This is the first non-oneshot story I've written in years, and I spent quite a bit of time on it. All I can hope for is that it's an enjoyable experience for anyone reading it.

I don't own Hibike! Euphonium, nor do I own the picture I used for the cover.

Content and in love, Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka lived together above a small market a year after their graduation from high school. The brunette attended a local university with her major still undeclared. Reina had already dropped out of college; her dream was to be a professional musician and she didn't think a degree would make or break this career path. Reina spent the day playing her trumpet or otherwise watching the practices and performances of the esteemed local wind ensemble, which she desired to join more than anything at that moment. Their apartment was western styled, comfortable but small, with a tiny kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom with a single bed that the two shared. Between Kumiko's part-time job and the money sent by their respective families each month, they managed to stay comfortable and well fed.

Kumiko entered the apartment on a cloudy autumn day, plopping down her books and the bag of grocery items she brought home for that night's dinner. A cursory glance told her that Reina wasn't inside the apartment; for such a seemingly formal girl the trumpet player was known to leave quite the mess when she was lounging about. Kumiko didn't have to wonder for long where the girl went, however. The brilliant tones of a trumpet came in from outside on the apartment's patio and flowed on an invisible river of sound. The breeze carried those notes far off into the distance, causing a flock of birds on a powerline to take off in unison. That same breeze shook the boughs and branches of the great trees that lined and surrounded the city in autumnal oranges and reds, and similarly rippled through Reina's hair in a mesmerizing fashion. For a moment the euphonium player dared not approach the patio at all; ruining this sight would be tantamount to murder. She could see the determination in Reina's eyes, eyes that the trumpet player refused to close as though in defiance of a world that didn't like people who tried to be 'special' the way that Reina worked so hard to be. Kumiko let her finish the song she was practicing before opening the door.

"Reina," she smiled "I'll be making dinner soon, okay?"

The smile was returned in full "What's on the menu?"

"Chicken donburi!"

Kumiko left the girl to practice a bit more while she herself began to cook. This was the everyday routine the two young girls followed, without much variation, for nearly a year. Kumiko was happy simply being with Reina and going to school at this junction of her life, just as she had felt since their friendship was rekindled in their high school wind ensemble. However, Kumiko was not so sure that Reina felt the same way. She worried if the trumpet player wasn't bored and restless, wasn't growing tired of this unending daily sameness. Reina desired to become 'special' more than anything, an unparalleled master in her art. Was this domestic life okay with her? The girl's nervous fingers, her distracted stares; Kumiko watched them without comment and could barely hold in the words that threatened to spill out in what would ultimately be a painfully awkward admittance of doubt and unintentional hurt.

At dinner that night Reina seemed more fretful than usual. She was hardly touching her food and instead fingered the notes of a song she was practicing with intensity and focus. While the black-haired girl still mostly played orchestral pieces, she had recently fell in love with jazz music and worked hard to practice a style that was new and unique to her.

"Reina," Kumiko asked. "Everything alright?"

The distracted musician shook herself out of her reverie and smiled at her girlfriend. "I'm going to play at the bar tonight, okay? I've gotta get myself out there."

"A-ah okay. I'll probably be asleep when you get home."

Reina gave another smile, "Don't worry, I won't wake you; I'll sleep on the couch if it comes to that. I wouldn't want to upset Sleeping Beauty." she giggled at the end.

Kumiko gave her a sarcastically playful laugh, but the prospect of sleeping alone in bed bothered her the more she thought about it. No matter when she arrived home, the euphonium player wanted Reina there beside her in bed: to hug close, or unconsciously grab in the dark, or even have the blankets stolen by, if that's what it came to. But she remained silent about this as well; Reina was not one to really understand that kind of sentimentality, not with her one-track mind. With something of a smile Kumiko remembered the trumpeter's confusion back in high school when admiration and a need for professional acceptance became a concoction Reina thought of as love for her much-respected conductor, although in truth that wasn't the case.

Dinner ended without much more to (secretly) upset Kumiko, which she was thankful for. Despite the amount of homework she had, however, she found herself desiring attention - physical attention from Reina. The craving expanded outwards through her fingers, her throat, almost escaping her lips had she not been too embarrassed to really say how she felt. She plopped down on the couch beside Reina, who had been busy reading a biography of the world famous trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. Kumiko laughed and laid her chin on the girl's shoulder, rubbing her face in that luscious black hair, still giggling, breathing on her neck. Reina laughed a bit and accepted the advances at first, even giving a kiss to Kumiko's warm and blushing cheek. But it wasn't long before she firmly pushed Kumiko away and fixed her hair with a couple of passes of her hand.

"C-cut it out," she said, frowning with a blush. "I don't want to be distracted during my performance later on."

Dejected, Kumiko sat back on the couch and moved a few inches away from her girlfriend. Reina went back to reading; Kumiko stared at the tv without really seeing it while she pondered the true feelings of the girl beside her.

~!~

When night fell on the city Reina left the apartment without noticing the awkward air surrounding Kumiko. "I'll be back later tonight"," she called. "Good night!"

The euphonium player responded with a quick "good night," but she had no intention of staying home and sleeping.

She killed an hour slightly disguising herself; she'd be going out tonight. Wearing a large coat and a hat to hide her peculiar hair, the girl felt mighty prepared for her 'spying mission'. Another thirty minutes were spent calming herself down, and when her nerves were settled she exited the apartment and locked the door behind her.

The air was cool that night, cooler than autumn had any right to be. Kumiko shivered but was thankful that the large jacket provided protection both from Reina's eyes and from the wind. She was, for the first time, going to watch Reina play at the bar a few blocks away. The trumpet player had requested that this was something Kumiko didn't attend.

"You already know how I play, and you support me. I need the club to be as full of new people as it can be; the more chances to get discovered, the better."

Kumiko had respected this request every other time that Reina played in the bar, but not this time. At home Reina was lacking in passion and Kumiko needed to see the fire reignited in the girl she fell in love with.

The club, in the older sense of the word, was the only remaining jazz bar in the city, tucked away between two large and modern shops that had been built around the well-loved establishment. The place was decked out in oak and brass and was entered down a set of stairs into something like a large and well furnished basement, complete with a stage. During the day the bar was closed, but at night the sound of music could be heard at all hours even from out on the streets. Kumiko nervously looked around before entering, still not sure if this was the right place. All doubt left her mind when she was greeted by the beautiful notes of a tenor sax upon entering the bar; Reina certainly wouldn't have played anywhere that she didn't approve of as musically worthy, or filled with 'opponents' to compete against.

Doing her best to keep a low profile, Kumiko slinked along the back wall and took a seat at an empty round table at the rear of the club. She could see the stage perfectly from where she sat and she hoped that she hadn't accidentally missed Reina playing. More anxious than she'd like to admit, Kumiko sat at her table and waited for her girlfriend to get on stage. There were murmurs all around her between each player's set. The hum of human communication was a music in its own right, with a tempo and pitch and life all its own.

An hour had passed, maybe two, before the MC introduced Reina to the stage. Kumiko had watched a number of different acts before her, including a small jazz trio and a singular acoustic guitar singer-songwriter. They provided a calming distraction to her anxious nerves, a salve for her fluttering feelings.

"And now, our final act of the night: Reina Kousaka." the announcer said, his voice smooth. He walked off the stage with a few clicks following his heels and moments later Reina confidently strolled out, shining brass trumpet in her hand. She appeared fae-like in a sleeveless white dress, despite the outside frigidness.

It may have been because of the single sun of a spotlight shining down in golden rays, or it may have been the way the room went quiet when she appeared. It might've been the way her eyes seemed to look into each and every person in the crowd at once, almost challenging them to listen to her as well as they could. Whatever it was, the moment Reina stepped onto the stage Kumiko's heart skipped a beat. Reina's power and beauty overwhelmed everybody in the crowd. Kumiko couldn't peel her eyes away, couldn't do anything but wait with baited breath for the girl to start playing.

And play she did. The song she performed, Woody Shaw's "Desert Moonlight", was a favorite of her's and everyone in the room could hear it. Like some otherworldly magic the music seemed to both elevate her to some higher plane of existence while simultaneously casting the same measure of control over the crowd. People were absolutely entranced. The bar owner, by now jaded, opened his eyes in surprise. People out in the streets stopped as they heard the notes pour forth from the door and listened for the wonderfully short eternity that Reina played. All, besides the girl on stage, were still; her eyes were opened, staring down on the crowd with a challenge - tell her that she's wrong, that she doesn't have what it takes, that she's not special - and with tones like the trumpets that brought down the walls of Jericho she will prove you wrong. She will overcome.

And Kumiko, poor Kumiko, was so mesmerized that she could do nothing but grip her hands tighter and fight back the tears. Here they were: the passion and emotion and love that Kumiko thought Reina had been missing. This was who she truly was when unshackled from domesticity for even a few hours, blooming like a flower in the springtime sun after an eternity of moonless winter nights. This was Reina, and her mere presence was overwhelming, was entirely different than anything Kumiko could experience in real life. The bar had been elevated into a shrine to Reina's spirit more than anything else.

In a daze Kumiko quietly exited the building, under the cover of an immeasurably loud applause. One glance back showed Reina bowing once, twice, with the repressed smile she showed the world when she wasn't performing. Kumiko didn't look back after that.

On the walk home Kumiko was still in a daze from the beauty of what she witnessed and the horror of what she realized. The realization was as follows: she had to break it off with Reina if the other girl was to ever achieve her goal of being 'special'. She was holding Reina back unintentionally. While fighting tears Kumiko resolved one thing: she would not get in the way of the girl she loved. She wouldn't be the reason that Reina wasn't 'special'.

Thanks for reading! Reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated; I've been away from writing for a while and need all the help and advice I can get.

The story's title comes from the Tegan and Sara song of the same name, by the way.