A/N: Thanks to Daima for the fresh lore. Some of it will come in useful. Spoilers for Daima (sort of, what actually happens isn't discussed in detail) and the manga's Moro arc. Background BiruWhis as always, but not tagged as you'll only find crumbs. Ah, and because one of the original plot points I had for this fic requires it, I'll be using Japanese honorifics where appropriate.
Never Break The Chain
Chapter 1: The Chain
"Ah!" Beerus yelped, hand immediately clutching his chest.
Whis appeared at the doorway moments later. "Everything okay, my lord?"
"Oooh," Beerus moaned as he massaged the area above his heart. "It's never easy, you know, losing a life-link."
"Oh, he finally went?"
Beerus nodded. "Well, he lasted a hell of a lot longer than I thought he would. What's it been? A century?"
"108 years, to be precise."
"I'd pegged him for half a century, tops. But it doesn't matter how weak the link is, still hurts like a bitch."
"Would you like me to kiss it better?"
Beerus shot him a look. "You could be a bit more sympathetic."
Whis shrugged. "I could be, but you could also make your life less painful by not having 5 life-links. When the link breaks, you're supposed to die, so no wonder it hurts."
"Oh, so you want me dead?"
Whis raised his brows in response.
Beerus huffed. "Yeah, yeah, I know, we're the odd universe out. But look at it another way – they could just retire like normal people to save me a bit of discomfort."
"Or they can continue to reap the benefits of the position of Kaioshin until they die, knowing you'll live. I'm sure we've had this conversation before."
"Yeah, and one day when we have it again, I'll win the argument."
The smile that fluttered across Whis's lips suggested that would never happen. "So, I take it you've recovered from the pain already?"
The hand at his chest started to massage the area once more. "Hm, no, I think I need a little treat to heal me up."
Whis sighed. "Of course. What would you like, my lord?"
Ooo
A mere 108 years and he was already back on the Sacred World. Not ideal, but he couldn't expect kais to die in a timely fashion to coincide with the coordination meeting. The late East Kaioshin had been pretty boring during his whole tenure as far as Beerus was concerned. It was no loss to him, but he wouldn't have minded having the guy stick around a little longer – he appreciated familiarity, and the guy wasn't insufferable unlike some. The problem with getting a new Kaioshin was you never knew if you'd get along until they were already in-post. Not that Beerus had any interest in being part of the recruitment process! He only had to suffer this lot once a millennium, so anyone would do. Better to keep the other 4 Kaioshin happy than the 1 destroyer.
"Welcome, Beerus-sama, prompt as always," Dai Kaioshin said with a smile.
"Not by choice," Beerus replied as he stalked towards the table, eyes on the newcomer to the group.
"Ah, of course, our thanks as always, Whis-san."
Whis inclined his head. "Dai Kaioshin-sama."
Beerus narrowed his eyes at the small kai who was the new East Kaioshin. Dainty… That was the word that came to mind as Beerus walked behind the chair the kai occupied, making sure to check every angle.
He was like a little doll, sitting on a chair too tall for him, feet dangling above the ground. Lavender skin as smooth as porcelain, and large clear eyes that occasionally caught his gaze. Yes, he'd make for a beautiful idol to keep in a shrine and worship, but the gods of creation were not appointed for such an easy role.
The poor kai felt immense pressure under Beerus's gaze, wondering what the destroyer was thinking. After what seemed like an age, Beerus made a neutral-sounding noise and retreated to his seat. There was, after all, only so much one could glean from looking.
"So, how fresh off the tree is this one?" Beerus asked, eyes still very much glued to the new kai.
"He's had all the necessary training, if that's what you're asking," Dai Kaioshin answered.
"Hmm. Don't remember the last time we had one that looked this young."
"I wanted someone fresh, as you said, someone we can mould into a model Kaioshin without as much outside influence." Dai Kaioshin smiled at the North, South and West Kaioshin. "The others understand my intentions with this choice."
"Well, I look forward to seeing what you make of him." Truthfully, Beerus quite liked Dai Kaioshin, so he had high hopes for this newcomer. "Shall we get on with it?"
The whole purpose of this trip was to consecrate the life-link with the new Kaioshin, and Beerus didn't intend to stay for much longer than that.
Dai Kaioshin sighed. "You could at least enquire after your new link's name before you tie your life to his."
Beerus looked at the arrangement of everyone at the table. "His name is East, clearly. That's all I call you guys, anyway, now that there's five of you."
"Well, whether you remember it or not, his name is Shin."
Now, that did make Beerus pause for a moment. The regnal names given to (or chosen by) the Kaioshin were quite standard, and often repetitive. In fact, it was refreshing when Champa told him his latest Kaioshin was called 'Fuwa.' He hadn't heard that one before. The traditionalists like to be named something alluding to their godhood, and those bored of the common names had taken to naming themselves after gods the mortals had made up.
Of course, the only real rule for regnal names was that you don't name yourself the same as another current Kaioshin. Most young kais would say this is common courtesy, but the older kais knew that to name yourself too similarly to another kai was suicide. You see, Grand Zeno did not like to over-complicate things, and even if one spells the name Khai and the other opts for Cae, if they're both pronounced the same way, there's bound to be confusion. The exact details are lost to time, but it is said that Grand Zeno made sure there was only one kai that left his palace with that name.
If 'Kai' and its various spellings was popular, 'Shin' was even more popular, and in Beerus's opinion, the most uncreative one could get. Still, he knew it wasn't always by choice. He couldn't recall which universe had lost the most recent Shin, but he guessed was now the proud owner of the Kaioshin with the most basic name. Another reason for others to poke fun at his universe… Well, at least he was only the East Kaioshin, not the one who would be making public appearances.
However, it made him pause. This was the 4th Shin he'd come across in his many millions years as Destroyer, and the other 3 had been very pivotal in their roles. The first one had been his first Kaioshin and had been part of his early divine education. The second one had almost gotten them both killed. Twice. And the third one was the first Dai Kaioshin of Universe 7, and rather much better than the second one at not getting him killed.
Considering he saw kais come and go quite often, their names lost to time, he had to wonder why 3 of his most well-remembered Kaioshin had the same name. He hoped to Zeno that this wasn't going to be a pattern, but he had to wonder, was this new Shin going to be another pivotal point in his career?
Please don't be a pattern of one good-one bad…
The little kai looked so sweet and innocent. How bad could he be?
"Easy name to remember," Beerus said. "You know my name, right, little East?"
"Of course, Beerus-sama." A soft and gentle voice to match his appearance; he didn't disappoint!
"Good." Beerus placed a hand over his chest, a faint red light emanating beneath it. "They told you how this would work, right?"
"Yes." Shin mirrored Beerus's movements.
As Beerus pulled his hand from his chest, a glowing red chain followed his palm, hovering above it while he waited for Shin to do the same. Slowly, the chains flowed across the space between them, linking together on contact.
"And that's it," Beerus concluded.
"I thought it would feel different," Shin said.
Beerus grabbed hold of the chain and yanked it, causing Shin to fall forward and brace himself against the table.
The other Kaioshin sighed.
"So, he does this every time?" West asked in a disappointed tone.
"Well, East was asking for it," South said.
Beerus grinned. "Different enough for you?"
Shin touched the chain and gave it a few small tugs of his own, both towards himself and Beerus, but not hard enough to make Beerus move. "I see. Quite interesting."
Enjoying the moment, Beerus touched his chest again, drawing out the links to the others around the table. "I feel complete again." Five chains, all leading back to his heart, a sign that his immortality was almost guaranteed.
With a wave of his hand, the chains disappeared. "Well, that was fun. I'll be off now. Places to eat, people to destroy, and all that jazz. See you in a thousand years."
"892 years," Dai Kaioshin corrected him.
"Yeah, yeah, close enough."
A/N: Even after *looks at calendar* 7 years, I am still obsessed with this piece of art by konoha_kairi on Twitter: /konoha_kairi/status/1079873853826965504
