Chapter 10: Yin & Yang
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Beerus loved flying.
Ever since he learned how to, he flew every time an opportunity presented itself to do so.
Currently, he was zooming around his favorite spot on Baron's planet - the garden. It was a favorite spot of Noreen's as well, and they often wasted the hours together whenever they weren't training or in the middle of a lesson.
"You've been flying for quite some time now! Don't you ever get tired?" Noreen shouted from the ground, her voice carried up by the faint breeze to where Beerus could hear her.
"Never. Flying is my most favorite thing to do. I fly whenever I can." He answered, descending down to where she was positioned, and landed with a powerful 'thud'. Her smile grew as he almost toppled over after recovering from impact.
"Careful. We don't need you getting injured or sick, what with the short time you're going to be under my wing here."
"You didn't see that!" Beerus quickly corrected his toppled posture.
Noreen giggled. "See what?"
Beerus perked his ears and nose up - a sign of cockiness and pride. "Exactly."
Taking him by the hand, Noreen lead him to the garden's center - the place where lots of their lessons were hosted. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see!" She said, a bit too cheerful for Beeru's liking.
They reached the center of the garden and Noreen plunged her hands into the lukewarm water. She fumbled a bit before pulling out a green and golden box.
"Why'd you stick a box in the fountain?" Beerus asked. He really was confused at this point… and he'd never seen the box in the fountain before. Maybe she hid it in some sort of secret compartment?
Noreen held up the dripping item so Beerus could study it. It was… quite beautiful. It looked hand crafted and had to be at least a millennia old based on the type of crafting. It had a rounded top, and at the front were two mythical looking creatures that Beerus had never seen or heard of before. On the lid of the golden box was an engraved word in a language lost to the ages of time and space. Noreen grinned at his expression of curiosity. She held it out further so he could hold it. With utmost care, Beerus took the box from her, still awed by the handiwork and the shine of the gold that was brought out by the fresh water still dripping from its edges. The box looks and feels smooth like silk, and though it was impossible for an inanimate object to come to life… Beerus could swear he was hearing tiny breaths and whispers coming from the two mythical creatures.
"Cool, huh?" Noreen said, breaking his focus on the box. He looked up at her and nodded.
"Heck yeah. But what is it exactly? And what are those two scaly-looking creatures on the front end of the box?"
"They're called dragons. Baron told me they're some of the oldest living creatures known to the universe. He even says that it was dragons who created the multiverse, time and space! Can you believe it?"
"Whis never mentioned anything about… dr- dragons." Beerus struggled to say the newly learned word.
Noreen sighed. "Well, that's why you're here isn't it? To learn things that Whis may not be able to teach you."
"Whis is a great mentor - the best there is! Why hasn't he told me about these dragons yet?" Beerus whined. He had to admit, he was frustrated since day one that Noreen seemed to know more than he does. Slowly, he got over it, but it was times like these when he wish he knew what she knew. Maybe she's seen a dragon. He pouted, wishing he'd get the same opportunity sooner rather than later. Dragons sounded like the coolest thing ever…
Noreen hummed. "I'm sure he knows about dragons Beerus, but perhaps he was waiting for a… special time to tell you about them."
Beerus scoffed. "Highly unlikely, but yeah. S'pose you're right. Wait, 'special time'?"
"Yes! I… wanted to show you this box for a very special reason Beerus, not just for the heck of it."
The fairs ears perked up as high as they could, listening with interest. "What reason could that possibly be? It's not my creation day."
Noreen smiled. "No, it's not."
Beerus scratched the back of his head. "It's not your creation day."
"No." Noreen said. Though she knew Beerus would never come close to the answer, she still thought it cute how he looked when curious. "I doubt you'll guess the reason any time soon, silly."
The nickname, which used to make him cringe now made him grin and chuckle. He playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Then tell me for what reason you showed me the box, silly." He said, returning the name.
Noreen's grip on the box tightened as the playful, yet powerful punch almost made her drop the box. "Careful Beerus! Geez!" She laughed. "You're stronger than you think."
"Yeah yeah, quit stalling and tell me why you showed me this box, as well as what's in it."
"Say pleeeeeease~"
Beerus sighed. "Ugh. Please."
She giggled before clearing her throat. "Well, Beerus. We've been friends for a long time. When you first got here… I thought you'd never come around. But WOW you proved me wrong!" She said, returning the punch to his shoulder.
Beerus smiled. "Yeah, well… I don't like new things, or things I don't understand."
Noreen nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's normal for everyone Beerus, even me when I first started out. However, once I opened my mind to the learning possibilities, I enjoyed new information and added it to what I already knew as well as applied it to life. I understand. New things… are scary and hard to understand. You have to make the effort to accept them, which you did… and for that-" Noreen paused to look Beerus in the eyes with a heart-felt smile. "-I'm very proud of you, and I thank you for not shutting me out."
Beerus's eye ridges quirked, as if she was suddenly speaking a different language. "Are you kidding?" He said, then laughed. "I may be a tough cookie to crack, but I'm not terrible altogether."
She grinned, chuckling. "I never said you were! I'm simply implying you can be… difficult. But you have grown a lot since your first day."
"I hope so!" Beerus shook his head, feeling unpleasant shivers drawn from memories of how harsh Whis can be the few times he'd done something monumentally wrong. "Or else Whis will do unspeakable things to me." He said, dramatically putting the back of his hand to his forehead. "Some days I wonder how I survive with him as my teacher… woe is me, woe is me!"
Noreen almost fainted out of laughter. Beerus could be so incredibly funny when he wants to be. His humor was one aspect of him that Noreen absolutely adored and could never get enough of.
When their laughter dies down, Noreen looked down at her box she was still clutching incredibly tight. "Beerus…"
His smile disappeared, sensing his friends current and sudden state of uneasiness. "What?"
She would not look at him. All her attention was on the box, as if she were to look away for but a moment, the multiverse as she knew it would disappear.
"Beerus. I just want you to know that whatever happens in the future, I'll be there for you. You and I both know what our roles as fairs to Baron and Whis imply… what we are going to become when we're of age. Many will fear us, few will look up to us, even fewer will simply respect us as deities, and that number shortens even more for those who love us… the vast majority of civilizations across our respective universes won't even know we exist, thinking of us as no more than a myth, a legend… a nobody." Noreen explained, her voice growing more and more heavy with the weight of all the sadness of her words.
"Yes, I know. What's your point?"
Noreen glared at him, her expression changing rapidly. She had a look of pure shock on her face, mixed with confusion and a twinge of hurt. Beerus took two steps back, bewildered at why she was having this sudden stream of changing emotions, and more so what brought them on.
"What's my point?!" She said, her voice cusping on the volume of a shout. "My point is us being reduced to invisible, mythical, nothingness! Beerus, our lives are always going to be ones of isolation aside from our mentors and the other 12 gods of destruction of the multiverse, and occasionally higher-classed Kais. I… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit worried or scared about that, and wish you were too." Her eyes began glossing over - an indication of tears soon to come. "Beerus, I don't want to be alone. I want to talk to others and socialize and meet new people and… and shave a life other than being a destroyer. Sometimes I feel like Baron has the wrong gall and that there's no way I'm meant for this job, but for some reason… he picked me out of all eligible candidates."
As Noreen dived deeper into her speech, she began to ramble. It got to a point where she could no longer contain her emotions, and let it stream down her face in fresh salty tears.
It was at that point where Beerus had enough of seeing sadness and despair on her face and wrapped both his arms around her in a big hug in one smooth motion. Noreen instantly stopped rambling, though faint sobs could still be heard by his large feline ears. Not knowing what to do or why he even bothered to hug her, he simply stood with her next to the fountain for a while. As the minutes ticked away, Noreen's breathing evened out and her sobbing stopped altogether. It was quiet except for the faint breeze that rustled the plants surrounding the inner garden walls.
Just as Beerus felt the first twinges of embarrassment and was about to pull away, he felt two hands press against his shoulders and pull him closer. His face heated up for reasons he could not yet comprehend and his arms subconsciously tightened their hold on her. Noreen sighed, and was about to break the silence, but Beerus surprisingly beat her to it.
"Look, Noreen. I don't know as much as you do, which has always bothered me." He said with a light chuckle. "But I still know things like how to fly, how to create energy blasts, and how NOT to make a deluxe creme cake. I also know that whatever reasons you're afraid of the future are maybe not as intimidating as you think they are. When I first met you, I was afraid bees. Can you believe it?"
Noreen mustered up as much of a laugh as she could. "Yeah." She whispered.
"And now that you've helped me get over that fear, I'm not afraid anymore. Now I know that without bees, the flowers I love so much can't live and grow. I guess… that's how it is with everything, Noreen. You're afraid of the bad things that can happen, but maybe you need those bad things with the good things in order for you to live and grow as a person, and a deity."
There was a long pause. Beerus was deathly afraid that he'd upset his friend even more with his advice. Thankfully he was wrong in the end when Noreen sighed in a relieving way - as if the weight of an entire solar system was lifted off her shoulders. Beerus sighed too, relaxing in her arms, feeling a sense of comfort he hasn't felt ever before. Not with Whis, not on his own, not with anyone.
"Learn that from Whis?" She asked.
Beerus shrugged. "Nah. I kind of… figured that out for myself when I met you."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Thought you were a bad thing in the beginning. I was wrong. Now I think you're…"
Noreen pulled away from the warm embrace. "Think I'm… what?" She said, a small smirk finding its way on her lips.
Beerus smiled at that. He was pleased to see her happy again. "I think you're… pretty amazing."
"Ha!" She barked. "Who'da thunk?" She said, then chuckled jokingly. "Beerus, you're the most difficult, arrogant, cocky, whining, somewhat-selfish, ridiculous, moronic, thoughtful, funny, curious, creative, and cutest person I've met in my entire life!" She finished out of breath, her voice highly exaggerating the adjectives. She took one deep breath and smiled at Beerus. This smile was different though. It wasn't playful or sarcastic, or curious, or joking. This smile was… loving.
"And… I think you're pretty amazing too." She said, holding up the box. Noreen opened the lid to reveal two necklaces. One was a tear-drop looking shape that was white with a black dot on it. The other was a black tear-drop looking shape with a white dot on it.
We're complete opposites...
Yet I could not fathom an existence without you
I push you to the limit and you pull me closer to the edge
You are gentle and elegant and intelligent
I am harsh and undignified and worn
So different we are...
Yet I yearn for your warm embrace
Yin & Yang