A friend and I have been doing a RP for a while now, and it has been scattered across several threads on two different sites. It started as a group story (about fast food of all things ) but then it transformed into something else entirely.

 

We request that nobody join in this RP or post anything on this thread; if you wanna say how awesome we are, message us some other way.

 

Um...You're free to read this for fun if you want to, but this thread has major Birth By Sleep spoilers. And since we've been doing this for a while, we will probably refer to things we've done in the past and you will have no idea what we're talking about. So if you want to save yourself from confusion, then you probably wanna stay away. If not, hey, whatever.

 

The plot was discussed and posted on another website, but here's a quick summary of the whole thing: It's the return of Xehanort.

 

Characters:

Peanut: Sora, Namine, Leon, Aerith, King Mickey, Terra, Ventus, Xehanort, etc.

Forever Love: Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Yuffie, Aqua, Vanitus, Tron, etc.

 

I believe I've said everything that needs to be said...Forever Love, let's get this show on the road, eh?

Riku made sure to assist Serah, bringing Lightning's other arm around his shoulders. They helped her to the bedroom, gently laying her down on the bed she had clearly occupied for the last year. Riku gazed down at her as he leaned over the woman he loved, running his hand over her hair. "...It's really you," he whispered. He couldn't believe it. He thought she was dead, and then he missed her because she was on her own journey. But she was with him the whole time.

Lightning felt herself get choked up, for more reasons than one. One was that she was overwhelmed with being loved again. Another was that Riku was showing physical affection. And the third reason...his statement. He said it was really her, but she wasn't so sure that it was. Who was she anymore? She wore the other persona so naturally that it was hard to be Lightning now. Impossible, actually. I don't think I am the girl you love anymore, ​she thought to Riku, though she shut her eyes and allowed him to stroke her shorter hair.

Riku couldn't keep his eyes off of Lighting. It may have only been a day or two since he saw her last, but so many things had happened during that time. He nearly died fighting Caius, believed she was dead, and then met her alias, Rose. And now...she was here with him, for real. She always had been; he just never realized it. Riku kept his position, stroking Lightning's hair through the silence. He would be with her tonight, no matter what.

"One year," Lightning breathed after a little while, hearing Serah's soft sniffling that came from the other side of the room. Her sister had been a blubbering mess since realizing that Lightning was truly with them, but she was crying to herself the whole time at the opposite side of the room. It was because she wanted Lightning and Riku to have a moment though--this moment, however tragic it was how it started.

Riku nodded slightly. "Yeah," he said softly. It wasn't a year for him, but for Lightning. It pained him to think she was alone for that long, stuck on this land. But she wasn't alone anymore; he and Serah were here. They were going to protect her, fight with her, and love her.

Lightning was disgusted with the emotion that welled up in her throat, the same emotion that had her frozen earlier when Riku touched her. Just being with them was so overwhelming. She wanted to burst from the emotion, and in the past year, she tought herself that wasn't okay. She rolled over onto her side and faced away from Riku, though he would probably assume that she did it to make room for him to lay down behind her.

Riku's hand left Lightning's hair when she turned away, and he briefly glanced at Serah. Seeing that she was still crying, he gave her privacy. Instead, he moved to be next to Lightning on the bed. He sat up at first, but then he lay down beside her. He lifted one of his arms to go over her stomach, that way he could keep her close. He had been so scared for her safety...

Facing away from both Riku and Serah, the tears flowed down Lightning's cheeks. There was only so much she could keep bottled inside after a year. And though she had trained to keep her armor and even her helmet on while she slept, tonight she allowed the golden armor to fade away and reveal herself in leggings and a black tanktop. She dozed off after a while, but it wasn't because of comfort. It was because of her complete exhaustion.

The next morning

 

It occurred to Riku the next morning that all of them passed out somewhere along the line. The fight with Caius had taken a lot out of all three of them, so when they woke, it was a new day. Well, at least for Riku; he was the only one awake. He was admiring Lightning in her sleep, propped up on one elbow as he gazed at her from his spot behind. But then...he noticed the scars Lightning had along her body--her shoulders, neck, arms, even cheeks. She had a lot to show for her strength, but Riku loved her all the same. He lowered himself so he was right beside her, beginning to place kisses along her cheek and neck, over the marks Caius had surely dealt to her.

Lightning normally didn't have any problems waking up; it was hard to get a decent night's sleep while wearing armor and a helmet anyway. But last night when she shed that cover and allowed Riku close despite her emotional discomfort, she had a more restful sleep than she had in a long time. Except now, in the morning, she felt something tickling her. Some of it was hair, but the other was a pair of lips dancing over some of her skin. "Mmm," she hummed drowsily, turning her face into her pillow. This felt so foreign...but so...so nice.

Riku smiled a little, placing another kiss on Lightning's neck before moving to her shoulder. Good morning, he called silently. He was glad to see she was awake. Hopefully she was feeling better today. Even if she wasn't, Riku was going to be with her all day, and surely Serah was too. Neither of them would be leaving her side.

Lightning lifted her head briefly but then let it fall back down onto the pillow, having no urge at all to move away from Riku. Clearly he hadn't changed his view of their relationship. He shouldn't have, considering that he was only away from her for a day or two. But for her...a whole year...She had to think about it. What she thought right now, though, was that she loved this and she loved him, no matter what identity she held. That was enough for now.

Riku placed another kiss on Lightning's shoulder, a few more scars resting there. He knew she was awake now, but he didn't think this was such a bad wake-up call. He would have enjoyed it if the roles were switched. He let his hand roam over her flat stomach, his smile remaining. He didn't even know what to say, or if saying anything was a good idea. He was just happy to be with her.

"Is there a scar on my back?" Lightning whispered to him after a long time. That was the fatal wound that she--Rose, had told him and Serah about. He stabbed her in the back with his huge weapon. It didn't go all the way through her, or Caius's spell would have been complete. Little did she know that there wasn't a large scar from it; Etro healed that wound along with the damage Caius did that day six months ago.

Riku moved to lift Lightning's shirt slightly, exposing her back to him. "No," he said softly. He couldn't find a scar anywhere on her back, well, any big ones at least. There were some smaller ones, and those were the ones he ran his fingers over. How much pain did Lightning go through?

Light nodded faintly against her pillow, her eyes open again at this point. After a few moments, though, she rolled over onto her back and looked up at Riku. Her eyes probably showed that she was different than she was the last time that they were together, but hopefully it showed that she was still at least a little bit of the woman Riku loved.

Riku gazed at Lightning in silence for a little, still propped up on one elbow. He lifted his hand that had been over her stomach to her face, lightly carressing her cheek. "What happened to you?" he asked softly. He could see that she wasn't the same just by looking her in the eye.

Lightning shut her eyes at the question. "I waited for so long...I didn't think I was going to see either of you before he killed me," she said quietly. "So I...I distanced myself from all my emotions. I wasn't Lightning anymore." She paused briefly, looking up at Riku after a few seconds. "I don't even know if I'm her now."

Riku gazed at Lightning, studying her for a moment. "...You're still her," he told her quietly. "I can see it in you." Lightning was still herself, even if she did change. But soon she would revert, once the problems here were solved. They had to be, that way they could go back home. They couldn't live like this forever.

Lightning loved Riku even more at that moment. He accepted it so naturally. He didn't talk to her like she was crazy for becoming an entirely different person and didn't scold her for letting go of her emotions for the sake of survival. He understood her so well. "I know that I love you," she said quietly. "And no new identity can change that."

Riku smiled a little, his hand lingering in Lightning's hair. "I love you too," he said with a small nod. He didn't know how he couldn't; he had never seen a woman so strong in his life. Aqua was strong, but not nearly as strong as the woman before him. It was fate that he was with her; both of them were the same, but different. It was a perfect match.

Lightning felt a small smile tug at her lips, and she knew that was the first time she smiled in a year. She had no reason to before this moment. Not even seeing Riku and Serah initially caused her to smile, because she was upset that she wasn't the woman they knew anymore. But being with Riku and seeing the love he poured into her...She knew she wasn't a lost cause. She could still be that person.

Riku kept his gaze on Lightning, seeing that small smile. It touched his heart, whether she knew it or not. And if she did...he would be happy. Any smile from her was encouragement--encouragement to keep going, to make it through this mess, and to the point where he could propose to her. Nothing stopped him from planning on that, not even this. She would be his wife one day.

After a few moments of staring into each other's eyes, Lightning slowly sat herself up in the bed. She wished she could return Riku's affection, but she wasn't in a place where she could do that yet. Be patient with me, she requested silently, glancing at his eyes before looking to the girl asleep in the corner. She wished now more than ever that Serah hadn't been dragged into this.

Riku leaned back slightly, his hand falling to the bed when Lightning sat up. He followed her gaze to Serah, thinking of the day they arrived in Valhalla. Serah was stronger than he gave her credit for. She protected him on Bahamut, and nearly did the same thing when he couldn't fight anymore. He owed her for that.