Better Than Tea

The thought had crossed his mind many times. The thought of eliminating all mortals across all universes. But . . . he'd had no means to do it. Strong as he was compared to his other Kai brethren, he was nothing against the Gods of Destruction. He would lose to them in a hurry and his efforts would have all been for naught. If only there had been a way for him to surpass the limits of his body and grow stronger. . . but he hadn't come across anything of the sort and had thus resigned himself to the fate he'd been dealt. Day in and day out he made tea for Gowasu, the current Supreme Kai to whom he served as apprentice. He listened to the old man's ramblings of peace and patience. There was no justice in allowing the mortals to run amok. What purpose did they serve if they did nothing to stop the destruction of nature itself?

Yet now this man stood before him. This man who looked every bit like a mortal man, and yet. . . there was something about him that was not quite right. He had killed Gowasu with apparent ease, his hand encased in a very familiar energy that dissipated as his smirk stretched wider across his face.

"You wanted to do this yourself, didn't you?" This man's voice was just as unfamiliar as his face. Yes, yes he had also wanted to do this himself. He'd wanted to do this for so incredibly long . . . but would he really be able to admit to something like that out loud? How did this mortal know about those thoughts? Those desires? How much did he really know?

"Here. With this, you're now the Supreme Kai." The stranger removed one of his own earrings and held it out for Zamasu to take. The earrings he recognized immediately. Green Potara. . . those were definitely Gowasu's earrings! But how? He'd watched them disappear right before his eyes along with Gowasu's body as it turned to dust!

Yet. . . he wanted to take it. Why would he not accept something he'd wanted for so long? Perhaps it was all a strange dream, but there was no sense in denying himself this opportunity, real or not. Zamasu reached out a hesitant hand, slowly taking the earring from him as he rose to his feet.

"Who are you?" Zamasu narrowed his eyes nervously at this stranger. Who was it who was able to so easily enter the realm of the Kais and kill the Supreme Kai? There was something so familiar about him, but he'd certainly never met someone like this.

"I'm you."

". . . me??" He was visibly taken aback. Who wouldn't be after a response like that?

"I've traveled from the past for our justice. . . I need you." He reached out a hand as if offering a shake, that same mischievous grin playing on his lips.

Something like this seemed so suspicious and yet. . . it all made sense. The familiar ki, the knowledge of his darkest desires . . . if he was from another timeline, he must have found a means to obtain greater strength.

Zamasu took his hand briefly before they both embraced each other. It felt as though they'd known each other for a long while now. This was himself. Himself from another time. No longer was he alone. No longer would he have to serve tea to an ignorant and complacent god.

- - - - -

It had been a long while since that initial meeting. They'd eliminated the Gods of Destruction and the Supreme Kais across all universes. Now they had settled down on a planet in Universe 7 called 'Earth'. The planet itself was lovely, but the mortals inhabiting it were, of course, awful. Some of the worst, really. He'd heard from Black (the name had come from the mortals, who had decided to call his other self 'Goku Black') about the mortals of this world and the mortal known as Goku, whose body he had stolen. Having now met Goku himself and seen how he didn't stand a chance against Black, he really didn't seem as impressive as his other half made him out to be. Saiyans were interesting enough, but was it really worth it to become the mortals they so despised? Even though he and Black were the same being, they had very different ideas on how to handle their 'Zero Mortals Plan'. Well, it mattered not. They worked well enough together and had very nearly completed their plan already.