At the heart of the Great Hollow.
Terrified, Dark Sakura closed her eyes and covered her head, bracing herself to be stabbed.
But she waited and waited, and felt nothing except a warm embrace. There was no pain.
After a while, seemingly certain she had not been hurt, Dark Sakura finally dared to open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was her sister's weakened face. Her sister gazed at her tenderly, without a trace of killing intent.
Then she looked down toward her abdomen. The dagger had struck beside her waist, missing her entirely.
Her sister, however, had been pierced through the abdomen by the Shadow Tentacles formed from her clothes.
Although the wound had missed her vital organs, blood still poured from it.
Dark Sakura looked at herself, then at her sister. How could she possibly have missed at that distance?
Even if her sister always faltered at crucial moments, she could never have made a mistake like this. There was only one possible explanation.
"Sister, why? Tell me why! Are you pitying me? Do I need your pity? Do you think some lousy dagger could hurt me?"
Dark Sakura's helpless tone gradually rose into a roar.
Rin Tohsaka slowly sank to her knees, and Dark Sakura caught her in her arms just as she reached the ground.
Rin Tohsaka raised her arm and stroked Dark Sakura's cheek with her bloodstained hand.
"My silly little sister. What older sister would kill her own little sister? No matter what you've done, you'll always be my sister. Blood is thicker than water, after all."
With that, Rin's hand fell away from Dark Sakura's face, and even her eyes closed.
From the way she moved, she looked as though she had died.
"Ah... get up! Let's keep fighting! I haven't beaten