an: hi im back hibigay

The band room feels deserted.

The chairs are shoved to the side, stacked on top of one another to save room. Cases of woodwind instruments that need repairing are tucked away in a corner. The chalkboard is, for once, spotless. Save for the podium in front of the chalkboard, the middle of the classroom is filled with empty space. Looking at it from the side, Kumiko feels strange, to say the least. It feels as if something needs to be there—like an ensemble, for example.

"You've been standing there for over five minutes."

Kumiko looks over her shoulder to see Reina standing in the threshold of the doorway.

"I can't help but appreciate the view," Kumiko says with a smile on her face.

Reina rolls her eyes, but returns the smile. She walks towards Kumiko, running a hand through her neck-length hair.

"It's one hell of a view, isn't it?"

Kumiko exhales a breath of amusement through her nose. "It sure is."

"How come the underclassmen didn't put the desks together?"

"The band meets up here to practice a bit before the graduation ceremony, remember?" Kumiko breaks into a cheeky smile. "Or have you forgotten that, you senior citizen?"

"Oh, please," Reina says with a laugh, "I wasn't the one who forgot when band practice was."

"That was one time!"

"One time too many, Ms. Vice President."

Kumiko rolls her eyes and reaches out for Reina's hand. She twines their fingers together, and in silence, the both of them stand there.

"What do you see?" Reina asks, her voice so soft Kumiko almost misses the question.

"…I see dead people."

Kumiko breaks out into a fit of chuckles when Reina pushes her shoulder.

"I-I don't really get what you're trying to say, Reina," Kumiko says, fighting to gain her composure.

"Like, do you see a memory of someone or something or of some event when you look at this empty space."

"Well…what do you see?"

"I see the countless hours of work we've put in order to prep for our competitions. Each passing year, we grew, both in size and skill, and every year, we've always made it to Nationals until we reached Gold. And because of that…."

Kumiko feels Reina tighten her hold. She looks and sees Reina staring at her with misty eyes, the brilliant purple glimmering in the setting sun.

"…I can leave here happily," she mumbles, her grin holding the warmth of a thousand stars.

Kumiko leans in and places the softest of kisses on Reina's cheek. "Of course you would see something like that, Ms. President," she says with a smile.

She chuckles again when Reina pushes on her shoulder with a croak of a laugh, but a part of Kumiko wonders when the nostalgia of high school will truly hit her.

-X-

"Wait."

Reina grabs onto Kumiko's wrist, and she stops in her tracks.

"What—what is it?"

"I want to go on the roof," Reina says as she gestures to the stairwell next to them.

The corner of Kumiko's lips curl downward. She takes a quick glance around them: aside from them, no living being is present. It was well past the final bell, and she is sure that everyone had already left.

"You sure…?" she asks.

Reina's eyes hold a silent conviction as she nods her head yes.

Kumiko adjusts her bag on her shoulder as Reina leads her by the hand. They climb the stairs, their footsteps bouncing off of the walls. Reina opens the door, ignoring its groans of protest, and Kumiko follows suit.

A cool breeze welcomes them, running its fingers through their hair as it passes by. It leaves behind the scent of something delicious, yet unidentifiable. Kumiko's stomach growls, and it reminds her of how late it's getting—the both of them should be heading home soon.

"Is there something you wanted to do here?" she asks.

Reina says nothing. Instead, she lets go of Kumiko's hand and walks forward, towards the railing. Kumiko waits before finally joining her.

The sun has sunk below the skyline, yet its rays paint the sky a vibrant pink. Wisps of clouds are painted purple, with highlights of smokey white as jets fly overhead. Lights are flickering on, and the traffic begins to rush past as people make their way home. The Uji River twinkles, as if the fabled River of Stars is flowing in this familiar city of theirs.

It's in this moment that Kumiko thinks this sight is more beautiful than the view on Mount Daikichi.

"I wanted to come up here one last time," Reina says quietly.

"…Yeah?" is all Kumiko can muster out.

"Mhm. Since this'll be the last time we see this as students here."

The weight of the realization falls heavily on Kumiko's chest. She sucks in a breath, suddenly finding it hard to breathe past the knot in her throat. She tries to say something, but the words die in her chest. Instead, she reaches out and grabs Reina's hand. It's surprisingly warm, and as they intertwine their fingers together, Kumiko can feel Reina's heat melting away the chill biting her hand.

"We made it," Kumiko breathes out. "We actually made it. We did…all of it. We made to Nationals, we won gold this year, we made Kitauji a school renowned for its music program, and now we're graduating tomorrow…."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Yeah…." Kumiko laughs breathlessly. "God I remember how bad the band sounded when I first heard them in my first-year."

"We've certainly came a long way since then."

Kumiko tries to answer, but the tail of the breath gets caught in her throat—the rest escapes her mouth in a quiet, inaudible sigh. She opts not to break the silence this time, and takes in the scenery below.

This time, Kumiko feels no need to rush back home.

-X-

Before Kumiko knew it, the graduation ceremony came and went in a blur.

Now she is standing outside, weaving her way through the masses. The chatter of excited families, graduates, and a sobbing Hazuki fill the air as Kumiko slips away from the crowd.

I'll deal with all of that later, she thinks as she walks across the empty courtyard.

Kumiko feels the bite of winter hiding under the cool, spring air. It sinks its teeth into her skin, goosebumps rising, and it reminds Kumiko of the end of her first-year. She's walking to the exact spot where she ran into Asuka, on top of the staircase that led to the band room. Kumiko half expects to see a tall girl wearing an overcoat walking out of the building right now, clutching her bag as if she was just leaving another school day and not her graduation ceremony. Kumiko imagines Asuka's face, her expression, and her small smile of realization that perhaps, in this school that caused her so much unnecessary trouble, she will be leaving behind her father's notebook with someone precious.

Kumiko blinks when she feels something warm run down her cheek. She quickly wipes the tear away with the back of her hand, wondering what got into her. When did she stop walking? How long has she been standing here?

She's waiting for you, a quiet voice reminds her.

Kumiko feels her legs move towards her destination. She slips under the overhang and enters the building, the deafening thud of the metal door echoing through the empty halls. She makes her way towards the band room, and as she does, she can see the ghosts of memories lurking: Asuka's raucous laughter during sectionals, Hazuki's blares, Shuuichi's looks of disapproval, Nozomi's and Mizore's quiet duets, Reina's solos drifting in through open windows.

Kumiko slides open band room door, and sees Reina standing where she was yesterday. She turns around, her black hair, though shorter, still flowing as gracefully as it did the first day Kumiko ran into her.

And then suddenly, she feels a knot forming in the middle of her throat. Tears blur her vision, and Kumiko finds that she's having a hard time breathing all of a sudden. Nostalgia is pulling on her heartstrings so hard she thinks they're going to snap at any minute.

"Reina," she croaks out, "w-we did it."

Reina smiles and comes closer. She cups Kumiko's cheek with a warm hand and brushes away a tear with her thumb.

"We did," she says quietly.

"I-it k-kind of hurts to l-leave," Kumiko blubbers out, ending her sentence with a clumsy chuckle.

"It does," Reina agrees quietly.

"Because we've made so many memories here, y-you know?"

"I know."

"I-I'll miss everyone."

"I will, too."

Reina comes even closer, pressing their foreheads together. The scent of lavender and her warmth is overwhelming Kumiko, but she latches onto it, relishing this closeness as if her life depends on it.

"But we move on," Reina continues, "and we'll start the beginning of our new movement—together."

Kumiko sniffles and chuckles to herself. "Of course you had to make a music reference."

"I had to."

"But we'll move onto this next part together"—Kumiko looks expectantly into Reina's brilliantly purple eyes—"right?"

Reina gives her a heart-warming grin.

"Of course."

an: looking back on it, i feel as if this ending was kind of lacking - sorry about that. it's been real hard for me to write lately, but i'm slowly getting back into the groove of it all. im glad i got to write this story, though - i needed something to vent out this pent-up nostalgia in my chest that's been resting ever since i graduated. kumiko suddenly crying happened to me after my graduation ceremony - walking into my band room where i've spent most of my time in my four years of high school was almost overwhelming. i'd feel like kumiko would have a similar reaction.

anyways, hope you enjoyed. thanks for reading. love you.