Disclaimer: I do not own Naurto

A warning! This should not be read by you all if you have not read through to chapter eleven (and including chapter eleven) in Turgid. There be spoilers in dem words! D:

Snippet one: Radio

He awoke to the sound of music playing. An upbeat tempo pulled him out of slumber and for a moment he was confused. Had he been dreaming still? It didn't take too long for him to remember that Sakura had found a radio someplace in the complex yesterday. Having just recently arrived she was taking it upon herself to scour every inch of the place. She was currently enjoying her discovery. It wasn't very loud, and if he wasn't normally such a light sleeper he would have probably slept through it. Lately though, he had been rising later in the morning, so he wondered briefly how long it had been playing for. Sakura was an early bird, her internal clock seeming to always rouse at the crack of dawn, instilled into her these past two years of working at the clinic back in Hougyoku which opened early. These days at the complex she typically woke up around six or seven. Itachi was still requiring more sleep to recover – or perhaps he was just using that as an excuse to try and sleep in for the so many years he got poor sleep, if he got any sleep at all, during his time in Akatsuki – and wasn't waking up until about nine or ten. Sakura never said anything sour of it, and, in fact, encouraged the rest. Perhaps she was trying to get some chores done while he still slept before training in the afternoon, and thought she wouldn't wake him. He felt well rested, and upon glancing at the nearby clock on his nightstand, saw that it was already coming up on 9 a.m.

With a yawn he rose up in bed and ran a hand through his hair, sniffing the air and smelling the aroma of cooking food on it. His stomach churned in hunger at the scent. Blinking away the last of sleep still trying to cling to him, he got out of bed and exited his room. The sound of the music got louder. Accompanying it was a somewhat off-tune voice, just loud enough to be heard alongside the music. He couldn't help the tug of his lips into a little smirk. Making his way down the hallway as silent as a mouse, he reached the kitchen and proceeded to lean casually against the doorframe, watching the scene before him. Sakura was multitasking between cooking, washing dishes, singing and dancing. As the sink and stove faced opposite of the doorway she did not notice him, oblivious to the audience she had recently attracted. She went between humming along with the tune and singing the actual words, shoulders and hips moving to the beat. Her long hair was made into a messy braid that swayed back and forth against her back as she danced. Those black sweats and rusty orange shirt she often wore to bed didn't reveal too much, but Itachi couldn't move his eyes off of whatever curve or sliver of skin that revealed itself as she grooved, nor the graceful, and sometimes not so graceful and comical, movements she made along to the music. He refrained from laughing aloud as she sang, and not with the sweetest voice, he had to admit. He remained there a good while before she finally realized that he was there watching her. Itachi knew he would never forget the look on her face.

She was washing a bowl, forearms spotted with suds, when she turned about quickly to look behind her and probably to the clock that was hanging on the wall above the doorway entrance. The words she had been singing turned into a not so eloquent squawk of an obscenity that sounded like pure horror when those wide, green eyes registered Itachi's person. The ceramic bowl she had been cleaning slipped out of her hand and clattered to the floor, cracking apart against the wood. Perhaps there were suds and some water beneath her for her bare feet slipped out from under her and she almost went plummeting to the floor but caught herself on the sink in a hasty move that looked painful as she smacked the inside of her elbow on the lip. If not for her predicament he thought she might have winced at the pain but she was currently too appalled at being caught. He made a note to try and buy a little rug for in the future to place there.

"Itachi-san!" she barked out as she pulled herself back up to her feet. A nervous laugh escaped her. "H-hi! Good morning!" Her voice was high in her embarrassment and she swallowed hard, clearing her throat afterwards. "Uh. Hah. H-how long were you there?" He wore a look that Sakura would know on his face to be nothing but glorious humor at her expense.

"Oh, not very long." The return expression on her own face of sheer dread knew he had seen it all. He glanced down to the broken bowl at her feet, to the pots cooking on the stove, and then to the radio sitting on the counter not too far away. The song had ended and another one begun. "I see you're enjoying the radio you found." The red that had now come into full blossom on her face and neck was magnificent.

"I-I y-yes. Haha. Uh. Eh. You uh…" She cleared her throat and hastily bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl she dropped, eyes tearing away from his for a moment. "A-are you hungry?" she asked as she stood back up and dumped the pieces of ceramic onto the counter quickly. "Let me get you some food." Instantly she went to the cupboard and fetched out some dishes. Within seconds she had breakfast sitting before him on the table and then her own. She decided to refrain from talking for the time being and did her best not to make eye contact with him. He noted that she left the radio playing, though, so at least something other than silence filled the room with them. He let the matter go for now, deciding not to try and embarrass her any further than she already felt.

Later that evening after the two trained, showered and ate dinner, they were sitting on a couch in the common room reading. From time to time Sakura would pause and set her book down in her lap and stare at the wall in thought, contemplating on what she reading. She did this often, Itachi mused. Many times she looked more lost in nostalgia than anything Itachi noted when he would glance besides him to see her face. After a while his curiosity got the better of him and he asked her what she was reading.

"Oh," she started with raised brows, smiling a little afterwards. "It's just a medical book Tsunade-sama gave to me." He noted that she held it tenderly. It was a prized possession.

"You're studying?" He said it with just a hint of tease that she didn't catch it at first. Rolling her eyes at him, she pursed her lips in a little grin.

"Yes. Something wrong with that?"

"Oh, no, not at all," he returned, but there was still a little light in his eyes.

"…What?" she ventured to ask him, her own face curious at his humor.

"Nothing…"

"Nothing?"

"I was simply wondering what other things you do, if any, aside from studying and healing people. What other types of books do you like to read. Other hobbies of yours?" She wore a little face that said she was somewhat surprised he had wanted to know such personal things about her, but she did not object to his inquiry.

"Oh… uhm…" Not wanting to lose her place she marked her book and set it onto the nearby table. "Let's see…" She made a face as she thought that the man couldn't help but smile at. It reminded him of his brother when he was a child, trying to think of an answer to scenarios he would give him to train his mind. "Well… I dunno… I guess I do mostly like educational book. Ever since I was a kid. I was always called a nerd during academy because I could always answers all the questions," she laughed, clearly recalling those days from her past. Of that he did not doubt. Her intelligence was vast. "But I do also like fiction… And poetry… As far as other hobbies… Well… Although I'm no good at it, I do like gardening. I would sometimes go over to Yanagi-sama's house to help him and his wife. She tried to teach me how to knit," she continued, talking about Yanagi's wife, "but I was terrible at it," she laughed. Itachi huffed a little chuckle out through his nose, trying to imagine the woman giving a go at the craft. "Yea… I don't know what else, really. I was always so busy with my life as a shinobi and then working at the clinic that I didn't have much time for myself, I suppose." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"I see," Itachi started to say after a moment's silence. "So… reading and gardening and studying." Sakura chuckled.

"Yup. I guess I'm a pretty boring person," she grinned. Itachi had to think otherwise. Sakura was anything but boring.

"And…" he went onto say, and Sakura quirked a brow as he continued, "singing… and dancing…" The change on her face was quite satisfying Itachi had to admit to himself. She groaned out loud and let her head plop forward until her hair obscured her face.

"Oh my God… No. Please. Just stop," she pleaded, though continued to hide her face. Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at her expense. "You were supposed to be sleeping, still. I'm never listening to that radio, again," she mumbled out.

"Oh, that's a relief." He sighed quietly but of course she heard him, and he saw her head turn she so she could see him as her hair shifted from her face.

"Wha… What's that supposed to mean? Trying to say I'm a bad singer?" He narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Well…" As if out of impulse she reached for a pillow to her side and swung it at his person. He easily reached up to block the plush weapon with his hand. He supposed that since they had started to train a few days ago she felt more comfortable with attacking him thusly, for despite her hasty act she didn't look too shocked or sorry by it. He only continued to wear a faint grin as she fumed at him.

"I sound lovely, thank you very much. Like an angel."

"I don't know about an angel," he started to counter, knowing fully well he was setting himself up for disaster. "More like a cat… A dying one." She watched him for a moment as if she didn't believe the words leaving is mouth. The idea of him teasing with her like a normal individual was still a little too hard for her to believe at times, he knew, especially when he went as far as he was currently going. It didn't take her long to realize her anger and she swatted at him with her pillow once more.

"You Uchihas are such jerks, I swear," she laughed, shaking her head. "A girl just can't catch a break, can she?"

"Only if it's a break in her voice, I guess." She shot him a glare so fast that he froze in place. If she really were a cat he supposed that her claws would have all been bared in that instance. She attacked him mercilessly with her pillow, crawling over towards his spot on the couch and swinging hit after hit, which he of course blocked. He finally grabbed hold of the thing and wrenched it from her hand. She laughed and threw up her hands to block the quick swing he made at her.

"No, wait! We already trained today! You don't get to hand my ass over to me again until tomorrow, Uchiha!" she cried out as she blocked another one of his swings, a wicked grin on her features, eyes shimmering in their mirth. As he swung once more she was able to grab hold the pillow in one hand and then with her other she wrapped it around his wrist of the pillow wielding arm. She tried to pull the thing free but his grip was too strong. She could have removed it with chakra but before she could he pulled his arm back towards his person. With her still latched onto his arm the action pulled her towards him to where she was nearly sitting in his lap, their knees bumping. They fought over the pillow, huffing in mirth and grappling for hold on the thing. With his free hand he reached and wrapped it about the wrist of her hand that held onto his own wrist and tried to pry her off.

"Seems like you don't want to wait until tomorrow, Haruno." She flashed him a wicked grin that was clearly an answer to that question. He felt the tell-tale tingle of chakra spiking from her person as she guided it to her hand on the pillow. He let her take it from him. With her trophy now in her possession, she released the hold on his wrist with her other hand, but he kept his still there. The hand no longer holding the pillow went to her own pillow wielding hand in a blinding move and wrapped about her wrist. She pulled against his grip but could not wrench free without the aid of chakra again.

"Haha, no! Let go!"

Itachi couldn't help but smirk at her protest. He also couldn't help but enjoy this little break in their relationship. Being so formal all the time was starting to get monotonous; he had to admit this, even if it were at odds with how he normally acted around people. He knew, though, that he was surprising the woman day after day at just how human he actually was, and not the killer, the cold-hearted bastard Akatsuki and his infamous crime made him to be. But such little trysts in their formality also paved the way down a road that was dangerous, Itachi knew, but for some reason he couldn't help himself. He wanted to lie to himself and say he didn't know that reason, but he knew damn well what it was. He was falling for her. Her laughter was contagious, her multitude of expressions addicting. He wanted to hear and see more of it. The smell of her shampoo and soap wafted deliciously into his nose. She was so close that he could see clearly all the little details of her facial features that he rarely got to behold. It felt like they were just normal friends messing around on a lazy night after a hard day's work. He wanted to feel a little normal again, like they were just two people living together in this crazy world, and there wasn't threat on the horizon or the impending doom of possible relapse with his illness. Perhaps Sakura felt the same way, and that's why she neither stopped. Perhaps their attraction towards one another was an impossible, slippery slope to avoid and he should just give in there and then.

Of course, he didn't, and of course, she didn't. But still, they could at least pretend, for that moment, that the world was normal and so were they.

Author's Notes: Decided to start writing these little dabbles to kind of go into detail about how Itachi and Sakura start to fall more and more for one another. I was eager to get them out of the north and back into shinobi territory as quickly as possible and didn't take too much time to explain how they grew more and more close to one another during this month they spent at the complex. I had some people mention that their relationship kinda escalated a little quickly once they got to Hisomu and I realized I skipped a major chunk of their time together that explained the growth and development of their relationship. Sorry y'all -u-

I'll write more and more of these little ditties as I please/have time to. c:

If you guys have themes or ideas for me to write on for this little side story don't hesitate to let me know~ :) I'd love to write more but sometimes have trouble thinking of situations lol. ;u;