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!

I don't feel good, Lightning thought. She noticed Riku sit down and stare at her, but she didn't care enough to tell him off. She was too worried about how sick she felt. She leaned over and rested the side of her face against Riku's arm, her green expression remaining the same. I don't feel good at all. 

Riku released a small breath at Lightning's touch, lifting his hand opposite her to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "...Light, I know what you're feeling," he said gently. She was feeling guilty for all she'd done. He felt that way too, the first time he killed someone at the very start of things. He was only fifteen, but age in this case didn't matter. Not at all.

"No, you don't," Lightning disagreed quietly, surprising herself. But the point still stood. Riku may have understood that she felt sick killing Jihl or just killing in general. Fine, he got that. But did he know how it felt to be tortured by your father on two occasions? To be forced fear poison? To be so desperate to have someone dead that you become inhuman in killing them and stab them over and over and over...

Riku gazed down at Lightning, not sure how to react. What did she mean that he didn't know? Killing was...awful. He told her from the beginning that he didn't want her doing it, when they were together back in Disney Castle. That was why he was so hesitant in giving her the Keyblade. But at that time, they didn't really have a choice. Riku warned her about this, but it didn't even matter... It still hurt her.

"Sorry," Light mumbled. She didn't mean for it to come across that way. She should have figured that Riku was just going to relate to her first real kill, not everything that happened in the past few days. Her head wasn't right since this all began; she still wasn't logical. Except when she was taking down Jihl; then she was able to think. She swallowed hard at that sickening thought. 

"Don't be," Riku said with a small shake of his head. In fact, he insisted on it. He didn't want Lightning apologizing to him for anything. If anyone should have been apologizing, it was him. He swore to protect her at the beginning, to keep her out of enemy hands. That was a bust. He didn't even come close to keeping that promise, among others.

Lightning didn't bother commenting any further on that topic; it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have in the first place. She felt such a mixture of emotions. One of them being confusion. Jihl made it very clear that unless Riku sat through the whole movie, the incriminating footage was going to be sent to the police. And now that she was dead, the footage in the other person's hands was surely going to go to the police. And Riku let it happen. He didn't just let it happen. He made it happen by not complying to Jihl's terms. How could he do that? 

Riku wasn't sure what to say, or do, so he just sat still. What could he say that would make things better? What could he do? Right now, Lightning didn't need him. She needed her family, she needed Serah. But Lightning would never let Serah see her like this--so broken and afraid.

Lightning was surprised when her face was suddenly moist. Tears leaked from her eyes and she didn't even realize it at the start. Jihl's contingency plan was in effect now. The judge would take one look at that tape and convict her of murder. She'd be whisked off to jail and she'd never see Serah or Riku or any of her friends ever again... She turned her face into Riku's arm and she began to sob without holding anything back. Her life was over.

Riku looked down at Lightning at her sobs, eyes widening. "Whoa. Hey..." he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Lightning..." This situation was bad enough to make her cry? Lightning never cried unless the situation was worthy of it. This was bad. Very bad.

Lightning buried her face in Riku's chest, everything within her exploding and coming out in her tears. She murdered a man who she once idolized. She murdered a woman who was evil but still was human. Her heart was tainted by Darkness by all this. Jihl was going to send her to jail even from the grave and Riku made it happen...yet even so, she had no one else to hold her now, so it had to be him here and now keeping her from totally collapsing on her face.

Riku didn't know what to do but hold Lightning, so he did just that. He gazed at the floor as she sobbed, words failing him. He was never good at these kinds of things. It was Sora who could comfort and relate people a lot better. Riku never was that person, but could he be? For Lightning?

Lightning stopped crying shortly, but it was only because she was still dehydrated and out of liquid to cry. She was still tense in Riku's embrace even after she ran out of tears, the young woman dismayed beyond reason. What future did she have now? "...They'll lock me in jail," she finally choked out. They'd lock her in jail and throw out the key. 

Riku blinked, looking down at Lightning. "What? No," he said in disagreement. "No, they won't." Riku wouldn't let them. After all Lightning suffered, jail wasn't going to be added to the list. He would find whoever else had the footage and get rid of it permanently.

"Yes they will," Lightning muttered. "They will..." Jihl threatened to have the footage exposed if she was killed, and that was what happened. Now whoever had that evidence was going to turn it over to the police. She wouldn't be surprised if they were viewing that tape right now and seeing what she did. 

"Stop it," Riku said, holding Lightning closer to his chest. He wouldn't let Lightning think like that. To make things better for her, he would hunt down Jihl's partner tonight. "...You should stay with Serah tonight. I'll go track down Jihl's friend in the meantime." He was better, Lightning wasn't. They didn't have to mention Cedric or his torture. They could just say they got into trouble with some Heartless before coming home. It would work.

"Serah's not home." She was on a school trip and wasn't coming back for another two days. Lightning didn't want to be with her anyway. Well, she did, but she wasn't going to see her sister when she was such a disaster. "And it's too late." She was sure that it was too late for that. Whoever had that footage probably released it pretty quickly after Jihl's death. 

"Lightning, quit," Riku said, sighing and closing his eyes. "You're not going to jail, okay?" Besides, she had the case of temporary insanity and self-defense going on for her with the Cedric thing. He drove her to murder, something proven by how she refused to stop stabbing Cedric because she thought he was going to kill her.

Lightning bit the inside of her cheek and stayed silent. She and Riku weren't going to agree on this and she didn't feel like arguing. Her last few hours outside of jail shouldn't have been spent bickering with Riku even if she did have plenty of reason to be mad with him. Why couldn't he just sit and watch the stupid video?!

There had to be something Riku could do, right? There was obviously more footage, since Jihl's sidekick had it in their hands. But where could Riku find them? He had to track them down before they turned the footage into the authorities. I have to think of something....

Edited February 25, 201411 yr by Forever Love

Lightning pulled away from the embrace, closing herself in and shutting Riku out as she folded her arms tightly over her chest. Fine, she was desperate and fell into his arms crying a few minutes ago. But now that the tears were all out, she had enough composure to utter her angry words. "Why couldn't you just watch the stupid video?" If he just sat through it to completion, Jihl might not have released that tape. She cared more about the suffering she could create upfront than what she could do behind the scenes. She was flashy like Cedric. 

Riku was surprised when Lightning suddenly pulled away, but when she questioned him, he got defensive. "...You can't be serious," he said lowly, eyebrows furrowing. Lightning actually expected him to sit through the whole thing? That was twelve hours of footage! He wasn't watching that! She was crazy to think he would have.

Lightning refused to look at Riku, instead glaring down at her lap. Of course she was serious; this was no laughing matter. "If you just would have sat through it, we wouldn't be in this position!" she said harshly, only raising her voice slightly. She wasn't going to fully yell at Riku even if she was angry; he was the only person here to help her right now. She couldn't even move without his assistance. 

Riku stared at Lightning for a moment, questioning her sanity. If she really knew him, she should have expected him to rebel against Jihl before the video was over, which was exactly what he did. "...You expected me to sit through twelve hours of you being tortured?" he asked, voice low as he frowned. "You must not know me at all." He would never sit through something like that, especially with Lightning. He couldn't.

"You were the one who said you were going to sit through it, so excuse me for taking you at your word," Lightning snarled, snapping her head as she looked to Riku. He looked angry and upset, but he didn't have a right to feel that way compared to her. "You agreed so Jihl wouldn't blackmail me, and now look where we are." It was Riku's fault that she was going to be thrown in jail now. It was because of his lack of restraint.