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 looked away automatically when she became the topic of this discussion, her gaze resting on one of her hands. Of course she remembered what Riku said to her in their fight; he said that if she had no hope, she was better off joining the enemy. When she retorted that she'd be an easy enemy for Riku to kill off, he didn't even care. She knew it was just his anger that made him say that though; he didn't mean any of it...right?

Riku's eyebrows furrowed a little when Lightning looked away, but he spoke anyway. "...I was wrong with what I said to you," he told her lowly. "...I'm really sorry." He didn't mean any of it. He was just so angry that she was shutting him out and telling herself that she was going to die. It wasn't the best encouragement in the world.

Lightning nodded softly, having a hard time finding her voice. "It's okay," she said quietly, though it wasn't really okay. The words just came out too naturally. He was too quick to give up on her. She didn't want to paint herself the victim, but she did just find out that her father was alive, evil, killed her mother, and was now intent on making Lightning evil as well. She caught a glimpse of herself falling into his plans, and it was terrifying. Evil wasn't something she wanted to be.

Riku had learned to read people's voices easily when he was in Darkness, that being all he could go off of, since he had the blindfold to conceal his eyes and others' expressions. "You don't sound too sure of that," he said, turning to look up at the clouds. Lightning needed to tell the truth.

Lightning shrugged softly. "What am I supposed to say?" she asked quietly, briefly glancing up at Riku before looking down to her hand again. Obviously it hurt to hear him send her away to the enemy because she wasn't good enough for him. She wasn't a warrior like him, not yet. It could take a while for that to happen.

"The truth," Riku said, lifting his hands and putting them behind his head. The last thing he wanted was for Lightning to lie to him, to make him think everything was okay when it wasn't. He knew what he said was wrong, and he wanted her to accept his apology. But saying that it was okay was different than acceptance. It was dismissing the problem, which was wrong.

Lightning sighed, looking back up at the mostly clear sky again. "It hurt," she said softly. "A lot. The fact that I was having a moment of weakness and you told me to go join them if I couldn't be strong." It was cruel and it was wrong. She had been scared because she believed she was going to die. A large part of her still did believe it.

Riku frowned a little, but otherwise remained silent. He had a bad temper, which could be backed up with Sora and Kairi's thoughts as well. He always had been short-tempered, and that hadn't changed much. He was a little better, but hearing people simply give up like Lightning had--or when it sounded like she had--was agitating. He didn't want to hear that ever again. But Lightning was right. She was weak at that time and Riku was supposed to support her, but he only kicked her when she was down.

Lightning slowly sat up, looking down at her lap. "But I'm still sorry for comparing you to my father," she said quietly. She knew she had a right to be upset in all this, but she should have been the bigger person and kept her mouth shut. Her words obviously didn't help improve the conversation.

Riku smiled, but bitterly. "Yeah, that was a low blow," he agreed softly. He wasn't too happy when he heard that. The thought of him and Cedric being the same stuck with him most when he was out here, using the nearby forest for target practice. That was enough to fuel his fire. But the fact that Lightning said that... It hurt too.

Light kept her gaze down, setting her hands in her lap. She said her apology, so again, she didn't know what else to say. Obviously she was ticked off when she insulted him, but--yet again--that was no excuse. She was doubting Riku a bit now, just because of how easily he turned his back on her.

Riku glanced over at Lightning, and when he saw her posture, he closed his eyes. "...Apology accepted," he said lowly. She was angry and said something she didn't mean. He understood how that was; he said some stuff he didn't mean either. It was a mistake on both of their parts.

Lightning kept her eyes down on her lap, not looking over at Riku. "...Did you mean it?" she asked softly after a few moments. "That if I don't have hope, I should join them?" That was what he said to her, in quite simple terms. He was angry at her when he said it, but he said it with such confidence that she thought maybe an ounce of him really did feel that way.

Riku sighed heavily at the question, forcing himself to sit up as well. He rested an arm against one of his knees, staring at the grassy field in silence for a moment. Once he gathered his thoughts, he explained himself. "A part of me always thinks that if hope is lost, that person belongs in Darkness. I was like that once. I practically allowed myself to die, so it's a bias of mine," he stated. "But you should know better than to think I'd actually want you on their side." Riku could never, ever want that.

Lightning kept her gaze down, admitting something that Riku wasn't going to like. "I still don't think I have a very good chance of surviving," she said quietly. "What do you have to say to that?" Would he say that maybe she did belong with the other side, but he wouldn't let her? That was still an awful thing to think.

"I say that I'm going to change your mind," Riku said, turning his head to look at the girl beside him. Lightning was still young, only seventeen. She had a long life ahead of her, and so did Riku. Neither of them would die in this war. They would fight for the worlds and for their lives. It was just that simple.

Lightning felt Riku's gaze on her, and she immediately knew he'd want her to look over and meet his eyes. That was always what he wanted from her when they were having a serious conversation. Yet she kept her eyes down and remained silent. It was obviously a touchy subject, so she wasn't going to say anything she could regret.

Riku lifted one of his hands, letting it rest on the back of Lightning's neck. He ran his thumb over her skin and her hair as he kept his gaze on her. "You gotta believe in us, Light," he said softly. "We're all friends, and without each other, we're weak. That's how it's always been." Their friends were their power. It would be that way forever.

"Give me some time," Lightning said quietly, feeling Riku's thumb go over her skin gently. "I have faith in you guys, but I don't have enough in myself yet." She knew Riku and their other friends were strong, but she wasn't the same type of strong that they were. She was a strong person, not a strong warrior. Only time and training could change that.

Riku nodded a little, lowering his gaze from Lightning's face to her lap. He continued to stroke her skin with his thumb, allowing a silence to settle in. Right now, it was what they needed. But Riku knew the real truth: this was the calm before the storm.

Light allowed Riku to stroke her skin, but that was really it. She didn't scoot closer to him and she didn't set a hand on his leg. Even if Riku said she didn't have to shut out her emotions, she knew that she did have to, at least to some degree. If she and Riku kept focusing on these feelings, it would take away from training.

Riku took his hand away from Lightning, pushing himself to his feet. "We should probably get back to training," he suggested, looking down at her. They still had a lot of work to do before she was ready. Their relationship would have to be put on hold, but Riku was still going to prove to Lightning that she was going to survive. She had the potential to be strong enough. He wouldn't let her forget that.

Lightning nodded softly, rising to her feet quietly. "I'll need this again, huh?" she asked quietly, setting some fingers lightly on the blindfold that was around her neck. She assumed that they were going to continue working on her senses, since she made (in her opinion) little progress earlier.

Riku hummed with a small nod. The blindfold was the first step in everything. Once she mastered her senses, she would do a lot better in everything else. It was all about recognizing her inner strength and abilities. Lightning had to learn that.

Lightning gently undid the knot, lifting the blindfold over her eyes and tying it behind her head. She didn't think about the blindfold; she just assumed it was something Riku picked up from somewhere in the castle. If she had known what significance it held to him, she'd feel touched that he let her utilize something he personally used to keep the Darkness away.

Edited October 11, 201213 yr by Peanut