Author's Note: When I first began writing Religion and Music, I didn't think I'd ever get around to going any further with the story than those original twelve chapters. I had fun writing When the Music Disappeared though, so I thought I'd finish this whole thing with another short story (a two-shot) to ease some curiosity AND to have a happier ending. As usual, the story is from Hidan's point of view, and the rating and warnings remain the same as ever.

Title: Religion in Paris

Chapter 1: When I Left Japan

By: Gothic Dancer

"What was that, Sound-san? I'm not sure if I heard you correctly."

"Tayuya wants to see you! She has two weeks off starting in two days, and she really wants to see you. You're not going to school right now, so I thought I'd let you know I booked you for tomorrow's flight to Paris!"

...WHAT THE HELL?!

In a good way, of course.

Regardless of my reaction and how anyone took it, that was the conversation I had had with Orochimaru one night. He had called me around eight to tell me that Tayuya was free for an entire two weeks in Paris. And not only that, but SHE WANTED TO SEE ME. When I got the news, I was sure that I was hearing things. Yeah, that was it. I must have gotten some blood in my ears during a ritual earlier that day. Yup, that had to have been it.

But everything in Orochimaru's voice told me that I wasn't dreaming and that my ears were totally clean. I was going to Paris! TO FUCKING PARIS!!

Obviously, I immediately ran around my room in a panic, packing all my crap, or at least the stuff that would fit in my baggage. I called the rest of my friends who were nearby and told them the news. Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, Pein, and Konan agreed to take me to Narita Airport in Tokyo first thing in the morning, and since Pein had recently bought a car, I was glad I wouldn't have to pay for the train or a taxi. They're damn expensive in Japan.

That morning, I woke up early, ridiculously early, even before my friends had said they would come to get me. I showered and dressed as usual but didn't bring my bag with me when I walked out the door. I had somewhere to go first.

I hopped on my motorcycle and sighed at the empty second seat. Quickly, I sped down the street and made my way to the cemetery. Once I was there, I parked the bike and set it outside the gate. I slowly walked up the grassy hill, bathing in the early summer morning light, and stopped in front of a grave.

"Good morning, Kimimaro," I began, smiling. "I know I'm here really early, and I'm sorry if I woke you up, but I just want to let you know that I'm going on a trip today." I almost laughed. "I'm going to see your sister in Paris! Tayuya has two weeks off and wants to see me! Your father told me about it last night, and he suddenly booked me on a flight for Paris this morning! Weird, huh?" I paused and sighed. "I'll be gone for those two weeks, but I'll be back soon. I'm sorry I don't have any flowers for you this morning, because the flower shop isn't open yet, but I told some of my friends to come see you. I'm sure your brothers and your dad will stop by, too." I smirked and turned, walking away from the grave. "Later, man," I called out as I walked down the hill. "I'll see you in two weeks. Take care of yourself."

My friends came to get me around seven that morning, and we all split fast-food breakfasts on the way to Tokyo, which was about half an hour away. Once we were there, we headed to the airport, stopping at a convenience store to get some more caffeine into our systems.

The airport was fucking busy as hell. I had only been to a small one before, so I was a bit shocked at the massive crowds of people running in all different directions. Pein had to smack me over the head to snap me out of my trance. "You need to go check in," he told me. "Once you do that, the person behind the counter will take your bags, and you can go through security."

"We're going to get some food at the vending machines down that hallway," Sasori suddenly announced, pointing in that direction. "Me and Deidara. We're both hungry again."

I ignored them and walked to the counter. The woman there took my boarding pass, scanned it, took my bags, weighed them, and gave me my ticket. I glanced at it quickly before she asked for the next person. I was supposed to go to the first terminal and leave from Gate 3. I snorted and remembered my Akatsuki days. "Three" had been my codeword.

Before I go any further, I'll tell you what's been up with everyone. It's been almost a year and a half now since Tayuya left, so we're almost out of college. Pein and Konan are engaged, and I think they're planning a winter wedding. Kakuzu has made a shitload of money working his jobs and taking internships. Itachi is in college a year behind the rest of us since he had taken off for his blindness, and Sasuke is in the middle of his second year. Zetsu's mental health has improved significantly, but he still sees his doctors regularly. It was a shame because he's actually healthy enough to go out, so he could have come to the airport with us if he wanted to, but he had a few appointments today. Kisame is going to go to graduate school once he's done in Okinawa. Last summer, he studied abroad in Australia to study the coral reefs. He brought back some pictures he had taken from that trip, and, let me tell you, coral reefs are fucking amazing. No one, unfortunately, has heard from Tobi. We all assume that he's still in America, studying politics, but no one can be sure. Hell, for all we know, he could be RULING the fucking country by now! Jashin, I hope not. America has enough problems as it is. Anyway, the art brothers are still living together and attending art school together. They seem happy.

"Ready to go, Hidan?" Kakuzu asked me as soon as I met with the group.

I nodded. "I'm just going to use the bathroom. Too much coffee this morning."

Konan giggled. I rolled my eyes. Even if we were on okay terms, the bitch still bugged the living hell out of me. I shook my head and walked towards the men's room. And when I opened the door, I had a trip down Memory Lane.

"Oh, Danna...Sasori no Danna...I...I...Hurry up..."

"Dei...Dei-chan, I...OH, MY GOD!! DEIDARA!!"

I blinked and groaned. It was high school all over again.

"You two really are trying to set a world fucking record!!" I shouted, slamming on the door. "For Jashin's sake, we're in a FUCKING PUBLIC AIRPORT, you sex-starved morons!! Save your sex scenes for your own damn bathroom!!"

Sasori glanced up at me and smirked. "But it's so much fun..." he panted, "...with the thrill that we might get caught." He paused. "Hey, by the way, Hidan, get us something from the Red Light District in Paris, okay? We could use some new toys."

I saw Deidara blush like an idiot, even underneath that pink, sweaty face of his.

I twitched. "I'll use the bathroom after I get through security."

I'm not going to go into detail about the rest of my happy airport adventures. The rest of the group could understand what I had seen when I came back to them with a disgusted face. Regardless, security went smoothly, and the plane ride was just as nice. Long as fucking hell, but comfortable nonetheless. I just wish this idiot who had been sitting in front of me didn't snore so damn loudly.

But when I finally got to the airport in Paris, I was in for a little bit of a shock. In retrospect, I probably should have seen this one coming.

"EVERYTHING IS IN JASHIN-DAMNED FRENCH!! FUCK!!"

Please, kill me now.

I had long forgotten my English from classes with Kakashi-sensei, too, so I couldn't even read the English translations of the French words. I was, for lack of a better term, kind of screwed.

"DOES ANYBODY HERE SPEAK ANY FUCKING JAPANESE?!"

"Stop screaming, dumbass. You're giving Japan a bad name."

I turned.

Holy shit.

My girl. Tayuya. My girlfriend was standing right there. The busy airport suddenly disappeared, and I could only stare at her. She hadn't changed much. She was still sort of short and skinny, and she had that same "I'm going to kill you" look on her face. Her hair was strawberry pink, and her eyes were chocolate brown. She was even more beautiful than I had remembered her.

"You going to say something, or are we going to have a French staring contest?" she hissed, smirking. I suddenly laughed and threw my arms around her, picking her up and swinging her around once. She laughed with me as I set her down, and we shared a long, juicy kiss. Jashin, it had been so damn long...

"Let's go get your bags," she whispered. She took my hand and led me down a flight of stairs to the baggage claim area. I quickly spotted my two bags, and we each took one. In order to avoid the crowds as much as possible, we quickly left the airport and hopped into the first taxi we saw. The man behind the wheel jabbered something in French, and Tayuya responded. The driver nodded and sped off into traffic.

I had just come off an international flight, and I was tired as hell, but I must have had a massive adrenaline rush, because Paris was unlike anything I had ever seen before. People sat in cafes sipping coffee, and vendors on the streets sold posters of famous French paintings and Parisian tourist spots. I recognized a few of them from Tayuya's postcards, but seeing them in real life was something else entirely. I spotted the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Le Louvre, Le Musée d'Orsay, and a few other sights that made my jaw drop. It was fucking incredible, better than Kisame's photos of the coral reefs.

"You look like such a tourist," Tayuya snapped playfully, punching me in the arm. I smirked and turned back to her, sighing a bit.

"I can't help it," I replied. "I've never been outside Japan, so this is really weird for me. Paris is so different from Tokyo. It looks like something out of one of Iruka-sensei's stupid history textbooks."

Tayuya nodded. "It does, doesn't it? I think that was one reason why I came to study here." She was quiet for a moment. "I miss Japan a lot though. There are times when all I want is to come home and eat some sushi."

I laughed. "YOU want to come home sometimes?" I smiled softly. "I thought you never wanted to come home. I thought you hated your family."

Tayuya shrugged. "I don't know," she murmured. "Dad has been sending me care packages, and I've been writing letters to him. I guess I miss him a little. I mean, he always says that he misses me like hell. I wonder if that's just because he doesn't have his little girl around to cook and clean for him."

I knew the real Tayuya was hidden in there somewhere underneath all the sentimental feelings.

I shook my head. "I think he misses you for real." I paused. "I know that...Kimimaro misses you."

Tayuya looked up at me through her pink hair and smiled. "Yeah? When you get home, tell him I miss him a lot, too."

Suddenly, the car stopped, and the driver said something I couldn't understand. Tayuya nodded and handed him money, thanking him, I assume. We hopped out of the taxi and took my bags from the back trunk. When the cab drove off, we climbed up the stairs of the nearby building, which Tayuya explained was her apartment for the time she was in Paris. It was a damn nice one, too. It wasn't as ritzy as her house back in Japan, but it was something special. Of course, my apartment was pure shit, so I guess there was some fascination just at the mere size of it. Tayuya's room was much bigger than mine. Hell, it was bigger than some of the rooms at Konan's inn!

No sooner had we put my bags down, my cell phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Get us some dildos from the Red Light District!" Sasori shouted. "And pick up a French maid costume for Deidara! I want to see his ass underneath all those frills!"

"HORNY FUCKER!!" I screamed, hanging up my cell and tossing it across the room.

Tayuya raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "That guy seriously needs Sexaholics Anonymous."

"No shit."

I threw myself on Tayuya's bed and breathed in her scent. Jashin, her pillows smelled good. "What time is it?" I muttered. "I'm fucking tired."

I heard Tayuya snort. "It's the middle of the afternoon," she told me. "You can't sleep yet. If you do, you'll never get use to the time change."

"Damn it," I snarled, looking up. When my eyes locked with Tayuya's, a smirk grew on my face. "I can think of something we can do until bedtime." I got up and walked towards my girl. She had an amused smile on her face as I pulled on her t-shirt.

"That's nice, Hidan," she began, "but I don't think two minutes will make much of a difference."

My faced flushed bright red. "BITCH!!" I shouted, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. Tayuya just laughed and kissed me.

"I'm kidding," she sighed. "I have a better idea though. Let me show you Paris."

TO BE CONTINUED