'I stood alone on a field of grass. The wind rustled my branches, making me whisper and shake with pleasure at the wind's gentle touch.
A little girl ran towards me. She stopped in front of my trunk, reaching up for the fruit that I bore within my leaves. I smiled and rustled my branches just that little bit more. A peach, ripe, plump and golden fell into the little girl's waiting arms. She smiled a smile worthy of all the peaches in the world.
"Ittadakimasu!" she laughed like bells in a summers' day.
She bit into the peach and juice dribbled all over her little hands like honey. She giggled and kept eating, finally sitting down in my shadow.
"Gochisousama. Tree-san, tree-san, arigato!" she said to me, laying down her velvety hair on my bark. I shivered in pleasure at the little girl's joy.
"Sakura?" a voice called. The little girl smiled once more before heading off to her parents. I tried to shout, "Don't go!" for I was afraid that she would never come again.
"Tree-san, I'll come back. I promise," the little girl replied to my silent pleas. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Until then, Itakimasu1. Oh, and by the way, my name is Sakura."
"Itarashii2," I whispered to her.
---
'Seasons passed, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. The little girl, no, Sakura, continued to visit and each time I yielded another one of my peaches to her. In return, she told me of her secrets, her problems and troubles but also of the good times she had. She told me of her rival, Syaoran Li and of her best friend, Tomoyo Daidouji. She told me of her test results and of her special cards, the Sakura cards. She told me of her late mother and her cheerful father.
I watched her grow from a little bud into a blossoming Cherry Blossom. But with age, her visits became less frequent until one day she stopped coming altogether.
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'I waited and waited but she did not come. I was lonely, with nobody to talk to and nobody to smile at. I steadily lost my will to live.
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'But she kept her promise. She came again when I was almost ready to give up and brightened my life once again. This time she came with little children and a man. She looked at me and told me, "This is Syaoran Li, my former rival and happily wedded husband. And those little scavengers down there are my children."
I smiled. From the little bud I once knew, she had bloomed into a beautiful rose. For the first time in many years, I gave my peaches freely. I let them rain down upon the happy couple and children.
"These are my presents to you. May you live long and prosperous lives!" I exalted to the earth and the sky. Sakura looked at me and smiled.
---
'Once again she ceased to come. I was still hopeful though. I knew that one day she would come again.
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'I lost the ability to bear fruits. Many seasons passed and still she did not come. But I never lost hope for a moment.
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'Winter came again. It covered the land with snow. My leaves dropped and I was bare. I felt lonely again. I was tired from my years of life and ready to go to the ultimate end.
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'And then she came. She was just a old lady now, a fading flower. Still her emerald orbs did not fade, nor her smile. Winter was still upon us but somehow she brought to me hope.
"It is Winter, the season of death. But Spring will come again! Look! Even as we speak, new flowers are growing and blooming!" she told me.
I looked. It was true! Everywhere I looked, new flowers were blooming and grass was growing. I looked at my Sakura blossom and smiled.'
---
A ray of light enfolded those two friends. The girl, once little but now an old lady fell down and rested her head upon the Peach tree's trunk. Together they left for the Eternal Spring, which some call Paradise. The light disappeared and so did the girl and tree. All that was left was a ripe peach…
And a little pink blossom.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed my first one-shot! By the way, this story was about a peach tree and little Sakura growing up. It's really special to me because this is the first story that I sat down and thought about before writing. I hope you like it!