Sakemoto moved through the sweet, crisp air. Each movement sent the light trumpet case tapping against a clothed thigh. The motion was so common by now, it would leave no bruise. With apples in their prime, they dotted the trees like bright red ornaments. A series of distorted reflections moved across each smooth, shiny surface. It was peaceful here. A perfect location to clear her head. Tossing a raven lock over a pulled back shoulder, she stepped over a tree root. There was a low branch hanging above, so she pushed it out of the way with a braced arm. She came to stop in the shade of another tree in the row. It was colder here, but not enough to shiver. Perfect.

Kneeling on the grass, the ravenette flicked open her trumpet case on her lap. The golden metal instrumental gleamed in the autumn sun. She hadn't touched it since the train ride here. The sound wouldn't carry as well outside, but with the arrangement of the trees, it would flow nicely through the narrow gaps. That would account for okay acoustics. Taking the silver mouthpiece, she rubbed a thumb over it and gently twisted it into its proper place into the mouthpiece receiver. It slid in without much resistance. Even for an old trumpet, it still seemed like new. She always made sure to check it over every day. The case clicked shut and she rose to her feet. As she did so, a gust of wind picked up her black hair and tossed it around gently. Then she took a step back and raised the instrument to her lips. The contact of the cold metal failed to make her flinch. 

The ravenette relaxed her lips and buzzed them against the mouthpiece, projecting a neutral tone out of the bell. She shaped it into a beautiful, clear melody with a few presses and releases of the three valves in the center of the instrument. Soon, “From the New World” flowed through the autumnal orchard.

Thin lashes fluttered lethargically under the haze of the autumn sun above. Where... They slid open, revealing shafts of sunlight filtering through the emerald leaves of a leafy canopy above. Three rounded, red-tinged reflections stared blearily down at her from the green mass. Am I...? Shumi combed her stiff fingers through a head of shaded grass as she pushed herself up. Her neck was sore. She reached back to rub it. Ah, that's right. She had fallen asleep on her Euphonium case in the Lulim Orchard. Not the most comfortable pillow, but for some reason, using the much softer grass hadn't crossed her mind in the sleepy moments she had chosen a spot to nap. Rubbing her golden eyes like a child, she lowered her hands to absorb her environment. It felt like just yesterday she had been packing up to take a train to Astrea. Now here she was. Alone without Emi or her parents or any familiarity to draw comfort from at all. She only had her Euphonium. Well, that and the six stuffed animals and her ferret, Montey, whom she had managed to sneak into her luggage with her. This was the start of a new tune. She was the composer now, and that was a scary position to occupy. Being responsible for writing and placing all the notes... She wasn't sure if she c-

Was that a trumpet? Shumi rocked herself up in a flash. It couldn't have been... She shook her head. She was thinking to much about home. About everyone and everything she had left behind. Was Sake sad she hadn't bid her farewell? Maybe this is what they called the epitome of guilt... The brunette again shook her head, vigorously, this time, as to fully wake herself up and rejuvenate herself, before stretching like a cat. A leaf fluttered off from a tree nearby and struck her right in the forehead in her moment of vulnerability. She gave a childish mewl, eyes slanting playfully. Ah, what am I doing being so depressed about? This is Astrea, not Ehime. There's all sorts of possibilities for new memories. Yes, that's it! With childish vigor renewed, the brunette giggled to herself and collected her heavy Euphonium case. She brushed it free of grass before smoothing the wrinkles and earthy debris from her Miator uniform. The one-piece white-collared outfit looked so mature compared to her. So much so in fact that she had been afraid to look at her reflection in fear that she might burst out laughing because of it! Hopefully she didn't look too unpresentable.

"It's cold." She mumbled to herself, giving a half-hearted shiver. While it made her desire to head back to the dormitories, the small nap had electrified her energy once more. And energy was something Shumi had quite a surplus of. Maybe she'd just stay out a little longer... As she reached for the handle of her euphonium case, she froze. That trumpet again... This time she was sure she was not hearing things.

A mixture of curiosity, anxiety, and excitement tightened her chest as she snatched up her case and followed the direction of the almost familiar sound. Maybe it was one of the Miator band students? She hadn't had any time to acquaint herself with nor meet any so far. When she merged into the next row, golden eyes flickered up to catch sight of a black-haired angel. That poise, that grace and sound... Her fingers unfurled unconsciously from the case of her instrument's handle. It struck the sound with a heavy thud.

For a second...this girl almost looked like...

"Sakemoto..."

As the world slowed and blurred with the melody, Sakemoto let her eyes fall shut. She knew the song by heart so concentration wasn't necessary. Astrea faded away into the organic darkness and Ehime began to take its place. Sparrows not yet asleep hopped from tree to tree high above. An ocean of starry city lights was serenaded below in the distance, absorbed first by the open, empty fields of wheat and grass and the old, traditional communities where the quiet folk of the small town lived. The autumn breeze became the soft whispering gusts of the hilltop she used to visit so often. It was a location she would visit with a dear friend of hers often. They played a duet one time there, too... High above the sleepy town in their own little world. But that world and everything in it was shattered.

The melody soon came to its closing. This is where that friend would often give a few words of encouragement or a kind-hearted "Good job." But Sakemoto wasn't good. She wasn't even at the peak of readiness to be in a band, much less a refined soloist. So frustrating! The fingers that depressed the valves became tensed. They tried to strangle the melody, but it never bent from its perfect flow. The last few measures weaved their tune, but before they could come to an official end, an out-of-place voice interrupted the notes. The trumpet player cut the melody short with a strained staccato high note. That voice... Slowly, she turned her head, black hair whipping out of the way to reveal a girl. The short, bobbed hair, the golden eyes, and that Eupohnium case... For a moment, she believed she was back in Ehime at the sight. But when her brows furrowed unconciously and a scowl darkened her lips, she knew that this was no child's dream of the past.

She lowered her trumpet to her side, standing stalk-straight like a general looking upon a wronged cadette. A part of her wished to storm off while another disbelieved the sight before her and wished to remain. Internal conflict aside, she found herself take a slight step back.

"Nakaseko." She breathed almost inaudibly, never loosing her dark guard.

Shumi felt her blood freeze for the first time under the light of that familiar purple gaze. It wasn't friendly, nor had she expected it to be. She hadn't expected any kind of smile or warmth. Just ice. A sharp in the melody -- no, not an accidental. The tightness in her chest was uncomfortable. Should she run? Stay? She was happy to see her childhood friend...if they were even considered friends anymore. The darkness in the other's gaze and voice intimidated the young Euphonium player, but she forced a meek smile to upturn her lips through the shock, knowing it would be received be a darker frown.

"I...didn't know you were here." The brunette started weakly.

Why had Sakemoto came to Astrea? Had her parents forced her to? Had she come after the brunette? The latter thought projected the image of a prince chasing after a beloved princess in the girl's childish mind, but she brushed it away quickly before her heart could palpitate dreamily. Sakemoto was no prince, and she, no princess. Or, at least not in this situation. A breeze stirred through the air, whisking through the bobbed wisps across her cheeks. What would have supplied a sense of peace just minutes ago now only administered further to the tension. She had missed Sakemoto. Her dear friend. How could she tell her that? Folding her arms behind her back, she stared at the dark-haired angel before her. "Are you here...for the band?"

Ivory teeth sunk to a plush lower lip just as the last word fell past her lips. Knowing Sakemoto, that wasn't the correct question to inquire... I'm so stupid..

The grip on the golden trumpet tightened slightly under the clutching fingers. She was a step away from turning sharply on a heel and leaving her once beloved friend. The blowing wind caught her hair, combing it into a pair of ribbon-like wings behind her. It didn't surprise her that Shumi hadn't a previous clue of her arrival. Being her first day at Astrea, she hadn't been able to participate in a band session yet. There didn't even seem to be that many students involved from what little she had seen during a brief discussion with the supervising nun. Maybe the program was suffering.

The question that presented itself sliced open the old past wound of the junior high band auditions. She had auditioned with Shumi. Yet after all that practice and stiff joints and bleeding finger pads from excess practice, the result hadn't resulted in anything satisfactory. No matter how perfectly she played, no matter the praise or applause, she wouldn't be good enough. Maybe for the crowd, but not for herself. Swallowing a screen of unbridled anger, Sakemoto tried to calm herself enough to speak. She wasn't even sure why her blood was boiling. What had happened that day was nothing of Shumi's fault. It was entirely hers and hers alone. And it was the fact that she couldn't accept that that sent the blood hot through her veins.

"Yes." She turned her face away from the girl as she spoke though her body remained almost facing her. Her gaze wandered somewhere high above the orchard, temporarily being obscured by blowing strands of hair every now and then. "I suppose your answer isn't any different."

The statement came off cold and froze over with the wind.