A/N: This is a fic based on a series of ten prompts over at the 10_what_ifs community on livejournal. The theme set I'm using is Spaceship. So , if you've figured it out, this is going to be a AU fic. The particular prompt for this chapter is 4. Aliens

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Damning Dialogue

"What the hell are you looking at?"

Oh where do I start... Ino couldn't help but think.

From her vantage point on the floor Ino had a pretty good view of something rarely seen this close to the inner sector of the Coalition. Blue-grey skin, blue hair, sharp teeth, yellow eyes, and what looked like ... gills? He wasn't something human.

Probably a habitant from the planet Nethune if the shark characteristics are any indication, Ino guessed. Nethune was a planet with a surface of eighty-two-point-five percent water. The natural habitants took a very strong resemblance to Earth's fish, naturally, because they had evolved to survive their aquatic landscape. It wasn't a very popular destination for colonization, due to the lack of land and its distance from the reach of the Coalition. It didn't help that its residents didn't like the Coalition or its legislation. If Ino remembered right, it had been a very sensitive topic back when was a child...

"You deaf, woman, or just blonde?" An angry voice growled.

The tone took Ino by surprise, and shook her out of her thoughts. "No, you just surprised me! I didn't expect someone to come around the corner. Sorry," Ino said, picking herself up off the floor. She noticed that the tall blue guy in front of her just stared down at with an evil glare, not offering to help her up. Friendly fella, I hope I don't have to deal with him too much.

"It's a busy ship, so stay out of the way if you can't move fast enough, got it?" He brushed past Ino roughly without another word. But he did shout over his shoulder at Haku, "Don't you have somewhere to be? Like in the pilot's chair so we can get this bird off the ground?"

Rude much? Ino noted as she watched the six-foot fish-guy walk around the corner. What is his deal?

"Well," Ino turned to address Haku, "that was ... pleasant."

Ino couldn't help but notice Haku's obvious flinch. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Kisame can be a little abrasive if you don't know him that well."

"Really? I couldn't tell," Ino caustically replied.

"Just ignore him, and he'll ignore you," Haku suggested, leading the way down the stairs to the cargo bay.

The blonde sighed, "Well, I won't have to deal with him much right? He's, what, another engineer or something?"

Haku froze and hummed noncommittally before going down the rest of the steps.

"Haku, what aren't you telling me?" Ino plied.

The brunette hissed in hesitation, "Well ... Kisame is the first officer on the ship. So, he's a little hard to avoid."

Ino halted, wanting to curse her luck, "Tell me this is some cruel joke."

Haku gave the blonde a sympathetic look, "Sorry."

Ino just heaved a sigh as she trotted down the remaining steps down into the cargo bay. "Don't worry about it. I'm just gonna think of it as... communications training."

"I'm glad you're taking a positive view on this. I have to go to the observation deck and I'll be stuck there for a while. You think you can find your way back fine on your own?"

"Pfft," Ino waved off Haku's concern, "Easy as pie. Just go do your job."

"Alright, but would you like to have dinner some time? I know how hard it can be being the stranger in a tight community that us crew members have," the brunette offered to the blonde.

Real regret crossed Ino's features. "I would love to, but I'm afraid I'm going to have my hands full over the next couple days. Some patients don't take well to galactic travel, and I'm going to be stuck playing nursemaid to some of them until they get used to it."

"That's alright," Haku reassured, "I'll just pop by the medical bay or your dorm and see how you are. We could get a bite to eat then."

Haku's attention deviated from Ino and towards the staircase, and the blonde couldn't help but also swing her attention in the same direction. A familiar figure was making his way down the steps. "I gotta go, I'll see you later," Haku whispered before rushing up the stairs. Ino saw Kisame stop Haku, both of them talking insistently. Kisame still seemed to be in his sour mood from earlier, but he let Haku up the staircase without much harassment, much to Ino's relief. Until Kisame glared at her with his yellow eyes. Then she just felt a trickle of apprehension.

Kisame's gaze passed over the rest of the group congregated in the large cargo bay, and Ino felt herself about wilt. The man had a very intense gaze that was made all the more unnerving because of his strange eyes.

Kisame stopped his descent down the stairs several steps from the bottom, all the better to be seen and heard, though he would have towered everyone there easily enough.

"Welcome to The Courtesan's Fan," Kisame called out, stilling the mingle of people below him, "I'm the ship's first officer, Kisame, and I hope you've all been settled in your rooms and have found them to your liking. We'll be taking off shortly, but there are some things that you all need to know before we set off. Firstly, the only places you ought to be are the passenger dorms and the mess hall. Everything else is off limits, and I do mean off limits; this is for your safety. So those with children, keep an eye on them."

Kisame took a moment to pause and look meanfully at one family that had three young children. "Secondly, you'll respect this ship and those on it. If anyone cases trouble I have no problem dropping you off at the nearest planet. If you have any serious complaints or questions while you're on the ship then just leave a note for me in the mess hall. There's a big board you can't miss, just tack it to that. Just remember to write your name. One more thing, the woman in the Coalition uniform is our medical officer. If you have an illness or a health problem make sure you work it out with her."

Kisame took one more cursory glance over the group of passengers before finishing his little speech. "Now we're about ready to set off in five minutes, so I'd suggest you all get to your dorms and sit tight 'til we break clear of the atmosphere. It sometimes gets a little rough, just to warn you."

Well that was quick and thorough Ino noted. She introduced herself to her fellow passengers as they all made their way back to the dorms. Ino made sure to mention where her room was, the location of the medical bay and the fact that she would be there at any given time for the rest of the week. She knew some of them were definitely going to be ill from nausea after the take-off, while others might get homesick. It was one thing to travel to a different country, but a whole 'nother matter to traverse across star-laden skies to an entirely new world. Some needed a little help to adjust.

Oh boy, this is going to be a long week. Hell this is gonna be a long couple of months.

Ino was sitting by her lonesome in the medical bay. The lights were set to dim, so everything had an artificial evening glow. She was working at the counter with paperwork spread in front her; condensed and limited medical files on the passengers. It reminded Ino of working lab assignments late at night back at the Academy. It was comforting, the familiarity and the quietness of the ship. It was late, probably close to one-hundred hours, and the only noise she had heard in a while was the constant thrum of the ship's engine. It was one of the more peaceful moments on the ship. It had been several days since the ship had left Tauroses, and it had been definitely busy, with most of the passengers getting problems with nausea or sleeping. She had to sedate one poor man when he started to have anxiety about being in such a small space. It was a good thing he only he was only going to be on the ship for a few more days.

She hadn't seen much of the Courtesan's crew which was a mixed bag of luck. She was disappointed in not seeing Haku – she missed the tranquility that always seemed to surround the older woman. Ino was also a little disappointed in not seeing Sasuke as silly as it was. She couldn't help it if her tastes ran in the tall-dark-and-handsome category.

On the other hand, Ino was really glad that she hadn't seen Zabuza. The man was pretty intimidating, and Ino got the distinct impression he didn't much care for her from that first meeting in the engine room. Sadly, Ino had seen more of Kisame than she cared for. The meetings were always short, but it always ended with them snapping at each other. If she didn't know better, she might have guessed he enjoyed riling her up.

What is his problem? His attitude reminds me of the grizzled old generals; suffering from severe god-complexes. Someone that miserable should just stay away from people. How the hell he got picked as first officer for a ship taking on passengers I'll never know... Ino thought, taking a contemplative sip of her coffee.

Heavy footsteps and dark mumblings alerted her from her thoughts. It wasn't long before the devil himself turned around the corner into the medical bay, heading directly towards one of the cabinets.

"Can I help you with something?" Ino asked dryly when Kisame started to paw through the cabinet. So much for her meticulous organizing.

Kisame turned around, suddenly noting her presence. He muttered an expletive that caught Ino by surprise before he turned to leave.

"Excuse me," Ino stepped in front of him, "But do you want to explain to me why-"

Ino noticed the awkward way Kisame held his hand close to himself, and then saw the dark fluid dripping down his arm.

"Oh my god, you're bleeding!" Ino grabbed Kisame's arm, pulling it towards her. She saw a short, but deep cut that ran across the base of his index finger. She couldn't help but hiss at the wound in sympathy. "This is going to need stitches."

Kisame ripped his hand out of Ino's grasp before growling, "It's nothing, woman. I just need something to wrap this up with."

"No," Ino argued, "I am telling you that you need to have that disinfected, then sutured, and then bandaged. And where did you get a cut like that?"

"And I told you, it's nothing, and it's also none of your business. So drop it." Kisame made to walk away, but Ino held out an arm to block his path.

"No, this is my business, right up my alley kind of business. I'm the only trained medical staff available on this ship, so I'm responsible for the health and care for the passengers and the crew on this ship!" Ino shot back, a little infuriated. She could see that he was hurt, but he refused to let her treat him! This was her job for God's sake!

Kisame growled before he stuck his face right in front of hers. As his eyes bore into hers Ino had the distinct feeling that arguing with this man had been a bad idea.

"Let's get something straight," Kisame ground out, "The only reason you're on this ship, bitch, is because there's some fancy legislation that says you have to be. If I had my way, some uppity, high-bred Coalition dog would have never put one foot on this ship. Just be glad that I'm tolerating your existence on this ship. So when I tell you to drop something, you had better just drop it."

Tolerating my existence? What an ass! "I don't have to take this crap from the likes of you! I don't care if you're the goddamn first officer; I demand to be treated with respect, like any person has the right to! I graduated from the Academy with honours, so you should be thankful that this rust bucket has someone as qualified as me!" Ino was doing her best not to yell, but damn if Kisame wasn't the kind of person you wanted to yell at.

"Respect? And coming from the Coalition's prime definition of a 'person' why am I not surprised? Hate to break it to you, woman, but your breeding doesn't count for nothing out here," Kisame growled his voice thick with disdain.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ino barked.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean," Kisame hissed, "Your lot are all the same – all pretentious pompous assholes, and useless as two tits on a bull."

"I am so tired of your crap. Does the captain know that you're this rude to a guest on his ship? I think I'd like to mention your behaviour to him and see what he has to say about it. Or maybe the Coalition Merchant Board. I'm sure they'd be interested in the treatment their medical students are receiving," Ino threatened.

Kisame laughed, which took Ino by surprise. "Go right ahead, but good luck seeing him."

"Why would that be?" Ino asked cautiously.

"The captain doesn't see anybody, but I'll mention that you want to speak with him," Kisame mentioned with derision before he finally walked out of the medical bay.

It took all of Ino's control not to grab the heaviest thing she could find and toss it at him.

Ino was having breakfast in her dorm – vitamin-enriched sludge that had a semi-pleasant strawberry flavour – when there was a polite knock on her door.

"It's open," she called out.

The person who entered was an unexpected surprise.

"S-sasuke?" Ino felt her jaw drop a little. Here's hoping he's asking for a date!

His dark eyes roamed the room, a bored look on his face. "I'm just dropping this off."

Sasuke held a small flash drive before he tossed it carelessly on her bed. He walked out before she could ask what it was for.

Well, that was... nice?

Ino grabbed her personal tech-device off her desk the stick into her tech, waiting for it to load. Chip technology had been around for centuries; it was secure, hardy, and could hold terabytes of data. Pretty much all of third-order, and a lot of second-order planets still used them for most data storage. Chips, though couldn't compare to the newer crystal technology, which was the only thing that could hold complex algorithms for three dimensional holograms. Those same crystals were also the only thing powerful enough to hold the algorithms to solve the math problems of intergalactic wormhole travel. But crystals were expensive, and a limited resource. Crystal mining and application use was heavily monitored by the Coalition. So even if the chip was a dinosaur in the information era, it was the most readily available.

Within seconds, the flash drive was recognized by her tech and running.

What is this? It looks like it's from the Captain.

The screen held the Captain's emblem, which was coded specifically to him, and him alone. A touch-console of buttons appeared on her screen, and Ino touched the sideways triangle.

-START OF AUDIO RESPONSE. This is the Captain of The Courtesan's Fan, Itachi Uchiha,- a voice rang out from the medic's tech, -This is a reply regarding a complaint about Ino Yamanaka, temporary medical officer of The Courtesan's Fan, courtesy of the New Galaxy Coalition, concerning first officer, Kisame Hoshigaki. The complaint is about a verbal altercation that occurred on the ship on the fourth day of voyage, at approximately one hundred thirty hours. It was suggested that Yamanaka was insensitive towards Hoshigaki's heritage, over stepped her boundaries as a medical officer, and was discourteous about Hoshigaki's responses. I have considered Yamanaka's behaviour with the attention it deserves and I believe it was unprofessional. Hoshigaki has been a part of my crew for many years, and I have had no complaint previously from other medical officers, nor have my other crew members filed a complaint, suggesting Yamanaka's accusations about Hoshigaki's behaviour to be unfounded. I also find no fault in Hoshigaki's performance as my first officer on my ship. As such, I suggest that Yamanaka take any future complaints with Hoshigaki and make an agreeable arrangement. If it is found that Hoshigaki and Yamanaka cannot get be agreeable with each other I will be forced to ask the New Galaxy Coalition for a replacement medical officer with a temperament better suited to The Courtesan's Fan. This is not to suggest Yamanaka is incapable of her duties merely that she might be better if relocated onto another ship if problems begin to persist. I hope she curbs further outbursts; otherwise it will be noted in my final evaluation. Sincerely, Itachi Uchiha. END OF AUDIO RESPONSE –

Ino let herself fall onto her bed, her breakfast forgotten. Mechanically, Ino shut down her tech before tossing it away from her.

Ino had thought about filing a complaint against Kisame, but a night's sleep had discouraged it. It wouldn't due to start rocking the boat with the first officer, especially this early in the voyage. Not that she really had the status to really back up any claims she had. She was still pretty fresh out of the Academy. She had no reputation, really, when it all boiled down. She should have never even gotten into the argument with Kisame. Or any of the little spats that seemed to be sizzling between them constantly.

And now, it was really biting her in the ass.

I would have never pegged Kisame as the type to whine to the captain. But then again, making last night seem like it was my fault is something that I can imagine him doing.

Ino sighed, which quickly turned into a devastated groan. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I'm screwed. I can't afford to get a bad report. This is my first assignment, everything I do after this is dependent on how I do on this ship!

Ino could see her future, once bright and multi-faceted as a nebula, turning dark and empty. Menial, insubstantial work on small space craft was lined up before her. She would never get to a Coalition medical position on a planet. She would never get to be in the medical bay on a Coalition ship.

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic. After all, if I get good references on my next assignments in a couple years I could still get on a Coalition ship. It'll just take longer that's all. Oh, fuck it. This sucks. My life is ruined!

Ino spent the day in misery. She really wanted to spend the day alone, but there were no breaks for the lone medical officer on a ship with a half a dozen passengers. The patients that had dropped by to get pills for nausea seemed to catch her mood and were quick to leave. Now the day was done. Everyone had probably gone to bed already, but she planned to stay in the medical bay late again. What she wanted, though, was to go back to her bed and sulk at the unfair turn of events.

Rubbing at her temples Ino sighed. I need more coffee. She grabbed a mug, and headed for the mess hall. She had expected it to be empty, but it seemed someone else had the same idea as her. At seeing who it was, Ino turned around to leave, but she had been noticed.

"You got a problem, woman?" Kisame asked, leaning against the counter. There was a smug grin on his face.

Bastard. Ino turned around, prepared for a confrontation, but she just sighed. "No, no problem." She wasn't in the mood to get into verbal spat.

Ino made her way to the coffee machine, ignoring how Kisame refused to make room for her. She had to have her hip right against his to get the pot of coffee, only to realize it was empty.

The blonde felt a hollow crash hit the bottom of abdomen. And right next to her, smug as a cat with the cream, Kisame sipped at his full cup of coffee. Like he was rubbing it in.

Ino abandoned her mug, favouring to collapse on a chair at the table. With her head resting on her folded arms the blonde fancied the idea of crying, but the urge faded away. She had never been much of a crier. She hated what it did to her face –her complexion went all blotchy.

Instead she collected herself before she mentioned something. "You know, I got a message from the Captain this morning."

"About what?" Kisame asked. Ino had to give him points – he sounded genuinely surprised.

"About yesterday. You know I was bluffing right? About reporting you to the Captain or the Merchant Board?" Ino stopped herself short from pleading.

The confused look on Kisame's face was still there. "Why-"

"I know you don't like me but do you seriously hate me that much to get me kicked off the ship? To ruin any chances I have of getting a good career? If I screw this up... being a medical officer is all I ever wanted." Ino was pleading this time, hoping he would empathize. Did he understand the magnitude of what he had done? Or did he really not care?

"I didn't-" Kisame started, but Ino interrupted him.

"It's fine, whatever. You won't have to worry about me sticking my nose in your business. If you don't want me treating you then fine. We'll just ignore each other for the rest of voyage, 'kay? Just please tell the Captain that I won't be giving you any reason to complain about me, alright?" Ino suggested, nervously playing with her fingers.

Kisame was seriously irritated by this point. "What the hell is this about, woman?"

Ino was a little perplexed. "Didn't the Captain give you a copy of the audio response?"

"Audio response?" Kisame queried.

The medic dug around in her pocket until she felt her fingers close around something small and cool. The card with the imbedded containing Itachi's damning dialogue. She tossed it on the table as she made to leave. "That's my copy. You can keep it."

She could hear Kisame ready himself to ask something, but she beat him to the punch. "I'm going to bed. Night."

Ino walked out of the mess hall, still feeling the sick twisting in her stomach she had been dealing with all day. The promise of sleep, though, made it a little better.