As some of you may know, Peanut and I are crazy about Roleplaying, and it's clear, since this is the second one on this site that belongs to us. And we aren't even done with the first one! Regardless, that won't stop us from starting this new roleplay, Rude Awakening!

 

Kinda dark and mysterious title, eh?

 

As stated in the title, this RP is one on one, no exceptions. Please refrain from posting in the RP. Instead, follow us on this new journey!

 

Peanut, my amazing friend, let's begin!

Even as Riku ushered Lightning back down to be how she was before, she reached out and grabbed his arm. She understood what just happened. "Serah," she said quietly. "Serah's..." Serah's in pain. Just because of that, she stopped herself from laying down completely, though her expression was still pained because the potion didn't take effect yet.

"I'll take care of it, okay? Right now you need to lie down," Riku insisted, eyes dancing over Lightning's face. Pain, as he should have expected. He was hoping for some kind of relief, but that wouldn't come until later. He would just have to be patient.

Lightning stayed where she was, propped up with one arm. When it came to Serah, she was stubborn. "Serah needs me," she winced. That was her sister who just ran out of the room in tears. Though the medicine didn't help with the pain yet, Lightning was at least able to focus now. 

"Lightning, stop," Riku insisted, voice firm. "Right now, your sister needs you to get better, not pushing your limits." He kept his hand on her shoulder, the weight there. She wasn't getting up, not that she really could. Lightning needed rest. Once she was comfortable, Riku would go talk to Serah.

Though she wanted to fight, Light couldn't withstand the pressure on her shoulder. She fell down onto her side and as soon as she did, her head collapsed into the pillow. Her eyelids grew heavy, her urge to fight becoming less strong. "...Take care of her," she requested in an exhausted murmur. If she couldn't take care of Serah, Riku had to.

"I swear," Riku promised, tucking back some of her hair. He was going to find Serah once Lightning was alright. He knew Serah blamed herself for a lot of this, at least not sharing the secrets she kept. Riku wasn't happy about it, but he understood why she did it; she didn't want to worry him, since he was worried enough as it was. Riku wouldn't hold that against her.

Serah didn't know it, but Lightning was passed out within minutes. She, on the other hand, was in the bedroom she stayed in all of one night. The rest of the nights at the castle, she stayed with Lightning and Riku in their room. She and her sister shared a bed and Riku slept individually. They all needed each other because they were all prone to having nightmares about the same person: Cedric. Her father. Serah pulled up her legs as she sat in the chair, hiding her face in her knees. She couldn't be upset about him right now; she had to be strong for Lightning. Lightning would do the same for her...

Riku left Lightning to rest and instead searched for Serah. He found her in her bedroom, or at least, the one she used only once. He stopped in the doorway upon seeing her posture, his eyes softening. "Serah..." he called gently. Was she upset for Lightning, or for something she did?

Serah silently shook her head in her knees. She didn't know what Riku was doing here--he should have been with Lightning. She was in terrible pain, and that was partly Serah's fault. She should have come clean to Riku sooner, then she wouldn't have seen Lightning in that condition. She didn't even recognize her...What happened to her strong older sister? The world around her was collapsing.

Riku approached Serah and knelt down in front of her, looking up at her as she hid her face. "...You're upset with yourself, aren't you?" he asked then. If she was upset about Lightning, she wouldn't have hid herself from him. Riku knew Serah pretty well, and he knew how she was. The self-blaming fit the scenario.

"Of course I am," Serah said into her knees. "If I had just told you when things started to go bad, maybe she wouldn't have been in that much pain. She wasn't Lightning then. Lightning's never not in control of herself and unaware of her surroundings but when she looked at me her eyes were just...blank. Lightning wasn't Lightning...because of me." 

Riku lifted his hand and placed it on Serah's leg. "She would hate to hear you talk like that," he said lowly, looking from his hand to the youngest of the sisters. "And she would hate to know you believed that. You shouldn't." Serah was doing what she thought was right, and Riku didn't get the cure until that day. Lightning would have suffered anyway, as terrible as that was.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" Serah cried. She slowly lowered her legs so that she could look at Riku in front of her. "I was lying to you when I knew just how bad she was..." Maybe she did realize that this wasn't all her fault and that Lightning would be in pain anyway, but what she didn't understand was why Riku wasn't mad at her.

Riku let his hand fall when Serah moved her legs, and he looked away at the question. "...I'm upset that you didn't come to me sooner, but I know that you were doing what you thought was best," Riku explained. He wasn't going to hold this against Serah. It wasn't entirely her fault; Riku had to take his share of the blame.

Serah wiped at her eyes, a stray tear escaping her. "I felt bad for her," she reasoned. "She's been so vulnerable lately and she hates it. So when she told me not to tell you, I thought it was okay. It was saving you from worry and her from embarrassment. But I was wrong..." She should have been honest from the start, even if it did cost Lightning some of her pride. 

"I worried no matter what. You're not to blame," Riku said with a faint smile. "I promise." He wouldn't lie about something like that. Lightning would have been in pain anyway. Riku knew that, and so did Serah. She didn't need to blame herself for this.

Serah forced a weak smile, in disbelief of Riku. He wasn't upset with her at all over what she did. Okay, he was upset she didn't tell him sooner, but he was eager to forgive her because of her intentions. "I can see why Lightning likes you," she confessed then. Riku was a good guy.

Riku lifted an eyebrow, that faint smile turning crooked at the change of topic. "Why's that?" he asked. Lightning lately hadn't been his biggest fan, not that he could blame her. He never kept to his word, and he shut her out for days. He wouldn't have liked himself either.

"You're kind," Serah said simply. She and Lightning both had run-ins with a lot of nasty people in their lives. In Bodhum, people often teased Lightning because of her cold exterior and maturity. Not to mention the fact that she was orphaned. People wouldn't attack Serah so much because she was in the popular crowd, but Lightning wasn't that privileged. She pushed people away and they hated her for it. But Riku got in somehow; surely his kind nature helped.

Riku nodded slightly in understanding. "Well, I've got a few friends who set good examples," he said. He removed his hand from Serah's leg. "There's Sora, who's too nice for his own good. Kairi too, of course. Namine..." Riku lifted his hand and poked Serah in the stomach. "And then there's you."

Serah squeaked when Riku poked her on the stomach, the girl ticklish. But when she took in his words, she cracked a small smile. "And you have plenty of people who aren't afraid to kick your butt when you need it," she added. She leaned forward and poked Riku on the cheek, rubbing it in. "Like me." When he was upset, all of them came together to get Riku to get better, and she was one of those people who cared enough to travel worlds to help. Even if it wasn't for Lightning, she still would have come to help Riku.

Riku chuckled softly. "Right. Especially your sister," he said with a smirk. Lightning never hesitated in showing Riku he was wrong. The confrontation a few days ago had been a perfect example of that; she kept him in line when he started having dark thoughts and told him she would be there. But Riku knew the hidden meaning behind her words: if he didn't wise up, she would beat some sense into him. And he believed her.

"It runs in the family, trust me," Serah smirked with a small laugh. It wasn't just Lightning who would keep Riku in line by any means necessary; Serah would too. She doubted her tiny fists would do as much impact as Lightning's though--Her sister was trained in battle, after all.

Riku nodded faintly, believing in those words. He knew that it ran in the family, since he'd been on the receiving end when it came to training. Lightning was tough, but so was Serah, even if she didn't always show it. Serah had a good role model though, and that was Lightning. Lightning may not have believed she was a role model, but she was, with all she did for her sister. Riku admired her for it.

Serah set her hands back in her lap, turning more serious as she spoke of her sister. "She's asleep, isn't she?" she checked. She didn't think that Riku would come after Serah unless Lightning wouldn't notice his presence, so he must have waited until she was asleep.