The following are packed with spoilers.

Shuri and Sarasa have just been separated during the flood. As Shuri finds his footing, he is greeted by Asagi. You may already have guessed - after the identity of the true Blue King is revealed - that Asagi is Shuri older half brother. Of course, Shuri does not believe this.

So being the hot-headed belligerent, he immediately pulls out the Sword of Byakko (which he had kept) and the two start dueling. During the fight, Asagi talks about the history of the Royal Family, and explains why he had to hide his identity all this time. As it turns out, their father became Emperor only by assassinating all the heirs ahead of him, and he wants to keep on being the Emperor by getting rid of anyone who may be a threat to him, including his own sons. Shuri and Asagi actually had an older brother besides the Black King who was assassinated by their father. That's why Asagi's mother swapped him with someone else, so his life wouldn't be threatened by the Emperor.

After hearing all this, Shuri remains unfazed. He reasons that Asagi is nothing but a coward, someone who has to "hide behind a fool's shadow." But Asagi quickly counters by calling Shuri a fool:

"Do you know why Father didn't kill you? ... You're the one cursed by prophecy. So why did our father let you live? Our father figured he can relax, while his sons are busy fighting each other. That's why he allowed you to live ... You think you're being willful and independent, but you're really just a pawn for [father] to play with!

Shuri has no comeback for all this, but he does have the upperhand in the fight. Asagi is noticably tiring, and Shuri soon has the girly boy pinned. Even though he's down, Asagi manages a final insult by telling Shuri that Tatara has allied with the Blue Army. Shuri is shocked to hear this, and the mention of "Tatara" gets him in a murdering mood.

But just as he's about to finish Asagi, Ageha interrupts the fight and pushes the unsuspecting Shuri into the nearby currents. Shuri eventually finds solid ground, meets up with his horse Toki (how convenient), and ponders about what Asagi has told him on the way back to the City of Suou.

Meanwhile, Asagi has a nice quiet (homoerotically-charged) moment with Ageha. Now that the Snake King is dead, Asagi intends to use Tatara as his new host, and explains his master plan to Ageha:

"Of course, Tatara will be killed. I'll [make him trust me and] take my time to get rid of him from the inside."

After hearing all this, Ageha is left wondering about Asagi's motivations.

In Suou, we finally see Sarasa's mother (aka Chigusa) again. As it turns out, she's living nicely in General Kazan's house. Technically, she's a prisoner, but she's treated more like a house guest. A blushing Kazan even dotes on her with gifts. But of course, Chigusa is less than happy, and demands to know what the Red King wants with her and why she's being kept alive. Kazan hesitates and tells her that he hasn't told the Red King about her yet. Of course, this is treason...

And in Seiran, Sarasa is helping the rebels with the flood recovery effort. Just as she's thinking about Shuri, she also notices that (gasp!) her period's come. And this just reminds her that she's still an ordinary girl, no matter how hard she pretends otherwise. But she soon forgets her troubles when Chacha and gang show up on the pirate ship. Kakujî is on board and has already told everyone about how Tatara kicked the Blue King's ass (of course, they don't know that was the fake Blue King). Things are going well back on Sakura Island as well, so the mood is very festive. As Sarasa dons her Tatara battle clothes, she thinks about Shuri and basically says the same thing she said in the last scene of the anime:

"Shuri... I'll never forget about the few days we traveled together. I was so fortunate ... But from now on, I have to be Tatara. I have to become Tatara!"

She didn't get to meditate for long, because Asagi's plan is already unfolding. He has staged a mock execution.

Hearing the commotion, Sarasa and Iron Mask (aka Raizô) show up to see what's going on. Raizô is hesitant about saving Asagi, but Sarasa couldn't help but do something when she sees Asagi's feet burning. In the end, she rescued the unconcious Asagi back to her ship, where Nagi nursed his slight burns. The chapter ends with Sarasa suspecting foul play from Asagi, and Nagi sensing a hidden danger.

Basara is not available in English. What you see here are manga panels I scanned and modified - meaning I erased the Japanese writing and typed in the English translation. Keep in mind I translated this manga chapter myself, so there are bound to be mistakes. But it's all for the fans' enjoyment, and I get no profit whatsoever. It's also tedious work, so I would appreciate it if you don't rip them off and call them your own.