A/N: Felicitations! Wassup, y'all. I never thought that this chapter would take this long to come out (I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately), but iss finally here! I was kinda hoping I'd get one of my annual Christmas updates out, but that looks like that won't be happening this year. Ah well.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter though!

Chapter 7: Of Sound, Mind, and Body

"You must do this, Shen! Don't be selfish! You have a gift!"

"Don't be a fool! Don't throw this away after everything we've worked for!"

Shen looked down at her lit stick before she looked back down at her home. No, prison would be more fitting. The wooden walls were strung together some untold ages ago. It hadn't only been a permanent structure in her life; it had been there for generations as she'd been told. A house in a village as old as the Avatar.

A village she had a responsibility to save as her parents had so lovingly put it.

She looked back up to the faces of her parents. They could see the fear in their eyes. She held their life's work, their ancestors' work, in her hands. She wanted to revel in her new found glory, her power. Maybe even gloat about it. But she couldn't. Her lips couldn't attempt more than a weak quiver, and her throat was much too dry from the fire and smoke wafting from the stick.

Turning away from her parents, she looked back down at her stick, her way out. Her face scrunched up with emotion before she threw her stick and the flames spread.

"Hey Shen, wake up!"

Gohan thought he saw a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked up at him. He looked away, not trying to find out if his musings were true. They couldn't afford any drama now. Heck, they hadn't been able to afford that before between the Shirshu, the hunters, and the sandbenders. He'd need to be at the top of his game if they were going to have any shot of taking down Vegeta. Much less, getting to the Earth King in one piece.

"Do ya have to be so loud?" she groaned.

"Apparently so," he retorted. "I've been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes!"

Shen rolled her eyes as she stood up, going through a couple of stretches. Knowing Shen, she'd make them extra long and deliberate just to irk him. "Yeah, well do a better job next time."

"You know, I could've let Toph wake you up. She was planning on launching you into the sky. Maybe I'll try that out next time."

Shen paled considerably after that.

It didn't take them too long to get packed for continuing their journey, considering they'd packed quite light and were running low on supplies. When they were ready, they clambered onto the Shirshu and went on their way. That had been the way that the trio had been traveling since leaving the sandbenders.

On the one hand, it made what was once an arduous journey through the desert heat, much easier. Most days, he could just rely on the Shirshu to get them where they needed to go with only minimal directing. On the other, he was left with far too much time to be in his thoughts.

He knew it was dumb to be worried when Toph had told him she wasn't afraid of him. He'd almost believed her until he'd seen the look on the Professor's face, the look on Shen's face. Even the look on her face from this morning was confirmation enough. He scared people.

More than all of that he scared himself.

He could still feel the man's gore dripping from his fist, no matter how many times he'd washed it (which had hardly been a lot considering that he'd had enough sense not to waste the water they'd gotten from the Spring). He could hear the man's bones crunch as his face caved inwards. It had been so easy at that moment. It had been too damn easy.

A slight jolt atop the Shirshu's back shook him out of his thoughts. He sighed as he focused his eyes back on their path. He couldn't afford to lose it right now. Whether Shen was afraid of him, whether Toph would come to fear him didn't matter at the moment. Thinking about anything other than making it to the Earth King would be selfish.

"How long till we get to Omashu?"

Gohan started slightly at Toph's question before he relaxed. He shifted slightly to look at Toph, who was trying to grip onto the Shirshu as nonchalantly as possible. "Maybe another 30 minutes or so."

At Toph's groan, he smiled a little. "I promise we're not too far away."

"Yeah, but it's far enough."

"Whatever, ya baby," Shen muttered.

Gohan leveled a glare her way. "Be nice!"

Shen just gave a non-committal shrug and stared ahead. She was likely still cross at hearing Toph's wake-up preferred method for her. He couldn't blame her for being a little sour but still. . .

Heaving a sigh, Gohan turned back to Shen. "So, what's being rich like?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what's the rich life like? I'm pretty sure Shen's dying to know too."

He stole a glance back at Shen, who simply rolled her eyes with a scowl. She was being stubborn. Definitely not a good sign for how the rest of their day would unfold.

Toph just shrugged. "I dunno. It's restrictive, it's pampered, it's boring. Take your pick, Rice Cake."

Gohan deflated. He should've expected as much. Or so little, rather. They rode in silence for another few minutes, only broken by the Shirshu's paws pounding against the sandy floor. It was all so melodic that combining it with the Shirshu's furry hide, the constant breeze from the speed of its speed, and Gohan's worries, he found himself nodding off despite a long night's rest.

Not that the desert floor was better than a Shirshu's fur.

"What should we name this thing?"

Gohan almost fell off the Shirshu in surprise, only saved by his quick reflexes. Once he found himself securely righted, he craned his neck to look at Shen, of all people. "What?"

Shen patted the Shirshu's back. "We should name it instead of calling it the Shirshu all the time."

Gohan chuckled as he turned back to the front. "You're actually warming up to it?"

He could feel Shen's glare burning on him. "Shut it, kid. I just wanna give it a name. What even is this thing anyway?"

"It's a she."

"Oh, I've got the perfect name then! Jing."

"Jing?"

"Yeah, it means-"

"-peaceful or tranquil. I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

Gohan frowned as he sat on that thought. There really wasn't that much of a problem, the more he thought of it. The Shirshu was incredibly peaceful and tended to avoid conflict. It was probably part of the reason that she'd gotten captured in the first place.

The thing that truly surprised him was that Shen had been the one to come up with a name that fitting.

"Never mind," Gohan said. "It's nothing. You picked a wonderful name."

"Damn straight, I did!"

"Shen, lang. . . Ah, forget it."

The trio went back to silence, one that was a lot more bearable than before. Gohan couldn't help but find himself smiling at the somewhat comfortable banter he and Shen were building up. It may not have been up to par with their past conversations with a bit more bite than he would've liked, but it was improving.

"Hey, is that Omashu?"

"What?" Gohan asked, turning to Shen and abandoning his thoughts. Her eyes were glued straight ahead, so he followed her gaze, peering over the horizon. At first, he couldn't spot anything besides the rolling sand, but after some time, he could just barely make out some hills in the distance. In a few seconds, he could easily make out the acropolis.

Gohan cracked a grin. "See, I told you, Toph! We're almost there! Keep it up, Jing!"

As if heeding his cry, Jing sped up, kicking up a flurry of sand in her wake. Toph groaned in what was either sickness or exasperation; he couldn't quite gather which.

"I got intel on your trio."

"And?"

Xin Fu leveled a glare that promised pain. "They say that there was a person with the group who matched the description of the Blind Bandit. She and her gang just went through the sandbenders. Apparently, one of them got killed by a fist to the face."

Wang Lei's brows shot up at that. He leaned back further into his bench while taking a sip of his tea, scowling at the lukewarm taste. It seemed no one could brew good tea these days. "The strong boy, huh? That'll be fun for us to handle."

Xin Fu's brow raised at that. "Us?"

"Oh, c'mon not this again!"

"I only agreed to this to get you out of my hair! In case you haven't noticed, this is your problem only."

"Look, this is bigger than you think it is! Th-This 'Blind Bandit'? Her real name is Toph Beifong."

Xin Fu paused. "As in-?"

"-Filthy rich family, Beifong, yeah."

Xin Fu leaned forward as if to hear better. He certainly looked to be in disbelief of what he was hearing. "How did you even find this out? They don't have a daughter!"

"You're not the only one with connections, genius! I've got my fair share of people in the police."

Xin Fu raised a brow at him.

". . . Alright, I've got a guy in the police ranks. Point is the info is legit. I even got confirmation from the kid's father."

Xin Fu let out a deep sigh as he leaned back into his chair, shaking his head. A lesser man would've been discouraged at the clear disdain, but Wang-Lei was anything but a lesser man. He watched Xin Fu expectantly, propping his chin on his laced fingers. With a glare, Xin Fu finally obliged. "How did you even know where to look? How could you have known she belonged to a rich family?"

"Her clothes, duh! Those spins weren't something any little street rat would be wearing. I just thought she was some random heiress on the run from her family, but it turns out I was only partially right."

"Partially?"

Wang-Lei smirked. His brother would be hooked on the bait soon enough. "Yeah, she's on the run from her folks. They're giving a pretty hefty price to whoever can find her."

Xin Fu's brows shot up. His brother had never been one to pass up a chance to acquire more money. "How much are we talking?"

"100,000 gold pieces."

". . .You're kidding?"

"Not today, brother! All we gotta do is find her and bring her back. You can even keep your cash cow that way while you're helping me get that punk freak of a boy. It's a win-win-win scenario. What've you got to lose?"

Xin Fu put his hand to his chin before holding it out with a deep grin. "Let's get started then, Wang Lei."

Wang Lei shook it with enthusiasm, grinning back just as savagely. "Sure thing, brother o' mine!"

The place had a substantial amount of Earth Kingdom soldiers roaming about. None of them paid much attention to a bunch of dirty kids like them. Well, until they noticed Ling anyways. As meek as she was, their Shirshu buddy drew a lot of attention. Gohan had wanted to have her wait by a nearby dune, but she wasn't having it so she had come with.

The eyes of the soldiers were particularly apparent. They're eyes would narrow every time he'd spot them. Most of them weren't discreet about it either, as if they didn't think that the runaways were worth the effort. It didn't sit too well with him, but Shen seemed to be affected far worse.

He would catch Shen glaring back at the soldiers every now and again. He'd have to smack her arm every now and then when she was taking it too far. He half-suspected that she would bend a brick into one of their heads, if left unchecked.

After about the third arm seat, she shoved him in the chest. He stumbled back a little, but she pressed forward. "What's your problem?!"

Gohan raised his hands as he tried to keep his voice level. "You need to calm down. I know-"

"No! I don't think ya do know. Ya know what else? Ya seem awfully willing to skate along for someone trying to stop an alien invasion!"

Gohan opened his mouth and quickly shut it. Yelling wouldn't do either of them any good. He took a slow deep breath. In. Out. "We can't afford to pick a fight with every person that happens to make you mad. You know this. We can't handle that long term."

"Yeah, I'm sure that sandbender agrees!"

Gohan's eyes widened as he felt his shock spill out of him. The rage followed soon after, pulsing in his veins. Then, shame followed. His anger had been what caused the sandbender's death. The guy had probably deserved it for some of the shady things he and the other sandbenders had done, but he couldn't shake the churning in his stomach.

"Let's just get this over with," Gohan ground out, wetting his drying lips. "Do we even have enough money to last us long enough?"

"To feed us?" Shen asked. "Maybe. To feed us plus the Shirshu? Keep dreaming."

Gohan glanced around him at the various booths, uncertainly. Not feeding the Shirshu wouldn't be an option. Ignoring the fact that it would be morally repugnant, it wouldn't be able to take them that far without some extra luck. There wouldn't be enough wild game near Omashu to hunt either.

"So, more competitions?" Toph asked.

Gohan shook his head before wincing. Geez, he'd probably never get used to her being blind. . . "There wouldn't be enough money in a contest. We'd have to spend way too much time here to get enough supplies."

"Why can't we stay a while?" Shen asked. "There's a King here right? This is a pretty big Earth Kingdom city, too. Maybe he'll put in a good word for us or something?"

Gohan grimaced at the thought of all of his readings on Omashu's King. "The King. . . He isn't the type of guy who'd help us much."

"Then we've gotta steal it or something."

"No way!"

Shen rolled her eyes. "Let's just steal it from some of the soldiers. They already make a bunch of money. We'll just still a little bit to help ourselves get across the desert and be on our way. No harm, no foul!"

"It's not right, Shen, and you know it! Besides, you can get caught and get us thrown in jail!"

"We won't because I won't get caught!"

"Oh yeah?! How'd that work out for you at the Beifong Estate?!"

"I only got caught because she's a blind ninja!" Shen spared Toph a short glance. "No offense."

Toph just grinned widely. "None taken."

Gohan facepalmed before shaking his head. He knew that Shen could be irrational, but this was just insane. That girl was gonna bite off more than she could chew one of these days. "Look, we're not gonna steal from anybody! End of story!"

Shen just huffed and turned away, crossing her arms.

It was clear to see that they would need to stay in Omashu for a while. If not for the supplies, then for the sanity for their little band of misfits. "I didn't wanna take a break here, but it looks like we're gonna have to for a little bit. Jing's gonna need her rest anyways."

"I'm fine with it!" Toph exclaimed. "I get to rest my legs and feel solid ground for longer. I see this as a win."

"Lazy ass," Shen muttered.

"Bite me."

They went back home with only 20 bronze pieces left and a hefty number of fruits, meat, water in flasks, nuts, snacks, and three sleeping bags. It would've been enough for a regular group of travelers, but Gohan and the Shirshu squashed any chance of normalcy.

Jing had happily eaten up some of the meat laid out for it as the gang munched on their own food. They had eaten in relative silence from the comfort of their dune, grateful for the shade from the Sun and the cool sand beneath them. However, not all was well.

The tension still felt thick in the air, even with their argument being hours ago, so Shen decided to go off on her own.

"Where are you going?" he'd asked.

"I dunno. Anywhere else but here? I'm gonna be gone for a while, but I'll be back later."

Gohan's brows furrowed. "When's later?"

"Don't worry about it, geez!"

Gohan shook his head as he made his way to her. "You're not understanding me. I just wanna make sure that you're safe out there. We're supposed to be-"

"Worry about your damn self! I'm not your kid!"

Like that she was off, faster than he could match in his fatigued state. As if on cue, his stomach had begun to rumble like thunder. At that point, he was too annoyed to be embarrassed.

Toph had simply chortled at his misfortune, causing him to shoot a glare her way. He promptly stopped when he realized that she couldn't even see him, so instead he made his way over to their assortment of food.

So that was where they found themselves: Gohan munching away at some berries next to Toph and Jing.

"Good to see you're having fun," he finally grumbled, throwing a glance Toph's way.

Toph smirked. "A little bit of chaos is fun every now and then."

"I guess you've been enjoying yourself so far, then."

"You could say that."

A silence swept back over them. Not necessarily a peaceful, comfortable one, but the tension had lifted a bit. It was in that moment that he'd realized how little he and Toph had talked on the trip. Admittedly, not from a lack of trying on his part. Still, this was as perfect a time as any to try and strike up some sort of conversation. Anything to get his mind off of his fight with Shen.

With that resolve, he fully shifted to face her. She was rummaging through a little packet of berries. "This can't really be better than a mansion, could it?"

She hardly paused to finish the berries in her mouth before answering. "Sure it can. There aren't any parents to boss me around out here!"

Gohan winced a little at that but he couldn't help but be curious all the same. He could scarcely remember his parents anymore, he'd stopped getting visions about them long ago, but he couldn't imagine not liking them enough to run away. "I guess, but it doesn't feel. . . I dunno, strange to no see your parents? Not even a little bit?"

Toph's features seemed to soften for a moment. However, it was just for a moment. He thought he might've made it up when her face returned to its guarded, impassive expression. "No."

And just like that progress was lost. "I see."

They fell back into an extended silence broken apart only by the occasional breeze rushing past his ears and Jing's loud munches. Gohan wiped a growing sheen of sweat off his brow with the back of his arm as he made his way over to the Shirshu. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but he just needed to keep his mind busy.

"What happened with sandbenders? I mean, what really happened?"

Gohan stopped mid-stride, surprised at Toph's voice, before he registered the question. His already dismal mood, soured further." I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh c'mon-"

"Drop it, Toph!"

He regretted his words immediately. Toph jerked slightly at the volume of his voice. He might have even jumped slightly. He wasn't a loud guy by any sense of the definition. He felt a hint of shame eat at him because, for a moment, it felt good to shout at someone. Almost like therapy.

But the relief was gone now. Before he could take his outburst back, Toph was on her way to her sleeping bag, her face marred by a deep scowl. He knew it'd be pointless to try talking to her after that.

So, instead, he finished heading over to Jing and leaned back against her furry hide, wishing the day would be over soon.

The sun was just beginning to set when Shen got back, bearing a sack jingling with fervor. She'd been gone for maybe an hour or two (time was hard to gauge without a clock to aid you). The bright orange draped across the skyline would've left him in awe on some other day. The relief of the cooler night air would've put him in a chipper mood on another. But not tonight.

Gohan's eyes narrowed at Shen's wide grin. The jingling sound was reaching a cacophony now, drawing his attention more to the sack. A sinking feeling put his gut in a stronghold as new meaning came to her joyous expression. "I thought I told you not to-!"

Shen rolled her eyes. "I didn't steal it, kid. I won it."

"Shen-"

"I'm serious. Ya don't believe me now?!"

"It's just that you don't have the best track record-"

"What? So, you're gonna make me return the money I rightfully won? I don't even know how much money I got from each of them, but we can go over there right now and get this sorted out if ya want?"

Gohan sighed. He didn't bother weighing the pros and cons for too long. He didn't even need to check the bag to know that there was more money in there than he'd know what to do with, much less sort out and count. The chance of getting caught by King Bumi's men wasn't worth it. Arguing would do little more than waste their time, and Shen knew it. "Fine, let's get going then. Better to travel in the cover of night, anyways."

They traveled under the cover of the dunes and the night. It would still be hard to disguise Jing's bright orange fur even under the blanket of night, but they would have to manage. They had less than no time to lose.

The first part of their journey went splendidly. They navigated the dunes with nimble precision, keeping at a moderate pace all the while. They stuck nearby the main dunes that led towards the acropolis of Omashu. It was a sound plan. It would make them tougher to spot under the shadow of the massive hill than if they'd attempted to make a break for it going wide.

Gohan had Shen watch their back while he kept an eye out at the front. Toph had the task of hanging onto the money bag, so it didn't spill. The raucous jingling sounds were unfortunately something that they'd have to ignore as was the smacking of their sack (which was more like a fitted tarp drawn together by rope) against the Shirshu's hide. He'd been reluctant to have Jing secure the rope with her mouth, but they hadn't had much of a choice in such short notice. Putting it around her neck just seemed cruel, and it worked as a makeshift bridle with their current setup, so it wasn't too bad.

They were maybe a good fifteen minutes into their flight when he heard something odd. It was a loud whooshing sound, like a strong breeze, and it was only drawing closer and closer. Before he could even look up to identify it, Toph was already blurting, "Four boulders coming in fast!"

Gohan looked up just in time to see four large boulders suddenly fracture into several jagged pieces. The projectiles were closing in from their upper left and coming in fast. His eyes widened as he frantically tried to draw Jing's attention to it. By some stroke of luck, she'd spotted the falling brimstone and made a hard right.

The sound of the rocks impacting was literally deafening. For what felt like minutes, he couldn't hear things. The only comfort that he wasn't dead was his death grip on the ropes, the sight of dust clouds erupting around him, and the sharp pain in his tongue from where blood was beginning to run.

Gohan inwardly cursed as he tried to ignore the pain and focus on what was ahead of them. Visibility that had already been shoddy had dropped to near zero. It was a miracle that Jing hadn't hit anything yet as she bounded along at a breakneck pace. Before long, he could hear his blood rushing in his ears along with the occasional whoop from Shen.

Without turning around, Gohan hissed, "Quiet, Shen! Do you want them to find us?!"

"Stop being such a worrywart! We're gonna be-!"

"Watch out!"

Gohan found himself sailing through the air, end over end. He screamed as he slammed face first into a nearby dune before rolling down to the ground. It only occurred to himself that he couldn't hear aside from a persistent ringing a few moments later when he watched a group of soldiers heading towards him.

His mind was going frantic. He couldn't think straight. He could hardly find the strength to move as every slight movement caused a sharp pain to shoot through his side. He wasn't sure if he'd broken something or if he was just dealing with bruising. His eyelids had begun to grow heavy as he corrected his previous mistake.

There wasn't a group of soldiers coming for him. There was just one. His mind was pulsing with the effort of even deducing that much.

He was passed out by the time the soldier had reached him.

"So glad you could join us, Mister. . . who are you again?" Lao asked, squinting at the muscular man before him as if he were an unseemly centipede-roach.

Wang-Lei snorted as he spotted his brother's eye twitch. That'd teach him and his annoying ass ego.

"I'm Xin Fu, sir."

"Ah right. From those little. . . tournaments."

"That would be correct."

"Just a couple of rays of sunshine, aren't ya two," Wang Lei muttered. He thought he'd been pretty quiet about it, but if the look Lao was leveling him over his tea was any indication, he wasn't quiet enough. Not that he cared what the man thought of him. He'd been pissing off more people than he could count since before he'd stopped shitting his diaper.

"Have you any new information on my daughter's whereabouts? The police haven't been able to gather much."

"I got a tip from some buddies that they're traveling across the desert," Wang Lei answered. "They made a mess over there. Scared 'em half to death!"

Lao's brow creased as he set his tea down. "She's unhurt, correct?"

"Yeah, yeah she's fine. Now, my brother and I can head out over there once we start talking about some money."

Lao grit his teeth. "How much do you want?"

Ignoring the glare he was getting from his brother, Wang Lei confidently stated, "100,000 gold pieces."

Lao nodded without even the slightest bit of hesitation. "Done. You'll be leaving by tonight."

Wang-Lei blinked in surprise. That sure as hell didn't sound like a question. "I'm sorry, what?"

"And you'll be bringing Master Yu with you."

"Wait no, stop, stop, stop! Hold it! When did you start calling the shots?! I'm the one in charge here. Do I need to remind ya of our little arrangement, huh?"

Lao leaned forward and fixed the stout man with a withering glare. "I became in charge of this when it was my daughter on the line. At least let me have someone I know and trust on this recon mission if you have even a shred of decency in your heart, good sir."

Wang-Lei held his gaze for several moments before rubbing at his temple. An argument wouldn't be worth half the damn trouble. Especially, if it might make the man pay him less. "Ugh, fine."

Lao leaned back into a posture of practiced ease, nodding lightly. "Good. I'll have a servant sent for him immediately."

A/N: I've kinda got a loose timeline of how this story is gonna go in my head, so if it feels a little disjointed right now, I apologize lol. But onto the reviews:

Elchico 64: Thanks for the kind words, man! College has still been a pain in the butt, but things have started getting smoother.

And yeah, I definitely understand your qualms with that other fanfic. I really didn't thread the line that well into balancing zany humor with the core elements of both franchises (among other things XD). I'm glad that you've enjoyed this one so far, though!

dcsonic10: Thank you for your support!

jonathonne: Yeah, sorry, this took so long, but here ya are lol

Thank you all who've read, favorited, followed, and reviewed the story! Feel free to keep it coming! It does wonders for my motivation, growth, and ego XD

But yeah, I hope y'all have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and/or holiday season. I'll see you guys in the new year!

Uploaded: December 20th, 2021