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 blinked when Lightning hollered at him, even if they were within close proximity. However, he remained calm. "...I know," he said quietly. "I just wanted you to let me touch you." He didn't want to scare her again, that was all. He would carry her, as he had planned on doing. But Riku just wanted her to know that he would touch her. Nothing more.

Lightning felt like a fool with her misunderstanding, but she finally ran out of tears. She couldn't cry even if she wanted to, she was so dehydrated from the day. She mouthed a silent "sorry", reaching out one of her hands to touch the one that Riku extended. His skin was warm and gentle. It was gestures like this that started to take the fear away (once she understood what he was doing, anyway). 

Riku nodded slightly to the silent apology and brought Lightning's arm to rest around his neck. "I'm going to pick you up, okay?" he told her gently, moving closer to her. He would be careful with her, even if she was healed. Lightning was fragile right now, especially in her heart. Riku hoped he could help repair what was broken.

"Okay," Claire whispered with a small nod. She braced herself for the movement, though her heart was beginning to change. Courage, dear. Have courage. And with every moment Riku was in her sight, she felt a sliver of courage replace the terror. 

Riku wordlessly moved to bring Lightning to his chest, his movements slow and steady so he didn't alarm her in any way. Once she was in his arms, he rose to his feet and took her toward the bathroom. The toilet seat was down, so he carefully placed her there and turned the water off. He already put the bubble bath stuff in, so she was ready whenever. He would leave her to it.

Lightning managed to crawl into the bath after Riku left her alone, and she stayed in it for a while. It was so long that Riku called in at one point to ask her if she was okay. She answered him with a "yes", though that answer was only accurate in some regards. When she was finally done with her bath, she put on the clothes that Riku left for her. Lightning may have moved out a while ago, but it turned out she forgot some of her clothes--specifically, a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. She was thankful for it now. Kneeling on the floor by the door, Lightning reached up and opened the door, though she was startled when Riku toppled in backwards. He had been sitting against that door. 

Riku's head hit the floor quite suddenly, as he had been sitting on the floor and leaning against the door when Lightning opened it. He grunted softly and lifted a hand to his head as he looked over at the girl beside him. "Hi," he said, wincing faintly. He hadn't been expecting her to open the door without him hearing it.

Though Lightning had admittedly jumped to Riku's sudden fall, when she looked down at him on the floor, she couldn't feel afraid. He tried to act so cool despite what just happened by casually saying "hi." A slight laugh left her lips, a small smile forming on her lips for the first time since the ordeal began. You look ridiculous, Riku. 

As Riku rubbed his head a little more, he found himself smiling. Laughter. As faint as it was, it was still there. That mattered a lot to him. Remaining on the floor, he looked up at Lightning with a faint smile. "Feel better?" he asked quietly. She looked better, at least. The bath did her some good.

Lightning looked down at Riku, noticing that small smile he wore. While he may have been smiling, she could still feel the worry coming off of him like she had earlier that day. The moments leading up to this made her heart feel heavier. Nevertheless... "Better," she said quietly as her smile faded. She felt better, at least. 

Riku nodded slightly before sitting up. He had some medicine ready for Lightning when he was leaning against the door, so he grabbed it from its place on the floor and turned to look at her. "Here," he said softly, offering the medicine to her. This would knock her out, just like she wanted.

Lightning looked at the pill Riku held in one hand and the glass in the other. It reminded her of the last drink she had--the one with fear poison. She shivered, briefly wrapping her arms around her stomach. The poison didn't completely wear off; she was still scared. But not of Riku. He wasn't going to hurt her. Courage... She tentatively reached out, accepting both the water and the medicine. I really trust you, Riku. 

Riku recognized the fear in Lightning's eyes before she took the items from him; he was as observant as ever. He gazed at her in silence, not judging her in the slightest. He knew she was scared, but she had reason to be. She lived a nightmare. Riku wasn't going to hold it against her. That wasn't who he was.

Lightning hated that it took her a few seconds to coax herself into taking the medicine, but that was how it was. She at least managed to get it down eventually, and she drank half the glass of water too. Riku probably didn't know why she was so hesitant, so using the words she was finally able to find, she explained. "He...He put the poison in a cup of tea," she said as she looked to Riku's eyes. 

Like with your mom, Riku realized in silence. He nodded after a small moment, glancing down at the glass of water he brought her. Lightning seemed to gulp it down. Cedric must have dehydrated her over the last day or so. It was late, after all, so it was time they got some rest. With the help from the medicine, Riku knew Lightning would be out cold for a while.

Lightning couldn't tell if Riku made the connection or not, but it wasn't important enough for her to point out tonight. She glanced at the glass of water in her hand, seeing that it was only half full. But that was enough for her. Now that she had some water, she realized just how dehydrated she was. She lifted it to her lips and finished it off, relieved and feeling better as soon as it was gone.

Riku shifted to rise to his feet, dusting his sweatpants off in the meantime. While Lightning was in the bath, he cleaned himself up and got more comfortable. "...You ready to head to bed?" he asked softly. He would be up for a little while longer, but he would help her to bed if she still needed him.

Claire didn't know how to answer the question. She was afraid (what a surprise). She didn't want to go to sleep and have nightmares about the day, not that they could have been much worse than reality. And while she was weak, weary, and exhausted, she didn't feel sleepy yet. She didn't know what she wanted, except for one thing. "...What will you do?" 

Riku shrugged, looking to the fogged up mirror. "I don't know," he answered, honest. He would probably just sit in silence for a little while and think about all he recently discovered. Like the Organization, or lack thereof. And now, Cedric was dead...

The question hadn't come out the way that she meant it to, so Light tried again. "Could you stay with me?" she asked quietly. She didn't want to be alone. As stupid as it was, being alone in the bathroom to clean up was scary. It helped her feel better that Riku was sitting outside, and now she wanted him with her again, even if it was just being in the same room. 

Riku smiled faintly at the request, one he was glad to hear. "Sure," he replied. He offered his hands, hoping Lightning could stand now. If not, then he would carry her. It wasn't like he minded any. He always did like having Lightning in his arms.

Lightning placed her hands in Riku's, the empty glass left forgotten on the floor. She wasn't sure how this was going to go. Just a few minutes ago when she was getting dressed, she still couldn't stand. Something must have still been wrong with her legs, even though Riku healed her every wound. 

Riku carefully pulled Lightning to her feet, but that was when he realized that she still wasn't steady. Something happened to her legs while she was with Cedric, but he would hear the story later. He wordlessly bent down and lifted Lightning to his chest before leaving the room. He started down the hall, but instead of leaving Lightning in the bedroom she previously occupied, he took her to his room. His bed was just as he left it: clean and made. He hoped it would be comfortable for Lightning tonight.

Lightning set a hand on Riku's chest when he picked her up and held her, feeling the beating of his heart against it. He was alive and she was too. Granted, he had never been in danger of dying, but still--she couldn't imagine being without him now. She probably still would have been stabbing Cedric hours past Riku's arrival, living in that panic of immanent death. Her cheeks flushed as she gripped his shirt, the thoughts of the day very unpleasant. 

Riku approached his room, a lamp on his bedside table illuminating the room. He began to set Lightning down, but due to her grip on his shirt, he had to stay leaning over. He put a hand on the bed to support himself, his other hand resting on Lightning's back. "I won't leave," he told her gently. "I'm still keeping that promise." He swore he wouldn't leave Lightning again, back when this mess all started. He was keeping to it, even now.