An Empire to Conquer Your Heart

celestia193's Author's Note: This is our newest project and one that appeared out of a little fun plot bunny and kind of mutated thanks to a ten hour travel day and a lot of boredom. I get bored when my laptop doesn't have enough battery to make the trip home, and I'm not tired enough at 4 pm to sleep. Enjoy!

SilverKitsune2017's Author's Note: As celestia193 said, this is our latest collaboration. We hope you enjoy this alien adventure and reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto and make no profit off of our fanfics.

Chapter 1

The ship is silent inside and out, and all within await orders from their king, a warrior of unmatched and legendary martial prowess amongst their people. Their age hadn't produced a finer leader than the man who now stood at the head of their army and who ruled their people with ferocity and justice in equal measure. The man who would now lead their people to expand across their galaxy and take their place as its leaders and defenders. For none were their equal.

And none were the equal of the man whose wild, jet black hair and deep crimson marks made him the picture of their blazing sun's untamed power.

"Madara." The great General Hiroto stands with his older brother over the war table as it shows them a towering silver and gold city many hundreds of miles from where their ship flew across the soft cerulean sky. "Are you sure that you want to restrict the troops from employing lethal force? They may need it when the citizens realize what is happening and revolt."

"This planet and its people are a unique case." Madara turns his eyes towards Hiroto, placing his hand on the other warrior's shoulder. "They are both pacifists by nature and our kin. Time and evolution may have separated our family tree into different branches, but blood will win out." He pauses, his eyes scanning the beautiful world below. Truly, they were a wonder. How their more docile kin had ever managed to achieve such a splendid civilization with no real defense to speak of was almost beyond comprehension. It was also courting disaster. "It's likely they will yield without a single true battle. Perhaps a handful might still possess a warrior's heart, but I imagine that they'll surrender quickly. Minimal casualties now and in the long run, they will be better off being annexed. Under our protection."

It was nothing short of astounding. The Bijin homeworld was gorgeous. A land of temperate climates, beautiful scenery, rich in resources, and renowned for its people's intellectual and artistic prowess. Not a single enemy race to speak of as far as he could see and yet, sooner or later reality would catch up with them. Their peaceful tendencies made them vulnerable. It was only a matter of time before another species moved against them. Better they were assimilated by the Chikara than beaten into submission by a less merciful race later on. Madara didn't make it his policy to rule over the ashes. He was a conqueror, but not a mindless brute. He wouldn't see such beautiful glass shattered, but it would yield. He'd make sure of that.

Hiroto nods and places his hand on the saber fastened to his hip. "Then we will make them yield. Say the word and I will go down to the surface to command our troops myself." It wouldn't be Hiroto's first battle. Far from it. Recent threats from other worlds had forced their hand when usually, they were content fighting amongst themselves for rank and honor. But if other worlds wanted to test them, he would show that he could lead from the front as well as any of the three dozen others who served under the king to command their people's warriors.

Madara smiles at his brother. There was no one he trusted more than Hiroto. "I know and you would win, but I need you more here. I shall join our brothers and sisters in arms on the ground and you will monitor everything from up here. I never did have your patience. We know my blood runs too hot to stay out of the thick of it for long."

The younger brother huffs softly and removes his hand from his saber to place it back on the war table. "Then I will monitor everything from here. Just…be sure that you don't kill anyone, Madara. Our warriors might not follow your instructions too closely if you get carried away. They're a free-spirited lot, you know that."

"I know. They would not be soldiers in our army if they were anything less." Madara smirks, watching his brother fondly. "I'd prefer to make this a bloodless conquest, but if they are foolish enough to challenge us, appropriate force will be used."

"Hn, of course." Hiroto turns his vermilion gaze on the images shown to them on the war table and waves his hand across it to make an announcement to the warriors waiting in the belly of the ship. "Warriors, this is First General Hiroto Uchiha. Be ready to move out immediately when given the order. Let me remind you that the use of lethal force is strictly prohibited on his Majesty's orders. Set your blasters to stun and fire only on those who resist. You've all been briefed on the identities of the leaders of this region. Seek them out and detain them."

Madara's smirk widens. It was always a pleasure to witness Hiroto in action. The man was nothing if not efficient. "Well then, let's conquer ourselves a planet."

Hiroto's stern expression shifts into a wicked, wild grin. "Yes, let's add the first new realm to your empire." His fingers dart across the war table and command the ship to cloak itself and land a safe distance outside of the city. For if they came down on it from above, they would alert the Bijin to their presence. Surprise was the best weapon against those who wouldn't fight back.

The hangar bay's doors open, and Hiroto makes one more announcement to the warriors below. "Move out!"

A short while later, Madara finds himself descending. As always, Eito was at his side. Next to his brother, Madara trusted his lieutenant the most. "I've seen the reports and the view from the sky, but what does it look like on the ground?"

"It looks about as expected. Most of the citizens either flee in terror or bar themselves inside their homes. We caught them by surprise and they're scared. I doubt that they have any idea what's going on." Eito's dark eyes narrow slightly as the walk through the streets towards the center of the city. From what they had studied, the council buildings were located in the center spires of every city. From there, councils of wise elders governed each city according to the laws and tenets set down by their predecessors, unless, of course, those laws merited changing with the times. "We've met only a little resistance. But they were captured easily enough. My warriors are patrolling here in the southeast to make sure that there aren't any hidden traps that could give us grief as we pull the troops out."

"That sounds promising. Thus far things are going precisely as I had hoped." He walks alongside his first vice-general and Madara's eyes and ears strain for any signs of something amiss. While the Bijin tended to stick to rather predictable patterns, he knew better than to leave such things to chance.

"They are, but we did incur a few injuries when one particularly spooked resident decided to topple a metal array over the side of a roof onto one of our squads. None died, but one of them won't be able to walk for a month, another will have to contend with shooting with his non-dominant hand. Apart from that, cuts and bruises of varying size, but nothing alarming. All who fought surrendered once surrounded."

"Unfortunate, but it's a rare invasion that goes without at least something unpleasant happening." Madara nods, feeling pleased to hear his assessment had been right. "This may be the most seamless addition to our empire."

The gray-eyed warrior's knee-length ebony hair flares behind him in a shining curtain as they stride through a breeze into an open space approaching a plaza. The city had many of those, all filled with emerald grass and sapphire streams, as if designed by gods instead of mortal hands. "If only all of our conquests could be so easy." Eito would admit that he enjoyed a good fight, but mass bloodshed was another matter entirely. If it could be avoided, he preferred to avoid as much bloodshed as possible and save it for fights over honor and pride. Fights that he never lost.

But the peace of the plaza is broken by the harsh cry of metal clashing. The sound of blade on blade draws Eito's attention away from his king and towards a skirmish involving six of his soldiers. Two of the warriors had already been handily defeated and lay injured and bleeding, while the other four circle, trying to disarm their attacker. "Your Majesty…"

Madara's eyes narrow. Perhaps he had spoken too soon. Moving quickly, he follows the sounds of battle. The sight that he saw was enough to steal his breath away. A single Bijin was clashing with a handful of his Chikara soldiers and holding his own.

The scene was as enchanting as it was bizarre. Topaz colored markings and bright golden earrings shimmering in stark contrast against a braid of hair as dark as the night sky itself. The 'pacifist' was moving with a crude skill. Precision borne of necessity. He likely believed himself to be fighting for his life. Where he had gotten his weapons was a mystery, but he wielded them well enough and the man in question apparently was not above using his tail to trip others.

It was yet another difference between their species. While the Chikara had eventually 'lost' their tail due to them being easy targets on the battlefield, the more peaceful Bijin had kept them.

Shaking his head to disperse his fanciful thoughts, Madara charges forward. Alluring and baffling view aside, he could hardly let the topaz marked one cut down his comrades. Still, it might be fun to glean answers from this one. He'd take him alive.

Dark eyes turn on the foreign invader and the topaz-marked Bijin kneels nearly to the ground, before springing backwards, flipping head over heels before landing lightly on the balls of his feet. In his right hand, he holds a sword easily the length of his arm, and in his left hand, he holds a dagger half that size, but wickedly sharp. His matching light blue tail wraps and unwraps itself around his waist as his stance changes. He holds his sword out before him and his dagger behind his hip, ready to take the charge.

"You're not like the others. I've never heard of one of your kind engaging in combat before." Madara watches the other male. His flexibility and agility were impressive. There was a certain grace about him. Perhaps it was fitting that his people were known for their art. Even the way he moved was beautiful.

He was a unique jewel in a world full of them, but it would do him little good. The Bijin had gotten lucky. The element of surprise had been on his side. None of Madara's soldiers had expected a Bijin to fight back in such a manner, but now that the novelty had worn off...well, there was only one ending to this fight.

Madara rushes at the other man. His speed was enough to make him seem little more than a blur. He kicks up the ground underneath him as he rams straight into him, narrowly avoiding getting skewered by the sword and dagger. He slams the Bijin into the ground and strips him of his weapons. "I admire your warrior's spirit, but all you have to do is yield and your life will not be forfeit." The world takes on a red hue as his eyes change to the color of aggression. The man underneath it should know it well enough.

Beneath him, the young Bijin's dark eyes narrow and he shoves a hand against his attacker's side, a hidden dagger flying out from his wrist. "Get off of me you tailless monster!" For the briefest moment, his eyes flicker with a flash of cherry red.

Madara captures the dagger with ease. Those eyes were...Chikara. Will wonders never cease? "You do realize your species is descended from mine? If I am a tailless monster, that makes you a monster with a tail. While it is admittedly lovely, I do not find it that critical of a distinction. The fact you have a warrior's eyes is intriguing, though. I thought that Bijin eyes were no longer capable of changing color." He keeps the furious Bijin pinned firmly underneath him.

"I don't care what you tell yourself about my people before bed at night. Related or not, at least my people don't cut off their tails like barbarians!" The Bijin's struggles don't stop in the least as he bends his knee and kicks at his attacker's groin. He could fight dirty if he had to.

Madara jumps back to avoid that kick. "You are a vicious little thing, but you're also wrong. We don't cut off tails. We're born without them." Honestly, what sorts of crazy notions did these Bijin have drilled into their heads? They clearly needed brought into the empire if they fell for such nonsense so easily. So naive and easily scared.

The Bijin pushes himself to his feet, his eyes flaring angrily, but only briefly, unable to maintain the reddish hue. His tail curls back towards him with his dagger clutched tightly near the tip. He reaches for his sword and pants lightly to catch his breath. "And just why would I believe the word of someone who brings an army to my home to kill and conquer my people?"

"My beautiful naive Bijin, I came to conquer, not slaughter. I don't rule over ashes." He watches the other male. It'd be easy enough to take advantage of him during this brief respite, but he was such an oddity among his people. Madara couldn't help it. Curiosity was a powerful force. He wanted to see what the half crazy Bijin would do if he was left standing for now. "If I wanted you dead, you would be. If I wanted this to be a genocide, your people would be well on their way to extinction. That was never my desire."

Without uttering a single response, the Bijin takes a steadying breath, then leaps forward with nearly blinding speed. His wrist flicks once and his sword cuts upward in a graceful arc. He had never killed before. Today, he intended to.

Madara veers to the side and whirls around, sending a powerful kick to the Bijin's back. "You've used that sword before today. You're skilled, but it's not enough."

The young Bijin stumbles, but whirls around and uses his tail to slam the dagger between the conqueror's ribs. But, to his irritation, it refuses to sink in deep enough to mortally wound. He growls in frustration. "Are your innards made of steel?"

Madara's eyes widen. He grunts, yanking the dagger away from Izuna and shoves the other man onto the ground, hard. "They are not, but with sufficient physical training...you'd be amazed at the sorts of natural defenses one's body is capable of developing." This was growing rather irritating. Using one hand to hold the Bijin down by the throat, his other grabs his stun gun. "You should be proud. Few can honestly claim to have injured me in any capacity, but I tire of playing with you." It leaves a sour taste in his mouth, but he hits the button all the same. Better stunned than dead and such a rare Bijin couldn't be allowed to die until he had his answers.

The Bijin's eyes flash cherry red for just a moment, then the light dies and he crumples almost lifeless against the ground, the fight gone with any conscious thought he had left.

Slowly, Eito approaches his king, having taken the time to ascertain that his men weren't dying, and that they would heal with time. "He put up more of a fight against you than I expected. I would have intervened, but you seemed intent on keeping it between the two of you."

"I was. It is a matter of pride. If I can't defeat one Bijin, I don't deserve my crown." Madara swiftly rises to his feet, trying to retain his dignity. "Still, he is a rather peculiar case."

"Yes, he is. He injured you." Eito hadn't seen such a thing in years. "He's a warrior born into a peaceful people." Eito's gaze travels over the unconscious Bijin. "That tail of his proved to be more useful than I expected. Now I regret being born without one."

"Well, I imagine tails did initially evolve for a reason." It was something to ponder. "Though it's as much a liability as an asset. His people apparently believe we cut our own tails off."

"Our people are fond of war. It doesn't surprise me that they would tell their children terrifying bedtime stories about us." Eito would be more surprised if they'd been welcomed with open arms. "What should we do with him? Do we take him as a prisoner?"

"Given the unique circumstances, I'd say we may as well buck tradition just this once and take some prisoners." Madara knew as well as anyone that wasn't usually the case. It was surrender or be killed, but there was something about their sister race that compelled compassion out of even a seasoned warrior such as himself. "Besides, he fought well and against impossible odds. That does deserve some degree of acknowledgement."

Eito nods and glances one more at the Bijin's face. He looked so young, barely of age. Blood smeared his cheek, but whether it was his own was impossible to say. "Yes, he fought incredibly well against a group of trained warriors, but…ultimately could not last through single combat." A most peculiar case indeed. "I'll see to it that he's dealt with, Your Majesty."

"You know that I am a far more formidable opponent on my own than the ones he faced." It was hardly an accurate measure of his worth. "See to it that he is kept alive. I shall investigate this oddity later. Should he be harmed beyond whatever is necessary to restrain him, I will be displeased." Earning Madara's ire was something that was akin to indulging in masochism and anyone with an ounce of common sense was well aware of it.

"Of course." Eito bows respectfully and motions to two of his warriors to take the unconscious Bijin from their king's sight. "He'll be cleaned up and properly restrained. Will you be keeping his plait for yourself?"

His lips curl in distaste. It was a victory, but one that meant absolutely nothing. Like racing against someone who only had one leg. Still, he couldn't allow the Bijin to go without some sort of punishment. Keeping the oddity alive was already bucking one of their most universal traditions. Ignoring a second would be courting disaster for the Bijin and a headache for himself. "I will be keeping it for myself. He attacked me. Why would I give it to another?"

He shakes his head, after all, the male in question was already gone. Were that not the case, he would have gotten the task over with. No matter, he would simply do it later. They still had a planet to subdue.

Eito nods and backs away, then turns to follow his warriors' path back to the ship. They had, after all, taken the city. All that remained was to make a pact with the elders to hand over control of the city, just as their many generals would be doing across the rest of the planet.

The elders were many things, but stupid they were not. Madara was rather pleased by how swiftly they conceded to his demands for an audience. That boded well. If they were fortunate, this campaign would be over in a day or two. Perhaps a week or two at most.

His eyes wander over the Bjin. Age apparently did little to quell the allure of their sister species. There was an elegance to each and every one of them even when their faces were more wrinkled than not and their bodies had grown frailer with the hands of time. Still, none of them could compare to the wild Bijin he had captured and Madara doubted that would have changed if the Bijin standing before him were younger.

You've made a wise decision to speak to me quickly. Should you surrender, you will be treated as new citizens of my world. So long as you meet our economic terms, little has to change for your people. Though of course, culture assimilation is encouraged..it is not my primary concern." Madara cared little for what the worlds he conquered did in the privacy of their own homes so long as they recognized his rule was absolute. "This need not end in rivers of blood. In time, you will see this was the wiser choice. You will be part of our empire and entitled to certain benefits such as protection."

"Protection, you say?" The eldest of the council, a woman so old that she was most certainly blind and confined to her chair, gazes at him as if her sightless eyes could see into the conqueror's soul. "We trade with a great many worlds, and yet none of them have made us fear for our safety…before you. If we are to give the fate of our people over to you, we would know first why you thought it necessary to send your soldiers into our streets to terrify our people when we have done nothing to you. Is it really just because you want our fields to provide for your armies as you march across the galaxy to form this new empire of yours?"

"Your reputation has protected you thus far, but I do hope you are not so naive to think that will last indefinitely. Sooner or later, no matter how generous and warmly you received the other worlds...one would want everything." He meets her gaze, deciding even if she likely couldn't see... the old woman could certainly feel when he was was looking at her. "Your fields are just one of many reasons why your planet and your people are a valuable asset. It wasn't so long ago that there was no distinction between Bijins and Chikaras. Our paths diverged radically, but at our core... we are not so different. Even today, I met one of your kind who was able to turn his eyes red. It was only for a moment, but blood runs thicker than water."

"Yes, our paths diverged long ago…didn't they?" The old woman sighs and clasps her old, wizened hands together in her lap. "According to our stories, they diverged because our people desired peace, and yours would not give up violence. So tell me, King of the Chikara, if we convened a Great Council and that meeting produced the answer you are searching for, would you then refrain from recruiting our people into your armies? We are not fighters, but artisans and farmers and traders, people of knowledge and learning. We have no place in the ranks of your warriors."

"They did diverge. The Chikara sought expansion and your people sought a utopia on your own world." Madara knew the story as well as any of his kind did. "I would prefer a peaceful surrender to be negotiated. I'm well aware that for generations you've trained yourself to be pacifists. Stomping out almost every bit of a warrior's instinct from your very veins. Forcing your people to fight would be a pointless endeavor. The amount of training that would be necessary would ensure any benefit would be so far off into the horizon it would not be worth it. Added to the fact, I imagine if I did attempt it...you'd find ways to ensure your people made ineffective soldiers." On purpose. It was all too easy to foresee how their brilliant minds would conjure up ways to seem 'clumsy' or to 'miscalculate' the supplies needed for a campaign. "Besides I've always made it my policy to recruit only willing people into my army. They're more loyal and they fight harder. Should a Bijin wish to reclaim their warrior spirit, I won't hesitate to offer them a place. Otherwise you may continue on with your chosen vocations."

The old woman closes her eyes, knowing that such an offer was likely the best that they could expect from the warrior king who could otherwise wipe their people from existence simply by giving an order. "Then we will convene the Great Council. You will have our answer when we have finished debating your proposal. There are many voices that must be heard, for we never rule alone."

"I am aware. Just as we have myself and many generals and vice generals. It is a fool who attempts to manage everything on their own." He nods and turns his back to the elders councilors. The meeting was adjourned and while their leader had been more feisty than anticipated, he knew that to preserve peace for their people, they would rule in his favor.