The Moon Castle went back to its normal activities as the weeks passed. Word had spread quickly of Future Western Lady's injured state and the death of the Southern Lord's brother. The reasoning behind the attack were never disclosed so as the servants gossiped, rumors spread as to why the attack could have happened in the first place. Out of all the guests who had come for the announcement gathering, only Satori had remained though Dimitri and Kagome had been reluctant to do so.
Once Sesshomaru's rooms had been returned back to the way it was before Cayto's attacks, Nova had been transferred from the Healers Wing. Tsumi and Kaya took turns coming to check her over and change her bandages half a dozen times each day until her wounds stopped bleeding so heavily then as the bleeding lessened, they went to before each meals so they could also get nutrients into her and at nighttime.
Sesshomaru was surprised, though he wouldn't show it, at his mother who had yet to leave Nova's side since she had heard what happened the day after. A high-backed chair had been brought and placed beside the bed and Satori watched over her vigilantly while Khendon laid near Nova's feet on the bed. Despite the dozen soldiers he had assigned, ordering several to stand around the common area inside his rooms and the corridor outside, Satori did not budge.
"Satori," Sesshomaru acknowledged his mother as she glanced up from the book in her lap, a blanket over her legs.
"There hasn't been any changes," she spoke cooly. "No sign of physical daemon features, no sense of a daemon. A full lunar cycle has passed, pup, with no sign of her waking. You choosing such a creature is showing weakness of the West."
"Then why do you remain at her side?" Sesshomaru growled.
"Curiosity."
"If it was merely that, then you'd have some personal servant updating you. Not you personally waiting at her side and assisting in her bandage changes and getting nutrients into her."
"You do not seem concerned that she has not awoken. Have you reconsidered your options?"
"This one has seen into her memories and she has explained results of her trauma due to the feline," he spoke, well aware that his mother now knew of Nova's origins. "She has fallen into coma-like states for far longer than this."
"The seal has faded, pup. If she was daemon we would have seen signs of it by now and that pup does not seem to want to be helpful," Satori huffed, waving a clawed had to the white canine who's head was lying on Nova's hip as she was propped onto her side.
"Perhaps he does not like you," he mused and heard the canine snort in amusement and she got to her feet.
"I will return," she snarled before storming out.
"There is a concealment seal on the naval gem," the white canine yipped as soon as the bedroom doors closed behind Satori. "Only she can shift the seal to show her traits. The lady mother seems to always want to butt her head into your business."
"Even there?" He felt his brow twitch in agitation at the thought and heard the canine huff in amusement as he nodded his large head. "What becomes of her?"
"That is unknown," he yipped before lifting his head to look at Nova as her hand moved slightly.
Sesshomaru came around the bed to sit beside her and saw her brow furrow some at the movement of his weight settling on the bed. Khendon sat up and moved closer, pressing his nose to her cheek as he let out a low growl. As he pulled back, stormy blue eyes opened part way, showing how disoriented she was as her glazed eyes moved to look between the two of them.
"Wh... where... am I?" Nova whispered, her voice raspy from disuse.
"This one's rooms," Sesshomaru spoke and she nodded as her eyes fell closed. "Nova?"
"Give me... a moment..." she muttered as her hand came to her face and rubbed her eyes. "Blurry..."
"Hn," he responded as he flared his energy to summon a servant. The bedroom doors opened and one of the newer servants entered, never having spoken. "Summon the healer and bring some tea for this one's mate-to-be."
"What hap...pened...?" Nova whispered, while the servant left and her eyes opened again, more clear then they were moments ago. "I... thought I fell..."
"The feline had pinned your legs to the railing when he dropped dead. Your injuries were severe."
"I'm sorry..." she mumbled as she rolled onto her back, wincing slightly.
"You couldn't not have expected to have been able to beat him while heavily intoxicated. It is this one's fault for not placing more guards due your compromised state," he spoke before Khendon pressed his nose to her stomach forcefully and she groaned, pushing him away.
"Khen, that hurt..." she whined. "You know the stress... of episodes... on my body..."
"The seal," Khendon barked as he pressed his nose against her stomach again, but gentler this time.
"Your companion seems to believe that you are not simply human."
"Oh..." her hand went to her stomach as she closed her eyes for a moment before her ears changed suddenly to a pair of silver tipped fluffy dog ears and he noticed silver markings appear across her bare shoulders as her daemon energy rolled across her skin. "I didn't realize... that it hide the scent of the daemon here... Touran must have... tweaked it before sending me through the well."
She grabbed Khendon as she started to push herself and the canine helped her sit up as the blankets fell around her waist. He saw some movement and frowned as he pulled the covers back to see a silver tipped tail curled around her nude body. Seeing two sets of magenta stripes along her hips with silver outlines, he frowned as he touched one of the markings.
"Oh...?" Nova flinched in surprise and looked down to the marking he touched as she covered her chest with the blankets. "Those are new... why am I naked?"
"It was easier to tend to your injuries," Nova jumped as Tsumi and Kaya entered the room.
"Kaya...?" Nova frowned before rubbing her temple. "Ugh, my head hurts... too many people across timelines..."
"Oh?" Kaya spoke curious as she knelt on the bed opposite Sesshomaru to examine her back.
"The scar on my cheek... you had tended to that injury..."
"I see. Well your injuries have finally healed with no scarring," Tsumi spoke as she stood behind Kaya as she prodded her back. "You do not need to remain on bed rest. Come along Kaya."
"Yes ma'am," Kaya spoke as she got off the bed and followed the quickly retreating healer.
"She's still learning, isn't she?" Nova mused as she glanced at him and he nodded before the servant he had summoned returned with a tray. She poured a cup of tea and held it out for Nova who took it. "Thank you."
The girl bowed low, silent as she backed away from the bed and left the room. He watched as she frowned at the closed doors that the girl had just went through, but then focused on drinking her tea. Khendon laid back down, his head on her thighs.
"How long have I been out?" Nova spoke after she had finished her tea and it had been quiet for some time.
"A full lunar cycle," he spoke as he took the cup from her and set it on the tray by the kettle and she nodded silently, moving to lay back against the pillows as the doors opened once more. "Satori."
"Ignorant pup. You summon the healer but do not have a servant sent to me. After all I have done, you still have much respect to learn."
"No one told you to remain in the Moon Castle," Sesshomaru growled low and Nova chuckled quietly but it was heard.
"Ah, so you are awake. Good," Satori spoke as she came around to sit on the opposite side of the bed and her hand went up to touch one of the furry ears on top of her head. "You truly are his child. I had my doubts considering the story of your background."
"You had doubts when you can easily make portals to hell?"
"Time portals are much different, pup," Satori spoke flicking her in the forehead just hard enough for her to wince.
"Bitch," Nova muttered as she rubbed the red spot.
"As are you, thanks to your sire. The alliance with an Inu clan of another land is already proving to benefit the West."
"Good."
"A shipment arrived today and there was a package addressed to you," Satori spoke before pulling a small package, wrapped in brown paper, from her sleeve and set it on her lap. "Now I will retire for the night. Pup, I will leave come first light."
"Hn," he responded simply, watching as his mother stroked Nova's ear once more before getting up and leaving.
"O...kay... I never knew her to show any form of affection like that," Nova frowned as she scratched her ear where Satori had touched.
"The lady mother has not left your side, apart from tending to her own needs," he spoke, gesturing to the chair. "She would sleep there."
"Odd."
Nova looked down at the package in her lap and opened it to reveal a metal cylinder that had etched designs and gems set around each end. Around the center was a leather string wrapped several times and as she unwrapped it, a small tube shifted to reveal a slit. Pulling the string, Sesshomaru saw as a thick scroll was revealed that had been protected inside the metal tube.
"Huh..." Nova frowned as she glanced on the backside of the scroll but both sides were blank. Sesshomaru glanced down at the packaging and saw writing on the brown paper, but could not read it as he directed Nova's to it. As she let go of the string, the scroll somehow disappeared back into the metal tube. "Self-retracting scroll? What's the point of that...?"
"Nova?"
"This scroll is part of a pair of messaging scrolls apparently. Each writes on their own and by the energy infused into the gems and seals within the etchings, it gets transferred to its twin where the other can read it. When a message has been sent to its twin, the gems will glow. A way to have access instant messaging."
"Who has the other?"
"Baba does," she mused. "So while I'm here in the past, I'll be able to talk to him as much as I wish, that'll be nice."
"You speak as if you do not plan to stay," Sesshomaru frowned as he faced her fully from his place at the bottom of the bed.
"The seals were preventing me from going home. Would it not be for the best that I return? If I go home, then there is no conflicts about this courting mark..."
"You wish to make this one suffer for 500 years?" He growled.
"Well, no... but my present is different than your future..."
"The timelines are merging. Your companion has witnessed such events of vivid flashback from those you know. Your present will become mine and it will still be this one who will be there."
"That doesn't make sense, Sesshomaru. Cayto is dead now, everything changes... If that's true then what happens to everything in my past? The trauma... being forced to move from my home because my parents are dead..."
"According to your sire, due to it happening to you, it will become memory."
"Then what happens to me? What happens when I'm twelve? Do my parents even die? Do I ever move? Would I ever have come to Japan and meet the Higurashi family? To ever meet you and work for you...?"
"Lord Dimitri mentioned that events may happen but under different circumstances. This Sesshomaru believes that your immediate present would be the same and if you went through, the memories would come, but you are not leaving. Now that we both carry the courting mark, there would be pain to the both of us if we were far apart."
"But that is my home! I can go home..." she cried and he could see the tears threatening to fall.
"Then his beast would hate you all over again," Khendon huffed sadly as he sat up and Sesshomaru frowned at the pup. "It is why the feline didn'timmediately kill her in the woods. He was betting on the beast to still hate her and kill her instead."
"What... what did he say...?"
"That this one's beast would hate you once again," he spoke coldly and watched as her head fell and her furry ears pressed flat against her head.
"Oh... for leaving it... Yes, I'm stubborn, but I'm not weak, nor did I not accept the beast... it would be different this time... please..."
"No. This Sesshomaru will not allow you to torture this one by pushing how far you would be."
"I'd be with him..."
"You may stop the pain of my future self, but that would still be 500 years for me."
"So once again, I'm your prisoner...?" Nova muttered, not looking up at him.
"You are the future lady of the West, your place is at this one's side," he spoke coldly before leaving the room and returning to his study despite it being after sundown.