AN. Here is a quick chapter where Tien is taught some more ki-attacks :D

Chapter Twelve

Chiaotzu concentrated his ki, compressing it down into his legs and out of his feet. He slowly rose into the air, his arms spreading wide to maintain his balance, and then took off properly. He soared through the valley; dipping low enough to run his fingers through the thick, warm grass. He angled up, lifting so he was out of the valley and higher than the hills either side, unable to stop a short laugh as he looked down at the ground far below. He loved flying, loved the freedom and the wind rushing over his skin.

He turned and looked back at the dojo, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the figures in the fighting square. He wished his vision was better; from here he could see only figures, unable to distinguish one from the other. The few times he had brought Tien up this high (holding on tight to the larger boy's arm in case his ki control wavered) the triclops had easily been able to tell one person from another, at one point describing a visitor down to the small tear in their left pant leg. It had been an extraordinary feat that they hadn't told anyone about; Master Shen didn't need to know about their flights away from the school.

He rested one hand on his forehead, attempting to block out the glare of the sun, squinting as he tried harder to tell the difference. He knew Tien was down there, training with Tao Pai Pai again. Chiaotzu had excused himself from observing. It had been harder and harder not to interfere; Tao had started fighting seriously around the time the boy had turned ten, flipping his braid over his shoulder and beating the boy within an inch of his life.

His eyes widened slightly as a bright burst of light flashed in the centre of the ring, the suddenness of it hurting his eyes. He froze in mid-air, his stomach suddenly twisting in a knot. That wasn't… It couldn't have been…

Chiaotzu. You are needed.

That was Shen's voice. The cool tone echoing in Chiaotzu's mind made him even more frightened. He concentrated his ki even further, his fear making him use perhaps more than he should, and rocketed down towards the square. He skidded to a halt in the air above the training ring, looking in horror at the square hole in the middle, the edges smoking slightly. He could see the bottom, but only just.

Tien was sprawled on the hard stones, his skin ashy and shining with sweat. His face wasn't relaxed, as though in sleep, but twisted with effort. All three eyes were closed and he didn't seem to be breathing.

Chiaotzu couldn't help himself; he flew quickly to the boy's side, landing on his knees on the hard stones, his hands reaching for his brother. He was vaguely aware of his power crackling around him, a light blue aura that became visible when he was under stress.

"Chiaotzu." Shen's voice halted him in his tracks, his hands trembling an inch or so from that sweaty grey skin. "How disrespectful."

Chiaotzu froze and stood, bowing low, his eyes still fixed on Tien's face. There was pain there, he could see now, etched in the lines of the boy's face.

"S-sorry, Master. I was…worried for your star pupil…" He didn't quite know what to say that would satisfy Shen's temper, preventing him from punishing the telepath. "What happened?"

"Tao was teaching him some ki-attacks, that's all." Shen scoffed. Tao had already left, clearly disappointed at Tien's weakness. "We thought he was ready to handle it, but clearly not."

"The….the Kikoho, Master?"

Fear made Chiaotzu's voice very quiet, he was aware that he had broken out in a cold sweat and he had started to tremble. He had seen other students try to learn the Kikoho, a devastating ki-attack that drew on the very central life force within a person, the reserve that was untouchable in other attacks, that kept the pupil alive. None of those students had ever gotten up again, some dying right where they stood, some failing a few days or weeks later as their life force flickered and gave out. He himself had refused to use the technique, though Shen had insisted he learn the theory and the execution.

Please no.

The older man scoffed and nodded once. "Take him away."

Shen turned and walked back into the building he shared with Tao, not looking back. Chiaotzu hesitated, then carefully knelt down next to Tien. He was astonished to feel tears starting to burn his eyes as he reached for the triclops' shoulder. His hand was shaking and he forced the muscles to steady before touching that ashen skin. It was cold under his hand and he swallowed a sob with difficulty.

"Tien," he breathed. He closed his eyes and spread his mind out, surrounding the boy on the ground. At first he didn't feel anything at all, his eyes screwing shut tight as he fought back tears. Then the faintest beat of the boy's heart, the smallest flicker of ki. Hope surged in him and his eyes flew open. "Tien?"

The boy didn't respond but the faintest hint of colour returned to his cheeks and the heartbeat in Chiaotzu's mind became a touch more regular.

Chiaotzu stood and used his psychic powers to lift the triclops, wrapping gentle ropes of his energy into a net to fully support his brother's body. He carried him this way to their room, carefully navigating, his hands outstretched to ensure that the net of his power never wavered. Once in the room he lay Tien out on the bed, covering him with the sheet, moving slowly and carefully.

"Please wake up," he pleaded softly, unaware that he was speaking aloud. "Don't leave me. I…I'll be so lonely without you."

He gently dabbed the sweat away from Tien's skin, wiping his face clean, trying to wipe away that terrible grey caste as he did. The little flush of colour was still there, high on the points of his cheeks, and that simple fact gave Chiaotzu hope. Maybe Tien could survive the Kikoho. Maybe he would beat the odds, the 99.99% mortality rate of the terrible attack. And if he could, maybe he really would be the strongest martial artist in the world.

AN. Ah dear, that's no good :( Fear not, the next chapter will cover the aftermath! See you then :)