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 felt Lightning's gaze on him still, but he shyly met it before quickly glancing away. He didn't know who he was talking to anymore, and it made him nervous. He didn't have the love of his life with him sometimes, and it was scary. But he knew his Claire would come back to him soon. She always did. It just depended on when.

Lightning looked down at her lap, understanding Riku's vibe. He didn't know how to cope with her anymore. He didn't know what she needed and when. "Damn it," she swore softly, eyes growing surprisingly moist. She hated this so badly. "I said we'd be together forever and I meant it. And now..." Now Caius was in the way.

I lost my chance to propose...and you lost yourself, Riku wanted to say. But he couldn't. He couldn't say something that...cruel to the person he cared so deeply for. Riku wouldn't lose her because of words. It was actions that made that difference, but...what could he say for Lightning's actions?

Light leaned back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling with moist eyes. There were so many ways she could finish what she trailed off with. Now they were locked in another fight for their lives. Now they were living in fear again. Now...there was no happiness at all. Riku was here, but in this place, people couldn't be happy. The last time she felt happiness here was when she told him what she had to do to survive and he accepted her anyway. How could he be so selfless? How could he accept her so easily when he probably didn't even know who she was anymore?

Riku glanced over at Lightning, but upon seeing the hurt on her expression--even from where he was standing--he looked away instantly. He couldn't stand seeing her so upset, but was he the one causing it? No... He hadn't done anything wrong... Right?

Lightning swallowed. "Now it's all a mess." She lifted a hand, wiping at the tear that streamed down her cheek before it could get too far. "I just want to go home." She felt like a little girl for wanting such a thing, but that was how it was. She lost herself here and she wanted to go to a place where she really discovered herself. Her home, with Riku by her side.

Riku closed his eyes at that, eyebrows furrowing a little more. He didn't like to hear things like that; it made him feel bad that he couldn't help. He was trying...but it wasn't enough. Clearly, since Lightning was upset. ...Lightning's upset, he realized again. The woman he loved was making herself known. Riku turned his head, pushing himself away from the chair he was leaning against. It was then that he approached the person he loved--the true Claire--and reached down, grabbing her hand and starting to pull her to her feet.

Lightning glanced at her hand in surprise when Riku grabbed it and pulled her to her feet, though he didn't have to yank her up since she wasn't resisting. She blinked over her moist eyes and gazed at him, unsure what this was about. He had been awfully quiet within the past minute or two and now here he was, right in front of her. What was going on in his mind?

Once Lightning was to her feet, Riku didn't hesitate bringing her closer to him, not that it took much effort. He tugged her close, his hand leaving hers and instead going to her back, the other doing the same. He couldn't see her so upset. It killed him inside...

Lightning felt warmth smother her when Riku held her, though that wasn't just physical warmth. It was that warmth in her heart she felt whenever he took care of her. She blinked in surprise at first to both Riku's actions and the emotions, but then accepted it. She wrapped her arms around him in return and shut her eyes as she leaned her forehead against the side of Riku's face. In her heart, she knew this was how it was meant to be.

I'm sorry, Riku wanted to say, eyebrows furrowing over his closed eyes as he held Lightning close. I want to take it all away...but you gotta let me, first. I can't do it on my own, Light. He needed help, as embarrassing as that was. He hardly ever needed help in the past, but here he was...desperate. Riku squeezed Lightning slightly, holding her more tightly. He didn't want her to leave him again.

Lightning furrowed her eyebrows, swallowing at the emotion. For almost a year, she told herself emotions were bad. It took her so long to unlearn that lesson in the past when she did this before, yet she fell into the trap again. Emotions weren't bad at all. They were what made her human and not just a mindless soldier. They were what allowed her to love Riku. Stop your analyzing and just let it go. And she did let go. The tears started streaming down her cheeks as her body became less tense in Riku's arms. She wasn't going to stop the emotion now.

"We're going to make it out of this, alright?" Riku murmured, keeping his eyes shut, feeling Lightning's skin on his own. "You and I are going home...and so are Serah and Noel." He knew Noel's home was in the future, but they could find a way to send him back...if he wanted to go back. It sounded depressing to live in such a time, and if he wanted to stay, Riku was sure he would be welcome. But, until then...Riku had to get Lightning back to her senses, to who she really was, so they could fight this together for real.

Lightning bit down on her lip, feeling another tear slide down her cheek as she clung to Riku and he held to her. "What if it's never the same as it used to be?" she whispered tearfully. "What if I'm always like this?" When she was Rose, she shoved her emotions away. When she was Lightning, she was always sad. She couldn't live like this, and Riku couldn't live with her like this.

"You can't think like that," Riku said, moving his hand along Lightning's back a little as he held her closer. "You have to be strong, but you have to be yourself too. You can't be somebody else all the time. You'll only lose who you are." He would know from past experience, but he wouldn't bring that up. This wasn't about him; it was about Lightning. "You thought Claire was weak and Lightning was strong, and now you think Lightning is weaker and Rose is the strongest. I know the difference." Riku turned his head closer to Lightning, his lips near her ear. "My Light...my Claire...is the strongest of them all."

Lightning swallowed hard, wrapping her arms around Riku more tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder. The way that he understood her was just...incredible. In all her life, nobody ever stood her need to change a name to change her personality. Riku did. And he knew that sometimes, the name was just an excuse. He was the first to realize that Light and Claire were the same. The only person, actually. "Only when you're by my side," she murmured into his shoulder. That was when she--Claire--was the strongest.

"Always," Riku whispered, his fingers clutching at Lightning's tank top. He was always by her side, no matter what. She had to have known that, but maybe...she forgot lately. That was why she was so conflicted. But Lightning didn't have to be confused anymore; he was here with her, forever. He would never leave her side.

Lightning wrapped her arms around Riku more tightly, her hand gripping his shirt. The last time they embraced, she had been the first to let go. Now she felt like Riku would have to tear her off of him. That was progress, right? She went from being almost emotionless to their presence to this. A mess. She always did tend to go to extremes...

Edited August 21, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku turned his head a little more, kissing Lightning's head of pink hair as he gently squeezed her. Lightning should have known from the beginning that she was stuck with him. He was in too deep. "...I'm fond of you," he murmured into her hair. They had said that in the very beginning, before the word "love" was ever mentioned. Hopefully she remembered.

Lightning kept her eyes shut, trying to grasp at a memory that was so distant. She had been twenty-one when she and Riku started dating. Now she was twenty-four. Yet at those words, a hundred memories returned to her. Along with what she knew her response was meant to be. "I'm very fond of you," she murmured in response.

Riku couldn't help but smile a little, rocking Lightning a little as he embraced her more. "That's my girl," he said lovingly. Lightning was herself again, for however long. She was lasting a lot longer than previous times, so that was progress. He was at least happy with that.

Lightning smiled softly, both at Riku's words and at the gentle rocking. Finally, she lifted her head out of Riku's shoulder and looked up at him. "I still am, huh?" she asked quietly. She was still his girl? His Light? This was definitely the most that she felt the sense of belonging to Riku since she got here. There were only two other occasions that she could think of with him holding her--Lightning. One was when she woke up in the morning and the other was hours ago, when she failed to create the gem. But this...this was very different to her. In a good way.

Riku met Lightning's gaze, his smile still in tact. "Mm," he hummed with a small nod, his arms still around the woman he loved. His Claire. He hoped she didn't go away any time soon; he liked having this kind of interaction again. It felt like it had been too long.

Edited August 21, 201213 yr by Forever Love

Light's small smile remained, and though her eyes were moist again, they were moist for a different reason. Riku was the most incredible person that she ever met. And she knew, as she had known for a long time, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He brought out the best in her. He made her be more than just a soldier.

Riku saw the moisture in Lightning's eyes, and because of the smile, he knew that the unshed tears were there for a different reason. He smiled for a moment before leaning forward, connecting his lips with hers in a soft kiss. They had very few of these, one before if he could remember correctly. That wasn't nearly enough.