AN. And we skip forward a little bit. This chapter is a bit of Chiaotzu's (headcanon) backstory. Please to enjoy!

Chapter Six

Chiaotzu, wake up.

The pale telepath stirred in his sleep, his eyes screwing shut tighter, his hands gripping the sheet. A hand rested gingerly on his arm, jostling him from side to side, and he roused begrudgingly. It was astonishing how hard it was to wake him. If the door slammed open he would be awake within a fraction of a second, standing and ready. But the sound of his young brother saying his name, even inside his head, was not quite enough to bring him to consciousness.

Nii-chan, please.

His eyes slitted open and gradually focused on the toddler's face. Tien's eyes were wide and shining with tears, his mouth turned down sharply in the corners. Fear curled in Chiaotzu's stomach and he sat up.

"Tien, what is it?"

"I broke it, I'm so sorry, nii-chan, I was just looking for a shirt so I could go out and train and I broke it!"

Chiaotzu blinked slowly, then looked at the floor. On the cold hard stones of the floor lay thin shards of cream shell, so thin they were essentially translucent, sharp slivers pointing to the ceiling. Chiaotzu's chest froze and his mouth dropped open, a small sound escaping his mouth.

"Tien," he breathed.

"I'm sorry," Tien said, his mouth trembling as he started to cry. Tears ran from his eyes, streaking down his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "I didn't mean to!"

Chiaotzu put out one hand and his power gently wrapped around each piece. He lifted them up so they floated in front of them and tried to put them back together, to assemble the shell back into its conch shape. His hands trembled as sorrow and grief filled him.

"N-nii-chan?" Tien asked. He saw the look on Chiaotzu's face and fell silent, scrubbing at the tears on his cheeks with both hands. "I'm…I'm so sorry…"

Chiaotzu heaved a sigh, feeling tears burn in his eyes. He gathered the fragments of the shell together with his powers and gently set them on the windowsill. He gestured with both hands and Tien clambered up onto the bed, sitting opposite the telepath.

"I'm really sorry, Chiaotzu, I really didn't mean to. It was all my fault."

Chiaotzu leaned forward and put his arms around the triclops, drawing him close and holding him tight. Tien froze, his words faltering to a halt as his tears soaked into the telepath's shirt.

"It's…it's okay, Tien," he said softly. "It was an accident. Accidents happen."

He took a deep breath and tried to centre himself. His emotions were roiling inside him as he fought to keep them down. Tien was only three years old; he couldn't be completely in control.

"What were you doing, going to train at this time of night?"

He didn't need to look to know that Tien's cheeks were flushing red with embarrassment. Since they had been training with telepathy they had been a constant in each other's minds, each emotion shared to a slight degree.

"I wanted to try to practice the Dodonpa," Tien said quietly, ducking his head, burying his face into Chiaotzu's chest. "I didn't want to wake you."

The Dodon Ray was one of the few ki attacks that Chiaotzu had taught Tien, knowing it would impress Shen when they finally began training properly. At the moment he could only manage a very thin ray, enough to cause a tiny first degree burn to an opponent's skin. He had been trying hard to harness more of his ki to do so, but Chiaotzu was anxious about him using too much and exhausting himself. He was also afraid that Shen would see his potential too clearly and teach him more dangerous techniques, attacks that could endanger his life no matter how tight his control was.

He hugged the triclops to him, trying to reassure him with the embrace, while also trying to recover from the loss of the thin shell. It was one of his most treasured possessions, one of the only reminders of his old life, before the Crane Hermit, before the dojo in the valley and the strict control of his personality. He had been able to hold the delicate shell in his small white hands, his fingertips tracing the intricate whorls of conch, the whooshing of sound as he held it to his ears, and it would take him to another place.

"Was it important?"

Chiaotzu nodded once, fighting to keep the sorrow from the top of his mind where Tien would easily feel it.

"It was my mother's."

Tien pulled away slightly, his three eyes wide as he looked up at his older brother. Chiaotzu kept his face carefully blank, but avoided the triclops' gaze.

"She gave it to me a very long time ago. It…it was a birthday present." He fell silent for a moment, emotion closing his throat so he couldn't say anymore. Tien was watching him closely, his tears drying on his cheeks. Eventually he managed to control the emotions in him and was able to say, "She died, a long time ago. This was the last thing she ever gave me."

He could almost see her face. She had been a telepath, but unlike him and for reasons he couldn't understand she hadn't frozen at age five. She had been very tall, over 6 and a half feet, with long willowy limbs and kind eyes. She had cared for him, taught him how to read minds, how to be kind and considerate. He missed her terribly.

"I'm sorry I broke her gift," Tien said quietly. "I can try to fix it?"

Chiaotzu shook his head. "It's too fragile and too old. It's okay, Tien. It was probably going to break sometime." He sighed sadly, looking at the translucent shards of shell on the windowsill. "I'll always remember her, even if the things she gave me keep breaking."

Tien nodded, then put his head back on Chiaotzu's chest, sniffling. "I'm still sorry. Can I make it up to you?"

Chiaotzu shook his head again, hugging the boy tighter. He could feel the anguish and horror on the surface of the triclops' mind, the pain that he felt having broken something so important. He closed his eyes, feeling the tears that burned there, and managed a small smile.

"You don't need to, little brother. S'long as we've got each other I won't forget all that important stuff."

And even as he said them he felt deep inside how true the words were. So long as he and Tien had each other they would be able remember the things in life that meant the most.

AN. And there we go. Hopefully you enjoyed, I do swear there will be fighting soon :P Tien will be old enough to start using his fists soon! Good times, see you soon! Please review if you enjoyed, thanking you muchly! (particularly to those who have already reviewed [double particularly Sonar, so appreciated!], warm fuzzies x1000 :D)