Chapter 5 "Zack Kyota"

Chapter 5
Zack Kyota

PLANET MU

Planet Mu is much darker than any planets the Dark Team has ever been to. It is really darker than Planet Fantasy. It is as if it’s coated entirely in the darkness. When the spaceship enters the planet, the Dark Team is rather surprised to see that the civilization has already been developed. That means electricity everywhere all over the world.

“Why did we land on this planet?” Sybil asks nervously as she takes a look through the window. It is way too dark for her to see, even though the entire city has bright lights from the electricity.

“We are almost out of fuel,” Clear gets up from her pilot chair and places one of her hands on the side of her waist. “The reason why I chose this planet is because as you can see, they run on electricity. So, I am going to take apart this spaceship and turn it into a solar-powered one.”

“How long will it take?” Knapp asks, also making sure to use sign language for Logy. He always has to remind himself that Logy can read everyone’s minds except his.

“I don’t know. Maybe two weeks… or up to a month?” Clear shrugs her shoulders.

“Can’t we just go to a different planet with… you know, a world that is less dark!” Sybil complains.

“You don’t have to go anywhere… You can just stay --” Logy stops when Sybil gives him a glare. He sweatdrops as he scratches the back of his head nervously. It is getting painfully obvious at this point that Sybil dislikes him. And, he does not even know why. He mumbles, “Er, never mind.”

“I’m sick of being stuck in the spaceship for the whole time!” Sybil throws up her hands into the air.

It is not usual for Knapp to see Sybil this upset like that. Sybil has always been cheerful and positive, but… being in the spaceship for 24/7 is really getting to her. “Sybil, why don’t we go together and check out some shops in the town? At least you can get some fresh air.”

“And, I will check out a space part shop!” Clear exclaims in excitement. She cannot help but bounces her heels out of eagerness. She has never been to any space part shop that is not from her home planet before.

“Logy, do you want to come with us?” Knapp asks.

Logy briefly glances at Sybil, who sighs in annoyance. “Actually… I missed out on training yesterday, so I’m going to make it up today.”

“Ah, really?” Knapp is clearly showing a look of disappointment on his face. “I thought it was a perfect opportunity to learn more words in sign language.”

Clear raises an eyebrow. She cannot believe that Knapp is completely oblivious to Sybil’s hatred for the poor deaf guy! She flashes a big grin on her face when an idea comes up in her head. She grabs Logy’s arm, leaning into him suddenly. “Actually, Logy, I want you to come with me! I don’t want men whistling at me if I walk out there alone. Plus, I want to learn sign language too!”

For a second there, she witnesses a sudden flash of both darkness and light in Knapp’s eyes. But she does not care and giggles at his jealous but short reaction.

“But --” Logy gets interrupted when Clear starts dragging him towards the exit.

“Okay, what was that just now?” Sybil crosses her arms.

“How should I know?” Knapp lazily shrugs one of his shoulders. He takes Sybil’s hand and kisses it with a smile on his face, making her blush. “Let’s check out some shops, shall we?”

~*~

Logy cannot believe that it has only been two weeks since Clear joined Dark Team because she has picked up some words in sign language faster than anyone he has ever met.

“How do you say ‘space parts’ in sign language again?” Clear asks curiously, trying to sign the first word.

“This is space,” Logy places his left arm facing sideways at his chest. With his other hand, he places it on his left arm but with a fist this time. He raises his right fist in the curve from his left arm.

“And this is parts,” He continues as he changes the position of his hands once again. He reaches out one of his hands facing up. He places the side of his other hand on his open palm and then moves it across twice, as if he is cutting something.

“Did I get it right?” Clear asks hopefully after she mimics what Logy did. After she receives a ‘yes’ nod from him, she cheers loudly, “Yes! I totally get this!”

They have been walking in the biggest outdoor mall they have ever been to. Shops every block within the range of one mile. Half of them are mainly clothes stores, so sometimes Clear drags Logy into one of them.

Logy does not mind being dragged around. Unlike most men, he is actually interested in looking for clothes… to be specific, a jacket. His own jacket with purple edges is three or four years old and is getting worn out.

After fifteen minutes of going through several jackets, Logy has found one that he exactly wants. A simple black jacket with F on either side of the upper sleeves. He is about to buy when Clear suddenly grabs him and pulls him into the dressing room.

“Look at that jacket you found! It’s totally hot!” Clear exclaims excitedly, only using sign language for the last word. She shoves a few clothes into Logy and says, “Try those on!”

She does not wait long when Logy steps back out of the dressing room. She ignores the fact that Logy is blushing furiously but rather she is admiring the new outfit he is wearing, including the jacket he found.

Black tank-top, dark brown baggy pants, and black gloves without tips. A white headband with a black star in the middle is wrapped around his upper arm.

Logy scratches the back of his head nervously and says, “But I can’t afford all of them…”

“It’s ok! I will cover everything except that jacket! After all, you found it by yourself and were able to buy it with your own money, correct?”

Logy shakes his head and waves his hands. “Y-you don’t have to!”

“Oh, I insist! You look hot! Anybody would totally fall for you!” Clear’s blue eyes are sparking in excitement. Especially Knapp!

Logy has not used mind energy at all since there is no need to spy on anybody at this moment but the way Clear is giving him a look really worries him. It is like she has some kind of secret plan that no one knows.

After Logy’s clothes have been paid for at the checkout, they have become comfortable with each other as they start using more and more sign language.

Eventually, they finally find the space parts shop. It is called Kyota’s Space Parts.

~*~

It has been too long since Sybil and Knapp last spent time together. It must have been, what a couple of months?

Unlike any of the dates before, Sybil is moody and snaps at Knapp about just little things, like wanting a chocolate ice cream but the ice cream shop does not have it. 

It is just… not the same as before. Knapp frowns at his own thoughts. What changed? Is it because I became the Universe Warrior?

“Knapp? Are you listening?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! What was it that you were saying?” Knapp asks before he laughs lightheartedly.

“You know what? Just forget it. I just need to be alone,” Sybil sighs and turns away from Knapp. “I… I will meet you back at the spaceship.”

“W-wait, Sybil! I’m sorry!” Knapp says but she ignores him as she keeps walking away from him. He sighs lightly and runs his hand through his hair. “Shit…”

He begins to wonder if Sybil feels left out. He has been focusing on so many things and has not been paying enough attention to his girlfriend at all. Maybe I should apologize to her later…

He walks through the outdoor mall, passing different kinds of people. Some look like gobins. Others look like normal humans. Some others look like humans but with pointy ears.

It’s so peaceful here… Are we seriously going to be here for up to a month? What am I supposed to do? Knapp thinks to himself.

Eventually, he ends up seeing Logy and Clear stopping in front of the Kyota’s Space Parts shop. He is more than surprised to see Logy in an entirely new outfit. He almost does not recognize him.

“Hiya!” Knapp tries to sound as cheerful as possible as he waves his hand with a smile on his face. He says with sign language, “You look great, Logy!”

Logy cannot help but scratch the back of his head with pink blush on his face. “T-thanks.”

“Well, then! It’s the perfect timing! I’m going into that shop, and I was worried that Logy would be bored out of his mind! Why don’t you guys wait for me? Just chat or whatever,” Clear winks suggestively at them before she steps into the shop.

Logy and Knapp both use sign language without using their voices for the rest of the conversation.

“U-um… Clear picked out this outfit… although I chose the jacket,” Logy mumbles shyly. Why do I have to be so awkward about Knapp? It’s not like we are dating! He has a girlfriend, for Hikyou-sama’s sake!

Knapp smiles brightly at him. “That jacket is my favorite. You…” Look so sexy. He is thanking Double God that Logy cannot read his mind at all. “Er… well… the jacket fits you perfectly.”

“Thanks,” Logy says again, not really knowing what else to say. Then, he notices that someone is missing. “Where is Sybil?”

“She decided to return to the spaceship. She… she is tired,” Knapp lies. “I decided to stick around a little longer. I am still looking for the person who has the ability to switch places. I’m sort of hoping that they may be here somewhere.”

“Oh, I see. Do you need me to read people’s minds…?” Logy asks hopefully.

“No, I don’t want you to waste your energy,” Knapp chuckles lightly. “I’m about to get back to the spaceship and check on Sybil anyway. Thank you for asking, though!”

Logy cannot help but feel his heart getting stabbed a thousand times. He should have known that Knapp would never go after him. Besides, he does not want to be known as a ‘relationship wrecker’. He looks down at the floor with his bangs hiding his eyes, trying not to show tears that are filling up his hazel eyes.

“Pssst….” comes the voice of Clear as she peeks her head through the door out of the shop. “Mind if you guys help me out?”

As Logy and Knapp get into the shop, Clear suddenly grabs the deaf man’s arm. “S-sorry, I am taken!”

Knapp has never wanted anything in the world much more than ripping Logy away from Clear. He does not know why. He already has Sybil, so why is he feeling jealous of Clear going all over Logy?

“Aw, man? Really?” The cashier asks, pouting sadly. He has short black hair and blue eyes. He slowly puts away a bouquet of flowers under the counter. “So, please excuse me for bothering you. May I help you?”

“About time you get my message!” Clear yells angrily as she lets go of Logy’s arm. “All I want to do is to shop here!”

“So sorry! It’s just that you’re so cute! You are the brightest person I’ve ever seen,” The cashier sighs dreamily. “But this planet is full of dark creatures… so… it’s my first time seeing someone so bright like you.”

Clear quickly gets back to holding Logy’s arm once again. Knapp’s urge to kill her is growing and growing.

“Please pardon me for not introducing myself properly! My name is Zack Kyota. My family owns this business. Please feel free to look around and let me know if you need my help!”

After Clear finishes with buying new parts for the spaceship, Zack thanks her and asks if he can see her again.

“Maybe!” Clear says cheerfully. “You got amazing stuff here! I’ll probably come back in a few days.”

“Hey, wait! I have something for you. It’s on me,” Zack says. He hurriedly goes into the back room.

“Huh? I hope he is not thinking about giving me a ring or something useless like that,” Clear crosses her arms at her chest and taps her finger on her arm impatiently.

“Found it!” Zack yells as he exits the back room. He moves swiftly toward Clear and then reaches out his hand.

The blonde-haired engineer of the Dark Team takes a look at what Zack is holding. She gasps lightly as she snatches it from Zack’s hand. “You… You know what it is?”

Zack tilts his head in confusion. “I… I’m not sure. It looks like a computer chip, but I have tried it with every computer I found, but nothing works. I thought since you likely know more about technology than I do…”

“It’s an artificial intelligence processor! An AI processor… I can’t believe that it’s in your shop out of all other space parts stores! Are you sure you’re giving it to me for free?”

“Of course yes!” Zack scratches the back of his head with redness on his cheeks.

Knapp is starting to consider whether he should leave or not just when he spots a child at the corner of his eyes. Kawaii? Why is he here…? Isn’t this planet at peace?

The child form of the Fifth Universe turns around at first and then takes a few steps before he gets outside the shop.

Logy notices that Knapp seems to be looking at something. He begins to ponder what exactly it is that his leader of the Dark Team is looking at. Suddenly, the Universe Warrior turns around and is heading for the exit, so Logy decides to follow him.

“Guys?” Clear asks when she realizes that she is being left alone with the… possible pervert! She yells angrily, “Hey, wait for me!”

By the time Knapp gets outside, Kawaii is gone once again. He hears a loud commotion with female shrieks and male shouts so he quickly follows it until he finds one of two thugs trying to pull a brown-haired woman’s pink purse.

“Let it go!” The woman yells angrily.

“Fine, then… we will have to do it the hard way!” The second thug pulls out his dagger and raises it into the air. “I will cut your hands then!”

The woman sees the dagger in the man’s hand and then screams in panic, “Help!”

Knapp is about to rush when he hears a familiar voice yelling, “Switch!”

Within a blink, Zack is standing in the exact same spot as the woman was. He tries to dodge the knife attack, but he is not quick enough. He gets stabbed in the shoulder instead and cries in pain.

“What the fuck?” The thug exclaims in surprise. “Who the hell are you? Where did that bitch go?”

Zack beams a huge grin on his face as he says, “You gentlemen shouldn’t be harassing the ladies.”

“Why you…!” The thug with the dagger yells angrily as he proceeds to stab Zack once again but before he can do so, his wrist suddenly gets grabbed by a brown-haired deaf warrior.

Without saying a word, Logy quickly pulls the thug’s wrist, pulling him forward until he hits him in the stomach with his own knee hard. 

The first thug is about to move just when Knapp suddenly appears into his sight. He yelps in surprise and almost stumbles over but quickly corrects his own position. “Who… Who are you guys?”

Knapp smirks as he says, “We are the Dark Team.”

“Well, well... “ Clear casually walks toward the men. She raises up her hand, powering up for an orb of lightning bolts. “Boys shouldn’t be fighting each other… right?”

“F-forget it!” The second thug cries as he runs away along with his friend.

Clear turns to the woman and asks, “Are you ok?”

“Y-yes! Thank you so much! You guys saved my life!” The woman claps her hands together with a relieved smile on her face. “What do I owe you?”

“No need to be in debt,” Knapp says cheerfully. “Just go home and rest.”

The brown-haired woman thanks them once again before she gets on her way home. As soon as she is out of their sights, Knapp cannot help but bounce toward Zack in excitement. “Wow, Zack! I had no idea that you could switch places with other people!”

“Um… Y-yeah,” Zack chuckles nervously. It is his first time that someone is fascinated by his switch power. “It isn’t that special though… it’s not like I can cause any damage to the enemies…”

“But you saved her life first! That’s amazing!” Knapp quickly places his hands on Zack’s shoulders, making sure not to let him escape. “I’ve been looking for a person who has the power of switching places all day today… I cannot believe that I found you that soon!”

Clear covers her face with her own hand. “Oh god no, please… Please anything but asking him to join us --”

“Can you join us?!” Knapp asks eagerly.

“Dammit,” Clear mumbles angrily.

“Join… you?” Zack blinks in confusion.

“I’ve been gathering the warriors whom the Fifth Universe asked me to. My name is Knapp, and I am the Universe Warrior. Those two with me… Logy and Clear… they are part of my team, which is called Dark Team.”

Zack is taken back at first. Afterward, he begins to think as he looks at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with Knapp. He asks, “What is the Universe Warrior?”

Knapp laughs lightheartedly. It is no surprise that not too many people have heard of the Universe Warrior. After all, he only started out just three months ago after leaving Earth. He answers, “It is simple. The Universe Warrior is someone who protects the universe.”

As much as I want to leave this gloomy planet… I can’t… Zack has an unusual frown on his face, not aware of Logy peeking into his head. He shakes his head and says, “I would love to join you… but…”

“It’s ok if you don’t have any experience with fighting! Logy and I were the same way when we started our journeys --”

“That’s not the reason,” Zack interrupts him. “I… I’m sorry, but… I was recently arranged for marriage. I am supposed to get married in two weeks.”

“What?! You two-timing pervert!” Clear yells angrily and shakes her furious fist at Zack, who laughs nervously in return.

“Aw, that’s too bad…” Knapp shakes his head. “But if you change your mind before your marriage, you are more than welcome to join us. We will be here for between two and four weeks.”

“O-okay,” Zack mumbles quietly.

I am not letting him go. Knapp is staring at him with determination in his dark brown eyes. He suggests, “But… we’d love to have you over for dinner tonight. Just to get to know each other, you know? To see if you make the decision before the arranged marriage?”

Zack briefly glances at Clear and then says, “Sure.”

“Great! The spaceship isn’t that far. Just two miles away from this city… this way,” Knapp points his finger at the way where his spaceship is located. “It’s in the west.”

~*~

When Zack comes over for dinner at the spaceship, Knapp introduces him to his girlfriend Sybil. Zack looks surprised, to the Universe Warrior’s confusion but does not say anything else. He seriously thought Logy was Knapp’s boyfriend because of the way they looked at each other in his own shop. The way Knapp looked pissed off when Clear was all over Logy. Zack shrugs it off, as it is none of his business to intervene with them or question them about their relationships.

During the dinner, each Dark Team member tells about themselves. Where they were from. What they were like before they joined the team. Then, Zack begins to open up about himself. The reason why he is in the arranged marriage is because his family business is losing money. No one is visiting Planet Mu anymore, and there is no point in building or repairing any spaceship on this planet. So, Zack is supposed to get married to a rich woman, who is the daughter of another business owner of a large utilities company. With that way, Zack could save his family business.

When Knapp asked him about his family, Zack told him that his parents died of old age in the same year not too long ago but they helped him to set up the arranged marriage before their times were up.

When the dinner ends, Zack politely thanks Sybil for making dinner and asks if he can come over again tomorrow. He gets an instant answer, “Of course yes!”

Later that night, Sybil and Knapp are in bed but are still awake. Sybil seems to be in a better mood. She had been humming cheerfully in the shower.

“So, what did you think of Zack?” Knapp asks hopefully.

“He’s a nice guy… Very polite. Although…” Sybil frowns as she places her forefinger and thumb on her chin. “I never saw him in any of my visions. Did something change in the future again?”

“Well… He did mention that he is not a fighter,” Knapp says. “Maybe he has a better job to do… like being a double agent or a spy? Perhaps that’s why you haven’t seen him in your visions yet?”

“True…” Sybil nods in agreement. She places her head on Knapp’s chest. “You are really thinking that he will join us, aren’t you?”

Knapp flashes a big grin on his face. “I bet! We are not leaving without him!”

~*~

Everyday, Clear has been taking apart and reassembling the spaceship’s computer and engine systems. It is as if she has been testing different ways. What if that certain engine works well with fossil fuel or if it works with sole electricity powered by solar? What if the AI computer coordinates with the whole spaceship’s piloting system?

Logy and Knapp have been training nonstop, sharpening their martial arts fighting styles. Knapp has even tried to take off his scarf… a little by little at a time until the back of his neck gets way too painful for him. He has been doing that, hoping that he gets stronger every time.

Logy is very flexible with his body when it comes to getting grabbed by someone. Knapp has tried doing this to Logy, but the deaf warrior always finds a way to escape from his tight gripping. Once in a while, his mind begins to wander towards the possibility of Logy being flexible in the bed --

He always stops there.

Eventually, it is the day Zack gets married. The entire Dark Team is unsure if Zack will be coming or not. Clear has still not finished putting back the spaceship together yet but she tells everyone that it will be ready in two more days.

Zack never came for dinner.

~*~

Two days later, Clear finally completes the repairs and upgrades for the spaceship. She explains to Knapp about the changes she made. Their spaceship finally has an AI computer system, which can assist them with navigation and piloting. That means they no longer have to manually pilot the spaceship for the entire time.

Knapp cannot help but feel so disappointed. “I was so convinced that Zack would join us… He was having fun with us during dinners…”

He quickly turns to Sybil and cries in panic, “Or was I wrong?!”

“I don’t know. He certainly looked to be enjoying the dinners though,” Sybil says with a smile on her face. “We still have a little time left before Clear says we launch.”

“No way! I also told her that we are not leaving without Zack!” Knapp says stubbornly. “I… I just want to hear his answer… directly from him!”

“Fine, we will just leave you here,” Clear shrugs her shoulders as she walks past Knapp and Sybil. “I am not staying here for another minute!”

“Whaaaat? Are you serious?!” Knapp whines.

“Perhaps he is not coming after all. It will explain why I haven’t gotten any visions about him.” Sybil sighs lightly as she goes on her way to the bridge room.

“But, but…” Knapp stammers. He has to be the one. Kawaii… You showed up just so that I could see Zack’s ability to switch, right? That… There has to be a reason why you appeared back then.

“I… I just can’t accept it.” He shakes his head furiously. “I am going out to find him. Maybe he is in trouble right now.”

“H-hey, didn’t you hear what Clear just said?!” Sybil cries in worry. “What if she really means it?!”

“I will find a way to get off this planet and catch up with you,” Knapp waves his hand, not bothering to look back at his girlfriend. As he opens the door, Zack suddenly falls to the floor with his face down.

Sybil and Knapp both blink a few times, not sure if it is really Zack who they are seeing.

“Ow, ow!” Zack gets on his knees and rubs his throbbing face. “Sorry for barging in like that! When I heard the engine starting, I had to get inside as fast as I could.”

“Zack! You’re really here! We were so worried about you!” Knapp exclaims as he helps Zack to get up from the floor. He raises an eyebrow in confusion and asks, “But why are you here? Didn’t you get married a couple of days ago?”

“I… I broke it off with my fiancee, so there was no wedding,” Zack says and scratches the back of his head. “But that was the biggest decision I have ever made… I had some reflecting to do, and I was so afraid that I made a huge mistake. Then, it was the day before the wedding when I found the letter that my mother wrote me just a few days before she died. I didn’t open it because at that time it was way too painful for me. So… I opened it, and… saw my mother’s handwriting…”

Tears start filling up Zack’s blue eyes as he starts wiping them with the back of his hands. “She was writing about how she and my father wanted me to be happy. If I didn’t want to be married, then that would be ok with them. They never cared about the arranged marriage… They… They thought that being with someone would make me happy, but… that was not what I  wanted.”

Knapp gives him a small smile. “What do you want to do?"

“I… I had always wanted to travel and help people. So… here I am,” Zack mumbles. “So is it ok if I join --”

“Oh hell yes!” Knapp yells out of excitement. “We are more than happy to welcome you into the Dark Team!”

“You’re just on time. We are about to leave,” Sybil gives him a smile. “Come on… We are going to the bridge room where we are to be seated before the blast off.”

Zack flashes a huge grin on his face. “Okay!”