Yuki and Sesshomaru soon rejoined Rin and Jaken in a large clearing, the human child calling brightly as soon as she spotted the approaching pair: "Look! Here come Lord Sesshomaru and Yuki, now!"
"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called in delight, perking up visibly as soon as he spotted the dog demon. "Where have you been?"
Sesshomaru ignored him, stopping suddenly in his tracks; Yuki accidentally bumped into his back, not having expected him to stop. He didn't seem to care, remaining still as he stared to the side, and she rubbed her nose as she looked up at him curiously.
"Sesshomaru?" She asked, when she caught it too. It was Kohaku's scent once again.
"I've found him." Sesshomaru murmured, his nose locating the boy quicker than Yuki. Of course, Jaken and Rin, however, had no idea what he was talking about.
"Huh?" They asked, and Sesshomaru repeated impatiently, still looking off in the direction the smell was coming from: "I've found him."
"Er, found who?" Jaken asked in confusion. If it were Naraku Sesshomaru had caught the scent of, Jaken had no doubt his lord would've already been gone, chasing after it. But instead, he stood there, simply staring.
"That little troublemaker." Sesshomaru murmured, and Yuki glanced at him while Jaken cocked his head in confusion.
"… Little troublemaker?" He wondered, and Yuki supplied: "Kohaku."
"Oh! The boy who was with Naraku?" Jaken asked, while Rin repeated: "Kohaku?"
Instead of replying, Sesshomaru turned and started off after the smell, following it as it started to move further away.
"Ah! Please wait, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken gasped as he hurried after the dog demon, but Yuki paused as she saw Rin looking after Sesshomaru anxiously.
"Rin?" She asked the child, and Rin looked at her.
"Yuki, do you think Lord Sesshomaru is going to kill Kohaku?" The child asked, and Yuki looked down at the girl in surprise.
"Oh… well, I don't know." Yuki admitted, because she really didn't know. Sesshomaru could be rather unpredictable in that sense – while Yuki was certain she was now able to read when he was about to kill his opponent or not, she had no idea what Sesshomaru would do until he was actually faced with said opponent.
As Rin looked concerned, Yuki added comfortingly: "But, I won't let him. I can't do that to Sango, anyway."
"Who is Sango?" Rin asked questioningly, and Yuki explained: "A friend of mine, who knows Kohaku very well."
"I see." Rin said thoughtfully, and Yuki smiled.
Apparently, Rin had bonded closer with the boy than either she or Sesshomaru had been aware; it made Yuki wonder if Rin had met the boy Kohaku, not the puppet Kohaku. It would explain why Rin seemed to care so much about his fate.
Patting Rin's head, Yuki promised: "I won't let Sesshomaru hurt Kohaku, Rin. Promise."
Rin smiled up, and nodded. "Okay."
"Good. Now come on." Yuki smiled, removing her hand from Rin's head. "Let's go before Sesshomaru leaves us here on our own."
Rin nodded, before she reached up to take Yuki's hand. It surprised the half-demoness, but she didn't comment as, together, the pair walked off after Sesshomaru, and Kohaku.
As they went, Yuki paused momentarily, stopping in her tracks for only a fraction of a second.
In the distance, she thought she could smell Kagome and the others, along with a slight burnt scent. She frowned, wondering if something had happened to them. But there had been no call from Inuyasha, and she didn't smell anything strange from him, so, turning away, she carried on on her own journey.
"Wow." Rin gasped. "It's such a large mountain! Isn't it, Master Jaken?"
"Urgh, I feel awful." Jaken groaned in response.
The group had travelled for almost two days, following Kohaku's scent into the misty Mount Hakurei. But the deeper they went, the worse the demons were feeling, and even Yuki was feeling queasy as she followed Sesshomaru, the only demon still remaining tall and, apparently, unaffected. Though Yuki secretly suspected he, too, was suffering at least some migraines caused by the mountain's powers.
Eventually, Jaken and A-Un had collapsed, refusing and unable to go any further. Sesshomaru continued on, ignoring Jaken's sickly complaints, and - with a firm order to Rin to stay with Jaken - Yuki had followed after him.
"Why did I have to come to a wretched place like this one?" Jaken groaned as he lay on his stomach, and Rin asked in concern: "What's the matter, Master Jaken?"
"I'm in pain!" Jaken snapped, and Rin cocked her head as she asked curiously: "How come?"
Jaken stumbled back to his feet while A-Un moaned, unable to follow. Instead, the two-headed dragon remained lying on his side while Jaken snapped at Rin: "Don't you get it? Mount Hakurei is sacred! Demons like me have a difficult time even approaching it!"
He closed his eyes, fighting the thundering headache and the sickly feeling in his stomach, as he continued scathingly: "You probably don't feel anything because you're an innocent human girl. And Yuki will not feel it as strongly, being a half-demon."
Jaken groaned as he felt as though he was being pulled back as he continued: "But I feel as if I'm being dragged- hey!"
He suddenly realized that he was being pulled, and by Rin no less. The child was holding him by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him behind her as she walked further into the mountains, wanting to follow Yuki and Sesshomaru.
"Wait!" Jaken shouted angrily, but Rin encouraged hopefully: "Come on! Let's just go look a little further, Master Jaken! Maybe we'll be able to see Yuki and Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken's face got gradually paler and sweat dripped down his face as he was pulled deeper into the mountain. As the pain grew in his muscles, threatening to cause spasm all over his body, Jaken's eyes widened and he gurgled.
"Hey." Jaken whimpered, tears starting to well in his eyes. "W-wait! I mustn't… stop! Go back! AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Jaken wrenched himself out of Rin's grip, sprinting back to where A-Un lay. Rin looked back in shock as Jaken lay down beside the dragon, gasping for breath and looking as though he had aged several centuries in the last minute.
"There's no way a massive evil like Naraku could exist here." Jaken moaned. "So then, why would Lord Sesshomaru want to…?"
Meanwhile, Yuki trailed after Sesshomaru, wrinkling her nose as the mountain's spiritual power grew stronger. It was starting to make her limbs feel like lead, though she reckoned she might make it a few miles further.
'How is he still moving, though?' Yuki wondered as she looked up at the back of Sesshomaru's head. 'He's a powerful demon, to be sure, but that should in some ways make him even more susceptible to the mountain's spiritual powers. Unless he were a saint – which, for all I admire him, he clearly isn't – this should feel like torture for a demon like him.'
"Oomph!"
Yuki rubbed her nose again as she looked up at Sesshomaru, having bumped into his back once more as he abruptly stopped walking.
"Sesshomaru?" Yuki questioned, but he was staring ahead with a slight frown.
Yuki turned, noting then that Kohaku's scent had suddenly disappeared – almost as though cut off.
"What-?" Yuki began, starting forward, but Sesshomaru extended his arm, blocking her path.
"Sesshomaru?" She asked, looking up at him startled.
"There is a sacred barrier." He informed her, and Yuki started.
"What?"
She turned back to the front. Holding out a hand tentatively, she touched the barrier, wincing slightly as sparks appeared. Withdrawing her hand, she glanced back up at Sesshomaru questioningly.
"You walked into it, and you're still standing?" She asked incredulously, and Sesshomaru almost scoffed.
"I am not so weak as to be brought down by a simple barrier." He replied as he turned and started back down the mountain.
"Yeah, yeah, okay your Great Lordship." Yuki sighed as she followed him back. "But," she became more serious as she looked up at him again, "do you think Naraku could be in here?"
"The boy, Kohaku's, scent disappeared without a trace." Sesshomaru said in reply, and Yuki pointed out: "Yes, but a demon as evil as Naraku couldn't possibly be able to hide in Mount Hakurei. While the mountain's power would be enough to shield his scent and aura, he would never be able to get close enough without being purified."
"And that is the question." Sesshomaru stated, and Yuki almost paused mid-step.
"You think he's somehow managed to hide here?" She asked slowly, and Sesshomaru replied firmly: "I know it."
Yuki nodded, her brow furrowing thoughtfully as she followed Sesshomaru back to where they had left Rin.
'How did he do it?' Yuki wondered as they walked. 'Naraku, just what are you planning this time?'
"I'm so sorry!" Jaken cried as he prostrated himself on the ground at Sesshomaru's feet. "Please forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru! Rin ran off before I could stop her!"
Yuki stared at the mountain behind Jaken in dismay, while Sesshomaru glared down at Jaken.
"Where is she?" He demanded, before his nose told him the answer. Looking to where Yuki was, he questioned: "Inside the barrier?"
"But why would she go there?" Yuki asked worriedly, when Sesshomaru started to walk forward.
"Aaahhhh!" Jaken gasped as Yuki also stared in shock. "You mustn't go in there, Master!"
Jaken grabbed onto Sesshomaru's ankles pleadingly as he begged: "If you enter sacred grounds, even you will be instantly purified."
"He's right." Yuki said as she came up beside Sesshomaru. "But I might be able to go a little further. I could see if I can-"
She broke off, turning to look down into the barrier, while Jaken agreed as he beseeched: "Yes, let Yuki go, mi lord! You would not-"
"Be quiet." Sesshomaru ordered as he looked down impassively at the tiny demon clinging to his leg.
"Ah?" Jaken gaped, but Sesshomaru continued: "And look behind you."
Sesshomaru raised his eyes to look where Yuki was staring, and Jaken glanced back, puzzled as to what they were staring at. He then gasped as he saw a small figure coming running towards them.
"Is that?" He gasped as Yuki stepped forward, disregarding the pain the barrier sent through her. "Rin?!"
"Yuki! Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called brightly as she ran up, hugging Yuki first as the half-demoness waited for her.
Yuki hugged her back, before pulling back and scolding: "Rin, I thought I told you to stay with Jaken! You had me worried!"
"I'm sorry." Rin apologized, when Sesshomaru demanded: "Kohaku was there, wasn't he?"
Yuki tensed, while Rin hesitated as Sesshomaru looked down at Rin expectantly. Jaken looked between them, before he ordered: "Now, be honest, Rin! You can't deceive Master's keen nose!"
Yuki squeezed Rin's shoulder in comfort and as a sign of support, and Rin bowed her head.
"Uh… the truth is," Rin admitted as she looked back up at Sesshomaru pleadingly, "Kohaku helped me escape."
Yuki sighed, before she looked down at Rin sharply as the child continued: "There were lots and lots of demons in the cave."
"What's that?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyes narrowing slightly while Yuki looked up at Sesshomaru with wide eyes.
Rin continued earnestly, mistaking her guardians' surprise: "Kohaku protected me from the demons! So, um…"
The little girl trailed off as Sesshomaru turned away, meeting Yuki's eyes briefly. The half-demoness then turned with Sesshomaru to stare back at where Rin had come from, both thinking the same thing.
'Demons… behind the sacred barrier?'
"Lord Sesshomaru? Yuki?" Rin asked carefully, looking between them confusedly. Sesshomaru didn't look at her, while Yuki looked down at Rin with an unreadable expression, though it seemed worried.
"Yuki?" Jaken asked as well, and Yuki shook her head.
"Don't worry about it." She told them, before she looked back at the mountain along with Sesshomaru.
'So, that's how you did it, Naraku.' Yuki thought, at the same time Sesshomaru thought triumphantly: 'I understand, now. Naraku's little trick.'