The other two soon left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. However, my exhaustion soon took over and I could hardly keep my eyes open. Just as I was about to drift off in my desk chair, I heard the quietest of whimpers outside the door of my studio. 

It was a familiar voice, and the obvious pain in it made my heart sink lower then it had been before. Taehyung had been your friend. He had latched on so quickly and so fully that this mess must have crushed him. And however much I missed you, I had a responsibility to take care of him too. 

Pulling myself away from the oh-so needed rest, I stood and walked over, opening the door. I lifted his aching form from the floor, wiped his tears and lifted his chin. 

"Let's go outside," Was all I said. He nodded and I lead him to the front door. He didn't resist as I pulled a coat over his shaking shoulders, he just allowed me to do as I wished. I took him out into the cold and the two of us wandered down the mostly empty sidewalk. The streets had yet to be plowed of snow so all was quiet around us other then the now-quiet sniffles of Tae. 

"Taehyung...it was a tragedy. I know you're scared it was something more, what with all these 'clues'. But I read the police report yesterday. Faulty wiring caught her laundry on fire." 

At this, he broke down. In relief, really. With the polaroids and circumstances, it almost seemed to be something more. Some sort of crime committed against you and against us. But to hear that you weren't killed out of hate, that it simply happened by nobody's hand...it released some of the weight on our hearts. 

Though I still felt that something connected all the polaroids together. 

"It's fire." Taehyung whispered in between the quiet sniffles. "It can't have been an accident. The polaroids. The fire." 

I shook my head. "No, Taehyung. A few of the photos have fire in them, but not all. There's one of me, remember?" I dismissed it and to change the subject, we went into a shop. 

It happened to be a hair parlor. 

I spoke to the silver-haired barber who seemed to be very emotional concerning my request. Tae and I needed a change. Something to help us transition into this new part of our lives. PD-nim wouldn't be happy but if Jin could cut his hair I'm sure we could dye ours. 

I ushered Tae into a chair and I sat in one beside him. Tae chose a light red, in memory of you I'm sure. I chose blonde. The hair-dresser introduced himself as Sejun. He didn't speak much as he dyed our hair but at the end he told us it was free of cost. I didn't know how much of your incident was covered on the news, but he definitely knew. We paid him anyways. 

Afterwards, Tae seemed to be almost himself again. He smiled at himself in the mirror, the first smile I had seen from him since...well. You know. And though it was a weak smile, it was genuine and sweet. 

Sejun's eyes were glossy as he waved us goodbye. The walk home was happier and the lightly-falling snow made Tae look like an angel. Oh, that great smile of his. 

When we got home, the other boys awed over the new colors and for a moment, everyone seemed okay. Everyone was looking thin and tired, so Jin went to make food for us all. 

I went to my studio and grabbed the polaroids, bringing them back into the living room were everyone was. After Tae's comments, I wanted to look over them again but not alone. 

I sat on my favorite chair while everyone talked and looked over them one by one. And as I looked at them, I realized he was correct. 

"You were right." The boys looked up. "It's fire." I watched as Jin walked back in to listen. Namjoon's heart dropped and his mouth opened to speak but I stopped him. "That's the connection. They're not clues. They're just a memorandum of the times she felt fire in her heart. The times she felt love so clearly that it was like a fire inside her. Look at them." 

"So many at the bonfire...a few on the drive there....this one that we took of her hair, and this one that she took of me...and then this one of all of us." 

Again, our eyes were filled with tears but this time not by pain. This time it was because we loved you and we missed you but we knew we were going to be okay. 

Ah this chapter made me smile.

Have a great day, loves.