Hello, how are you all doing? Only a little more than a month since my last update. Not bad. Although, sadly, I wouldn't expect this to happen again anytime soon...sorry. Life.

Before I begin with the rest of this author's note, I want to send a shout out to Demon Lucario (great Pokémon, by the way) for bringing it to my attention that Cus is the oldest Angel among her siblings. Could you honestly blame me, though? Needless to say, I fixed that immediately. Thank you.

With that out of the way, I have a warning. This chapter is going to have detailed descriptions of blood. Much more than the last. And even some sexuality as well (but not because of blood, something I'd like to stress). It's not enough to be given an M rating, but enough to be considered risqué.

Without any further ado, enjoy!


How to Save a Life


All right, I'm on my way to Liquiir's home! Now, this is either going to be the riskiest idea of mine that pays off, or it horribly backfires and I get screwed like...like Yamcha not being picked to be at the Tournament of Power. It's honestly a good thing that he wasn't. He's probably a fine fighter on Earth, but if he joined us to help decide the fate of our universe, I personally don't believe that he would have been of much use. One might think that he'd feel bad, but for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that he's used to getting screwed over by everything and everyone on a daily basis. I wonder if that's just me?

Okay, nevermind that! I only have one shot at this! I'm going to take a cue from Goku and Vegeta. I will not give up, no matter what. Even in the face of extreme opposition. I owe it to everyone. I owe it to the other Gods of Destruction, his Supreme Kai, the friends he's made across the multiverse, the Kitsunian race as a whole, myself, and most importantly him.

The only obstacle I can imagine, other than Liquiir being beyond pissed at me and refusing my help, would be Korn. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he was ordered to keep me away. I have to figure out a plan for that. Fighting him is not an option. The question is then, what do I do?

I deeply sighed. I've finally made landfall on one of the landing pads of the treetops, so I better come up with something really, really fast. I stepped out of my Hexahedron and immediately began flying to the main structure in the center. If Liquiir hasn't sensed me by now, surely Korn has. With that being said, I wonder how far I'll get before I'm stopped? If I am at all.

Ah, here we go! I'm not very far from Liquiir now. I softly landed in front of the door to the living quarters and entered with no hesitation. I just as quickly closed it behind me and continued on with my mission. Even while running, it's a bit of a trek to reach his bedroom near the top, which is where I assume he'll be. Although, barging in through his window had "Disastrous" and "Stupid" written all over it, so that wasn't a possibility.

Still, I'm technically barging into his home, except this way it's not as pronounced. That makes no difference to Korn, though. With each passing second, I'm getting closer and closer. At any moment now, I'll be deterred by him. Won't I? I honestly thought that he would have kept me from advancing about three stories below. Perhaps my fears were all for nothing this entire time and I'll be welcomed with open arms. That's what I'm hoping for, not what I'm expecting.

Upon reaching the hallway that leads to his bedroom, I slowed down to a complete stop. Even from here, I can feel his pained aura. I gulped and slowly started making my way to my destination. It's not only pained and sad, but I can also feel...darkness. This must mean that he's really becoming consumed by his negative emotions, just like Heles said!

With this thought in mind, I picked up the pace and speed walked to his door. By the time I reached it, it took all of my willpower to not kick it down. This is it. It might have taken a while, but I finally made it, Liquiir. I breathed in a shaky breath and I hesitantly reached out to the golden doorknob. Suddenly, a staff appeared, seemingly from thin air, to block my paw off and protect the door. I jerked my arm away and looked to my right.

Korn: "Pardon me, Lord Beerus, but Lord Liquiir requested that no one disturbs him. He made it a point to stress your name." I slowly nodded my head.

Lord Beerus: "I assumed as much. Even so, I don't care. I must see him. I must make things right."

Korn: "I understand your concern and while it is greatly appreciated, it's better if we allow him to recuperate on his own."

Lord Beerus: "How can it possibly be better? Not only is he getting no work done, but he's dying! Dying! Why are you letting this happen?" He closed his eyes and gave a tired sigh.

Korn: "It was his wish, Lord Beerus." He opened his eyes. "I can assure you that I am fully aware of what happens when his people become this depressed. As unfortunate as his decision is, I am his Angel and therefore must follow his commands. For better or for worse." Oh, no, it's even worse than I thought; he's outright refusing any help. Is that why no one was doing anything? Because they knew that it was his desire to be left alone? Fuck it all! Well, it doesn't matter, anyway. He's getting my help one way or another!

Lord Beerus: "Listen here and listen well. At this point, it doesn't matter if I do my job or not. The Omni-Kings probably don't give a shit about me. But Korn, think about this rationally! You were lucky to find someone like him! He's more than competent at his role. He excels in it! Don't you think that we owe it to the Omni-Kings to try everything we possibly can to help him out of this detrimental state? Don't you think that leaving him like this while sitting down, twiddling our thumbs, hoping for a favorable outcome without actually doing anything, is a disservice to them both? Not only to them but to him especially! Leaving him like this is not helping anyone!" Korn brought his hand to his chin in thought. Is the logic that I just barely pulled out of my ass going to reach him?

Korn: "I admit, the Kings of All did come to mind when this situation arose. It truly would be a shame if Lord Liquiir was to move on to the afterlife after all he's done. Without finding a successor, no less." He lowered his hand and his scepter. He's no longer blocking the door! Does this mean what I think it means? "That is why I informed my siblings of this matter. In truth, I was hoping to have the news reach your ears in particular." I blinked.

Lord Beerus: "Really? You did?"

Korn: "Indeed. I technically did not go against my lord's wishes, as I did not ask for help. If anyone happened to seek him out, it was purely of their own volition." Outwardly, I'm staring at the attendant intently with a slightly shocked expression. Inwardly, I'm smiling. He really cares about Liquiir. He didn't have to say a single word about his condition. He could have let nature run its course. If he died, he died. He didn't, though. He spoke up. Maybe it's just Whis and Vados who are much too professional. "Additionally," he continued, "you brought up an excellent point regarding the King's of All. If news spread that the God of Destruction of Universe 8 died so suddenly, someone who, as you mentioned, 'excels', they would most likely be quite displeased." I nervously rubbed the back of my neck and looked down at the ground.

Lord Beerus: "I'm not going to lie, I only brought them up because I was just saying anything to get past you. I wasn't thinking too hard about my own words."

Korn: "Even so, you were correct. They may be very...enthusiastic, but they are not fools, Lord Beerus. Finding, replacing, and training a God of Destruction takes up valuable time. The process becomes even more difficult if it must be done immediately, such as after an unexpected death." I raised my head at that. "Which, in turn, could result in a less than beneficial Destroyer and the quality of their universe would likewise suffer. If you would please wait a moment." The gem that perpetually floats above his staff began to glow a light green. I looked around the corridor, but I don't see it affecting anything. I turned my head to look at it again, only to find that it returned to its normal black color. What did he do just now? "Now that the door to Lord Liquiir's bedroom is unlocked, you may enter without any trouble."

Lord Beerus: "Oh. That was helpful. Thank you."

Korn: "You are welcome. Unfortunately, I don't think you should expect any more anytime soon, Lord Beerus."

Lord Beerus: "I wasn't planning to." He gave a single nod.

Korn: "I see." He stepped away to his left, allowing me to once again reach for the knob. Once I grabbed a hold of it, I slowly turned it. "I highly doubt that he will appreciate your presence at first, but I'm certain that he'll understand."

Lord Beerus: "I hope so," I muttered. I looked to my right. Korn has left, leaving Liquiir and me alone. I looked back at the door and I'm trying to open it, but I'm frozen. My body's paralyzed, terrified at the thought of what it might see and how the encounter might go. I softly growled while trying to will my body to open this seemingly immovable object. Come on. Come on! Get a backbone! You pathetic wimp! Your best friend is in there, dying, and he needs you! Stop being scared!

I grabbed the knob with my left paw and used both to slowly open the door. Once it opened wide enough for me to enter, I released a relieved sigh I didn't even know I was holding in. I cautiously went in and closed the door behind me. Looking over at the bed a few feet in front of me, I can see a Kitsunian sized lump under the blankets.

Lord Beerus: "Hey, Liquiir," softly called out. "I-I'm here. I'm so sorry that I'm late, but I'm here. Liquiir?" No answer, nor any movement. Against my better judgement, which hasn't been known to be the best, anyway, I took tentative steps toward my bedridden best friend. "Liquiir? Can you please talk to me? Or at least say something?" Still nothing. "Come on, don't give me the silent treatment or the cold shoulder. Give me something. Anything." Nope. Not a damn thing. No indication whatsoever that he has any interest in acknowledging me. After what feels like centuries, I made my way over to where his covered head is, on the left side of the bed. I'm so close now, I can touch him. I might as well, actually. That should elicit a response. Once I steeled my nerves, I reached out to hopefully get some real interaction.

Lord Liquiir: "Don't," he suddenly said before I managed to get too close, making me take back my arm. "Don't touch me. I don't know why you're even here, but go away and leave me alone." He doesn't sound nearly as angry as I thought. Well, there is a twinge of anger in his voice, but he sounds more sad and tired than anything else.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, will you please look at me? I want to have a conversation with something other than silence and your blanket." He quietly groaned and I know that specific one all too well. It's the kind you make when you really don't want to do something, but you usually end up doing it anyway.

Lord Liquiir: "Fine...I'll do it," he reluctantly agreed. He pulled the covers off, but just enough to reveal the top half of his body, and sat up. After all of this time, he's out of hiding. The first thing I notice is how disheveled his fur is and also a distinct lack of his chest regalia. He doesn't have the gold adorning his upper arms and wrists, either; only the ones in his ear remains. Does that mean he's not wearing anything else? "There. I'm not under the blankets. Now what?" He looked over at me. For the most part, he looks surprisingly neutral, but he also has a tired look to his eyes. Actually, they look swollen and just under them they look wet. I must have interrupted him while he was crying.

Lord Beerus: "I, um..." I shut my mouth. This is so awkward. He knows why I'm here, he just wants me to say it. That or his mind is so clouded with grief he genuinely doesn't know.

Lord Liquiir: "If you're only here to waste my time, leave me alone and allow me to rest in peace." He lied down with his back toward me and pulled the covers up to his neck. I desperately want to help him, but I have no idea what to say. Speaking of talking, his choice of words just now were interesting. Rest in peace...why does that sound odd to me? Rest...in peace. Wait, as in R.I.P.?! Dead?! Is that what he means?! I lunged forward and practically slammed my paws on the bed, though I made sure not to get too close to him.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, what did you mean by that?!"

Lord Liquiir: "Stop yelling. And mean by what?"

Lord Beerus: "By 'rest in peace.' What does that mean?"

Lord Liquiir: "What do you think? Sleep. A well-deserved sleep. A very, very, very long sleep." No! No, damn it all, no! I won't let that happen!

Lord Beerus: "Don't kill yourself!" I blurted out without thinking. He slowly sat back up, turned around, and blinked while looking at me quizzically. Well, that was one way to get the topic going. I removed myself from his bed, straightened my back, and held my paws together tightly.

Lord Liquiir: "What? I won't kill myself...probably." He said that last part so quietly I almost didn't hear him, even with my superb hearing.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, I don't-"

Lord Liquiir: "Really care about me? I'm fully aware," he angrily continued, cutting me off. "You never did. You're just trying to 'Save me' because it will make you feel better. You don't want the guilt of knowing that you drove someone, another God of Destruction, to suicide. You don't want your precious reputation as a God of Destruction tarnished again. Even further, in fact. You just want to keep in good graces with everyone again. You want to keep your credibility. This is all for your benefit, not mine."

Lord Beerus: "That's not true, Liquiir, and you know it," I reproved. I'm keeping my paws to themselves so as to respect Liquiir's personal space, but it's starting to look like an uphill battle now. "You're my best friend in the entire multiverse." He scoffed while looking at me heatedly.

Lord Liquiir: "Lies! You love emotionally torturing people! It's as simple as that." I can hear the conviction in his voice. He truly believes that I don't care about him, that he's trivial to me. His expression changed to match what he's feeling on the inside; heartache, and he looked down to stare at his lap with slumped shoulders. "I'm sorry, Beerus." Wait...what? He's apologizing? That's not right. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have done anything. It was stupid, like me. I should have known that I wasn't good enough for you. For anyone."

Lord Beerus: "Don't say that! None of that's true!" I shouted while jumping onto the bed, making him flinch a little at my outburst. He looked at me once more, looking very uncertain. At least he doesn't mind me being this close to him anymore. "The blame is all mine. Everything that's going wrong in your life can be traced back to me," I said while lightly hitting my chest with my right paw. "Me. Not you." He sadly groaned and went back to looking down at his lap.

Lord Liquiir: "I don't know. It truly feels like I ruined everything." His voice is getting quieter and sadder with each word he speaks. "You were right, you know. I'll admit it and say that I do believe dying would be right for me. I'm sorry that I'm such a burden." My eyes widened and I lightly gasped. He is thinking about suicide! That's it, fuck respecting his personal space! I need to hold him and let him know that I'm here for him! Without bothering to ask for permission, I reached forward and wrapped my arms around him, causing his entire body to stiffen at the sudden contact. "B-Beerus?" he said meekly.

Lord Beerus: "Come on, Liquiir, let me help you. You know better than anyone that how you're handling this isn't healthy." I moved my right paw up to his head and gently stroked it.

Lord Liquiir: "I-I..." He's shaking like a leaf in the wind. He truly needs all of the compassion and understanding I can give him. I brought him even closer to me and brought my head to the top of his. I then used the paw that was previously petting him to caress his right arm.

Lord Beerus: "I'm here for you, Liquiir. I promise that I'm going to help you. Please, let me help." He audibly gulped.

Lord Liquiir: "I-no! S-stop it!" He shook me off and then lightly pushed me away from him, although not enough to get me off of the bed. He turned his head so that I don't see his face. "You can't just hug me, tell me sweet nothings, and expect everything to be all right! It doesn't work that way!" He sniffled and wiped his eyes with his right paw. "I wish that it did, but it doesn't. I-I just can't accept your help because...I'm not worthy of it! I'm not worthy of you! I never was and I never will be." He sniffled again and lied down on his side with his back to me. "I'm so sorry." I leaned forward and clutched the sheets with both paws, tight enough to make small tears in the fabric with my claws. I didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like I'll have to be aggressive to get my point across. It usually works for me, anyway.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir! Stop spouting that nonsense! And stop apologizing! I told you, everything is my fault! You have nothing to be sorry for!" He turned his head to look at me out of the corner of his eye.

Lord Liquiir: "But I-"

Lord Beerus: "No! None of that!" I sighed out a quick and angry breath. "Get out of this bed!" Before he could say anything on the matter, I grabbed him by the waist and started to drag him out.

Lord Liquiir: "Hey! What are you doing?! Stop it!"

Lord Beerus: "No! You are leaving this bed after who knows how long and we're going to talk about this!" I ignored the Kitsunian's constant protests, thrashing, and many attempts to wriggle himself free from my grasp. Once I got to the end of the bed, I hooked my own arms around his underarms. I then got down and planted my feet onto the carpet and hoisted him up in the air, catching him by his waist. What do you know, he isn't wearing any clothes, aside from a pair of deep red underwear.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus! I'm serious! Let me down!" I did as he asked and placed him onto solid ground, but I just as quickly turned him to face me. I held him firmly in place by the shoulders and stared directly into his eyes.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir! Stop struggling and listen to me! Everything you said and everything you believe right now is not true! Hey, I told you to listen to me!" I grabbed him by the chin with my right paw and forcibly made him look at me.

Lord Liquiir: "But you rejected me! I'm clearly not worthy!"

Lord Beerus: "Shut up with that! I'm tired of hearing this 'I'm not worthy of you' shit! I didn't mean to reject you! Everything was going so fast and I needed time to think!" He slowly stopped his panicked movements and looked at me with a shocked expression, like he never once considered that possibility. "Yes, I didn't mean to reject you. I promise you that. I didn't know what was happening and I got scared. Someone as amazing as you wanted to be life mates with me? That terrified me! And if anything, I don't deserve you! There are millions, billions of other people that I'm certain would be much better suited to be your life mate." I breathed heavily and let go of him. After that, I wiped my eyes with my paws and took a step back. "You deserve everything you want, Liquiir. You're the greatest and most worthy person of anything I know!" He fidgeted uncomfortably and looked down at the ground.

Lord Liquiir: "That's what you say, but I'm still not sure. I-I-I don't know anything anymore! I'm so confused!" He held his head in between both paws, crying and sniffling all the while. "My brain is telling me to disregard everything you're saying to me, to kick you out of my home, but my heart is saying that I should listen to you! I don't know what to do!" I see...he needs a push. A very drastic push. This really is the only way to make him understand, huh? Well, it's better me than him.

Lord Beerus: "You don't have to listen to me. Not a single word I say." He looked up at me and blinked. "I understand. After I caused you so much pain, why would you? So...here." I gently grabbed his right arm and raised it for him. I moved it directly to my chest.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus? What are you doing?"

Lord Beerus: "I want you to hurt me."

Lord Liquiir: "Excuse me?"

Lord Beerus: "Hurt me! Punch me! Kick me! Choke me! Stab me! Cut me! Do whatever you have to do to me to make yourself feel better."

Lord Liquiir: "Wha-I-I can't do that." He moved his arm away, but I just as quickly put it back on my chest.

Lord Beerus: "Please, I want you to. I'd rather be in pain than see you suffer. I'd rather die than see you in agony like this. Do it!"

Lord Liquiir: "I-I don't want to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you." He doesn't want to hurt me, even though he has every right to. That's a silver lining, I suppose. At the very least, it means that he's still based in reality and not entirely the dark, depressing, vortex of mental anguish the rest of him is based in. Still, that's not good enough. I need to pull him out completely. If my blood and my death are the sources of guiding light he needs, so be it. I straightened the fingers on my right paw and placed them on the left side of my body, where my ribs are.

Lord Beerus: "Fine. Then I'll do it myself."

Lord Liquiir: "W-what? What are you-"

Lord Beerus: "Don't stop me. Let it happen." This is going to hurt like Hell, but I think that I have to do this. Okay, here goes. I'm going to do it quickly and I won't think about it, like guzzling down foul tasting medicine. My ki flared around my arm and I formed a purple blade. "Ah! Mother fucking son of a-!" Damn it! Agh! Because it was directly facing me, there was only one way for it to go, and that's through my lung and out the other side of my body. My legs wobbled and twitched before finally giving out. I almost fell, but I managed to catch and hold myself up with my left arm.

Lord Liquiir: "B-Beerus! I don't know what you think you're doing, but hurting yourself isn't the answer!" He rushed over to pick me up, but once he grabbed me I shook him off and pushed him away, making him drop me to my knees.

Lord Beerus: "I-I said to-ach!" I hacked up blood into my left paw. "I said to let it happen!" I aggressively swiped the embedded blade through the left of my body, effectively slicing my lung and causing the carpet and my paw to be drenched. I gasped for clean air while simultaneously and profusely coughing my precious bodily fluid. Obviously, not a good combination...it's difficult to get oxygen this way. This pain is a terrible burning sensation and I'm practically choking on myself. Still, I have a divine body, so even without immediate intervention, I won't die.

Of course, what happens from here is up to Liquiir. I don't want to die yet and this is probably not very good for his fragile psyche...which is precisely why I'm doing this. This sounds cruel, but I have to shatter his mind before it can be rebuilt into who he once was. I'm hoping that this will shock him back into reality. This crazy plan of mine that I hastily thought of back when I was visiting mom...I hope that it reaches Liquiir and it doesn't fall on deaf ears.

Oh, fuck...the pain's starting to fade. That's not a good sign. I dizzily collapsed onto the floor and face planted into a small pool of my blood. Slowly but surely, even though slight muscle spasms that are passing through my entire body, I looked up to see the face of a distressed, crying Kitsunian who has no idea what to do. I can tell that he wants to help me, but he's respecting the fact that I don't want any and it's eating him up on the inside.

Well, this is part of my plan, too. I'm showing him how he was acting earlier and how it made me felt. Hopefully, this switching of roles will get him one step closer to normalcy. I coughed and spat to clear my mouth and throat as best I could. I need to tell him something before I slip into unconsciousness.

Lord Beerus: "L-Liquiir," I whispered weakly. He immediately got onto his paws and knees and brought his face close to mine.

Lord Liquiir: "What is it, Beerus? Tell me!" He sounds so worried and scared. That makes me happy in a messed up sort of way.

Lord Beerus: "W-whatever decision you make...I'll be fine with it." I reached out with my bloodied, dripping right paw. He took it into both of his. "J-just be happy like before. I...I don't want to see you waste away. Please," I implored. With a final breath, I closed my eyes and lied down on the left side of my head. I don't know if this is where I die, but if it is, I guess I'll be joining mom sooner than expected.


Ow, my head. It's like I'm having a hangover all over again. Does that mean I died, after all? Does it hurt when you die? Wait, no, that sounds really dumb. Does your pain carry over to the afterlife? Yeah, that's what I meant by my poorly constructed words. That sounds much less stupid.

I opened my eyes and, once I finished blinking away the dizziness, pushed myself off of the ground and onto my feet. My injuries are gone, I just have this headache. I wonder, did I land my ass in Heaven or Hell? I placed my paws on my hips and looked around at my surroundings.

I'm standing on a riverbank for a large lake, for one. It's bigger than the one on my planet. The inclines are steep and from left to right they go quite a distance, far enough to where even I can't tell where they stop. There aren't any trees to speak of, but there is luscious, tall, green grass swaying and flowing in the wind all around, as far the eye can see.

The sun's shining brightly high in the sky and the water's calm and peaceful. I see a few orange, black, and white scaled fish swimming about. They look like koi fish, but they also have a single antenna with a bulb at the end, sticking out of their heads. Like an angler fish. Only much, much prettier and easier on the eyes.

This looks like it could be Heaven. Of course, now that I think about it, just because this is a different universe, it doesn't mean that there isn't a Check-In Station. No matter what, I would have had to be judged there to decide my fate first, so I'm not dead. Damn my lucid dreams, always tricking and confusing me. What is this dream even about? That's the real question.

Hm? Was that a splash? It sounded like it came from the opposite riverbank. I looked toward the sound to find...me? That looks like me. A young me. Just sitting down, casually throwing in rocks without a care in the world. I better get a closer look.

I quickly flew over and, as I thought, this is indeed me. Only a lot younger. One thing's for certain, this is shaping up to be a very interesting dream. Oddly enough, this feels very familiar. And I wonder, can he sense me? Or even see or hear me, for that matter? I didn't try to be stealthy when I flew over here next to him.

I opened my mouth, but no words or noises of any kind came out. I then crouched down and snapped my right fingers several times. Again, no noise. Okay, that's one question answered. I waved my right paw in front of his face. No reaction. What about trying to touch him? I moved my left paw to pat his back and...nothing. It went right through. I wonder what-

Lord Liquiir: "Hey, there! You're Beerus, right?" Oh, look at that, Liquiir's here as well. Both I and my past self looked over to find him standing not too far away from us with a friendly smile and his arms behind his back. Ah, wait! My eyes widened and I slapped my forehead with my right paw as the realization hit me hard, like...like literally slicing my lung. How could I possibly forget about this day?! This is the day when I first met Liquiir.

This particular day's purpose was for a meet and greet. It was to help introduce Champa and me to the other Gods of Destruction and to foster friendship since we were both so new at the time. It also served as a hearing of sorts, to allow us to see what the other Destroyers were doing with their respective universes and whether we wanted to emulate their practices. I remember Champa doing fairly well, but I wasn't in a good place at the time and I didn't do any meeting or greeting.

Lord Beerus: "I-uh, yes! I'm Lord Beerus!" He scrambled to his feet and gave a hasty bow. It's weird to hear past me talk. And was I really that awkward and nervous? "It's nice to meet you, Liquiir. L-Lord Liquiir! Please, excuse me." The Kitsunian stared at him for a few seconds before breaking out into laughter. It's nice to hear it again, even if this is in the past. Now that I think about it, how appropriate that this is my dying memory.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, it's fine! You don't have to be so nervous and formal with me. Just 'Liquiir' is okay. You can stop bowing, by the way."

Lord Beerus: "O-of course. Sorry." Past me stood up straight.

Lord Liquiir: "Don't worry about it." Liquiir brought his arms forward and there we go! The long golden-brown piece of bread that started everything has finally made its grand appearance. "Your teacher is Whis, right?" he asked while taking a small bite.

Lord Beerus: "Yes. His teachings are...strenuous," he said quietly while looking down at the ground. I'm nodding my head in agreement because I would never wish his training on anyone and that includes the people I hate most. Even among his siblings, he's tough. What Goku and Vegeta are doing right now? Since they're not training to be Gods of Destruction, their training is painfully tame.

Lord Liquiir: "I'm really sorry to hear that, Beerus. I've heard that he was a hard teacher."

Lord Beerus: "Yeah. It has to get better, though." Nope. Sorry to say, but it only gets far worse from here on out. It's a good thing no one told me that or I would have quit immediately. He looked up at Liquiir. Finally. "Would it be all right if we talk about something...else? Where'd you get that bread?"

Lord Liquiir: "I've had it the entire time. You're just now noticing?" Yes, because I was too busy praying that the training got easier to notice a six-inch long piece of bread.

Lord Beerus: "Oh. It, uh, looks good."

Lord Liquiir: "It is." He tilted his head slightly to the right. "You look really hungry. Do you want it?" he asked while holding out his left arm as a sign to take it.

Lord Beerus: "Yes?" he said while nervously moving around, though not getting any closer to the offered food. I internally sighed. I remember why I was so hesitant to take it at first. Dark times.

Lord Liquiir: "You don't sound sure. Is it because I already took a bite from it? I can break off this small section." Liquiir took his arm back and prepared to remove the area where he bit off a piece.

Lord Beerus: "No, it's okay!" he shouted a little too loudly. He uncomfortably laughed. "I mean, I don't mind. It's just...Whis has ordered me to fast. You know, to train me to not be so reliant on food." Ironic considering I'm allowed to eat as much as I want whenever I want. One of the benefits of surviving his training.

Lord Liquiir: "Oh, really? That's a shame. How long has it been now?"

Lord Beerus: "F-five days," he quietly admitted. In turn, Liquiir stared wide-eyed at young me, mouth agape.

Lord Liquiir: "W-what?! Five days?!" he loudly exclaimed. He rushed over and forced the bread into my paws. "Here, take it! Eat! I'll force feed you if I have to!" Past me looked at the Kitsunian with a surprised and slightly scared expression, but it was replaced with longing as soon as his eyes fell on the food.

Lord Beerus: "I-I want to, but I don't know. Whis might not like that." Oh, the days when I was genuinely scared of Whis. I don't miss those at all.

Lord Liquiir: "Don't worry about it! If you get in trouble, I'll take the blame and whatever consequence Whis wants to give to you, he can give to me."

Lord Beerus: "R-really? Are you sure?" How about that? Young me is now staring at Liquiir like he's my hero. With good reason, obviously.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, I am. Look, I'm not going to let you starve when I can do something about it. It's part of your training, sure, but come on. You need to eat. So, here, eat it." And just like that, with no more encouragement needed, the bread's being devoured in ravenous bites. In a matter of seconds, it's been reduced to nothing but crumbs.

Lord Beerus: "That was really good. Thank you." Liquiir laughed.

Lord Liquiir: "You're welcome. Ha, ha! You were hungry, that's for sure!" Past me laughed with his newfound friend. Present me is soundlessly laughing, too. This has really lifted up my spirits and this memory is something I'll always treasure. Even if I do forget it sometimes. From that one simple act of kindness, our wonderful friendship began and flourished into what it is today. And it all began over a piece of bread.

I suddenly let out a noiseless yawn and stretched my arms. Damn, I'm feeling tired all of a sudden. Just like when I had that dream of Liquiir at Bulma's party. I guess that's my mind's way of telling me to wake up, huh? Oh, if I'm waking up, that means that I am alive! Excellent! I just hope that my plan worked. I sat down on the grassy incline while closing my eyes, placed my paws behind my head, and fell back. Waking world, here I come.


Damn, fuck me! I don't have a headache anymore, but I do have a sore body. On the left side, right where I stabbed myself, and that definitely means that I'm back in the real world. That's good. Despite the pain I still feel, I also feel surprisingly comfortable. It feels like I'm on a bed.

I moved my head to face the left side. I then opened my eyes and the first thing to greet me was Liquiir himself, sitting beside me cross-legged with his eyes closed and holding his paws tightly together in his lap. If his body language wasn't enough to convey how worried he is, I can feel it in his aura.

Well, there's no use making him anxious about my wellbeing. It goes without saying that I should let him know that I'm all right and that I've mostly recuperated. Besides, it's not a matter of how I'm doing. It's a matter of how he's doing. Everything that I've done up until this point, it was all for him. If all I accomplished was making him feel even worse, then...

Lord Beerus: "Hey," I quietly said, causing his ears to perk up. "How's life been going for you since I've been in a coma? Did you get all of that depressing talk out of your system?" He turned his head and looked at me with a stupefied expression, though I can tell how relieved he is to see me okay. I slowly began to sit up and-oof! Nevermind, I'm not. He tackled me into a tight hug and he proceeded to nuzzle my right cheek with his.

Lord Liquiir: "I'm so happy to see that you're okay!" I smiled and wrapped my right arm around him.

Lord Beerus: "The feeling's mutual. Does this mean you feel better?" He stopped his nuzzling and let me go. He then proceeded to return to his own personal space.

Lord Liquiir: "I-yes. I do feel much better. Thank you." He's being very professional - or at least trying to be - so I don't think I should expect much more affection anytime soon. I nodded and sat up.

Lord Beerus: "Of course. I'd do anything for you." He nodded back and looked down at my previously injured area. I looked down as well. No scar. "I see Korn did a fine job."

Lord Liquiir: "Indeed...he did. Why did you do something so reckless?" he suddenly asked the question I was expecting. I looked up into his curious eyes.

Lord Beerus: "I didn't want to resort to such extremes. Truly, I didn't, but I felt as though shocking you was the only way to get you back to reality and actually talk to me. Without all of the hate and anger, I should say. Besides, I knew that you'd heal me before anything bad happened." He looked at me and made a fist with his left paw. It looks like he's going to punch my right upper arm. He closed his eyes and tiredly sighed.

Lord Liquiir: "As I said earlier, that was very reckless of you. You didn't have to nearly kill yourself, you know," he scolded quietly as he opened his eyes. Okay, now he's instead lightly caressing my arm with the back of his paw. He must have resigned to just giving me a small amount of tenderness, given how much I already hurt myself.

Lord Beerus: "Probably not. Although, at the same time, you were so damn sad. If I didn't do something drastic, you were probably going to kill yourself," I countered.

Lord Liquiir: "I...I honestly don't know, I can't answer that. I wasn't in a good state of mind by any means, but you still meant everything to me...even though thinking about you hurt me." He stopped petting me, lowered his head and his ears sadly, and closed his eyes once more. "In any case, thank you for saving me from myself..." I looked at him carefully. First extreme happiness and affection a few days ago. Then extreme depression mixed with anger. And now sadness again, though not as extreme. Thankfully. Kitsunians really are emotionally sensitive creatures. I reached forward with my right paw and gently wiped away a tear on the left side of his face.

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, it's okay," I told him softly. "Please, look at me." He did as I asked, but only for a second before turning away. He then placed some distance between us. So, he's feeling guilty? I can't accept that. He has no reason to. I'm the one who should be feeling remorseful, not him. He's done nothing wrong and I need to remind him of that.

I closed the gap between us and, without any warning, picked him and set him down in my lap with his back to me, earning myself a surprised yelp. In spite of everything that's recently happened, I softly smiled at the cute sound he emitted. I can use some cute right now. Anything is better than what I've been dealing with. What we've been dealing with.

With my left arm, I'm hugging him just under his ribs and holding him closely. With my right paw, I'm cupping the left side of his face and having him look at me. My smile's making him smile. Furthermore, I can see it in his eyes. He looks apprehensive, but also hopeful. I moved my paw up to his ear and affectionately rubbed it. Good, he's relaxing in my arms. I need him to trust me again.

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus, I-"

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir, don't feel guilty," I gently cut him off. "If anyone should be, it's me, without a doubt. I should have just talked to you about my feelings. I didn't understand them. And because of that, I hurt you deeply. I almost killed your happiness. Your joy. Your mischievousness. Your optimism." I brought my paw down to his chest. I sniffled. "Y-your amazing and c-caring heart. E-everything that makes you...you." I'm choking up worse than when I was with my mom. I didn't think that was possible. "I...I was s-selfish and inconsiderate. I didn't take your feelings into account." I wiped my eyes several times. "I'm so sorry, Liquiir."

Lord Liquiir: "Beerus," he called. I'm not sobbing pathetically like I assumed I would. Even if I was, it's okay to cry. I know that now. I buried my face into his neck, finding comfort in his soft fur. I felt his upper body shift and twist so that he could wrap his arms around my back in both a comforting and protective way. "Beerus, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here for you," he caringly soothed. Funny, I said the same thing earlier. I nodded and moved my head back. I looked down to find that his lower body is still in the same position as before, with his legs being inside of mine. The advantages of having a flexible spine. "Here...take them," he continued, garnering my full attention once more. Despite our proximity, his tails still managed to sneak their way between us. He brushed them purposely along my face, most likely to try and wipe my tears away. Does this mean that he trusts me again?

Lord Beerus: "Are you sure?"

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, I'm sure. Please." I nodded and grabbed one with my right paw, using it as a tissue. He smiled softly and wrapped the other two around my waist. I returned his smile and stared fondly into his eyes. I almost can't believe it. Talking about my feelings actually made me feel better. That old adage, one that I thought was completely stupid and useless, has merit. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I released the furry appendage. It wrapped around my neck. I then leaned my head forward and Liquiir copied my action, pressing his forehead against mine.

Lord Beerus: "Thank you. Liquiir?" I asked shyly.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, Beerus?" I lightly gulped. Here's where the decision I decided upon when I spoke to my mom comes into play.

Lord Beerus: "Do you...still want to be life mates?" His smile grew as he held onto me even tighter.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes. More than anything else." Along with an ever growing blush, my own smile increased in size at his answer. He removed his forehead from mine to nuzzle my right cheek with his once more. He then turned his body so that it's completely facing me. For my part, I moved my paws and ran them along the small of his back, earning myself some gentle purring. Much like his smile is the one sight I've missed the most, I've missed that gleeful sound more than anything else. Still, as much as I enjoy this, one thing is missing. The most important aspect to make this moment perfect.

Lord Beerus: "Hey, Liquiir, can we do the...thing?" He moved his head back to look at me.

Lord Liquiir: "And what 'thing' is that?" I bet he's thinking about something of a sexual nature. I'm not opposed, but it's not what I have in mind.

Lord Beerus: "The, uh...the tail thing. You know what I mean." I swished my tail around and lightly tapped behind me on the bed to make my message more clear. His smile and his eyes widened.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes, of course! That thing!" He's so excited and happy. That makes me feel so good. He unraveled his tails from my body and got out of my lap, eagerly taking a seat to the right of me. We're now assuming the same exact positions when he first tried to perform his courtship ritual a week ago. Only this time, I'm ready and very willing to accept. He looked into my eyes. They look so bright and brimming with joy. "Are you ready?" he asked me excitedly.

Lord Beerus: "Of course. Go right ahead." Nodding at my words, he squeezed my paw and after all of this time, he coiled his tails around mine. They cover mine so completely it's as if they were mine to begin with. Yeah, in the grand scheme of things the courtship ritual was simple. It was short. Very short.

Even so, I can understand why this seemingly unnecessary action is important. It's so intimate. And I can feel his fondness for me. It's coming off of him in powerful waves. Then again, that could always just be the vibration from his purring. It could also be mine. Now that I'm comfortable with who I am and I know what I want, I'm not going to disrespect Liquiir by trying to resist my urge to purr anymore. He definitely doesn't.

Lord Liquiir: "I hear someone's enjoying themselves," he commented.

Lord Beerus: "Uh-huh. A true symphony of happiness we have." He hummed his agreement. Meanwhile, I turned my head and looked him over. He's relaxed. Happy. Cute...and only down to his underwear. I then looked myself over. I just realized that I am vastly overdressed for this occasion. I cleared my throat. "Hey, can you give me a few seconds? I look inappropriate." He looked me up and down. He then stared at me in confusion.

Lord Liquiir: "What do you mean?" I let go of his paw and jumped off of the bed.

Lord Beerus: "You'll see." Not wasting another second, I quickly removed every piece of my attire, setting whatever I took off onto the floor. There we go. I looked over at Liquiir and smiled. "Okay, now I look appropriate." He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "Indeed. Y-you look good like that," he told me bashfully.

Lord Beerus: "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. That being said, I want an explanation for something."

Lord Liquiir: "All right. I'll do my best to provide one." Nodding, I got back onto the bed and motioned for Liquiir to sit in my lap again. He readily complied and took his seat. In turn, I gently, but firmly, wrapped my arms around him and placed my muzzle between his ears. I then lied down on my back and held him close to me. I don't intend to let him go. Not again. Not so soon. All I want right now is to cuddle with my favorite fox and I will cuddle with him, damn it.

Lord Beerus: "When I last visited you," I began, "you were quite affectionate. Much more affectionate than usual. Is there any special reason behind that?"

Lord Liquiir: "Yeah, you could say that. Truth be told, I was using any excuse I could to be as close to you and have as much physical contact with you as possible. I tried to do it as subtle as possible as well because, on some level, I thought that if I said 'Hey, let's snuggle all day!' you wouldn't be too keen on visiting me again."

Lord Beerus: "Ah, I see. You did a good job, I didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary, even when you asked me to strip down to my underwear so that we could soak in the hot spring together." He chuckled. "Also, I'm just guessing that the heart and rainbow we made was another subtle way of saying 'I really like you and I want to be life mates'?"

Lord Liquiir: "It was. May I admit something else to you?"

Lord Beerus: "Yes, what is it?"

Lord Liquiir: "Do you remember at the party when I let you pet and hold and do whatever with my tails?"

Lord Beerus: "Yes?" I said cautiously. I feel like I know where this is going.

Lord Liquiir: "And do you also remember how I looked throughout the duration? "

Lord Beerus: "I do. It looked as if you were...I'll say 'Struggling.' I believe that's the most fitting word for how you appeared."

Lord Liquiir: "That sounds about right. The reason I looked like I was struggling is that...well, I kind of was. To put it bluntly, you were turning me on." That was where it was going. It looks like I was right.

Lord Beerus: "Is that so?" He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "Yes. In addition to trying to suppress my purring, I was also trying very hard not to just...pounce on you. For one, you were intoxicated, albeit only slightly at the time. I didn't want to take advantage of you. Two, above all, I had to perform my courtship ritual. No matter how much I wanted to be with you, that is a must. To that end, I needed to first verify that you actually had an interest in being life mates with me. You are. You, yourself, just needed some time to sort out your feelings first." I nodded and rubbed his soft ears with my face. They're flickering against me every now and then in response. They tickle a little bit.

Lord Beerus: "That's good to know. Again, I'm deeply sorry about that."

Lord Liquiir: "No, it's completely fine. It was completely unreasonable for me to expect you to know about my people's romantic culture, let alone my feelings for you." I shrugged.

Lord Beerus: "Whatever, don't worry about it. It's water under the bridge." He turned over to face me.

Lord Liquiir: "Are you sure? It's really fine?"

Lord Beerus: "Yes, it really...um..." I trailed off as my gaze slowly traveled lower to his lips. They're so close to mine. So kissable. That's a crime in itself. We haven't even shared our first kiss yet. I should fix that. My gaze returned to his eyes. "Sorry about that. I got distracted. Anyway, it's really fine. However, do you know what isn't fine?"

Lord Liquiir: "What's that?" I smiled and gently caressed the right side of his face.

Lord Beerus: "We haven't even kissed yet. Don't you think we should do something about that?" He smiled back and nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "Oh, yes, we most definitely should." I chuckled.

Lord Beerus: "That's what I like to hear." I tightened my grip around his slender waist and rolled us over so that now I'm atop of him. "You don't mind if I take charge, do you?" He shook his head.

Lord Liquiir: "Not at all. I think it's better this way." Really? Why is it-oh, that's right. Because Kitsunians are usually only ever life mates with one person, they're almost always going to be virgins in just about every sense of the word. That's okay, though. I'm no stranger to teaching the more physical acts of passion to inexperienced lovers.

I breathed in and out deeply before slowly but surely giving him a soft, experimental kiss on his lips and closed my eyes. It's the first kiss I've given to another man. Ever. If we're going to be life mates, I want to get used to this feeling since we'll be doing this a lot. We're already off to a great start. He suddenly wrapped his arms around my neck and held onto me tightly. Heh. It's almost as if he's trying to choke me out in the most ineffective way possible.

A few more seconds passed and I slowly pulled away. Breathing slightly harder, I opened my eyes just in time to see his open. He's also breathing a little harder and he's giving me a very warm smile. I smiled back. "That was really nice," he quietly voiced. He's being shy now. So damn cute.

Lord Beerus: "It was," I immediately agreed. I would feel far too embarrassed to utter this aloud, but I have much more to say about the kiss we just shared. Even as Gods of Destruction, with massive reserves of stamina, we were both still rendered slightly out of breath. If they were to become more passionate, we would both take each other's breath completely away. To put it simply...our kiss was everything I was hoping it would be and they will only get better from here on.

I looked from my right and left at Liquiir's wagging tails. I removed my right arm from his waist and poked one of them a couple of times. "What did you guys think of it?" As if to answer, two of them, one from each side of my body, wrapped around my tail. The third coiled around the front of my own waist, onto my back, and between my ears and over my left eye. Heh. It's like I have I fray, like one of those dreary teenagers who believe that every aspect of life sucks. Those kids should really get over themselves. Or at least go outside every once in a while. "It looks like that's my answer." The fox chuckled and slowly rubbed my right cheek with his.

Lord Liquiir: "I love you, Beerus." Whoa. I wasn't expecting him to drop that bomb anytime soon, oddly enough. I'm not surprised that he told me, but I still didn't expect it. If anything, after all of my confusion and questioning, one might wonder if him telling me that so easily makes me happy. One might wonder if my heart has been sent aflutter as result. One might be fucking right they did!

Lord Beerus: "You know, Liquiir," I began as I pulled my head back to look into his eyes, "of all the things I thought you might say, that wasn't one of them, believe it or not."

Lord Liquiir: "Oh, I see. Pardon me, I didn't mean to say it so soon." What? He assumes that it wasn't okay for him to say that he loves me? Hm, let's see. I could alleviate him of his newfound self-consciousness, but let's see where this goes. He suddenly gave me a gentle and understanding smile. After that, he brought his right paw to my cheek and began stroking it with his thumb. "It's okay if you can't tell me. I'm not going to force you to do anything that you're not comfortable with. I mean...I kind of did put you in that situation already. We both know that it wasn't good by any means. In any case, it doesn't matter to me. You're here, that's all I need. And furthermore-"

Lord Beerus: "Liquiir? You're rambling. Shut up, so I can tell you that I love you, too." He opened his mouth to say something, but he just as quickly closed it. Afterward, his smile grew cheekier as he brought both of his arms down to my back. He's holding me even closer than before now.

Lord Liquiir: "I don't know, I was getting used to my rambling there. Perhaps I can be persuaded to shut up, but only if you kiss me again." Really, now? Well, that's all I need to know. Without another second to waste I connected our lips again. If I'm being honest, kissing him feels...addictive. Intoxicating. Despite this being only our second kiss, I think that I can say with confidence that I would do this all day every day; lungs permitting, of course.

And, like an addiction, I want more. Even if it's just a small amount. I lightly pressed our crotches together and began the pleasurable process of slowly grinding them together. He softly moaned and pushed back against me harder. Knowing that Liquiir can also get an erection, which I'm actually starting to feel, it's both weird but at the same time right. Let's see what else feels right.

I pulled away from his lips and latched onto the right side of his neck. Ignoring his somewhat dense fur, I began licking and nibbling it, causing him to squirm delightedly under me. "Oh. Oh, Beerus," he moaned through a purr. "Uh, wait. Wait, stop, please." I ceased my actions as requested and looked carefully at him.

Lord Beerus: "What's wrong? Was I going too fast?"

Lord Liquiir: "N-no. Yes. I-I don't want to go too far. We still have to undergo the ceremony before we're officially life mates. It's taboo to have sex before then. I'm sorry to disappoint you..." I scoffed.

Lord Beerus: "Come now, don't be ridiculous. I'm not so sex crazed or inconsiderate that I'd ignore your cultures and traditions for my own personal gratification. I would never purposely ignore them...unless they were really stupid." He laughed a little at that. "I can wait and we can just cuddle instead. Okay?" He nodded.

Lord Liquiir: "Yeah...that sounds good." From the slightly disappointed tone in his voice, it doesn't sound that way to me. It makes sense, of course, when you factor in that millions of years of abstaining from sex must have made him really pent up. Because of tradition, he's more or less forced to go agonizingly slow when it comes to physicality in romance. It sucks because there's only so much you can do on your own, but luckily, I can always help with that.

I rolled us to the right onto our sides, still face to face, with his tails still around me. He moved his legs and entangled them with mine instinctively. He then moved his head under my muzzle and delightedly sighed. I notice that I tend to be in the masculine role when it comes to positions like this. The only thing that makes it feel slightly off is that he's an inch taller than me. So, even if I was acting like the big spoon, as I am right now, I'd still technically be the little spoon. "Thank you, Beerus," he said suddenly.

Lord Beerus: "For what?"

Lord Liquiir: "For not giving up on me. For being here." He grabbed my right paw with his left and entwined his fingers with mine. "And for being mine." I smiled.

Lord Beerus: "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." Wow, that sounded painfully cliché. But what can you do? Truths tend to be cliché.

Lord Liquiir: "That's good to hear. I wouldn't have it any other way, either." He removed his head from under my muzzle and looked into my eyes. "I was wondering, do you have to get back to your universe?" I shrugged.

Lord Beerus: "I highly doubt it. And at this point, fuck my universe. I want to stay here with you and I'm certain that they'll be fine without me." We shared a small laugh. Obviously not the healthiest way to think about one's own universe, but Liquiir and I deserve this time together.

Lord Liquiir: "Fair enough. I'd feel the same way if I was in your home." He gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Beerus." I kissed him back.

Lord Beerus: "Goodnight, Liquiir. Let's get some sleep." Yet another thing we deserve. With that being said, I let go of his paw and wrapped my arms around his back, holding him closely and protectively. He copied my actions and eventually returned his head to its former place under my muzzle. I closed my eyes. I'm so comfortable right now that I'm not even going to attempt to cover us with a blanket. I know for a fact that he's not going to, either.

Lord Liquiir: "Before we sleep, I'd like to hear you say one thing."

Lord Beerus: "What's that?" I asked, still keeping my eyes closed.

Lord Liquiir: "I'll let you figure it out. I am a cheeky..." I smiled. He really loves being called that, doesn't he?

Lord Beerus: "You're a cheeky bastard. My cheeky bastard."

Lord Liquiir: "You're damn right I am," he answered immediately. We softly chuckled. Despite the hardships that happened, I think that today was one of the best days I've ever had. Focusing on the pleased rumbling in his throat, I drifted off to sleep.


Oof. That was quite the journey Beerus and Liquiir went through. In the end, though, it had a nice and sweet ending. Beerus managed to cope with his feelings, understanding himself much better as a result, and fixed the situation. He's staying true to himself and also bettering himself.

He also had the support of his friends and family. Remember that your first line of support will always be your friends and family. You don't have to, but every once in a while you should tell them that you appreciate everything they've done for you. Let them know how important they are!

Now, Beeriquiir is officially here and it's going strong! Yeah, that's right. I combined their names. What are you going to do about it? Nothing, that's what! In all seriousness, I'm happy that they found someone important to share the rest of their lives with. I think that's something we can all get on board with. That missing half of you is out there somewhere! I wholeheartedly believe in that!

By the way, I hope that memory scene wasn't too confusing when it came to Present and Past Beerus. I made it so that only Past Beerus could speak so that I didn't have to label him as a separate entity whenever he said something. Just a quick and smart solution to do less and more efficient work on my end.

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!