Author's Note: For all the great reviewers out there, I have a treat for you:

I have decided that this story (The One You Love) will be the first in a 4-part miniseries. However, I will not reveal the plot until it is time. Therefore, enjoy the stories and keep on reviewing. Super Saiyaman III.

Last time on The One You Love: Bulma finds herself in a strange lab, surrounded by machinery to make androids. She gets to meet her captor and learns of his nefarious plan to destroy Goku and Vegeta. She is desperately trying to break free.

I do not own Dragonball Z. Please let me know if you like the story and review. Here is chapter 12

"I've got to get out of here!" Bulma told herself as she studied her surroundings. Her host had seen it fit to encase her in a glass tube, while still being under the influence of the leech ray. However, she was able to move about the tube. The lab itself was foreign to her but some of the machinery was familiar.

"Great. Those are Capsule Corps machines." She stated indignantly. "Remind me to institute a policy to better screen our customers…" she said to no one in particular.

"There must be a way out…" She started to power up but quickly lost her energy thanks to the leech ray. She plopped down and began to cry out for her husband. "Vegeta…Vegeta, where are you?"

At that same moment, a few miles away, Vegeta hears Bulma's voice in his mind during his flight. Taken aback with a gasp at hearing his mate's cry for help he blurted out "B…Bulma?"

"Huh? Did you say something Vegeta?" Goku asked innocently enough, an unconscious ChiChi still slung over his shoulder.

Regaining his composure, Vegeta turned around and glared at his rival. Had he seen him in his moment of weakness? No, he couldn't have! He was a moron who would not notice if the world was falling around him.

"Shut up fool and keep looking for the woman." He then faced forward and increased his speed. She's got to be here somewhere. I can feel her Vegeta thought, now very concerned about his wife, though he would never show it in public.

If Goku noticed he did not say anything. However, he did notice when the lump of flesh he was carrying (i.e. his wife) began to stir and moan. "Hey Vegeta?"

"WHAT!"

"ChiChi is waking up and I'm getting hungry. Can we land and take a break?"

I'll give you a break alright…You can stop if you want, but don't expect me to wait for you two.

"Awww, c'mon Vegeta. I know you're hungry too! You haven't eaten anything since this morning and it's almost dinner time. You can't find Bulma on an empty stomach; you won't have the energy!"

He did have to admit that he was hungry. The need to find his mate had consumed him all this time and he had neglected his own well being. Of course, his pride would not let him accept that the third-class moron was right. Instead, he justified it by concluding that whatever had happened to Bulma was powerful enough to bring down a powerful Saiyan. Therefore, he would need to be at his best to fight this new opponent. And he couldn't do that on an empty stomach.

"Whatever took Bulma is strong enough to take down a Saiyan, even a weaker one, and that could be a bother. Even though it is insignificant to me, it will grovel before me at my full power before I destroy it." Then, after taking a pause for dramatic effect, he continued "We will make camp in that island, Kakkarrot. There should be something there that we can kill and eat."

"Maybe there's some fish there!"

Vegeta had a vain pop out in his forehead, from the younger Saiyan's non-existent grasp of the obvious. This caused him to flare up to Super Saiyan.

"OF COURSE THERE'LL BE FISH THERE YOU MORON! IT'S AN ISLAND!" The ocean itself seemed to reel from the sheer force of Vegeta's voice. After it was over, the islands were lucky to still be in one piece. Calming down, he returned to his normal state and glared daggers at Goku. Goku just stood there blinking in surprise, and then burst into his cheesy Son grin.

"So…are we going or what? I'm hungry Vegeta…pleeeeeeeease?"

Giving an exasperated sigh, Vegeta said "you're lucky you stayed on Earth, Kakkarott. On Vegetasei you would have been killed years ago because of your stupidity." He then turned around and started flying towards the island without another word.

"Gee, thanks Vegeta…I think." Goku then followed Vegeta.

As they approached the island a small periscope rose out of the water and watched as the two Saiyans flew in its direction.

A few hours later, Vegeta had killed a small dinosaur and Goku caught a few extra large fish. By this time ChiChi had woken up and was trying to get her bearings. Then, looking at the boys coming with the food she said "Great! I guess I'll have to cook those as well…"

ChiChi did cook the meal (which tasted much better to Vegeta than eating it raw) and then they went on to make a shelter for the night.

Vegeta decided to take a walk under the stars while the moron (Goku) and his mate slept. He looked up at the sky and traced his finger along the stars until he came upon an empty spot and said "Vegetasei…" The warrior then caught himself, hmmphed and went to sit by a small pool of water. He looked at his reflection. He noticed how blue the water was "just like her hair". For a second he thought he saw Bulma's reflection in the water but when he reached for it, a bug landed on the pool and ripples tore apart the image.

He stood there transfixed for a few moments, until he heard someone behind him. He quickly readied a ki blast in his hand to eliminate whatever was coming. He relaxed though, when he saw Goku come out of the brush. "Hey Vegeta! Whatcha doin'"

Vegeta turned away from his rival and said "none of your business clown! I want to be alone!" The ki ball merely dissipated into thin air.

A few seconds passed and Goku said "You know, I miss her too. She is my friend after all…"

"What are you babbling about? Who…?"

"Bulma, Vegeta. I can tell you miss her." Vegeta was furious that this inferior creature had correctly guessed his thoughts. Then, after a while Goku said "It's ok to love your wife, you know."

His patience with the baka rapidly coming to an end, Vegeta formed a ki ball and threw it at Goku's chest. Goku merely caught it and it sizzled to nothing between his hands. Then he continued "I love my wife, and it's made me stronger than I ever thought possible." Knowingly taking a risk, Goku put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder. The Prince became enraged as he slowly turned his head to look at the offending hand, then going back to look at the Saiyan in front of him. Before he exploded, Goku thought it wise to say one final thing "Vegeta, loving my family, my friends, that is what pushes me to become stronger. I never want to let anything bad happen to them. It is that what allowed me to go Super Saiyan the first time and then into all the other stages. You want to be stronger? Then care for someone other than yourself and accept it!" He then removed his hand and went back into the greenery.

Vegeta closed his eyes, seeing red and readied a ki blast that would have destroyed the entire island. Then, thought about it better and fired it off into the sky, like a flare. He could not believe the audacity of this…this pauper; touching the crown prince of Vegetasei, attempting to…to counsel as if he knew better than the Prince! It was an offense punishable by death.

When he sank down to relax, though he did think about what Goku had said. Could it be? Is love of family and friends really the key to unlocking Saiyan potential? Then, out loud he said "Preposterous! All great warriors in Vegetasei were so because they cared about no one. They only cared about the battle and getting stronger! Yet, how many of them made it to Super Saiyan? None. Looking back in Goku's direction, Vegeta allowed himself a smirk. Perhaps you are not as stupid as I thought Kakkarrot.

"Vegeta.Vegeta" yelled Goku as he came running, tripped and fell onto the Prince.

Perhaps I was wrong about that "Kakkarrot! What the hell are you doing? Get off me you third-class baka! Get OFF!" Vegeta powered up to Super Saiyan and blew Goku away into a tree. The tree broke and Goku was seeing stars, but he quickly shook it off.

"Now tell me! What is wrong with you? Tell me quickly before I decide to blast you to the next dimension!" Vegeta was very agitated by this point.

"ChiChi's gone!"

"Hnnn…where…where am I…BULMA!"

ChiChi woke up to see her best friend encased in a glass tube, pushing against the glass trying to communicate with her. However, ChiChi was also being held in a similar tube. She noticed a strange yellow light beaming down on her, which made her feel weaker. She tried in vain to get out of the tube. Then, remembering her fight with Vegeta, she powered up a kamehameha and aimed it at the tube. However, before she could muster the ki ball, it quickly faded and she fell to her knees, eyes closed and exhausted.

Just then, she decided to open her eyes and was able to see her hands…and the rest of her body as the day she was born. "What…what happened? How…AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE! WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES!"

In her hysteria, she did not see Bulma pointing to a lab coat on the floor of the tube. Bulma pounded on the glass tube to get ChiChi's attention, but the other woman was not very coherent at the moment. She then noticed someone entering the room. It was their "host".

He went to a panel and pushed a button, then spoke into a microphone. "Hello Mrs. Son. Please, do not be alarmed. Nothing has happened to you, other than having a few tests ran on your Saiyan physiology. Think of it as your annual checkup." A chuckle escaped the man's lips as he continued. "And please, do put that lab coat on! It's very distracting to have you bustling about naked."

It was then that ChiChi noticed the lab coat and quickly moved to put it on. "Who are you? What do you want?" she asked.

"Must we go through this every time? Very well: My name is not important and what I want is to destroy every Saiyan on this planet. Is that really so hard to understand?"

"WHAT? But why? What did Saiyans ever do to you?"

"Your husband destroyed my chances to rule the world. And as for Prince Vegeta…well we can't have any loose cannons running around, can we?" the old man gloated. "Now, I have all the data I need about Saiyan physiology. The only thing left to do is put it to good use." Then, turning back towards the console he spoke into the microphone again. "This may take a while so, why don't you ladies chat amongst yourselves. I will leave the intercom on so you can hear each other. Ok? Ok." It was then that the old man left and the women were left to fill each other in on what had happened for the rest of the night.

The following day, the old man came to his captives with a pair of collars and a very happy expression. "I did it! I did it! I finally finished!" The two women looked at each other and then back at him. "Now, the only thing left to do is to test them." After he said this he placed the collars on the console, pushed a button and gas filled the glass tanks Bulma and ChiChi were in. Both women started pounding on the glass, covering their faces and desperately trying to get away from the gas. Slowly, though, the gas took effect and knocked them both out. He then opened the tubes and placed a collar around each woman's neck and closed the tubes up again. "This should take a few hours. Sweet dreams ladies." He turned around as he switched off the lights to the lab and exited.