Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters... yada yada yada…

I wrote this because I have yet to see a serious DN Angel fanfic that used Riku as a main character. Personally, I think she has a more important character in the series that the anime gives her credit for. Warning: There is some violence and situations that may not be appropriate for young children. Also, there is a lot of angst and possibly some morbid-ness down the road. Might possibly include some shounen-ai in the future, I'm not sure yet.

The story is trying to show that some experiences are not easily overcame, yet it's still possible with enough support and mental strength. This story deals with rape, so if they isn't something you feel like reading about, turn back now.

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It was past curfew. The silhouette of a fourteen-year-old girl limped slowly up the staircase, her footsteps echoing through the hall. Her rapid, gasping breaths did not match the pace in which she climbed. After a brief pause atop the stairs, Harada Riku retreated to her bedroom, careful as not to wake her sleeping sister. However, Risa had long since fallen asleep to the wind's whispered lullabies.

Shakily, Riku removed her tattered clothing and deposited it into a pile on her bedroom floor. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on a deep cut above her right breast; blood, frozen and dried by the winter wind had coated her skin. Her trembling fingers trailed the incision, the way a blade might have. Why? A pained expression came across her face as she took a shivering breath and let her hand fall lifelessly to her side. Riku reached up behind herself and unclasped the back of her bra causing the plum colored bruise along her breastbone to become visible. She disappeared into her closet and returned shortly after, pulling a baggy shirt over her head. Riku used her foot to push her blood-laden clothing under her bed before finally climbing in. A million questions she didn't want to answer would be asked if Risa saw…

It was a sleepless night. Riku would close her eyes only to be tormented by the most terrible of nightmares. A permanent cold sweat surrounded her, plaguing her with the constant feeling of ice. In a half-sleep state, her body was ripped apart again and again. I have to stop thinking about it. It was this repetition that caused her mind to shatter like a record released by a quivering hand. She tossed and turned until her body was tangled up in bed sheets, until her pillow was soaked through by sweat and by tears. Riku's mind replayed the same scene, a scene full of pain and confusion. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to remove the curse from her body, or to remove her body from the world.

Her eyes glanced nervously around the room, to the door, to the window. Was it possible for anyone to break in? She didn't know. She hoped not. The thought of notifying the police never occurred to her. Her first intention was to sleep. Everything was always better in the morning.

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Sometime during the long night Riku must have fallen asleep, for the morning sun had already begun to rise. It was just a dream.

"Riku if you don't wake up for school you're going to be late for practice." Risa yelled as she pounded on her elder sister's locked door. "Rikuuuu! Wake up!!" As Riku began to slide out of bed, she felt a sharp pain on her chest. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. She tried to sit up, but the thin layer of skin holding her cut together ripped; warm blood began dripping down her breast. It wasn't a dream. Riku laid back down to stop the cut from reopening completely. The redhead pulled the blanket over her head in effort to dilute the sun's piercing rays. "RIKUUUU!!"

"I'm not going." Riku spoke in a pained voice. How could she possibly go to practice, or even school if she couldn't get out of bed? It couldn't have happened like that. He couldn't have. He wouldn't have. There is just no way… Blood collected beneath her fingernails as she traced the open scar. Her dirty fingernail peeled away the old, dried blood, causing the new and fresh to wipe away her memory. What happened?

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