Episode Seventeen begins with Ryoko and Momiji in the car, discussing Mr. Kunikida and his behavior since the death of his friend, Yamatone.  Ryoko is worried about him, feeling that he is immersing himself in his work to avoid his grief.  While Ryoko is busy contemplating her boss, Murakumo, Kaede and Susano-oh are at one of the iwattoes performing a ritual.  Kaede carries Susano-oh into the water while Murakumo stands near the edge of the pool with a bell that he begins to ring.  The water begins to glow, Susana-oh begins to grow and energy starts to flow (^_^) causing the birth of a new Aragami creature and pain for Kusanagi who is near a train station, incapacitated from the energy.  
    The story switches back to Ryoko who has finally summoned up the courage to act on her feelings for Kunikida by taking him dinner.  During the course of their conversation, she tells him about a dream that Momiji had centering around her and Susano-oh: now it's Momiji instead of Kaede holding the infant and he begins to cry.  Then Momiji sees two triangles spinning towards each other, coming together to form a pentagram and as they fuse together, Susano-oh's mitama starts to glow and he is laughing.  
    Mr. Kunikida doesn't know what to think of the dream, but later when he gets a report of an earthquake near Ise and finds out that it happened at around the same time as Momiji's dream, he decides to investigate.  He calls Ryoko to tell her that he will be leaving and then is surprised when she shows up on the train to be with him.  
    Leaving Ryoko and Kunikida for a brief moment, the story glimpses at Kusanagi, huddled in the back of the truck also on the way to Ise, following the flow of energy surrounding Susano-oh.  He knows that Susano-oh is plotting something big.  Murakumo senses him approaching and summons the latest Aragami creature to take care of Kusanagi.  
    Meanwhile Kunikida and Ryoko arrive at the sight of the earthquake and landslide and Kunikida goes a little berserk, taking his frustration out on the Defense Force soldiers stationed there.  Later, back at the hotel, he is sitting, a contusion on the side of his face from his altercation with the soldier (-_-) feeling discouraged.  Ryoko approaches him and tells him he's been overworking himself.  Then she spies a UFO doll catcher machine and tries to get a lion that she says looks just like Mr. Kunikida.  She is unsuccessful, so Mr. Kunikida offers to help her.  He is successful in capturing, not a lion but a monkey, which Ryoko tells him still looks a little bit like him. (how romantic).  Their little moment of camaraderie comes to an abrupt end when Yaegashi calls to tell them that an Aragami monster has appeared near the Ise shrine, confirming Kunikida's instincts about coming here.  
    Now Kusanagi comes into the picture, battling with the huge Aragami monster and ends up on the losing side because of the flow of pain as Susano-oh continues to grow.  He is all wrapped up by the monster, literally and is saved by the arrival of the TAC in a helicopter.  Kome uses Matsu's latest Aragami weapon to destroy the body of the Aragami, and finally free, Kusanagi destroys the soul before passing out.  Back at the hotel, Kunikida confronts Kusanagi about the Aragami, saying that it was looking for him and Kusanagi's only reply is to say that he guesses that Kaede and Murakumo don't want him in Ise.  Kunikida tells him to get some rest and leaves and the moment he is gone... so is Kusanagi.  
    There is a brief break in the action for a little girl talk at the spa between Ryoko and Momiji and Matsu and Ryoko in which the little piece of advice "do what feels right" gets bandied around.  Trying to follow her own advice, Ryoko watches Kunikida leaving the hotel and goes after him, but gets attacked by a bunch of thugs in an alley.  Kunikida comes to her rescue though (who would have thought THAT would have happened?).  And after the fight he and Ryoko head towards the epicenter of the quake where they find Murakumo who tells them that he is here to wipe the human race from the face of the earth.  Kunikida tries to shoot him at this point, and EVERY SINGLE BULLET misses -_-;; . (probably has something to do with the perfect being's perfect shield that surrounds his perfect body... or something along those lines)  
    Murakumo strikes out at him, wounding him and Ryoko somehow manages to get him back to the hotel where the TAC are trying to decide what to do about the presence of Kaede and Murakumo in Ise.  They decide to try and confront them and Kunikida emerges from his room and tells them that he will go with him.  He is in pretty bad shape and Ryoko tries to dissuade him, but he is at a pivotal moment, needing to do this so he can decide what he wants to protect and what he has to protect.  He angrily lashes out against Japan, saying that Japan took away Yamatone and his daughter and then remembering the the scum that attacked Ryoko in the alley, asking the question, should he have to protect people like that?  Ryoko gets upset and he apologizes and there is a moment of closeness between them before it is broken up by an explosion near the iwatto.  
    The explosion was Kusanagi and Murakumo locked in confrontation in front of the iwatto.  The TAC arrive in time to see Kaede and Susano-oh, no longer an infant, but now a boy emerge from the cave.  Kusanagi asks her why she left, and she tells him because she wanted to be protected and because the Japan that the Kushinada was to protect with her sacrifice no longer exists.  Then together as a group, Murakumo, Kaede and Susano-oh leave, with Kusanagi moving forward after them, vainly calling out to Kaede, and Momiji watching him, softly telling him to come back.  The episode ends beneath the cherry blossoms where Ryoko tells Kunikida that she loves.... Japan... and he tells her that he loves.... Japan too... ^_^