Why am I here?

Madara found herself asking that question every day as she adjusted to her new "life", if it could be called that. She recalled every moment of emotional turmoil, every breath of physical strain, and the beating of her cold, dead heart before she finally died in the arms of the one she loved. By all means, she should've been rotting in Hell for all of her transgressions. But she supposed her "life" now was a fitting punishment.

This new existence was worse than Hell.

It was bad enough she could hardly move when she awoke, but her pride as a shinobi had been blasted away by the display of strength that man had shown. It far surpassed that Senju woman's strength and she knew he wasn't even trying when he destroyed her Susano'o. She was the inferior being now. That revelation ate away at her as she struggled to get used to the increased gravity in this world.

Yes, Planet Vegeta, she recalled; named after the very man who ruled over them all, King Vegeta. It was a shock to learn she literally ended up on another world, not to mention being introduced to the concept of extraterrestrial life beyond the stars. The inhabitants were called Saiyans and they were a ruthless warrior race. To Madara, they all looked similar to each other, much like a shinobi clan would be. Slightly different hair colors and physical builds separated them from one another, yet all of them had one distinguishing feature that set them as part of the same race: their tails. Just like the Sharingan was inherited by all Uchiha, the Saiyans all possessed monkey tails. As to what purpose they served other than being an extra appendage, she had no clue.

King Vegeta kept his word when he said he'd make her his servant. She was stripped of everything that made her who she was: her pride, her power, even her name. She was just a nameless alien woman to all the Saiyans, considered to be only good for being their personal maid and perhaps a nice fling. Madara clenched her fists hard enough for them to bleed at the thought of that king. For once in many years, she craved Hashirama's familiar bouts of depression and his heartwarming smile. It gave her a sense of awareness of who she once was. She was a person, not a thing.

She knew she had to bide her time until the right moment. So, suffering through the humiliation, she held onto the satisfying thought of making that man pay for insulting her pride. An agonizing Tsukuyomi would do nicely for him. Corrupt and wear down his mind and then destroy his body piece by little piece while he was under the effects of her genjutsu.

A wolf whistle.

"Don't bother. Just ignore them…" she mentally growled, keeping her murderous intent in check. "They aren't worth it."

Whenever she passed by some of the male guards around the palace, they would spite her with verbal insults and "looking her over" despite the fact she wasn't a Saiyan like them. The disgusting armor she was forced to wear was too formfitting. It accented her ample bust and hourglass figure to a point where she couldn't even look at her reflection. She also couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to wear pants. The stupid skirt was bad enough, but the bare legs she couldn't handle. She preferred feeling the welcoming embrace of cloth that ensured that her legs wouldn't be gawked at by every male within a ten foot radius.

Madara discovered a lot about the Saiyans and came to the conclusion that most of them were just horrid beings. Sure, she had destroyed many, many lives. She killed hundreds before and after she died, but she never derived any sort of pleasure from it. The fact that they even sent infants off to conquer planets disgusted Madara, and that was saying something.

However, she could do nothing but wait. Perhaps she could gain more strength on this planet, enough so she could combat that despicable king of theirs and leave in one piece. He may be physically stronger than her, but Madara was certain that he had never faced a mind as cunning as hers. He would not know of the Tsukuyomi or the psychological effects of her Sharingan. For now, she would have to bear with the humiliation of it all.

"Madara!" A high pitched, feminine voice reached the legendary shinobi's ears, causing her to turn around. Running up to her was a female Saiyan named Gine, quite possibly the only decent Saiyan Madara had met so far on the foreign planet. Unlike other Saiyans, Gine was not much of a fighter, taking a job at a nearby meat factory instead of participating on purging missions like most of the others. She was good-natured and generally cheerful, instantly reminding her of a certain idiot she knew back home.

It occurred to Madara that Gine was, in fact, her first female friend and she came to cherish it over the past few weeks.

"Gine, should you be running around right now in your condition?" Madara inquired, an eyebrow raised as she gestured to the younger female's round abdomen.

"Oh, don't worry so much!" Gine laughed, waving off Madara's concern. "If I can survive missions with my husband, I can handle running around town with a baby. I'm not as fragile as you think."

"I know, but I'm concerned about someone else…" Madara said pointedly. "He may not like the fact that you're making him bounce around everywhere."

Gine blinked. "How do you know it's a boy?"

Madara smirked. "Let's just say I have my ways."

She felt a slight jump in the child's life energy, as if he was thanking her in his own way. She discovered that all the Saiyan's possessed a kind of energy comparable to chakra. However, it was far more destructive and wild in terms of controlling it. If one wasn't careful, a Saiyan could blow himself up without meaning to.

"Well, that makes things easier in terms of names!"

"What do you mean? You have something picked out?"

"I was thinking Korua if it was a girl and Bardock wanted Raditz if it was a boy."

Madara coughed, trying to hide her laughter. That was another thing she learned: a lot of Saiyans had names eerily similar to the names of vegetables back home. Gine pouted at the Uchiha, which didn't help Madara in trying to cover up her laughing fit.

"What's so funny?"

"It surprises me that you Saiyans can think of names like that," Madara explained as she tried to catch her breath. "If it was me, I'd name him something special instead of after a vegetable."

"What's a 'vegetable'?"

Madara deadpanned. "You're kidding me, right?"

The innocent look in Gine's eyes answered that question. "Well, what would you name him?"

Madara was quiet for a long time, a distant and haunted look glazing over her eyes. Gine immediately felt guilty for asking. It had dredged up some awful memories for her alien friend.

"Izuna."

"Come again?" Gine asked.

"If I had a son, I'd name him Izuna," Madara answered quietly. "And I'd always do whatever it took to protect him, even if he didn't want me to. That's how a mother would be on my planet."

"…"

"But that's just me. He's your son after all. I hope he grows up to be a strong man and a worthy comrade to the Saiyan race."

"Did you love him?"

"Huh?"

"This 'Izuna' person…was he special to you?" Gine inquired, a look of pity in her eyes.

"…He was my baby brother," Madara explained. "I couldn't save him…"

"Alright, that settles it!"

Madara jumped at the declarative outburst Gine let out. The smaller woman fist pumped the air, giving Madara a triumphant expression.

"I'll do it! I'll name him Izuna! Screw what Bardock wants!"

"GINE!" Madara shouted in shock. "You don't have to do that!"

"I know I don't have to, but I WANT to!" Gine corrected happily. "Sure, my husband won't be pleased, but he knows better than to argue with me."

"Gine…No matter what the boy's name will be in the end, just do me one thing."

"No problem! Whatever it is, you name it and I'll do it."

"Just…let the kid be a kid."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Protect him from the readings those ridiculous scientists will give him when they gauge his strength. Don't let them or anyone from the elite dissuade him from achieving greater heights. Keep him innocent for as long as you can. Let him grow up without fear and if fear does claim him, encourage him to overcome it. Teach him to show the same kindness that you have. It's that compassion that can change not only his life, but the lives of others as well."

"…Did you know someone like that?"

"Of sorts…" Madara replied with a rueful smirk. "An idiot that was once my best friend…and a little brat who never gave up on his friends or his dreams. I hope your son will be like those two fools. I just hope he's not as obnoxiously annoying as they were."

"Every time you mention people like that, it makes me all the more curious about your past. I know it's a sensitive topic for you, but—"

"Don't worry, Gine. My past doesn't matter. I could never return to that place even if I did manage to get off this wretched planet. Besides, that would require leaving you behind. You're hopeless without me."

"Am not!" Gine retorted, puffing her cheeks out childishly.

"Whatever you say," chuckled Madara. "I hope I can see him before they…"

"Why do you take it from those elite assholes!? You're not a toy for them to play with!"

"Where could I go? That man would simply hunt me down. Besides…if you knew half of the things I've done, you would realize that I deserve to endure every minute of that torture."

"Everyone deserves a chance to change themselves. Whatever you did, you can move on from it. I'm sure even his Highness isn't as horrible as you make him out to be. He has always done whatever it took to benefit our race. I'm sure he has his reasons."

Madara sighed, remaining quiet as she thought about Gine's words. Maybe she was right, maybe she was wrong. From what she had seen, there were no redeemable qualities about that man. Someone who killed potential fighters simply because they "posed" a future threat against the royal line was not someone who deserved any reverence. She felt disgusted as she remembered that man ordering his men to "purge" planets. The thought of innocent families, even children, being snuffed out like common vermin made her sick to her stomach. She could remember the praise and celebration the Saiyans spewed out after a mission like that. They described it as a fulfilling experience and they were proud of their work.

"Holy Kanassan!"

Madara snapped out of her rage to notice she was still with Gine. The Saiyan pointed at Madara, her mouth hanging open in amazement. She was making incoherent noises, her eye twitching a little.

"Don't worry. It's a special ability," Madara explained as she deactivated her Sharingan.

"Is that why…?"

"Yes. But the day they unlock the power of my ability will be the day I become a mother."

"Hey, maybe you might find someone here! We Saiyans aren't all hotheaded warriors with no sense of hygiene."

"I'm not interested in any pigheaded morons on this planet. My heart belongs to one man, but he chose someone else. That was an error on my part and I don't intend to make the same mistake twice."

"You know, Bardock is the fiercely loyal type. I'd bet my tail that you'll end up with a guy like that."

"If only, Gine…If only…"

A scowl formed as he glared at the alien woman, her ruby orbs piercing through his soul. His eyes scanned over the cowering medics. Every single time anyone tried to perform ocular exams on the wench, she would turn everyone into spineless weaklings too afraid to even breathe. She was weaker than a normal Saiyan. How could someone so powerless instill such fear into their beings?

"If you continue with this defiance, you know what will happen."

"Then come and try it," the woman taunted. "I don't care if you're the king of all these simian freaks. I'd rather die than let you take my eyes."

He growled, the rebellious look in her eyes burning brightly in the room. A mocking smirk graced her delicate features. She sneered at him, looking down upon his station despite the fact she was the inferior being.

"Even if you did kill me and pilfered them from my rotting carcass, you still would not be able to harness their power. Only a descendant of my clan can utilize them to their full potential; a bloodline which you lack, your Highness."

That condescending tone. That irritating way of speaking. The purposefully selfish attitude. The lack of concern for others. He could hear the Arcosian's mocking laughter in the back of his mind. The one denying him of his birthright. The one who toyed with all lives and treated them as mere playthings to get rid of when he got bored.

"You will know your place."

He dealt with her personally after that. He made sure she'd feel those injuries for weeks. How that female managed to rile him up to such an extent surprised even him. Her manner of speaking reminded him of the tyrant that ruled over all the conquered planets. Yet…she still showed the same kind of pride and fighting spirit of his race, despite the fact she was of an alien group completely different from theirs. Even though his strength was vastly superior to hers, she showed no signs of intimidation or dread. Instead, she always gave him that exact same delighted grin that implied that she was willing to take him on at any time. He even caught her licking up her blood from the cuts she received from him, smiling as she imagined how she would make him kneel before her; at least, that's what he assumed she was thinking.

Who was this strange woman who longed for bloodthirsty battles to satiate her love of fighting, yet refused to kill those who were weaker than her? This woman who appeared like the delicate flower, but struck with a killer intent mightier than that of an elite Saiyan. A woman with eyes the color of blood.

Everything about her irked him…but it intrigued him all the same.

"I've had it with your continued insubordination. The next time you defy me, I won't be so lenient."

"I wouldn't want you to be," she replied with equal disdain, smiling as she licked up the blood that was dripping out of her mouth.

Another surge of anger sweltered within him, but he held back. There was no need to if he wanted her eyes to remain intact. With a swish of his royal mantle, he turned his back on her and left her to rot in her prison.

Why couldn't he just kill her and rip the damn eyes from her sockets? He could've been done with it already. That wench had to be playing with his mind somehow. He knew she was biding her time to figure out a way to defeat him; that much he was certain of. Ever since the day his guards discovered the pitiful creature, he found himself spending increasingly more time with her. It may have been a few small moments each time and those incidents happened sparingly, but it wasn't something he could overlook. The woman was trying to find the right moment to kill him or…

He shook his head. No. No "or". That would never happen. He was the king of all Saiyans; a warrior of unparalleled might and cruelty. He'd rather cut off his tail and relinquish his sovereignty before lowering himself to such a despicable level.

He let out a sigh as he rested upon his throne. He really needed a good fight to clear his mind of such bothersome thoughts.

Unfortunately, mercy would not be given to him today for as soon as he entered the throne room, King Vegeta was met with the site of someone he so thoroughly despised. Scowling, the Saiyan ruler met the gaze of the right hand man of Frieza himself, Zarbon. His scowl was reciprocated with a smug smirk, and a gaze that made the king want to pound the flamboyant soldier's face into the tiles of his quarters.

"Zarbon," He greeted with a slight bow of his head. "I was unaware of your presence on our planet."

"There was no need to alert you monkeys," Zarbon sneered. "Lord Frieza sent me personally. You have been hiding a spark of fire within these walls. Naturally, milord was intrigued as to what was taking up all the valuable time of the great King Vegeta when he should be out purging planets for his superiors."

Shit. The scouters. Frieza had heard everything.

"If this wench actually possesses a unique ability that can be useful to Lord Frieza, he will stop at nothing to attain it. Whether if he rips the eyes from her sockets or if he finds another method, that'll be up to him. You had no right to keep her all to yourself, Vegeta. I can only imagine your punishment for keeping quiet about this."

The Saiyan king growled under his breath. Of course, nothing would go his way today. For a moment, he felt a sense of concern twinge inside him. He had no doubt that the woman would die by Frieza's hands and no one would discern the secret of her eyes. That is…if she was lucky and didn't piss the Arcosian off.

Everything was slowly spiraling out of his control and he knew this was only the beginning of troubles yet to come.