Following the pull of the newly formed mating mark, Sesshomaru exited the walls of the castle and headed towards the cliffs that looked over the ocean. The sky was covered with dark grey clouds that threatened to release the water they had collected as he saw the six guards assigned to Nova spaced out some distance away from the lone figure standing at the edge of the cliff. Moving to stand beside his mate, he glanced down at her as she wore a gold trimmed black tunic that went to mid thigh, her fluffy tail flicking back and forth and a pair of white pants that formed to her legs. Her hair was loose around her, blowing gently in the breeze as her ears drooped.
"Your mind is troubled," he spoke finally, prodding at their bond through the mating mark.
"I don't feel right," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, "but I can't place it. The atmosphere in castle suddenly feels heavy and stuffy that I couldn't breathe. I feel the pull towards you from the mark, but I also felt that same pull to this spot. This morning that pull led me to the cherry blossoms. If I don't follow that pull, my body starts to ache. Did we do something wrong?"
"The mating went as it should," Sesshomaru spoke. "Will you allow this one into your mind?"
"Anything to hopefully find a solution. I feel like I'm loosing my mind," she whispered as she turned to look up at him, her stormy eyes showing her frustration.
"Open your mind," he whispered, turning to face her. Bringing both hands to the sides of her head and pressed his head to hers as her hands mirrored his. Pressing his energy into her, her wall fell quickly as she knew what to do.
Entering her mind, he found himself standing in the same spot they were in. Instead of seeing Nova, he saw a man wearing foreign clothing consisting of black hamakas that were tailored, a buttoned white top under a black jacket of sorts. Ice blue eyes turned and locked onto his own before widening and the man turned to face him as his short black hair bled silver when he removed a ring from his right hand.
"So it was the mating that caused this unrest," the identical image of himself in futuristic clothing frowned.
"The mark formed for you?" Sesshomaru frowned and he nodded, pulling at the color of his shirt to expose the two black crescent moons that matched his own. He looked around and saw ruins where the moon castle sat. "When did the moon castle collapse?"
"Several centuries ago. What harm is it causing our mate?"
"She claims that she cannot breath within its walls. She had been following the pull of the mark, but it had not been from this Sesshomaru."
"Her mind is trying to bring her to my location?" His future self frowned and he nodded.
"Her body starts to ache if she does not."
"That is why I came to the ruins. I will contact the Panther, Touran and request if she knows of any solution otherwise none of us will be able to go too far. Our sire's private residence is still maintained, take her there and I will go there as well once I feel this pull move in that direction. Once a solution has been found, the shikon miko will bring it to you."
"Hn," Sesshomaru nodded before pulling his mind away from Nova's.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes and Nova looked up at him. She frowned in confusion as he removed his hands and took a step back. A headache threatened to emerge as he thought over what he just learned.
"Did you find anything? I didn't see anything like last time you did this," Nova frowned.
"The pull you feel that is this Sesshomaru," he spoke.
"No it's not. I can feel that pull without a problem. The other pull is currently moving away from me back towards the castle."
"The two timelines you know are merging. You mated this Sesshomaru so now the other you know is feeling the effects of your absence," he spoke as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her with him back towards the castle. "He is feeling the same effects as you."
"You spoke to him?" She frowned and he nodded.
"We will travel to the private residence of this one's sire until a solution arises."
"Why?"
"The moon castle in that time is in ruins. That is why you feel like you cannot breathe. The residence is still being maintained so he will start traveling that way once he feels the pull from you moving that way."
"Told you that you should have let me return home," she muttered. "Now we're dealing with problems regardless. Are you going to make me go inside?"
"No. Your servants will gather your things," he spoke as he guided her to the cherry blossoms. "This Sesshomaru will gather Jaken and Rin."
"Okay," she frowned and he noticed her eyes glance up at the dark sky. "Be quick please."
"Hn."
Nova opened her eyes and sighed as she stared at the ceiling. She slept in one of the rooms that branched off from the main as that room still held possessions of Sesshomaru's late sire. This room had the walls painted a dark blue but the ceiling was white and the carpet a slate grey. No paintings hung on the walls and the only splash of color was from the two chests that held her clothing.
"Lady Nova?" Mikasuki opened the shoji door and she glanced over and saw her kneeling in the corridor with a tray beside her where steam was coming from the tea kettle. "Are you well?"
"Bored," She replied as she sat up and waved her servant into the room where she knelt beside the low futon and poured her some tea. "My mate has been busy pouring over his sire's scrolls, Rin still has her studies, Jaken isn't fun to harass anymore, and my tutors have not been summoned as I'm supposed to 'take it easy.' I can only take so much training with the soldiers day and night the past two weeks."
"Would you like me to express your thoughts to Lord Sesshomaru?"
"No, I'm sure he can feel it or I could easily go to him but what he searches for is rather important so he ignores it. It's not like I'm banned from going to him," she sighed as she took a sip of the tea.
"May I inquire of what it is he is searching for? As it seems that you once had a feline seal that I had inquired about when I first was assigned, perhaps I could give a fresh opinion?" Mikasuki asked.
"Have you heard of the Shikon Miko?" Nova asked.
"Most Youkai have, my lady. The one that has emerged in the last few years dresses strangely and the origins of her village are unknown."
"Because she is not of this era. She and myself were born 500 years in you known future. A portal allowed us to enter our past where she became the shikon miko as she is an incarnation of the previous one. As for myself, I knew my mate in the future and he is the one who began our courting. For reasons I still do not know, I was kidnapped, a feline seal was placed to forget and hide my daemon side, and put into this time. Unable to return, the Inuyoukai that you serve, found me and proceeded to continue that courting. Because of the two that I've come to know, I am bound to both and now can feel both through the mating mark."
"But you didn't mate the one in the future..." Mikasuki frowned, taking her words in stride.
"No but when our mating completed, the mating mark formed on his neck. I cannot go far from either so all three of us are in a sense trapped."
"So the one in the future remains in this location as well?"
"Yes."
"Then why couldn't you have remained at the moon castle?"
"Because the moon castle is merely ruins five hundred years in the future, this residence is not."
"So Lord Sesshomaru is trying to find some way to fix that issue?"
"Correct."
"Then why doesn't he have a feline elder create some form of wearable seal for the three of you and have that shikon miko take one through this portal. If all three of you were to wear one properly created, it could mute the pull of the bond but still allow one to communicate with the other in an emergency."
"What...?" Nova frowned as she looked at the Neko.
"Mating marks cannot be removed unless one were to die, but if two wished to separate, they'd go to a feline elder to ask them to seal the bond. Though usually it would be placed on the skin, but in this case unless the same could place that seal on each of you, placing it on something wearable should suffice."
"Come with me," Nova jumped to her feet and hurried down the hallway to where she could feel both Inuyoukai that she was bound to, searching for answers. She entered the library and frowned seen scrolls lying everywhere. "Sesshomaru?"
"What is it, mate?" He came into view from behind a shelf, a old dusty tome in his hands.
"Tell him, Mikasuki," Nova ordered.
"Yes, my lady," she bowed. "Lady Nova explained the situation and where she is from. When two mates wish to separate, they usually would go to a feline elder and have them permanently silence the mating mark. As one of three are stuck in another era in this situation, if an elder was able to place a similar seal on something that could be worn by all three and have the one who is able to go through this portal regularly take the third to the other, it should mute the pull of your mating mark. If the elder is skilled enough, they could possibly make it so communication could still pass through but feeling where the other is and how their feeling would possibly be silenced."
"You are dismissed," Sesshomaru spoke and she left with a bow as he closed the tome.
"We need to tell him," Nova spoke and he nodded.
"The Panther in the other era would be best as she more knowledgeable from the years," he replied as she jumped over the ground covered in tomes and scrolls to reach him and stood beside the large desk. "Where is his immediate location?"
"I can feel him in this room," Nova whispered.
As he came to her, he stood before her and cupped her face. She moved her hands to mirror his and closed her eyes as he pressed his brow to hers. Opening her mind so he could contact the other, she felt herself fall into darkness as she could not do what he could through their bond. She didn't feel like she was floating in oblivion for long before feeling lips press against her own and opened her eyes to see him pull back a couple inches.
"You do realize that reorganizing this library is going to take me at least a week?" Nova frowned as she moved to lean against the desk.
"Hn," he smirked at her before she saw his pelt move to the desk behind her before hearing things hit the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you really have to ask, my mate?" He growled as his arms came around her waist and lifted her up onto the desk and pressed himself between her open legs. "You have yet to be pupped."
"It's only been two weeks," she groaned as one of his hands slid under her tunic and cupped her breast.
"It only takes a week to detect when a female has been pupped and this Sesshomaru's mate had been neglected," he growled before claiming her lips.