Hello, how are you all doing? So...the last episode of Dragon Ball Super aired. If that doesn't prove I'm a slow writer, I don't know what does. On the bright side, I finally made my summary a summary. And normally, you're supposed to actually write out numbers. But, after a quick review of the anime and manga, the universe names are not. It's just the numbers. Which was really convenient for writing the summary. Yay! I also updated my profile a lot. It's much more full, informative, and above all spiffier.

With all of that out of the way, I have to admit that I'm a little ashamed of myself for not updating in so long. Some days, I didn't work at all. I didn't feel motivated. Not because I want to stop writing this story. I love it so much! It's mostly because the ideas weren't flowing to me as easily as the other chapters and that discouraged me. However, near the end, I found my inspiration! I also have a good idea for the fifth chapter, so hopefully, it will come sooner than this one.

Thank you for your patience and without any further ado, enjoy!


Too Close for Comfort


I feel like an excited young child who's stayed up all night, eagerly waiting for their first day of school before realizing exactly how horrible it is. Not that hanging out with Liquiir is going to be horrible. It's going to be great! I...I don't know why I made that comparison. I'll be honest and say that I'm a little sleep deprived. As soon as I got home, I went to my bed and collapsed on it. I never even changed into my sleeping robe.

However, when midnight came around, I woke up and I just couldn't fall back asleep. For me, that sounds unbelievable, but it's unfortunately true. It's not due to a lack of trying, either. I lied down with my eyes closed. I meditated. I was forced to read a book to try and sleep! But, as it turned out, I actually like reading about wildlife, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

In all fairness, I feel like I really have accomplished a lot since I awoke. Let's see, now. I took a nice, long, hot bath and changed into clean clothes. I ate the breakfast that Whis served me. Something from Earth called chocolate chip pancakes with melted butter on top of it. They were quite delicious and coupled with milk? It was a truly wonderful combination that few other food combinations I've had can compete with.

I suppose waking myself up and staying awake in the first place is an achievement. Whis, always being the annoying person he is, commented on it. "Oh, wow, you woke yourself up! Were you choosing to be lazy these millions of years? Or is this a very rare occasion and you're still naturally quite lethargic?" Sometimes, I wish that I could give his ass the boot. But the rules are that a Destroyer must have an Angel to watch over them. There's nothing I can do about that.

It's nine fifty-three right now and we're making excellent time. According to him, we'll arrive at our destination at the time I set up exactly. Also, why does the word "destination" sound weird to me all of a sudden? Yesterday's kind of a blur for me, so if something happened with that word, I don't remember. Although, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to have a great time with my best friend. I know it!

Whis: "It's nice to see how eager you are," my attendant noted with a pleased and also amused undertone, breaking the silence between us. "I don't think I've seen you smile this much in many years."

Lord Beerus: "Oh? Is that so?" I brought my right paw up to my face to confirm his claims. Uh-huh, I'm definitely smiling. I've been doing it so much today that I didn't even notice! "So, I am. Should it come as any surprise? This is the first time in a while that I've had the chance to do something really fun. Sure, there were some moments. Like beating my brother. Twice." I say that and not three times because I don't include the Tournament of Power for hopefully obvious reasons. "And fighting Goku when he first became a Super Saiyan God was entertaining. But this is going to be much, much better." The Angel laughed good-heartedly.

Whis: "I'm certain that he feels the same way," he optimistically stated. I'm certain of that, too. Arching my back, I looked around us anxiously.

Lord Beerus: "Hey, Whis, exactly how long will it be until we reach our destination?"

Whis: "In exactly six minutes and thirty-seven seconds we shall arrive at Lord Liquiir's home," he answered with no hesitation. I nodded.

Lord Beerus: "I see. I ask because I actually want to get there faster. Right now, in fact."

Whis: "What do you say, my lord?" Seriously? We're doing this? I sighed and shook my head.

Lord Beerus: "Please," I grumbled.

Whis: "Please...what?" Oh, my...! "You often request that others must be respectful in your presence and you're not being so, yourself, by not specifying what you want."

Lord Beerus: "You know what I want! I told you before!"

Whis: "Not with the magic word." Ugh. I can hear him smiling. He's loving this. "There's no point in asking if you fail to practice what you preach, don't you agree?"

Lord Beerus: "I get it, Whis. There's no need to lecture me."

Whis: "Not lecturing. Simply informing." I'm now glaring daggers at the back of his head and clenching my left paw into a tight fist. I really can't care any less about his "informing." The only reason I'm going along with this so quietly is because I just want to spend time with my best friend already!

Lord Beerus: "Okay, I understand. Will you please go faster so we can get to our place of interest?"

Whis: "There we are, that's much better!" I hate you so much, sometimes. With a simple wave of his scepter, we seemingly teleported onto a landing pad atop one of the buildings. Ow, damn it! The sudden change in scenery is hurting my eyes! I covered them with my right paw and groaned. It looks like that alcohol is still affecting me. In fact, I actually do have a slight hangover. Since we're above solid ground, I simply uncrossed my legs and stood.

Lord Beerus: "Maybe it wasn't the best idea to move so quickly," I lamented out loud.

Lord Liquiir: "Got a bit of motion sickness?" the Kitsunian joked to my right. I sighed and uncovered my eyes to find him and Korn standing about five feet away from me and Whis. "And that's why you should never drink, divine being or not." I rolled my eyes, moved closer to him, and grabbed him by his right paw. I then proceeded to lead him away from our Angels without so much as uttering a single word. "Hey, where are we going?"

Lord Beerus: "Away," I answered in an annoyed tone. I desperately need a break from Whis.

Lord Liquiir: "Well, if you say so. Bye, Korn. Bye, Whis. You two can catch up." Korn nodded respectfully.

Korn: "Very well, my lord." With that, we started floating upward and toward the ocean, still, paw in paw.

Whis: "Do enjoy yourself, Lord Beerus!" Whis called after us. "And try not to become ill and regurgitate on poor Lord Liquiir."

Lord Beerus: "Shut up!" I yelled back with just the right amount of venom. Surprise, surprise, I can hear him laughing. Oh, how I despise his condescending laughter! To get away from the horrible sound, Liquiir and I increased the speed of our flight. Like I mentioned before, I desperately need a break!


Lord Beerus: "Damn, Whis! Damn him! Damn him! Damn him! I swear, he pisses me off on purpose! He practically feeds off of my anger and he knows all too well that I can't do anything to him specifically. Oh, you forgot to say please! Oh, try not to get sick! Ah! Today is not the day for this! Today is not the day for this!" I sighed deeply and held my head with my left paw. "Forgive me for my brooding. I just got here and I'm already griping like an old man. It's just that some days, everything Whis does, from his voice, his movement, to even his breathing, makes me want to strangle him." Liquiir shrugged his shoulders.

Lord Liquiir: "It's fine. If you need to gripe, gripe away. But...don't I also piss you off?"

Lord Beerus: "Sometimes, but even when you do it's still different. He has a certain quality to him that I can't stand. With you, I know that you're just being playful. With him, it feels condescending. Yes, condescension. That is what I can't stand."

Lord Liquiir: "I see. That makes sense, condescension is never nice," he agreed.

Lord Beerus: "Is Korn ever like that?" I asked hopefully. I honestly want Liquiir to say yes so I can confirm that I'm not the only Destroyer to have an annoying Angel. I know that Champa goes through this with Vados a lot, but he usually deserves it. I, however, don't deserve this treatment. Most of the time...

Lord Liquiir: "No, he and I are on excellent terms with each other." Lucky. "But come on, let's not have this one bad experience ruin your day. Let's have fun!" I smiled and nodded.

Lord Beerus: "Okay. That was the original plan, after all." I looked to our right and left. Since we're here at the ocean, we might as well do something. I looked back at him. "Do you want to just walk along the beach?"

Lord Liquiir: "Sure! We can even look for seashells while we're at it."

Lord Beerus: "Sounds good." Saying nothing else, we turned to our right and began walking side by side, with the large body of water being directly to my left. I wonder, how long has it been since I've walked along the shore of an ocean? Five million years, at the very least. It's kind of a shame, too, because I've always enjoyed it. I remember being a young kitten and having nothing but fun times here with my brother and our mom. We actually would collect seashells. Build sandcastles. Go swimming, obviously. Ah, those were good times.

Weird, my right arm is swinging back and forth and I'm not doing it myself. I looked down at my arm. Wait, what? Liquiir and I are walking paw in paw? I know that I grabbed it when I wanted to get away from Whis, but I seriously never let it go, even after all of this time? Okay, then. "Hey, Liquiir, how long are we going to walk like this?" He stopped swinging his arm and looked at me.

Lord Liquiir: "Like what?" To answer his question, I lifted our arms up for a couple of seconds before putting them back down. "Oh, that. I don't know," he admitted honestly. "Until we reach the end of the beach?" I looked to and fro between our paws and his face several times. Finally, after what had to be the eighth time, I shrugged.

Lord Beerus: "Okay." He smiled and resumed his swinging.

Lord Liquiir: "You have to admit, we have a nice swing going." I smiled back.

Lord Beerus: "Yeah, we do." Odd. I assumed that walking like this would be weird, but it's not. And that's what makes it weird. Does that even make sense?

Lord Liquiir: "Hey, Beerus, look over there!" He excitedly pointed at some objects farther up ahead. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at them.

Lord Beerus: "Are those shells?"

Lord Liquiir: "Uh-huh. Come on!" Whoa! He's eagerly - and forcefully - pulling me ahead. He must really love his shells. I have to jog to keep up with him! When we reached the items of interest, I let go of his paw and rolled my shoulder.

Lord Beerus: "It's fine if you're keen on collecting seashells, but can you not tear my arm off in the process?" He laughed out of embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck.

Lord Liquiir: "Sorry about that, I just saw a really nice one that I thought you'd like." I stopped rolling my shoulder and looked down.

Lord Beerus: "And which one would that be?" He bent down and picked up a large shell, about six inches in length, with both of his paws.

Lord Liquiir: "This one, the conch shell. Here, hold it." I did as he asked and gently took it. Wow. This is beautiful! The outside of it has a royal blue complexion while the inside is a scarlet red. It doesn't look like the colors have been painted on, either. It looks natural, which means that Liquiir didn't plant this here earlier. Even if he did, who cares? It's very nice to look at.

Lord Beerus: "It looks amazing, Liquiir," I told him, not taking my eyes off of this gorgeous carapace.

Lord Liquiir: "I thought you'd like it."

Lord Beerus: "Indeed, I do. What do you think of it?" I asked while looking at him.

Lord Liquiir: "It's okay. Conches like this are very common on my homeworld, so it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Lord Beerus: "These are that common that this is just 'okay'? Damn, I have to go sightseeing on your home planet sometime. I can only imagine the natural treasures there."

Lord Liquiir: "Someday. I'll even be your personal tour guide." He suddenly looked out into the ocean and just as quickly looked back at me. Was there something out there? A fish that caught his interest? "Hey, you know what they say about conch shells, don't you? If you put your ear up to it, you'll hear the ocean." I looked at him quizzically.

Lord Beerus: "I don't know if you are aware of this, but we're right next to the ocean. If you're unsure of what that means, it means that we'll definitely hear it."

Lord Liquiir: "Just try it," he insisted. I sighed.

Lord Beerus: "If you scream in my ear, I'm leaving. And I'll also throw this shell in your face." I lifted the husk to my right ear. Listening very carefully, I can hear...the ocean. How shocking. Who could have possibly guessed that-whoa, what the fuck?! I just heard a loud, powerful roar! A roar mightier than anything I've ever heard before! If I was a lesser being, I'm certain that I'd be pissing myself. I looked back at the conch. "Do you mind repeating that?" Liquiir chuckled.

Lord Liquiir: "I don't think he minds," he said while pointing his right thumb to the ocean. I looked out into the distance. Oh. So that's what made that roar. About one hundred feet away is a very large sea serpent-like creature roaring with part of its body above water. If you were looking at it horizontally, the top half of it is blue and its underside is white. Most likely to blend into its surroundings, as a shark on Earth does.

What's drawing my attention the most, however, is how hideous it looks! Intimidating, but hard to look at. I don't even want to describe it because I don't want to risk leaving a lasting image in my brain. If that's even possible. And this could just be a stereotype, but I always assumed water dragons - if it is a dragon - were supposed to look beautiful and majestic. Not ugly as sin! It truly has a face only a mother could love. With a final bellow, it dove back beneath the water.

Lord Beerus: "That explains it. You have a sea monster.

Lord Liquiir: "I do." I looked at Liquiir. It looks like he was also focused on watching it.

Lord Beerus: "And let me guess, those are also common on your planet?" He looked at me.

Lord Liquiir: "They are very rare on my home planet. The most anyone's ever seen at a single time is two. They may have been mating, we're not sure. Anyway, if you find yourself out in the middle of the ocean and suddenly you see a huge head staring back at you with its razor sharp teeth and red eyes that set your soul ablaze in a hellish inferno, you're screwed. That dragon takes no prisoners. It would rather drag you down into the dark depths of the sea, then into its lair, and finally tear you to shreds and devour you. Not that you would be anymore than a light snack to it." My eyes widened a little.

Lord Beerus: "That was...dark and descriptive..."

Lord Liquiir: "Kitsunian folklore tends to be intense." You don't say? Well, since it's gone, I'm going to look at other areas of nature. Areas that are more pleasing to the eye. I looked down at the sparkling white sand, then out into the crystal clear water, then up into the blue sky, and finally to my right at the lush green jungle. Huh...aren't I blind? How did I not notice it before?

Lord Beerus: "You've really modeled this place to be like Vulpesia, haven't you?" I looked back at the Kitsunian. I know that the buildings were created with Vulapesia in mind, but until now, it has never occurred to me that everything was made in its honor.

Lord Liquiir: "I have. Everything on this planet, from the layout to the land and the various bodies of water, to even the thriving wildlife, can all be found on my homeworld. At least, on a small scale." That's...kind of incredible. He really hasn't forgotten about his past. I haven't either, but he still embraces it so much. It's nice. It's refreshing.

Lord Beerus: "Hey, Liquiir, do you think you could show me around? I'd like to explore that jungle over there." He warmly smiled and placed his right paw on my left shoulder.

Lord Liquiir: "I'd love to. In fact, I know this amazing spot where we both can really enjoy ourselves. Sound good?" I returned the smile and nodded.

Lord Beerus: "Yeah. So, where did you have in mind?" He took his paw back and chuckled.

Lord Liquiir: "You'll see soon," he assured me excitedly.


I think that the word "soon" must mean something different in the Kitsunian language. We've been walking - walking! - for the past twenty minutes. I know I told him that I wanted to explore the jungle, but I assumed that we would be flying. It's fine, though, because we wouldn't have been able to see as many of the plants and animals. Or "Flora and fauna," if you want to be a showoff.

One cluster of plants we found are still used in certain ceremonies. He didn't specify what they're used for, but nevertheless, they are extremely important in his culture and the practices can't be done without them. They are about four to five inches in height and they come in a variety of colors, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The colors of a rainbow. Good and wholesome ROYGBIV.

They look like a mix between...between...what are those flowers, again? I haven't seen them in an exceedingly long time. Tulips? Yes, tulips. And I think roses. They look like tulips cross-pollinated with roses. They are called sur...sur...okay. My hangover is gone, but I can't even remember how to pronounce the damn name! It's a long one. Even if you were to look at it in written form, you'd be thinking "Huh? How the fuck do I say this?" I can only imagine the difficult time everyone would give me. "Aw, it's such a big word for wittle Beerus! I'm an adult, so I can say it just fine. Surrexulipa." Oh, wait, that's the word! How about that? I guess a little self-deprecation helped me here. I better not make a habit of it.

Lord Liquiir: "We're almost there," he suddenly announced. He then pointed ahead of us with his right arm and index finger. "Just beyond that thicket is the place I want to show you."

Lord Beerus: "Very well. Let's see if it's worth the twenty minutes we wasted walking when we could have flown here in a second or if I need to smack you," I said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Lord Liquiir: "Don't worry about it! I promise that you'll love it!" I sure hope so. He told me that we'd both enjoy ourselves, and I'm trusting that's true. I did like the conch, which I decided to take with me. No pun intended, but this thicket really is thick. Easily the densest bushes I've ever come across. Okay...Liquiir just covered my eyes with his right paw. We're right here. What's the point?

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, why did you just cover my eyes? All we have to do is move these bushes out of the way."

Lord Liquiir: "I know, but it will make the unveiling that more spectacular!"

Lord Beerus: "So this...overgrowth wouldn't have been able to accomplish that?"

Lord Liquiir: "It feels more personal this way," he reasoned. I sighed with a shrug.

Lord Beerus: "All right, proceed." He's smiling, I know it. He's carefully leading me forward while keeping my eyes in the dark. I'm not feeling any sort of resistance moving ahead. He must be using some energy to move the plants out of the way. And wherever he's taking me, the air is growing hotter and hotter by the second. Is it a volcano?

Lord Liquiir: "Okay, stop. We're here."

Lord Beerus: "Thank you." I placed my right paw over his and prepared to remove it. "Now, then. Let's see what's so special about-" A second before I could regain my sight, the Kitsunian raced behind me and covered each eye with both paws. He laughed cheekily.

Lord Liquiir: "Guess who?"

Lord Beerus: "Are you serious right now?"

Lord Liquiir: "Very serious." That is it! I stomped on the ground a single time out of frustration. I know that this is his day, but come on!

Lord Beerus: "I just want to see what's so great about this place already! Let me see it, you cheeky bastard!"

Lord Liquiir: "Okay, okay, I hear you." You could have fooled me. "Here you go. Three...two...one...and here it is!" he enthusiastically exclaimed while removing his paws. Oh. Well, I, um...okay. It looks like he lead me to a hot spring. That explains the increased temperature. Another giveaway that this is a hot spring is that wisps of steam are rising into the air. The ground surrounding the water is raised and encircling it, kind of resembling a crater after a meteor strikes a planet.

As for the actual size, it's larger than my personal bath. It would be big enough for perhaps fifty people of my stature or so. One feature that I think is really nice is that there's a raised fire pit directly in the middle. I can only imagine how amazing this place is in the night time. I think what I like most about it, however, is that the hot spring is surrounded by nature. It's a perfectly secluded oasis of serenity.

Lord Beerus: "I see. This is what you wanted to show me."

Lord Liquiir: "It sure is! Nice, isn't it?" I placed my arms behind my back.

Lord Beerus: "Yes, it's quite impressive. I actually wouldn't mind getting in."

Lord Liquiir: "Who says we can't?" I looked over at him to my right. I furrowed my brows.

Lord Beerus: "Well, no one is, technically. But..."

Lord Liquiir: "But...what?"

Lord Beerus: "But...I didn't bring anything to bathe in." He shrugged.

Lord Liquiir: "So? Neither did I. We can still bathe in our underwear. No one is saying we can't do that, either." That's true. However, I don't know about this. On the surface, this doesn't sound like it's a big deal. It sounds like a normal enough suggestion, but the problem with it is that I'll be so close to him almost completely naked. We'll both be nearly naked. You could argue that I shouldn't feel weird about it since I've bathed in the same room as Whis, but he's my attendant. That, and he's never been in the bath with me.

What's making me most hesitant is the memory of me...fondling his tails. When I was drunk, it was okay. It was a bonding experience. It really proved how close we are. However, after some sober thinking, I came to the conclusion that being so intimate with him can feel equally as weird as it can feel nice. And also kind of confusing. But...ah, fuck it. Clenching my right paw into a fist, I brought it to my mouth and cleared my throat.

Lord Beerus: "You know what? I could do with a relaxing soak. It sounds like a great idea." He smiled and nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "Yeah, there aren't many things on the relaxation scale that can beat a hot spring. So, it's time to strip." Immediately after saying that, he proceeded to take off the regalia around his neck and the gold bands around his upper arms, his neck, and then his wristlets and anklets. He then looked over at me. "I don't want to rush you, but you are planning on bathing in the hot spring today, right?" he asked while taking off the gold in his ear. Truth be told, to this day I don't entirely understand why our earrings and such are clip-ons. I've been assuming that it's because they're much easier to take off that way. That or the first gods who sported earrings were afraid of getting them pierced.

Lord Beerus: "Yes, I am." He breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief.

Lord Liquiir: "Whew! I was getting worried that I wouldn't see your bare legs." I rolled my eyes and began taking off my attire.

Lord Beerus: "Don't worry, smartass, you'll see them. Maybe kicking you," I whispered to myself. He just chuckled in response.

Lord Liquiir: "Great! Speaking of, you can watch it slowly sink into the water." I turned my head to look at him. Sure enough, he's down to his underwear. It's red. No surprise there, it's his favorite color. Any shade, it doesn't matter. If it's red, he loves it. He even really likes blood red, but he avoids referring to it as such out of consideration for the more pathetic-I mean, squeamish of us. Because of that, he usually just opts to call it a very deep red.

He leisurely walked in and gradually sat down, sighing contentedly throughout the duration. The natural seats are a nice feature. It will make this experience even more enjoyable. Without wasting any more time, I moved forward and, once close enough, I lowered myself next to Liquiir. Once seated, I placed my arms on the water's edge. Oh, this was definitely worth the wait. The water is the perfect temperature. It's hot, but certainly not scalding. As an added bonus, despite being made out of solid rock, the seats are surprisingly smooth and comfortable. I closed my eyes and sighed.

Lord Beerus: "Damn, I needed this. Thank you so much, Liquiir. Liquiir?" I looked to my right to find nothing but ripples in the water and the empty space he once occupied. Where did he disappear to? How did he manage to sneak away? How did I not hear him? All of these questions and no answers. And for the first time in my life, my ears have failed me. They're not failing me now because I hear the sound of something breaching the surface diagonally to my left. I wonder who it could be? "Thanks for abandoning me," I called out sarcastically. I don't really care. I just feel like giving him a hard time, even though he won't care about it, either.

Lord Liquiir: "Sorry about that. I felt the urge to submerge," he rhymed. Now he's...stretching? Interesting place to stretch. I would have done it on land, but that's just me. It just shows how complacent he is. How he doesn't have a care in the universe. He's so casual and calm in his movements. The droplets of water are gently cascading down his golden fur. Heh. It's funny, actually, because I've never seen him drenched before. Right now, his fur's clinging to his body when it's always been floofy. A combination of fluffy and poofy, a term he often uses to describe his fur. It's also soft. Very soft.

Yes, it's like a pillow. One could rest their head on him and easily fall asleep. That's one of the best qualities of his. He has a tough look, as a God of Destruction should. Yet, at the same time, he's so huggable...and cuddly. And warm...I honestly wouldn't mind snuggling up with him. Oh, yay, the confusing feelings are coming back with a vengeance.

Lord Beerus: "Ah! What the hell?!" I made a sputtering sound while spitting out the water in my mouth. "Did you just splash me?!" Never mind, those earlier feelings have just been replaced by annoyance!

Lord Liquiir: "Come on, have a little fun! Watch out for the wave!" A bigger splash this time! Well, if you can't beat them, join them. This will be a good distraction from my earlier thoughts of snuggling, after all.

Lord Beerus: "Okay. If this is the game you want to play, then here you go!" I happily reciprocated with an old-fashioned liquid upsurge of my own, striking him in the face. Then he returned it with just as much eagerness. Back and forth our exchanges went. A very simple activity we're engaged in. An activity fit for little kids - we're laughing and smiling like we are - although, letting out your inner child every once in a while can be liberating.

We've all had those long, tough days. Days where we're void of happiness and playfulness. Days where we want a break from being an adult. And then, when we finally embrace that internal youth we all have, let go of our responsibilities and worries, the universe becomes small and safe. Those are the days that make everything worthwhile.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, what do you say we get serious?" Serious? What exactly does that entail? Also, how serious can you really be if you're playing with water? Whatever it is, I'm going to find out. "Watch closely. I think you'll like it." He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. He then held out his arms, palms facing forward, and focused his energy. Ah, okay, he's shaping the water to look like something. He's shaping it to look a Daedalus, but on a small scale. Sure, why not? And even in liquid form, it still looks ugly!

Lord Beerus: "That's actually very nice."

Lord Liquiir: "Right? I think so."

Lord Beerus: "Hold on a second, I'm going to make something-" Ooh! Or, you can flood me with your creation. That works, too. I wiped the water from my face. It had some force behind it, I can say that much. It moved me a few inches back.

Lord Liquiir: "Ha, ha! Never let your guard down!" Is that so? That's the best advice I've ever heard!

Lord Beerus: "Good to know. Now, give me a chance to make something." But what? I'm not exactly the most creative person. I could always make that water dragon from before, but that face! No, no, I just can't get past it. How about Super Shenron, the vastly superior dragon? Its face is no prize, either, but it's a hell of a lot better than that other creature. I'm so slow when it comes to these kinds of things!

Lord Liquiir: "Having trouble thinking of something? Here." He walked over to me and handed me yet another one of his liquid beasts into my right paw. It's a bird this time. If I recall correctly, it looks like a common cuckoo bird. Literally, no words can describe how appropriate it is that a Kitsunian made one. Well, not one. He's made multiple copies of them. Three, to be exact, and he's holding the other two.

And they're so lifelike. They're flapping its wings every now and then. Even preening. I honestly wish I could make something like this. Can they fly? I cupped my paws together and threw them upward. The result...is me splashing Liquiir in the face.

Lord Beerus: "Sorry about that. I thought it could fly." I clapped my paws a single time and held them together. Oh, the other birds are gone. I looked at him and chuckled. "Oops."

Lord Liquiir: "Aw, you made so much noise that the birds liquified." He smiled and chuckled soon afterward. "It's fine. We can always make more. Or, whatever you want to make."

Lord Beerus: "I'll let you think of what to make."

Lord Liquiir: "All right. If that's the case, I want to make...a giant water heart." I stared at him carefully and rubbed the back of my head.

Lord Beerus: "You know what? That's okay. We have to go through a few bad ideas before getting to the good ones." He rolled his eyes and playfully punched my left shoulder.

Lord Liquiir: "Come on, what do you have against full-sized aortic pumps?"

Lord Beerus: "A lot, when you refer to them like that." He crossed his arms and looked at me quizzically.

Lord Liquiir: "Didn't you say it was my day? And didn't you also say that we'd do whatever I want?" I looked down and sighed.

Lord Beerus: "Fuck, I did say that," I muttered. He grabbed me by the wrists and gently tugged on them.

Lord Liquiir: "Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully. I looked up into his eyes. He's pulling on my heartstrings with those damn eyes of his! They're practically pleading...maybe. He's probably only making such a sad face because he knows that I'll relent, but I still don't want to crush his spirit. I looked down once more. Damn it, I can feel my cheeks burning.

Lord Beerus: "Yes, I'll make a...giant water heart with you. Just stop looking at me like that," I requested uncomfortably. Letting go of my wrists, he smiled warmly at me, not at all cheekily like he's apt to do. What do you know, he was genuinely hopeful that I'd agree with his suggestion.

Lord Liquiir: "Sorry for looking at you like that, I couldn't help it." I raised my right paw up as a signal for him to stop his tangent.

Lord Beerus: "No, no, don't worry about it. Let's get to work on that heart." His kind smile widened, which I returned. It's amazing how infectious it is.

Lord Liquiir: "Okay, great! Do you want to make a realistic heart or one of those hearts you see on a card your super cheap relatives get you for your birthday?"

Lord Beerus: "Will you call me cheap if I prefer the latter option?"

Lord Liquiir: "Not at all. To be honest, I think that it's better to make the card heart. It's much less time consuming that way."

Lord Beerus: "Good. We have our answer, then." We shouldn't have to exert too much energy. It's only a heart made of water. A radically simplified version. We raised our paws in unison and commenced our work. He's taking care of the right half while I take care of the left. Oh, yeah, this is such an easy task. The only question is, how big do we want to make it? Not too large, I imagine. Still, I should ask him so that we're on the same page. "Liquiir, how big are we making this thing?"

Lord Liquiir: "I don't know. Maybe ten feet tall and six feet wide? We don't want to use up all of that water." I nodded.

Lord Beerus: "True." With that out of the way, we both proceeded to add the necessary amount. Once we got the measurements just right, we came together and put our individual pieces together. Uh...taken out of context that sounds...interesting. In fact, there's a much better word to describe how that sounded, but I'll pretend that there isn't. Liquiir smiled proudly and crossed his arms.

Lord Liquiir: "I think that it came out well. What do you think?" He turned his head and looked at me. I crossed my arms and smiled alongside him.

Lord Beerus: "I have to agree. It does look nice. Yet, I feel as if it's missing something." He stared attentively at it as one would at a stereogram, those annoying art paintings or whatever that look muddled but secretly have a hidden image somewhere in all of that jumbled mess. He suddenly gasped and pointed at it with his right index finger.

Lord Liquiir: "That's it! It's missing a rainbow!" That's...not at all what I thought was missing. Really, really not at all.

Lord Beerus: "A rainbow?" I asked, unimpressed.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, a rainbow. You just got to have a little imagination," he said, slowly drawing out the word while moving his paws either direction in an arc. I'm surprised one didn't form right there.

Lord Beerus: "Look, even if that's what it was missing, how would we make one?"

Lord Liquiir: "It's not that hard. If I remember, the most simple way to put it is that rainbows form by sunlight passing through many droplets of water and water vapor at a certain angle. We have the sun shining right above us. So, all we have to do is make water vapor and eventually, a rainbow will form. I think." I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and slowly shook my head. Easier said than done. Also, if I remember, he mentioned earlier that we were going to get serious. When is that supposed to happen, exactly? "A quick and easy blast and we'll have our beautiful multicolored arch," the Kitsunian confidently stated. I opened my eyes and looked at the heart. Just above it is a ball of water, roughly three feet tall and three feet wide. He looked at me. "Do you want to do the honors?"

Lord Beerus: "I might as well." Raising my right arm, I opened my paw and focused purple ki into the palm. I fired it and, unsurprisingly, the ball evaporated into...water vapor. "Now, we wait. Oh, nevermind, the rainbow's formed. That was ridiculously fast."

Lord Liquiir: "To be fair," Liquiir started, "we have all of the correct conditions set; we have the mist, we have sunlight passing through it, and we're observing it at just the right direction."

Lord Beerus: "So, what you're saying is if I were to go to the left, or look at it from any other angle, I wouldn't see it?" I moved to the left. Sure enough, the rainbow's disappeared. I then floated above it and moved behind it. Both times, still gone. I moved to my original spot and, not surprisingly, it's back. I turned my body to face Liquiir. "Basic rainbow science at its finest. Thank you very for teaching me."

Lord Liquiir: "It was easy, you're a great student. And you know what? I think you deserve a reward."

Lord Beerus: "A reward, you say? What might that-oh! O...kay?" Evidently, my reward is a friendly, heartfelt hug around my neck. Here's where that velvet soft fur of his comes into play. Huh. Not bad. Not bad at all. I returned it and wrapped my arms around his back. He, in turn, lowered his arms and placed his head on my right shoulder.

He's so relaxed and comfortable. I get the feeling that this is just as much of a reward for him as it is for me. But I don't mind one bit. Wait...wait a second. I'm going to mentally take a step back and think about the situation I currently find myself in. Liquiir and I, both full grown men, are sharing a hug. That isn't a problem on its own. However, we're both down to nothing but our underwear...in front of a giant heart...with a rainbow just overhead.

Again, there's a certain word that perfectly describes everything that's occurring. And that word is growing more and more powerful with each passing second. His grip on me has tightened a little bit and his body is closer to mine. Much closer. Our chests are touching and because of that I can feel his heartbeat. It's faster than normal, but then again, so is mine. As for his tails, they're wagging back and forth and he's even purring. It sounds loud and satisfied.

Okay, I can't deny it anymore: this is incredibly gay. But...maybe acting gay...isn't so bad...every once in a while? I carefully ask. I mean, he is really happy. And seeing him like this, especially if I'm the reason behind it, is honestly a great feeling. Besides, this is innocent. We're not gay. We're very close, but not gay. Right? I only like women. Don't I? Damn it, this questioning of myself is confusing me so much in so many different ways!

Whis: "Oh, my! Would you like me to leave you alone, my lord?" Whis! I looked to my right. And Korn! Thank you, thank you! I don't want to deal with these complicated feelings right now! I looked down at the very pleased fox in my arms. I almost don't want to peel him off of me, but that's what must be done.

Lord Beerus: "Hey...do you think you could let go? I believe Whis and Korn want something."

Lord Liquiir: "Oh, sure thing!" He did as I asked and placed his right paw on my left shoulder. "I had a great time. We should do it again at some point in the future." He turned around and walked toward the Angels. "Hello, Korn. Hello, Whis. What do you two want?" While he's questioning our attendants, I'm just standing here with my head down, stupefied. Did he not notice anything weird during our embrace? I-I almost can't believe it! He has such an amiable demeanor that he doesn't think interactions like that are so strange?

Lord Beerus: "That's just it," I very quietly whispered to myself in realization. I'm the one being strange. It really was a friendly hug, nothing else. All right, I should stop overanalyzing everything. It only leads to me feeling awkward. Isn't it funny how walking paw in paw didn't make me feel that weird, but hugging like that did? It was vastly more intimate, that's why.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, did you hear any of that?" I picked my head up and looked over at the trio. Liquiir is completely dry and he already has his usual attire back on. It's like he never submerged himself at all, which can only mean that Korn played a role. There's no way you can look so floofy and put on the entirety of your outfit in less than a minute. But that's beside the point.

Lord Beerus: "Um, no, sorry. What's going on?"

Whis: "As wonderful as it was to catch up, we must make our leave soon. Not to worry," he assured with his right hand raised before I could mention anything. "We will, of course, be having lunch together."

Lord Beerus: "That's good, I was starting to get hungry. What are we having?"


What we all had fifteen minutes ago was a banquet. A feast. After I dried off my body and made myself look decent again, we all eagerly traveled to the main tree. After that, we moved into the dining room. Surprisingly, but at the same time not, on the long, russet-colored wooden table was a huge line of Earth food.

There were trays and plates of turkey, ham, fish, spaghetti and meatballs, another noodle treat called linguine with white clam sauce, and pepperoni pizza. As for the desserts, we had brownies, blueberry and cherry pies, banana split ice cream, and another cake. The spongy part tasted like chocolate while the frosting tasted like something called a coconut. I liked that flavor.

While their naming skills leave something to be desired, their culinary skills are sufficient enough to make up for that shortcoming. More than sufficient. First Universe 6 and now Universe 8. Very soon, every universe will be infected by some kind of food from Earth.

Anyway, we all stuffed our faces. How could we not? Everything was beyond delicious! Not a single scrap was spared. And, as expected, we're all full. The result is Whis and I have to stay a little longer to at least partially digest our food before warping back to our home universe. It's like that old myth that you must wait thirty minutes before going swimming again. I'm sorry, mom. As much I appreciate the concern, it's not true.

Right now, I'm lazing around with Liquiir in his bedroom. On his bed. With him lying down next to me on my left. Since I'm not scrutinizing every minute detail, I don't feel weird. For once. Much of the room itself is colored in varying shades of red, like the carpet, sheets, blankets, and pillows. The walls, however, are simply part of the tree, left completely untouched, save for a moderately sized window on the right to allow sunlight in. The light brown aids to offset all of this red. There are even some bright green vines and yellow, blue, and pink flowers poking through here and there.

Directly to the right of the bed are a small white nightstand and an equally small lamp atop of it. There are also a couple of alcoves, one on each side of his bed. The right one is simply a small, personal library. It has a nice red leather couch at the back, a beautiful chandelier overhead, and four bookcases, two on each side of the couch. The left alcove has a wooden desk, medium-sized and black in color, a wooden chair, a desk lamp, and a high-tech computer.

Not to belittle his home, but it just might be the most sophisticated thing he has. Excluding the Hexahedron, of course. I imagine that his bathroom is modern, so there is that. Even so, this simplicity helps to give that natural feel to it. And I like it. It has a very cozy and pleasant atmosphere like my own home does.

Lord Liquiir: "Amazing. That was all so delicious! But I thought we going to have lunch, not a full course meal," he joked from beside me.

Lord Beerus: "Whis may have gone overboard. He tends to do that." I groaned while stretching my arms and legs. Once I did that, I placed my paws behind my head.

Lord Liquiir: "You know, that was a very nice brug we had, earlier."

Lord Beerus: "Yes, I suppose that wa-whoa, whoa, wait, 'brug'? Is that what you just said?" He nodded."

Lord Liquiir: "That is exactly what I just said. It's a mortal saying, short for bro hug." I sighed and slowly shook my head.

Lord Beerus: "For one, it's not wise to pick up anything from a mortal."

Lord Liquiir: "Oh, don't worry. I knew that you wouldn't like that saying. That's why I said it in the first place. I was just messing with you." I rolled my eyes.

Lord Beerus: "I should have known. Your cheekiness knows no bounds." He happily laughed.

Lord Liquiir: "In your wise words, I am a cheeky bastard. And that's what I always will be." I smiled amusedly.

Lord Beerus: "I believe that. In any case, never call it that again. Ever, or I'll slap you." The mischievous fox laughed again and rolled over onto his side.

Lord Liquiir: "Like this?" He reached over and gave my stomach a light smack, making me flinch a little. He then gave me a second.

Lord Beerus: "Hey, stop. I'm too full for that." Even though I requested him to stop, there was no real command or power behind my voice. I'm too full for that, too. He smiled challengingly and smacked me a third time. "Come on, I can hardly defend myself. Dial back on your playful ways."

Lord Liquiir: "All right. How about this then?" He placed his paw on my stomach and began to rub it.

Lord Beerus: "Oh. That's...a lot better." Again, no overanalyzing, so this is completely fine. I closed my eyes and sighed. I might as well enjoy this affection. Speaking of, I feel like the Kitsunian has been a little more affectionate than usual today. Obviously, it's incredibly nice. I greatly enjoy the endearment. Still, as of now, I can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable with that sort of thing. I wonder how many times I've mentioned how I felt weird, strange, awkward, or uncomfortable today? A million?

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, can I ask you something?" he suddenly asked while stopping. I opened my eyes and nodded.

Lord Beerus: "Mm-hm. Go ahead." He nodded back and sat straight up. I sat up with him. He looks nervous all of a sudden. "What's wrong? Is it that important?"

Lord Liquiir: "Um...to me, it is," he bashfully said. I moved closer to him, hoping that my mere presence comforts him.

Lord Beerus: "What is it? You can ask me."

Lord Liquiir: "Okay. I was wondering..." He looked at me sincerely, but also with a hint of uncertainty. It must be a sensitive subject to constitute a one hundred and eighty-degree turn from a couple of minutes ago. "Do you think that my voice is annoying or weird?" I looked at him confusedly. That's a random question.

Lord Beerus: "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that?"

Lord Liquiir: "My general way of speaking, my tone. I know that some dislike it for one reason or another. Could you perhaps shed some light and inform me what's bothersome about it?"

Lord Beerus: "Your tone?" What fault could anyone possibly find with his tone? It's different, yes, but I don't hear what some people may not like about it. Maybe because it is a little higher pitched than some men's? It's a bit higher than mine, for example, but it's certainly not unbearable. Not like Champa's. I swear, he'll make your ears bleed. He's a like a banshee sometimes.

Of course, having high-pitched voices is common among Kitsunians, including men. He knows this as well as I do. Maybe because it naturally sounds slightly condescending? I know that's not his intention. As I just said, it is a natural part of his voice, but I can still imagine that being a possibility for anyone who doesn't know him.

Regardless of what the reason might be, with how carefree he is, it's surprising that he cares so much. Is it just because it's me? Does he have that high of an opinion of me that even something so uncontrollable warrants asking what I think? If so, he's one of the very few people I know of who trusts my opinions to such an extent.

I sighed and looked at him carefully. He still looks apprehensive. I gave him a warm smile and lightly pressed my middle and index fingers against his throat, surprising him. He tensed up and his eyes widened. Interesting, his pulse has just gotten strangely fast.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus?"

Lord Beerus: "Don't worry about something like that, Liquiir," I began. "You shouldn't feel ashamed of your vocal cords. Not in the slightest. It's pleasant and it gives a sense a calm to others. At the very least, that's the effect it has on me. Above all else, it sounds dignified and refined. I would go as far to say that I think your voice is perfect." I took my arm back as he started to relax and smile.

Lord Liquiir: "Thank you. I think that your voice is perfect, too." I chuckled.

Lord Beerus: "Thank you and you're welcome. I'm happy to say it." He nodded and slowly but surely moved closer to me. Intimately close, even. His leg is pressing up against mine and his foot is crossing mine at our ankles. Our arms are now hooked around each other's and my paw is also atop of his on my thigh. He's resting his head on my shoulder like earlier, except now I can see his face. He's smiling, his eyes are closed, and he's gently purring.

Wow. He looks so content. He looks so at ease. He looks...so damn cute like this. Did I just describe Liquiir as cute? I mean, I'm technically not wrong. I'll admit it, he really is! However, using that word to describe anything is so foreign. Being this emotionally close to anyone is foreign. I've never been good at these kinds of things.

When I was still a mortal, I was much more conservative and shy. At least, when it came to romantic interests. I feel like most beings in the universe are that way at first. When you finally discover that you're interested in dating, it can be so terrifying to open yourself up and show vulnerability. That was especially true for me.

When I found a girl I liked, I was always so scared. So many conversations went like this: "Hi, how are you doing? I-no, nevermind, that's stupid. My name is B-B...did I forget?! What is it?! Beerus! It's Beerus! I'd like to, uh, you know, um...I...wow, is it hot in here or is it just me?! I-I-I loved talking to you! We should do it again sometime, bye!" Being a young teenager can be so hard.

My horrible experiences in that area turned me off, for the most part, to the idea of ever even trying to become romantically involved with someone. It's that same way of thinking why the times I did have sex, it never meant anything. Even when I was a mortal, I wasn't interested in getting close to someone. I was fully prepared, fully content, with remaining a bachelor for the duration of my life.

And here's Liquiir, this amazingly kind, mischievously playful, and damn it, adorably handsome fox, challenging and turning that way of thinking on its head. He's making me feel so confused. Conflicted. Emotions I had only ever felt with a select few people, but so much stronger. It's these emotions I'm not entirely sure I want to feel.

Why am I thinking about all of this? How could I be thinking about all of this? Should I be thinking about all of this? I don't know! I'm so flustered! Just like when I was an adolescent! But it feels worse for some reason! Perhaps because a lot more is at stake? Like-

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus?" The Kitsunian in question raised his head off of my shoulder and looked at me with such concerned and caring eyes I feel like I might drown in them. "What's wrong? You're so tense all of a sudden. You're squeezing my paw kind of hard, too." I looked down. I didn't even notice, I was completely lost in my thoughts. I loosened my grip on him.

Lord Beerus: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He flipped his paw palm up and softly interlocked our fingers together. My breath hitched and my heart skipped a beat. He then reached around with his right arm, placed his paw on the back of my large ears, and proceeded to comfortingly caress them. I, meanwhile, continue to sit still like a statue. I don't know what to do or say. So, for now, I'll let him continue. Everything he's doing is calming and he seems to know what to do in this situation. I'm not surprised. He has impeccable instincts when it comes to soothing someone. Especially me.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, whatever's bothering you, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you." I let out a shaky breath.

Lord Beerus: "I know. That's the kind of person you are. But I...I..." He brought his face a little closer to mine, close enough for me to feel his warm breath against me. He's now repeatedly running his paw up the length of my ears, sending shivers down my spine. Him varying the pressure with his firm yet soft fingers make it more pleasurable and perfect.

Lord Liquiir: "It's okay," he softly whispered. "Everything's going to be okay. You don't have to worry. I'll always be here for you." Fuck. Why did you have to say it like that? Please...stop making my heart beat faster with every word and touch. I've been having to suppress a purr, which is extremely difficult! It's like the last barrier I have before I break down and give in. It's been like this nearly the entire time I've been here. I don't know if I'm ready!

Huh? What's that? I looked behind me to find that Liquiir's tails are brushing up against mine. For the most part, he kept them to himself. They would occasionally wag over to me, although they never stayed for too long. But right now, it looks like they're going to coil around my tail like furry, golden snakes.

I looked back into his eyes. Should I let it happen? For me, this is going very far. I really don't know. I'm still a mess when it comes to romance. But maybe...maybe everything will be fine. Maybe this is a risk I should take. Although, if it doesn't work out, my heart will break. Both of ours will. I'll lose the most amazing person I know. We might end up hating each other.

No, I can't do this! I'm too scared! I'm too scared of losing Liquiir forever. We should just remain friends. Before his tails could wrap around mine, I quickly broke free of his caring embrace as though it were a life-threatening attack made by an opponent and jumped off of the bed and onto my feet.

Lord Beerus: "Excuse me. I, um..." I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "I-I think that it's about time f-for me t-to leave," I stuttered. Well, he's now staring at me in a puzzled way. I don't blame him. We had such a tender moment not even a minute ago and I checked out without any warning. It's like I was getting away from him because he had a deadly and contagious disease!

Lord Liquiir: "Oh...I see. Do you really have to leave so suddenly?" Aw, damn it all! He sounds and looks so downcast. Hurt. Betrayed. His ears are flat against his head.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, you know that I had to leave at some point. I'm really, really sorry about it, but-"

Lord Liquiir: "Don't worry. Your universe needs you. Just leave." Whoa. The way he said that was uncharacteristically cold. Uncaring. Ah, that's great. He's depressed and angry. And my bright idea to leave right now was supposed to save our relationship? I suck.

Lord Beerus: "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'll see you later." I gave a weak wave. He waved just as weakly with an uncaring expression before moving under his blankets. I let out a sad sigh, turned around, and opened the door.

Lord Liquiir: "Lock it behind you," he ordered from beneath the blankets. I did as he commanded and closed it once I was on the other side. Walking down the somewhat long hallway, I slapped my forehead repeatedly. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I should have asked for him to stop! Without a doubt, I need to fix this. I stopped smacking myself, crossed my arms, and groaned. Why do I utterly fail everything I do?


Oh, my! Beerus has made another mistake, this time placing his relationship with Liquiir in jeopardy! We can only hope that he can make everything right again before it's too late.

Now, when it came to thinking of a planet name for Liquiir's homeworld, I wanted it to be obvious, for it to make sense, but I didn't want to call it something like "Kitsunia." That would be too much kitsune! So, I settled for Vulpesia. Fox in Latin is Vulpes, so all I had to do was add in the "ia." I think that it sounds a lot better.

As for the name of the flowers that are used in certain ceremonies (what they are used for will be revealed soon), I used the Latin name for rose, surrexerunt, and tulip, tulipa, and combined them to form the mighty surrexulipa! The combined name flows well, right? For anyone having trouble pronouncing it, it's sir-rex-ooh-lee-puh.

Finally, a bit of sad news: Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest and most influential modern scientists, died on March 14th, 2018. Along with Dr. Hawking, so many amazing people have passed away over these past few years, such as Hiromi Tsuru, the Japanese voice actress for Bulma, Robin Williams, and Prince, among others. Rest in peace, everyone. You will all be dearly missed.

As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Until the next chapter, D.F.T.B.A. (Don't Forget To Be Awesome!) Have an awesome day!