Yuba's Touch

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Akito01
Akito01
172 Followers

"Really?"

Yuba had an image of her stripping down, carefully laying out her clothes on the grass before stepping naked into the clear cool spring water. He found it remarkable that in all this time he'd never once accidentally caught her like that. She must have timed it when he was busy elsewhere. The thought brought a smile to his lips -a machine with modesty!

Unhooking the gold bracelet clip, Ifurita began to pull off her left glove. By the way she handed it to him, she must have believed that was what interested him, but in truth it was what lay beneath that really caught Yuba's attention.

"My gosh," he breathed, lifting up her arm. Contrasted against the chalk-like complexion of her skin, were a series of thin black lines located on all her major joints -her elbow, wrist, knuckles and palm. They resembled seams, composed of some material that was more elastic than the rest of her artificial skin. He was fascinated. Except for those seams, and the absence of fingernails, she both looked and felt very human.

"Whoever built you weren't just engineers -they were artists," he said with genuine wonder, tracing those delicate black seams with his fingertips. He looked up to see Ifurita staring at him. In the rapidly fading light, her crystal clear eyes held an unusual glow. "Sorry, I didn't mean to poke and prod at you."

"No, it's..." Ifurita stuck on her words for a moment. "Every time you touch me, I can feel it. Not in the way I normally perceive physical objects; I can feel it."

"I wish I could explain," he said, lowering her hand back to her lap. "This ability I have. I can only assume it's because it was the technology of the ancients that sent me here, because I'm not really of this world, that normal logic doesn't apply. I like to think it's a gift God has given me to help me find my way home -though it's possible he's given it to me for an entirely different reason."

Darkness had now fully taken hold, and just as Yuba had promised, the meteor shower did prove to be quite a show. There was at least one falling star every few minutes, many coming in pairs or even more at once. The temperature had begun to drop as well, and Yuba unconsciously pressed closer to Ifurita, his hand now draped lightly on her opposite shoulder.

In this protracted intimate silence, he let his hand drift over to touch and stroke her disordered hair. Gently combing it through his fingers, he couldn't tell at all whether it was synthetic or not. It was very soft to the touch and almost completely untangled, despite being so wild and long. It would probably be embarrassing for Yuba to admit that his contact with the opposite sex had been rather limited. In fact, it's had been so long that even this fairly innocent contact had his heart racing with pent up emotion. Gently rubbing the flat of her back, he could tell that her body was slightly warm through her thin clothes.

Although he didn't intend to, his hand brushed against her open keyhole. As soon as his fingers touched the bare metal, she flinched. He caught his breath in a sympathetic response, but didn't draw his hand away. Instead, he let it rest on her hip before returning deliberately to that opening. He let his thumb slip inside, then replaced it with his index finger, stroking it against the smooth metal of the interior sides. There was a strange sense of vibration, as if it were strongly charged with static electricity. He refrained from mentally slipping inside her matrix, keeping his contact as physical as possible. Even so, he could tell the effect he was having on Ifurita. No longer watching the sky, her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted. She slouched over, her weight pressing against his shoulder.

Continuing to stroke the outer rim of her keyhole in a circular motion, he was strongly reminded of an experience as a teen back in Creteria. It was at a rather depressing sordid little party, one of the few he'd ever been invited to, and found himself at an ungodly hour down in the basement after having had too much to drink. Next to him was a girl he'd had a hopeless crush on for some time, though he could never tell what she thought of him. In a spontaneous moment of lust and curiosity, she'd let him put a hand up her skirt, and he'd touched and explored a woman's genitals for the first time. He remembered how he languidly stroked and rubbed over her stiff little clitoris, and how she'd leant against him, her breathing becoming increasingly ragged as her arousal grew. He couldn't see what he was doing in that darkness, it was all by touch, just like now. He'd never forget how she shivered when she finally came.

"Do you remember her name," Ifurita asked.

"Well, that's..."

Yuba froze. In that panicked moment, he realized what he'd done, the memory he'd inadvertently shared.

"My God, I'm sorry," he cried, staggering to his feet. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing," Ifurita asked, looking up at him.

Yuba gestured helplessly, trying to put his thoughts in coherent order.

"I just... I just went too far," he finally said, handing her back her glove. "I'm very sorry. Goodnight, Ifurita."

He hurriedly escaped back into the shrine, seeking the relative seclusion of her room.

* * *

Flopping back on the bed, he mentally cursed himself for both his mental slip, and for running away like that. Everything had been going so well up to then. But, the closer he got to her, the harder it was to disguise his true feelings... most especially to himself.

It was true when he told her he thought about her every night -but that was only a fraction of the entire truth. In the back of his mind he tried to remind himself that it was only inexperience and loneliness at work -that his feelings weren't genuine. And, however inexperienced he was, she had none at all. How could she be expected to understand?

Stripping off his clothes, he slipped under the bed covers. If only she wasn't so beautiful, it all would have been easier to dismiss. Instead, he relived those moments of the evening; feeling Ifurita's arm, stroking her white hair, caressing her keyhole. And he relived that time in the basement, slowly pleasuring his would-be girlfriend; only now, Ifurita was there too, crouched beside him, watching them from the darkness.

* * *

The next morning, Yuba awoke in his usual slow and gradual manner. At first, he didn't take anything to be amiss, not until he turned over on his side.

"Ifurita," he gasped, sitting up in alarm.

Standing motionless in the middle of the room, Ifurita looked at him, staff held to one side.

"How long have you been here," he asked, gathering his bed sheets around him, "is something wrong?"

"No... nothing is wrong," Ifurita said, her voice suggesting otherwise.

Yuba stifled a yawn, rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes.

"I guess this must be about last night," he said, "I feel really bad about that. At the least I should have stayed and tried to explain, since I knew you wouldn't understand."

"No, I don't understand," she accused. "I came in here, but it was still dark and you were unconscious, so I waited."

"But, why?"

"I... I was hoping you could tell me that," she said with obvious difficulty.

Ifurita stepping close to the bedside, kneeling down so they were level with each other.

"I don't know what to tell you," Yuba admitted, his throat growing uncomfortably dry. "I didn't mean for it all to happen like that."

Ifurita frowned, lowering her head.

"When you touched me, where you did, in the way you did, it made me feel like nothing I can describe," she said, "at least, not until you allowed me to see that part of your memory. But, I don't understand -if you didn't mean to, then why did you do it? Why make me feel that way?"

She's sounding more and more human, Yuba thought to himself. It was impossible not to hear the trace of emotion behind her sombre question.

"God, this is so complicated," Yuba mumbled, scratching at his hair. "Ifurita, I didn't mean to, because I know you still think of yourself as being under my control. I didn't want to exploit you. But, the closer I get to you, the more difficult it is to conceal my true feelings. I mean... well, I don't know what I mean."

It felt like she was waiting for him to say something, to put everything right, but he didn't know what to say. Instead, he reached out, brushing his hand against her cheek. To think she had been standing there for literally hours, waiting for him to wake up rather than disturb his sleep, but clearly so affected she couldn't stay away. He felt a deep pit grow in his stomach.

"Ifurita, what would happen if I left," he asked, "if I found a way to return home. With no one here to wind you, what would you do?"

"I would return to stasis."

"But, you do realize what that means? You'd no longer be alive and aware, and I doubt there would ever be another to come along able to revive you."

Ifurita made no answer.

"And if I cannot leave?"

"Then I'll just have to stay."

Ifurita raised her head, and now Yuba could see what it was that so concerned her. She was afraid of being left alone. She really was like a child -which was what made his desire for her all the more problematic.

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

"Forgive my selfish act," he said to her puzzled expression. "Listen, how about you let me get dressed, and we'll go out for a walk together."

* * *

It was funny, but now that everything had more or less been brought into the open, Yuba felt far less anxiety about the situation.

"It's ironic really," he was saying as they strolled together towards the heart of the garden. "I thought this place might be the key to my leaving, but the longer I remain, the more reasons I've found to stay."

He glanced over at the typically quiet Ifurita walking along side him.

"What about you," he prodded. "I'm kinda getting sick of the sound of my own voice these days. What's on your mind?"

Ifurita shook her head, evidently choosing to keep silent with her thoughts.

"That's alright. Can't say I blame you. I think I've probably been a bit unfair, putting so much on your shoulders all at once."

Their trail led them to one of the many small tributaries that threaded through the entire garden; a clever method of irrigation in the guise of natural creeks and streams. The stopped by the sandy bank, Yuba crouching down to study the water skimming insects that floated on the surface.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," he said, testing the waters warmth with his fingers. "All that stuff I've been telling you about free will. Being free isn't an easy thing. It's no guarantee of happiness, and certainly won't make life any easier; actually, it can make life even more difficult. That's probably why, even here in El-Hazard, people still accept kings and tyrants as their leaders. And that's probably why I wasted so much time trying to get back to Creteria."

"Then... you're saying not even all humans are free."

"It's another of those things I'm not well equipped to describe," he sighed, rising to his feet. "I only remember that there was a man, who was eventually put to death, that tried to lead a workers revolt in the Creterian capitol. He said that 'all men are born free, but are everywhere in chains'. Basically, the only real difference between you and us, is that your limitations were clearly defined at your creation, while ours we make for ourselves."

"I see."

Yuba gave a nervous laugh, flicking his fingers dry.

"You know, I told you that hoping to ease your mind a little bit," he said. "Guess it goes to show how useless I am at that sort of thing. How about we do something fun instead. The pools not too far from here. Come on."

Without waiting for a reply, he took her by the hand and led her along the bank of the creek. As Yuba had indicated, they weren't too far from the natural spring that lay at the centre of the garden. It was also the centre of his daily life as well, since every day involved at least one trip here to collect fresh water and to bathe.

"What do you say," he gently nudged Ifurita in the side. "The waters probably cold as hell, but I'm up for a swim if you are."

"Swim? Together?"

"Mmm. And I'm not going to wait for you to decide," he said, pulling off his robe. Ifurita watched him with a faintly helpless expression as he shucked off his boots and tucked in his trouser legs. "You know what they say about the last one in."

With that, Yuba ran headlong into the clear cold water, diving in to become fully submerged.

Ifurita blinked at the space Yuba had just vacated.

"What do they say about the last one in?"

Yuba reemerged towards the middle of the spring, spitting out water.

"Bugger, that's cold," he laughed, turning back towards the shore. "I don't imagine it should be any problem for you though. Come on."

"I... I'm not buoyant," she demurred.

"Oh, don't be a baby."

"Don't be a.." Ifurita shook her head, but it was clear that no rational argument was going to work. There was only once choice left.

Laying her PowerKey Staff against the trunk of a nearby tree, she began to peel off her slick black gloves. She then undid the thick belt around her waist. Yuba's smile dropped a fraction as he realized she was about to strip down (naked?). It wasn't really his intent to goad her into such an act; in fact, he half expected she would simply have stayed up on the shore. Yet here she was pulling off the loose open-front tunic, leaving only her tight fitting body suit.

Sliding her arms through the thin shoulder straps, Ifurita pulled the garment down to her waist. Yuba couldn't help but stare, as pretty much any man would watching a woman undress in front of him. Well, she was a woman in form, yes, but there were some salient differences. Her breasts, as generous as they were in shape, were completely smooth and lacking in nipples, revealing them to be a purely aesthetic feature. And, as Ifurita proceeded to slide the snug body suit down from her hips and off each leg, it was easy to see she was equally smooth and featureless between her thighs. Despite these details, and the cold water, he reacted the way any male would when faced with naked femininity -with a stiff erection.

Her skin was the same alabaster shade all over, with those thin black seams outlined on all her major joints, just as he'd noticed on her arm the other night. They traced her knees, her shoulder joints, and formed an elegant 'V' at the juncture of her hips and legs.

Stepping into the spring, she waded in until she was waist deep. Yuba waved her forward, and after a brief pause, she obeyed. The water line swiftly crept up past her shoulders, then she submerged completely.

"I guess she wasn't kidding about the buoyancy thing," Yuba said to himself with a wry grin.

Taking a big gulp of air, he dove down under the surface. He found Ifurita a few meters away, standing on the rocky bottom of the spring. Her long hair floated around her in thick tendrils, giving her the ephemeral image of some fantastical mermaid. It struck him as quite incongruous, she standing there and he floating above her like a ghostly apparition. Well, only one way to solve that...

Hooking his hands underneath her arms, he began to pull her upwards. Ifurita looked quite surprised by his efforts, a feeling he understood when he realized how heavy she was. In fact, she wasn't that much heavier than an ordinary person, but Yuba wasn't a very strong or experienced swimmer. He thought it would have been rather romantic if they could swim together, but this was quickly turning into a very bad idea. He tried one last push to breech the surface, kicking his legs hard, but faltered, accidentally expelling his breath with the strain.

Faster than Yuba could immediately register, Ifurita's arms wrapped around his waist, and he was pulled with sharp force up out of the water.

Buoyed by Ifurita's unseen method of propulsion, the two were now hovering just over the surface, ripples spreading out in wide circles from the downdraft of her lifting force.

"Are you alright," she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Yuba nodded, quickly getting back his breath. He was still a bit bewildered. He'd nearly forgotten how he saw her fly on the first day of her activation. He couldn't recall her having done so since. He was intensely aware of how closely they were clasped together like this, her bare chest against his. "Um, maybe you should set us down on shore."

"Of course," Ifurita said, slowly maneuvering them back to where their clothes lay on the grass.

It was with a certain degree of reluctance that Yuba let her go once they were on the ground again. He was tempted to talk her into flying them around the garden, but it didn't seem an appropriate thing to ask while she was stark naked.

"I guess that was all a bit misguided," Yuba said, shaking out his unkempt wet hair, "at the least we should have brought towels."

Actually, looking at Ifurita, she already seemed almost completely dry, apart from her hair. Perhaps her skin had some water repellant qualities?

"How 'bout a quick stroll out into the desert," Yuba suggested, "I bet that would get us dry in no time, and it's unlikely there'd be anyone around to see us."

Ifurita shook her head.

"I still cannot leave the confines of the garden."

"Ah, right, of course."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, you have nothing to apologize for. I should have remembered."

"No, it's not only that." She turned her face away from him. "You have all these ideas of what I can do, who I should be, but I can't meet those expectations. Because I am bound to obey, this failure causes me great distress."

Yuba grabbed her shoulders, turning her back to face him.

"Don't say that," he said emphatically, "you haven't failed at anything."

"But..."

Yuba pulled her in close, silencing her with a warm hug.

"Don't ever apologize for what you are," he said. "I'm the one who still has to adjust."

Yuba held her tighter, intentionally starting the synchronization with her internal matrix.

"Besides, you've already changed in ways you don't even realize yet," he told her. "So, I'll show you."

...turning the staff over, she levelled the tip at his chest as if aiming a rifle, the end glowing with naked energy. Yuba dove to the right, narrowly escaping the blast which exploded in impressively large hole in the far wall. Blearily looking up from the floor, he watched Ifurita turn to him, her expression completely impassive, levelling the staff yet again...

"I dare say the most obvious change is you're no longer trying to end my life," Yuba remarked lightly. "This is you in your most primal mode, not even giving a thought to your actions, following only the instinct you'd been programmed with."

...Yuba let go of the staff. Ifurita stepped back as well, her previously emotionless face now etched with confusion.

"How is it possible," she said. "My memory is closed to access."...

"I still don't have an answer for that," Yuba said, "but, for whatever reason, that was the moment everything changed. We touched each other's consciousness. Not even humans can have that kind of connection with each other, not in such a direct way."

..."I need you... to wind me."

"What, really?" Yuba gingerly took hold of the offered staff, looking into Ifurita's clear blue eyes. "Certainly I'll do it."...

"I like to think this when we first came to trust each other," Yuba said, "I still think back on this, and it occurs to me this might be one of the most intimate acts I'd ever shared with anyone. It also seems to me that this is the time you made your first real decision. Coming to the end of your power reserves, you knew you either had to be rewound, or return to stasis -you chose to come to me. You chose to live."

Akito01
Akito01
172 Followers