A/n: Hello! I am officially on xmas vacation. I actually started on Friday, but I've been running errands and been tied up with my p/t job. It's funny how I have less time to write now that I'm on break.

Oh well. My heart is still broken from last week's episode. Still angry at Reina, so here is this thing I wrote. Kinda ooc and full of awkwardness but I'm just so angry at Kyoani and Reina. But then again, I expected it lol.

Minimal proofreading! forgive me and please review if I dunno. anything.

Themes: Episode 11, jealousy, Asuka, Taki

Episode 11 spoilers


"Oumae-chan, you know those things I said about you the other day?"

Asuka continued to look out the window, her music stand lined up with the upper rim of her glasses. She balanced her silver euphonium on her knee, clutching the instrument tightly as she spoke.

"Hmm?"

Kumiko stared together with Asuka, trying to find the spot that her upperclassman focused so intently on. From here, she could see her apartment building and even Reina's neighborhood. Her mind started to drift off.

"I just said all those things to hurt you. I was being petty."

Asuka adjusted her glasses, the sun's glare off her lenses obscuring her expression.

"Mhm. I know, Asuka-senpai." Kumiko sounded far away, disinterested. She knew that Asuka's defensiveness wasn't malicious, but more like a proud dog lashing out in frustration. She understood that about the older girl.

It was a talent of sorts. She knew a lot of things about a lot of people.

"Hey…don't make me regret apologizing…it's a pretty rare sight to have Tanaka Asuka groveling at your feet like this." Asuka looked over to Kumiko, sighing in exasperation as she shook her head.

"Hmm…this is far from groveling, but I guess I'll still take it." Kumiko leaned on the window sill, propping herself up on her elbows as she rested her cheek against her palm. Her attention was drifting farther and farther away, wandering until it came back to the one thing that occupied her thoughts for so many days.

Her unanswered texts.

Reina's less than cordial replies.

The way Reina glared at her, making Kumiko feel like she had killed the girl's cat.

Today was the fifth day that Reina had been so evasive, adamant on keeping up her icy disposition.

Sighing, Kumiko fixed her eyes on dusky horizon. She had been more than willing to sit back and watch other people's drama unfold, even daring to interfere in Asuka's affairs. However, with Reina, the situation was more fragile.

Kumiko was distant with anyone and everyone. Reina was no exception.

It was just her personality, the way she set up barriers to keep herself safe. Kumiko was smart about boundaries, cautious about who she let in. However, with Reina, she had slipped and let the lines blur just a little bit, but that was enough for the trumpeter to catch a glimpse of her true self. Reina was smart, edging and creeping under Kumiko's skin before the brunette had a chance to block her out.

She knew Reina was aware of her resistance, but Kumiko was sure the girl had no idea how tightly the mask was affixed to her face. It was like a second skin, the only thing that protected her.

"Hey, Oumae-chan…I know you and Kousaksa-san are having a lover's quarrel, but seriously, I'm talking to you here…" Asuka furrowed her brows as she prodded Kumiko's cheek with her finger, making the brunette flinch.

"Asuka-senpai…" Kumiko glanced over, narrowing her eyes as she chided the overly playful girl.

"What? You two are totally an item, right? Those bedroom eyes don't lie, you know…?" Asuka smirked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Y-You've got the wrong idea." Blushing, Kumiko turned her face, trying to hide her embarrassment, but also trying hide the smile that threatened to expose her feelings. She could always feel Reina's stares on her, but it piqued her interest to have someone else interpret their exchanges as something other than…platonic.

Kumiko indulged for a moment, wishing it were true.

"Oh ho…I take it from your reaction that you're still playing some cat and mouse game, huh?" Asuka grinned, standing suddenly as she put her euphonium down on her now empty chair. She stood at the window sill next to Kumiko, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the brunette's flushed cheeks.

"I told you…it's not like that. Reina already has someone she likes. It-" Kumiko stopped in mid-sentence, catching herself before she exposed the trumpeter's secret. Well, it wasn't a secret that girls fawned over Taki-sensei like he was some kind of celebrity. However, for the stoic Kousaka Reina to do the same was a different matter altogether. If people found out, Kumiko was sure Reina would be upset. The last thing the trumpeter wanted was to be looped in together with all those other fangirls.

"Uwah! This is some juicy gossip you have there. So full of teenage angst-the good kind, of course…" Asuka paused, her tone suddenly losing its teasing character.

"But have you told her how you feel?"

Kumiko made a complicated looking face, her forehead wrinkled in disdain at Asuka's presumptions. She looked over at Asuka, fixing her senpai with the most menacing glare she could muster. "I'm not in love with Reina or anything, you know?"

"Well, I'm sure that all your friends, the bass section, and half the trumpet section would beg to differ. You two are way too flirty for normal friends and there's this…this uh…" Asuka scratched her chin as she looked for the word that slipped her mind.

"…Really stifling and intense atmosphere between you two sometimes. The way you look at her doesn't help either."

"Y-you're just imagining things…I'm pretty sure I'm not in love with my best friend. Reina's just really important to me. It's sort of like how Mizore-senpai and Nozomi-senpai are. Reina's the source of my motivation and I admire her a lot. Sometimes I can't help but notice how pretty Reina is, but that's just because she just is. And…we spend so much time together nowadays that it feels really unnatural when I don't see or hear from her…and I guess I just really…" Kumiko felt a lump in her throat, putting a halt to her rambling.

She choked out her last few words.

"I miss her."

Asuka's lips curled up into a knowing smile as she caught the wistful expression on Kumiko's face.

"Dear girl, you have much to learn in the ways of romance and puppy love." Sighing, Asuka placed a hand on Kumiko's head, patting the girl's hair in a motherly way as she consoled her. "I'm so sorry to say that you probably don't know how you really feel about little miss trumpet there..."

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Kumiko locked gazes with Asuka, surprised at the seriousness in the girl's blue eyes.

"The way you talked about her just now…your eyes lit up. You're definitely in love." Asuka continued patting Kumiko's head like a child.

Kumiko simply pouted, unable to deny that she had thought about it before. She had been wondering if she harbored romantic feelings for Reina, but sometimes, it was just easier to deny it. After all, the beautiful trumpet player was her friend, a girl, and most notably, head over heels in love with their teacher.

"Oh, just so you know, you used a pretty bad example there. The second years had a sleepover at Nozomi's house and let's just say that Mizore's voice…is a lot louder than people might think.

"Uh-" Kumiko made a face, her cheeks reddening as she caught on quickly. Thankfully, Asuka brushed it aside, moving on as she gestured with her hand to nothing in particular.

"Well, in any case, Oumae-chan, you need to be honest with her. Kousaka's always so straightforward and blunt-Uh well, you are too, but in a totally different way…" Asuka paused, losing her train of thought momentarily. "But no, as I was saying, you need to tell her how you feel. You're just going to be a miserable little euphonium if you keep wallowing in your unrequited love. It's probably just sexual tension between you two."

With that, Asuka leaned in. She grinned lecherously as Kumiko grimaced at Asuka's words and her disrespect for personal space.

"Asuka-senpai…I guess you haven't grown up as much as you think…"

"How cruel!" Asuka pouted, feigned upset as she continued to tease Kumiko. "What I'm saying is totally valid." As she spoke, the tall third year took Kumiko by the waist, leaning in close as she used her fingers to angle Kumiko's chin upwards. There was a brief lull of silence as Asuka fixed the shorter girl with a deadly serious gaze. "Just take her in your arms, tilt her chin up, and look deep into her eyes as you say…"

Their sheer proximity made it obvious that their heartbeats were in sync and Kumiko noted for the second time this week that Tanaka Asuka was definitely attractive.

"Kumiko, I've always loved you."

Kumiko swallowed hard at the way her senpai said her name. It was strangely jarring, but the atmosphere made Kumiko aware of how much she liked it when Asuka said her first name. The younger girl blushed, falling for Asuka's ploy as their roleplaying spiraled out of hand.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hall towards them.

The two girls jumped apart suddenly, fidgeting awkwardly as they tried to act like nothing had hapened. Kumiko turned to see who it was. If she was lucky, it would just be Kaori or Natsuki, but if she was unlucky, it would be…

"R-Reina!"

"I didn't know you were still here." Kumiko stuttered as she fumbled to pick up her bag by Asuka's chair.

Without even turning a head to look at the two euphonium players, Reina continued walking. Kumiko scrambled after the trumpeter, her chest tightening as she worried about how much of Asuka's antics she had seen.

"Do you want to walk together today? We haven't talked in a while and-"

Reina whirled around, her eyes smouldering a dark purple that was closer to black. Her gaze was hard and unforgiving, but the malice only flashed for a moment before it disappeared. "I'm busy today. I have something to take care of." Without elaborating or giving Kumiko a chance to reply, Reina turned on her heels and continued walking. Her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, resounding in Kumiko's ears along with the sound of her heart thudding in her chest.

Kumiko stretched out a hand, her lips parted to tell Reina not to go, but she couldn't manage to utter a single word. She stared after Reina's back, watching as her jet black hair swayed with each step.

"Ouch. That was cold." Asuka stood with her arms crossed against her chest, an eyebrow raised at the icy exchange just now. "Looks like you really did something to piss Kousaka off like that."

Still staring after Reina who was long gone by now, Kumiko finally let the shock settle in. Reina's tone was scathing and petty and…

Hurtful.

"Reina…"

"Oumae-chan, you need to go after her. There's no time like the present. Just explain to her that we're not having an illicit love affair before she gets the wrong idea." Asuka said this so matter-of-factly.

"Asuka-senpai!" Kumiko yelled out in exasperation, hating that the older girl was as useless as a can of beans right now.

"Joking aside, just go talk to her. You two need to work this out." Asuka smiled encouragingly.

Kumiko looked at Asuka, feeling uncertain about everything, but just hearing the older girl's words gave her a sense of comfort. With a quick nod, Kumiko turned and raced down the empty corridor, desperate to catch Reina before she got too far.

The brunette barrelled down the hallway and down two flights of stairs. Her indoor shoes were off before she reached her locker and she jammed her feet into her loafers. In no time, she took off into the school courtyard, a familiar figure coming up in front of her. Pin straight black hair, thigh high stockings, and an air of confidence that was unmistakable.

"R-Reina!"

Reina stopped, hesitating for a second before turning to face Kumiko. The brunette was winded, out of breath from her sprint.

"Did you need something?"

Reina's tone cut like a sharp knife and Kumiko recoiled.

"I-I…I need to talk to you."

"We're talking right now."

Cold and hostile, a side of Reina that was foreign to Kumiko.

"W-Well…" Wincing at the tone, the euphonium player mentally went over what she wanted to say.

"You know that I'm angry at you, right?"

Kumiko jumped, caught off guard. "Uhm, yeah. I do."

"Do you know why I'm upset?" Reina's tone lightened, but Kumiko still felt like she was talking to a stranger.

"I have an idea…it's probably…" Kumiko trailed off, avoiding Reina's eyes as she looked at her feet. She idly kicked at the ground, stirring up dust. There were only a few things, but there was no way that Reina could have found out about Taki-sensei…

There was a sigh of exasperation and Kumiko looked up.

"If you don't know why, then just say it. Don't pretend you know what's wrong." Reina clenched her fists, her voice quivering with frustration, with anger, and with bitterness.

Clenching her jaw, Kumiko felt her frustration mount, mixed in with a feeling of helplessness. They used to be able to read each other like an open book. She didn't know what happened to change all of that.

"How am I supposed to know if you won't talk to me!?" Kumiko lashed out, yelling at Reina, letting out the frustrations she bottled up for the past week. "We were just talking normally before this and all of a sudden, you started ignoring me for no reason. What did I do, Reina?"

Kumiko's voice cracked at the end of her outburst, her lower lip quivering. She bit down hard on it to keep her emotions in check. After all, she had been crying way too much these days.

"I saw you, Kumiko." Reina paused, taking a breath. "You were with her at the river."

Kumiko was calmer now, just trying to take in Reina's words, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "You mean…Asuka-senpai?" Something irked Kumiko as she realized what she was being accused of.

"I do. I was running an errand and I saw her playing at the riverside. I didn't expect to see you though, Kumiko, looking so happy." Reina's aloof tone was controlled, overly so.

"Is that so wrong? I love the way Asuka-senpai plays. She was helping me study too, so it was a nice change of pace…" Kumiko found herself getting annoyed, tired of having to explain herself. Something about Reina's line of questioning was strange, prompting Kumiko to be aggressively defensive.

Reina stiffened at Kumiko's words. She averted her eyes, her voice dropping to an near whisper, laced with anger and resentment.

"I guess everything makes sense now…the reason why you were so upset that she couldn't play at Nationals…the reason why you went all the way to her house just to convince her to come back."

Kumiko's eyes widened, wondering how Reina could have known that tidbit. Thinking again, Kumiko realized that Reina was a trumpet and more in-tune with the club workings that she could ever be.

Still, it wasn't fair of Reina to interrogate her like this. Did she have any right? It wasn't like they were dating. It wasn't like Reina was any less guilty of prioritizing her feelings for Taki-sensei over anyone else.

"I want to play with Asuka-senpai at Nationals. It wouldn't be the same without her." Kumiko said this with conviction, holding Reina's gaze. She knew that Reina was only getting angrier by the second, but she couldn't help but rile the girl up. She wanted her to get angry. She wanted her to feel how she felt. Kumiko enjoyed spending time with Asuka-senpai and if she could use that to make Reina jealous, then it was just a plus.

"Is that right…? Things wouldn't be the same without her?" Reina's tone darkened, becoming more agitated, the volume of her voice rising.

"That's right. It wouldn't."

"So that explains what I saw in the hall earlier…" Reina scoffed, laughing bitterly as she remembered the sight of Kumiko in Asuka's arms, the way the older girl told her she loved her. Squaring her jaw, Reina felt her blood boil. She clenched her fists at her side, taking a breath before she decided to go further.

"Is Asuka-senpai the reason why you didn't tell me? You knew about Taki-sensei's wife, didn't you? Did you all know about it?"

Kumiko's breath hitched in her throat and she felt like crying. For once, she thought Reina only had her in mind, but again, it was Taki-sensei. Taki-sensei's name burned a hole in her ears and any thoughts of making amends flew out her mind.

She knew it. After all, everything had to be about Taki-sensei.

Kumiko held her tongue, becoming irrationally upset with the girl she adored so much. Even now, she felt her heart tear as she conceded to the petty side of her she hated seeing.

"Reina, just stop it. Just listen to yourself. With you, it's always Taki-sensei this and Taki-sensei that…It's pathetic. It makes you so…so boring, mundane, and…weak." Kumiko let out a slow breath, her own words leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

"How can you even think about being special when Taki-sensei is the only thing that's important to you? I know Asuka-senpai is different." Kumiko spat out her words, filled with a resentment that fueled her desire for Reina to suffer because of her feelings towards their teacher.

Kumiko wanted Reina to suffer for chipping away at her mask, for making her think that they had something special between them.

"Asuka-senpai is special."

Reina stared defiantly into Kumiko's eyes, denying that the brunette could say such a thing, that she would dare say the words she knew would hurt her the most.

A deafening silence settled in, leaving the two girls staring into each other's eyes. They held their breaths, both on the verge of tears, stuck in an obstinate stand-off.

Without another word, Reina conceded first. She turned on her heels, storming off. She dragged her sleeve across her face, wiping away the hot tears that burned her skin. She broke out into a half run as she distanced herself as quickly as she could from Kumiko.

Reina's stride was no longer confident and tall, but the girl now was small and vulnerable, trying to salvage her damaged pride, her hurt feelings.

Again, Kumiko could only watch from afar as Reina ran from her. This time, she had no intention of chasing after the trumpeter.

Seconds passed, turning into minutes, leaving the euphonium player alone in the courtyard. Standing rooted to her spot, Kumiko suddenly felt her knees give out, buckling as she collapsed to the ground in a quivering pile. Tears rolled down her cheeks and sobs wracked her shoulders. She didn't care who was watching.

"I'm such an idiot!" Kumiko yelled in between sobs, screaming out loud as she buried her face in her hands.

She had made a mistake, a grave mistake. Being the naïve girl she was, Kumiko let her selfish emotions get the best of her. Unrequited love was an insidious and smouldering kind of pain, but compared to the empty numbness she felt now, Kumiko would have preferred to suffer.

As long as she was at Reina's side, she was willing to suffer.

She had forgotten that for a split second, overcome with her childish jealousy.