The Coward

This is bullshit! Fucking fly!

Orange compound eyes peer into the warrior's gray eyes from his kite shield in his hand. Sweat runs down the warrior's face into his eye, causing him to flinch. Raising his hand carrying his mace, he wipes his eye with the back of his wrist and is struck in the chest by the fly. When the fly hits his chest, the man flies at the speed of sound through eight trees into a boulder. His thick armor does its best to protect him from harm. Seconds later, the boulder splits in half, and he falls to the ground. He stands back up and sees the fly fluttering in the distance.

"Bring it on!" He yells at the insect deep in the forest.

His shield rises as he prepares for battle, raising his mace ready to swing. He blinks for half a second, and the fly is already in front of him. He blocks the attack, and it knocks the shield out of his hand into the air. Wasting no time, he counters, swinging at the fly, and in typical fly fashion, it moves out of the way and tackles him in the forehead, knocking him a mile away into a tree.

The warrior refuses to falter as he rises again, taking a batter's stance. His eyes focus on the fly a mile away. He reaches out a hand and beckons for the fly to come closer. An aura forms around the fly as time seems to slow. The fly dashes forward, and the force of the forward momentum tears several trees from their roots and blows them from the forest into the sky. Each tree the fly passed in the second it took to reach him was cut in half by the air blades formed by the speed at which it cut through the air. He swings at the fly and lands a direct hit on its head.

The ground beneath him splits open from the collision as his mace flings into the air. The fly circles mid-air and tackles him in the cheek, burying Zenzo into the ground. As he is rendered unconscious, nearby leaves fall from the branches. The fly lands on his forehead and starts dancing to celebrate its victory over its opponent.

He awakens hours later to a voice he knows all too well saying something so outlandish he couldn't stay asleep.

"What?" The man says, sitting up after being defeated by a typical everyday fly. The wind of the lush forests gently blows his messy purple and red hair into the air. "You want me to fight a dragon? A creature that is a million times the size of the fly that knocked me out?!"

A man with a smile wider than when you say cheese before a photo extends his hand to help him off the ground. He grabs his hand, pulling him off the ground as he says, "Hell yeah, Zen! You're going to be the greatest hero of all time! Zenzo Leonidas, The Greatest Human Hero of Infrangilmundo!"

The planet's name is Infrangilmundo, and it's fifty times the size of Earth. As he stands, he looks at the man, curling his lip up.

"Xan, you have one crazy imagination. We all know Xander Greaves is the greatest hero on the planet. I could never compete with you, Xan. I can't even beat a fly."

Xander laughs so loud that the creatures sneaking up to attack them turn around to run.

"You can do it, Zen! Why?" He says, running his hand through his short blonde hair with brown highlights, moving his face lower to Zenzo's, nine inches shorter than him. Xander's amber eyes look into Zenzo's as he finishes, "Because I believe in you. That. And you're pretty strong!"

Zenzo's face contorted as if Xander bought him a gift he never asked for after he told him for a year the gift he wanted.

"I lost to a fly. HOW IS THAT STRONG?! How do you still believe in me?!"

Xander's eyes shut tight as a massive smile raced across his face. He turns to place his arm around Zenzo as he cleans out his ear with his pinky finger on his other hand. They begin walking through the forest.

"You're strong because you took down an eighteen-foot bear in one swing before you lost to that fly. Your power comes with downsides, but it can defeat anyone and everyone. Including me."

"Xan, I don't know where you get these delusions from, but I'm not that powerful. Taking down a bear and taking down you are two different things. You could beat that bear in your sleep."

Xander peers at Zenzo from the side of his eye, "And yet, YOU were the one to beat it. Eighteen feet tall, and I remind you, it was in one swing."

"And I lost right after to a fly." He says, with his eyes looking at the waterfall through the trees nearby. "You know, Xan. You should give up on me. Many other people would be of much more use to you."

Xander turns Zenzo around to face him. He stares into his eyes with a smile.

"Nah."

He turns to keep walking and notices the waterfall that Zenzo is looking at.

"Wanna go for a swim?" He asks, looking back at Zenzo.

Zenzo shakes his head.

"No. I'll pass."

"No, you won't. Come on!"

"No. I don't know what creatures are in there."

"Yes, you do! We have to go get our ingredients for our favorite rum!"

Zenzo's facial expression resembled one that a person would make if they suggested suicide.

"No way! I'm not going in there! You can't make me, Xan! You're crazy! Gorgon-Snake crazy!"

Xander removes his shirt to reveal his crafted abs that scream dedication. He takes his pants off and starts to shake his butt with a smile. Looking back, he asks, "You ready, Zen?!"

Zenzo is nowhere to be found.

"Come on, Zen! We've got to strengthen your resolve!" He says as he starts searching for Zenzo.

Zenzo, hiding perfectly behind a tree, thinks to himself with his eyes closed.

Become one with the tree, and he won't notice me.

"Become one with the tree, and he won't notice me," Xander says while standing against the tree with his arms folded.

"You're fucking crazy, Xan! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Zenzo yells as he sprints into the forest.

Xander grins one of those grins that says, you'll never escape from me as he takes a runner's stance. Zenzo is moving well over sixty miles an hour to get away from him. He looks around and notices Xander is nowhere to be found, and a wave of relief passes over him. He exhales with a smile before he is kicked off the side of the cliff into the waterfall. Xander, the one who kicked him, smiles while his butt shakes.

"I'm coming too, Zen!"

Xander takes off his underwear and runs spin-flips off the cliff.

"KRAKEN! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK!" He yells as he descends through the air. A leviathan known as the Kraken, a monstrosity of a giant squid, comes out of the water with rows of razor-sharp teeth opening its mouth wide. The Kraken's tentacles reach the top of the cliff, which is 1300 feet high. Xander laughs as he dives directly into the mouth of the Kraken and is swallowed whole. Zenzo, who grabbed onto a tree branch to avoid going into the Kraken's mouth, hangs on for dear life. His eyes clench as if he were avoiding seeing the boogeyman.

"Dear God, please bring me a better friend than Xan. He's insane. All this for some rum!"

"ZEN! I NEED SOME HELP!" Zenzo hears from below.

"HELL NO! YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF!" He yells back.

"COME OOOOOOOON! I AM DOING THIS FOR YOU!"

Zenzo exhales as he opens his eyes and sees Xander forcibly holding the Kraken's mouth open. He sighs as he says, "Opposite."

In that second, the entire forest to the ocean was covered in a thick layer of purple mist-like aura. Xander suddenly got a power boost and became stronger than the Kraken and easily jumped out of its mouth with a bag in his mouth. The Kraken uses its tentacles to grab Xander out of the air, pulling him back in.

"Not today, babe!"

He breaks free from the tentacle and turns to dive downward, pulling his fist back. Xander punches the mythical Kraken in the head, sending it flying like a torpedo to the ocean's depths. The punch creates a whirlpool that raises the water 1500 feet into the air. Ocean water crashes into the ground and the cliff, shaking parts of the continent. Zenzo holds on tightly to the branch as the vicinity shakes violently and pours ocean water in the form of rain. Salt water's potent aroma hits his nostrils.

"Please let me live, please let me live, please let me live." He repeats continuously.

"BEEEEEEEETTTTTTSSSSSSSSSYYYYYYYYYY!" Xander screams at the top of his lungs.

When he finishes his call, a massive flying land whale comes out of the ocean and leaps out of the water to catch Xander out of the air so he can ride it.

"Let's go get Zen, Betsy."

The whale flies upward in the sky to rescue Zenzo, but a bubble reaches him first. Zenzo smiles as he looks at the bubble.

"How cute." He says, reaching his finger out to catch it. When his finger touches the bubble, it explodes and sends him skyrocketing into the clouds. The explosion took away half the cliff, causing Betsy to spin to dodge rocks as she flew into the sky to save Zenzo. She flies up and shoots forward under Zenzo, and Xander catches him in his arms.

"Mission complete, Bets. Let's get our stuff and head back home!"

Betsy lets out a moan of approval as she dives to retrieve their belongings and head home.

Hours later, Zenzo awakens naked in bed. He sees a woman he recognizes replacing the damp cloth on his head.

"Please tell me it was you who took my clothes off," Zenzo says, placing his hand on his head.

"Xan spared you that, at least." She says with a smile.

"Thank God. That man is insane."

"He is. But he believes in you."

"I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing, Joy," He says, turning his head to look into her hot pink eyes.

Joy leans in to place the damp cloth on his forehead. Smiling, she replies, "I think it's a good thing."

She rose off the bed, and he looked at her. Joy had long black hair in a hime haircut with blue highlights on the bangs. A blue and black shinobi shozoku covered everything but her head. She moves her hair behind her ear, showing her sapphire earrings.

"You know he did that for you."

"That's what he says," Zenzo responds, rolling over in bed. "Some days, I think he wants to die. Or to kill me. I can't figure out which."

"Tch. You would think that. We'll get dinner ready so you can rest."

"Thanks, Joy."

"You're welcome." She says, closing the door behind him.

Zenzo, lying in bed, takes a deep breath and exhales while he thinks.

My power is too unpredictable. Sometimes, I can win a battle on my own, and other times, I get destroyed and need help. I lost to a fly and a bubble today because my power made these harmless things into devastating forces of nature. I wish I could control the things I made opposite. Or maybe even the degree or radius of the power. Every time I use it while my friends are around, they become weaker since they are miles ahead of me.

Yes, it allows me to save them, but it hinders their ability to save themselves. This is why I hate fighting. I want a peaceful life away from conflict and strife. My power will one day be the death of us. It's too volatile.

A lion approaches while Zenzo lies on his side and licks his cheek. It rubs its head on him to cheer him up.

"Thanks, Jimba. It's been another long day, but it's nothing new. Maybe if I could figure out how you're immune to my power, I can do the same for Xan and Joy."

Jimba purrs as he walks in circles before lying down, curled beside the bed.

Later that night at dinner, they drink the rum they got the ingredients for earlier. Xander slams his cup on the table.

"YES! That was worth every bit of smelling like Kraken shit for!"

Joy, with her face flustered, lets out the slightest of burps.

"I still don't understand how you manage to clean yourself so well after smelling like that. I can't smell any foul aromas!"

Xander stands up with shirt off and turns and shakes his butt.

"Hiragahni Rum is the best! It just sucks you have to let pineapples ferment in a Kraken to get some!"

Zenzo sips his rum with a smile.

"I still don't know how the hell you figured out this would work. This rum is insanely good." Zenzo says, taking a bite of his bear ribs. "Who the hell thinks to ferment pineapples, in a Kraken?!"

Xander turns around to continue dancing.

"Luckily, I happened to be eaten when I was carrying pineapples. Do you know how much this rum sells for?"

Zenzo shrugs.

"Hell if I know."

"Tell him, Joy!"

Joy giggles as she takes another sip.

"It's worth more than our house."

Zenzo's jaw drops as his forehead hits the table.

"How?! What?! WHY?! Why is this so expensive, and why are we drinking it?!"

Xander cries out in laughter as he says, "It's because I'm the only one crazy enough to make it!"

He gyrates his hips, and Joy's face turns red. She says under her breath, "Fuck, his abs are sexy."

"You're damn right they are!" He says with utmost confidence.

Her eyes widen.

"You heard that?!"

"I hear and see everything, for I am the Great Xander Greaves! And you two are...are...my favuhrit peoples in ze entiyur wurhld!" He answers as his speech slurs from the powerful effect of the rum. His head starts to spin as he gets up from the table.

"I'm, uh, goin' foooor...a walk! YESH! A WULK!"

"Xan, go to sleep." Zenzo declares.

"I will! Just, not here."

Joy shakes her head in disapproval.

"Be safe out there, Xan." She cautions.

"I luff zat you care bout me, Joy. It meanz alut. Goohbuhye and guudnigh my peoplez!"

Xander gets up and wanders out of the house into town.

"I don't get it," Joy says, shaking her head.

"He's amazing, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but. He worked so hard to get this house and spent a crazy amount of gold to buy it, and he never sleeps here with us. He's always...in some other woman's bed. Or women's beds."

Zenzo drinks the rest of his rum and looks at Joy.

"Joy, are you jealous?"

Her facial expression doesn't change as she replies with a straight face.

"No. I don't think I like him like that. At least, I think I don't. If I do, I don't understand my feelings for him. I don't think he's ever felt that way about me either. He's pretty open about who he likes and what he wants to do with them...which is why he's never spent his nights here. He's an open book."

Zenzo looks out the window at the full moon.

"You think so?"

"Do you know something about us that we don't?"

"No. I don't think so. Come on, let's go look at the stars."

"Okay."

They get up and go outside, lying on feather pillows in the hay. The winds blow, sending chills down their spines as they stare at the stars. Stars illuminate the spots that the many moons in the sky don't hit, resembling cookies and cream ice cream. The light from the clear skies shines down on them.

"Joy."

"Yes?"

"What do you want out of life?"

"That's interesting coming from you."

"Is it?"

"Yes. Usually, I'm the one asking these types of questions."

"It might be the rum talking, but I worry about Xan. A lot. I've been wondering lately what he truly wants out of life. And it made me realize we haven't talked about it either."

"...Mmm..." She replies, staring at the sky. The wind blows, and trees in the area sway with the grass beneath them in harmony. "To make the world a place where people can live peacefully."

Zenzo chuckles.

"What?" She asks, turning her head to look at him while he stares at the moon.

"I want peace, too. That and a family. Do you think we can achieve peace?" He questions, looking into her eyes.

"I like to think so...Xan makes us feel like we can do anything, even when our bodies and brains tell us otherwise."

Their eyes close.

"Joy."

"Yes?"

They fall asleep outside in the hay under the moonlight. As the night dwindles, they enjoy a good night's rest until Joy begins tossing and turning in her sleep. Sweat runs down her face as her heart pounds.

"Zen, no! Xan, stop!" She says in her sleep.

Her constant murmurs, twists, and turns cause Zenzo to wake up. He wipes his eyes and opens them to see Joy's chest, followed by the murmuring.

"Hey Joy, you alright?"

Joy continues to toss and turn in her sleep as she starts hyperventilating. He places his hand on her shoulder to wake her up, and the moment his hand touches her shoulder, she awakens with a blade at his neck. His eyebrows rise as he says, "Sharp as ever, Joy."

"Zen?!"

"Uh. Yeah?"

Her eyes scan back and forth from each of his like she's trying to determine if there's a difference. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she lowers the knife.

"It was just a dream. Thank God." She says, lying back on the hay.

"Joy. You have nightmares?"

"No. That was a first for me."

"What was it about? For you to wake up like that, it must have been terrifying."

"I...I don't want to talk about it."

"It's just a dream. Right?"

"Yes...that's right. Just a dream."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. Yes! Thanks for asking."

Zenzo rises and extends a hand.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

She rises and falls. Zenzo catches her before she can hit the ground.

"That rum really got to us." She says with a giggle.

"Yeah, I've never seen you so off balance. To the bed!"

Zenzo carries her to bed and places her down. He turns to leave, but she grabs his hand.

"Can you stay here tonight?"

"What? In the room?"

"Yes."

"Sure. Jimba!"

The lion comes from his room into hers and lies down by the wall. Zenzo sits on the floor and lays his head on Jimba's side as he watches Joy.

"That's not what I meant, but this works, too. Thanks, Zen."

"Sure thing! No more nightmares!" He says before dozing off to fall asleep.

The next day, they yawn as they walk down the street to the city. Early in the morning, the trade town is up, hustling and bustling with lively traders and customers. While they understand that Jimba is a friendly cat, most people still have trouble adjusting to the fact that a lion is walking down the street. Jimba leads the way, sniffing out traces of Xander. The sun is blinding to them since they woke up not too long ago. Joy wipes her eyes.

She asks, "Do you think he's in a brothel or someone's bed?"

"No telling. But with how drunk he was yesterday, I'll bet he forgot money...Not that he needs any money to get what he wants...I'll say he ended up in someone's bed. Five pieces of silver!"

"I'll bet ten he ended up in a brothel!"

Zenzo wakes up and grins.

"You're on!"

They follow Jimba to a bar that looks like a war broke out inside.

"Do we call it a draw?" Joy asks.

"No! Because if there is a bed in there, I'm right!"

"And if there isn't?"

Zenzo's head bobs from side to side.

"I guess we can call it even, then."

They enter the bar and see many men knocked out with bruised faces. The barkeep is working diligently to clean up the mess by himself.

"Sorry, guys. The bar will be closed today. I have to clean this mess up."

"Was it Xan, Bill?" Zenzo asks.

The corner of Bill's left lip turned up, insinuating that Zenzo knew better than to ask.

"What do you think?"

"Right. It's not like Xan to not help clean up, though."

Jimba walks over to lie down on the pile of men that Xander beat up to take a nap. Bill sweeps up the glass on the floor.

"There's a first time for everything. That musclehead simply never backs down from anything. Even though the world knows he's the strongest."

"If the world knows it, they shouldn't test him!" Joy replies. "Especially not when he's been drinking rum!"

"Xan is a hassle to deal with...BUT. He pays the bills and keeps the town safe. What can you do?" Bill says, shrugging his shoulders and returning to work. "He never starts fights, but never backs down once it begins."

Zenzo and Joy grab mops and brooms to help clean up the bar. Zenzo looks up and sees Xander's picture on the wall. He scrolls his eyes across the wall, seeing numerous heroes he recognizes, but none are human. They are instead various other races that exist on the planet. His eyes stop on a beautiful picture of Joy. Bill looks up and smiles.

"You did an amazing job on that one, Zen." He says, grabbing a cloth to wipe off the counter.

"I did. I don't know which I like more. That one, or Xans."

"I like Xan's more," Joy says with a chuckle.

Shocked as if she said she was ninety-three, their mouths open wide.

"Are you serious? Zen's portrait of you was perfect!"

"I thought it was my best work." He says, with a sigh.

"It is perfect. But it's too perfect. I'm not that perfect. Even if it did perfectly capture every feature about me. I like Xan's more because of the detail in his abs. The effort put into his abs eclipses my whole portrait."

The door to the bar burst open, and in walks Xander with many supplies for the bar.

"That's Zen for you! He catches all the details that matter!"

Zenzo and Joy look at each other.

"XAN, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO BILLS BAR?!" They yell in unison. Xander's eyes shut tight as a massive smile raced across his face. He puts down the supplies and gets to work as he explains. He punches the entire window out of frame, and their facial expressions turn blank.

"Listen. You guys know I don't start nothing! These guys were being jerks, making demands of people, and then, of course, they had to turn their eyes toward me. The Champ!" He continues as he begins repairing the window. "Some things were said, Mom's were talked about, and you know I don't play about Mom. Next thing you know, they set off a power, I set off one or two...or three...or thirteen... and the rest is history!" He finishes, repairing one of the windows in record time.

Zenzo looks at Joy, then Bill, before looking at Xander.

"There's so much to deconstruct about everything you just said and did. But the real question is. Where did you sleep?"

Joy grins as she looks at Zenzo before looking at Xander. Xander places his hands on his waist, marveling at his handiwork.

"Right here!"

"What?" Joy asked.

"Yep! When I woke up I was right here with my ass out the window!"

"Tch. What the hell is wrong with you?" She says as she returns to cleaning.

Zenzo, still processing what Xander said, asks, "So you slept on broken glass?"

"YEP!"

"I'm going back to work too."

Xander punches another window out of the frame to repair it.

"Don't work too hard! We've got a full day of training ahead! We're going to rid you of your fear! How does that sound, Zen?" He asks, turning back to smile at him. The mop Zenzo was holding fell to the ground since no one was holding it. Xander looks around and notices he is nowhere to be found.

"Man, he's fast when he's scared! Which way did he go?!"

Joy and Bill look at each other.

"We'll tell you when you finish cleaning up your mess."

"My mess?! They started it!"

"Yes, Xan. But you don't always have to FINISH it!" She exclaims, picking up the chairs and placing them under the table. "We all know you're strong. The strongest. They're just jealous losers. Let them have that from time to time."

Xander finishes repairing the window and taps the back of his head while he thinks.

"That sounds like quitting to me!"

"Maybe sexy abs are all that you are."

"I resent that! But I'll defend your right to say it!" He says, fixing the last window.

Bill laughs as he whispers to Joy.

"You gotta love that about him. He doesn't take anything you say personally about him. No matter who it is. He takes offense for others before himself."

"Yeah. Xan has some good qualities."

"THANK YOU!" Xander yells while he cleans.

Joy throws a bar of soap at his head.

"Stop eavesdropping!"

"Sorry! But I finished cleaning the rest of the bar!"

They looked around and saw that the bar looked brand new. He waves, walking out of the bar saying, "Feel free to keep the extra supplies! I'm going to find Zen!"

"Don't kill him now!" Bill yells back. "Oh, and Joy."

"Yes?" She says, putting the supplies in their proper place in the closet.

"I hear there is a stunning woman in town who will tell your fortune. Or future. I think you should visit her."

"Why?"

"It might, uh. Help you guys figure out where to go in life. You seem a bit, stagnant lately. Xan, and even you, look...Bored."

Joy scoffs, "You think we need excitement? Did you not see the condition of the bar? Is this not exciting enough?!"

"No. Even when kicking their ass, he seemed uninterested. Like it didn't have meaning behind it. Xan says it was about his Mom, but I don't think so. I think he needs excitement. A purpose again!"

"A purpose? A fortune teller is going to give him purpose? US a purpose?!"

Bill takes a cloth and cleans out some mugs.

"Stranger things have happened. Remember, five years ago, people didn't have powers like you guys. And your powers are extraordinary."

"I hear you, but excitement means danger for us. Zen won't do anything dangerous. We'd have to force him every step of the way. Zen is...well, you know how he is."

"I know. But this might be the answer. Maybe there's something she can say that will give him some drive. A kick in the butt, if you will. Listen, this isn't for me. I don't mind what happened today."

"No, I get. All we can do is try. Right?"

"Precisely."

"Thanks for the help, Bill."

"No. Thank you."

"Jimba! Come!"

The lion startles people who walk past the bar as he yawns, which leads to a mild roar. Jimba follows Joy out of the bar, and they walk down the street.

At the same time, Zenzo hides in a room with a group of women.

"Where can you hide me? He'll be coming for me soon!"

"Xan?"

"YES!"

One of the women grabs his hand and puts him in the closet.

"No matter what you hear, you don't come out! Got it?!"

"Yes! Ma'am!"

There is a knock on the door. The woman places her finger over her lips and quietly closes the closet door before going to see who's knocking.

"XAN!" She yells from downstairs.

Zenzo listens intently to make sure he's not coming up.

"Have any of you seen Zen?"

"No, but do you want to spend some time with us?"

"I would, but I promised him we'd do some things together!"

"Why don't you do some things with us first?!"

Zenzo pinches himself as he becomes nervous listening to what he'll say next.

Please distract him. I don't want to die, and he's going to force me to do something crazy!

"Do you mind if I check around the house?"

"You could do that...or..."

He hears the sound of clothing hitting the floor.

I'm saved!

Zenzo raises his hands, clenching his fist with a smile. The fists turn to earmuffs to protect his mind as he hears obscene noises coming from downstairs for the next couple of hours. He hears footsteps coming from downstairs until he hears the front door open.

"BYYYYEEEEE XAAAAAAN!" The group of women says together.

"I'll see you all soon! And tell Zen, he's still coming with me when he finishes hiding!"

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKK!" Zenzo yells at the top of his lungs.