The light of the lone candle cast shadows across her face and danced in her eyes. It was pitch black outside and a light snowfall drifted down onto the already thin layer of snow. The only sound audible was the shallow breathing of the baby wrapped snug in her arms as she rocked back and forth and hummed lightly to the sleeping child. The baby girl already had thick, straight locks of black hair sprouting from her head and her cheeks were a dark rosy shade that matched her closed eyes. Her little nose scrunched up and her eyelids fluttered while she dreamed.
This was her daughter's first Christmas.
The woman gazed down at the sleeping baby and smiled lightly to herself. It was true that the baby girl had inherited her mother's fair skin and fiery red eyes, but it was already evident that the hair growing on her head was a trait passed down from her father.
The woman brushed a stray black curl behind her ear and gazed beside her at the flickering candle that sat on the side table. Her eyes automatically drifted to the small picture that stood up next to the candle. In the picture she is sitting on a bench next to a tall man who has his arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her head to rest on his chest. He's looking down at her with a soft look in his eyes and she is gazing up at him with a small smile formed at her lips.
It was a candid picture that was given to them as a gift just over a year ago by one of their close friends.
This was her first Christmas without him.
The black-haired woman gazed longingly at the smiling man in the picture and in the softest voice whispered, "Merry Christmas, Asuma."
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and sorry if that was a downer. Review!