Tamahome tries to escape, and is caught and tortured by Nakago. Hotohori cannot bring himself to kill Miaka, and instead goes to talk to Juan My? again. Whilst there, they mention Sh?ka, and Juan tells them that she died a year ago. Sh?ka tries to kill Miaka, but Miaka talks her out of it, saying she has faith in Hotohori. Hotohori, Nuriko and Genr? hurry back to Miaka, but are attacked by the possessed villagers. Sh?ka yells at Miaka telling her to get away from her, but Miaka can't hear her. Hotohori, Nuriko and Genr? arrive, with a mysterious fighter, who is Juan My?. Sh?ka accuses Juan of leaving her to die, and Miaka deduces that they were lovers. Miaka comforts the young woman, despite her monstrous appearance, and tells her she knows how she feels. The woman returned to normal, and in the weakness of her desperation, Sh?ka sprouts a sickness demon from her back that had possessed her when she died, which tries to eat Miaka. Sh?ka begs Juan to kill her with his powers. He does so, and the house vanishes and the villagers fall down in a faint, unpossessed once more. Juan heals Miaka and he is revealed as Mitsukake, the sixth of the Suzaku Seven, with the powers of a Healer. He tells them that he used his Suzaku powers to become the village doctor, and he was called very far away when Sh?ka was dying. He came back too late to save her. Miaka tells him that Sh?ka looks happy now, and gives a Suzaku vow on the rising sun to never give up, for Sh?ka's sake.