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In The Desert

Chapter 3: Dampening the Flame

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Renkotsu rolled over, slamming his hand down on the buzzing alarm clock. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

'Why was I dreaming about that? I never dream anymore. Not since I was a kid, and why about then?' he thought, recalling the flash of images that had passed through his mind that night. 'Naraku killed all of the only family I had. Family; I guess that's what they were. It's been two years and I think of them that way more and more now that they're gone. And Naraku's with Tsubaki, the same Tsubaki I was with when…Naraku killed them, the same Naraku…' his thoughts trailed off maliciously. He didn't want to keep thinking about back then, about the past.

Because back then he had been stupid, young and stupid. 22 years old, on top of the world maybe? Big headed? Hot girlfriend and plenty of spare cash, dealing drugs to preteen rich kids with too much pocket change and a desire to conform? What had made it different from then and now for him? The fact that now he was broke, living with one of his old gang members that belonged in a mental institution and looking to steal one of the most priceless artifacts on the planet today?

Maybe his life had just become too weird for him to understand.

He stood up, dressed quickly and walked out of his room. Suikotsu was already in the kitchen, sitting at the small table opening to bright orange bottle with a white cap. After he pulled two pills from the bottle and set it back down on the table, Renkotsu picked it back up and read it aloud. "After every meal?"

"One set is for before meals, one's for after them," Suikotsu explained with a smile.

That was like Suikotsu in this mind; he'd take you in and, if he trusted you enough, tell you anything you wanted to know. He was a nice guy all around.

"I'm going by the museum today, if you want to come," Suikotsu said, popping the two yellow pills into his mouth and taking a swing from a bottle of water.

"Why are you going?" Renkotsu asked dully, but he knew he'd say yes. He needed to check out what he was up against.

"My girlfriend is the owner of the place," Suikotsu explained. "And since I don't work on the weekends, I go visit her during her shift. If you don't want to hang around during that kind of stuff, I understand," he added shrugging.

"No, I'll go. Got nothing better to do," Renkotsu reasoned.

Suikotsu nodded. "You hungry or need a shower or anything before I decide to run off?" he asked standing up.

Renkotsu shook his head. "Cold much?"

"It's never cold here. Does 'the middle of a desert' tell you anything?" Suikotsu asked.

"I'm used to living in the mountains," he retorted as they headed out the door, down the winding steps, and out to Suikotsu's old silver car. It barely ran but he didn't drive a lot…so it didn't matter much.

They drove out and parked, heading up the tall marble steps of the museum. They walked in, stopping at the front desk and paying the three dollars to get in, and Renkotsu had to resist doing a double take.

When Suikotsu caught the glance of a tall, slim, black-haired woman, Renkotsu walked back to the front desk, leaning on it and raising an eyebrow.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," he muttered, sounding nonchalant.

The woman ran a hand through her thick black hair and smirked. "Because if we keep meeting in public there's nothing we can do right?" she challenged, her hand casually brushing his.

"Don't flatter yourself, Tsubaki. Besides, aren't you with Naraku?" he asked her, drawing his hand away and narrowing his eyes.

"He threw me out of the apartment, and besides…he said it himself, he doesn't care who I sleep with. And I wouldn't consider myself 'with' anyone at this point in my youth," she replied smoothly.

"You considered yourself 'with' me up until two years ago, maybe even less," he pointed out critically.

"And in one day, five years of 'being with you' was gone and you were in prison. I can't waste my beauty waiting on someone who won't even want me when he comes back," she argued.

He looked away, his eyes narrowing further. "I would've still wanted you…" he mumbled indistinguishably.

She had heard him, no matter how low he had tried to keep his voice. "You don't now, so why would've you back then?" she asked, getting annoyed.

"Now you're just lying Tsubaki," he retorted, turning back to her, while a smirk grew on the inside. His plan was all falling into place. If he played his cards right everything would work out in the end. "When does your shift end?"

She looked at her watch. "I'm out for lunch in ten minutes actually."

Renkotsu knew what he had to do. She worked at the museum, so she had to have a key to the museum on her. Now it was getting it that would be the challenge.

Tsubaki smirked to herself, pulling a small mirror out of her purse and checking her makeup again. She was getting a double treat today, she knew it. She would wring every bit of information she could out of Renkotsu, and feel like, maybe for a minute, everything was back to the way they were when they had been in college.

When it was slightly normal.

When arson, acts considered religious terrorism, drug dealing, gangs and sex were all normal to her, the wholesome preacher's daughter. Dating a criminal, soon to become a criminal with an academic scholarship to any school she wanted.

Maybe that's what got her so egotistical. From the day she set foot in her high school she knew she was pretty, smart, and could get any guy she wanted.

But not the prettiest, not the smartest, and she didn't get the most popular hot guys.

Kikyou was the prettiest, Kikyou was the smartest, and Kikyou was dating the lacrosse-star-rich-boy Inuyasha Taiyoukai.

And how Tsubaki had hated her for that, and envied all that she had. But they were still what one would consider friends. For the first three years of her high school life and maybe even beyond that, she had looked to make herself better than Kikyou.

And what had it gotten her? A scar across her right eye and even more resentment.

But her senior year, Kikyou was left heartbroken and untrusting of men, and Tsubaki, the virtuous preacher's daughter, met her first taste of the truly dark side of life.

He had just started at the public high school after a while at some kind of reformatory. His brother was a freshman. She met him while he was skipping class to have a smoke.

She started talking to him, though he didn't open up to her. Hell, seven years later and he still hadn't opened up. At first, they had become 'acquaintances' the kind of people you nodded to in the hall when your hands were too full to wave. Then, after about a week, he invited her to a party.

And that was, despite Tsubaki's slight embarrassment to admit it, the first time she had ever had sex.

Even seven years later she still wonders how exactly that worked out, monogamous without commitment. But it did, for a long time. Then he went to jail and she didn't want to be alone so she ran around with tons of other guys.

"Hey, Tsubaki, snap out of it," someone remarked harshly, delivering her from her thoughts.

She shook her head and looked at the clock. "Okay, let me stop reminiscing. Lunch time," she said standing up, grabbing her purse as she started for the door.

"Tsubaki," someone called across the long main room.

She turned and Kikyou walked over, handing her a small key. "It's the key to the museum, in case something comes up," she informed her. "See you when you get back from lunch…" she added, eyeing Renkotsu warily as she turned back around, walking away in a brisk manner.

Tsubaki pocketed the key and they left, as soon as they were down the steps she turned to him and smirked. "Your place or mine?"

"Where I'm staying is a closer walk," he pointed out. "Come on."

They walked down the busy sidewalk and turning on a side road, entering Suikotsu's apartment building they hurried up the stairs, he pulled a key out and unlocked the door.

"I've waited a long time," she told him testily.

"All in good time, Tsubaki," he retorted

He held the door open in a mock gentlemanly manner. She walked inside and was almost immediately grabbed by Renkotsu. He moved her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. She giggled and turned, pressing her lips against his. Renkotsu nibbled her bottom lip and dipped her, pushing her back into his room and falling on the bed at the same time.

"You never change, Renkotsu," Tsubaki said and flipped him over. They struggled for a moment, both fighting to be on top.

"Persistent bitch," Renkotsu said as he fell on his back. Tsubaki held him down.

"Shut up and fuck me," She growled.

"Gladly," He smirked and flipped her over again. He straddled her waist and unzipped his pants. His hand inconspicuously reached into one of her pockets to slip out a key.

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Tsubaki straightened her hair in the mirror before walking out of the apartment. She had needed that, she felt…better. Happy, even. Smoothing her wrinkled shirt she headed back towards the museum. Their romp hadn't lasted long; she had to cut short to get back to work on time. He said he'd be back up there to meet with Suikotsu after she could get back.

"We can't go in together, it'd look suspicious."

She had to agree with him, finally get back to her place at the front desk as the other girl…they hadn't really met. Tsubaki had only heard her mentioned once as a young woman named 'Enju'.

He came back and walked around, avoiding eye contact and making something like small talk with Suikotsu. Then they left, and Tsubaki played with her nails and make-up. Her shift ended and she left with Kikyou, but when they got home and she went to empty her pockets and noticed something missing.

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth opened a little in shock. The bastard! "He used me…" she snapped under her breath. "I'll kill that little bastard…"

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