A/N: I warned you about those Moro arc spoilers at the start of this fic, and this is where they start being talked about in earnest.

Chapter 10: Drink Not the Enchanted Waters of Nyu'er Guo; Celebrating the Festival of Wu Yisu

"I do apologise," Whis said as he led Shin up the stairs. "Had Lord Beerus told me you'd made plans, I would have assured he was up and ready to go."

"It's not your fault," Shin said. "He should be a bit more mindful."

Whis opened the doors and pointed his staff at Beerus's bed which was floating high up, only his tail could be seen hanging off from where they stood. Slowly the bed began to descend. "Do come in. He'll probably be in a better mood if you're one of the first things he sees when he wakes."

"Really? Doesn't seeing you put him in a good mood?"

"Hardly. I am no more than an alarm clock when Lord Beerus sees me when he wakes." Whis looked down at the sleeping god now he was at ground level. "How should I wake him today?"

"Whatever puts him in the best mood."

Whis chuckled, knowing that there was a way that topped all others, but it was one that wasn't appropriate for the kai's eyes. He supposed he didn't have to go all the way. Whis perched on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed up and down Beerus's back. "My lord, the Supreme Kai is here to see you."

It took a few moments before Beerus replied. "Already? Didn't I see him yesterday?"

"No, it's been four days. He said you made plans."

Beerus hummed and stretched just a little. "Yeah, we did. Whis, entertain him for another five minutes would you? I don't want to rush waking up today."

Whis left the bed, and Beerus missed the hand at his back. "How should I entertain you? Perhaps I can show you the wardrobe?"

Shin nodded, wondering what else there could be to see.

Beerus could be heard muttering something, but it was too quiet for Shin to hear.

They stopped in front of a piece of rock that looked unassuming, but Whis pulled it open by a snag Shin hadn't noticed, revealing the extent of Beerus's wardrobe. There were a few sets of the usual uniform, as well as the headdress reserved for the most formal occasions. Overall, it was a bit of a disappointment.

"There's more," Whis said. "I keep other clothing elsewhere as it's so rarely used." He began to pick out a set of clothes.

Shin picked up one of the gold bangles Beerus was seldom seen without, quickly looking back to see even now he was wearing them. "Aren't these uncomfortable?"

"Apparently not," Whis said.

Beerus slumped off the bed. "I'm having a bath!" he called.

Whis smiled at Shin. "He's ever so good when he's trying to impress you."

Shin wasn't sure what to make of that, so he simply returned to looking at the bangle. "How does this…?"

Whis carefully pressed a hidden latch and the bangle swung open. "Like so."

There was a smirk on his face now that Shin was even less sure of and he hastily closed the bangle and replaced it. It was an innocent question!

"So, where are you off to today?" Whis asked, a pro at moving past the awkwardness of a moment ago.

"Nyu'er Guo."

"Oh? Was this Lord Beerus's choice?" His surprise was evident.

"No, I chose it," Shin said. "Why? Is there something…about that place?" Shin couldn't pick up anything more specific from Whis's reaction.

"I see. An interesting choice. I suppose you've done your research?"

Now Shin really wished he had. "Admittedly I haven't. I picked it simply because it's the planet I haven't been to for the longest time. Has Lord Beerus been there recently?"

"Perhaps more recently than you have. I won't spoil what awaits you, but I will say for your sake: do not drink water that has not been treated."

"Sounds like good advice for any planet."

Whis smiled knowingly. "Yes, but… Well, I'm sure you'll find out."

When Beerus returned from his bath, he saw Shin standing there with the headdress on, learning that destroyers truly saw half of what everyone else did when wearing it. Most of the destroyers were convinced that Grand Zeno made them wear it because they were once mortal and therefore unworthy to see certain things in their entirety. Beerus was on-board with this theory seeing as it was the first thing he wore to meet Grand Zeno, but personally he believed that any consequent times he'd had to don the damned thing was because Grand Zeno was pissed off with someone.

"That gives me an idea…" Beerus said.

"What idea?" Shin asked, removing the headdress.

"Remind me when the saiyans return. We're going to play another prank."

Shin cocked his head. "Return? Are they still ditching you for Broly?"

"No." Beerus was surprised to hear Shin still hadn't been paying attention to the business involving Moro, but from what they'd talked about last time it seemed he was engrossed with his work rehoming souls and learning all he could from Grand Kai. Good – he wasn't being distracted. "Vegeta is training on Yardrat, and Goku has a new friend to train with."

"So, Vegeta finally got tired of relying on Goku to take him places?" Shin asked. "I'm surprised it took this long, but I also thought he'd just accepted it the way he takes Goku's hand so willingly these days."

"Willingly? I'm not sure I'd go that far." Beerus dropped his towel and allowed Whis to help dress him.

Shin looked away, thinking that bathing together the other week was certainly why Beerus was being so casual today. "And Goku's new friend? Who is that?"

"Not sure. Whis, you were paying attention, weren't you?" Beerus was lucky that Shin was looking away and didn't catch his expression as he left everything up to Whis.

"Goku found one of the Elite Galactic Patrol officers to train him," Whis said. "I think it's good for the two of them to train separately for a while."

"Really? Seems like a downgrade from you, Whis."

"Sometimes you need something different to help you progress. Perhaps this person can help Goku in a way that will allow him to benefit more from my training when he returns."

Shin nodded, and was glad to feel Beerus ruffle his hair moments later so he didn't have to keep standing there trying to continue the conversation.

"Shall we?" Beerus asked, offering his hand. "I hope they've got good food. I'm starving."

Shin took his hand and they transported to the base of a mountain, a small town not far away. "That worked better than expected." He remembered the mountain, banking on the idea that natural landforms would remain the same. The town was an added bonus.

"Let's go eat first." Beerus began to confidently stride towards the nearest place that looked like it sold food.

Shin followed behind and soon found himself sitting on the upper floor of a tavern. They were sat by the window, overlooking the town and its bustle of activity.

"So, where are we?" Beerus asked once he had ordered everything he wanted – far too much in Shin's opinion.

"You don't recognise it?" Shin asked. "Whis said you'd been here before."

"Have I?" Beerus looked out the window, trying to pick out something familiar. "If I have, I haven't been to this particular little town. I tend to visit more impressive places than this. Looks like we're in the biggest building around, which suggests that this place is more of a stop-off point for travellers."

Shin thanked the server for the tea and poured Beerus a cup before his own. "I think it's good for you to visit some quieter places. The universe isn't just made up of royalty and high-flyers you seem to associate with."

"I know that." Beerus sniffed at his tea before sipping it. Ah, this was one of those places that served tea whether you wanted it or not. He had trained himself to drink this stuff by now, but he set the cup down, deciding to wait for the juice he'd ordered. "I do visit rural areas like this sometimes. But usually they just aren't as interesting. Did Whis mention anything about this place?"

"He did." Shin wondered if it'd be obvious to Beerus if he repeated the information, but decided that it was probably best to tell him. "He said not to drink the water."

Immediately Beerus eyed the cups of tea with suspicion. "That's all?"

"Yes. Do you still not know where we are?"

The destroyer rubbed his temples as he fixated on the cup of tea. Where had he heard that before? There weren't many planets like this that would prompt Whis to give such advice. Usually if the water wasn't pleasant it would be blindingly obvious as soon as you touched down, but from the window he could see lush green trees, which suggested the water was alright.

"It'll come to me." He looked around at the other patrons, all with their own complementary pots of tea. "But if it isn't killing them, it won't kill us. Presumably boiled water is fine."

The first dishes began to arrive and Beerus dug in. Buns filled with different kinds of meat and vegetables, sweet pastries, dishes with a myriad of different sauces, and rice as an afterthought. Beerus even ordered a couple of solely vegetable dishes in case Shin wanted to eat too.

"I suppose the question is: what damage could water do to a god? Bad enough that Whis would warn against it."

Beerus shrugged as he munched, waiting until he'd finished his mouthful (as Whis had drilled into him) to speak. "Remember when we ate that fruit that knocked us out for a couple of hours? Probably something like that. Nothing terrible, but certainly inconvenient."

Once Beerus was suitably full – his assessment of the food being 'very average' – they walked around the small town, but nothing was of interest to Beerus. After asking for directions to a bigger town (or a city, Beerus hoped) they began to walk through the forest south of the town. Shin enjoyed this walk a lot more than Beerus did. The sounds of birds in the trees and the sunlight filtering through the leaves made for a perfect atmosphere for the kai.

"This is boring," Beerus complained after several minutes of walking in silence. "Let's just fly. There's no one around to see us."

Shin pouted to make his feelings known. Beerus paused in his step for a moment before continuing on.

"Alright, fine." He looked up and away. "Can't believe you're using your cuteness against me like that."

Shin smiled, glad that it had worked. He reached for Beerus's hand, holding it as they walked along, and Beerus wondered when he'd become so soft that a mere look could change his mind. In the end he didn't mind taking it slow, because he realised he could almost sense the happiness radiating from Shin. For a moment he could almost believe in the idea that life-links shared a deeper bond that allowed them to feel what the other felt. It was some legend from one of the other universes, and for the longest time he'd denied it, saying it was a crock of shit, but right now, maybe he could believe it a little.

"Which way should we go?" Shin's voice pulled him from his reverie.

Before them was a fork in the road, one of the signs broken, the other pointing to a place Beerus hadn't heard of.

"I'm feeling adventurous," Beerus announced. "So let's go to wherever the broken sign is going." All they could make out was 'xian.'

"So you're not going to complain if we end up in a tiny village?" Shin asked. "Or worse, a deserted tiny village?"

"I'm full. I don't need a place with food, so let's go."

They slipped back into their calming, quiet walk, and Shin wished they could have moments like this more often. He thought that he'd managed to catch Beerus in a very good mood today.

Their peace was interrupted before they could get wherever they were going. Up ahead a trio of men were yelling at each other as they ran.

"I told you!" one of them yelled – he was pushing another man in a cart.

"It was just an apple!" the one in the cart yelled back. "How was I supposed to know?!"

"Because everyone knows, duh!" the third man said, running alongside the cart, making sure it stayed on the beaten path. "It was growing right next to the lake, so why wouldn't you end up like this?!"

The one in the cart groaned and gripped his stomach. "Shut up and go faster! I want this over sooner rather than later!"

Shin and Beerus had hidden behind a tree as they watched the trio pass, too caught up in their own dilemma to notice anyone watching.

"That was strange…" Shin said as he watched them go, still yelling as they went.

Beerus narrowed his eyes, having figured out precisely what was going on. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next, but certainly Whis's hint to not drink the water didn't go far enough.

"Lord Beerus?" Shin waved up at him. "First time seeing a pregnant man?"

"No. We're on Nyu'er Guo after all."

"Ah, so you figured it out."

"Let's go the other way," Beerus said. However much fun it might be to take Shin to the place that lie ahead, Beerus figured it was best not to take the chance that he'd be the one that wound up having a bad time.

"Huh? Why?"

Beerus cocked a brow. "You really don't know what's up ahead, do you?"

"No. Is it bad?" he asked. "If it's bad, perhaps we can go and assess it for destruction?"

How badly he wished he could do that. "As much as I would love to, I won't ever list this planet."

Shin cocked his head, surprised to hear such opposing statements from Beerus. "Tell me. Educate me."

Beerus walked off the path and found a place to sit among the trees, Shin following. "This planet is a very old one, older than me even. I don't take pleasure in destroying things that old if I'm honest."

"Why not?"

"Because the gods before me clearly thought it was good enough, and if a place like this has survived for that long, there's no reason to destroy it. Also, Enlil - that kai I liked - put a lot of effort into advancing society on this planet. She did a good job."

For a moment Shin took in the look of sentimentality on Beerus's face. "But still, there's something you don't like about this place."

"Up ahead is the border to a small country run entirely by women. It's been a few centuries since I was here, but I presume they're still there. At least, the waters in that area are still enchanted. Last time I was here they called it, uhh…" He paused to dig the horrible memories up. "I think it was the Motherhood River? Sounds like things have expanded past a single river though. But hey, he might not even be pregnant – sometimes it's all just an illusion."

"What'll happen to him?"

"All the local towns on the borders of Womanland carry antidotes. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"And if not?"

"He'll have to give birth to the baby."

Shin furrowed his brow. "Even if it's an illusion?"

"Oh, yes. You go through the illusion of pregnancy and childbirth. Horrible stuff, but he'll live – with the memory of what his mother did to give him life, and what his wife would go through to give him children - if that's what he wants in life."

"Lord Beerus…did you… Did this happen to you last time you were here?"

Beerus ground his teeth at the memory. "Whis did an excellent job of getting the antidote as soon as possible. Still, as a man, it's not something I ever wanted to experience. But if you want to know what you're putting mortals through, please help yourself to a drink from the lake up ahead."

Shin waved his hands. "No, no, I'm quite alright, thank you. It can't be that bad, can it? Some people give birth multiple times after all." He could see that Beerus didn't want to debate it further. "So, if it's a country of women, then when they drink the water, presumably they will actually become pregnant? Otherwise how does the country survive?"

"Yes, that's how it works. But there are some men."

"Yes, they must have sons, right?"

Beerus shook his head. "No boys allowed. If you won't kill your son, you'll be exiled. If you let your son escape the country, you'll be killed."

"That's very harsh. They're really that isolated from the rest of the planet?" Shin asked.

"That's what they want, and I must say, it works from what I saw."

"They let you in?" Shin asked. "Who were the men you mentioned?"

Beerus laughed. "Of course they let me in! Threatening to destroy people will get you in anywhere, you know. But they also thought Whis was very attractive – can you blame them? – so it didn't take much to convince them to let us look around. But the men… Well, they still need a bit of genetic diversity from time to time, so they keep breeding stock."

Shin looked horrified. "Breeding stock?"

"Oh yes, only the best of the best of men will do. How disappointed they were to find out Whis couldn't join their stock. I volunteered to take his place, but I think the large ears and tail put them off."

"You can't even have children though? Can you?"

"Of course not," Beerus said. "Part of the job contract and all that. Doesn't mean I wouldn't have minded getting laid by a bunch of horny women. And trust me, I could tell how much they wanted it the way they eyed up Whis."

"So you don't want to go back and see if they've changed their minds?" Shin asked.

Beerus got up and began to walk back the way they came. "Nope. I don't know if you've noticed, but mortals tend to look better with each generation, so if they didn't like me a few centuries ago, they're probably not going to like me now. Besides, I'd probably have to flex my destroyer status with the new ruling queen. Can't be bothered with all that today."

"You never know – their standards of beauty might have changed."

"Come on, Shin, you've seen the general look of people on this planet – I'm far too feline for this world. You might pass on the other hand."

Shin stopped trying to sell the idea. "Yes, let's go down the other path."

"Scared of them taking a liking?" Beerus crooned.

"I don't like people looking at me like that."

"But you don't mind me?" Beerus asked, pulling Shin closer so he could put an arm around his shoulder.

"It's different," Shin said. "If you'd looked at me like that from the moment we met it would be a different story. Our relationship isn't built on appearance-based lust."

"God, I wish it was," Beerus muttered.

Shin shook his head. "It's better this way." He didn't elaborate, instead letting Beerus mull it over as they walked with the sounds of nature like they did earlier.

The path led them to a walled city which the pair flew over, figuring that passing through the checkpoint was going to be more hassle than it was worth. Inside the city was bustling with activity, people decorating and setting up for tomorrow's festival. Beerus visited a bunch of street vendors, trying their food and gathering information about the festival to figure out if he wanted to hang around for it.

"Well?" Shin asked once Beerus was finished testing every stall on the main street.

"Mm," Beerus hummed, cheeks still stuffed with a sweet deep-fried dough ball. "Yeah, I'm gonna stay. The food here is good, much better than up by the mountain. I told you: cities are better."

"Someone said it starts at midday tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Beerus paused. "What, you're going to go home and come back? It's barely worth the trouble." It was late afternoon already.

"I suppose you would say that," Shin said, "But you're relying on me, not Whis. I can take you home in an instant."

He knew that Shin was only stating a fact, but he didn't like it when Whis was devalued like that. "Aren't you the one all about soaking up culture and all that shit? Don't you want to stay too? Talk to the locals a little, learn a bit more about this god they worship before the festival starts."

"I…I do. You're not going to get bored, are you?"

Beerus laughed. "Don't worry about me." He put a hand around Shin's shoulder and pointed up at a window on the upper floor of what appeared to be an inn. "One of the vendors told me about this place – apparently it's the most luxurious inn around, with a perfect view of the street to watch the main parade tomorrow. If it's as good as he says then I can spend between now and then eating, drinking, and sleeping. So you go out and do whatever you want, and I'll just be there enjoying myself."

Shin got a first-hand view of how Beerus's visits usually went when they walked into the inn and Beerus demanded the room with the best view. The owner tried to offer him a different room seeing as the one he wanted was occupied, and Shin couldn't help but notice the way Beerus looked back and sighed – Whis wasn't here to handle negotiations, so Beerus had to do it himself. The mortals here were much like many others around the universe, and that meant they could be bought if the price was right. The previous occupants happily changed rooms when Beerus doubled the amount they'd initially asked for.

"Why did you double it?" Shin asked. "Surely they were already asking for too much?"

"A fool gives them what they want," Beerus said. "By giving them more I've asserted my dominance over the situation. You give a mortal what they want, and they'll try and steal more from you later. Do what I did, and they'll fear the consequences of trying to take more." Beerus looked around the room that had been hastily cleaned for him. "This will do." He sat down on a cushion by the window. "Yes, this will do nicely."

Shin left Beerus there to try out the entire menu on offer, opting to check out places around the city. It wasn't as easy to talk to the people here because they all saw him as strange, and many were afraid that he was a spirit. He decided it was better to just observe where he could. He wondered how Beerus had managed to get so much information earlier…

It was rather late when Shin returned.

"Where've you been?" Beerus asked. "Oh? Shin?" He paused and thought it through. "Oh yeah. Shin."

"That's me. Is everything alright, Lord Beerus?"

"Yeah. Tried the whole menu," he said. "Lots of drinks. This mandarin wine is really good, you should try."

"I didn't think you were one to get drunk easily." Admittedly it put Shin on edge a little – a drunk destroyer with no angel in sight? Sounded like a recipe for disaster.

"No, but I needed to." He pointed to the bed and Shin froze. "Bed's hard. Said this was the most luxury-ous. Luxur- you know the word. But then why's the bed so hard? You test it, tell me I'm right."

Shin wanted nothing more than to not go anywhere near the bed, but he did as instructed. Beerus was right in this instance; this was a wooden bed with a matching pillow. "You're right, but…" Shin stood up and held his hands out towards the bed. "If you'd just waited, I could have fixed that." A soft mattress appeared with a fluffy blanket.

Beerus's mouth fell open as if he'd forgotten what Shin's principle job was. "That's amazing." He climbed up onto the bed and twisted himself up in the blanket.

Shaking his head, Shin helped to remove Beerus's shoes. "What would Whis say if he saw you like this?"

"I don't know, what would you say? You're my Whis tonight."

"I guess I'd tell you to get ready for bed properly."

"Make me a nightgown then. I gotta go take a piss." Beerus disappeared through the door and Shin hoped that letting him out of his sight wouldn't result in anything bad happening.

The nightgown was red which made Beerus pause when he picked it up, but he didn't comment. Of course Shin was going to take this opportunity to see Beerus wearing a different colour. Naturally red suited him – Champa wore it well too.

Beerus dumped his regalia around Shin's neck. "This is my idea for our next prank on the saiyans. We swap clothes and pretend we swapped jobs."

Now didn't seem like the time to tell Beerus that was a terrible idea, but then again, the idea of Beerus in kai clothing did sound fun. "You should get some sleep."

Beerus did as he was told and laid down, tangling in the blanket once more. "Come here." He pulled Shin down and positioned them both so he could lay with his head on Shin's thigh. "You forgot to make a pillow, so you'll have to be my pillow."

"Sorry, I thought you slept without one."

It didn't take long for Beerus to fall asleep, much to Shin's relief. He felt honoured to have been used as a pillow, but it felt like a lot of pressure to remain still and not disturb the destroyer as he dropped off.

Once Beerus was soundly asleep, Shin swapped himself out for a pillow with ease, finding that the destroyer wasn't toying with him in the slightest this evening. He wasn't sure why he thought Beerus would do that, not when he'd been behaving so respectfully for quite a while now. Shin smiled, thinking that Beerus really had turned over a new leaf. Had that one incident actually been the fluke all along?

Naturally this room, being the biggest and most expensive, had a second bed, but Shin decided that he'd rather lie down next to Beerus. He still found it difficult to be bold and make the first move, and if Beerus was awake, he certainly never would have asked, and probably would have declined if the destroyer had offered. Matters involving beds and sleeping weren't something Shin was good at, but in this moment he felt in control, so he dared to do something as simple and innocent as laying down next to Beerus. As expected, Beerus had curled up along the edge of the bed, his tail hanging down and resting on the floor, so Shin carefully climbed into the space between Beerus and the wall, for once glad of his small stature.

He made himself a pillow too, and laid there gazing at Beerus's sleeping face. It was so strange when he thought about it; how had they gone from distant colleagues to this? He'd never wished that Beerus would die, but he had certainly wished for a different destroyer in the past. And yet, now they'd spent more time with each other, Shin wouldn't swap him for another. He hoped that Beerus felt the same way.

At some point during his musing, Shin had fallen asleep, and at some point after that, he'd ended up wrapped in Beerus's arms. The sun was streaming into the room, neither of them having thought to shut the window at any point last night. Shin tried to extract himself, but Beerus held tight.

"Stay," Beerus whispered.

Shin stopped struggling and let himself be pulled closer. No more words were exchanged, just a few sleepy kisses as a morning greeting. This was something that made Shin's heart beat faster, and he found that he really enjoyed this feeling. It was different to their previous kisses – the spontaneity, the wordless initiation, the whole ambience of the room. Right now it was just them, no attendants lurking around corners, no one to disturb them in their own little world.

"Did you sleep well?" Shin asked, making sure Beerus didn't fall asleep again as he lay there with his eyes closed.

"Mm, very well thanks to you."

Shin smiled. "I was worried you would be hard to wake."

"I slept the past couple of days, so I wasn't tired really. It was just a way to pass the time." They could hear the sounds of people on the streets already, no doubt preparing for the festival.

"I thought the alcohol might make it harder."

"I wasn't that drunk," Beerus said. "Just tipsy enough to sleep on a hard bed. Not drunk enough to piss you off somehow. Unless…you were mad just because I was tipsy?"

"No. I…" He had been a bit apprehensive yes, but Beerus didn't need to hear that when he'd clearly thought about Shin before he let it get out of hand. "I thought it was a bit funny."

"Oh? I'm an amusing drunk, am I?"

"Your face when you realised I could solve the hard bed problem was quite amusing."

Beerus gently trailed a hand down Shin's back. "I think I would have done just fine with you as a pillow. Anyway, did you enjoy your stroll through the city?"

"Yes, but I quite missed having someone with me." He didn't go everywhere with Kibito, but during his wandering he'd realised that he always invited his attendant when he wandered aimlessly.

What followed was an awkward silence as Beerus clearly didn't know what to say, because he certainly didn't feel bad about spending his evening eating food rather than walking about. They'd already spent most of the day walking to the city itself!

"Shall we get up?" Shin asked to break the silence.

Beerus jumped at the opportunity to roll off the bed and stretch. "Let's order the whole breakfast menu too."

ooo

"Apparently it's a festival celebrating some god called Wu Yisu," Beerus said as they sat at the window, waiting for the parade to begin. "That's what I found out yesterday from the street vendors."

"What kind of god is Wu Yisu?" Shin asked.

"Apparently one that'll grant you a beautiful spouse if you pray to him."

Shin looked out at the streets, watching the festival-goers. "Seems a bit much for a god who is only famous for that."

"There might have been more," Beerus said, "But I was busy fuming over the fact he thought I was in costume. Like how good are costume-makers on this planet for him to think that?!"

Ah, that explains it, Shin thought. "No wonder they weren't scared of a walking, talking purple cat man. There's hardly any variation in hair colour here, so what else did you expect them to think?"

Beerus's mouth hardened into a thin line. "Do not call me that again. That's the kind of shitty description destroyers use for each other."

"I'm sorry," Shin said, "but… It's accurate?"

Beerus looked at the kai, who was actually looking back, and puffed a laugh. It wasn't so long ago this kind of situation would have flustered Shin and made him unable to look Beerus in the eye, but today he even had the gall to talk back. "Perhaps so. Look, here comes the parade."

The people in the street parted to either side as the procession made its way towards the shrine that lay ahead. There were people with instruments – mainly drums, and dancers too – some with animal masks. The priests and maidens of the shrine were mixed in, carrying ceremonial staves or offerings. Right in the middle of the procession was a group carrying a statue of the god in question, and it made Beerus choke on his mouthful when he realised who it was.

Shin was leaning out the window trying to get a better look. "Is that…?"

The statue was far from accurate, but it was definitely enough to tell who it had been based on. "I can't believe I didn't get it from the name alone." Beerus sighed as he looked at the statue with a tall hat, halo, and three diamonds carved into a sash hanging from its waist. As he took in more details, Beerus began to chuckle. The face was carved carefully to make the statue as handsome as possible, but the clothes were completely off, instead giving Whis a robe similar to what the people on this planet wore, but with more layers and wider sleeves. The hat was tall, but not nearly as tall as Whis's hair actually was, and he wondered if the people who'd told stories of them had actually thought it was a hat. The halo was also situated behind Whis's head, and it was full like a sun rather than a hoop. He supposed it was rather rare for mortals to invent gods or angels with halos around the neck – the descriptions were clearly muddied over the years.

Shin was leaning even further than Beerus thought necessary – a kai's eyes couldn't be that bad, right? He'd always thought Eyre's glasses were a fashion accessory, but perhaps not. Then Beerus followed Shin's eye line and the chopsticks in his hand snapped, making Shin whip around. "How dare they…"

There at the base of this Wu Yisu statue was a small cat. The cat was sitting, looking up at Whis adoringly. Now, he wouldn't say it was inaccurate in terms of expression, but how dare they reduce him to a simple house cat?!

"At least they included you?" Shin offered.

"I think I'd rather they didn't," Beerus said.

One of the inn's staff came in to clear the plates, apologising for the intrusion, but they really needed plates for the other guests too. Shin was embarrassed on Beerus's behalf, seeing as the destroyer didn't care one bit.

"Tell me," Beerus said to the young man piling the plates, "This cat at the statue's feet…"

"Oh, that's Master Bi Lusu, Wu Yisu's loyal companion. Legends say that Wu Yisu cared about his cat more than anything in the world, which is probably the most accurate thing about the legends."

"Oh? Tell me more," Beerus said. He noticed the confused look the man gave him now he'd actually paused to look at his guests – how does this guy not know who he's dressed as?! "I'm a tourist, I got dressed up for the festival at someone else's recommendation."

"Well, some people insist he looked more like you, sir - more man than cat, that is. Some people say he's meant to be the modern Sun Wukong when it comes to being an animal with very human characteristics. But ah, Sun Wukong was a monkey, so it's natural he seems more human, right? Oh, and they said the cat was purple, and Wu Yisu was blue." The man paused, looking like he wanted to touch Beerus and see how he'd made his skin such a rich colour, but he refrained. "So, in some legends Wu Yisu is the son of the Bodhisattva Duoluo."

"Alright, but why do people worship them?"

The poor man looked torn between pleasing his guest and getting on with his work. Shin intervened, "Come back when you're free."

The man looked at Beerus to check that was alright, and when he got the nod he scampered away with the plates.

"Master," Beerus sneered.

"At least you kept a title," Shin said.

"As I said, I'd rather they just forgot about me. Gods, just think, I bet there are people with pet cats named after this warped version of me."

They watched as the main procession got further away and the crowds began to file in behind it.

"Thank you for waiting, good sirs." The man bowed and sat politely several feet away from their table by the window. "You asked why people worship them, and that's because Wu Yisu was a pure white lotus of incorruptible chastity. The legends say he visited Womanland and came out without straying once from his vows of staying pure of body and mind. A man such as this will surely reach enlightenment, ah? Some people think the visit to Womanland was the final test in his training, because after that he was never seen again. They say he went to meditate in the mountains and ascended – to be with his parents again if you believe in the Duoluo legends."

By this point Beerus was finding this all very amusing. Clearly the people of this city had heard about Whis from those women, but things really had been twisted until they were almost unrecognisable. Incorruptible chastity? He was going to have to tell Whis about that later. "And somehow this makes him the person to pray to for a good spouse?"

"Of course! If you want a faithful spouse, you want them to be like Wu Yisu, no?"

"I…suppose."

"But people also think that he'll grant you a good-looking spouse while he's at it. After all, he was said to be extremely good-looking himself. I mean, when are these pure lotus types ever bad-looking, ah? Children pray to him too – for protection for their pets. Master Bi Lusu is very popular with kids."

How unrelatable… "Are their prayers ever answered?"

This question left the man looking a little bewildered. "Of course. Some people get exactly what they want, others get half of what they asked for, and others…well, ah, gods are busy people. You can't expect them to be able to answer everyone's prayers exactly."

"What do you pray for?"

Such a personal question! "I already have a lovely wife, so I don't pray to Wu Yisu."

"But if you ever pray, what is it for?"

"Of course I always do my New Years' prayers," the man said. "I only wish that I keep doing my job well to support my family, and that we all stay in good health. Pretty regular prayers, but I don't think one should ask for much more than that."

Beerus nodded, seeing that this really was just a humble little mortal. He took out a piece of gold and handed it to him. "Thank you for your time."

Before taking the gold, the man bowed his head almost to the floor in gratitude. "The pleasure was mine. Please enjoy the rest of the festival."

Shin couldn't help but giggle once he was gone. "If you could hear what he was thinking, you wouldn't have given him that."

"Oh? Do tell?"

"He thought you were ridiculous for dressing up as Master Bi Lusu without knowing anything about him, and thought you were weird for asking if people's prayers were answered. His exact thought was 'how far away is this guy from?!' and then he thought you were incredibly intrusive for asking about his prayers. Of course, once you showed him a bit of gold he really was very grateful and decided he would go to the shrine at some point to show his gratitude to Wu Yisu for this blessing."

"He told me what I wanted to know, so I don't care what he thought of me. I'm sure you were having fun though."

"Very much. Are we going to go and enjoy the festival properly now the parade's over?"

Beerus frowned as he looked out at the crowds – many people more interested in the delicacies prepared specially for today than following the procession to the shrine. "I don't feel like it anymore. Now I know I look like I'm in costume as the main man's pet cat, I don't really want to go out."

"That's unfortunate."

"I don't think I'm meant to enjoy this planet," Beerus said. "You can go out and mingle if you want. I'll wait here."

"No, I came here to spend time with you," Shin said, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I can come back any time, and I've already learned a lot from this trip."

They returned to Beerus's planet, and found that there was an unexpected guest. Whis stood there with a shorter angel, but neither god recognised him, both noting his lack of a pattern on his robes to link him to a particular universe.

"Welcome back, Lord Beerus, Supreme Kai. Allow me to introduce my younger brother, Merus."

Shin greeted him with a bow of the head immediately. Beerus simply narrowed his eyes. He had been aware that Whis's brother was involved in the current events in their universe, but he had hoped it would remain none of his business, yet here Whis was bringing this guy home. So far he didn't know too much about whoever was terrorizing the saiyans, explicitly saying he was staying out of this one so the saiyans could solve their own problems for once, and so he could take advantage of them being occupied to spend more time with Shin and work on their problems. The only reason he knew Merus was involved was because he had sort of berated Whis for watching the events so intently, and Whis had told him that his interest was more in his brother's actions than the saiyans'.

"Well, thanks for the interesting trip," Beerus said to Shin. "I think I'll pick the planet next time."

"I'll research it properly next time," Shin promised. He said his goodbyes, knowing that Beerus was hinting that their time was up.

Once Shin was gone, Beerus stared at Whis. "What's this?" He gestured at Merus.

"I have taken Merus under my wing," Whis explained. "The Grand Minister has granted me permission."

Beerus screwed up his face, knowing that this wasn't something he could get rid of now. And he hated how smug Whis looked, knowing that name-dropping the Grand Minister would shut him up. "I'm still not getting involved!" Beerus insisted.

"I haven't asked you to."

Beerus huffed and began trudging back to his castle. "I'm going back to bed." He had wanted to tell Whis all about his adventure and the curious tales of Wu Yisu, but he didn't want to in front of Merus. How could he suggest corrupting the incorruptible on his own altar some time with Merus sitting right there?!

As fate would have it, of course Beerus ended up getting somewhat involved. Almost too involved.

A/N: The Womanland saga of Journey to the West is rather famous, so I wanted to include it, except I abhor anything pregnancy related so I couldn't write it and do that to myself. See chapters 53-55 of JttW for the original story.

Also despite what I have just said, I ended up writing a companion fic about Beerus's first trip to Womanland and showing Whis his shrine, which I will publish once Manfruit is concluded.

If you were wondering: Beerus's Chinese name is 比鲁斯 (Bǐ lǔ sī ), and Whis's is 维斯 (wéi sī). The names used in this chapter were ones I made based on their names in katakana (hence Whis gets 3 syllables), and I decided to stick with them because 1. The names were meant to be mutated over the years and 2. If readers aren't aware of the correct pronunciation of sī then my intent is lost.