DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters; they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Sesshomaru sat against a tree watching Rin 'play' with Jaken. It actually consisted of Rin giggling and running circles around Jaken, who cursed his fate to watch this strange child his lord had taken in, seemingly on a whim.
As he watched, Sesshomaru thought. He thought of many things: how to defeat Naraku, the strange pleasure he felt with Rin's laughter and general happiness, but mostly, he thought of his younger half-brother Inuyasha.
Inuyasha had always been a sore spot in his life. A half-breed, a stain on his family's honor, a mistake his father should never have allowed to happen (just as his rutting with a human wench in the first place should never have happened), a weakling unfit for survival. And yet…
Inuyasha had survived being orphaned as a very young child. Humans and youkai alike had attempted to rid the world of this abomination since he was five years old, yet he persevered, taking every challenge as an opportunity to grow stronger. Given the speed with which he would engage Sesshomaru in battle, he appeared to have grown to enjoy such a way of living.
When Inuyasha had unleashed the power of Tetsusaiga against him inside their father's tomb, severing his left arm, Sesshomaru had been livid. How dare that worthless half-breed think he had any right to wield such power, power that should belong to Sesshomaru alone? It may have been their father's will, but his father was a fool; giving his life to protect a half-breed and a human whore was proof of that. Although the surge of power Sesshomaru felt whenever he was called upon to protect Rin forced him to admit his father's words had some merit.
Sesshomaru had been shocked beyond words when Inuyasha unleashed the Wind Scar. How could he tap into a power he wasn't even aware of? It was impossible. Yet he'd done it, and for the first time in centuries, Sesshomaru had feared for his life. Indeed he would have been killed, if not for the power of Tensaiga. That alone had proved the worth of the fang his father had left to him. Reviving Rin had only reconfirmed it.
It was strange; as Sesshomaru lay wounded and pondering this unexpected wrinkle in his plans, he had felt an odd sense of pride at his brother's accomplishment. At first he assumed he felt pride that he had been the one to push Inuyasha so far beyond his limit that he discovered a new plateau of strength. Time had given him cause to doubt this assumption.
Months later he'd heard a rumor so disturbing he'd left Rin and Jaken behind with Ah-Un to see for himself if it had any veracity. It did. Ryuukotsusei, the dragon youkai that had killed their father, was dead. By Inuyasha's hand, no less. The faint trace of Naraku's scent, along with the landscape, told Sesshomaru the dragon hadn't been killed in the eternal sleep their father had placed him in, either. There had been an epic battle, which his brother had clearly won. When Sesshomaru pieced events together, he found quite a story. Apparently, Inuyasha had gone to slay Ryuukotsusei because the sword smith Totosai had told him that doing so would allow him to surpass their father, and master the Tetsusaiga. Naraku had somehow gotten wind of this, and used his miasma to destroy the great fang that kept the dragon sealed in order to kill Inuyasha. However, said hanyou had discovered Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique, and used the Backlash Wave to destroy Ryuukotsusei once and for all. This time Sesshomaru couldn't mistake the pride he felt for anything but what it was: pride for what his brother had done. It was an odd feeling, to be proud of his hated brother, but he was.
Inuyasha had nearly killed Naraku with his newly obtained Adamant Barrage, and Inuyasha had broken through Naraku's barrier when he, Sesshomaru, could not. It had greatly annoyed Sesshomaru to see Naraku distracted, and even frightened by his brother's sudden appearance.
Now that he thought of it, all of the evil hanyou's schemes seemed to target Inuyasha or his group. Sesshomaru had once thought it was because Inuyasha was weak, therefore Naraku targeted easy prey first. Now he realized it was exactly the opposite. The vile half-breed saw Inuyasha as posing the greatest threat to him and his plans, and so he sought to eliminate him quickly.
Although his face remained unchanged, Sesshomaru was frowning inwardly at the conclusion he was starting to draw from his musings. Inuyasha was supposed to be weak, yet he continually survived situations that should have killed him; his fights with his older brother not least among them. He was worthless, yet the father he never even knew left him his greatest possession, when it should have gone to his eldest son; though he had grown up hated and reviled, he now had several people, human and youkai alike, who would stand at his side and call him a friend. He was only half demon, yet Naraku feared him above all others, and it had been Inuyasha, not Sesshomaru, who had finally avenged their father, mastering the Tetsusaiga in the process.
Sesshomaru didn't like the direction of his thoughts at all, but only a fool would disregard the truth once it was known to him.
Inuyasha, he thought, could it be that I've misjudged you?
END
A/N : So, how'd I do with Sesshomaru's innermost thoughts? Constructive criticism is welcomed and accepted.