I am more than sorry for being so late with this update, but I have three very good excuses.

1. Fanfiction wouldn't let me update. I don't know what went wrong, but I couldn't even open the Home page.

2. I have started University, so things have been...complicated. Some of you, I'm sure, will understand. It's all so new...I'm sorry, but you'll have to be patient with me while I adapt.

3. Job + Volunteering + Studies just dont mix. Sigh.

Last, but not least, I received many messege and reviews from my lovely readers, wanting to know if I would continue the story. It will be continued until it is over. I don't care how long it takes, I will finish it. So thank you everyone for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that there are people who are so interested in my work.

Enjoy!

~ Her Loyalty ~

Her blue eyes that reflect the image of the enemy glitters like the daggers in her hands...a picture so elegant...so stunning...

"Are you sure?"

"Completely sure, milord, Souta Higurashi has recently moved in with his girlfriend Kanna."

"How long has he been seeing her?"

"About 2 months, milord."

"Anything else you noticed?"

"Nothing unordinary, milord."

"I see."

Silence filled the room.

"Go away, Jaken, your nervousness displeases me."

Green toad, sighing in relief, quickly bowed and left the room. Closing the door behind him, Jaken with trembling hands wiped sweats off his forehead.

XXXXXXXX

As soon as the door closed, Inuyasha let out a low whistle. "Oh boy, I didn't know you were running a background check on Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru returned his cold gaze from the door to Inuyasha as the annoyance toddled off, leaving him in peace once more. "After Suikotsu, I am not taking any more chances. Naraku has stepped up his game. Sending a spy in enemy base is a serious matter. He is planning something big and dangerous."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "Plus, something about that Higurashi kid is off. He reeks of betrayal..." He paused for a second. "Yet, I can't doubt his loyalty..."

"He is a vexing little thing." Sesshoumaru nodded.

XXXXXXXX

The clock ticked, and as each minute passed, she grew more restless. She could tell the Inuyoukai could practically smell, no taste, impatience off of her. Yet, he sat there, impassively in his chair, staring right into her blue eyes. After few more minutes of complete silence, Kagome suppressed the urge to reach across the desk and shake the answer out of the dog-demon and voiced her question again.

"Did you need something from me?"

It was her second day at work as Sesshoumaru's bodyguard. She was on a tour of the mansion with Miroku and Sango before Kikyo had interrupted, informing her of "Lord" Sesshoumaru's "order" to see her in his office.

The said Lord stood up and walked around the desk toward her. He stopped few inches away from her and sniffed the air around her. He, once again stared right into her eyes for few more minutes, as if searching for her soul. Kagome stood straight under his intense gaze. She could tell he was evaluating her loyalty for him and she wasn't about to feed his doubts by squirming nervously under his gold, beautiful eyes.

After another minute, Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes and walked back to his chair. Kagome bit her tongue from sighing in relief.

"What are you doing this Saturday?" He finally asked as he lowered himself in his comfortable chair.

Kagome shrugged, not having any particular plans in mind. Kanna wanted to go shopping with her. But that could always wait if it meant gaining more information about the great taiyoukai before her.

"How would you like to accompany me to a youkai party as your first bodyguard task." Kagome's big blue eyes got bigger in realization. It wasn't a question. Although it had a question format, he had practically ordered her.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Kagome held back her anger.

"I don't mind as long as I get paid over time." Kagome shrugged in humour.

Her wide grin lost its affect and flattened as she stared into her cold boss's cold, passive face.

"Oh, who am I kidding? I bet that youkai wouldn't smile even if offered free Ice-cream." Kagome muttered under her breath as she closed Sesshoumaru's office door behind her. "Wait...Does he even know what Ice-cream is?"

XXXXXXXX

Many miles away the chilly mist hovered over dark windows of a tall, gloomy mansion that stood on deserted and lonely grounds. Large oak trees surrounded the black and mysterious mansion, keeping it away from eyes of any bystanders. Cage lanterns in the shape of spheres hung next to enormous front door and from the trees.

Inside of the mansion, two hooded figures ran down a long spiral staircase in hurry.

"Wait up, sissy," Hissed the one following. "I don't want you to go in there alone!"

They ran down the cricking floored hallways, ignoring all the insects crawling up and down the blood covered walls. In matter of seconds the hallway came to an end, bringing them to their deadly destination.

Shaking in fear, the leading hooded figure knocked on the closed door before them.

"Come in," Came a malice voice from behind the door.

Taking one last breath, the hooded figure pushed open the door, revealing two figures. The leading hooded figure walked in, motioning the second one to stay out. With trembling legs, she knelt before a dark figure sitting in a large armchair that very much represented a throne.

"Milord," She bowed her head in respect, trying her best to ignore the disturbing scene before her.

"What is the news?" He asked her.

"She has taken the bait, Milord." He let an evil smile spread across his features. She tried not to flinch as the dark hanyou before her raised his hand and slit his palm to draw out some blood.

"And?" He pressed the matter as he offered his hand, now dripping with his blood, to the second figure in the room. Like a moth to a flame, the second figure rose from her previous place on the cold floor and leapt forward towards her Lord's hand, greedily licking up all the blood from his hand.

"A-and... sh-she has en-entered his t-territory as his bodyguard." She spoke with shaky voice, no longer able to hide her fear.

He chuckled, a light laugh that made even the bravest tremble.

"Just perfect."

XXXXXXXX

As three black Mercedes rolled into the long gateway of a silver mansion of the dragon youkai that Saturday, the air surrounding taiyoukai become thicker and more caustic; the taste slightly bitter. Sesshoumaru let his youkai spread around the atmosphere, trying to sense anything unordinary. Nothing. All was silence. But Sesshoumaru knew it was the silence before the storm.

He turned to examine the stiff blue-eyed boy beside him. Higurashi too seemed to notice something in the heavy air around them. He could tell the human was trying his hardest to be on his guard.

Within few seconds they approached enormous iron-gate. Security was tight around Horyenki's Mansion.

Sesshoumaru tore his stare from the human and took in his surroundings once again. There were no other cars in sight except their three cars from which first was occupied by him and his bodyguard, the priest and demon-slayer followed in the second and hanyou and his bodyguard were seated in the last.

Security approached their car and examined them for any suspicious substances or weaponry. Sesshoumaru almost snorted. As if he needed to carry any. Just his poisonous whip which emerged from his nails was more than enough. When the security cleared him, he was not surprised. But the boredom from his gold orbs vanished on the spot as he noticed the human clear the security with just as much ease as he had. Sesshoumaru knew for a fact that Higurashi was armed with his two daggers that he didn't like to ever separate from. Although he couldn't see them, he knew the daggers were still attached somewhere on his body. Then how had he cleared the security? The taiyoukai wondered, making a mental note to confront the human later.

When their car was allowed into the mansion and the gates closed once again to inspect the second car, Sesshoumaru shook his head knowingly. Such low tactic. He thought. Security was placed by the gate to separate him from his allies. Horyenki was trying to get him as alone as possible before striking him to increase the chances of his victory.

Too bad. Sesshoumaru thought as he stepped out of the car, followed by his bodyguard. He could no longer spare the dragon youkai's life for the sake of his late father. He will be joining the deceased Inuyoukai today.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome followed her boss into the Mansion. No looks of surprise crossed her beautiful features as the heavy thick wooden doors closed shut behind them. She glanced around. The mansion was beautifully decorated. Even the hundreds of dragon youkai surrounding them, occupying every bit of space the mansion had to offer could not take away from its beauty.

She took a chance glance at Sesshoumaru who, having expected this outcome stood expressionless beside her. She let a small smile spread across her lips. He, just like her, knew what they were getting themselves into when they had entered the gateway of dragon mansion.

"Welcome," Boomed a voice, jerking her out of her deep thoughts. "Welcome, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome looked up to see the owner of the voice, a dragon youkai, standing on top of the biggest and longest staircase she had ever seen. Two large youkai were standing only few inches behind him, fully armed, who Kagome understood were his bodyguards.

"Hope you had no problem arriving here?" He chuckled. Kagome frowned, seeing no humour in the question what-so-ever.

Sesshoumaru remained quiet.

"Oh, and who do we have here?" The dragon youkai questioned as his eyes fell on her profile. His eyes lingered on her form for few seconds and then the silence around the mansion was drowned by his laughter. "No way! Are the rumours true?"

Kagome closed her eyes in pain. This stupid youkai before her was annoying! He was pissing her off.

"You got yourself a bodyguard?" The dragon youkai continued.

She turned her head and saw yet still expressionless face of the beautiful youkai beside her but even his cold face couldn't hide the annoyance his gold eyes seemed to be screaming.

Kagome smirked.

"And on top of that a human?" Kagome's smirk vanished as Horyenki's annoying laughs surrounded her yet again. He was laughing so hard that it seemed impossible for him to breath.

"Jerk," Kagome muttered under her breath, drawing Sesshoumaru's attention on herself. He raised his eyebrows when Kagome gave him a long stare. No matter how powerful they both were, she couldn't deny the current situation was their loss. Only two of them were surrounded by hundreds of fully armed youkai and whereabouts of Inuyasha, Kikyo, Miroku and Sango were unknown. As much as she liked to think positively, even she couldn't deny that they had to think of a way out and fast.

Her calculating blue eyes took in her surroundings. She quietly planned her moves. Her soft hands inching backwards towards her back and under her bullet-proof jacket where she had hide her most dear and deadly daggers, masking them with her miko powers so no one could sense them.

From corner of her eyes, she saw Sesshoumaru notice her soft movements but Horyenki before them was too busy laughing his dragon-ass off to notice anything.

"So weak to go as far as hire a sissy bodyguard!" Horyenki gasped for air.

Kagome turned her head in Sesshoumaru's direction, who gave her a tiny nod.

XXXXXXXX

Before his superior youkai eyes could even see, his human bodyguard was standing behind Horyenki, his two daggers pressed into Horyenki's neck with a gap of few centimetres between them.

And a second later, Sesshoumaru saw Horyenki's two bodyguards' head slide from their beheaded torsos and drop on the stairs, followed by their large massed bodies.

His golden eyes were wide with surprise. Never in his entire life of countless years had he seen anyone move so fast!

"I am sorry." He heard Higurashi chuckle. "I don't think I heard you properly. Can you repeat who is a sissy again?"

The Inuyoukai didn't even bother masking the look of pleasant surprise on his face when his senses registered the purifying power that caused Horyenki's bodyguards death.

A miko...

XXXXXXXXX

If you are confused by the whole dark mansion/she took the bait part, don't worry. You are supposed to be confused, but if you want to ask me some questions and they don't ruin the plot, I will be more than glad to answer them.

And please please please review guys! You make me smile every time I see a new review. I swear, you guys rock my world, so review and keep rocking it!