It was early afternoon, the day before the gathering and the castle had become busy as guests arrived every day leading up to the gathering. Nova was in the garden dancing with Rin and her father, Dimitri while the many guests that gathered watch. Even the dozen of his soldiers had joined in when the guests cheered on their dancing.

The colors of her cropped top a dark blue with silver embroidery and her harem pants a deep crimson, showing off the colors of both Sesshomaru and Dimitri's bloodline. Her hair was pulled up into a high complex bun secured by jeweled pins around her Matha Patti. As she spun around, she froze seeing several familiar faces, one being a woman in miko clothing.

"Kags?" Nova frowned before walking over to them quickly. "You're here..."

"Jaken came to us a week ago with a scroll, requesting our presence, but did not say why. You seem to be doing better," Kagome spoke as she hugged her.

"I am well," Nova smiled. "Where's Inuyasha, isn't he always following you like a lost puppy?"

"He..." A flash of white passed Nova's vision as she found herself on her back. "He was holding him..."

"Wha...?" A large pink tongue ran across her face and a familiar yipping registered. "Khen...? How...? You said you couldn't..."

"Your boss apparently found a way..."

"Lady Nova!" She heard several of her soldiers call out.

"I'm fine," Nova groaned. "Khen, off."

The white Samoyed listened and sat on his haunches as she got back to her feet and Kagome helped brush off the dirt from her back. She turned to see her personal guards as well as her father, all of his soldiers, Rin and Sesshomaru coming towards them. Nova snapped her fingers twice and Khendon immediately laid down with his head resting on her foot.

"Keh, I had to fight with that mutt this whole time for him to listen to a snap?"

"He only listens to me," Nova mused.

"Young one, are you okay? What is that canine doing here?"

"He's so fluffy!" Rin squealed at the same time but Dimitri held her back as Khendon let out a low growl.

"Khen," Nova growled and he let out a whine. "It's okay, Baba, she can come. Rin, this is Khendon. He is a companion of mine that was separated from me until now."

"Oh, he is so handsome," Rin grinned as she knelt down in front of Khendon and scratched his head.

"Perhaps we should take this inside," Nova spoke quietly as Dimitri waved off his soldiers and hers backed away as well.

"Hn," Sesshomaru spoke and Nova saw Khendon react.

She pushed Rin back as she rammed her knee into the Samoyed's back, gripping him by the back of his neck. She pinned him before he could even move an inch and growled down at the canine as his eyes did not leave Sesshomaru. She wrapped her hand around his muzzle and pressed his face into the ground before looking over at Rin.

"Rin, are you okay?" Nova asked urgently.

"I'm okay, Lady Nova. What happened?"

"Something I did not think would happen, again," she spoke apologetically, but growled the last word under her breath, angrily and Khendon let out a whine. She got to her feet and Khendon did not move, and she growled down at him once more, "Do not forget, Khendon, you are not alpha."

"Come," Sesshomaru spoke, turning towards the castle.

Nova followed, snapping her fingers once and Khendon followed, his head low and tail between his legs as Kagome and Inuyasha followed. Glancing back to see the monk and daemon slayer she met once before, she sent a passing servant out to take care of them. She also saw her father, talk with Rin before catching up quickly.

"Not even a bruise, you controlled your strength in the push very well," Dimitri commented.

"I'm glad. I should have checked how he would react to everyone before letting her touch him."

"I'd assume that it was not this era, that your companion tried to pull alpha ruling on Sesshomaru?"

"Yeah, though it's a vague memory," Nova spoke as they reached the study and went inside.

"Who is this?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Yes, we'll get to introductions, but take a seat. Mikasuki?" Nova called and the neko appeared from a servants door.

"Tea, my lady?"

"Yes," Nova nodded and she left. She introduced Kagome, Inuyasha to her father and introduced him as one of the lords only to not have to answer more questions than necessary, and Khendon to those in question as she sat on the arm of Sesshomaru's chair, a habit from when she'd be working and Khendon laid down near her feet. "Now, you said my boss found a way?"

"Yeah, he seemed stressed to get him here before something that happens tomorrow?" Kagome frowned.

"The gathering, possibly," Nova frowned before falling silent as Mikasuki returned with a second servant, each carrying a tray and placed them on the table near a shelf before leaving. "Was anything else mentioned?"

"Only to not lose Khendon's collar. Something about it having the seal that let him come..." Kagome spoke cautiously as her eyes darted to Dimitri.

"He knows about the well," Nova spoke.

"It's... it's not that... I've seen pictures of your parents... you share the same eyes..."

"Similar scent too," Inuyasha snorted as he poured himself some of the tea.

"Guess there's no getting around that," Nova chuckled as she scratched her neck over the courting mark, it still itchy as it healed. "He is my father, though none of us yet know how as I am human."

"That knowledge would have come out tomorrow," Sesshomaru spoke, his arm moving to wrap around her waist loosely.

"What is the big deal about tomorrow? The grounds seem super crowded and the scroll Jaken dropped off didn't explain much of anything," Kagome frowned.

"The courting energy that had been in my naval piercing had seeped into my skin so even when removed, it did not lessen. Because of that, his inner beast refused to allow any harm to the point of death and Sesshomaru's honor does not allow him to just abandon me," Nova simplified, receiving a narrowed gaze from her father.

"Is there no way to remove that energy?" Inuyasha frowned.

"No," Sesshomaru spoke simply as he focused on a document.

"Because of my occupation before coming here, we work well together when dealing with the politics of the West."

"But if your father is a daemon, why don't you go live with him?" Inuyasha huffed.

"We've looked and tried to find a way to get me home, there isn't so you can stop trying to save me, Inuyasha."

"Your just going to forget that he was raping you?"

"Sesshomaru has not harmed me," Nova spoke and heard Khendon let out a snort.

"You are denying the injuries, the scars, the smell of sex?"

"No. Anytime I had been harmed was when his eyes were red and his beast was in control. We've had several conversations about its behavior and it does not hurt me anymore."

"That doesn't explain the fresh smell of sex..."

"Are you really that thick in the head?" Nova mused. "Like I said, we've talked and we came to a mutual understanding about the nature of our relationship going forward."

"You're going to mate him? You realize that since he's a lord..."

"That once he mates, to make an heir. I know, Kags. I've been learning a lot the past several weeks since we've been here," Nova interrupted gently as Sesshomaru's arm around her waist tightened and handed her the document.

"There are rooms prepared for you," Sesshomaru spoke as he leaned back against the chair as Nova started to read over the document he had given her from the wolf clan in control of the north.

"You haven't answered one question. Why are we here?" Inuyasha huffed.

"You are of blood relation," Dimitri spoke. "You share your father's blood so it would have been dishonorable to not send you notice of the official courting announcement."

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed before grabbing Kagome and left the room.

"So Kouga isn't the northern lord yet?" Nova frowned once the doors closed, the document being a notice that the representatives of the north would arrive by sunset.

"No."

"Huh," Nova frowned before she felt a wet nose press against her ankle and Khendon let out a bark.

"He's got quite the attitude," Dimitri chuckled.

"What do you mean, Baba?"

"There is a hint of daemon energy that Inus who know the common canine tongue could understand him. He's mentioning his hatred for this Sesshomaru more than the other."

"As well as the cat that sent you here, Touran," Sesshomaru spoke.

"Guess that makes sense since it's her seal on me."

"So what exactly is this mutual understanding that you spoke of," Dimitri frowned.

"The reason why his beast acted the way it did was because it did not now any other way to express its thoughts properly. For some reason or another, it thinks of me as its true soulmate. Once we figured that out, it has been content."

"That would make sense why it refuses to diffuse the courting energy. Doesn't mean I am happy about its previous behavior," Dimitri sighed and Khendon let out a bark.

"You get no say, Khen," Nova frowned, nudging her companion with her toe. "I am glad that you were able to be brought over. I have missed you."

"You understand him?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"Probably not in the way you do. He's been my companion for a year, we have our way of understanding each other. It's possible that due to the energy you can sense that it's easier to understand by his tone and actions," she mused before she felt Khendon lick between her toes. "Gross."

"It seems you have some catching up to do, so I will excuse myself," Dimitri mused before getting up and leaving.