The sound of voices drifted down the corridor as Beerus made his way to the dining room. The familiar lilt of Whis's voice could be heard, but the other voice… It wasn't the oracle fish for sure, but he was sure he knew that voice. As he rounded the corner he realised who was sitting in his dining room, and wished that it had been a total stranger instead.

"Gr-gr-gr- good morning, Grand Priest!" Beerus shouted across the room. He bowed, causing him to notice he was still in his nightgown, and this was probably bad etiquette. "Please excuse me!" He hurried back out of the room before either angel could say anything.

Why is the Grand Priest here? It couldn't be good, right? When was a visit from the higher ups ever good? And when did the Grand Priest ever come in person? What couldn't be handled with a call? Wait – what had Whis looked like just now? He knew Whis had been sitting right there, but in his sudden panic he hadn't even glanced at his attendant for a clue as to whether this was good or bad. He'd certainly become lax about asking the Seer for predictions recently. What if she couldn't see things involving people as divine as the Grand Priest? He'd have to ask about that at some point.

As he pulled on his shoes another thought occurred to him. What if he's just here to see Whis? If the Grand Priest came to see Beerus, then surely Whis would have woken him immediately? Although he was sure the Grand Priest had more time to waste than most in the universe, he got the feeling that the angel kept a strict schedule. I mean, a father visiting his son isn't too out of the ordinary, right? Not that Beerus actually believed it worked quite like the familiar relationships he was used to.

Mere minutes later he reappeared, never having changed that quickly unaided in his life. "You humble us with your presence, your – your holiness!" His holiness? Did he sound completely ridiculous right now? His attempt at composure was quickly falling apart.

"Please relax, there is no need to be so formal," the Grand Priest said with a disarming smile.

Yes, what was there to fear from this man? He wasn't Grand Zeno, after all. But the fact that anything he did would get back to Zeno made him sweat. "So, er – what can we do for you today?" He glanced down at the table, checking that Whis had offered refreshments – obviously he had.

"I've come to inform you of Grand Zeno's wish to host a hide and seek tournament," the Grand Priest explained. "It shall begin in ten tics. You will be expected to come to the palace for the official countdown to the start of the tournament."

"Are there any rules I should know about?" Beerus asked, already worried about how this was going to turn out.

"You can choose to hide anywhere in your universe, but you may not hide in another universe. Due to the size of the universes and the amount of time this could take, you will be expected to reveal yourself if the seeker calls your name and you can hear it."

"And who will the seeker be?"

"Grand Zeno, of course."

Beerus was glad he'd taken a seat, because there's no way his knees would have supported him with that revelation; the rule made a lot more sense now.

"Of course, should Grand Zeno tire of the role of seeker, one of you will be nominated to continue in his place. Until you are caught, or otherwise called upon by either Whis or myself, you are to remain in your hiding spot. It is forbidden to change your hiding spot during the game."

So it was going to be like a boring holiday? He wasn't going to run that thought by the Grand Priest, but it sure sounded that way – he wasn't going to be able to do any work if he had to remain in one place. "I understand."

The Grand Priest finished his tea and stood up, Beerus standing too as if he wasn't allowed to be seated while the angel stood. "Thank you for the tea, it was good to catch up." Beerus believed he actually witnessed a genuine smile from the Grand Priest, but it looked awfully similar to one he'd seen earlier. Maybe he really was nicer than Beerus gave him credit for?

"Please, feel free to drop by anytime." Whis returned the smile with an incline of his head.

Beerus bowed, not sure if he had to add anything. He'd much rather Whis did the talking for him if he could get away with it.

"We shall see each other soon enough. Until then, goodbye, gentlemen."

Beerus watched in awe as the Grand Priest disappeared through a portal of light. Certainly not as flashy as the beam Whis travelled with, but this had a more mystical air to it. His shoulders sagged and he slumped back into his chair, exhausted by the short visit.

"Some tea, my lord?"

Beerus nodded. "How come you didn't wake me when he arrived?" The man had clearly been on business, so why wait?

"My father has strict ideas about when it's appropriate to speak with his children, and as he's almost always on the job with Grand Zeno, that would be almost never. As he was out on this errand, and you were asleep, he took the opportunity for a short catch-up."

"Couldn't he have just asked for a quick chat after?"

Whis shook his head. "He wouldn't take time for himself like that."

"What were you talking about?"

"You, me, us. Nothing much."

Beerus narrowed his eyes, wondering what exactly Whis meant by that.

"As much as he pretends not to take an interest, the Grand Priest does like to know how the destroyers are progressing, and whether we get along, and of course, how his children are faring."

He wanted to ask if the Grand Priest actually cared, but thought the question could offend Whis. The two didn't seem particularly close, but who really knew how things were between the angels? "Does he…know, though?"

"I told him we get along as well as I did with the previous destroyer."

That's a terrible answer! It required knowledge Beerus didn't possess about what the Grand Priest knew about them. Well…perhaps Whis didn't even know the answer for certain. He decided to drop the subject. "Say, it's been a while since the last gathering thing."

"Yes, it's certainly overdue, but I suppose he was more than satisfied with the tea party with the Supreme Kais."

"What?" He hadn't heard about that.

"Yes, well, you aren't particularly chatty with your kais anymore, are you?"

Beerus shrugged. "Guess not. A tea party's the last thing I'd be asking about. But, still, isn't it a bit strange for the Grand Priest himself to come all the way out here to tell us?"

Whis shrugged. "We have a whole ten tics to prepare, so perhaps not. It may have also been an excuse to see us." Whis hummed. "Maybe Grand Zeno is sleeping before the game begins, meaning the Grand Priest had time to come and see us individually?"

"I don't know, still seems fishy to me."

"You know, he often appears to the Supreme Kais to impart information."

Beerus thought about the previous gatherings – the arm wrestling tournament, the strangest picnic he'd been to where he had to bring a teddy bear – usually the Grand Supreme Kai told him about these things, but not always. "Why's that? Surely it should be us who get the info from him – y'know, so he can see his children and all."

Whis raised a brow at the ridiculous notion that a destroyer would be better suited to being told such important details. "Kais listen diligently, in silence, they do not talk back, ask minimal questions, and are able to immediately pass on the information to you."

"Point taken."

"And I must say, Universe 1's kai is very good. I'm sure the Grand Priest uses him as a means to tidy up his bullets points when delivering Grand Zeno's messages to the other universes."

"Oh, been taking trips to over universes while I was asleep, have you?"

"Well, my lord, you've missed a couple of centuries at times. I couldn't help but do a little spying from time to time – once I'd finished spying on our own universe of course!"

"Are they all good?"

"All the universes?" Whis asked. "Not all of them."

"No, I meant all the kais," Beerus said. "You tend to always have one weaker than the others."

Whis was silent for a moment, which Beerus took to be consideration, but realised he'd been quite wrong. "There's only one kai in Universe 1."

"What? Isn't that a bit weird?"

"Actually, my lord…"

Oh no, there's the look of concern! On anyone else this expression wouldn't faze Beerus, but on Whis it made him feel cold.

"…We're the last universe to have five Supreme Kais."

"Not to say what again, but what?! When did Champa lose his? How? Why didn't he tell me?"

"I shouldn't have said anything," Whis whispered.

"No, come on, I want to hear about it. Am I going to lose my kais suddenly?"

"I don't know. I don't have information from the other universes about this. It's all been rather quiet – kais simply haven't been replaced by the sound of it. Of course, no one dares to petition Grand Zeno for more, or even to ask why."

"I don't like it," Beerus said.

"You know Grand Zeno, he sometimes decided there's too much of something in the universe."

Beerus would never forget the announcement of the erasure of six universes. No warning, no discussion. "I guess five kais to one destroyer is quite an unbalanced ratio."

"Perhaps he merely seeks to preserve balance in all aspects."

"But, Whis, this… This endangers me. The fact that more than one kai has died accidentally is enough to set me on edge. When there's only one left? I might have to keep them locked up."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. I hear Fuwa – that would be Universe 6's Supreme Kai – has an attendant to keep him safe. Much like I do with you. I could arrange for the same thing when we eventually fall in line with the other universes."

Beerus still didn't like it, but he agreed. "That'd put my mind at rest. A little."

"But I think you should focus on the task at hand. You won't be around to see any kais if you don't please Grand Zeno in this game."

For a short moment Beerus had forgotten all about the fact he had to see the little brat in 10 tics. "Have you got an idea for a hiding place? I probably shouldn't make it too hard, right?"

"Neither too hard nor too easy. You don't want Grand Zeno to think you weren't trying hard enough to hide."

"Okay, but I'll be there for a while, so let's pick somewhere nice. I'm thinking a planet with a nice climate – nice and warm so I can sleep under the stars. Maybe in a forest where I can find a good branch."

Ooo

Of course, the rule that you had to respond when your name was called was easy enough to follow. If you were awake.

Beerus had fallen asleep in his tree. A very comfortable tree where he was shaded from the harsh sun, but enjoyed all the benefits of the warmth that came from it. So when Quitela (Grand Zeno had tired after finding two destroyers) had walked through the forest, calling for him, he hadn't responded. Whis lamented that Beerus's snores must have been carried off in the wind.

The angel had eventually come for him, explaining that Grand Zeno was mad that he'd broke one of the few rules, and that the other destroyers – and even the Grand Priest – were busy trying to placate him.

Beerus barely had the strength to stand as Whis told him how things had gone. He wanted to beg Whis to take him home, not the palace. Maybe it would be better to end his life here on his own terms? He was sure his destruction awaited him back at the palace.

The other destroyers might as well have thrown daggers at him the way they stared when he stepped into the room. Beerus had to kneel in shame while the other destroyers watched as Grand Zeno berated him. But they'd done a good job in making Zeno happy again, and all Beerus had to do was show the omniking the tree in question, and he agreed it was a good tree. Once he'd sat in it and had a little doze himself, he destroyed the tree so that no one else could ever enjoy it again.

In the weeks following there were many visitors from the other universes. Beerus fought them all, enjoying the chance to train with people at his level that weren't Whis. These days all mortals were so far below him that the idea of finding a decent opponent was nothing more than a fantasy. Champa didn't fight him though, instead demanding that Beerus take him out for the best desserts Universe 7 had to offer. In the end, that didn't end up being much of a punishment.

A/N: The Buu incident? I'm not going to talk about it in this fic. I already did that in my other fic, Loveless World.