Kagome sat by the stream, relaxing with her feet in the water. She had her shoes and socks next to her for incase they had to leave soon. It was only her and shipo at the moment. Inuyasha had left earlier after he and Kagome had a little fight, and Songo had left with miroku and kilala a few days ago. One would think it unwise to leave Kagome and shipo by themselves with out a protector. But Kagome had proven herself to every one as 'perfectly capable of defending herself' when a three headed snake demon practically swallowed Inuyasha after paralyzing him. Of course, after she rescued him with her sacred arrow Inuyasha insisted that he could have handled it himself, and that Kagome was simply interfering.

Kagome was still fuming about this and was VERY pleased not to have Inuyasha around for the day.

"Kagome?" Shipo's little voice said in it's little innocent way.

Kagome turned her attention to the young fox demon, "what's up?" she asked returning a smile.

Shipo sat down next to her, "why are you and Inuyasha always fighting?" he scratched his head in confusion, "I mean one second you guys are like best friends and then the next!" he sighed, "I just don't get you two"

Kagome laughed, "Yeah, some times I don't understand it either…" Kagome's eyes wandered to the water. Suddenly a silver scaly like thing silently raced through the water. Kagome squealed and quickly pulled her feet out of the water, "what was that!" she said in a trembling voice. Shipo darted up, and put a hand to his head in a gesture to shield his eyes from the sun as he scanned the water for whatever kagome was talking about, " I don't see anything."

The scaly fin flapped out of the water for a split second, revealing deep gashed wounds. Following right behind it was some sort of weapon! Kagome didn't waist any time she quickly pulled on her shoes and socks, "shipo, what ever that is, it needs help." She said and she slipped on a shoe, and then stood up.

Shipo nodded his head and followed Kagome. They ran as fast as they could, trying to keep up with the fleeing creature, as they ran kagome spotted a log that went directly across the river, "shipo, I need you to get me over to that log before that creature does!"

Shipo gave a quick nod; "FOX MAGIC!" he said as he turned into a very funny looking, small, so called 'horse'. Kagome hopped onto his back as he sped over to the log. The silvery tail splashed up again, this time jumping completely out of the water for a split second revealing to be more then just a fish. Kagome gasped, "it's a mermaid!" she said as they ran past it. Shipo reached the log quickly, kagome set up her arrow to her bow. "Wait for it, wait-for-it-NOW" the mermaid had just past under the log now was her chance to hit what ever was chasing it. Kagome's arrow pierced through the water silently. A bright light shined through the water as the weapon-like-thing shattered. While kagome watched this happen shipo was watching the mermaid. He poofed back into his regular fox demon form as the mermaid disappeared in the reeds.

Kagome was entranced by the light of the weapon, "hey shipo?"

Shipo turned to see kagome reaching down for the light, "kagome! You shouldn't touch that!" but it was too late.

She was already pulling it out of the water, she gasped, "a sword?" she was pulling it out by the handle, and thank goodness, cause as the blade came up out of the water it went aflame!

"Uh, kagome? -You really shouldn't have touched that" Shipo's voice shook.

Kagome turned to him, "and why not? It seems perfectly safe to me."

Shipo gulped, "cause it's an elemental weapon…."

"Are you sure? How can you tell?"

Shipo pointed to the hand guard, "see that gem in the center of the guard?"

"Uh-huh…"

He put his hand down, "that's an elemental marker"

A woman's voice spoke up "yes, and the gem belongs to flaăme, the element of fire"

Kagome and shipo turned their heads to find a woman, in her 20's, with pearly-blonde hair, glowing blue eyes, and fins for ears. She was dressed entirely in blue, and was soaking wet.

Shipo ran across the log and stood in front of the woman, "uh, ok… why are you all wet?"

She smiled, "it's kind of hard to explain"

Kagome walked over to the two, "did you fall into the stream?"

"Some thing like that"

Shipo covered his nose, "that would explain why you smell like fish"

She took a sniff of her sleeve "whoa, I do smell like fish, I'm sorry."

Kagome still had the flaming sword in her hand; of which had seemed to be making the one they were talking to a bit uncomfortable.

Kagome noticed this, "oh, is the sword bothering you?"

"No-well...yes, it is, would you mind deactivating it?"

Kagome brought it forward a bit, "uh…sure-how?"

She pointed at the gem, "by taking that off."

Kagome fumbled with it a bit, but finally managed to pull it off. As soon as she did the flames in a sense 'turned off'.

"Ah, much better, thank you–." She chuckled a bit, "I'm sorry I don't believe we've introduced our selves, my name is Milăna Silverlake."

Kagome smiled, "my name is kagome-"

"-And I'm shipo!" grinned the little fox demon.

"It's very nice to meat the two of you." Milăna smiled sincerely.

Kagome's face seemed kind of puzzled, "why does your name seem so different from other names? And who is flaăme?"

Milăna smiled, "elemental names are strange. I always thought so too…" she paused briefly, and stared at the water, "flaăme is the element of fire, as I told you before. She's a good friend of mine."

Shipo sat own, "wow, you're friends with an element?"

"Better yet, I am an element." She laughed, "the flame gem was stolen from flaăme a few days ago, unfortunately it was entirely my fault, so I left to go and retrieve it. I was hoping some simpleton robber who just saw it as a sellable item stole it, unfortunately my hopes where in vein. Alnicos an old sorcerer was the culprit." She sighed. "I suppose he saw me as a threat, cause he cloned the gem and set the original at me through that sword."

Shipo and kagome gasped, "YOU WERE THE MERMAID!"

Milăna laughed, "Yes, yes. Oh, and I forgot to thank you for helping me kagome"

Kagome shook her head, "oh, no problem, I'm glad I could help… but why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Milăna shrugged, "it didn't seem appropriate, I'm supposed to keep my abilities a secret."

Kagome smiled, "oh, yeah, I understand." She said as she handed Milăna the gem, "is there any other way we can help you?"

Milăna smiled, "no, I think I can handle it from here, it's a 3 day journey through the waters to Rin-io Mountains, and I can think of anything I might have a problem with. But thank you for the offer." She smiled.

The memory of seeing all of the gashes in her fin can to shipo, "are your legs ok? We saw how cut up you were earlier. So…"

Milăna shook her head, "that's the beauty of being the element of water, water heals you." She said as she pulled up a pant leg a little ways, "see? All healed up."

Shipo smiled, "ok, that's good."

Milăna looked at kagome, "well, I'd best be on my way. Thanks again for the help." She said as she jumped gracefully into the water. Her legs changed almost instantly into a beautiful, delicate silver fin. She gave a final wave good bye and swam away; going faster then anything kagome or shipo had ever seen in the water.

They watched her until the silver of her fin disappeared in the distance.

Not too long after that, shipo spotted the two-tailed cat demon kilala flying in their direction, "kagome! Look! Miroku and Songo are back!" he smiled.

Kagome turned her head, to see them not too far off waving in greeting.

She waved back with the hand that didn't have the sword in it.

When they all finally landed miroku told kagome and shipo of an old sorcerer who had sold to them a fire gem.

"Wait! Did you just say a fire gem?" kagome asked uneasily.

"Well, yes… why?" miroku asked curiously

"Was the sorcerer's name Alnico?"

Songo answered, "Actually yes it was."

Kagome was now worried, "tell me- did he have more then one?"

Miroku and Songo both shook their heads.

"Can I see it?" she asked as she put out her hand.

Miroku gave it to her, "why though?"

"Just watch," she said as she started fumbling to get it in the spot on the sword's hand guard where the original was, "do clones usually work the same as originals?"

"It depends…why? What are you doing kagome?" miroku asked as he inched closer to get a better view of what she was doing. The gem made a clicking noise, "there, got it." She said, as the sword became red and steaming hot, "ouch!" kagome sniped as she dropped the sword. She shook her had to get rid of the pain.

Miroku watched the sword burn the grass beneath it, "incredible."

Songo and shipo walked over to kagome, "are you ok, kagome?" Songo asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said, after checking her hands for burn marks, or blisters.

"Did you know this would happen, Kagome?" miroku asked, looking up from the sword.

"Well, not exactly… last time it made the blade go on fire…" she responded looking down at the steaming blade.

Songo raised an eyebrow, "last time?"

Kagome sighed, "you guys better sit down, this might take a while…"

They all took a seat in front of her. "Ok, what happened earlier," Kagome sighed, "the element of water was in mermaid form and was being chased by that sword" kagome pointed at the still steaming sword, " me and shipo followed them to a log where we cut off the sword, and I shot it with my Arrow. I then took it out of the water to find it aflame. Followed by that discovery, we met Milăna Silverlake the element of water. Who told us of the flame gem and the sorcerer who stole it from flaăme, the element of fire. He cloned the gem then sent the original after Milăna on the sword." Kagome sighed, "and that's the story."

"Do you have any ideas of where she was off to?" the monk asked in concentration.

Kagome thought back, "ugh, you know? I can honestly say I don't remember…she said she was going to some mountain, but I don't remember which one…"

Shipo jumped up, "ooh! I do! She said she was going to Rin-io Mountain!"

Songo jumped, "you can't be serious! No human has ever managed to get there before!"

Kagome laughed uneasily, "like I said she's an elemental."

Miroku stood up, "well then that's where we're going."