When he finds her in the rubble, the sun has just risen somewhere beyond the clouds of ash and dust. In this landscape of ruin, Rin Tohsaka is the only thing left standing.
He should not know that her name is Rin Tohsaka. He should see only an elegant woman in tattered red clothes, struggling to stay on her feet, her beautiful hair hanging tangled around her face. But the memories he isn't supposed to have betray him. There should be the small weight of a red jewel tucked away within his coat, but there isn't. He gave it away an eternity ago, and because of what happened then he's been able to hold his head high in that eternity. So how can he not recognize her? Without her, he wouldn't have been able to smile back then.
It's strange that she's still standing, or so he'd think if he didn't know her well. These ruins are choked with flame and monsters, the debris of some disaster. There should be no human beings left standing here, only corpses-to-be groaning on the ground. For that matter, he shouldn't be stopping to look at her. He should be continuing to strike down the monsters and snuff out the flames.
But he can't, he can't keep fighting so ruthlessly now that he's seen her like this.
"You're really slacking on your duties," she chides him with a smile, as if she can tell just what he was thinking right now. "But I'm going to be selfish and talk to you while you are." Her voice is a little low. It must take effort to speak, and she doesn't have much of that left. There's blood dripping down into her eyes; can she even see him?
"It was some really stupid student," she continues, the smile fading a little. "Or maybe a clever one like I was once...but they did something stupid. They tried to create a new Magic. This is the result." She stumbles forward a little, wincing at the sudden shifted weight on her left foot.
Words escape him. Expressions of his own will, so rare in hells like this. She pulls such things out of him. "But you survived, Rin. So it isn't that bad." That's a foolish thing for him to say. Many people have died. The survival of one person changes nothing.
"Oh, I didn't," she says, and her smile returns. "I'm dying too, Archer. Finally. It's been a longer life than I expected. Magi usually die young, but jeez, I'm-" Her voice cracks and she coughs up ash. "I'm almost fifty."
He shakes his head, and he speaks of the thing that's struck him since he first saw her here. "You're still standing. You're not like everyone else dying in this wretched place."
And she lifts her gaze to the sky. She lifts her gaze to all the fiery smoke, as if she's seeking the sun beyond it. So he gets a good look at that face, stained with blood, for the first time. There are lines there, and so few of them are from laughter. There is a deep weariness in her eyes instead of any joy. But there is no regret there, either.
He cannot reach for her, as his swords are still in his hands. He can only watch.
Rin lifts an ash-streaked hand and slowly, shakily rubs the blood out of her eyes. "I think I might regret it if I fell. So I won't fall, Archer. I will die and die on my feet. But-"
He wants to reach for her. When was the last time he wanted anything?
Instead, she reaches for him. She lifts her hand, now stained with both soot and blood, and she tries to grasp at his sleeve. She misses. Her vision must be starting to fade, even though his is as clear as ever. "It took me a long time to realize it, but I need someone to help me stay on my feet. I need that...so, Archer!"
It's only the dust in the air that makes tears spring to her eyes. He's certain of that. "What is it, Rin?"
She throws herself into his arms before he can say another word.
"Hold me," she whispers.
He'd like to tell her that he can't hold her, but he already is. The swords have vanished from his hands and his arms are wrapping around her. Her blood is hot upon him, but her bright smile burns hotter. "Finally." She says that word again even though he doesn't understand why. "My Archer's holding me, and there's nothing for me to regret."
Words die in his throat like all the people around them. He keeps holding her.
"Hey, Archer." She breathes out one more time. "I did my best, didn't I?"
It's important that he speak. He can't let his words die any longer. "You are Rin Tohsaka," he says. He's covered in her blood. He's always been covered in blood, so why does it matter this time? But it does. "There was never any question. You would always do your best."
"Stupid," she whispers. "You taught me how. Will you remember that?"
He holds her more tightly.
"Thank you, Archer."
Eventually, the warmth of her blood cools upon him. How long does he hold her? Time doesn't have any meaning in hells like this, so he doesn't know. But he holds her while the warmth of her blood cools upon him, and within his heart he feels the heat of her regret-free smile, and it's greater than the sun.