Kariya asks the roujuu to rest for awhile and enjoy the flowers in the garden. However, he says he has no time for flowers. Kariya asks him, "Do you know how to get rid of weeds? They take the nutrients the flowers need and make them wither. Even if you poison the weeds, the flowers will still wither. The way to get rid of them is to plant a flower that uses the weeds for nutrients. A beautiful flower with contrasting brutality." The roujuu replies that Sara was killed. Kariya says that anyone who killed her will be worth drawing his sword, again. Kariya stands and says he will go.

The man traveling with the roujuu stops him for a word. He tells the roujuu that Kariya does nothing but admire the flowers. No one has seen him draw his sword. The roujuu responds patiently, "the reason he doesn't draw his sword, is because there's no worthy opponent for him." Kariya Kagetoki is known as "The Hand of God." Kariya picks up his weapons and prepares for the long journey.

The trio is camping in the wild and has gathered around the fire. As they cook some fish, Mugen asks how much further is it to Nagaski. Jin says that they've passed it. Ikitsuki Island is just farther North. Mugen hardly noticed they were here with all of the recent troubles. Fuu can hardly believe that her journey is almost over.

She is suddenly aware that they've been traveling all this time and know nothing about each other. She says they should tell one story about what they did before they met. Mugen and Jin whisper that she's sentimental. But, Mugen starts off. He says he's been getting into trouble, likes big breasted women, and then mentions one interesting tid bit. He got into a fight with a strange old man and killed him. The man was Mito Komon, a cousin of the Shogun. Jin and Fuu are amazed he's still alive.

Jin says he was always traveling. At a young age, he lost his parents was sent to the dojo of Mujuu Shin. Since a young age, he was always unchallenged and always alone. The scene cuts to him and his master Mariya Enshiro. Mariya says that Jin's eyes are quick and his strength has no foundation. Jin's skills are only for himself. He was burdened with killing his master and left the dojo. Since then, he's been searching for something...or running away.

It's Fuu's turn. Since she was young, she lived with her mother. She had presumed that her father was dead. But one day her mother fell sick with an illness. Before she died she said her father was alive somewhere. He left them a long time ago, and Fuu couldn't forgive him. When she finds him, she wants to give him a punch for her mother. When she met Mugen and Jin at the tea shop, she finally had the courage to set out. And, she thanks them for coming along.

The fire expires, and they go to bed. Jin looks around, and Fuu is missing. He finds her next to the stream crying. He approaches her and asks, "What are you planning to do after you meet the Sunflower Samurai?" Jin offers his service, but she cant collect herself. She has some concerns for Jin and Mugen and cant finish her thoughts. She cries in his arms. Watching from the bed, Mugen dazzingly takes notice.

The next morning, they move on. Following their trail is a group of interesting characters. One is a trollish psycho, the second is a paraplegic in a wheelchair, and the third seems to be the eye-patched leader. The troll sniffs the ashes and gets an urge to kill. The leader calms him down and stops a passer by. He asks about the trio, but the man tells the outsiders to leave. The leader tells him to forget they were here, but it's pointless. He extends his staff, which has a chained scythe on it, beyond the man. As they scythe retracks, it cleaves the man.

The trio finally sees Ikitsuki Island in the distance. And their stomach's couldn't be more happier. They sit at a restuarant and are brought a rare dinner, "shabu shabu." It's a western meal of thin meat that they cook themselves. Fuu decides on a plan of action to eat the meal, alternate the vegetables and meat. Mugen and Jin pay no attention to this and dig into the meat. They're surprised by how good it tastes.

They get to the dock and see a boat. Fuu stops and says she forgot a souvenir, sponge cake. She hands Mugen a pink pouch and asks them to buy some before they leave. She'll negotiate the fare. Mugen glares at the pink pouch and pushes it to Jin.

Back at the restaurant, a wheelchair pulls up to the entrance. The leader of the group questions the owner about a criminal named Mugen. If the owner wants to keep information, then the leader will have to sick his troll friend on him. The troll psycho cant control himself, and attacks the owner. Just before he's about to kill the owner, the leader halts him. The owner is now fearfull and divulges everything he knows. The leader thanks him, and requests that he forget they were here. The owner gladly obliges, and they leave. The owner peaks out the door and finds the troll waiting for him. The troll says, "You were told not to tell anyone," and kills the owner.

Jin and Mugen are picking out the sponge cake. They are amazed at the price and decide to check how much Fuu gave them. They open the pouch and are surprised to find pebbles!

At the dock, Fuu's boat is about to set sail. She turns to the river and spots Kariya stairing off. A butterfly floats near him and lands on his shoulder. Fuu takes careful notice, until the man turns to look at her. She hesitantly asks if he is Kasumi Seizou? But the butterfly goes off, and she realizes she's made a mistake. She runs to her departing boat, and stares back at the man. Kariya does nothing, but stare.

Jin and Mugen find a goodbye message from Fuu in the pouch. It says goodbyes are hard, so she's going alone. Yesterday, while talking around the fire, it was fun. She wanted that moment to last forever. She wondered if she depended on them too much? Would she be ok after her journey was over? That's why she left alone. As a final request, she asks that Jin and Mugen not finish their battle. And, she hopes that they meet again.

Fuu makes it to the island and passes the fields of many dying sunflowers. She sees many burned houses and broken statues of the virgin Mary. She remembers the images of her father from episode 19 of Unholy Union. He stood up for the Christians and the Shimbara uprisings. The town on the island is broken down, and the people want nothing to do with Kasumi Seizou. Finally, Fuu comes across a young boy who has lost his shoe. It's stuck in a tree, and she helps him out. The mother arrives and tells Fuu she can meet Kasumi in a house on the North cape. But, the mother is filled with much grief.

Jin and Mugen reach the dock and find that Fuu left them sponge cake. They glare at the island and eat their cake in remorse and silence. Behind them Kariya approaches. He says, "despair is born only out of hope, but it is difficult for people to live completely without hope, which means that people can do nothing but live with despair." Without looking up, Mugen questions who the man is. Kariya replies that the daughter of Kasumi has gone to the island.

Startled, Jin asks if he knows Kasumi Seizou. He replies, "a felon who had his heart stolen by a foreign religion and abandoned his country. I've heard he escaped here to Kyushu and was even involved in the Shimabara uprising." Mugen glares at him. "A man whose existence the shogunate wants to erase. We've known about the daughter who was trying to find him from the beginning. We let her go so we could find Kasumi's location. Now it's unfortunate, but you'll have to die here."

Mugen grabs the hilt of his sword and asks if Kariya came alone. Kariya readies his sword and says, "Don't disappoint me."

On the island, Fuu heads to the North cape. She stops in her tracks at the site of a wheelchaired man. The leader of the group stands behind a sunflower and tells her not to be in such a hurry. It's hard to have come so far and have everything spoiled, while so close. He wants her to savor the feeling, and know that this will be as far as she gets.

Notes:
The Shimabara Uprisings occurred in Southeastern Kyushu from December 1637 to April 1638. The original revolt was the against high taxes levied against farmers, they soon joined forces with the Christians who had gathered in the area prior to the beginning of Christian persecution under Tokugawa leyasu in 1613.

In legend and TV, Mito Komon travels around the Ibaraki prefecture, exploring and righting wrongs when he finds them. When a fight breaks out in the show, one of Komon's attendants flashes his crest and proclaims, "Here before you is Lord Mitsukun of Mito, uncle of the shogun!"
- Special thanks to Anime Forever

The butterfly that lands on Kariya's shoulder is similar to the one in episode two with Oniwakamaru.

As Fuu remembers the images of her father on the island, she views the broken Christian ornaments. As she leaves, an old short man stands in the field of sunflowers in the background.