The violinist and the conductor

5. Setting boundaries

It was like opening a Pandora's box.

After he had made himself come for his violin, he became obsessed with the thought of talking to him again. Of course, he had desired to talk to him every day, even every hour, but it was like allowing himself to come turned a switch on in his brain. 

So he started talking to his violin.

"I miss you", he said. "I miss you more than I believed it was possible to miss anyone. I have so many things I want to tell you. So many things I see each day that make me think 'I have to tell Izuna', only to remember I can't. That you're not there anymore. You would think it would hurt me less each time but it doesn't. It just goes on and on. I want to know where you are." At this, his voice wobbled at the thoughts he tried to keep it at bay. "And if you're..." He could hardly finish the words. "If you're tortured, I hope that you're already dead. So that you don't have to go through that."

He kissed the wood of the violin.

"I would do anything to see your sweet face once more. To hear your thick accent once more." But more than anything, I want you to be okay, even if the cost of that would be losing you." 

Then, he broke down.

"Izuna!! I don't know how to find you!! Help me!!"

2 years earlier

It continued like that.

Izuna was always late by five minutes. I always told him off.

"Do you want all of us to accommodate to your time, Mr Uchiha?"

And he would always apologise sincerely.

"Of course not, Mr Senju", he would say with his thick accent.

But I couldn't help but noticed he never promised he would be on time the next day. At least, I thought, he knew his own limitations. 

We practiced. Then, I would stay and play an instrument. The wing. The oboe. The cello. The clarinet. One each day, whatever my heart desired.

And then, it would start all over again the next day with Izuna coming late. I even talked to our boss, who had hired Izuna.

"He doesn't respect time", I complained.

"What's the problem?" she asked.

"He's always late", I said, irritated. "He disturbs the others."

"Really?" She asked, one eyebrow raised. "Is he really disturbing the others? Or is it you who disturb them when you force them to stop whenever he's late?"

I was taken aback. Was this woman protecting his bad manners?

I slammed my hands onto his desk. A terrifying move seeing she was much more senior than me and could easily have me fired. Well, seeing she was obviously hard for stars and I was one, albeit not as brightly shining as golden boy Izuna, she probably wouldn't.

"Listen", I said. "I don't care how good he is. How complex the pieces he can play are. But you cannot give him a free pass because he's famous. It doesn't work that way in my orchestra."

If she was provoked by me calling it my orchestra, she didn't let it show.

"When have I ever said I am giving him a free pass because he's famous?" she asked. I frowned. "Have you ever considered that the fact I'm giving him a free pass because of something else? Something you have no clue about?"

I was taken aback. I had, in fact, not considered this. I suddenly felt very, very tired.

"What is it?" I asked.

She looked at me as if I was stupid.

"I didn't say there is anything. I asked you if you had considered that there might be."

I sighed.

"Anyway-" she interrupted before I even had time to open my mouth. "Even if there was something of the sort, it would be confidential. You would only find out if you talked to him yourself and he decided to tell you." She raised an eyebrow at me. "You should try. He's quite friendly, if you get to know him."

I stomped away, angered. I went to the stage to play something, but soon stopped dead still.

Someone was already there, playing the wing.