Possible spoilers for the series - Sasuke retrieval arc, Valley of the End and the brothers's story.
Characters: Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi
Summary: Somewhere in that unreal world there is a girl that still waits. Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still believes. Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still escapes. And somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still searches. And all of them can't stop thinking about the things that have happened and these that never have. Oneshot.

I do not own Naruto

In That Unreal World

1.
Somewhere in that unreal world there is a girl that still waits. And the one she's been waiting for finally comes, although she'd prefer never to meet him here.

Somewhere in that unreal world she looks at the face she knows so well, the face she doesn't know at all, trying to find words that should be said. A stab of pain shoots through her heart and she knows that something is strange. She does want the boy to stay, she tries to convince him not to leave, and finally the words are said.

But somewhere in that unreal world the words are not enough. And she fails. The boy leaves and she sees him walk away. And before everything turns black, she thinks about the love she has lost. The love she has never had.

Somewhere in that unreal world there is a girl that still waits and somewhere in this world Sakura wakes and the dream fades. The girl curls up under the blanket, pulling her knees to her chest. Her eyes are closed, her lips are pressed, and her cheeks are wet. Seconds change into minutes before she falls asleep again. And for all that time she can't stop thinking about things that have happened and these that never have.

2.
Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still believes. And the one he has believed in for so long stands in front of him. However, he'd prefer that such a meeting would never take place.

Somewhere in that unreal world he looks at the boy he thought he knew, he has never known, and wonders why two of them must be in this place. There is a promise he has made, the promise he wants to keep and he decides that no matter what he'll do everything to bring the boy back.

But somewhere in that unreal world what he does is not enough. And finally he fails. The boy leaves and he can't say what hurts more. The wound in his chest? The broken promise? Or the fact that after all he couldn't stop the boy from going away? And before everything turns black, he thinks about the friend he has lost. The friend he has never had.

Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still believes and somewhere in this world Naruto wakes. He looks at the ceiling for a longer while trying to pretend that he doesn't feel the pain that shoots through his chest. It takes some time before the memory of that dream disappears and before he finally manages to fall asleep again. But for all that time he can't stop thinking about things that have happened and these that never have.

3.
Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still escapes. And the one he's been trying to escape from finally finds him, but the boy prefers it would never happen in such a way.

Somewhere in that unreal world he looks at the man who used to be his brother, who still is his brother, and wonders why everything must have ended up in this way. And under that full moon he prays that the past could be changed and that his older brother would be back.

But somewhere in that unreal world the miracle doesn't happen. And he feels as if he failed. His brother, who is not his brother anymore, leaves forever and there is nothing left. A single cut on his arm hurts almost as much as a cut on his heart. And before everything turns black, he thinks about his brother he has lost. The brother he still has.

Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still escapes and somewhere in this world Sasuke wakes. For a longer while he lies in his bed trying to force his heart to slow down. When he finally succeeds, the memory of the dream almost disappears. But the boy can't stop thinking about things that have happened and these that never have. So he gets up and leaves the room, heading to the place where he believes he'll be able to fall asleep again.

4.
Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still searches. And he knows that the one he's been looking for will finally appear in front of him. Only... Will it be the same person then?

Somewhere in that unreal world he looks at the place he has always lived in and he can't recognize it. He sees people he's known for his whole life and who are dead now, who are still alive. And his mind refuses to understand what has happened. And then, under that full moon, the brothers meet.

But somewhere in that unreal world there are things that have changed. He sees that his little brother is now afraid of him. There still are things that should be done, things that still should be said, yet he feels as if he has failed in some way. And before everything turns black, he thinks about everything he has lost. Everything he still has.

Somewhere in that unreal world there is a boy that still searches and somewhere in this world Itachi wakes. For a longer while he lies in his bed, but the memory of the dream doesn't fade. He closes his eyes, but opens them again when he hears the door open. He looks at his brother standing in the door and thinks that this night indeed must be strange.

'A nightmare?' Itachi asks. Nightmares must be somewhat popular this night.

And Sasuke nods confirming his suspicions.

With a silent sigh Itachi moves in his bed, making some room for his brother.

'You can sleep here today,' he says and Sasuke jumps into the bed within seconds.

And then the boy hugs him so tightly that it almost hurts.

'Never leave me, okay?' his little brother mumbles and a few seconds later he falls asleep.

Itachi shakes his head seeing how easy it was for Sasuke to forget about his nightmare. Because for him it's not. He lies in his bed, awake, and long minutes pass until the sleep finally comes. And for all that time he has been thinking about things that have happened and these that never have.

The END

Did I manage to trick you? The whole story happens before the massacre :P