Myou Juan reaches for the fresh, tasty looking fish but is furious to find a young girl’s hand on top of his own. Although he does not know her, she has a ravenous appetite and will eat just about anything. Despite being ill, she is still a spunky young lady with a strong affinity for food and they physically fight over the fish. Eventually he gains control over the fish and runs away, glad to be rid of the awful little girl. He lovingly strokes his cat that happily munches away at the fish. He is still a kind man with a gentle heart, but he looks very old with his long hair handing over his shoulders and a jagged beard on his chin. His eyes hold a deep tenderness but also a great sadness while he watches as his only friend eats.

A group of people charge into his house and among them is the fish girl. He is not interested in seeing anyone and is not willing to help them, even though the strange girl is very sick. She had come to his village seeking a person who could bring back the dead. The girl, Miaka, was from another world and on a quest to find three warriors with special marks on their bodies who could help her summon the god of that country. She already had four (Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, and Chichiri) but the one she loved (Tamahome) was forced to leave her until she could find the other three. She was told that one of her warriors had died but that a woman named Shoka would be able to bring him back. Shoka could not travel that far and the body would have to be brought to her, but it turned out that it wasn't necessary. The true warrior, Tasuki, had lied to her, thinking his responsibilities wouldn't allow him such an adventure. The trip had cost the group a lot, however. The strange sickness that plagued the village of the healing woman had claimed the girl. The woman could only bring back the dead, so they would have to wait until she died before she could help her. Instead they decided to seek the help of the local doctor.

Myou Juan is still suffering too much and will not help her. He turns them away and destroys the group's hope for helping the girl without waiting for her to die. Now they had only Shoka and her horrible solution. Hotohori tries to kill Miaka but can’t make himself do it. Instead he decides to beg the doctor one last time, asking her to hold on until he returned. He and the other two companions fall on their hands and knees before the mourning doctor and plead with him to help their sick friend. They want to help her before she dies and Shoka has to bring her back from the dead. The name shocks him out of his forced apathy. His beloved Shoka died almost a year ago.

Back at Shoka's, the woman holds a knife over Miaka's sleeping body and prepares to kill her. This proves to be more difficult than she expected because the girl moves around a lot, always avoiding her knife. Miaka tell her that she wants to hold on and wait until her friends return for the sake of those she loves. Miaka wakes up and finds Shoka crouched down in the corner and when she turns her face looks very evil. Miaka's friends have trouble getting to her because zombies, the people Shoka has supposedly brought back from the dead, have started attacking them. Nuriko tells Hotohori to leave him and Tasuki to fight and to go save Miaka. Although Miaka is not dead, the possessed Shoka holds her captive It appears to be a hopeless fight as he can't get close enough to the possessed woman to help his friend.

Myou Juan has a difficult decision to make. Does he remain in his house and leave the travelers and the village to their awful fate, or does he surrender his grief and sadness and help them? He shaves, trims his hair, and puts on clean clothes, prepared to help people once again. He finds Nuriko and Tasuki losing their fight to the zombies, so he helps them fight their way to the house where Shoka has Miaka prisoner. When he finally enters the house, the others realize that he is the doctor from earlier. Shoka recognizes him too and is overcome by a wave of conflicting emotions.

Shoka was his fiancé whom he had been unable to save. The grief of not seeing him before she died was so great that it had remained in her heart long after she had died. A Shikkonki monster had taken advantage of her broken heart and possessed her body. The disease that was killing people was this monster's and instead of bringing them back from the dead, Shoka would awaken them as zombies. In a moment of clarity she asks her lover to kill her and free her from the monster, and sadly he honors her request and his most loved person dies once again.

Miaka is still sick but Myou Juan is no longer afraid to help people. He puts his hand out and uses his mystical powers to heal her. As she regains consciousness she is shocked to see a symbol on his hand that marks him as a warrior for whom she is looking. He announces that he is Mitsukake, a member of the Suzaku Seishi and he will leave his home and travel with them, but he needs a moment. He takes the body of his love in his powerful arms and holds her close as he cries. He must go, but his heart will always be with her.

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