It was all over
Title: Memoriam of Roses
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: PG
Word Count: 528
Summary: Seasons wax and wane. Life comes and goes, but the roses will never be the same.
It was all over. The damage was done and he wasn't coming home again. There would never be any more roses.
Shikamaru had ended it, but even his genius couldn't map out the steps to bring him back. It was finished, a head beneath a thousand tons of earth and a name carved on the Memorial Stone. The roses had wilted, and he was gone.
The last thing that he had told her before he left was a hint of what he wished to pass. That he was tired of their covert dance. The one that they had moved in day in and day out. She had known it was silly to act as they did, the whole village had known all along. Shikamaru had known, but then, there was nothing that he could have hid from those sharp eyes. They were going to make it official, but that was a forgone dream now. The winter has come, the roses have died.
Her heart stopped the moment she felt him slip away. He was miles away, on a mission, but the moment his heart stopped moving in his chest, she knew. At that very same moment that his heart stopped, she felt the movement of another. Just a faint stirring, but it was there. The petals have fallen to the ground.
He was gone, but she still had a part of him. There was still one that could carry on his line. This new one would never be able to replace him in her heart, but it was proof of his love. The strength of his love beat strong in this tiny body that looked so much like him. The roses have fallen, but spring has come again.
Laughter filled the yard as a young child sank the sharpened edge of his kunai into the center of the target. Four years had passed since the roses died, and she still left the lights on even though he would never come home again. But even in the graying shadows of sadness, there was light and there was life. He would be proud of the accomplishments that this young one has achieved. He would be so proud. New leaves have unfurled from their cocoon.
Her eyes took in the sight of Shikamaru and the little one playing. They were learning some new application of chakra together. In her mind, it was him and the little boy learning the tools of the shinobi. He would have been such a good father. New life was growing.
Kurenai missed him so much. She missed his gentle presence, his strong hands, and his quiet words. She even missed the curling wisps of smoke that always surrounded him, despite having harped on him about giving up the nasty habit. She missed him greatly, but she was thankful she had more of him to hold than just her memories. She still had his eyes, his smile, and his keen mind, all in the small body of his son—no, their son. Shikamaru would help her teach him all that his father would have, all that Asuma would have. With this one, the roses would bloom again.