A/N: I cried when I wrote this. You have been warned.
Dedicated to my best friend, Bailey, who today wrote "Gaara was here" on a desk. Luv you!
oOo
It's funny, the things that you remember.
Kurenai remembers consoling Hinata.
Hinata had been left behind by her family. "I'm not good enough to be a ninja, Kurenai-sensei! Not even under your training!" The girl had cried, hiding her pretty face in her hands. Kurenai remembers hugging the young Hyuga girl to her chest. She remembers telling Hinata exactly what she thought about her family!
"You are not what you think you are, Hinata!" Kurenai growled. She scrunched up her forehead in dislike. "You could be a great ninja. You just need to train!" Kurenai remembers being outraged that Hinata's family could treat the shy little girl this way.
Kurenai remembers meeting Shino.
He was a quiet boy, far too quiet. Kurenai remembers asking him questions, trying to get to know him, trying to get him to be more sociable. "What's your name?" she had asked.
"Shino."
"Last name?"
"Tell me your name first."
The woman sighed. "Yuhi Kurenai."
"Oh. That's nice."
Kurenai looks back on that first meeting and laughs now. Shino since had become a bright boy and a hard fighter.
Kurenai remembers talking to Kiba.
She remembers seeing him sitting alone in the forest, with only his dog, Akumaru, curled into a little cream colored ball on his lap. She remembers sitting next to the boy. "What are you doing, Kiba?"
"Nothing. Relaxing." He had said, stroking Akumaru's bright, healthy fur. He hadn't even turned to look at his sensei and his eyes remained closed.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded, leaning her head against his. He shifted slightly.
Kurenai remembers him turning to her, looking into her eyes. Kurenai had always thought that Kiba's black eyes were pretty.
Kurenai remembers the feeling of cold rain drops running down her face, washing off the faint trace of makeup she had been wearing. The sky clouded over, and a few more water drops sprinkled like fallen tears onto the ground. Akumaru squealed in displeasure as a drop his his nose, and Kiba hugged him closer.
Kurenai remembers the feeling of Kiba's coat as he draped it over her shoulders, protecting her clothes and arms from the now heavily falling rain. She remembers feeling herself blush at the younger boy's touch. She remembers the soft touch of his arm as he entwined it with hers to escort her home.
Kurenai remembers the feeling of Kiba's lips as she pressed her own against them. She remembers the feeling of his fingers running through her long black hair. She remembers the glint in his eyes as he pulls away.
Kurenai bows her head in deepest respect, overwhelmed by every moment she had spent with Kiba. A bark sounds sharply, and Kurenai turns from the grave where the boy was laid to rest. "Akumaru." she murmurs grimly, scooping up the dog in her arms and burying her face in his warm fur to hide her tears. "Why...if he hadn't insisted on an A ranked mission..." Lifting her head, she allows her tears to fall freely.
Kurenai is not afraid to cry for Inuzuka Kiba. "He was a great ninja..."
A girl with shoulder length indigo hair approaches the mourning Kurenai. "Kurenai-sensei..." The 16 year old bows her head. "You loved him, didn't you, Kurenai-sensei?"
Kurenai forces a smile. "I loved him, Hinata."
oOo
A/N: I feel special now. :)