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!

"Yeah well, hopefully you can put up with the small things from now on," Lightning hinted quietly as she stroked his hair again. She wasn't planning on stroking it for long, but Riku's face when she did was much more relaxed than it was when she didn't. She knew petting people's hair could put them to sleep, but was Riku that kind of person?

Riku opened his eyes to look at Lightning, aquamarine meeting blue. "...Looking forward to it," he replied with a faint smile. Just being with her already made life better. It was scary how simple the solution was, but...it was Lightning. He should have expected it.

Lightning set her hand on the top of Riku's head, her smile fading away as she looked him in the eye. "You should do some investing right now," she said quietly. "Starting with sleep." He looked drained, despite the smile that he wore. She couldn't remember the last time that she saw him show any hint of a smile...

Riku's smile remained, though it did fade a little at the thought of sleep. He hadn't been able to do much of that since he watched the video. He guessed that was his own fault, but nightmares greeted him every time he tried to sleep. "...I don't know how easy that's gonna be," he spoke truthfully. Riku feared going to sleep, simply because he would see Lightning in pain again.

Lightning glanced away, frowning. She knew why he wasn't sleeping: it was because of that stupid video. She was going to destroy it when Riku wasn't looking sometime, but for now, there were more pressing matters. "Would it help if I..." She trailed off, looking back over at Riku as she did so. They both knew what she was leading up to: Would it help if I stayed with you? 

Riku blinked, his smile disappearing completely at the unfinished question. He knew where Lightning was going with that; he would be stupid not to realize. "...No," he said, lowering his gaze. "No, you should be with Serah." He would be alright. Now that things were cleared up, at least a little bit, with Lightning, Riku figured he could handle it on his own.

Lightning met Riku's eyes more firmly. He said she should be with Serah, so he did want her with him. She knew it. And she...she wanted to be with him too. "Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have put it as a question." She made up her mind: she was going to stay with him. "Let's go." Serah was sticking around for a few days anyway--She'd talk to her later. 

Riku looked back up at Lightning. "...Are you sure?" he asked. If she wanted to be with Serah, he would be completely okay with it. Lightning did think she was in Jihl's grasp, after all. Riku would have been just as upset if he had a sibling. Lightning's main priority should have been Serah....

"Yeah," Lightning nodded, setting her hands on the wheels of her chair. She was sure. Besides, she needed some time to think. Sora surprised her by bringing Serah too. It was a good surprise--She liked seeing that her sister was alive and well and not in the hands of madmen. But at the same time, Lightning knew she had to tell her the whole truth of Cedric now. It was going to be a delicate conversation, and she didn't know how to handle it yet. 

Riku nodded faintly as well and rose to his feet, running a hand through his hair. "Lead the way," he requested, motioning toward the exit with his arm. Lightning knew where they were going: Riku's room, where hopefully everyone had separated. Riku didn't really want to see anyone until he got a few solid hours of sleep.

Lightning silently started on the way, hearing Riku one step behind her the entire way. He was almost in her sight, but she realized that he may have purposely been staying out of her line of vision. It was clearly a tiring day for him with all the emotions, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. She turned into the bedroom and saw that it wasn't empty--Everyone was still there, sitting in silence once they saw who came through the doorway.

Riku stepped into the room, stopping just inside the door beside Lightning. He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head in discomfort. All eyes were on them, him and Lightning. What was he supposed to say? "Um..." he started stupidly, lowering his gaze. "...I think I need to try and catch up on my sleep...if you guys don't mind." He didn't feel like talking anymore, to anyone. Except for Lightning.

Even Sora, who wasn't very good at reading people, saw a difference in Riku. That was good enough for him. "And you yell at me for taking naps during the day," he scoffed, though he was joking. He smiled softly and approached his friend, setting a hand on his shoulder before he headed out. He'd let Riku catch up on his sleep. 

Riku smiled weakly, glancing at Sora before Locke and Celes also followed his friend out. He felt bad for all he said earlier, but it was in the past. He couldn't take it back, even if he wanted to. He was just...angry, and tired. Temperamental. His family didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of that, ever.

Serah too started out, glancing at Lightning and seeing by her expression that she was staying. That was good--Serah would have been alarmed if she wasn't staying with Riku. Even if she did want time with her sister after all that happened, she understood that Riku had a greater need for her sister than she did right now. She smiled weakly at both of them before she walked out of the room. 

Once everyone left the room, Riku shut the door and started toward the bed. He collapsed on it and stared at his lap, rubbing his eyes. Would he even be able to sleep? He was in the same room as Lightning, alone, for the first time in days. Would sleep come to him when she was around?

Lightning moved herself to the windows, preparing to shut the curtains so that the room would be darker. "What do you want me to do?" she asked quietly, referring to something unrelated to the room's lighting. Did he want her to lie down with him, or just sit in her chair? Personally, she wouldn't have minded laying down, since she was tired too. Sleep evaded her since everything. 

Riku lowered his hand, his eyes finding the girl in the room. "...What are you comfortable doing?" he asked lowly. He hadn't exactly been kind the past few days. If she didn't want to be in close proximity, he would understand. Especially after he "broke up" with her. Did she still think that was what he did?

Lightning grabbed the curtain, momentarily holding it as she thought about it. Right--she and Riku weren't speaking the past few days, and she lived as if he broke up with her. It was fairly obvious to her that he didn't now, since he cared so much about her. And she cared about him too. "I'm comfortable with the idea of getting out of this chair for a while," she said, pulling the curtains shut before she started towards the bed. She really hated that wheelchair and her dependency on it. 

Riku smiled faintly, remaining in his spot on the edge of the bed. As Lightning came over, he patted the seat beside him. He would never promise her this, considering he was terrible at keeping promises these days, but he planned on finding a cure for whatever was keeping her from walking. She was miserable; he could see it in her eyes.

Lightning pulled her chair up next to the spot that Riku patted, purposely turning her back to him. Even the smallest use of her legs was painful, and she didn't want him seeing the pain that would surface with this move. She locked her teeth and briefly put all of her weight on her feet, a slight grunt leaving her lips as she transferred herself to the edge of the bed. The pain on her expression lingered longer than she would have liked it to, as did the worse pain in her legs.

Riku's smile vanished upon hearing that grunt, knowing that it held some pain within it. He wouldn't promise Lightning, but he would swear to himself that he would help her walk again. It saddened him to see her bound to that chair instead. She was a free spirit, independent. She shouldn't have been confined to a wheelchair with so much freedom in her life.

Lightning wiped the pain off her face and looked over at Riku, ignoring her legs and his expression. "I don't think you're going to sleep well sitting like that," she said. Why was he still sitting up? Did he have something else he wanted to talk about before he rested? 

Riku lowered his gaze to his lap at that, twiddling his thumbs. "...I don't know if I'll be able to sleep at all," he admitted lowly. In truth, he was afraid of sleep. He already knew a nightmare was waiting for him, one that involved Lightning and her father. It was going to be unpleasant.

"There's only one way to find out," Lightning said. The only way to find out if he could sleep or not was to try. But as for reaching sleep... "I could knock you out, if you wanted me to." She said it with a straight face, but of course she was joking. She wouldn't seriously knock Riku's lights out so he could get some sleep. What she would do was stay with him and help him in any way she could, like he helped her so many times.

Edited March 13, 201411 yr by Peanut