Inu Yasha no Yume

Chapter 16– Missing Arm

He was leaning against his tree when she returned. It was warm, so she had rolled the top of her tea dress down to her waist and was sporting the grey top that was underneath; her leggings remained off, as well.
She sat where she had before, tucking her legs up under her, protruding from under her bottom on her right. It was deep into the night, already but she didn't feel like sleeping.
"Whose scent is it that lingers on you?" She asked as she reached for the water skin in her pack.
"Rin." He spoke the name, almost tenderly.
"Rin..." She repeated. "What makes her the exception to your loathing of mortals? Or is she like me?"
When he didn't answer for a long while, Yume decided not to press the matter. There were other things to talk about. She couldn't understand how it was she was so eager to talk to him. He obviously didn't want to talk to her.
As long as she could remember people were comfortable with her. They talked to her about anything and everything, even though she could tell all about them through visions. Inu Yasha had proved a problem when it came to visions, yet he had also been comfortable with her, so it really didn't matter what her "third eye" saw. How had she done it? Could she succeed with the White Youkai sitting in front of her? Right now, she wanted to know what made the half-brothers tick inside.
"How'd you lose your arm?" She asked, regretting this question, too.
He scowled down at where his left arm should be. "Inu Yasha," She gulped as he spat the words out for her. "and Tettsusaiga."
"Tettsusaiga?" It sounded familiar.
Sesshoumaru motioned to one of his swords and it clicked in Yume's brain. "Oh!" She thought of something else. "Is it a great sword, Tettsusaiga?"
"Our father's fang. The sword a Youkai can't touch," He growled.
"You wanted it, then."
"The sword that can slay 100 Youkai in a single swing; of course."
"100? Wow..."
"He can't even use it properly..." He sounded like a jealous brother.
"He can use it because he's a Hanyou?"
"Yes..." He hissed.
"I think," She paused. "and I know you don't agree, that a Hanyou is the best of both worlds. If the very best Youkai's blood is mixed with the very best mortal's, then what else can you get but the very best?"
"What's so special about mortals? They're weak, and have no ability other than that of walking or simple labors."
"What's so bad about that? Are you not wearing a human-like form, yourself? Yes, they do simple labors, but look at what they can accomplish, a whole civilization. Sometimes they can be worse than Youkai, but they also love freely. They don't always fear each other."
"I fear nothing."
"Mortals don't fear Inu Yasha as he is. He is Hanyou. He is neither mortal, not Youkai, yet both at the same time. Inasmuch, he has an understanding of both and neither worlds' pains and pleasures. Maybe I'm just babbling. I don't know," She smiled softly at Sesshoumaru. "I like Hanyou." Yume half-expected a cruel or angry comment, but received none. "Perhaps it's just me," She continued. "I've never been very strong. All my power comes from the mind. I know some sword lore and technique, but that's hardly worth its weight in this world," She shuddered convulsively. "I guess it has to do with protection and feeling safe. If that's how I feel, then I suppose I like the person who gives me that."
Sesshoumaru was starring at her, but she didn't know, she was too busy trying to control the shivers of fright that ran along her spine. She guessed she was annoying him and gave up while pulling her blanket tightly around her shoulders, knowing it couldn't help. She finally looked up at the White Youkai, and they stopped.
"Sorry, I'll shut-up," She tried to cover her tracks.
"Why?" His response startled her.
"Huh?" She starred.
"Why?" He repeated smoothly.
"I thought you were annoyed..." She stammered.
"Sometimes it's better to let people believe what they think," He threw her words back at her.
Before she could laugh, he let out a slight chuckle, one just enough to make her heart skip a beat. She gaped. Why? She asked herself. Why does he make my heart skip like that so suddenly? She looked away, trying to hide her blush in the dark when her mind came to the kiss.
It was all so confusing! Why? What had happened? Sesshoumaru didn't strike her as being someone who just randomly kissed girls like Miroku!
She tried thinking of his missing arm instead, trying not to look over, but very aware of his eyes on her. Although, it was a strange kiss, she couldn't deny she enjoyed it...
She blushed again and concentrated on his missing arm, unaware that she had started to glare in its direction.
"Is it that interesting? What isn't even there?"
"Yes, actually..." She pondered this a moment.
He chuckled again and feigned disbelief. "Really?"
"Well...it's just I saw something once," She hesitated. "My father lost his finger once. My mother used her power to give him a phantom finger. It wasn't real, but it still existed. It could only take so much pressure placed on it by opposing forces before they went through it. It still had enough composition that others could feel it, but it wasn't much good for anything other than gentle touch. Nothing but a phantom of my mother's own finger looking like my father's. Pretty useless..."
Sesshoumaru's golden eyes sparkled with interest. "Could you do that? Create a phantom arm?"
"Yes, but..."
"But what?"
"...But it takes a part of me that I'm not sure I have," She remembered the kiss and blushed, yet again. "or maybe I do."
"What is it?"
A strange look passed over his smooth face. "And have you?"
She shook the blush off. "I suppose," She stood up. "At least we can try. Take off your shirt, it'll interfere," She circled around to behind where he stood and waited until he'd shed his upper robe. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she eyed where his arm should be.
"It will look like your arm and it will feel like your arm for most of the time, but it will also feel like me. Do you mind?" She gently pressed on his shoulders, encouraging him to sit comfortably. "One more thing..."
"What?" He looked over his shoulder at her and her heart began to pound like mad.
"I..." She gulped. "It has to be flesh on flesh."
He twisted his waist so he could look at her. Her face was so crimson, she was sure he could feel the heat radiating from it. Unable to think of anything to say, she gripped his shoulders and turned him back around. She could feel him close his eyes.
Nervously, she removed her own shirt. She knelt and gently ran her fingers down the skin of his right arm; she memorized the muscles and shape and closed her eyes.

*Author's Note*- Sorry for this!!! I have a feeling it'll be worse in the future, though. ^_^

She leaned forward, pressing her breasts and belly against his back. The shock of her nipples hardening threw her concentration, but she counted to ten and continued. She felt her left shoulder melt into his and she lined up her arm where his should be. Pulling the image and feel of his right arm into her mind and reversing it, she put the shell over her arm. She began to pull her arm away, leaving the phantom of its presence, careful not pull away too fast and risking leaving it unfinished. Rather than opening her eyes as she planned, the world got darker. She then realized what she'd done wrong.
Air forced itself into her lungs, once, twice, then three times before she began to cough and breath on her own. She only coughed twice and pulled her self up so that she was hunched over her thighs in a knelt bow. She took several deep breaths and felt encouraging hands on her shoulders. One hand felt like her own.
Yume lifted her chin a little and blankly starred at the knees that didn't belong to her. Gentle hands pulled hair away from her face.
"It helps when one remembers to breath..." She mumbled angrily and sat up; she noticed the white cloth she was clutching to her chest.
"That was interesting enough," He smiled and held his left arm up so she could see. "Very nice. Excellent craftsmanship," He wiggled his fingers, thumping them gently on her nose.
"Glad it worked," She gave a sigh of relief.
"Next time, do remember to breath?" He smiled as he leaned back against his tree.
"I'll try," Exhausted, Yume rested her head on his strong chest, listening to his deep, even breaths. "The sun is rising..." She whispered.
"So it is," He agreed; she laughed and closed her eyes.