February 20th: Infiltrate - 200 words - Image prompt.

Tien had dropped the extra arms and fused himself back into one body, much to Chiaotzu's relief. It was overwhelming enough having just the one of him here, alive and in the flesh. As the sun started to set and the cracks in the ceiling grew darker and darker, sinking from blue to navy and finally black. They didn't dare set any lights, lest they be visible through the stones Chiaotzu had piled up in front of their door. Instead they sat together in the dark, facing each other, barely illuminated by the silver glow of the moon through the cracks in the ceiling.

"Is there anything you would like to ask me, Tien?"

A moment of silence. "You left. You said he made you leave. Why?"

Chiaotzu took a breath. "He was angry with me already. His brother, Tao Pai Pai, took me on an assassination contract and it…went wrong. And I tried to lie to Shen, to get you out so we could run away. He figured it out though. Before I could get to you."

"How old was I? How long ago?" Was that a crack in Tien's voice? Maybe. If it was, Chiaotzu decided not to press it.

"Maybe five years ago. Maybe four. I lost track of the time. Ino saved me. I wouldn't have made it without him."

Tien made a soft noice of acknowledgement. "Did you ever forget me?"

"No, Tien." Vehemently. His heart brimming with the hurt of the years past. "Never."

Then: "You said brother. Before."

"Yes." Chiaotzu swallowed back tears, trying to keep himself calm. "I raised you as a baby. I always considered myself your brother. You used to call me big brother." He could hear fabric stretching and pulling, knowing Tien was fiddling with the hem of his sleeve again. "It's okay that you don't remember. I don't mind."

A sniffle. "I want to remember," Tien said softly, miserably. "I wish I remembered you, instead of there."

"As well as," Chiaotzu said. "If you forgot everything from there then you wouldn't be you."

"I'd be the me you remember," Tien countered.

Chiaotzu hesitated, then said, "But you've grown since then. I don't want you to go backward, I want to learn what's happened since so we can go forward together."

Tien let out a stifled little sob. "I'd like that."

They sat in silence for a little while after that. Both processing the enormity of the facts of what was happening. The fact they were together again. Chiaotzu's quiet reflection was shattered by Tien's shriek, "Get away from me! You monster!"

Raising his hands and collecting glowing telekinetic power in his palms, Chiaotzu blinked in surprise when he saw what Tien was so afraid of. Ino had nosed his way closer, snuffling at the ground, and one curved tusk had nudged Tien's back. The rage and hate and terror in Tien's voice had been terrible to hear. "It's okay, Tien. InoShikaCho doesn't mean any harm. Do you remember him?"

Tien's eyes narrowed suspiciously as the purple snout nosed closer, a friendly snuffle. "I have nightmares about it," he said.

"Him," Chiaotzu corrected. "Ino isn't an 'it'. He attacked us once, when you were very little." He watched Tien's eyes closely and saw no spark of recognition. That was fine. He didn't really need to remember. "But that was Shen's doing. Ino is very friendly. I promise."

Tien chewed on his lower lip, then raised his right hand and squeezed his eyes shut. Ino, seeing this gesture as a welcome, pressed his nose into Tien's palm and huffed. Tien may have been expecting teeth, and visibly relaxed at the gentle contact. His eyes opened, met Ino's, and a small smile touched his lips. "Hi, InoShikaCho. It's nice to meet you." He paused for a second, then added with a laugh, "Again."

Huffing a pleased little sigh, Ino's legs went from under him and he collapsed to the floor, Tien laughing as he bent to pat the soft fuzz of his forehead. Chiaotzu watched them both, his heart filled with warmth and love. His brother was back. For the moment, at least, they were safe.

His hand automatically dropped to his side, seeking out the curved hook of his crowbar so he could fidget with the inlaid tools, busy his hands while recharging his emotional battery, but froze when his palm landed on his hip. Nothing there. The memory of the clatter as he reached out for Tien, a plaintive gesture at the time. He'd dropped the crowbar. Left it on the floor of Papaya's shop. "Oh shit," he whispered.

The sound alerted Tien, who looked over his shoulder with quizzical eyes. His right hand continued to rub the spot between Ino's eyes, a small circular motion that made Ino's back leg twitch. Maybe he had some dog mixed in along with the butterfly, deer and boar. "Chiaotzu?"

"It's nothing, Tien." Chiaotzu squeezed his hand into a fist. "I need to go back to town is all. I'll go now while it's still dark."

Tien froze, eyebrows drawing together in a disbelieving frown. "Out there? Where Mas…" He snapped his jaws shut.

Not wanting him to dwell on the near-slip, Chiaotzu offered a reassuring smile and said, "He can't find us. I'll be shielded, I swear. I'll be home before sun up."

"It's not safe," Tien said. "What if he sees you?"

"He won't." Then, thoughtfully, "Would you like to put up your own barrier? I taught you, remember? You can even set it so you don't have to sit here channelling the whole time."

Tien's eyes brightened and his frown faded as he nodded enthusiastically. Anything to help him feel more secure was alright by Chiaotzu, and so he spent an hour teaching Tien how to mould the knitted telepathic barrier into shapes, a lesson they had not had time for yet. First a flat sheet of shimmering green. Then, a simple dome. Finally, Tien, of his own power, drew the edges of the green shield down and together until it formed a sphere.

"Very good," Chiaotzu said, pleased. "That will keep you safe for sure."

"Good." Sweat was beading on Tien's brow, his face set in a concentrated frown. With a quick, jabbing motion, he flung his hand out. Chiaotzu blinked, surprised, as the glimmering green orb split open and swallowed him up, surrounding him in the warmth of Tien's telepathy. A pleased little smile on his tired face, Tien sat back on his heels and scratched at the end of his stump. "Now you'll be protected too."

A surge of gratitude brought stinging tears to Chiaotzu's eyes. "Thank you, Tien."

Clearly uncomfortable with the thanks, Tien nodded brusquely and cradled his left elbow in his right hand, turning his face away in a poor attempt to hide the flush rising in his cheeks. "It's nothing. Come back soon."

Chiaotzu smiled and stood. That, he decided, was blessing to go to town for his weapon. In a clear performative gesture, he lifted his hands and added his own blue shield to Tien's, the energy becoming a soft teal colour. He then toned it down by dropping his arms back to his sides, the sphere shimmering so it was mostly translucent, lending a gentle teal tint to his vision. It was reassuring seeing it, and he felt more secure as he left the cave and headed towards town.

It was completely silent. There were no lights in any of the buildings, even the street lights were dark. Silver moonlight highlighted rooftop gutters and swam in the empty dust of the street. He could see Papaya's store, where he had dropped his crowbar. For the first time he felt a prickle of fear, that Papaya had been hurt for her role in their escape, and the now familiar twist of guilt that he hadn't considered this before. But he had also promised to be home by sunup. To be safe. He needed to keep his promise, to prove himself reliable again.

At the boundary of town, he kicked off his shoes and crept forward in bare feet. Keeping close to the walls, resisting the urge to walk up that empty inviting street, he approached the store. Inside was shrouded in shadow, the teal glimmer of his barrier almost completely obscuring the detail inside the store. He hesitated outside. Chewing on his lip. Aware how wrong this felt but being helpless to resist. He needed that crowbar. It had become a security blanket, in a way, its weight reassuring and solid.

He stepped into the store. Easing his way towards the counter where he could last remember having the crowbar. His feet sliding silently over rough hewn stone until his outstretched hand reached the wooden counter top. Kneeling on the ground, he patted his hands back and forth in the dark trying to feel for the familiar cool metal. It was not readily apparent.

"Good evening, Chiaotzu." The voice was cool and calm, impossibly loud in the darkness.

Instinctively, Chiaotzu swivelled, lifting one hand, only to be caught in a net of crackling orange. The threads of it dug into the glimmering teal of the shield, before rupturing through in a shower of sparks. A sharp spike of pain drove itself into Chiaotzu's skull and he screamed as he sunk to his knees. The cage closed around him, snapping his arms to his sides, wrapping iron threads around his hands so he couldn't move them. Tears standing in his eyes, he bared his teeth and looked up. And met Shen's gaze.