Disclaimer: And no, I still have not magically become Rumiko Takahashi.

"I can't believe you."

"Why not? You've known me for-"

"Far too long," Tetsaiga grumbled.

"I'm wounded," Tensaiga said, making sure to sound highly affronted.

"One can only dream," Tetsaiga replied dryly.

"I should hit you."

"You won't."

"But I should."

"But you won't."

"You're right. I still need you undamaged," Tensaiga agreed regretfully.

"I'm feeling loved," Tetsaiga remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Wasn't the point."

"Shocking."

"I know, try not to have a heart attack," Tensaiga said sympathetically.

"That would require a heart," Tetsaiga pointed out.

"Then being the sap you are, I'd be doubly worried."

"Hillarious."

"I know," Tensaiga said smugly.

"I still can't believe you."

"Are we back to that again?"

"You have to give them back."

"After we read them."

"Aren't Shippo and Naraku cleaning out the castle today?"

"Yeah, so?" Tensaiga asked, confused.

"So we have to put them back!"

"Why?"

"Because they're supposed to find them!" Tetsaiga shouted in exasperation.

"Don't worry about it," Tensaiga said brightly.

"Why not?" Tetsaiga asked suspiciously.

"I left them photocopies."

"…you moron."

Prologue

One month. One glorious month in which I had neither seen hide nor hair nor hole in the wall nor floorboard of Western Castle. But as they say, things change. History repeats itself.

"How could they have so much crap!"

And being one of the last two survivors of a group was not a good thing.

"On the bright side, as soon as we finish cleaning, this will make an excellent hidden lair," Naraku remarked.

I had already suggested just burning everything. Or simply setting Tetsaiga and Tensaiga off in the place.

For someone previously bent on world domination, ultimate power, and having just a little more violence in the world, dear Naraku had been surprisingly against both ideas.

Even dead these dogs were out to get me.

"Seriously! They were demons, too! Not a couple of pack-rats! Where did they get all this junk? And why couldn't they have taken it with them to the next dimension with them! Damn you! And you too Myoga! I blame you for this too!"

Should my hear be beating this fast?

Was this what a heart attack was like?

How could cleaning my dead friends' place be so stressful!

I was too young to die!

"Breathe, Shippo," Naraku instructed. He was enjoying this! How dare he take pleasure in my pain! That was it, I didn't love him anymore! I was leaving!

"Make me," I snapped childishly.

But in my head I stormed off and laughed maniacally as he begged for me to stay.

I had been living with him for far too long.

"What if we try another room and leave this one for later?" he suggested.

I would not be pacified!

"I under if it's hard being in here."

No, he really didn't. For six months they tortured me, continuously shoving their five hundred year old drama on me, barely feeding me, allowing little time for sleep…

Why was I cleaning up the mess they left!

They were pure evil!

"It's not like aren't more rooms. We can do the bedroom last."

Oh…right.

I was in love with he formerly known as THE enemy.

And they'd been the ones to help me with that.

I was sick and tired of owing them.

"No," I sighed. "This one first."

"You sure?" he asked my seriously.

And that's why I liked him better then them. He knew when to stop poking fun.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

It was only logical. There was way more crap in here than anywhere else. So if we could get this room done, everything else would be easy by comparison.

At least that's what I tried to tell myself.

Two minutes later when yet another lamp fell on my head, that statement suddenly meant a lot less.

"You assholes! Slobs! Cretins! I hope you're in hell where you belong! Suffer you dogs! Burn in the fires of your own filth! How many lamps do you need in one room!"

"Why don't we take a break?"

"No! We must set the fire now! We cannot let all this junk affect the world!"

I had finally found my purpose in life. I was to save the world from corruption- starting with removing that lamp from it.

"We're taking a break. Now," Naraku said firmly, leading me away from the devil's lamp.

"But I must kill it!" I protested.

For some reason he seemed to be laughing at me.

Why was he laughing at me?

Was he enjoying this last torture Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had bestowed upon me?

"Let go of me!" I snarled.

"As soon as I trust that you won't start waging war on inanimate objects," he retorted a little too cheerfully.

I was feeling betrayed.

So who could play me for kicking that bookcase? Really, it had it coming.

It wasn't my fault that it wasn't stable.

Really. I barely tapped it.

How was I supposed to know it would collapse?

"Good job."

"Oh shut up."

I still maintain it wasn't my fault.

"Go pick it up."

A little bossy, there.

"You pick it up."

"You broke it."

It wasn't my fault!

"And your point it?"

This could go no where fast.

"Just pick it up."

Pick your battles, I suppose. Another sigh. It was only one lousy bookcase…in lots of lousy little pieces.

I bet it planned on giving me a splinter.

"You can go a bit faster."

Some people were so impatient.

At least it was hadn't been a large bookcase with more pieces to pick up.

But still so many splinters to be had.

"Are you afraid of a little bookcase?" Naraku teased.

"Ha, ha. What exactly am I supposed to do? Rebuild it?"

"If you want."

He had such an amazing sense of humor.

I was going to kill him.

Well, I suppose I could always just stack up all the bits against the wall.

"Any time today."

He was going to be sleeping outside. Hopefully it would rain.

All right. I lifted up the first board and-

Was that a book?

"What are you doing?"

"Shh!" I hissed, turning the thing over.

No, this wasn't a book. It was journal.

I moved another board.

"No way," I breathed. There was more. And not all of them were the same writing.

"Come here," I ordered excitedly, flipping open the first one and shoving it in his face. "Read this."

He looked at me strangely. So little trust.

"Just read it." He rolled his eyes, but again, pick your battles.

"I wasn't one for wandering around aimlessly. It served no purpose and I was no foolish human, eager to waste my time." He stopped and looked up at me.

I answered before he could ask.

"They must be Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's journals."

Suddenly everything seemed so much brighter.

"You can't. We aren't. Shippo," he said warningly.

He had to be joking.

"Of course we're going to read them!"

Oh this would be fun.

It didn't occur to me until later that I should be pissed that they had me transcribe their asinine blathering while they had probably already done it themselves.

Author Notes: Well, the important thing is that I finally posted it. A tad later than I intended, but at least it's here. After this, I'll probably be back to posting chapters on Friday, this was somewhat of a fluke. But since my birthday is tomorrow, let's forgive and forget, shall we? Sort of in the way that I'm trying to forget that next week on Inuyasha all I have to look forward to is one long segment of Inuyasha/Kikyo…and since Kikyo now seems to be dead, it's kind of like all this plot progression they had achieved up 'til now is going to be thrown out the window…I'm really curious as to what point they might be trying to prove by going backwards in the timeline. Anyway, I've finally responded to all the reviews (well, the signed ones anyway) for the final chapter of Nothing Emphasized. And while is this a less than subtle ploy in hope that everyone who read that story will read this one, clearly everyone is now feeling inspired to view this story. Right?