A/N: Love is a slow healing process. It always will be when you feel very strongly about something or someone and you loose that thing. But I'll heal. This prompt was a situation that actually happened to me, in our Bucharest apartment.

Prompt: Piano

"While traveling Europe, I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when a neighbor started playing piano music. I spent 30 minutes sitting on the toilet lid by the window just listening."

I don't own Naruto. Enjoy.

When Itachi Uchiha announced he would not be taking his fathers' place as Chief of the Uchiha Police Corps, and would be moving out of the traditional clan compound, it caused an uproar. Of course, it was one he had been expecting, but it was still a pain to deal with. As the eldest son, it was expected of him to take up the mantle and replace his father, but that wasn't what Itachi wanted from his life. He had gone to school, gotten a law degree, and had even participated in the country's national guard for two years. He was practically a cop already, but he didn't have a badge, and didn't want one. A fast-paced life of violence wasn't what he was suited for.

He knew his younger brother Sasuke wanted the position for himself, but loved Itachi too much to contend with him for the title. So when he made his announcement over family dinner, he caught Sasuke's eye and found happiness at the way his brothers cheeks reddened and his stoic face broke into a small, barely there smile.

His mother was supportive, as always. His father, while disapproving, knew that the police force wasn't for his eldest son, even though he knew he would flourish at the head of it. With pride, he knew his son would flourish anywhere. It was not his immediate family that objected to his decisions. No, it was the clan elders.

These men and women had been putting pressure on Itachi for years to become the new Chief, and once they heard of his decision, they were thrown into a frenzy. Fugaku, being the head of the clan as well as the Corps, had the final choice in the matter, but that didn't stop the elders from complaining.

Either way, they had to give up the matter when Itachi began packing his things to move out. He felt bad, knowing his brother would have to deal with them in the future and their heavy expectations, but he knew his brother would take the challenge head on and succeed regardless of their influence. As he was placing away picture frames filled with his family and friends, his mother stepped into the room.

"Itachi-chan," she called to him. Mikoto was the sort of woman who would always dote on her children regardless of age.

"Kaa-san," he greeted her with a small smile. "Don't let Tou-san catch you calling me that. He'll think you're spoiling me."

Mikoto rolled her eyes in amusement. "He knows I spoil you two. What's he going to do about it?"

Itachi chuckled, because his mother was right. His father, and all of them really, were at the beck and call of the Uchiha matriarch.

"It's hard to see you leave," she sighed after a moment of silence.

Itachi looked down at a photo of him and his cousin Shisui, their young and smiling faces looking back at him. It had been taken right after they had won a particularly intense soccer game back in middle school.

"I know, but I will be very close to the compound. I found an apartment in the downtown sector of Konoha." In fact, the apartment he found was very nice, small and studio styled and just enough space for himself. While the compound itself was placed farther away from the center of the city, his mother often went shopping in the market district, which was conveniently located near his new home. She would be able to visit him whenever she liked.

"Yes," she relented. "You'll be close by and you'll come to family dinners on Thursday nights like always," —there she shot him a warning look, and he placed his palms up in surrender— "it still isn't easy to see you leave this room. It's been yours since I moved your crib out of our room."

And it was true. Even at school, when he could've lived in a dorm, he had chosen to commute to the university and stay at home. It wasn't that he didn't like the dorm life; he just knew he was a little too quiet for it. This would be the first time he stepped away from the shadow of hus family and the clan compound, and at twenty-six, he was excited for it.

"Kaa-san," he said, giving his mother a hug. "It'll be okay, I'll be fine. Trust me. It's otouto you have to worry about."

She laughed, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "What will he do without his aniki?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Live with Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze-Uzumaki. He spends half of his waking time at their house anyway."

Hiccuping slightly, Mikoto shook her head, and released her son from her embrace.

"Come on, let me help you finish packing." And then the two fell into a comfortable silence, putting the remainder of Itachi's things into boxes. When they were done, he stood at the doorway and overlooked it. He had piles of boxes to show that soon he'd be completely independent. It was a refreshing feeling, after being reliant on his family and their name for so long. Of course, he'd still have the name and the power behind it, but it wouldn't give him much more than looks of respect where he went.

His mother left the room quickly after they finished, and he didn't blame her. She was overwhelmed by the fact that her eldest son would be leaving the house, and the empty room was evidence enough.

"You're leaving already?" Sasuke, who had jut gotten home and was walking to his room, asked with wide onyx eyes. "I thought you'd be staying for at least another week or two."

Itachi shook his head, his low ponytail swinging behind him. "No point in dragging it out, otouto. I already have the apartment and the furniture all set up, I just need to finish moving in."

"Ah," his brother replied, not sure how to feel about the sudden change. Sasuke knew that this move would be good for his older brother, and that him deciding to pursue a career in law left the position at the Corps open to him. It was a win-win situation all around, but it didn't change the fact that he'd miss Itachi, regardless.

"Is Kisame coming to help you move in?" He asked Itachi, and the man nodded.

"Kisame said he'd be here soon."

Sasuke sighed. "Okay, aniki."

The two started moving all of Itachi's boxes outside, while their mother bustled around in the kitchen. The smell of something sweet wafted into the air as they bustled in and out of the house. They shared a look, knowing that their mother tended to bake when she was stressed. The older of the two let his cutiousity get to him and made his way into the kitchen.

"What are you making, kaa-san?" He asked, looking over her shoulder. If the shape didn't give it away, the distinctive colors did. "Oh, dango," he breathed, eyebrows raising with delight.

"Just for you, 'Tachi-chan," she smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He took it with grace, savoring his mothers love and affection. She'd always treat him like a child, he knew that, but things were changing and he was going to enjoy things as they were before everything began to shift. He was an adult, he assured himself, as he snuck a stick of dango away from his mother. She laughed and whacked away the second hand that was reaching for another stick, but let him go. Grinning, he enjoyed the treat he had managed to foist away quickly enough from Mikoto.

"Shoo, shoo. Get out of my kitchen," she said, brandishing a wooden spoon at him in what was supposed to be a threatening matter. "If Kisame gets here early, I'll pack some for you to take with you," Mikoto called as he dutifully retreated from the kitchen.

"Thank you," he responded, crossing back over the threshold and meeting his brother in the living room. It was no secret that Itachi Uchiha had the biggest sweet tooth in the entire clan. What was a secret though, was how he managed to stay so thin despite the sweets and deserts he could shovel down in just one sitting.

"So that's where you went," Sasuke shook his head. Itachi just smirked back, and was about to reply, when his phone went off.

"That must be Kisame," he murmured, locating the phone in his pocket and answering the incoming call.

"Hello?"

"Itachi!"

Said man jerked his phone away from his ear, where it was ringing from the volume.

"Inside voice, Kisame," Itachi chided.

"Oops, sorry. I forget how mousy you can be sometimes!"

Itachi just rolled his eyes. "You saw me three days ago."

All he received was boisterous laughter. Kisame was his oldest friend aside from his cousin Shisui, having gone to the same high school and college together. They were opposites at times, but always got along.

"Come on, I'll open the gate for you," he said as he punched in a code that opened the gate in the front driveway. The Uchiha clan compound was like a mini neighborhood, consisting of multiple traditional Japanese houses lining various roads. The entire place was guarded by a fence, and visitors required access to get into the gates. Despite this seemingly intense security, plenty of visitors were allowed in and out. While quiet and sometimes stoic, the Uchiha were not an unfriendly bunch.

Loud music and crunching gravel preceded Kisame as he drove his car up to the main house where he and his family lived. Opening the door, he was greeted by his best friend, who hung out the drivers window of a very large, very blue pickup truck.

"Come on, pretty boy. Let's get you settled in your new home," he jeered at him and Itachi rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer him, heading to the truck with his things already in hand.

"You're rude, you know that?" Kisame huffed, as he lifted three boxes and put them in the bed of his truck.

"Noted," he replied dully. His tall friend just chuckled, and the two of them continued moving his things into the truck, Sasuke silently coming to help them.

The three of them made quick work, and before they knew it, the truck was filled and they were ready to go. His mother gave him a box of dango, a hug, and a watery smile. Sasuke hugged him, before he got into the front seat, and waved his childhood home away.

"You ready?" Kisame asked.

Itachi nodded. "Yes."

The move-in was simple and quiet. Perhaps Kisame knew that he needed time to think, regardless, he remained silent and helped him the entire time.

"You're going to like this place, Itachi. Don't worry about it." Kisame places a hand on his shoulder when they finished. "It's not easy, leaving everything you know. But it's worth it.

Itachi smiled at his friend. "Thank you, Kisame."

The man with navy blue hair laughed. "That was so mushy of us, I'm disgusted! Come on, let's go get some dinner! God knows you need to fatten up a little bit! How does Chinese take out sound?"

"It sounds like you're becoming my mother, that's what."

"Hey!"

The two of them shared another laugh. Dinner was a rowdy affair, as always when Kisame was around. But, when he and his friend parted ways at the door, Itachi was left with himself and his thoughts to keep him company. Not liking the silence, and not sure where his radio was in the various boxes scattered around, he opened his wide bay windows. The sounds of the city greeted his ears, and to his surprise, so did the sound of a piano.

He sat there, for what felt like hours, listening to the piano from his windows. The songs blended and melded beautifully, some he recognized and some he didn't. One song flowed into another in a beautiful symphony of sound, and Itachi was caught up in the peace that the music brought. When it ended, the sun had long already set in the sky and he ached to hear the music again.

This became a routine. As he settled into his new home, and into his new job at Firm Shiranui, he would spend every night listening to the mysterious pianist who played like clockwork. When he sat down with dinner, the music would play and play until at least two hours after he was finished with his meal. He loved it. He paid careful attention to the dips and rises of the songs, the keys and tones of each piece. Soon, he began to tell his pianists moods, based on the music they played. Some days the music was light and airy, and other days dark and somber. Worryingly, he noticed that the sad, melancholy music was being plaid more and more often.

One day, while he was sipping his evening tea, the music stopped halfway, his pianists hands smashing down on the black and white keys. From his window, he could hear soft crying. He realized, suddenly, that his pianist —when did the pianist become his pianist?— was a woman. And that the apartament of the mysterious musician was much closer than he expected. She was probably his next door neighbor.

That's when he made a split decision. Stalking into the kitchen, he used every memory of his mother baking to go off of. He got flour and sugar and all he needed to bake, and then he made cookies. The piano playing never started back up again while he toiled in the kitchen.

The cookies smelled heavenly, as he took them out of the oven. They were a little burnt at the bottom, but he paid it no mind. They still looked delicious.

Placing each one on the cooling tray, he got a plate out and started piling them on. He probably made too many cookies for two people, nevermind one, but he forged on. Armed with cookies and wearing an apron, only black hair sprinkled with flour, he knocked on the door to his neighbors house, the one he'd never met before.

A young woman, with pink hair and watery green eyes greeted him at the door. She gave him a strange look, and asked, "May I help you?" her voice sounding scratchy to him. A single glance behind her showed that he had made the right gamble, because there was a beautiful baby grand piano in her apartament.

"Hi. I'm Uchiha Itachi and I'm your new neighbor. I've been hearing you play your piano for the past three months since I moved in and I just wanted to let you know it's the highlight of my day and you shouldn't be sad when you can make such beautiful music."

He felt like a child, reduced to such simple words and blushes in front of her, but Itachi continued.

He held out the plate of cookies. "I don't know what's got you down but my mother always says a cookie will make you feel better. So, cookie?"

She wiped a tear away with the edge of her heather grey sweater, and smiled at him, reaching for the plate he had offered her. "Thank you, Itachi. I really needed to hear that."

He grinned, liking the smile on the musician. "You're welcome."