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!

Lightning wasn't aware that she was being watched; she assumed King Mickey set up the program, left it to run its course, and left to take care of other matters. That was true, but she had another observer now. Finally, a few hours into the training, she found her backbone. She was able to do what she needed to do. When she saw an Organization member appear in the direction of the window, she shot a bullet at him and hit him right in the heart, seeing him disappear and the bullet pierce the wall. Her eyes were different than earlier when she did that--cold. Almost lifeless.

Riku instinctively jumped when the bullet was shot at the window, piercing right where he was standing. He glanced from the bullet to the girl who shot it, and he was alarmed at what he saw in her eyes. Hatred. Coldness. It was like she was a different person.

Lightning turned around when she sensed a figure behind her, feeling its virtual hand touch her shoulder. She could practically hear it call her "sweetheart." She ground her teeth and thrust the blade into the left side of the chest, seeing the figure disappear quickly. That could have been her father. If she had done that earlier, she would have killed a real human being. Good. That's what I need to do now. I can't be Light anymore. I have to be someone better.

Edited October 6, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku could only watch in silence, shocked by what he was witnessing. Lightning wasn't the girl he met so many months ago. She was someone...darker. And she was ruthless when it came to killing. Was he like that too, with the Keyblade? Riku didn't like to think about it, but he hated witnessing Lightning acting out like this even more. He told her to kill Cedric in the past, but now he wasn't sure he wanted her killing anyone. Lightning wasn't...meant for this.

Lightning looked to the left and lifted her gunblade, though she halted when she saw the figure have a face. Apparently he was a part of the data now. Her father. She gritted her teeth and put both hands on the hilt, hesitating when she shouldn't have been. But after a few seconds...she did pull the trigger. She shot his stomach area and then a few other spots and saw him immediately fade away. ...It was just a clone of him. Of course... But she still couldn't kill him as easily as a faceless person.

Edited October 6, 201213 yr by Peanut

This wasn't what kind of life Riku wanted for her. Lightning was supposed to be happy back on the Islands, with Serah. She wasn't supposed to be a warrior; she wasn't supposed to kill. Riku shook his head, stepping away from the one-way mirror and leaving the observation room. He couldn't watch this anymore. Riku started down the hall, running a hand through his short hair. This wasn't how things were meant to be.

Later that evening, Lightning skipped dinner. Riku didn't bother coming to get her. That was good, but she'd have to face him eventually. Then he'd see what she saw in the mirror earlier. Someone resigned to their fate. She had to accept the truth. Her father set this in motion from the time that she was young. He set her up to be strong, and that was what she would be. The question was...could she escape her fate of being drawn into his forces? Was she destined to use this strength for evil? These were the things she pondered as she laid on the bed and the sun began to set on the world.

Riku walked into the bedroom he was sharing with Lightning, his form sweaty and tired. After dinner, he had gone to the training room to take out some frustration on the simulations. He was out of practice with the Keyblade anyway, since it had been a few days since he used it before the battle against the Organization. He glanced over at Lightning on the bed as he started to shed his vest, heading to the balcony for some fresh air. He didn't bother getting her for dinner, figuring she was too tired from her training session earlier that day to come down for food. Regardless, he had a hard time looking at her; he didn't want to see the cold look in her eyes like she had in the training room.

Lightning lifted her head, watching Riku head over to the balcony without saying a word to her. She suddenly got the vibe that he was ignoring her, though she didn't have a clue why he would be doing that. They had been fine earlier that day. Regardless, she turned towards the balcony and kept an eye on his back. She viewed him differently now than she did before. On the Islands, she found it hard to believe he was a warrior. Now, that was his primary role to her.

Riku felt the cool air brush his skin once he was outside, his vest forgotten on a chair in the room. He leaned against the wall with both hands, looking over King Mickey's kingdom in silence. It was still a happy land, but it was more guarded since the Organization and Maleficent managed to sneak their way in. Disney Castle wasn't supposed to be that way in the slightest; it never had. But ever since Riku arrived with Lightning, things had gone downhill. It was all Xehanort's fault.

Lightning turned and placed her feet on the ground. She didn't want Riku to be just a warrior. And that wasn't what she wanted to be. Why did things have to be like this? Why couldn't they just be themselves and be happy? She refused to believe that Riku was naturally as cold as he was with the enemy. He just couldn't be that way. The warmth she saw in his eyes and felt in his arms was too real for that.

If Xehanort hadn't gone and formed the Organization, he wouldn't have recruited Lightning's father. And then Lightning wouldn't have had to be so strong all the time. Riku wanted to be that for her. He wanted to be the shoulder she could lean on, but after what he saw today, he didn't think that was very likely. She was...different now. The hatred and the lack of warmth he saw in her eyes earlier actually startled him. He never wanted to see that look again.

Lightning rose to her feet and quietly approached Riku, wanting to feel that warmth again. Even if she wouldn't see it in his eyes, she'd feel it. She stopped right behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach lightly, allowing her face to rest against his back as she shut her eyes. This was a new position for them, but she didn't care. She needed this.

Riku stiffened slightly at the touch, but after a moment, he relaxed. He hadn't expected this kind of interaction after today, but then again, Lightning had no idea that he saw her. She didn't know that he was bothered by the look in her eyes back in the training room.

Edited October 17, 201312 yr by Forever Love

Lightning kept her forehead pressed against Riku, the tip of her nose also touching him. This...felt the same as before. Interacting with Riku with affection felt the same as it always had--comforting and joy-bringing. She felt herself relax in relief, continuing to hold him. Earlier...she wondered if she could be the same Lightning with Riku because of how radically she changed herself in that training room. But here she was now, holding him. That was good.

Riku looked down at the arms wrapped around his bare stomach, and he lifted his hands to sit over them. His gaze returned to the sun that was setting over King Mickey's kingdom. His thoughts, however, still revolved around the girl behind him. By her gestures, she was the same girl he fell for. But what about the look in her eyes? Riku was a little afraid to even see them.

...But Lightning wasn't completely the same. Riku would like how she changed, wouldn't he? He led her to this in a way. He encouraged her to kill Jihl and Cedric on one or two different occasions and seemed disappointed when she didn't. This was a change for the better. At least she was pleasing one person in life, even if she wasn't necessarily pleasing herself.

"...You trained hard today," Riku said lowly, looking out over the balcony. "Too tired to come to dinner, I take it." He hadn't exactly bothered to come get her, but he wasn't her babysitter. He didn't have to tell her when to come to dinner, of all things. There was a difference between that and being her protector. A big difference.

Lightning peeked her eyes open, looking at Riku's skin as she kept her arms around him. "I wasn't hungry," she said softly. She wasn't tired per se, but the training did impact dinner. She had no appetite because she was uneasy with herself for becoming so cold. It was necessary to be cold though! It was that or die in battle...Because she was going to be pulled into a battle. The side was yet to be decided, but she'd fight.

Riku hummed slightly in response, but otherwise didn't say anything more. Clearly Lightning didn't take the hint; he saw her today, and he wasn't pleased with what he witnessed. She was cold, hard, and practically lifeless in the eyes. It was difficult to watch. Riku didn't want to see that ever again. But...was Lightning taking after him? Was he that way in battle too?

"Are you feeling better now?" Lightning asked after a few moments. Last time she was with him, he was sleeping because his spell really weakened him. Obviously he had some strength back now, but she wanted to make sure that he was all better and not in pain now.

"A little," Riku replied softly, seeing that the sun was almost gone. He lifted his eyes instead to the stars that were appearing, knowing that one of them was home. There were a few things that kept him from feeling better; the fact that he couldn't go home yet, Xehanort and the Organization, he had no idea where his friends were, and now Lightning was being dragged into this mess. It was all really discouraging. It was hard to keep going.

Lightning hummed softly in response, mimicking Riku's initial response to her response. A little better was better than no better at all. But if he wanted to talk about it, she was here to listen. At this hour, there wasn't much else to do but talk.

Riku removed his hands from Lightning's arms, instead setting them back on the balcony. He released a small sigh without thinking, still tired physically but also mentally exhausted. He was seriously going to need to get out of the Castle soon. If he didn't, he wouldn't be strong enough to face reality. And that reality was cruel. Very, very cruel.

After a few more moments, Lightning took back her arms and retreated to the bedroom. She had some more thinking to do on her own, and she didn't want Riku absorbing those bad thoughts. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling with her blue eyes, knowing that there was no going back. There was only going forward.