Holding the drawing in one hand, I followed the short one, his name was Sasori, I believe? Anyways, I followed him for a long time, not able to pay attention long enough to keep track of time. Huh, maybe this explains why so few of my drawings ever get finished.

One thing I did notice, however, was that the farther we went, the brighter the tunnels became. I could see a skylight here and there, and it really cheered me up. The skies were still blue, and that comforted me.

"You will room with us. Make any noise, and we will not hesitate to kill you."

Sasori waited to see my nod, then tapped the wall, causing a door to appear. I gave a half-strangled yelp and shrank away, then gulped and walked into the dark room, Sasori in front of me, Deidara behind.

The room was empty-looking, making me feel slightly depressed. My own room at home had various doodles lining the walls, until you couldn't even see the wall color (I think it was white), and pets were scattered everywhere, between my finch, snake, and the array of various canines. Every now and then, a cat would brave it all to come in a sit in my lap, but the dogs would normally keep them away.

Here, though, there was nothing. There were two beds, and two desks, one littered with papers and wood carving tools, the other with bits of clay smashed here and there. One small window let some light come in, but the rest of the light was provided by flickering torches, lit by Sasori as we walked in. The floor was as rocky as the rest of the place, and already the pads of my feet ached from walking on it.

"What do you think, hm? Just like home?"

I turned to Deidara, and watched him grin cruelly at me. I knew then that him seeming nice was just an act, and I could not trust him any more than I could trust the rest. I was alone here, and needed to find a way to survive.

I only looked at him pathetically, then turned away and hunched my shoulders, feeling miserable. This wasn't home. And it never would be.

"You will sleep in the bed next to the window. Don't think you can escape from it, there is a jutsu preventing that. If you try, your throat will be slit. You will wake up early tomorrow and cook breakfast for the rest of the occupants, and if you don't wake up on your own, I will wake you up. I do not promise to be gentle. Do not complain, whine, or anything else as annoying. It infuriates me."

His grumpy glare was all I needed to nod quickly, trying to memorize all he told me. It was made a lot easier by the fact that he had the same accent as me, though I wondered how he had it. Was he like me, dragged here?

However, as I heard him speak to Deidara, I knew he was only replicating my manner of speech. Quite accurately, but not good enough to remind me of my friends at home.

With nothing else to do, I lay the drawing on a table beside the bed, curling up in a small corner and closing my eyes. I wondered about escaping through the window, but I had no clue what a 'jutsu' was. It could be an electric barrier, for all I knew. Or, it could just be glass, easily breakable but noisy.

With a final sigh, I turned my gaze away. These people were faster than me, and easily more dangerous. I stood no chance if I made them mad.

With troubled thoughts swirling in my head, I fell asleep.

I woke before my alarm, annoyed since it meant I lost a few extra minutes of sleep. Yawning, I stretched my limbs out, reveling in the feeling of the muscles stretching. The pull felt delicious, waking me up quite nicely.

I opened my eyes, looking for my alarm clock to see if I might be able to go back to sleep again. However, I saw only black where my alarm clock should be.

Frowning, I turned to my right, thinking I had rolled over in the night or something. However, I only saw a faint glow where my bookshelf should be, and some short person at the desk there.

With a sudden, painful crash, the past few hours events slammed down on me, drowning me in a wave of sorrow. I would never go home again, never see my friends or family, never see my pets, and never see the forest I called home.

Silent tears streaming down my face, I rolled back over, crying silently. I curled up, and it helped with some of the hurt that was in my chest. My tears soaked the pillow, and my vision was all wavy now that it had adjusted to the dark.

My nose running, I finally cried myself out, and the room was starting to get brighter. Rolling back over again, I could see the pale glow that signaled the sun rising, and I watched it, taking comfort in the ritual thing that happened every day. The routine comforted me, and it was all I had now.

"If you're awake, get up. You will not lay in bed all morning."

I looked toward the voice and had a sudden, daring thought of defying him, causing him to release me from this prison. Maybe if I ignored his command, he would kill me?

However, as the coward I was, I only put my feet on the cold floor and stood, wobbling slightly as the blood rushed out of my head and my vision faded over for a second. It came back, and I could see Sasori watching me, a neutral expression on his face.

"You wake at this time every day?"

I nodded, estimating it was around five by the way the sun was rising. Besides, I didn't feel very tired physically, so I guessed it was around that time.

"Good. There is a red toothbrush on the bathroom sink. You may use that while you are here. Hurry and get ready, then you will cook."

I nodded again, following his gesture into a small room. A torch suddenly flared up, and I jumped and gasped, looking at it. When my heart calmed again, I turned to the toilet, feeling an overwhelming urge to pee. Really bad.

Finished, I stood and walked to the sink, turning on the water and grabbing the bar of soap to scrub with. I spotted a tube of something, and a cautious sniff told me it was toothpaste. It carried the same medical scent to it.

Spotting the red toothbrush by the hairbrush, I grabbed it and squeezed toothpaste on, running it under the water for a brief moment to brush my teeth. I spit out the foam and scrubbed my tongue, trying not to gag.

When I was done, I rinsed off my brush and rinsed out the sink, shutting off the water after I had gotten a drink, not knowing when I would be able to drink again. It tasted pure, like the water at my grandparents'. They had their own private well, far away from everyone, so the water tasted clean.

I looked at the hairbrush tempting me, but sighed and turned away. I wasn't told I could use it, and I had a feeling I was lucky to be alive. No need to push my limited amount of luck.

I instead just took the hair-tie from my wrist and put my hair into a quick ponytail, walking out as I did so. Sasori was waiting impatiently, and I cringed at his expression. Glaring at me, he turned to Deidara, who was drooling on his pillow while he slept.

"Deidara."

Deidara only mumbled a bit and squeezed the pillow tighter, scrunching his eyes shut. Sasori growled, vibrating my bones at the pitch.

"Deidara, up. Now."

"Danna, I don't want to", the blond whined, acting like a teenager. Sasori gave him a flat look, then did something with his fingers that caused the blanket to fly off him. I cringed away at the strange force, but it didn't seem to harm me.

Deidara bolted upright, hands going to his side. Calming down, he turned his head and glared at Sasori, before turning his eyes to me.

I cringed, seeing the menace in his gaze. Great, yet another way to piss people off.

Sasori only walked out of the room, leaving me with nothing to do but follow him, Deidara soon after. With one ahead and one behind, I felt like a convict being transported between locations. Which I might have been, for all I knew.

I was lead to the kitchen again, and Sasori grunted before speaking.

"You will cook for us. You may use anything found in this kitchen to cook."

I didn't want to speak, but I really had to.

"How many do I have to cook for?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes averted.

Sasori actually looked at me like I did something right, then answered, "You will be cooking for five."

I nodded, then headed hesitantly to the fridge, making sure I was allowed to move. When they did nothing but stand and watch me, I padded over to the fridge, feet lightly thudding against the stone floor.

I opened the door of the fridge, grimacing slightly at the smell that emerged. Okay, first thing I was doing when I had free time was cleaning out this fridge.

I couldn't really see anything I could cook. The meat was slightly green-looking, and most of the other food was definitely rotten beyond saving. Looking at the hardened loaves of bread, the little voice in my head began whispering something to me, trying to tell me what to do.

I furrowed my brow and tried to focus on it, knowing it was trying to help me. But, as always, I couldn't clearly hear it. Sighing, I looked again at the bread, knowing it was useful but not able to figure out how. The smell of French fries filled my nose, and I sniffed once in memory of the smell, wondering where it was coming from. The voice grew slightly louder, and I tried thinking what message it was trying to send me. French fries, French…..

My eyes widened. French toast! Even with the bread hardened, I would still be able to use it for French toast!

I eagerly looked in the fridge for eggs, and the little voice gave me a mental pat on the head, praising me. However, as hard as I looked, I could not see any eggs, rotten or not. Not having any other plan, I resigned myself to asking Sasori.

"Sasori….?"

"What is it?" he growled, and I flinched.

"Um….. do you have any, uh….. eggs?" I asked, cringing away. He only gave me an expressionless look, then said something to Deidara. The low, gravelly voice mixed with the unusual accent made it almost impossible to understand, and I could only catch a few words here and there.

Deidara looked at me angrily, then headed out of the room, turning in a direction I haven't yet traveled. While he was gone, I began looking for the cooking utensils I would need. A large mixing bowl, a frying pan, a fork, and a spatula. Looking around at the many cupboards, I sighed. Great.

"What are you looking for?"

I jumped at Sasori's voice directly behind me, and I turned to look at him.

His eyes seemed more neutral than how they had been before, and I felt myself loosen up.

"Um, I need a large bowl, a frying pan, a spatula, and a fork. If you have them", I added quickly, not wanting to seem too demanding.

He looked up at me, and said, "When you speak to me, I expect your voice to be louder and strong. No more 'ums' and 'uhs'. You are now a student of the Akatsuki, and you will act as such. You will also address me as Master Sasori, or Sasori-sensei. Understood?"

I nodded, but a flat look caused me to hurriedly say, "Yes, Master Sasori."

"Good. Now, you will find what you're looking for in the cupboard two doors left of the sink, on the bottom, and the drawer to the right of the sink. I do not know what this 'fork' is of which you speak, but I am presuming it is a utensil similar to what you brought here with us, correct?"

"It is slightly different, Master Sasori. What I had was a spoon. A fork has tines to stab your food with."

"What odd utensils you have in your universe."

I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"What is this 'fork' needed for? We might have something to replace it."

"I only really need it to take the bread out of the batter. If you have something else I can use, I will use that instead, Sasori-sensei."

In response, he only shuffled forward, heading for the cupboards. I followed him, not knowing what he was going for. He stopped his forward shuffle in front of a drawer, and it opened without him touching it. I was startled at that, but after seeing the things these people could do, it wasn't affecting me as much anymore.

"I believe you will find what you need in there."

I looked in, and saw a few tools that looked similar to forks. Not exactly, but close enough where I could use it.

I grinned, then softly said, "Thank you, Master Sasori."

He only grunted, and shuffled back to where he had been watching me, while I pulled out the rest of the items I would need. Deidara came in then, carrying a few dirty eggs, a few bleeding spots on his hands.

"This better be enough, un."

Looking at them, I smiled softly and said, "Thank you, it's enough."

He only grunted and set them down on the counter, where I proceeded to wash them. From the way they were filthy, I could tell they were just gathered from the hens themselves, and the marks on Deidara's hands only helped to prove the fact. I was grateful I lived on a farm. I had a feeling the knowledge I had gained there would serve me well here.

Once the eggs were clean, I cracked them into the bowl I had grabbed. I mixed them up, slightly disappointed I had not found any cinnamon. While I could cook without it, French toast tasted better when cinnamon was used in the batter. However, when the batter was prepared, I only dropped a few pieces of bread into it, letting it soak while I turned to the stove.

I could hear Deidara asking Sasori something in the background, but I ignored him in favor of trying to get the flames on the stove at just the right level. They couldn't be too high, or it would burn, but too low and it would take forever to cook. When I had judged them to be at the appropriate height, I tossed the now-soaked bread into the pan, listening to it sizzle while I pawed through the cupboards looking for a plate to put them on when they were done.

In my search, I discovered a jar of some brown, thick liquid. Curious as always, I undid the cover to sniff the contents. I grinned as soon as I did. Wow, I had actually managed to find syrup, and from the thickness, it was the good stuff, actual maple syrup.

I put that down on the table along with the plate I had found, and used the spatula to flip the bread in the pan, tossing some more pieces in the batter to soak.

"What are you doing, un? Trying to poison us?"

I stiffened and turned to Deidara, keeping my head low. Sasori growled.

"Deidara, I was watching her the entire time. While the food is unusual to us, it has not been poisoned. The only thing she has used is egg and bread."

Deidara only gave me a glare, but allowed me to continue. Turning back to the frying pan, I pulled the pieces in there out and put more in, the smell wafting through the kitchen. Sasori seemed unaffected, but Deidara sniffed a couple times, seeming appeased. It was obviously an exotic dish to them, but at least I wasn't being accused of poisoning them. Now I could only hope it tasted good, so I wouldn't be killed.

When all of it was finally cooked, the amount I was hoping was enough for the five I was cooking for. While it was enough for what I eat five times, they could eat more than me. Or, they could eat less, and there would be too much. Either way, I had a feeling it was bad.

"Master Sasori, I'm finished."

He only nodded, and I staggered as something hit me. It wasn't physical, but more like when you're standing next to speakers and they suddenly blare out a loud shriek. The pressure collided with my brain, and I gave a half-strangled scream until it passed, and I only fell to the ground, shaking with exhaustion. Unknowingly, my body had been tensed up, and the energy it took to keep my muscles locked was apparently immense.

Deidara gave me a disdainful look, then headed for the table, sitting in a chair while Sasori stayed where he was, watching me.

Others walked into the room, and I watched them file in after I managed to stand again. There was the one I had attacked, I think they said his name was Hidar? Hidab? Well, whatever it was, I watched him walk in, muttering angrily to himself. The one that had watched me in the strange hospital was behind him, strange eyes glaring at me for a reason unknown to me.

They looked at the odd food, and I started to slink behind Sasori when another walked in.

He was the 'leader' of the night before, and now I could clearly see his face. He had rows of piercings on his face, and looking at him, I also recognized him from the hospital as well. He had come in with Sasori when I woke up.

He merely looked at me, and I felt a shiver pass through my body. I just didn't like him. No, I was scared of him.

They all sat at the table, and there was an awkward silence while they all looked at me, as if waiting. Finally Sasori growled.

"You're eating too. You have a lot of work ahead of you today."

I only nodded, walking hesitantly forward to the chair the farthest away from the rest. Feeling their gazes on me, I kept my face looking down as I sat, feeling miserable.

"Oi, what the fuck is this? Seriously, how do you eat it?"

I looked up to Hidan- hey, I finally remembered his name! Oh, right. He was looking at me and gesturing to the food, and I gave myself a mental slap. Of course they wouldn't know how to eat it.

Remembering what Sasori had said about not stuttering, I quietly said, "You cut it up and dip it in syrup. Or, you can just pour syrup on it and eat it."

They gave me odd looks.

"What the fuck kind of food is that?"

I blushed.

"It's a standard breakfast food where I'm from. It….. tastes better than it sounds."

They looked at me doubtfully, but put a slice on their plates, hesitantly pouring syrup over it. They gave the make-shift 'forks' an odd look, but put bites in their mouths while I hesitantly reached by Deidara to grab a slice for myself.

They were hesitant, but at least seemed to like it. Hidan obviously did, as he scarfed his down, reaching for more when he was finished. The one that had come with him, the one with the odd eyes, just ate it mechanically, like a kid that was enjoying his vegetables but refused to admit it. Deidara only talked with the leader quietly while I ate my first few bites, warily watching the rest of them. They didn't seem to hate it, but I didn't trust these people.

The leader kept his odd gaze on me the entire time, and I felt myself automatically tense, miserable. The food no longer seemed appetizing, and while I knew I was going to be working and didn't know when I was going to eat next, I stopped eating after the first slice. I wasn't hungry anymore.

When they all finished, they left the room, Hidan muttering about how it was too early for someone to cook breakfast and wake him up. When they all left, Sasori and the leader conversed for a few minutes while I waited, hands folded behind my back. They finished talking, and the leader left the room while Sasori turned back to me.

"You will clean up, and then we will discuss various matters as they pertain to you. Understood?"

"Yes Master Sasori."

I picked up the dishes and carried them to the sink, piling them in. Another good thing about making French toast was that it didn't make too much for dishes to clean.

After gathering the many dishes, I looked around for soap, not finding any.

"Master Sasori?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any soap to clean these with?"

He looked at me, then walked over, pulling a few odd things out of a basket next to the sink.

"You know how to prepare soaproot, correct?"

"Yes", I breathed, grateful I was one of those nuts that actually studied various plants and their uses, not just vegetables. Taking the roots, I found a small, fist-sized rock and grabbed it. Getting the roots wet, I took the rock and began pounding them, causing soap-like suds to emerge from them. While it wasn't as strong as our soap, and tended to dry out skin, it would work quite well.

When I had gotten enough of the suds out, I set them to the side, grabbing a dishrag to wash with. The plates cleaned easily, syrup just rubbing off them. When they were put in the strainer, I washed the other dishes, drying them and putting them away when I was finished.

Hands wrinkled, I turned to Sasori.

"I'm finished."

He grunted, and began walking out, me following. It was only when I judged us to be halfway back to the room when I realized something.

"Master Sasori, are you going to eat anything?"

"No", he replied grumpily, and I shut my mouth. It was obvious I was starting to annoy him, and so far, he was my only ally, if I could call him that. We walked into the room, and I noticed Deidara absent, though I didn't say anything. I highly doubted these people spent all their time in their rooms anyways.

"Sit on the bed."

I obeyed his short order, sitting cross-legged on the bed, ready to discuss whatever it was he wanted to talk about. He shuffled around to face me, and I had a feeling what he was going to ask had a lot to do with what was going to happen to me.

"Now Tally, what do you know about chakra?"