ρ r ε m ι έ r ε

Sainte-Verre Noir Church, Paris
5:05 P.M.

Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

A deep voice softly hums along. "Louder."

Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem mean.

"More enthusiasm, Nara."

Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.

"Yamanaka, iniquitate needs a bit more passion."

Quoniam iniquitatem mean ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est simper.

"Good." His hands relax and fall. "That's enough for today."

"God bless you," the white-adorned chorus recites.

"Dismissed."

The choir's instructor grimaces, and brings a pale hand to his temples. His exhaustion only multiplies faster at the sight of its cold reception.

"Your Grace." A man donning a metallic, black suit glides through the church doors and stops before the grand chancel. "Our dear Holy Father requests a private meeting with you this evening." He murmurs to himself in thought. "At the usual spot, if I recall correctly."

"Thank you, Archdeacon Sasuke Uchiha." The bishop steps down from the altar with a large folder of faded music sheets. "What is it that you're wearing?"

"Cotton silk, Archbishop Neji Hyuuga." The man smooths the suit's creases. "I will be heading to the marketplace later this evening to run an errand."

"I see." Neji raises his sleeve and takes a quick glance at his luxury watch. 5:58 P.M. He brings his right forefinger toward the music sheets by his left side and wordlessly runs it across twice. Two minutes left, the gesture indicates.

Sasuke's gaze lingers on the sheets a moment longer before breezing back to Neji's face. "Archbishop Hyuuga, have the rehearsals been going well?"

"Certainly." A nods of approval. "The choir is exceptionally talented, especially the tenor section."

"I heard Nara fit splendidly despite having been transferred here only a week ago." Stalling time was never an entertaining task.

"Yes, though he forgets to apply enthusiasm during the chants, his voice is spectacular." Neji subtly lifts his sleeve once more.

Sasuke clasps his hands in false wonderment at the comment, and then hastily glances at Neji's wrist. 5:59. "As expected of the singers that the Holy Father himself had chosen."

"Mm." Neji searches through his secular mind for any other meaningless words for idle chat that the overlooking security camera's scrutiny would deem appropriate, but fails. Thankfully, Sasuke succeeds.

"Shall we engage in a sanctified moment of silence?" For only a minute, that is, Sasuke implies silently.

Neji nevertheless hears the unspoken remark. "We shall."

6:00 P.M.

The two men browse through the ceiling's corners, double-checking that each security camera is now completely deactivated, as the new hour has signaled.

"I'll get straight to the point." Sasuke's polite facade fades. "The pope suspects us."

Neji draws a sharp intake of breath, narrowing his eyes. "Which explains the private meeting tonight."

"Presumably. What's the plan?"

Neji steps through the gospel side of the church, brows furrowed. "I'll clear up the suspicion."

"Do you need any assistance?" Sasuke eyes the taller man charily. "Nara has been assigned a tough job tonight, but I'm sure Yamanaka—"

"No," he interjects. "Just a gun."

Sasuke's eyes widen. "You're not going to shoot the pope, are you?"

Neji gives him a blank stare, and rolls his papers into a tight cylinder. "Does it make a difference?" His arms fold irritably. "We're fleeing Paris in a few days anyway."

"But the city—"

"Or I can tie him up and throw his body somewhere below the church."

Sasuke exhales. "I'd prefer that."

"Alright then." Neji moves a hand to his pocket and brings out a pack of cigarettes. "Smoke?"

"No thanks. I'm leaving in a bit."

"Oh, right. For that errand of yours." His lighter scorches the nicotine. "Who made the request?"

"Some lazy cardinal. A group of Roman nomads are traveling through town and needs some place to stay." Sasuke exhales exasperatedly. "It's my job as a mere archdeacon to guide them across the religious threshold and into this church."

A pair of slightly parted lips lets out a puff of grey. "Looks like my evening plans will be far more exciting than yours."

"Neji, please hide the body someplace relatively easy to find," Sasuke says. "Remember how your last mission—"

"I'll think about it, Your Excellency."

"Neji," Sasuke hisses at the dismissive sarcasm. "Killing the pope is unnecessary. And risky."

"Do you doubt my abilities?"

A sigh. "Of course not." The suited man covers his nose as a balloon of nicotine floats playfully toward his face. "Look, I'm heading out soon. Is there anything else?"

The man doesn't answer immediately, instead reaching over to his robe's hidden pocket. "See for yourself." His outstretched arm holds out a black recorder.

A shuffle of clothing and a click later, the church's walls resonate with sonorous chants of Latin. The two men let themselves momentarily drown in the notes, and listen with patience. After a minute, Sasuke pauses the tape. "The pronunciation is flawless. And the tenor part is nice. I'm surprised our little Nara pulled this one off."

"I'm not too wary about the accents or the harmony." Neji flexes his fingers. "It's the emotion that's the problem. The sentimental aspect of this piece is crucial, and the choir's lacking within this department. This excludes our Nara and Yamanaka, of course. What kind of vocals can we expect from dedicated assassins?" He clicks his tongue in light frustration. "Nevertheless, the other members need help. We might not perfect it in time for the church's event tomorrow."

"And here I thought that you were actually serious when complimenting your choir." Sasuke sighs.

Neji inhales another mouthful of tobacco. "Well, I doubt the lovely cardinals spying us from above would appreciate a mere archbishop insulting the quality of their main source of music and entertainment." He pauses to propel another gust of smoke toward the Uchiha. "Besides, sweet talk might lift some suspicion off us."

Coughing hysterically, Sasuke glares at the inconsiderate bastard. "I highly doubt it. I overheard three patriarchs claiming that they've seen us carrying bludgeoned corpses through the church's dungeons."

"Oh, that's mostly my fault." He puts out his cigarette with his handheld ashtray—which also came from his robe's small pocket.

"Seriously, Neji." Sasuke shoots a grim glare. "The pope actually believes their lies."

The archbishop imposter quietly yawns. "Exaggerations, you mean. You should've just killed them."

Uchiha lets his shoulders hang in defeat. "Murder's not always the solution, Archbishop Hyuuga." He fixes his suit's wrinkles again. "I'm leaving. Good luck tonight."

"Not always the best solution, you mean," comes a quick retort. "You too."

"Don't kill him."

The devil lights another cigarette. "We'll see."

{Miserere mei, Deus by Gregorio Allegri}