A/N: Trigger warning for squeamish folks: one prisoner sticks objects up her vagina. Skip the first part of the chapter up to the phrase (Deidara just rolled his eyes.) if that disgusts you too much.


Finally, after days of brainstorming and planning, things were beginning to look up for the prisoners in the dungeon.

It was so easy, they were honestly surprised they hadn't thought of it sooner; it happened one night after dinner, when a scuffle between some other prisoners caught the guards' attention for just long enough that Akari was able to hide her chopsticks during the meal cleanup. When pressed about the missing sticks, she claimed she hadn't gotten any.

The remnants of sticky rice on her hands was enough to sell them, and after snapping at her in disgust to clean her hands, they carried on.

Once the guards were all gone, Akari's lips stretched into a smile and she reached down. Turning to face the wall, Deidara stood at her back to shield her from any prying eyes as she pulled the chopsticks out of their hiding spot with a grunt.

Deliberately ignoring the clear stickiness coating most of the sticks, he handed her a piece of sharp rock and she got to work over the latrine hole.

"Did you seriously pull that out of your pussy?" Hidan demanded, his face twisting.

"Why, you scared?" She countered with an annoyed look towards the silver-haired man. "I'm not acidic, you know."

"That's still really fuckin' gross," he grumbled, turning his face away towards the rest of his empty cell.

"C'mon, Hidan," Deidara chimed in. "You're perfectly okay with maiming yourself, but you draw the line at female parts?"

Akari sent him a thankful glance before focusing on the stick.

"It's different," he insisted with a stormy expression.

Deidara just rolled his eyes. As uncomfortable as he was, he tried his best to ignore it. The last thing he wanted was for a potential chance to be squandered.

The two cells fell silent for a while, save for the rhythmic scraping of the rock against the wood.

Would it work? Everything pointed to at least a maybe. He was a bit doubtful, but it was this or nothing. The rock and concrete was too thick to tunnel through, and even if they somehow could, it would take months of work to dig something wide enough for both of them to squeeze through.

Although they were similar in build, Akari was just a little wider in the shoulders and a bit more muscled. If she could manage to jam herself through a hole, surely he could. But of course they couldn't go it alone, and digging through to Hidan and Miya's cell would take too much time.

Another plan that had been offered was to snatch the keys from an officer while they weren't looking. This one had been discarded very quickly when they noticed another prisoner attempt that very maneuver one day. The prisoner in question had been caught immediately, as they couldn't get their fist back through the bars quickly enough and the officer heard the keys jangling and felt the weight leave their pocket.

That had been early on in their stay, perhaps the second or third day. Nobody had seen the prisoner since, and they'd been replaced quickly by another.

Another idea they had thought to try had been to fake sickness in order to sneak away later. Before they could try it, however, Miya really did get sick - her body was wasting away so fast without food or water they were forced to take her into the medbay so that she would stay alive.

Of course, they bemoaned the timing; Miya hadn't said a word since they got there, and there was no way she would be in on the plan. When she came back later, Hidan had really laid into her for it, but she just lay on her cot staring at nothing.

So now, here they were, with a plan that would hopefully work this time. Miya had been taken away again today, although this time she was deemed well enough to interrogate once more. They weren't too nervous about it; if she hadn't spoken before, surely she wouldn't speak now.

"Thanks," Akari's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"For what?" He inquired, just as quietly.

"For sticking up for me." She nudged him with her elbow, and the ghost of a smile spread across her face. "Iwa natives stick together, I guess?"

"You're from Iwa?" He turned, surprised, to face her.

"I never told you?" Her hands paused for a brief moment, before continuing. "I was born and partly-raised there. My father moved us to Fire when I was a teenager because of his connections to Akatsuki."

The blond's lips parted, and he nodded in awe. "That's… that's awesome, yeah. I didn't know…"

A wry smile dimpled her cheeks. "It's not like anyone cares where you're from when you're in a stinkhole like this."

His cerulean eyes softened, and he gently lay a hand on her upper arm.

"If we get out of here," he said in a low voice.

"When."

Deidara chuckled. "When we get out of here… you should come with us. Join Akatsuki. I'm sure Pein-sama would be eager for the help."

The redhead hummed in thought.

After a few seconds of silence, she paused in her shaving, held up the sharpened chopstick, and squinted at it.

Satisfied with her efforts, she turned her arm over and poked at the flesh. To her delight, the tip pricked her skin with just a little pressure.

She looked up at Deidara with a grin. "Y'know… I think I'd-"

The bang of the dungeon door startled them both. Quickly pulling the waistband of her pants away from her skin, she tucked the two chopsticks back in, and Hidan wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Opening the man's cell, they threw Miya in. She collapsed to the ground just as she always did, but this time she just closed her eyes and hid away her face.

"Looks like your lucky day, inmates," the warden spoke with glee, a mirthful glint in his eyes. "Your little friend gave us what we wanted."

Hidan's face darkened in rage, and he leapt from his cot. "What?!" He shouted.

Deidara's heart sank, and Akari stared hopelessly at the younger woman.

"From now on, you'll be monitored more closely than before." The warden ignored his outburst and sneered at the fallen girl before turning and leaving.

As soon as the door shut again, the silver-haired Jashinist slammed his fist into the bars. The loud rattling startled more of the prisoners out of their silence, turning their heads to silently stare at him as he screamed at the fallen girl.

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" He roared, stomping his feet near her shaking hands. "How dare you sell us out?! Who the fuck was it that took you in when you fought off a rapist, huh?! Who the fuck was it that let you stay after you survived that massacre?! WHO WAS IT?"

Miya didn't move. Her hands continued to tremble. Her breathing didn't quicken nor slow.

Deidara stared at her for a long while, anger bubbling up in his heart. The pitiful form on the floor didn't even have the heart to defend herself against Hidan's shouting. How could he expect her to understand the gravity of what she'd just done?

As he opened his mouth to join in, Akari's hand on his cheek made him take pause.

The woman shook her head, her face twisted into a grim frown.

"She- she just-" Deidara tried to say.

"I don't know how in the hell they got her to talk," she said slowly, squeezing his cheek gently, "But whatever happened, happened. We need to go on."

"But- she-"

"We need to forget about her." Her eyes hardened and her tone grew cold. "The plan must go on."

Closing his mouth, the blond solemnly nodded.


A/N: Just when you think you've gotten a breakthrough...

Please tell me what you thought.