AN. And so now we have a little taste of the anime. Sort of, anyway. I had a super awesome anniversary. Highly recommend the 10-course meal at Gazi Restaurant in Melbourne. Top notch! We've jumped forward about a year in time so Tien is now five. Chiaotzu is frozen at five for almost all of my stories and so I'm going to stick with that for this one. No longer the big brother :( Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nine

The sky was crowded with heavy, grey clouds that hung low in the sky, making the world seem small and claustrophobic. It was hot and humid, the air thick with the promise of rain.

Chiaotzu stood silently on the edge of the ring as Tien was thrown backwards. All three of his eyes were swollen and bruised, the third one in his forehead only able to open to a thin slit. Blood was trickling from his nose and the corner of his mouth, staining the white shirt he was training in. He struck the side of the building and slid down, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Chiaotzu's stance was relaxed but his muscles were tense, fighting the urge to run to the boy's side. He had become much better at not interfering, knowing that Tien was embarrassed by his big brother's involvement.

Not that big brother was an accurate description anymore. Tien was now equal in age to Chiaotzu and overtaking him every day. Standing side by side the triclops was already much taller than the telepath, towering over him by a full head. He had hit a growth spurt, one, Chiaotzu feared, of many. He was still very lean though, his arms and legs lanky and awkward.

Tien got shakily to his feet, one hand lifting to knuckle away the blood on his chin. He was panting with effort and pain, his eyes slitted as he looked at the moustachioed man in the centre of the training ring.

It started to rain then, fat drops of surprisingly warm water falling to the ground. It started lightly, the water splashing on the four people present before increasing, quickly saturating everything. Puddles formed on the outside of the square, the usually green grass flooded with mud. Tien's feet sank into the ground and he struggled back into the square, leaving dirty footprints on the stone, which were washed away almost immediately in the rain.

The assassin Tao Pai Pai, Master Shen's younger brother, was standing upright in the middle of the square, unaffected by the rain. His long black braid hung forward over his shoulder, showing how casually he was treating this particularly sparring match. Chiaotzu feared that some day soon he would flip that braid over his shoulder and really start fighting seriously.

Tien got back into his fighting stance, trying to defend his vulnerable spots while also remaining in an offensive stance. This dichotomy revealed a lot of indefensible areas where Tao was focusing his attacks, striking a different one each time as Tien tried desperately to keep up.

Chiaotzu held his hands tight behind his back, his face completely blank, only the tightness of his knuckles showing his stress. He was glad his skin was already so pale; it meant it didn't show to anyone watching. Shen was standing beside him, occasionally nodding and murmuring his appreciation. Chiaotzu knew it wasn't because Tien was doing well, but because he was still trying, that he refused to give up.

Tien crossed his arms in front of his face to try to fend off a flurry of punches from Tao. The assassin kicked out and his foot slid between the boy's elbows and sank deep into his stomach. Tien gagged and stumbled backwards, his hands now fixing over the wounded spot. He almost fell but regained his balanced at the last second, hunched over and panting, his eyes fixed on Tao.

Chiaotzu's pride swelled in his gut and he repressed the urge to shout out an encouragement, either aloud or telepathically. He hadn't seen a single other student, including himself, who had remained standing after an attack by Tao Pai Pai. The assassin was formidable and ruthless. Chiaotzu had no doubt that if he didn't have his telekinetic and telepathic abilities that he would have been booted from the school like many of the other students who ended up in crumpled bleeding balls outside the ring.

"Good, enough."

Tao's hand, which had been flattened in a vicious slicing attack, softened and he straightened easily. Tien, who had been trying to move his hands from his wounded gut to protect himself, turned his head. Shen stepped into the square, a smile on his face.

"You will be a great fighter one day, Tienshinhan. And a great assassin."

Chiaotzu's stomach twisted and he was unable to stop his lips twitching down momentarily at the corners. He managed to get his face under control again before Shen turned to him.

"Well done, Chiaotzu. You've done a good groundwork here. We will build upon it now."

The praise still warmed Chiaotzu's heart even while fear for the young boy he had raised was still twisting nauseatingly in his gut. It was a very strange feeling.

"That is enough training for today. Tienshinhan, we will begin again early tomorrow. Clean up and then come and grab some food."

Tien bowed, only Chiaotzu able to see the tightening around his features that indicated his pain. The boy stayed bent over in the bow until their two masters left the square, heading to their private building. Tien straightened, managed to stay upright for a short moment, then his knees buckled and he fell heavily onto his bottom, hissing in breath as he braced his hands on his stomach.

Chiaotzu, knowing that their masters could still be watching from their building, walked into the ring and crouched next to Tien.

You okay, Tien? he sent, not wanting to talk in case they were watching. Tien nodded but didn't try to get up. Despite the warmth of the rain, he was clearly exhausted after his sparring and started to shiver, his teeth chattering.

"Come on," Chiaotzu said. He slipped his hands under the boy's armpits and hoisted him upright, ignoring the pained groan that emanated, and draped one of Tien's arms around his shoulders. He was actually a good height for this now, Tien able to lean against him without stretching up or leaning too far down. They went back to their room, Chiaotzu pulling out a dry set of clothes as Tien stripped down and dried himself as best he could. He dressed up in the dry clothes then slipped into the bed, curling up into a ball facing the wall.

Tien?

"Thank you, Chiaotzu," Tien said softly. "I just want to sleep for a bit, okay?"

Chiaotzu nodded and folded the blanket up to cover the still trembling boy.

"Sleep well, Tien," he said softly. "I'll get you some food for when you wake up."

He left the room, leaving the already sleeping triclops, and headed to the dining room. He was so proud of the boy, so pleased that he was so strong already. But he was also afraid for Tien, afraid for a future where he was training to be an assassin. He hoped Tien wouldn't lose his honour, his pride in his own abilities, on this course.

AN. And there we go. I hope you enjoyed. Writing is super addictive, it's taken over coffee as my drug of choice! However, does keep me up late at night for fear of losing my steam! Oh well, I'll see you next chapter! :D