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?

Light turned around and for the first time, she looked Riku directly in the eye. "You saved me," she said with quiet confidence. Riku may have softened her up and encouraged her to release her emotions, but that was actually a good thing. If she kept it all bottled inside, she didn't know what would have happened. She probably would have adopted yet another identity and pushed all people away, even Riku. 

"...Maybe in your perspective," Riku said, glancing away again. He wasn't too thrilled that he helped Lightning suffer from emotions, but...could he really take that back? She gave into her emotions and loved him, cared for him as he did her. That wasn't something to regret.

"What do you mean?" Light asked then. She didn't understand. Riku didn't think that he saved her, but why did he feel that way? Yes, she suffered, but she was going to do that anyway. He just helped her suffering become visible so that she could get help instead of letting it simmer inside herself and rot her heart.

Riku turned, walking a few steps away as he raked his fingers through his hair. "I just..." he started, then sighing. "...I just think that I made you weak. I opened your heart to emotions, and while that's great and everything, it sets you up for vulnerability. Enemies can use your emotions against you." He turned a little to look at Lightning, disappointed. "I made you weak, Light. You were strong before you met me. You didn't give in to your emotions and fought through everything without buckling. That's how you won against the Fal'Cie. But then...with Maleficent and everything up to this point, your enemies have used your heart against you. And it's because of me."

"But I was hardly human," Lightning disagreed. "Emotions are what make us different from mindless robots, and I know that emotions can be used against you, but it's worth it. If you hadn't shown me that you can have emotions and be strong at the same time, I wouldn't have anything worth living for." Riku taught her a lot, whether he realized it or not. And while she experienced extreme sadness since meeting Riku, she also experienced joy beyond comprehension. The happiness beat out the sadness as long as he was with her.

Riku smiled, but it was a bitter, humorless smile. He didn't agree with that, not completely. He still blamed himself for Lightning's weaknesses. He made her heart soft and vulnerable to the outside world. While he was happy to grow close to her, he wounded her at the same time. While Riku was good for her, he was bad for her as well.

Lightning frowned at Riku's phony smile as she looked to the floor. He didn't believe that the change was a good one. He had a taste of who she was before, yet he still thought that she was better off then? And then something clicked in her mind, making her eyes widen in fear and despair. "...Did you...like me better before?" 

"Lightning," Riku said, looking away at the question. She had to ask? "...I love you with everything I have. I love every part of you." He loved her no matter what. Every side of her Riku adored. if Lightning couldn't see that...Riku didn't know what he'd do.

Edited August 19, 201312 yr by Forever Love

"I changed so much though," Lightning realized. "There's so much about me that's different now. I'm not the same girl that you fell in love with...am I?" She kept her gaze down to the ground, afraid of the answer. She couldn't help but be a little shaken up by doubt, considering just how radically different she was in Valhalla. Who could love her when she was like that?

Riku turned his head to look at Lightning, disbelief written on his features. "....Stop it," he said, voice low in seriousness. He couldn't hear her talk like that. Not because she was right, but because she was wrong. Completely wrong. He would never stop loving Lightning, ever.

Light looked up at Riku only because of his tone as fear danced in her eyes. She thought that he was telling her to stop it because she was getting at something and he didn't want her to be poking at this subject. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask him, but his expression made her stop short of vocalizing anything.

Riku turned to face Lightning completely, a few feet separating them. "Your heart is right here," he said, putting a fist to his chest. "In line with mine. If you think that's changed since the day we met, you are different." He lowered his hand, eyes hardening in defense as his eyebrows furrowed. "I've fought for us. I've always fought for us, even when you didn't. If you think something like Valhalla is going to change that..." He shook his head, in disbelief. "You broke my heart once by calling things off. Valhalla nearly killed me, but it didn't hurt me to the extent that our fallout did. Even if you hurt me, Light, I always come back. Even if you walk away, I will always chase you."

"Look what I might become," Lightning snapped, finally getting tearful. "You saw me when I lost Serah. I was worthless for anything except crying. That person's still inside me. What if I become that way again! I'm not doubting your ability to love me when times get hard, I'm doubting my worth and whether I should be loved if I turn out that way." If she was as horrible as she was in Valhalla, she didn't think she'd be worthy of Riku's love.

"You bounced back," Riku said matter-of-factly. "You bounced back and fought like hell to avenge your sister, and look what you did." He motioned to the world around them. "You saved everyone from a timeline that led no life. You saved your sister. You brought her back, Light. Why do you keep looking past that?" She was focusing on the negative, but why?

"Think, Riku," Lightning urged, looking down at his chest once again. "You've been in a similar spot. You saved my life in the future but focused on the negatives of that. It's only natural that I focus on that..." She fought back, but it had been in fury and rage. It blinded her judgment and made her care less about her friends, and Riku was talking about it like it was a positive thing. In her eyes, there was absolutely nothing good about her in Valhalla. Whatever "good" she did was tainted by her own sins.

"And what did I do after I found you?" Riku said, the memories flashing before his eyes. "I toughened up and focused on what really mattered. And that was you." Her happiness, her life, and her future. "I sacrificed that future and all of the memories I made for you. I wanted you to be happy, so I bounced back. That's exactly what you did."

"I didn't bounce back though," Lightning disagreed. "I acted in rage and completely disregarded everyone's safety so that I could kill Caius. If you think that's a good thing, you're wrong." There was literally nothing good about her in Valhalla, and a lot of that carried over with her. She was still emotional and easily set off and had the urge to run away. Even now, she was fighting to keep her knees locked so she wouldn't walk away.

Riku didn't like to hear that, of course. He never liked to hear Lightning doubt his thoughts toward her. "...Okay, fine," he said with a small shrug. "So you did what you did out of anger. You didn't think about the rest of us." That realization hurt him more than he could imagine; his heart actually squeezed in pain. "But you still saved everyone. You reset the timeline and brought back Serah, Fang, Vanille, and the Corps who died on the Lindblum. You acted selfishly, sure, but you made a difference. At least be proud of that."

Light lifted her teary eyes to Riku. "I'm so sorry," she said faintly. She was so sorry for the person that she became, so sorry for her worthelssness and selfishness and so sorry that she didn't think of Riku's or anybody else's safety and how they would surely join her in the battle against Caius. It was all about her--all about her grief and all about her anger. She was so ashamed, she could barely stand before Riku.

Riku wasn't sure how to reply. He knew Lightning was sorry; not only did she say it, but he could see it in her posture. Lightning was defeated, and it hurt him greatly to see that. Riku didn't know what to say to make her feel better. At this point, he didn't think there was anything that would work. She was stuck on shame.

Claire deciphered the look in Riku's eyes to be disappointment. He was disappointed in her for crying again when the world was perfect. She laughed bitterly, lifting a hand to her face. "Why should I be crying? Everything's great now. The worlds are restored and everyone's alive. This stupid sorrow should be gone..." But the sorrow lingered with the shame, and that wasn't going to go away easily.

Riku shook his head slightly, opening his mouth to speak. But no words came out. He couldn't think of a thing to say, since he was speechless. Lightning was different, that much he knew. But it wasn't going to be permanent. It couldn't be. She was just suffering the aftermath of a tragedy they all faced. Lightning just handled it differently. Riku couldn't be mad at her for that. "...Claire," he said, taking a small step forward. Don't cry.

"You already saved me from so much," Lightning said, wiping at her eyes. "You saved me from living a meaningless life. You saved me from enemies a hundred times. But...is it too much to ask you to save me from myself again?" He saved her by bringing her back after being Rose, and he saved her when she was living her life in reverse and taking back her feelings to protect herself. Asking him to save her from becoming somebody who was only sad and in a shell of grief was too much.

"No," Riku said with a small shake of his head. He took another step forward, and then another, until his feet were carrying him to the woman he loved. "No, it's not too much." Nothing would ever be too much. Riku took Lightning's face in his hands and connected his lips with hers as soon as he was in front of her. He couldn't see her cry anymore. He couldn't watch her beat herself up over emotions. It hurt him and it hurt her, and that was too much. Riku wouldn't let it stay this way.

Light grunted softly by the kiss that caught her off guard. It was enough to shut her up for a minute and take everything in. Riku knew what she could become, but he was still going to stick around. He was still going to love her and save her from her own habits of grief and self-protection. I will never be alone again. That thought is what made the tears slide down her cheeks at last, the flood gates breaking down.