Gomen-ne for the flashback, I like them…

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In The Desert

Chapter 2: The Spark

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"Heh. You know what I need Naraku," he replied as he sat down. "Why are you here? Hauling Tsubaki around, nonetheless."

"Funny you should ask. I've been living here for a few years now. I went back to your old town and everything had changed. The Kotsu's were scattered, which surprised me. The crime scene had grown out of control. Tsubaki had nowhere better to go anyway, so I brought her back with me," Naraku explained.

"I couldn't help the fact that we imploded after the kids died, and how I got thrown in prison, or that Suikotsu bailed. When I got out, the town was hell. I heard about the diamond and came here. I've got no where else to go, really, and I need the money," Renkotsu retorted.

"It was odd, how the strong leader of the Shichinin-tai was dead…how did that happen again?" Naraku asked slyly. "It was the Taiyoukai boy wasn't it? And wasn't that other punk dead as well? Eh, Renkotsu?"

Renkotsu narrowed his eyes. "Fuck you, Naraku. My little brother died, okay? So fuck you," he snapped, with an even tone.

"Why did you come here?" Naraku asked.

"What do you know?" Renkotsu retorted.

Naraku smirked. "And why should I tell you? I don't get a favor, do I?"

Renkotsu stood, turning for the door. "Last time I did you a favor, I regretted it in far too many ways."

"But, you do want to know everything I know don't you? Want to be on a level playing field?" Naraku asked him, a devious smirk playing on his features.

Renkotsu sat back down. "What do you want for it?"

"You know what I want, Renkotsu. The question is…what do you want?"

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Suikotsu sighed. Renkotsu was usually pretty punctual, and he had said a walk. If he had been gone as long as Suikotsu thought, he could be halfway across the Western Desert by now. The phone rang, and he swept his eyes over the Caller ID. Smiling, he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Suikotsu, I have to cancel for tonight; I have an unexpected guest. Is tomorrow okay for you?" the cool female voice came on the other end.

"It's fine, Kikyou. Now I can catch up on the important things my job makes me neglect, like sleep, for instance. And something other than Chinese takeout."

There was a short laugh. "Okay, tomorrow at 8; it won't be Chinese," Kikyou told him. "I have to go, I have another call. See you tomorrow."

There was a click and silence on the other end meant she had hung up. He set the phone back on it receiver and jumped slightly when the door opened. Turning around, his eyes found Renkotsu.

"Hey…" the man greeted Suikotsu. "I'm going to sleep," he added before walking into the second bedroom that Suikotsu had just pointed to.

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Tsubaki sighed, resting her head on her knees as she cast her eyes upward at her old college roommate. "Thanks Kikyou."

Kikyou nodded. "It wasn't a problem, just don't start freeloading."

Tsubaki smiled humorlessly. "Right, I'll be out of your hair in a day or two okay?" she remarked with a roll of her eyes, adding: "Oh, and I need a job."

The taller woman furrowed her brows. "There, I don't know if I can help you," she said. "What do you want for dinner? I cant cook, but I could call in for a pizza…"

"That sounds fine," Tsubaki answered.

Kikyou nodded and left the room as Tsubaki let her nails tangle in the blanket and her knees went limp, causing her to fall back on the bed.

Grabbing her purse from the table beside the bed she opened it up and pulled out her wallet, looking at the picture in front she smiled slightly. "So you're here too, Renkotsu?" she asked the picture that was stuck there.

It wasn't a very good picture. He always avoided cameras, and this was one where his hand was only half on the lens so she got enough of his face to work.

Usually she burned her ex-boyfriend's pictures. But Renkotsu was… different. He was a crabby, stiff, huffy bastard for someone so young. He'd lived enough of a life to warrant it, she supposed, though he was what… 24 now?

It'd been a long time ago, but she still remembered it like it had happened an hour ago, that heavyhearted feeling she had gotten when the doorbell rang.

He never used the doorbell…

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The doorbell rang and Tsubaki looked up from the thick textbook in slight annoyance. She walked up and looked out the peephole as the doorbell rang again. It was Renkotsu…

…He never used the doorbell.

She opened the door and he walked in, looking a little more grim than usual. Hesitantly, she asked, "Renkotsu…?"

He looked disinterested as he sat down, leaning back against the couch as he normally did. "They're dead…"

"What? Who?" she asked in confusion.

He gulped, running a hand over his face in impatience. "Jakotsu…Bankotsu, everyone. Except Suikotsu, and me, but I don't know what happened to him. His other half completely took over and ran. He might be dead… he might be alive. But they're gone."

Tsubaki put a hand over her mouth. "All of them? All five of them?"

He stood, turning to leave. "I'll go. I know how your roommate feels about me."

She got up and walked over to the door, cutting him off. "…Call me if you want to," she told him. "I know you won't…"

"I need to leave. Move," Renkotsu said.

She growled a little and moved from the door. "Fine…"

"I'll talk to you later."

And he slammed the door behind him.

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She shook her head. "Its stupid to think about it. That's the past," she demanded of herself. She sat in silence for a few minutes before Kikyou knocked on the wall beside her open door, a quirk that seemed to have exceeded college.

"The pizza is here, if you want some," she told Tsubaki.

Tsubaki nodded, getting up and shaking the loose strands of hair from her face she walked into the kitchen where, sitting on the table, was a large white box.

"I thought about you needing a job, and I need a helper at the museum during the week, if you're interested in that," Kikyou remarked. "It doesn't pay much."

Tsubaki smirked. Another block of plan falling into place. A job at the museum that she wanted to rob? Why would she turn such a thing down?

"That'll be okay I guess…" she muttered.

Kikyou nodded. "You can work the front desk then," she told her with a light smirk.

And the shorter woman groaned silently. She hated desk jobs.

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A/N: There, an update, turns out this fic is not only going to be hella confusing its gonna kinda short…yay!