Archive of Our Own

- You Have Not The Slightest Notion -

Craven.

You are craven.

You stood idle and watched them all die.

There was a sharp scream. Cackling laughter. West Supreme Kai's back was slammed by a blast, and it swallowed her body whole. She disintegrated to dust.

The fault is yours.

The fault is yours, because they fought with bravery against an enemy that outmatched them in every way…

…but you fled.

And by fleeing, you let them all die.

A sword flipped in the air and clattered on the rocky ground. North Supreme Kai had collapsed on the ground, and he will never rise again.

It's all your fault.

They all died, because of you.

South Supreme Kai traded blow after blow with the wicked monster. It was a monster less than half his size, one who wore a maddening grin as it took sick pleasure in its slaughter.

When its arm was dismembered, there was no blood. The creature didn't bleed. Its body stretched and expanded as if it were made of rubber. It swallowed South whole, and absorbed his being like a gluttonous beast.

And now you will live with it for the rest of your miserable life.

No matter how far Shin flew, no matter how many times he jumped across space, the monster always found him. It was a vile creature created from the blackest of magic, chaos and destruction personified. A monster without a conscience, with nothing to deter it. The wizard gave the god-killing beast the same order each time.

"Kill the Supreme Kais! Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!"

And every time Shin escaped, someone died in his place.

West.

North.

South.

He was pressed against a wall now, his energy spent, his wounds too deep. Cornered like a rat, Shin's entire body trembled as he felt his muscles lock in place. Even with his hands in position to fire a blast, it was futile. It would do nothing. The purple energy glowing between the palms of his hands wouldn't be enough. Majin Buu creeped closer. Its master Bibidi watched and laughed as the collected energy flickered and died. Shin collapsed to his knees.

"Aw. Are you out of energy now, little Kai?" Bibidi cooed with a tilt of his head. "Don't worry. You will have your family reunion soon."

Majin Buu made his lunge. There was a flash of white light. A large figure materialized between them.

The Grand Supreme Kai harbored a fury Shin had never seen from his gentle heart. The Grand Master unleashed a devastating blast from his mouth. It ripped Majin Buu asunder, and disintegrated him to nothing.

Or…so it seemed.

The pieces of the monster slithered and squelched and merged. The grotesque mass lunged at the Grand Supreme Kai. No matter how much Shin's master clawed and pulled at the mass, it only pulled at him more. It coiled around his arms. It latched on to his legs. It coated his entire body and swallowed him whole.

Shin felt as if his entire body was encased in ice.

"No!" Shin heard himself scream. "I'm the one you wanted!"

But his master was gone.

Gone. Just like the others.

As if to mock him, the monster took his master's form. It stole his face. It wore his cape. As it pranced and cheered its sadistic song, Shin could do nothing but stare in utter horror.

You did nothing.

You did nothing.

You did nothing.

You did nothing.

Shin remembered how Kibito was suddenly next to him. He remembered how he snatched his arm, and he teleported them both out.

"There is no need to give chase to them," Bibidi had said then. "The Supreme Kai of the East is the weakest among them. What can he possibly do with his feeble power? That runt is a coward! He is no threat to us! No threat to me! Ehehehehehe!"

Shin remembered the days he spent watching the horrors unfold from his crystal ball. He was glued to it as a helpless bystander. The destruction of worlds. The endless screams of the innocents. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard their pleas and prayers he could not answer.

You've abandoned them.

You've abandoned them all to die.

Failure.

He slowly nodded. He did abandon them. He failed them all.

A failure is all you have presented yourself to be. It is all you will ever mean to be. A jape. A risible jape. Look at you. Filthy. A disgrace.

You are no Supreme Kai.

You don't deserve to call yourself a god.

Another planet destroyed.

Then another one.

Another one.

Another one.

Lives were stifled in the masses, and he could do nothing to stop it.

It should have been you.

They died to give you a second chance of life, and you wasted it.

It should have been you.

The destruction slowed down, but it did not matter.

Even when Majin Buu started to scoff at Bibidi's orders, it did not matter.

Shin was still alive…but it did not matter. He was useless.

Useless.

Useless. Useless. Useless.

He didn't remember when he rose from the ground. He didn't remember teleporting out of The Sacred World of The Kais. He didn't remember why he arrived in The Mortal Realm again, why he stepped foot on the wasteland of a planet, why he stood atop a cliff.

All he knew was that Majin Buu was sealed in its ball…and that ball was set to arrive on a blue planet called Earth.

Earth: A vibrant and blue planet where its inhabitants were just discovering tools and fire. Life would be stifled before it could begin.

And it will be all your fault.

All you were ever good for, was watching everyone around you die.

The universe is in pain, because you allowed its wounds to fester.

And now, it will happen again.

Bibidi had already set the ball into motion.

It was going to happen again.

Again.

Again and again.

Because you allow it.

Disgraceful.

Falter. It is the most useful thing you can do.

Falter. It is the only relief this universe will ever see.

It is already dead, because of you.

So falter. Falter.

Falter. Falter. Falter. Falter.

With every heartbeat, the single word looped in his mind. He remembered…he could not move. He could not move even as the vast blue sky above became cloaked with darkening clouds. The sun's rays retreated. There was the rumble of thunder. As he stood stiff, his throat tightened and constricted, and it burned. It never burned before.

Falter. Falter. Falter. Falter.

Something compelled him to move—to move towards the danger. He didn't know why he dropped from the cliff. He didn't know why he approached. His steps were light. Blue, glowing wisps clustered around his body until his aura cloaked his shape like a gentle flame. His eyes were focused…focused and glowing blue. He realized…this was why he came here.

It will never be enough to atone for anything.

But this was why he came here.

As Bibidi dusted himself off and muttered words too low to hear, Shin's vision tunneled. All sound muffled. The entire world became dark. It was only him, and the wizard that took everything from him.

Falter… Falter… Falter…!

Bibidi noticed him too late. As soon as they locked eyes, he only had time to choke out a startled sound.

FALTER…!

Shin's feet left the ground in a lunge. He rocketed forward and raised a single, glowing hand.

FALTER!

He swung.

…

… …

… … …

The rain. It never felt so…soothing.

In fact…Shin couldn't remember the last time he felt any rain at all. Typically, he would have kept it off his body. To be soaked in water had always been such a nuisance…because it was not sophisticated to walk around wearing sullied clothes.

Rain-soaked and clammy, Shin stood in the drenched wasteland where the ground was muddy and the skies were a rueful gray. The rain came down as a gentle hiss that swelled in the air. The warmth it brought was an oddly welcoming feeling. He tilted his head back as he listened to the gentle song. He never realized how beautiful it was.

It came down in waves, rippling in curtains as the occasional gust brushed past him. There was a soft rumble of thunder overheard. Everything was perfect.

No. It is far from perfect.

Everything has changed.

A splat sounded from underneath his boot. Shin looked down, and saw he had stepped into a large puddle that accumulated from the relentless rain. The puddle was muddy, muddy and swirling with purple strands.

Everything has changed.

His eyes followed the stands as he walked alongside the stream. He climbed up the hill and to the very top.

His heart sank.

Everything has changed.

The first thing he saw was the orange cape. It was once vibrant, now soiled in the rain and soaked in mud and purple ink. Underneath was a small and green shriveled thing. Face-down in the purple puddle, the ink continued to spill from its motionless form—

Not ink.

Blood.

Everything has changed.

Bibidi is dead.

Dead.

A subtle hum caught in Shin's ears, a sound he missed before. He looked to his left where it was strongest, but there was only more wasteland, more rain. He looked to his right, and the sight was all the same. He looked down at Bibidi's lifeless form, and the strangest feeling stirred within him.

The humming persisted from his left. Again, he looked, and his eyes caught a glimpse. Something blue. It cloaked his hand. He brought it in front of his face. The humming was stronger. It buzzed right through his ears.

A translucent blade made of energy. It had swallowed his hand.

A blade of energy. He could not recall where it came from or when it came to be. He turned his hand around and studied it with morbid curiosity. As it hummed before him, his mind put the pieces together.

You killed him.

You killed him.

He never took a life before.

No, no, no. In his thousands of years of living, he never, never took a life before. To take a life… He was a Supreme Kai, the God of Creation. A Supreme Kai was to provide the catalyst for life. They were the ones who brought the impetus for planets to be born. The flora and the fauna, the mortals that inhabited many worlds, they all came into being by their hand. All of Creation was their garden. They were to nurture them, to guide them. Most of all, they were to let them grow on their own. To interfere with mortal lives was forbidden, lest their development would be stunted.

There were exceptions, yes, and Majin Buu was an exception. The monster was a danger to all Creation. It was what compelled them to descend down to the lower realm just to put an end to its terror. But...to take a life? To take a life was a foreign concept—a frightening concept. If they were ever pushed to fight, it was never to stifle anything. It was to deter it.

So why…?

Why was…it so easy?

They never told Shin that to steal life from someone was so easy.

And yet…

All sounds ceased. His eyes could not look away from Bibidi's lifeless form. The blood the rain washed away seemed endless. It kept going, trickling down the stream. All the essence of evil the creature was made of, all of his delirious laughter and derisive speechless…silenced. Forever silenced.

Bibidi's silence was a wonderful sound.

No longer could that wizard unleash that abomination across the cosmos. No longer could he gloat in the sight of death and destruction. It was all over.

At that very moment, the weight added to Shin's rain-soaked clothes, how it pressed against his aching body, how the raindrops trickled from the top of his head…

This downpour…

He spread out his arms, basking in the rain. The soft hiss that floods his ears, the warmth of the daytime heat evaporating from the surface…

It felt…good.

He was free.

He wanted to bathe in this sensation…no, drown in it…. He didn't want this moment to end.

This…exaltation.

A giant smile formed on his face. A laugh slips.

He closed his eyes as the weight of the world slammed onto him at full. Everything tilted backwards. The ground struck his head, and he lay with his limbs spread on the muddy ground. The pattering of rain flooded his ears.

"East Supreme Kai!"

A voice…he knew that voice. It was so faint, but it drew closer with every second that passed.

"Supreme Kai!"

It was right above him now. He wanted to dismiss it.

Let him enjoy the moment a while longer…

"Supreme Kai! Heed to my voice!"

Kibito…

"Supreme Kai!"

Kibito?

"Supreme Kai!"

His eyes flew open, and the first thing he saw was the most disquieted expression worn on Kibito's face. He stood over him, completely drenched in the rain. It was unusual to see him this way, someone who was always stoic and composed.

"Master…" Kibito's voice was quiet. So quiet, as if he feared speaking any louder would offend him. "Your clothes…"

Shin detected that his sullied clothes weren't the other thing that frightened Kibito so deeply.

He's ashamed of you.

He's disgusted with you. As he should be.

Look at you.

LOOK at you!

Shin looked. His hands were smeared with mud. His clothes were caked and stained beyond saving. His white hair…it was hardly white anymore. He could feel it was a matted mess. It was slimy with mud and rain…it would take ages to wash off.

But most of all…

Most of all…

He wasn't bothered by it at all.

"Your concern is…unwarranted," Shin heard himself say. His voice sounded alien to his ears. There was a tone layered over it that he never heard before. He knew for certain, because he saw the horror grow on Kibito's face. "I am fine."

"Master…" Kibito's words were careful. Shin didn't understand why. He wasn't angry with him. "You are not well."

Him? Not well? What nonsense did Kibito speak of?

"I've never felt better," Shin told him. It wasn't a lie. After months of torment, months of running, months of grief and agony and nightmares…it was finally over. "Bibidi… Bibidi lives no more."

Only because Majin Buu was sealed away. It would not have been possible otherwise. Do not give yourself false praise.

"You…are not well," Kibito told him again. He approached, and offered his hand. "We…should return home. I shall run a bath for you."

Because your hands are sullied with blood.

Hands that are meant to create.

You've blighted yourself.

He's disgusted with you. As he should be.

A chuckle slipped. It was true. Why wouldn't Kibito feel disgusted? Why wouldn't anyone? Shin let everyone else die: West, North, South, and their benevolent leader. He let each and every one of them die. He watched as millions of mortal lives were wiped out, as hundreds of worlds—empty and inhabited—were destroyed.

He did nothing.

Bibidi died too late.

It was too late.

Shin's shoulders shook as his chuckle evolved into a laugh. It was ironic. Too ironic. The one time he finally did something, the very something that no Kai should ever do, it was far too late. Everyone had to die first.

What a jape.

What a jape he made himself.

He couldn't stop laughing, even as he gasped for air. He was in hysterics as he kicked his feet and rolled on his back. He felt the tears well in the corners of his eyes. It started to hurt to laugh, but he knew he deserved the pain.

It was his punishment, and he would take it. He would take it for as long as he lived.

Because you deserve no happiness.

So laugh at your despair.

Laugh at your—

A gentle hand touched his arm. Shin almost recoiled in response, but the familiarity of it kept him still.

He heard a voice.

"Master…I beseech you. Do not let this fester."

Shin, still on the ground, turned his head to his right. Kibito has crouched down just to reach him. Kibito… He was always so loyal.

He doesn't deserve you.

Shin could only smile at him. Another chuckle slipped. "I…don't understand why you are still here."

Kibito jerked his head back. "What…?"

"You are dismissed, Kibito. You need not to serve me anymore."

"I…" Kibito licked his lips. "M-my lord, I cannot do that. You are not well."

"Why trouble yourself with me? Do you wish to die, Kibito?" Shin saw the growing horror on his face. Good. Kibito was wise. If he was wiser, he would see the danger he was in. He would see that to remain within his proximity was a death sentence. "Depart to where you came, and never return. That is my final command to you."

But Kibito did something he never did before.

He shook his head, his words low and careful. "I cannot obey that, my lord."

Shin's smile faded. It didn't make any sense. Why? Since when would Kibito ever defy any command given to him? A Supreme Kai Attendant is to be subservient to their master's every order, no matter the nature. Sure, Shin was the youngest, the least experienced, but he was a Supreme Kai. He…

Oh. Oh, that was it.

The epiphany struck him. He smiled again. He laughed.

That had to be it!

Because Shin was a Supreme Kai no more. After all, to let his fellow Kais perish as he did nothing, surely that was a suitable punishment, right? A cowering god who appeased evil was no god at all.

"Leave me, Kibito," Shin mirthfully said. "Can't you see? You are free of your service. There is no one left to serve."

"I serve you," Kibito stubbornly said. He took a moment to look over Shin again, as if he scanned him for injuries. Whatever he saw worried him sick. "And…you cannot be left alone."

Shin gave Kibito a reassuring pat on the arm. He didn't understand why the action scared his former attendant so much— Oh, right. His hands. They were absolutely repulsive. "I am a Supreme Kai no longer. You see it with your very own eyes, Kibito!"

"A Supreme Kai no longer," Kibito slowly repeated, with a perturbed bow of his head. "But you…rise as something far greater. Far more grand."

"Far more grand? Whatever do you mean?" Shin freed his arm and waved his hand over his body. His grin persisted. "I am most certainly far from anything esteemed. There is nothing grand, or great about me! There is no need to waste your breath with false flattery. I've deceived you. Free yourself from the illusion!"

"You…" Kibito's dejected expression deepened. It seemed for a moment he was going to add the typical 'are not well', but instead, he reached over and touched Shin's Potara earring. He rolled his lips before he spoke again. "They are…gold no more, my lord."

Shin felt his entire body go cold.

Without thinking, he sat up. His fingers brushed his Potara. He didn't need to look to know. He felt its pulse, how it changed. It was imbued with something different, something that twisted in his stomach.

Green.

Green.

They had turned green.

"You are The Grand Supreme Kai."

"No…" Shin stared past Kibito, a faraway look in his eyes. He saw his master's smiling face. He wore those green Potaras too.

And you stole them from him beyond the grave.

You are the only surviving Supreme Kai. You knew the Grand title would be passed down to you by default.

That is why you let them all die.

You are despiteful.

"A universe cannot thrive without its god," Kibito continued, his words daggers upon daggers cutting deep into Shin's heart. "If you choose to abandon it, Bibidi will be victorious."

His words are meaningless. Empty words you want to hear. Words you do not deserve.

They are false.

But a Kai would never practice falsehood.

Is that the illusion you believe?

Shin's chuckle was almost desperate. In a swift motion, he unclipped both earrings and held them in the palm of his hand. "I hold the cosmos in the palm of my hands, and what did I do with it? Nothing. Nothing, but watched as its wounds festered." He curls his fingers into a fist, trapping the earrings inside. "What kind of god does that make me?"

"Majin Buu was too powerful," Kibito reminded him. "Not even our Grand Master could withstand his might!"

"He perished because I was in the way," Shin reminded him. "Because I did nothing. Take a look around you! You see it as well as I do! Everyone else was far stronger, all the more wiser, with experience I will never see! You ask me to return home? Where it is empty and lifeless and isolated…?! There is no one waiting for us, Kibito! They are gone!"

They are all gone. You won't hear their laughter anymore.

"But Master—"

"Stop calling me master! I am not your master!" Shin angrily threw his Potaras on the ground. They splattered on the ground. Even under the rain and mud, the slightest light reflected off of them, shimmering a brilliant green. He felt sick just looking at it. He felt so sick, he could only laugh. Laugh at the comedy of it all.

"Sir…"

"There is nothing left for you."

"There is," Kibito persisted. "There is you."

"Don't feign ignorance with me. We both know—"

"If I leave you here to perish…I will never forgive myself," Kibito said, his voice as gentle as the breeze that shifted the rain around them.

For a moment, Shin found himself almost speechless. Kibito had never before displayed such a range of emotions. He could only stare, studying the doleful grief on Kibito's face. Of course. Of course. Kibito was grieving for the others who had fallen too. How could Shin be so selfish? Just another reason why he did not deserve his title.

It is only your title that is important, after all.

It is not like he cared about your well-being beyond it. Not that it was required of him.

You are foolish to think so otherwise.

"There will be…nothing to forgive," Shin told him. "I believe I already told you: I am not your Supreme—"

"You are." Kibito moved closer, unbothered by the mud churning beneath him. "And you are so much more. You mustn't see yourself so lowly."

Lie.

A lie.

A lie. A lie. A lie

He wounds you.

He lies to you.

He will drag you home and scold you, belittle you, scorn and curse your name, because you deserve it.

"Don't lie to me," Shin whispered. The thoughts were too loud, but they were as true as truth could be. "You shouldn't have to lie."

"I do not tell lies." Kibito looked almost offended. Great. Wonderful. Another reason he should leave.

"Then tell me why I am the one left alive…if it is not punishment for my failures?"

"Allow me to show you," Kibito said. "Let me show you why you live. Let me show you…why this universe needs you. Why I need you."

Only because of what you are.

It is the only reason.

"Hah." Shin turned his head away. "We both know my life is only necessary because a universe cannot thrive without its creation god. It's the one thing of value I have left. The others, their lives were just as valuable. They confronted Majin Buu on their own accord. Each and every one of them fought bravely, knowing they stood not the slightest chance. Explain to me why my master chose to step in when it was my turn to die?"

Kibito's answer was immediate. "Because, he was not going to let the last of his children fall to that monster."

"But he was vastly stronger. He knew so much more. He could have survived and ended this…just as I did. So why? Why me?"

"Because he cared so much about you."

And he died because of it.

"What happened…was something far beyond your control." Kibito's words made Shin flinch.

"I could…" Shin averted his eyes. "…have done something."

"You did do something. You've defeated the wizard that controlled that monster."

"I've…" Shin licked his lips. The words, he could only choke them out. "I've killed him, Kibito."

And you should feel ashamed of it.

A Supreme Kai should never decide if a living creature should live or die. Some mortals followed the path of evil, but it did not mean their fate was sealed. Evil was a necessity path for some mortals to take. That was what the Grand Supreme Kai always told him. It was not for them to stifle a mortal's life, no matter how wicked or vile they were, because they each had the potential to turn over a new leaf. Every living creature with a conscience had the potential to atone, to find their own redemption.

But Bididi did no such thing.

How do you know that?

Who were you to decide that?

You are no Destroyer.

All the more reason you are no Supreme Kai.

"There was no other option." Kibito gently squeezed Shin's shoulder before the thoughts could spiral any further. It was as if he knew. "The wizard. He was…an anomaly. An outlier. His heart was the blackest the cosmos had ever seen. Had he made his way to his next destination, Majin Buu's terror would spread across every corner of the cosmos. The universe would surely be destroyed."

"I killed him."

"You had. No other. Choice." Kibito's face twisted in pain as he shook his head. "You took no pleasure from this."

But you celebrated it.

You are no better.

Shin turned his head away. He was no better than the wizard in that regard.

"Look at me." Kibito took both of Shin's hands. He gave his arms a firm shake. "Look at me."

The professionalism was gone. Kibito sounded absolutely heartbroken. Shin couldn't bring himself to look. He would see the disappointment. The disdain. The animosity. But if he averted his gaze any further, he would eventually be forced to look into those angry eyes. So, he looked.

And those eyes were not angry.

He felt his hands being squeezed, not painfully, but as if Kibito feared letting him go. Shin didn't understand why.

Why… Why wasn't he angry?

It didn't make any sense.

He should be furious. He was not furious.

"You have not the slightest notion…on how important you are to me," Kibito whispered. "Your life is too precious to throw away."

Shin's breath was caught.

Precious…?

"You mustn't perceive yourself as a failure. You are no failure. Look at me. They loved you, Shin. They loved you. They would never see you as any less, and you know this. In the depths of your soul, you know this. Do not tell yourself that your life is worth any less than theirs. If I must stand by your side for the rest of your days—and I will—to remind you, then that is what I will do."

It was quiet.

The doubts were…quiet.

Shin blinked. He blinked again. His vision had started to blur.

He was the last Supreme Kai, and Kibito didn't despise him for it.

He was…the last Supreme Kai.

The reality was a cold and painful blade that tore at his heart. He felt his knees cave, and his weight sunk. Kibito caught him in his arms. Shin went limp against Kibito's chest. His shoulders shook as he fought to keep his breathing together.

He didn't want to be perceived as weak. He was a Kai, and a Kai should not be fraught with powerful emotions...but he couldn't hold them in anymore.

So he wept.

He wept for the fallen: For West. For North. For South. For his Grand Master. He wept for the hundreds of worlds. The billions of innocents. He wept for himself; for the life he will never have again, for his vile action in slaying a life, for all the things he is yet to learn, things he will never learn. He was a child wearing a god's clothes, alone with no one to guide him.

As his weeping grew into a sob, he buried his face from the world. Kibito held him steady, never judging, still and quiet.

Bibidi's demise brought some solace,

…but it would never bring his family back.

… … …

Shin was certain he had dozed off for a moment, or perhaps he disassociated, for he did not remember the sun ever setting. Night was just on the horizon as the edges of the sky were streaked pink. The first few stars had started to unveil themselves.

Most of all, the rain had stopped.

He became acutely aware of his fingers, and how they constricted around a sturdy pair of arms. He felt the damp fabric pressed against his face— He jerked back from Kibito's chest. A ping of mortified shame rushed through him. He was almost too afraid to lift his head, but he did. Kibito's gaze was fixed past him, perhaps the sky. It didn't matter. A part of Shin was relieved he wasn't looking at him.

He felt like a child; a dreary feeling he did not wish to recall. Memories of his childhood, as quiet as they were, only brought a bout of pain he thought he had buried long ago. It was something he renounced along with his na— A word he refused to think about, or associate with anymore.

Abashed, Shin tried, as subtly as he could, to lift his hands free and shuffle his way from Kibito's proximity. Unfortunately for him, Kibito was as observant as he was loyal, and his attention snapped back to Shin. And like the child Shin felt he was at that moment, he froze in place and waited for him to speak.

Kibito did not say a word, which was strange on its own. He watched as Shin rose to his feet, and for the first time, Shin finally became completely aware of how much of a mess he was.

He knew his clothes were soiled, but that knowledge did not prepare him for the sight of the layers of mud, dried and fresh, that caked his torn sleeves and clung on to his battered tunic. The bright-orange stash that was also secured around his waist was loose and splotched brown and green and purple—

He averted his eyes away just as he felt his chest constrict.

He felt his hair: Stiff with dried mud. His face was not spared from the mud that smeared it. He felt a lot more like a boar than a Kai. He probably looked worse than they did during the hottest of days. He was certain there was dirt in his ears—

His fingers brushed his earlobes. They were empty.

His Potaras. He remembered. He threw them away.

That was when Kibito moved. His steps were careful, and his eyes scanned the ground. He reached down, and plucked the discarded Potaras from the surface. He wiped them clean against his tunic, and he offered them to Shin.

At first, Shin shook his head, but Kibito was persistent. He pushed them closer not as a demand, but a plea.

With a deep breath, Shin took them into his hands. Even in the approaching night, they still reflected the tiniest of light. His palm was illuminated green from their glassy surface. He decided, he really, really didn't like the color green on him.

He closed the palm of his hand, and he closed his eyes with a silent wish. It was a quick and simple wish, something his magic could easily grant as easily as one could breathe. When he opened his eyes, his palm was open, and the pair of Potaras that rested there gleamed gold.

Kibito said nothing. He understood. There was the look of sadness in his gaze, but he understood. He stood by as Shin clipped the earrings in his ears. They shimmered and had the illusion of a glow. The gold was a false color that disguised what was true, but Shin did not feel he was a Grand Supreme Kai. He doubted he would ever.

In a force of habit, Shin felt his arms fold behind his back, but he resisted. He felt too filthy to touch anything that was a part of him. Kibito sensed this, because he offered his hand as he did before.

"Let us return home, Master."

No mention of Shin's pathetic state. No topic of his breakdown. Kibito acted as if nothing happened. There was normalcy in his tone. For a moment, Shin wondered if he accidentally erased a part of Kibito's memory. Maybe if he were a mortal, it would make sense, but no…

Then Shin realized Kibito was acting on his unspoken wishes.

Shin had no desire to ever speak of his vulnerability. It was unbecoming of a Kai.

But he also knew that Kibito would keep his promise…to stay by his side until the end of time. It was never brought up again, but Shin could see it so clearly in Kibito's face.

He took his hand, and he glanced at where Bibidi had fallen, just to ensure what took place was no dream, no illusion. A glimpse was all he needed. He dared not to let his eyes linger.

"Let us return home," he repeated, his voice solemn.

The both of them were engulfed in white light, and vanished faster than the blink of an eye.

… … …

Shin didn't protest when Kibito insisted on bathing him. Usually he would voice strongly against it, as he was more than capable of tending to himself, but then his Grand Master would tell Shin to let the attendant do his job. Then, Shin would protest that he was no helpless child.

But, the Grand Supreme Kai was gone.

And Shin hadn't realized how exhausted he was.

So he made it a reluctant exception.

Once he was bathed, dressed, and his hair was combed out until it shone, Shin peered beyond the hills of their holy land. The tall blades of grass that coated the rolling hills rippled with the softest of breezes. They were like gentle waves in a vast ocean, a beautiful sight that once brought comfort and warmth. It was nothing but a painful memory; a reminder that he was alone.

Only, he wasn't.

When he told Kibito he was headed to the Northern Quadrant to visit Earth, Kibito insisted on accompanying him.

"It will only be a short while," Shin told him. "I assure you, it will not take long."

But once a Kai makes a promise, it is never broken. Shin was a fool to think Kibito would dare to do as much as think to stay behind.

When Shin arrived on Earth, the blue planet was just as vibrant and lush as he expected it to be. It was swarming with fauna, and the dinosaurs were clinging on to their fickle population. Some sort of event had wiped the majority of their numbers long before Shin's time. He was told stories about how a smart-mouthed dinosaur caused the downfall of their empire. Such a shame. It seemed, at least, a new species took their place, primates at that. They had already entered the Stone Age.

It was why when Shin needed to do what he had to do immediately. He found the repulsive ball, the one that sealed the monster that slaughtered his family. As he stood before its towering and grotesque form, he felt his entire body tremble. He told himself that as long as Majin Buu was sealed away in its ball, it was harmless. It was something he told himself as he planted his feet. Something he told himself as he anchored them to the earth.

Kibito stepped a respectful distance away.

The motions were practiced millions of times before. It was one of the earliest things Shin was taught. He spread out his fingers and turned both hands around, and he heaved them high above his head. The ground beneath the ball caved in. A sinkhole swallowed the ball whole. It went deep underground, buried by hundreds of pounds of soil. Even if trees were to take root, they would never reach the ball. Even if the mortals were to eventually learn to excavate, they would not find it. Shin casted a spell over the area to ward off any desire to do so. Any creature with a conscience will feel a primal abhorrence. Perhaps it wasn't necessary— No, it was most certainly necessary.

What mattered was that it made Shin feel he had some form of control.

So desperately, he needed some form of control.

When they returned home, Shin went straight to work. He had to do the work of five Supreme Kais, but the universe was moribund. It needed to be healed, and he would be there to see to it. He told himself he wouldn't rest. It was his way to make up for his running away.

But Kibito was always there to remind him not to push himself too far.

"Supreme Kai, you mustn't strain yourself," he would often say. "This is not your punishment."

Several times, Kibito had to remind him.

It was a strange thing: Shin found his presence rather comforting. There were times when Shin would be so deep in his meditation, that a meteor collision would sound all too close to a planetary assault. So often would Shin jolt and scream. During the worst days, it would feel so real, and the monster would stand before him with its sadistic and bloodthirsty grin. Kibito would gently grab him and anchor him, and tell him it was done.

"It cannot hurt you anymore. Bibidi had been vanquished. Majin Buu is sealed deep and out of sight."

But just to make certain, and without being asked, Kibito would teleport to Earth and check the burial site. He would return with updates: The soil had been layered with blades of grass. A tree had sprouted. The tree grew into a sapling. The tree matured. The tree grew large enough to shelter a family of saber-toothed beasts from the summer heat.

In the thousands of years that passed, the ball never moved.

The universe was stable.

It was safe.

When Kibito returned to him for the millionth time, bearing news that the tree housed a trio of avian hatchlings, Shin felt the relief wash over him. He took a sip of his tea, and he closed his eyes.

Sometimes the nightmares still came, but Kibito was always there, just as he promised he would be.

And as the Earthlings rose from the Stone Age, to Bronze, from Bronze to Iron, to Medieval to Industrial, the ball did not move.

There was no reason to monitor Earth so much anymore.

As Shin set down his crystal ball and leaned back against his chair, he turned his gaze towards the sky. His spiraling thoughts still spiraled, but for the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, they did not spite him.

"Kibito," Shin turned to look at his attendant, who stood next to him and refilled his cup of tea. "I don't believe I ever thanked you."

Kibito stopped just as the teacup was halfway full. He glanced at Shin, and he did his best to hide his fluster. "Such words were never necessary, Supreme Kai."

"Oh, but they are," Shin insisted. He told himself he would never bring the topic up again, how Kibito pulled him from the brink of madness and witnessed him at the height of his grief, but he knew Kibito knew. He smiled a genuine smile. "As your Supreme Kai, my word is absolute."

Kibito returned the smile. "As you say, my lord."

For the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, The Sacred World of The Kais felt immensely beautiful again.

Thank you.

Shin closed his eyes, and allowed himself to bask in the sun.

Thank you.

END.