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 heard an announcement that the training was over, and she looked down to see the Keyblade in her chest disappear. The program had been set so that whenever she "died", it was game over. She wished she would have given up earlier, so that she wouldn't have faced Riku like this. His fighting style was accurate; he was extremely ruthless here too. Just like he would be in real life. She sank down to her knees, lowering her head. "I won't die by them," she told herself hoarsely, though her voice also showed emotion. "But I will die." The Organization would kill her.

Riku heard what Lightning had to say, a speaker system set up in the training room so anyone in the observation room could hear. And when he did, he turned and left. He didn't want to hear Lightning say she was going to die. He wouldn't stick around for that kind of stuff. It was why they argued in the first place.

Lightning dropped her sword to the ground, choking back a sob. "I'm so sorry," she said, looking down at her knees with moist eyes. She was so, so sorry that she wasn't strong. She was sorry she took Riku's training so personally and lashed out at him earlier. And she was sorry she accused him of being like her father. He wasn't cruel like him, even if he had been unnecessarily harsh earlier.

Riku passed the training room door, the red light now off. Training was over, and Lightning was thinking the same of her life. He stopped once he was past the door, staring at the ground. He swore he would protect her...and he swore he wouldn't leave again. But what was he doing? He was ditching her because she lost faith. Riku couldn't just give up on her; he had to encourage her to keep her chin up, to fight back. Riku sighed, turning around and gripping the door handle, pulling it open and stepping inside. His aquamarine eyes fell on the girl he cared so deeply for, her position causing his heart to clench in sadness.

Lightning remained on her knees, leaning over them a bit as her head hung and her eyes shut. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live! Not just be alive, but live! The only way that she'd truly feel alive was if Riku was by her side. But that wouldn't happen if he died in this war. She had to fight, to protect him. She'd protect him or die trying. That was what she could offer him in this war.

Riku approached Lightning quietly, kneeling down in front of her once he was close. He lifted a hand, placing it on her shoulder in silence. Her posture screamed defeat, but he hoped her heart was the opposite. She needed to believe in herself, and believe in her friends. Riku's friends were her friends; they always had been. There was strength in numbers, even if there would only be seven of them.

Lightning peeked her dull eyes open, seeing Riku before her. Why was she not surprised? Well, in a way it was a shock; he should have been sleeping. But he always seemed to find his way to her when she was in need. She lifted a hand and set it on Riku's arm, leaning her head against his hand and shutting her eyes. He had to know how deeply she cared for him, and she could never seriously turn against him...

Riku tilted his head slightly, trying to get a look at Lightning's face. "...That wasn't fun, was it?" he asked softly. Fighting him and Sora and Roxas... She didn't seem like she enjoyed it. She wouldn't want to fight against them for real, would she? Certainly not, given her posture.

Lightning shook her head softly, rubbing it against Riku's soft hand as she opened her eyes. No, that hadn't been fun at all. How long had he been watching though? It could have been a while, since she didn't check for quite some time. She supposed it didn't really matter. He was here now and could see she wasn't pleased by what just happened.

"If you side with us," Riku started softly, lifting his other hand to cup Lightning's face, "you won't have to fight us." She could fight alongside them instead, for the greater good. By now, Riku knew that Lightning would have to fight. It wasn't an option anymore. She would fight for them or fight for the Organization. Riku hoped she chose the former.

Light tilted her head into that new hand, her moist eyes finding Riku's. "I can't fight you," she said softly. She couldn't fight Riku, or any of them. But especially not him. He had to have seen the look of horror on her expression when she realized the simulation was attacking her. She didn't want him (even a simulation of him) to see her as an enemy ever again.

"I know," Riku said with a small nod. "I saw." Lightning had been....terrified. He never wanted to see that look again. She was so scared, and of all people, she was scared of him. That was far from comforting. Was that what he looked like when they were practicing?

Edited October 9, 201213 yr by Forever Love

Lightning moved Riku's other hand off her shoulder and onto her face, shutting her eyes as a tear leaked down and touched Riku's fingertip. She had so much to say. One thing she said too much lately, but she said it again. "I'm sorry," she said pathetically. She was sorry for her role in the fight earlier, though she still believed she would die by the end of this.

Riku's eyes softened at the apology, and the presence of the tear. "Me too," he said lowly, wiping at the stray tear. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings, or hurt her physically. He was too hard on her earlier. While he may have been a tough, unkind teacher, he was hard on Lightning for a reason--he wanted her to survive. Maybe he just needed to take it a little slower.

Lightning shut her eyes, feeling Riku's finger stroke away that tear. She was trying so hard to keep it together that her lips were trembling. He was sorry that he lashed out at her, or so she assumed. There were a lot of things for both of them to be sorry about. She pressed his hand against her cheek more, feeling more tears leak out of her eyes as she shakily cried out: "I don't want to die."

Riku's lips parted in sadness, not liking the sight of Lightning's tears. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to Lightning's forehead. He held the position as he closed his eyes, but then he pulled back. "You won't," he told her gently. "I'll make sure of it." He wouldn't be able to watch her back completely on the battlefield, but he could train her to get through the war on her own.

Lightning kept her hand on one of Riku's, her eyes remaining shut as she stayed as composed as she could be. "You said before you couldn't help me," she declared in an uneven tone. He said that and a lot of other things, emphasizing that she would die if she didn't listen to him. She hated hearing him say that...

"Not completely, no," Riku said in agreement to that. He wiped at Lightning's tears with his thumbs, his aquamarine eyes on her face. "But I can help you get ready. If I have a chance to defend you when the time comes, I will. But I'll be trying to keep myself alive." It would be rough, especially if they all took two at once, while someone else took one. It was going to be a very difficult battle.

Lightning opened her eyes but kept her gaze down on her knees. She wasn't ready for this type of life, one where you were either dead or not-dead. She was a stubborn and physical girl from Destiny Islands who wanted to protect Riku and others, but...she couldn't do it. She wasn't strong enough. If Riku was just trying to stay alive, how was she supposed to do that? She wasn't nearly as strong as he was.

"Babe," Riku called softly, wishing for Lightning to look at him. He didn't want her to give up hope. She had to find her inner strength. That would drive her farther than physical strength any day. All she had to do was believe in herself, and believe in their friends. If she did that, she could do this.

Lightning furrowed her eyebrows, thinking and motioning with her free hand that that was what she was doing. She focused on what she couldn't do a lot lately. She couldn't kill. She couldn't put aside her emotions. She couldn't handle seeing her dreams of her old life shatter. What she could do was another matter entirely. She could keep training. She could keep becoming stronger. She could regain her hope and allow it to strengthen her. Physically, it wasn't a matter of what she could or couldn't do. Those were just labels to hold her back. Some things in life, you just did.

Riku moved one of his hands in silence, tucking back some of Lightning's hair. He didn't know what Lightning was thinking, but he'd let her do it. He didn't give her much time to think lately, especially here in the training room. He made her act on instinct a lot of the time, and sometimes that wasn't even enough.

It's not a matter of can or can't, Lightning repeated to herself, lifting her head to look at Riku with new resolve in her eyes. Some things in life, you just do. This was one of those cases. She'd go through this situation and do what she needed to do, whether it was "possible" or not. There were some things she couldn't do because of lack of time, but all else was fair game.

Riku gazed at Lightning in silence, his hands still lingering by her cheeks. He recognized the look in her eyes as newfound resolve, and he knew that now things were going to be different. He nodded, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he understood. She was ready. Not for battle, but to prepare for it. That was all Riku could ask of her.

Lightning nodded faintly as well, eyes serious but also a bit sad. She assumed Riku wouldn't want her to depend on him at all, even for emotional support, from here on out. That was why she grasped one of the hands on her cheek and began to take it away. She'd have to stand on her own two feet now, completely.