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!

Riku stepped over toward the door, already standing near it when he was at the window. He opened the door and instantly heard the rain hitting the pavement outside. He and Lightning were ready. It was time they got a move on and got her to safety. He stepped outside with Keyblade in hand, trusting Lightning to follow.

Lightning moved over to join Riku, seeing that it was pouring. This was going to be uncomfortable, then. But it would also hide them better, wouldn't it? Asking the questions aloud would have been pointless, so she just followed Riku out into the rain in silence after shutting the door behind her.

Riku moved quickly and silently across the street, thankful that no Heartless were spawning here in the city. At least for the moment. The portal was only a block or two away; they could make it there in no time. He let his eyes dance around the area to make sure nobody caught him off guard, hearing both his footsteps and Lightning's through the pouring rain. He was already soaked again, but it was something he chose to ignore. There were more important matters at hand.

Even if Riku didn't ask Lightning to, she was watching his back as they traveled. After all, he shouldn't have needed to do everything. She could try to help out where she could. She focused on Riku for the time being, just because he was there with her. It was still surprising, considering that twenty-four hours ago, she didn't even know that he was alive for certain.

Riku and Lightning made it across the first block with no problem, but it was when they were near the portal that his senses were overwhelmed. He grunted in disgust, stopping near the end of a building and pressing himself against the wall. He looked back at Lightning and motioned for her to do the same and stay close. Somebody was by the portal, just like he thought.

Lightning obeyed Riku's order, pressing her back against the wall as she stood almost in contact with him. There was somebody around the corner; she was sure of it just by how Riku was acting. Whoever it was, it wasn't an ally--not that she expected it to be an ally in the first place. Their luck would never be that good.

Riku peeked around the corner silently, peering through the rain to see just who was in front of the portal. But the villain's hood was up; he couldn't tell. Riku returned to his original posture, staring down at the ground as he developed a strategy. He needed to somehow sneak up on the person in the coat, but how? Their scent was strong, but unfamiliar. It had some of Xehanort's scent for obvious reasons, but this person... They were new to the Organization.

Light just stared down at the ground in silence, feeling the rain pelt her already-flattened hair. There wasn't much else that she could do, which she hated. She knew she didn't stand much of a chance against these people even when she had a weapon, but she would have loved to have her gunblade now. Riku probably wouldn't like that though. It'd make putting her in the battle an option. As it was, he didn't want her anywhere near danger.

"I know you're there, Keyblade Master."

 

Riku closed his eyes, frowning instantly as he heard the call. So, this guy knew he was here? For how long? Riku's hands balled into fists as he stepped out into the open. He peered through the pouring rain to glare at the man in black, though his hood was still up. "Who are you?" he asked lowly. He didn't easily recognize the voice, so it was clearly somebody new to the Organization.

 

"Quite the pushy one, aren't we Riku?" Cedric said, facing the young man. "Rethink your strategy. That won't work with me."

Lightning took a step closer to the corner when Riku stepped out into the open, though she stopped herself before joining him fully in the open. The man had said he knew Riku was here, not Lightning. If Riku was thinking the same thing that she was, he probably believed that it was better for her to stay hidden. Unless she got some kind of motion or word to come out, she'd stay here and eavesdrop. Besides, she wanted to hear more of what the person had to say...and just more of their voice. It was familiar somehow.

"You haven't exactly given me the reason to be friendly," Riku quipped lowly, staring at the man who gripped what looked like a gun in his hand. Since when did anyone in the Organization use guns?

 

"The same could be said of you," Cedric said, taking a few steps toward. "Taking our prisoner from us, and our only other reliable vessel besides the Nobody. What makes her so special to you, hm? I would figure a bloodline would be stronger than your ties to her."

 

"Bloodline?" Riku asked, eyebrows furrowing a little more as he kept his hands in tight fists. This guy was trying to smooth talk him, trip him up. And Riku hated to say it, but it was working.

 

Cedric tossed his hood back with his free hand, revealing his face. "Yes," he said. "You have my daughter."

Light's eyes widened at that last, simple sentence. Earlier in the conversation, it was obvious that the villain was talking about her. And then he said that he was connected to her...by blood. The voice fit that description and the man's explanation. When she dared to peek around and saw his face, she froze. It had aged a few years since she saw it last, but it was most definitely--Dad.

While Riku was too stunned to speak, Cedric's blue eyes darted to those of his daughter. "Claire," he said softly, smiling. But anyone could see that it wasn't the friendly smile he wore in the past; it was much darker now. "You look a lot like your mother now that you've grown."

Lightning stepped out completely, though she stood close to Riku as she stared at the man who called her by her birth name. Not just anybody could have known that; she abandoned that name a few years ago. Her first instinct was to do what she always did when she was told she looked like her mother--growl to herself and think about how she hated her mom. But now wasn't the time for that. Not at all. Her father was..alive. "...You died," she finally said. He died when she was seven.

Cedric shook his head through the rain. "I staged my death so I could guide you along the right path," he explained. He saw Riku put an arm in front of his daughter defensively. "Of course, meeting him opened up a new route for us to use." Thanks to Riku, they got Lightning here much easier than they would have originally.

Lightning ignored Riku's arm, feeling chills that weren't from the rain. He...faked his death. To guide her to this point in time right now? No... "I thought..." she began weakly, though she didn't finish. There were too many ending options. She thought he was ill as long as she grew up and perished of a disease. She thought he was a man devoted to his family. She thought...he loved her.

Edited September 30, 201213 yr by Peanut

Cedric saw how surprised his daughter was, and his small smile only remained. "Don't worry, darling," he told her gently. "I'm here now, and I'll help you adjust to this new life. I always knew how strong you were. You grew up just how I imagined."

 

"Miserable, you mean," Riku snarled. "She was destroyed by what happened to you, and you think it's okay because of some master plan you created?" That was bogus, beyond words. What about Lightning's feelings, or Serah's? If Serah found out about this...she'd be heartbroken.

Lightning wanted to cower behind Riku when her father called her "darling", but Riku's furious voice told her that she should be furious too. She grew up with only her mother for almost ten years, and then her mother... committed suicide. Very randomly and suddenly. "Did Mom know about you?" she asked quietly. Did her mother somehow find out the truth about her dad's evil and not want to live with that reality?

Cedric smirked at this, remembering his wife. "I watched you for years, Claire. You and dearest Serah," he started lowly. "But I wasn't as discreet as I planned. Your mother caught me one day when you three were in the city, and I knew she was going to tell you that next day." He held his gunblade in both hands now, adjusting his hold. "I took the measures necessary to cover my tracks."

 

Riku took a step forward instantly, eyes sharp with anger. "You murderer!" he cried in fury. Cedric murdered Lightning's mother! He...he staged it as suicide, but he was guilty of the crime.

Lightning stumbled back a step, as if actually hit by something. She heard her own breathing in her ears along with her heartbeat, but Riku's outcry echoed. You murderer. Light grew up the past two years believing that her mother abandoned her! She despised her so much...and she wasn't even really guilty. But her eyes were also stuck on the weapon in his hands. "That's...mine..." she said. Her father showed it to her when she was little--said she'd get the gun when she was older. So her mother gave it to her when she just turned fifteen. And Lightning followed her father's blueprints and turned it into a sword as well. ...How did he get that?

Cedric glanced down at the weapon, his smirk remaining as he lifted his gaze to his daughter. "Ah, yes," he said, ignoring the rain. "Thank you for fixing it up for me, sweetheart. The transition from gun to blade is still a little rough, but you did an exceptional job." He was proud of her abilities to make weapons. She could come handy in the future, apart from being a vessel of course.

Lightning took another step back, closer to a wall. She was surprised she didn't trip over herself yet, but her focus was somewhere else. First off, her father-turned-traitor just called her "sweetheart". That wasn't alright. But even worse than that was the information that made her step back in the first place. Her mother. "...Did you use that to..." Did he kill her with that? Had Lightning been toying with the weapon that killed her mother these past two years?

"No. The weapon was in no condition to be used back then," Cedric replied with a glance down at the weapon. "I was in the middle of working on the project when I disappeared, so it was nowhere near ready." He lifted his eyes back to Lightning, though they did rest on Riku for a few short moments. He was furious, but Cedric didn't mind. His partner would be showing up soon enough to help dispose of Riku. "I slipped a potion into her tea. She died a silent death."

Lightning saw images flash before her eyes. Pictures of what she saw when she came home from school that day. An empty mug on the counter--one that Lightning gave her mother as a Christmas gift when she was just a child. And on the other side of the room. She groaned behind her teeth, lifting both her hands to her head and holding on tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. Yet she saw the picture anyway. Her mother on the ground, wrists slit and blood everywhere. Even if it was just a picture, Lightning could still hear herself screaming at the sight! Go away! I don't want to remember this!!

Riku glanced back when he heard a small noise, and that noise came from Lightning. He blinked through the rain at her position. "Light?" he called, but that was when he heard a shift in front of him, and he ducked out of the way at just the right time, avoiding a bullet that had been aimed at his chest. The bullet hit the wall and ricocheted to the sky, but Riku didn't hesitate lifting his Keyblade and backing up to be in front of Lightning. Cedric was threatening them, and toying with them. This wasn't good by any means.