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 wasn't thinking, okay?" Riku retorted sharply. He looked over at Roxas, also noticing Namine's betrayed expression. "I wasn't thinking about anyone else but Lightning." He was selfish with her, and that led to all of this. If he had told Roxas what happened with the Organization, he would have saved Namine some trauma. But Riku failed again, like all the other times.

Roxas growled, curling his hand into a fist as he fought the urge to punch Riku. But he had nothing against Lightning, so he wasn't going to slug him while he held onto her. "Well go on then," he said lowly. "Keep thinking only about her. It's not like there are other people who are affected by the Organization being left in the dark because of your secrets." He didn't know if he wanted to hear the truth now anyway. It wasn't going to help Namine any.

Namine looked from Roxas to Riku, who was glaring at the boy beside her. But she could see that his heart wasn't in it; he was...sad. Riku walked away, passing Sora without speaking a word. She looked after him in sympathy, but she also felt betrayed. Why didn't he say anything? He could have warned her and Roxas... Maybe she wouldn't have crushed Seifer's heart that way.

Sora watched Riku leave, just as confused as Roxas was. No--he was worse; he didn't know anything about Seifer. All that he knew was that Roxas was angry, and that was never good. And Namine was sad. He rubbed the back of his head, looking to the blondes. "...I don't get it," he said. "But...Namine, Kairi's probably in the library, if you wanna see her." The two were like sisters, so if anyone could make Namine smile, it was Kairi. As for Roxas...Sora really didn't know how to help.

Namine blinked upon hearing Kairi's name. Kairi. She needed her best friend right now...and she needed a shoulder to cry on. She wouldn't put that burden on Roxas. At the thought, she looked to him, blue eyes finding his face. What was he going to do?

Roxas blinked, surprised that Namine looked to him for approval. But he read her eyes and saw that she didn't need him anymore. She needed Kairi. Somehow, that pained him, but he accepted it. "Go on," he said quietly. "I'll catch up with you later." Maybe he'd go train for a while. Obviously he needed to after being shown how weak he was.

Namine lifted a hand to Roxas's arm, the touch brief but meaningful. Thank you, she wanted to say. He did so much for her lately. She wasn't sure how she was ever going to repay him. Her fingers trailed over Roxas's skin as she pulled away, then starting toward the library. After everything, she needed her sister.

The Next Day 

 

Lightning sat in a wheel chair in the training room, sending off fireballs here and there. It had been over a day since they arrived in Disney Castle, and since then, Lightning only saw Riku on occasion. It wasn't like she was avoiding him--where did she have to go? Her mobility was limited until she found a wheelchair by her bedside the next morning. She took it and left her room, naturally arriving a place where she spent so much time: the training room. And now while she fine-tuned her fire spells, Roxas tuned his deflection skills. 

 

Roxas angrily swatted away a fireball with his Keyblade, lifting his eyes in time to block another. He had been practicing against a simulation when Lightning arrived. Now he knew all about what happened to her, and she surprised him by asking if she could train with him. He idiotically asked her, "how?" but she said she'd shoot magic at him and he could deflect it. That was what they had been doing for the past half hour now.

Riku walked past the training room, seeing that the red light was one. He gazed at it in silence, confused as to why anyone would be training right now. What was the point? The Organization was gone for the most part. The war wasn't going to happen. Riku went into the viewing room without thinking, and he was upset that he did. Lightning was in a wheelchair? He felt pain inflict his heart at the sight. Why...Why did I let her go?

Lightning sent her last fireball at Roxas, feeling her magic reach empty when she did. After he swatted it away, they met eyes and had an understanding. He asked her if she wanted an ether, but she shook her head and started to wheel herself out. Even if she was in a wheelchair, it was nice to have some mobility again. She planned on moving around now that she finally could, though she didn't have a destination in mind. 

Edited March 4, 201411 yr by Peanut

Watching Lightning wheel herself around nearly made Riku sick. He blamed himself for her injuries, of course, as they were usually his fault. He let Lightning leave with Cedric, and that led to a whole new set of troubles. He lowered his gaze, surprised at the stinging that hurt his eyes. Since when did Riku ever get this emotional?

Lightning heard Roxas start up a new program on the computer as she struggled with the door, pulling it open after a second and wheeling herself out. But then she noticed that there was someone in the viewing room--someone she only saw once or twice since their arrival at the castle. Riku.

Riku stepped away from the window upon feeling a gaze on him, the weight of it all too familiar. He lifted his eyes to her, aquamarine orbs meeting Lightning's blue. He wasn't aware of their moisture, but the sight of her...just sitting in that wheelchair... It hurt. Riku almost couldn't stand looking at her.

Lightning tilted her head, surprised at Riku's eyes. They didn't lie to anyone, especially not to her. "You don't have to wear such a sad look," she said. "I don't think I even look that sad." And that was probably accurate, because she was finally starting to feel better. Being in the castle for a day gave her some time to think, and instead of hurting her, the thoughts were encouraging her to move forward, even if she couldn't use her own two legs. 

Riku looked away instantly, hands curling into fists. So he looked that bad? Lightning was right, though; he was more upset about this than she was, at least that was how it looked on the outside. Riku was never vulnerable, but there was a first time for everything.

"Let's go," Lightning said on a whim, starting to turn her chair around. She was already planning on moving, and now Riku was going to come with her. It wasn't like she could leave him alone when he was like that. She didn't think that she ever saw him so close to tears before...

Riku watching Lightning turn out of the corner of his eye. If she could use her legs, she would have marched over to him and told him to suck it up, he was sure of it. Or at least, that was how the old Lightning would have handled things. She was different now, softer...and he made her that way. He softened her up and made her vulnerable. If he hadn't done that, Cedric wouldn't have gotten to Lightning so easily.

"You have two good legs, so use them," Lightning ordered, starting to roll away. It wasn't a mechanical chair, so she had to use her hands to spin the wheels. That was okay--she was strong enough to handle it. After everything, she was just glad to be able to move again. Now that she could move physically, she could move on with her life. Hopefully.

Riku followed Lightning out, walking beside and a little behind her. What was he supposed to say? She didn't want his excuses and she didn't want his promises. Apologies wouldn't do any good either. Riku was silent for a year once. He could do it again.

Lightning didn't know what to say. Initially she was going to stay silent because she was going to be by herself. She was still short on words these days, though she was getting better. But Riku wasn't. After they turned into another hall, she thought of the words she wanted to say to him. "I don't want you falling into Darkness because of me." 

Riku had his hands stuffed in his pockets by now, and when the words impacted him, he closed his eyes. He exhaled a silent breath, but didn't speak. He was still fighting his sorrow, and his anger, and his regret, and his guilt... It was like he was in Darkness again. If Sora or Kairi knew that, they would be furious.

"I made a decision," Lightning said after another few moments. "I decided not to fall into Darkness because of this." Now you need to choose too. He was impacted by all this in ways that she didn't understand. She was the one who was tortured by her father on two occasions. She violently killed him. Her first act as a Keyblade wielder was murder. She had a million reasons to be a mess and fall into Darkness, but she didn't care about the reasons. She had her reasons for staying in the Light too.

Good. The Darkness isn't somewhere you want to be, Riku wanted to advise, but he couldn't find his voice. This was the Lightning he first met, the stubborn one who didn't let anyone walk over her. She was strong and intelligent, and didn't let emotions get in the way most of the time. She changed, but she changed for the better. Riku was on the other end of that spectrum.

Lightning stopped rolling, frustrated with Riku's silence. What was she supposed to say? Yeah, she was better, but it wasn't like she had it all together. "Stop," she said lowly. "Kneel down so I can slap you." She didn't like this Riku. 

Riku blinked, stopping like he was told but not kneeling. He finally looked at Lightning in confusion. What did he do now? Why did she want to slap him? "What?" he murmured. As if he was going to willingly get slapped, even if he did probably deserve it.