A/N:Props to Noniebee (4352183) for helping with this chapter!As usual, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy!

"What, are you gonna shoot me?" Eyes on the matte black gun in Iori's hand, Ame slowly drew in a breath and displayed her empty palms. She held them evenly at her waist and extended them from her body as carefully as possible. Though her shoulders were square and her back perfectly straight, she knew better than to take an offensive stance. No doubt about it, Iori would pull the trigger. She couldn't risk it. Not now. What about Kamui and the fact that she was literally the worst person in the world at that very moment? Dancing around important news and choking on her own tongue when she should have been spilling her guts to him...

Telling him that she was terrified, and one hundred percent unprepared for anything that even resembled parenthood, and that they should have started with a puppy or an iguana. Maybe even a hamster. Hell, she'd have been more comfortable with a houseplant; cactus. The gun pressed into her sternum, dead center of her breastbone, and all hint of emotion drained from her features.

"I don't understand why you've been making this so hard, Lieutenant. Is that any way to greet your General?"

Sucking in a breath, Ame lowered her chin. This was stupid. Still, she wasn't the one holding a gun, and she didn't have anything but a few knives. One in her boot, another in her pocket, and a last strapped to her waist. That wasn't ideal for a gunfight, and she couldn't risk it. She had more than herself to think about. Adrenaline was surging through her veins. Gave her the jitters and a barely repressed shake that drummed in her hands. Instead of objecting, she slowly raised her hand to her forehead in a salute.

Humored her ex.

A visible wave of satisfaction washed over Iori's face. Instead of backing off, she pressed the metal into Ame's torso, then motioned towards the hatch.

"Walk."

Tentatively lowering her salute, Ame watched the woman through the corners of her eyes. She obliged. Had no choice but to follow instructions. For once, Ame wished that the halls had been filled with the usual fuckery and boisterous chatter. Iori fell behind her, only a few paces away, but not enough to give Ame an opening. As they exited the ship and stepped into the night air and sea spray, Iori joined her side and laced her fingers through one of Ame's belt loops. The gun stayed at the center of her back though. Never faltered.

"This is going to be so much fun. How long has it been? A year? Two?" Glancing towards the woman, Ame felt goosebumps break over the surface of her skin. Stolen from the ship. After all the precautions she'd taken, who would have thought that Iori would walk right up to her in her own home and forcibly remove her?

"I'm not sure."

They entered the nearly empty street, but Iori's weapon still pressed into her. Concealed in her sleeve, if Ame had to guess.

The answer didn't please her host one bit. Their pace slowed, and Iori grabbed the belt loop to ensure that Ame followed instruction.

"Exactly one year, nine months, and six days. You know I hate when you don't pay attention to detail."

"You can move that toy now. I get it."

With a sigh, Iori shook her head.

"I don't trust you anymore." Despite being a fucking lunatic, she had always been smart. Ame had to give her that. The moment that gun was averted, she was going to choke Iori until she turned purple. The sharp cut of her superior's eyes faded into coy smile that tugged at nostalgia, and Iori's tense posture lessened to her usual playfully angled shoulder and winning smile. "But you can earn it back. I know you can. I have faith in you!"

If that was true, there wouldn't have been a revolver glued to Ame's spine.

"It's been tough, what with you leaving. But I know you didn't want to." The smile drained from Iori's lips and she stared directly into Ame's eyes. Intensely gazed into the multi-toned irises to dig an answer out of the woman. Then she urged her forward and continued their walk. Led Ame to the side of town that had no love for her, and likely knew all of her dirty laundry piece by piece. "They forced you... Didn't they?" Teeth clenched, Iori spat the words as though they were the dirtiest to ever grace her tongue. And Ame blankly stared at her. No. She hadn't been forced, she had been awoken. Slapped out of her love sick stupor to see Iori as she truly was; nothing but a dark anti-goddess that was draining her vitality with each passing day.

Feeding off Ame to appease her insatiable hunger for praise and attention. To be adored and worshiped by whatever naive fool fell into the trap of her reward system.

"It was my choice."

That was probably the worst thing to say, but Ame couldn't help it. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't play into Iori's ego game, and allow her to keep deluding herself.

"I don't believe you! You never would have left me! Treated me like that-"

Turning away from the gun, Ame took a step back. Maybe she could run for it. They were making a scene, but nobody cared to stop or intervene. The people scurrying across the open streets reeked of blood, just like Ame, and probably recognized her host. Knew better than to approach.

"You murdered my boyfriend!" Reasoning with her wouldn't help, but Ame couldn't stop herself. She nearly begged the words, and grimaced at the woman holding her hostage. Wished Iori would understand where she was coming from. Ame couldn't fight her. Not now. Her entire body already ached, and she didn't want to risk it.

"He didn't love you! He would have hurt you!" Quick to defend herself, Iori jerked the gun towards Ame, and it took every ounce of strength in her to control her breath. To swallow her pride and abandon the topic.

"Iori, it's over. You need to let me go."

"What are you saying?!" Hissing back, Iori stepped towards Ame. "Lies! It's all lies! They made you write that letter! They made you leave, didn't they?!"

Shaking her head, Ame tried to take another move back, but the pirate's advance dissuaded her from completing the motion. Left with no option but to break into her old memories of the woman, Ame found herself trapped. She couldn't get shot. What if it hit her stomach? She didn't know how rare it was to conceive a Yato's child, what if it never happened again? What if this was a blessing; a rare alignment of the planets that was her only chance? Kamui. He'd asked her about children before and seemed to want them. She should have told him.

Before, she had yelled something about how she wouldn't be a walking incubator, but she took it back now. Her exact words had been that if it was possible, she would bear him a child, and the entire time, he hadn't seemed to think it wasn't. He had probably known. Or suspected that it was. She was pregnant, and she should have told him when he was standing right in front of her, just a breath away.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Desperation boiled in Ame's throat, and even to her, her own voice had grown small. Her face had contorted into a painful plea. She just wanted to go back. Telling Kamui wasn't so bad now.

"Because I love you!"

That was a terrible reason. Of all the arguments Iori could have used, love was not one of them.

"You don't even know what love is!" The moment she spoke, Ame knew her mistake. She covered her mouth as thought the words would reverse and be snatched from Iori's ears. Wished she could get a do-over. But reality set in, and every ounce of emotion that had been written on the pirate's face drained away, leaving Ame with nothing but icy realization. She had fucked up. Big time.

A graceful motion of Iori's raised hand drew people in, and Ame was grabbed from behind. She started to struggle. Tried to kick, and claw at the thick forearm that snatched her back. Even bit down on the hand that clamped over her mouth. Despite her efforts, more hands came. Her kicking and snarling was restricted, and her throat was crushed under a large hand. The gun that had been on her lowered, and as Ame fought she could see a dark haired man step into view; fiddling with something in his hands. Against the innumerable restraints, Ame managed to elbow the man behind her. Worked her way of enough to smack into his face, but even though she gained enough slack to lunge at Iori, she was halted midway; still twisting and deprived of the very ground that had been beneath her. Had no traction or leverage.

The item that the man had been fingering was offered to Iori, and she calmly moved into Ame's space; not concerned with the rabid thrashes of the woman's hands and jerks of her legs.

"Shh..." A handful of Ame's hair was grabbed, and her head was snatched aside, only to make way for a sharp point to jab into her neck, and something was forced into her jugular. A needle. Blood poured into her mouth from a thumb she had snagged, and though it wasn't her own, Ame felt her muscles give out on her. Multiple forms shadowed into her peripherals, but all she could see was Iori's scowl.

As her eyelids fought to close on her, the woman retracted said needle and leaned close to her face. Barely allowed any room for Ame to breath.

"Don't know what love is? I tried to be nice about this. I gave you a chance, but you keep making me- You're coming home, Ame, where you belong." Ame's boot connected with Iori's shin. Just a tap. Not enough to cause pain. Then her head fell forward and she was reduced to glaring at the ground. "This is good for you," As she faded out of consciousness, a hand enveloped her jaw and lifted her for examination. "Just relax. This will be easy... For me."

The world went black, but Ame could feel herself being hoisted up like a rag doll. Could hear the distant talking, and numb maneuvers of her limp body until it all faded away into a dull rhythm of nothingness.

Two days. Two excruciating days that Ame had fully avoided Kamui. She hadn't been in the halls. She hadn't crept into the room for clothes. She hadn't even been in the dining hall. The woman had ghosted him; fully. Didn't even assume her post at the window. He was dying. Dying to see her, or talk to her, even to have her randomly approach him, half drunk and hungry for his attention. Luring him away in the middle of important conversations that probably shouldn't have been set aside to play.

But even more than that, the woman skipped Monday.

She hadn't set a trap. Hadn't tried to attack him. She wasn't in her room, Though when Kamui stopped in, he found a partially completed hunk of metal in the middle of a sea of mechanical parts he couldn't identify. Half finished. Her next trap, but he didn't know what it was, and it hadn't been used. Ame hadn't been seen by Ryu. She had actually left him. He didn't think she would after their little spat over it, but here he was, alone for breakfast again, and eating at the most excruciatingly slow pace he possibly could in hopes that she would show up and announce that she had hidden in the air vent again. Because she was sick, this time, not to avoid giving her position away to the enemy, or whatever she called him now.

He had no such luck.

His breakfast was eventless, his afternoon was quiet, and there was no woman to pull him into bed and comb his hair for no reason other than because she liked it. Or to tug it loose of its braid with the same logic.

He kept his eyes peeled. Waited for any encounter with her; secretly slipping by, or casually aloof. At first, he thought it meant she had a big plan for him. A death trap that she thought would be the last. But now, he was positive that his last trap had been the early morning after he met her old friend. Well, that and the one she had given up on.

"Oi,"

Stabbing at his dinner, Kamui couldn't believe that she would just leave him like that. Without a warning! Not a single word or hint at the end of their relationship! He'd brought her to earth for medical treatment and this was how she repaid him. Not even a last kiss or an "I want to be with my own kind", nothing!

"Kamui!"

Glaring at Abuto, the man snapped a "What" at him. When the older Yato raised a brow and pointed at his tray, Kamui followed the gesture, only to find not only his plate, but his cup shattered and leaking onto the tray. Frowning at the line that dribbled over the edge of the dining table, Kamui finally stopped jamming his bent fork into the food. He glowered at the mess he had made, well aware that Abuto was still watching him.

Abuto wasn't much better. All he had done was ask Kamui if Ame had spoken to him yet. No. She hadn't. In fact, she had eloped for no reason and started a new life for herself. Probably as an accountant, whatever that was. He heard there were lots of those on earth.

"Listen to me, idiot,"

Raising his gaze to the older man across from him, Kamui dropped his fork. This was getting ridiculous. He should leave and find that Human to give her a piece of his mind. She had no reason to dump him. Everything had been great. He had been happy, and she had been laughing and smiling, as uncharacteristic of her as it was. He knew she had been happy with him, why had she left?!

"This isn't like her. You saw it for yourself; that thing in her old room. All of her clothes are still here. She wanted to talk to you about something, I'm telling you-"

"Are you sure about that? She was being weird, Abuto. She didn't even touch me the last time we spoke, or call me an idiot..." Glaring down at his cracked tray, Kamui straightened his back. He crossed his arms and clenched his fists, silently damning the woman that had planned this entire thing out like one of her traps. But this was the ultimate trap of all. "She didn't even smile!" Slamming his fist down on the table, Kamui was adamant in his guess as it snapped in half and gave way. Both ends crashed to the floor and all of the food that had been on them was mixed and trashed at the joint on the ground. Abuto raised his hands and watched the table break. Silently paid respects to his food in the form of two tired eyes that snapped back up to Kamui.

"All the men can tell you're..." Drawing a breath, Abuto leaned back in his chair. "Angry..." For lack of a better word. Kamui wasn't angry. He was downright livid. Betrayed! Positively seething at the thought of the woman running away. "It's not normal, Kamui. I'm telling you, she wouldn't just leave she-"

If Ame hadn't told Kamui, Abuto couldn't take her place and do it.

Would she really leave over something like that? He didn't think so. When he finished talking to her, she seemed relieved. Happy, even. The woman had been puzzled at him calling their relationship taboo, yet perked up when he told her that it probably wasn't if she could reproduce with Kamui. She'd left his room satisfied with their talk. At ease. And now she was just gone?

He didn't buy it.

"She wouldn't have left. Just- believe me. I can't tell you everything, but-"

"Is there a secret?" Narrowing his eyes, Kamui glared at the older man. "You're keeping secrets?" The accusation was quickly overwritten by Abuto's sigh and shaken head.

"Something might have happened. Nobody has seen her in days, she can't be on the ship. We should look for her." Offering the last line, Abuto swiped his hand in front of Kamui's face to break him from his blank faced spell. Kamui stared at him. Didn't smile or frown, just looked. Then he pushed himself from his chair and released a breath that was far to deep to be simple curiosity.

"Let's go."

"Now?" Half way between another trip to the kitchen and a full stomach, Abuto turned towards the man. Kamui didn't offer anything else. Just continued towards the exit and Abuto was barely able to get up before the door was shoved open.

He already knew their first stop. The Yorozuya.