At this time, it occurs to Miaka that Yui might have been recruited to be Kutou's Seiryuu no Miko, and that they would be in warring camps if this happened. Therefore, after hearing Chichiri's warning, Miaka attempts travels solo to Kutou country in an attempt to prevent danger from reaching the others and to locate Yui. However, Tamahome follows her and Chichiri tracks them both. Miaka arrives at Kutou's palace and tells the guards that she is Seiryuu no Miko so that she may gain access indoors. Chichiri, hiding behind a wall, uses his magic to freeze them and Miaka passes. When Tamahome tries to barge his way in he encounters the Shogun of Kutou's army, Nakago. Not wanting to involve Tamahome, Miaka willingly goes with the shogun to the palace. Miaka and Yui are finally reunited within the palace walls and as they embrace Miaka drops Suzaku's Universe of Four Gods in process. The Shogun picks it up and glares at Miaka.

Yui reassures Miaka that although she was asked, she did not take up the position of Seiryuu no Miko. Tamahome locates the girls, and then Yui leaves Miaka to go and retrieve the scroll of the Universe of the Four Gods that Miaka brought with her (because it was confiscated by Nakago). While they wait for Yui to return, Tamahome finally admits his love for Miaka and they kiss. At this point Yui returns but she overhears Miaka tell Tamahome that she only returned to this world to see him. Now, unbeknownst to Miaka, Yui has had a hard time of it these past three months, and, just as Tamahome had saved Miaka, Nakago essentially saved Yui's life. For all three months, day after day, he's been telling Yui that Miaka didn't care about her and wouldn't come to help her. verhearing this part of Miaka and Tamahome's conversation does not help Yui's confidence in her best friend. It also doesn't help that Yui harbors a crush on Tamahome.... It is with this past in mind that at this point, Yui decides (upon Nakago's encouragement) to take up the position of Seiryuu no Miko, knowing that it will place her directly opposed to Miaka. Yui lures Miaka to the Seiryuu mosoleum in order to solemnise her decision and reveal her feelings to Miaka. There she is met by Nakago, who becomes her first shichiseishi. When Chichiri and Tamahome try to enter the mosoleum, they realize that it is warded to exclude Suzaku seishi. Infuriated at the possible danger that Miaka is in, Tamahome charges the doors and, remarkably, succeeds in breaking into the mosoleum. Chaos ensues as Nakago attempts to destroy all of his opponents with his chi. All three visitors from Konan are injured as they try to persuade Yui to leave with them. However, Yui's mind is made up.

Defeated and weary, Chichiri transports himself, Miaka, and Tamahome to Mt. Taikyoko to be healed by Taiitsu-kun. There Taiitsu-kun reveals to the three what has happened to Yui in Miaka's absence: Yui was attacked and raped by thugs upon arriving in Kutou country before being rescued by Nakago. Emotionally traumatized, she attempted to kill herself by slitting her wrist. She clung to the hope that Miaka would return for her for three months. Now she sees Miaka as her betrayer and will get revenge at any cost. After being cold towards Tamahome, she told him that she has to forget about her feelings towards him because Yui loves him and they have to focus on their goal. But he doesn't care and pushes her onto the bed. Suddenly, Hotohori storms in, takes out his sword, and holds it up to Tama's throat. Tama tells Hotohori that he loves Miaka. Hotohori left the room after telling Miaka the he is the one who truly loves her.

When everyone returns to Konan's palace, Tamahome gets a message from Kutou country promising that the assassination attempts directed at Miaka will stop if he goes to Kutou alone (this due to Yui's desire to separate Tamahome from Miaka and have him to herself). So he leaves, promising Miaka that he will return when the remaining seishi have been gathered. Hotohori, Miaka and Nuriko set out once more to search for the remaining seishi, while Chichiri remains at the palace masquerading as Hotohori by using his magic. Since Miaka's Universe of the Four Gods scroll was left behind in Kutou, Taiitsu-kun gives her a special mirror in its place, to provide her with the clues she will need for finding the shichiseishi. As the travellers near Mt. Leikoku, Miaka's mirror indicates something about a bandit. Before they can puzzle it out, Hotohori, Miaka and Nuriko are kidnapped by bandits and taken to the Mt. Leikoku stronghold. As soon as the bandit leaves with Miaka, another bandit starts hitting on Hotohori. Nuriko says that they all think that they are women and suggest they go with it for now. The bandits untie them.

The bandit then took Miaka to the bandit leader (Eiken) while Nuriko and Hotohori, pretending to be women, serve a group of bandits some drinks. The Eiken tried to rape Miaka but was ambushed by Hotohori. Miaka is certain that Tasuki, the 5th shichiseishi, is somewhere nearby. Suddenly A breeze blows through the room, and Miaka dissappears. Genrou, a handsome fiery-haired young man, in the doorway takes Miaka as a hostage (thinking she is Eiken's wife). Hotohori tries to attack Genrou, but Genrou throws some papers at him that turn into wolves. He escapes with Miaka and says that Eiken has to challenge him for the positiion as leader. He also told Miaka that the only reason why the bandits are obeying Eiken is because of the tessen (the fan that can incenerate enemies). Genrou takes out the "papers" that he threw at everyone before and explains to Miaka that you can write whatever you want on the paper and it will appear. So Miaka starts writing stuff on them and gives them back to Genrou. Not long after that the bandits attack Genrou throws the papers at them and it turn into food! Turns out that Miaka wrote different foods on the papers. Tamahome came to the rescue and Genrou got the tessen. Miaka was overjoyed but Tamohome turns into paper. She wrote his name in one of the papers so that he would appear.......she holds it and cries.

The bandits apologize to Miaka. She asks if any of them are/know of Tasuki (that's the bandit that has the character on his body). Everyone is clueless, but Genrou says he knows him. He says that Tasuki was their former leader and he is now dead. In despair, Miaka wonders what she will do if one of her seishi is not living, and the two rogue bandits mention a village nearby where a young woman has been, well, raising the dead. Miaka, Hotohori, and Nuriko then take off for the village to locate this woman. Miaka asks this woman (Shoka) to revive Tasuki, but Shoka says that she will lose her ability if she leaves the village. So Miaka and the gang venture back to bring Tasuki's coffin to Shoka. En route, Miaka and her seishi are confronted with dozens of zombies eager to feed on their flesh. They are only saved when Genrou makes an appearance and fries the zombies with his tessen (iron fan). He then apologizes for misleading them and reveals himself as Tasuki, their next seishi. At this moment Miaka falls ill with a deadly disease, which has no cure. Shoka can't heal the Miaka unless she dies. Hotohori volunteers to kill Miaka and tells everyone else to leave. He hold up his sword.

Unable to allow Miaka to die, or kill her, the three seishi appeal to a local doctor-turned-hermit named Myou Juan for help. The doctor tells them that Shoka died a year ago. Back to Miaka, Shoka decides to kill her herself with a knife which Miaka manage to dodge. The gang hurries back to save Miaka but get attacked by more zombies. Shoka turns into a demon. The gang attacks, but gets captured also. Turns out that Shoka and Juan were lovers when she was alive. Myou Juan has no choice but to kill Shoka. Juan absorbs the demon's energy from Miaka, and Miaka is all better now. She also spots a character on Juan's hand, he's the 6th seishi, Mitsukake. Juan tells them how he was in a distant village with Shoka was dying, and he coudn't save her. He picks up Shoka's body, and everyone is crying.

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