1.2 | The Prince of Thieves

Chapter 31

A/N: Merry Christmas! I hope you will enjoy this chapter which, together with the previous chapter and next few chapters, are part of the TPOT Christmas Season installation.

~

Leon thought the day would never come, but they were finally getting their long-awaited, well deserved trip. Just them and their family, he thought. Finally. The whole Aleks Udinov issue had been resolved, Yuri had left extremely satisfied, and they even had time to squeeze in some Christmas shopping. The presents were being brought with them halfway across the world. He had to bring an extra bag just to contain the gifts for his family.

They had taken the same flight as Kai and arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon. After greeting her mother – her father was still at work – they had trudged up to their respective rooms to rest. Hana still retained her old room, while Leon was given a guest room on the same floor. He understood why they were put in separate rooms when he saw the size of her tiny bed. Then he dropped onto his bed and remained there until Hana woke him up to say that there was half an hour till dinner.

He had taken a shower at her suggestion. His hair was damp and he was shivering. The hot shower hadn't warmed him up at all, and now his breath was loud and ragged in his ears as he stumbled down the stairs to the Yazumi's living room. With his arms wrapped tightly around himself, in a miserable effort to preserve his body heat, he took an experimental step towards the kitchen, where she said she would be, and peered in.

'Dinner will be ready soon,' she said with her head slightly turned towards him, evidently having heard his descent from the floor above. Her mother stood over a pot of broth that smelled absolutely delicious. Beside her, Kai was grilling slices of pork belly on a pan. The aroma was heavenly, and his stomach rumbled in anticipation. 'Go take a seat in the living room.'

'Do you need help with anything?' he offered. She was scooping out cold dishes onto little serving plates.

'Mm...' Hana tilted her face to the side. 'You could set the table, and then take a seat.'

Leon had laid down a pair of chopsticks at every placemat – he was extremely thankful that he had already mastered chopsticks – then obediently brought out whatever little dishes that needed to be brought out. Dinner was sukiyaki, a hotpot with meat and vegetables that would be cooked at the table, with sides of grilled pork, chuka wakame, a type of seaweed salad, and a roll of glistening yellow tamagoyaki.

He set the table in record speed, and with nothing else to do, had looked around the living room. There was a three-seater couch, two arm chairs, a table with what seemed like blankets sticking out of it, a television set, and glass cupboards of knick knacks and other paraphernalia contained in it. The first floor of the Yazumi's house was considered modern, as Hana had mentioned earlier. The living room was demarcated by its dark parquet tiles, and the kitchen by its marble flooring. Only the bedrooms and a traditional tea ceremony room had been left with its tatami mats.

He ambled around the living room now, allowing his eyes to rest on various objects of interests. There was the piano, for one. Framed photos stood in a neat row on its top, and he stepped over for a closer look. Their house was so homely, he couldn't help but think, instantly comparing this familial display to the cold marble busts and war paintings that adorned the domed entrance of his own family home.

His eyes glinted with mirth as he realised the second photo from the left was one of Hana as a baby. Then he went further down the row, making a quick study of the Yazumi family through the years, until he reached one that stopped both his breath and his feet. How did this end up here? What was it doing here? And why had he never seen this photograph?