Thank you so much to Lady Phantasmagoric and Nonexistent Entity for their lovely reviews! Keep it up and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The remainder of the weekend passed relatively smoothly. It was an easy matter for Suki and Shikamaru to smooth over their little fight, passing it off as a sort of sibling argument. Only a few, like Kiba and Ino, suspected the truth, and that was alright with them. Ino had no proof and Kiba was good enough friends with Suki that he wouldn't blab to anyone.

So, about midday on Sunday, the twelve of them packed up their belongings, bid their ancient hostess farewell, and began the trek back to the village. It was just after dusk when they arrived, tired and hungry and ready for their own beds.

Eventually it was only Suki, Shikamaru, and Kiba on the road. They stopped at the crossroads where they would part, and Kiba gave the other man a stern look before ruffling Suki's hair and retreating towards his own home.

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru grumbled, slipping his arm around her waist now that they were alone.

She smiled to herself. He really was the jealous type after all. She couldn't believe she'd taken Ino's catty chatter so seriously. "He's just worried about me, that's all."

"Worried about getting in your pants, maybe," her lover grumbled under his breath. "Seriously, Kiba's got a bit of a reputation as a heartbreaker around here."

Suki laughed. She could see Kiba moving from girl to girl like lightning. She almost felt sorry for the girl he was currently interested in. "I don't think you have to worry about that," she assured him. "Kiba's sort of dating this girl named Chizumi. That's what Hinata said."

Shikamaru frowned. "Chizumi? Really?" he demanded. "Isn't that the one a year younger than us? The one with the huge hooters?"

"I only know her name," Suki said, frowning at all the talk about breasts. "All I know is what I heard from Hinata."

They were nearing the Nara house now. The roof peeked over the tops of the trees, so Shikamaru drew his girlfriend to him and planted a sweet, sensuous kiss on her lips.

"Ah, welcome home!" Yoshino was there to greet them when they got inside, wiping her hands on her usual apron. "How was your trip?"

"It was a lot of fun," Suki answered, making sure to keep an appropriate distance between her and her lover.

Yoshino smiled prettily. "Wonderful. You'll have to tell Shikako and I all about it over dinner. I'm preparing something special to welcome you back! Why don't you go get cleaned up before? I'm sure your trip tired you out."

Shikamaru caught Suki round the waist and drew her into his chest as they ascended the stairs. "We could take a bath together..." he teased in a low, sensuous voice, his breath hot on her neck, sending an erotic shiver down her spine.

"Shikamaru!" Suki was mortified, not only by the fact that Yoshino might overhear them but by the way her body reacted so suddenly to his voice. "Your mother is home!"

He chuckled in a gravelly voice and released her rather reluctantly. "It's alright," he warned her with a wicked smile. "I'll have you all to myself tonight."

Suki blushed in anticipation. Even though they'd spent the entire weekend unsupervised at the hot springs, they hadn't had the chance to be alone together the entire time. There were always interruptions and friends popping up unexpectedly. And sneaking out in the middle of the night had been completely out of the question because Tenten was a very light sleeper. She woke every time Suki got up to go to the bathroom.

It was perhaps an hour and a half later when Shikamaru and Suki reassembled in the kitchen. Shikako had just arrived home from the village center and Yoshino was bringing the platters of takikomi gohan to the table.

"Oh, before I forget," Yoshino said as she took her place at the table, pouring cups of green tea for everyone. "The Okuma-kabuto Festival is taking place at the end of the month in the village to the north of Konoha. The Hokage wanted Suki to experience it, since they don't celebrate it in Taki. Can you take her, Shikamaru? The Hokage will relieve you of your missions for the week, she said."

Shikamaru looked at his mother for a long moment. An entire week alone with Suki? Away from interruptions and nosy friends? "I guess so. How troublesome," he muttered under his breath.

Across the table, Suki struggled to keep her smile under control.

It seemed to take forever for the weeks to pass, bringing with it the time of the Okuma-kabuto Festival in the neighboring village. Suki found herself alarmingly impatient. Shikamaru was often out with his teammates, completing missions. Now that Kiba had fully healed, he, Shino, and Hinata were often gone as well.

As the only chuunin in her circle of friends that wasn't allowed on a real mission, Suki found herself alone more often than not. She took to wandering the streets, learning her way through the village and chatting with the shopkeepers.

And that was how she met Sato Mitsuko.

Mitsuko was a chuunin a year younger than Suki, thin and sensual without even trying. She had masses of reddish-brown hair pulled back into a frizzy ponytail and a demanding demeanor that even Suki wasn't able to resist.

She'd injured her ankle and wasn't allowed on active duty when Suki came across her at the flower shop in town owned by Ino's mother. Mitsuko was arguing rather loudly with Ino's mother about the price of a purplish lily.

"I can't lower the price," the older woman exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation. "The prices are set!"

"That price is outrageous!" the girl practically growled, the two small braids hanging down by her ears swinging.

Ino's mother caught sight of Suki, standing unobtrusively in the doorway. "Ah, Katsuki-san," she sighed in relief. "How can I help you?"

"Why does she get special attention?" the girl spat, turning a glowering gaze towards Suki.

Suki drew herself up to her full height, which was no taller than Mitsuko. "I happen to be the daughter of the Hokage of Konohagakure and the Hero of the Hidden Falls, Yamamoto Katsuki."

The other girl looked at her with pursed lips. She was a stunning beauty, despite her unpleasant attitude. "I'm Sato Mitsuko," she finally said, holding out her hand.

Suki was taken aback by the girl's abruptness, but she shook the hand anyway. Mitsuko wore fishnet gloves from her wrists to just above her elbow, and she wore her ninja headband wrapped around her upper left arm. "Nice to meet you?"

"Indeed." Mitsuko seemed to have forgotten about her anger. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

Suki yanked her hand out of the other girl's. "Wait just a minute," she snapped. "Since when did I agree to go anywhere with you?"

Mitsuko rolled her eyes and slung her arm round Suki's shoulders. "Neither of us are allowed to have any fun, right? So let's go find some fun together!"

And that was how they became friends. After that day, Suki and Mitsuko were practically joined at the hip while her other friends were away.

"I don't know how you're friends with her," Shikamaru complained one evening. He'd just gotten back from his last mission before their trip to the neighboring village, and they were laying in his bed.

Suki snuggled closer, the soft fabric of her sleeping kimono pressed against his bare chest. "You don't even know her," she pointed out lazily, feeling the warm sweet sensation of sleep rush forward to claim her.

"I know about her," Shikamaru muttered. "She was the year below us in the Ninja Academy. She was always loud and obnoxious."

Suki grinned into his shoulder. "You're probably only saying that cause she turned you down when you asked her out. She's gorgeous, after all."

"That's not it," he snapped, and she could tell she'd hit the mark. She chuckled and bit him on the shoulder affectionately.

He smiled and kissed her on the forehead gently, his lips warm and moist and familiar. Suki couldn't believe she'd gone her whole life without knowing that feeling. "Are you excited about the festival?"

"I guess so. It's about the harvest, right? Where priests from the shrines put on a parade?" she queried sleepily. "I'm more excited about spending time with you. You've been gone so much since we got back from the hot spring."

He stroked her hair gently, sensing that she was losing herself to slumber. Then, with his arms still wrapped protectively around her, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep too.

They woke up early the next morning so Suki could sneak back down to her bedroom before Yoshino and Shikako woke up, as she did every morning. After a quick breakfast, Suki and Shikamaru bid Yoshino and Shikako farewell and left the house with their packs slung over their shoulders and an eager feeling in their breasts.

Suki's good mood remained until the sun began to set beyond the western horizon and she realized just how tired she was. "How much further?" she whined, breaking the companionable silence that had fallen between them hours earlier.

"Not much," he answered, pointing in the distance. A vague glow was visible in the orange light of sunset as the town lit their lamps for the evening. "We should be there in another hour or so. Then we can get something to eat and find a place to stay."

Suki didn't answer, the grumbling of her stomach more than enough of a reply. It hadn't been that long since she'd made the strenuous trek from Taki to Konoha, yet she was already completely out of shape. Was it because she followed Mitsuko around all day, being lazy? She decided at once to train regularly with one of her friends when they returned to Konoha.

The village, once they reached it, proved to be roughly the same size as Konoha. It was filled with quaint buildings and shops whose windows were filled with strange things on display from earthen cookware to brightly-colored clothing. The entire village was lit with Chinese lanterns hanging from strings between the lampposts, and the sound of music filled the streets as merrymakers celebrated the upcoming festival a little early.

Though he'd never been to this particular village before, having never had any need to travel anywhere unless it was on a mission, Shikamaru located an inn without difficulty. It was already booked to almost maximum capacity due to the festival, but, with the money Tsunade had given them, the pair were able to purchase a single room on the third floor of the inn.

"You know, I think the old hag probably intended for us to get separate rooms," Suki pointed out dryly as they climbed the steps with their packs.

Shikamaru grinned wickedly. "But if we got separate rooms, I couldn't protect you as easily. What if something were to happen?"

Secretly Suki couldn't wait for something to happen.

They settled into their room, which was a little bare but functional, and went back to the lobby of the inn in search of food. They were both quite hungry by this point, having eaten their lunch about midday along the road.

Suki was almost beside herself with excitement as they returned to their room after dinner had been eaten and paid for, knowing full well what was in store. It seemed like it had been ages since she had last felt his hands on her.

As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, Shikamaru grabbed Suki by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall, stifling her cry with his mouth on hers. He kissed her deeply, sensuously, weeks of pent-up desire fueling him. He ripped furiously at her garments, possibly ripping them. Neither cared.

I know this is a decently pointless chapter, but it was fun. Bleh. Mitsuko is one of my favorite creations, and I don't think I did her real justice in this chapter. Hopefully her character development through the next several chapters will be enough. Please review, even though it's a short chapter! (P.S. my baby boy will be one year old next month! I can't believe it! Time flies so fast!)