Kumiko Oumae ran up the path of . Tears streamed down her cheeks as she climbed towards the peak. "Why…?" Kumiko thought to herself. "Why does it hurt so much?"
Within a few minutes, Kumiko reached the peak. It had been exactly a year since she first climbed the mountain. Exactly a year since she had fallen in love. Kumiko sat down on the bench overlooking the city and curled up her legs. The tears continued to stream down her face as she wailed in sadness and pain.
With each sob, Kumiko felt her will to live slowly fade away.
On the same night that Reina Kousaka took her up Mt. Daikichi for the first time, after they had played "Ai Wo Mitsuketa Bashou", Kumiko confessed her feelings for Reina. She had expected a complete rejection. To her, what she received was more painful. Reina didn't reject her. Instead, she told Kumiko that she needed time and space to process what she felt. That meant only one thing.
Kumiko couldn't properly approach her. What Reina said stamped itself onto Kumiko's heart.
After that night, each time Kumiko tried to spend time with Reina, whether it be by talking, practicing together or even walking home together, Reina's response to her feelings haunted her. It caused Kumiko to drift off mindlessly, losing focus in whatever they were doing. Naturally, the other girl noticed that something was wrong with her and would ask if she was alright. Kumiko would then put on fake smiles and try her very best to act normally, so much not to elicit any worry from Reina.
Kumiko didn't want her crush to worry about her. Afterall, why would someone as smart, beautiful and talented as Reina worry about a mess like her? She hated herself for what she felt. She hated herself for being so insignificant in comparison to her Reina.
This caused Kumiko to begin to distance herself from Reina. She would remain quiet whenever they ate lunch with their friends. She would limit her conversations with Reina during practice to occasional forced smiles. Kumiko even stopped replying regularly to her texts with Reina, sometimes only sending an emote or a small reply. It crushed her, but she didn't want to impose Reina's feelings.
Despite Kumiko pushing herself away from Reina, their regular routines with Hazuki and Midori still continued on. It was in these moments where Kumiko could find solace, the only times where she could feel connected to Reina. She didn't feel as lonely and broken during these times, and despite them being more quiet than their routines before, she treasured them dearly.
Then one day, Kumiko was walking home with just Hazuki-chan and Midori-chan. Reina said that she had a previous arrangement on that day, so she had left ahead of them. But even though the other two were her close friends, Kumiko felt like there was a gaping hole in her chest. She just wasn't complete without Reina. She just loved her that much.
Then, as the trio of friends neared the train station to drop off Hazuki, they saw Reina. She was talking to Shuuichi. Kumiko stood there, frozen, as Shuuichi shared a few laughs with Reina. It looked like they were having a great time. She felt the tears begin to gather in her eyes as her body began to tremble. She toned out the voices of Hazuki and Midori who had noticed her and were visibly worried. She just stood there for a long time, trying to fight back the pain that grew within her. It was then that Reina looked up and saw them. Her purple eyes met with Kumiko's, who then turned around and ran.
Her friends called her name. Even Reina. But Kumiko didn't stop running. She couldn't stop running. She didn't want to let them see the heavy flow of tears. "Reina… how could you?" she thought to herself.
Kumiko ran and ran and ran, not bothering to stop until she found herself in front of the pathway up Mt. Daikichi.
Kumiko continued to break down on the peak of the mountain. It was nearing winter, meaning that the nights were colder than usual. She shivered from the cold and from the pain that continued to stab at her poor, fragile heart. "She loves someone else…" Kumiko thought to herself as the tears continued to flow. She couldn't bear the pain anymore.
Kumiko slowly pushed herself off of the bench. She slowly walked towards the railings in front of her, with tears clouding her vision so much that she could barely see.
Thud. She had hit the railings.
Kumiko looked over the city below her. "I don't deserve to live anymore…", she thought to herself. Slowly, she began to climb over the railing, preparing to end her miserable life at that night. She didn't care anymore. Her heart was torn in two. She had abandoned her friends at that awkward moment. And she thought that they had abandoned her too. She her grip on the railings begin to weaken "This is it then..."
3..
2..
"KUMIKO!"
A hand grabbed hers right the very moment before Kumiko let go. She felt herself getting pulled over the railings. She and her rescuer then tumbled back onto the ground of Mt. Daikichi. She couldn't identify the person who rescued her visually, as her eyes were still filled with tears. However, she recognized the voice..
"R..Reina?" she weakly called out.
"Y-You idiot! What did you think you were doing?" Reina yelled.
Kumiko blinked. The stabbing pain in her chest grew more intense with each heartbeat. "W-What did you think I was doing?" she managed to croak out. "I was trying to kill myself."
"…"
Kumiko then suddenly felt herself get pulled into a tight embrace. "Why? Didn't we promise not to leave each other?" Reina cried out, tears now flowing down her own cheeks.
Kumiko's expression remained blank. She couldn't bring herself to return the hug that Reina was giving her. Not like she had the strength to. All the pain that she had suffered over the last 12 months was now hitting her like a train. All Kumiko could do was stay silent.
Reina slowly guided Kumiko towards the bench and helped the brunette sit down. She tried to keep her composure as the spoke to the dead-eyed girl. "Kumiko, what's wrong?"
No answer.
"Kumiko, please! I'm here now!" Reina desperately pleaded. Still no response.
Reina felt her heart begin to shatter. "Kumiko…"
"I saw you with Shuuichi."
Reina glanced up at Kumiko. The voice that she had just heard came from Kumiko, only it didn't sound like the lively, joyous voice that she knew. It sounded empty and dead.
"Yeah, I ran into him in the station. Why?" Reina replied.
"Nothing… just thought that you finally found someone to love, huh?"
Reina paused. "So that's what this is about…" she thought to herself. "This is my chance to fix things."
Reina sat up beside Kumiko and slowly embraced her. "Kumiko, I have something to tell you," she softly whispered into the brunette's ear. Her words elicited no verbal response, but she felt the taller girl slowly lean her head against hers. Reina smiled and put a hand on Kumiko's head.
"I told you that I didn't know how to respond to your feelings back then, didn't I?" Reina said as she gently stroked Kumiko's hair. "Well, it's true. I really didn't know how to back then. But it wasn't because I didn't have feelings for you."
The last few words snapped Kumiko back into reality. Reina noticed this, and she slowly moved one of her hands towards Kumiko's. Their fingers weaved together as Reina continued on.
"I did have feelings for you, Kumiko. Ever since that night, I've always had. I wanted to tell you back then too but, I was too embarrassed then. I regretted not being able to, so I tried to tell you in every way I possibly could. I tried to tell you when we would practice together, when the two of us would walk home together, during breaks, I even tried to tell you through text." Tears began to fill up Reina's eyes. "But… you always shut me out and you wouldn't listen. You would avoid me in every way possible, and I started to believe that your feelings towards me, both as a lover and as a friend were beginning to disappear. I almost started hating you for it."
"That's such a Reina thing to say…" Kumiko thought to herself.
Reina slowly put her other hand on Kumiko's cheek and she slowly pulled Kumiko's gaze onto hers. The brunette's eyes were no longer blank. Instead, they seemed like they were asking for a second chance. Oh, how Reina would have loved a second chance. A chance to truly tell the other girl how she truly felt about her. Reina wiped away her tears and put her forehead against Kumiko's. The brunette began to stammer. "I…I…"
Reina put her finger over Kumiko's lips. After a long silence, Reina spoke softly. "I was wrong. Will you forgive me?" Kumiko nodded slowly.
Reina then traced Kumiko's lips with her finger before moving it away. She then tenderly pressed her lips against Kumiko's, eliciting a small gasp of surprise from the other girl. She then felt Kumiko return the kiss just as tenderly and longingly as they both wrapped each other in a warm embrace. They pulled away after a long time. As they continued to hold each other dearly, with neither willing to let go, their gazes met again.
Kumiko's heart had never fluttered so high before. Neither had Reina's.
As the stars continued to watch them from far above, Kumiko broke the silence. "I love you, Reina."
"I love you too, Kumiko," the raven haired girl said in response. Kumiko put her hand to Reina's cheek and pulled her in for another kiss.
The two then turned toward the lights of the city, hand in hand. "Forever?" Kumiko asked.
"Forever and ever." Reina answered. "I just gave a confession of love after all."
(~)