Chapter 7: The Question

:-:

She was outgoing and optimistic.

He was shy, yet curious.

She was bright and creative.

He was just beginning to learn.

Two opposite halves.

One possibility of feeling wholeness.

:-:

-10 YR time skip-

Noreen popped out of the lake, slicking her long white hair back. She sighed, relaxation settling all over her being. It was nice to have some time to get to know Beerus better. Ever since he'd arrived at her home, she could tell he'd been feeling rather awkward. Things had been getting better between them, though. Beerus seemed much more comfortable now. He talked openly with her now, starting most of their conversations. Noreen found him quite entertaining. He says the funniest things without even trying.

"Care to join? The water feels so nice." She said, looking up at the fair who was currently sitting on the lakes cliffside.

He was cloud gazing, something she found him doing often. Beerus seemed to not hear the question. She saw this as a perfect opportunity to splash him by surprise. Dripping wet, he glared at her. "Hey!"

Noreen giggled, ruffling his now damp fur atop his head. "You drift off too much."

"No I don't!" He swatted her hand away playfully. "I like to watch the clouds shift form. Problem?"

She shrugged. "Nope. However, you ignored my question." Noreen pointed to the lake. "Would you like to swim with me? The water feels amazing." She smiled.

Beerus looked to the side of her. "Uh… no thanks."

She nudged him with her elbow. "C'mon! It'll help you loosen up."

"I said no." His tone dimmed. A realization struck Noreen, and she couldn't help but giggle.

Beerus glared at her. If there was one thing he disliked, it was when people mocked him. "What's so funny?" He demanded.

It took Noreen a moment for her to gather herself from laughing so much. "Barron was right about feline beings disliking getting wet."

Beerus crossed his arms with a huff. He hated to admit it, but he really hated getting wet. He hated it more than when Whiz punished him for rude behavior.

"It's not that I'm scared of getting wet or anything. I just don't like how it feels on my fur." He turned his gaze back to the female fair, who was staring at him knowingly with a ridiculous grin. Beerus huffed once more, sticking his nose up in the air as if he was superior to her (when in reality they were both at equal power levels). "It's not like you could make me either."

If there was one thing Beerus failed to learn about Noreen in the ten years he's been on her home planet, it was you should never ever say anything remotely close to 'you can't make me' to her.

A devilish smirk settled on her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed. "To bad. The water really is soothing." She turned away from him. Noreen took flight, but didn't fly back to the lake. Oh no. She just had to make him think she left the cliffside. In reality, she flew off the cliff, above him, and then in back of him, ready to make her move.

Beerus got up and peaked over the cliff. As she suspected, he was wondering why she hadn't returned to the lake. That's when she made her move.

All of a sudden, Beerus found himself darting toward the dark blue surface of the lake. He was too confused as to what pushed him at the moment to remember how to fly himself. Just when he was about to dive head first, something caught his tail. He still had his eyes closed in anticipation of hitting the water. After a moment or two, however; the wet water fell did not come. Not even a drop was felt.

He lifted his head to see slit magenta eyes gazing at him with amusement.

That's it.

Beerus summoned just enough energy to create a blast which was meant to get her to let go. Before he fired it, it came to mind that if he were to make her let go of him, he'd land in the water since he had yet to master instant transmission (he'd remember to pester Whiz about it later). Basically, he was between a rock and a hard place. Slowly, the readied blast dissipated in his palms. All he could do now was hang there like a limp, lifeless object. He crossed his arms.

Noreen decided that he'd suffered enough. She lifted him five feet so he'd have room to escape her grasp and obligate to hovor. Beerus glared at her, feeling ready to attack not that he was free. However, that feeling went away as soon as she laughed out loud. She was laughing so hard she was on the brink of tears. Beerus felt humiliated, but then he did something he never thought he'd do.

The edges of his mouth quirked upward, and he laughed along with her and almost as much as her.

He was laughing at himself.

For whatever reason, it didn't feel like mockery at all. It didn't even feel embarrassing at this point. It felt… good. Laughing as hard and as much as he was laughing now felt very good, as if all worries and doubts suddenly blew away with the light breeze surrounding the lake.

When the two finally calmed down and collected themselves, they both wore a goofy smile. Noreen was the first to break the silence, her smile vanishing and being replaced with a blank expression.

"Beerus?" Her voice was monotone.

His smile dropped as well. Did he do something wrong to make her look so blank? Thoughts swarmed his mind and then came to a quick halt when she asked a question.

"We're friends, right?"

He was confused at this. Honestly, he never considered needing a conformation. He did enjoy her company, and even though he felt nervous from time to time about the new surroundings of her planet, she always found some way to distract him from the foreign feeling. She was, by his standards, someone he could trust.

"I… I enjoy the time you spend with me and the activities we do." He said, hoping to make that blank look of hers go away. The thing is, he's not really sure why it mattered. It mattered to Noreen, apparently, and he'd hate to make her feel insecure on her own home planet. He was about to tell her how he also enjoyed the food she cooked, but was interrupted.

Her gaze seemed cold when she looked at him. "But are we friends?"

Beerus was beyond confusion. He didn't even know what to make of the situation. She seemed fine a moment ago.

"It's a yes or no question."

"I…"

"Do you even know what being friends implies?"

He looked down at the water below them. "No."

She was silent. Deadly silent. So silent he could hear the marine creatures filter water through their gills many feet below the lake surface. So silent he could hear the planet breathing through its core. He hated how she wouldn't say a word after he confess his answer. Beerus wasn't sure what to do. He'd never encountered a situation like this, nor has he ever met someone like Noreen before. He had an idea of what being friends implied - a bond of trust between two beings established over a long period of time - but wasn't 100% sure.

He killed the silence. "But… it sounds nice. Perhaps I'd like to be friends after experiencing my time here."

As if he said a magic word, her blank look disappeared and was replaced with a small smile. "Great. Because I'd really like it if we were friends."

He smiled in return. Thankfully the awkward silence didn't last for too long. A growl emitted from his stomach, which made Noreen giggle. "I'm a bit hungry myself." She said, flying up and up and up. "Let's go back to the temple. I have a new recipe I want to try out." She winked at him, followed by a 'thumbs up' as she called it."

He nodded and followed her.

Hopefully he'll be able to learn more about 'being friends' and hopefully, she'd be willing to teach him about it along with all the other lessons about the 12 universes.

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I started college and it takes time getting used to.