Chapter 3: First time

It was a peaceful evening in Konohagakure as the sun cast it's last rays of the day over the sleepy village, it was peaceful and relaxing for one kunoichi in particular as she lay on the sofa with a good book in her hands; the breeze from the open window gently moving the women's long hair, welcoming her home after the long mission.

It had been two days since Mami had woken from her slumber and she was enjoying the peace and quiet while she could, she had spent the last two days writing the report that could've been done in seven words; I went, I saw, he wasn't there, Mami also spent some time with her new nephew Hiroto.

Mami sighed thinking back to spending the whole day with the Hokage explaining what she saw, what she did and if there were any leads to follow, sadly there wasn't.

The kunoichi breathed deeply though her nose taking in the soft peach smell of her flat with just a hint of dog in the background, it had been too long since Mami had last been here, taking in the soft sun as she relaxed with a good book in her hands.

The flat was small but simple, it was a one bed roomed apartment with an open plan kitchen/living area and a small bathroom; the kitchen and living area were separated by a countertop also known as a breakfast bar. The kitchen had been decorated with light greys and blues with a dash of white thrown in, the floor was made of light grey tiles that formed a small pattern, the tops were also a light grey but the cabinets were a light shade of white that was more like ivory and the walls were made of grey, blue and white tiles; the plan was simple but it worked well.

The bathroom was also a small and simple room, it had a sink, bath/shower and a toilet which were white; all a kunoichi would need, the walls were painted a light lavender with a light blue woodwork.

The bedroom was a bit bigger then one would expect in a flat this size, Mami could get her bed; which was bigger then a single but smaller then a double into the corner of the room along with a bedside table, a chest of draws, a small built in wardrobe and her desk, the walls were painted a light ivory but the floor was covered in a rich red carpet that was snuggle worthy, the furniture was all made of a light wood that was strong and sturdy.

The last room; but Mamis favourite was the living room, it had a thick plush royal blue carpet with light cream walls. The room wasn't really big but there was enough room for a sofa, a coffee table and a medium sized bookcase. The sofa was really a two seater but it was big enough to fit three medium people on, it was made of a strong wooden frame and covered in the softest padding you could think off with a light blue cover, the coffee table was made out of the same light wood as the bedroom furniture along with the bookshelf that was full of Mamis most read books; the ones she wouldn't read again or didn't like got pasted on for others to read.

As soon as the tired female shinobi got back from her long day with the Hokage Mami ran a hot steaming bubble bath and soaked in it's delight, it was a good hour before she climbed out of the bath and got dressed for the night, she wore a dark blue tank top with a pair of long black cotton bottoms.

Mami couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Shikamaru when she had first woken from her sleep; to which she found she had been out for two days straight, there was Shikamaru sitting in the middle of her small kitchen with a pan on his head, Naoki was sniffing around the man picking any stray bits of food that were all over the countertops. By the end of the incident Mami found that Shikamaru couldn't cook for toffee so she offered to give him some lessons, he was rather pleased and happily took the offer; Shikamaru would be coming over in two days for his first lesson.

It was as Mami enjoyed the suns last rays flittering threw the window when there was a load bang at her door making the kunoichi jump out of her skin, Naoki jumped from his spot by the sofa to leap at the door waiting for his mistress to open it. Mami knew she was safe in her home village but the sudden loudness still caused her to worry, slowly so not to made a sound the female shinobi threw on her dressing gown before creping towards the door and gently creaked the door open, what Mami saw was the thing she least expected.

"Hi baby doll…" Isamu greeted making Mami shiver at the stupid pet name "…fancy coming out with me tonight?" The man looked Mami up and down with lust filled grey eyes, the women was too shocked to answer; how the hell did he know where she lived.

"No thanks…" Mami stuttered as she played with the tie of her dressing gown "…I'm having a quiet night in tonight" She hinted for Isamu to go away by trying to close the door but the big lug put his foot in the way stopping the wooden door from closing.

"But you never know, this might be your lucky night" Isamu whispered as he wiggled his blonde eyebrows and flexed his huge arm muscles.

"What do you mean it could be my lucky night?" Mami asked as Naoki poked his fluffy head round the door, he grumbled at the guest and then sat back on his hunches; he must have hoped it was someone else at the door.

"Well…" Isamu winked as he brushed his floppy blonde hair back "…this could be your chance to hock up with me and maybe it could lead to somewhere else" His sickly charm might work on some of the brainless dodos of this village but not Mami.

"Get lost" She growled before slamming the door on his foot, when the moron hopped around and howled in pain she slammed the wood shut and stormed away from the door; she just couldn't believe the nerve of that guy.

With a frustrated sigh Mami threw herself onto the sofa and looked around her small flat, it was small compared to some places she had seen but it had served her well for the past two years when she had first moved out of her childhood home.

All around the flat there were signs of who lived here, there were pictures of the female shinobi and her family dotted around the place; Mami even had a wall in her bedroom covered in pictures of her friends; she didn't have any her own age but she didn't care. There were trinkets all over the place, items that showed the little quirks that Mami had, it was her space and her space alone; once again Mami snuggled into her favourite spot on the sofa and got back to reading her book, as she relaxed Naoki trotted over and spread out of the floor beside his mistress.

The next hour ticked by as Mami turned page after page of her book and Naoki happily snored away on the floor, Mami smiled at the silence before once again being interrupted by a load knock on the door; Mami sighed as Naoki leapt up and rushed to the door, his mistress dragging her heels as she followed.

"Mami…" A ruff voice called though the thick wood "…you in?" Realising who it was on the other side Mami hurried towards the door and nearly falling over in her haste, once there she tugged at the door to until it opened for her to see Shikamarus bloody face.

"Oh god…" Mami gasped as she ushered the hurt shinobi into the flat, she closed the door with the back of her heel before supporting some of Shikamarus weight and helping him to stagger towards the bathroom "…what happened?" As carefully as she could Mami sat Shikamaru onto the lip of the bath, once he was steady Mami quickly whipped the first aid box out of its hiding place and opened the big white box.

"Nothing really" The male dismissed as Mami rummaged around in the box as she looked for the antiseptic wipes, with a huff she found them and ripped the packaging open, she had done this sort of thing many times before and with Sakura teaching her it was a snap.

"Really?" The kunoichi asked with a raised eyebrow as here eyes locked onto Shikamarus. He shrugged his shoulders in response as Mami started to wipe the smeared blood away from his face, her hands were steady and worked quickly as she remembered her basic aid training.

"I'm…no…" Shikamaru sighed as Naoki shoved his way into the small bathroom to see what all the commotion was all about, his body taking up the rest of the space in the room "…something did happen but it's all sorted"

"Are you going to tell me?" Mami half asked as Naoki pined in sympathy, his big eyes looked up at the hurt Shikamaru as he pinned again, he got a quick rub behind the ears in reassurance. With the dry blood gone from obstructing her view Mami could see there was a small cut above Shikamarus right eyebrow and a gash along his left cheek, they looked nasty but nothing serious.

"You don't want to know" Shikamaru dismissed with a wave of his hand as he looked down at his feet, he looked just like a child in trouble with their mother as he wiggled his feet about. Mami let out a small giggle as she once again rummaged round in the first aid kit.

"Tell me anyway and besides I would like to know" Shikamaru let out a deep sigh as he continued to look down at his feet, slowly he lifted his head but his eyes darted from place to place, refusing to look Mami right in the eye. Mami gave him the kindest smile she could manage as she continued to rummage around, he quickly looked back down at his feet before he hesitantly explained.

"Me and the guys were out for a drink, we were about to get the second round when Isamu walked in…" Mami tensed, this didn't sound good "…he looked…ouch" Shikamaru moved away from the rough treatment he was receiving from a half listening Mami and nearly fell into the white bathtub, he looked a little shocked for a moment as his hand went to touch the tender flesh.

"Oh…" Mami exclaimed when she realised she was being a bit to rough with cleaning the cuts "…sorry" Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she threw away the blood covered wipe and got out a fresh one.

"Don't worry about it…anyway when Isamu walks in the guys left leaving me with the bill as always. As I pay up Isamu comes over to the bar with a face like thunder and starts off on one, he starts calling this women a slut and a bitch saying she is a waste of space and should have never been found…" A pair of deep brown eyes looked up at Mami with a shame hidden within their chocolate depths "…he rated on like there was no tomorrow and when he said your name I…I…I lost my temper"

"You got in a fight with him over me…didn't you?" Mami whispered in disbelief as her hands quickly finished coving the cuts on the mans face, her face was blank so Shikamaru couldn't tell what she was feeling, that worried him the most.

"Yes" Shikamaru whispered back, his eyes trying to pick up on any movement Mamis face might make.

"You can't do that you know…" Shikamaru gazed up looking confused and a little insulted as Mami gently took his face in her hands, she had a small smile on her face as her beast like eyes looked at him "…you can't fight everyone who says a bad word about me, if you did then we would never see the end of the line. I have always been picked on and I've excepted that but it's not your battle, it's mine" Mami explained full heartedly.

"Mami…" Shikamaru called as he placed his warm hands over Mamis, he could feel her heat on his cheeks and his palms and the tired to explain "…do you remember the moment we first met? I have defended your every move from that moment on, what makes you think I'm going to stop now?"

"But your hurt because of me" Mami explained desperately as he fingertips gently bushed along his skin.

"And…I don't care"

"But…" Mami tired hoping Shikamaru would understand but she never got to make her point, with a look of determination on his face Shikamaru moved one of his hands around to the back of her smooth neck, his fingers whispered up her neck until they reached the base of her skull. With a quick warning smile Shikamaru pulled Mami in for a kiss, their lips met for only the briefest of moments before he pulled away.

"Don't say another word Mami, I will fight you on this one. I have and always will fight for you and there is nothing you can say that will stop me, it's best for both of us if you just relax and except that, it will only stress us out more if you don't" Their breath danced together as the two pressed their foreheads together, Shikamarus hand keeping them in place as their dark eyes looked at each other. Silence ticked by as the two stayed there, one on the edge of the bath while the other knelt on the floor, they were both shocked at the chain of events but neither of them wanted to move. It was Mami who moved first, her eyes darted down for a second before they looked back up, her lips tugged into a small smile as she started to speck.

"Please…" Once again Shikamaru stopped the words coming out of her mouth by placing a kiss to Mamis lips, this time it lasted a little longer.

"Stop it" Shikamaru whispered as he pulled away, his lips not moving far as they ghosted over hers, he would not listen to Mami putting herself down.

"But…" Shikamaru didn't give up his point and kissed Mami again as she tried to speck, the women looked a little frustrated as the shinobi pulled away.

"No"

"I was…" When Shikamaru tried to kiss her again Mami shifted out the way preventing the shinobi's lips from coming into contact with hers "…I was trying to ask if you meant it?"

"Meant what?" Shikamaru asked confused as Mamis cheeks blushed a deep shade of red as she looked down at her twisting fingers, a sign that she was nervous.

"Did these kisses mean anything…to you?" Mami whispered as the red on her cheeks got even deeper. This wasn't want Shikamaru was expecting out of her mouth, he looked a little shocked and really embarrassed, why did he do it. He open and closed his mouth several times as his mouth felt as dry as a desert, he couldn't get the words out and it looked like he was doing a fish impression, it made him feel stupid.

"I…I mean…well…I…"

"Yes…" Mami prompted. Each word Shikamaru stuttered started a different sentence, he didn't know what to say, what could he say? In his haste to say something three words came out of his mouth, not the ones he wanted though but they were words all the same.

"I better go" His body moved of it's own accorded as he stood up, he weaved around the living obstacles in the bathroom before walking right of the door leaving Mami feeling confused.

She blinked once when Shikamaru left the room and it took that long for her brain to soak this information in, quickly she packed away the first aid kit and then rushed out to hear the front door opening and a pair of foot steps leaving.

Mami didn't know what was happening with Shikamaru, he was acting strange and she wanted to know why. The two had been close for years, almost as close as Shikamaru and Choji so Mami picked up on every little change the man showed.

What was going on?

Mami had no time to ponder what had happened when the door closed with a soft click, the male in question walked back into view as she strolled over to Mami, he had a look of fierce determination on his face as he strolled over to the confused kunoichi standing in her living room.

"Shikamaru what's going on?" Shikamaru didn't answer the question with any words to which Mami was a little insulted but he did answer her in a different way. Instead of using words Shikamaru walked right up to Mami and pulled her slender body to his, their toned bodies pressed against one another as Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, with a small smile he lowered his head and pressed his lips to Mamis. The two stood there in the embrace both confused as hell but really happy at the same time.

"I need to say this now before I loose my nerve. I like you Mami, I mean really like you, have done for a while…" Shikamaru pressed a gentle kiss to Mamis forehead with a small smile on his lips as he clutched the women to him "…it's been a drag as I have wanted to ask you for a while but I couldn't pluck up the courage. Yes I did mean every word I said and yes I do like you, please say that you will go out with me" Shikamaru tightly held onto Mami as they stood there in the middle of her living area in half hug thing.

Mami stayed silent for a minute or two as her mind ticked over, a word sprang instantly to mind but her mouth couldn't form the word, her brain had to tick this one over before it allowed her to talk and when she did it was the one word that made both their hearts leap.

"Yes"