Here's the chapter where Zazu first appears. Enjoy!
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Wireless
Zazu turned his head around and saw Geo back in the cockpit. He was speaking with one of the vice-commanders and from the snatches of the conversation, Zazu heard of going back up to space for a day before delivering people back to their homes.
When Geo caught his eye, Zazu turned back to the screen in front of him, which showed him various plot and trade points for a smooth journey on the NSX. It was a few seconds later before he felt a heavy but gentle hand on his shoulder.
"The Magic Knights are on board," Geo said. Zazu nodded but kept his eyes glued to the screen.
"Yes, I saw," replied Zazu. He did not see Geo smile.
"You've been working too hard, Zazu. Why don't you go have a small break? I'll have one of the rookies handle this post for you."
Zazu opened his mouth to argue but he closed it anyway. There really was no point, especially since he was indeed burned out from all the work and traveling. Things have been much more heavy and exhausting since Eagle...
"Yeah, maybe I do need a break," Zazu said as he stood up. Geo gave Zazu a leveled look. Years ago, Zazu had been a boy, barely tall enough to reach Geo's chest. Now, Zazu had grown to be a young man and when Geo looked at him, he was strongly reminded of Eagle. Fearing that Zazu might notice the pain in his eyes, Geo looked away and walked over to one of the stand-by rookies and pointed to Zazu's vacant seat. The rookie, a man with disheveled hair, sat proudly on where Zazu had been sitting earlier and began typing a series of commands on the keyboard.
Geo escorted Zazu out of the cockpit. Zazu could not help but grin.
"That rookie did not look the bit excited to me," he sarcastically said. Geo chuckled in spite of himself.
"He was ecstatic. Heck, Zazu! You're the youngest vice-commander on this battleship and my second in command. A lot of them admire you," Geo told him, which made Zazu even sadder. It didn't matter to him one bit if he was promoted any further. Eagle was gone and things would never be the same again. And now that the Magic Knights are back, Zazu could not bring himself to come to them and tell them about Eagle.
"Fuu and Umi already know about Eagle," Geo explained. Zazu heard the note of sadness in Geo's voice in spite of Geo's doubled effort to hide it. "Hikaru fell unconscious after what happened down there."
"You want me to talk to her," Zazu said darkly. Geo instantly felt guilty. He knew Zazu loved Eagle and worshipped the man. To ask what he was asking Zazu was not fair. He would not do it himself. But Zazu merely gave an imperceptible nod and smiled at Geo, not allowing the apprehension to be seen through his eyes.
"No problem, Geo," he said, walking away. "Eagle would not have wanted me to conceal the truth, especially from Hikaru. I'll see you later."
Geo stared after Zazu's retreating back, hoping against hope that Hikaru would not lose it again, just as she had earlier.
Hikaru slowly opened her eyelids, adjusting her eyes to the bright, white light that attacked her eyesight. She blinked furiously and tried getting up when a voice said, "You're not completely healed yet, Miss Hikaru. You should rest for a longer while."
Hikaru turned her head towards the voice and saw a young man laying a food tray down on a steel table beside where she was lying. When Hikaru's eyesight returned to normal, she squinted at the man's face and tried to recall where she had seen him before.
"Do I know you?" she asked groggily. The young man faced her and grinned. Hikaru's eyes widened.
"Z-Zazu? Is t-that really y-you?"
Zazu gave a boyish laugh and sat down on Hikaru's bed. "Yeah, it's me."
Hikaru smiled brightly. "Gee, you've--- you've grown!" Hikaru looked at Zazu's features. Gone was the lively and oftentimes annoying little boy she met ten years ago on NSX. Staring down at her was a young man, an older version of Zazu, but whose eyes remained young but tinged with a deep sadness that did not escape Hikaru's notice.
She suddenly felt strange. Eagle was the captain of the ship, the commander and leader of Autozam. He would have been first to come to her. And where was Adolphus? Oh dear, what had happened... Hikaru's mind was a total blank and her head felt like it was going to explode. She held her hand up to her head and groaned.
Zazu's hand went to her forehead and through her closed eyelids, she saw the lights close and they were enveloped in darkness. Hikaru started to feel better.
"Eagle's dead," Hikaru blurted out. Zazu said nothing but Hikaru felt his fingers freeze on her skin. "Tell me the truth, Zazu."
"Yes," he finally answered. Hikaru sighed sadly.
"Deep in my heart, when Adolphus died, I knew that Eagle was gone, too," she told him, letting the tears slide down her closed eyes. "It was foolish of me to expect that he would have waited until I came back so we could talk again like we used to." Hikaru laughed, strained, as Zazu listened to her in the dark. He was glad that he closed the lights. There was something comforting in the dark, he realized. Or was it just shared pain with Hikaru? Misery does love company---
"I don't want another Debonair popping out of nowhere again," Hikaru said strongly, sniffing. "I have to stop feeling guilty, right? Adolphus killed himself. It was not my choice but he had to die. He knew that, right? He did the right thing. I should not have lost my wits."
Zazu felt for Hikaru's hand. "Things are as they are and should be, Miss Hikaru," Zazu told her. "As Eagle would have said, we cannot rest on our laurels and dwell on our faults forever. We must move on and remember those who have helped make us what we are and reach where we are. I will remember him forever."
Hikaru nodded. "You do know why we are back?"
"Lantis told us as much," he replied and he felt Hikaru's fingers ball into a fist. "We weren't expecting you to come back anymore."
"We weren't expecting to be back either. We were called... again. Cephiro needs us."
"It seems that even with the alliances, Cephiro is still nothing without its precious Pillar, which you tried to abolish."
"That's why we have continued," Hikaru said, opening her eyes to welcome total darkness. "Our conscience would not let us leave Cephiro in chaos. We are one."
Zazu frowned. They are one? What did she mean? Zazu did not like what he heard. It felt eerie and strange to his ear. It didn't sound like Hikaru to him.
Thinking that she was still in shock after the death of her friend and news of Eagle, Zazu stood up from the bed and went to the door. "I will see you again when you are feeling better, Miss Hikaru."
"Yes, Zazu. I would like that. Thank you."
Zazu opened the door, looked back at Hikaru, and went out. Geo was right outside, waiting for him. Zazu grinned lopsidedly.
"Don't worry about her, Geo. She's stronger than we think. She will mourn for him but she will move on. Just as Eagle had trusted and had faith in her strength, so should we, you know?"
Geo sighed with relief. He nodded and walked alongside Zazu away from Hikaru's room.
"So, is my break over?" asked Zazu. Geo chuckled and slapped Zazu's back.
"No. You'll have it for another two days. Why don't you go have a chat with that girl from the logistics division?"
Zazu shook his head, laughing. "News doth travel fast in this ship, huh? Sorry to burst your bubble, Captain, but we are officially over."
"As of when?" Geo was interested in everything about Zazu. For a long time now, he had thought of him as a younger brother... a son, even.
"As of a day ago."
Geo gasped dramatically. "You lasted for only a week?!"
"Oh, don't look so scandalized, Geo! We all know you've had shorter romantic liaisons than I have! You must have picked up every other female on the NSX save for the elderly and the unmarried ones."
Geo shrugged. "Yeah, well----"
Zazu laughed. "Whatever, Geo! I really don't have time for such trivial things right now, okay? C'mon and let's have a drink."
"I can't, sorry," Geo said, on his way back to the cockpit.
Zazu grabbed Geo's sleeve and pulled him away to the mess hall. "I know. That's why you're drinking water. I, on the other hand, am having a large mug of cold beer. You still have some time to spare."
Geo rolled his eyes and let Zazu drag him. "Fine, little guy. Lead on."
---
Hikaru had left the room unnoticed. She went to the mess hall where several of the people from the nonexistent town were staying. As she entered, many of them stared up at her.
"Do we know you?" one woman asked. "I think I've seen you before."
The old woman's spell was broken, Hikaru thought. She did not give an answer.
A tug on the hem of her skirt caused Hikaru to look down. It was the little boy Don. Hikaru smiled and bent to pick him up. The boy was downcast.
"Uncle is dead," he said. Hikaru looked at him sadly and pressed his tear-stained cheek to her own.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she cooed. The boy sniffed.
"Who will take care of me and Del now?" he asked. Hikaru remembered that Don still had a much younger brother. Indeed, who will take care of them now?
Suddenly, Hikaru's knees felt weak but before she could stumble to the floor and drop Don, someone caught her from behind.
"Oh!"
"You shouldn't be carrying little boys this early, Miss Hikaru." It was Zazu. Hikaru gave an embarrassed laugh and gave Don to Zazu. Don did not smile at Zazu but did not make a tantrum either. He felt comfortable in Zazu's arms.
"Er, I felt much better with the food you brought. Thanks," Hikaru said. Zazu held Hikaru's hand and led her to a set of tables and chairs. She sat down, as did he. Don remained in his lap.
Hikaru looked around her. The mess hall was relatively large, like an outer space cafeteria. It was a square area, its three adjacent walls made of glass so everyone could see the black sky dotted with numerous blinking stars. One wall had a set of doors through which food, beverage, and people from all parts of the ship came.
"Shouldn't you be in the cockpit?" asked Hikaru. Zazu shrugged, watching Don tinker with the wires on Zazu's suit.
"Geo gave me a break, a much-needed one, anyway," he said. "I overworked myself."
"Yes, you do have a tendency to do that," Hikaru said. She smiled at Zazu. "I still find it hard to believe that you've grown older. Then again, ten years in my world is not equal to ten years in yours."
"True. We look like the same age now."
Hikaru giggled. "If I stayed in Cephiro, I would look older than you."
And had I stayed, I would have been able to see Eagle before he died.
"Miss Hikaru?"
Hikaru looked up and blinked her eyes. Zazu was looking at her strangely.
"Did I just space out again?"
Zazu nodded. Hikaru sighed. "I've been told that I've been doing much of that lately. Sorry. Were you saying something?"
"I was asking about Lantis."
Zazu saw Hikaru's eyes darken and her face close up. "What about him?" The way Hikaru asked told Zazu he should not have asked about him in the first place.
Zazu felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head. "Er, j-just thought I'd like to hear some n-news about an old friend," he stammered. "We only get to communicate when something bides trouble---not that your arrival spelled trouble or anything. Lantis pretty much keeps to himself, you know."
"Sure do," Hikaru muttered. To Zazu's relief, she did not seem upset with him. "You know what, Zazu?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm not too sad about Eagle anymore." Zazu sighed.
"There's still Geo and you," she said, smiling at him. "We connect. We really do."
Zazu chuckled. "I'm glad we could do so wireless. I'm kind of getting sick and tired of talking through fiber optics to people I care about."
Hikaru chucked his chin playfully. Don clapped his hands and did the same.
"Look! Stars!"
The passengers of NSX stared in awe and wonder at the endless black sky dotted with shining little dots of lights. Hikaru felt the hairs on her skin stand up.
"Wow! It's so wonderful!" she exclaimed. Zazu raised an eyebrow.
"Hikaru, you've been to outer space before."
Rolling her eyes, Hikaru said, "Yeah, in Cephiro, at least. In my world, neither I nor any of the other girls could have the opportunity to go to outer space. But I bet outer space from earth would look like the same as in Cephiro."
"How do you know?" asked Zazu. Hikaru stared out at a large star in the distance, surrounded by a pool of smaller glinting dots.
"One of the greatest mysteries of life is the universe. No one knows where it came from or how it came to be. Different people have different ideas and beliefs about the universe. But there's one thing we all agree on---infinity." Hikaru turned her head and looked at Zazu.
"The universe is infinite. We cannot know for sure where it begins and where it ends. I believe that the universe is a place where time and confined space does not hold true always. Whoever controls the universe can play around with our notion of time and space. If the universe followed a set of rules, rules that could only have come from a human mind, it would only be this place where people wake up in the morning, live, and then die."
Hikaru's eyes went ablaze and Zazu was taken aback. "But the universe is what it is. Crazy and mixed-up. That's why my friends and I are here. That's why we have been called here in the first place. There is only one universe, Zazu. And I can say with certainty that somewhere in my world, there'd be another person looking at the same bright star I am looking at. It will connect us. Wireless."
Somehow, hearing Hikaru's passionate description about the universe made Zazu feel as he had felt the first time he boarded the NSX and saw the universe in his extreme youth. It felt exhilarating. It felt adventurous. It felt alive. Zazu looked out at the sky and felt blood rush into his veins. He felt good and warm. Now he fully understood why it was so easy for Eagle to love Hikaru and why it was so hard for him to leave Cephiro unchecked.
"Uncle Adolphus must be that one," Don said, pointing to the large star Hikaru had been looking at. Hikaru nodded.
"He probably is, Don," Hikaru told the little boy gently, as Zazu nodded to the stars in the sky, looking for the one star that would be Eagle. "He probably is."
---
He took the elevator to get up to the viewing deck, eager to reach the place. One hand's fingers tapped on the polished wall paneling of the elevator while the other held on tightly to the little girl's hand. She looked up at him in confusion, frowning.
"Father, where are we going?"
"The top, sweetheart," he said. Finally, the bell sounded and the steel doors opened. He rushed out, almost bumping headlong into a pair of old women. He pushed his way out, his daughter beside him, until they reached the viewing deck.
His daughter shifted from one foot to the other. She was too small to see anything down the tower but she was not complaining. Her father was acting strange, though.
"Did Mother come here very often?" she asked, thinking that this must be her mother's favorite place.
"No, she was scared of heights," he answered curtly, his eyes roaming about the viewing deck, looking for something. Or someone.
She knew her father was upset about something. What it was, she was too apprehensive to ask. And so she contented herself to look up at the sky, the only view her small height could afford her to see. It was late in the afternoon, and she could just see the last orange rays of the sun, mixed with hazes of purple and red. Yet in the distance, she saw the faint orb of the moon and a large star beyond to its right.
"Miss Hikaru loved watching stars," she whispered. Her father looked down at her. "In Cephiro, the stars burned bright at night. They were beautiful."
"And what else did this teacher of yours tell you?"
She tore her eyes away from the lone star and gazed up at her father. "We promised to keep it a secret. So I'm not telling you."
"I drove your teacher here early today," he told her. His daughter's eyes widened with excitement.
"Really? Did you see her disappear?"
"Er, no but why would you ask that---"
"Let's go, Father! She'll be back. I'm hungry!"
Knowing that it would be pointless to argue with his daughter who inherited the iron will of his late wife, he let her drag him back into the elevator and out of the tower. Yet long after he had gone home, cooked their dinner, and tucked her into bed, his thoughts were still on those three women.
No, they could not have disappeared without a trace. They must still be in Japan or anywhere else on this earth. He could not accept that anyone could just disappear without any hocus pocus going around. He could not let his daughter get caught up in such baloney, either.
He did not understand what it was that was drawing him into this event. He barely knew his daughter's teacher and should not have any business wanting to know what was going on with her. But he felt something stir inside him when he saw those three women board his taxi and the redhead's picture in the principal's office. She did not look crazy to him but there was something about her, an aura, perhaps, of mystery and darkness that did not sit well with him, especially because his daughter obviously adored the redhead and believed everything she was told.
Tomorrow, he'll check in with his friends at the police department.
---
When her father went out of her bedroom, she threw the covers off and went to the windows. She opened them and stared out into the dark night sky. The air was humid, telling her it has just rained. The sky was starless except for one bright star in the gray clouds.
She clasped her hands, as in prayer, and focused her eyes on the star. "Miss Hikaru, you're my favorite teacher. I will be waiting for you when you come back from Cephiro. I promise."
The star twinkled and shone even brighter.