HAUNT.
"I'll come back to haunt you,
Memories will taunt you."
– Bastille 'Haunt'
He would see her sometimes, walking past in her perfectly ironed pencil skirt and crisp white blouse while he stood there covered in sweat and dirt and trying very hard not to look at her.
He had noticed her on his very first day on the new construction site, with the sun beating down relentlessly upon the freshly dug up area and on his worn out yellow safety helmet. He surveyed the area critically, conversing with his co-workers when he saw her on the other side of the gate that led to the pedestrian walkway.
She cut a slim figure in the morning sunlight, her hair dark and straight save for the ends that curled against her back slightly. She wore standard business attire – fitted shirt and skirt with modest heels and a black bag that she held in one hand as she walked briskly towards the train station close by. Although he could barely make out her facial features from the distance, he surmised that there was something familiar about her that he couldn't quite place.
Perhaps it was the way she walked – quick, small graceful steps that didn't falter against the uneven pavement even in heels; or maybe it was the way she would duck her head when talking on her mobile phone as if that would give her some semblance of added privacy.
Despite the nagging feeling at the back of his mind, he never tried to approach her. Although he wasn't the best in social circumstances, he knew that it could be objectively viewed as weird if he were to interrupt her commute to work when she had never met him before. And if he were to stop her, what would he say? And what would be her reaction when faced with a person that watched her walk by almost every day? Not good, that's what.
He sighed and went back to his work, positioning himself near the fence so that he could catch a glimpse of her hurrying past in a few minutes time. He knew it was pathetic and that nothing could ever come from it, but it still didn't stop him from waiting there day after day just to catch a glimpse of her.
She was running late again.
It had become such a habit over the past few weeks, that 'running late' had become the norm for her. Although her father owned the firm that she worked at, she knew it was terribly unbecoming if she were constantly late. The others already thought she got special treatment because of her name, and she didn't want to give them another excuse to talk behind her back.
After the first eight times she had been late, her father had given her a disapproving look though it lacked any real sincerity.
"Kimiko," he started, closing the door to his office behind him lightly before settling down in his chair "I'm sure you're aware that you have been less than punctual lately and the others in your team have noticed"
She bowed her head, her cheeks burning pink at the obvious statement. "I'm sorry"
He sighed, "I know. Do you realise that this would be a lot easier if you moved back home? The journey to your apartment alone takes 40 minutes too long"
She frowned, knowing where this was heading. Her father had been completely against her moving away from home despite the fact that she was a grown woman at 27. He had said that it was completely unsafe for a single young woman to traverse the fringes of the city alone but Kimiko didn't listen. She didn't want to live right beside where she worked while under the careful eye of her father's security guards. She loved her father with all her heart but she needed him to trust her too. She wasn't a little girl anymore and he needed to see that she could survive on her own.
"Father, could we not have this conversation again? Please?"
He exhaled, not able to deny his only daughter anything "Fine. But please be on time in the future or we will be having more of these talks"
She smiled brightly, moving around the desk to envelop her father in a tight embrace. "Thank you!"
Her father struggled to keep the grin off his face "Now get back to work and remember our dinner reservation is at 7"
She nodded and walked to the door, giving her father one last wave before she resumed her usual professional demeanour in the presence of her peers until she reached her own smaller private office. It could be so exhausting sometimes, constantly trying to prove yourself to people who wanted to see you fail.
Kimiko stumbled in her steps, her immersion in her memories making her absent minded to her surroundings. She caught herself on an odd angle just in time before she fell, grazing her ankle on the side of a fence that led to a new construction area. She carefully leaned against the wall, raising her foot up slightly to survey the damage more closely. It was scratched and bleeding slightly but the real pain was beneath the surface. She tested out her foot on the ground and tried to lean on it with her weight but it gave way with a shot of pain up her leg.
"Are you alright?"
Kimiko almost jumped in fright at the voice some ways behind her. She turned around, wincing at the pain and trying to smile at the kind stranger before the expression melted right off her face.
She knew him.
From where or when, she had no idea but she definitely recognised him underneath the fluoro vest and grime. His dark hair was short, the sweat drenched ends brushing the nape of his neck. His eyes were intense and dark, serious and careful. She idly wondered how he could be so pale given his current occupation – a great sun block perhaps?
He seemed to notice her staring, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Miss?"
Kimiko met his eyes, the sense of recognition tantalisingly close but frustratingly out of reach.
"Oh I'm fine thank you. I think I might have rolled my ankle…" she said faintly before adding with a slight blush "I'm not usually this clumsy"
"No you're not" he agreed before realising what he had just said. Kimiko raised her eyebrows, amusement dancing in her eyes as he stammered an answer to her unspoken question.
"I see you walking past here on your way to work" he admitted with something akin to embarrassment.
She laughed, the sound happy and clear despite the dull throbbing in her ankle "No need to look so ashamed Mr…?"
"Callum. Just Cal is fine though" he said hastily, marvelling that he was actually standing there talking to her "And you?"
She smiled, "Kimiko. But most people just call me Mika"
Mika.
"It's nice to meet you Mika"
She smiled, taking in his serious expression but sensing the warmth behind his dark eyes "Likewise, Cal"
A/N: I know there's been a lot of criticism about '47 Ronin' as a film, but I couldn't resist posting a modern day story about them two meeting again after Kai's whole spiel about finding her through a thousand worlds and ten thousand lifetimes or whatnot. Anyway, I don't think I'm going to continue this but I hope you liked it nonetheless!
Love,
DecoyDream x
(P.S. I changed Kai's name to Cal because I couldn't work with him having a Japanese name given the modern context. I hope it's not that big of a deal though!)