A/N: I want to thank everyone who voted for me to keep me in the race! Thank you so much! +hugs+ much love to you all. Second story for the Edgar Allan Poe Challenge. I want to apologize in advance since this piece isn't beta'ed yet, so sorry for any mistakes on my part.

Special thanks to my philosopher teacher. Our discussion of real life and dreams really helped writing this piece.

Summary: Sakura ponders if this is just a dream or not.

Living a Dream

Marriage was one thing Sakura never thought it would happen to her. Sure, back when she still was a teen she dreamed of being Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha. They would live in the grand Uchiha compound, her sitting on the porch in their backyard, their newest member of the family slumbering in her arms while she watched her husband teaching his sons. She saw it all before her, her long and happy life as an Uchiha.

But then everything went downhill during the chuunin exams. The Third had died, Sasuke deserted the village, Akatsuki hunting down every Jinchuuriki for their own purposes. She couldn't hold onto her childish ways and dreams anymore. The world needed a headstrong kunoichi who could hold her battle on her own. She needed to grow up.

And that was exactly what she did. Training from dusk to dawn. Eager to prove her worth towards the village. She wasn't just a bookworm with abnormal chakra control who tried to make her living by being a ninja of the Leaf. No. She was Haruno Sakura. A girl talented with medical ninjutsu, a knack for battle strategies and recognizing things other people needed more time for, chakra control and genjutsu. She made sure that she was someone her village could be proud of. Now after all that training, she could hold her own, carry her own weight in the team she was assigned with. Something she failed to do before.

Then before she knew it, years had passed. Her old childhood dreams were caked with dust, lying in a forgotten corner within her mind. Instead her head was filled with everything that could help Konoha. From medical knowledge, to battle strategies to millions of ways to counterattack or kill her opponents. Her hometown was rebuild once more after being turned to ruins. Slowly Konoha started to crawl back to the glories days from old. All under the direction and guidance from Kakashi, whom had taken the heavy task of sixth Hokage upon his shoulders. Konoha emerged stronger and better than ever before.

Naruto kept on training, improving himself until he was deemed worthy enough to take the reins out of his former Sensei's hands. But instead of having Jiraiya by his side as travelling partner, mentor and companion, may Kami have his soul, he found someone to share the rest of his life with. Supporting and encouraging him just as much Jiraiya once had done.

Back at Pein's invasion, Hinata almost gave her life for him. Muttering words with (what she assumed to be) her last breath that reached and hit his heart straight on. He finally opened his eyes towards her sweet and gentle affection she showered him with since the academy. After everything had settled down, he surprised Hinata to ask her out on a date.

Sakura thought it was a bittersweet ending for the two. She knew about the love Hinata held for her teammate. In fact, she tried to stir Naruto in her direction by pointing it out to Naruto several times in a subtle way. Trying to make him think of Hinata the same way he was thinking about her. Being the knucklehead he was, he stayed oblivious much to Sakura's chagrin.

Now at the age of twenty-four, the two were happily married, their first born on the way. It seemed that everyone of the Rookie nine had started to settle down. Lee, after many years showering her with his undying affection and love, ramblings of the power of youth and how great they could be together, had turned towards his female teammate Tenten, whom secretly loved him all along. Neji became the head of the Hyuuga clan, marrying a distant cousin to keep the main branch pure. Shikamaru searched his love abroad, setting his eyes on a feisty Sand kunoichi named Temari. Ino turned towards Choji, Kiba settled down with a sweet civilian girl. Sakura watched her friends find their love of their lives, happy that they found after all that misery their happy ending.

In her mind she settled with the fact she would always be the bridesmaid, never the bride. In her eyes she held that opportunity with Sasuke and failed miserably. So she thought she was destined to be alone. Never did she think Kami had other plans for her.

Now, at the age of twenty-six, Sakura sat deeply flustered in her chair. The pink blush that stained her cheeks rivaling her pink locks that was curled up in a elegant yet playful bun. She hit her embarrassed smile with her left hand, a newly added accessory glistering happily around her ring finger. Her emerald eyes were casted towards the large lump, she knew to be her husband, move beneath her wedding dress.

Her cheeks flushed even brighter as she could feel his heated breath against her skin. His masked lips ghosted over her skin, making her twitch on her spot. She sighed as he pressed a briefly kiss on her skin, nuzzling the spot before he moved towards his target. Cloth-covered teeth scrapped against her thigh before it grabbed the white satin garter. She let out a shuddering breath as he pulled the garter along with his teeth, passed her knees and down her ankles before he emerged.

He was greeted with loud cheers and yowling. His hands folded behind his head as his lone onyx eye stared at her green eyes. The long intense look he gave her along with the mischief glint that shimmered just beneath the longing hinted silently just what he would do to her the moment they were alone. She swallowed heavily, heat flaring in the pit of her stomach pleasantly as she stared back at him.

xXx

Sakura sighed happily, snuggling closer to the man lying beside her. His arm was lazily wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. His thump slowly traced circle on her hip, content to just lay with her now and forget the world for just a moment.

"Feels like a dream," Sakura muttered silently. Kakashi tilted his head slightly to regard his wife, wondering what just got her in that mood. They just had wonderful sex that even exhausted him.

"Am I so good to be true?" He grinned, feeling the annoying huff brush against his clavicle.

Sakura kept silent before she continued to speak. "Exactly yes, you are. How do we know that this isn't just a dream were going to wake up from?"

Kakashi sighed. "Don't I feel real?" he let his hand travel up before he kissed her on the mouth. "Doesn't this feel real?" he muttered against her lips.

"Yes, but that doesn't say anything." She clings to him now, her hold she had on him tightening.

"The experience of dreams only exist within the moment. They are not everlasting, just like events, matter of things and even the people in our lives. But I'm still here aren't I? I didn't just vanish after a few days or a few months. We're together for a year and a half. Doesn't that say that this is real?" Kakashi countered her reply.

"Yes, but dreams are just like life. They feel so incredibly real, yet when we wake up to the roar of life, or the dream of life we are in, we realize that it was all just a figment of imagination, or just an illusion."

"You can look at it that way yes," Kakashi pondered. "That our dreams, although we can feel them so incredibly, slip away because they are not truly in a clasp, just like life itself. Life is just an illusion of someone else's dreams, maybe Kami's, that we can't truly control, just part of. For example we can't say which people are going to cross our lives, nor when we leave this world to go on to the next. The experience we gain whether in a dream or in real life, they feel the same. They both feel real, even though they are just illusions of a different reality."

He released her from his hold, before he propped himself up and rested his head on his hand. He let his eye wonder slightly over her naked flesh before looking her in the eyes, letting her know that he was being serious."Now, it's up to you if you want to believe that this life illusion is 'the real life' or not. Either way in one of the two realities, you're stuck with me either way."

Sakura snorted, but gave him a true smile. She wanted to believe that this was real, nothing more could make her happier. So she choose the only thing that came to mind. She pushed him on his back before settling herself over him.

"I choose this to be real," Sakura smiled, before kissing him hotly on the mouth. She smiled as he groaned, his body preparing to go for another round. He tore his mouth away from her when he felt something warm encircling his wrists. He tilted his back further to see Sakura's chakra binding him to the bed. His heart skipped a beat, turning his gaze back to his wife. She couldn't have…

The simple wink she gave him when she saw his surprise answered his own question. He groaned as she descended lower, ready to deliver him one of his favorites fantasies he thought he had hidden well.

" Now this is living a dream," he moaned, more than happy to let Sakura dominate him for just this one. Another groan was torn from his lips with a wicked move from his lovely wife. Hmm, maybe some other times too.

~Owari~