Ok, I know I said I would keep this under wraps till Sabbatical was done but I could use some feedback.

This is the Star Rail CaelusxCocolia fic I mentioned before and I admit, I really want to make this work. I loved Cocolia and felt her character was done away with much too quick - sort of a Signora situation, but without the extreme bitchiness. This story will attempt to dive into her character more with a few tweaks. You'll see once you read.

This is the prologue to the story proper. Hope you all enjoy the start of it and, with any luck, will want to see the rest of it.

Rest assured: I haven't forgotten about Sabbatical. I just haven't been in a genshin mindset lately. Once I get around to pulling Clorinde, I'll see about changing that.

Alright, enough of my blathering.

Honkai Star Rail is property of Hoyoverse. I own nothing.

In the dark expanse of space, glittering stars filled the void like diamonds twinkling every so often, providing a show for any who cared to watch. It was here that a peculiar sight could found, one that would have anyone scratching their head before they realized what they were looking at. A magnificent, elegant freight train with intricate designs inlaid from the massive, spectacular engine all down the line of passenger cars that it carried on its voyage. This train was no product of some hallucination but was in fact the home of the legendary Nameless that journeyed through the stars – the Astral Express.

Many had heard of this elusive but famed group of explorers or, as they were quick to correct, Trailblazers. They were considered an illustrious group full of peculiar characters and the like, somehow managing to coexist without any (significant) conflict arising, and trusted by some of the most prominent factions of the galaxy such as the IPC or the Xianzhou Alliance. Their patron aeon, Akivili, was heralded as the great explorer and was constantly seeking to uncover new and fascinating worlds rich with discoveries and dangers alike.

The crew of the Express was not the original one its set out with, of course. Many Trailblazers had come and gone, called by to answer destinies separate from the ones of their fellow express members. Even so, the express had always been a lively place to reside and was often the preferred destination for many of the express's friends that the Trailblazers had made along their journey.

That is, until now.

Within the parlor car of the express, there was no joyful laughter nor any sign of exuberance that the crew shared like an infectious disease. Instead, the five… no, not five, not anymore. Of the four still aboard, only three were present, including the much-beloved Conductor of the express and not a sound was made between them.

A young girl with pinkish-white hair stood before one of the expansive windows of the car, her gloved hand pressed against the glass as she stared out into space for a sign of… something.

March 7th – this was her name, or rather the name she was given as this girl did not possess memories of her previous self. She had joined the express to find her past and make new memories along the way with all the new friends she had made. Life had not been easy for her, but she made the most of it because of the company she kept… one in particular had helped her more than anyone, really.

It was him that she fretted over, her eyes darting back and forth across the empty expanse as though she might spy him out there, however a long shot that notion was. But she had to do something! Everyone else had almost given up but she couldn't! Her friend wouldn't do it so neither would she!

Even so, the atmosphere of the car was enough to dampen her resolve if only a little.

One month, she thought with a saddened expression. One month and not a word from anyone.

Their express crew, while small by normal standards, had become even less due to the disappearance of their newest member. Despite their rough start, March 7th and the crew as a whole had warmed up to him and had come to view him as family, which was especially important to her. It pained her to have to wake up today, praying for news that they'd found him or that he himself had made his way back where he would of course be tackled by hugs and kisses from her.

But no. Another day had come and her traveling buddy had yet to poke his head out. The absence hadn't affected just her, either – everyone on the express had taken his vanishing hard.

Himeko, Welt, Dan Heng and even the Conductor all grieved in their own ways.

From her immaculate appearance, one would glance at the lovely Navigator of the express and think nothing was wrong. Her beauty was renowned throughout the cosmos, and she had hordes of fans all clamoring to get even just a glimpse of her. That was how she presented herself and March expected no different.

But a closer look revealed another story. March was very close with the redhead, often having her hair brushed out and catered to and vice versa. So it left her heart aching to pick out the worry lines and the dark circles that crested the edges of Himeko's eyes, her pupils dilated and unfocused. This by itself wouldn't have bothered her too much, had it not been for the cup of coffee sitting next to the woman that hadn't been touched.

Then, just as it seemed that Himeko regained some semblance of her old self, reaching out to take a sip of her favorite blend – she spit it back out, and all but slammed the cup back down with a slight growl before whipping out another data pad from the pile of others lying next to her.

March yearned to go and comfort the woman that was like an older sister to her, but Himeko's gentle disposition was nowhere to be seen. Though she had apologized profusely afterward, Himeko had actually snapped at her when she tried the last time and March, while shocked, didn't blame her.

Their missing member was also someone important to their trusty navigator. He was one few who kept trying to enjoy her coffee and would sometimes help her with various research projects, some of which still made March cock her head to the side in disbelief. But regardless, his absence had not been something Himeko could ignore and even now she scoured data pad after data pad, calling up a number of old favors for any hope of learning where he had gone off to.

Not far from her stood the only other adult in their group, standing with his back to them all and gazing out at the stars like she had been. However, even from this distance March could see the tension much like with Himeko, although his was less noticeable. His cane was telling, though; one gloved hand gripped the pommel of it tight enough that she could see it tremble from time to time.

Welt Yang was tired, more so than usual. Given how he had been the one leading the investigation into their missing member, she couldn't blame him. Since first learning of his disappearance, Welt had whisked them off on a number of trips to Herta Space Station, Belobog, the Luofu and even Penacony with nothing to show for it but heartbreaking results.

No one on the massive station had seen or heard from the missing Trailblazer. Asta and Arlan were actively searching however, and March had heard that the latter had spent days scouring camera footage for any last signs of the Trailblazer. Unsurprisingly, Herta hadn't even given them the time of day, only complaining about the loss of one of her precious curios – that alone rankled March something fierce. She would've thought that the genius society member would be a little more concerned with the disappearance of her stellaron host.

Fortunately, the people of Belobog as a whole were much more concerned. Bronya had authorized extensive search and rescue expeditions both into the outlying snow plains as well as the Underworld. Seele had taken to scouring the Great Mine and Rivet Town for any lead; Svarog had even pitched in, having seen how Clara had become an inconsolable mess upon her big brother's disappearance. Hook's Moles had also joined forces with Natasha and Wildfire, deciding that this was so much bigger than their childish one-sided rivalry with the latter. As for the Landau siblings, they had barely rested since his disappearance, so much so that Gepard had come back more than a few times on the verge of collapse.

The Xianzhou was no different. Madam Yukong and the Sky-faring Commission as a whole had diverted extensive resources to locate their hero, and the Seat of Divine Foresight had issued a full mobilization of the Cloud Knights in the hopes of finding him quickly. The Master Diviner hadn't rested since last March heard, to the point where Jing Yuan had to personally step in and order her to take a day's rest. Sushang had even convinced Lady Bailu that if she promised not to run away anymore, the Alchemy Commission would lend its services to scour Scalegorge Waterscape in its entirety.

Others offered their help in various ways such as Luocha using his merchant contacts to help narrow down the astral express's missing member, and even the Stellaron Hunters – mostly Kafka and Silver Wolf – had promised to use any means necessary to find him. March may not trust Kafka, but she couldn't turn away her help – not after seeing just how… frazzled Kafka was at the news. Even the IPC had taken notice, or rather Topaz had, and March was honestly shocked at just how demanding the woman could be when it came to the people she cared about.

So many people were worried sick of the Trailblazer's disappearance that even Dan Heng, the most stoic and reclusive of them all had shut himself away in the archives to pour over every possible lead they had.

One month has passed and none of them were anywhere close to figuring out what happened, and it was driving March insane. It didn't help that there was a crazy rumor floating around on the station that Caelus had been involved in some serious accident involving Herta's curio collection.

She didn't permit her already waning sanity to lend any serious thought to that notion.

But even so, how could someone just vanish like this? Sure, they had been through some really crazy stuff, but they always came back from it. Trailblazers were made of sterner stuff than most!

So why? she thought miserably, tears springing to her eyes that were quickly wiped away.

A shuffling from the corner of her eye brought her attention to the adorable mascot and caretaker of the express, Pom-Pom. The little being was a chatterbox at the best of times and never let anyone break any such rules on the express, even when it came to newcomers. But the conductor cared about everyone and wanted nothing more than to make sure everyone came back safe.

His disappearance had affected Pom-Pom as well, the little bunny-like conductor only half-heartedly sweeping the floor.

March sighed. All this negative atmosphere was getting to her. At this point, even her room felt empty, strange as that was, but it was still a more comfortable place than here.

I want to stay with them, but this… it's too much. Caelus, you jerk. This is all your fault!

She stomped away from the window, heading towards the next passenger car when suddenly the door opened but she just charged through… or she would've, if she hadn't collided with something hard.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going!" she snapped, unable to keep her emotions in check.

She did not expect an answer, nor did she care for one. But the voice that answered was not one she was prepared to hear.

"Oh, sorry about that March. You alright?"

She froze. Behind her she idly heard Pom-Pom drop the broom, the stick clattering loudly against the ground. March blinked a few times, shaking her head a bit before her eyes landed on a certain article – a passenger ticket to the express.

There was only one other person she knew that wore that proudly, and the clothing she was staring at wasn't a dress. Swallowing hard, she willed her eyes to travel upward and came face to face with a vaguely familiar face but hauntingly so eyes.

Amber eyes… his eyes.

Caelus.

"March? You alright? You're starting to freak me out."

It was his voice, albeit deeper and firmer than she remembered that finally caused whatever restraint she held onto to snap like a twig. Her body trembled, lip quivered and fists balling up, her hair falling into her eyes.

"You… you… IDIOT!"

She lashed out, directing a punch directly into his chest that he took but she wished he hadn't. It was like hitting Svarog, the pain traveling up her arms to her shoulder. She yanked her arm back with a whine, clutching it to her tightly.

Two firm hands landed on her shoulders, drawing her attention – and her ire – once more. "You jerk! You absolute, complete, undeniable jerkface!" The tears came now, unbidden and she let them roll as she took in the form of her best friend who just stared back, guilt-ridden.

There was so much she wanted to say, to tell him, to do but all she could manage was to throw herself into his arms and hug him tightly.

This odor, this feeling… if this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.

"W-wait a sec, who are you?!"

Pom-Pom's shout seemed to spur her into action, pushing back from him to find not only the conductor, but Himeko and Welt all walking up with shock scrawled across their faces. Himeko's glassy eyes were now clear and wide, and Welt had completely forgone his cane in the process.

"Pom-Pom, did you ever clean up that spill you made?" the mysterious man asked suddenly, smirking a bit.

March had no clue what he meant and neither did Himeko or Welt, but Pom-Pom's face puffed up angrily.

"That I made?! You were the one who made it, and you know it! Pom-Pom had to spend hours getting that smell out of the carpet because- Wait… if you know about that, then does that mean…?"

March again glanced up at the stranger and slowly she realized that this was actually happening. She didn't know how, she didn't know when but their missing member had finally come back.

Caelus was back.

"Caelus… it's really you, isn't it?" Welt asked, watching him with a guarded expression.

"I know it's a shock, but yeah it's me Mr. Yang. Are you alright though? Both you and Miss Himeko look terrible."

Welt made a strange sound just then and March soon realized that he was laughing, albeit a subdued one, but it still thrilled her to hear. "I… yes, I am. But I'll be taking it easy soon, don't worry."

"Caelus," Himeko breathed, hand clutched to her chest. "You… where have you been? Do you…" March flinched at how her tone changed from surprised and worried, to indignant in an instant, "Do you have any blasted idea how worried you've made us!? You never called, you never tried to get a hold of us, and we've spent the last month trying to find where it was you've gone! Do you know how behind I am on my projects now because of your little jaunt across the stars?! You are going to answer for that and more, young man – UNDERSTAND?"

The entire car all leaned back in the face of her tirade, the woman huffing and heaving with her fists clenched at her side. Her hair now spilled over her face in a wild mess, showing just how out of sorts she really was, and March couldn't help but lean further into Caelus's arms on instinct alone.

Himeko could be terrifying when she wanted to be.

Caelus, however, merely chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head like a chastised schoolboy, "Y-yes Ma'am."

Himeko panted for a few tense moments before she cleared her throat, fixing her hair a bit and offering him her usual smile. "Then, if that's the case," she said, opening her arms to him, "aren't you forgetting something?"

March watched as Caelus left her and strode over to Himeko, the woman embracing him tightly while he did the same. Himeko's face radiated relief, a few tears spilling down her cheeks as she clawed at the back of Caelus's head. Caelus for his part just hugged her tighter, his own face mirroring bliss.

It was only now however that she realized something important.

"Hey, did you get… taller?"

Everyone froze, Himeko pushing him back to stare up a bit at him, her hand coming up to measure him. "Goodness, she's right! It's only been a month; how did you get so big?"

March expected bashfulness, surprise or even just a bit of cockiness from the absent Trailblazer.

What she did not expect was for Caelus's face to fall as if being delivered a death sentence. "…a month? That's… that's how long I've been gone?"

The air in the car seemed to be sucked out, Welt tensing up again while Himeko just nodded frantically. "Y-yes. You vanished a while back and we've been looking for you ever since. Everyone… everyone's been looking for you, but we couldn't find you and there were whispers something horrible happened and we got so worried a-and-!"

"Himeko!" Caelus called urgently, stopping her babbling. "I… are you certain I was gone only a month?"

There something off with his voice, March noticed. Something… panicked. Did he really not keep track of how long he'd been missing?

"You suddenly vanished four weeks ago during an errand and have been MIA until now," Welt informed him. "No one on the space station, Jarilo-VI, or the Luofu knew where you went."

"A month…" Caelus uttered again, running a hand through his hair which, March suddenly realized, looked… white?

No, it had to be a trick of the light. It had to be.

"Here, come sit down," Himeko took his hand in hers, leading the way while Pom-Pom scurried off to fetch some refreshments. March followed suit, taking a position on the other side of him while Himeko took his left. "There's so many things I want to ask, but are you alright?"

"I'm… just shocked, I guess. A month… I was gone for only a month."

March felt some lingering irritation spike, but Welt beat her to the punch.

"A month or a year, it makes no difference. You had us worried, Caelus."

Caelus winced, glancing at both him and the two girls by his side before giving a sigh. "I'm sorry I worried you all. I had no idea things would end up like this. I tried to get back as quick as I could, believe me."

"What matters is that you are back, with us," Himeko assured him gently. "Granted, you have a lot of making up to do but even so we're not mad at you."

The jury was still out on that where March was concerned, but she was content to let things ride for now. Caelus already looked devastated so it wouldn't be right to make him feel even worse than he already was.

"I must say, you've certainly changed quite a bit in such a short amount of time. Your arms feel much firmer and your hair – oh my, it's even grayer than before! What have you been up to, I wonder."

March froze. So, she wasn't seeing things, then.

Caelus chuckled again. "Well, about that… Some things happened and there's a lot I need to tell you all."

"Take your time, you just got back after all," Welt told him, smiling in a fatherly way.

But Caelus shook his head. "It's not that, it's just… I haven't been gone for a month."

March narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean, dummy? It's been four weeks, or thirty days… that's a month, right?"

"Give or take," Welt supplied with a nod.

"No, that's not right. Only a month… so then that means it's not the same," the boy, or rather young man muttered to himself in distress.

"Caelus, slow down. Take your time and tell us what happened," Himeko asserted, covering his hand with her own gloved one. "You had us worried, but we aren't going to judge you for it."

"You seem oddly fixated on the belief you haven't been gone for that long. What leads you to believe you were gone longer?" Welt inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"Is my hair not enough of a giveaway?" Caelus shot back, pointing at his head emphatically.

March shared a concerned glance with Himeko, but Welt just shrugged it off. "You had gray hair before, albeit it looks little whiter now but that could be for any reason."

Caelus sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "I guess that's not enough to explain things."

"Explain what exactly?" March exclaimed. "You're acting like you've been gone for years!"

"Because I have."

March's stomach dropped, and even Welt couldn't keep the shocked look from showing on his face.

"That's… that's impossible Caelus. All leads we have showed you disappeared one month ago on the dot! How could you have been gone for years?" Himeko told him, denial clear in her voice.

Caelus looked at her, then Welt and finally March herself. His gaze lingered longer on her specifically than the others, to the point where she began to feel a bit self-conscious. Finally, he gave another sigh and stood up from where they were seated.

"Ok. I get it. If that's the case, then I want you to meet someone."

Meet someone? He didn't come back alone?

"Is this who you have been with all this time?" Himeko pressed, frowning.

"Not at first, but yeah," Caelus answered, turning toward the door to the other car. "You can come in now."

At the far end of the car, the door opened once more but the person that stepped through was not Dan Heng as she had expected. The person that stepped through was someone she recognized and not in a good way, nor was it someone she was going to forget any time soon.

The one that stepped into the car was a beautiful blonde woman with amethyst eyes, hair coiled daintily around her left shoulder and dressed in a splendid green and gray dress that doubled as a uniform, adorned with various medals of Belogian-design. Glossy lips turned up in a slight smile, revealing pearly white teeth that shone like diamonds.

The 18th Supreme Guardian of Belobog, Cocolia Rand stood alive and well – just as she did that fateful day on Everwinter Hill… when she had nearly killed them all.

"YOU…!" March snarled, summoning her bow and letting off an arrow of six-phased ice at the demon ruler. Though initially shocked, Cocolia summoned her own weapon, intending to finish their conflict so long ago only for Caelus to appear and block the arrow with Alisa's Rand's lance.

"Stop it March!" Caleus roared at her, sounding far angrier than he'd ever been.

The shock of that outburst caused her to nearly drop her bow before she regained her bearings, notching another arrow, "Out of the way Caelus! I don't know how this witch survived, but I'm not letting her hurt you or anyone else ever again!"

"And I'm not letting you hurt her!"

"W-what?"

"There will be no fighting in the parlor car!" a nasally voice rung out commandingly, drawing both March and Caelus's attention to the conductor that waddled over to them. "Pom-Pom is not going to be the one to clean the floor again after Pom-Pom just got done sweeping it! Drop your weapons now!"

"But-!"

"Alright, Pom-Pom," Caelus relented, willing away his lance but he did not step away from Cocolia… and neither did Cocolia try to kill him, though she too dispelled her own weapons.

March's head spun. What was happening anymore?

"Caelus, what is Belobog's Supreme Guardian doing here…?" Welt asked, having summoned his cane, and stood ready to use it at a moment's notice. "Isn't she supposed to be dead?"

Caelus grimaced, glancing back at Cocolia who nodded to him, standing side by side, which only made the scene even more confusing. "Normally you would be right. It's not something I can forget. But she isn't Cocolia… not the one we fought, anyways."

What…?

"What?" Himeko parroted her thoughts, rising to her feet. "Caelus, wait… what are you talking about?"

"It's… hard to explain really, but the long and short of it is that she isn't the Cocolia we know."

"How does that make any sense?!" March whined, still glaring at the woman. "There's only one Cocolia, Caelus! The Supreme Guardian of Belobog? Bronya's mother? The one who nearly killed us and everyone on Jarilo-VI because of going insane thanks to the Stellaron? How is she any different?!"

"Because I was not the one who answered its call."

March froze. It wasn't Caelus who answered, but Cocolia herself. The woman looked every bit as regal as she remembered, drawing herself up like a queen and conducting herself as such. However, there was something about her that made her different from the Cocolia she knew, but March couldn't place it.

But that didn't mean a thing to her right now. The Cocolia she knew had seemed forthcoming and pleasant when they first met her, but eventually showed her insane and twisted nature when the cards were down. It could all be an act after all.

So then why was Caelus sticking so close to her?

"Records would indicate otherwise, as would your daughter," Welt countered, laying both hands on his cane. "Perhaps we can have her come up and verify events as they played out."

At the mere mention of Bronya, Cocolia's eyes flashed dangerously. "Mr. Yang, I would implore you to not use my daughter as a tool to settle our disagreements," she said warningly, causing March to aim her bow again.

"You… know who I am?" Welt seemed stunned, as was Himeko.

Cocolia nodded. "Caelus has told me much about you, Miss Himeko and Miss March 7th as well… Mister Dan Heng is not excluded, of course."

Dan Heng! If Cocolia came from the passenger car, then-!

"She's telling the truth." The one in question spoke up, stepping into view from behind the pair. Relief flooded her initially, but shock quickly replaced it, noticing that he didn't have his spear with him, nor did he make any move against Cocolia despite having fought her along with March and the others.

"But… but… none of it makes sense!" March insisted, stomping her foot before pointing at Dan Heng. "And you! How can you just let her walk freely after all she put us through!?"

Cool as her ice, Dan Heng responded calmly, "I understand it's difficult to understand, but this Cocolia is not the one we know."

Why did they keep saying that?!

Himeko clapped her hands loudly, gaining their attention. "Alright everyone, let's settle down and discuss this like adults. Caelus, would you and… Madam Cocolia take a seat first? March, lower your weapon – that's an order, young lady. We have guests."

It was all she could do not to sneer in response, putting her weapon away reluctantly though she continued to glare at Cocolia… which only intensified as she watched Cocolia take Caelus's hand, sitting down beside him.

They seemed awfully cozy together, despite having been bitter enemies at the end.

"Now then, Caelus, perhaps you care to explain just why the dearly departed supreme guardian is alive and well… and curiously close to you," Himeko said, but she meant it as an order.

Caelus glanced at Cocolia once more, the woman giving him a reassuring smile before he turned back to his family. His hand opened and closed a few times, tongue slipping out over his lips for a moment as he struggled to put together a response. Finally, he met their gaze with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"First of all, I want it made clear: the woman beside me is not our enemy and never will be. I realize what she did, but that's not who she is. I know that doesn't make sense but I promise I'll explain it as best I can."

March was not so keen on that belief but for the sake of keeping the peace, she would divert to the two adults that were also still on edge like she was but hid it well behind welcoming expressions.

She wished she could do the same, but perhaps she still had growing up to do.

"Perhaps one might start with how you went missing in the first place," Dan Heng suggested, leaning against the wall nearby with his arms crossed.

Caelus winced once more, chuckling a bit. "Right, well… it's a long story so Pom-Pom might be making a couple trips to the kitchen."

"Let Pom-Pom worry about that!" the conductor huffed, standing next to where Welt sat.

"Ok. Well, to put things into perspective, one month for you… was thirty years to me."

The reactions were immediate, and even Dan Heng couldn't keep the flicker of surprise under wraps.

"Th-thirty years?! How… how could you have been gone for so long when you were only gone a month?" March shrieked at him, eyes wide.

Caelus just shrugged. "Curios have never been easy to understand."

Curios? What did curios have to do with anything?

"Might this curio be the one Madam Herta has been up in arms about?" Welt threw in, and Caelus's reaction confirmed his words. He sighed. "You do know you'll have to face her at some point, right?"

"Ugh. I'm really not looking forward to that reunion."

"Come now, is she really so frightening a person?" Cocolia, of all people, teased, the easy-going smile seeming unnatural on her face.

The young man next to her just groaned. "Even though she's a puppet, she's still a handful and that's before you touch anything important from her collection."

"Then perhaps I will convince her to think twice before touching what's important to me."

There was a certain steel in her words that March both admired and couldn't wrap her head around, and it was all meant for Caelus.

Wait a sec, are they flirting?! Oh, my brain can't take much more of this…

"Getting back on track, if what you say is true… how did it happen?" Himeko questioned, although the little smile on her face told March she was enjoying the banter.

Caelus glanced down for a few moments before meeting their eyes coolly. "…dreams."

"Dreams?" March parroted, cocking her head to the side.

"It's best if I start from the start. Everything might make sense from there..."

If you made it this far, congrats. I hope you'll leave a review and let me know what you like about this - if you liked it all. But any feedback is welcome.

As I said: Sabbatical is still my priority. Once that's done with, then I'll see about releasing this thing.

Till then,

Take care.