I'm back and I'm ready to write more Kumiko/Reina for season 2!
This fic is probably gonna be a oneshot (not sure though, depends what happens in the rest of the season!) It's told in a different perspective than I used in Heartbeats And Music Sheets because I wanted to try something new.
Also, they're not girlfriends in this fic (yet?) because I wanted to write something that would fit reasonably into the canon where it is right now.
Set after S2 ep3. Just a little thing I'd been wanting to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hibike!Euphonium.
Becoming Special
Pale morning sunlight leaks into the room, but it's not the kind that's bright enough to make your eyes hurt – not yet.
Right now, it's still the harmless kind of light, dim and gray and unobtrusive.
It's not enough to illuminate the room and wake the others. The shadows barely look like shadows, because there isn't much light to contrast them yet.
It is in this kind of morning light where you lie, on your back, staring at the ceiling, just as you've been doing for the past half hour since Reina fell back asleep. You're tired, groggy, but surprisingly somehow still awake, despite the fact that you've been losing more and more sleep gradually these past few nights.
But it's that time of the morning where it's too early to get up yet, and yet it's too late to fall asleep.
So you simply lie there, blinking slowly, reminiscing on the things you'd learned last night.
When you'd made the decision to join concert band a few years back, you'd never expected there to be so much drama. But even though it adds a great deal of pressure to yourself and everyone around you, you also feel it kept things more lively, in a strange sort of way.
Something intangible tickles your nose, and you quickly lift your arm up to stifle the sneeze into your elbow. Sniffling softly, you groan under your breath and try to push the thoughts away.
It's too exhausting to think about those things now. You'd rather wait for daylight when you'll have at least a bit more energy.
For now, you close your eyes in a vain effort to obtain some form of substantial sleep, enjoying the quiet for as long as it'll last, and you know for a fact that won't be much longer. You can hear the first of the songbirds beginning to chirp rom outside, a small crack in the open window allowing their songs to carry in. Not too long ago, it'd been the sound of crickets.
There's also the drone of the ventilation system, churning in the walls and in the ceiling, blowing cool air into the otherwise muggy rooms.
But your ears don't focus on those things. They fade out easily to become background noise, as another sound takes precedence.
If you'd stayed in your room all night like you'd been meant to, you would've been able to hear this sound for hours, but as things are, now your time is limited.
Reina's soft breathing whistles through your ears, filling your head with a light, airy rhythm. You concentrate on that sound, listening to the way she wheezes ever-so-slightly on her exhales.
You'd been able to listen briefly before, when you'd just come back to the room and had assumed she'd been asleep. But it wasn't long at all before she'd revealed those dazzling amethyst eyes, sharp and curious, even at that late hour of the night.
You can still remember the way her voice had carried out, soft and confident, when you'd asked her about competitions. She'd given her honest answer, one you could easily tell was spoken from the bottom of her heart. Her conviction was encouraging and admirable, an equal match to her incredible trumpet playing.
You'd soaked in every word she'd said, looked away for only a moment, and then next thing you'd known, she was deep in sleep.
That was what made you realize she'd stayed up all night waiting for you. It was the second night in a row, and you were starting to feel guilty about your constant sneaking out, since it meant Reina was losing sleep, too.
No more! You tell yourself at present. Not tonight! Tonight we're both gonna sleep soundly!
With this goal set in your mind, you try to avoid thinking everything through. It's still too early to debate with yourself, whether or not you should tell Nozomi or Natsuki about the things Asuka has told you. You can't handle the thoughts right now.
So you just focus on Reina's breath, trying to match your own to it.
In... out... in... out...
But as you're coaching yourself to keep pace with her, you find you're not really changing anything at all.
She's breathing rather quickly. You know it's not natural for someone who's supposed to be deep in sleep to be breathing as quickly as someone who's wide awake.
Slowly, you open your eyes, turning your head to your right, where she's lying.
She hasn't moved much since you'd last spoken to her. She's on her side with the blankets pulled halfway up her stomach, her face still turned in your direction. The silver, crack-of-dawn sunlight is glinting in her hair as the stars do in the night sky, causing it to shimmer with a faint, highlighted glow. It's as lovely as ever, save for a slight ruffle from her state of slumber, but that just adds to the charm of it all.
But her hair seems to be the only part about her that's normal.
Her lips are parted slightly, and just as you'd suspected, she seems to be breathing a little hard. Her chest rises and falls with what seems to be a bit more effort than it should've taken, and her eyelids tremble every now and again, as though something is hurting her.
Concern flares high up in your stomach. Everything you've felt up until this minute of the morning has been dull and reserved, but that spark is poignant enough to get you moving.
Quickly, but not quickly enough to cause a ruckus and risk waking anyone up, you roll onto your side and prop yourself up on your elbows. You sidle closer to her bed, until you're close enough to reach out and touch her.
With careful movements, you brush her bangs away from her face, then press the back of your hand lightly against her forehead.
You need to swallow a sound of surprise when you feel how warm she is, and suddenly her labored breathing makes far too much sense.
"Reina..."
Your voice rasps, but it is less from the fact that you've been up all night, and more from the fact that you're worried for her. Even as you whisper to her, she doesn't wake, and you're not sure if that's a good thing or not.
Gingerly, you trail your hand down from her forehead and to her shoulder, keeping it there for a moment, unsure of what to do.
"Oh, Reina. What happened?"
You move a little closer, using both arms now to steady her shoulder and side, attempting to turn her a little and have her lie fully on her back. Your hope is that she'll be able to breathe more easily that way.
You move one hand up to cradle her head so she won't bump it in the process, and give a small push to her hip. Just as you get her into the desired position, a small moan comes from her lips.
Oh, shoot!
Mentally smacking yourself, you pull your hands away from her with a soft shriek, fearing she'd realize what you'd been doing.
But she doesn't seem to have the energy to rouse herself quickly enough.
Another moan slips out as she shifts a little, her eyelids fluttering, fighting to lift up. She barely manages to open one eye, instantly finding your worried ones. When she tries to speak, her voice is nothing more than a croak.
"Kumiko..."
It's not from tiredness, either. You can tell she's congested, and if her voice wasn't indication enough, it is followed promptly by a small cough.
You gaze down at her with sympathetic eyes.
"Oh, Reina..."
But before you can say or do anything more, the sudden beeping of your alarm shatters the delicate silence of the room. You shoot up straight into a sitting position, then freeze, a yelp halfway out of your mouth. The others start to stir and groan and wake, huffing and puffing.
"It's already time to get uuuup?"
"Five more minuuuutes!"
As Hazuki and Sapphire start waking themselves and each other up, you're almost horrified to see that Reina is trying to do the same. You don't miss it when she winces, a distasteful expression crossing her face as she attempts to sit up.
But before she can get very far, you quickly push her back down, holding onto her shoulder. She gives you an inquisitive look and another rasp.
"Kumiko-"
"Just hold on a second."
She clearly wants to say more, but a tightness in her chest causes her to cough instead.
As the others grab their clothes and stand up, you try to keep their attention off of Reina.
"Morning, guys."
"Good morning, Kumiko-chan!"
"Do you and Kousaka-san wanna get to the bathrooms first?"
"No, that's okay," you reply instantly. "You guys go first! Take your time! It seems Reina's still a little sleepy, haha."
With that, the two of them make their way to the door, then slide it closed behind them. You let out the breath you'd been holding in, then drop your gaze back down to Reina.
She looks so puzzled, as though she can't comprehend what's happening.
You can't blame her. You know this must be difficult for her.
Gently, you remove your hand from her shoulder and put it to her back instead, helping to support her as she sits up. Almost immediately, she's coughing again, jolting in your arms.
"A-Ahh, Reina! Take it easy!" Worriedly, you pat her back for her, rubbing up and down between her shoulder blades.
It's a few seconds before she gets her breath back and composes herself enough to speak.
"Kumiko... what's going on? I... I'm not-"
"Sick?" you fill in, knowing she'd find it hard to admit. Sure enough, she flinches at the word. Heaving a sigh, you present her with a hopeless smile. "I guess it was bound to happen to one of us, since we haven't really been getting much sleep these last few nights. But it's definitely my fault, since you only stayed up because of me. Sorry."
She sniffles, clearly still in shock about this development.
"No..." she mumbles. "I can't be sick. Not now when we're on this trip. Taki-sensei specifically warned us to take care of our health and not to catch a cold."
You can't help but feel a pang when she mentions him again. Usually, you can keep your feelings in check, but this time, they slip out.
"Taki-sensei again? I'm worried about you too, you know..."
You're surprised when you feel her gasp, a small, sharp inhale. But it isn't the beginnings of a cough or a sneeze this time. Rather, she's turned her attention fully on you, eyes wide. A second later, she lowers them guiltily.
"Sorry..."
Never before in your life have you wanted to smack yourself across the face as badly as you do now.
Stupid! Look what you've done!
"Ahh, no, no! Don't be sorry, Reina. I didn't mean it like that."
But still, she refuses to make eye contact.
"Sorry..."
"It's okay, I said~" You wrap both arms around her and give her a gentle squeeze. When she sighs, you can feel it as if you'd done it yourself.
It should've been a nice feeling, being so close to her like this.
But you can't enjoy it now when you feel the congestion at the base of her throat, making her breath feel so weighted.
A few seconds pass, and with each one that goes, so too does another one of her distressed breaths.
It's starting to sink in now for the both of you.
The purpose of this camp is to have everyone focus solely on their performances, and in order to do that, everyone would have to be practicing at the top of their game at all times.
And now, your trumpet soloist was sick.
Reina lets out a long exhale, and there's a tremor in it.
"I'm going to cause trouble for everyone..."
"N-No, no! Don't think like that, Reina!" You bite your lip, unsure of what you can do for her at this point. "I-I mean, you'll have to explain to Taki-sensei and everyone what happened. I'm sure you'll still be able to play and everything. It might be a little difficult for you to catch your breath at the right times, and it might be hard to hold out your notes, but I'm sure you'll still do fine! Everyone will understand!"
But your words do little to reassure her.
"But if I don't perform at my best, how can I expect anyone else to? If even one of us isn't trying our hardest, the entire band suffers."
"Reina..." You whine her name helplessly. "Don't beat yourself up about it! If anything, you should be blaming me! It's my fault for going out each night and keeping you up."
"You said you had things to do," she mumbles. "What kind of things?"
"Uaaah, th-that's not really important." You chuckle sheepishly, patting her back. "What's important is that I'm gonna take responsibility for getting you sick! I'll help you get better no matter what, Reina. You can count on me!"
You say as much with a smile on your face and determination in your heart. But when you think about it, there's really not a lot you can do to help her, not when you're stuck here at this camp for another few days.
You glance over your shoulder at the alarm clock. You'd set it early enough to ensure you'd all have plenty of time to get ready before breakfast. There is still close to an hour left before you'd have to meander over to the mess hall. With Hazuki and Sapphire still gone at the bathroom, you can only think of one thing to do for Reina now.
"You should rest a bit more," you suggest. "We still have plenty of time."
She didn't seem thrilled about the idea.
"Kumiko-"
"It'll be fine. If you fall asleep, I'll wake you up so you'll have enough time to get ready for breakfast. But right now we have some extra time. So you should try to rest a little. It's gonna be a rough day."
She must see the truth in your words, because she lets out a heavy sigh.
"Fine. But you have to wake me-"
"I will, I will. Promise."
You extended your pinky in the universal offering. She has to bury her face into her shoulder to hide another cough first, but eventually she reaches out and hooks her pinky around yours.
With that, you help her lie back down.
"Would you like to use my pillow, too?"
"Did you drool?"
"Uh-"
Despite her ailments, she managed a brief giggle before settling down and closing her eyes.
You watch her as she tries to sleep now. She's still breathing through her mouth, and her chest is rising and falling quickly. You make a mental note to get her a bottle of water as soon as you can.
But not right now. You can't bear the thought of leaving her when she's like this.
Besides, you've made it your mission to deter Hazuki and Sapphire when they return, to have them be quiet and let Reina rest.
But for now, you just sit and wait, once again listening to the sounds of her breath.
Light gradually fills the room, just a little more each minute, showing you just how flushed her pallor has become. It's not a serious fever, not one that would call for medical attention, but it's just enough to be an inconvenience.
You watch over her like a sentry keeping guard over something precious, sitting quietly in your vigil. You only move to stretch your legs or arms, then clean up as much of your mattress and blankets as you can without making too much noise. You prepare your clothes for the day, fold them at your side, and when there's nothing left for you to do, you go back to contemplation.
With your eyes, you trace the outline of her profile, from the ruffle of her bangs down the slope of her nose, up the rise of her lips and then steeply down her neck, then the slight bump of her collarbone.
You can't tell right away if she's still treading in the conscious world or not, but before much longer, her breathing becomes a bit less aggravated, and you can safely assume she's asleep. Her expression is so tranquil, only temporarily disturbed by a grimace or a furrowed brow every once in a while.
Even though you know she's in a state of discomfort, you can't help but appreciate something about it.
When you'd first met her, she'd been so stoic, so distant. She'd always given off the impression that she could take care of herself, that she didn't need anyone else.
But as you've gotten to know her, as you've gotten closer, you've seen an entirely different side of her emerge. She's become so much more honest with her feelings, particularly to you. She's so much more expressive, she laughs more often, and she's started to emit this radiant atmosphere that is hers, and hers alone.
You consider yourself lucky that she ever took an interest in you, and that you ever bothered to get involved with her. Now, she's your best friend, and there's no mistake about that.
It's a poignant feeling, one that causes something warm to curl up at the top of your chest as you sit here, watching over her. It's also enough to fuel the spark of your promise - to help her feel better as quickly as possible.
Eventually, your still, quiet moments come to an end as footsteps approach the room from outside. Hastily, you stand and hurry to the door, requesting the others keep their voices down for now. You explain Reina's condition to them, and they readily agree to be quiet.
Everyone moves carefully as they clean up every part of the room, save for Reina's space. It's not long after that when Hazuki and Sapphire take their leave to head to the mess hall early.
"I'll stay with her," you inform them. "I'm gonna wake her up in a few minutes. We'll see you there."
Once they are gone, you find yourself alone with her again, watching over her. You know she's depending on you to wake her up so she'll still have plenty of time to get ready, but it's difficult to entertain the thought of ruining her peaceful slumber.
So you hold off, letting her rest until the last possible second.
When it's finally time, you crawl over to her and gently shake her shoulder.
"Reina. Time to get up."
She stirs, letting out a tired sound from the back of her congested throat as she turns over onto her side, then pushes herself up. Before she can even say anything, another bout of cough works its way up.
You do your best to support her like this, patting her back firmly between her shoulder blades, then rubbing in circles. By the time it's over, she's a little breathless, and she looks at you with tired eyes.
"Thank you, Kumiko."
You shake your head right away.
"N-No! I'm not worthy of thanks when I'm the one who got you sick!"
"But you're helping me now. So thank you."
You decide it's best not to argue with a sick girl, and just accept her gratitude.
You help her with everything that morning, from folding up her mattress to walking with her to the bathrooms to get ready. You even offer to carry her trumpet case for her, but she insists she can do it herself.
Once you both arrive at the mess hall, you're quick to grab her a full bottle of water and encourage her to drink. You sit beside her and make sure she eats as much as she can, and empties the bottle.
You've only got a minute to catch your breaths before the announcement is made that it's time to start practicing.
From there, you meander to your training room, mingled in amongst the crowds of your fellows.
While everyone else is getting settled in, Reina stands stiffly at your side, watching as Taki-sensei and the other teachers enter the room and take their spots at the forefront of the ensemble. You can tell she's started to breathe a little quickly again, biting her lip nervously. You have no choice but to coax her.
"Are you gonna say something?"
She doesn't turn her face away from the adults, but nods.
"Yeah. I have to tell them."
"You can do it~" You sing softly.
Her fists clench tighter at her sides, and she swallows rather hard.
But then, she breaks, and turns pleading eyes upon you:
I don't want to go alone.
You don't need her to say it in order to know what she means. So you gladly stand beside her, putting a hand at the small of her back by means of support.
"Of course I'll come with you."
So you walk with her up to where the three of them are standing, and keep your hand on Reina's back all the while. After a brief, formal greeting, Reina dips her head and guiltily explains what had happened.
"Haahh?" Hashimoto gapes. "How the heck did that happen?"
Reina shuffled her shoes.
"I didn't get any sleep last night."
A pang of guilt shoots through you, but she never puts the blame on you.
Miiyama responded next.
"That is a shame, for it to happen when we're all here..."
"I'm sorry." Reina bows to her. "I'm going to be an inconvenience."
At last, she looks up to Taki-sensei, waiting with baited breath. You rub her back for comfort, hoping he'll go easy on her. He sighs and gives her a stern look.
"We're only here for a few days. It's going to be a big inconvenience if our trumpet soloist has caught a cold. You should tell everyone what's going on."
You don't miss it when she gasps softly, the air hitching in her throat. Like you, she never expected him to be so unforgiving about it. You can't help but be a little mad at him, but you can only assume he's just doing his job as your instructor.
Reina dips her head again, embarrassed and defeated.
"Yes, sir."
"Try not to hold us back, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
She looks like a puppy who's just been kicked by its master.
You can't help the feelings of guilt swirling in your stomach, and you quickly speak up to try and lessen the blame on her.
"Um, actually. I couldn't sleep much either these past few nights," you confess. "I didn't catch a cold, but I still might be tired and hold us back today."
You hope they will reprimand you as well, direct there ire elsewhere.
But Taki-sensei only smiles at you. "That's fine, Oumae-san. The other euphs can help support your sound."
"Ah... okay."
It was clear that your playing didn't matter nearly as much as Reina's solo.
With that, you both turn away from the instructors, who begin talking privately amongst themselves. You know they're gossiping about how Reina's being sick is going to affect practices throughout the rest of the day.
You're upset because of how harsh they were to her, especially since her catching a cold was all your fault in the first place. She hasn't looked up from the floor once since speaking to them, but you casually pull her aside, out of earshot. Reaching down, you take her hand and squeeze softly.
"You okay?"
You hear a sniffle as a response.
"He's mad at me..."
"Not mad!" you insist. "He just wants you to be able to perform at your full potential."
"Then he's disappointed..."
You can't argue on that point. Taki-sensei had made that much very clear, without a doubt. You groan softly, unsure of what to do.
"You can't think like that, Reina. You'll be sad all day, and you're not going to get better." Now, you reach out and take her other hand as well. "You're going to become special, right?"
You wait until she lifts her head and shows you her eyes.
"Mm."
"Then do it when you're not sick and miserable."
She sniffles again, nodding.
"Okay."
She's got that look on her face again, the same one she'd been wearing the night of the fireworks, debating asking Taki-sensei about Miiyama-sensei. She looks like she's about to cry, her eyes nearly spilling over with tears.
You can't help but smile a little at how cute she is.
"It's okay, Reina."
Tugging her hands gently, you pull her into a soft hug. It isn't much, but it's enough to allow her the moment to hide her face and regain some composure. You hope some of your determination will rub off on her.
When you part, she wipes her eyes once, then presents you with a smile.
"Thank you, Kumiko."
You wave your hand dismissively
"I'm just glad to help."
When you're both ready, you walk back up to stand before the entire band. Reina bows and speaks up, explaining her situation to everyone, formally apologizing for any inconvenience her sickness might cause them today. You add on an apology as well, hoping they'll be more understanding than the teachers.
You're relieved to see and hear everyone smiling, calling out that it's okay, that they'll all work hard to make up for it. Reina bows and apologizes again, then you walk down with her.
"Don't worry," you murmur. "Take a deep breath. You'll be fine."
She nods, squeezing your hand one last time.
Then, she heads off to her own section. You do the same, and a timid warmth still lingers on your hand.
By the time the rigorous practices are over, and everyone has eaten and bathed, it is all you can do not to collapse on your mattress that evening.
Reina sits beside you much more quietly, pulling the blankets down and sliding her legs underneath.
At the very least, the exhaustion was worth it now, because she's looking immensely better than she had been this morning. A healthy pallor has returned to her cheeks, and the coughing has stopped almost completely.
But most importantly, that familiar shine was back in her eyes.
During all of you breaks today, brief as they'd been, you'd gone to her and ensured she'd had something to drink each time.
During the times when everyone was playing together, you personally couldn't decipher any kind of difference in Reina's playing. It didn't seem like anyone else had made any comments or complaints either. She must've been working so hard not to mess anything up.
Presently, you flop down onto your back, letting out something that's not quite a groan nor a sigh.
"We survived..."
Reina turns to you and muses.
"Somehow."
Hazuki and Sapphire are already asleep. They'd warned you both to actually do the same tonight. You absolutely planned to.
"Uwaah," you yawn. "I'm definitely sleeping tonight no matter what."
"That means I will, too."
Reina lays down on her side to face you now, long dark hair spilling out over her shoulders, amethyst eyes glinting in the silver moonlight. The best part of it all, at least in your opinion, is that she's smiling again.
You move in a little closer to her, keeping your voice to a whisper.
"How are you feeling?"
"I think I'll be better by tomorrow."
"Ah, that's good~"
You savor the pleasant silence for a moment, until she addresses you once more.
"Kumiko."
"Hm?"
"...Thank you again. For today."
You smile and move in a bit closer.
"You don't have to thank me. It's my fault you got sick, after all," you remind her.
But she shakes her head as best she can in her position.
"You helped me get better. You helped me explain it to the teachers."
"You know, you helped me in a lot of ways, too."
That statement clearly piqued her interest.
"How so?"
"Mm, maybe I'll tell you some other time."
"What's that mean?"
"Nooothing~"
"Kumiko."
"Goodnight, Reina."
"Ku-mi-ko!"
She reaches out to shake you lightly, but your only response is to giggle until she gives up, pouting. That's when you inch closer again, begging for forgiveness. She heaves a sigh and grants it to you.
"Goodnight, Kumiko."
"Mm, night~"
You reach out to her, palm upturned in a familiar, inviting manner that's secret between the two of you. She takes it without hesitation, lying her hand over yours, until your pinky fingers curl together.
It is your silent vow to become special together.
Smiling, you both close your eyes.
Your fingers will stay loosely curled together until morning.
A/N: I was really disappointed that they got warned "don't get sick!" and it didn't turn out to be foreshadowing. I was hoping Reina might catch a cold and Kumiko would help take care of her. So I just wrote it myself, heehee~
Please review!