The following are packed with spoilers.

Sarasa has reunited with her comrades on Chacha's ship, and wastes no time in introducing her friends to Raizô (aka Iron Mask), leader of the rebel army in Kanto. To celebrate the new found independence at Seiran, the whole crew throws a party on the boat. Everyone's happy except for Zaki, who doesn't like the way Chacha keeps mooning over Raizô. (Too bad for her the guy's already married ^_^)

Meanwhile, Sarasa and Co. have decided to stay in Seiran for a few days to check out the area and help with the recovery effort. Raizô also lends Sarasa the Sword of Seiryu, since her Sword of Byakko is missing at the moment (but we all know Shuri has it).

All this festive revelry doesn't suit Asagi, who is still recuperating onboard from the burns he sustained during his "execution." Realizing that Tatara's mighty army is but a bunch of misfits comes as a surprising disappointment. But he is amused by their good-natured comradery, and knows it would be a piece of cake to manipulate this lot.

While resting in his cabin, Asagi is soon visited by 4 shadowy figures, aka his henchmen: Take, Ran, Kiku, and Ume. They bare news of Kyôto, and Asagi gives each person a new assignment.

Asagi quickly stirs up some trouble himself. He asks Sarasa to come to his room alone, and pretends to tell her the whereabouts of the 4th Sacred Sword. Knowing that everyone else would be eavesdropping outside the door, he pretends that Sarasa is beating him for the answers. After everyone rushes in, he whips out the violin and makes up some story about being the Blue King's favorite sex toy and being treated worse than a slave, yada yada yada. Hayato is quite touched. But of course Sarasa doesn't buy it, since she clearly remembers what he was like back at the Palace. BTW, Asagi doesn't recognize Sarasa as the sacrificial virgin he met before because she's wearing a mask.

Anyway, after delivering the fake sob story, Asagi tells them that the Emperor has ordered the Black King and Red King to squash the Rebel Army, but both kings are too busy with their own affairs to care. So they're safe for now. Asagi also tells Sarasa that the Black King is fighting some rebellious group called the Kazuno Sect - who has the Sword of Genbu - up in the north.

To Sarasa's credit, she doesn't believe everything Asagi tells her, and storms out of the room. As she stomps away wishing she had left the guy to burn at the stake, her thoughts soon drift to Shuri and what he would do in this situation. And when she starts thinking about him, she starts missing him...

"Big laughing, big talking, strong, overconfident, gentle Shuri... If only you're here by my side. I wish you can always be with me..."

Sarasa's daydream ends when she walks into a wall ("baka baka"). Nagi is nearby and inquires about her. So Sarasa takes the opportunity and confesses her feelings to him. Nagi is quite surprised.

At this point, Nagi gives Sarasa a piece of his mind:

"It's natural for you to like someone. You don't know how much better it is to love than be a biased vengeful demon who has forgotten how to feel."

"The question lies within your heart. Being in love can cloud a person's vision, and make him wreck and lose everything. But it can also make a person cherish many things, and turn him into a great man."

"If you become like the former, then would you please take off Tatara's mask, and go off somewhere, so as not to bring trouble onto everyone else."

Sarasa is grateful for Nagi's advice, and quickly changes the mood by asking about Nagi's love life.

After her talk with Nagi, Sarasa decides not to ignore her feelings and writes a letter to Shuri:

Dear Shuri,

Did you get home safely? I don't even know if this letter will reach you. But, I miss you. Are chance meetings the only way for us to see each other? I hope we can travel together again someday.

Take care.

- Sarasa, in Seiran

Unfortunately, the letter-carrying bird she sent away was intercepted by Asagi's henchman, Ranmaru. At first, Asagi thought the letter was a random note to Suzaku Village. But upon reading the letter, he's shocked and puzzled. After a few moments of careful deduction, he figures out Sarasa's secret, and discovers her most crucial weakness.

Asagi's mood drastically improves after learning Sarasa's dirty little secret, and he even tries to cook her breakfast the following day (one of his fave hobbies ^_^). Meanwhile, Sarasa has decided to sail north to help the Kazuno sect fight the Black King and possibly seek out the Sword of Genbu. At the same time, Asagi receives news from his henchman in Suou that Sarasa's mother is living with General Kazan.

The night before Sarasa & Co. are to depart for the North, she tells Asagi to get off the ship. But he gets the last laugh, and tells her about her mother. And this changes everything.

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.