After having a moment to grieve, Miaka and the remaining seishi enter Mount Black to get the shinzaho. There they encounter two long-dead Genbu seishi, Tomite and Hikitsu, who have remained in spirit form for the sole purpose of guarding the shinzaho from unworthy people. They decide to test her to see if she really is a Miko. A barrier is created in front of the seishi that Tasuki's fire cannot penetrate. Tomite freezes Miaka and tells her that if she is a Miko she will find a way out of this situation. Miaka thinks about Nuriko, and the bracelets let off a "heat" that penetrates the ice. The Genbu seishi realize that Miaka is worth her salt and give her the shinzaho. No sooner have the seishi rejoiced at finally being able to call Suzaku, do they find out that they have to get the other shinzaho, left by Byakko no Miko in Sailo country to the west. Much to their dismay. As they walk out, they wonder if Suzaku can bring Nuriko back to life.....but Chichiri says that it's impossible. For the soul needs a body....and Nuriko's is no longer suited for living in.

The Genbu shinzaho is literally snatched out of Miaka's hands by none other than Ashitare, who, although his human half was killed by Nuriko, remains alive in his wolf form. A distraught Miaka is approached by Taiitsu-kun, who tells her that she does not in fact have to remain a virgin in order to call Suzaku, and that in order to retrieve the shinzaho from Nakao she will have to seduce him and take it when he is weakened. Miaka leaves to do this quietly, not informing the others of her whereabouts. Yui, on the other hand is on her way to Seiryuu with Suboshi. Suboshi, frustrated with the fact that Yui actually trusts Nakago, kisses her!! He tries to tell her that he loves her, but Tomo painted face appears in a tree nearby. In the Seiryuu camp, we find that the vision Miaka saw of Taiitsu-kun was only an illusion, spun by magician and Seiryuu seishi, Tomo. When Miaka arrives to attempt to seduce Nakago, she finds him waiting for her. Miaka is pinned against a wall by Nakago, getting closer to Miaka, is about to rape her.

Nakago reveals to Miaka that Yui wasn't raped by those thugs when she first arrived, but that he let her believe it to turn her against Miaka. Miaka then spurns his advances and Nakago knocks her out, intending to rape her (and thus render her unable to ever call Suzaku). Tamahome leaves the other seishi, promising to meet them in Sailo. He goes to the Seiryuu camp to find Miaka, sensing that she might be there (but not knowing what she intended to do). Tamahome figures out what Nakago has done to Miaka, and, furious, he sends a chi blast that actually manages to injure the Kutou shogun. After this, he tells Miaka that whatever happened doesn't matter to him, and that he still wants to be with her. Miaka breaks up with him anyway, because she feels unworthy and soiled. She then runs off, leaving him very confused. Suboshi and Yui, on the other hand, are in a tent in the desert talking about what happened between them. She says that she can't trust men because she was attacked. Suboshi really loves her though. Suboshi, angered at Miaka for Yui's suffering, says he will never forgive her and leaves

Chichiri, Tasuki, Chiriko, and Mitsukake arrive in Sailo country. Or do they? It turns out that Tomo has spun an elaborate illusion, tricking the seishi into believing that they are in Sailo...when in fact they are in the middle of the desert. While they think they are safe in an inn, eating, drinking (in Tasuki's case, drinking a lot), and generally being merry, they are just running down on energy without even being aware. At night, when the temperature drops drastically, they will surely die. Meanwhile, off in the middle of nowhere, Miaka is nearly killed by a wild animal, but she's saved by a boy named Kaika, who looks astonishingly like Amiboshi! He was taken in by a kind couple after nearly drowning in the river, and has apparently forgotten about his past after drinking a forgetfulness potion his 'parents' gave him. He is the spy Nakago sent (the flute player) who impersonated Chiriko during the the Suzaku summoning ceremony back in episode 24. Back on the evil side... Tomo finds out that Nakago failed to rape Miaka; he was repelled by a red barrier around her body as soon as she lost consciousness. Intending to do some damage of his own to the Suzaku crew, Tomo creates the illusion of making Soi look like Miaka. Soi then approaches Tamahome (who is relieved to be united with Miaka again) with the intention of seducing him and weakening his chi, then killing him.

Kaika's parents explain to Miaka that their son, Kaika, died a long time ago. So when they found Amiboshi, they took him in as their son. Kaika begins to fall for Miaka and begs her to drink the forgetfulness potion so that she can stay with him. She considers...but declines. Kaika asks if Tamahome is the reason and asks what happened to him. He confesses that he remembers everything about his past as Amiboshi. He explains that him and Suboshi lost their parents during a civil war in Kutou. When yui appeared, there seemed to be hope that peace would come to Kutou, but Nak told him that Konan was standing in the way...so he had to fight against Miaka. But he thought that if he died, Seiyuu wouldn't summoned and there wouldn't be any wars anymore. Suddenly, the village is attacked and Amiboshi thinks that it's him Kutou is after. But Miaka knows it's really her. She runs off and Amiboshi follows. He senses Tomo is nearby. Meanwhile Soi, who looks like Miaka continues to seduce Tamahome but he pulls away from Soi and says that they can't make love yet. At this, Tomo ends the illusion and attacks Tamahome. Miaka encounters Soi.

Miaka runs into Soi, who tells her what's going on and that she wasn't really raped by Nakago. Tomo's torture session is interrupted by Amiboshi's flute. Miaka start yelling for Tamahome, and Tamahome beats Tomo. Miaka and Tamahome embrace, and she tells him the good news about her still being a virgin. Amiboshi gets captured by vines and Tamahome is stabbed by Tomo's feathers! Tamahome falls off the cliff, leaving Miaka with Tomo.Tomo opens one of his clams and Miaka gets caught in his spell sending Miaka into an illusion, making her believe she's back home. She forgets about the events of the Universe of the Four Gods; Yui and all her friends are there and acting normally, and she's getting good grades for once! Tomo puts a clone (alter-ego) of himself into the illusion, as a fellow classmate of Miaka's, and he asks Miaka out. His intent, of course, is to seduce her and have her willingly lose her virginity to him so that she cannot call Suzaku. Amiboshi screams out to Miaka to remember Tamahome.Tomo (watching all of this) says that Miaka's body and soul will be trapped in the clam for ever.

Kaika/Amiboshi, who is witnessing all of this and is unable to reach Miaka through the illusion, begins to play his flute and manages to break through the magic a little. Miaka realizes what's going on Miaka reaches for a pencil and stabs Tomo in his head! The illusion is shattered. So a ticked off Tomo attacks Amiboshi...which is a bad move, because as soon as he senses his brother's trouble, Suboshi arrives and kills Tomo on the spot. Amiboshi desperately wants to work on the side of good and put this life of war behind him with his brother. He begs Suboshi to drink the forgetfulness broth and come to live with him and his new family. But Suboshi is hopelessly in love with Yui and feels he can't leave her, so he gives the potion to Amiboshi instead, causing him to forget everything. Suboshi then attempts to rough up Miaka. She screams for Tamahome.