After making a round near Tōran and getting a clear grasp of the situation, Tōga suddenly furrowed his brows. His golden eyes flickered with a strange glow as he glanced toward the heartland of the Leopard Cat Tribe.
Even from a great distance, several sharp, oppressive auras made Tōga's skin crawl, his hackles rising involuntarily.
That pressure—identical to the presence of the elders in his own tribe—belonged without a doubt to the Leopard Cat Tribe's high-ranking yōkai.
Tōga understood well: his little tricks might be enough to toy with Tōran and the others, but before high-level yōkai they were far too weak. Just as he could never truly conceal himself from the elders of the Dog Tribe, it was unlikely he could fool the Leopard Cats' strongest.
To avoid drawing the gaze of enemies he couldn't yet face head-on, Tōga relied on his five heightened senses—far keener than most—and the sixth sense that had saved him many times, forging a secret art of perception: Mind's Eye of the Nether.
Rooted in extraordinary senses, he could condense what felt like a spiritual "eye of the heart." With just a thought, this inner eye could borrow his own sight to pierce illusions of the world and seize upon the life-light unique to each yōkai.
As for the precise workings of this art, even he couldn't explain—he could only sigh and admit: Sometimes his genius... It's almost frightening, and talent really did allow one to do as one pleased. But such a powerful ability came with a heavy burden. He would only use it when his instincts screamed of danger.
And now, through eyes gleaming with bluish light, he sensed a vicious yōki surging forth like a raging inferno, hurtling toward the Dog–Cat border. Its hostile intent was clear.
"Things are getting more and more interesting," Tōga murmured with a faint, eager smile tugging at his lips.
The Four Heavenly Kings of the Leopard Cat Tribe would eventually become a great threat, but the elders now approaching were very much of the present. If he eliminated them here, it would greatly relieve pressure on the Dogs.
Tōga drew back his gaze, brushing snow from his shoulders before turning toward his own outpost. His white tail swayed leisurely behind him as he began reviewing the current situation in his mind.
It was obvious Tōran wanted to gather her siblings' strength to wipe out the Dog Tribe's outpost. That much, Tōga believed, was her own idea. But the mobilization of multiple Leopard Cat squads had certainly caught the attention of their higher-ups.
Strictly speaking, the Leopard Cats were rich and powerful. Even if they lost four patrol squads, it was barely a scratch to them. Ordinarily, they wouldn't care. Yet the presence of high-ranking Leopard Cats near the border meant only one thing: the youth known as the Four Heavenly Kings were under special protection.
"It seems the Four Heavenly Kings hold an even higher position in the Leopard Cat Tribe than I thought. And Tōran really does live up to the name of one who could trade blows with my dear Sesshōmaru in the future and still walk away alive."
Despite this, Tōga's expression didn't falter; he showed no concern at the elders' arrival. If Tōran was the treasured darling of the Leopard Cats, then was he not the same for the Dogs?
Among the Dog Tribe's three elders, one was even Tōga's teacher. From first making a name for himself to steadily rising step by step, in this still relatively straightforward society of the Dogs, Tōga—armed with two lifetimes of experience, high emotional intelligence, and overwhelming talent—was thriving with ease.
The small goals he'd set for himself in childhood had, for the most part, all been achieved. The only setback he couldn't quite get past… was the tribe's young lady.
A handsome, pale figure flashed like the wind through snowy mountains. As he reached the open ground at the base of the outpost's mountain, Tōga suddenly stopped in his tracks, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
At the very moment his boot sank into the snow, the surrounding air froze solid under an invisible force. Even the faintest breeze crystallized into ice. The whole world seemed to fall silent.
Suddenly, a breathtaking girl with long white hair erupted from beneath the snow.
Her locks cascaded like moonlight, scattering in the snowy mist, briefly revealing the crescent crest upon her brow. Her eyes—cold pools flashing with golden brilliance—burned with battle-hunger and discontent. With a forceful kick of her long, slender legs, she launched forward like an arrow loosed from the string, straight at Tōga.
In her hand, she wielded a gleaming fang-blade. Its tip shimmered with a deadly chill, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
Her speed was absolute. In the blink of an eye, she stood before Tōga, the point of her blade thrusting straight for his throat with crushing force.
Tōga bent back sharply, the blade's tip grazing his nose and carrying a trace of icy sting. With a powerful stomp, he borrowed the snow's rebound with his yōki, springing back several meters.
At the same time, his right hand shot out, bringing his own fang-blade's scabbard up to meet her strike. Steel clashed against steel with a sharp ring, sparks bursting into the snow-laden air.
"Shirayuki… it's only been a few days. No need to greet me with such enthusiasm, is there?"
Tōga's gaze stayed on the frigid young woman slashing at him, though his eyes flicked briefly toward the mountainside—where, at some point, a kindly old elder had appeared, watching them with a smile.
At his words, Shirayuki's face flushed the faintest shade of pink before she huffed coldly. With a twist as fluid as a serpent, her blade became a storm of shimmering cold light, striking at Tōga from every direction.
Tōga's form flickered. His own fang-blade's scabbard spun in flawless defense, warding off each thrust one by one. Each clash of steel kicked up sprays of frozen powder, scattering blossoms of ice across the snow.
In this wintry battlefield, their figures flashed and crossed ceaselessly.
Polished swordsmanship, exquisite technique, and battle instinct born of genius—combined with their strikingly regal forms—left the Dog Tribe's Great Elder on the mountainside increasingly satisfied.
"These two… truly are a pair forged by heaven and earth. I was not wrong to raise the matter of marriage before the King."
Unaware of what his teacher, the Great Elder, was muttering to himself, Tōga began to notice something in Shirayuki's strikes. Though her blade grew ever sharper, her killing intent dwindled.
In Tōga's eyes, it was all too clear—Sesshōmaru's tsundere temperament was inherited perfectly from Shirayuki herself.
That same flair—rushing to his brother's rescue in times of danger, only to beat him bloody when there wasn't—was exactly the sort of prickly, stubborn pride Shirayuki displayed now.
Back when Tōga was still within the clan, trying to get closer and learn from her "flame-like" charisma, he'd suffered more than his share of hardships. At one point, he'd even wondered if his presence as a transmigrant had altered fate, making Shirayuki dislike this version of the Dog General.
But whenever he began to hesitate, questioning whether to keep playing the persistent wolf, Shirayuki would inevitably appear, blade in hand, to strike him down.
Once, under the watchful eyes of countless tribe elders, she had even shouted "Faithless man!" at him—so loudly he almost lost his head to her blade in a daze.
From that day, having fully grasped her nature, Tōga decided to change his tactics. Rather than confront her directly, he worked quietly behind the scenes, urging the Great Elder to broach the marriage proposal with the Dog King himself.
Once such a righteous and honorable union was declared, then even the most stubborn, sharp-tongued young lady would eventually become the dignified, regal consort of the tribe.
─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───
[T/N: Sesshōmaru's mother doesn't have a personal name revealed in Inuyasha — she's simply referred to as Sesshōmaru's Mother (殺生丸の母, Sesshōmaru no Haha). I would like to ask everyone about how they feel with the name 'Shirayuki'. If you think it doesn't fit well, feel free to give suggestions.]