Kagome went inside to see Sesshomaru awake, dressed, and had eaten. Clearly he'd been up for awhile.
"Where have you been, woman?" he asked.
On a date, daddy, would you like to meet him? She thought dryly. "General Haruto was giving me a tour of the grounds," she replied nonchalantly avoiding his eyes.
"And you did not ask this Sesshomaru?" he asked irritably. "I do not approve, woman."
"Shouldn't you find a more endearing term for me, Sesshomaru?" she asked sick of his attitude. "Like 'mate' or 'love'?"
He growled lowly. "Do not push, woman."
"This is only going to work if we both give a little Sesshomaru," she said angrily clutching her fists. "And unless you start treating me half decently, I might slip up and forget we're going to be 'mated'." She said giving air quotes with mate, though she knew Sesshomaru wouldn't get the reference.
"In which case, this Sesshomaru will end your life," he said getting in her face.
"And then you're up a creek without a paddle," she replied crossing her arms. "And mated to Tomoyo."
Without a knock or warning, the door slid open revealing the younger princess. "Trouble in paradise?" She asked dryly seeing the fake couple at each other's throats.
"What was your first clue?" Kagome said rhetorically. Asami slid the door shut behind her and sat down between the arguing demon and human.
"Why are you here?" Sesshomaru asked none too nicely. Apparently his disagreement with Kagome had made him forget about being polite for the time being.
"I thought you'd want in on palace gossip," she said. "Tomoyo's still pissed beyond compare."
"And what does that mean to us?" Sesshomaru asked pacing a little.
"She refuses to let mama order an escort to lead you to the other tunnel," she said.
"This Sesshomaru does not need an escort," he said vainly. He gripped his sword's hilt dangerously.
"You won't find it alone. I've tried," she added bitterly. Kagome wondered how much this girl actually knew and how happy she was down here.
"How long does that mean we'll be here?" Kagome asked sighing.
"Until Tomoyo calms down," she answered. "Or until she gets her way. Neither will be happening anytime soon."
"Is her Lady so placated that she lets her daughter to get away with such childish behavior?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Mama loves Tomoyo more," Asami said with a hint of sadness. "Tomoyo is older and beautiful. She'll do whatever Tomoyo asks."
"I'm sorry, Asami," Kagome said sadly placing a hand on her arm.
"It doesn't matter," the girl said though the lie was plain on her face. "I must be going."
Kagome watched the girl mournfully as she slipped out of the room. She turned to Sesshomaru. "I'm not sorry, Sesshomaru," she said finally. "I think you could be a little nicer to me." Sesshomaru gave her a 'like hell I will' look but she plowed on. "So you scratch my back, I scratch yours."
Sesshomaru glared at her and the phrase 'if looks could kill' came to mind. "Fine," he said finally.
The next day, Kagome got up early, quickly getting dressed and tying her obi for the first time by herself. She ate just as fast, chugging down gritty water and eating a scone drizzled in honey. When Haruto showed up, she was ready to go, going out the door with only half a glance at Sesshomaru's closed door.
"What do you have to show me today, General?" she asked.
"What would you like to see, Lady?" he asked clearly happy to be spending the morning with her, even after the day before. "Would you be interested in the castle study? Since we were speaking of education yesterday?"
"That would be nice," she said.
He led her down a corridor she hadn't seen yet. The walls were covered in wall hangings of pale yellow eyed people. "These are past rulers," Haruto told her when she stopped to look at one. "All of our queens are here."
"How do you decided who becomes queen?" she asked.
"The oldest daughter rules," he replied.
"And if there is no daughter?" she asked.
"It stays within the family, until the line dies out. Then the people choose the next family to rule."
He opened a single crimson door that led into a bright room with chandlers and candle sticks around the whole room. The walls were covered in book cases holding scrolls of every shape and size.
"It's beautiful," she said in awe. "I've never seen so many."
"Her majesty believes knowledge is power," he said slightly bitter. "Which is why she keeps such beauty to herself."
"Are we not supposedly be in here?" she asked worried. She made a move towards the door.
He grabbed her hand and gave her a grin. "I have clearance. You get special treatment when you're a general."
They spent the rest of the morning in the library. Haruto showed her everything from maps to fairy tales that the princesses had been read when they were small. The maps she saw were an identical version of the Japanese island, just underground.
"I wonder if there are other underground kingdoms," she wondered aloud. "All over the world!"
"I'm sure there are," Haruto said smiling at her. The smile that always made her blush and forced her to look away.
Around lunch Haruto returned her to Sesshomaru. He kissed her hand and left. When she got inside, Sesshomaru said nothing but unhappily rolled his eyes.