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"Mr. Walker?" His secretary peaked her head inside his office, holding the phone receiver against her chest so the caller could not hear her. "I have Thomas on the line. He says that the part for your private jet has arrived. The mechanic wants to know if you want him to run full diagnostics and perform the routine maintenance now while the engine is disassembled or if you'd rather he gets it back to working condition as fast as possible?" She paused. Mr. Walker's schedule was so hectic she should remind him why he might prefer the more expeditious alternative. "You are planning to use the jet for your meeting in Tokyo on Thursday."

Takumi didn't need to think to hard about this one. It was nice that some of his decisions were easy. "Claire, I will be using that jet to propel myself across the sky at 982 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 45,000 feet. I would prefer that the mechanic take his time and complete any tests or maintenance he deems reasonable. If I have to fly commercial to Tokyo, it's fine. Just try to get me into first class if you can."

Claire smiled, "Yes, Sir." She returned to her desk and continued her work.

Takumi looked up from the pile of reports he had been mulling over all morning. He had mixed feeling about going back to Tokyo. He shook his head. What was he expecting. The City had over nine million people and he'd be locked in meetings for 12 hours a day. He wasn't going to encounter Misaki.

In a way, this was a relief. He was scared beyond belief at the prospect of encountering her. On the other hand, it would have been nice to get to see her in person one more time. Her image was fading from memory and he'd forgotten the sound of her voice. He treasured those memories. Sometimes, they were the only things getting him through the day. If only he bumped into her, he would be able to refresh his mind on some of her details. There was a dimple that appeared when she laughed a certain way, but he couldn't remember if it was on her right or left cheek. There were a small group of freckles on the back of her hand. Had they faded or had another freckle joined the cluster? These little details plagued him. He regretted losing her. In fact, it was the biggest regrets of his life, but if he could remember everything… every detail of her face, her body, her voice, her smell, her wit, her kindness, her charm, her sass…. Maybe, just maybe, he could pretend that she was still his. He could tell himself that she was away on a business trip or he could pretend that if he opened his eyes she would be laying in the bed by his side. But as the details faded away, so did his ability to pretend she was still a part of his life. Of course he had scoured social media, but she was like a ghost. He was kidding himself if he thought a trip to Japan would bring a chance encounter. He told himself to focus on his work and stop day dreaming.

A half a hour later Claire returned to his office. "They have a flight leaving at 9:20, that has two stop overs, and another direct flight leaving at 11:00. Both depart from Heathrow. They seem to be sold out of the first class seats on the 11:00 flight. What do you want to do?"

"What airline is the 11:00 flight with," he asked.

"Virgin Atlantic, Sir."

"Call Branson. He owes me a favor. See if he can make a space for me on first class for that flight."

"Will do."

Claire turned to leave. "Claire?" He stopped her, "give me a call on my personal number if the jet gets finished before I board."

"Right." She said brightly.

A few days later, the car dropped him off at Heathrow. After opening his door Cedric retrieved his luggage from the boot. "Shall I accompany you inside, Mr. Walker?"

"No, thank you Cedric. I can handle this." Takumi stopped by the ticket counter and collected his boarding pass. He decided to take the lift to reach security. This place was crowded. It had been a long time since he'd flown commercial and much had changed. Thankfully, that call to Richard had afforded him the right to bypass the standard security line and instead use the line reserved for the elite. He had plenty of time to kill so he thought he'd grab a pint at the pub opposite his gate.

He sat at the bar and glanced around the airport. His eyes stopped at the check-in desk which was located in front of the gate from which his flight would be departing. It seemed as if a small scene was unfolding. A passenger was growing increasingly agitated with the customer service representative behinds the desk. Based on her back side, the customer was very attractive woman and she certainly seemed spirited. In other words, she was just Takumi Walker's type. Takumi, always the chivalrous gentleman, thought he might just head over see if he could help the little lady. The way she carried herself, her frame, her height, they all reminded him of his Misa. Well, to be fair, everything reminded him of Misaki.

He still could not believe how badly he had blown it. It had happened while he was off at university. She'd sent him a post saying that they should consider "seeing other people". He was hurt, angry, confused. He tried calling but her flat mate said she had left and would be gone for a couple of weeks. She hadn't mentioned a holiday to him. Maybe Tori had finally managed to get to her. Maybe he'd swept her away for a romantic rendezvous and this was her cowardly way of telling him. He was jealous. He went up to one of the girls in class and asked her out for drinks. It wasn't anything serious. He just wanted to spite Misa. Sure, this girl liked him, but it was harmless. He had no intention of doing anything more than drinking a few pints and blowing off some steam. The fact he was going to bring along some arm candy to stare at while he drank… well that wasn't illegal. And if Misaki had a problem with it, she could just rethink her fucked up letter. He couldn't even remember that girl's name anymore. Why had he been so stupid? How could he have lost Misaki over such a childish temper tantrum.

Misaki arrived at his dorms about an hour after a Takumi had left for the pub. Some of the other students that lived on his floor told her that she could probably find him at the Boar and Dragon off High Street. It was the Friday night after exams were finished and most of the students were planning to stop by that pub to celebrate. Misaki wasn't surprised by this suggestion. For the last several weeks, Takumi had been telling her all about his upcoming tests. Misaki had figured he would be going out this night to celebrate finally finishing. Misa smiled. Maybe he was with his chums bitching about her right now. She felt a little evil. It was the fifth anniversary of their first date and the start of winter break. What better way to surprise him than fly half way around the world and spend two glorious weeks in his arms? He had always been able to read her like a book and she wanted this to be a surprise. That's why she sent him that awful letter. She knew he'd be jealous and concerned. This would keep him distracted so she could finally successfully surprise him. She was mean, but he'd forgive her once she got there. She'd been sure to send the letter to a mutual friend and had asked that his friend wait to slip it into his mail slot until after he'd taken the last of his exams. She didn't want her little prank to impact his studying. He'd probably had about three hours of suffering by now. She couldn't wait to find out how he would be punishing her for this.

The guys on his floor had told how to get to High Street and she was enjoying the walk. This town was really quaint, with its cobbled stoned roads and little Tudor styled shops. She saw the pub and turned to the window of a local shop to do one more check of her appearance. Her reflection in the glass told her she was a little disheveled. Not terribly surprising given the length she had been traveling. She fumbled through her purse and found a hair brush. She brushed her hair one last time and then confidently strode into the pub with the biggest smile she had ever worn on her face. At last she would see him and if she knew her Takumi her surprise would pay off. She would get to see that cute look of astonishment on his face. Not that she'd ever admit to him that it was adorable… but it was.

She scanned the room. It was crowded but she caught sight of him. His back was to her and he was lazily flopped in a chair with his arm resting on the chair next to him. His tangle of blond was unmistakable. There was some girl in the chair next to his. Maybe she could borrow an empty chair from another table before she went over to join them. Just then she saw him lean in and give the girl he was sitting next to a passionate kiss. Her heart stopped. The noise around her faded. She felt numb. She just stood there in shock. She just stared. "Hey Takumi!"a voice behind her pierced the silence of her head, "go get a room!" Takumi turned with a smile on his face to look and see who it was that had called him out.

That's when he saw her.

That's when he knew he had fucked up.