So off we go, ready to fight the Enderdragon. Two warriors ready for the fight, brave at heart and true at the-

"Can I have potatoes?" Joe interrupts my fantasy.

"Wh-what?"

"Potatoes" he points to a farm we are passing by. I look at him strangely. "I have a obsession with potatoes" he explains. I hold his gaze for a second, he looks completely serious then we burst out laughing.

"What was that about?" I ask.

"What you doubt my obsession?" Joe replies, then he sighs. "No, it's not that. I always tell a joke before I say something sad. A habit, you know? Create a light atmosphere than completely shatter it"

I stare at him but keep silent.

"It came a few nights ago, the dragon I mean. I was in my bed and my mom and dad were in their room. I was just nodding off when I heard a roar. I sat up scared and didn't have much more time to react when it crashed into the house. The window shattered and the door caved in. My mom and dad screamed but I couldn't get through to them. The last thing I saw was a dark shape flying away." Joe takes a deep shuddering breath and when he looks at me I see tears forming in his eyes.

"It didn't even take anything, you know? Even grefiers will steal for themselves, but the Enderdragon..." His clenches his fists and his voice becomes fierce. "I swore to myself I was going to get revenge. But I...just didn't know how. That is...until you came along."

He gives me a weak smile and I look at him and he looks at me. I decide to throw up an Endereye and we follow it, then we walk in silence down the road. We were quiet for a while until I couldn't stand it anymore.

"The Enderdragon took my friend." I tell him. And then I wait, I would only go on if he wanted to hear my stupid sob story. He gives me a quizzical look and I take it as a cue to go on. So I tell him. I tell him about meeting Keith and the days we spent. I tell him about all the fun times and it makes me smile to recall the few weeks (1) I spent with my friend. But I do have to censor it. I don't tell him that it was my first time doing any of that stuff or how I went back to the Nether each night. I don't tell him about the fight we had right before. But I have to take a deep breath and tell him about the Enderdragon.

"It was devastating. Truly. I couldn't believe he was gone. I guess it's not as terrible as your parents but..."

Joe cuts me off, and for a bit, his eyes and kind smile aren't annoying at all.

"I think it is. If Keith was you friend he's as every bit as important as my parents."

"But that's the thing" I don't know if he was going to keep talking but I need to interject. "I don't think he's dead."

Joe gives me a weird look, the kind you give naïve children when you don't want to bring them down. There's that annoying bit again.

"No I'm serious!" I say. And I tell him about the clues I found at Joes house. "I don't know why they took him but they did and I'm going to rescue him."

Joe chuckles. What was so funny about that? I think.

"You're a weird person Zen." He says.

"What do you mean?"

"Well girly" Joe says, "Most people don't go on a highly dangerous rescue mission for a dude you just met. That's like crazy.

I almost send back another stinging retort when I realize what Joe says is true. Why am I doing this? Why would I do this for an almost stranger?

Maybe because it's my fault. I think, and we walk in silence again. But this time, nobody breaks it and only the birds make a sound.

It might have seemed that Zen and Keith only knew about each other for a few days but even though Zen is being all crazy by rescuing him, knowing him only a couple days would be just-surreal.

I'm sorry for all these emotional icky bits, but the Enderdragons going around killing people! I don't know about you but I'd get a little emotional over that stuff.

Review please!