Hiya! This is my first attempt at a Fanfiction, so if you have any suggestions, please comment and let me know! This Fic will start off at the end of Episode 13 of the anime, and continue on as long as I have ideas. I haven't read the light novels or anything, so anything I write probably won't coincide with what happens in those suck it Shuichi.
Sound! Euphonium doesn't belong to me, or things would be slightly different, yadayada.
Enjoy!
Kumiko felt sick with nerves. Her stomach was taut, and twisted as she sat on the ground next to Reina, Hazuki-chan, and Midori-chan. After they and the rest of the band had finished playing, they had to wait for the rest of the schools to finish playing before the judges would announce the scores. Kumiko had felt great about their performance at first, but the wait had her second guessing things. What if she had messed up her part, or played it a touch too slow and didn't notice? Taki-sensei had said that if she didn't play it correctly, it would throw off the rest of the band. She felt her stomach tighten even more.
A cool finger prodded her cheek, breaking her from her thoughts and making her jump.
"We did great." The confident words came from her left, the familiar, calm tone making her nerves instantly shrink slightly.
"R-Reina.." Kumiko flicked her amber gaze to meet the burning violet eyes that bored seemingly straight into her soul. Reina had her head held high, and was trying to make Kumiko feel as confident as she did.
"You did that part perfectly, all of your hard practice paid off you know." Reina continued, as if she had been reading the brunette's mind. Kumiko felt her heart swell with gratitude at the kind words, and she thanked Reina with a smile. She knew the dark haired girl wouldn't tell her that unless it was true, and wouldn't lie to her just to make her feel better. Kumiko liked that about Reina. She turned away and took a shaky breath, balling her hands into fists while she willed her confidence from earlier to come back. Her worried expression from before was now replaced by one of determination as she looked at the competition banner.
To her right, Midori-chan's voice brought her out of the trance.
"I'm so nervous…" she whimpered, cupping her face in her hands, eyes closed. Hazuki-chan leaned toward her, looking just as nervous as the curly haired girl, even though she hadn't played with the rest of them.
"I can't take this tension!" she agreed, placing her hands on her own face as well. Kumiko turned away from them, and felt her stomach tighten again, this time with anticipation. She screwed her eyes shut, and brought her clenched hands to her mouth.
'Come on, please hurry!' She prayed in her mind, wishing the judges would announce the ranks already. If she had to wait any longer, she might just burst.
As if granting that wish, she heard someone call out. It might have been Reina, but she wasn't sure.
"It's coming!" Kumiko's head snapped up, eyes open again as she looked at where the three judges were. They unfurled the banner, letting it roll open over the bannister, revealing the scores. Her eyes flicked over it, searching for her school's name. Around her, other students cheered as they found their own rank, but right now all Kumiko could hear was the quick beating of her heart, which drowned out everyone else. Finally, she found Kitauji's rank, and she stared at it open-mouthed. As if she was moving automatically, she looked over at Reina, whose head was buried in her knees, wanting to confirm that the score was real. Reina slowly lifted her head, looking at the brunette, her violet eyes full of tears.
"Kumiko…" Her voice was choked up slightly with emotion, causing Kumiko to inhale sharply. Her eyes scanned the banner again.
GOLD – Kitauji High School
She read it again. And again.
"Gold.." She murmured aloud, still in slight disbelief. She glanced over at Hazuki and Midori, who were hugging each other tightly in excitement as they cried out in joy. Kumiko continued looking around, her gaze landing on a few of her band mates, who had quieted down to listen to the head judge as he announced who would be going on. This was it, this is what all their work had boiled down to. A dud gold, or a ticket to nationals. Ears strained, she listened intently.
"The schools moving on to the Kansai Competition are…"
Every noise in the concert hall faded away for Kumiko. The gasps around her went unheard. The judge's voice disappeared entirely as he continued with the other school names. Even her heartbeat was silent to her this time as she processed what was said. As all of her band mates processed what was said.
Suddenly, Kumiko was pushed sideways slightly as Reina threw her arms around her, once again breaking her from her trance, bringing back all the noise with her. She quickly regained her balance and grasped the raven haired girl's hand, threading their fingers together. If she had been in disbelief before, it was nothing compared to the pleasant shock she felt now. They had gotten a real Gold! They were going to nationals!
Reina squeezed her hand, and Kumiko squeezed it back in response. This wasn't like back in middle school where the two girls' band had only gotten a dud gold. This was the real deal. Kumiko had come to Kitauji to start fresh, and she truly has. This victory was the perfect way to solidify that start.
As Kumiko and her friends boarded the bus back to school, she felt like she was walking on air. It wasn't only Reina who held her head high now, it was all of the Kitauji Concert Band. She sat down next to Reina, who had picked out a seat towards the back, Hazuki and Midori sitting in the seat in front of them. All around them, excited chittering could be heard as all the students talked amongst each other. However, there was only one person who Kumiko was really paying attention to.
"So, Kumiko." Reina said nonchalantly, turning her gaze away from the window and towards her seat-mate. "How long are we going to hold hands like this?" In the midst of all the excitement, they had kept their hands intertwined, forgotten, up until this moment.
"KYAH!" Kumiko felt her face flush, and even the tips of her ears went pink. Now that she thought about it, they had even taken a picture in front of the concert hall with their certificate and trophy. Their hands hadn't been visible to the camera, she was certain, but that didn't mean that nobody had noticed. Or that they wouldn't notice that they had walked around together hand in hand. In fact, it was probably very noticeable. 'My face could probably fry an egg right now it's so warm.' She quickly brushed the thought away; now was not the time to think about her favourite food. "I'm sorry!" She tried letting go, but was unable to due to Reina's death grip. This, of course, caused her blush to darken. She looked at her quizzically. "Reina?"
"Just a little longer." She replied, an expression that couldn't be placed on her face. Kumiko's gaze softened slightly.
"O-okay." Kumiko obliged with a shy nod, her blush darker than ever. She slowly tightened her fingers back in place, and tried to avoid looking into Reina's eyes. After a few moments, Kumiko calmed down and her blush faded away. Soon enough, a contented sigh slipped out of both of them, causing them to look at each other. Kumiko laughed the same laugh from earlier on the train after their elbow war, while Reina smiled warmly. They both dropped the other's hand.
"We did it." Kumiko filled the peaceful silence that followed, not really directing the comment to anyone in particular, but knowing that Reina would respond. She kept her gaze to the seat in front of her, watching bemusedly as one of Midori's curls that was visible over the seat bounced with the movements of the bus.
"I told you we did great." Reina nodded, flicking her gaze towards the brunette. She paused. "Kumiko." Her tone changed as she said the name, demanding the attention of the girl next to her, but at the same time, it was uncertain. The brunette's amber eyes immediately turned to the violet ones staring at her.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I'm special?" She asked quietly. Kumiko's eyes widened at the question, surprised. In fact, the question made her a little upset. Didn't they go over this at the audition?
"Everyone knows how good you are, they heard you play at the audition, and now we got gold. To be honest, I don't think we could have gotten a real gold if Kaori-senpai did the solo." She replied.
"Kumiko, that's not what I asked. I know I did better in the solo. I'm asking if you think I'm special." She fidgeted a little bit. Kumiko made a little 'o' with her mouth. It was her turn to fidget.
"Yeah, I do. You've always been special." She said softly, flicking her eyes away before continuing. "To me, anyways." She played with the good luck charm that Hazuki, Natsuki-senpai, and the others had made for her unconsciously, tracing her initials. Reina's cheeks were dusted with a rosy pink, and she quickly turned back to the window before Kumiko could see, even though her own cheeks were also flushed.
"Good." She murmured. The bus came to a stop, and she realized they were in front of the school. A movement towards the front of the bus caught everyone's attention; Taki-sensei stood up and clapped his hands together twice.
"Okay everybody, I just want to say a few things before we get off. You all did amazing, and deserved that Gold. However, we will need to continue to work hard if we want to do well at nationals. I think that if we put forth the same effort we did before this competition towards nationals, we can win." He paused, for effect, letting it sink in. A few whispers were heard, but stopped as he continued. "Trombones. Tsukamoto-san in particular." Shuichi gulped and looked at the young director nervously. "You did that part very well, good job. Kousaka-san." Shuichi let out a sigh of relief, causing a few people near him to chuckle. Reina picked her head up slightly to look over the seat better as her name was called. "Your solo was improved since the audition, and you did very well; good job. Oumae-san." Kumiko thought she saw Reina's smile turn a little smug, but it was gone in an instant so she wasn't sure. She felt her stomach drop at her name, but Reina elbowed her in the side softly, reminding her of what she said earlier. "I didn't forget that you told me you could play that part, and you proved it. Good job." He smiled his awkward little smile. Hazuki and Midori looked behind them at the brunette, both giving her a grin and thumbs up in agreement. Kumiko felt her cheeks redden slightly at the attention, and smiled her thanks to her friends.
"Now, everyone, I want the students in charge of moving instruments to round up a few people to help you put them away; as for the rest of you, I'll see you at practice, and have a safe trip home." With that, he got off the bus and went inside, presumably up to his desk. Everyone got up and started filing off the bus, a few stopping to ask others to help bring instruments inside. Shuichi came over, about to ask Kumiko, but then changed his mind when thinking of what happened after the competition. He asked Hazuki instead, and she went slightly pink before turning to Kumiko and Midori and apologizing. They had made plans earlier to go and get a shake on the way home.
"I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!" She promised. "We can get shakes then!" With that, she and Shuichi were gone. Kumiko sighed in slight relief; she hadn't wanted Shuichi to ask her. The rest of them weren't apart of the instrument moving group, and nobody else come up to ask them to help, so Kumiko, Midori, and Reina headed home together.
When they got to the train station they parted from Midori-chan, as she rode a different train than Kumiko and Reina. Before she left, Midori gave a knowing look to Kumiko, along with a sly grin.
"Don't have too much fun; bye you guys!" She whispered the first part to Kumiko before saying goodbye to both of them, the doors of her train, as well as any window of opportunity for Kumiko to reply, closing behind her. The brunette stared after the train as it pulled away. 'What did she mean by that?' She continued staring before realizing that she was probably referring to her and Reina holding hands, and her mouth dropped open, cheeks flushed. She stayed that way for a few minutes, and if not for Reina, would have missed their train. The dark haired girl grabbed Kumiko's elbow and tugged it, causing her to jolt out of her thoughts.
"Kumiko, come on, the train's about to leave." She waved a hand in front of the amber eyes in front of her.
"R-right, sorry!" Kumiko hurried and sat down in the compartment, Reina following suit. Her violet eyes stared at her quizzically.
"What did Kawashima-san say to you?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. Kumiko felt her cheeks redden.
"N-n-nothing! Midori-chan didn't say anything!" Her hand waved back and forth in front of her quickly, hoping Reina would drop the subject. Needless to say, she didn't.
"Come on, she must have said something." Reina stared at Kumiko, her eyes demanding that she tell her. However, Kumiko held her ground for once, as hard as it was. Reina always won things like this, and when she noticed Kumiko wasn't going to say anything, she pouted. "Fine, I won't tell you what she told me when you were in the restroom." This caused Kumiko's eyes to widen, and her curiosity was piqued.
"Reiiinaaa." She complained, drawing out the syllables of the girl's name. The raven haired girl shook her head.
"I'm not telling you unless you tell me what she just said." Kumiko thought about this. Figuring that Reina only wanted to trick her into saying by getting her curious, she continued holding her ground.
"She didn't say anything." She repeated, though her voice was less stubborn this time. Reina's smile of triumph faded into a frown. She had thought that Kumiko would want to know.
"You're terrible." She sniffed, mockingly upset. Kumiko grinned, glad that she was dropping it. The train stopped at their stop, and they walked out of the station together.
"So, Reina, Taki-sensei looked pretty pleased with your solo." The brunette teased with a wink, breaking the short silence. The dark haired girl stopped in her tracks and stared back. The reaction caused Kumiko's smile to falter; she had expected her to have that smug smile she thought she saw earlier, but that was not the case.
"Kumiko." The hard tone had her even more confused. She backpedaled, worried that she had upset Reina quite a bit.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't say it to be mean, I was just joking around, and I know you said it was embarrassing, I just didn't think you would take it this way and-" Reina shook her head and placed her hand over Kumiko's mouth to stop her from talking.
"You're rambling." She took her hand back. "What kind of love did you think I meant when I told you I loved Taki-sensei?" Her question caught Kumiko by surprise, yet again. Kumiko's brow furrowed.
"Like, romantically." Kumiko was still confused; she didn't understand just what the point was that Reina was trying to make. With a shake of her head, Reina completely had Kumiko baffled.
"No, Kumiko, that's not how I meant it at all. He's quite a bit older for one, and for two, I'm into someone else. The love I have for Taki-sensei is more of an admiration. He's an amazing instructor. I mean, he took Kitauji from a bronze all the way to Nationals within a year!" With such an explanation, Kumiko understood now. All this time, she thought she was head over heels for the guy, when in reality she just admired his work. A part of her was relieved, another was extremely curious about who she liked, and yet another was something she couldn't place; it wasn't positive, whatever it was.
"I'm sorry, I completely misunderstood you this whole time!" She placed her hands together and bowed her head in apology. Reina started walking again, and Kumiko followed her.
"It's okay, I suppose I should've clarified earlier." She nodded. Before Kumiko even knew what she was saying, she asked what she had been wondering.
"Who do you like then?" Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I mean, you don't have to say if you don't want to or anything." She tacked on, hoping Reina wouldn't get upset again. Those violet eyes turned to her, containing the same expression Kumiko couldn't place from before when she asked to continue holding hands.
"I'll tell you another time." She replied finally, with a slight edge of exasperation to her voice that went unnoticed by Kumiko, who frowned slightly. The part of her that felt something she couldn't place was now most of what she was feeling right now. She nodded.
"Okay, sounds like a plan." Kumiko stopped; they were already at the crosswalk where they would part ways to go to their houses. "Next time?" She asked hopefully. She knew she was being pushy, but she couldn't help it. She was dying to know who Reina liked. Said girl rolled her eyes, but seriously pondered the question for a few minutes.
"We'll see." She said softly, her eyes searching for something in Kumiko's amber gaze. "Text me when you make it home please; you do have your phone this time, right?" She continued in her normal, calm tone. Kumiko squirmed slightly.
"Yeah, I will, I have it this time. You text me when you get home too." She replied, offering an apologetic smile. Reina smiled back and nodded.
"Will do."