Chapter 2

"Is she here?" Chichi asked with bated breath.

She had hardly dared to utter her question and Goku softly pressed her hand as he nodded. "Gohan brought her back."

He pushed a button on the console to rewind the recording and the video played once again but this time before Chichi's eyes.

The pictures were of bad resolution. At first, all they could see was a part of an empty corridor but after a moment a black figure showed up. It took a closer look to realize it was indeed a dark-haired person dressed in black from head to toe. The face always stood out of sight but the long braid hinted that it was a female. At some point, the intruder froze and kept still. Then she waved faintly and a smaller figure appeared. The newcomer joined the woman and she rested her hand on their hair to make sure they would stay close behind.

While she stared down at her wrist – more likely at a watch - her little companion looked up at the camera. It lasted a very short moment but his face was right in the frame of the video. His eyes widened and he pointed his finger at the lens. After that, the screen blurred brusquely and Goku turned off the device.

"It's him," Chichi whispered in shock.

"It is," Goku confirmed with a smile full of emotion.

"He looks so much like you," Chichi noted in a hoarse voice. Tears were silently flowing down her cheeks. Last time she'd seen her youngest son, he'd been a baby and the boy in the video was about eight, but regardless she knew it was him. It wasn't only because of the resemblance to Goku, her guts simply told her so. This was Goten.

Goku slid his arm over her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "We'll find him," he claimed confidently.

"Bring him back to me. This girl has to know where he is," she murmured sternly.

Goku frowned. Certainly, this girl knew things. She was no less than Videl Satan, daughter of the leader of the rebellion. However, she was also the abductor of Bulma's baby and if Vegeta were to get involved, she would have no time to give any valid information before being shredded into pieces.

Chichi had launched the video again and he left her numbly contemplating the frozen picture of their son's face.

Goku was also concerned by Gohan's anger and he was aware that he should be wary of his son's feelings. Even though they had never really met, Gohan had already dealt with Videl by foiling some of her nasty attempted sabotage. The girl was smart and twisted though and she had also fooled his son a couple of times. Goku feared that Bulla's kidnapping happened to be the last straw for Gohan.

Just like Goku expected, he found Bulma in the deserted nursery. She was curled up in the rocking chair, slowly swinging and staring absently at the empty cradle.

"You shouldn't stay here. It will only give you depressing ideas." Goku commented as he sat astride a child's chair in front of her.

"Vegeta is coming. He'll be there in an hour," she mumbled, somehow hinting that her own ideas didn't matter anymore.

Goku pouted in worry. "Speaking of which, I was thinking that we should avoid -"

"Avoid what?" Bulma snapped suddenly. "This girl took our baby away. Vegeta will make sure she tells us where Bulla is. How he'll make it, I don't care anymore."

"Don't talk to me like I don't know what it feels like to have a child taken away," Goku retorted calmly.

"The difference, Goku, is that you never had the kidnapper on hand. We've sought Goten for over a year and we never get to even approach his abductor." Bulma hissed.

Goku sighed and scratched his head in embarrassment. The disappearance of Goten was awful memories to him. Chichi had gone mad with concern and after a few months of complete hysteria, she had eventually sunk into a constant melancholy that still cut her off from the rest of the world most of the time.

He had done everything to find his kid. Entire troops had gone after him, ransacking all the rebellion's hideout they found in their way and even Vegeta had given him a hand, but it had all been of no use.

Painful guilt had kept haunting Goku since then. He had been incapable of preventing his son's kidnapping. He hadn't even been home when the baby had been stolen. He had left Chichi on her own at Mount Paozu to join Vegeta in Saiyajinn City that day.

Chichi had relentlessly reminded him how bad he had been at protecting his own family. Over time, her resentment was weakening, but the reproach still came up when she was in a bad day.

Gohan was only nine years old back then, but the drama had hit him hard as well. He had become rough and lonely.

Since Goten was gone the Son family had slowly started to crack and Bulma was maybe right. If Goku had caught the kidnapper at the time, he might have reacted like her.

"The security system got a video," Goku stated, willing to focus on more actual issues.

Bulma looked at him with hope suddenly flaring in her eyes, as if a video could bring her daughter back in a split second.

"Videl Satan didn't act alone," Goku carried on.

"Do we know who was with her? Can we find them?" Bulma asked eagerly.

"We do know and we would like to find him. It's Goten."

Bulma gaped in amazement. "Goten? Are you sure? But - He must be eight by now. Are you sure it's him?"

"It's him," Goku claimed matter-of-factly.

Bulma didn't question his conclusion further. She ran her hands over her face to clear her thoughts. "He's still alive then. And she knows where he is as well."

"He looks fine on the video. They didn't hurt him and I don't think they will hurt Bra either-"

"You don't know that! She is only one month old, Goku. You have no idea how fragile she is," Bulma interrupted him in a bout of panic.

Goku grabbed her hand to have her calm down. "If we let Vegeta have his way, he'll kill Videl. You've seen her and you know Vegeta. We both want to get our children back and put an end to the madness of the rebellion. There is another method though," he resumed in a soothing voice.

Bulma nodded numbly. Goku gave her some time to fight her overwhelming fear and allow her brain to take over. She eventually gave him a little smile. "They have our children and we have Videl Satan, the child of the rebellion. We should be able to make a deal, right?"

Goku smiled back. "It's up to you to explain that to Vegeta."

He was happy to sense some relief in Bulma's mind when he left her. No matter what she said, Bulma was aware that using Saiyan torture on such a weak young girl as Videl Satan would likely lead to no result - Especially considering that the girl was well-known for her unfailing loyalty to the cause of the rebellion. Bulma had realized that offering an exchange was a much more promising plan.

Goku joined Gohan outside Videl's cell. The night wasn't over and Gohan obviously needed to rest but he had insisted to guard the prisoner even though the risk to have Videl Satan escape was close to none. Everyone was up now anyway, even Trunks who had apparently decided to play watchman with Gohan.

The boy was restless, pointing angrily at the door of the cell. "Let me in! I'll make her spill the beans!" he barked at Gohan.

"You won't get in Trunks," Gohan replied calmly.

"I heard she's Videl Satan. We have to get rid of that scum. You can come too. She also owes you, doesn't she?" the child roared.

"Trunks, calm down!" Goku boomed in a commanding tone he hardly ever used.

The kid scowled in annoyance. The expression on his face made him look awfully like his father. "When my father will be back-" he grumbled.

"That's the point. We'll see what we do when your father returns," Goku cut off. "In the meantime, you should go comfort your mother instead of pestering us."

Trunks lifted his chin in a smug stance and strode away, leaving both men behind. Goku watched him as he walked away, muttering under his breath. The kid's reaction was the exact image of what would be his father's behaviour as soon as he would be back and Goku started to doubt that Bulma had any chance to coax Vegeta. Still, they had to gain some time.

Goku turned to his son. Gohan had that unaffected, cold attitude he had shaped over the years. A perfect little soldier. Obedient, determined, eager to do well but bubbling inside. That was what he had become since his little brother had left a gap in his mother's soul.

"What's the situation?" Goku asked.

Gohan shrugged. "She won't speak easily. Not very surprising."

Goku rubbed his head in hesitation. "You did a great job catching her anyway. I don't really know how she did it but nobody in the palace saw anything."

Gohan nodded absently. Goten had also been kidnapped in the middle of the night while everyone – including his older brother - was asleep. From that day on, Gohan had never let sleep completely have a hold over him.

Goku peered through the round window of the door to study their prisoner. He was seeing Videl Satan in flesh for the first time. As a matter of fact she appeared quite harmless. She was dressed in black and a long dark braid was cascading down her back, just like in the video. Sitting on the ground with her knees pressed again her chest, she looked much more like a grumpy teenager than like a merciless fanatic. Her lost gaze would have fooled anyone and he even felt her fear.

There was nothing dreadful in her at first sight and Goku had no doubt that Vegeta would crush her in the blink of an eye, but that didn't mean that she would give them reliable information. Goku refused to let go of his chance to find Goten.

He focused back on his son. He could still perceive Gohan's vivid anger. Bulla's kidnapping had ruthlessly brought him back to the horrible hours he had been through as a child when Goten had disappeared and this girl in the cell embodied the misfortune of his whole family.

And yet, Gohan hid his feelings well. He was standing there like a stoic guard waiting for the next order. The thought was heartbreaking for Goku. He grabbed his son's arm in a gesture of support. "Gohan, I have to tell you. This girl didn't do it on her own."

"I had some suspicion already. Someone had to help her to take the baby away," Gohan flatly replied.

"Gohan-" Goku stammered. For some reason, he found it incredibly hard to speak to Gohan about Goten.

Gohan squinted at him in wariness, sensing that his father was about to say something important.

"She was with Goten," Goku eventually whispered.

Gohan unruffled mask broke into a mix of confusion and disbelief. "What? How can you be so sure?" he hissed.

"We have a video from the security system."

Gohan remained speechless. He was slightly trembling, obviously dazed.

Goku sighed. "Gohan, this girl is our only way to get Goten back. Take her and hide her wherever you want. Vegeta mustn't find her. Not right now at least. Do you understand?"

Gohan frowned at his father's weird request.

"Do you understand, Gohan?" Goku insisted.

"Got it," Gohan confirmed.

Then, he turned to the window of the cell to observe his prisoner once again, as if he had missed an important detail.