a/n: in an extraordinary plot twist i actually liked finale oath a lot so the original plan to post this out of spite fell flat but here it is! gay rights

Kumiko couldn't help but be swept with a great wave of nostalgia as she walked through the old halls of Kitauji's campus, taking care to see what had changed and what hadn't. The sliding doors had been replaced - probably one too many students dramatically slamming them against the walls - but the layout, mostly, was the same. There weren't any new buildings, save for an extra shed out on the sports field, and the pink triangles that dotted the walls were still there.

She wondered if the teacher - former teacher, rather - striding beside her had any hand in keeping those up.

"The band is promising this year," Taki explained, keeping his hands folded like he always did. Time had been kind to him - his hair was beginning to show signs of gray, and wrinkles were starting to show on his face, but his eyes still twinkled and he walked with the purpose of a much younger man. Kumiko couldn't help but notice the new wedding band on his finger sitting atop the old one. It would be impolite to ask, though. Some things ought to remain secrets. "The incoming third-years are a tight group, and the second-years showed a great deal of promise last year."

"It's still pretty amazing that Kitauji's, uh, such a renowned school, now." Kumiko looked at a trophy case - there were trophies for clubs she'd never paid much attention to, badminton and debate and improv (how one could "win" at improv was a mystery), but in the midst of them, she saw Nationals, concert band Nationals.

"It's thanks to your class, in part." Taki stopped when he saw Kumiko looking at the trophies. "You set a precedent."

"Uh, thanks."

"It's the truth." Taki turned to her, then, something serious in his eyes. "I trust you, Oumae-san, to lead the band."

"I won't let you down."

"It won't be easy."

"Hah, you couldn't have said all of this d-during the interview?" Kumiko still found it strange, joking with a teacher like this, as an equal. She'd never seen Taki as a god, but others had. To break that down felt oddly freeing.

"I know you can advise them well." Taki started walking again. "Now, you might want to take a look at the band room before we leave."

"Right." Kumiko followed him to the doors that she'd stepped through so many times, taking a deep breath. It occurred to her that they were close to the same height.

"The conductor's stand is a bit rickety, you might want to look at replacing it, but otherwise things are mostly the same." Taki's hand swept over the room, as if gesturing to his kingdom. Kumiko looked at the photos on the walls.

"I don't know any of these kids," she murmured, though she caught a glimpse of Hazuki's younger brothers clutching tubas in their scrawny arms. Some things ran in the family, she supposed.

"And nobody expects you to. They've heard of you, though, Oumae-san." Taki pointed to a photograph on the far end, its wooden frame cracked at places, but still wonderfully recognizable. Kumiko teared up. "You, and Kousaka-san, and all the others. You were the first to win Nationals, you know, of our school, but more than that - in your first year, when Tanaka-san nearly quit the band and you all found yourselves caught up in the auditions, you became determined to win. To improve."

"Yeah." Kumiko tentatively lifted a finger, afraid, irrationally, of the photo shattering beneath her touch, and she ran it over the image of Reina's face. She could still feel the way they'd held each other that day, the regional competition behind them, the sheer delight and humming joy of it all. Oh, what she would give to bask in that again.

She supposed that in a way, this was just what Taki was giving her.

"Are you still in touch with them? Your old bandmates?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, some of them. I call Natsuki all the time, a-and I see Hazuki and Midori-chan when they're in town, and-"

"And what about Kousaka-san?" Taki did not ask the question unkindly, but Kumiko felt she was being interrogated all the same.

"You've read my file, Taki-sensei." The thought of calling him Noboru made her want to throw up. "You already know about Reina."

"It's rude to ask, though, isn't it?" Taki's lips curled upwards into a smile, and Kumiko could've sworn he was making a joke. "I am happy for you two, though. You've both found your passion."

"Yeah." Kumiko looked down at her shoes, back to the photo. She hardly recognized some of the people in there - hardly recognized herself. "Yeah, we have."

"I suppose that's it, then, Oumae-sensei." Taki turned heel, beginning to walk out the door again. Kumiko's heart caught in her throat. "I entrust the Kitauji High School concert band to you. Call if you need anything, Masahiro might pick up but I'll be sure to find my way to it eventually. Not that you'll need help. No, I think you will be quite alright." Taki left, then, and Kumiko looked around the room she'd spent so long in and she smiled.

"I'm home." Kumiko dropped her keys in the bowl, wincing when her Eupho-kun keychain clinked painfully against it. It wasn't the original - that one sat in her and Reina's bedroom, safe in a box of most precious things that included, among others, their Nationals ribbons, their university acceptance letters, Reina's father's CD, Asuka's notebook, a tiny rainbow flag, and a spool of red thread. Rather, it was a gift from Midori the last time they'd met up. Still, Kumiko felt a twinge of guilt in her chest for the little thing, and she looked around quickly before giving it a short kiss on the forehead.

"I never thought I'd catch you in the arms of another in our own house." Kumiko spun around to see Reina in front of her, trumpet in hand, and she flushed.

"Reina! You're home early."

"The traffic wasn't as bad as I was expecting." Reina crossed the hall in a few quick strides. "How was the visit?"

"Oh! Things're mostly the same, t-the band's apparently really good this year - Kitauji has a reputation now for it - and the campus is the same, except for some doors and paint jobs and stuff, so I think it'll be good." Kumiko grinned, leaning in and raising her eyebrows. "And I'm sure you're wondering about Taki-sensei, aren't you?"

"Shut up," Reina laughed. It was a joke that had passed a million times between them, something comforting in light of what Kumiko had once feared was Reina's entire world.

(As such, they didn't ever talk about Shuichi in that way. He was a yearly Christmas card and nothing more; Kumiko hated to think of their brief and terrible fling in the second year, the time wasted)

"H-he's good though. Really happy. I think he's remarried, a-and he seemed ready to pass on the band. Trusted me with it."

"Of course he did." Reina reached out to tangle her hand in Kumiko's curls, a tactile and brilliant sensation that still made her melt. "You'll be extraordinary."

"Ah, Reina, you flatter me."

"It's the truth." Reina stepped back, then, sort of crossed her legs like she did sometimes when she wanted Kumiko to follow her. "Takeout for dinner?"

"Delivery," Kumiko said, trailing behind as they crossed into the living room. Oh, what a life the two of them had carved out. Reina raised her eyebrows.

"I like the way you think."

"We've earned it, right?" Kumiko flopped down on the couch. Reina settled down beside her. "Two musicians, both of us . . . y'know, still in music. Impressive, right?"

"Certainly." Reina gave a low hum, content. "I think it all worked out quite well, all things considered."

"All things considered," Kumiko echoed, and she sank further into the couch. "Ah, you're doing so well in the orchestra, performing every day, and here I am worried about impressing a bunch of kids."

"That's just like you, though."

"Is it?"

"Yes." Reina leaned over, kissed her on the cheek. Kumiko closed her eyes, and she was . . . well, she was content, and that was all anyone could ask for, really.

Kumiko woke up, hours later, and realized that Reina had fallen asleep beside her. The sun was down, the house dark. Reina stirred a bit.

"I love you," she murmured to the sleeping form beside her, and she didn't mind at all if Reina heard it.

a/n: title is lampshading harry potter's painfully hetero epilogue btw. i will not be like rowling.