He felt himself being overtaken by the sheer force of the high level ninja and grew light headed as a mist filled the air. The last thing he heard was Sakura screaming and seeing Deidara collapse.

Sasori groaned and sat up wincing as a sharp pain stabbed it's way through his ribcage. Everything was a blurred mess and judging by the cement floor his current position wasn't very good. Once his vision finally cleared he saw Deidara and Sakura laying on the cold ground. Sasori struggled to stand up and used the wall for support as he slowly made his way to the duo. Every step felt like it could kill him and the wounds to his chest, and shoulder didn't make it better by no means. Sasori got down onto his knees and shook his partners.

"Deidara ... Sakura ... wake up. Sakura ... Deidara."

Deidara was the first one that came to consciousness followed by Sakura and put a hand to his head letting his blue eyes slowly flutter open. "Danna ..."

Relief washed over the red head seeing the blonde was okay and responding. Sasori helped the other sit up and rested a hand on the other's thigh before tending to the konoichi. "Yeah, don't move."

"OK, un."

"Are you guys okay?" Sakura asked as Sasori examined her hands.

" ... You broke your knuckles. Can you move your fingers?"

Sakura tried to do as she was told and winced. "No, but it's only one hand... what happened?"

Deidara leaned his head against the wall. "Looks like we're captured, un."

Sasori put the girl's hand down gently in her lap. "We were over powered and they took us prisoners. They also stole all of my puppets and weapons."

"Mine too ... But we have to get out of here, un."

"I've seen these kinds of walls before ."

The two stared at the konoichi. "What about them?" Sasori asked.

Sakura put a finger to her lip in thought. "Well, as far as I can tell none of us have very serious injuries but our chakra is more than halfway depleted. In jails they use these kinds of walls to keep the prisoner's chakra at bay ... to a minimum. We don't appear to be in a jail but we're definitely someplace. I just don't know where. These walls are another way to ensure that we don't escape."

"If we were to escape, the smartest thing to do would be to-" Sasori stopped when the door to their room suddenly creaked open and a big, buff man appeared carrying chakra ropes.

"Akasuna no Sasori, eh?" He studied the slender framed redhead covered in dirt. "You aren't made of wood. Guess I was misinformed about you. Get up." The ninja roughly yanked Sasori up off the ground and tied the rope around his wrist.

"Sasori!" Deidara made to get up when another ninja kicked him in the stomach causing the blonde to double over and cough blood.

"Shut the hell up." The assaulter growled.

"Deidara ..." Sasori stared with wide eyes and yelled when he felt the offending strings tighten until a sharp snap was heard echoing around the room.

The ninja laughed softly. "See what happens when friends try and play hero?" He turned his attention away from the group and left out the door leaving the second ninja to tail behind as he shoved the redhead out.

"Move."

Deidara watched the door shut and buried his head in the sleeves of his tattered Akatsuki cloak.

Sakura drew her knees to her chest . "He'll be okay ... Sasori's tough."

"Yeah, but he's not invincible, un."

"Deidara I didn't mean that."

"Everyone thinks Sasori is this apathetic, eternal, invincible person and just maybe he was unable to feel as a puppet, un. But Sasori's not made out of wood anymore, un. He can feel everything they could possibly have to throw at him, un. You saw how hurt he looked when that ninja broke his wrist, un!"

"I ... you're right ... I'm sorry. Gomen nasai." Sakura looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes trying to focus on her chakra. "Deidara, if you get worked up you'll run out of energy. Try to focus on your chakra or something other than this if possible, alright? Sasori would be upset if he found you injured more or worse because of chakra depletion."

Deidara closed his eyes as well and tried to rest. "Sorry, un. You're right too ... Sasori can handle himself, un. Do ... do you think we'll get out of here, un?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Sasori seemed like he had a good strategy." The konoichi was about to say more until she turned her head to the side and found out the blonde had fallen asleep. Maybe that was something she could do until Sasori came back from only God knows what. "They're probably going to torture us."

Sasori kept his eyes to the ground as he was led into a strange room. The redhead coughed and felt himself about to gag at the smell upon entering. The room smelled of bile, blood, and death immediately burning his nostrils and throat. Had his stomach been any weaker he would have thrown up right then and there. He gritted his teeth when the rope was yanked from his wrist causing the broken bone to snap again as he was pushed onto a wall and strapped down with his wrists and ankles. Sasori glared weakly when he heard a raspy voice whisper in his ear.

"What do you know?"

Sasori let his glare falter. He knew that voice somewhere.

"I said ..." The torturer ripped the back of Sasori's cloak and shirt open with a katana and pressed the edge of the blade against his spine. "What do you know?"

The Akatsuki member snapped back. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Don't play stupid Akasuna. I know the Akatsuki are planning to attack us! Now tell me what you know!"

Sasori struggled against the bindings. "I don't know anything." He said and hissed when he felt metal being torn into his flesh.

"I think you do red."

A cloth was shoved in his mouth as the abuse to his bruised back proceeded and blood dripped on the floor. Sasori gagged when salt was thrown on top of the area burning into a skin and filling his lungs with the residue. He remembered that voice now. That same voice from that night. He remembered the nickname. Red.

The ninja removed the gag. "Are you going to tell me? All you have to say is: "I'll tell you." That's it."

Sasori blinked and tried to steady his breathing. "No ..." He didn't know what the hell they were talking about and even if he did he wouldn't tell them.

"So be it. You still look the same you know ..."

Sasori felt his heart stop and speed up beating rapidly against his aching ribcage. This was definitely him. He struggled in the bindings again ignoring the searing pain coming from his broken wrist and battered back. He choked on his own tears when a whip tore through his skin and his body shook violently as another bag of salt spilled over his back in sync with the repeated lashings opening wound on top of wound. He coughed and spit up, choking on his own bile through the offending gag as tears blurred his vision and stained his cheeks. All he had to say was those few words but he couldn't do it. He couldn't betray the Akatsuki. Sasori screamed and pushed the bloodied cloth out as much as he could with his tongue. He would choke if he kept that nasty thing in his mouth.

A hand shoved it back in his mouth and the whip lashed out again leaving a pool of blood under his feet.

"You might bite your tongue off if you take it out. Forty more to go, filth." The assistant said sadistically.

Sasori wrenched his eyes shut as the beatings kept coming one after the other and his vision began to fade. He struggled to keep himself awake through the horrendous torture. Only one more to go. The last whip came fast and seemed to tear across all the other lacerations. Sasori felt more blood splatter sickeningly on him and the wall. He wasn't able to hold it in anymore and threw up into the gag and the bile seeped from the dirty cloth to the corners of his mouth as he struggled to swallow the disgusting half digested liquid and food back down before he could choke or drown in his own vomit. Sasori collapsed on the floor in his own blood when the appendages were released and let himself be dragged back.

Deidara woke up with a start when the door opened and Sasori was tossed into the cell they shared.

Deidara gasped and ran over to his lover. "Sasori, un!" The blonde felt tears weld in his eyes at seeing Sasori's mutilated back and wrist. Carefully, he laid beside his injured partner and drew him into his arms trying to get warmth to pass through Sasori's cold body.

"D ... Deidara ..."

Deidara's azul eyes locked with Sasori half lidded ash ones.

"They think that ... Akatsuki is planning so-something against their village..."

Deidara shook his head and took off his cloak draping it over the weak male. Flinching when he saw the other wince from the fabric coming in contact with his lacerations. "Ssh ... it's okay Sasori ... don't say anything ... just go to sleep. You're safe now ..." He gulped and fought back tears. He couldn't cry. Not in front of Sasori because he needed the blonde right now.

"I'll get us out of here ..." Sasori whispered and drifted off into a deep sleep finding comfort in the clay artists words.

Deidara watched him fall asleep and idly moved cherry red locks away from the other's face and checked his pulse every once in a while. Being in this chakra depleting room made it essential for the three of them to get as much rest as possible to stay alive. Especially now for Sasori. He could tell the other was hanging on a limb unless he got some rest and even then nothing was promised. Deidara knew his time was coming up. Sakura had been taken into a different room an hour after Sasori was so those trash were more than likely on their way to get him. He had proven himself to be right too because soon he felt himself being hoisted up and bound by the same chakra strings they had Sasori in. Deidara didn't want to leave him alone but he knew he had no choice and mentally prepared himself for the worst.

TBC

-tear ... tear- Whoa interesting, eh? I was reading about different types of torture used and probably to practiced today. :( I felt bad writing this!! Oh well ... -begins working vigorously on next chapter- For my first torture fic thing I think it came out okay and plus I'm sensitive so it's hard going into such detail!

Rants : This is turning out to be way longer than I expected! It was only supposed to be five chapters long! And now look, 13 and counting! Well, at least I'm enjoying writing the story! XD