After a tiresome fight with a demon Hyakkimaru was battered up and it was yet again Dororo's job to restore him to presentable state. At the end of the whole ordeal she made him sit in front of her for some last adjustments. She tied Hyakkimaru's hair up and slid her hands down to his cheeks and smacked them playfully.

"Now, you look nice and ready." she smiled at the finished work.
"I look nice?" he lifted his head towards the source of sound.
"W-well, i mean you look proper. Without strands of hair flying around." Dororo replied.
He raised his functioning hand towards his cheek and coverd Dororo's hand with wooden hand eclipsed hers.
"I want to do the same." He brushed her fingers. "I want to touch you." He said with a deep look as if he could really perceive Dororo's eyes.
"Hey, A-aniki. What's with your face." She got flustered and started stuttering. Instead of replying he put his fingers on her face and traced its outline.
"Um, can you feel anything?" she asked.
"Not much. Just that you're here."
She lowered her eyes and looked and the battered prosthetics.

"I know a way you can touch my face. Just let me do it." She took his hand away and held it so she could move closer without any interruption. She stood between his legs and gradually brought her head towards his forhead. Starting there she slowly nuzzled around the top of the face, then moved down and connected their cheeks. By slightly tilting her head their noses touched as she playfully followed the bridge of his nose and ended up in his eyebrows. Then, she pulled the front of her face to his other cheek so that he could feel the whole shape against him. The eyebrow, the eyesockets and the nose slighly rested against him. Still holding his hand she used the other one to stroke his cheek. Just as she brushed it with her fingertips she heard him sigh deeply. That made her realise how close they got.
"S-so i hope it cleared things out a bit." Startled, she pushed him back and made some distance between them.

"That was nice, do some more. I still haven't felt your whole face." he heartily responded.
If Hyakkimaru was touching her cheeks right now he would feel how hot they got.
"Well that was the majority of it, the only thing left is mouth, but you don't have to touch it."
"I want to." He reached out his hand and grabbed Dororo by the nape of her neck to steady her head. Gently closing his face to hers he found her cheek with his nose. From there he trailed down to the crease of her jaw which made her tingle in an unusual way.
"Oh." it felt as if a cat was languidly taking a tour of new surroundings, but at the same time much more.
Unswayed, Hyakkimaru moved alongside the jaw until he stumbled upon the chin, which he brushed with his lips. There he found out that they are much more sensitive than the nose. Climbing upwards he found two soft lines that for a moment relaxed against his mouth.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Dororo pushed him away and closed one palm over her face. Her heart beat so vigorously she was afraid Hyakkimaru was able to feel it through her lips.
"Dororo, you're soft." Hyakkimaru remarked faintly.

"Don't say that. I'm not." She turned her back to him and tried to calm down. It was the first time somebody kissed her like that. And she was afraid to admit that she liked it. His lack of experience and openness made him tender and curious like an animal in a new surrounding. She imagined how it must have felt not to have skin or a sense of feeling for 16 years. Every sensation was new to him and he just wanted to learn about them. Dororo wandered if he was doing this simply because he was curious or he really wanted to feel her. Just her. She shook her head at the second thought. "No no, he's just your Aniki and you're his..." What exactly were they together, she didn't know. But one thing for sure, they both felt safe around eachother.

"Dororo, is something wrong?" he burrowed his eyebrows as he was uncertain why Dororo reacted in such a way.
"No, it's just... We've never done this before. I've never done this before." She looked at his innocent, peaceful face. She could bet that right now he didn't have any speck of red in his soul.
"Hey Aniki, would you like to feel my face again?"
"Yes" his gaze softened.
"But don't move, or do anything weird." she pointed a finger at him.
"Weird?" She stopped him by grabbing his cheeks. Slowly lowering closer she looked him in the eyes. She wished he could see just as she did. Then, she gently placed her lips onto his. Nervousness quckly dissapated leaving them both with warmth and calmness. Hyakkimaru moved slightly closer and embraced Dororo's back. They have never before felt so close.

After a while she broke away, averting her gaze out of habit. She knew he couldn't see her face but the fact he was piercing her soul with those manmade eyes still made her queasy.
"We should get as much rest as we can now. It might not be as peaceful as now in the couple of days."
"Dororo" As she moved away he grabbed her arm. She looked at his tender face. For him everything was a first time.
"Don't go. Not again." he looked almost like a scorned puppy.
"Fine" she sighed, "But no funny stuff" after saying this she saw him lift his eyebrows in question. She realised that he really was like a child in that sense. Innocent and honest.
Dororo pushed gently on his shoulders signaling him to lie down. She placed herself next to him and spread a tattered cloth that served as their blanket.
"Now we won't be cold" she whispered curling her legs up. She kept her distance but was close enough to feel his body warmth. How long ago was it since she slept next to her mother? She could not remeber how it felt to have someone so close. What's worse, Hyakkimaru never had someone like that. How cold his life must have been. As she thought of her mother's warmth she drifted away, leaving Hyakkimaru alone with his thoughts.

At the beggining he meerly lay down, facing the sky but after hearing Dororo's gentle breathing he turned his head to the source of warmth. The usually boisterous girl was so quiet. Were it not for the breath Hyakkimaru could think she's not here. To ensure himself he streched out his arm and touched her face. She surely was there but that was not enough for him. Turning towards her he came close enough to feel the heat emanating directly on his skin. He was still getting used to how everything had so many various reactions. He slightly touched her cheek using his lips - the best sensory tool he had as of now. And to make it easier he moved her closer by covering her in an embrace. The slight pressure on his chest remined him of when he held Mio's body, the first contact with another human he could feel. Yet this was so much different. The sleep induced peace coming from Dororo was contagious and made him wish they did that way earlier.
Dororo thrashed a bit in her sleep which led to their legs intertwining. He didn't mind, all the time impressed at the number of ways humans could be toghether. The warmth he held between his arms lulled him to sleep.

When Dororo woke up she was engulfed in immerse comfort. It made her realise how much she longed for it. Sleeping alone on the ground made her alert in case of danger. Now, she was drifting on a cloud of bliss. Only after feeling hard wood aroud her chest she noticed what was the source of that serenity. Hyakkimaru was breathing just above her neck, which made her hair tingle. At first she was shocked at how close they were. She tried to wiggle her way out of the embrace but hearing him mumble softly melted her heart. This boy after all was just as lonely as she was. Caressing the wooden fingers she thought of how much he meant for her. After loosing their respective families they both were happy to have found eachother.