It was finally over. But at what price? All his dreams, all his hopes were gone. Everything he believed in had been lost. He had taken precious lives with his own hands. He was badly wounded - he might not be able to heal this time. But did he even care?

He lay there, his blood soaking into the parched lands. Nearby he could see his brother's body. It wasn't supposed to be like this -- he was supposed to save him! Bitter tears tracked down his face.

Without warning, the air near him began to shimmer. The shimmering almost seemed to be a living thing and it moved steadily toward him but he didn't even try to move out of its path. When it got close enough, he reached out to touched it and felt his fingers tingle. It was a portal, although he wasn't sure how he knew. It passed over him, taking him with it, and he slipped into peaceful darkness.

Bankotsu rushed to the man and turned him over. He was barely alive. Bankotsu picked him up and carried him quickly into the castle. The rule of the castle was to help whomever came to their gates. Princess Aara and Kaiba had joined Bakura at the doorway of the castle. "Take him to a guest room," the Princess said. "Bakura, you have got to stop that portal!"

"I am trying, Princess. I am trying." the blue mage grumbled.

Bankotsu deposited the man on the bed in one of the guest rooms and moved aside for Kaiba, so that he could examine his wounds. There were five wounds, one on each of his limbs and one on his shoulder, all bleeding freely. The man was dressed a long coat which Kaiba, with Bankotsu's help, removed.

"Is this fire rat fur?" asked Bankotsu, looking at the coat.

"I don't think so," replied the Princess. "It doesn't feel the same as InuYasha's clothes, although it is the same color."

She noticed a long package in one of the coat's inner pockets and pulled it free. She unwrapped it and gave a small cry of alarm. It was a severed arm!

"It is a left arm?" asked Kaiba.

Bankotsu looked at the mage after that strange question, but examined the limb closer. There was no blood on it but there was also no decay. "Yes, it is the left."

"Then it's his." Kaiba continued, lifting the man's left arm. "This is a mechanical arm." Kaiba continued to undress the man. Under the coat, the man was wearing tight fitting dark brown outfit that seemed like some sort of light armor. There was a long holster with a heavy silver gun. Guns were rarely seen in Otherworld, because they were not effective against Demons. Upon seeing the gun, Kaiba realized that his wounds were more than likely bullet holes. The stranger also had on heavy boots and gloves. They struggled to get him out of the tight fitting clothes and, after much effort, managed to get everything off of him.

Kaiba grimaced -- as a healer he had seen many terrible wounds, but never like this. The bleeding wounds were bad enough but the scars were a nightmare. He focused his power and placed his hands on the closest wound. His hands waxed hot with his power, and the bleeding should have stopped immediately and the wound should have started to close. But nothing happened. He probed deeper with his power and then turned to the Princess. "Use your power with mine, like we did with Kenshin."

She took the stranger in her arms and enveloped him with her power. She felt something as her power embraced him, but it wasn't the usual emotions, but something she couldn't quite put a name to. She looked at Kaiba, but he only nodded, so she just poured out her power for Kaiba to tap into. The wounds began to heal, bullets coming to the surface and falling out of each wound. Then Kaiba placed his hands on the scars and, one by one, they disappeared. He was healing much faster than Kenshin had. He created new skin to replace the old scarred flesh and pressed even deeper to knit broken bones together, the now unneeded plates and bolts falling free. Kaiba then reached for the arm, and after removing the metal one, reattached the real arm. It looked like it had never been removed. Kaiba knew that this was not just his power at work. The man himself was healing himself through the Princess' power.  Kaiba bandaged the new and sensitive skin as a precaution.  

They covered him in warm blankets and left him sleeping. After they left him, Kaiba went to Bakura's tower and brought the Demon mage back with him to see the man. Bakura placed his hands on the man and looked into Kaiba's eyes.

"You feel it, don't you?" Kaiba asked his brother mage.

"Yes. And after the portal brought him here, it closed -- by itself. It no longer exists."

The Princess was on her balcony, lost in thought as she stared at the gardens below, when both mages approached her.

"Princess," began Kaiba, "When you touched our visitor, what did you feel?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't feel his emotions like I do with everyone else, but I felt something."

"To us, he feels the same as you."

"What do you mean? The same as me?"

"Princess, you are not human or Demon, but you do have a certain feel to you. Both Bakura and I feel it. And I when I meet Aratha, your second oldest sister, she had that same feeling. And so does this man. Whatever you are, he is the same."

She stared into Kaiba's eyes. Could this be possible?  A male of her own kind to appear out of nowhere? She was afraid to hope but hope is impossible to resist. She looked deep into Kaiba eyes and saw that he was confident about this. Tears began to fall and Kaiba gently took her in his arms and held her. The four of her males that were in the Castle came running to the balcony. Bakura took them aside and told them what Kaiba had said.

More than anything all of her males wanted her happiness and they all knew how unhappy she had been for these last few months, ever since the women in Kaede's Village had gotten pregnant. No matter how hard the Princess had tried to conceal her sadness, they could feel it. And when Kaiba did tests on them, they immediately knew what the problem was. She wanted a child and they could not give her one. If this stranger could make her happy, they would welcome him into their home and be glad to share her with him. They would do anything to make their beloved Princess happy.

Kaiba relinquished her to Kurama and he held her. Hiei, Tasuki and Bankotsu stood around her, surrounding her with their support and their love. She smiled at them through her tears. She was so lucky to have them!

"Where am I?"

"This is Otherworld. You went through a portal that my mage created." she explained.

"Portal? Yes, I remember. It was shimmering around me."

"Are you hungry? I will ring for food and also send for Kaiba." she said as she reached for the bed pull behind him. "What shall we call you?"

"My name is Vash. And yours?"

"I am Aara."

Vash looked at her. He could feel it. She was not the same as the beings who ran the plants on his world, but she was similar. She was exactly like him. She was one of his kind. He wondered if she felt it too.

"Yes, I do." came her thoughts. He could talk to her telepathically like he had been able to with Knives, his brother!

"I wish that were true. But sometimes you have no choice. Why did you kill Legato?"

Vash looked into her eyes, and saw compassion in them, "He was going to kill my friends. He had killed many already."

"Then you had no choice. And your brother?"

"He hated humans. He was going to destroy them all. I had to stop him. But I should have found a way to stop him without taking his life!"

"Did you try?"

"Yes, but I …"

"Then you did all you could. They chose their own fate by walking the path of evil. Here in Otherworld, we understand that very easily. Our fight is with Demons and we protect the human inhabitants with our very lives. You cannot blame yourself. Sometimes there just are no other choices."

She went on to tell him about Otherworld and her males. He listened to her, seeing for the first time a whole other way looking at life. With the Demons they fought, if they did not kill them, they would regenerate and kill again. They had no choice. She gave him a lot to think about. Perhaps there had not been a way to save them. Legato seemed to want death. He died with a smile on his lips. And Knives -- he was insane and with his power there had been no other way to stop him.

In the desolate, parched world he came from, there was nothing like this. To be surrounded by all this beauty. And water! Everywhere there was water. Fountains and streams were all through the gardens. 

Aara was often by his side, listening to stories of his life or telling him about Otherworld and the other four worlds. 

He also got to know her males. Each of them were so different from the other. Kurama was over a thousand years old! And Sesshomaru was nearly as old as that. And he had thought he was old at 137. Aara herself was older than he was! He loved to listen to the many stories of their long lives. But he also enjoyed the youth of the two youngest: InuYasha and Tasuki. All of them were fascinating and they all welcomed him into their family.

The hardest to get to know was Hiei. But one evening, when Vash's regrets came to the surface and tears ran down his face, it was Hiei that offered him words of encouragement. "There is no one who does not carry scars on his heart," the Fire Demon told him. "Go on from here. Stop looking back. It only brings pain." And Vash could see in Hiei's eyes that he knew both good and evil intimately.

As the days passed, Vash found out that his very existence was very much like Aara's -- they both just "were" -- she and her sisters and he and his brother had appeared just one day on their respective planets. Neither of them had any idea where they came from but they were aware that higher powers were at work here.

During that time, he put his red coat, his armored jumpsuit and his gun into a locked chest and put the key in a safe place. He no longer wanted the violent life he had in his former world. In Otherworld, he might finally find the peace that had always eluded him.

Although Vash knew about the impending births -- they were big news! -- The Princess had not mentioned her hope. It would be his decision if he wanted to share his future with her. It was strange not to be in control but her power did not work on him and she knew that even if it had, she would not have used it. Vash was her equal and, just like it was with the young women in Kaede's Village, it had to be a mutual decision. Because of his ability to read her thoughts, Vash knew about her hopes and was only waiting to get his strength back. But he was also hesitant -- she had six males and lots of experience. He had none. Even when he had the opportunity on his world, it had never felt right. Now he understood why. Aara felt right. They truly belonged with each other.

That night in her bedroom, they joined for the first time -- not just their bodies, but their entire beings -- hearts, minds and souls. Powerful universal forces had brought them both to worlds to protect, then, when Vash's job was done, he was brought to Aara to complete her. They were each other's gift.

Her males stood together on Kurama's balcony, the closest to the Princess' balcony. Pure golden light was streaming from its long open doors. It was filled with a loving, nurturing power, and it was wonderful just to be near.

Aara happen to glance up at Vash and saw the golden light coming from them. She motioned for him to look and they both watched it together, laughing. Either they would have to find a way to contain their power or each time they made love, everyone would know it. That was a problem for the future -- right now, she just wanted to be in his arms.

For three wonderful days and nights, they did not leave her room. There was so much joy in just being together. Food was brought to them and they ate it together, they sat on her balcony, took long hot baths together, and made love many times. Anything just to be close. This must be what her males felt when she was near. Although she had a bond to each of them, those bonds felt nothing like this.

It was late on the third night when Vash reminded her that she had been neglecting her males. They needed her and he knew that he must share. He would wait for her to return in the morning. She went to Kurama first. The Fox Demon made human was asleep, but woke when she sat next to him.

"I'm alright, Princess." he said sleepily. "Stay with Vash." And then he went back to sleep. Surprised by his reaction, she went to Hiei. Her beloved Fire Demon would never turn her down! She pulled him into her arms and kissed his cheek. He burrowed into her arms, but when she reached for him under the sheets, he stopped her. "No," he said, "You should be with Vash, not me."

She stood up, almost dropping Hiei to the floor. What was going on? She ran up the stairs to the South Tower to see Kaiba. He was asleep in his quarters. She roughly shook him awake.

"Tell me what is wrong!" she commanded.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, rubbing his eyes in an effort to wake up.

"Neither Kurama or Hiei want to be with me. They both tell me to go to Vash. What is happening? Did I lose my power?"

"I doubt it," Kaiba said as he sat up, and then he placed her hands in his, probing her with his power, and then he smiled.

"You know, even I who am not bound to you, have always felt you as very sexual. Every male is attracted to you in varying degrees. But you no longer feel sexual -- you feel maternal. Princess, you are pregnant."

She stared into Kaiba's eyes, then flew down the stairs. "Vash!" she called as she ran into the room. When he heard the news, he spun her around the room for joy. All of her hopes were coming true. She was going to have his child. Her joy filled the castle and soon all of her males had joined them in her room. They were overjoyed for her and her happiness filled them. Although they were no longer in need of her sexually, they were still bound to her and shared her emotions.

Two weeks later, Vash walked out into the garden when Aara lay, propped on pillows. Her six males were sitting next to her, but not in her arms. He suddenly noticed it -- he had seen it ever since that night she found out she was pregnant -- but it hadn't registered until just now. Kurama, Hiei and InuYasha were always together on one side of her and Sesshomaru, Bankotsu, and Tasuki were always on the other. He didn't know why, but he was sure there was a reason. He would mention it to Aara and see what she thought.

Two weeks after that, they learned the reason. Kaiba placed his hands on her stomach to check on the babies, and a look of concern crossed his face. He pressed deeper and then smiled. "Ah! That's what it was."

"You are making me worried!" the Princess said glaring at the mage.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you. You are fine. But you are going to have twins. I feel two females inside."

After telling Vash the news, she called a meeting of everyone, including mages, in her study. She told them about the twins, then asked "Kurama, why do you always sit on the same side of me as Hiei and InuYasha?"

"I didn't realize that I was, but now that I think of it, I do, don't I. I don't know why; it just feels like I need to be on that side. But it's not always that same side of your body."

"Vash and I have talked it over and we think we know what is happening. Somehow, your bindings have transferred to my daughters and each of them has three of you. I am beginning to feel your presences less and less when you are apart from me. And I think it is probably the same with you. Am I right?"

"Yes," answered Hiei, "But I thought it was just because of your union with Vash."

"I feel a terrible need to protect the child inside of you. I am beginning to sense her but I can only sense one child, not two." Bankotsu added.

So, once again everything had been resolved for them. The Princess' bindings had been transferred to her daughters. It would very interesting to see what happened when the children were born. Like Vash, she had grown up quickly, about seven times faster than a normal child. She had been about 2½ years old chronologically when she took Youko Kurama, but about 18 physically. How would it be to be born already bound to three males? It was going to be an interesting time in Otherworld!