A/N: A big thanks goes to Noniebee (4352183) for dialogue brainstorming! Thank you all for the reviews! P. S. Don't kill me.

"Four years. You wanted to throw four years down the drain..." Kneeling before Iori, Ame stared up into her eyes. Didn't break contact, or dare to look away. Her body had become hell in the span of however long she had been there, and whether that had been hours or days, she was unsure. There was no light in the underground hangar, and no hope in her position. But she still had fight; simmering on the back burner of her mind. "Tried to leave me for the real world, but you couldn't even hold down a steady job. Do you know how pathetic that is?" Iori turned on her heel and paced back around Ame. Made a full circle, then stopped for her prisoner to examine her again.

If this had any lesson for Ame to learn, it was that she couldn't limit herself anymore. She had tried. Hadn't smoked or drank alcohol that day. She hadn't fought back, and that was exactly why she found herself on her knees at the mercy of the woman that had destroyed not only her trust in herself but her self-respect.

"And then you-" Covering her mouth, Iori tried to conceal a grin. She stepped down to one knee and set her forearm across it. Took hold of Ame's jaw to ensure that the woman was paying attention. "You can't leave me for some wet-behind-the-ears civilian. What was he again? A Chef?" A puff of air shot into Ame's face as Iori's lips curled into an open grin. Then she laughed. Long and hard. The hand at Ame's face shoved her back, and she barely caught herself on her elbows. The woman over her stood and continued to laugh, nearly hysteric, until she was dabbing at tears in her eyes.

When she finally finished, the mirth dropped from her face and she returned to her neutral state. Was serious once more, and in no mood for jokes.

"You didn't even go back to your family." A slight frown pulled at Ame's brow and the woman over her carefully stepped around her again. Out of sight. "I know. I checked. They're great by the way. Worried. I told them I'd look for you, and here you are. But you can't face them like this. You're a mess." The word hung in the air, and Ame lowered her head. This wasn't going to get to her. Iori was intentionally trying to fuck with her head, and Ame wouldn't fall for it.

With no warning at all, a boot kicked into her shoulder blade and she shot forward. Her bound hands weren't much to catch herself on, but her forearms absorbed the blow as Iori stepped into view.

"Oi," Eyes on the ground, Ame held herself in place. Wouldn't waste energy on this. She was still starving. Probably dehydrated. Her lips had cracked and felt as though they had been dragged through the Sahara, tied to the back of a Trailblazer. "Why are you making me do this to you? You know I don't want to. But I need to know one thing..." It was no use waiting for Ame to pick up the conversation, so Iori continued on. "How did you do it? How did you get away?"

Ever so slowly, Ame pushed herself back up. Stared Iori down; wordless.

"You don't want to tell me? Well, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you're back. And you failed."

Turning her head, Ame glanced to the shadows across the room. She sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled, much to Iori's delight.

"Still don't want to talk to me? That's fine. We've got a program for that."

When Iori briskly passed, Ame's pulse quickened. She could hear the door being opened, and people entering the room again. Had no chance to resist being sharply tugged to her feet by the back of her shirt. Then Iori was in her sights. Impartial to the woman, Ame kept her gaze on her. Didn't move or look away.

Engraved the image of her ex into the back of her mind as she was left to support her own weight.

"This is your last chance, Ame." The glint of a silver blade being passed to Iori from the group did nothing to change the situation. "If you don't talk to me, I'll take your tongue." Fitting. Even if Ame loathed the woman before her, she had to commend that decision. It was creative, and she'd never thought to use that threat when she had been forcing information out of people. Locking information in people was a different story, though.

"You're a fucking lunatic." Silence filled the room, and Iori glared at Ame. Then turned to the closest man at her side to smile.

"It talks." As if that was a discovery.

Low chuckles filled the air, and Iori glanced at her men, all too pleased with herself and the reaction. Was this what Ame had been doing to people? She'd never seen her own techniques from this side, but it was epiphany worthy to say the least. How many people had she subjected to this same treatment? No, she couldn't claim to play as dirty as Iori, but after everything she had done, maybe she deserved it in some small way. As atonement. She'd slaughtered people in that very spot and had gone for lunch immediately after without batting a lash.

"I should have left you sooner, dumb bitch. I don't love you." Smacked across the face, Ame barely managed to maintain her balance. She raised her hands to cradle her cheek and straightened herself again. Sneered at Iori's alarmed expression. If this was it for her, she was going to hurt the woman in the only way she knew. Rattle her ego.

Agitate her God complex.

"I've never loved you. I just wanted the rank, the pay check-" Again, Iori's fist shot into her, this time into her stomach, and though the air was expelled from Ame's lungs, she forced herself to take it slow. As hungry as she was, her head was fuzzy and she could hardly think straight; let alone reason. "A cheap fuck-" She spat the words as her collar was jerked forward and another open palm drove into her face.

The moment she was unable to keep her balance, Iori stood over her panting. No warning was offered before the woman kicked into her ribs, and through Ame anticipated only one, she was mistaken, and found herself trying to grasp onto the woman's boot. Before she'd known that she was speaking, the words tumbled out, and the motions against her came to a halt.

"Iori- Not the stomach-" She hadn't thought the woman would actually stop, but when she uttered the words, her blood ran cold at the cut or Iori's eyes. "I'm pregnant-" She expected to be screeched at. Degraded, spoken to, anything, but instead, the woman didn't waste her time. Ame's grasp was kicked off one last time with more impact; a clear indication that Iori didn't give a single fuck about her medical status. Then the woman over her stepped back.

She really couldn't catch a break.

"Just take her. I can't look at her anymore." Waving towards Ame, Iori shook her head. She made a point of pushing the woman to her back with the toe of her shoe and caught Ame's eyes for a split second before shaking her head again. "She's disgusting. Just take her."

With that, Iori parted the small group that had been watching and let herself out of the room. Ame was pulled up again, and could hardly keep up with the pace as she was dragged with the crowd and out of the room she'd been locked in for days. This wasn't going to get any better. She needed to make a move soon.

Where to start their search was clear. Gintoki and Kamui took the lead, and didn't stop until they were on a familiar side of town that could hold nothing but answers at this point. The Yorozuya knew exactly where the shop Ame had taken him to was, and when they arrived, they found a dark haired man at the counter, flipping through a magazine. The counters were dusted with cloths and a kimono hung on the wall for display, possibly covering a hole in the wall.

As they entered, the man glanced up at them and closed his finger into the magazine to save his place. The door behind him opened, and a blonde woman stepped through to grin a greeting at their newest customers.

Then her smile dropped.

"Oi, I know you." The man's feet fell from the counter and he turned to Gintoki. Set his booklet down as he stood. "You're that samurai. The one that was with that bitch."

Waving his hand at the man, Gintoki tried not to glance over at Kamui. The moment the Yato had heard the slur, he honed in on the man. Grit his teeth. While Gintoki didn't remember his name, he thought he'd ease the transaction a bit. Maybe take over talking for the group, before Kamui could conduct one of his little investigations on the textile shop.

"Where is she?!" Before Gintoki could get a single word out, Kagura ran to the counter and slammed her palm down on it. The wood caved under the force, and both the man and his wife jumped back with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The Yorozuya's expression was no better. Complete shock enveloped him as he hopped back, then reached towards the girl before she could do more damage.

"We know you have her, Iori!" Jamming her finger towards the man, Kagura shouted the accusation. Gintoki reached her side and started to pull her back as the man across the counter cried out.

"Iori!? I'm not Iori!"

"Kagura, he's not Iori!" Still pulling the girl back, Gintoki tried to dissuade further outburst, but her extended finger switched to the blonde woman after a moment of humming to herself.

"We know you have her, Iori!"

"Me?!" Taken aback, the woman squeaked out at the girl while she huddled to her husband's side.

"Oi, kid! Iori isn't here!"Reigning the situation in, Abuto walked to the busted counter past Kamui. That seemed to be the younger man's cue to tear his puzzled gaze from his sister while Gintoki wrangled her off into the background with hardly any success.

"We told her! We told her not to bring any more trouble here!" Barking at Gintoki, the owner of the store, turned to his wife and took hold of her waist. Protectively moved in front of her while she peeked around his shoulder.

"She didn't!" An awkward grin was flashed at the man as Gintoki turned back. Left Kagura to sulk at her untimely entrance and lack of information on the people involved.

"We were so close. We almost had her..." The girl muttered under her breath and Gintoki glanced down at her before returning to the place that once supported a counter. Well... It matched the rest of the store now...

"Uh, I brought it, this time."

"That extends to you, too!" Though the man scowled, nobody responded to it. They cut to the chase and skipped any pleasantries that could have filled the gap of Kagura destroying personal property and possibly racking up a vandalism charge.

"You know Iori, right?" Abuto asked, and the man fixed his eyes on him.

"We don't know nothing. Don't do business with nobody that knows things or tries to know things."

That was his undoing. Before he could so much as reach for his belt he was being snatched across the splintered counter. His shirt snagged and tore under the force of the grab, and a pair of sapphire irises bore into his.

"Where is Iori?" Kamui held the man firm. Didn't have the time or the patience to tip toe around the information and ease it out of the man. Hell, he never had time for that. Charisma games, negotiations; it wasn't his thing and he wouldn't pretend otherwise.

"Hey- hey pal-" Straining to vocalize an objection, the store owner tried to move from the fabric that had pulled tight against his throat. Behind the man, his wife covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a gasp. His feet weren't even touching the ground anymore. "I can't tell you- We'll die if I tell you-"

"You'll die if you don't."

"Don't hurt him! Please, don't hurt him!"

Glancing at the blonde woman, Abuto sighed. Gintoki didn't like where this was going, and the woman's yelling wasn't helping. He looked conflicted. Torn between stopping Kamui and knowing that if he did, the Yato would turn on him.

"The old-"

"Taree, shut up!" Cutting into his wife's voice, the man shouted into Kamui's face, but the red head was focused on her now. He pulled the man over the broken counter, and a fist grasped at his shoulder as Gintoki decided to intervene.

"Oi- l- let's just think about this-" When Kamui's gaze snapped to him, he didn't shrink away as expected. Instead, he stood there, challenging Kamui with his dead gaze and slow methods of convincing people to agree. And it wasn't just him. Kagura was at his back, and tugging at his arm.

"Nii-nii, don't hurt him!"

Just as the woman, Taree started to shriek at Kamui again, a form took to her side. She peered up at the ash blond man as he motioned to Kamui's display.

"He'll stop if you tell us."

With one nod, she clenched her hands over her chest. Her husband was still telling her not to say anything, but she couldn't let him be killed by a psycho that just wanted to know where Iori was.

"The factory... They're at the old factory four blocks away... Turned it into military compound..."

Nodding, Abuto turned to his team. That was easy.

"Hear that, idiot? You can let him go." As he spoke, Kamui did just that, and the man that had been struggling against him hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Or radish. He didn't particularly like him. "You know where that is?" Abuto rubbed at the sleeve over his arm and metal dug into his skin as Gintoki nodded. Kamui was released, and glared at Gintoki at he peered back.

If he was going to get in the way, he shouldn't have come. Next he'd be telling Kamui that he couldn't break Iori's fingers off, or wring her neck dry. The man on the floor was panting. Rubbed at his red throat as his wife rounded the counter and dropped to his side.

"Ace, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"You shouldn't have said anything..." As if they were one, they stood and faced the intruders in their shop. One far angrier than the other, when he should have been valuing his life. "Get out. All of you. We can't help you any more, get out!" With outstretched arms, he herded them up and followed their walk from his shop. "You have no idea what you've done! We're going to die!" That was directed at his wife, and she lowered her head as he spoke. Didn't disagree or plead her case. The glass doors were slammed behind the foursome and locked.

They stood there for a moment, glancing at one another and possibly doubting their decision to team up. But as they started about their way, the ground shook, and the building they had just exited burst into flames that licked at the sky. Wooden boards shot across the road, and four pairs of eyes gawked up at the sight. The nothingness that stood in place of what once was.

"Humans are dramatic." Kamui's statement was met with Gintoki's opposition.

"That's not a Human thing! That's the work of a monster!"

"Huh, they were serious." Abuto was the next to speak, and his long face said the rest for him. That was fast. Too fast for comfort. If that was how it was going to be, that robot needed to check their ship. Pronto.

"Gin-Chan, are they dead?"

Turning to Kagura, the Yorozuya smothered his astonishment. Her eyes were transfixed on the fire and what little remnants of the shop still occupied the hole in the wall. The sight of her sullen expression drew him over to her, and he placed a hand on her head to urge her away.

"Come on..."

When all was said and done, Ame found herself in a new room. It was open to a hall and secured with bars. Pinned her as petting zoo for Iori, or at the very least, decorational, if the woman happened to pass by. If nothing on her was broken, she'd be amazed. As much blood as she saw and tasted, it was a wonder that she was alive, and from the way she felt after being stomped into the concrete, she probably shouldn't have been. Not after all of that.

The world was barely a blur. She hadn't even noticed Iori rejoin the militia. Only noticed her after being dropped onto another stone ground and cringing at the burst of agony that danced through her muscles. Iori was good. Damn everything else about her, that bitch was colder than Ame had thought possible, and her persuasive modus operandi were none to be trifled with.

"You wanted him so badly; have him. Die with him for all I care."

Unmoving, Ame frowned at the words. She didn't even know what the hell Iori was talking about anymore. Maybe she had a concussion. Or starvation and routine ass kickings had killed some neurons. She didn't even want to move from where she'd landed, and had no strength to try. Not when it could be wasted with a single kick.

Iori wasn't quiet by any means. Could have stomped over to her for all she knew, but at some point, the woman materialized by her side and crouched to look at her. At the sensation of her hair being brushed back, Ame's eyes fluttered open to peer up at her. To glare, and wish that the look would make the woman drop dead on the spot.

"This is it. No more. I hate seeing you like this." The same hand that had gingerly pushed her matted hair back took a painful handful of the locks and pulled Ame up. "I know all your safe houses. I've planted bombs everywhere that you've been, rigged them all up. That ship. That bar. Ace's shop. If you don't come back, I'll get rid of all of them. I'll destroy all of your connections, every single last one of them!" For some reason, just hearing the voice so close to her ears nauseated Ame. Or maybe it was the quick movement of the swaying walls. "I'll be your world! You don't need anything but me! "

"Bull shit- you crazy bitch-" Low as the words were, knowing sparked in Iori's eyes. By some miracle, she had heard Ame, though she could hardly hear herself. "Fuck off and let me die already."

"Die? You don't get to die. I'll break you." Ame's hair was released and she barely managed to stay upright. Turned onto her side and carefully eased her legs under herself. "You're making me do this. I'll break you and you'll be mine again." Fat chance. Ame would hang herself with her shoelaces before that happened. "Ace and Taree were helping you, weren't they?

"No."

Denial only earned a snort of dry humor. A click of Iori's teeth and wag of her finger.

"You're still lying? Admirable. Really. But how could you want a safe house from me? I'm your safe house, inconsiderate bitch." As she spoke, Iori reached into her pocket. She produced a palm-sized rectangular remote with no markings or labels. Just brought Ame's attention to it.

"Watch closely... Are you watching?"

Eying the woman, Ame couldn't dam the confusion that leaked onto her features. Sure. She was watching, but she didn't know what the fuck she was looking at. Iori made a show of tapping a button and flashed Ame a victorious grin. Nothing happened. She just sat there, smiling as Ame glanced around the room.

Maybe Iori was more unstable than she'd thought. Well this was awkward. Then it hit her and the entire room shook. The earth vibrated under Ame and she braced herself to remain sitting as dust trailed from the ceiling and small fragmented pebbles bounced on the stone ground.

What the fuck?

Torturing her wasn't enough? An idle threat had turned out to be not-so-empty after all? The color drained from her face and she felt herself grow more light headed than she had already been.

"Kamui?" Still staring at the woman in front of her, Ame felt the name before she spoke it. But Iori shook her head and offered a coy smile.

"That was just a warning. People are dead now, and you're the one that caused it. How do you feel knowing that you're killing all of the people you love? That bar will be next. Then the ship. Maybe then you'll realize how much you need me. You can't protect them on your own."

"Okay-" Tight jawed, Ame felt a new surge of adrenaline. Though it seemed impossible, she picked her tired posture up and straightened herself. Placed her bloody hands to the ground for further stability. Her face was quickly wiped on her shoulders, but the combined sweat and blood made her eyes burn worse. "Okay, stop. You win."

There was a pause in the room, and the quiet clawed at the damp air. Screamed into Ame's ears and brought the full force of her headache to the forefront of her mind.

"What?" Skeptically murmuring back to Ame, Iori lowered the remote. She set it on the ground beside herself. Knew that Ame was smart enough not to make a move for it.

"You win, Iori. I'll come back." Pride was a tough pill to swallow. Considering how long she had resisted, Ame hadn't thought that a plastic box would bring her to submission, but here she was. Back at square one. It was one thing to endure Iori's harsh treatment alone, but even she knew when to back down. Knew when she'd lost.

This was most certainly that moment; when Kamui was threatened and the execution of such was based on her actions. She had to give in.

"I don't believe you."

Carefully shifting her weight, Ame eased towards the pirate.

"How can I prove myself to you? Tell me what to do. I'll do anything, just tell me." Her cautious gaze faltered at full eye contact, and Ame internally kicked herself as if she hadn't had enough for one day. Iori's crouching position reminded her of Kamui. How she draped her arms over her knees and stared down at her. The woman wasn't smiling, but if Ame looked down and cut her face out of the picture, she could see him. Dressed oddly, but close enough.

Iori's hand grasped at the device at her side, and she pushed it into Ame's face.

"You do it. Blow up the ship. Get rid of him, and it'll be just us again."

It must have been written all over her. The way Ame hesitated. The fact that she was taken aback by the ultimatum, and refused to agree to Iori's terms. The woman only waited a few seconds, then sighed and stood. Didn't push the demand further, but gave one clear hint at her mood. Her boot in Ame's pelvis to be exact.

She should have known it would give the woman a target to mention it, and that was her mistake. As the pain radiated through her, and she fought to keep from dry heaving, Iori casually took her leave. Left Ame to return to the ground and imagine all the ways that she'd like to see her die. Minutes passed, and Ame remained perfectly still. Tired enough to pass out, but positively seething.

Her conditions weren't getting any better, and if there was an active patrol, she didn't stand a chance. But she was getting the hell out of there. Maybe not in one piece, but before she died, she was going to murder that bitch. She knew she was bleeding, and not just from her open wounds. Could feel the cramps mingling with the other various aches and bodily grievances.

A life for a life.

She wanted a cigarette and something hard to take the edge off. Instead, she got a tiny tap on her bicep that sent a jolt of surprise up her back. Twisting as quickly as she could, Ame was greeted with a sight she hadn't anticipated. Was face to face with a blond child. A frail boy no older than ten. Maybe it was a hallucination, but she couldn't care at this point.