title: growth
prompt: #25 - "plant your trees, watch them grow"
summary: the growth cycle of a sprout named sarada, written in five.
i.
Sarada is a mere sprout when they meet her the first time, when they hold her the first time in the garden they built together. Her cheeks are glowing and rosy, and she is so small but so alive and so ready to see the world with her sunbright eyes that shine with every ounce of potential she has.
Sakura smiles and thinks to herself that her daughter is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. She has just sprouted, but Sakura can tell by that single first glance that she will grow tall and strong one day, in a way that would surpass her mother and father and their greatest wishes.
Sasuke can barely manage words when he holds Sarada moments after her birth, and Sakura lifts a hand to his arm to offer comfort in his silence. They quietly agree to shelter her with their own branches and leaves overhead until she is ready to support herself with the roots she will someday grow.
ii.
They glimpse the first flower buds in her hair as she is learning to walk, her still-small hands locked into her theirs. The little buds bounce as she takes her first steps, and for such a young girl, her face holds so much determination.
Sakura watches the first bud bloom as she and Sasuke let her walk forward on her own, her tiny feet paving their own steps, and a whole three more buds blossom as her Sasuke picks her up and twirls her around in pride.
She is growing much faster now; she flowers more day by day, but they still make sure to water her roots because despite her fast growth, they know she still needs them.
iii.
Sasuke has been gone for years and years, but Sarada has grown so much in his leave. The petals of her flowers are vibrant in color, stems stronger than ever, roots claiming the sturdiest of holds on the ground. She has been able to stand on her own for a while now, but in Sakura's eyes, she is still a small sprout, and she hasn't changed her mind about the way she thinks she is the most beautiful plant in the garden.
But Sakura's sprout has a few weeds in her hair now, around her wrists, tied across her ankles.
Sakura's heart pangs as her daughter demands answers, and there is anger, distrust in her voice. There is still light in her eyes, but it shines differently now.
Sakura's eyes soften, and she pulls Sarada closer until she calms, pulling the dandelions and clovers from her skin so they will not steal the nutrients that she needs. She finds a single four leaf clover hidden in her hair and gives it to Sarada for good luck.
iv.
Sasuke is there for Sarada's chuunin exams, and Sarada has never looked more resilient. Her roots are so stable that even the harshest of winds will not sway her, and the bark keeping her upright makes sure she is always standing tall, her leaves touching to the sky.
Sasuke has never seen a plant breathe flames, but his daughter can, and the fire in her eyes is so alive that he knows he could never doubt the person she would become one day.
When the battle ends, her eyes return to their natural color as she wills away the flames, and she steps forward to help her beaten opponent to their feet again. She plucks a few flowers from her roots and presses them into their hands.
v.
When Sarada is crowned Hokage many years in the future, her flowers are brighter than they have ever been. Sakura tries her best not to cry throughout the ceremony, and Sasuke is admittedly right there with her, repetitively dabbing at his eyes when he thinks no one is watching.
But Sarada notices, her face alight with her Papa's eyes and her Mama's smile.
Her branches have grown out so far that she knows she can shelter both her parents and her village both, though, so she has no worries. She tells Sasuke and Sakura that she will continue to grow alongside them no matter how far she is replanted or what sort of weather is to come, and when they pull her into their arms, she knows that they believe her.