After walking in on Tamahome-nearly-kissing-Xifang, Miaka begs him to meet her at this temple, promising that if he doesn't show, she'll accept that it's over between them and she won't bother him any more. Tamahome fights the desire to go for as long as he can, but at the last minute he tells Tokaki that it's too late, he's already too much in love with Miaka to end it now...and with that he races off to the temple. But he's too late; Miaka is gone. Miaka, for what it's worth, spots Yui and Nakago travelling while she's waiting at the temple. Nakago spots (or senses) her there, too, but doesn't say anything about it. Miaka thinks to herself that if she can just reach Yui and tell her the truth about Nakago, everything will be okay. So she leaves the temple and follows them. We hear news that Tatara, the third Byakko seishi -- the one who loved Byakko no Miko and is guarding her shinzaho -- has been kidnapped by the Seiryuu side and held against his will. Miaka has found the Seiryuus' and is sneaking around when she's discovered by Nakago. She tells him off and lets him know that she plans to tell Yui the truth about what happened. Nakago doesn't care much; he just has his newest seishi in tow, Miboshi, perform some magic and take Miaka's voice away then he lets Miaka see Yui, only of course, now she can't explain anything.

Sometime in here, in the real world, Tetsuya and Keisuke (Miaka's brother and his buddy) are running around trying to locate the former Byakko no Miko, who is still alive (although she's something like 105 years old now). They eventually do find her, old and ailing, while she's watched over by her adopted grandson. Meanwhile, Yui suddenly seems to warm up to Miaka, apologizing for all she's done and promising that she'll help Miaka and Tatara escape. Miaka asks Tatara (who's been chained up to the wall) for the shinzaho, and he grudgingly gives it (a mirror) to her. He tells the story of Byakko No Miko, Suzuno, and how he loved her but they had to part after she summoned Byakko. They wished to be together forever, but that is the only wish that the God cannot grant. Miaka is devistated, realizing why Tama broke up with her...they will eventually have to separate. But it's a trap. Yui tricks Miaka into giving her the shinzaho, then locks Tatara and Miaka up while she runs off to the roof of the building to set up the Seiryuu summoning ceremony. Tatara frees them both with his seishi powers (power over plants), and while they are out and about Miboshi appears and attacks them. The other seishi arrive on the scene and Tatara succeeds in killing Miboshi. But Tatara is over 100 years old and weakening rapidly. The strain of his efforts proves too much and he passes away. In the real world, at this same moment, Oosugi Suzuno, former Byakko no Miko, breathes her last as well. Keisuke, Tetsuya, and her adopted grandson see the spirit of a 15-year old girl run outside to join a 20-year old Tatara, and the two are finally reunited in death.

Miboshi is not too worried; with his dying breath, he possesses Chiriko's body and begins to wreak havoc from there. Chiriko/Miboshi is summoning up huge monsters to kill the seishi, etc, and all looks hopeless. But Chiriko takes Miboshi's prayer wheel and stabs himself with it. Repeatedly. He realizes that if he dies, Miboshi won't have a vessel to inhabit and thus Miboshi will cease to exist. So, long story short, Chiriko dies a painful (but heroic and brave) death. Nakago and Soi show up and start attacking everyone as well, but they don't do any real damage; it's more to stall than anything else. Why? Guess who's just about ready to summon Seiryuu on the rooftop? As Nakago and Soi depart, all the remaining seishi rush up to the roof to stop Yui. But it turns out that they were tricked...Yui's summoning Seiryuu from another rooftop nearby. They're too late. Yui finishes the summoning incantation and Seiryuu, the blue dragon, appears in the sky.

Once Yui has chanted the summoning incantation, Seiryuu appears to her and informs her that she has three wishes, after which she is to merge with the god. The entire building begins to collapse. The Suzaku people are freaking out. Miaka's in disbelief. Chichiri spreads out his cloak and shouts to everybody to get on. They do, with the exception of Subaru and Tokaki, who remain to make sure all danger is gone and to bury Tatara. Miaka wakes up safe and sound at Konan country's palace. It looks as though everyone will just have to wait things out and see what happens. Meanwhile, back in Kutou, Yui awakens as well and after promising one of her wishes to Nakago, she makes her first wish: to seal the powers of Suzaku. Tamahome and the other seishi immediately feel this effect. Tamahome can't even perform a simple martial artist attack anymore. Hotohori reveals that Kutou has attacked Konan country's border towns and that soon they will have to go to war. The seishi agree to participate, and Miaka too. Right around here we find out that Hotohori has gotten married to a beautiful woman who hauntingly resembles Nuriko -- named Houki. The next day everyone minus Hotohori takes to the battlefield. The Seiryuu seishi also show up and test their powers, verifying with glee that the Suzaku seishi are indeed powerless with their god sealed up. Nakago lets loose a terrific ki blast that hits Mitsukake, wounding him pretty badly. Tasuki throws a knife at Nakago, but Soi blocks it with her back. There is a whole flashback as to how Soi and Nak met then Soi dies. Yui, seeing all of this, makes her second wish: to send her and Miaka back to their world while preventing Miaka from ever returning to the book world again. A blue light envelops them both and they disappear. When Miaka comes to, she is back in her classroom as her school is closing. She looks around and is absolutely floored to see that Tamahome has somehow arrived with her!

She calls her brother and arranges for him to bring the two back to their place. There, Miaka and Keisuke try to sort out what's happened without letting Tamahome know...and without letting their mother know who they're keeping under wraps. That night, as Tamahome and Miaka embrace, Yui takes a stroll by Miaka's apartment and catches a glimpse of this from Miaka's window. She's horrified that her plan to separate Miaka and Tamahome has failed, and runs off. Now, Before Yui left Kotou for her own world, Nakago gave her one of his stud earrings so that she could communicate to him through it. Yui, distressed that Tamahome has made it into their world, now takes this opportunity to beg Nakago to come to her and help her. Nakago's presently occupied on the battlefield, so he sends a very happy Suboshi to help her instead.

The next morning, Keisuke and Miaka give Tamahome a makeover and take him out on the town. Keisuke calls Tetsuya and find out just what Yui's second wish means for Miaka and Tamahome. He also notices that Tamahome hasn't got a shadow; a very bad sign indeed. The line between the book and real worlds is becoming blurred; the events in Miaka's world are now being written into the book, as they occur. Keisuke tells Miaka that Tamahome has got to return to the book, without her. Tamahome overhears this and finally understands what's going on; that he's a character in a book, created for the purpose of the Miko. He runs off, more than a little bit upset. While scurrying around Tokyo looking for him, she encounters Yui and Suboshi! He chases Miaka and starts to choke her. Tamahome shows up and gets ready to fight. In the book, the war is still going on, and Hotohori comes face to face with Nakago. Mitsukake, still badly injured, tries to help the wounded villagers. He doesn't have his powers or anything. but baby, named Shoka, needs medicine, but there is no more. Chichiri is hysterical as he watches Mitsukake put all his lifeforce in his holy water to heal Shoka. Mitsukake dies.

Tamahome yells for Suboshi to stay away from her, and Suboshi takes aim at him instead. It's all Tamahome can do to dodge Suboshi's attacks, since he doesn't have his powers; still, he's pretty fast for an average guy. Tamahome places himself in between Suboshi and Suboshi's weapon, throwing himself out of the way at the last moment. Suboshi says that he saw that trick coming, but as he prepares to dodge, the spirits of Tamahome's four younger siblings hold on to Suboshi and he can't get out of the way. He's speared by his own weapon, and dies clutching Yui's uniform ribbon, his link to her world. Moving along, Hotohori encounters Nakago. The two square off and exchange words, all polite battlefield honor and all that. Finally, Nakago reveals that this war is basically about depleting Kotou's resources so that he can go back and destroy what's left; that it's not really about conquering or destroying Konan. Hotohori is pretty pissed that Nakago would do so much damage to both their nations for such a petty purpose. Then Nakago says that his lack of interest in this world stems from having seen a better, bigger world for him to conquer elsewhere. Hotohori realizes that he means Miaka's world, and when Nakago says, "I'll say 'hi' to your miko for you" that's the last straw. Hotohori loses it and charges Nakago, praying to Suzaku for strength. Nakago gets a flesh wound from Hotohori's sword, but shoots out a ki blast that sends Hotohori far, far away. Keisuke then informs Miaka that Mitsukake has died and Hotohori is dying. She speaks to Hotohori through the book and begs him to live. It's here that we discover that Houki is pregnant, and Hotohori promises that he'll live long enough to see his son's birth. But he dies anyway, with fond memories of his time with Miaka and the other seishi.