A/N: Second to fucking-last chapter! WOO! I know, it's fucking SHIT, but I've been working real hard on other things. Read "I'm Sure It Was Art" because I'm planning on wrapping it up as well! Please enjoy and review, and don't ask what I've been up to. I know I'm late.

-WhirledPeace

The next day Hidan was the first to wake up. "Take the bed," Deidara had said. "I'll take the couch, so don't worry, un."

"What about Tobi?" Deidara looked at Tobi as if contemplating this for the first time.

"He can sleep on the floor, yeah." And so it was that Hidan got the bed. He knew Deidara was trying to make him feel more at home, but nothing would feel like home until he could fall asleep next to Kakuzu.

Hidan awoke and found he just wanted to keep sleeping. He wasn't tired, but he didn't want to deal with the world. And then he remembered last night and leapt from the bed, only throwing on a shirt and a pair of pants over his boxers before leaving the bedroom. He found Deidara and Tobi both asleep on the couch and felt a pang in his heart. Since Sasori's death, Hidan had felt it was unfair of Deidara to so quickly jump to Tobi. It was sort of as if he were abandoning the group's original settings. But now he understood now the position Deidara had been in. Hidan walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bagel, chomping into it. After sitting at the table for a few minutes wondering of many things, one of which being why Deidara didn't throw out completely stale and moldy bagels, Tobi stumbled into the kitchen and straight to the coffee maker. "Would you like any?" he mumbled.

"Yeah. Sure." Tobi promptly filled a cup with coffee and handed it to Hidan. "You're not having any?"

"Never touched any in my life," he replied. There was a silence.

"How late does Deidara typically sleep?"

"Um… I don't know." Hidan decided to stop his inane questioning. Thus commenced a long half-hour of anxious, silent waiting. Eventually, Deidara yawned and promptly fell onto his living room floor. Grumbling and fumbling his way to the kitchen, he groped around for the coffee. Hidan handed him a cup of scalding coffee and he downed it in one gulp. Hidan sighed and shook his head. Tobi was looking at Deidara lovingly, and Hidan glared at him.

"I'm leaving," he announced. Deidara looked up, still groggy.

"Go ahead…" Deidara looked sadly down at his empty cup. Tobi was about to get him another one, when Hidan pushed him out of the way.

"I'll get it," he snapped. Tobi stood back. Deidara accepted the cup and sipped at it.

"Say hi from me, un," Deidara said. Hidan took this as his cue to leave and grabbed the keys, heading out the door. He couldn't stand Tobi. Screw what he had thought before, the kid deserved to die.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Hidan was intercepted by a nurse. "I'm afraid you're not allowed to see the patient, yet," she said. Hidan glared at her.

"I was told-"

"Wrong. I don't want to alarm you, but they're just running some extra tests. I've been told things are abnormal."

"Abnormal?" Hidan echoed. "Bitch, you told me-"

"Assuming everything had gone according to plan yes, you would have been able to see the patient this morning, but he wouldn't have been very animated. I would recommend talking to my superior, but she's in charge of whatever's going on and won't be free until lunch. You can speak with her then." The woman turned to leave, and Hidan gave her the finger behind her back.

"Stupid pink-haired bitch," he muttered. Defiantly, he chose a seat and a good magazine, and prepared himself to wait.

At roughly 11:30 am, the nurse brought another woman up to Hidan. He stood and they shook hands. "I'm sorry I've never properly introduced myself. My name is D. Shizune."

"Hidan," Hidan said gruffly. "What's going on with Kakuzu?" Shizune smiled.

"I didn't mean to alarm you before, when I told my assistant to tell you that things were abnormal. Things were healing more rapidly than normal, and we were afraid we'd have to open up again to correct anything that night have gone wrong. But as it is, there's nothing wrong. We took an x-ray, and everything seems normal. But you won't be able to see him until tomorrow." Hidan gave her a reproachful look.

"This is insane!" Shizune looked sympathetic.

"I understand. Tomorrow, I swear, you'll be able to see him." Hidan sighed and turned, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Hidan stormed into the building, swearing and cursing. The door to Deidara's office opened and the blonde poked his head out.

"What's up, un?" he asked.

"That stupid nurse said I could come back tomorrow! God-fucking- ARGH!" Hidan slammed his head against the wall.

"Glad to have you back, Hidan," came an icy voice from behind him. "Now stop ruining my building." Hidan turned to see Konan standing there, completely professional, arms crossed. Hidan launched himself at her, giving her a bear hug which she returned. "Are you planning on working or just sitting around?"

"I might do a little bit of work," he said slowly, thinking.

"Whatever suites you until Kakuzu gets out of the hospital. Then I'm working you like you've never worked before." Konan nodded at Deidara and left back to her office. Kisame came out of his office then, along with Itachi. Zetsu came from further down the hall, and they all stood around Hidan, asking him things, offering advice or assistance. Hidan thanked them all and then retold the entire story. Once he was finished they all stood there, amazed. Then Tobi came running up to them, panting from the exertion of running all the way from the lobby.

"Hi-Hidan," Tobi panted. "Have you been to your apartment recently?" Hidan shook his head. He'd been staying with Deidara. "Your mother has been calling non-stop for the past day or so. Will you please talk to her?" Hidan wrinkled his nose. The last person on earth he'd want to talk to right now was his mother.

"Tell her to fuck off." This made a lot of people around him feel uncomfortable. Hidan then remembered Kisame was the only one there who even remembered his mother. "In the politest way possible." Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Just talk to the woman, un! She bothered to call, yeah!"

"Why should I?"

"You're a brat, you know that, un? Go talk to her, yeah." Hidan sighed and walked off. If he was going to call his mother, he was going to make the company pay for it. He pushed Tobi away from his desk and picked up the phone, dialing the number he really didn't want to right then.

"Hello?" a woman answered.

"Hi… mom?" Hidan said, voice quivering ever so slightly.

"Oh hello Hidan darling! Are you all right?"

"Yeah…"

"How's your friend?"

"My friend?" Hidan echoed hollowly.

"The one in the hospital."

"Fine. He… he got the transplant."

"Oh I'm so glad to hear that. Listen, this may not be the right time, but there's something I have to tell you about your father."

"He's not my father."

"All right, all right. But he's dead anyway, so it doesn't matter." Hidan dropped the phone. With a few choice swear words he picked it back up.

"Excuse me?"

"Dead. He's dead. Your brother and sister are both coming for the funeral."

"When is it?"

"Next Tuesday."

"Can't."

"Well that's a shame. What about Christmas? I talked to a friend of yours who seemed like a sweetie. Why not bring him?"

"I'm not coming."

"Oh please? It would be so good to have the whole family come. You don't have to stay for the whole time, just eat something! I don't care if you bring your huge hairy man lover in leather!" Hidan dropped the phone again, and again picked it up.

"What did you say?" he asked incredulously.

"I meant that I'm done caring if you're dating men! It was your father who always had the problem with it. So come, make a splash, dress like a fucking fag, I don't care! But at least sit down at a table with your own family and celebrate the birth of our lord Jesus!" Hidan dropped the phone yet again, but scrambled faster to pick it up.

"If you were all right with all this, why did you let me stand there and get yelled at all those years? Why did you just stand by?"

"Because I was trapped in a loveless marriage, all for the sake of my children! Since your father died, I've only wanted to give you a father! So I married him, and he was a jackass, but I stayed because of my children!" Hidan tried not to drop the phone again. "But I'm done caring! I'm done giving a shit! He's dead, and that's that! So are you fucking coming to Christmas or not?" Hidan opened his mouth, stammered noiselessly, then closed it, gulping.

"Sure," he said. "I'll see if I can get some time off."

"Good. And you'll bring…?"

"Uh… his name's Kakuzu… he's the one who just got the heart transplant."

"Well then, good for him. I'll call you back tomorrow." And she hung up. Hidan hung up as well, head spinning. In a daze, he made his way back to his office. Deidara followed him.

"You want me to come over tonight, un?" he asked. Hidan smiled.

"I'd like that."

"Oh, Hidan? Can I see you in my office?" Hidan turned to see Konan.

"Sure."

"Hey." Kakuzu's eyes opened, kind of sticky, but he attempted a smile as Hidan walked in. Hidan smiled sadly, tears forming in his eyes.

"Hey," he replied, walking into the room and looking his lover over. "You're looking well for a heart transplant victim."

"We're called patients, Hidan." Hidan rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Not the Kuzu I know," he replied. Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "So how have you been?"

"Tired, a lot. No one wants to tell me what's going on."

"Ah. Harsh." Hidan pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "Told me yesterday I couldn't see you because you were healing too fast. Bastards." Kakuzu chuckled.

"To think you could heal too well."

"Yeah. Apparently they weren't expecting it, and had to run some tests. I suppose this is all very hazy for you."

"Yeah." They sat in silence.

"Things are a lot the same, actually," Hidan said. "I want to tie Tobi up and chuck him off the edge of the world, Konan's still a bitch, everyone's just happy and grateful to be alive. And that you're alive." He leaned forward in his seat and took Kakuzu's hand. "No one's more grateful that you exist than I am, Kakuzu." They stayed like that for a moment, emotion pouring between their eyes, before Deidara burst in.

"All right, lovebirds, break it up, un," he said, leaning on Hidan. Kakuzu was looking bewildered.

"Oh yeah. Akatsuki also took a fieldtrip to do some undercover work," Hidan explained with a grin. "On gender discrimination, mostly. Could be interesting. Here…" Hidan stood up and took out a camera, snapping a picture of Kakuzu. "There. Where do you think we can put that?"

"In the fireplace," Kakuzu muttered. Deidara laughed.

"Come on, we'll be back later, un." And the two left Kakuzu. "Ok, the main objective is to show discrimination in hospitals, un. Like posing hypothetical questions and asking about their policies. Try to get some pictures of people in charge, un." Deidara began to walk off.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"There's a few people I need to have a word with, un," Deidara replied with a sadistic smirk. "Have fun, yeah!" Hidan rolled his eyes, and began walking around, wondering what he should take a picture of.

"So, supposing a man was married with no other family, un. Who would you call?"

"His wife, obviously," the woman said, looking slightly annoyed.

"His husband, un," Deidara corrected, jotting that down.

'Wait, it if was a man, that's not considered marriage." Deidara looked up innocently from his notebook.

"It isn't, un? So what if he died, yeah?"

"Then that would be a tragic loss, and his home phone would be called."

"What if his husband wasn't home, un?"

"Then he would get the message eventually." Deidara nodded.

"And-"

"Look, sir, I'm very busy. I don't have time for your questions. You can talk to my assistant." Deidara was redirected to a brunette woman by the name of Shizune.

"Hello, I can answer any of your questions."

"Um… right, un. How do you identify patients, un?"

"Mostly that's up to the authorities, but we look through their wallets usually."

"Would the same visitation rights be given to same sex couples as opposite sex couples, un?"

"Um… Well, same-sex partnerships aren't recognized as marriages…"

"I see, un. And how do you plan to correct this, yeah?"

"Me?"

"Your place of employment, ma'am."

"We're focusing on treating patients, sir. Our policies are for treating patients. Here, I have things to do, you can talk to my assistant." Deidara sighed. How come everyone has an assistant? But soon he was faced with a woman with pink hair and a cheery smile.

"Can I please get some questions answered, un?" he asked, exasperated.

"Where do I know you from?" the young woman asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Uh…" Deidara vaguely remembered her from the night Sasori had died. "Do you read Akatsuki mag?"

"Actually, I do…"

"I'm Deidara, un." The woman grinned.

"Oh yeah! What can I do for you?"

"Just answer some questions truthfully and honestly, and I'll put your picture in our next issue, un." Sakura blushed in pleasure.

"All right. What do you need?"

"In a situation where a patient needs home treatment, and the only family member they have is their roommate, what do you do?"

"We usually send them home with instructions, but home care can usually be handled by the patient."

"Supposing the patient's only family is a same-sex partner, yeah?" Sakura sighed.

"I actually talk to them against policy, but most doctors won't. Don't ask why, bigotry is just deeply seeded everywhere." Deidara grinned.

"Can I publish that, un? Will you get in trouble, yeah?" Sakura shrugged.

"I'd like to see them try." Deidara laughed.

"You feel up to a picture, or want to get dolled up, yeah?"

"Oh, whatever's easiest."

"I'll give Hidan a call, un." Soon they had the photographer there, and Deidara relayed her comments. Hidan smirked.

"All right, sweetie, tilt your head up a bit… good, now give me a dazzling smile. Good!" He snapped three shots. "Very good. I'll talk to Konan about a free issue. Maybe we could work up some advertising thing." Sakura nodded.

"That would be good. I'll make sure you get some extra visiting hours."

For the records, that particular issue was a sensation. It started loads of cases, and debates, and a few prominent politicians. But because of the controversy, many people started protesting it. But Konan handed them all job applications and sent them home. Only she could talk someone so upside down that they forgot what they were doing and accepted whatever she handed them.

And Kakuzu got out of the hospital in record time. Konan paid him twenty pounds to tell the reporters that it was the extra visitation hours that contributed to his recovery. Policies were changed, and same-sex marriages, after many, many months of court cases, were allowed the rights of hospital visitations.

With all of this going on, Akatsuki stood there, so blasé, so cool, answering all questions with a level head. As always, and forevermore.