Disclaimer: I do not own D N Angel.

The Walk Home

Risa Harada sighed as she dramatically swept the back of her hand against her forehead. The gesture, designed to relay how much hard work she had accomplished, failed on account of the empty room with no one to witness the motion. Risa looked around at the pristine room that had been full and cluttered an hour ago, then started to gather the various cleaning supplies lying about.

As Risa completed the last tasks of closing the art gallery, she reflected on the path that lead her to this manual labor. It seemed like well over two years had passed since graduation from high school with Riku and Daisuke. After graduation, she had insisted on going to art school against her parents' wishes who thought it unnecessary for Risa to have a career. But her parents had eventually relented to Risa's request and paid for the two years of art school that got her a job at the new Tokyo Art Gallery.

Two years at one of the best art schools in the country just to clean up after parties. The gallery had held one of its first big events to attract more artists. However, because the party had ended so late at night, all the other staff had left except the owner who promptly put Risa in charge of cleaning up. By herself.

Risa sighed, suddenly envious of her twin, Riku. A few months after graduation, Daisuke and Riku got married. Daisuke received a good job at a prosperous company and Riku never had to find a job or go to college. In fact, Riku was expecting her first child soon which happened to be the only way Risa could convince her not to attend the event that night.

It wasn't that Risa felt ashamed of her job, she had chosen it, nor that she felt bitter about her sister's marriage, she was very happy for both Riku and Daisuke. Risa felt more a longing for the relationship that Riku and Daisuke had. She had once hoped for that kind of a relationship with Phantom Thief Dark. But Risa hadn't seen him in years; Dark had vanished without an explanation or even a good bye. This was the reason Risa became sad when around her sister.

Risa snapped back to the present when she realized she stood staring into the supply room where all the cleaners sat neatly organized. Risa shut and locked the closet then glanced around the exhibit room before turning off the lights. She went out the back and locked the door.

Risa began the short walk back to her apartment a few blocks away. She considered calling a taxi because she felt so exhausted, but rejected the idea. 'I can manage the short distance,' Risa thought defiantly.

Risa had walked half a block when she heard a faint scraping sound accompanied by heavy footsteps. Risa chanced a glance behind where she saw the shape of a man dressed in a black coat and black hat following a few yards behind her. He walked with a limp that caused a scraping noise on the sidewalk. It suddenly felt as if icy water trickled down Risa's spine and she started walking faster. But the foot steps behind grew more rapid as well.

The art gallery wasn't located in the best part of the city: Risa had experience with obnoxious men calling to her from across the street. But the almost silent creeping of the man behind her scared Risa more than what she had previously encountered.

The footsteps grew louder and louder until Risa couldn't take it anymore. As she prepared herself to run, two events occurred simultaneously. First, the footsteps stopped suddenly and then a hand gripped her shoulder.

Risa screamed and pulled away from her attacker, ready to fight or run whatever happened next. The man standing in front of Risa now had light hair and wore a light colored coat. The collar to his coat was turned up so Risa could not see his face clearly, but she knew this was a different man. Risa whirled around, but the street behind her was empty and silent.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to scare you," said the man apologetically.

"Wh- what happened to that other man? The one behind me?" Risa stammered.

"A friend of yours?" At Risa's vigorous head shaking, the man answered, "He went down that alley."

"Oh," Risa sighed, relieved.

"Can I walk you home?" the stranger asked after a slight pause.

"Oh, no! You don't need to. I only live a few blocks away," Risa hurriedly explained.

"That's alright. I'm walking in this direction anyway," came the gentle reply.

"Okay," Risa answered. She turned back around and started walking. The stranger kept stride with her.

In the silence that ensued, Risa felt compelled to talk. After a short while, Risa felt surprisingly comfortable with this stranger, almost as if she had already known him. Risa talked about her job, why she was out late, and about Riku.

Risa, absorbed in her own talking, did not notice the stranger hardly spoke, he simply listened to her. Risa had continued to rant as they reached her apartment building. She almost decided to walk past it, but her fatigue caused her to stop by the door and just finish her last thought about how Riku's new life had changed to be so different from her own.

"Thank you," Risa finally ended, grateful for more than just walking her home.

"It was my pleasure," the stranger replied, seeming to understand what Risa did not need to say.

Risa turned and unlocked the door to the apartment building. She looked back once the door closed behind her, but the stranger had disappeared. Suddenly, Risa realized she had not asked the stranger for his name and immediately regretted the fact. Risa climbed the stairs to her apartment exhausted and disappointed.

The next morning as Risa got ready for work, she noticed a piece of paper had been slid under her door. Curious, she examined it to find a message with a phone number on the other side: "Call me next time you are afraid to walk home at night ~Satoshi Hiwatari".

"He thinks I need his help!" Risa yelled and instinctively crumpled the paper in her hand. Dropping the paper to the floor, Risa indignantly stalked off. Only a moment later, Risa rushed back to smooth out the note and store the number safely in her phone.

Fin.

A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear any comments you have.