A/N: WOW… I've had this story plot in my notebook for maybe 3 weeks – 1month but last night it kept buggin' me so I decided, "What the hell, I'll write it now." SO last night I wrote 3 pages and I was planning only to continue a bit today, but I guess I cut it and left it at a cliffy(?). This is my first H!E fic so go easy on me. I hope you'll like it. Read and Review PLEASE. Enjoy!

~Khazumi Shintori

Disclaimer: Don't own it… Hibike! Euphonium, that is. Don't own the Mikagura reference either, sorry.

Teachers and Brass Bands

Prologue: Teachers and Brass Bands

Music surrounding the halls with a feeling most unfamiliar, but very welcome all the same. Waves of euphoria washed over all the players as it gave way to a scene of serenity among the band members. They had just finished the piece. They were the favorites to win the competition. They had practiced harder than anyone, they claimed. They had the utmost confidence in their capabilities… so then, why? Why were the results so blindingly unreal?

Mikagura Gakuen: Silver

You didn't have to be Albert Einstein or Thomas Edison to know what it meant. The banner said it all. They had fallen into second place. The fire in their hearts, put out. Her passion for music- locked away. Why? They were the best in the whole nation, the school that won each and every year. An InterMusic university, so they said. Was it because she took the solos this year?

'You shouldn't have switched instruments, show-off.' A voice echoed in her head. An insult. Her pride had taken the best of her. 'If I kept playing the euph, would the results have been different?' She thought to herself.

"Oumae-san." A voice called her. She looked up, pulled out of her trance. She was the only one left seated in the massive hall, that was once filled with an audience. Everyone had already left, Kumiko had yet to recover from the shock and move forward.

"Taki…" she responded, still gripping her trumpet in her hand, acknowledging the man's presence.

"You know it's not your fault right?" Her sempai in college smiled at her, though it seemed to be an empty one, devoid of its usual uplifting powers.

"Yeah… I know." She responded. The older man just offered her another smile. This time though, it was full of pity and another indescribable emotion.

I don't.

I don't know.

I should've known.

"Oumae, geniuses are born to fail, stars are made to fall. Someday… you will too."

'Beep-beep-beep'

"Ugh…" The figure moved around, tossing and turning in bed trying to block out the annoying sounds of a beeping alarm clock. "What the hell." She covered her head with a pillow trying to drown out the sounds with the soft cushion. "Why the hell is my alarm on?" She mumbled to herself, gathering enough resolve to actually get up and get her alarm to shut up. Why is it on in the first place? Just as she was about to sink back into the realm of bliss, unusually fast sounds of footsteps approached her room.

"Oumae Kumiko!" The voice bellowed. All but throwing open her door resulting in it banging against the wall.

Due to human reflex, Kumiko found herself tightening her grip on the pillow that was covering her ears.

"Ugh… Shut up Nee-chan. Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" Kumiko buried her head deep into the softness of her bed. She tried her best to ignore her sister's incoherent mumbling to herself.

"You told me to make sure to wake you up, remember? You're supposed to go out today. Something about meeting up with Taki again for some job he offered." Mamiko sighed out as she leaned against the doorframe of Kumiko's bedroom. Hearing all this and registering it in her half-conscious state, Kumiko immediately shot up from her bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Thanks! Love you!" She yelled at her elder sister as she shut the bathroom door behind her.

Sinking into the warm waters of the bath, she pondered on her dream last night.

'What the hell was that about? That was two years ago. Why am I thinking about it now?'

That year was her junior year, well senior, if you consider the fact that she graduated before her entire batch. She felt compelled to do so- or rather, she felt pressured by her anxiety. The reactions her class would have, especially those in the band, who along with her, had lost the competition- she was afraid of them. It was a huge failure to Kumiko. She felt that she could no longer show her face in school. Thus she resolved herself to study hard and take the senior's final exams, finishing early. How she got permission from the teachers to do that is a mystery in itself.

'Hah… I sure was desperate.' Kumiko laughed at her pathetic state before and even now.

Noboru Taki, her sempai who was two years her senior and Mamiko's classmate, had attended the competition to watch her after her invitation, despite knowing that he had work to do. It being his first year at his new job only served to add guilt to Kumiko's conscience. He reassured her that it was fine, though he wasn't that convincing.

"Ah… I forgot. I'm supposed to be there before 8:30 right?" Pulled out of her train of thoughts, Kumiko spared a quick glance at the bathroom clock.

'7:13' it read.

It was still quite early and she knew she shouldn't be excited, but she couldn't help but hurry up her morning rituals a bit. It wasn't like her but it wasn't every day that you were offered a job either.

'A job, huh? Question is… what job is he gonna give me?' Kumiko thought of all the possibilities of the job that she could have. Her eyes widened, her face contorting into one of sheer disgust, as her mind drifted to one particular job. "Taki… don't tell me you're gonna make me a janitor…" Imagining having to clean all those filthy stalls left by irresponsible and whatever teen-

'Oh right… I'm one too, aren't I? A teen that is, disregarding the irresponsible and whatever parts, i'm still a teen.' She sighed at herself.

Rechecking the clock, she noted that she had spent ten minutes lost in her thoughts and an extra five in actually cleaning up. Deciding that it was enough, she left the bath and changed into casual wear, though thinking on it, Taki might scold her. It's still a formal job after all. Changing into a short-sleeved white blouse and black fitting pants she decided to go with that and went to eat her breakfast, wisely choosing to steer clear from the hassle of being lectured by the music major.

"Morning hon." Her mother greeted, as she came waltzing down the stairs.

"Mornin'" She replied as she sat down and ate. Her mother handed her a neatly wrapped bento to which she complained. "Mom…" Her voice dragged. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"EH? Kumiko, thanks to you and your sister graduating too early, I don't get to enjoy being a mother of two highschool girls! You're sixteen for crying out loud!" Her mom whined.

'Right...'

Since they were small, Kumiko and Mamiko had been graced with astounding knowledge and talent. Their parents even wondered if they were their kids, which kinda hurt in a sense but... y'know. At the age of three and five, Kumiko and Mamiko, respectively, took a great interest in the euphonium- An odd choice, considering the instrument was not that popular, but still they insisted on learning it.

Their ever supportive parents, wanting their children to grow in... let's say more ways than one, agreed to it, and by the age of five, Kumiko had already entered primary school.

Geniuses not only in music, but in other areas of academics as well, both skipped many grades, entering college at the very young age of fourteen, Mamiko graduating at sixteen, skipping one year, but Kumiko taking only two years, graduated at fifteen.

'Come to think of it, I skipped six years of school. I hardly remember what school life was like.' Kumiko sighed, taking the bento from her overjoyed mother's hands, Mamiko doing the same as she sat down for breakfast.

Mamiko had taken a course in the entertainment and music industry and was currently a famous composer and performer. Kumiko though, was won over by the concept of lounging on the couch and relaxing everyday rather than working, thus she was still jobless despite graduating last year. That is, until Taki had pulled her into his little world.

'I think i kind of regret that part though' She thought as she brought her dishes to the sink.

Kumiko bid her mother and sister farewell as she walked to the train station. She kept the little map Taki had given to her in case she got lost. 'I'm not totally hopeless with directions you know.' She huffed as she boarded the train going to her destination.

Kitauji Highschool.

8:07am. That was the time she arrived. She was still early, she knew, but it didn't hurt to be a bit early right? She did promise Taki and he was a good friend, so much so that he would even give her a job offer at the school he worked at. Looking around the said school though, she observed something-

"Doesn't look like anything special." Kumiko said out loud. True, it was blunt and seemed a bit harsh, yet no one could deny that fact.

"Of all places, Taki, Why did you choose here?" She wondered. Noboru Taki was a man nothing short of gifted. Kumiko knew her friend had received one-to-many offers to teach at prestigious and cutting-edge schools, so it came as a huge surprise when Taki revealed to her his plans of teaching at one of those 'not-even-sure-if-this-school-exists' or 'never-heard-of-this-school' schools.

'Oh right. His father used to teach here.' Kumiko recalled the main reason her male compadre decided on this particular school.

Entering the gates, she tried to locate the administrative office. Walking for a bit, she reached a certain part of the school, not minding the stares she got from some students.

'What do you care? So what if I'm not wearing the required uniform? I don't even go to school here for crying out loud- wait… I don't GO to school anymore, well not for studying reasons that is.' She replied to those whispers around her, though only in her mind. She kept walking until-

A tune, a melody, a song.

Kumiko's highly trained ears picked up on a certain sound, something all too familiar to her, except the fact that they seemed to be insulting the composer by giving off a half-assed performance of could have been a great piece.

Approaching the small crowd of students situated in a seemingly wide area, Kumiko caught sight of what looked like the school's very own brass band. 'And all they'll ever win is brass too I guess. Maybe even lower.' Kumiko thought to herself. Honestly, why other people enjoyed it so much, she wished she could relate. She couldn't hear what they were hearing, and they certainly couldn't tell the difference between how good or how bad this performance was like she could.

Kumiko walked away from the crowd and went inside the main building, deciding that she'd rather not aggravate herself so early in the morning by listening to something that wasn't even worth anything in the actual competition. Finding a layout of the school inside, she located her target room and arrived there with ease. 'See Taki? I'm not hopeless with directions!' She smiled proudly to herself.

Standing by the huge mahogany door, Kumiko knocked soundly with the words 'Excuse me' and being replied with a 'come in', she pushed open the door.

Upon opening it, she was greeted by the pleasant sight of her friend standing beside a man, who Kumiko assumed was the chairman of the school.

"Ah! You must be Oumae-kun. Please come in and have seat." The jolly- Kumiko thought he was a jolly type of guy- man coaxed. "Noboru-kun has been telling me a lot about you." He smiled. He seemed to be eyeing Kumiko from head to toe, the poor girl squirming under his gaze. The man seemed to have taken notice of her uncomfortable state and apologized.

"Sorry. Actually seeing you in person, it confirms the information Taki has been telling me." He explained. "Not that I don't believe in him, it's just... well anyway, thank you for accepting this job. We've been a bit short on staff, but with your talent, as Taki described, you might be a great help to us." Kumiko listened, though she couldn't avoid opening her mouth.

"Sir, I don't really get what you're saying. And what information? Can you please elaborate?" Kumiko sighed. She didn't understand a thing. The man turned to Taki and asked a few more questions, ignoring Kumiko's curiousness before returning his attention to Kumiko and looking at her once more.

"Still… you are quite young aren't you, Oumae-kun?" He said. Kumiko raised a brow at that. She was expecting it. Many had already questioned her about her age, but it was still difficult to get used to.

'Oh so that's what he was having a hard time in asking. Not that I mind.' Kumiko thought. "Yes sir. Sixteen to be exact, well turning sixteen."

"Oh? So technically, you would've been a freshman if not for your genius?"

"I guess so, sir." Kumiko replied. 'Genius?'

"Hmmm… well, I guess that's all Oumae-kun-"

"Huh?"

"-and Taki will be the one responsible in showing you around and briefing you on your job."

With those words Kumiko stepped out with Taki, still overwhelmed by the whole situation that just occurred. The lack of information was gnawing at her and she turned to the person who held the answers.

"Sorry about that. It's just that… everyone in the staff found it hard to believe that a sixteen year old girl would be working with us." He smiled at her sheepishly.

"What exactly do you have planned for me, Taki?" Kumiko asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well, you see… I'm the music teacher here, but someone had to take a maternity leave so I had to cover for her, though maybe you would like to do that? Or would you prefer covering my subject instead?" Taki asked her.

"I'm going to teach?"

"well for a while, yeah."

"Without a license?"

"It will only be temporary, unless you're going to take an exam for one, we wouldn't mind in the slightest."

"Anyway, do you want to cover for her or for me?"

Kumiko weighed her options. 'Hmmm… teach a music class or another class? I do love music, but I can't decide yet till I know what the other one is.'

"What class are you covering for this teacher currently?" She asked.

"English." He responded as the bell rung, resounding around the entirety of the school.

"Heh… can't we like… do it alternate? I kinda want to try doing both." Kumiko said honestly, interested in this proposition and the mere mention of having at least a bit of experience in teaching.

"Not a bad suggestion. I'll tell the chairman, but for now, maybe you should go around the school. Don't forget to come to the teacher's lounge at two-thirty. I'm taking you somewhere." Taki said, seriously pondering the offer, then acting as if he had his own little proposition later.

"Huh?"

"You'll know later." And with that he left her to enter one of the many classrooms.

Kumiko had spent the whole day roaming around and more or less found zero entertainment in the campus. It was about five-past-two and Kumiko decided that that was enough sightseeing for now. Heading back to locate the teacher's lounge as she was instructed by Taki, she bumped into someone.

"Sorry."

"Excuse me."

Kumiko thought she was dreaming. She probably was, but who cares? Standing before her was a beauty. A real one. One with onyx hair and eyes the color of- I don't know actually, but Kumiko was entranced as the figure stared right back at her before averting her gaze and bowing before running off to wherever.

Kumiko found Taki waiting for her and they started heading off to wherever he was planning on taking her, but her mind was still on the girl she had just bumped into. 'Who was that? Will I see her again.' Her mind was plagued with these thoughts until-

"Ouch! What the- Taki!" Kumiko whined as she rubbed her reddening forehead. "I know I wasn't paying attention, but did you have to flick my forehead so hard?" She gave him a glare.

"Sorry, sorry." He replied chuckling.

"You don't sound sorry at all." Kumiko huffed, small tear droplets forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Sorry. It was the only way i could think without having to raise my voice, but as I was saying… we're here." He pointed to a door. It was a music room and students seemed to be in it. Bustling about, preparing their BRASS instruments.

"No… No, no... no, no, no...NOoooo NO way Taki. This was not part of my job description." She looked at him like she was being forced to a death sentence, stepping away from the door.

"You had one?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Taki! You know me! I'm fine with teaching music class or whatever, but I am most certainly NOT going to be affiliated with any band, ESPECIALLY one composed of many brass instruments." Kumiko stated.

"Some are woodwinds though…"

"I don't really care! Anyway I'm not gonna do whatever you wanna ask me." she said turning around.

"But I haven't even asked." Kumiko began to walk away, but felt a strong hand gripping her arm. She looked at Taki, his expression darkened.

"Kumiko… don't you think…" Taki looked into her eyes sincerely. "That it's time to face the music? You're a talented musician. Why not use it? You'll be amazed what these kids can do- I think." Taki said. Kumiko looked at him as if he was joking, though knowing him, he might as well be.

"I know what they can do, I heard them this morning and I am not impressed in the slightest." Kumiko replied firmly recalling the performance that morning.

After pondering on something, Taki snapped his fingers. "Well, there is someone who might catch your interest though." He said. "Please Kumiko. Just one session. That's all I ask. I wanted you to be my assistant in directing, but you don't seem ready for that yet, but please?" Taki almost looked desperate. He wanted to help her get over the past, but did she want to? Kumiko sighed. She's been sighing a lot lately.

"One session."

"Huh?"

"I'll watch one session. If I don't like it, I'm out." Kumiko turned to him saying this was a one time offer. Take it or leave it.

"Thanks!" Taki's demeanor brightened up considerably. "-but cut them some slack. Some are brand new to this, someone even bought a tuba mouthpiece saying she wanted to play the trumpet." Kumiko suppressed a laugh at this revelation. 'Brand new indeed.'

"Anyway, now that that's that, how 'bout I introduce you to the band?" Taki held on the doorknob. "Ready when you are, Kumiko." Taki said.

Kumiko nodded. "Alright Taki. Show me what you've got."

A/N: SO I finished it in under an hour? Haha… please tell me how you liked it in the reviews please… if you could follow/favorite, it is much appreciated friend. Anyway, thanks for giving this junk a chance and see you again?

~Shintori Khazumi