A/N: Hi all! This update is later than the past few days because of my work schedule. As usual, thank you all for the reviews, and I'm glad to see that you're just as excited as I am for these coming chapters. I'll try to write and update consistently with my schedule, and keep things moving here while we have some momentum. Enjoy! :)

With a low groan of pain, Ame was carefully lowered and assisted to the stone wall. Though he didn't look it, the kid was strong enough to help scoot across the floor and maneuver her to an upright position. He sat at her side, still gazing up at her as her head fell back against the cold barrier behind her, and a long, low sigh escaped her. Then she opened her eyes and studied him. Didn't say a word for what felt like hours.

"You look just like him. It's almost scary."

"Him?" The boy's voice was equally low, so not to attract unwanted attention.

"Tamaki," The name hung around them as a flash of recognition crossed the boy. He frowned up at Ame and she couldn't help but snicker to herself when she saw the same arched brow that her old captain used when he walked in on the tail end of a joke.

"That's my dad's name. Do you know him?"

"I did." A brief nod crossed Ame as her gaze trailed to the open bars of the door. Just when she thought things couldn't get stranger, she was locked in a cell with the very boy she had wanted to get to. Though she could hardly think straight, a deep breath was drawn to compose herself and try to piece together the most efficient plan.

Iori had done this ironically. To teach her a lesson. But she'd made a mistake in allowing Ame contact with the kid. Where Ame had lost drive and nearly abandoned the idea of trying to fight back, there was a new surge of purpose. She was in bad condition, but the kid didn't look like a lost cause. Thin, sure. But he would be fine after he got some food in him. It was the kid's lucky day. If she could do nothing else, she owed Tamaki that, at least. Settle the debt of getting her away in the first place.

An object was pushed into Ame's view, and when she turned she found a bottle of water. Half full, but more than she'd had in days. She took it, careful not to snatched it from the kid.

"Oi, reach into my shoe and get my knife."

"You have a knife?" Disbelief widened the boy's eyes as Ame lifted the water to her mouth. Drank slowly so not to lose it before she even got it down.

"What are you gonna tell? Just get it and cut this rope off me." Though he initially paused, Ame was pleased to find the kid listening. He fetched her blade from the edge of her shoe and set to sawing the bindings from her wrists. Though the knife was small, it was just enough get the job done.

"Lady this is dangerous..." Dull gray eyes clashed with hazel as Ame leaned up and rubbed her wrists. Then took the blade for herself and worked on the short connection between her ankles. Just enough to allow constricted walking, and nothing more.

"The name's Yosano. And you're..."

"Michi."

"Cute. Call me Ame." An annoyed glance was spared on the woman and she would have laughed if her body wasn't aching so badly. The circulation in her hands was coming back with each tender rub of her palms, and as Ame leaned towards the kid, she willed her scrambled mind to come together. She needed a plan. Winging it wouldn't cut it against Iori and chance wasn't on her side. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

Surprise, maybe even fear, was splashed on Michi's expression, but he slowly nodded. Maybe thought Ame was delusional. His first question was "how", and honestly, Ame didn't know. She needed to get the door open. That was the first step. From there, she could get to the storage room, and if it was in the same place as before, it was close enough to be plausible. After that, though, the only way out was the front, and that meant direct confrontation. Maybe she had it in her. If she could get up, she could fight.

She would find it in herself to take a few people. It would be sloppy, at best, but it was the only way she could accomplish anything. Fingers crossed, she wouldn't have to run into Iori on the way.

"You like magic tricks, Michi?" Cutting one of the pockets from her pants, Ame split the fabric into straps that could easily be fixed into knots and tied around her forearm in a makeshift gauze. She was still cramping. Still bleeding. Maybe the supply closet would have a change of clothes.

"Are you a magician?"

The ghost of a chuckle forced its way through Ame and though her ribs screamed in protest, she lazily fell back against the smooth stone behind her. Nodded.

"I'm gonna make everybody we see disappear. Ever seen anybody die?"

At that, Michi shook his head. His ever-prying gaze dropped to his green yukata, which was probably vibrant as one point. Now, the fabric was smeared with dirt and had run ragged at the edges.

"Then look away." This was going to scar him. At the very least, he would question any trust he put in her in the time they'd been speaking, but Ame couldn't concern herself with his emotional or mental state right now. "Get away from me."

Waving an arm towards the boy, Ame questioned her own plan. Wasn't sure if it would hold or get the reaction she wanted. As Michi backed away, unsure of her sudden mood swing, Ame positioned her knife in her hand. She pushed herself up, and tested her balance for good measure.

When her legs didn't fail her, she took it as a sign to proceed. That water hadn't been much, but her throat wasn't as painfully dry as before.

Leaned against the wall, Ame wrapped her arms around her stomach, and let out a pained groan. Loud enough to grasp attention and echo through the lower half of the building. When she didn't get an immediate response she continued. Had to have somebody respond. The first sign of her success was foot steps. Then a dark clad man, just beyond the bars.

He glanced into the cell with his brows pulled into a tight frown, shushing Ame with one finger to his lips.

"Oi, shut up in there. You're gonna wake the whole crew and Iori will have a field day on my ass."

"It hurts too badly, I can't help it." Cringing the words, Ame kept her head low. It didn't take much acting. All she had to do was vocalize how she already felt. So she did. Moaned in pain again, and the man hissed another warning.

"Do I need to come in there and shut you up? Haven't you had enough for one day?"

Instead of answering, the woman returned to howling like a wilder beast. As dramatically as she was opposing the man, she could have laughed, but when his hand dug into the pocket of his cargo pants, all humor left her.

Bingo.

This was it.

He rode in on a storm of confidence and annoyance. Took hold of Ame's shoulder to turn her towards his fist, and it was all that she could do to duck and bum rush him. Crashing into the man's torso with all of her weight, she tackled him and jammed her knife into his esophagus while he was none-the-wiser. Still shocked by her attack. Before he could attempt yelling for help, the blade was pulled from his ribs and thrust into his throat.

He was silenced easily.

In the back of the room, Ame was aware of the sudden thump and shuffling to a safe distance. The squeak of terror she had elicited from her companion. As blood bubbled at the incision of her victim's neck, Ame eased herself up; half-dead and exhausted, but rising.

"Come on, kid, it's alright."

Two wide steel eyes peered up at her as Michi eased forward on his hands and knees.

Just a kid. Not a coward, he just wasn't used to it. That's what Ame told herself as she sifted through the man's pockets. She didn't find much. A knife, a flare gun. Gum, lighter, and cigarettes.

Slipping the knife back into her boot, she took the man's. It was larger than hers and far more convenient. A cigarette was bit from his nearly empty pack and lit. She took everything he had. Turned to the kid and motioned to the door as she took the first real drag of nicotine she'd had in days.

"I can't carry you, you gotta walk. And stay by me."

Still on his hands and knees, Michi kept his eyes on the man on the ground between them. Didn't move. Then, as if weighing the possibilities of cooperating, he slowly took to his feet and inched to Ame's side. That was enough. She pat his head and started towards the open door.

It didn't take much walking to reach the old factory building that they had been pointed towards. An hour, tops. Once outside, they were met with a dark closed gate. The grounds appeared to be abandoned, and the only indication otherwise was a single shadow that drifted across the wall, though the form that cast said shadow was out of sight.

The entrance was tightly secured, and the landscaping was unkempt.

Placing a hand on a bar of the gate, Kamui gave it a sharp tug. It didn't budge. Solid wrought iron and an unseen anchor wouldn't give so easily, but as he pulled at the bar, he could feel it barely moving.

"This is the place, right?" Glancing at Gintoki, Abuto freed his hands of his pockets.

The silver-haired samurai nodded. His shoulders stiffened as he studied the foreboding structure. Watched Kamui's efforts to break the gate.

"Abuto, get over here-" It was moving. Barely. With each passing second, it was slipping open. Too slowly for his liking. If the person he'd seen moving beyond the gate wasn't enough evidence, the degree of security instilled in what should have been a breeze to move was.

The older man obliged. Seemed surprised that his assistance had been requested, but when he latched onto a bar, the reasoning behind it became apparent. The bar in Kamui's hands snapped clean off the fence, and he turned to to the group, frowning. That would probably be the easiest entrance.

Without warning, Kagura jumped up beside him and kicked the bar to the right of what he'd broken. It dented under the force, and the sound resonated through the metal with a deep ring.

"We should probably keep it down..." Peering at the looming structure beyond the Yato trio, Gintoki looked for any sight of being caught. Abuto's bar broke off, as Kamui's had, and with another kick, Kagura bent her target to the ground beyond the barrier. There didn't seem to be any security near the gate. No alarm was triggered, and nobody spotted them as they stuck to the perimeter. If the compound was sleeping, as it appeared to be, they didn't need to wake anybody up.

Except Iori. Kamui would find and wake her. At this point, their previously nonexistent issue had escalated. It was personal. If she didn't have Ame, he didn't know where else to look, or what he would do. After everything that Ame had told him when she finally caught him up on her ex and their escapades, he knew that there were too many possibilities to rule out. Maybe Iori had sweet talked her into coming back. Blackmailed her with the time she hadn't seen explosives close to the road fast enough to warn the driver.

Or maybe she forced Ame into another job that was too dangerous for a Human woman. Threw the single time she went into the field to personally break Ame from an enemy camp into her face.

"The door's locked." Abuto's voice broke Kamui's train of thought. He stared at said door and decided to try for himself. Twisted the handle until it broke off in his hand and the door glided open.

Smiling back at Abuto the man dropped said doorknob.

"No it's not."

A cold shiver went down the older Yato's spine, and Gintoki's brow twitched as Kamui let himself in. As though he wasn't throwing all caution to the wind and breaking into what was possibly a gang hide out.

"Baka-nii, your supposed to knock first!" Sprinting to her brother's side, Kagura glanced around the long stretch of beige hallway. Dim circular lights illuminated their path, and the walls were plain save for an occasional spackled hole.

Ignoring the girl, Kamui turned to a hall that branched off from their entrance. Wasn't sure exactly where to go. There were at least two floors, and from the chill of the air, a large portion of the building was concrete.

"You smell that?"

Not bothering to look at Abuto, Kamui nodded.

"Blood."

"Oi!" Another crossing path in the labyrinth of halls brought a gravel voice that belonged to a newcomer. Kamui came to a halt, and Gintoki's hand grasped at the handle of his bokken; ready to draw and strike if need be. "Intruders! Sound the alarm!"

Just what they needed. People to tell Kamui where Iori was. Three, to be exact, which meant that he could sacrifice two for his mood. They started to charge down the hallway, intent on capturing the unauthorized trespassers, but before they could cover half of the distance, Kamui was there; swinging his foot into the closest person. The unknown man flew into the wall. Cracked it open, and after Kamui cracked his ribs, and hopefully, his spine.

"He's gonna kill them!" Gintoki was already rushing into the fight with Kagura at his side, and as they joined in, the man behind them strolled along with no urgency in his step. Abuto didn't even need to lift a finger.

The stairwell was clear, and beyond it, the halls were silent. Ame was careful not to push herself as Michi ascended beside her. She squeezed the handrail along the wall and willed herself to keep it together. Just long enough to get outside. Knife in hand, the woman stole a glance of the hallway and motioned to Michi to wait behind her. Hug the wall.

When the silence held, she tapped his shoulder and slid around the corner.

"I'm telling you, it just wasn't right."

Quickly grasping the boy, Ame pulled him to the opposite wall for concealment. The joint of another walkway brought company, and she preferred to avoid any unnecessary encounters to conserve energy. What if she couldn't make it? Her sides felt like they'd been run through an industrial paper press and twisted for good measure. Back to the drywall, she squeezed her eyes shut; willing the people away.

Footsteps stopped nearly beside her; too close for comfort, and a woman's voice filled her head with the slightest echo.

"You shouldn't talk like that. If she hears you, she'll knock you back to sharing bunk beds and four to a room. Did you see what she did to her ex?"

"No," An interesting topic had been struck, apparently, and the man mumbled back. "I heard about that. Were you there?"

"Oh, yeah. It was brutal. She-"

By some miracle, the steps switched direction. Turned back the way they had come, and Ame released a pent up breath of relief. The low conversation droned on in the background as she waited for the pair to retreat, then led Michi behind them to cut into a nearby path.

The door was exactly as she remembered. Dented steel that had picked up smears of dirt from being kicked one too many times. It welcomed them as they ducked inside and locked the handle behind themselves. With the flip of a switch, familiar metal shelving units came into view; overstuffed with bags and loose odds and ends that always proved useful in a pinch.

"Kid, climb up that shelf and get the red bag." Not a single second was wasted before Ame set to properly equipping herself with anything she could find. Her old knives were retrieved and snapped in place as Michi heeded her command. Lanky as his limbs were, they carried him up the shelf and to the requested bag. He tossed it down to Ame, and she nearly didn't catch it, but as she ripped the zipper open, salvation shined up at her.

Gauze, antibiotic gel, pain killers. Epinephrine. The idea crossed her, as she stared down at the needles, and for a moment, she was stuck between knowing that she needed any buffer she could get and not wanting to screw herself over for days. If she did it, she'd feel it in the morning after over using her already aching muscles. Assuming she had a morning to look forward to.

Synthetic adrenaline. It wasn't the worst idea she'd had.

"You killed him..."

As the boy's voice filled the room, Ame popped the cap off a container of pain medication. Swallowed three dry. It would barely help, but that wasn't the star of the show. She took a nearly broken watch and fiddled with it to set the timer to exactly twenty minutes. Then grasped one of the needles and pulled the cap off. Jammed it directly into the muscle of her arm and emptied the injection without second thought. At the same time, the stop watch was started with her free hand. It hit her in an instant, and for once she was thankful that people had life threatening allergies.

To think she'd use an epi-pen for this.

"I told you, I'm getting you out of here. If I don't make it, run. Hug the walls, hide in bushes, don't get caught." Defending her disposal of the man in their cell wasn't high on Ame's list of priorities. Only one gun and eleven bullets. "There's a place called Otose's Snack Shop. If you can get there, they'll help you get to your uncle." Ame loaded the bullets in the gun, a six shot, and shoved the rest into her pocket. Turning to face the kid, she grasped the blade of a pocket knife.

Kneeling in front of Michi, she took his hands into hers. Wrapped his fingers around the green handle as she gazed into his eyes.

"Take this," Realizing that he was being handed a weapon, the boy started to unravel his hands and pull away, but he was held too tightly to refuse. "Hey, hey- Michi, you need to take this. If I can't-" Mid-way, she stopped herself. If anything, this was just scaring the kid more, and she could see it in the wrinkles under his eyes. "Just in case, okay? Your dad was a hell of a guy. Brave, funny, a jack ass, but sharp. If he could do it, so can you. You need to do exactly as I say. If you feel like running, and I tell you not to move, don't even breathe. Got it?"

A slow nod of acceptance was all that the boy offered. His attention fell to the folded blade in his hands, and as Ame returned to the table he slipped it into his belt. Just in case, she'd said. Okay.

"Carry this bag, and take this." Red fabric was pushed into the Michi's hands and he hoisted it on his shoulder as Ame wrapped a watch around his wrist. Her heart rate was steadily increasing and her entire body was starting to burn to the point of sweating.

"I have seventeen minutes, before I pass out. If we're not out, take the needle in that bag and inject me with it. In a muscle, not a vein. Can you do that?"

"Are you gonna be okay?" The tiny voice made her falter. She wanted to say yes. To speak to him in a softer tone that was more appropriate for a child, or remove him from the situation altogether. But she didn't know how. She just didn't know. The answer to his question, how she could encourage him, anything beyond a half-baked plan that she could hardly organize in her mind.

"You are." With Michi carrying the bag, Ame was free to engage anybody they came across. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she got hurt. That adrenaline wasn't the real solution to her problems. But it definitely gave her more of an edge than hobbling around holding her stomach.

Three shrill whines erupted through an intercom and nearly sent them into cardiac arrest. It was a familiar sound, and Ame knew without a doubt that they had been discovered missing. The alarm had been triggered, and the entire building was going to erupt into chaos.

"How much time do I have?" Hand on the doorknob, Ame gazed down at the boy. He glanced at the watch and took a deep breath. As if preparing himself to step into his father's shoes.

"Fourteen minutes."

Nodding, the woman started to pull the door open. The moment it cracked, multiple sets of footsteps could be heard, quickly approaching. She squeezed the door shut as gently as possible, killing the lights and holding her breath as the people continued on and the hall fell silent once more. They spent a few more seconds like that. Not willing to risk discovery, though just out side of the door, Kagura, Abuto, Gintoki, and Kamui were passing by with far less discretion.