Nova sighed as she entered the common area of Sesshomaru's rooms, her body feeling an ache that she hadn't yet felt when training with Sesshomaru in the mornings. She could feel bruises and shallow cuts decorating her skin under her training garb. She jerked the ribbon out of her hair and let her hair cascade down her back as she slid off her shoes.

"You are either very brave or stupid for a human," the voice of Satori made her look over to the fire place where the daemon was sitting against several large pillows, a book in her lap and a tray of tea on the low table.

"Lady Mother," Nova greeted the woman.

"I also know that the Lord of India has neither a mate or heir, so how have you convinced him?"

"I didn't have to, because he is my father. Now if you will excuse me, I need to clean up."

"Tell me something, human, what are the rumors I have heard about you coming from another place?"

"I come from the mainland, Lady Mother," Nova spoke, watching her words so that the daemon before her wouldn't smell any deceit. "It is a very different place."

"When did you come to Japan?"

"When I was twelve. Been here ten years, and worked for Sesshomaru for three."

"Why would my pup chose a servant?"

"I'm not a servant ma'am, and I couldn't tell you why he would choose me. Now why are you not in your own rooms? You realize that if you are waiting to try talking with him, he just will lock himself in his study."

"You certainly seem to know a lot about him and yet he does not talk unless he must."

"Says the woman who wants to try talking to him. Goodnight, Satori," Nova scoffed, before entering the bedroom and closed the doors not to gently behind her.

"While being truthful, you gave her vague answers," Sesshomaru spoke as she saw him sitting at the head of the bed in the darkness.

"What...?"

"There are seals around this one's bedroom so when activated, none would be able to sense anything beyond inside this room."

"So instead of locking yourself in your study like everyone expects, you're relaxing behind seals?" She rose a brow in surprise and he nodded. "That's actually quite brilliant."

"Did you win?"

"No, but if I had a few more minutes before my stamina ran out, I think I would have," she spoke as she walked over behind the changing screen and a whimper escaped her as she tried to remove her tunic.

"You have improved greatly since our first spar," Sesshomaru spoke as he came around the screen and she jumped in surprise, her tunic lifted to expose her abdomen.

"What are you doing?" Nova frowned as he carefully helped her out of her tunic.

"If your servant is summoned, Satori will know where this one is," he mused before kneeling before her, helping her out of her pants.

"Why don't you just tell her off or something?"

"She wields a meido stone. She can open portals to the netherworld whenever she pleases."

"You think she would send you to hell?"

"She has done it before. Of what you know of the woman, do you think she would not?"

"Eh," Nova shrugged her shoulders, only to hiss as it pulled at a cut on her upper back. "Memo to self, learn to block better."

"Indeed. There are medicinal herbs in the water which will help," Sesshomaru spoke as he returned to his feet and helped her remove her bralette before she felt his claws gently push her underwear past her hips and they fell to the ground.

"When you had clothes made, how did you get them to make garments that haven't been invented?"

"I have my ways."

Nova felt her heart falter for a moment as she saw a hint of one of his fangs as he smirked at her. Quickly escaping into the bathing room as she felt heat spread across her cheeks. She stepped into the spring and dunked herself under the water, cursing herself for stray thoughts from seeing genuine emotions from that fanged smirk. She forced herself to wash her body as she held her breath, completely submerged, before surfacing and sighed quietly.

"You forget that Inus have heightened senses," Sesshomaru spoke and she glanced over her shoulder to see him in the spring, the water going to his hips.

"Go away," Nova muttered as she waded to the other side of the spring where the bathing oils sat, "and I didn't forget."

"Was it this one undressing you?" He mused and she felt the ripples in the water as he moved.

"No it wasn't," she answered honestly.

"Tell me."

"Why?"

"So that this Sesshomaru can learn and prove to you that there is more than a primal beast that craves you," he spoke quietly as she felt his hand under her chin and made her look up at him.

"Why would you care? Because your pride is to great? Because you're honor bound to care for a human that you asked to court five hundreds years from now? Because there is a hint of guilt of the beast's actions?"

"Yes, but also to try and erase the trauma of your past. No one should experience what you have over one daemon's hatred."

"I have lived with it for ten years, Sesshomaru. There is no erasing the trauma, not unless you seal them away, but then that would take away everything that I am now," she muttered as she pulled his hand away before moving away from him to start washing her hair.

"The scent of cinnamon can be detected again."

"Sometimes it builds up over weeks or months. Episodes can be sudden or very violent. I have found myself screaming until my throat is bloody before going unconscious or suddenly lashing out at others in a blind rage instead. I couldn't tell you if the scent you smell will change or get stronger as it builds up, because I honestly have no idea. Sometimes just from being overwhelmed can trigger them."

"Lord Dimitri?"

"Yeah, it was a lot seeing him, but don't think that I regret that even if it did start the build of an episode. Thank you for getting in contact with him and getting him to agree into coming," Nova whispered before dunking under the water to wash out the lathered oils. "I understand that you giving me all these gifts is a part of the courting process, but I don't feel like I have deserved any of them. To go out of your way to have Indian clothing and jewelry made, to tell my father everything on the chance he could either think you crazy or be crazy enough to believe you... A dried up well that links two eras, it's a magic that shouldn't exist."

"And yet it does."

"Then why can't I go home," Nova whimpered as she looked up at him. "This world of daemons and magic, it's stories of myths and impossibilities. I want to be home, I miss Khendon and going over to my Aunt's every now and then to cook together. I get that while this energy doesn't fade, we are bound and every whore here claims that it is an honor, but I couldn't tell you why my boss started this courting in the first place. I wish I could remember the past several months without having to have you pull the memories forward."

"Do you regret it?" He asked simply and she looked away from him.

"I don't know because I cannot remember. I feel like there would have been something between both of us for this courting to have happened. In everything that I have read, it has never mentioned the behavior of a daemon's beast like how yours acts. It's like your beast thinks I'm it's soulmate, the only mate it will every even tolerate, but continues to hurt me and rape me... like it cannot control... itself..." Nova frowned as the thought crossed her lips. "Oh..."

Nova moved to sit on a raised step and ran her hands through her hair to get it out of her face. The beast's actions made complete sense now, as the primal nature of a canine, the beast only really knew how to rut and pup, though she was surprised she hadn't become pregnant yet. The beast didn't know any other way to show how he truly saw her even though it shared Sesshomaru's thoughts and body.

"This energy won't ever fade, will it?" Nova whispered, not looking up as he moved to stand in front of her.

"This one does not think so."

"Then we need to work on the beast's behavior," she sighed as she looked up at him finally. "How is it that I haven't become pregnant?"

"Energy had not been released to fertilize our seed," he spoke. "Most male daemons control when they wish to pup a female. Otherwise during mating season there would be more pups from the rutting of unmated pairs."

"Guess that shows that the beast has some control or any thought of half-daemons are unwanted..."

"The beast would have fought the courting energy if it truly hated the thought of mixed pups."

"What about you?" Nova asked.

"This one's opinion has changed from what it once was," he spoke, slicing the center of his palm.

Nova watched the blood well up into his cupped palm before he offered it to her. She drank it gratefully, knowing that it would heal her bruises before morning and soon start taking away the soreness she felt. Once the wound stopped bleeding, she licked away the blood from his palm so none would dirty the water and watched as his fingers twitched at the action.

"Thank you," she whispered before turning towards the tray that held the bathing oils as she slid off the step she had been sitting on.

"You are overcompensating when you turn," he spoke as she felt him touch her shoulder blade and felt her muscles tense in response.

"It's usually when I'm trying to dodge a kick, but then I cannot recover fast enough to block the next."

"Try incorporating the gracefulness of when you dance, it may help you recover quicker."

"I'll try..." she faltered before a gasp escape her as she felt him lick her shoulder as his arm wrap around her waist, preventing her from moving away from him. "What are you doing?"

"The wound on your shoulder is deep."

"And that requires you restraining me?"

"Hn," he hummed and she flinched as his hand gripped her waist, pulling her closer.

"Now you're just taking advantage," she frowned as she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him and his molten eyes locked onto hers, a fanged smirk gracing his face.