful and as outgoing as March, however, the only few changes would be that she was slightly older than March and had longer hair, as well as she wasn't that interested in photography. But Dan Heng could easily discard that, mostly because back when she was alive photography didn't exist.
Xue Chai was her name. Perhaps she wasn't a high rank in the alchemy commission, but she was more than happy to live a simple life and a simple job. Especially because she occasionally also conducted her own medical experiments whenever she had the time. Although she had only helped find out how to make medicine taste less bitter so little kids wouldn't hate taking medicine that much. For her, it was a simple job, back when immortality was just a concept from fictional stories for the citizens of the Luofu.
But time waits for no one, not even the Aeons. And humans didn't know as much as they knew of healing. So, it meant that her illness would worsen back then. So he only waited for her to reincarnate and for them to reunite. Yet time always felt eternal for a being like him, where all years were the same.
Sure, he had other lovers as time passed, but nothing felt the same as it was when he was with her. Even if they were nothing during her years alive, he would always remember her as that spark of joy that always lightened up his days.
Chapter 3: I remember...
Chapter Text
Before Stelle boarded the express. March only had Dan Heng for company most of the time. The two would always were sent to explore and help around in many places while Welt and Himeko fixed something else. So of course the two would spend a lot of time together. Even if it was because they were the only option. But it didn't feel like that to them. Sometimes they wondered...
"I think I've met you before..."
March asked as both her and Dan Heng were walking around a planet full of snow, she hadn't come prepared so she was wearing his jacket.
"I don't recall ever meeting you before the express, March"
He replied, his voice much softer than she had ever heard before during all that year they had known eachother.
"Perhaps in another life?"
March continued walking before she looked at Dan Heng, trying to at least try to perhaps remember if they had met before.
"March, you seriously believe in past lives?"
He inquired, stopping in his tracks to look back at March.
"I don't know, but it makes sense..."
She answered, her gaze still in his direction.
"If it makes sense to you, then it makes sense to me"
Dan Heng replied as he took March's hand into his and started walking, seeking any traces of life in this planet. Perhaps it was one of the rare moments March had seen the archivist's most softer side. This would tend to happen more and more as they kept sharing moments together.
Yet that day, Dan Heng tried to remember. Anyone slightly similar to March. Perhaps a past lover of his? Yet only Yingxing came to mind...and he knew his outcome. Xue Chai had just been a what if to him. Yet his mind only started to draw comparison to them. However, she was perhaps more different in personality than March. Still as lively and cheerful as her yet Xue Chai had been more responsable and serious at times. However, the similarities were still there.
However, it pained him if March was in fact Xue Chai, to perhaps have the last person he would want to see, right in front of him. Yet every time he saw March, he couldn't help but be reminded of that woman from the alchemy comission. How his duties back then, stopped him from spending time with her most of the time, even her last days alive on her deathbed. Just the mere thought that this girl how had now boarded the express, was the reincarnation of a woman he loved so much in the past. It made him feel guilty. Perhaps even bad.
Until then he had only cared for his safety, but once he met March...he now began to care about another one's safety. It sometimes was lonely back when he only had Himeko and Mr. Yang. This only proved the two's theory. That perhaps, just perhaps; Dan Heng had developed certain feelings towards March. Not romantic necessarily, but maybe certain feelings of closeness. The two were travelers from no land. Yet different reasons.
He often comes back to the small memory of March's first day on the express.
It was already night, yet a certain someone came knocking to the door of the express' archives. He opened it and found March in the old clothes Himeko had lended her for now. At least before they reached their new destination. Her body clearly showed signs of being tired, yet her eyes showed she was fully awake.
"Is everything alright?"
Dan Heng asked once he noticed her standing outside his door.*
She shook her head, she used to be a person of few words during her first days on the express. However, he could tell the black shorts and t-shirt were a bit cold. Knowing how cold both the space and the express could get at night sometimes.
He sighed and took of his white jacket, draping it over her shoulders and wrapping an arm around her waist to lead her inside.
"I'll make you company until you wake up..."
He spoke as he took her inside the archives, going for blankets and softer pillows to the storage room. As well as grabbing a cup of tea so that perhaps could ease her and help her get to sleep. However, the two weren't the only ones awake. Himeko found him in the train's kitchen preparing a cup of tea and one of coffee.
"Strange, you barely leave the archives room at night"
She spoke as she leaned against the wall next to her.
"I just came for something to drink"
He replied as he kept preparing the cup of tea. However, Himeko took a few steps closer to him and noticed the two mugs.
"Is March with you?"
She asked, quite surprised he had already started to warm up to her. Especially by how closed off he was towards Himeko and Welt.
Dan Heng nodded, letting out a small sigh.
"She couldn't sleep so I'm keeping her company"
"I have a small feeling she'll melt that cold outside you have, perhaps not now but eventually..."
Himeko spoke, looking at him preparing the two drinks diligently.
"Perhaps, that is possible"
He whispered, more of an answer to himself than to Himeko. Though only time could tell...
Perhaps up til this day that outcome hasn't happened. At least most of the express thought. Yet Dan Heng always has had his own ways of expressing he considers someone close. Perhaps spending way too much time with March was one of them.
Yet he knew she didn't know a thing about her past, and he wished to forget a part of his. But only he knew that fact, his past has always been something he wished to keep private.
And since he was the official member of the express that was in charge of the archives, he began to try and draw a few possible answers to where she was from. The possibilities were endless in such a vast cosmos. And he also began to theorize if perhaps March was the reincarnation of Xue Chai. Perhaps the Aeons were giving him a chance with her again.
But only time could tell, only time would hold the answer to this
Chapter 4: March 7th
Chapter Text
It was March 7th on the calendar. Finally, a year has passed since March had been rescued by the Astral Express. So, of course a certain small celebration was expected to happen.
"Surprise!"
The crew cheered once March entered the parlor car. The car now decorated with bright party decorations. And a few gifts on a table at the center of the car.
"What's this...?"
March asked with a confused look, even in her whole year of experience trailblazing. She had never seen a celebration like this one.
"We wanted to celebrate your birthday! And your first year on the express!"
Himeko replied first with a smile on her face.
"Pom-Pom always organizes a small gift for the first year of trailblazing of each member of the crew"
Welt added as he looked down at Pom-Pom.
"As the train conductor, Pom-Pom will always make sure every passenger has their achievements celebrated! This time, it's your first anniversary as an official member of the Astral Express!"
The small, fluffy conductor spoke, looking up at the girl in front of all the crew. She had just gotten back from doing shopping at the Sunset Mall. A whole space stationed that was a huge mall with everything from anywhere possible in all the cosmos. All the many paper bags of different sizes with different logos from various store brands. She had been saving up for this trip for a few months by now, just to spoil herself on her birthday.
"Thank you, guys! I can't believe you all did this for me!"
March finally spoke, a smile across her face. The rest of the crew returned the reaction some more visible than others. However, she had noticed Dan Heng hadn't said a thing, but he was there...with a certain small smirk on his face. Something March had rarely seen on the archivist face ever since she joined.
And so, the celebration began, all the crew members celebrating and having a peaceful moment and full of joy; something so rare for the crew because of their jobs. A special moment had arrived, the time for the crew to give the presents they had prepared for March. Pom-Pom had gifted her a bunny plushy he himself had sown while the crew were away and had the train all to himself. Who knew Pom-Pom had great sewing skills?
Himeko gifted March some trinkets and souvenirs she always bought whenever she went to explore with the crew a new place in the cosmos. The box was full of many varied things, from bracelets, jewelry or decorative stuff; to even stamps, small books and even dried flora from a few planets they had visited.
"So, you never forget all the amazing places we have visited in this year!"
Himeko spoke as March opened the box where everything was. All carefully wrapped up inside the box with a letter of congratulations for March
Welt went for a more unconventional gift, books March once mentioned she wanted to read sometime. Most of them were romance stories, a few about the history of certain places they have visited, but most of them were about photography and drawing. Welt also added a few sketches her had once done of places he had once visited, the box also contained a letter with not so many words.
-Hope you can visit all those places like I once did, happy birthday March
Finally, Dan Heng handed him his gift to March. Once she opened it, she saw a few manga she had once talked with him about. As well as a blanket with the same colors as her hair and more camera rolls and paper to take photos.
"I know it's not much, but I hope it was something fit for this special occasion"
He muttered out loud as he looked at her in the eyes. She had only let out a small laugh before she went to hug him
"Are you kidding? This is perfect! All your gifts were perfect!"
She replied smiling and in her usual cheerful tone. She would never change any of this for anything else.
"I'm glad you liked it, March..."
Dan Heng answered as he hugged her back while he tried to hide a small blush that was appearing on his cheeks. Although both Himeko and Welt noticed, but they decided to not say anything...that they could hear at least.
"Do you think...- "
Himeko whispered to Welt before he interrupted her.
"I don't doubt it at all, they're acting like high school sweethearts right now..."
Welt whispered back as he let out a small sigh while he looked at Dan Heng and March.
"Ah, young love..."
Himeko chuckled as she joined Welt in looking at the two.
"How about we cut the cake already? I'm getting quite hungry..."
March spoke out as her and Dan Heng separated from their hug.
The celebration kept going until nighttime when all the crew members went to sleep, except for the birthday girl and the archivist of the express. It was because of a reason not so out of this world, or well this cosmos, just small talk in the middle of the night between in the two in the Express's archives. The two laid on the makeshift bed Dan Heng always slept in. The two just talking as they looked up at the roof of the room the two sitting in silence for already a few minutes.
"You've never told me about your past..."
Martch finally spoke, breaking the silence as she looked to her side where he was next to her.
"It was never that relevant to the present, so I never told you"
He answered as he kept looking up at the floor.
"Still, I find it weird. You know all about me, yet I only know a bit of you..."
She replied, taking in the features of the archivist, his aquamarine eyes and the subtle red eyeliner over them. He wasn't wearing his jacket and instead a black shirt and some sweatpants.
"I'll tell you the moment it feels right to tell you. It's quite complicated anyways..."