AN. Hello and welcome to Chapter 25! Quarter of a century! Woo! I hope you enjoy :)

I'd like to thank PugMaster and CommanderAIK for looking over this chapter for me before I posted it to make sure it made sense! Thank you both hugely, you're superstars!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Tien was absolutely furious. Chiaotzu could feel the rage radiating off him like heat, could see it in his red face, the way his hands curled into tight fists and his teeth bared in a snarl.

Jackie Chun, on the other hand, looked pleased as punch. His face was split in a congenial smile and he lifted one hand to wave at the audience, many of whom were staring at him with open-mouthed shock.

"J…Jackie Chun has forfeited!" the announcer shouted. "He just…he jumped out of the ring! Did you trip, sir?"

Jackie shook his head, his laugh carrying over the crowd to where Shen and Chiaotzu stood. The Crane hermit was clearly confused, but was trying to force a smirk on his face. Chiaotzu was hanging off the wall, his eyes fixed on Tien, chewing on the inside of his lip.

"Tienshinhan wins by forfeit! Tienshinhan will proceed to the finals!"

Tien did not look pleased by this. His fury was undercut slightly when the announcer jumped into the ring and – with some considerable difficulty – hoisted one hand into the air. All three of his eyes were fixed on the old man who was still affably smiling at the crowd.

"He…he knew he couldn't win," Shen muttered aloud, making Chiaotzu jolt slightly with surprise. The telepath turned his head and saw that familiar smirk settle on his master's face, sending ice through his veins. He flinched as Shen's voice echoed in his mind, addressing his brother.

He knew he couldn't win, Tienshinhan, that's why he forfeited! You had him on the ropes and it was the only way he could maintain his smug little charade. You've crushed the Turtle Hermit's pride.

Tien shook his head almost imperceptibly, his jaw hardening as he gritted his teeth. Chiaotzu looked on, blank-faced, helpless. The disguised Master Roshi bowed and smiled and then left the ring, grinning at his two students as he passed. Tien crossed his arms tight, scoffed and spun on his heel, stalking from the ring, following the old man.

Tienshinhan, come back here! Shen shouted telepathically. Show proper respect to your Master!

Chiaotzu's lips tightened to prevent them turning down at the corners. He turned to Shen, bowing his head slightly.

"Tienshinhan needs a moment to process his unexpected victory," he said in a soft, soothing voice. "He will return in due course I'm sure."

Shen let out his own little scoff, rolling his eyes and settling in to watch the match between Goku and Krillin. Chiaotzu also leaned against the wall, his blank eyes facing towards the ring, his mental energies focused internally. He rehashed the fight that had just finished, trying to analyse what had happened.

The old man had spent a good period of time talking, waffling on and on. They hadn't been able to hear, even from their place in the front row, what was being said, but Tien had grown steadily angrier and angrier, lashing out with quick strikes and shouting intelligible phrases, calling Roshi a lunatic, a deluded old fool, his rage overtaking him. He was still holding back significantly, his full strength hidden.

Then Master Shen had exclaimed that the old man was preaching – perhaps he had been able to hear what Chiaotzu couldn't – and revealed telepathically that the man was indeed Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit they had come here to defeat.

Tien's rage had immediately receded, replaced by a smug smirk that had made Chiaotzu's skin turn cold. He had used his own special skill, the ability to learn ki attacks after only watching them once, to unleash a huge Kamehameha toward the old man, who just managed to deflect it before it hit the crowd, much to Chiaotzu's relief. The anger had then surged to the surface when Roshi had then shrugged and smiled and jumped from the ring, landing easily on the soft grass.

Now Goku and Krillin were sparring easily in the ring in front of them, smiling and joking, their testing blows easily blocked, each one slowly upping the strength and agility of their movements.

Chiaotzu watched blankly for only a moment, then spread his mind out, searching for Tien's energy. He wasn't properly able to sense ki at this moment, but he was usually able to sense Tien's mind. He wasn't sure if it was the fact they had been telepathically linked for so long, or that Tien had been so young when they'd first felt each other's energy, but the triclops always stood out from a crowd. His mind was unique and Chiaotzu could find it easily.

He found Tien in the now-empty courtyard outside the front of the tournament. He tried to feel what Tien was feeling, but the walls were, if anything, stronger than they had been before and wouldn't allow him to get close at all. There was someone else in the courtyard as well, and though Chiaotzu felt that their mind was sharp and well-guarded, they welcomed his first tentative probe, making him jump slightly.

Hello, Roshi's voice murmured in his mind. His hands bore down hard on the wall in front of him.

He glanced over at Shen, his eyes wide, but his master was focused on the fight in front of him. Chiaotzu took a deep breath, tightened his hands, made sure his mind was shielded and responded. H-hello…

You're Tienshinhan's friend, right?

Chiaotzu's eyes again slid sideways, assessing his master. He would be punished severely if Shen caught wind of this conversation. He was supposed to be upholding the way of their house: cold disdain and sharp grating sarcasm. He felt that he was becoming a pretty terrible Crane; his conscience rearing up and fighting against the values he had been living by for so long. Instead of a biting retort or vicious snarl he found his telepathic voice transmitting uncertainly, his tone soft and almost shy; I try to be.

There was a long silence and Chiaotzu fought down the flush that tried to rise in his bloodless cheeks. His eyes widened slightly as Tien appeared from the building to the back, his rage simmering just below the surface of his expression. He had been so focused on the old man that he hadn't realised that Tien had left the courtyard.

The old man had moved slightly as well, but the telepathic link between them remained open. His voice was thoughtful, reflective, and kind. He's a good man.

Tears stung at Chiaotzu's eyes and he blinked them away angrily. He didn't know what to say to that. Tien could be a good man, he could be a great man, but he was corrupted and cruel and vicious. This fact struck him particularly hard now, like a swift punch to the gut, a sudden short burst of grief, and he swallowed hard to help keep his composure.

He felt Master Roshi's presence in his mind, the Turtle Hermit not even attempting to penetrate the protective walls to read his thoughts or emotions, and he couldn't help the surprise he felt at the difference between the masters of Crane and Turtle. If Shen felt such well constructed telepathic walls in a rival he would make it a mission to get past them, to dig through the defences and into the soft, vulnerable mind beneath.

He…he could be… he sent eventually, and bit the inside of his cheeks hard. Tien glanced at him from across the ring, his three eyes narrowing, and he wondered if the triclops had heard him or felt the sorrow and regret that had welled suddenly, filling the small telepath's body until he felt he would burst.

There was a soft noise of acknowledgement and then the Turtle Hermit's energy was gone. Chiaotzu's hands loosened on the wall, the skin of his palms smarting slightly from the rough brick. He managed to keep his face composed and his body still, but the confused tornado of emotions in him made him feel weak and unbalanced.

There was a roar from the crowd as Krillin was flung from the ring; Goku making several lightning fast strikes to the bald child's midsection and sending him sprawling on the grass. Tien's attention was completely focused on the ring now and Chiaotzu saw the glimmer of triumph on his eyes, even from this distance. His stomach sunk and he leaned against the wall, stifling a groan of despair. This was terrible. Of all the tournaments they had ever been in together, this was the worst. He only hoped they would come out intact.

AN. Ah it's all looking so hopeless, what a terrible shame! Hopefully things turn around soon! Or you know, whenever :) Thank you for reading!