AN. Howdy all! I hope you've all had a good week! :D So we've skipped ahead to the end of the next day after the quarter-finals. For those not familiar with the outcomes: Tien beats Yamcha (and breaks his leg), Jackie Chun beats ManWolf, Krillin beats Chiaotzu, Goku beats Pamputt. Here is the fallout!

Again, massive thank you to Ryu no Ohi who has given up her valuable time to look over and just make this whole story better. You're wonderful 3

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chiaotzu stirred his dinner with his chopsticks, his eyes fixed on the swirling mass of noodles, vegetables, and shredded meat, not wanting to engage with the others at the table. The tension in the small dining room was palpable, a suffocating aura that pressed down on him from all directions. His head was still smarting from where Shen had struck him for using his fingers to figure out the answers to the simple math problems he'd posited.

His inability to do simple maths had been his undoing during his match. Krillin, the bald former monk, had been completely incapacitated by the powerful bands of power squeezing his abdomen, but had quickly figured out the conduit of the telepath's aura was his hands. In a split second he had combined this information with Chiaotzu's confusion over his left and right mere minutes before and started shouting out simple math problems. Chiaotzu had had to resort to using his fingers to help him count, trying desperately to remember the difference between plus and minus.

The final problem had been nine minus one. Chiaotzu had, in a last-ditch effort, tried to read the bald child's mind to find the solution and instead had only found the numbers flashing there, seeming to float in giant red lettering above Krillin's head. He'd been knocked out of the ring pretty easily after that, sliding down the wall that restrained the audience to sit, unconscious, on the grass.

Upon awakening he had been informed of the reason why Shen had suddenly ordered him to use lethal force, to make the student rue the day he'd faced the Crane.

Tao Pai Pai was dead. He had died years ago at the hands of the same child they had already faced once. Shen's rage at hearing of the death of his brother was frightening, and Chiaotzu's loss to the Turtle student was a source of extreme disappointment. The combination of his master's displeasure and the burgeoning bloodlust at Tao's fate were terrifying in combination.

"Master Shen, I will avenge Master Tao," Tien said softly, though firmly, attempting to break the tension that froze the room.

Chiaotzu's stirring picked up speed slightly, his fist tightening on his chopsticks as the cheap wood creaked and almost broke in his hand. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want to have anything to do with this. He had already failed to avenge Tao in a small way, unable to seriously harm Krillin.

"I have no doubt of that," Shen said coldly, "That little tailed boy needs to pay for his actions. That he should dare harm my brother..."

Chiaotzu glanced towards Tien, but the triclops did not meet his eyes. He looked back at his noodles, his appetite well and truly gone. Tien's face was set in a furious frown, his hands clenched into tight fists on the tabletop. Cautiously the boy reached out with his mind, his energy slow and gentle, and encountered again the thick mental barriers Tien had set up. He knew he could break those walls, could force his way through easily as he had taught Tien how to form them, but doing so would cause pain. More than pain, a betrayal of trust. He didn't want to do that.

He found himself wondering quietly why the boy had killed Tao. Goku seemed like a pure-hearted sort, someone who couldn't watch others suffer, as already demonstrated when he had saved InoShikaCho from the burning torch Tien had thrown. For him to kill…there must have been a reason. Chiaotzu's stomach clenched, thinking back to Tao's lack of mercy, his condescension of the weak. He knew that Tao had gotten what he deserved, there was no denying that. Still, he was of the Crane school, an older brother, the same as Tien...

He did not voice these thoughts, of course. He didn't think that Shen would appreciate the questions or doubts, and his head already hurt from both the maths and the slaps meted out earlier. But for his mental fortitude, he would have let out a groan of despair at the situation.

"Tao Pai Pai-sama was a great assassin," Tien said softly, "I will take his mantle, with your permission, Master, and become the greatest assassin this world has ever seen."

"After you make that brat pay," Shen said, "When you've proved yourself against that kid then — and only then — I will consider letting you take over Tao's legacy."

Chiaotzu's hand froze. The sinking, yawning feeling had opened up in his stomach again, the horror of it causing a shudder that twisted through his muscles. There was a short pause where he kept his eyes fixed on the still swirling contents of his bowl, before he lifted his gaze and met the incredulous stares of his friend and his master. "Sorry," he said in a quiet voice, fighting to keep the blush from his cheeks, his face composed, "I...don't know what came over me."

"See that it doesn't come over you again," Shen said in an icy voice, as though Chiaotzu should be able to control involuntary movements as well as his emotions.

"Yes, Master," the small human answered meekly, grateful that the rebuke had only been verbal this time, instead of physical.

Shen then turned to the triclops, ignoring the telepath once again. "Tienshinhan, you need to keep your focus. You'll be facing the old man in the next fight, and while he seems foolish, he's got some tricks up his sleeve."

"He won't be any trouble," Tien said confidently, "He's the only thing standing between me and another Turtle student. Whichever of them wins the other semi-final. I'll crush them and then the other, it doesn't matter what order they're in. They'll regret they day they met Master Tao...and me."

Chiaotzu bit the inside of his cheeks hard, tasting the metallic tang of blood. They were both resolutely ignoring him, conversing amongst themselves about the Turtle school and how completely they would destroy them. He pushed the bowl of noodles away, untouched, and sank into his seat, slouching down so his eyes were level with the table. Tien started talking with his hands, gesturing for emphasis, a sign that he was getting really passionate, and Chiaotzu closed his eyes. He was starting to feel a bit sick now, his head throbbing as his stomach swirled.

Silently, not announcing his intentions, he slipped from his seat and padded from the room, heading to the bedroom. He didn't want to be around either of them at the moment. He quietly closed the door behind him and slipped into his bed, pulling the covers up over his head and closing his eyes. He tried to go to sleep, but his throbbing brain wouldn't allow it.

After about an hour of lying silently in the dark the door opened again and Tien entered. Shen was not with him, the sound of the bathroom door slamming the only accompaniment to the triclops.

"Chiaotzu, are you okay?"

"Yes, Tien. Just tired." He clenched his eyes shut tight, aware vaguely of his power starting to shine from his skin, a bright blue glow that was surely visible in the dark despite the blanket. He didn't like lying to Tien; not just because he wasn't very good at it but also because he found the feeling, the texture, of lies leaving his mouth disgusting. "I'm trying to sleep, can we talk tomorrow?"

There was a long silence. Chiaotzu almost hoped that Tien would push the issue, that he would reach out and try to comfort, but he was sadly disappointed. "Sure…we'll talk tomorrow…" Tien said softly, his voice flat, and then his bed creaked as he crawled in. They lay in silence together before Chiaotzu fell into an uneasy sleep, his dreams full of the screams of children.

AN. Poor Chiaotzu, it's all getting a little hopeless :( Hopefully things improve soon :P Have a lovely week, I'll see you next chapter!