DISCLAIMER: I do not own a thing – Toriyama-sensei and TOEI do (ah, and Toyataro- cannot forget about him).

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

"you know... I was wondering" Beerus bit a cookie and sipped his tea, that kind of refreshments wasn't exactly what the zoomorphic god preferred - but it's better than nothing "where is your...?" he turned around, narrowed his eyes as if searching for something.

"my what?" Shin pressed already frowning.

"home... you're the only Kai I know without one...so? what's the deal?"

"I don't need one"

"bullshit! what about rain?"

"it's a land of gods – the weather is always perfect here"

"what about a bed? I couldn't possibly sleep on a-"

"it's my planet and I sleep where I want to!" Shin almost yelled. The teacup almost shattered when the god of gods slammed it against the table. "what difference does it make where I sleep, anyway?"

"what happened to it?"

"what happened to what?"

"your bed? your home?"

Shin hid his face in his hands, defeated. After a while he finally replied.

"Buu happened"

"I wanna see the fallout"

The smaller god looked at his counterpart with wide, terrified eyes.

"this way"


"it's... intact?" Beerus sounded surprised.

Shin was awfully quiet.

The house was... whole, spacious and abandoned rather than destroyed.

"which room's yours?"

The shorter deity sighed in defeat. Only now Beerus had realized that his life-link was dragging behind. Supreme Kai pointed his finger toward an upper floor.

Beerus nodded, but did not fly up as anticipated, he simply jogged to the main entrance. Doors opened easily with a quiet squeak of the door handle.

The feline god took a lungful of air and sneezed. The inside of the house had a stuffy, dusty smell of a place long forgotten. Shin followed him like a ghost. Four, five steps behind, glancing at the entrance, like a terrified animal ready to flee.

The living room was big: five chairs, wooden table with magnificent tea-set that was still set on the table – seemingly ready to use, if not for the thick layer of dust. Bookcase was stacked to the brim with so many tomes, shelves were visibly bending.

Beerus casually wiped some dust away with his finger – in the same manner as his attendant always did. He took a small frame from the cupboard. The god of destruction outstretched his arm, five kais that used to live here, gazed back at him from the faded-out drawing - they were smiling, hugging each other, content with their lives and blissfully unaware of upcoming tragedy.

"nice community you had here" The god of destruction smirked and turned the frame toward his life-link.

Shin's face crinkled, hair bristled. Without a word of warning, the smaller god bolted out of the house. Beerus left the picture behind as he went outside to join his counterpart.

God of gods was squatting under nearest peach tree. His hands were pressed to his stomach, chest rose and fell erratically as he retched dryly.

Shin was wrestling with buttons of his uniform, as if suddenly the high collar was choking him. Once freed from the confines, his hand moved toward the thick, white lines of scarred tissue poking from under his opened shirt, he dug his fingers hard to the purple skin.

The feline deity sat on the highest step of a porch.

"why can't you just let sleeping dogs lie..." the white-haired deity finally murmured "please?"

"I hate dogs"