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!

"I know guys, Light," Riku said, continuing to lead her toward more shops, further from the cafe. "Trust me." Of course he'd seen that look in other guys' eyes before, back on the Islands. Lightning was a catch, he knew that. He was lucky to even be holding her right now.

Lightning did trust him, but she also trusted his protective nature. He may have been reading into things too much. But there was something else he was doing: walking too fast. "Hold on--" she said, though it was too late. She couldn't keep up with him as he walked quickly away from the shop, despite his firm hold on her. She slipped down to one knee, fortunate that the ground wasn't muddy here and fortunate that one of her hands found the road to keep her from falling further.

Riku stopped and turned instantly, kneeling down and placing a hand on Lightning's shoulder. "...My fault?" he asked lowly, confidence and pride gone. Was he walking too fast for her? Did his jealousy fuel him to the point where he didn't even know what he was doing?

Lightning shook her head, lifting her gaze to Riku. "Mine," she said upon seeing the look in his eyes. "I'm slowing down, sorry." And maybe she was--After all, she just said a few minutes ago that her legs were tired from all the walking. Riku did speed up, but she also slowed down at least a tad.

Riku gave a sheepish smile regardless. "It's no big deal. At least we weren't in mud," he said, trying to make things positive. So far this hadn't been such a good trip. They got soaked from the rain, Lightning had to change clothes, guys gawked at her, and now this. Riku was bad at dates.

"There's that," Lightning smirked. She set a hand on Riku's knee since he was kneeling down before her, slowly rising to her feet. She could at least stand on her own long enough for Riku to get back up and support her. All in all, it was a drastic improvement from four days ago when she couldn't even function because of the pain.

Riku rose as soon as Lightning was on her feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders again. "We'll move at your pace this time," he promised gently, running his fingers over her skin. He only sped up to get away from those creeps, but now that they were gone, Riku was all for taking his time with Lightning.

Late that Night

 

Roxas swung at the data in the training session, witnessing the false Nobody disappear. He had been at this for hours. He hadn't stopped to eat dinner with everyone else; he packed himself a sandwich that he could eat when he was hungry, which he wasn't. He lost his match in the coliseum so early on that day. Everyone was still so much stronger than him, and if he didn't start taking this training more seriously, he was never going to be strong enough. He'd never be strong enough to protect the people that mattered to him, though his thoughts focused on one girl in particular. 

Namine walked down the quiet hallway that led to the training room, her thoughts on Roxas. After a great day at the coliseum, he disappeared as soon as they returned to the castle. He didn't appear in the art room at any point in time, and he wasn't at dinner. Namine found herself wandering the halls for the last fifteen minutes or so looking for the boy, but she hadn't found him. Until now. She stopped next to the door with the red light burning above, hearing battle inside. Roxas was training again? 

Roxas lifted both his Keyblades and blocked an attack, grunting at the ferocity behind it. He had the simulation set to a higher difficulty than usual to push himself harder. He was definitely able to tell a difference. He pulled a reversal and swung at the back of the dusk, but even that hardly made a difference. Either he was too weak or the program was too strong, but he guessed the former. 

Namine made her way to the next door, entering the observation room. Familiar with computers, she checked the settings; Roxas had the difficulty bumped up quite a bit compared to the last session. Her blue eyes flitted to the one-way mirror, where she watched him battle the dusk with fervor. She knew he was focused on getting stronger, but the expression he wore...and the sounds he made when swinging... Those really proved his determination. But why did he want to get stronger so suddenly? Ever since Seifer happened...it was like he couldn't stop.

Roxas briefly cried out when the simulation hurt him, though the pain settings dulled it enough that the attack wasn't as strong as it should have been. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt. He swung at the creature and stepped away, trying to regroup himself. He had to keep fighting; he had to keep getting stronger. Not that his training so far had made much of a difference. Maybe it was hopeless. 

Before Namine recognized what she was doing, she had her finger set on the speaker button. "Roxas," she called then, blinking at the sight before her. He was pushing himself too hard. This had to stop before he seriously got hurt. Namine didn't like hearing him get attacked. He wasn't the only one who suffered from it.

Roxas hardly had time to react to the voice that suddenly rang throughout the area: he had greater concerns. He rolled forward and avoided a Nobody's swinging arms, though he almost got a haircut from it. He quickly got back on his feet and spun around, barely blocking the next attack that came in. Whoever called would have to wait.

Namine's eyebrows furrowed when Roxas didn't hear her, or he chose not to. "Roxas," she tried again, her tone firmer. He had to stop this. It was doing more harm than good from what she could tell. He was only going to get hurt.

"Minute!" Roxas grunted, taking a swing at the pesky Nobody. He had an advantage for a moment, but he quickly lost it. He jumped backward and nearly lost his footing, though that didn't stop him from charging forward again. He couldn't stop fighting now even if it was hopeless. 

Namine grunted and stepped away from the mirror, knowing that it was hopeless. Talking to Roxas wasn't going to get through to him. She had to do more than that. Namine left the observation room and approached the training room door, glaring up at the red light as she hesitated. She needed to do this, for Roxas. If she didn't, he could seriously hurt himself, even if the Nobodies were just simulations. Steeling herself, Namine grabbed the door handle and walked inside, blinking at the Nobodies that took up various spots of the room. "Roxas!" she cried, focusing on him. He had to stop!

Roxas grunted once again, turning his attention to the girl who came in through the door. Thankfully the session was programmed to conclude as soon as that door opened. "Namine!" he cried, witnessing the Nobodies vanish and the room grow brighter. What was she doing in here in the middle of a session?! She hadn't known that it would end when she came through that door; she could have put herself in danger.

Namine jumped slightly at Roxas's tone, recognizing it as one of anger. He was upset with her for interrupting, but she had to, for his sake. He just didn't see that yet. She gazed at him, her blue eyes trailing his form. He was sweaty, angry, and tired. His training session needed to end for the day.

"What're you doing in here?" Roxas tried again, softening his tone but not his volume since Namine was across the room. He couldn't get out too much since he was breathing too hard, but he had to ask her what she was thinking. "If the fighting continued....after you came in...you could have..." She could have gotten hurt.

Namine looked away, tucking back a piece of blonde hair. "I know," she said to his unfinished statement. She could have been hurt by a simulation, but that hadn't even crossed her mind. She just wanted Roxas to stop. Her light blue eyes found his piercing blue. "You need to take a break."

Roxas shook his head. "No, Namine," he disagreed, starting in her direction. The computer was close to her; he had to push a button on that to get the simulation going again. "I need to keep going." He didn't need a break from the fighting; he needed more of it. He needed more power.

Roxas's determination definitely presented itself now. He was willing to keep going, even after her interference? He marched over to the computer to even start the program while she was still in the room. "Roxas," Namine tried, voice firm. "You can't keep pushing yourself like this. If you do, you'll only end up getting hurt." Namine didn't want that for him, ever.

"I know my limits," Roxas said, stopping a few feet away from Namine and the computer. "And it's better to learn here than...a real fight. The pain's dimmed." He set the Nobodies to be weaker than usual, though their abnormal ruthlessness almost made up for that. 

"Why are you putting yourself through this?" Namine asked, taking a step closer to her friend. "Why are you being so hard on yourself?" She didn't understand! Why didn't he listen to her and just stop, even if it was for a few hours? Roxas had to realize this wasn't healthy.