Title: Growing
Author: Winter Ashby (rosweldrmr)
Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto & Challenge © kakasakudrabble at LiveJournal
Rating: K+
Word Count: 500 - exactly!
Summary: He watched as she grew.
Authors Notes: Week 1 Theme: Growing.

He imaged that she was his garden.

She started as a seed, fragile, small, and completely dependant.

So he tended to her and taught her how to reach her tiny sprout towards the sun and thrive in the soil.

And she grew.

It seemed like almost over night, she'd become a sapling.

Her soft, pink petals had been cut away and all that was left was the beauty of inner-strength.

He was proud of his fledgling garden.

But she was still small, and tender. So he protected her from the fierce wind that blew in the wake of passing flames.

And she grew.

In his absence, she'd grown different.

Her petals were once again cut short, and he could barely tear his eyes away from her shinning resolve.

Soon, she was tested, and injured, but victorious none-the-less.

In her return, she brought a new kind of growth. She was growing apart from him.

So he pulled her back and agreed to teach her once more how to reach for the sun and live in the soil.

She agreed.

He knew then, she would never be just another leaf in his extended garden, she would always be his beautiful Sakura tree.

In a way, watching her grow almost made him feel like he could grow as well. Even if he was old, and jaded – he looked at her and saw hope for a future where he wouldn't be so alone anymore.

There were many more battles to come, and encounters with the flame who nearly burned her in her youth. So they fought, as a nation divided by destiny and growing in strength. He watched as the gulf that separated them from the wayward flame grew to an insurmountable distance.

He did his part to distract and draw the enemy away. He was a scarecrow after all, watching over his garden of one.

So in the end, she stood victorious, and weeping, over her adversary. But he knew this man was more than just a foe, he had also been a great love lost.

So, he held her in his arms, because he was strong and even if he couldn't protect her forever – he could protect her that night from the nightmares that come when you sleep alone and dream of what he helped destroy. He knew those nightmares all too well.

And she was still growing.

But not away or up; this time she grew in.

He feared that she would never bloom like she had before. He missed her spring petals and the green of her vibrant eyes when the sun caught the spark of life she hid there.

He would not give up on his Sakura tree. So he sat with her, in summer silence and waited for her to return to him.

She put her hand in his and it was so natural he thought he might have always held it.

The following spring she crawled into his bed and kissed his lips.

Then, they grew together.

Pardon my intirusion here at the end, but I am now on my knees begging, begging with tears in my eyes...please, help me!

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BETA wanted!

I am deeply in need of someone who can check over my fics before they go up. I don't need anyone familiar with all the shows I watch or anything like that. All I need is someone who will read over my fics, highlight the problem sections in red and send it back. I will do all of my own editing, I just need fresh eyes who will point out the things I missed. And, this person should be over 17 because I have NC-17 fics that severely need a once over. And I refuse to corrupt innocent children for the sake of grammar. Seriously though... I do have SOME morals!