Dark thought he was dead because all he could see was darkness. Then he realized that lights were swimming before his eyes. There was something red. It looked like a red flower bud. As it started to bloom, Dark realized it was anything but a flower bud. Five blood-red nails poked out of Anas's back. She had caught them before they hit Dark. Even now, she was still grasping them in her hands.

"Why?" Dark whispered. "Why did you . . .?"

Sana was scowling. She looked like a child that had just been grounded.

"Why did you do that!" she screeched. "Why?"

Anas didn't respond. Sana withdrew her nails and slapped Anas. Anas fell to her knees and grabbed the front of her bloody dress. She stared at the blood with a strange look of disbelief on her face.

"Why the hell did you defend that bastard!" Sana screeched, furious tears spilling out of her eyes. "Why? Why! WHY!"

"I couldn't let it happen," Anas whispered slowly. "I just . . ."

Sana let out a furious roar and was about to hit Anas again, but two arms wrapped themselves around her and held her back.

"Krad, let me go!" Sana shouted.

"Leave her be," Krad said.

"No! I won't!"

Sana thrashed around wildly, trying to free herself from Krad's grasp. Krad wouldn't let her go, no matter how much she kicked and clawed and screamed.

Dark slowly walked forward. After about three steps, his legs grew weak and he fell to his knees. Anas turned around and smiled at him. It was a sad, semi-happy smile. There was a trickle of blood running down the corner of her lips.

"Dark," she said softly.

Something about that smile made his heart break in two.

"Why did you do that?" Dark shouted. "How could you do something like that after saying you hate me? Are you stupid or something?"

"I . . ."

Anas closed her eyes and her head fell on Dark's lap.

"Saki! Saki!" Dark shouted.

Anas's eyes opened halfway. "Dark . . . it's getting . . . fuzzy," she whispered.

A lump was forming in Dark's throat. "Why did you do it?" he managed to ask.

"Why?" Anas drew a shaky breath. "I . . . don't . . . know."

Something hot pricked Dark's eyes. A tear slowly dripped down his cheek and splattered below Anas's eye so that it looked like she had shed a tear as well.

"Dark . . . please . . . don't . . ." Anas lifted one trembling hand to Dark's face and brushed off another tear. It left a streak of her blood on his cheek. "Don't . . . do . . . that. Sing . . ."

"Sing! What the hell---!"

Anas placed her index finger over Dark's lips. She smiled softly. "Do it. Sing . . . that part . . . my favorite . . ."

Dark swallowed the lump in his throat and sang out slowly, trying his hardest not to let the tears get the best of him.

"There's a hidden meaning to all things that happen

I hope you'll remain yourself even if your dream begins to disappear because I'll always be here

It's okay even if you're not strong enough to erase all tears

After you rest your tired heart

wish for a better tomorrow and fall asleep

like the young children

This vast world is connected

The white clouds will flow and turn into wind to reach you . . ."

Anas's eyes glowed with happiness. "Thank you. It's a . . . beautiful . . . song . . . isn't it?"

Dark nodded. "Yeah."

"We . . . used to . . . sing . . . it. Back then . . . remember? Now . . . we can't . . ."

Anas closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was a darker light in them. The happiness had vanished and was replaced by intense sadness.

"Dark . . . I want . . . you . . . to . . . know . . ."

Her eyes slowly dimmed and her hand fell back down.

"Saki?" Dark asked.

With one final breath, she breathed, "Dark."

Her head fell to one side. No more blood pulsated out of her wound. Her body grew cold.

"Saki, you didn't finish your sentence!" Dark shouted and shook her. "Saki, tell me! Answer me, dammit! Saki! Saki!"

Dark stopped shaking her and his eyes grew wide to let the heavy tears flow. They fell on Anas's face, but this time she didn't raise her hand to brush them away. The dead can't brush away a loved one's tears. All that's left for uncared tears is to drop down and be forgotten.

Dark wrapped his arms around Saki and hugged her close. He rocked himself back and forth and buried his face in her hair.

"Saki," he whispered. "Saki."

Meanwhile, Dark's display of emotion infuriated Sana even more. Her screeching finally got Dark's attention and he looked up. Both Sana and Krad seemed like indistinct little blurs. In his mind, the danger that Sana posed no longer existed. His grief overpowered it.

"I hate you! I HATE YOU!" she shouted, straining to get to Anas.

"Sumiko, stop this now!" Krad ordered.

"I won't! I was supposed to kill Dark, not Anas."

Dark stared at them blankly.

"You realize this is your fault, right, Dark!" Krad demanded. "Don't try to pin this down on anyone else. It is your fault through and through."

Dark could see Krad holding back Sana and Sana thrashing about, shouting even more offensive words toward Anas. He stared at them, yet it was like they didn't exist. Anas was . . . dead. What could he do? What could he do at that point?

They're right, he thought. It's my fault. It's no use saying I was kidding. It's my fault.

"You think crying is going to earn you sympathy!" Sana screeched, angrier at the sight of the large tears coursing down Dark's face. "Well, forget it. I didn't get any sympathy from you, so you sure as heck won't get it from me!"

Somehow, Sana broke free from Krad's grasp and charged toward Dark. Her golden wings, somewhat stiff from blood, moved her faster than time.

"Dark, if you value your life, move!" Krad shouted.

"Die!" Sana shouted.

The cries fell on deaf ears. Dark had lost himself in his tears.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'M SORRY, SAKI!"

Just then, there was a huge flash of light.