AN. This one takes place not long after the next one. I wouldn't skip Tien learning telepathy! Too adorable :D

Chapter Five

The two boys sat across the room from each other, both with their legs crossed and their hands in their laps. The toddler kept fidgeting with the hem of his pants, his eyes flitting up and down, his face concerned. The older child was smiling, but his smile was slightly strained at the corners.

"Is it gonna hurt, nii-chan?"

"No, Tien. I promise."

Chiaotzu's stomach twisted, and he sent a quick prayer to Kami that the boy's mind would be open to him. If it wasn't then he would have to force his way through, breaking open the boy's natural boundaries, and no matter how gentle he was that would be painful.

"You need to stay very quiet, Tien, and very still. Keep your body relaxed and try to keep your mind open. It'll feel strange, but once I get through I can teach you to speak telepathically to me over a great distance."

Tien still looked worried, but he stopped fiddling with his hem and met Chiaotzu's eyes.

"Close your eyes, Tien, I'll warn you before I do anything."

Tien nodded once, then closed his eyes, his mouth still firmly set in a thin line. Chiaotzu cast his mind out, using his training sessions with Shen to surround the boy without touching him. He could feel the ki that pulsated there, still contained within the toddler's small frame. He could feel the heart that was beating frantically, the anxiety that sent the mind beneath him into a roiling mess.

"I'm going to touch your mind now, Tien," Chiaotzu said gently. "Stay very still. It's going to feel a bit weird."

Tien's lips tightened but he otherwise didn't move. Chiaotzu could feel his anxiety increase though, his heartbeat quickening. He carefully touched the boy's mind with his own, taking care not to go too deep but also not moving too slowly or carefully that he wouldn't be felt. He wasn't doing a recon mission, after all, he was trying to teach the boy what telepathy felt like.

Tien flinched and shrank into himself a little. His mind shuddered, attempting to repel Chiaotzu's thoughts.

"It's okay, Tien," Chiaotzu said. He didn't delve any deeper, afraid of causing pain, just allowed his energy to sit on the surface of Tien's mind. "Feels weird, right?"

"Yeah," Tien said softly, then laughed nervously. "Is that you? For real?"

Chiaotzu concentrated on softening the edges of his mind, of projecting more of himself and personalising the energy Tien would be feeling. He watched closely as the triclops relaxed further, a small smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"It is you," he said, awe in his voice.

"I need to go a bit deeper to be able to talk to you, okay? Stay relaxed."

Tien's mind had relaxed and Chiaotzu found it took very little effort to actually go deeper. On the contrary, Tien's mind seemed to embrace him and draw him closer. He felt the trust the small boy had, the faith that Chiaotzu wouldn't hurt him in any way, and his heart warmed.

Tien, can you hear me?

"Of course, nii-chan."

Open your eyes.

Tien's three eyes opened and met Chiaotzu's. The telepath could feel how calm the small boy was now, how relaxed since his fears had been unfounded. He smiled back.

You're doing really well, Tien.

Tien's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened.

"Nii-chan, you didn't…"

You can feel my mind, right? Focus on it and think what you want to say.

Tien's smile fell away and his face became solemn. His eyebrows drew together as he concentrated.

Ch…Chiaotzu?

The older boy's face split into a wide grin.

Yes! Perfect!

Now…what?

Tien's mental voice was strained and slow; it seemed to be taking a lot of effort for him to put the words out there. Chiaotzu wasn't worried. It could take many years for someone not proficient in telepathy to manage an effortless conversation.

Now we focus on ki-control. Ki is what makes your heart beat and your mind think. My ki is what I use in my abilities. He held out his hands and pulled some of his ki out to form a swirling ball of flickering light. Tien's eyes fixed on it, the same awe from when he was watching the snow shining there again.

"Wow…" he breathed. Chiaotzu was going to remind him to use his mind, but decided that the boy hadn't realised he had said anything so left it.

Try to feel your own. It'll be in your chest somewhere, like a warm glow or a gentle force, but you've gotta focus really hard, okay?

Tien nodded and closed his eyes again, frowning as he concentrated. He slowly moved his hands from his lap, holding them with the palms gently curled towards each other, his body very still. Chiaotzu watched, pleased by how quickly the boy was getting the hang of it. He could vaguely remember learning all of this himself, and how long it had taken him to feel his own energy as a tangible thing, not just a reflex he could cast and reel like fishing line. Tien's hands tensed ever so slightly and a dot of light appeared between them, rolling and twisting.

You…you did it!

Chiaotzu couldn't help the pleasure in his voice, the pride he felt seeping into his tone. Tien's eyes snapped open and he looked down at the dot with glee. The dot grew bigger as he watched, the bright ball of his ki expanding so it almost touched his palms.

Will…it…hurt me?

No, Tien. It's your own energy so long as you control it, it can't hurt you.

This was not completely true, but Tien didn't need to know about the dangerous techniques yet, he only needed to know how to control the energy within him. Later he could worry about Shen teaching the boy the deadly moves he knew.

Tien gently moved his hands together, his eyes widening as the ball of ki shrank along with it. He put the palms of his hands together and shivered slightly.

Weird, he thought and Chiaotzu laughed. Tien looked up and smiled, a little uncertainly. Super…weird…nii-chan…

I know, Tien. You're doing really well. We'll keep practicing.

Kay…Chiaotzu.

Tien slumped backwards against the wall, an exhausted smile on his face. "That's hard work," he said aloud. "I'm tired."

"Okay, Tien, we can take a break for a bit." Chiaotzu smiled and added telepathically, I'm proud of you, little brother.

Tien's smile widened. Chiaotzu's chest was warm with pride as he watched the young boy continue to play with his ki, pulling balls out to play between his palms. He had to teach him to control his ki before Shen began his formal teaching. The Crane Hermit would not be nearly as gentle as Chiaotzu was and the more he knew before that training started the less punishment he would receive. And a reduction in the punishments was all Chiaotzu could hope for.

AN. And so Tien begins to learn telepathy! I'm having a really good time writing this story and I hope you're enjoying reading it. Fear not, Tien will start his training with Shen and Tao Pai Pai soon enough! Leave a review if you'd like, it's always greatly appreciated! :D