Chapter 1: Vacuum

That incessant creaking was slowing driving itself like painful screws into Temari's brain.

He should have oiled this thing before or something

With every small motion the bed frame would announce the night's festivities to the probably sleeping neighbors on the other side of the wall. It didn't really matter to her if they heard though. They didn't know she was part of the ruckus and as long as she could help it, they never would. For her own sanity though, she really wished he would do something but she knew very well that his task at hand was more important that greasing up some loose joints. Looking slightly to the left in the darkened room, the illuminated numbers of the night table clock read 12:45 am.

30 minutes…and nothing. What a dra-

She stopped herself right as she was about to venture on that road and she had no plans on going down there again. She had been doing well for the past few weeks on her shear will alone and she would use that to drive her until she was completely sober off of him-her alcohol. A bead of sweat dripped down onto her forehead, detouring her thought to the disgust of having his salty fluid smearing her makeup even further. He seemed to be working harder than she thought and at this point he was now panting and trying to hold on as best as he could.

All night he said….armature.

Wanting to yawn out of pure boredom, she held back to urge to spare this guy's glass ego. He thought he had her at "hello" but lucky for him he just happened to be in the right place at the right time just when she had an itch. Now she regretted the fact that she didn't just go take a walk. Her body was jerking awkwardly into the headboard as he practically tried to lick her flesh off and swallow her neck hole. He was trying, she had to give him that much but she had no urge to do anything but lay there like some fresh corpse and take it. It would do for the time being, she supposed. Stopping for a moment to listen, she realized the creaking was gone.

Great…

It would be replaced though by his even louder panting as e flexed his bare arms that were boring into the mattress beside her. Temari tried to enjoy it, she honestly did. It was the first time in months she had gotten anything and that want was becoming greater each passing week. Going to him was not an option so she opted to find some no named scholar from the Feudal Lord's city who was just passing through. Not even asking his name, she skipped the small talk and went straight at it. The quicker it started, the quicker it ended the quicker she could get back to things again.

"So….I'm doing….pretty well…huh?"

He gave her a small smile that made her subconsciously twist her face in a mixture uncomfortableness and pity.

"Yea….great…" Luckily it was too dark to see her roll her eyes slightly and divert her attention to the ceiling fan that was whirling above her head. No closer to an orgasm than when she first came in contact with him, she knew it was a lost cause but that poor guy pressed up against her naked chest and driving himself inside of her thought otherwise. Feeling his body twitch underneath her indicated that his time was quickly approaching and her chance to slip out before she found herself in a forced pillow talk cuddle was fading away.

I really should stop him now…

"Whatever your name is….this has to be the best sex….I've ever had…" Giving her that creepy grin again, gave her just the boost she needed to finally call it quits. He just didn't feel right, this just didn't feel right, nothing felt right. Sighing out all of the thoughts and emotions she kept barred behind her prison of 0ff-topic subjects, it was clear that she didn't find what she was looking for. Replacement. So, she hoisted herself up onto her forearms so she was eye to eye with the disheveled guy still pushing un-rhythmically away between her legs.

"Look. This isn't working."

"Wait what?" The guy stopped abruptly, wiping some of his brown strands from his face.

Here we go….

"I'm not into this to be completely honest."

"But you said I was doing great…"

"Yea well I lied." Squirming out from under him, she mentally started to count down until his emotional eruption as she fiddled around the unlit hotel room for her clothes.

"But-

3…

"I mean!..." He sat up, looking around the bed as if the answers were written in the folds of the crumpled sheets.

2…

"I do not understand!"

1….

"You cannot go! We were just getting started! I promise it will get better!" Before she could get one hand in her sleeve, he was down at her feet looking as desperate as any beggar. It was revolting. His voice was annoying, his awkward way of moving around was annoying and not to mention the way he spoke made her believe she was in a grammar classroom.

"I'm really sorry but….we're done here." Standing up and stepping over the still pleading (and still roused) young man, Temari fortunately found the rest of her clothing quickly. Sliding them on like she was being clocked, she ran her fingers through her hair and strapped her fan tightly to her back. "Thanks for everything though, really." She had to give him some compensation for his loss so a quick peak on the cheek was all she felt like sparing that night before heading to the balcony.

Never letting a scholar pick me up again.

Looking over the edge of the second story room, Temari paused for a moment to make sure the streets below were clear of any passer-byers who would be able to recognize her. Being a Sand Village diplomat made her a little more popular that she would have liked but it was unavoidably. If she could, she would gladly keep the title if she could regain some of her privacy but that was never going to happen. The summer breeze blew through the leafy trees that lined the streets below and offered her a small cover for her get away. Feeling the time was right; she made her leap onto the sidewalk and quickly disappeared down the darker ally on the side of the building.

Looking behind her, she checked for any unaccounted for eyes. "Good." This time, she got away and found herself walking down one of the smaller streets behind the hotel towards the quieter parts of the village. Valuing what little time away from the commotion she had, she requested that her apartment be placed a small distance away from the city center which was still being rebuilt. Looking at the roofs of the structures, one could still see metal beams where they were fixing the frames, parts of the roofs un-tiled and some paint jobs that were in the process of completion. Walking by these partially finished areas made her feel a tad bit sorrowful yet proud that the although the devastation to the leaf was great, that they managed to get themselves back up. This could have easily been her village of Gaara didn't save them from the attack from Deidara.

That bastard…

It was a quiet summer night, too quiet. It left Temari on the streets alone with nothing but the night sky and her own thoughts. This was a small fear of hers because whenever she had a moment to think, she would waste it on the possibilities. She told herself she wouldn't bother to care about what could have been but what actually was.

Clearly she wasn't paying attention she before she came to realize exactly where her feet were headed, she had already made 3 lefts, 2 rights and walked 4 blocks to a small single columned set of apartments with only 3 floors. If one was just passing, the building would have easily blended in as just an ordinary set of apartments but only he would find the true value of living in such a place. One day when he explained it to her, it all clicked. The good old days.

"I'm not stopping." That's what she reminded herself but her feet turned into adhesive until they had finally stuck into the concrete in front of the doorway. "Maybe I can stop….but I'm not going in." Following the crack in the side of the building all the way up to the second floor, she saw the dim light lulling from behind a set of partially closed curtains. It was probably around 1:15 so this all seemed about right. The flesh on the back of her neck heated up while the timeline of events played back like old music. "I guess…." Before she could finish, her feet thought ahead of her again. "It wouldn't hurt to say hey….We are friends after all…." The temptation was louder that logic and her footsteps up the quiet hallway were louder than her conscious telling her that once she starting this drinking thing again, it would be hard to quit. He was her rum-bitter yet mind-numbing. Yet, she said she swore of alcohol but don't all alcoholics say that could stop anytime they wanted too? 6 steps shrank to 5 which dwindled to 2 and then become one until she was standing in front of a smile brown door, a copy of any old regular door. This was her last fleeting moment to decide to let it all go and add another week to her score of fighting the urges. She wanted to move and continue on home yet here she was, praying that he wouldn't realize someone was on the other side.

This is wrong…..I really should go.

It took a lot less convincing than she thought and within a few seconds she turned on her heel and was about to head back down the silent hallway when she heard that noise that sounded her loss. The door creaked open behind her. Standing in a stupor, she said nothing as her back was turned to the sudden bright light that casted a shadow on the ground. That's when she heard it, the voice that dragged like a well-deserved cigarette.

"You should knock next time…"

Realizing she was not going to let him best her mental alertness, she responded equally as cooly. "Yet you answered regardless."

It was like she could hear-no feel a small tangent form to his lips and she hoped he didn't see her shudder. The little opportunity she had to escape this vortex of a twisted, derailed, drawn out, mess of a friendship came and went with the next words that slithered out of his mouth.

"Take a shower….you smell like him."