Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Invisible Chains of Bondage ❯ A Grain of Sand ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers here. They're not ours, we had nothing to do with these characters being developed. They are the sole creation of Akira Toriyama. With that, have at it. I hope you enjoy the fic.

Invisible Chains of Bondage

Mistress Alexa & Mistress Blaze

Prologue - A Grain of Sand

Bulma sat at the desk of her luxurious office in the Capsule Corp. headquarters staring at schematics for the latest capsule products. Normally approving designs held her full attention. She loved to see what other people devised and created. However, this day her mind was elsewhere. What time is it? Ugh! Its still early.

Bulma's thoughts centered around the one man in her life whom, no matter how long she knew him, she never truly knew him. Vegeta. As of late he seemed more distanced than usual, more withdrawn. Bulma had tried everything she could think of to crack his icy shell, but all was futile. It had been a long time since Vegeta remained this closed to Bulma. She was beginning to worry.

"Ugh." She softly spoke to herself. "I should stop thinking about it." *Sigh* "He'll tell me. Eventually." I hope.

Finally deciding to give up on the paperwork, Bulma stood up to get a cup of coffee. As she walked over to her personal coffee maker, she realized it was empty. Great. Well, I don't feel like making any right now. Guess its off to the employee lounge I go. I'm going to be so pissed if there isn't any in there, either.

The Capsule Corp. president dazedly made her way to the closest lounge. Only the thought of coffee currently overtaking her brain. Turning into the small room, she silently thanked Dende when she noticed a full, fresh pot sitting on the warmer. Grabbing a Styrofoam cup, two other women walked into the room. Bulma didn't immediately recognize either one. The two were quite focused into their conversation.

"You have to tell me what the island was like."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe some of the things that go on there!"

"Really? Like what?!"

"Things I dare not speak of while at work. I'll tell you this, … the effect on my marriage is better than renewed wedding vows, or second honeymoons, and especially better than a damn marriage counselor."

"That good, huh?"

"We understand each other now better than I thought possible."

"I think you might be pushing it a little." A hint of doubt could be heard in the woman's voice as she and her companion started to leave the lounge.

"Let me put it this way; I'd bet my job Eden could warm boss-lady's cold husband." The discussion faded as the women walked further away.

Bulma had almost choked on her coffee when she heard that last part. It replayed in her mind. "… Eden could warm boss-lady's cold husband." Is it possible? Quickly recalling all the useful information, Bulma hurried back to her office. Island named Eden. I need to look for an island named Eden. I wonder what's so special about this island in the first place. Guess I'll figure that out when I find the place. Once again sitting at her desk, she hastily pushed the papers aside and turned to her computer.

Bulma spent over three hours searching the net for information on Eden. So far all she had learned was that it was part of a small cluster in the tropics. Despair was slowly creeping into her subconscious. Nearly giving up, Bulma reached for the stack of papers when something caught her eye. It was a site name listed in the results of a search. She clicked the link. The information she had sought after all morning was revealed before her eyes. The nature of Eden almost shocked Bulma.

"It's a bondage retreat?" The teal-haired woman stared in disbelief at the computer monitor. "I wasted all this time looking for a fetish getaway?" Bulma exited the net and went back to her daily work. The search had provided an efficient distraction from her thoughts of Vegeta.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Before Bulma realized how late it had become, Eden had returned to the forefront of her contemplation. The words of that unfamiliar woman came back. "… Eden could warm boss-lady's cold husband." She doubted much could warm her "cold husband", especially not a place populated by fetish-seekers. I can only imagine how he would react to them. A shudder rippled down her spine as a mental image of screaming people running from a Super Saiyan Vegeta popped in her head. She glanced at the clock.

"By Dende! Its already eight o'clock?" Bulma was momentarily stunned. "Uh oh. I have to get home." She hurriedly shut down her computer, put away all unneeded files, and packed her briefcase.

Reaching home in record time, Bulma walked into the kitchen to see a spandex-covered derriere protruding from the open refrigerator door. "Vegeta, sorry I'm late. I …" He continued rummaging through the fridge as though she wasn't there. "Vegeta?" Nothing. "Vegeta, look at me, please." Sadness crept into her voice.

Vegeta straightened and gave her a blank expression. He didn't say anything.

As the seconds ticked by, Bulma began to feel a coldness coming from the prince. The longer those solid black eyes stared at her, the more compelled she felt to slap the look off his face. Her whispered words barely reached Vegeta's sensitive ears, "Sometimes I think I have no idea who you are?" With that, she raced up the stairs to their bedroom.

Bulma spent the next few hours crying her eyes out. She had no idea what she was going to do about Vegeta. Or if anything could even be done with him. He was too arrogant to ever admit he was in err and too proud to ask for any kind of help from anyone. Dende, help me. You see everything. What can I do to make Vegeta open up to me? Is there anything I can do? I'm willing to try anything right now. Dende, please just answer me. Bulma didn't really expect any kind of response. After all, how much can a Namek help in matters of the heart? Especially when it involves the Saiyan prince.

"Bulma, I'm not sure what to tell you." Dende's words echoed in the core of Bulma's mind. "You know better than I that nothing conventional will have an effect on Vegeta. All I can advise is to think of something different. Only a method that is somewhat dramatic and absolute will be able to get through that thick head of his. Also, his pride won't let anyone else know what you're doing. So whatever you do, it will have to be discreet, as well. I don't know what else to tell you, Bulma." With that, she felt his presence fade away.

Sniffling one last time, Bulma made a resolve to find out more about this Eden. She had a last thought that maybe Dende had subtly suggested going to the island. How often is the Guardian of Earth wrong? The question faded from her conscious mind as she fell asleep.

Ok, so that's the prologue. Tell us what you think. Please, don't be too brutal. Its still in a somewhat young stage.