A.N.: So, this story has gone without an update for quite some time... The last time being January 18th. I feel terrible about how long it's taking me to write simple chapters and updates, but life is finally catching up to me, and causing some serious issues with my updating schedule. So, I'm deeply sorry to all of my readers, and I hope to update a few different times this month on all of my chapter fics, and maybe start a new one.

Thanks so much for being so incredibly patient with me!

Kurenai

Kurenai wasn't a very emotional person; far from it really, but that all changed when he died... Her husband, lover and best friend Asuma Sarutobi. She kept her emotions bottled up, kept her tears locked away from curious eyes and refused to show weakness in front of her own team.

Today she's been sitting in her living room, idly looking at a picture of her and Asuma that rested listlessly in her delicate fingers. She gently traced her index finger over the outline of his face, taking in the warm smile and the ever present cigarette that hung between his lips. She smiled sadly as she remembered the pungent smell of nicotine that clung to his flak jacket, the way he smiled at her when they were alone, the way that he kissed her neck so softly as if he feared breaking her. She couldn't stop the tears that now fell down her porcelain cheeks, staining the skin with the tracks it left behind. She gently placed the picture down on her coffee table and curled up on the couch, holding her abdomen in her arms and letting her tears fall onto the pillow her head rested on.

He was gone and never coming back... All she held now were the memories that she keeps inside and the baby she now carried that would never know its father.

Hinata

Hinata was a shy girl, but she was very good at helping people, regardless of her minor setback. She cared deeply for her comrades and friends, and would do anything to make sure that they were happy or content. She'd noticed Kurenai looked different since she'd found out that Asuma had been killed by that Akatsuki member Hidan, and she had taken it upon herself to go to Kurenai's home and personally check in on her.

She was currently walking down the landing towards her sensei's home with a plate of homemade sugar cookies in her hands. She knew her sensei didn't personally love sweets, but she did like them on occasion, and with how she had looked the past few days after finding out about Asuma, she may take the small offering that Hinata was carrying.

She stopped outside of Kurenai's apartment and gently knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she moved her hand to knock again, but stopped mid-swing when she heard a strangled sob escape from her sensei. She immediately disregarded knocking again and quickly walked through the door, placing the cookies down on the table and immediately going over to comfort her emotionally distressed teacher. The older woman practically fell into her arms, and she gently rocked her teacher to comfort her.

"Kurenai-sensei..." She whispered faintly; delicately.

"I'm sorry... That you have to see me like this..." Kurenai responded softly, her face buried in the crook of Hinata's neck.

Hinata gently shifted herself so that she was sitting on the couch next to Kurenai, but she continued to hold her broken sensei in her arms; just like a mother comforting her child. She ran her fingers softly through Kurenai's disheveled ebony hair, tucking a strand behind her ear before bringing her hand back to clasp Kurenai's own shaking one in hers.

"Kurenai-sensei, it's okay to cry. You've kept your emotions bottled up for too long..." Hinata said as her lavender eyes gazed into Kurenai's crimson ones.

"I know... But I can't let him go..." She responded softly, clenching Hinata's hand for a moment.

Hinata pulled her close again and just held her teacher close to her. They didn't need words shared between the two of them. Hinata knew what her sensei was feeling, as she had lost her mother at a young age, so she was very familiar with the feeling of loss and regret. The thing that struck both women is that they never got the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones before they passed on.

Kurenai yawned and pulled herself away from Hinata, who, taking the hint, helped her sensei into her bedroom and bid her farewell and a good night's sleep.

Stepping back into the living room, Hinata took the plate of cookies and brought them into the kitchen, placed them on the counter, and then left the apartment. She walked down the darkened streets of Konoha and back towards her clan compound. It had been a long day and the young heiress was ready to sleep herself.

Kurenai

Kurenai had just changed into one of Asuma's old tank-tops and a pair of his shorts that he'd left at her apartment. She took in the smell of his cigarettes and sighed sadly as she walked into the kitchen for a glass of milk before bed. She saw the plate that Hinata had left, and she took one of the handmade cookies and nibbled on it.

Her eyes were downcast as she ate, but she wasn't staring at the floor; she was staring at her abdomen. When she finished her cookie and discarded her empty glass into the sink, she walked back into her bedroom, laid down on her bed and placed her hands on her stomach.

"My precious little one... I'm so sorry that you'll never meet your father."

She covered herself with her quilt and snuggled deep into the comfort of the blanket and her pillows; her left hand was still draped over her abdomen.

"You may not be able to meet him, but I will share my most precious memories of him with you..."

She slowly fell into a deep, peaceful slumber; Asuma was with her in her dreams that night.