XxXx

“So you’re the alien,” Naruto poked Ino inquisitively in the arm.

“Yes,” Ino blinked then poked Naruto back just as fascinated. Naruto laughed loudly and clapped Ino on the back “I like you!” He declared sitting down beside her at breakfast.

Sakura glowered at him but he just ignored her. She lost interest in glaring at him too tired to keep up the level of irration needed to stay mad at the blonde. The doors to the breakfast hall whoosed open and her attention was grabbed by Temari storming in. Temari took one look at their table and saw Ino before stomping over to the corner to sit on her own.

“Ino, about Shika, why aren’t you taking care of him?” Sakura asked “surely it would be better for him to be around someone he knows?”

Ino frowned “I feel deep regret that I cannot care for my friends child but he is a half breed. I have no idea how to look after his human side. On my planet he had to be isolated as he could not be allowed to play with the other children.”

“Is he sick?” Sakura asked concerned.

“No but he has DNA that is different. My species reproduce by absorbing the DNA of other aliens and transforming to their species. Due to my closeness with Shikamaru I muted involuntary which put my in my current predicament. If the children on my home where to play with Tan he would make them transform well before their maturity. This is against many of our cultures and so he was kept away. Temari was who Shikamaru chose to look after him in case of his death.” Ino said sadly.

“That’s not fair,” Sakura said.

“Yet it still is,” Ino said.

“I have a few private exams to do this morning,” Sakura said changing the subject “why don’t you come by this afternoon and we’ll start basic first aid?” She didn’t wait for Ino’s agreement before she left.

Ino sat and poked at her cereal for a moment longer before she became aware that Naruto was staring intently at her. “Yes?”

“You talk funny,” Naruto said rudely.

Ino frowned “I’m speaking earthling.”

“Yeah but it’s way to, I don’t know,” Naruto swirled his hand around in the air trying to snatch out an adjective “proper! You speak to good!”

“And that is bad?” Ino asked confused.

“Yes,” Naruto nodded “but don’t worry, I’ll fix that!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria.

XxXx

Sakura dragged herself into her quarters sluggish and annoyed. Ino had never turned up for her shift and it seemed like the ship was filled with hypochondriacs who thought they need the ships doctor at every sneeze. The doors to her quarters whoosed open and she was attacked by preppy pop music blaring loudly.

“What the hell?!” She yelled as Naruto and Ino pranced about the living room. She went over to the stereo and shut the music off.

“Aw,” Naruto grumbled.

“Turn it back on!” Ino said eagerly “I’m grooving to the mix!”

Sakura frowned and stared at the alien strangely. It clicked in her head and she turned to glare savagely at Naruto “what did you do?!”

“I just helped her a little!” Naruto protested his innocence shuffling towards the door just in case. “She was talking funny and wanted to learn more about us anyway so-”

“You cut work in order to party with the alien?!” Sakura advanced on Naruto with fire in her eyes.

“Got to go!” Naruto ran out nearly falling in his eagerness to escape.

Sakura just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was too tired to run after the little blonde monkey. The music blasted out abruptly as Ino went back to dancing. The happy throbbing beat seem to drill into her already sore head and she savagely turned the music off again. Ino stopped mid dance and turned to glare at her. She reached out slowly and deliberately intent on putting the music back on. Sakura slapped her hands and she jerked away in shock.

The aliens eyes narrowed and she lunged for the stereo. Sakura was in no mood to be disobeyed and moved to stop the blonde. They crashed into each other trying to stop the other from getting to the stereo.

“Get off me!” Sakura yelled.

“Let go of me!” Ino retorted kicking out with her leg.

Sakura sank her teeth deeply into the violent clave in a moment of petulance. Ino yelled and the struggle was taken up a notch. Ino punched the doctor widely and her fist smashed into the other womans forehead. Sakura reeled back and crashed into the stereo. A loud screeching warbled from the speakers and they both covered their ears in shock.

“What is that horrible noise?!” Ino yelled appalled at the torture inflicted on her ears.

“It’s boy bands circa the 90s!” Sakura yelled back just as appalled.

“You win! You win!” Ino said desperately trying to block out the sound. “Just make it stop!”

Sakura was frantically trying to shut the stero off but found to her horror that she couldn’t. “You broke it!” She spat annoyed.

“You where the one that was being a bitch!” Ino yelled and the curse sounded odd as she didn’t fully know what it meant.

“Bitch?!” Sakura yelled indignant “oh that’s it!” She lunched herself back at the alien. Ino had time to narrow her eyes before grabbing two chunks of pink hair.

“It’s on like Donkey Kon!” She yelled Naruto’s famous battle cry and tore at the doctor.

XxXx

Tsunade looked deathly serious as she stared fixedly at the bruised and battered pair. “Did my security staff really have to burst into your room and separate your death match brawl to the sound of N’sync’s Bye Bye Bye?!”

Ino and Sakrua shifted quietly but couldn’t look at the captain. Sakura’s hair was sticking out in all directions and her uniform was ripped and hanging off her shoulder. Ino’s own borrowed clothes where rumpled and torn with some small blood stains from her bloody lip. Sakura’s eye was in the early stages of bruising and both had their fair share of welts and bumps.

“It was actually to it’s ganna be me,” Sakura said just to break the silence. She could feel the volcanic rage inside the captain roar as the older woman slammed her hands on the table and catapulted to her feet.

“Do you think I care?!” She yelled “I leave you alone together for less than a day and you nearly kill each other! Did you forget that you’re full grown women!?”

“Actually I’m not fully grown...” Ino tried to defend herself but withered under the captains force 10 glare. She tried her best to shrink into herself.

“If I so much as catch you two giving each other a dirty look I’m going to through you out an airlock!” Tsunade raged. “No wages for you this week! Now get out of my sight!”

The two scampered away like children and didn’t stop running until they were safely in the elevator. They lay panting against the wall.

“I’m sorry,” Ino said as the silence dragged on.

“I’m sorry too,” Sakura said feeling ashamed of her behaviour. She then looked at Ino and frowned “I’m especially sorry because you’re wearing my shirt.”

Ino shrugged helplessly.

XxXx

“The alien planet is about two weeks away,” Temari said to Hinata.

“What do you plan on doing?” Hinata asked then reached across the table to where Tan was sitting silently beside Temari. She smiled at the little boy who kept casting nervous glances at the blonde. He smiled tentatively back at her.

“Get some stupid animals for my dads game and go back home,” Temari said.

“You know what I meant,” Hinata said.

Temari frowned and looked down at her little shadow. He ducked away and stared fixedly at his plate. She had decided that if everyone was going to push him on her she was going to take it. She had loved Shikamaru deeply and owed him that at least. She would take care of him until they got home where she could dump him in a private school that raised kids of rich families that didn’t want them. He would have everything he ever wanted. The idea while great to her just didn’t sound right when she told other people so she instead just shrugged.

“Why don’t you come by my quarters after work?” Hinata talked to the boy directly. He seemed startled at being addressed. “Temari is such a boring grown up,” Hinata scowled playfully at the blonde. “I bet she doesn’t have any games to play?” The boy shook his head slightly and Hinata’s smile widened “see? Bring him by after we get off and we’ll have a play date.”

“You need another kid for that,” Temari rolled her eyes.

“So, I’ll invite Naruto,” Hinata grinned at the involuntary laugh Temari gave. She nodded and agreed to the plan. Excitement sparked in the blondes face as she quickly motioned for Hinata to turn around. Sakura and Ino had just entered the cafeteria and as one Hinata and Temari they sang “oh Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine, you blow my mind, hey Mickey!”

Sakura’s face immediately flushed red as most of the cafeteria joined in. She balled her hands into fists “it was the N’sync!” She snapped before turning and storming off her wounded dignity left to drag itself after her.

XxXx

Tsunade was humming along to the tune in her head as she went over some paperwork. She looked up as Shizune started to laugh. “What?”

“That’s an old tune,” She grinned “I think my great grandmother listened to that.”

“My mum loved old music,” Tsunade confessed. “She would embarrass us all the time by singing it.”

“I know what you mean. My mum liked this really obscure band from the dark ages,” Shizune rolled her eyes as she went to sit down in front of the captains chair.

“Who where they?” Tsunade asked with a grin.

“Bewitched,” Shizune rolled her eyes then became defensive at the horrified look on Tsunade’s face “I said they where bad! Besides she only liked them because they where Irish.”

“Yeah but the Irish can’t sing,” Tsunade stated.

“Yeah they can, look at Saint Bono,” Shizune pointed out.

“Exactly,” Tsunade said “you don’t actually think he was good do you?”

Shizune glared “you’re on the couch!”

“Oh come on!” Tsunade called after the retreating woman “I change my mind he was great! He didn’t make me want to kill myself at all!”