1.2 | The Prince of Thieves

Chapter 3

This chapter is dedicated to @watt_is_life

Hana glanced about her. Stray items of clothing lay strewn on her bed, the floor and on her little table. Her previously immaculate room had turned into a dump as she hovered between her wardrobe and an open luggage, deciding which was worth bringing, and which to leave behind. She heaved a sigh and threw a glance at her already over-filled luggage. This is crazy. Why did I ever decide to do this in the first place? Could she manage an enormous luggage and a cello by herself? She let out another sigh, huffing at the stray strands of hair that had escaped her bun.

The past few weeks had been a flurry of activities and tough decisions. The decision to tender her resignation with the orchestra had almost been made on the spur of the moment. Unwise, she knew, but she had always thought that she would leave Tokyo after she graduated. Then an offer from the Tokyo Philharmonic came, and she had taken it of course. Of course. At that time, it had been the most logical decision. Get a job in an orchestra, have a foot in the music industry, form connections with the big names... But the months had passed, bringing her further from the promise she had made. Then the orchestra had scheduled Carnegie as the last of its stops after a short stint around the world. Maybe it was time, she had thought.

She wondered if she was making a mistake; returning after all these years. What if he no longer liked her? What if he had found someone else? They had vowed to each other after all, that during the three years, if they found someone else, then they would tell each other and break off the marriage. Truth be told, she had been slightly attracted to one of her orchestra mates. But the attraction had worn off and she knew he wasn't the person that she had come to love all those three years ago.

Well if we don't get back together, I still have that offer from the New York Philharmonic, she thought glumly to herself as she rechecked her knives and slid the case between a pile of clothes in her luggage. Or I can always come to Tokyo.

There was someone hovering by the door and she looked up to see her older brother stepping in.

'What a mess!' Without further invitation, he proceeded to lounge on her bed and pulled a few of her stuffed toys to him.

'Looks better than your room any day', she retorted and stuck out her tongue at him.

He rolled his eyes at her then shifted about to find a comfortable position amidst the mess that her clothes had created.

'Ah, seriously, why do you just leave your underwear lying about?!' he exclaimed with some embarrassment. His foot shied back from the innocent pile of clothes. 'Are you trying to make me blind?'

'Hey!' Hana scrambled to collect them, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. 'Don't touch my things with your dirty foot!'

'I didn't touch anything!' They erupted into a childish spat of making faces at each other

'So, you're sure about this?', he asked after a while. 'You'll be in New York for a while, you know?'

Hana paused in her aimless sorting.

'Yeah. I feel that I should settle it soon...'

He grunted and rolled onto his back.

'Okaa-san and otou-san are worried.'

'It'll be alright.' She flashed him a smile. 'Besides, you'll be in New York.'

He made a face. 'Don't count on me. I'll be busy so I can't entertain you. Of course, I'll personally kill him for you if you want me to. I expect you'll be going to look for him first?'