"Are you sure this is safe? Your boyfriend tried to kill me."
Inquisitively glancing towards Gintoki, Ame picked up her glass. The bar was bustling around them, and Otose was leaned onto the counter laxly wiping down the bar.
"Maybe I'd get my money then." The older woman leaned up and sparked a cigarette as Gintoki frowned up at her.
"This is serious! He's a rabid Amanto! He could snap a diamond in half with his pinky toe!"
Snickering under her breath, Ame muttered into her glass.
"He probably could."
Otose's frown came with equal curiosity, and before Ame could answer her obvious question a green haired android stepped behind the bar.
"A diamond can be shattered easily by humans. The amount of force created by the average chew of human molars would be enough to pulverize a standard cut diamond. You are in a romantic relationship with the elder brother of Kagura-chan, right?"
Staring up at the android, Ame took a moment to consider her words.
"Well... I don't know about romantic..."
"You're with who?!"
Answering Otose before Ame could so much as open her mouth, Gintoki spoke as urgently as the older woman asked.
"That bloodthirsty ginger lunatic! She's-"
"Oi, he's not a-" All eyes set on Ame and she paused. Maybe he was bloodthirsty. But he wasn't exactly crazy. Not exactly. "He's not..." The looks she was on the receiving end of shut her up. Okay, maybe he was insane. Just a little bit. But it was the good kind of crazy, for the most part. He was adorable. How could anybody think otherwise? Sure she gave him a hard time, but that's just how she was, and he didn't mind. He was strong enough to endure a little spat and not be damaged. Dead eyes peered back at Gintoki and Ame conceded as she muttered into her drink. "Oi, I can't defend him against all of you."
"That's because it's true! He tried to kill me! A wall exploded! His fist made a crater in the dirt, you hear me? The dirt! What if that had been my face?!"
"Then maybe you'd be prettier." The snide remark creased Gintoki's brow, and though Otose laughed at Ame's quip, the man scoffed back.
"I'm gorgeous! Look at me!"
At that, Ame couldn't help but snicker to herself. Gintoki's annoyance passed and he returned to his drink, still muttering under his breath.
"We weren't even doing anything."
"It's good that you can defend yourself, though. I don't think I've ever met anybody that's survived an attack from him. And the last..." Stopping herself, Ame glanced over at Tama. The android was watching. Waiting to absorb more information.
"The last..? What, Human? The last Human? What happened to the last Human?!"
"That was a long time ago. I don't remember." Her response came too quickly to be the truth and Gintoki's frown deepened.
"Bullshit. You remember! You remember perfectly! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
Ame swiveled around on her chair and leaned back onto the bar, watching as the door opened and a new customer shuffled in and made a beeline for the bar. Otose took to the man's side and Tama started on his drink. With their conversation abandoned, Ame sighed to herself.
"So what are we gonna do? That bastard skipped our date night." Gintoki found it hard to believe that Kamui and Ame would have a scheduled date night. He turned to peer at her, nursing his cup.
"What, you two actually do the wine and dine thing? Movie and dinner?"
"Not exactly. I had a trap set up for him but after he left someone else triggered it. Broke my sword, too. Like it was my fault."
That... sounded like it was her fault. So Gintoki said that, but Ame shook her head.
"It wasn't. How was I supposed to know he wouldn't go along with it? He's never done that."
The conversation fell again, and Ame glanced back as Otose refilled her cup and started to polishing glasses.
"What about that strip club down the way? We could go to Yoshiwara and buy an escort. Get fancy tea and watch 'em dance?"
"That sounds expensive..." Thinking to his pockets, Gintoki grimaced at the thought of splitting the bill with Ame. He couldn't afford that. It sounded nice, but he couldn't risk bankruptcy to enjoy one night of being smothered with beautiful women; dancing and dressed in their silky robes. Plus, he didn't know if it would be weird to go with a woman, though, now that he thought about it he suspected that Ame would be more focused on the women instead of him. Not like he hadn't seen stranger things. Their plans were still in formation when Otose snapped them back.
"About that kid..." As soon as she started, Ame turned back to her and offered her full attention. "We're all behind you on this. He can stay here and help around the shop until we contact his uncle. I sent the letter off today."
Safe houses were hard to come by in times like these, and Ame was grateful for all of the support she'd received. What had started as a chance meeting bloomed into exactly what she needed to ensure that everything went over smoothly. It was no surprise that the kid couldn't go to Kamui's ship with her. He didn't even know her. Ame feared that if she took him by force, he'd be more afraid of her than trusting; and the Yato men were no hosts for a child. Gintoki, on the other hand, was just right. Otose, even more so. Between the two of them, the combined households, a support structure was formed; and it was the safest web of home unity that she could ever have asked for.
"I can't thank you enough. Also, I've been thinking about this and I have another plan." The warmth of the older woman's gesture faded away and Gintoki's crimson eyes set on Ame as she downed her shot in one go. She didn't start again until her glass was on the counter. "Iori's not going to give him to me. I already know it; things didn't go as planned before. If push comes to shove, I'm going to trade her for him, and I'll need you," She motioned to Gintoki, "to take him and bring him back."
The man stared at her, and Otose fell silent. Just watched as Tama joined them. From across the bar, Catherine could be seen walking down the hallway behind Otose.
"Ame, it would seem that you are implying that you will not be around to assist." Tama's observation earned a glance from Gintoki, but nothing more.
"That... There has to be another way..." In an attempt at being the voice of reason, Otose stacked the glass she had been polishing and set her towel on the bar.
Ame tilted her head and shrugged. Didn't know what else to say about it, but wanted them to know what to expect.
"Sometimes, it's best to give the enemy what they want to secure what you want. Sacrifice is necessary on the battlefield. Nobody likes it. But it's just a fact, no, a rule of combat. If I can't beat her, I'll-"
"That's not surrendering, it's just stupid."
Gintoki didn't understand. Kamui probably would have, but Gintoki couldn't. Iori had made Ame. Lured her in with the illusion of affection, and sculpted her from easily pliable clay, only to fire her in the fashion of a murderer. Ame was exactly that; a murderer. And she shouldn't have been afforded the luxury of doing what she had been. Mulling about in space, playing games. Drinking at bars and eating hearty meals with people of upstanding morality and a genuinely caring, good disposition. She didn't deserve the empathy she received. If only they had known her true colors.
It read like a bad romance; her being a younger woman, seduced and manipulated by an older, more experienced woman in an authoritative position. When her unit got discharged and banded together to form their own gang, Iori was the brains of it all, and Ame kept her position fawning over her and doing everything she asked to earn more of her affection. More kisses, more anything. Something more than a simple "good girl" and coy smile. She'd been used. In every meaning of the word. Hadn't cared about the atrocities she'd committed, so long as Iori was pleased enough to place a hand on her back and gingerly offer the attention that made Ame's heart flutter.
Captivated by the first day she'd been in line up and Iori had dipped into her personal space and gave her a kiss that both shocked and compelled not only the men watching but her. After over a year of discreet messages; extended eye contact, close quarters, word play. Ame had become nothing but hers. From the moment she woke up to when her head hit a pillow, all she could think of was Iori.
It was too late when a portion of the group split. Said Iori was corrupt and they wanted nothing to do with it. They took Ame with them. Nearly by force. Told her that she was lost and breaking with each passing day; being brainwashed and exploited. She hadn't been paying attention to their path the entire time. Hadn't realized what she had done, but when Iori slit the throat of a man that had been with them the entire way, in cold blood, the blindfold was removed. The man had been her friend. Everybody's friend. A good natured guy that loved to laugh and would never have turned his back on his comrades.
She left with the rebels that night. Left Iori, the psychopathic, rampaging anti-goddess that had reigned over four years of her life in all her cruelty and generosity. Gintoki couldn't understand that.
The moment Iori found her, she killed Ame's then boyfriend with a spiked cup of tea that made him bleed from every orifice and melted him like acid. Like the dark deity she was. So the fraction that had split from the gang took to space and didn't look back unless they were watching for her in the rear-view.
Even now, Ame could see her as nothing other than the destructive, cold-blooded goddess from before, and she hated it. Fought the thought, and the affection off as hard as she could. She didn't love her anymore. Nostalgia flooded her veins and she thought back to her old crew. She'd mourned them for too long. At a time like this, facing Iori alone, Ame could think of nothing other than wishing they were there to help her. The ever looming threat of being sucked back in by Iori hovered over her, and she tried to shake it off. They had stopped her before, but what about now? She didn't know if she could actually fight the woman. Iori was smarter and Ame already regretted attacking her.
After all of the things that woman had talked her into, Ame hated her but brute force could only get her so far. That kind of thing only made Iori want her more. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she loved Kamui. But what did he really know about her? They hadn't ever spoken about their pasts and only focused on the present or future. But they were happy. It was silly to doubt Kamui.
"I know it's stupid." She spoke after a long pause, and Gintoki showed no signs of hearing her. Otose kept her back to Ame as she grabbed an unopened bottle of whisky and Tama and Catherine returned to cleaning tables. "I know it's stupid, but it's all I have. She wants me, not that kid. He shouldn't have to suffer for what I've done. What we did... Everybody else is dead; I'm the only one left that can make things right." If it was possible for Iori to hurt her any more than she already had, Ame would not have given her plan any consideration.
At that, Gintoki didn't know what to say. He turned to stare at Ame, and found the woman leaned onto the bar, staring into her drink as Otose filled it. The older woman gently placed a hand on Ame's head, and though she didn't move, Otose sighed.
"You do what you have to. The kid will be safe with us."
A slight thanks was offered, but nothing more.
So much for making herself feel better.
She wanted to be with Kamui, more than anything. Especially with all the thoughts swirling around her. He would ground her; pull her back from her own thoughts and remind her of what they had. That Iori was poison, and nothing good could come of the woman. She needed Kamui. But he was a dirty sneaky cheater.
Ame didn't realize that she was on her feet and paying her tab. She had already decided, as she was thinking, and had given no warning.
"Some other time, I need to do something." Murmuring under her breath, Ame threw the money on the counter and excused herself.
Angry or not, Kamui would be better for her. But he was going to pay. After everything they'd been through, she'd never experienced anything like their relationship, and she wasn't going to throw it away for some crazy bitch that both disgusted and frightened her. No, Kamui was infinitely better, and Ame wasn't Iori's tool anymore.