Recently got back into DBZ, re-watching Kai, and I notice Shin gets criticised a lot, even though, ya know, HE WARNED YOU GUYS BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN.

"See? That's what a Kaioshin should be like!"

Goku had said it in jest, he liked the little Kaioshin. It just seemed a bit odd that so far he hadn't been able to do much of anything despite being the overseer of the Universe. Unfortunately, Shin had reached the end of his considerable patience. In hindsight, Goku admitted that jibing a stressed, panicked, and upset Kaioshin wasn't his most brilliant idea.

Shin gritted his teeth as he suddenly stood up from where he had been sitting and loomed over Goku, who actually shrunk down a little at just how angry the small Shin-Jin looked.

"Do you think I like things being this way?" He hissed, "that it's easy for me to have to watch from the side lines as I see planets upon planets blink out of existence?!"

Gohan and Elder Kai had stopped their discussion to look over and Kibito was hovering, uncertain as to whom he would need to restrain.

Goku raised his hands up apologetically, "Hey, hey, I didn't really mean-"

"I can't even do anything to stop it! I'm not strong enough for that, is that what you wanted to hear?!" Shin threw his arms out to the said, now out right shouting at Goku. "There you go! A Kaioshin who isn't strong enough to defend his own Universe, I have to ask mortals stronger than me to help prevent catastrophe..." Suddenly all the fight seemed to leave him, arms dropping to his side, and head hanging. "And then, the ones I ask to help me don't even take it seriously. I am forced to once again watch people die, there's not a god damn thing I can do about it, and its all my fault for not being able handle it by myself."

Shin stood there for a few more second just staring at the ground. Goku was wide eyed and leaning away from him, lest he somehow accidentally insult the Lord of the Universe even more. After a deep sigh, Shin shook his head and turned to leave, looking even smaller than he normally did.

"Forgive me, Goku."

The four others watched as he walked away from them in silence, Kibito staring after him and then looking back at Elder Kai, trying to decide whether he should follow. Elder Kai, however, shook his head at him and approached Goku, with Gohan following behind meekly.

"I really didn't mean to upset him. I guess I just didn't think about how it must be from his side. I'm used to just ya know," Goku mimed throwing a punch and then made a 'ta-da' noise. This was immediately followed by a smack around the head from Elder Kai.

"Ow, Ow, OW! Why?" Goku whimpered.

"YOU IDIOT!" Elder Kai screeched, "you think he isn't already beating himself up over what happened!"

"Well, I guess, but-"

"No!"

"Umm," Gohan interjected, "didn't you say something similar to him though? something along the lines of 'you had hoped an actual God would free you'?"

"I'm another Kaioshin, I'm allowed to criticize him. Plus, I'll be the one training him up by the looks of it."

"Training... him?" Goku blinked, Gods aren't just ready made as they are?

"Of course! I'm surprised he's managed to look after the Universe on his own at his age, if I'm honest," Elder Kai looked deep in thought as he rubbed his chin.

Gohan on the other hand, looked staggered.

"At- At his age?!"

"Hmmm, he's only a few million years old, give or take, I reckon." Elder Kai noticed the Earthlings giving him incredulous looks, so he clarified. "He's an adolescent, so in Human terms, he's what you would call a teenager."

"EHH?!"

Gohan felt a part of his soul leave, a teenager for a couple of million years? Now I feel even more sorry for him. Then, another thought occurred to him; Piccolo was terrified of a teenager.

Goku scrambled to get up off the grass and lean into Elder Kai's personal space, with Kibito quickly grabbing him by the back of his Gi so he didn't flatten the elderly Kaioshin.

"But I thought Gods were just ... Gods!" Goku exclaimed, throwing his arms around to try and physically express himself.

"Eloquent isn't he," Elder Kai commented to Gohan, who rubbed the back of his head and tried to explain for the older Saiyan.

"It's just that, we never figured that Gods of your ... rank, I suppose, even existed. Let alone that they could possibly ever be teenagers..."

The Elder Kai simply jerked his thumb over in the direction the younger Kaioshin had departed to, "you honestly thought he was full grown?"

"Well, the power difference was a bit of a surprise," Gohan admitted.

"Pffft," Elder Kai simply waved a hand in annoyance. "Kaioshin have life spans just like every other living being. Admittedly, ours are incredibly long, well into the tens of millions of years, and we're not exactly made for all out brawls. Our talents lie in our psychic abilities, the control of Ki and cosmic life energy, and the ability to create. Can you think of anything else in the whole Universe that can do all of that?"

"...No," the Sons answered, meekly, Kibito finally letting the older of the two go.

"Then stop judging everyone's potential worth based on how many skulls they can beat in and how loudly they can yell. You're light shows don't impress me," he narrowed his eyes at the both of them, and they quickly snapped to attention.

"Yes, sir!"

"Hm! Also, while you're pondering the best way to apologise, I'd suggest thinking about how it must have been for him to lose all four of his fellow Kaioshin. Yet, he had no choice but to continue living here on his own until Kibito was appointed to him, and with the additional pressure of no Kaioshin to replace him should he die."

With those parting words, the Elder Kai grabbed Gohan by his sleeve and tugged him away, leaving Goku, who looked just a tiny bit ashamed of himself. Goku looked up at Kibito, who had moved to cast a shadow over him, to see him staring down with a grim expression. The tall Shin-Jin merely pointed towards a formation of rocks, a sure indication as to where the young Kaioshin would be.

Goku saluted and broke into a jog.

Shin was absolutely not sulking, he wasn't, Gods didn't sulk.

"Tch!"

He threw a pebble into the lake he was sitting next to, watching the ripples distort the image of the Haxon nebula within it. A nebula that might not exist much longer if Majin Buu escaped the confines of Earth.

"Hey! Shin," a grinning Goku slowed down to a stop beside him.

"Goku?" Shin was surprised to see the Saiyan beside him, and a little guilty for losing his temper. He could see now that Goku hadn't meant any harm by the comment, it was just friendly ribbing, and a habit of trying to relieve everyone's stress.

"Goku, I'm-"

"Hey about earlier, I'm really sorry." Goku bowed quickly, before sitting crossed legged next to the Kaioshin with a flump. Shin, was now simply confused.

"It's... fine? I shouldn't have lost my temper to be honest, it's not your fault that this is happening."

"Well, none of us really listened to you did we? So, it's not your fault either," Goku reasoned, lying back on the grass, arms tucked behind his head.

"But it's my responsibility to make sure nothing threatens the Universe!" Shin argued, leaning back around so he could see Goku's face.

"Yeah, but, you're only one person. You may be a God, but the universe is huge~" Goku spread his arms out in front of him, before letting them arc back onto the ground either side of him. A couple of butterflies fluttered away, agitated by the Saiyans movements.

"You manage," Shin pointed out, facing forward again, shoulders slumped.

"Well, I'm not exactly normal, even for Saiyans, let alone other Earthlings."

Goku sat upright again, only just noticing the lake in front of him. The large body of water was now showing an image of a distant star collapsing in on itself.

"Oooooh, that's so cool! Did you guys do that?"

Thrown by the sudden change in conversation, Shin followed where Goku was pointing.

"You mean the supernova? I don't destroy, Goku. Wrong God."

"Nah nah, I mean did you get the lake to do that? It's amazing."

The Saiyan leaned forward until he was looking at the waters surface on all fours, his own face reflected back at him superimposed over the dying star. Next to his reflection appeared Shin's own face, sporting a rather melancholy expression.

"West did."

"West?"

"Ah, the Western Kaioshin!" Shin replied animatedly, pleased at the prospect of being able to share a story with someone new. "She thought the Lake was boring staying one colour all the time, so she reflected the Universe into it." He grinned at a sudden memory, "North was so annoyed he couldn't fish here anymore. He said it made no sense to pull fish out of a Black Hole."

"Ahh, she could do that!"

"Yeah, she was really good at making complex things, even if it didn't really serve a purpose other than simply being nice to look at."

Getting side tracked in past memories, Shin hadn't noticed Goku suddenly looking incredibly smug.

"She was amazing, was she?"

"Yeah."

"Pretty too, I bet?"

"Hmm," he nodded slightly. Then, having realised what trap he had just been led into, he froze, blushing, and the tips of his ears going pink. "Hey, that's not-!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I can't help but tease. You really liked her, huh?"

At this, Shin deflated again, "she still died." Fiddling with the ends of his sleeves, the young Shin-Jin sighed, "you- you're amazing."

"Huh?" Goku blinked, wondering how this being at the top of the Universe could say that when all Goku had done so far was upset him.

"You have all these people that you love and care about, and who love and care about you, but you have the power to defend them, every time. Even if it should be impossible by Universal standards. You defend you're whole planet."

"Well," Goku scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed, "I have help."

"Yes, but, in the end, it's usually just you left. You or Gohan." Shin smiled, looking over to where the rest of their group were. "He has a brilliant soul you know."

"Yeah, yeah he does."

Looking back at Goku, he saw how the other was now kneeling in front of him, his full attention was on the Kaioshin.

"You know you can defeat any problem that endangers the people you care about, but I can't do that."

"You're still here though," Goku patted Shin's shoulder. Shin just looked puzzled, so Goku continued. "You said it yourself, you know you can't win, but you still go anyway. You still came to Earth to warn us, to ask for our help; a God asking mortals for help to try and avert danger. Sure, this time it blew up in our faces! But, your heart was in the right place. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a God that needs help with a good heart, than a powerful one with no thought or care for anyone."

Shin had nothing to say. He'd like to tell Goku how grateful he his but his mental processes have ground to a halt and his mouth isn't working. He can only stare and smile.

"There," another friendly pat on the back from Saiyan to Kaioshin, "you feel better?"

"Yes, thank you, Goku."

"Hehe, no problem, now come on." Goku sprung to his feet, startling the Kaioshin a little, and stretched his arms above his head, before resting one hand at his hips, and the other to help Shin up. "I think the Old Guy is ready to do his potential hocus pocus. This ought'a be good."

Shin nearly snorted as they made their way back to the group, "it's not hocus pocus, Goku."

"Eh, whatever it is, I'll believe it when I see it. By the way," he turned to face Shin once more, who had taken to hovering beside him, "why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Float all the time?"

"... It's fun."

"Really?..."

As Goku scratched his head on their way back, Shin knew there was no way he was admitting, at this point, that it also made him feel just a bit taller.

I will never be over the fact that Shin looks like a teenager and his power level is hilariously out of whack with the rest of the show - and by hilarious I mean eternally frustrating.

Behold, my favourite character.