Nova was standing beside the Inuyoukai who had too many labels now as he sat in his seat behind the desk. Her hip was propped against the desk as she read over one of the scrolls Sesshomaru had given her to read and writing her opinion as what was to be done about a conflict at the trading port. She could feel the warmth of the setting sun against her back before there was any interruptions as they worked in the form of several knocks on the door.
"Enter," Sesshomaru spoke, not even glancing up from the scroll he was writing on.
"Evening Lord Sesshomaru, I wondered if it had slipped your mind that you had summoned me," a gravelly voice spoke and Nova felt a tremor course through her as she glanced up to see Cayto enter the room.
"This Sesshomaru did not ask for the brother of the Southern Lord to come. A feline elder had been requested so your assistance is not needed," Sesshomaru spoke calmly as Nova felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her into his lap as he leaned back.
"Is that so?" She heard Cayto sneer as Nova tucked her head against Sesshomaru's neck.
"The summons was quite specific so it confuses this Sesshomaru how you would misinterpret it," he countered.
"When there was mention of an inquiry about feline seals, my brother Kishi sent me to learn why dogs would want such information only to learn that the west was courting without sending the announcement."
"Those announcements were sent the day of my return."
"But you still have not yet given proper introductions to the human in your lap since the arrival of the northern panther and myself."
"Hn."
She felt Sesshomaru pat her hip silently and sighed quietly, knowing he was telling her that she needed to introduce herself. She couldn't exactly remain curled up in his lap and ignore representatives from other lands who had come at the request of Sesshomaru. She sat up straight and turned to face the panther that sat in a chair before them and focused her eyes just to the left of his face.
"I am Nova of Northern India," she spoke collectedly, though the title passed her lips before she realized what she had spoken. They were familiar but she could not remember from where.
"Cayto of the Southern Lands, pleasure to meet you princess."
"As your skills are not needed, this Sesshomaru expects you to not delay your leave.You are dismissed," Sesshomaru spoke coldly.
"How would a dog know if I was not needed?You haven't even mentioned why a feline elder was asked for."
"As you said, it was merely an inquiry. You are not an elder so you would not have been taught more than just basic information so you would not be able to answer questions of this Sesshomaru."
"Then maybe you should not have wasted the South's time."
"No one asked you to come, Lord Cayto," Nova bit back quietly and felt Sesshomaru's claws pierce her side in warning. "The summons sent out was for an elder, which also would mean that there is no grace period for you because you were not the one requested. Did you honestly think that just because you were curious that you would be graciously received?"
"A human should know their place..."
"My place is higher than yours, cat," Nova hissed. "You are merely the sibling of a Lord. I am the future mate of a Lord."
"A woman has no voice in politics unless her mate has been killed and has an heir too young to take over."
"Do not continue to insult this one's intended, cat. The politics of the West are not yours to be opinionated on. She is correct on the matter of your stay. As you forced your arrival based on a summons that was not for you, you will leave immediately."
"My brother will hear of this."
"Then he may discuss it with this Sesshomaru directly at the gathering to announce this one's courting. Leave before you are thrown out," Sesshomaru snapped and Cayto let out a snarl of his own before storming out. "Not the best way to possibly instigate a fight if you're wanting to change someone's future."
"I know, he just pissed me off," Nova sighed as she pressed her hand to her bleeding side as he removed his claws. "Sorry if I spoke out of place."
"You have not been taught the Western Politics for you to rule below this Sesshomaru. Despite the actions of this one's beast, you will be treated as our equal," Sesshomaru spoke as she got to her feet and he turned her so he could examine her side.
"Won't that anger the beast?" She frowned as she watched as he ran his tongue across her hip and flinched at the contact of the wet appendage.
"Possibly, but that would be directed towards myself, not you."
"Would you not loose strength if you are constantly fighting with the beast?"
"A minor disagreement will not affect our power," he mused as he finished cleaning her side and she noticed that it had stopped bleeding.
"I don't know if I can do this," Nova whispered. "From what I remember of history, gatherings for courting announcements were massive..."
"Breathe, do not overthink about what has not happened yet. You'll send yourself into another episode."
"I can't help it... I need my companion... I don't think I can do this without him... the episodes are not always the same..."
"This one can detect the changes in your scent before they happen. It was not confirmed until you collapsed this afternoon."
"Wha...?" Nova looked at Sesshomaru in surprise.
"Normally your scent reminds this Sesshomaru of peaches. Before your episode, the hint of cinnamon could be detected that overpowered your normal scent completely when you collapsed."
"My scent changes...?"
"Hn. This Sesshomaru did not notice during the prior episode as the hint of cinnamon had been a part of your scent since the first day," he spoke before there was another knock on the door and she heard him let out a quiet growl. "Enter."
"Lord Sesshomaru," the female panther entered the room and Nova focused on her, feeling a sense of familiarity as she studied her. "Greetings, my lady, I am Touran of the Northern Panther Tribe."
"Nova of Northern India," Nova replied as the light blue haired daemon sat down. "The southern panther did not seem happy when I crossed his path."
"He chose to ignore the specifics of the summons," Nova frowned. "Tell me, Touran, what do you know of feline seals?"
"They are used to seal the daemon of half-breeds or memories of any the seals are placed on. May I inquire why the future lady of the West, a human, is asking?"
Nova glanced at Sesshomaru and he gave her a nod to continue, "My personal servant mistook scars on my body as a seal. That is why an inquiry was sent out, but there are gaps in my memories."
"May I see what you speak of before furthering this conversation?" Touran frowned and Nova walked around the desk, gathering her hair over her shoulder. She turned her back to the panther as she lifted her hair up to reveal the scars and felt Touran trace the marks. "Your servant was correct, but I have to ask. Why is a seal that I personally created decades ago on your body?"
"Explain," Sesshomaru growled as Nova let her hair fall back down and leaned against the edge of the desk.
"I don't know if I could. I would have remembered meeting a woman like your intended."
"Unless it hasn't happened for you yet," Nova frowned as she brought a hand up to cover the scars that had been confirmed as a seal.
"I'm sorry... what?!" Touran looked at her confused.
"Not for 500 years..." Nova trailed off as she pushed off the desk and walked over to the closed balcony doors and looked out at the sunset.
"Lord Sesshomaru, please tell me that your intended is joking."
"She is not of this era. Yes, she holds my courting energy, but it was not I who marked her. She shares the home of the Shikon Miko, 500 years into our future," Sesshomaru spoke.
"You continue the courting because you don't know how to break a courting?"
"Inu mate for life, once the process begins, there is no known way to break it off when the inner daemon accepts it."
"Oh..."
"Are there ways to break a feline seal?"
"Yes. Most seals are placed until certain conditions are met. For half-daemons, seals are placed to give them a human life until they earn their daemon back. Some seals don't break until death unless voided but that is rare..."
"How do I find the conditions to break this seal?" Nova whispered.
"The conditions are written in the seals themselves. For yours, it says 'Strength over fear.' Did you ever have another mass of scars?"
"Most of my life up to the moment my memory just stops. Why?"
"There is a residue of a former seal."
"Is there nothing you can do about this seal?"
"Feline seals do not work that way, Lady Nova. Once one has been placed, the conditions are met or if able, voided, but overcoming fear? There is no shortcut around that."
"I see. Please excuse me," Nova spoke before leaving the study.
"How much is your beast involved with her?" Touran asked as Sesshomaru looked down at the scroll Nova had been reading and fresh scroll she had been writing on, giving her opinion of how the conflict should be taken care of.
"More than this one prefers," he answered truthfully.
"What of that evil half-daemon that disappeared? If I recall, both you and the half-breed Inuyasha had been hunting him the past five years."
"When he finally stops hiding, he will be destroyed like his mindless daemons that still roam."
"I see. Now not that I'm complaining that we have put the past behind us, why would you request a feline elder from either panther tribe? Nekomata are more knowledgeable."
"They were not needed."
"Still of few words, I see. If she is from the future, courting you, how many daemons did she know before coming?"
"Several, but most interactions with them seem to have been erased."
"They knew she was going to enter the past then? But why would her thoughts be locked away?"
"The demeanor of this one's beast most likely. In her time, she was this one's personal servant then entered a courting. To know that then to be taken by what she thought was not real as daemons live under concealments. Touran, this one requests that why you are here, watch over her. There are violent memories she holds pertaining to the southern panther."
"You've entered her memories?" Touran asked surprised and he gave a nod.
"Due to the panther, she goes into frequent episodes where she will collapse though it has been mentioned that they vary greatly. In the memory that triggered everything for her, her father mentioned seals. It is likely that they were placed to attempt to hide her from him."
"She's human, though. How would her parents know about daemons and feline seals if we live under concealments?"
"Her father is the current Inu Lord of Northern India. This one thought that he had taken her in at first but she has his eyes."
"Is there a chance she had daemon blood? Feline seals would erase all traces of that energy," Touran frowned.
"This one knows not."
"What does she do to warrant Cayto hunting her for 5 centuries?"
"His tail is removed."
"Oh... but that would mean that she fought him in his true form..."
"With training with this one, it wouldn't be impossible if she is only human."
"Guess I will go find her," Touran spoke, getting to her feet. "A suggestion, whatever weapon she favors, have one crafted for her so she can stay armed if we know there will be conflict."
"Hn."