I don't know if any of you have noticed, but we're actually on home stretch, here. Just a bit more, and everything will have been tied up and put to rest. I'm going to miss this one, this fic was my baby during my senior year. Time to let go and move on, eh? Onto the story. This starts the morning after the last chapter ended.
Gohan, groaning as he leisurely stirred awake, groggily rubbed at his eyes as he sat up. Despite the fact that he didn't feel like sleeping at all last night, he decided to do so anyway. Not only that, but today was officially the day of the trial, which meant that he'd no longer find himself debating between staying up and thinking about the recent turn of events pertaining to his girl's, or getting the rest he knew he needed. Of course, Videl would eventually order him to go to bed and never allowed him to stay up too late in the first place. Speaking of which, Videl had told him not to wait up too late; however, a quick glance down beside him confirmed that she wasn't present.
Gohan's eyes scanned around the room, flickering back down to the vacant side of the bed and regarding it with a frown.
Perhaps, she was in the bathroom?
"Videl?" Gohan inquired, grasping his glasses off of the nightstand beside him and putting them on, sliding out of their king-sized bed. Half-dressed, the raven-haired Saiyan maneuvered around the bed and over towards their bathroom, rapping against the closed door with his knuckles a few times.
No response.
Gohan closed his eyes, feeling his stomach sink. Easily, he could have done a ki-check and found out whether or not she was home, but he was dreading the results he'd get afterwards. If Videl wasn't in the bathroom, then she wasn't home at all. Had she been in the kitchen or over to his mother's place, she would have at least left a note telling him where she went off to. In fact, that was usually what she did whenever she left or whenever she woke up before him. Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, Gohan opened the bathroom door despite the fact that he already knew his wife was gone.
And what little hope he had left of her being home, crushed the moment he discovered that it was just as vacant as her spot in their bed.
He could feel his adrenaline pumping.
Calm down, Gohan.
Inhaling and then exhaling a few times, the demi-Saiyan finally managed to get himself under control. Feeling his heart rate slow back down, he shut the door back and proceeded to head downstairs to the kitchen area. Perhaps, he was just over thinking things, and jumping the gun a little too quickly. Nonetheless, he was still very much concerned for his wife, but it'd do him no good to be anything but calm. Granted, he had every reason to panic, especially with the whole ordeal with his girls being away from him and Videl not leaving a note, but perhaps she forgot to leave a note or something of similar nature. There's plenty of things to take into consideration, and a nice cup of coffee would do just that.
Having reached the kitchen, he quickly set to making a hot cup of coffee, heading out to the living room moments later. With a soundless sigh, he sat down on the couch, grabbing the remote nearby and turning on the TV.
By chance, it happened to already be on the news channel he often watched.
"Everything happened so quickly," An apologetic male began, clad in a uniform that looked oddly similar to the ones the men donned in the area his girls were being held until further notice. "Everything was dark, so I couldn't quite see." The brown-haired male, an older male whom looked roughly around his late thirties, shook his head as he sighed, continuing moments later,"and by the time my eyes finally adjusted to the dark, I was already hitting the floor; knocked out cold."
The camera switched over to an black-haired woman, sporting a pair of black eyes to match. "And there you have it," She began, an picture of two twin girls, Chyna and Corra, with the letters 'Missing' across their pictures appearing in the top right of the TV screen, "Seiko Yagami's, the guard whom was supposed to be on guard during the time Videl Son was visiting her alleged stolen children, side of the story."
Moments later, the same woman continued, "It is my understanding that the moment you gained consciousness you reported the incident yourself, yes?"
The camera switched back over to the brown-haired male, Seiko.
"Yes." He nodded, grimly. "I figured it was the least I could do after this occurring on my watch."
Gohan, whom's eyes had been wide since the story started, had yet to snap out of his shock. Vaguely, he could hear the ongoing conversations about the methods the guards were going to be taking to prevent something like this from happening again, as well as his heart-felt apology to the family, but Gohan remained rigid. The man's words were going in one ear and out of the other; the only thing he could register at the moment was the fact that his girls were missing.
He had yet to hear anything from his wife and his girls were missing.
Coffee mug slipping out of his hand as he rose to his feet, it shattered the moment it hit the floor.
Though, Gohan was already out of the door before it did so. To think that things could get even more worse than it already was. The worse part was, despite Pan's arrest, things were beginning to seemingly look better - for his twin girls, at least. And now thishappens? Who in their right mind would kidnap Chyna and Corra, and for what reason? Gohan shook his head, unable to think clearly at the moment, flying towards the establishment Chyna and Corra were supposed to be safe at. Suddenly, feeling something vibrate in his pocket, the eldest of Goku came to an halt, reaching in and grasping his phone. Pulling it out moments later, he didn't even bother looking at the caller idea, "Videl?" he inquired hopefully.
"Yes, this is Son Gohan... I'm Videl's husband...Is she okay?...Satan City Hospital? I'm on my way."
*elsewhere*
Chan couldn't fight the smirk off his face even if he tried.
It was too easy.
In fact, it was so easy, he'd almost go as far as to say that it was just like taking candy from a baby. Seriously? Did they honestly think he'd waste his time going through the "legal" way to get them back? Through the court system and with lawyers? Granted, he played their little game in the beginning, but the ball was in his court now. Even so, they were his to begin with. The twins were never theirs. Chyna and Corra were his girls, and they'd always be his girls. After all, they shared so many times together, what sense would it make to toss all of that away? Chan's smirk widened. He and his girls had a special little connection, and by no means, was their fun coming to an end just yet.
The male peered over his shoulder, taking in the unconscious features ofChyna and Corra.
With the drugs he used on them, they wouldn't be waking up for quite some time to his understanding. And, now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be too much longer before they reached the boat he was scheduled to take in order to head for the states, then he'd be able to have his girls again. He diverted his attention back in front of him, a sick smirk taking over his features. Oh how he couldn't wait to have a go with them. It has been far too long, and it was taking all of his self-restraint not to pull over and have a little fun right now. Several images of their countless encounters resurfaced in his head, and the male had to remind himself to be patient. Besides, he wanted the girls when they were awake, not when they were unconscious. It'd be more fun that way.
However, as for now...
Chan allowed a hand to drop from the steering wheel, maneuvering a hand down to his belt buckle and loosening just enough to slide his hand in and grasp himself, groaning at the sensation as he imagined something wholly different...
*meanwhile*
Goten groaned as the vibrations of his phone on his bedside table woke him from his slumber, groggily rubbing at his eyes with one hand. Bra was cuddled into his side, curled up around her bump, and a smile formed on the Son's face and he leaned down to press a kiss to his lover's temple, and then scooted down to kiss the smooth expanse of her tummy.
Bra stirred at his touch, cerulean eye lashes fluttering as she came out of her own slumber. She pressed a hand to her bump as she rolled onto her back, shooting a cursory glance at the clock on the bedside table to check the time.
"Goten, the case doesn't start until eleven," she observed, "why are you up at six-thirty?"
"My phone woke me," the Son responded, and then jerked as the phone began buzzing once more, "hang on." Goten swiftly unplugged the device and checked the name on the screen curiously, "It's Gohan."
"Answer it," Bra murmured as she rolled out of bed, ruffling her bed clothes, "I have to go pee."
Goten nodded, watching her go, and then answered the call once the bathroom door shut behind her, "Hey, big bro- hey... hey, hey, hey, slow down, Gohan... Wait a minute, what?" He rolled out of bed and walked out of the master bedroom, headed down the hall to the living room, "the news? No, I haven't seen the," Goten paused to search for the remote to the television, "news. Hold on."
The younger Son brother flicked the television on and entered the news channel, waiting patiently for the report to come up. When it did, he felt the blood drain from his face in shock.
"What the hell..."
"Goten," Bra came around the corner, "what's wrong? What's on the ne- Oh, kami," the Briefs woman gasped, "but... wasn't Videl with them the other night?"
"Gohan, where was Videl when this happened?" Goten questioned, knowing full well that his sister in-law would've sooner died then let that monster take the twins from her, "... he attacked her and knocked her out? That mother fu- Alright, hang on, we'll be at the hospital in a bit. See you in a bit, Gohan. Bye."
"Chan attacked her?" Bra asked incredulously, "Kami, just for those two little girls... What's wrong with him?"
"He's insane and he has one hell of a death wish," her lover responded, "go shower and get dressed so we can get to the hospital."
"Okay," the bluenette nodded her assent and headed back to their bedroom to gather her things for the shower, leaving Goten alone in the living room.
The Son glowered darkly at the television as the reporter droned on about the incident and listed off a list of suspects. As stupid as it seemed, his eldest niece was at the top of the list. He growled softly, Pan's already behind bars, what more do you want?
"Trunks is going to blow his top when he hears about this," Goten intoned softly as he dialed his best friend's number hastily, "maybe I can calm him down a little..."
*at Trunks and Pan's home*
Trunks felt a wave of loneliness wash over him as he woke up, yet again, to an empty bed. There was no small, exuberant brunette beauty with sparkling dark blue eyes and a brilliant smile awaiting him as he came out of the land of Nod, and he'd be kidding if he said it didn't effect him in the least.
The source of his wakefullness presented itself in the form of his cell phone, vibrating madly on his night table. Grumbling curses as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, the eldest Briefs child answered the call, "H'llo?"
"Trunks?"
"Hey, 'Ten, why are calling me so early?" Trunks asked quietly, wiping the sleep from his eyes with his free hand, "the trial's at eleven, I know that-"
"Get out of bed and turn on the news," the Son cut in at once, "you might not like what you see... a lot."
"Fine," the eldest Vegetan child rolled out of bed and ambled out of his bedroom, headed down the stairs to the living room, where he found the remote and flicked on the television, "what the hell happened? Did the stock market crash overnight?"
"Just go to a news channel, Trunks."
"Hang on," Trunks flipped the channel at once, and then frowned as the headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen, "Alleged twin daughters of Videl Satan-Son missing, Pan Son, the prime suspect... What the hell is this, Goten?"
"Chan knocked Videl out and kidnapped the twins late last night, man," his friend responded, "and, for some odd reason, the authorities are convinced that Pan's behind it, regardless of the fact that she's been in their custody for the past three and a half weeks."
"Why the hell are they being so dense?" Trunks muttered, "is it really so hard to believe that that fucker kidnapped them because he knew he wasn't going win the case?"
"Apparently," Goten muttered, "look, Bra's going to call everyone else and tell them to meet up at the hospital. You coming?"
"I'll be there," the upset Briefs responded, "give me twenty five minutes."
*at the hospital*
Gohan sat alongside his wife's bedside, holding her hand as she rested. A moderate sized patch of bandages had been carefully taped to the back of her head, over the fresh stitches in that area. A cluster of dark, angry bruises marred the right side of her forehead, deep violet in color, but, other than those two injuries and a mild concussion, she was fine.
The sound of the door quietly opening piqued the eldest Son brother's sharp hearing, and his gaze whipped to the door at once, instantly on edge.
"Hey, bro, it's just us," Goten held the door open for Bra and his mother to enter, "calm down, Gohan."
Chichi placed a soothing hand on Gohan's cheek, smiling softly as he leaned into her touch. She ruffled her hair gently before turning her gaze to her unconscious daughter in-law, "has she been awake at all?"
"The doctors said she was awake when she got here, but when they gave her pain medication for her head, she went back to sleep," Gohan explained, "they've been keeping an eye on her since then."
"What are we going to do?" Goten asked softly, "the cops are convinced that Pan has something to do with the twins being kidnapped, so they're out of the question."
"Why are they being so closeminded?" Bra muttered angrily, "they already shoved her in a damn cell and let her rot for the past three weeks or so, what more do they want? How was she supposed to organize a kidnapping when she's not even allowed to use a phone in that wretched place? Hell, they even monitored the conversations she had with us, so why is she a suspect?"
"We're going to do what we should've done in the first place," the eldest Son brother responded, "we're going to find him ourselves and put an end to this mess on our own terms."
"Gohan, you should let the police-"
"I let the authorities try to end this, and look at where that got me, Mom," Gohan cut in angrily, "two of my daughters are missing, my wife has a concussion, and they've somehow deluded themselves into thinking that Pan did all of this. They've had their chance, now it's my turn."
"She was only doing what she thought was right in the first place," Goten groused, "only the most heartless person would find out that they had a chance to stop some children from being abused and refuse to do anything about it."
At that moment, Trunks entered the room brusquely, dressed in simple, comfortable clothing, "so," he began, "since the authorities have proven themselves to be rather incapable when it comes to solving problems," his gaze landed on Gohan, "when are we leaving?"
"Maybe he went back to Hunting Ville," Bra suggested, "I could be wrong, hewas smart enough to forge birth certificates all those years ago, but it's worth a shot to start searching for him there. His address was 1745 Hikers Way."
"We'll start there and work our way back," Goten piped up, "though it would probably make things a bit easier if we could sense the girls' ki."
"He probably drugged them, that's probably the reason why we can't pick up their ki's," Trunks suggested, "it makes the most sense."
"Keep an eye on Videl, Mom," Gohan stood up, "if she wakes up, tell her I'll be back in a while."
Chichi nodded and took the chair beside Videl's bed at once, holding her hand gingerly in one of hers. Bra settled herself on the couch by the window, cradling her bump with one hand. Goten kissed the top of her head and whispered his love for her before following Trunks and Gohan out of the room.
"I hope they hurt him good," the bluenette mumbled under her breath as she pulled out her phone to call Marron, "though there's probably nothing they can do to him that'll cause him as much pain as he's caused the twins and this family."
*meanwhile*
White.
Everything was white.
There were no bars nor any windows, and, if that wasn't bad enough, the space she was in was nothing short of suffocating. It was like trying to fit a handful of clowns into a clown car, and, by no means, was she being over-dramatic. Though, she wished she was. If anything, she could think of a lot of things she wished never took place or happened at one, she wished her twins sisters never had to leave with that sick, twisted fiend of a person, and she wished she never got arrested for kidnapping; Chyna and Corra were never Chan's to begin with, and she did absolutely nothing wrong.
Furthermore, she wished people weren't such morons. The whole reason she was in this cell, confined and away from everyone else, was because the reporters and investigators were beginning to suspect her involvement with things she took no part in or things she did for a good reason - like kidnapping Chyna and Corra. Now, as a result, she was stuck in a tiny room with concrete, white walls and a thick, steel door - a room she better labeled as the crazy room for psychos; the only thing she was missing was a freaking strait jacket.
Pan scoffed. She was tired of being in jail, she was tired of the idiots she was surrounded by, and most of all, she was just tired of this whole Chan ordeal. Not only that, but she missed her bed and, most importantly, she missed everyone. Being in such an environment as the one she found herself in, she seemingly had all the time in the world to do nothing but think. It was almost like a blessing and a curse at the same time.
*Hunting Ville*
"This is where they grew up, huh?" Goten mumbled as Trunks' smart phone announced that their destination had been reached, "damn..."
The three men took in the dreary, rundown property with disgust and rage, frowning as they made their way up the path to the door. Gohan barely fought the urge to keep his ki level, knowing that this place was where the horrible events that scarred his little girls for life.
Goten swept the building, spreading his ki out to search for any life forms within the premises. Other than the pests that came with living in such a rundown home, there was no one in there. The Son made a paper-thin disc of ki on the tip of his finger and swiped it through the thin gap between the doorframe and the door, slicing the deadbolt in half.
"He might not be here," Goten turned to his brother and friend, "but there might be something in here that'll tell us where he's headed. I know," he noticed Gohan's reluctant expression, "I don't want to go in here anymore than you do, but it's better than nothing."
"Fine," the eldest Son brother conceded, "let's get this over with. I don't want to be in there any longer than I have to."
With that, Goten turned the doorknob, effortlessly snapping the secondary lock, and pushed the door open, flinching and covering his nose as a horrid stench wafted into his nostrils. The smell of an unkempt home, rotten food, mildew, mold, and other unpleasant things nearly repelled the Son, but he pushed past it and headed inside.
"Where do we start?" Trunks questioned, taking in the dreary and quaint surroundings.
"I guess we split up," Gohan mumbled with a shrug, "we'd cover more ground in less time."
Goten grabbed a remote off of the dusty coffee table in the tiny living room and turned on the television, flicking to the news station, "Might as well check and see if these idiots have actually done anything worthwhile in the past hour that we've left Satan City."
At the moment, the police chief of SCPD was being interviewed by some news reporter that none of the men could care less about.
"Chief North," the woman began, "I understand that Pan Son is the focal suspect in this crime against Videl Satan and the kidnapping of the two young girls. What precautions have you taken for this?"
"Seriously?" Trunks felt his temper simmering to life, "do they really think she'd go so far as to break herself out of jail, attack her own mother, and kidnap her sisters, and then put herself back in jail?"
"We've moved the suspect into solitary confinement, Miss Padlin, and have been preparing a lie detector test for her later on this afternoon."
"But what about the father of those young girls?" the news reporter asked at once, "Is he not a suspect as well, seeing as I've got viable proof that his daughters made sound proclamations that he was abusing them?"
"I've met personally with Mr. Kincaide, and he seems like a genuinely concerned father," Chief North responded blaithely, "he wouldn't harm a fly. My suspicion is that the suspect told the girls to say those things."
"Mmm," the reporter didn't look convinced, "if you say so, Chief North, but, as an officer of the law, shouldn't you consider all possible suspects instead of ruling some of them out based on only your perception of them?"
"This interview is over," the Chief responded stiffly, "if you'll excuse me."
"Well," Goten muttered, "Chan totally didn't pay that guy off to say those things."
"C'mon, we need to find out where he's headed." Gohan said at last, "we'll figure out Pan's situation after we get to the bottom of this one."
"Right," Trunks headed into the kitchen to begin his search, and Goten headed up the stairs.
*a little while into the search*
"There's a little closet under the stairs," Trunks told Gohan softly, "I haven't looked in there yet." The two men glanced at the closet warily, like they were convinced that some horrible, readful creature lived within. Gohan made his way over to the closet and opened the door... only to have his rage stoked further.
There was nothing in the closet to clue in on Chan's location... but the floor, walls, and door of the closet were coated in dried blood and what looked like the marks of small, child fingers scrabbling at the walls and door, desperate to escape the tiny space.
"Chyna has claustrophobia," The Son stated emotionlessly, "now I know why." His fist crumpled the fragile doorknob in his hold, turning it into a unrecognizable ball of metal, and his knuckled bled white with his ire.
"Good Kami," Trunks breathed, "he just... locked them in here?"
"Apparently so," the irritated father couldn't bare to take in the blood-soaked closet any longer, and he turned and stalked away, leaving the former doorknob to clatter to the floor.
*upstairs*
Goten thought he was going to be sick. His search of the first room he found, which, he soon discovered, was his nieces former bedroom, had revealed some things that, while he knew they'd happened, he'd never wanted physical proof of.
The sheets on the bed were stained with what could only be dried blood and... other fluids. Bloody footsteps, long faded to brown with age, tiny and child-like, told him a story that he never wanted to hear. The steps led him to the rusty tub in the bathroom.
Unable to take it any longer, the Son moved on to the only other room upstairs, the master bedroom.
"Dende give me strength," he mumbled as he pushed the door open, letting himself into the stagnant, dusty room, "I don't want to see any more of this sick crap."
Oddly enough, the room was normal enough. A four poster king-sized bed dominated most the space, along with two mismatched bedside tables. The closet door was slightly ajar, and the door to the master bathroom was shut. With a sharp eye, the Son noticed that the posters at the foot of the bed showed a bit of wear and tear in certain areas...
"They told me that their "father" used to tie them to the posters at the foot of the bed while they were naked and beat them with a leather strap," Pan told her Uncle softly, "they've been through so much hurt and pain, Uncle."
Goten trembled a bit as the memory resurfaced, and then edged around the foot of the bed to search the drawers, only to recoil once more. There, in the drawer, was a small stack of pictures, and the top one depicted a large, masculine hand caressing the small chest of a young child. The Son felt dirty just for happening upon the picture.
With quick, careful hands, Goten put the stack of pictures aside, and found a red leather-bound notebook with Channing's name on it. A journal? I'll take it with us, it could be evidence in the case... if there's going to be one, that is...
*elsewhere*
Chyna mewled inaudibly as a bright lance of sunshine lanced at her eyes from behind her lids, wincing and clenching them shut tightly to hide. The irritating sensation of a seatbelt digging into the skin of her neck caught her attention, and she turned away from the sunlight, blinking rapidly.
She was in a small four-door sedan, in the backseat, and Corra was strapped into the other window-seat, still asleep. Chyna glanced into the front seat and then froze.
Chan was driving. They were alone in a car with Chan.
"Corra," Chyna dropped her voice to the barest hint of a whisper, "Corrie-chan, wake up."
"Huh?" The other Son blinked sleepily, "Chai-chan? Why are we whispering?" she furrowed up her nose, "and why are we in a car? Are we going home?"
"No-"
"So, you're both finally awake," Chan observed from the rearview mirror, "rise and shine, ladies."
"Why are you taking us?" Chyna demanded, "you're not allowed to until-"
"Until the trial, I know," the green-eyed man smirked, "but I never liked playing by the rules. You two are going to get it when we get home," his tone darkened, "what the hell were you thinking, running off with that stupid Son girl? Did you really think that you'd get away?"
"Our sister isn't stupid, and she cares about us, which is more than I can say for you," Corra snapped, "did you really think we'd pass up a chance to get the heck away from you?"
"No, I thought you'd be smart enough to know that I'd just drag you right back to where you belong, with me," Chan sneered, "don't get an attitude with me, little girl, I'll make you regret it."
"You can't hurt us anymore, and we're not going back to that miserable place," Chyna yelled, "you can't make us!"
"Oh?" the smug man raised his shirt, revealing a pistol strapped to his waist, "I think I can."
Corra and Chyna recoiled at the sight of the firearm, and Chan shook his head, laughing sardonically at their alarmed faces, "so much for the fight in you. Sit back and ride, we've got a long way to go- hey!"
Chyna had unbuckled her seatbelt and used the seat as a spring board to launch herself into the front seat and snag the wheel, jerking on it wildly, trying to turn the car around. Corra screamed her sister's name as Chan used one hand to try and throw her off of the wheel, and the other to unstrap his pistol.
The car began to swerve wildly and frenetically across the road, and other drivers pulled off to the sides to watch, horrified.
"Damn brat, let it go!" Chan ripped the pistol from its holster and blindly took aim, "let go of the wheel, dammit!"
Chyna gave the wheel a hard jerk to the right, towards a steep ravine, and then jumped as cool gun metal pressed against the left side of her abdomen. Chan's green eyes were ice as he glowered at her, "let it go."
If I let go, the Son rationed, then he'll just drag us back to that wretched place and hurt us again... if I don't... I might die... but possibly dying might just keep us from going back there... I have to do this.
"Mama and Papa promised that they'd bring us home," the small Son spoke calmly, "but, sometimes, you've got to do it yourself," with that, she jerked the wheel hard and screamed in agony as a hot round tore into her side. Corra screamed and grabbed her wounded sister, tugging her into her arms and holding her tightly as the blood began to soak their clothing.
It was too late for Chan to do anything to correct the vehicle. The car was too close to the edge of the ravine for him to correct its path. All he could do was scream as the car began to roll down the steep hill...
I'm sorry, I know, the cliffies have been excessive as of late, but this one was kinda unavoidable. This was actually split from the full chapter 21 because it was too long. Chapter 22, the last half of the original ch. 21, will be done later on this week, and will conclude the story. It'll be long, so be prepared.
-SukiChan12^-^ & V-ChanUzumakiLSSJ