Otherworld 2: Naraku's Revenge
[This story is rated PG-13 for sexual situations]
Chapter 23 - Aftermath
Aara was sitting on her balcony, in the cool night, staring up at the sky. Her heart hurt so much she didn't think she could bear it. She had felt InuYasha's pain and Bakura's agony, but when she felt Vash die, her world stopped.
Everything around her moved in slow motion and suddenly the world went black. Hiei had rushed to her side as she fainted, catching her before she reached the floor. Kaiba brought her around but she said nothing, unable to voice her pain, just went to her balcony, asking to be left alone.
How would she be able to go on? If InuYasha and Bakura died too, there was no way she could continue. She felt a cavern of emptiness inside.
Suddenly she felt someone else on the balcony and turned angrily to see who had disturbed her, but there was no one there. She shook her head and turned again to the sky. Again! There it was again! All at once she felt her arms begin to prickle like she was being caressed with tiny touches of energy. And she knew in that instant that it was Vash. She could feel him all around her. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself, holding the feeling tight. "Vash," she whispered, and wings of love surrounded her, healing her. Aara didn't hear him but she knew what he said all the same, "I will wait for you and when your time comes, I will be with you." And then he left, but she no longer felt the emptiness for she now knew that he would always be there, waiting for her.
After Vash visited his beloved mate, his soul mate, he returned to the stars. The entire universe surrounded him and he could feel its connection. At the same time that he was his own unique entity, he was also connected to every other living thing. And every thing was equal; no one was more than the other -- each had their own set of experiences and lifetimes -- and each contributed to the whole. Vash remembered all of his lives, every mistake, every triumph, every joy, and every sorrow -- they were a rich tapestry that made up the entity that he was and made him unique. There was no good or bad, only experiences. It was his choice to stay in the ether as a spirit guide or return to a new life. He decided to stay in the ether until Aara joined him.
At his side where two other entities, both without form and substance, but he knew them: Ashara and Naraku. They too had the same choice as he did. He could sense their thoughts and knew the future that they had chosen. Naraku would be reborn, in the Human World, and dedicate his life to helping others, bringing his karmic scales back into balance. Ashara would go to another planet, one filled with despair, a planet in desperate need of a protector, and she would become the one voice to give them hope. Ashara looked down at the planet and felt the pain of its people. She nodded and disappeared, becoming corporeal again, this time to do her task as she was always meant to. Vash smiled and promised to help her; he would become her spirit guide and she could call on him whenever she needed his counsel.
The people of Suzaku asked Vara to be their Queen and she accepted. In the months that followed the Three Worlds War, the lands of the Four Gods World became one land and its people lived in peace under their new Queen. Kyo stayed in Suzaku and began his long recovery, under Vara's watchful eye. Toyna and Souten came to live with their Princess and Suzuki joined her also, becoming her mage. Chichiri became her closest advisor and confidante and her best friend. Tekken and his Bobcat Demons also decided to live in Suzaku and they became the first Protectors of Suzaku, much like Kouga and his wolves were the Protectors of Otherworld.
Shido returned to the Southern Lands, Sesshomaru returned to rule the Western Lands, and Muruko begged for peace. No one wanted her lands, so the three rulers signed a peace treaty with her, with Raizen promising to keep a close watch on her.
InuYasha and Bakura were back in the Castle, under the care of Kaiba. Both were sleeping with the help of Kurama's plants. Theirs would also be a long recovery, especially for Bakura, since his injuries were magic created.
Like Aara, Rin felt only emptiness when she learned of Keiki's death. How she found hope is a story on its own and not for these pages.
As the months passed, Otherworld began to heal itself.
In Kaede's Village, there were two births, only a week apart. Mirago gave birth to a little girl, whom she named Tala. Shippo remained at her side and asked for her hand, wanting to share her life. She did not say yes, but then again, she did not say no. Only time would tell if he would win her heart.
A week later, Serafin gave birth to her second son. As it had with Souten, the birthing tub made the delivery easier, and after the birth, Hiten picked up his beloved mate and carried her to a warm bed. Then he went to see his new son, whom they had decided to name Aniki. Kaede put the baby into Hiten's arms, swaddled in blankets.
Hiten lifted the corner of the blanket and looked down at his new son and smiled. Dark blue eyes stared back, filled with knowledge, and a purple cross marked his forehead. "Hello, Bankotsu. Welcome back to Otherworld."
The Otherworld saga continues in several Short Stories found in "Tales of Otherworld": "The Black Unicorn" ~ "Kome & Ayala" ~ "The Long Night" and then in "Vara & The Red Dragon" and "Jodah's Revenge" (which are rated NC-17)
and finally in "Otherworld 3: Tala" (which is PG-13)
Song: "Evenstar" from the LOTR Soundtrack