I do not own Inuyasha or its characters- but we all know this already- yes? This disclaimer applies to all future chapters of this story.

This story will be told in bits and pieces.

Many thanks to Snow for coming up with the title and summary for this drabble-fic!

Please read the A/N below as it contains some information that might interest you.

Ch.1: Finding Strength

Incense burned, the flames licking quietly beneath the plumes of smoke that lined the walkway. The building was silent; the temple they'd stumbled upon showed signs of recent activity, and yet, Inuyasha had found no one guarding the fort's outer walls.

Silence loomed around them, a forbidding presence that held no bodily image, boasted no weapon. Still, they trekked onward, through the winding hallways and out into a courtyard that should have been bursting with life.

The scent of death was heavy, the metallic tang of spilled human blood, heavier still. Bodies were littered across blood-muddied ground. Men, woman and children- all dead- lay butchered, their weapons of defense strewn out beside them. Pitch forks and garden tools had done little against the invading hoard of demons that had torn through the small village. Women clutched their children to them, behind them, in a futile attempt to protect them where the men had failed, their tears of pain and fear still wet upon their cheeks.

It was long into the night before any in their small group found any rest. No one spoke as they struggled to contain the emotion barely hidden just beneath the surface. How many times had they done this - buried innocent villagers that Naraku had murdered?

Hoards of his demons had flooded this place, leaving none alive, giving none a chance at survival. Not even the women or children had been spared. How many more villages would Naraku decimate in the name of power? How many more would lose their lives because she had been careless?

If she hadn't broken the jewel, none on this would have happened. If she'd have been more careful, more like Kikyo, maybe these people would still be alive. So many were dead, because of her!

"I should have been more careful! I should have practiced shooting more! I should have…"

"All the 'should haves' in the world wouldn't have stopped him, Kagome," Miroku said. His voice startled her, and Kagome wondered how the monk knew what she'd been thinking. "Did I-"

"Say it out loud? Yes, you did. But, Kagome, you have to know that regardless of whether the jewel was whole, or shattered, Naraku would search the world over for it, kill for it."

"But, if I hadn't broken it…"

"It would be whole and easier for Naraku to find. Breaking the jewel makes gathering the pieces more challenging, but it also puts us on an even playing field. Except, we have you to guide us in the right direction. "

Inuyasha's growl stopped him from reaching out to wipe the tear from the miko's face. Miroku merely smiled when the half-demon sauntered over and pulled Kagome into a rough embrace.

"Ain't none of this shit your fault, Kagome," Inuyasha gruffly announced. "Naraku's a sick freak and he's gonna pay for hurting these people." Just as quickly as he'd arrived, Inuyasha released her, turned around, and disappeared into the darkness.

And in their few words, Kagome found strength.

This drabble came in at 500 words exactly, and was posted to lj for an I-prompt and placed 1st!

There are five more chapters to this drabble-fic written, edited and ready for posting, and I'll be working more on it. The chapters for this will be told in bits and pieces.

I just have to wait until they get through the voting phases before I can post them here.

Also, I created another penname to house any works I write that are NOT Inu/Kag pairings.

If you are interested in checking those out, you can find them under the profile Raiynn (pronounced Rain) here on ff,

and eventually on my Ao3 account. The yuri I wrote was posted there a few days ago, and I will add stories to that profile when/if I write more of them, lol.

I will still write primarily under Neisha, so no worries there. I'm not going anywhere, lol.

I just wanted a way to keep any other possible pairings/dares separate from my Inu/Kag posts since Inu/Kag is still my favorite pairing.

I had the first of three surgeries last Wednesday. The second surgery was yesterday morning, and I am still unbelievably sore from both.

Writing will be slow going while I recover. I still have one more surgery to go before all is said and done, and will know its date by tomorrow.

I have not forgotten about Deserted, but I want to be fully healed before I tackle the next chapter as it requires more attention paid to the actual story line

and plot, lol. I will add to it though, don't worry. It will just be a little ways out while I am recovering.

Drabbles don't require as much focus as they are prompt-driven, and they will hopefully entertain you while you wait for an update for Deserted.

As I stated before, there is another oneshot posted under my other profile Raiynn, if you want to read something else while you wait.

It is yuri, though not overly graphic, if you're interested that is, lol. And there will be continuing updates for this drabble-fic as well, so be sure to put this on alert if you are interested in reading more of it.

Thank you for your continued support of my writing, and for your wonderful reviews! You guys amaze me with your willingness to put up with the many delays that RL has had for me lately.

*HUGS*

Neisha