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Chapter Text

Part I - Established

Chapter 1

Nothing

That's how one would describe the area. The wastelands were enveloped by the sky's light blue color, aided by the sun. It was noon. No shade of darkness could be seen. Everything was so visible, but there was nothing to see.

At least, not in the immediate view. To the left was an enormous mountain, the crest of its cliff extending infinitely, and to the right was a lake, which also seemed to never end. But straight ahead looked like a void of light.

This midday the wastelands had a couple of visitors traveling along its path, one of which was a young man of about twenty years old. He was bald headed, and his chest expanded, quite widely, in horizontal length. He had a third eye at the top of his forehead. He wore a white shirt, not covering his arms, and green pants, fastened by a red belt. He stood to be about five feet, ten inches. He frowned, normally. He used to smile back in the days, when he was an arrogant fighter, but times have changed.

Beside him was his lifelong best friend, floating ever so quietly. It was quite eerie, as his flight was so stealthy, and to notice him, one would have to conveniently look his way or hear him talk in his high-pitched voice. He wore similar clothes to those of the man.

Although he did indeed have a voice of such high-frequency, Chiaotzu was in no way the age of a boy. He was just a year younger than Tien Shinhan, who was twenty-one, so it was quite occult that he was the size of a tiny, seven-year-old boy. He possessed the whitest skin, pale to the bone, red circles on his cheeks, and his face was almost always the same, blank expression he gave. Combine that with his oval eyes and wide, black pupils, and you have innocence. His head, usually covered by his black, red-topped hat, only had one curl of hair. He was an adult, but it strains common sense to refer to him as a man.

Chiaotzu only followed Tien. With some catastrophic exceptions, he hardly ever separated from his practical brother. He was levitating slightly behind him, at a height so that his head leveled Tien's. Neither of them knew of their exact location.

This wasn't an unfamiliar place to either of them, however. All they had to do was go straight to find their shelter, which they both hoped had not converted to debris while they were away.

"Should we fly? We'll make it there faster."

Tien heard Chiaotzu's voice for the first time in an hour. There really was nothing to talk about, a common occurrence in their friendship.

"Let's just walk."

"Okay."

So they continued into the nothingness and had nothing to speak of.

Chapter Text

Perhaps there was so much silence because Tien hadn't said anything else to Chiaotzu just for the hell of saying it. Chiaotzu never did, unless it was a matter of concern or question.

But Tien usually did. In fact, he was often in a very pensive mood. It had been a month since Chiaotzu's second death.

Tien always found his mind turning to that. When it did, he tried to distract himself. Of course, he never wanted to relive the moment. It was depressing and slowly killing him inside, but he could not help to feel worried about Chiaotzu.

He completely blamed himself. He had failed to protect him. He tried to die after to join his friend, but life doomed him. The separation extended to two months. How Tien managed those two months was beyond him. He was tortured by the loneliness and guilt until news came around that Bulma and Gohan had found the dragon balls again to revive the fallen, Chiaotzu included.

It is what has been internally killing Tien for a month now. He had the fear of his friend dying - a sense of paranoia and longing to keep Chiaotzu safe no matter the cost. It was all stored up in him, and he could not let it out.

Tien?

In his own head, Tien suddenly heard Chiaotzu's whispering voice call him.

He looked at his brother in confusion. "Chiaotzu? Why didn't you just…"

"I tried. It wasn't working."

Indeed, Chiaotzu had tried to verbally call Tien five times before he resorted to telepathically communicating with him. Yes, they were both telepathic, but it was rare they use their powers in such proximity. He must have not have noticed the sound of his voice. Deep down, Chiaotzu knew that something was wrong with his friend. It was probably because of their separation, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't bring it up.

It wasn't the first time it had happened since Chiaotzu's revival. Tien said, "Sorry" and waited for Chiaotzu's original question.

"Do you think what that boy said is right? About them coming to our planet to kill us all?"

"Yeah. He's from the future. He would know."

"But do you think they will kill us?" His face showed worry, the thin mouth curved in a slight frown.

Tien could hear the fear in Chiaotzu's voice. More wind seemed to blow the longer he waited to answer.

"We're lucky he told us about it. Now we have three years, so we might just make it."

"Tien...I'm scared." Now Chiaotzu's voice seemed to be lacking in strength.

"You don't have to be, Chiaotzu. I'm here for you, and I'll protect you."

And with that, Tien flinched, although it was barely visible. He always cringed when he said something of that nature. Of course, he'd do anything to protect Chiaotzu. He would, in a split-second, sacrifice himself, and he really, really knew Chiaotzu would do the same. But Tien didn't want it to come to that. That would mean they would be separated again, and without Chiaotzu, Tien was nothing.

Chiaotzu sighed. His voice grew with some reassurance. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me neither. I've been through it before."

Now Chiaotzu flinched. He knew what Tien was referring to. For a while, he contemplated asking Tien about how he felt after he died, but being himself, who wasn't very inquisitive, as well as not wanting to make Tien share what happened, he swerved away from his curiosity.

More silence filled the air, and more wind seemed to blow again. After a while he spoke once more.

"Aren't you worried at all?"

"No." It did not take a very short time for Tien to answer. He knew what Chiaotzu was talking about, worry about being killed in three years. But he had the almost insatiable urge to break down and pour out how worried he was about him in general.

"You shouldn't worry when we're together," the man said.

There was no tension at all between Chiaotzu and Tien. If either of them really wanted to share anything, they wouldn't hesitate. But neither of them wanted to, probably just because of mood. Or maybe one just thought the other already knew and didn't need to be told again.

Chiaotzu desperately wanted to change the subject, so he resorted to what children do.

"Are we almost there?"

"Yeah. We've been walking for a good while now. Are you alright?"

"Mhm." Chiaotzu was smiling now. Away from that stressful topic and with his other half.

Chapter Text

It was dark when they arrived, the consequence of Tien's preference to walk instead of fly. Tien's feet hurt, and Chiaotzu was tired, but they didn't mind.

They inched closer and closer until the house came into view. No more wind blew. The water didn't splash, for certain no waterfall was near. It was deeply, deeply quiet. Chiaotzu, who had inched closer to Tien so that their shoulders were almost touching, was the first to break the silence with a whisper.

"Do you see anything around it?"

"No, and hopefully we won't."

Chiaotzu's attention turned to the house. "It doesn't look too bad from the outside."

They moved ever so silently to the single-story, gray wooden house with a tall roof. The chimney didn't smoke, as nobody was there to light the fire. The pair looked through windows, but there was no point on account of it being too dark to see anything. It was a house in the scenic middle of nowhere. It was the one object visible in the foggy emptiness, causing it to stand out. They both had fears that someone, or something, had been here during their absence. The pair would ultimately know once they came around to the door.

They also had a fear of being watched, hence why Chiaotzu inquired about the surroundings of the house. For all they knew, somebody could have camped up on that cliff, waiting to attack. It all fed into their collective suspicion.

After what seemed like hours, they finally approached the door. As Tien quietly turned the knob, Chiaotzu watched and prayed that something like a hand would not suddenly appear, grabbing his best friend by the throat and breaking loose all hell.

As Tien quietly opened the door, they both let out a sigh of relief. The worst part of the walk seemed over.

Chiaotzu quietly closed the door behind him. Before either of them could turn on the lights, they heard a soft noise. The noise almost fell on deaf ears, but both heard it.

"Tien! Did you…"

"Shh!"

A five second window of severe silence filled the house. None of them made a sound.

Then suddenly a loud, popping crack could be heard, coming from behind the house. Chiaotzu gasped, startled, but he knew better not to make a noise.

Tien, what was that?

Tien's head turned to the closest window. Nothing.

The silence was deadly. They stood there in the dark with the knowledge that something could have caused such a disturbance. Imagining that somebody was up there, watching them, was brutality to their minds.

I don't know, Chiaotzu. I'm going to check it out. Stay here.

Please be careful, Tien. Tien heard the dreadful fear in Chiaotzu's own mind. Knowing that, it was hard for him to stay calm.

So Tien was tasked with quitely, and therefore, slowly, going outside to scan the perimeter of the house to find the source of the two noises. As he finally finished turning the knob and opening the door to walk out. He left Chiaotzu with one last message.

Don't turn on any of the lights.

Chiaotzu let out a quiet whimper of fear. Okay.

He saw Tien slowly inch the door closed and become swallowed by the darkness of their shelter's outskirts.

There are no words to describe how uncomfortable it was for Chiaotzu to stand in this black room with no knowledge of exactly what had happened or what was happening. He didn't dare communicate to Tien again, for fear of startling him and causing him to make a noise, possibly alerting whatever might be hiding in the shadows. Otherwise, they hadn't even gotten to searching the entirety of the house. For all Chiaotzu knew, there was something in his bed. He heard his own breathing. Consequently, his heart rate rose. The periodic thumping exacerbated his situation.

It rose to an inhuman level when he heard footsteps, getting louder and louder. This is it, he thought. It's either Tien or...oh please, let it be Tien!

The footsteps stopped and he started to hear the doorknob turn. His heart was racing. But before the door opened, he was spared.

Chiaotzu, it's me. Don't worry, I'm fine.

Tien's voice startled him, and he jumped back, so far that he hit his head on the wooden rocking chair behind him. As he felt slight, but bearable pain, he let out a sigh of drastic relief.

But Tien hadn't opened the door yet, so he just heard a thud come from inside the house, and Chiaotzu hadn't responded in his mind. With this, he drove the door open, and it made a loud noise. Its slamming was no softer. To hell with being quiet. He wasn't going to wait a second longer to tend to his friend.

He quickly felt for the light and ignited it. At once, the house was illuminated. He saw Chiaotzu laying down with his head on the leg of the chair.

"Chiaotzu?" Tien ran to him, bent down, and elevated his brother's head with his hand. Clearly concerned, he spoke. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Chiaotzu locked eyes with Tien's, noticing the unnecessary concern, and he laughed. "Tien, I'm fine. You didn't give me a chance to stand up."

Tien now looked calm, and he smiled back. The boy stood up. Tien was bending down low enough that he only had to slightly look up to see his face.

"Then what happened?"

"You scared me with your voice, I just jumped."

"Oh. Sorry."

I really am losing it, Tien thought. To him, it was just another factor of his worry.

"Tien, what happened? What was that noise?"

Tien revealed a distinct-looking rock, holding it in between his index finger and thumb. "It must have fallen from the top of the cliff. That was the first sound, and why it was so soft. The second sound was the rock hitting the ground. It's a long fall from up there to here."

They were whispering.

"But how did it fall in the first place?" Chiaotzu's face now showed concern.

"Must have been the wind. That's all, Chiaotzu."

But Chiaotzu shook his head. "There was no wind, Tien. We didn't hear anything walking here. It was something else."

Tien looked at him with disbelief. He panned his head around the room, checking the windows he could see, keeping his body immobile. Still nothing.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, Tien. I felt it. Somebody's up there, I just know it."

"Felt it? But how?"

Chiaotzu sighed. He had to re-explain his telepathic powers to his brother. It really had been a long while of separation when he was dead.

He levitated up to the rocking chair, Tien adjusting his head to keep his eyes on his little brother.

"Do you remember when we were at that festival, with Krillin and Yamcha? Do you remember what happened with the volcano?"

"It erupted, right?"

"Yeah, but I felt it beforehand, and moments before, I told you…" Stopping the movement of his mouth, he finished his sentence in Tien's mind, to show how he communicated his concern that day, several years ago. ...something is really wrong here. "Just like that."

"I remember." Tien was taken aback by the vivid memory.

"I can't describe it, Tien. Sometimes, when something's wrong and some people don't know it, I can sense something coming. I don't know what." His voice started breaking, and he leaned forward in the chair so that it barely rocked. "But it's something bad! Horrible!"

Tien smiled to calm Chiaotzu as he took hold of his shoulder.

"I know. I remember all of that, but do you remember what happened after?"

The boy looked away to recall the full story, worry in his eyes. Then, as he remembered, he looked back up at Tien and said, "You…you stopped the lava from burning the village."

"Mhm. And I'll do the same here, if I must. Especially for you, Chiaotzu." With that last sentence, he held Chiaotzu's hand shoulder tighter until he saw the fear and pain empty from his body. "Now come on, we should finish checking around."

Thankfully, there were no beings or monsters in the either vicinity or inside of the house to be seen. They said a few brief words to each other until Chiaotzu fully calmed, and they bid each other good night.

Chapter Text

The night was black now. The void of light between the huge mountain and the lake had dissipated. It was replaced with an actual void of darkness.

Chiaotzu and Tien did not sleep in the same bed, but they did sleep in the same room. Neither of them snored, so nothing cut into their hours. These next three years would not be a vacation. Tien was going to have to train. He had not been keeping up with the strength of his friends, who were going to fight the killers alongside him in three years time. He had been debating on whether or not he should train Chiaotzu or just tell him to stay behind before the battle broke out. He did not want to put Chiaotzu in any danger, but maybe he would have to push him. The boy had potential, he just hasn't been pushed yet.

As Tien continued to debate this among himself, he heard noises. It sounded like it was coming from the outside, but he was not alarmed. He was absolutely sure that this time, it was the wind, and Chiaotzu wasn't even awake to tell him otherwise.

Soon he heard sounds from the other bed. It sounded like Chiaotzu was moving. Tien assumed that, like normal, his body was just repositioning himself in his sleep.

But the noises didn't stop. Tien was not looking at Chiaotzu. He was lying on his back, and his head was turned at about half a right angle so that he was facing the wall to his left. He tried to stay unconcerned and not to look at Chiaotzu. That would just get him all the more worried.

The tossing and turning stopped for a second, but what soon followed made Tien's concern grow. He started to hear heavy breathing and whimpering.

At once, he turned to set his eyes on his little brother. The boy's head shook left and right rapidly, face-up on the pillow and his hands clenched the blanket so tightly that it almost tore. His eyes were closed so tightly that his eyelids wrinkled. Tien heard Chiaotzu speak.

"Tien..."

He slowly sat up on his bed. He didn't know what to do. He felt it was wrong to wake him up, even though it didn't seem like he was enjoying it. Sleep was sleep. Everyone needs it. So he just sat there, staring at Chiaotzu and hoping he would wake up soon, because that's when he would comfort him.

"No. He's gone…," the boy whispered in the air.

To hell with that plan. He couldn't help but try to talk to his little brother in his sleep

"No, Chiaotzu. I'm here. I'm not gone. You're just dreaming." Chiaotzu couldn't have heard Tien's mumbles. Sleep is too overwhelming.

But did he hear? Whether it was the sound of Tien's voice or the pain of his own nightmare, Chiaotzu awoke with a start. Tien could tell from his sudden gasp of air. He saw the silhouette of his brother sit up, his chest moving back and forth showed him he was breathing hard.

"Chiaotzu..."

Their eyes locked. At once Chiaotzu flew into Tien's arms, pressing the side of his head to his chest. He was shaking his head, and he stretched his arms around Tien's wide waist. He reached as far around him as he could to embrace him. Tien was almost tackled off the side of his bed. But he stood his ground and held Chiaotzu in his arms so that his right hand held the back of the boy's head, which was now just resting below Tien's left shoulder. Tien couldn't see his face, but he didn't have to.

"It...it was so real, Tien. I thought you were gone..."

"I know, Chiaotzu. But it's okay now. I never left. I was always right here, with you." Tien tightened his grip. "Something like that won't ever happen."

"I just couldn't handle it Tien. I thought you were gone forever. I thought I would never..."

Chiaotzu's own voice was cut off by his own sobbing. It took a while for him to get a hold of himself, but Tien was patient and calm.

"It's okay. It's okay. Chiaotzu, it was just a bad dream. It wasn't real."

"But it felt so real. Please don't ever leave me, Tien. Promise you'll stay close to me." The boy's short arms moved around Tien's neck, wrapping around it as tightly as he could. He was still breathing hard, for he still hadn't calmed down. "Forever."

Tien, before he could answer, had a serious case of déjà vu. This all had happened before, just a few weeks after they had met each other.

They had been students of the Crane school, under the tyrannical Master Shen. At this point, Tien was committed to obeying Shen at all costs. Chiaotzu hadn't been convinced yet, but he had nothing else to follow.

Tien and Chiaotzu did not often speak together before a particular night. If it weren't for that night, they wouldn't be in each other's arms.

It was a night on which Tien could not find sleep. The World Tournament, where all martial artists like him came together to fight and win an award, was a week away. There were many students of the Crane School willing to fight in the Torunament, but Shen chose Tien for his excellent fighting skills and Chiaotzu for his telepathy.

So Tien was nervous, it being his first tournament and all. Suddenly, he heard the sound of whimpering coming from the room across him. Shen hadn't heard it, because if he had, he'd be there already, telling the source of the sound to shut up.

Even to this day, Tien was not sure what possessed him to get up from his bed and investigate the noise. He wasn't a very caring person then. It could have been because he just wanted quiet.

"What's going on in here?" Tien grunted as he walked in the door.

Chiaotzu woke up at once. Sweat was dripping down his cheeks, and he was breathing heavy. He saw the man standing in his room, much taller than him, but he couldn't speak. He didn't recognize the man in the darkness. All he knew was that he was another student of this horrible school.

Tien felt bad for the boy. He recognized him as the one who was going to the tournament with him. He still didn't know his name.

"Uh, are you okay?" He walked to the side of Chiaotzu's bed to look down at him

Chiaotzu spoke with a controlled voice, only a slight speck of fear present.

"Gosh! Thank you. It-it was so real," Chiaotzu said as he raised his eyebrows and lowered his head. He looked back up at Tien and recognized him. "I've never had a nightmare like that before. I'm just glad I'm not alone anymore. Thank you, Tien Shinhan."

Tien felt embarrassed. The boy knew his name, but he did not know his.

Out of pity, he said, "I'm glad, too." He sat down next to the boy.

"I dreamed someone was trying to kill me."

Tien was taken aback. This had suddenly gotten so serious, and he shouldn't have even been in here.

"Please, Tien Shinhan, promise you'll protect me. I just…" His voice lowered to an even softer whisper. He leaned closer to Tien, looking up to meet his three eyes. "I just can't trust anyone here. Everybody looks brainwashed by that man with the sunglasses. He's horrible. He's the one who tried to kill me in my nightmare."

"Master Shen?" Tien was surprised. He never had this view of his master. With concern he said, "He wouldn't dare kill anyone. He showed me my potential, and he can show you yours. Don't say that."

The boy frowned at this, but he changed his countenance when Tien added, "But I'll protect you, fellow, um, student. I'll stay close. I have nowhere else to go, anyway."

"You will?" Chiaotzu let out a soft laugh. It was the first time Tien ever saw him smile, and he reciprocated it.

"Thank you, but my name is Chiaotzu."

"Okay, Chiaotzu. I'll stay close."

He thought he heard something coming from Shen's room.

"I should get going now. Good night."

"Good night, Tien Shinhan."

Upon meeting Chiaotzu, he had a strange feeling that he could not describe. It was almost like he was meant to be friends with him.

"Chiaotzu," Tien said, as he pulled his little brother away from him slightly, looking into his eyes. He saw the tears trickling down his face. "I will always stay close to you and I won't ever leave you, I promise."

Tears still falling from his eyes, Chiaotzu buried his face in Tien's chest again. "I just...can't survive on my own out here, not without you."

Tien heard and felt Chiaotzu inhale. It was not a smooth breath.

"But I just...I don't want you to die, Tien."

"I'm not going to die. I'm going to train for these next three years so that I'm stronger. We're going to beat those guys, and we'll live. We'll stay together."

It was a while until Chiaotzu finally caught his breath, and when he did, Tien pulled him away from his chest so that he was sitting opposite him on his lap. His hands were on the boy's shoulders.

"Gosh. What's gotten into you? You haven't been this worked up since you saw me for the first time in two months." He wiped away Chiaotzu's tears with his thumbs.

The boy whispered, "It's just that I feel something bad is going to happen, something that's going to separate us Tien, and it's happened before. I don't want something like that to happen again. Two times are enough."

"They are. But it's not going to happen. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" said Chiaotzu with disbelief.

"It's like you and the rock. I just know nothing like that will happen to us again."

For the first time since he awoke from his nightmare, Chiaotzu smiled at Tien, residual tears still left in his eyes. He looked at the rock on the night table. "There really is something wrong with that rock."

"Now you're just saying things. Come on. Let's get some sleep."

Chiaotzu nodded and floated backwards, back to his bed. "Will you train me too?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe if we both get stronger, not just you, we can really take them on, together. And then we really, really won't have to leave each other again."

Tien was surprised by the determination in Chiaotzu's voice. "I'm not putting you in danger."

"I'll be fine, Tien. I've fought before, and I can almost beat Krillin. I just need more practice. It may be dangerous at first, but I can handle it. Please, Tien. I'll be okay, just train me."

Tien didn't want to have this conversation with Chiaotzu. He found himself suddenly having to make a gut decision. To Chiaotzu's credit, Tien saw his point.

"Fine. I'll train you. But you have to promise to be tough. I might get firm with you. I have to push you to your limits."

"Okay."

"Good." Tien lay back down in his bed, preparing to go to sleep again. "But don't let that drift us apart."

"Of course not, Tien. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. You're my best friend. Always."

Tien was satisfied. It wasn't and wouldn't be the first time he heard that. To have Chiaotzu say something he already knew from so long ago was just illuminating.

In fact, they both knew all of this about each other. Chiaotzu knew Tien would always be there for him, and he knew there was nothing to worry about. He just wanted to renew the promise, after being gone for two months. In actuality, this little exchange had no significance at all, and no one learned anything.

"You are too, Chiaotzu. Now let's get to bed. Good night."

"Night, Tien."

And there was no more whimpering and panting. No more nightmares. Just peace and quiet for the rest of the night.

But Tien didn't like this. It was, again, serious déjà vu. Sometimes he felt like he didn't have someone there to comfort him. He naturally had always taken the older brother role.

At the same time, though, he knew Chiaotzu would do anything to comfort him. He just didn't give him the chance. Chiaotzu stayed with this uncertainty and suspicion about Tien's worry. He had ideas, but no clear thought.

Training Chiaotzu wouldn't be easy. Tien had to think of a way - a way to really push him to his limits. He knew his brother all too well, never the one to fight and always too innocent. He saw that innocence had its flaws.

I can't go without thanking Satu-D-2's work on My Brother for helping me write this chapter. For those of you who have read that centric, you may have already found some similarities. I highly recommend you guys read it!

Chapter Text

"Did you sleep well, Tien?" They had just woken up, simultaneously yawned, and sat up for the first time.

"Yeah. It got peaceful."

Chiaotzu nodded in agreement. "Sorry about last night. I woke you up."

"Oh, stop it. I was never asleep before that happened, anyway."

They ate breakfast. They had a load from the capsules bulma gave them for the trip home. Unfortunately, they did not have Senzu Beans, the beans that allow for a full recovery in a matter of seconds. That'd be too easy.

"How's your levitation, Chiaotzu?" Tien asked as he poured milk into his cereal.

"I mean, I barely walk." Chiaotzu laughed.

"I mean other things."

"Huh?"

"Well…" Tien looked around, searching for something manageable. "Can you lift my spoon up?"

Tien held out his spoon in the palm of his hand. Chiaotzu raised his eyebrows in wonder. With a blank face, he extended his index finger just upwards and to the right of his right shoulder. Very quickly the spoon glowed blue and rose from Tien's hand. He guided it around the room, without having to look, and finally placed it back in Tien's palm in the correct position.

"Good. Maybe you can throw a rock, or a hundred of them."

"A hundred?" Chiaotzu's eyes opened wide. "I can do one but do you think…?"

"Yeah. You're capable. Why don't we work on that today?"

The boy shrugged. "Okay."

It only took Chiaotzu half of the day to master this technique. By the evening, Chiaotzu had it down. He could easily thrust a hundred small rocks at a boulder just across the water. He felt worn out. It reminded him of his days in the Crane School, where Shen had pushed them both to no end.

"Now," Tien said. "Throw a hundred of them at me."

"What!?" Chiaotzu cried. Tien was his other half. How could he hurt him like that? "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Don't worry, Chiaotzu. I'll block it. It helps you learn to aim at people, and me to get a better defense."

"But-"

"Just do it, Chiaotzu!" He could tell his sudden shout had startled the boy, but he quickly exhaled to show he had no anger. "You can't afford to hesitate in situations like this. If I were your enemy I would have you by the throat now, and you might not have someone there to help you."

The boy gave in to Tien's demands. He swallowed hard and slightly curled his arms upwards. The stones lifted from the edge of the land. Slowly, he drew them back and hurled them at Tien.

Tien crossed his arms and put his hands on his shoulders. He closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. As he felt the rocks practically bounce off his skin, he knew it wasn't nearly enough power.

He opened and eye and glanced at Chiaotzu. "Is that all you got? Come on, don't hold back because it's me. I told you, I'll be fine."

"But-"

"I said I'll be fine, Chiaotzu."

With hesitation, the boy tried again. He repeated the same motions and a hundred new rocks came into hurling formation. They darted at the man. This time, there was a difference. Tien actually winced in pain from the hundred sharp pebbles that Chiaotzu threw. When he opened his eyes, he felt some stinging, and noticed some of the rocks had actually pierced his skin. It hurt like hell, but he was proud of Chiaotzu.

"Ergh. Bastard," Tien said quietly, so Chiaotzu didn't hear. The boy really had some potential, more than Tien had thought.

Upon seeing the injuries Tien had sustained from his attack, the boy rushed to his brother's side and looked in horror at what he had done. He covered his eyes, full with remorse.

"Tien! Are you...okay?" He started examining his arm. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have used my full power. Why did you-"

"Hey. Come on, you did it! I'm proud of you. You forgot who I was at that moment, and that takes courage. I wanted you to hurt me. I was practically asking for it! I wanted to test your abilities and have you do something really challenging. I told you to use your full power, and you did." He pulled out the last piece of stone from his arm, the small wounds visible in his skin. "And damn, did you do it well. Got fifty of those things in my skin."

"But I hurt you. I shouldn't have-"

"Part of this training is pain. It's okay to feel some pain, so long as it's not unbearable. The pain you inflicted on me was bearable, especially since I was ready for it. Make the pain motivate you to try harder, okay?"

Chiaotzu's face changed from one of concern to one of determination. "Okay, Tien. I understand."

"Good." Tien patted his little brother on the back. "You look tired. Take it easy. You've done well."

For a moment, Tien thought he sounded like Chiaotzu's master. "You've done well," he whispered to himself in a scoff. Evidently, they weren't used to this.

Chiaotzu was sweating. He had been working for five hours, nonstop. For somebody not used to pushing himself to the limits, this was a great start. He turned around to go inside, but Tien stopped him.

"Chiaotzu, how did you do it on the second try? How were you able to use your full power? Did you pretend I was someone you hated?"

Chiaotzu had hoped Tien would not ask this question, because he knew his answer would just open a painful window of memories. He had grown concerned that Tien was unusually worried, especially after the incident with the rocking chair. But there was no way to dodge this question without seeming rude, so he was honest.

"King Piccolo."

As Chiaotzu had expected, this stung Tien. He couldn't blame Chiaotzu for telling him because he asked. He probably wouldn't blame him, anyway. King Piccolo was one of Chiaotzu's murderers.

It was back when Tien and Chiaotzu weren't as inseparable as they were now, although they were still best friends.

They were on a mission with their new master, Master Roshi. Their task was to eliminate King Piccolo, a demon who had spawned on earth and plotted to take over the world. To the demon, Tien, Roshi, and Chiaotzu were just flies to swat away.

They had five dragon balls, and King Piccolo had the remaining two. There was no question he was coming for them. Master Roshi had told both Chiaotzu and Tien to stay back as he fought King Piccolo. Roshi had no intention of fighting him. His goal was to use a dangerous technique that would spawn a wave to engulf King Piccolo in forever. Tien, naive as he was, became indignant. Although Chiaotzu didn't protest at all, Tien questioned his master about why he forbade them to fight, and he wouldn't stop. With a sigh, Roshi was forced to use a sleep-inducing spray potion on him. It was the only way to keep Tien safe, because he knew he wasn't ready to face the demon.

It took a long time for Tien to fall asleep. He was awake and laying there for the whole battle, watching Master Roshi attempt to use the technique and fail. With all his power exhausted, Roshi collapsed and succumbed to the injuries King Piccolo inflicted on him.

And King Piccolo had gotten what he wanted. He took the other six balls, which Roshi had told him the location of before dying, and waited for the Eternal Dragon to come and grant his wish for eternal youth. With youth, he could be agile and more powerful, deeming him more capable of world domination.

Tien had not fallen asleep yet, but he was powerless. The potion his late master had used immobilized him. He looked to his left and saw Chiaotzu, terrified and hiding behind a rock. His small size allowed him to remain unseen by the demon.

In a last ditch effort, Tien decided to have Chiaotzu be the hero of the day.

Chiaotzu, who dared not make a sound, was heavily frightened by King Piccolo, especially after watching him kill his master. He felt so helpless, and he couldn't figure out what to do. He suddenly heard Tien's voice in his mind.

Chiaotzu! Can you hear me!

"Uh. Tien Shinhan!" Chiaotzu was so scared he involuntarily uttered out Tien's full name.

We have to do something about this! Now I want you to listen to me very carefully. I'm losing consciousness because of that strange medicine Master Roshi gave me. This is up to you! Before Piccolo can make his wish, I want you to make your own! Tell the dragon you wish that King Piccolo would disappear from this world, forever!

The whole time Tien was giving him instructions, Chiaotzu could have bathed in his own sweat. To hear that he was going to be the deciding factor of this, whether or not this monster lived, was all the more terrifying for him. He wished it hadn't been like this. He wished he had been stronger.

If there's one thing for sure, he could not have meant stronger in his level of courage. Despite being so reluctant to obey Tien, he knew he was the only hope now, and he wasn't going to miss his chance to save everyone, especially his best friend.

Mhm. Okay.

At once, Chiaotzu left his hiding spot, and prepared his best to jump out at the right time. The dragon had appeared and was now waiting impatiently. As soon as King Piccolo said "I wish for…" He pounced, and yelled as hard as he could.

"Make King Piccolo disappear!"

And it seemed like he had done it. This horrible silence filled the atmosphere for five seconds.

But Chiaotzu had not finished his sentence. He continued, and that was his mistake.

"From this…"

Before he could say the last word, "world," he was hit by an overwhelming blast by the demon himself. Tien watched the bright, yellow beam demolish Chiaotzu, in such horror.

In a matter of seconds, Chiaotzu found himself on the ground. He tried to get up, but he had no feeling in his entire body. He could not move at all, except for his head, which he could only lift an inch. He took one breath, spoke one word "T..ie..n," but it was no use. Tien was immobilized as well. For Chiaotzu, the world started fading. He exhaled and his head hit the ground. He saw, felt, heard, or said no more.

Tien screamed Chiaotzu's name, but it was more than sadness for his friend. He allowed his anger for sending Chiaotzu to his death to blind his emotional shock that he had just lost his friend. Tien, to this day, still remembered what he thought when he regained consciousness and saw Chiaotzu laying on the ground.

I can't believe you're gone! I never should have sent you out there, Chiaotzu. Master told us to stay out of it. I didn't listen!

And then he allowed his sadness to be further blinded by his desire for vengeance.

"Piccolo! I'll never forgive you for this!"

At this recollection, Tien winced. He would never do something like that now. He looked back at Chiaotzu, whom he could tell was feeling the same way, and he was upset for having inquired about Chiaotzu's method to use full power.

But looking at the bright side, which he rarely did, especially now, he went to stand beside his floating brother and put his hand on his back.

"You'd kill him now."

Chiaotzu, who had been more angry at himself for failing to make the wish that day, soon forgot about it as well. He smiled. "What are you going to do now, Tien?"

"Gonna train myself. Wanna watch?"

Chiaotzu nodded. "I'll look through the window." Finally, that window of nothing could be used for something.

It was the first time Chiaotzu had the chance to think alone. Most of the time, he was either with Tien or sleeping at a presence with him. As he watched Tien train, which was mostly by punching open boulders, he cherished being able to think about things, about him, about concerns he had. He could get used to this.

As he watched Tien, he tried to determine what was wrong with the man. He had been acting differently. Normally he was more talkative, energetic, determined, but there seemed to be this oomph missing. Chiaotzu struggled to figure it out, despite being Tien's other half. He had really noticed something wrong ever since they started walking back to this cabin. He was apprehensive to bring it up, however. He may very well be wrong and would just cause Tien unnecessary stress. Besides, Chiaotzu trusted Tien to tell him if it was something really important, so he set it aside and didn't worry.

"Well, that's our life for three years." Tien said as he walked inside the house.

"It's not too bad."

"Don't worry, it'll get tougher from here."

"Gee, thanks for that."

Tien laughed and nudged his little brother on the shoulder. "I just gotta be real."

"I can handle it, Tien. If not, I'd tell you."

"You'd better. I don't want you getting hurt." Tien walked to the bathroom, probably to shower, but not before Chiaotzu stopped him.

"Tien? Are you okay?"

He stopped in his tracks, taken aback by not only the question itself, but also in the innocent tone his brother had asked it in. Still looking away from Chiaotzu, he replied, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

It was a chance to bring something up, but Chiaotzu remembered the cons.

"Just asking."

They continued as if nothing happened. They had supper, spoke trifles, and went to sleep.

Learning that pain motivates him and knowing that Tien wasn't hurt. It fills Chiaotzu with DETERMINATION.

If you don't understand this, please ignore it. If you do, laugh, and then ignore it.

Chapter Text

Every Sunday, they broke from their constant training to fish over the lake. In reality, they didn't have to fish. They already had enough food to last them the entire three years. They seemed hopeful they would both live through the inevitable battle. They believed they would come back here and just relax.

The lake extended far out to nothing. It seemed like the sky's light blue color expanded infinitely. Everything was blue except for them, their rods, and the rocks of the rocky land they were sitting on. Fortunately, they were fishing in the morning. Sunset would be impossible.

Tien enjoyed fishing with Chiaotzu in particular. It was one of the only times when they could take the problem at hand off their minds. In fact, they had to. Fishing required much concentration, and daydreaming wouldn't get any catches. As he sat next to his brother, waiting to feel force on his grip of the rod, he sighed and felt a smile coming along.

It wasn't a good day for fishing. Finally, Chiaotzu broke the silence by groaning.

"Just nothing. We've gotten nothing!" he complained childishly.

Tien shook his head in disappointment, a smile clearly plastered on his face now. "Looks like someone's scared them away."

"Or they've just gotten smarter." Chiaotzu chuckled.

"Not like we really need this food anyway, I just find this relaxing. Just sitting, not doing anything, 'cause nowadays we're always doing something."

Chiaotzu nodded with a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, this really is pointless. But it's nice, too."

Ironically, only now did he feel a tug on his rod. Tien did as well, so they both started reeling in. It was like a race. Whose rod would surface first?

It was a tie. Both their rods appeared at the same time, because they had hooked each other.

Upon simultaneous realization came this simultaneous burst of laughter. The timing was great.

"Dammit, Chiaotzu! Thought we had dinner for both of us."

Chiaotzu was still laughing. "Oh no, how will we ever be able to live on our lifetime supply of capsule food for three years!"

Tien concurred, slightly surprised by Chiaotzu's ability to use sarcasm. He could not remember if he had done so in the past.

As he started to untangle his end of the string, Chiaotzu realized something. "But look, Tien. My bait is gone. That means...that there was something there."

"Probably two things, since mine is gone as well. We must have missed them when we were talking."

Chiaotzu nodded. Fishing really was useless in their case. The boy wondered why he had let his hopes rise at all. It was all futile. He sighed and tried not to breathe nasally. He hated the smell of small, oily fish, which they used for bait. That smell remained on the hook, even though it's source had been devoured by a lucky fluke.

Tien changed the subject. "So, you feel any stronger than when we arrived here?" It had been a week since their arrival at the house.

"It's hard to tell. We haven't had to fight anyone here. I don't think anyone knows about this place."

"For our sake I hope you're right. I don't feel up to snuff yet, honestly. Not that I wouldn't try to fight, but I don't know how it'd go. I'd probably have to bring out the…"

"No, Tien! Don't even think of that!" Chiaotzu's face suddenly became very serious, his casual smile turning into a concerned frown. Dropping his rod, he flew close to his friend so their heads were level. He staring deep into the man's eyes.

Tien was startled. "Think of what?"

"Don't use the tri-beam, Tien." He shook his head frantically, putting his hands on the man's shoulders. "Please. You'll die." Another pause. "I'll be so mad at you."

"But I might have to. If it's to save you-"

"No." Chiaotzu looked at Tien and shook his head vigorously. "I don't care. Use another technique. Use your Dodan. Use your cloning ability. Make that beam shoot out of your third eye. As long as it doesn't shorten your life or kill you on the spot. If you use the tri-beam, you wouldn't be saving me at all."

Tien sighed. He took his eyes off his brother and looked down, but the boy's hand immediately lifted his chin up so they made eye contact again. With another firm shake of the head, Chiaotzu pleaded, "Don't. Please."

"Fine," he conceded. They could always persuade each other if they tried hard enough.

"Good." The stress left Chiaotzu's consciousness. He smiled and rested his head on Tien's shoulder, wrapping his arms around him as best as he could. "Sorry I yelled. I'm just not letting you leave me."

"I wouldn't ever leave you, Chiaotzu." He moved his hand on his brother's back. "I just want to protect you at all costs."

"You don't have to use that move, though. Maybe you did when you were fighting Goku, but you're much stronger now."

Chiaotzu had been referring to the World Tournament. Tien was able to win the final match against Goku by destroying the ring with a tri-beam. They were both out of bounds, but Goku landed on the ground first, making Tien the official winner.

"Hey. You've gotten stronger, too. I'm proud of you, for what you've accomplished this week," the man said.

Chiaotzu looked at Tien, still smiling. "I learned from the best."

They had finished untangling the ropes and Chiaotzu went back to the cabin to store them. Tien remained by the lake and told his friend he would see him in the shelter again soon.

Tien sat back for a few minutes, resting on the palms of his hands. He didn't feel too confident in his fighting skills. He spent most of the time training Chiaotzu, bringing his telepathic powers to maximum potential. This, unfortunately, meant he had less time to train himself. He only had those couple of hours to himself after Chiaotzu went back inside to rest. But he wasn't angry. To him, it was for Chiaotzu's own good.

He regretted his promise to Chiaotzu not to use the tri-beam. It was a move he only used as a last resort, but it was his most powerful and devastating attack. So far, in the two times he used it, he never failed in defeating his enemy.

But now he couldn't use it. Could he really live up to that promise? If he were in another last resort situation, would he really refrain from using the only move that might just work, all so he could avoid the side effect of being killed or having his life shortened? He didn't understand why Chiaotzu had become so upset. He wouldn't care if he died from the tri-beam. If it was to save his brother, he would gladly use it. But Chiaotzu wouldn't take no for an answer.

He was pondering whether or not he should bring it up to Chiaotzu again, but he heard the boy's terrified voice in his mind before he could even stand up.

TIEN!

"Chiaotzu?!"

He gasped and was physically disturbed by the horror he heard in his little brother's telepathic voice. At once, he ran like no other. It took him less than ten seconds to get back to the house.

"Wha…" He stopped for a few seconds to catch his breath. "What's up?" Chiaotzu floated unharmed, looking at the house with a blank stare.

"Look." With drops of sweat slipping down the sides of his face, the boy swallowed hard and motioned toward the left window of the front of the house.

It took a while for Tien to see what Chiaotzu was gesturing towards. The gray color of the cabin distracted him. He looked through the window, around it, and even on the sills. Confusion nearly swept him over, but then he saw it. Just below the window was scratched the message I see you in black. The gray color of the cabin intensified the message's dark shade.

"Tien...I'm scared." Still staring coldly at the message, the boy was trembling in the air.

"The hell is this? Who could have…"

Tien stopped, so suddenly. He remembered the rock. The one he had dismissed, even though Chiaotzu had been so worried about it. It was the only connection he could make with this blackened message. Something had to have been there. It couldn't have just been a coincidence. He put his hand on his own forehead in shame and said, "No…"

He turned to Chiaotzu. "You were right."

"Huh?"

"That rock. You were right. It wasn't the wind."

Chiaotzu whimpered and let out of soft murmur of, "Well that means that…"

Tien nodded. "Someone really is here." He looked up at the other cliff. "But why would they drop a rock on us?"

"I don't know…" the chattering of his teeth impaired his speech

They remained there for a moment of suspenseful silence. Tien contemplated flying up to the top of the cliff to inspect, but he didn't want to risk it. He didn't feel up for fighting, and he didn't have to ask Chiaotzu to know he didn't, either.

"Tien…"

The man burst into false confidence. "We'll be alright. We're going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another." He took hold of Chiaotzu's hands and grasped them tightly. "You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll protect you."

Chiaotzu leaned his head into Tien's chest, and the latter took the boy in his arms. "But you'll be in danger, Tien."

"I can handle it."

Silence for a moment as they both sat with this new feeling, fear of something incoming. It was different from the prolonged fear of what exactly would happen in three years.

Then Tien heard something he thought Chiaotzu would never say.

"You know, I can, too. Tien."

"What do you mean by that?"

"If we have to fight, I'm not sitting on the sidelines. I'm fighting with you."

"No," Tien said sternly, shaking his head slowly. "You're not ready."

"You underestimate my power, Tien."

For a moment, Tien thought he was talking to some arrogant fighter. But he knew it wasn't Chiaotzu's intention to act in such a superior way. He simply wasn't used to him displaying such confidence.

The boy continued. "You've trained me for a week now. Don't you think I can be of some use? And don't say no because you want to keep me safe. Sometimes you have to leap out of safety to do something."

"Chiaotzu." He still held Chiaotzu, but away from his chest so he could look into his eyes. "By being safe, you're doing everything for me. I can't lose you. Without you, I'm nothing, even if it seems untrue at times when I'm fighting or training."

"You think I'm anything without you?" There was a slight hint of annoyance in his tone. He revealed a slight frown. "Tien, I want to play a role in keeping us safe, too."

Tien wanted to stop this conversation. He was undoubtedly losing, and he wouldn't dare let Chiaotzu fight whatever was up there.

"I promise. If you do well for the next three years, you can fight against those killers."

He came off as so obviously trying to digress, but Chiaotzu had empathy, so he accepted.

"Okay." He said with a smile, as he leaned towards Tien again.

Tien gripped him tight, gently putting his hand on the back of his brother's head and exhaling. "Thank you, Chiaotzu. I know you don't understand, but you're doing me a huge favor."

"If you say so."

As they embraced each other, Chiaotzu only viewed what was behind Tien. He only saw the end of the land where they were fishing. Tien saw the house and the cliff. As he held his little brother in his arms, he naturally looked up, and saw something unnatural.

He could make out a very faint apparition standing at the top of the cliff from where the rock had fallen. It was black, but probably had colors just invisible at such a distance. To Tien, it looked like it belonged to a male, but he couldn't be at all certain.

For a few moments, the creature just stood there, supposedly staring at the cabin, or them. But after a while, the apparition strolled out of view, turning its back to them and walking away.

Tien remained in silence. He dared not say anything about it to Chiaotzu, whom he knew would have a heart attack just hearing about it. He had to keep it secret and hope it never appeared again, whether it be on the cliff or in front of them.

So they continued their day in fear, nothing became something, and none was calm.

And that concludes the first of three parts. Hope you've been enjoying this so far. Feel free to review!

Chapter Text

Part II - Exacerbated

Everything went downhill. After useless attempts to wash the black ink, practically carved and sealed onto the cold wood, they gave up and allowed themselves to be afraid. Passing by the message whenever entering the house, they were often reminded they were far from safe. It spread to their minds, and every day became heavy and demanding. It was a task to even wake up at a reasonable hour.

When they were awake, they found themselves putting off training. Maybe a another day, they told each other. Today's just not the day. They instead remained in the house, the only place where it seemed remotely safe. Chiaotzu would often show fear, trembling as if trapped in the heart of a glacier. Tien could only resort to comfort, but that was rarely enough to calm the boy down. The man often wondered how Chiaotzu would act had he seen the figure up there.

They both lost sleep. Their nightly conversations extended, sometimes long into the middle of the night. Eventually, one of them would fall asleep mid-sentence, the other left alone until he was relieved by slumber as well.

It was an endless circle - a pattern of trepidation - until one Saturday.

The morning light beamed through the window, the illumination bright enough to eradicate a vampire. As Chiaotzu found his eyes opening, he wondered if he was dead. He couldn't remember if he had seen a white light the past two times.

His thinking was suddenly interrupted. Distant and entwined in the thick air, a loud, booming noise came. Chiaotzu, from the intensity of the sound rather than the volume, sat up with a start, gasping with shock. Tien, startled into consciousness, woke up to the vibrating, the house trembling at the disturbing noise.

The boy was the first to speak . He had waited for Tien to say something committal, but curiosity overcame him.

"Tien! What's going on?"

"Stay here. Don't move, I'm going." The man spoke in a firm, forceful voice, startling Chiaotzu upon realizing his feeling was something slightly more than just fear.

Tien remained still on the bed, sitting in an upright position. His mouth was open, the heavy breathing audible around the room, and his chest expanded with every breath.

He suddenly sighed, as if he had calmed down, and turned to his brother. He saw Chiaotzu gaze back at him, his mouth in a thin line that clearly showed fright and confusion. Sweat, reflecting the beaming light towards his three eyes, poured down the boy's small forehead. Internally, the man's mind was staggering itself. He had planned to lie to the boy, to tell him that it was probably nothing and that he was going to check just in case. But looking in Chiaotzu's eyes, he hesitated. He moved his jaws and tongue as if to speak, but his mouth remained closed until he flooded the boy with honesty. Aware of the past events, he knew what might happen upon hearing that explosive noise. He felt the power surging, but it was different from what he usually felt when seeking out energy. It felt more electrical.

"Look, Chiaotzu. I'm not going to lie. This could get pretty ugly." He breathed in a pack of air, trying to avoid concentrating on Chiaotzu's face, which showed more fear by the minute. "If I die, and you'll be able to sense it, I want you to run. Fly out the window and go back the way we came. Find Gohan, Krillin, Roshi, Goku, anyone."

Chiaotzu's face showed deep anxiety and sudden devastation. "B-b-but...Tien... you promised." Tears rolled down his cheeks, but his voice became louder and more confident. "You promised you would never leave me!"

The boy's yelling drove Tien out of his daze. He knew what he had to do again.

"There's no time for this! I'm going to do whatever I can to save you, even if I die. If I do, the others will help you get the dragon balls. You can bring me back," the man asserted.

He did not give Chiaotzu the chance to reply. He immediately bolted out of his bed and went straight outside. Chiaotzu, startled by the sudden movement of his brother, could do nothing but fall back on the bed and look up at the blank ceiling. His eyes were opened in wide ovals, and his mouth showed the deepest of concern.

Soaring hesitantly through the thick, warm air, Tien felt the heat of the sun as it spread around his frame. He desperately tried to forget about what he had done to Chiaotzu, but he knew it was for the better.

As the air blew a smooth sound into his eardrums, Tien began to see the figure forming in the clear air. He knew it was hostile, he didn't have to ask. It was a man. Shirtless, and black and blue sweatpants. He was hysterically laughing. Despite its clearly evil intentions, he seemed to be laughing intently under the guise of a casual appearance.

"Get away from here. Leave us be!" Tien shouted, making his voice as firm as could be. In spite of this, there was a tint of pleading in his tone.

It took a minute or two for the laughing man to catch his breath. He knew everything. The silence filled the air, and it seemed to bother Tien more than him, if it bothered him at all.

"I was just laughing at how long it took you to realize someone was messing with ya. I mean I get the rock, maybe it was the wind." He snickered and almost lost control. Restraining his laughter as Tien grew impatient, he said, "Maybe you shoulda listened to ya little friend when he told you it was somethin' else. And the little note I left on the house!" He couldn't finish his sentence because he started laughing again.

"Why are you here? Who are you? How'd you find us?"

He again regained control. "Alright fine, I'll tell ya." His smile grew more menacing, and it was clear he no longer was on the verge of laughter . "Call me Twelve. My mission is to destroy the earth, and I'll complete it. But I just wanted to have some fun. Maybe test out my powers on you two before I start ravaging, you know? I haven't had much time out of the lab and all."

At that point, Tien knew he would have to fight him. He automatically slid into his usual stance. He was out of practice, but he was just as determined as always. He spoke heroically.

"You won't get an inch further."

Chiaotzu, who still seemed lifeless on his bed, could feel a surge of power in the vicinity of the house. He didn't know what he would do without Tien. The boy had heard his instructions, but he didn't think he'd be able to pull through the sheer darkness of the idea. He would go to Kame house, or wherever the other Z Fighters were. He would break the awful news to them and probably break down himself while delivering it. He would be alone for, perhaps, even a year as they worked to find seven scattered artifacts around the entire world. His heart rate rose just thinking of it. He heard the thumping of his own heart, and felt the vibration it caused his limp body.

"Tien. Please don't die. Stay alive, please." He hoped whispering to himself would help, maybe push away the heavy lump he had in his throat.

After what seemed like two dreadful hours, he finally got a message from his friend. He felt another presence in his mind, and after realizing what was happening, he listened hopefully.

Chiaotzu.

Tien? Are you okay?

A long pause that pierced through Chiaotzu's heart came.

Remember what I told you.

Chiaotzu froze in his bed. Everything around him, even the movement of the air, fell quiet. He had isolated himself in his telepathic mind. What? What do you mean?

There was an additional silence where what Tien said burned through Chiaotzu's heart and gave him pain. He desperately communicated with his brother again, to make sure he hadn't left yet.

T…Tien?

"ARRRRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Chiaotzu then heard a massive explosion.

Uhh...the cliffhanger just kinda happened. It was the best way to end this chapter. I'll post the next one soon so you won't be in so much suspense.

Chapter Text

It felt torturous to hear Tien's voice outside. Even at a distance, a sound with such volume could pierce through the boy's telepathic barrier with ease. As he somehow endured the scream, he dared to hear the explosion - his path to some sort of extreme reaction.

As silence refilled the thick, indoor air, he jolted upwards with a gasp. He sat still in confusion, not sure how to react. All his worry for Tien spontaneously converted to shock. The man's telepathic message to the boy threw him into such a disoriented state that it left him unprepared for this. Barely breathing, his mouth slowly closed. He felt his head forcibly bend as he swallowed hard, trying to lead his conscious mind out of the darkness of uncertainty. Realizing his trembling, he grabbed hold of his own hands and coiled his fingers around them tightly, beginning to hear his breathing again.

As he regained thought, he decided to confirm his fears. Trying to maintain hope, he telepathically whispered across the bridge Tien had always been on the other side of. Until now, perhaps.

Tien? The boy heard his own fear in his frantic head. He could not recall a time when his telepathic sound reflected back to him so intensely. Is that what happens when the receiving end is unresponsive?

Hearing no response, he began to jump to conclusions, uncertain of their veracity. That explosion must have affected Tien. His message before the explosion, the boy reasoned, implied that he was expecting to be affected. But why, Chiaotzu thought, would he try to hurt himself? As he released the tight grip from his sweaty, small hands, the answer came to him, so impactful that he whispered it into the quiet, yet raucous room.

"The tri-beam…"

That was all he needed to push him over the line of rationale. He acted on impulse, forgetting everything his brother had told him. Rather than go back the way he came, through the white path engulfed in sunlight and into the city again, he went straight for the lake, where he believe Tien had darted off to. Pushing off the bed and extending his arms out

He unwillingly remembered his response to Tien's use of the Tri-Beam against Goku, his opponent at the World Tournament.

Tien had been fighting for three hours. Both he and Goku were exhausted. It seemed like a stalemate. They kept hitting each other, knocking each other down and getting up, exchanging a few one-liners, and the cycle continued from there. Their concentration was constantly thrown off by the screams of the crowd. The announcer shouted every trite, pointless event of the fight.

Finally, Tien told Goku it was all over. It left everybody confused, except for Chiaotzu.

"The Tri-Beam? Don't, Tien! Don't!" He knew the dangers of the sacrificial, last-resort attack. The user would gather up and fire an insurmountable amount of energy, much more than the body can handle at once. The damage it would cause the user often dissuaded fighters from attempting it. Even when used wisely, the Tri-Beam could shorten the life of or even kill its user. Usually, the target was as good as dead, but there were some exceptions.

Chiaotzu knew Tien could possibly die in seconds. He saw from the stands Tien perform the proper hand motions - placing the two hands together in the shape of a deadly pointed triangle.

The man hadn't listened to his vocal plea, so he tried telepathy.

Please stop this, Tien!

I know what I'm doing, Chiaotzu. No need to worry. I won't deplete all my energy. Tien levitated in the air, out of sight of the spectators of the tournament.

"Tien...no…" The boy put his hands together and touched them to his face. He looked down and prayed for the survival of his friend, leaning his arms on the stand that enclosed the fighting ring.

At once, the beam hit the ground, vaporizing everything in its way. Gone was the fighting ring, the announcer jumping into the stands with the audience just in time. The prolonged explosion carried with it a screech that fueled the chaos of the crowd. As the commotion escalated to a dangerous level, Chiaotzu kept praying, standing completely still and not willing to open his eyes until he knew it was all over.

Fortunately, this was one of those exceptions. He was relieved to see both Tien and Goku in one piece levitating down to the ground. Tien had won, but only because Goku hit the ground a second before he did. Nothing to be proud of.

Tien was lucky enough to survive that time. He deliberately didn't put his full power into that one. It was never his intention to kill Goku, just to blow up the ring and knock him out of bounds for a ring-out win. But Chiaotzu figured this was different. Judging from the volume of Tien's scream, he told himself Tien did not attempt to limit his strength for his own sake.

The lake was in a straight line from the house. He arrived and almost thought he had gone to the wrong place. Ravaged beyond recognition, the land was clustered with craters, water from the lake, stray rocks, and overall, total destruction. His eyes panned around, but it did not take him long time find Tien, lying on the rocky ground, more disheveled than ever.

The majority of his face was a dark shade of purple, bruises of torture. His lips showed clear signs of being scratched by a supposedly pointed material, and his ears, black as charcoal, seemed to have been burned. Blood spilt from his torso, and his shirt was in shreds, having fallen next to the unconscious man.

The boy had had tears in his eyes, but now they started rolling free. He ran to Tien's side frantically. Even his third eye was closed. He looked lifeless laying there, and Chiaotzu did not give him the benefit of the doubt. He couldn't speak, but his loss for words did not create much silence, as his sobs were almost wails. When he finally had the strength to react, he kneeled down and put his face on his brother's chest. Knowing he wouldn't answer to another "Tien?" he damned it all and broke down.

"No...don't leave me, Tien. You can't be dead, you can't!"

Sudden realization swept over him. The man had told Chiaotzu he would never use the Tri-Beam again. He had broken his promise. It all carried on towards his diction.

"I told you not to use it. I don't want you to die... you promised me that…"

He was interrupted. Sitting up, false hope gathering up inside, he stared at Tien, thinking he had survived.

But the interruption came from behind him, as he soon heard. He tried to make out what words were being said, but he heard nothing but laughter. He slowly turned around the face the source, unscathed and full of energy. The boy did not know his identity but presumed he was the one to blame.

"Pretty comical talk considerin' he can't hear ya! Your friend right there damn well killed himself! Kinda lame, I wanted to do it."

The boy stared at Twelve with a blank face of an indecipherable feeling, even to himself. The wind blew, making itself known through its pretentious howling. He knew this laughing thing was the problem, the reason why Tien was in this condition. Never having faced a true villain, he found difficulty in knowing exactly how to feel. Although Master Shen had given him orders to kill Krillin, his opponent who beat him at the Tournament, he could never end a life.

First came the surprise - the utter shock that Twelve had survived being struck by the deadliest beam known to humans. Was there more than just one exception? Was it more than just Goku who could withstand such power? For a moment, Chiaotzu doubted his own brother. He had not used enough power? How could that be, especially since he was lying on the ground now?

And then came this feeling that he didn't know what to call. Whatever it was, it didn't waste time driving him to act upon this maniacal jokester. He barely had time to wonder.

With his blank expression, he found himself automatically executing what he had been practicing. With such smooth movement and dexterity, he lifted his hand and extended it as far out as he could. No longer allowing the sound of the wind to pester his ears, he watched the blue aura surround the android. It made him feel oddly satisfied. He saw Twelve floating helplessly in the air, heard confused yelling, and noticed the desperate squirming of his target. But he didn't have a care in the world. He was, at that moment, only one inside his own mind. Every movement was capricious.

He moved his left hand to mirror the position of his right. He put them together before rapidly splitting them apart again.

Twelve's parts remained in a puddle of brown oil, all of his circuits shorted out, his laughing ceased, and nothing else. Chiaotzu swallowed and felt himself come out of a trance, and the mystifying feeling was no longer there.

But it wasn't long until a familiar, horrible feeling returned. He turned to Tien again, regaining complete control of himself. He was not about to leave him on the ground. He had the common sense to respect a friend's body. Failing to decide if he should consider him dead so soon, however, he hopelessly set his face down on Tien's chest again, leaning his forehead on his own arms.

"Tien…" He inhaled again and blinked hard, letting the tears flow. He wished he were dead himself.

Yet somehow, he was able to absorb the peaceful environment. No more wind blew, and the interrupting mirth had been stopped in its tracks.

As he found himself relaxing in his sadness, he felt his head slowly move up and down. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

He soon realized it was Tien's chest moving. No chest of a dead man was capable of movement, to Chiaotzu's knowledge. He whispered in silent rejoice.

"He's still alive…"

From the silence erupted sudden coughing. It startled Chiaotzu, but brought him relief and joy. Soon, the man opened all three of his eyes, clearly incapable of any movement.

Chiaotzu was thrown into another tornado of emotions again. He felt relief - that all he thought, all Tien thought, was wrong. The man had used a deadly attack, but he had survived it. Chiaotzu was never alone, and he would not have to go through the hell of being alone. His brother was still there with him, to continue making memories and reliving them in times of boredom. His nightmare was always fantasy, for now. More tears flooded his eyes.

The other half of his mind had a similar feeling to that when he ripped the android to shreds. Tien, despite still being alive, had gone against what he had promised, as if the boy's request did not mean anything. Although lasting only a short time, Chiaotzu had the sudden thought that he did not mean anything to Tien.

All of this translated into Chiaotzu breaking down. He wailed loudly, and hid his face in Tien's chest for a second time.

"Chi...Chiaotzu?" He heard Tien weakly say his name. He briefly made eye contact with his brother revealing his squinted, teared-up face, and then returned his head to where it was. Tien felt the wet sensation on his chest, chilling his skin to his bones. Having just woken up, a took a short while for him to remember. "What-?"

"You idiot!" Chiaotzu blurted out. Perhaps he was more startled by his own outburst than Tien was. Nevertheless, his emotion carried him onwards. "I told you not to use the Tri-Beam, Tien! You promised me. And don't give me that 'it was to save you' crap. I've told you so many times you'd be hurting me more than you."

He inhaled again, and realized that he had probably just made everything worse. Fortunately, that controlling emotion seemed to have left him, because the desire to yell quickly vanished.

Tien coughed loudly. "I'm…" He couldn't speak for a while. "I'm...sorry, Chiao...tzu."

Hearing Tien apologize, even though the man probably had not yet woken up enough to understand exactly what for, made him feel guilty for snapping. At the same time, he knew he was not able to help himself. That impulsive emotion had overcome him for that brief period of time, and it caused him to unleash his aggressive side, so harsh that even he hadn't known about them. He sorrowfully showed his repent, keeping his head leant on his brother's chest and still feeling the tears stream down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Tien. I just don't want you...to die. I can't lose you…"

Feeling the man slowly move his hand on his back, he regained confidence. It was a sign to him that Tien was already regaining strength. The man whispered, "Just…"

Becoming more productive in thought, Chiaotzu realized that telepathy might just help. He knew from experience that it took more energy to use vocal chords than to communicate in the mind. After one last inhale, he sat up straight, wiped his eyes, and held Tien's hand tightly. He mustered the most genuine smile he could plaster on his face.

What do you need? I'm here for you. Just don't leave me, Tien. Stay alive.

I…need ...to get to.... He finished his thought with his index finger, gesturing towards the cabin he knew was somewhere concealed in the expansive daytime fog.

"Okay." Chiaotzu nodded, and his smile became all the more real. As he stood up, he asked himself how Tien had expected himself to walk all the way to the house in his weak condition.

"But how will you walk?"

Tien softly but audibly snickered, a smile clear on his damaged face. I think...you have...to lift me.

"Is that a joke?"

The man shook his head.

With a sigh, he noticed he was particularly confident. Usually, he would protest. On top of not knowing if he could pull off telekinetically moving the strong, burly man. he wouldn't want to drop Tien, exacerbating his current condition and maybe even killing him. But he realized at this point that everything had gone so unexpected. He seemed to lose the slightest amount of care. He did what had to be done, and that was all.

Within a few minutes, they were back in the cabin, which was left unscathed. Chiaotzu safely dropped Tien into his bed, walked over to the blankets, and covered Tien's body with them. He lifted Tien's head so he could adjust the pillow to be comfortable, and let it rest again. For the first time, he saw the outside damage Tien had, and he sought to tend to his wounds.

It took Chiaotzu ten minutes to bandage his brother. Several times, Tien told Chiaotzu he really did not have to, but Chiaotzu told him to stop - that he was going to do whatever he could to help him. He was actually a very effective doctor, his white skin resembling a doctor's coat. His patient was cooperative. Of course, there were times with Tien winced in pain, but he never complained and he was extremely appreciative. It was a miracle that he had no broken bones.

When Chiaotzu finished, he almost took Tien for a mummy, even though only his torso and head were bandaged. He took his older brother's closest hand and held it with both of his, looking up into his face from below the elevated bed. Having eradicated all the stress, he smiled in full.

"I'll be right back, okay? Don't move a muscle."

He saw Tien's head nod at a normal speed. He must have regained some strength.

Chiaotzu went to the kitchen, took a glass, filled it up with water and even added ice cubes. He realized it was the first time he got a glass of water in the cabin. All the other times, Tien would fill up two for both of them. It felt odd, like a role reversal.

When he came back to hand the glass to Tien, the man downed the drink in two seconds. He took a breath, feeling refreshed. Even so, "Thanks" was all he could muster.

Chiaotzu nodded, relieved to hear Tien speak, no matter how simple or brief his sentence was. As he felt a tear coming again, he levitated up to the bed to embrace the man he thought was dead just moments ago. The boy softly closed his eyes as he felt Tien's palm placed on his back.

"Don't ever scare me like that again. I really thought you died," the boy whispered.

"I won't."

"Good. Try to rest, okay?. I'll be right outside." He made his own bed and left Tien in peace, relieved as ever could be.

Chapter Text

Immense relief washed over him, and he felt grateful that, despite everything, they were still together. He slowly closed the door, its creaking noise slowing his hand to follow its sound pattern. He steadily rotated the knob open as he gently collided the door with the hinges, preventing any unnecessary banging noise that could have possibly disturbed Tien. As he turned around, his eyes conveyed to him the beauty of his surroundings in a time of minimized concern. As mundane as it all was - a chair, stove, fridge, couch, and a door - it soothed the boy no less. Wishing to first relax and take it all in, he boosted himself up and landed on the wooden rocking chair, breathing in a handful of fresh air. It was one of the only times he found himself alone, following solely himself. He seldom had such opportunities.

He tried to clear his mind, but found it scurrying back to the matter at hand. Just what exactly caused Chiaotzu to tear an android apart? Chiaotzu was barely curious. He often dropped subjects instead of inquiring for more information. But this was different. As selfish as it seemed, perhaps he only cared so much because it pertained to him. Remembering how unimportant he felt ever since dying, he felt a hint of pride from his rare accomplishment. He had saved himself and Tien from death, and had nursed his brother back to health.

He soon returned to answer his own question, recalling the scene he had entered in the aftermath of Tien's Tri-Beam. He had not been in complete control when he destroyed the android. All he remembered was feeling this unfamiliar emotion and stepping into a mystifying state of unconsciousness. He remembered lifting up his hand and tearing the android apart, but he had felt so influenced by some external force. It was similar to when he shouted at Tien before immediately apologizing. He just hadn't been himself. What could have been making him act so impulsive?

He shook his head slowly, closing his eyes as he tried to find another way to explain it all. After struggling for a few minutes, he pushed off the chair, landing on his feet before quickly ascending again. He calmly swam through the air and approached the door. Before exiting his shelter, he peered around the small opening of the door just big enough for his head. Seeing that there was nothing there, aside from the nothingness, he allowed the sunlight and wind to surround his body.

He felt like he had been wronged, and that him tearing apart the android and yelling at Tien were some sort of responses.

Then he remembered his threat to Tien if he used the Tri-Beam.

I'll be so mad at you.

It was the final puzzle piece - the key to all the answers. He just had to understand them. As he wandered away from his house, detouring from the site of destruction and ravage, he found himself in an open space, enclosed by sharp-pointed rocks. Looking back, he was not able to discern the cabin in the deep fog, but he knew he had floated in a straight path.

As he stood still, absorbing the bright atmosphere to calm himself, he studied the word mad. He had been mad before, one time when he lost a card game to Krillin, but this was clearly different. He began to contrast the two: losing a card game versus losing a friend.

He recognized that both times he was angry. He had yelled at Tien and assumed he had exchanged a few insulting words with Krillin. But he simply got over it. He remembered realizing that it's not something to be so angry over, not as much as losing Tien.

After witnessing his capabilities, he decided to attempt to master his telekinesis. Studying the rocks, he determined where the best place to start was. Challenged, he felt odd not having Tien by his side, choosing which rocks to use for him. Independence suddenly became vital.

He eventually began with the easy rocks - the small, miniscule pebbles. Keeping his eyes open, a tactic Tien had taught him for always being on guard, he simply bent his fingers upwards. Not having to move his hands, he slowly lifted all the pebbles from the land. He looked around at what he had caused. Slowly, he clenched his hands into tight fists, balling as if he were guarding the pebbles with his life. He quickly thrust his arms to his side, letting out a grunt of authentic effort. He blinked, and noticed the pebbles were already out of sight. The boy heard the water splash as they collided with the quiet lake.

So why was the anger he felt today different from other times? As he wandered around the area, cherishing the moment of knowing Tien was going to recover, he thought long and hard. Being his uneducated self, he, like most of the Z Fighters, took a while.

But he finally came to the conclusion that it feels extremely different when people lose someone they deeply care for compared to when they lose an artifact or game. Chiaotzu, when he thought Tien to be dead, truly feared he would never see or talk to Tien again. It evoked within him such a severe form of anger that it influenced him to destroy that android and to shout at Tien. If he had never been angry - if Tien had never used the Tri Beam - Chiaotzu would never have discovered the extent of his power. He could not help but chuckle at the sudden detection of such irony.

He found himself standing in front of a large boulder, with a size similar to the one he had pelted rocks had in training. The rock deflected most of the wind onto Chiaotzu's face, ambushed by a thick gust. With a stronger desire than usual, he asked himself how much credit he should be giving anger and impulse. Could he do it himself, in a calm state?

As he felt the psychic power surging around him in an aura, he felt as if he had completed this task several times already. His movements felt so natural, and he was performing every telekinetic gesture smoothly. He needed not to look at anything.

But amidst his overconfidence, he caught himself and paid attention to the physically manipulated boulder, chiding himself for being off-guard. He noticed that he had been able to pull the boulder upward from the ground and suspend it mid-air. The more he held it up, the more energy he lost. The boy soon began to feel tired of holding such a heavy object.

Perhaps he would have given up in his early days of training, but it was far from day one. Having trained with Tien for a month now, he knew the importance of pushing himself. Grunting heavily, he decided to repeat his action upon the android and tear apart the rock. With a slight hint of uncertainty, he slowly brought his hands together, the aura around him glowing in a warm, light blue color. Closing his eyes, half to brace himself for impact, half because he was nervous, he pulled his hands in the opposite directions.

As he heard an explosive noise that pierced his ears, his confidence was raised. He opened his eyes and noticed the remnants of the boulder scattered around the entire area. Surprised with his potential, he tensed up and relaxed his sore hands repeatedly, feeling the air sneak in between his small fingers. It was all he needed to prove himself capable of telekinesis. Satisfied, he exhaled, lending his soft breath to the environment, and floated back down home through the fog.

He needed to discuss the matter of the Tri-Beam, or, better yet, promises in general, with Tien. Maybe there was something he just did not understand. Having realized after his outburst that he was just placing more pressure on his brother, he had immediately changed the subject to nursing him. Besides, in the end, all that mattered to him was that Tien make a full recovery, no matter how eventual.

Opening the cabin's door with the same kind of respect and caution as before, he returned to the rocking chair, waiting for the boy to reclaim his position and continue his thinking. Comfortably sitting on the raw, natural wood, Chiaotzu had a self-convention, confirming his conclusion on anger and what to say to Tien. He looked over his shoulder at the bedroom door, shut as if to kindly request for privacy on the other side.

Chapter Text

"Hi," the boy whispered when he saw that the man's eyes were open. He slowly waved his hand, his voice just loud enough for Tien to hear. As if the man were still sleeping, the boy quietly teased the door to its hinges before finally bringing it to a close.

Silence refilled the room. As he saw Tien's head nod, he managed a slight smile and slowly floated next to him on his bed, sitting on his heels to give him space. "Sorry. Did I wake you up?"

The man, seemingly in higher spirits, shook his head and managed a chuckle. But he slowly saw the boy's smile transform into a frown of concern.

"I'm worried about you," Chiaotzu said as he brushed his hand against the man's bald head to check its temperature. He was no doctor, but it didn't feel like he had a fever.

"You don't have to be. I promise you I'm fine."

It helped to hear Tien speak loud and clear, but Chiaotzu had to restrain a look of incredulity. The frown still plastered on his face, he looked out the window farthest from him for a fraction of a second, trying to mimic the calmness of the sky. And while he slowly nodded, it was clear he was still concerned. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Um…" He froze, realizing he had gone into this blindly. He peeled his eyes off his friend, slowly sliding his head to glance down at the bed sheets, white as snow. Knowing Tien would give him all the time he needed, he delved into his options.

He identified his concern as that for a promise broken, but he reasoned a promise could mean anything. It was what he promised that made him feel guilty, as if it were his fault that it was broken.

At the same time, he felt powerless to have done anything. All he could do was ask Tien to promise, but it was clear that wasn't enough. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to fight his agitation of simply not having the ability to keep Tien safe, all for the man's own desires to go against what he agreed upon.

He came to open his eyes and stare back at Tien, the man still full of patience. In the most innocent phrasing and intonation possible, the boy asked the question to clarify everything - everything he had been pondering about for the last couple of hours.

"Why did you use the Tri-Beam?"

His voice sounded somewhat aggressive in spite of his attempts to suppress his interrogative confusion. It caused Tien to frown slightly, as if the man were expecting the inquiry. Tien looked away, sighing in his realization that he underestimated his brother's curiosity. He had hoped his initial anger upon seeing him wake up would soon fade and not dare to return. He thought the trauma of the midday and the miracle of his recovery would cast a dark shadow of forgetfulness over the event. Although his luck ran out, he knew he could have taken a moment for himself, considering how to answer and how to phrase his response. His conscience, however, roped his inclinations down to the hell known as honesty.

He found his eyes turning back to the boy and saying, "I told you, Chiaotzu. I'll do anything to protect you, even if I die."

"But you promised..."

"I know. And I promised I'll do anything to protect you, even if I die." The man now smiled, satisfied the truth was out. He had always known it was for the best.

Chiaotzu held onto his confusion that was unable to abate. "So...a sacrifice?"

"Exactly," Tien explained. "If you live because I die, I've kept you out of danger and I can be satisfied that you are safe." His smile suddenly turned into his own state of uncertainty. "Don't you know this? Haven't you-"

But his eyes opened wide. His inclinations broke free from the conscious serpent, and he stopped automatically speaking his true thoughts. He had reminded himself of a painful memory that was now punishing him with its trauma. At this sudden realization, he lowered his face down to his own palm and added tension to his temples. He dared not to see what he might have done to his brother.

"Huh?" Tien heard from the boy. It seemed he had trouble immediately remembering something that happened long ago, no matter how substantial it was.

"Tien? What's the ma-"

He looked up to see the familiar, ever so innocent and curious gaze, and he saw that his mistake was showing an initial reaction to what he had done. He shook his head, trying to reassure the boy.

"Nevermind. But look, that's why I used the beam. I know you didn't want me to, but…" he paused to place his hand on Chiaotzu's shoulder, squeezing it with all the strength he had, but still with tenderness. "...how could I ever leave you in danger?"

"No, Tien. You don't understand." He shook his head with the utmost concern. "There's…" He paused to find the right set of words. "...no point in letting me live if you die. I told you I can't survive on my own."

The man laughed again in confident, relaxed disbelief. "Why? You can clearly take care of yourself and you're capable of killing things. You'd live alone and either wish me back if you can get the dragon balls or see me in the other world when you die as well. It's not that bad."

"Yes it is! You make it seem like I can manage alone, like I'd fly all over the place and kill animals and cook them for food, like they do on those shows." He could not help but laugh softly and reveal a smile.

"Well, I really think you can."

His brief smile disappeared. "You're still not getting it, Tien. Even if I could go solo, even if I could live alone and survive and thrive, I wouldn't be with you, and nothing else matters. Nothing! I didn't die in my nightmare, you did. That's what I'm most worried about. When you die, I might as well die myself." He sighed. It seemed like they both felt this way about each other. Pointless, but at least it was running smoothly.

Tien, nodding at his brother, conceded, "I know. Me, too."

"So don't try to sacrifice yourself for me only. Work on keeping both of us alive, okay?"

It surprised Tien to see Chiaotzu say something so decisive and committal. It was more mature than his usual demeanor. As he was startled by the change, it comforted him. Knowing that Chiaotzu was on top of more than he thought, that he was perhaps becoming more responsible, gave him confidence that Chiaotzu may actually be able to make a difference. With his hand taken off the boy's shoulder, he sincerely nodded and gave him the most genuine smile of the moment.

"Sure. Sounds like a plan."

The boy returned the grin. "I'll do the same."

"Although…" Tien tilted his head, his mood having changed its course. "...you could argue I was sacrificing myself to save the world, not you."

Rolling his eyes in sarcasm, Chiaotzu found himself chuckling. "Oh yeah, I definitely believe you."

"Well, he did want to destroy the planet. Whatever I tried didn't work."

"About that." Chiaotzu levitated to his own bed, the gravity of their conversation having dissipated, and asked innocently, "You're telling me you used your Dodan, cloning attack, whatever else, the Tri-Beam, and he still didn't die?"

"Mhm. But the more important question is, how did you kill him? I'm assuming you did."

"I did."

"Umm...how?"

Chiaotzu glanced around the room, knowing it would be easier to show than explain. He panned his head around the clustered, but comforting and familiar space. Even if he couldn't remember past events so easily, he knew this would always hold a special place.

He set his eyes on the small rock that Tien had found upon their arrival. With ease, he swiftly lifted up the rock, feeling nothing but anticipation for Tien's reaction. He noticed he was smiling in excitement as he tore the rock apart menacingly. The seal of such paranoia and unnecessary tension had been broken. The boy had, in his own mind, returned to high spirits.

As he caught the two pieces, tightening his grip as if he had complete control over it, he noticed Tien's blank expression, in clear and utter shock. He opened his eyes wide in regret. Was he mad? What did he do wrong? Was he using his power for granted? As the questions ran into his mind, he found the worry returned as well. His look shifted away from one of carelessness and relaxation.

"What?!" Tien shouted, despite being injured.

Despite his shouting, it felt so silent in the room to Chiaotzu. A different, negative form of anticipation built up until he asked, trembling, "Wh-what do you mean, Tien?"

"That's amazing...Chiaotzu! I can't believe you can pull that off!"

The boy returned to his happy, determined stare and blew a sigh of relief. But as he looked down at the two pieces in his hand again, he wondered if it was really the circumstances surrounding them, or just themselves.

Tien continued, "Well, not that you weren't before, it was just…"

"I get it." Still on on his bed, Chiaotzu sat back, resting his head on the pillow and looking up into the blank, white ceiling. He sighed again before returning to the original topic for a final time.

"But anyway, I just want both of us to stay together. It's not really about life or death, it's more that I don't want you to leave me. You'll always be my best friend, remember that."

"I understand, Chiaotzu. I'm sorry I used the Tri-Beam. I really just thought it was the only way to beat him. Looks like it didn't work."

"You know, maybe if we were there together you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"I know. I didn't think you'd be able to handle yourself out there, I thought it'd be too dangerous for you, but maybe I'm wrong."

Chiaotzu did not answer, But as Tien lay on the bed still, he turned his head over to his brother's to see that he was nodding in agreement. "Ready to train tomorrow?" he asked, almost completely forgetting about his injury.

"Not you." Chiaotzu sat up, still cheerful but clearly serious in his assertion. "Not until you're fully healed."

"Come on, I'm f-." But he stopped his plea with a sigh, suddenly feeling tired despite all his resting. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them to Chiaotzu, still waiting for him to complete his thought. With a brief smirk, he suggested "Argue about it tomorrow?"

"Okay," the boy said, as he smiled back.

So they had capsules for supper and went to sleep, preparing for the debate the next morning. Something became nothing, and all was calm.

Chapter Text

It finally came to be time for Tien to reflect on all that has happened. It was dark and quiet, and Chiaotzu was sound asleep. He lay in bed, but he was not going to pass out anytime soon.

He exhaled into the dark, misty air, closed his eyes, and started with the fight. He really had run out of practice. Training Chiaotzu every day left him with almost no time for himself. But it seemed to have paid off, and Chiaotzu may be able to self-train soon. Ideally, they would be able to spar, really pushing themselves to their limits. It had to be done if he did not want to have to use the Tri-Beam again, against his brother's wishes.

He had been fooling himself the whole time. He would always, always do anything to protect Chiaotzu, hence his use of the Tri-Beam. But now he faced a moral dilemma. He felt like he'd be committing a deadly sin if he were to sacrifice himself for the boy, who had stated his mind so directly. All he ever wanted was to make sure Chiaotzu wouldn't die for a third time. But just how protective could he attempt to be when it seemed like his little brother wanted to grow up? The two options juggled themselves around his mind: be as overprotective as possible, or slightly back down, respecting Chiaotzu's wishes to work together in keeping them both alive.

His head started to hurt and he thought of how Chiaotzu was peacefully asleep. Tien realized he probably was not as troubled, and he decided to just let it go. Whatever happens, happens. It was a mentality he should have adopted then, but it seemed he was only borrowing it.

He noticed, even though it had only been a day, the increased level of independence Chiaotzu possessed. Just from seeing Chiaotzu nurse him back to health, get him a glass of water, and state his mind so concisely, he knew something had happened. Perhaps seeing Tien supposedly dead did something to him. Maybe when he destroyed the android by himself, he saw where his capabilities lay.

It forced his reluctant mind to the decision at hand again, and he almost hit his pillow in frustration. Squinting his eyes in thought, he had to avoid from traveling back to the past. King Piccolo was one, if he counted sacrificing himself as standing in front of a deadly demon in attempt to thwart his plans. The other was…

But he stopped himself, not wanting to relive what he almost fell into just before supper. There was, he believed, no way to remove his worry for the boy, but should he let down? Should he treat everything as if the past hadn't happened? Was he supposed to simply let Chiaotzu fight the deadliest of enemies, like Twelve, and have full faith that he would come out alive? Certainly, he reasoned, it would make the boy happy. Who wouldn't want more freedom? Besides, it seemed like Chiaotzu had some potential, to the point where, if Tien died, he would be able to turn out alright.

But then he realized Chiaotzu would just kill himself.

And his mind fell back into it all, as the image of the horrible memory began to claw its way into his brain and internal vision. He hid his face in the blanket, trying to protect himself in the darkness. He wanted to somehow bring himself to immediate sleep. His breathing became heavy in his frustration. He possessed the slightest amount of telepathic power, but why couldn't he just manipulate his own mind?

King Piccolo was enough. This was a horrible display of insult to injury.

He couldn't simply not worry about his little brother, trapped in the body of a seven-year-old, in the midst of a world in lingering danger only they and their companions were aware of.

"No…," he whispered to himself, the heat of his breath reflecting to his bare chest. "I can't…"

But could he? Was backing down really leaving the boy in danger, or was it a result of his apprehension?

He frustrated himself to sleep, not making any kind of decision, seeing where the future would take him. It was a quality he rarely had.

Chapter Text

A month swept by, and much changed. The threat was still lingering, but the paranoia was absent. They returned to their regular schedule of training every day and fishing on Sunday. Their motivation levels spiked, and, while they often trained together. Tien trusted Chiaotzu to self-train. It gave Tien the small chance to catch up, and while he certainly did, he knew he would never reach his limits at this rate.

They had just connected, fist and foot. Upon contact, they jumped back, magnetizing to their original positions. Sparring proved to be the most useful method of training for the two. Tien was always looking to improve as a martial artist. Chiaotzu, as his telepathic powers seemed to be increasing at a steady rate, agreed he could improve in the art of hand-to-hand combat as well.

Fist and fist this time, but before they could respond to their own nerves rattling, they heard a chopping sound. It was easy to notice something in the morning, when the wind was soft and calm. Lowering their eyebrows at each other in wonder, they looked East, the direction from which they came.

It flew in the thin air, suspending itself with its helicopter wings. Its weight seemed nearly too much to handle as it practically dragged itself to its destination.

Sure enough, it stopped for a moment, right above the two. It slowly descended down to the ground, the helicopter blades spinning smoothly. The engine itself was inside a compartment, carrying the supposedly heavy object.

Chiaotzu, upon seeing the object begin its descent, slowly crept into a fear of uncertainty. He snuck behind Tien's leg and swallowed. Wiping what he felt was sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, he spoke slowly and carefully, trying to avoid from whimpering. That was for children.

"W-what's that, Tien?" He felt himself slightly trembling. Last time he saw something he did not recognize, a catastrophe fell upon them.

"Relax. It doesn't look harmful." Tien circled the object, completely unafraid, and noticed the one familiarity that existed. He had seen that logo before, back when he and Chiaotzu lived at Roshi's after the Tournament. The memories began to flood back, but he cut them off. It was an ability he had improved on, however limited his power was. "It's from Capsule Corp. I guess it's from Bulma."

Chiaotzu looked relieved, wiping the last few droplets of his sweat and feeling his heart rate return to a normal level. "I wonder what's inside."

Bulma had always been a friend of the Z Fighters, Tien and Chiaotzu included. She had met the original Z Fighter, Goku, in her youth. Reluctantly, she stayed by his side, half-repelled by his adventurous and reckless qualities but also fascinated by his bravery and ability. As she moved back home after there were no more excursions to make, she began to develop an interest in technology. Her father was the president of Capsule Corp, the company that invented the capsules. The capsules could hold anything - food, water, medicine, even coffins. Gradually, she gravitated towards a newfound passion for capsule-managing. However, when working in the laboratory, she often reminisce back to when she and Goku went on these dangerous, unheard-of adventures. She knew that, if Goku asked her to keep her to tag along, she wouldn't hesitate to accept.

Too old for the excursions and high levels of activity now, she worked entirely in the capsule business. For the Z Fighters, she was the go-to person for obtaining capsules. She would give them anything in a capsule for no charge. But her generosity went much further. Tien and Chiaotzu never asked for food stored in capsules, but she insisted anyway. They never thought of Bulma as a close friend, but she was certainly worthy of being one.

The object's door finally opened and revealed only an envelope. Odd that the engine would have trouble carrying something that bore such little weight. Tien swiftly picked it up and raised his eyebrows. On it was written Tien and Chiaotzu, neat and in cursive. As he opened it Chiaotzu rose and rested his chin on Tien's shoulder, looking over it. "How'd she find out where we are?"

"Beats me," replied Tien. He read the letter out loud.

Dear Tien and Chiaotzu,

We hope you guys are doing well with your training and preparation for the incoming androids in three years! We are trying to keep our spirits up and be optimistic, and being together is the way to sustain that. For that reason, we're all hoping you can join us at Kame House for a nice dinner tomorrow. We hope to see you here! Launch is cooking!

Sincerely,

Bulma

"Should we go?" Chiaotzu asked, landing softly as Tien folded the letter into thirds. "I don't remember Launch's cooking being very good." He had been learning how to cook, and was now quite overblown in that regard.

Tien shrugged. "I don't see the harm in going." He knew tomorrow, a Sunday, would be the best day. Because it was a day for resting, they would miss the least amount of training.

They nodded at each other and continued sparring until the late afternoon.

Chiaotzu heard Tien training outside. Even through the closed door and windows, he could hear the commitment and determination piercing through the locked seals and into his eardrums. Guilt often passed over him at times like these. He knew he was holding back Tien every time they trained together. Only when Chiaotzu went inside to cook supper did Tien have the freedom to train alone and push himself.

He had taken one of the fishes they had caught that month. He chose the medium one, saving the largest for an occasion, and placed it on the pan. As he turned on the stove, his fingers tightening around the knobs to prevent error, he delved into a world he was relatively unfamiliar to.

And when he found himself again, he saw he had created a fish - deboned, crispy, juicy, and perhaps delicious. Astonished at his own work, He grabbed a knife from the cabinet under his floating foot, and swiftly made a clean cut down the middle, allowing him to share his masterpiece with his brother.

He almost overdid it, feeling the urge to set the table with a cloth. Upon realizing they didn't have one, he furthermore noticed he was becoming too secure with his food. It probably isn't even that good, he thought. Nonetheless, he felt a similar pride to that of when he showed Tien his telekinetic abilities. This was something he had done. He set the two halves of the fish on two plates, placing them opposite each other on the table.

When he was sure they were placed so that the rectangular table was still perfectly symmetrical, he moved on to the silverware. He topped the table with two forks and knives, one for each side. He made sure they were aligned perfectly, the same distance from the nearest side of the plate. He could not help but reveal to himself a smile of satisfaction for his deeds.

He could have called Tien telepathically, but he didn't want to seem rude to his guest. He figured the best way to invite somebody would be to approach them face to face. As he opened the door, he immediately saw the man throwing calculated punches into the air. His face stayed determined and resolute, despite how tired he clearly was.

He was going to call out to Tien, telling him that dinner was ready and the food he had cooked was prepared to be eaten. But no need - Tien saw him out of the corner of his eye and shouted "Coming."

Chiaotzu snickered at himself. Why didn't he just call telepathically? It would have saved him the effort of having to disturb Tien by walking outside again.

"You know," Tien said as he approached the house. You didn't have to come outside.

That set him off. His soft snickers turned into a grand burst of laugher. He covered his face with one hand as his friend started at him, both startled and confused at his sudden outburst of mirth.

"Hey," Tien said, chuckling to accompany him. "What's so funny?" He pulled the boy's hand away from his face and noticed that tears had fallen from his eyes. Yet the widened smile assured Tien they weren't from sadness.

"I don't know why I just tried to treat you like…" he lost himself in laughter again, unable to control his speech. Tien smiled in patience, glad that spirits were rather high at a dark time, and waited until he heard his brother's telepathic voice.

...my houseguest!

He found himself joining his brother in complete disconnection of any kind of control. Such an amount of laughter was certainly not necessary. One might even wonder why it made them laugh in the first place.

When they finally regained control of themselves, Tien spoke.

"How'd I go from friend to houseguest?"

Chiaotzu sarcastically shrugged, raising his eyebrows as if he were the wrong one to ask. "I guess we just haven't seen each other in a while. I wanted to make a good impression on an old...familiar." He let out a few more laughs, as he realized "friend" wouldn't go well with the joke.

Silence followed for a moment. Sighing, Tien tried to think of how to maintain this mood, or better yet, how to evoke it. He cherished being happy, something he would not have done a while back. It seemed like things were, for once, looking up. Quite curious, considering what was to come in three years.

He looked out into the depths of their vicinity. Everything was so clear, not a cloud in the sky. The calming flow of the wind soothed him. It made him smile more. Despite his exhaustion, he felt relaxed and full of energy. He turned to his brother, also smiling and sharing the lighthearted emotion.

"Chiaotzu," he said as the boy slid his face from the scenery to look at him. "I just want to let you know that whatever happens, we're going to be fine."

He immediately felt remorse. Why did he make such an idealistic, declarative statement? He realized that, in trying to keep the spirits up, he had given himself and his brother hope that may very well have been false.

Chiaotzu dived forward, embracing Tien around his shoulders with all his strength. Wrapping his arms around his brother in return, he sighed in defeat. He hated himself for hugging Chiaotzu, for further giving in to the idea that it was all going to be fine. They should have eaten dinner already, preparing to get a good night's sleep for the next day. They might have been able to complete whatever training they could before having to leave. But it seemed doubtful with all the laughs.

Yet, at the same time, he felt this was necessary. The occasional period of time when one would simply forget about the world. The briefest moment where they could lose themselves in the unlikely hint of optimism which decided to reveal itself for whatever reason. For simply not knowing, for believing he could actually be making the right choice, he embraced the boy tighter in his arms.

"I promise you, Chiaotzu. It's going to be alright."

"I know." As his brother whispered, Tien felt his head nod against his chest. Whether right or wrong, there was no going back now.

Chiaotzu finished his food before Tien. The boy told him he was going to retire early because he was tired from training. To this, Tien agreed and took his time in finishing his meal alone. The food had grown quite cold, but he was too grateful to realize. It was not often that they had a regularly sized fish to eat. He stared at the oversized basses hanging on the wall. Would there ever be a good time to use those? Maybe in last resort, he thought.

The clear day had dimmed to darkness upon the surreptitious descent of the sun. From where he was sitting, Tien could see a bundle of stars, white little specks, in the night dark blue sky. No crickets rubbed their wings together, contributing to the silence. No wind blew, no rocks fell, no water splashed, and no threat seemed to remain.

He thought about the upcoming dinner, where he and Chiaotzu would see the other Z Fighters for the first time, and wondered how conversation would go. What would they talk about? Would they get along? Would they argue? He didn't know, but he let it go. He recognized it as nothing to waste time arguing with himself over.

All his wounds and injuries were gone. Thanks to Chiaotzu's doctoring abilities, he made a swift recovery, and he was no longer in any pain. Somehow, he was able to return to training in just a few days. Such a miracle that a draining attack that almost killed him did not weigh him down much. It was as if he had meant to do it, knowing just how much of a toll the Tri-beam could take on his life depending on the power with which he used it.

He savored the last bite of his half of the fish, but did not move immediately. He sat there in silence and took it all in. Despite the incident a few moments ago, he was still deeply worried for his brother. Such preoccupation had never left him. He wondered if he would ever not be worried. Chiaotzu was his brother, his best friend. He knew it'd wrong to feel so carefree about him, even if they were in the most relaxed times of the world.

With that, he stared down at the bones of his fish. Chiaotzu had thrown his in the trash. Doing the same, he pushed in his chair, marveled at the quiet, peaceful atmosphere once more, and walked towards the bedroom.

As he peaked his head into the doorway to see if Chiaotzu was asleep and determine if he would have to be especially quiet, his heartbeat stopped. Nobody lay on his bed, the white sheets consumed in the dark curtain of the night. He ran into the bedroom with eyes wide open, looking and searching frantically for his friend. He was about to scream out his name when he saw a dark figure floating above the bed. It startled him at first, but as his vision adjusted to the darkness, he saw the familiar red circles and white skin.

"Chiaotzu? Is that you?"

"Hmm?" the voice said. He opened only one eye and turned it to Tien. He was floating calm and still, with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees.

"What are you doing?"

"Meditating," he said calmly. He did not stop floating and his breathing was calm and silent. He closed his eye and assumed he was doing nothing wrong. He thought of nothing and controlled the trance he was in.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

Now Chiaotzu landed, sitting on his bed. He opened his eyes. "I don't know. One day you were still training and I was here and it just...happened."

"Wow. You're really something." Chiaotzu's growing telepathic power never ceased to amaze him. He took from it a speck of pride. He had decided to push Chiaotzu to his limits. That, combined with Chiaotzu's surprising courage to withstand danger and curiosity to traverse through the portal of the unknown, is what Tien suspected had awakened his dormant power.

"Good night, Tien," Chiaotzu yawned.

"Good night, Chiaotzu. Big day tomorrow."

Chapter Text

An hour by flight, three on foot. They'd be tired after dinner. They decided to fly there and walk back.

They flew away from their cabin and the nothingness. Kame House was only a long line away. No detours necessary, and all they had to do return was go back the way they came.

Out of sight, they hovered over the civilization they were no longer used to. After the last Tournament, they became insular, careful not to get mixed up in any other of the Z Fighters' problems. They had lived in Kame House, but they moved away for similar reasons. Tien never understood the benefit of living next to so many people. Much too crowded for their lifestyle.

As they reached the lake, the atmosphere became more peaceful, the only audible sound that of the calm waves crashing down on the green grass. The palm tree provided finesse the island would otherwise lack. The pink shade of Kame House, its roof red and porch white, spread the calmness of the air. It was tolerable to them.

But there was no place to train. Tien presumed they must have found a quiet, clear place to satisfy their needs. Considering the known threat, he hoped he was right. He turned to Chiaotzu and said, "Good thing we don't live here." His brother concurred with a nod. Dusk was nearing upon their arrival. The slight orange beam of light, produced between the gap of clouds, spread through the dense, chilled air.

As they landed on the soft grass near the surrounding ocean, Roshi's pet turtle crept out, crawling forward at his normal speed. The turtle, enclosed in its practically metal shell, spoke in a deep voice. He sounded older than even Master Roshi.

"Hey, guys. Long time no see," he said while waving his fin clumsily.

"Likewise. Where is everyone?" Tien asked robotically. He was always mechanically polite to those with whom he was unfamiliar.

"Should be inside." The turtle looked towards the green door leading to the house.

Nodding, they approached the door and rang the obsolete doorbell. The door opened and they saw a wall of familiar faces.

Following the course of a usual family gathering, it ran smoothly without any discord.

The adults caught up on the couches and chairs, and the youth played their games on the floor and small tables. Chiaotzu, small in size but the age of an adult, had the privilege of mingling between the two groups. He floated back and forth, sometimes listening in on the mature conversations of Piccolo, Goku, and Krillin, other times keeping Puar and Oolong company. He spoke politely and listened silently when others were speaking. He naturally did not lose his innocent expressions and personalities, but he could conceal them if need be.

Eventually, dinner came along. Launch finally brought out all the food, her neon blue hair standing out from the muted color of the house. The turkey, pleading to be sliced, could feed a family of twenty. She set it all on the rectangular table in the dining room and called everyone over in a voice almost as high as Chiaotzu's. Seating was unassigned, yet they all seemed to know and accept where each other wanted to be placed.

They each began telling their stories and updating each other on their lives of training. Piccolo and Goku told them all the story about how Gohan's mother had made them take a driving test and the disastrous results that followed. Krillin talked about his new girlfriend, Marron, and Yamcha talked about having to deal with Vegeta, the most persistent of all the Z Fighters, constantly occupying the spaceship allowing one to train at three hundred times normal gravity.

As Yamcha finished his story, all heads, aside from Bulma's, simultaneously looked around. It was at this point when Bulma explained the reason for Vegeta's absence. "That stubborn man is always training, and he won't do anything else! Nobody should have expected him to come."

Finally, it was the duo's turn to speak. They were open in their updates, sharing their story about the android, the Tri-Beam, the rock, fishing, Chiaotzu's power, and their general feelings. They refrained from explaining their worry for each other, believing it was an unnecessary detail of no concern to the others.

They were hit with a myriad of trivial follow-up questions, such as Gohan's inquiry of the average number of scales of their captured fish, to which Chiaotzu tilted his silverware in a shrug. But Bulma asked a more digressive question. She looked at both of them and asked with a smile, "I've been meaning to ask. How did you two meet?"

Tien raised his eyebrows. He glanced at Chiaotzu, who looked back at him and shrugged, this time with his shoulders. As he turned his head back to the table, he saw all eyes on him, waiting. He sighed in his hesitance. What was the point of telling the story? It wasn't even that interesting, and it wasn't like they saw the other Z Fighters much, anyway. He tilted his head toward Chiaotzu, and telepathically spoke to him before beginning the tale.

We're going to regret this to no end.

He heard a muffled giggle from the boy as he began.

"I remember when Chiaotzu and I used to 'capture' that pig from the villages we told it to ravage. What was its name…"

"Inoshikacho."

"Right. And when we 'stopped' it from trampling all their crops, the villagers were so thankful they paid us with food." He smirked at his past intentions to swindle and cheat. "They had no idea we were the ones that set it up. We were such..."

"Jerks," Chiaotzu finished. He imitated his younger self, deepening his own voice. "Thanks for the food! Not a bad price when you consider we were risking our lives."

Tien paused as the others chuckled and adjusted themselves in their seats. He gestured towards Goku, with a cheerful smile on his face. "And then we ran into you one day, and you just had to try and foil our plans." A tone of jealousy became slightly audible, and he smiled. "Chiaotzu was going to fight you, but I stopped him. Think I said something about how I needed the exercise."

"I would have beat you guys, but Tien had to kick a tree over my head!" Goku said, laughing hysterically. He had been hungry at the time, and he was never as agile on an empty stomach. Tien had simply kicked down a trunk, which fell on Goku's head. It had knocked the boy out and allowed Tien and Chiaotzu to flee, thinking he was dead.

As he resumed, Tien was hit with a vivid memory of the aftermath.

He and Chiaotzu had stood over Goku, covered by the trunk. He remembered every word of his arrogance, and was visibly blown over with shame.

"I expected more from the kid. He's a good fighter."

Chiaotzu had not developed a predilection for flying at the time. That hadn't become important to him until the Tournament. He had often stood on his feet, his height barely the same as that of Tien's waist. He had looked up at Tien in his general blank stare, yet it clearly showed a lack of innocence. It was a display of such harmful intent that would have horrified Tien presently.

"He was, you mean."

"You okay, Tien?"

He blinked once and landed back in reality. He felt a small hand tug him by the arm in a firm grip. The voice was clearly the same as that of his memories, yet the difference so clear.

He turned his head to nod at his friend, who gave him a smile back. "Sorry, blanked out there. No hard feelings, Goku."

He sat back, never having taken the time to reflect on how different he and Chiaotzu were. He saw the distinction just by telling a casual story. As he opened his eyes and prepared to finish his dinner, the last turkey breast on his plate, he noticed everybody, even Chiaotzu, staring at him.

Then he realized.

"Oh, I didn't answer the question, did I?"

Everybody burst into laughter at the passing of the awkwardness. Tien laughed as well, at his own forgetfulness. Yet amidst the laughter, he heard an echoing voice in his mind.

Can I take over?

Chiaotzu's inquiry relieved him. He had no desire to continue telling a story that called back painful memories. Why had he fallen into that trap? He hadn't even answered the question. He wasn't sure they didn't know the story already, but he was angry for the toll his recount had taken on him. He knew that backing down, however, would be unusual. Besides, maybe Chiaotzu was a better narrator. Maybe he would be concise, hopping over whatever could trigger something like that again.

Sure.

"Okay, I'll tell you." The boy looked excited as all eyes moved from Tien to him, the man feeling the weight on his shoulders ascend. But Chiaotzu stopped in his tracks. Why was he so excited to tell the story of his origin?

"I was…" He allowed himself to pause as his smile eerily crept away. "...orphaned…"

No, Chiaotzu. Don't start from there. He heard Tien's telepathic voice. He felt himself trembling, but no tears fell from his eyes.

It's fine. Just this one part.

"You don't know who your parents are?" Krillin asked innocently. He then fell silent with the rest. Chiaotzu heard Tien's telepathic voice again.

Just gloss over it.

"I have no way of knowing," he quietly blurted out. "I don't remember."

"Oh," Krillin mumbled. "Sorry. Stupid question."

Tien considered speaking to Chiaotzu again, but he knew that, especially with all the training, determination had grown in him, and he wouldn't stop until he finished the story. He sighed, almost vicariously feeling the pain of his brother as he saw him tremble even more. At once, the boy spoke, having just enough confidence to go forward. Perhaps, Tien thought, he had not contemplated his past likewise. He hated this.

He hated all of it.

"It…" Chiaotzu lost the words. He clenched his fists and spoke with more power. "It was horrible! Treated us like crap and always expected us to keep our areas clean. If we didn't, we got beaten. We were given the smallest servings you can think of, and it didn't matter if we were still hungry afterwards. If we complained about it, we were beaten. We had to work every single day, ten hours each, and if we didn't…"

Tien had been leaning back on his chair, previously trying to clear his mind of what he just had to narrate. As Chiaotzu's voice trailed off, he realized things had taken a turn for the worse. He heard Chiaotzu's voice break from the stress. He muttered a curse inaudible to the table, carefully leaning forward. Nobody spoke, the silence leaving an empty but heavy feeling in his stomach. As he heard a soft sob, he slowly placed his palm on the boy's nearest shoulder.

Chiaotzu…

At once, Chiaotzu jumped into him, bawling on Tien's shoulder. He wrapped the boy in his enclosing, protective arms, forgetting about the witnesses. He moved his hand back and forth across the boy's back, trying to comfort him. He tried to do anything to calm him, yet he felt helpless, having just been in a similar situation.

It's okay, Chiaotzu. It's alright.

I'm sorry, Tien. I just can't do it, Chiaotzu communicated as he sobbed.

Tien hugged him tighter, shutting his eyes. I told you not to start from there.

I know, but I couldn't help it. Once I said I was orphaned...it was too...late. It was a struggle for him to speak, even telepathically.

You don't have to anymore.

"Um?"

Tien looked up upon hearing the female voice. "What?"

"Dude, is he alright?" Yamcha asked in his overconfident voice.

"What's wrong?" Gohan added.

Bulma continued. "We don't-"

Please finish the story, Tien. We never told them.

What? Why?

I don't know. Just do it. Maybe it will make everything better.

Make it b-?. He sighed, knowing Chiaotzu had just convinced him again. He looked up into the crowd, as if to make one last speech. He hid his anger.

"Shen's fighters invaded the orphanage, looking for recruits. I guess they saw potential in Chiaotzu because he looked different from everyone else. So they brought him to the Crane School and we met there."

A scream ran through his head. It took such effort to say just a few words answering the question. He noticed Chiaotzu had grown quiet, and he felt the boy's arms wrap around his upper-chest.

Thank you, Tien.

Do you feel better?

Yes.

It is easy for a brief answer, once improperly pushed longer, to turn into an entire life story.

Tien, not having the time to use his logic, allowed himself to be trapped by the Z Fighters, inquisitive as ever and seemingly unaware of the stress they caused. They asked questions upon questions of what happened next, even though they knew the answers because they were there. They convinced Tien to continue, using the excuse that Gohan hadn't been born yet. Yet bothered as Tien was, the more he told, the less angry he felt. It was unexplainable at the time.

They had finished dinner and moved to the living room. The roasting, warm fireplace was surrounded by couches and chairs shared by them all. Chiaotzu had grown tired, peacefully falling asleep on Tien's arm as he recounted. To Tien, he seemed happy.

As comforting as it was for the while, he then realized the hole he would fall into.

Shoutout to Satu-D-2 again for inspiring me to write this one! I didn't think it would end up so similar but I checked back at Chapter 10 of her fanfiction To Raise a Triclops and thought there were a few parts similar to it, so more thank-yous!

Also gotta give a big one to PugMaster on the r/fanfiction discord channel for reading over this chapter. Really helped me with grammar, clarity, and sentence structure. She also brought to my attention the concept of third person. I realize that I am using omniscient third person. I want to continue this style, but I do want to stay organized perspective-wise. I'm going to try to not make as frequent jumps between the characters from now on. Feel free to review as always!

Chapter Text

Tien sighed, peering down at Chiaotzu. He moved his head back down, avoiding the eyes of the Z Fighters, whatever they conveyed, and resumed his narrative.

 "Chiaotzu, why don't you just stay behind?"

"No way. I'm coming." He looked irascible as he flew.

Tien briefly glanced back down in flight. He did not see the Z Fighters yet, turning back to his irritated brother with a hint of concern.

"I understand you want to fight, but the Saiyans are powerful. They mean business, with this wanting-to-kill-all-humans ordeal."

"Your point?" Chiaotzu did not bother to turn his head.

"Well, to be upfront, I just don't think you're ready. I don't want you to-"

"Of course I'm ready!" Chiaotzu snapped back, breaching the smooth wall of peace that had shrouded them in the dense air. "I trained for months. You saw."

Slightly startled, he looked down again. Chiaotzu wouldn't last unless he drastically improved. After seeing his brother fail in combat and dying to King Piccolo, he didn't understand why he was not acting more parental - why he did not tell Chiaotzu instead of ask him.

"Besides," Chiaotzu suddenly continued. "I wouldn't just leave you out there."

Tien turned away to hide a small smile of incredulous annoyance. Was he overestimating his brother's common sense, too? Where he got off thinking he was protecting him, Tien hadn't the slightest. The boy sounded conceitedly entitled.

But the fight was more important to him now, so he turned his three eyes back to the ground. "Look, just don't go crazy. We're not supposed to fight them, just hold off until Goku comes."

"Fine."

That was the objective, but nothing was ever so easy. Goku had just been revived, and the rest of the Z Fighters knew that, despite his ability to rocket through the air, he would not return until two hours after the battle started. Getting revived was just the first step. Flying back to Earth from the Other World, the planet of the dead, was a beast within itself.

Tien reflected upon his rising dislike for the Z Fighters. It seemed as though they were constantly roped into their problems. The countless efforts they made to live their own lives in isolation did not matter. He briefly glanced towards Chiaotzu. His irritated countenance had seemed to fade now. Perhaps he had felt the same kind of frustration, that the Z Fighters were simply dragging them away from peace. Maybe, Tien thought, that was the real reason for his snappy mood.

"Krillin!" his brother suddenly shouted. He looked to his left and noticed he was descending. As he naturally began to follow, he saw the four Z Fighters on the ground, one of which looked unfamiliar. He inferred that, while they were out alone in the mountains, some sort of new recruit must have come along. As they dropped down, offering a slight wave to the others, Tien saw two other men in front of them. They looked intimidating, one more burly than the other. A small, red screen covered the left eye of the less-muscular one, with spiked hair and a face of venomous anger.

"Hey guys," Krillin said as they landed, Tien on foot, and Chiaotzu floating only a few inches from the ground.

"Hi, Krillin," Chiaotzu answered.

"Thanks for stopping by."

Chiaotzu nodded, yet Tien internally questioned his own reasoning. This seemed far from a stop-by, as if the whole ordeal were a pleasant visit. He wished that, despite his predilection for reclusion, it could be so.

He still did not recognize the fourth Z Fighter, whom he now saw was a child in a purple and white outfit. He looked timid, much to Tien's understanding, yet he still felt a sense of determination just by looking at the child's face of fear. Upon noticing this odd conveyance of confidence, he noted a physical, and even slightly mental, resemblance of Goku.

"Is that Goku's kid?" he asked harmlessly, briefly forgetting their situation out of curiosity. He remembered Goku had mentioned having found a woman to marry after the incident with King Piccolo.

"Mm," Yamcha said as he nodded. Tien noticed he had left his friend Puar behind, not having made the same mistake he had made.

"Hmph. Kid's strong, I'll give him that. And it's not like we have much other choice," Piccolo disclosed, as if preemptively informing them before the question of why he was brought along could be raised. The son of King Piccolo, Piccolo always had a tone of reserved pride in his voice, even when warning of a catastrophe.

"Alright, listen up," a gruff voice projected, interrupting Chiaotzu's gaze at Gohan's invisible bravery amidst his discernible apprehension. "Enough of the family reunion. Save that for when you're all dead." The spiked-haired man, arms crossed and unmoved by the icy howling of the wind, stepped forward.

"We're going to make this very clear, understand?" he asked. "If Kakarot doesn't arrive in one hour, Nappa here will kill you all, slowly." He revealed a smile as he pointed at the burly man, clearly impassible. Nappa looked satisfied with Vegeta's proposition. He knew they would end up killing them eventually. He simply found dangling false hope to be entertaining.

As a result of shock and confusion among the Z Fighters, the wind occupied the silence, pretentiously howling and mocking their concentration. It flowed unimpeded by the cliffs and peaks the wastelands produced, swerving only when necessary and darting forward otherwise.

"It's not like we have a choice," Yamcha mumbled. Only the Z Fighters heard him.

"It's settled, then," Vegeta barked as he turned his back to them. "One hour or you die! You have more than enough time to say your goodbyes to each other."

"And he doesn't mean you can go home and tell your family farewell, either," Nappa sharply clarified. "He means amongst yourselves, because if you leave, we'll kill you now." He cracked his knuckles, wishing the Z Fighters could hear it from where they were standing, through the thick barrier of air. Chuckling to patronize them, he turned his back as well, yet the Z Fighters knew they would somehow be able to sense an attempt of what they now considered escape from imprisonment in the deserted wastelands.

Yamcha was the first to break the silence. "Well, crap."

"What do we do?" Gohan asked, clearly still nervous but impressively trying to take initiative. "What do you think, Mr. Piccolo?"

"Good question, Gohan," Piccolo said, as if he were the child's teacher. He looked up in thought, resolute and stiff. "These guys look tough, but judging from their attitude, they seem pretty cocky. Might be able to outsmart them, but don't one of us think for a second we can face them one on one."

"Can we train until my dad comes?"

"Train yourself. I'm not helping you." Despite his bitter tone, however, Tien knew Piccolo appreciated his will.

The two split off, leaving Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu to, at the very least, twiddle their thumbs. Silence filled the air again as Piccolo and Gohan selfishly retreated to whatever they would claim as their respective temporary quarters. Instinctively, three of them looked at Yamcha, as if it were understood that should be designated to break the silence again. Of course, he simply turned to Krillin and they began to mutter a few words inaudible to the duo.

But Tien turned and remembered he had brought company with him. He sighed, realizing it was so much a mistake that he could not even believe himself for letting Chiaotzu follow him. He did not have to see Chiaotzu's face to know he was shaking stiffly. When he did, however, he somehow felt protected. As incapable as his brother was, he was still his best friend, loyal and always wanting to help. For a moment, he thought he had made the right choice.

Perhaps that is why he found himself trying to joke with Chiaotzu. To forget about the hour, or to appreciate his loyalty, unusual to the average pair of friends.

"Wish you'd stayed behind now?" he asked with a smirk.

Chiaotzu immediately looked at Tien from the blankness, and indignantly lowered his eyebrows. He hastily crossed his arms. "Hmph. We'll see who's the real coward when the fight starts."

Tien chuckled. "You can't hide fear from me. I know you."

"What're you talking about, Tien? Sounds like you're the one who's scared, else you wouldn't be accusing me, huh?"

"You don't have to lie to me, Chiaotzu. It's clear you regret this." His smiled slowly faded into a look of concern and sorrow.

With that, Chiaotzu suddenly sighed and lifted his facade. He became the scared little boy who felt misplaced, the one Tien was too familiar with. As he frowned, he looked down at the ground, as if he knew he were just as good as dead.

"Hey, no no. Don't fall into despair now." Tien reached out a hand, but immediately, Chiaotzu sprung back up, attempting to look positive.

"No! I'm glad I'm here. I want to fight with you. I need to protect you."

That entitlement again. He burst out laughing, much to Chiaotzu's confusion. When the boy asked him the reason, he told him simply not to worry about it.

He tried not to set himself up for disappointment, doing whatever he could not to tell himself that Goku was capable of everything. As powerful as he was, some limits simply could not be surpassed. Being himself, he was fully aware of that, and he knew Chiaotzu had much less hope than he did.

Tien looked at their two opponents, nonchalantly stretching and laughing with each other, seemingly menacingly. Who were these people? All he was ever told was that they would need to double their strengths to even hold up a torch to them. What were their motives? That didn't ever seem important to him. His goal was to simply fend them off and go with whatever would work to shoo them away. Then, maybe, just maybe, would he and Chiaotzu finally be left alone.

He wished he heard a clock striking the hour, but the silence remained, haunting him with the pressure that suddenly cast a wave on him. He heard Piccolo and Gohan returning from their training, careful not to collide with any of the sharp, tips of the wastelands. Not a drop of sweat lay on their heads, and they still seemed full of energy. Krillin and Yamcha kept standing, slowly looking up as the two Saiyans began to shout again.

"Looks like Kakarot didn't care enough to save you," Vegeta mocked. "That's too bad. You'll have to die sooner." They darted forward so that they were standing a few yards in front of the Z Fighters.

"Entertain me as much as you can!" Nappa said, cracking his knuckles and giving all his joints a final stretch. Gohan looked scared, but Chiaotzu was terrified. The other Z Fighters bit their lip, but Piccolo just laughed.

"Any volunteers?" Nappa pressed on.

"Wait, Nappa. Let's toy with them."

"What?"

"We don't want to waste our energy for our fight with Kakarot, whenever he comes. Not like it'll be a challenge, but we have the saibamen for a reason."

"Not those things. Anything but-"

"We're doing it," Vegeta concluded, clearly the one in charge here. "Alright, pathetic excuses for warriors. Let's see what you got against these little guys." As he pulled out a couple of seeds, he smirked at Nappa's disappointment. He tossed them into the ground, and they rooted immediately. Within two minutes, small, green minions erected themselves out of the rocky soil. Despite their size, they stood proud, their claws sharp and eyes red. Their heads took the shape of a brain, as if they were the smartest beings on the planet.

"If you kill these things, then Nappa will fight you," Vegeta announced.

At once, the first saibaman jumped at them. The others watched intently, giving it the space to kill them all.

The Z Fighters had never even bothered to make a strategy or plan. Piccolo and Gohan had run off, and Yamcha and Krillin had not seemed the least interested in the whole affair, and it was not like they were at the top of their game. The special training they had all received up in the House of Kami was all inflicting them with confidence. Tien sensed their internal arrogance. He used to posses such disdain, but he'd changed, realizing it would not get him anywhere far. Perhaps he could ascribe that to Chiaotzu, who never had anything to show or hide.

So he was not surprised when, upon the initiative of the saibaman, he saw no reaction from any of the other Z Fighters. Piccolo still chuckled, Gohan looked uncertain, Krillin looked helpless, and Yamcha looked falsely confident. Tien knew Yamcha wouldn't dare to make a split-second reaction. As for Chiaotzu, he almost laughed at the thought of him stepping up.

He came forward - no use in convincing now. Immediately, he reached out his hand and held it in place with the other. With a grunt, he dispensed a gust of wind so powerful that he almost recoiled off his own feet. The saibamen screamed in frustration as it felt dragged back by the sheer power of a whirlwind. To Tien, however, it was a tailwind. He jumped up, just as his opponent had, and as he became level with the now falling saibaman, he felt in entire control. It was refreshing to be winning again.

He darted towards the saibaman and practically pierced its stomach with his elbow, backed by the power of ki and resolve. With a scream of pain, it fell to the ground lay there as Tien slowly floated back to his companions. Even Piccolo was in shock. After a moment of absorbing the accomplishment, Yamcha gave him a pat on the back, Krillin clapped, Gohan laughed, and Chiaotzu cheered like it was his last day on Earth.

Tien could not help but say. "Thanks, guys." It felt like this was not going to be so hard after all.

His victory quickly transmitted confidence to the rest. As the next saibaman prepared to fight, Krillin stepped up.

"I'll fight this one."

"No," Yamcha quickly shouted. "Krillin, you've….already died once to one of King Piccolo's sons, remember?"

"Your point?"

"Let me handle this one. You know that you can't be wished back to life more than once, right?"

"Yeah, but this is no-"

"I've decided. Let me handle this. I kind of want to, anyway."

"Nghhh...okay," Krillin mumbled reluctantly. "Be careful, Yamcha."

"No sweat, pal." His intonation suggested he was becoming his usual complacent self.

This time, the saibaman, having learnt from the failure of its clone, waited patiently for Yamcha to strike. It cautiously rose its hands and stretched its claws for defense as the air breezed through the gap of its three fingers on each hand.

Yamcha wasted no time, but luckily his haste did not result in careless defeat. He had moved so fast through the air that the saibaman could not see him until it was too late. Within seconds, Yamcha was rapidly punching him in every area.

Yamcha pretentiously yelled out the name of his own attack, what he dubbed as the Wolf Fanged Fist, with a triumphant grin. As he delivered the last blow, he howled as he imagined a werewolf would on a dark cliff at the glimpse of a full moon. He turned back to the Z Fighters, as if to claim a prize, before the saibaman even smashed into a rock, almost shattering the hard material.

Yamcha was met with the same applause from his comrades. He tried to humbly shrug off the praise, but he couldn't help but graciously laugh.

"No s-"

But before he could expect the incoming, the saibaman was suddenly latching onto him, wrapping its arms around Yamcha in a bear-hug. Yamcha immediately squirmed and tried to break free from the creature's surprising strength, but he was so surprised that his attack did not complete the task at hand. He partially gave up in his efforts in the fraction of the second. He had let his guard down in his pride, and as he realized it, the saibaman finally felt its own hands join around his back.

A kamikaze was always successful. When the smoke cleared, inside the newly built crater lay the saibaman's hands, somehow still intact after self-destruction. Yamcha lay there peacefully, as if he had expected and accepted his death prematurely.

So...yeah. I'm back, but I think it's safe to say there's no real schedule now. This has been a pretty stressful year for me, so I'm going at my own pace. That being said, this story will be finished, however long it takes!

Chapter Text

"Good. Looks like I get to have some fun now," Nappa grunted. A smile on his face, he stretched his primary limbs and each finger individually. Tumultuous gusts of wind darted towards the Z Fighters, all in shock.

Shock for having lost a comrade. Yamcha, despite his arrogance, was always the most positive of the entire group. At times, he was even more proud than Goku. Upon witnessing his sudden death, Tien felt oddly dejected. It was as if the slightest modicum of confidence he had was wiped away.

Tien glanced at Krillin and saw he clearly experienced something more than just shock or newfound pessimism. The young man was fuming, out of breath and sweating from his bald head. It had been quite an experience, Tien believed, to watch Krillin make such an accomplishment. Amidst the mutual shock he felt with the others, he tried to replay the feat. It had started with the gasp, presumably upon seeing a friend suddenly die from an explosion after it seemed like it was all won.

What followed was the hasty accumulation of frustrated anger. Krillin's breathing had become erratic and scattered. He sunk to his knees and looked immobile. And before the he reached the breaking point, Tien had sworn he had heard something along the lines of "What have I done?"

And expression of regret for giving in so quickly. Letting Yamcha fight was a mistake. Yamcha should be the angry one now. It should have been Krillin in pieces. It should have been him no longer breathing.

The curiosity it had sparked in Tien's mind was short lived. A prolonged, rising scream flowed out of Krillin. His voice came to mid-range, and he stood up, prying his fingers from his temples. He slowly gathered the energy in the form of light grasped in his hands. Just before his voice cracked from a range too high, he dispensed the beam. The light energy converged, but only to diverge shortly after finding a desirable height for killing many targets at once. It split apart into four beams, one for each saibaman, and ruthlessly decimated them. They cried in pain upon impact and were smashed by such great force that some of their limbs had detached. When it was all over it was as if they had each conducted the move the lucky one had used on Yamcha.

5 for the Z Fighters. Only 1 for the saiyans, yet it felt like the low number had pierced them in their hearts, as if to say "It's far from over."

Here Tien was, finding himself, again, the only one to step forward. He concluded they were all, even Piccolo, a hoard of cowards, some with facades, others in plain sight.

Tien knew it was going to be more difficult. For one, a gust of wind surely would not budge Nappa, But it was clear that he surpassed Tien in every aspect. Perhaps, Tien inferred, this was with the exception of common sense. It seemed like his only hope of coming out of the duel unharmed. Nappa had refused to fight them all at once. Maybe his "coward" theory extended past the Z Fighters.

He was pondering this as he desperately avoided every offense Nappa was throwing at him. He shamefully had not even been trying since the beginning. Every slight punch he sent forward, Nappa effortlessly flicked back with a smile. Every attack Nappa gave, Tien scrambled to fend off or avoid.

And that lack of hope cost Tien the dual. By the end, he was in immense pain, completely immobilized, rendered half-useless. His pain spread around his body and he screamed. He did not understand what had happened, but he was kicked aside. His head landed against a rough-edged boulder. As he caught his breath in the uncertainty of Nappa's location, all his pain swelled to his arm. He winced again and tried to grab his hand, but his fingers missed the skin. He looked down. Chiaotzu screamed in horror as he too realized Tien's arm had been sliced off by the force of a single punch.

All his pain and agony, yet Tien could not help but notice how frightened Chiaotzu seemed. It was far from the first time, but never this bad. He felt a tear go down. It was so easy to assume it came from the pain, but he had to wonder what is was for.

Tien slowly looked back down at his hand, prying his eyes off his brother. He only had a brief moment to examine the wound it had left. He heard a massive explosion and snapped his head back up, hoping Chiaotzu hadn't been hurt. Immediately, blinding dust invaded his sight.

Tien groaned after what seemed like an intermission of sleep, but he hesitated to open his eyes. With no trouble remembering where he was, he feigned hope in telling himself that he may have slept through it all. Maybe he had been left for dead.

So he creaked his eyes open, his lids peeling away from his corneae. The wind continued to blow, gathering around to watch the day of the apocalypse come down. He did not recognize the crater, blown into the ground with fresh smoke. The cloud was expansive, preventing Tien from seeing its surroundings. Perhaps they were all swallowed. If they hadn't been hit by whatever struck the ground, maybe they were falling down to their death or suffocating from the smoke.

He could leave, perhaps even get away from the whole thing. Just had to find Chiaotzu and fly off.

If only he could find Chiaotzu.

The smoke began to dissipate and the particles dissolved in the air. Tien managed to stand up, holding his wounded arm with his only remaining hand, and helplessly limped to the aftermath of what seemed like the second explosion of many to come. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light that spread around the peaks of the cliffs, the Z Fighters came into sight, scattered, wounded, and coughing. He sighed at the sight that should have relieved him.

He set his eyes on each of them. Gohan was tending to piccolo, who was clearly embarrassed more than hurt. Krillin was on the other side, coughing and on all fours, struggling to sustain himself. Seemed as though everybody had, despite the chaos, survived. But as he looked up he remembered what he had forgotten. He then shamefully lost the right to call for his brother first.

"Chiaotzu!" Krillin shouted amidst his choking. Tien kept his head up, but he frantically panned it around. His eyes came across a figure, but he immediately knew it was not him. Chiaotzu wouldn't be as muscular as Nappa.

"Chiaotzu?!" The second time is never as powerful as the first, but at the very least, Tien was able to convey his scream with worry and regret. Nevertheless, neither of the calls received a response. All they heard was Nappa laughing, clearly just to patronize.

"He must have been taken out by the blast!" Krillin shouted.

"No!" Tien fired back, as if the words were targeted at him. He was near the point of panic. Having forgotten the pain from his lost hand, he ran to the other side of the crater, not once simply trying to sense his brother's energy.

"Nappa," Tien heard Vegeta urge firmly. "Behind you. You're being careless."

Immediate fear washed over Tien, and he jerked his head back to Nappa. It was as if Vegeta had summoned Chiaotzu. The boy was suddenly behind the muscular man. Looking determined and confident, he quickly dived and grabbed onto Nappa's back.

Tien reacted even before Nappa. With the power of instinct, he gasped. "Chiaotzu? What are you doing!?"

Chiaotzu did not answer, if he had heard him at all. Nappa began to squirm, yelling insults and curses at the boy, but he stood firm. Tien saw his small hands ball into fists around the meshy area of Nappa's armor. Chiaotzu had his eyes closed, and his high-pitched grunts were ever so audible. It was the hardest he had ever worked, even more than in his intense training to prepare for the battle.

Tien tried to plea telepathically. Chiaotzu! Get away from there! But Chiaotzu was occupied at the moment. Offering no assistance, Chiaotzu tightened his grip on Nappa. He curled into a tighter ball as a gray aura surrounded him.

It was all unexplainable, even to Tien. But all Nappa cared about was getting the thing off his back. He proved to be more clever than Tien thought when he glanced at the surrounding mountains, all rocky walls that would definitely cause pain. He chuckled, looked over his shoulder, and said, "Alright then, pipsqueak. Your choice. Just remember, arms, legs, and head inside the vehicle at all times."

As Tien inferred the worst, he shielded his eyes with his arm. He was confused more than anything, but he would not bear to see what his brother would look like after what Nappa had implied.

There came the first crash, and the high-pitched grunt that came along with it. Nappa must have driven his back into the rock head on. Tien shook his head and tried again, but he knew nothing would come of it.

C-Chiaotzu? He felt a tear fill his eye. Why even try? Maybe because he had never seen Chiaotzu so resolute.

Second crash. An even louder reaction. Tien dared to bat an eye, but he only managed to see Nappa flying before turning away again. Chiaotzu!

His only response was the third crash, this time evoking a small scream of pain. He heard Nappa yell, "Not yet. This part's the best!"

Tien had drowned out the sound of the Z Fighters' frenzy. They yelled out nonsense that provided no aspect of hope or reassurance. He only heard Piccolo instruct Gohan to "honor his bravery" when the child peered away in horror. Tien was livid. This was not bravery. This was nearly inscrutable, confusing that his brother would do such a thing. He wished he had the will to tell Piccolo off. Anything to show him how wrong he was.

He had not heard a smash in a while. Almost chuckling, he wondered if Nappa had, for some reason, taken pity on the boy. Was it possible that Chiaotzu was still alive? Tien slowly unshielded his eyes and saw nothing of him. But when he looked straight up, more above than they were before, he saw Nappa unscathed, Chiaotzu still scrunched on his back. The gray aura now appeared more pronounced, and Chiaotzu kept his eyes shut. His hat was torn, the holes revealing bloody speckles. His shirt was wrinkled, the blood seeping through the cloth. But his face still conveyed persistence and certainty for whatever plans he had. Nappa kept his normal smile of pride. He enjoyed ripping Chiaotzu to shreds. What now?

"Chiaotzu, get off! That's enough!" Tien cried, at the top of his lungs so he was almost sure he would hear him. Then it came, everything he had been waiting for.

Tien? Can you hear me?

Tien gasped at the sound of his brothers voice. Despite the telepathy, he sounded exhausted, deep in pain. He tried to find the strength to tell again, but he was overcome with shock. Everything was happening so quickly. He had tried telepathy. It seemed like, to get Chiaotzu to respond, he would need to use sheer force with his voice. Chiaotzu suddenly opened his eyes, and found Tien with them from way down.

Tien. I...I hope my ESP is working. I-I have to say goodbye now.

He stood there, visibly unmoved but internally destroyed. He looked up at a disaster so hopeless and finally explaining itself to him. Chiaotzu sounded so unconcerned, almost happy. It was as if he were proud of being smashed against those rocks. Apparently, he felt the same about saying goodbye as well.

"What…" He said, but too quietly for Chiaotzu to possibly hear. He swallowed hard and tried to compose himself. "What are you talking about?! Chiaotzu!" Maybe he heard that time.

I'm sorry, Tien. I have to do this. Thank you for everything.

A short pause as Tien slowly shook his head and slightly opened his mouth. He heard the pained telepathic voice again.

You're my best friend, Tien. Always.

Then it hit him. It all hurled itself at him. Sudden realization and he nearly panicked.

His eyes opened wide and his heart began to best uncontrollably. "No, don't!" He shook his head again, frantically. "Chiaotzu, please! This isn't the answer!"

It's the only way, Tien. You know that.

"No it's not!" He hated Chiaotzu's abilities for that moment. Why had he been trained to mimic attacks he just recently saw?

He saw Chiaotzu smile. Nappa stayed there in midair, as if he knew Tien was going through immense pain talking to his brother.

Heh. I told you I shouldn't have stayed behind. Chiaotzu's voice seemed to grow in confidence.

Tien said, "What…," too quietly again, but his facial expression must have conveyed enough.

Don't worry. I'm not afraid. And if I can save you, then it's worth dying for.

Instinct took over all his hesitation. "Chiaotzu, get off! Right now! Stop it!" The tears were forced out of his eyes.

Goodbye, Tien. Remember me, okay? Hold down the fort while I'm gone.

He shook his head, this time almost in anger. Chiaotzu seemed so distant. Was he leaving his brother before he really left? Nappa had already started darting down to a sharp, spiked mountain, sure to impale upon impact. As he mapped out Nappa's route with his eyes, he panicked again.

"CHIAOTZU! NO!" He reached his remaining hand out, as if to grab him, but he knew that there was no point. The gray aura had turned blue and now completely engulfed Nappa. Whatever it was, it was consuming. As he inched closer to the spikes, he let his hand fall, and his mouth opened up wide as he inhaled a breath of gust. For a moment, he thought it was not going to happen in time.

His worry was crushed when the explosion came. It created an image so vivid that, even as he was somehow able to recount this memory, he could not delete from his visions. From the explosion to the eerie, purple dust that seemingly took no prisoners, it all laughed at his grave reaction.

Chiaotzu…

He tried to think his brother would telepathically respond, but he caught himself again. Chiaotzu was gone, not here anymore. Tien slightly extended his remaining hand again as the purple dust finally settled. When it was clear that, once it would disappear, nothing would be left, he took his eyes off everything. Tien looked down as his anger rose amidst his horrible shock. It swelled roughly with the feeling of remorse and loss. He was angry at himself and Chiaotzu both, and it was as if it consumed most of his sadness.

But he did not let go of any emotion completely, no matter how dominant one was over the other. It all translated into a clench of a last fist and a scream that conveyed so much lack of hope with a full supply of everything else.

Chapter Text

Tien was finally standing up again, unimpeded by the now familiar, icy gusts of wind that mocked him. He was staring straight up. There was his target, still laughing hysterically, his armor only slightly torn. What had Tien done to deserve this? Was it all a punishment for bringing Chiaotzu along? He hurt everywhere, causing him to believe his own theories. Maybe he deserved this.

“Now ya see him, now ya don’t!” Nappa had boasted as the smoke slowly abated, Chiaotzu nowhere to be seen.

Tien’s first reaction had been anger. He had wanted to crush him, punch a hole through his armor and flesh, make him cry out in pain and regret having driven his opponent’s brother to suicide. He still wanted to, except now it was clear that he couldn’t. As Nappa had landed carelessly on the ground again, Tien had charged him, flailing his arms around and hoping to land at least a punch. Nappa had not even stopped laughing, and with one arm, he effortlessly blocked each swing. Finally, when he was bored, he slapped Tien back, causing the man to hit a boulder and wince at his failure and pain.

Tien had blacked out for a moment, the light slowly fading from his eyes and then reappearing again. Everything had become a blur. He had heard Gohan’s voice, seemingly concerned about his condition, and he’d even thought Chiaotzu was calling to him. He hadn't been able to make out any words, if it really were some sort of telepathic phenomenon. Tien didn’t care; he was gone.

He had finally gathered just enough strength to stand, ignoring Gohan’s questions. His only direction of view was straight up. Nappa had ascended again to fight Piccolo and Krillin, and Tien did not care about anything else. His chest broad and back arched, he knew everything he had to do. He heard his own voice mutter out to Chiaotzu, but he knew it was only himself.

“Chiaotzu, I’m...I’m so sorry…”

Gohan’s voice again. Incoherent in Tien’s mind.

“But I promise. I’ll make this one up to you. Right now, you’re probably in the next world, alone. But…”

The anger and pride rose in his body, and with it carried a surge of energy. He guided it all towards his one remaining hand. He transferred the ki in the form of electrical bursts, forming alongside his fingertips and in his palm.

“...as a friend...you’d better wait for me up there. I won’t be long.”

The bolts converged and formed into a ball, expanding outwards to fit his palm. He grasped it tightly and took his eyes off Nappa for a split second to see his dying potential. His eyebrows lowered in anger and determination. As he looked up again he felt a tear fall. He spoke one last time.

“Just hold on, Chiaotzu!”

He flung his arm in front of him and made a half-triangle with his hands. He wondered, as he screamed, if a full one would have done more, but he doubted it would as the beam shot out of his hand. The yellow light blinded him and he squinted his eyes. He could only make out his target, who seemed to have just barely taken notice. Tien closed his eyes shut as the entire sky flashed.

“What...power,” he heard Vegeta shout in awe. To be admired by his opponent, maybe he wasn't that useless. Piccolo and Krillin gasped, and Tien thought he heard Nappa grunt.

Such a wave of energy enveloped the wastelands to the point of chaos. All Tien did was stand still and raise his one hand, trying to keep the half-triangle in shape with his fingers. The tears flowed freely. He was doing this for Chiaotzu, and it seemed like he was successfully avenging him.

When he finally had no more power to give, the beam ended in its path abruptly. Tien’s muscles stiffened no more, and he began panting. When he finally opened his eyes he was looking down at the ground, brown and rocky. He stayed there until he mustered enough spare energy to turn his head up. As he was midway, he heard, “Whoa, that was a close one.”

His head began stuttering in its path, and he knew what he was going to see. Nappa looked completely unscathed, only his armor slightly more damaged. He continued to laugh again at a futile attempt, and Vegeta blew a sigh of contempt.

Tien’s eyebrows remained lowered in an inverted arch. He took the only opportunity to be shocked before he felt his muscles giving out. His arm flung back down by his side, numb and no longer mobile.

Tien’s breathing became unsteady in his astonishment. As his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, his head stayed in place, allowing his eyes to view the seeming impossible feat of bypassing his most powerful tri-beam.

It was so breathtaking that his eyes only closed when they had to. He forgot to be happy that he was leaving. He anticipated he would be able to calmly descend into a permanent sleep. But his death would not come without guilt, failure. He coughed out one more breath and remembered nothing more, everything turning black. Nappa’s laughing faded out, and his senses were wiped.

For Tien, the worst had not arrived.

He felt a small object struggle to reach his chest from his throat. His mouth crept open and allowed the slightest stream of air to reach his lungs, washing out the dryness of exhaustion. The conscience had not activated yet, but he felt a sudden burst of life, health. He gasped, drawing all the air in. His eyes still closed, he felt something on his chin moving his jaw up and down. If it hadn't been for memory, he wouldn't have thought anything had happened that day.

“There, there, Tien. You're going to be fine.”

His eyes rapidly opened, but he did not see Chiaotzu. Krillin smiled gently, slowly returning his hand to his side. Tien’s eyebrows suddenly lowered in frustrated confusion and he shot up. His eyes opened wide as he saw the wastelands and realized he had never left.

He was cheated out of death, too? Anger swelled inside of him, growing impatient at the trickery of the day. Tien stared at Krillin, sitting up straight, his muscles stiffening. Krillin smiled innocently and tried to bring Tien to high spirits. He said, “Wowie! You're as good as new! I guess these beans really do work!”

“What the hell did you do? Why am I not dead?” Tien’s tone was more accusatory than inquisitive. His chest expanded with every furious inhale.

Krillin flinched. “W-what’ya mean? I just gave you a Senzu Bean so you’d be okay!” His clumsy smile returned. “You know you'd be dead if I hadn't done that. Heh.”

“Are you some sort of idiot?” Tien stood up, irascible and confused. Krillin was much shorter than him, so he bent down, their faces barely apart. “I wanted to die!”

“Why?” Krillin asked, so intimidated that he stepped back, keeping his hands in front of his chest.

“Why do you think? Because Chiaotzu’s dead, too.” To him, the explanation seemed so obvious, so simple. He thought it would shut Krillin up, but the little man always thought he had ideas.

“But you can just wish him back with the dragon balls! You know, it'd be much harder to wish you both back!”

“Do you not remember that he’s died once before?!” He was yelling now, more angry at Krillin’s stupidity than his continual possession of life. He fought and resisted the impulsive urge to hit him with a Crane-style kick. Good way to insult Krillin as well as his martial arts school. “You can't just wish someone back a second time.”

“O-oh.” Krillin froze up. Tien saw his pride fade, replaced by regret and realization. “I guess I forgot about that.”

“Not a surprise.” What followed was one of Tien’s most non-exaggerated eye-rolls. He accepted the fact he had stated. He and Chiaotzu were themselves. Why would anyone remember that one of them had died, especially since they were revived? Tien peeled his eyes away from Krillin and absorbed everything he had lost in his mental chaos. Gohan was in the vicinity, looking sad and down.

“Vegeta killed Nappa for losing to Goku. He's fighting Vegeta somewhere far off now. Piccolo sacrificed himself to save Gohan from a blast that would have obliterated him,” Krillin summarized, as if Tien had ever so curiously asked.

“Don't talk to me about sacrifices.” Tien looked up again in the way he did before he thought he died. He had seen Piccolo’s corpse behind the boulder he had smashed into earlier. He deserved it, Tien thought. His father killed Chiaotzu before. His father was the reason he couldn't be wished back. Tien wanted to leave Piccolo’s corpse to rot.

“Actually,” Krillin dared to speak to the aggravated man. “Vegeta was talking about dragon balls on Piccolo’s planet. M-maybe they have a different set of rules!”

Tien sighed, but decided to humor Krillin to shine light on his incompetence. “Okay. Let's say that's true. How do we know where his planet is?”

“Well, we have Bulma. She'll find a way.”

It seemed impossible, yet hope somehow found its way into Tien’s mind. He hated hope when he knew he shouldn't have any. But he was never at this point of despair. He needed to latch on to something.

He was still fuming a few moments later, but was at the point where he reluctantly agreed to fly with them back to Kame House. They asked Tien to hold Piccolo’s corpse, and he had to restrain from asking to crush it instead. Even when angry, he never expressed such morbid thoughts, much less to the Z Fighters. So he lifted the corpse up, trying only to grab it by its torn clothing, and they soared to Kame House.

He was first able to mourn Chiaotzu’s death when he arrived at the cabin, different from their present shelter. He initially was in shock and denial. Only when he was finally alone was he able to understand and accept that his brother was gone forever.

The “dragon balls on Piccolo’s planet” theory failed to convince him. All the false hope was probably from adrenaline. Krillin and Gohan ended up leaving Kame House again after sensing a signal of ki, supposedly from Goku. While it could have been Vegeta luring them in, they weren't going to take a chance. They asked Tien through his bedroom door if he wanted to help, for he was full of energy from the Senzu bean, but he remained silent until they walked away. Ten minutes later, Tien opened the window and flew back to his home.

As he aerially trudged across the dark, he realized Launch, the girl who cooked, had left. He would have no way of acquiring food. He could ration the leftovers until they ran out, but then it seemed like he would starve. Chiaotzu might have been able to cook for him, or maybe they could have together made something at least edible. Tien coldly shrugged in his flight.

He found himself in the cabin’s only bedroom. It was a different area, much closer to Kame House. From the window he could view the waves, crashing down on the rocks with the gale of the gloaming. He cried as each wave crashed down, reminding him of everything else that had crashed as well. His breathing became too steady, and he heard each inhale too clearly. At last, Tien fell onto his bed, having stepped backwards as the water was still audible. His head hit the sheets among the most climatic wave.

He lay there staring at the ceiling. The sound of the waves began to fade, the air replacing the gap in Tien’s ears. Somehow, the grey color of the night was able to shine in the bedroom. Not even inside could Tien avoid a deathly feeling.

The second time. He had lost Chiaotzu once before and vowed to protect him at all costs when he was miraculously revived. Chiaotzu was the initiator, but Tien knew he himself was the one to blame. He had made this possible. As he felt himself retiring from exhaustion, he had reached an equivalence of regret and despair.

The winds decided to stop in order to let him suffer in silence. The last wave broke, and Tien drifted into dreadful sleep.

Chapter Text

“I didn't die,” Tien whispered, in a voice louder than it had been while he had been narrating. “But I wanted to. I wish I had.”

“Aren't you happy you didn’t, now that he's back?”

“Not dying wasn't worth the months Chiaotzu and I were apart. If I had died, we would have been together and that would have been that.”

“But it'd be harder to revive both of you, even though we had the Namekian dragon balls.”

“Doesn't matter. Chiaotzu would've asked to not be revived, and so would’ve I.”

“Would you really?”

“No question.” He shook his head, lowered so that he tilted his eyes upwards to look at them. “Life or death, I'd still choose to be with him.”

That finally seemed to shut Bulma up. Tien hoped he had gotten the message through all the Z Fighters’ heads. He wanted his recollection to have some sort of meaning. He asked himself why he had divulged so much in the first place, then remembered that it made him feel better. By now, he felt much lighter, as if the weight had been swept off his shoulders.

Chiaotzu hadn't heard a word, still laying on Tien’s arm in peaceful unconsciousness. The light of the den illuminated the room through the darkness the night gave, stars glimmering in the sky to offer a purple color. Tien dipped his head slightly downwards and drew an arm around Chiaotzu, pulling him tightly against his waist. He peered over and saw Bulma’s mouth curve into a smile, and she quickly wiped away a tear.

Roshi broke the silence that followed. Tien had no faith he actually listened to his retelling, at all. “You youngsters are so dramatic.”

He said it coldly and remained completely still as he rested his cane on his kneecap. The comment earned a small amount of laughter but only to fill the deathly absence of anything else. As it ceased, they turned to Oolong, the usual comic relief, but the pig grunted, “Don't look at me here. When you tell a story like that it's kinda hard to spring back so quickly.”

Nobody understood the pun he made, but they snickered to, again, reduce the awkward atmosphere. Chiaotzu adjusted himself in his sleep. The Z Fighters seemed to think nothing wrong of themselves. Yamcha was smiling, and he had been even when Tien recounted his witness of his shameful death. It was only excusable as “typical Yamcha” behavior.

“Well, here we are,” Goku said in his normal, cheerful way. “Here we are training for three years, in order to protect ourselves, each other, the people, and the entire Earth!” His voice grew firm and he lowered his eyebrows in determination. The goofy smile on his face curved to a flat line. “We can make a difference, all of us.”

Tien hid an eye roll. No matter how hard they tried, fate would always end up in Goku’s hands. His false encouragement often made him scoff. It was part of Goku’s leadership shtick, just another trait to be bothered by. He felt he had a touch of remaining jealousy from the previous fights, and he knew he would stand no chance anymore.

Chiaotzu moved again, even yawning with his eyes still closed. Tien bent his head down again in the silence and then back up at them all. Time to step out of the spotlight.

“We must be going. Like you said, Goku.” He gestured towards the man to feign interest. “We have a lot of training to do, so we should all get some sleep.”

“Good idea,” Goku practically shouted. With that, they all stood up simultaneously, Oolong looking nearly just as tall and Puar levitating to match Yamcha’s height. Tien lifted Chiaotzu and cradled him so that the boy’s head rest on his shoulder, his arms dropping his side. He panned his head around one last time, the dusk’s light ominous around the house.

“If you want to stay, just say it,” Roshi offered in a condescending tone.

“Appreciate your hospitality, Master Roshi, but we must go.” He hoisted Chiaotzu up, walking to the doorway. His footsteps thrust the hollow sound from the marble floor.

“See you in three years.” With a last wave from behind, Tien opened the door and flew off.

It seemed familiar. The wastelands were enveloped by the sky’s navy blue color, aided by the moon. It was half past ten. No shade of light could be seen. Nothing was visible, but there was nothing to see, nonetheless.

It had been a long period of seclusion for Tien. As he tried to cope in that cabin, becoming accustomed to the waves, Goku, Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, and Bulma were able to reach Piccolo’s planet, Namek. Krillin’s suspicions were miraculously confirmed--the planet had its own set of dragon balls. Whenever they were gathered together, the Namekian dragon would allow for three wishes, unlike the one wish permitted by the dragon of Earth. Those who had died and already been wished back by Earth’s dragon balls could be given another chance at life by Namek’s.

The entire revival period took two years, and six wishes were made in total. By the time the Z Fighters could manage to bring the Namekian dragon balls together, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin were dead. Bulma, along with Vegeta, uniting with Earth against common enemies. recognized the three priorities.

Tien had seen the sky turn black from the cabin, indicating the dragon had appeared. He caught his hope springing up and quickly cut its path, remembering Chiaotzu had died once before. But a wave of energy suddenly hit him, and his muscles stiffened. It was ki, but it seemed so personal, so familiar. It was like Chiaotzu were sitting beside him on the window ledge he peered over. Tien instinctively darted out, following the ki that guided him. He found the miracle of his life.

Tien recalled Chiaotzu agonizing over his lost arm from the fight with Nappa, but he did not care. Even when the Z Fighters were generous enough to wish it regenerated the next year, all Tien cared about was the first wish.

Tien now felt his bond with Chiaotzu had tightened. Tonight, he had comforted the boy and divulged a sad tale. Through the many emotions passed around, all the trust concentrated on them.

The old days’ paranoia and fear had dissipated. Chiaotzu was more reliable, his power and maturity having increased. Tien felt he could finally take a breath and step back from his overprotective role. He was satisfied in knowing Chiaotzu had vowed not to the story Tien had told.

But the threat of what was to come in three years continued to linger, and all it did was keep everything on edge. As relaxed as tensions were, it was finally time to look at the real problem. They could die.

He had started the trip in the air, but realized there was no rush, knowing sleep would consume him upon arriving home. As he landed on his feet, Chiaotzu still resting on his shoulder, Tien knew the only direction to walk was straight.

Grasping the boy in his arms soothed Tien. His heartbeat and soft, steady breath confirmed that all he had shared with the Z Fighters was now in the past. As little as he could get away from it, he could be sure Chiaotzu was alive.

It was only four yards further when Tien felt Chiaotzu inhale a yawn and slightly nestle closer on his shoulder. Tien rubbed Chiaotzu’s back as the boy regained consciousness.

Tien?

“Chiaotzu.”

Where are we? Tien inferred Chiaotzu had opened his eyes slightly, too tired to want to use his voice.

“We are walking back now. Sleep if you want.”

Okay .

“I don't know how you'll sleep later, though.” Tien smiled at the air.

I just...won't go to sleep immediately.

“Fine.” Whatever that meant.

The boy said nothing more, so Tien continued to rub his back until he thought his breathing became slower and softer. Thinking Chiaotzu had fallen asleep again, he readjusted his grip but suddenly felt his brother’s arms gently wrap around his neck. Startled at the sudden show of affection, he quickly smiled and moved his hand to Chiaotzu’s upper back again.

“Thanks, Tien,” Chiaotzu whispered, his head still lodged on Tien’s shoulder opposite his direction.

Tien chuckled in confusion, walking straight along and path and hoping they would arrive soon. “For what?”

“Dunno,” Chiaotzu mumbled. “Everything.”

The boy had left it open-ended for Tien, free for interpretation. He had done many things for his brother, lately in the past couple of months. How much could Chiaotzu be thinking of?

He decided to let the moment live on. Inquiring would interrupt the mood. “No problem, Chiaotzu. I wouldn't hesitate to do anything for you, you know that.”

“I do,” Chiaotzu said, his voice somewhat croaking in the night. “Same here. Anything.”

Within moments, Chiaotzu was asleep again, Tien readjusted his grip to offer the most comfort. He continued to walk, and they arrived eventually to their usual cabin, from where they came. Chiaotzu finally woke up fully and told Tien that he wait a while to enter bed.

So Tien lay under his sheets, confident Chiaotzu was somewhere near. He thought all would be calm, but their mutual gratitude had left an undying question in his heart.

Did “anything” include breaking their pact?

Chapter Text

That was just a nightmare.

Tien woke up again, haunted by the image of his brother’s explosion. The night had just sprouted, the moon only barely rising from the ground. The room was dark, yet the white light crept near. He caught his breath at last and slowed to periodic gasps of discomfort. Sleep had run away, seemingly for an indefinite period of time.

Telling that story was a clear mistake, and he was paying the price now. Rolling over on his back, he did not bother to pull the blankets, now scattered at the edge of the bed, over him. He simply stared at the ceiling and forcefully closed his eyes, trying to place a dark curtain over the fiasco he had been remembering.

Tien had seen that his brother wasn’t in his own bed. He mentally reached out around the house and felt a spark, in indication of proximity. Returning to his own mind, he knew Chiaotzu was there, most likely on the porch for whatever reason.

The ceiling wasn’t working, so Tien rolled over again, slamming the pillow over his head. He exhaled heavily, struggling to erase the memories of the dinner with the Z Fighters and forget what had twice happened. The Z Fighters had tricked them. They had already known the story, and had only desired more entertaining recounts and drama in their lives. Tien painfully snickered at his stupidity for accepting the Gohan excuse. Even though he was a child, he was there. Something so vivid doesn’t just escape memory.

A sleepless night would not be favorable. The dinner had practically wasted half a day. They should have declined the invitation. Then again, how could they have? Tien and Chiaotzu had no way of transporting a hand-written message, and none of the Z Fighters were telepathic. Another trick from Bulma. The clever scientist she was. A sprinkle of anger was added to Tien’s frustration for sleeplessness. He didn’t bother to peek out from under the pillow to find the clock. Whatever time it was, he should be asleep.

“Tien?”

His heart skipped a beat about hearing the high-pitched voice, but he didn’t know why. There was no doubt in his mind that Chiaotzu was always there.

Was there? Maybe it was just paranoia.

Tien had left the door slightly ajar for the boy, and himself as well. The knob would often creak, but it didn’t matter because he was awake. He kept the pillow over his head and heard Chiaotzu remove his surcoat. He tried to steady his breathing, hoping Chiaotzu would simply assume he was asleep and retreat to his own bed. Sadly, he was out of luck. He was too tired for this.

“Are you okay?” Chiaotzu said, gently stroking his hand across Tien’s shoulder. “I know you’re awake,” he said playfully.

“I’m...fine,” Tien moaned. Then he remained quiet under the covers as he no longer felt the small, comforting hand.

He heard a small sigh from the boy, and then soon felt the bed sheets and blanket by his feet float upwards. The heat under the pillow was becoming too much to bear, so he slowly exhaled and lifted his head above, the fresh air washing over his face. It left him barely awake.

Then he felt the sheets and blanket falling over his shoulders and heard Chiaotzu’s voice again.

“Good night, Tien.”

He suddenly opened his eyes. The boy was still there, still alive, with so much potential to live longer. Every moment with this boy was not meant to be wasted. Each was vital to Tien. In his peripheral, Chiaotzu had turned around, about to float away back into his bed. Wasn’t it what he was hoping for? Didn't he want to be left alone?

“Wait…Come back…” Tien moaned again. He quickly reached out his arm and grabbed Chiaotzu’s foot. He felt the boy stop his movement with a start, and then his foot turning around and approaching him again as he continued to lay face first on the pillow.

“What’s the matter?” Chiaotzu whispered, his intonation demonstrating slight worry,

Tien squinted his eyes and felt his features tightening. He rose out of the bed in a sitting position and quickly pulled Chiaotzu into his chest. Tears flowed from his eyes as he held the boy tightly in his arms, his muscles stiffening and the relief breaking out of his heart. Chiaotzu, having softly gasped at the sudden action did not take long to reciprocate the hug. With every sob, Tien held Chiaotzu tighter, blinking as the tears fell from his eyes and onto the boy’s hat. He slowly felt Chiaotzu’s arms reach around him.

“I’m here, Tien.” His voice was not very comforting, rather weak and scared.

Tien sobbed louder and he felt the same, soft breath of the boy that he did earlier that night. With every word, Chiaotzu’s body hummed peacefully, and it was rather comforting for Tien,

“I’m here.” That tone was much more soothing, Chiaotzu seemingly having calmed down and taking responsibility as a brother.

“Chiaotzu…” Tien desperately whispered into thin air. He shut his eyes again, trying to forget everything.

“Chiaotzu’s right here.”

“Th...thank you...”

“Shhhh...” Chiaotzu hugged Tien tighter, gently rubbing the back of his neck. The man tried to calm down for the first time in months.

It took a while, but Tien finally started breathing through his nose again. He still held Chiaotzu tightly, every breath a reassurement that he was still alive. Everything about the boy was precious, and he felt as if he weren’t taking advantage of every moment and savoring his very existence.

“...but you can tell me what’s wrong,” Chiaotzu whispered.

For a moment, Tien had completely forgotten about why he needed Chiaotzu in his arms. Chiaotzu had, whether or not telepathically, somehow cleared his mind. As he recalled his reasons for his crying, the tears stung again, and he only managed to choke out his words in regression to desperation.

“I…”

His face scrunched up again and the tears fell. He couldn’t explain why he was like this. He couldn’t convey what he had had to relive to his brother.

“I don’t understand,” Chiaotzu tried. “D-did you think I was gone?”

“No.” But maybe he did. He barely knew, and paranoia is a beast. “Not now , but I knew you were gone when...”

This time his sudden pause came in the form of a gasp and choking of words. He clenched Chiaotzu’s in his arms, tightening his grip again, more desperately than before. “I had to tell them the entire thing at that damn dinner. What’s worse is, I didn’t hesitate. I just told them…the time when you…”

He couldn’t muster up the words. Even being indirect wouldn’t work. All his telepathic powers, and there was no way to even give Chiaotzu the slightest hint without outright saying it. He tried to use his voice, but his vocal chords lost the battle to more gasps of air, causing more tears to flow and his own lips to tremble. Nonetheless, he didn’t care about saying what had happened. He cherished this moment of having Chiaotzu there, close and comforting.

It came as a surprise when Tien felt Chiaotzu, his arms gently stroking the man’s neck again, say  “B-but that was a long time ago...”

It was clear Chiaotzu was uncomfortable, as if he were confused as to why Tien was so flustered. Through an inhale, Tien felt a blast of relief for Chiaotzu’s ability to infer. Most important of all, despite Chiaotzu having died twice, it was somehow clear in his mind that they were both referring to his suicide. He hadn’t the slightest idea why, yet wondered if it was an ability that Chiaotzu had unknowingly used in his own concern. A subconscious acknowledgement of mutual understanding, being on the same page.

Tien tried to understand. “But that doesn’t matter.”

He heard and felt Chiaotzu deeply draw a breath, as if he had pierced his heart with his words. The following exhale conveyed to him a feeling of disappointment and shame. Strangely, Tien felt as if he should apologize, as if he had inconvenienced the boy. He slowly bent down, his head resting into Chiaotzu’s shoulder. “I’m sorry...Chiaotzu.”

“Tien!” Chiaotzu blurted out, firmly. He pulled away sharply and held Tien by the shoulders. Tien did not initially react, shutting his eyes as he tried but failed to will his tears away. He tried to pull Chiaotzu back over his shoulder again, but the boy stood firm.

He suddenly felt a small hand lift his chin up, and his muscles completely submitted as he found himself looking into Chiaotzu’s eyes.

“Look at me,” the boy nearly shouted. His eyebrows were lowered, yet it was clear it was not from anger, but from assurance and care. Despite his countenance, his voice was the same, comforting and loyal voice Tien had always known. “You need to put this behind you, Tien. That was a long time ago.”

Tien shook his head defiantly. “That’s why I can remember it like it was yesterday.”

“Well, I didn’t remember it at first.” The tension in Chiaotzu’s muscles loosened, Tien no longer feeling the tight squeeze of his small hands. The boy’s features melted into a smile and eyes of empathy, and he reached over to wipe away Tien’s tears with his thumbs. “This is beneath you, Tien. You’re better than this. I’m not dead anymore, in fact I’m here now. We’re together again, and that’s all I could ever ask for.”

It was when Tien saw tears fall from Chiaotzu’s own eyes that he realized he was comforting the boy as well. As he felt like he understood his point and realizing the statement’s own veracity, he shakily smiled and nodded as Chiaotzu placed his hand back on his shoulder.

“Okay, Tien? Put this behind you, please.”

“Okay,” Tien whispered, taking his turn to wipe the tears from his friend’s eyes. He pulled the boy into his chest, Chiaotzu slowly coiling his arms around his neck again. “But...please don’t do that again. Please.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t die again...at least not like that…” He blew out the rest of his breath, choking on the returning sobs. He hoped he had conveyed to Chiaotzu that he mustn’t sacrifice himself again.

“You worry too much, Tien,” Chiaotzu mumbled. “I won’t break our promise.”

“Please…,” Tien whispered into his brother’s shoulder, the familiar tears returning until he felt Chiaotzu’s grip tighten ever so softly.

“I promise, I won’t.”

Only silence dared to follow, aside from the few congested inhales from Tien, finally regaining his composure and calmly resting his chin over Chiaotzu’s shoulder. Everything suddenly hit him like a wave. A tale of two truths, it was. If the boy promised, then he would never make the greatest effort he could to protect Tien again. Sacrifice was no longer an option, in that scenario. Yet if Chiaotzu went against his word, Tien realized, it would leave the man in a worse state of guilt and anything else that could possibly be darker than death itself.

Why was it Chiaotzu’s job to protect? Tien knew he was the older brother, and that, despite what Chiaotzu would say, anything that would happen to the boy would be his own fault. Tien would embrace the blame he would impose upon himself. He found himself clenching his fists, Chiaotzu’s shirt entangled in between his fingers. Tien needed to take responsibility, and it went both ways. He, then and there, vowed to protect the boy in his arms, and he wouldn’t let what happened to him and Twelve again. Any kind of sacrifice wasn’t an option.

Before Tien brought himself to the matter of whether he should consider sacrificing himself to save Chiaotzu, however, he felt the body in his arms vibrate again.

“Mr. Tien Shinhan, may I visit the kitchen down the hall, or will you think I’m dead?”

“Huh?” he grunted, looking down at what was Chiaotzu’s back. After a pause of a few seconds, however, he felt a gust of laughter from the boy, and couldn’t help but resort to self-deprecation as well.

“Not a third time!” Tien chuckled, Chiaotzu concurring with his joke, but then he laughed even harder at the consideration of “Third time’s the charm.”

He had to admit, a good laugh was always a good post-panic course of action. He released his grip on the boy for the first time, and Chiaotzu slowly drifted backwards into the dark portal, leading to the slightly more lit kitchen. Tien would have reminisced back to something in his life, but he felt confident Chiaotzu would return.

So he lay down on the bed again, Chiaotzu having covered him with the blankets beforehand. They shielded him from the night’s cold air which had sneaked through the crack of the window. He felt so protected, and began to drift away. He heard a sound in the kitchen, and tried to keep his eyes open but the aftermath of Chiaotzu’s reassurement and comfort had hit him.

When he woke up the next day the first thing he saw was a glass of water, full and untouched, sitting on his night stand.

In many ways, this is one of my most fluffiest and hurt/comfort-filled chapters, but I also wrote this to show my appreciation for SatuD2's work. If she had not written My Brother, with a nightmare scene included, if she had not been writing To Raise a Triclops, for which a nightmare scene was recently posted, and if she had not written that beautiful one shot "Nightmares," which, to be honest, set ALL of the precedent for this chapter here (go read it, and see how I struggled to write mine in a way that wasn't too similar), I would not be here now. So, if anything, this is a thank-you for her style and participation as the only other Tien & Chiaotzu writer I know of (please come to the dark side we have cookies).

Anyway, Part II is officially over! Can't wait to update Part III regularly! /s