This is a continuation of BlueFurCape's beautiful "Another Life" dream piece. /works/6876283/chapters/16088254#workskin

this follows after the events of chapter 5

For those wanting to just enjoy this one shot, the TL;DR Kakashi and Sakura independently have dreams of another reality where they are married and happy. It is devastating to see how happy they can be, but they struggle to act and make it a reality. Kakashi is so upset by the contrasted joys of his dreams that he drinks away the pain, an pushes Sakura away but vaguely. This picks up after the fight, with Sakura trying to figure out what caused his sudden change of behavior. -

Sakura tossed and turned that night. Sarada's words instigated her curiosity, causing her to hyper focus on what Kakashi meant by those words… "Pretending" . She had seen him suffer from PTSD flashbacks many times throughout their camaraderie, but this, this was different. Normally he curled into himself, shut down so completely he honestly ran the risk of withering away. He would often lash out like a wounded animal at first contact, at the fist taste of help and hope, so confronted by his pain he was unable to see reality. But in all their years together she had never seen him numb it with alcohol. He had always just hunkered down and suffered in the darkest, quietest corner he could find. She was shocked to see him so unkempt at the Cyntograph, a place of such high reverence for the village, but of higher reverence for Kakashi as an individual. And so it was all so incredibly out of character, clearly, clearlyyy something had upset him deeply and uniquely.

She rolled over, trying to fit it all together. There he was Pretending, drinking himself away in the one place he never treated with anything less than esteemed deference… and completely running away from her. It clicked. She bolted up in bed as she recognized her own behavior similarly manifesting in Kakashi. The intense interaction and reality shift of her dreams had led her to cope with reality similarly. Her scientific mind griped for answers, but still had little more than theory to rest upon. The one fact she could rely upon, was that Kakashi was hurting, and he was hurting terribly.

Pulling on her fingers while deep in thought, she turned her attention to her ring. Toying with it she considered the promises it represented, the vows she took. She examined her love for Sasuke, her loyalty to him… and his to hers. And she found herself letting out tears at the one sided nature of it all. But still, there was a clear line in the sand she'd cross if she left to find Kakashi. Finally, she conceded and cast away her blankets, stopping for a moment to pull off her ring, dashing out to seek out Kakashi.

She bounded down the street, heart racing at the anticipation of confronting her absurd theory. It was well into the night, and she concluded he would have secluded himself behind the private walls of his apartment. When she came upon his apartment, she circumvented the door in exchange for the living room window. Peering inside her heart broke at the sight, he had crawled into the darkest recesses of the room, but he wasn't curled in pain, but sprawled out in drunkenness. She entered. She found a sense of peace deep within her, this was right, whatever it was so much greater than her had showed her how right it was. She confidently moved towards him, pulling his drunken arm over her shoulder intent on moving him to his bed. He roused from his stupor as they moved, lodging half formed objections at her, but capable of little else. His lack of vitality broke her heart. They entered the bed room, and she swiftly nestled him in, taking a moment to collect water for him. She inserted herself behind him, allowing his head to cradle in her lap, taking a moment she teased her fingers softly through his hair. She moved both hands to his temples, chakra glowing, trying her best to mitigate some of his intoxication.

He cracked out "Please Sakura, just let me be"

She saw the pain so intently displayed on his face. Sakura moved a hand to his cheek, smoothing her thumb over it, trying to soothe him, cooing out so simply "its ok, I know, I understand. Kakashi I love you too"

However, instead of relief his face just twists further in pain. "God help me. I just can't fucking handle this taunting." He bemoaned

She caresses his pained face, trying to smooth his scrunched features, and responds trying to convince him of their reality. "Kakashi, it really is me, this is no dream, Naruto is in his second year as Hokage, you are the Rokudaime, I have a daughter Sarada who you have treated so well. I am married to Sasuke, but starting tomorrow I am filing for divorce. We don't have a child together like in the dreams, but I'd like to. Trust me now, there is no need to pretend, no need to hide. I love you. So close your eyes and rest for me. We can talk about it all in the morning once you're truly coherent."

His watery eyes absorbed her. Finally he nodded, huskily requesting "Can you please just keep whispering our realities till I fall asleep … I need this to be real"

She peacefully nodded, settling in, and beginning to whisper the most minute details of the times just these two had experienced together. She contentedly reminisced long after he had fallen asleep, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. She eventually pittered out falling into her own slumber.

She was sitting on the edge of a child's bed, watching the precious white haired Hatake slumber. A shadow casted over them, blocking the light that had been streaming in from the doorway. She felt a dip in the bed and arms pulling her back into a firm chest. She turned in his arms, looking at this Kakashi, quickly speaking "Its me, the other, you were right these really are not just dreams"

He peered at her, appreciating her delayed understanding, but nonetheless unenthused by the strange occurrence.

"I don't know why I am here after so long. You were right, Sakuras and Kakashis are meant to be together. I found him. I want a life with him, or you"

"I don't really have any answers for these collisions but I'm glad you'll get this life, I'm glad he will more, you Sakura were the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Sakura wakes, but feeling rested and confirmed finally by her dreams. She rolls to see Kakashi so peacefully sleeping next to her, a smile playing across his face. She leans in and begins peppering him with kisses, wanting him to wake up to being showered with the reality of their love. It merely takes a few sweet kisses before he wakes, and his face is consumed with a beaming smile as he realizes they are not some extension of his dream. He pulls her in tight, beginning his own barrage of kisses on her face. They quickly dissolve into tickled giggles from the sheer mutual blitz. Calming herself, Sakura moves a hand to his cheek, basking in the reality of this touch, and smoothing her thumb across his cheekbone.

Laying her forehead against his, she simply says "I love you entirely, and I'm sorry I took so long"

"Its alright I was a fool in denial for far too long too, but my god Sakura do I love you"

Filled with such a fundamental peace, she asks softly, "Can we start a garden?"