Xue Yang lets go of Xingchen's arm and folds his own arms in front of his chest, giving himself a foot of distance as he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Originally when I stayed with you all I wanted was to find ways to torment you..to force you to do things I knew would break you from the inside. But when you were gone...I realized something..and being on this train and talking to several people..I learned a little bit about myself and what it is like to feel certain things."

He watches Xingchen's face as he speaks, making sure to notice any emotion that might cross over it.

"I like you Daozhang. I have for a long time. You were the only person who really seemed to care and was nice to me in ways I never felt before. And I realized when you died just how much I lost. But even then I couldn't admit it to myself. It wasn't until I came here that people helped me realize exactly what I was feeling."

His words start to come a little faster, "And you don't have to like me back..I know what I did and I don't deserve forgiveness. But I also don't want to watch you walk off the platform again without telling you how I felt."