A/N: For simplicity's sake, this chapter focuses on the break out. The next will be Kamui's group and breaking in. Thank you for all the reviews, and enjoy! (And don't kill me)

Clear as the hallways had been when they exited the closet, Ame had known it was only a matter of time before the opposite rang true. Michi had stuck behind her the entire time, and they paused only to scope out intersections before rushing through as stealthily as possible. The fact that he had no shoes helped, but Ame's boots weren't made for sneaking when paired with her limited range of motion.

The first sign of opposing footsteps was a reactionary trigger that put her on the offensive, and the moment they reached the hallway and forms came into view, she snapped up in a kick without thinking or even looking at the person. The world was already a blur. Focusing on anything but action was too much to ask. Michi stayed back as she engaged the enemy.

Wasted bullets and bypassed the ever-present pain to subdue the threat and urge him on. Two bullets down. Without giving him time to gawk at her work, she snatched his hand and pulled him along behind herself, only letting go once she was sure that he was following.

"Time?"

"Twelve minutes!" Breathlessly calling up to the woman, Michi pushed the watch back up his arm and fiddled with the oversized band in an attempt at tightening it. Between keeping up with the woman's pace and watching the time, he was caught completely off guard when the woman in front of him slammed on breaks. Even more shocked when he was shoved into an open door, and gunfire rang out.

The sounds of a struggle ensued, and as the boy backed away from the door, a man slammed into the open floor beyond it with Ame over him; scowling and struggling for the revolver.

"Well, well... What is this? A break out?"

Swiveling around to face the throaty chuckle, Michi stumbled to retreat. A large form emerged from an open door, the only other exit, clad in olive green and black. His ankles locked together and he landed flat on his back, shuffling away on his elbows as the man honed in on him. This was all happening too quickly for him to process. The man in front of him pulled his hand out of his pocket, and a butterfly knife followed.

Was tauntingly switched around as the man advanced with slow, calculated steps.

"Shouldn't you be downstairs?" An overly amused smirk played on his mouth. The way he was swinging his knife around made Michi feel as though the man was going to gut him and enjoy every moment of it.

Wide eyed, Michi reached for his belt. He pulled the pocket knife from its resting place and fumbled to snap it open before the man reached him. As his knife snapped open, the door slammed shut behind him and he dropped it. A loud pop sent the stranger back with one smooth motion. Permanently.

He didn't even twitch, just laid there with his legs unnaturally twisted under him.

"There's too many, we have to go!" Snapping the lock on the door, Ame glanced over the room. Behind her, the door knob was jiggling. Slams against the metal threatened to break through. They needed another route.

Ame could only take so many people as she was. Two or three, sure. Four, six, and beyond? Not a chance.

With little to put to use, she started with the first thing she saw; a chair pushed against the door. Still as a statue, Michi peered at the man that had been over him, half expecting him to get up. Instead, he was the one jerked to his feet and rushed away without enough time to come to terms with the man's lifelessness.

"You okay?"

"Y- yeah-" Choking the word out, Michi ambled in place, unsure of what to do or where to go.

"Move out, we don't have time, kid! How long?"

Remembering the watch, the boy checked it as Ame sank to the wall beside the open door. Cleared their exit and motioned for him to follow.

"Seven!"

On the other side of the exit, a metal grated staircase took them to a warehouse. The moment they darted around the corner, gunshots rang out, paired with an unfamiliar voice.

"That ain't them, that's somebody else!"

Instead of stopping as his instinct told him, Ame continued to drag Michi. Nearly pushed him down the stairs as a woman came into view through the grate of the safety rail; aiming for them. Instead of following her own lead, Ame hosted herself over the edge and dropped on top of the woman as Michi reached the concrete ground and swiveled to face them. Took her down, and wasted her in front of the boy before whipping around, still crouching, to fire at a man to her left. When the gun clicked, his panic evaporated into a grin. At his side, a sword was thumbed open, and Ame barely had time to throw herself back as a blade swept in front of her.

"Kid," Practically shouting, the woman ducked away again, as the sword sang through where she was only seconds before. "run!"

The sound of delayed steps hardly distracted her as she pushed herself to her feet, fully aware of the protest of her limbs. A sword had more reach than she did, and getting close was never a good idea. She needed to reload.

Taking her own advice, Ame turned and started after Michi. Their only salvation was the wooden packaging crates stacked around the room, and the moment Ame was close enough, she took hold of the boy's hand and motioned straight ahead. Rushed him over a box and made sure he was out of the way before the hunter advanced.

Ame was barely behind him when a blade whizzed towards her and on instinct, she turned to see the man and rolled backwards over the wooden edge. Tripped to catch herself as the crate gave and caught the man's sword. That was a clear opening. Without waiting for him to free himself, Ame retraced Michi's steps.

Around a tall corner and over another box to duck for cover beside him. The boy was staring at the watch as though it would unlock the mysteries of the universe.

"Five minutes."

His tone had taken a grave twist that she didn't have time to process. Instead, all Ame could concern herself with was her own pounding heart, and the crazed swordsman searching for them. Back against the crates, she fished in her pocket for the rest of the bullets as the chamber of the gun was worked open. Eyes over and behind them, just waiting to have to dodge a blade. As she pulled her hand out, said bullets scattered among the concrete.

Only two shots left. Screw all of the bullets that had rolled away, Ame couldn't look for them right now. She heard steps pass, and glanced at the rippling blue fabric over samurai's back.

"You can both come out now. I just want to talk." Like anybody was falling for that. Still watching the man, Ame eased away from their hiding spot and motioned to Michi to stay put. The adrenaline was wearing off and she could feel overexertion creeping up her limbs.

After crawling along the concrete no fewer than five meters, Ame saw her chance. The man turned his back to her, fully, and she pounced on the opportunity, gun drawn. Though she expected surprise, the man swiveled and kicked the crate beside her and started a domino chain across the room. Sent a stack of them toppling and crushed her under the weight of multiple boxes and spilled goods.

Glass exploded around Ame and alcohol washed over her. The sound of the impact, and an irrepressible shriek reverberated through the building, pinpointing their location for all to join.

"Oi! What was that?!"

"I've got two in here!"

Forcing herself to move past the shards of glass, Ame dragged herself up. The moment she rose, a blade was thrust towards her and she rolled onto her back as wood jabbed into her; grasping at a splintered box beside her. When the man pushed his sword towards her again, the crate end caught his blade and it came out just beside her forearm. Bought enough time for her to get up.

She caught the man with a jab, and as he swung his sword free, but she was already in his range of motion. Her knee shot into his groin, and air escaped the man in a tiny grunt as he abandoned his weapon in favor of his second brain. The sword clattered to the concrete and Ame couldn't help but grin.

The upper hand. Finally.

"There he is, grab him!"

Turning towards the sound of new conflict Ame caught sight of the boy she'd instructed to stay, standing in the open facing her. While she wondered what the heck he thought he was doing, the most important part was the three men rushing into the room and aiming for him.

Three seconds. She left for three seconds and he blew his cover.

As the men rushed towards him, Michi took off in a random direction. Back towards the stairs. He hopped over a crate, giving and a clear shot at the others that wasn't wasted.

One bullet jumped into a twig of a man's leg and he went down screaming. The second missed.

So much for her vision. Everything was failing on her. It had been an easy shot, but she was shaking now and her body begged for rest.

All that had done was draw attention to herself. The man chasing Michi was out of sight, but the last man, in all his uninjured glory started towards her with pep in his step. As he approached, Ame did the only thing she could think to. Chucked her gun at him and reached for a knife. It smacked into his stomach and bounced away. Hardly did a thing. But as Ame mimicked his advance, she doubted whether she could keep up.

And where had Michi gone? He was just a kid. She never should have left him alone. Her first sign of exhaustion was when the man swept around her and an elbow to her shoulder blades sent her forward.

The next was when a kick to the ribs had her reeling. She couldn't do it anymore. It was too much and her body wasn't cooperating. Her mind wasn't even functional, how could anything else work?

And couldn't these people think of anything other than kicking her to death? She'd have preferred water boarding at this point.

Panicking for control, Ame raised her clenched fist to block the oncoming foot. It wasn't until the man howled in pain that she realized she was still clutching the knife for dear life, and had shoved it dead center of his shoe.

With all of her might, she twisted the blade and the man joined her on the ground. Grasping at the swaying floor, Ame unsteadily worked her way to her hands and knees. She needed to get the kid back. Just a little more. Her blade plunged into the man's leg and he screamed again. Continued to do so as she clawed her way up to his throat and toppled over him to restrict his struggles.

Despite his clawing at her face, he did a terrible job of protecting his vital points. His friend, with the bullet in his leg was up and trying to limp away, but She couldn't let him. He'd bring reinforcements. On her way to her feet, Ame nearly toppled over face first. Almost couldn't make it to him, but when her knife sank onto his back she found herself using the already unstable man for balance. They fell forward. Neither was able to withstand the impact and though Ame had everything under control, for the most part, the situation opted to prove otherwise.

"Nee-san!"

Snapped from the spell of digging into the man under her, Ame sat up. Relief rippled through her at the kid's voice, but as she caught sight of him, rushing towards her with the last man hot on his heels, it died away. Again. One more.

Just one more and she could stop.

Her legs refused to cooperate. The wet concrete burned her hands and knees and she scraped at the jagged shards under her hands, ignoring the lingering alcohol. She stumbled on the way up, hardly made it this time.

"Michi!"

He sped by her and rounded her leg as soon as the man reached, and Ame flung her handful of fragmented glass in his assailant's face. Caught off guard, the man recoiled. Clawed at his eyes and cried out in pain, and while his mind was occupied with the combined blood, sprites, and glass, Ame lurched forward. She caught him in the chest. Stabbed until she couldn't anymore and the man was stuck on the end of her knife.

Victory. It was finally time to leave, or sit down. For just a second.

Then it hit her. Air whining beside her. The hair on the back of her neck stood, and she swiveled around on her heel. Shoved Michi to the ground just as a sword ripped into her and her side was pierced. Glaring at the swordsman at the end of the blade, Ame refused to look down. A tiny gasp had sounded, and she already knew. She was fully impaled by the ass hole from before.

He'd slipped her mind, and now she was paying for her carelessness. Should have finished him off when she had the chance.

Golden irises grinned down at her. Mocked her mistake and rapidly decaying rampage.

"That was quite a show." Clenching her jaw, Ame willed herself to hold onto her knife. "But you knew where this was going from the beginning." He seemed so sure of himself. Positive that he had won, but it wasn't over. Not yet. Ame could still fight. They hadn't come this far to fail; from the corner of her eyes she could see Michi gaping up at her. Every muscle in her body tensed as the sword was jammed further into her, and Ame could feel herself starting to shake. This was a first. A sword. To think that she'd be caught by a samurai. Some old school asshole that refused to accept western technology.

Reaching towards the man, she snagged his yukata. Kept her eyes on his smug smirk, and felt every inch of her unraveling composure. Half way down. Out of bounds.

Tightening her arm, Ame pulled the man closer. Slid down the blade with every ounce of hate that she could muster. Iori. She still hadn't gotten to Iori. Hadn't gotten the kid out of the building, and had never told Kamui that she was pregnant. And the people that she had told... They'd think she was a fool for not cooperating with Iori. Not protecting herself and the life that had been brewing inside of her. They would blame her.

"What is it? You still want to fight? Look at yourself," She was looking. "you're a mess. Don't you know when to give up?" When the job was finished. She'd been told that she was a mess far too many times in the past few days. Week. Month. However long she'd been there.

Crimson seeped through the bunched fabric under her hand, and for the first time, Ame grew aware of how filthy she was. She was saturated with blood and sweat. Smeared with dirt, and only god knew what else. Hair was matted to her face, and her skin was gradient purple and black. Her face was probably swollen. She didn't know. Hadn't looked in a mirror in days. But that didn't change a thing.

Dragging herself closer, Ame felt herself yelling through her tight jaw.

It was too much. She couldn't do it again. The man was still talking. She heard other sounds but couldn't make them out. This couldn't be the end.

For all that she was worth, Ame thrust her clenched fist up towards the man. Before her eyes, the knife she had been so tightly gripping disappeared into his jaw. His eyes bulged; head shot back at an odd angle, and they peered at one another. If she was dying, he was coming with her. Nobody killed her and got away with it. Shoving against the blade again, Ame went down with the man.

Landed with her knuckles in his neck and had to release to try pick herself up. It didn't work this time. The sword was partially retracted, yet remained in her.

"Nee-San-" Immediately at her side, Michi grabbed onto her arm. She couldn't. Her body wouldn't move. She was frozen; half down and struggling to move. "Come on, people are coming! We have to go!" Her arm was pulled, and Ame was lifted to her knees. Pain rippled through her and escaped in a shrill cry that tore her back down, but did nothing to dissuade the boy.

"I can't-" Her own voice was unrecognizable. Small, and alarmed. Finally succumbing to the rhythmic pound of a migraine and the accumulated damage of her time in what had to be the worst romantic get away she'd ever been forced into.

"Come on! You have to!" Running to the front of her, Michi grasped onto the sword and yanked with all his might. Tore another agonized yell from the woman before taking to her arm again and trying to pull her away. He shouldn't have done that, but Ame couldn't tell him.

Shrugging from the boy's grasp, she fell back to her elbows. Rigid.

"No more- I can't-"

"No!" Reattaching himself to the woman's elbow, Michi started to tug at her with renewed vigor. The approaching footsteps were slow, but large in numbers. They couldn't stay there, and they weren't out of the building yet.

"Heh-" Unable to help herself, Ame released a low laugh. It was breathy, and far from her usual, but Michi's face showed no relief at the sound. He didn't give in and was too concerned to use logic. The way his brow was pulled up, and his jaw was slack. Like he'd thought that she was invincible the entire time. "And here I thought you were afraid of me... How much time do I have?"

The boy slowly glanced at his watch. When his eyes returned to Ame's his shoulders slouched and he shook his head.

"None..."

Silence fell over the room. Hazel eyes stuck on the boy as he wiped his sleeves over his face. He didn't say another word. As though he was waiting for Ame to keel over right there. Or suddenly heal in a flash of divine light.

"That explains it."

The waterworks were stalled with a new task. Michi grasped Ame's arm and refused to do as she had instructed him before. Ignored her protests to move her. She barely made it her to her knees, before her body started to double over again, but the boy wasn't going to let her rest in peace. Dragged her the rest of the way behind the crates. The most Ame could manage was kicking her feet, and it was a struggle, but once she was down, he took a seat by her side. Didn't care that blood had stained his shoulder and sleeves and faithfully remained.

"Nee-san-"

"That's a stupid name. When did that start?" Grasping her stomach, Ame pulled the cigarettes she'd lifted from the cell and propped one between her lips. Shaky as her hands were, it was a wonder that she hadn't dropped it. Even the filter of the cigarette was readily taking on a dark stain.

"-we can wait, I'll wait with you." Hope was the last thing Ame wanted to see in the boy's eyes. As if he actually thought she was leaving with him.

"You can make it from here." Sparking the cigarette, Ame kept her eyes away from him. Casually examined the boxes at her feet, and the pool of blood under herself, the ceiling. Anything but the prompt to push forward. Her body wasn't cooperating any more. Moving wouldn't get any easier, and she could almost feel herself breaking down.

"I'm just a kid! How am I-"

He kept urging her on. Wouldn't accept that she knew when she'd reached her limit and couldn't decide against the inevitable. With the cigarette in her teeth, Ame reached towards the kid and jacked him closer by his collar. Maybe he'd listen if she ground the rest of the mission into his mind.

"You're not a kid, you're a soldier." A lazy grin was flashed at the boy. Nothing much, but it still wove his nerves into a bunch. "This is it for me. The door is right there, down the hall. Just make a run for it. Don't get caught and make sure the coast is clear before you do anything stupid. Do you remember the name of that place?"

"A snack shop... "

Frowning, Ame raised a brow at Michi. Took another drag of her cigarette as she shook her head and released his yukata. "Which one?" No answer. He stared at his hands and the green fabric of his clothes gathered under them with a shrug. "Otose's. Say it; Otose's."

The name was low in his throat. Barely audible, but correct. That was it. He knew where to go, he was only a step away from freedom, and Ame had accomplished something far more important than revenge. For a change, she had helped a person. Preserved a life. And she was satisfied beyond words or simple booby traps that provided a laugh and backhanded bonding. Half smoked, the cigarette was stubbed out and flicked aside.

"The other needle, you can use the other needle," The brilliant idea was paired with Michi slinging the bag from his shoulder and sifting through it.

"No," Sighing back, the woman drew her knee in. Reached into her boot and carefully extracted the small knife she'd kept since finding on sale in Kabuki. It was cheap, but had held it's own and proved reliable. Would do the same for the kid. And the Epipen wouldn't accomplish anything in her state. "give up, I can't fight anymore. You dropped your knife, didn't you? Take this. And leave that bag, you don't need it."

Though Ame thought they had gotten past the crying, water welled in the boy's eyes again. His fingers wrapped around the olive sheath of the offered knife, and the skin of his chin wrinkled as he accepted it. A cut off sniffle wracked his entire frame. Earned only a glower and stare that should have nipped it in the bud.

"Don't make that ugly face at me. I need a nap..." Turning onto her side Ame started to curl up. Yeah. A nap. Then she'd get up and find Iori. Take out the last obstacle on the board before leaving. Then maybe get a milkshake with Kamui. Or a smoothie. A mango smoothie with pineapple and oranges, maybe even strawberries if he had a taste for it. To her dismay, her arm was grabbed again, and she was forced to shake Michi off. Bat him away like a fly buzzing around her head.

"Just go already! I didn't get you this far for you to fuck it up!"

There was a moment of complete silence. Tense, and loaded with apprehension. Finally, the boy scooted away from her. His sniffling caught in his throat and he sucked in a breath through his clogged nose. Squeaked at her. Like that was something she could decipher. Then he got up. Took a hesitant step back, still half expecting Ame to stagger to her feet and join him, but she didn't move.

"Are you gonna die?"

"I'll be right behind you. Ten minutes." It was a shitty lie. Nobody believed it. Michi kept his eyes low, off to the side, just waiting for more. For the sake of everything they had just done, a tiny fib was worth it. He couldn't throw away their progress because his emotions were running rampant and he wanted a body guard. It would be easier for him to sneak out without her. She'd been crashing through the building from the beginning, and that did nothing but draw attention. Blow their cover.

With another slow step, the boy turned away. He glanced back again, only this time, his feet were carrying him around the crates. Ame watched him, unmoving, as he moved out of sight, and when he was gone, she could finally release the bottled breath of pain she'd been stifling. Curled into a ball holding her stomach and exhaled into the fabric over her knees with as little sound as she could manage. The sum of her injuries had reached a level she didn't want to calculate, and every breath she drew was far too excruciating to steady.

Alone, she could finally close her eyes.