Disclaimer: I do not own the anime, manga, novels, and most importantly the characters of K. K is officially owned by GoRa/GoHands.

Author's Note: Here is a side story that will provide some context for upcoming chapters!

K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

BY: TCOOKIES777

Chapter 21.5: A Parade of Butterflies

"Is reincarnation real?"

Tatara stopped cleaning his camera to glance at the little girl curiously for a moment. "That's an interesting question but why are you suddenly asking that?"

"I had a dream last night." Anna said quietly as she continued observing her companion cleaning the equipment beside her.

"About what?" Tatara went on polishing the camera lenses studiously but Anna knew she had his full undivided attention. He always paid careful attention to her, especially when it came to her dreams. He was often the one to comfort her whenever she had a nightmare.

"I dreamt of a bird." She explained. "It was really big and it was made of fire."

He paused his cleaning for a second to think. "Like a phoenix?"

She nodded. "I was scared. I thought it was going to eat me."

"Did it?"

Anna shook her head, offering him a screwdriver as small as her pinky so he could tinker with the camera. "It just kept flying in circles around me. Its flames were really hot though and I thought it would burn me."

"Flames for wings, huh." Tatara commented. "Can't say that doesn't sound beautiful though. A phoenix is a majestic creature from fabled legends. I've always wanted to see one. But the one from your dream seems scary?"

"I don't know." Anna shrugged unsurely. "It just flew around me. But then at some point it flew towards me and I couldn't move away. When it reached me it… just disappeared. Like it went inside me. Does that make sense?"

Tatara nodded, flicking his eyes to her briefly to express his understanding. "It entered your body but it didn't hurt you right?"

"No, it just engulfed me in its flames for a moment but… it felt warm and comfortable." Anna frowned as she recalled something else. "But as soon as its fire faded, this girl appeared before me."

"A girl?" Tatara paused with his tinkering to glance at Anna in confusion. "Who?"

She hesitated, gripping the folds of her skirt out of discomfort. "Me."

"You?" Tatara echoed her. His frown deepened even further. "You saw yourself?"

"I think." Anna replied, though she didn't think—she was absolutely sure of it. "She looked like me only… older."

He tipped a caramel brow up and said teasingly, "Grandma Anna?"

Anna shook her head, suppressing a small smile. "Not that old. About your age. And she just stood there, staring at me."

"I can't imagine how intense the competition must have been between the two of you." Tatara chuckled as he tugged out the roll of film from the camera's insides.

"And then she slowly lifted her hand up and pointed her finger at me." Anna consciously rubbed the center of her chest. "She said something but I couldn't hear her."

"Did you try reading her mind?" Tatara suggested but then paused when he caught Anna frowning. "Or would that be too weird? Would you be reading your own mind or… maybe since it's a dream that you're unable to?"

"I was going to try" Anna admitted, "but she burst into flames before I could. She erupted into a plume of fire, taking on the form of a phoenix."

"The same phoenix from earlier?" Tatara had started slowing down with his tinkering, as if he was starting to get caught up with Anna's story.

"Yes." Anna said, watching how his hands moved with such fluidity and gentleness as he worked on his device. It was the same camera Mikoto had broken from their date and Tatara had brought it to a repair shop to get it fixed. It was usable now but Tatara had wanted to fix the other minor kinks it still had. "But then it swirled into a storm of fire before its flames revealed… a sword."

"What? Why a sword?" The cover of the camera clicked shut and Tatara held it up to peer through the eyepiece, testing it out.

"I don't know." Anna said after a split second of hesitance. She wasn't sure if she should mention that the rose gold blade was a Sword of Damocles she had never seen before. "It wasn't hot when I grabbed it though. It just…"

"What?" Tatara stopped his work to look at her with worry. He knew she had never touched a weapon before and probably never would in her life. "Were you hurt?"

"No, it just…" Anna struggled to find the right words to explain what she was trying to say. "When I touched the sword, it showed me these images."

"Were they…" From the corner of her eye, Anna caught Tatara biting his lip unsurely. "Were they visions?"

The air filled with a bit of tension at his question. Anna's visions were always a tentative matter considering they were often hints of misfortune and tragedy. It'd been quite a long time since she last had a premonition and it was something she didn't really remember anyways. For all she knew, her last premonition may have already come to pass.

"I don't remember." Anna lied with a neutral face. "When I woke up, I was already forgetting most of the dream. I just remember that, afterwards, the sword faded away from my hands and then I erupted into flames. The next thing I knew, I was flying over the city and it was snowing. I didn't know where I was going but my wings were trying to take me somewhere. I… I think I became a phoenix."

By now, Tatara had stopped fixing his camera and was simply gazing down at the coffee table. He looked lost in thought but then he asked, "Is that why you asked if reincarnation was real?"

Anna nodded. "Remember? You once read to me a book about wizards and magic and there was this bird that died but then it rose from its own ashes."

"Ah! That was years ago though. You'd only recently began to live with us. I'm surprised you remember."

"The bird from the book was sort of like that… only it was made of flames." Anna pressed a hand against her chest. "Even so, it seemed… really sad. And angry. Lonely too. The heat of its flames were as hot as its feelings. And it was feeling so much…"

"You're a very sensitive girl, Anna. Your empathetic powers allow you to easily sense emotions." Tatara laid a comforting hand atop of her head. "I think that bird was in pain."

"I think so too." Anna agreed quietly. "I wanted to help it but I didn't know how."

"Maybe that's why it flew into you." Tatara paused his work to look at her thoughtfully. Only, it wasn't just his typical, kind gaze. He looked her way as if there was something about Anna that made his eyes become distant and solemn. "It sought someone who could shelter it with a gentle kindness and love. And it found you."

"Me?" Anna echoed in bewilderment. She did not believe she was a good person. Not when she had hurt so many people with her powers.

Turning to the little princess who clutched her dress insecurely, Tatara tapped his finger against the center of Anna's chest. His warm, amber eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. "Despite what people may think of your powers, you're a good person, Anna. And that goodness of yours is both a strength and weakness. But, like your Strain abilities, your goodness is a power only you can control. If you want to use your powers, that's fine. If you don't want to use your powers then that's fine too.

But that phoenix you dreamt of… I'm sure it came to you because it knew you had the power to make things right and heal it."

He faced his palms upwards and a golden butterfly bloomed from the small plume of flames that shot from his hands. It flitted its wings of light between the two clansmen, bathing their faces in its buttery warmth.

"A butterfly is the symbol of rebirth and transcendence." Tatara smiled as the golden butterfly flitted across his hands, leaving a trail of sparkling embers.

"Rebirth and transcendence?" Anna echoed, her eyes following the flaming butterfly dancing between them.

"It conveys the choice to transcend, meaning you are ready to let go of something or someone." The light of the butterfly flying about casted a mischievous look in Tatara's amber eyes. His voice remained even but on the edge of teasing as he explained to Anna the meaning of the butterfly. "For rebirth, well, it means exactly that—a new cycle of life after death."

"So reincarnation is real?" Anna asked. Tatara noted the interest in her monotonous tone and even caught a glimpse of excitement glimmering in her wine-red eyes.

He smiled wryly in response. "Perhaps if you believe in it."

Anna peered at him with her head tipped to the side in thought. "Do you…?"

Tatara didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he continued studying the flaming butterfly he held in his hands. The butterfly was a specialty of his—something he was proud of and loved entertaining Anna with whenever she was down. While the other men were of strength and power, Tatara was of finesse and gentleness. When he finally spoke, his voice had quieted down with a degree of seriousness as he spoke. "If I died, I would want to be reincarnated. But not so I can relive my old life. I mean, it'd be nice to start myself a new story, you know? Another story full of happiness."

Slowly, Anna raised her hands and clasped them around Tatara's, squeezing his fingers and pressing them against her chest. The butterfly disappeared in a short flash of sparks. "Thanks, Tatara..."

The young man winked at her before returning to his work spread before him on the table. Picking up his near complete camera, he inspected it carefully. "All right, I think it's ready! All I gotta do is screw the cover back on and we're good to go! Once I finish, how about going out to get some ice cream and visit the park? The day is too beautiful to not go out and film some fun."

Smiling softly out of delight, Anna nodded in response. Then she paused, remembering her question from earlier.

Is reincarnation real?

Tatara had never given her a real answer.

Anna decided that she would just have to ask him another time. Besides, they were about to go out for some ice cream and fun. She couldn't wait to film some quality time with Tatara and show how their day went when the guys returned.

While Anna waited for Tatara to finish placing the camera cover back on, she glanced outside through the large windows of the bar. Her sharp eyes caught sight of a butterfly with wings so bright orange it looked like fire under the rays of the sun. It fluttered around the window, landing against the glass pane for a moment before taking off to dance on a soft breeze.

And Anna thought to herself, today is too beautiful.

Hope this package of 4 chapters in 4 days made your week! Next update will be next month!

Reviews are very appreciated!