Author's Note: Ha, it was kind of strange to read about Orochi being a fatherly figure, wasn't it? XD Trust me, that part was tough to write. Still, I did that to prove that a few people besides Kimimaro were on Tayuya's side. As for those other jerks, well, I hate her brothers, too. Kind of weird to know now though that THEY are the ones who messed with her head, huh? It wasn't Orochi-Daddy like we thought. XD Regardless, this is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you enjoy it. Remember that we've switched back to Hidan's point of view, and the epilogue will be the same.
Title: Religion and Music
Chapter 11: When I Loved Her
Tayuya wasn't in school for an entire week.
I tried not to think about what had happened on Saturday, but my mind was too clouded with visions of my so-called "friends" beating the crap out of each other and trying to kill Tayuya. I didn't get it. How could one girl drive people, real friends, to do such terrible things?
I was, in a strange way, happy though. If any of that was going to happen at any time, I would want it to happen once the majority of school was done. There was only about a month or so left of actual instruction, and the only tests left to take were the final exams in each courses. All of the college exams were over, and results came around this time.
It was when I came home from school the next Saturday afternoon that I got news, much better news than the hysterical phone call I had received from Deidara. No, this news was just...
Wow. I stared at the letter in my hand.
I quickly put my shoes and jacket on and walked out of my apartment. After hopping on my bike and starting its engine, I drove into traffic and made my way across town. Pein's apartment was only about ten minutes away.
When I came up to the building, I parked my bike in the nearby lot and went inside. I climbed four sets of stairs before I came upon a familiar entrance. I knocked on the door and waited.
"It's open," I heard Pein call from inside. Slowly, I turned the knob and walked into the room. It was a decent little apartment that was rather clean and relatively well-kept. I guessed that Konan was constantly there, helping her boyfriend out.
"Pein," I called. Soon enough, the orange-haired man appeared in the main room. I narrowed my eyes at him. "We need to talk."
Pein nodded. "Sit down. Would you like some tea?"
"No. Just sit here and talk with me."
He nodded again and did as I instructed him.
I let him have it right at the get-go.
"Why did you do something so fucked up a week ago?" I snapped, my voice trembling with anger. "You knew I had broken up with Tayuya, so why did you go and try to kill her?! You were the one who told me in the beginning of the year that you didn't want to end up in court with murder charges! What the hell were you thinking?!"
Pein frowned and shuffled a bit in his chair. "I want nothing more than to stay united with all of you," he murmured. "I want us to be a gang forever."
I wrinkled my nose. "Tough shit," I spat. "Look at this." I handed him the letter and took a deep breath. Pein looked it over and then looked at me with wide eyes. "I'm quitting Akatsuki," I hissed bitterly. "Kakuzu said that I had to choose between Akatsuki or Tayuya. I've changed my mind. I choose Tayuya. I'd choose anybody over some sicko who killed people for the sake of trying to hold fucked up friendships together."
Pein stared at me. "I thought you liked killing people."
"Not anymore!" I hollered. "Not after what you did and not after what Orochimaru said to me! He said that Akatsuki members don't kill people. He said that the group was just full of mischief-makers, not murderers. I'd have no problem if we were just pulling pranks on random people, but when you try to kill someone who's so...close...to another...that's just fucking wrong!" I inched forward in my chair. "There's no doubt that you're the one who told Kakuzu and everyone else that Orochimaru murdered people while he was in the Akatsuki. One of you, either you or him, is lying."
A deathly silence filled the air until Pein smiled sadly. "I'm the liar," he whispered, his lip piercings clicking against his teeth. "I told those lies to bring everyone together and to make them not feel so bad about killing others for the Akatsuki." His head dropped. "It was my own wish to have control over all of you."
I snorted. "You're no better than some totalitarian dictator."
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry."
Actually, looking back on all this, I'm shocked that Pein was being so agreeable.
I exhaled deeply. "Despite your most humble apology," I began sarcastically, "I meant what I said. I'm quitting Akatsuki. I love Tayuya too much to give up on her. She's everything I want. You must understand since you have Konan."
"And what about what Jashin says?" Pein looked at me with serious interest.
I couldn't believe what I was about to say.
"FUCK WHAT JASHIN SAYS!!" I shouted, throwing my hands up. "I don't care if the Holy Book says I can't love. Obviously, if he didn't want his followers loving anyone, he didn't want humans as followers! Humans NEED love in order to survive!" I crossed my arms. "Besides, if all the Jashinists of the world did nothing but hate, there would be no more Jashinists. They'd either kill each other or not reproduce. I'm sorry here, but, from what I understand, the thrill of hate-sex only lasts so long."
Pein nodded. "That it does."
"So I don't give a shit about the rules of love and hate according to Jashin," I hissed. "I love Tayuya. There's nothing else to it. I'm quitting Akatsuki."
Pein suddenly burst out in a hysterical fit of laughter. I actually moved back and braced myself against my chair out of a mixture of shock and confusion. What the fuck was this guy on?! Pein never laughed. Pein laughing was almost as freaky as Itachi laughing. He had done that once while having a fight with Sasuke over...something I don't want to mention. Damn, that had been one of the scariest moments of my damn life...
"I was waiting for you," my ex-leader finally sighed as soon as he calmed down. "You're the last one." He looked up at me and smiled. "Everyone else has come to me, telling me they want to quit...every single last one of them."
My eyes nearly popped. "What the...hell?" I managed to choke out.
"Sasori came to me first," Pein explained. "He found out that he was going to attend that art school a little while ago, right? Well, regardless of whether or not Deidara was coming with him, he came to me and told me he was giving the gang up to go to college." He paused and smiled again. "And, just recently, he came over here...with Deidara."
A big, stupid grin suddenly appeared on my face. "You mean...?!"
Pein nodded. "Deidara fixed up a sculpture super fast and sent it to the school. They approved his work immediately." He let out a short, satisfied laugh. "He's going with Sasori."
I was doing a fucking VICTORY DANCEin my head. YES!! HELL TO THE FUCKING YES!! That blondie was going to the same art college as Sasori. YES!! My friend had gotten his wish! I laughed and thanked Jashin for his kindness.
"And there's more," Pein added. "In addition to Sasori getting a scholarship, Dei got one, too. Both of them are taken care of for half their expenses."
My goofy grin grew even wider, but it suddenly faded when Pein frowned.
"Not everything is good news," he whispered as he looked up at me. "Zetsu's mental health was classified as severe. He has to attend a special school to help him try to heal as he learns. There's no telling if he'll ever recover completely, though I hear that this institution is a good one. I'm sure he'll be okay." He paused. "He'll be lonely though. Tobi has decided to study abroad."
I almost fell out of my chair. "WHAT?! Where's he going?!"
"America."
"To study what?"
"Politics."
My head spun. President Tobi...? Okay, that was something I did NOT want to picture.
"What about Kisame?" I asked. "What's he up to?"
Pein grinned again. "Kisame is going to go to a school down in Okinawa to study marine biology. He's hoping to get a job as a scientist down there. By the way, Kakuzu is going to a school in the next city over. He's going to become an accountant."
I snorted. "That's no surprise for either of them." Suddenly, I remembered something. I whipped my head forward and gazed at Pein. "What about Itachi?!" I gasped. "You know he's been admitted into the hospital, right?! What's wrong with that poor bastard?"
Pein's eyes immediately saddened, and he looked away. "After he was admitted, he started coughing up blood," he explained. "The nurses knocked him out to see if they could figure out what was causing it, but they couldn't detect anything strange or unusual. They figured that he collapsed and all because of stress. Then Sasuke, who overheard them, told them about Itachi's mess-ups. You know, he wasn't driving well, he was messing up simple tasks, etc. The nurses got nervous and called the doctor. They woke him up and tried out all sorts of tests on him. Nothing brought anything up until Sasuke tried something."
I gulped nervously. "What was it?"
"He asked his brother how many fingers he was holding up."
"And...?"
"Itachi couldn't answer."
My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. No...fucking...way...
Pein looked as though he was about to cry. "He's blind, Hidan," he whispered. "All this time, he had an illness that takes away eyesight. There is no cure. Once the eyesight it gone, the disease eventually leaves the body, but it stays until every last element of sight is gone." He paused. "Sasuke was absolutely hysterical when he called me. He was sobbing like an idiot."
"So what's going to happen to Itachi?"
"He's going to take a year off to learn how to adapt without sight. Then he'll go to a special college for the blind. Until then, Sasuke is going to take care of him."
My heart sank. I didn't feel much for Itachi or Sasuke, and I did NOT want to know about their sick relationship, but...still...that poor, unlucky bastard. To lose eyesight at such a young age...it must have been tough.
"And what are you going to do?" I asked, trying to escape the depressing topic.
Pein looked up at me. "I'm going to county college with Konan," he replied, his mood lightening a bit. "We're going to see if we can live together." I almost smiled. "I think she's the one, Hidan. I think I might want to marry her."
I didn't say anything. Normally, I would have asked Pein a million questions as to why he wanted to stay with that blue-haired bitch, but I was in no mood.
Besides, he took care of that for me.
"Can I just ask you something?" he interrupted. "Why the hell do you want to be with Tayuya? She's a total psycho, I'm sure you know. She's loud, annoying, mean as hell, a stubborn fool...and she's got no boobs." He crossed his arms. "Just explain it to me."
I suddenly smiled. "When I first saw Tayuya, I thought that she was crazy, too. I thought that she was the exact opposite of what a guy's ideal girl should be." I sighed. "But we're too alike to ignore each other. We need each other." The smile widened. "The best part about being with Tayuya is that I don't need to pretend to be someone I'm not. I can just be me, and she's fine with that. Hell, she practically is the female version of me, yet we have so much to learn from each other. THAT is why I love her." I paused. "If Jashin told me to sacrifice her, I'd convert."
Pein just nodded and smiled. "Well then," he sighed, "you have my blessings." He grinned at me. "Good luck in the future, Hidan. Maybe we'll meet up again sometime on the road of life." He suddenly stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Akatsuki is officially broken up. You're free to do whatever you want."
After I had left Pein's apartment, I had never felt so free in my entire life.
I was still thinking about Tayuya though and why she hadn't been in school for the week. I assumed that it was because she was recovering from the attack, but something told me that something else had to do with it. I didn't know her phone number or her exact address though, so I went to my first source for personal information.
"Dei," I said into my cell, "can you look up where Tayuya lives? Maybe it's on Sakon and Ukon's profile."
"Sure thing, Hidan, un," my friend replied. I heard him turn on his laptop and click the mouse a few times. After a moment, he spoke again. "She lives down on Otogakure Street," he told me. "It's the first house on that street." He snorted. "You can't miss it, un. It's that really ritzy neighborhood near where Itachi and Sasuke live."
I nodded. "Thanks, Dei. I owe you...again."
I hung up the phone, started my bike, and headed for Tayuya's home.
Deidara wasn't kidding when he said it was in a ritzy area. Maybe I'm just used to my tiny, crappy apartment, but DAMN, this house was fucking huge!! It was decorated ornately and had the feel of royalty. Jashin, I had had no idea that Tayuya was that loaded!
Nervously, I rang the doorbell and waited for a moment. The door opened.
"Oh!" Orochimaru exclaimed when he saw me. "You're Hidan, right? What brings you here?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Sound-san," I murmured, "but I was looking for Tayuya. Is she here?"
The pale man shook his head sadly. "She's out right now." He didn't speak for a few moments. "Maybe you should go talk to her. I think she'll listen to you."
"What do you mean?" I stole a glance inside the house. Holy shit, it was even richer than the outside! But I could only focus on the sad faces inside. The brothers were all there, but they hardly seemed alive. It was as though all of them were possessed; it was freaky.
Wait a second...Where is...?
"She's at the cemetery," Orochimaru mumbled, snapping me out of my trance. "She hasn't spoken to anyone in days. She's hardly home. She refuses to eat anything." He gave me a solemn look. "She should still be there. Please...go try talking to her."
I nodded, thanked the man, and left. The cemetery? Why would she be there?
I made it over to the local graveyard and, sure enough, saw a black hat and pink hair sitting in front of a tombstone at the top of a hill. Slowly and quietly, careful not to surprise her, I made my way up the grassy terrain and stopped when I was standing in back of her. She sadly rotated to see me, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she just turned back towards the tombstone and buried her face in her palms.
"It was my fault..." she whispered pathetically. "It was all my fault..."
I looked at the tombstone and wanted to die. There...in big letters...
KIMIMARO SOUND.
I sat my ass down next to the girl and stared. Oh my...what the...I didn't even know where to begin! It was such a shock! Kimimaro...he had been just fine when I had seen him a week earlier. Now he was...DEAD?! I couldn't believe it!
My mind wasn't capable of anything intelligent, so I just twisted my head towards Tayuya. "HOW?!" I exploded, not caring if I looked or sounded like a total moron.
Tayuya lifted her head. "Kimimaro has seen a physical therapist every Saturday for the past few years," she explained quietly. "This guy who helped him out...God, he was the best. He was such an awesome guy. He was gentle and loving and really helped our entire family whenever we needed it. He was such a cool guy. He knew exactly how to take care of Kimimaro. Actually, Kimimaro's health was starting to improve because of this guy." She paused to wipe her eyes. "He was sick last Saturday, so the hospital sent over two newbies to give my brother his usual session. What a fucking sick joke...They had no idea what the hell they were doing."
My heart stopped. Holy shit...
"The cause of death was deemed as sudden physical exertion that was too much for his weak heart to handle," Tayuya continued as the tears began falling down her pink cheeks. "That's absolute bullshit. I'M the one who let those two idiots in. I WAS THE ONE WHO OPENED THE DOOR!!" She began sobbing hysterically. "It was all my fault, and now I've killed TWO people! TWO PEOPLE WHO MEANT MORE TO ME THAN ANYTHING!!"
She suddenly fell onto me and began crying against my arm. She gripped my jacket tightly and refused to let go. I listened as the sound of her wails filled the peaceful February night. It was the Chinese New Year, a time for good luck and prosperity, and we had just lost one of the coolest guys I had ever met.
FUCK.
Life sure had a way of fucking with the people, especially the people who already had enough shit to deal with as it was.
But I realized something. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't bring Kimimaro back to life, I couldn't go back in time and stop those idiot newbies from coming into the Sound household, and I couldn't fix all the general shit of Tayuya's life. No...I couldn't do any of that.
The only thing I could do was give Tayuya my shoulder.
So I did.
"It'll be okay," I whispered as I smoothed her pink hair back. "It'll all be okay..." At the time though, I wasn't sure if I was trying to comfort her or convince myself.
Tayuya didn't make eye contact. "I need you, Hidan," she sobbed. "I love you. I fucking need you. You're the only one left. Please...please don't ever leave me...Promise me..."
I nodded and held her close. "I love you, Tayuya. I'll never leave you," I murmured.
"Better not, fucker."
So the two of us sat up on that hill in the cool February breeze and the golden sunset of the early evening. We sat there for hours in front of Kimimaro's grave.
Damn that bastard for dying on us.
I slowly looked up towards the sky with tears in my eyes. I thought, God, I don't know if You care about me. I don't even know if You'll bother to listen to me because of my religion, but please listen to this girl's sobs. Please have mercy on her and her brother. Please...please bring Kimimaro up to Heaven and take care of him. He deserves, more than anyone else I know, to be happy up there with You. He was one of coolest, nicest guys I've ever met. Please keep him safe up there. Please do it...for this girl. Amen.
Jashin would have to suck it up and wait. There were more important things than worshiping him right now.
TO BE CONTINUED
