...(footsteps and panting is heard at a distance)….gaspgaspgasp! (author arrives out of breath)…Sorry I´m late! I had to finish off some KILLER book review for philosophy. Shudder.

Thanks a bunch Coolmarauders and Kei-Ookami.kara.mori for your reviews! Sorry for making the great Sesshoumaru suffer but it'll be alright further on.

Disclaimer: do I have to? O.k, I don´t own Inuyasha…unfortunately.

Chapter 3: The Shard, the String and the Mallet

They were all very tired, of course, knocking out and dragging along a full demon lord used up a lot of their energy. Unfortunately Kagome's energy wasn't out yet which meant a long night ahead for every one.

"Naraku? How the crappish hell are we gonna lure Naraku to this crappish well to take your crappish dance classes?" yelled Inuyasha loudly.

"Didn't I say I had this all worked out? I already know what we're going to do!" shouted Kagome back.

Miroku and Sango shook their heads, at both the arguing pair and at the gloomy prospect of a sleepless night gathering everyone from the feudal era and getting them to participate in a dance contest. Shippou had his fingers in his ears, trying to block out the yelling.

"OSUWARI!"

KERPLONK!

Miroku and Sango stood up, and got themselves ready to leave, seeing as the …conversation… between Inuyasha and Kagome was now over.

Kagome straightened her hair and breathed deeply, while Inuyasha growled into the dirt.

"O.k. I think we should split up into groups," began Kagome, "Miroku, Sango, Shippou, you take care of Kanna, Kohaku, Ayame and Hakudoushi, Inuyasha and I will deal with the rest, O.K?"

Miroku nodded, "understood, Kagome-sama." He and Shippou made their way through the forest, Sango mounted Kirara and took off over the dark treetops.

"Well Inuyasha, it looks like Naraku is first on the list." Said Kagome.

"Yeah, so? What you gonna do then?" grumbled Inuyasha, still moody about making out with the ground again.

Kagome took out a shard of the Shikon no Tama from her little jar and pulled a piece of string from her backpack. "Well…"

X X X X

Naraku sat alone in a dark room of his gloomy palace, brooding. He still needed a few more shards to complete the Shikon no Tama, and they were in possession of Inuyasha's wench. He had to find a way to snatch them.

One of his poisonous insects whizzed in and buzzed close to his ear.

Naraku chuckled evilly.

"So… there is a shard closing in… I shall take it and add it to the almost completed jewel." He said. He got up and pulled the baboon pelt over him. He made his way out of the palace and as he was doing so he told the poisonous insect to inform him if Kanna, Hakudoushi, Kohaku or especially Kagura were to leave the palace for whatever reason. The problem was that Kagura had already left.

Naraku stealthily made his way along the grass, tracking the single fragment of the Shikon no tama.

He chuckled silently, he was almost there.

X X XX X

Sango circled above the dark palace on Kirara, and signalled to Miroku, who was hiding in the bushes below. The coast was clear. Miroku, and a frightened Shippou stepped out from behind the bushes, it was time now. Naraku was gone.

Sango and Kirara landed, Kirara turned small and followed Sango as she and Miroku silently entered the palace. As soon as they were inside they split up, Sango and Kirara went down one dark corridor, Miroku and Shippou went down another.

Sango stopped in front of a room and quietly crept in. She spotted a small, skinny boy, Kohaku.

Miroku stepped into what seemed to be a hall surrounded by opaque screens and noticed that ther were two small figures sitting in the middle of the floor. Two pale figures, these two must be Kanna and Hakudoushi, Miroku thought and pulled something out of his robe as he walked quietly up to them, as Shippou sat stiff with fear on his shoulder.

XX X X

Kagome hid behind bush as Inuyasha readied the sting that was tied to the shard.

"I can smell Naraku, he's almost there." Inuyasha told Kagome.

"That's good. When he comes within three feet of the shard, you pull on the string. I almost sure he'll follow it, he's desperate enough! And when he's close enough to us then I'll get him, OK?" whispered Kagome quickly.

"OK, OK I got it!" whispered Inuyasha gruffly.

Naraku found the shard in the grass. How careless, a shard of the Shikon no Tama, lying on the ground, who would have dropped it ?

He stooped down to pick it up but it moved by itself, a few feet away from him. How strange, it must have a spell cast on it, but I Naraku shall possess that shard and become ever greater! No spell shall hold me back! He thought determinedly. He glided towards the shard and bent down to grab it but it once again moved away, towards some large bushes. He smirked and again neared himself to the shard.

"Just a little closer!" whispered Kagome and Inuyasha tugged at the string, drawing the jewel fragment closer to them. Naraku followed it and once again tried to pick it up. He was close enough.

Kagome jumped up from the bush, in her hands was a very large mallet and she brought it down hard upon Naraku's head. BONK!

Kagome squealed, "Yes!" and she picked up the jewel fragment and stowed it in the jar. Inuyasha got out from behind the bush and nudged the unconscious Naraku with his foot.

"Yep, he's out." Confirmed Inuyasha.

Kagome didn't answer, she was pulling something out from behind a tree. It looked like a big cage on wheels. Inuyasha's mouth dropped open.

"Where the hell did you get-" he began

"Oh be quiet, and help me get Naraku in here" she puffed.

The both of them managed to heave him inside the cage and Kagome padlocked the door when they were done.

"I think we should just leave him here until we have the others, then we can wheel him to the campsite!" Said Kagome. Inuyasha said nothing, he simply poked Naraku's face through the cage bars.

"Inuyasha are you listening?"

Pokepoke. Inuyasha chuckled to himself. Poke.

Kagome decided to let him have his fun and crossed Naraku's name off the list.

After a few moments, Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm and pulled him into the forest.

"Hey, I wasn't done poking yet!" he protested.

"Never mind that, we need to get Kagura now." Kagome told him. "And I've got just the thing…"

A/N: are you liking it so far? Please tell me what you think, is it funny or not? Read and review!