Reincarnation AU - Police Officer Sasuke AU

There isn't a single day of his life that Uchiha Sasuke isn't thankful for his life. For his mother's gentle smile and kind nature, for his father's silent praises, for his brother's company and support. He's even grateful for his loud mouthed, blond, best friend, who annoys him most of the time, but has his back when he needs it the most. He doesn't know what he did to deserve such great people in his life.

At 24, having graduated college, and finished training in the police academy, he sets up for a bright career as a police officer and hopes to make detective before he is 30.

So, he goes to work every day, knowing he is making a change. Watching over the people he grew up with, protecting his beloved town, and actually doing something about the crime that has begun to infest it.

Sasuke knows his life is good, he was born in a good family, went to a top tier university, he never lacked for anything. He knows that having his family, being able to afford his own place, buy a new car, and work in something he actually likes is a luxury many don't actually have.

But even as he counts his blessings every day, he can't escape the feeling that he is missing something. Like there is a hole inside of him, he can't seem to fill with anything.

He doesn't remember when his nightmares started, perhaps he's always had them. Sometimes it's the bloody corpses of his parents that terrorize him during the night, the sadness of his brother's eyes, as he looks at him from afar, eyes shining red and spinning unnaturally. Other nights it's a white-faced man, with snake-like features that hunts him, forcing him to drink potions that taste horrible and burn down his throat, telling him that they will make him stronger. On other nights he dreams of facing gigantic humanoid creatures, dead bodies littering the ground he steps on.

But some nights, he dreams of pink cherry blossom hair and green eyes. The spring girl, as he calls her, cries behind him, begging him not to leave, or stands in front of him as one of his hands reaches for her neck and the other holds lightning, readying to electrocute her, he assumes.

Not every dream is violent with the spring girl, sometimes it's just him and her. She hugs him or holds his hand as they look over magnificent vistas he's never actually seen in real life. Sometimes they are children, sometimes they are grown, sometimes he taps his fingers to a strange diamond tattoo on her forehead and she blushes. Sometimes he kisses her and makes love to her. He wakes up to a feeling of sadness and tears rolling down his eyes. He doesn't know who the girl with the cherry blossom hair is, or why is she a constant in his dreams, but the dreams bring him to tears he's not one to usually shed. He can never shake the feeling that there is someone out there in the world, waiting for him.

On the day of his annual mental evaluation he is very concerned. He always seems to be expecting something to happen. Someone to attack him or his family. He has so much fear over losing it all, it causes him anxiety and panic attacks in the most unexpected times. He's afraid the new department psychologist will find out and deemed him unfit for service.

It's unnerving, feeling this way, because in reality what does he even know about pain? He's never seen blood; he's never even had to fire his gun on the job, what could possibly be the explanation for his nightmares? He wonders.

Itachi, who's on the department of youth and family services, always tells him that is not how mental illnesses work, his anxiety has nothing to do with how good his life is or how lucky he is, and that he should never dismiss his own struggles or be comparing his suffering to others.

Sasuke understands but doesn't actually believe it.

"I think you should be honest with the psychologist" He tells Sasuke, even if they take you off duty Itachi thinks, but he leaves it unsaid.

"I'm not going to tell her anything she doesn't ask me… It's not like having bad dreams makes me unfit for work" Sasuke responds.

"Maybe you should go see my psychic" Izumi chirps in from the doorway to Itachi's office. "I wasn't eavesdropping I promise! I was just coming to take my boyfriend out to lunch and I just happen to overhear"

Sasuke only glares at her, he doesn't like anyone meddling in this, it feels too personal to share with his soon-to-be-but-not-quite-yet-sister-in-law. Itachi gives him an apologetic look on her behalf but says nothing.

"Still those dreams huh? She has really interesting ideas about those! Do you believe in reincarnation?" She asks him.

"That you believe all that craps she sells you, tells me so much, you're crazy for starters" Sasuke tells her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"No but hear me out!" Izumi tells him, ignoring his previous comment. "Like, our dreams don't just make things up, right? You have to have seen those things somewhere, like that girl you keep dreaming about, you met her somewhere, your brain didn't just invent her, but the circumstances you dream her in don't match your life, right? Maybe you met in another life! And my psychic can tell you all about that!" she looks in her massive handbag and produces a presentation card that Sasuke takes, out of politeness, but doesn't bother to look at.

Sasuke doesn't even believe in that sort of thing, his beliefs always been on the more secular side of things, but even if there is a remote chance he might have lived another life before, where he saw wars, and monsters, and his parents death, he sure as hell doesn't want to know about it.

So, he goes about his day, entirely forgetting the non-sense Izumi was blabbing on about. He goes to lunch with Naruto, ramen again unsurprisingly, makes a visit to a home for a noise complaint, files his paperwork, and tries to go home early for a change.

He attempted to postpone his psych evaluation as much as he could, that is, until his father, the head of the police department catches him on his way out, and orders him to medical immediately so he can get it over with.

"Go on, you know its protocol, she's there now" His father chastises.

Sasuke is irritated to no end, but he still obediently makes his way to the new psychologist's office in the back of the building.

Just keep it simple, don't elaborate, it'll be fine, he thinks to himself.

The door to the psychologist's office is open, so Sasuke stands in the entrance and knocks on the door to announce his arrival. The space is completely littered with boxes and mountains of papers, stacked on top of another and covering the desk in its entirety, so much so that he can't even see the person seating behind it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm new, I'm still getting everything settled! Are you here for an eval? Did I get your file? Where are my files!? What's your name?" She says in a rapid succession.

He stays quiet, so she can gather herself, and takes a seat in front of her crowded desk, and it isn't until she moves the two gigantic boxes of documents in front of them that he is able to see her.

He sits complete frozen, utterly speechless upon setting eyes on her. Because the person seating in front of him now, is unbelievably and irrevocably the Spring girl.

The shiny pink hair, wide emerald colored eyes and a blushing face he'd never mistake for anyone else's are facing him now, with a look of surprise on it.

And he is sure his face mirrors hers, especially since the next thing she says to him, is an almost whispered, "Sasuke-kun…."

"I can't believe this…" She mumbles and looks like she's about to jump on him, but the look on his face stops her. "Do you… am… do you know who I am?" She asks, a hint of hope sparkling in her eyes.

"The new psychologist… about to perform my yearly eval?…" He responds, unsure of himself.

He can see the deflated expression and disappointment spreading thought her. "Right… I haven't seen your file… ahem sorry… I think we are going to have to postpone this… maybe someone else can do your evaluations tomorrow, I apologize" She tells him, in a more composed and professional tone.

She stands and grabs a small purse from one of the drawers and tries to make a quick exit.

Sasuke stares at her unable to say anything. He observes every detail he can about her, every slender curve of her body, the way her neat short hair hangs on her delicate neck, and he is suddenly overcome with the image of her, wearing a red tunic instead of the sensible suit, a red and white fan crest in the center of her back.

His hand moves almost of its own accord and grabs her tiny wrist to prevent her from leaving, and she turns to look at him, green eyes wide and full of emotions he's not able to understand.

"I know you from somewhere" He says, in a statement not a question.

"Do you? I don't think so, sorry" She responds and tries to shake his hold on her wrist.

"You said you hadn't seen my file; how did you know my name?" Sasuke asks her, in the demanding voice she remembers so well.

"I… just… ahem… I don't…."

"What are you hiding?"

"Do you remember something… anything… about me?" She asks, the adorable blush from earlier spreading through her face again.

Sasuke isn't sure what she means, but now that she's facing him, he becomes completely lost in her eyes, his instincts screaming at him to hold her, and never let go. "Who are you?" He asks. Because saying, yeah, I remember you from a dream sounds entirely too stupid to mention.

The moment feels as if suspended from time, the atmosphere too suffocating, he's afraid of even closing his eyes, sure that the moment he reopens them, she'd be gone like every dream he's ever had.

"My name is Sakura" she says, and her name sounds like music to his ears. "This is going to sound really strange, and possibly unprofessional, but do you want to go get a drink?" She says, biting her lower lip and taking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

He only nods his head yes and releases her hand. "Just… how do I know you?" He whispers.

She giggles in response, her face more assertive than before. "It's a long story Sasuke-kun… maybe… I'll tell you later" She says, poking his forehead with two fingers before grabbing his hand and pulling him to follow.

He doesn't know anything about the strange girl with the cherry blossom pink hair other than her name, still he would follow her anywhere. He can't help but to feel his blessings are finally complete.