A/N: Hi all! So sorry for taking this long to get this to you! It really wasn't my intention to leave this story in limbo for so long, I've just had a lot of training and classes at work (Emergency Medical Dispatch, I can deliver babies over the phone now and give CPR instructions, YAY, and Active Shooters, etc, there have been more than three others though, and it's been hectic)! BUT all of that said, don't think this story had been abandoned! There's a skeletal plan, and I know where it's going, I don't have writer's block, it's just taken me a while to get back to it (Plus, I'm flirting with another Takasugi story that I've been writing when I should have been writing this, don't kill me). Thank you all for your reviews! They served as good reminders to kick my butt back into gear and get back to the keyboard. I hope you enjoy this update, and I'll get the next to you in a much more timely fashion. :)

Kamui had left the room shortly after poking at the angry woman in the hospital bed. She was far too drugged to sound threatening, but he knew that when it wore off, Ame was going to crush his windpipe, and possibly bash his skull in. Well, she would try to, anyway. There was a moment that time seemed to screech to a halt, and Ame was suspended in a nonsensical mush of knowing things were happening. That she was alive at the very least, but not knowing where her toes were. She was a blob of covers. Had melded with the mattress and whatever protective bars kept her in the bed, long before coming to, and realizing that she wasn't alone.

No, Kamui hadn't stopped at doping her and exposing her stupid accent, he had employed a baby sitter. Added insult to injury. After discovering that her big toe was exactly where it should be, her next revelation was a certain silver haired samurai seated beside the window and thumbing through JUMP like her boyfriend wasn't running off to make a date with death. For all she knew, him and the grim reaper were sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G , and she was there, wondering if all her body parts were actually reattached.

A stream of obscenities that could have made a sailor faint were the first sign of her consciousness, and Gintoki lowered the book to frown at her. His mouth opened, as if he was tasting the slurs, and analyzing exactly how they fit together. To record them for future use when he lost all his money at the slot machine.

"That's... Good morning?"

Even leaning up sent Ame's ribs into a world of pain, but she tried to mask her struggle with a tight jaw. She had to get up. Kamui had staged this. He put Gintoki at her bedside because he knew the man would stop her. Was strong enough to fight her back into the prison of medication and healing processes or whatever that Yato idiot thought she needed.

But Ame needed to be with him. He couldn't go after Iori. Not alone.

"Is it morning?" Pain medication never lasted long enough. The woman rubbed the back of her head and winced.

"Yeah. You've been out for... The nurses kept you down for a while. Couple days. Feeling better?"

"Days?" Nearly choking the word back, Ame pushed herself further up. Gintoki raised his book again, and nodded. Like that wasn't something to panic about. Apparently he didn't realize what was going on, or had been shipped from another universe and had no knowledge of what had transpired. Even Ame didn't realize that she had thrown her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself out. Was in too much of a hurry to test her stability and dropped with no resistance.

The man at her bedside had a hard time catching her, and her knees hit the tile floor before he was under her shoulder and pulling her back up.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing? You trying to die for real? Hit your head and-"

"Kamui-" Grabbing onto the man's shoulder, Ame tried to right herself. Gintoki did well pulling her up and nudged her back towards her bed, but she opposed him with all her feeble might. "He went after her-"

"Stop pushing!" A palm shot into her face and she was shoved back, but she kept her grip on the robe under her palm and pulled her way back.

"No!"

"You're gonna get hurt! Just-" Another push at her face prompted Ame to eliminate the obstacle. She bit down on Gintoki's hand and he snatched away; hissing and cradling his injury. Blood hadn't been drawn but it was enough to distract him. Ame's hand shot out to the bed for stability and she eased forward. Taking hold of her shoulders, Gintoki took another chance to force the woman back down. "That was low! He told me to-"

"Never!" Her foot shot into his shin, and Gintoki doubled over to cover the tender spot of impact, cursing Ame all the while. She edged by him, hobbling while she felt at the bare toes that had kicked him. In turn, Gintoki hopped in place. Knew he needed to catch her but how should he have known that she would attack him the moment she woke up?! Kamui hadn't warned him about that!

At the most, the red head had said "she's gonna be fun when she gets back up". Fun! Gintoki had expected jokes, and word searches! A few puns or personal stories that made him laugh; not assault! And even if she was injured, Ame had hit where it hurt. She hadn't even tried to preserve his manliness, short of his manhood, that was. Just jumped right into beating him!

"Oi!" He hopped towards the woman, but she had already rounded the bed. Was looking back at him, far too serous to toy with. "Oi, damn it!"

"You'll never catch me!"

"Catch you?! You can't even walk!"

"I'll crawl!"

"You're not- There's no need for that, what the hell do you think you're doing?! You just beat men for fun?!"

Ame took a step back, and faltered without the support of the bed, but when Gintoki lurched forward her arms shot out for balance, and her stance dropped.

"You'll never take me alive!"

"God damn it, woman, get back here!"

Grasping onto the rail of the prison in question, Ame shoved it towards the man. He caught it as it shot into him, and stumbled back while she made her escape. Took a whole four steps before he was free from her sorry diversion and approaching. Hobbling faster, Ame glanced back. Her palm gripped her side, and she willed herself to make it to the door, but the silver haired samurai covered the distance between them in mere seconds.

"You crazy? Where do you think you're going? That psycho would turn my kneecaps into dust- dust! It'd be nothing but limp pasta and jelly down there! You want that for my kneecaps?! Do ya?!"

"She's mine!" Ame's wrists were seized and pulled back as she yelled back at the man. Defeat took her when she tried to smack him but her aim was off by what may as well have been the entire room. She hadn't even been close. She was dragged back. Resisted the entire way, but Gintoki was keen on her underhanded methods now. Low kicks were sidestepped, and every slap and punch was fully anticipated. Blocked. Ame's only remaining option was pleading. Reasoning with the man that knew nothing about her or the situation; only what he'd gathered on wisps of interactions and anything that Kamui had told him, which couldn't have been much. "She's mine! Gintoki! You don't know what she's done to me! None of you do! He doesn't have a right to kill her alone- she's my past-"

As she struggled against the man's grasp, Ame rushed through the words. The silver-haired samurai halted and stared down at her, and the room delved into nothing but what she was saying. Each word wove into his ears and gripped at him.

"She took everything from me- everything! She was everything and he can't take her from me. She made me! Made me kill everybody. Everybody." Groaning the last word, Ame covered her face as if it could block the images flickering behind her eyes, or stop Gintoki from tuning in and seeing them for himself. She felt her voice breaking before speaking. "I killed them all for her. Friends, enemies, anybody-" When she breathed the end, the grip on Ame's wrist loosened. Her head dropped under the weight of the man's gaze, and she willed the burning in her throat and eyes away. She had no right.

"Iori did this to me. I'll never forget it. Them. I didn't even realize it was wrong. I deserve this... Oh, I deserve this. But Kamui can't take this from me. I need to fight her. Need to kill her... Or- she should kill me... One of us is going to kill the other, and it doesn't matter who, but she's mine." A sharp tug freed Ame's arm, and she crashed backwards. Landed hard. The woman turned over to fight herself back up and struggled with her own weight. While her arms faltered and her ribs screamed in protest, Gintoki stepped around her.

Peering up at the man's back, Ame fought off a grimace. She expected more opposition. A fight. Instead, he glanced at her over his shoulder and sighed. Something flashed across his eyes. A spark of recognition. Understanding.

"I'm supposed to keep you here until he gets back..."

Still on her hands and knees, Ame paced herself. She could make it. She had to. It was the only way, and Kamui would realize it later.

"But you're not gonna let that happen. Are you?"

"No..." That word was the truth. Her truth, and the only one that could have gotten through. It had rung so clear and sure that if Gintoki had wanted to resist, he still couldn't have. She'd said it as if he should have known. And from the sound of it, he did. Too well.

"Then get up."

The abandoned plant was exactly as its name suggested when Kamui and Abuto returned. Abandoned. There was no sign of any man, nor woman. The building had been cleared in the span of a few hours, and though they trailed a few short leads, it ran cold after no fewer than three places that Kamui had been able to lure out of Ame as she was going under. With Abuto doing most of the navigation, he could only assume that they were in the right place each time.

"This is getting boring." Sighing to the older man, Kamui glanced over the brightening street. A fresh coat of rain had washed over the city as they were looking, possibly further destroying their efforts to track the pirate, but they had kept at it long past the actual mark of disinterest.

"What did you expect? We've been scoping empty storage units for days."

"She's not completely stupid, I'll give her that. She could have at least left us a fight." The men started back down the roadway, umbrellas at their sides. Kamui's twirling between his fingertips, propped over his shoulder as he thought. At this rate, they'd have to wait for Ame. But Humans took so long to heal, and she had already been broken before this entire escapade had broken out. He didn't want to waste more time than was necessary, and any further issues would bring his ship into question. The others had already heard gossip about a Human woman on board, residing in the Captain's quarters, and it was more trouble than he wanted to deal with at the moment.

Of course, it was fine. Who would tell him otherwise?

A little conflict over something he wouldn't negotiate would probably liven things up, to say the least, but it wasn't the time for it.

"How many of her men did you kill? You think she'd want to risk more?"

"Dunno. I lost count... Do you have an Earth phone?"

"An earth phone?" Cocking an eyebrow towards his superior, Abuto stepped over an ominously large puddle.

"I'll call in a favor. If Iori is as bad as Ame said, even if she's not, Takasugi can find her." Kamui kept his pace, even as Abuto came to an abrupt halt and stared after him. This was getting big. If the red headed Yato was going so far as to involve other people, he didn't know what Kamui was planning to do once he found the woman.

"I don't..." He finally answered, and resumed walking. Perked his step to catch up to the man.

"That's a shame..." Kamui's second sigh drew the sentence out and left it hanging between them. Made Abuto feel as though he was obligated to be the worldly, pragmatic sidekick, even though he had practically raised the brat. Instead of prying further into Kamui's undoubtedly murderous schemes, he asked where they were headed from their last spot to scout. Kamui left no room for inquiry when he stopped in front of a place that sparked Abuto's memory. Not personally; he'd never seen it before. But the note that Kamui had received had summoned him to a shipyard, and that was exactly where they stood. The entrance and furthest walls were lined with metal crates. Constructed of the containers, and comfortably nestled in a back road close to their ship.

If Iori had chosen this particular place, it was a mix of idiotic and brilliant. So close that a sane person wouldn't bother to look, and right under their noses. It didn't seem possible, and it didn't seem likely. Abuto would have dismissed it, if it hadn't been for a prominent sign that glared back at them once they rounded the second corner.

It was a simple board of wood that had been spray painted with a warning.

Turn back, you ginger-snap fuck.

"This looks like the right place." Kamui's voice was low and even. He didn't smile as he spoke, and that was more alarming than anything that could have been said. Abuto knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was only there to witness. To take on any distractions or interruptions, and let the captain go for the main target. They continued their walk into the shipyard, and as they did, more messages appeared. Every new corner they turned brought a more sinister, taunting note that Abuto knew was only to amp Kamui up.

She'll always be mine.

I couldn't let her have that monster inside her.

You've sullied her.

Tainted her.

Made her disgusting.

She's weak now.

What have you done?

Staring at the last note, Abuto felt his nerves wind into a bunch. Kamui had been reading every single one. He'd been growing more antsy and on edge the further they weaved their way through the labyrinth, and the knot of his jaw had grown tighter. His fists had become permanent fixtures, and his eyes had honed in on a new level of crazy that Abuto didn't want to calculate.

There wasn't a number high enough to classify it.

Before he could tell Kamui otherwise, the Captain had stomped over to the sign and kicked it in half. It was the only object that he could take his frustrations out on, and the board splintered under the rising sun. Days. They'd spent days looking, and Iori had been setting up an obstacle to taunt him. For all he knew, she wasn't there anymore. Had just left the signs to piss him off and giggle to herself in her safe, cozy hideout over a mug of hot chocolate. As he smashed the board, a snap sounded, and he barely looked up in time to see a blade whizzing down towards him at startling speed.

Kamui jumped back as the sword collided with the concrete that had been under him and stuck there. Jutted out as nothing but a prominent warning that it should have been him under it. The trap was familiar in ways he didn't care to recall, but from the way it looked, the aim wasn't the same as Ame's. Ame trapped to kill. To laugh with him later, because she expected him to best her. He didn't think he could ever actually be hurt by Ame's traps if he was awake and aware when they triggered, and that was the fun of it. The excitement. This was to maim. Gravely. A glance back revealed that the path they had used to enter the shipyard was not blocked, but had been labeled behind their backs.

Death zone, the sign claimed. If they turned around, things would escalate, but there was no chance that Kamui would do such a thing. Not unless he wanted an actual fight. A pointless, defeated fight reserved for cowards. At his side, Abuto looked on in stoic understanding, likely reaching the same conclusion as him.

Iori was there.

She was sitting back with her feet up, watching to see if she could trap them. But Kamui had experience with traps like hers, and he wasn't backing down. He'd give her the entertainment she sought, right up until he bashed her face into the ground and knocked her teeth out. Broke the fingers that should have refrained from violating his Human. Or toes, considering how much she'd been kicked. The red head started back through the rigged maze, still intent on reaching the center, where he'd met her before, and Abuto stuck by his side.

They both knew he'd dock the older man's pay if he'd done anything else.

As they turned another metal edge, a sign came into view that Kamui couldn't have agreed with more. Let the games begin.