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 glanced at the chair before her gaze returned to Riku. The chair wasn't really optional if she wanted to go somewhere. Obviously her legs hadn't improved at all the past few days and she couldn't walk. "You know I can't..." she said quietly. She couldn't walk, so she needed the chair. 

"I know," Riku confirmed, reaching for Lightning's closest arm and putting it over one of his shoulders from behind. He then reached over his shoulder, holding out his hand for her other arm. He was going to carry her out of the castle, just like they used to do.

Lightning blinked softly when she realized what Riku wanted. He wanted to go, but he wanted to hold her too. This was his solution. She silently agreed to it, putting her other arm over his shoulder. She knew that he would be careful with picking her up, but she was still prepared for pain in her legs and bracing for it. 

Riku secured Lightning's arms over his shoulders and then reached behind him, grasping underneath her legs. "Ready?" he asked softly. He would lift her up, and he was sure it wouldn't be painless. It would hurt, but only for a second, he was sure. Riku wouldn't have gone this far with the idea if he thought it was a bad one.

"Yeah," Lightning responded quietly, her voice just a whisper in Riku's ear. To further brace herself for the pain, she squeezed her eyes shut. Riku saw her try to walk the day after it happened: it would make sense that her pain was greatest closest to the incident, but that wasn't the case. The pain actually got worse since then.

Riku held his breath, for more reasons than one. The first, Lightning whispering in his ear and the chills it sent down his spine. The other, the pain she was bound to feel. He gripped her thighs and lifted her to his back with a faint grunt, his grip secure but gentle. He would never hurt her, ever.

Lightning silently winced at the pain, but other than that, she didn't react. She was determined not to show Riku how much pain she was in all the time, not when he was finally coming out of the Darkness. She became less tense, softening her hold around him when she realized it had tightened when he grabbed her legs. 

Riku didn't ask if Lightning was okay. The tension in her body for that half-second was enough to let him know she wasn't, at least for that small amount of time. He started out of the room then, letting silence take over as Lightning's warmth surrounded him. He missed this...

Lightning looked at Riku as he walked, able to see him due to windows around the halls they walked. He was quiet, but sort of at peace. But even more than that, he was truly devoted again and determined to follow through with what he saw and knew as right. He was becoming himself again. After a few minutes, she let her head over above his shoulder, the side of her head gently touching his. She missed him.

Riku let one of his thumbs run over Lightning's leg as he walked, the young man smiling faintly to himself when she moved closer. At least she was taking the closeness well. Maybe she wouldn't mind being close outdoors, either. Riku kept Lightning securely on his back as he descended the stairs and ventured to the back of the castle, stepping out onto the large cement patio and down into the grass. They trained out here plenty of times, and kissed, and goofed around. Most of it happened over at the pond, his destination.

Lightning shifted her gaze from the surrounding area to the sky, seeing that it was bright with both the moon and the stars. And each star was a different world.... "Hey," she said quietly. "Which one is home?" It was still home, despite everything that happened. It was where she grew up, and where she made a lot of memories both good and bad. But no matter how much bad there was, that world had a special place in her heart. 

Riku smiled at the question, looking up at the stars. He continued walking, eyes scanning the sky until he found the star he was looking for. He stopped near the pond and removed one of his hands, his strength allowing him to hold Lightning securely by one leg. He pointed up at the sky. "There, just beyond the moon. One of the brightest," he whispered. Destiny Islands couldn't be missed.

Lightning followed Riku's finger, seeing one of the brighter stars by the moon. "Hm," she hummed quietly. So that was home. It was so far away from here. But all of her problems from that world managed to follow her here, so maybe it wasn't so far after all. That was both comforting and saddening. 

Riku put his hand back under Lightning's leg, looking from the stars to her over his shoulder. "Want to know where any others are?" he asked softly, hearing only the crickets once he finished speaking. Sora knew where more worlds were than he did, but he knew some. He could point them out if Lightning really wanted to know.

"Okay, sure," Lightning agreed quietly. She didn't know which other worlds to ask about: there were only four worlds that she was on aside from her home, and that included the one she was on now. The others were Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, and The World That Never Was. She hoped not to go back to that last world. 

Riku's smile grew. "Let's sit down first," he requested softly. He would be extremely careful setting Lightning down, but she would have to put weight on her legs for a second or two. He hoped that wouldn't be too awful.

Lightning's small smile vanished at that. She should have known that Riku couldn't hold her forever, and that eventually she'd have to put weight on her legs again. Nevertheless, all she gave him was a quiet "okay." This would hurt, but it was necessary. 

To shorten the amount of time Lightning would have to put weight on her legs, Riku lowered himself to his knees so he was as close to the ground as possible. He then began to loosen his hold on her, hoping that she could handle the rest. Once she was set, he would map out the stars for her.

Lightning set her feet on the ground, momentarily gritting her teeth. But she quickly took the weight off of them and extended her legs in front of her, fighting the urge to grasp at her legs. The pain wasn't going to go away with a massage, so there was no point trying. 

Riku glanced behind him and moved over to the side to sit next to Lightning, one knee propped up and an elbow resting against it. He looked to her, smile gone by this point because of her expression. It wasn't pleasant, but he was sticking to his private promise: he would find a way to make her better.

Lightning glanced over at Riku, hiding her pain once again. She was normally bold and told people whatever she wanted to tell them, but with Riku, she was sometimes more subtle. One of those times was now. "It's a little cool out tonight," she lied quietly. The temperature was perfectly comfortable, so there was another reason she said those words. She was inviting him closer to her. 

Riku lifted an eyebrow at the statement, questioning it. He found it comfortable, but if Lightning was cold, he wouldn't let her suffer. He scooted closer and let his side touch hers, one of his hands sitting behind her as the other continued to rest on his knee. His body heat would help warm her up.

Lightning hmphed quietly, shaking her head. And here she thought Riku was intelligent enough to pick up on why she actually wanted him close. Then again, he was actually pretty stupid when it came to relationships. He used to flirt with girls all the time, but now that he was in a genuine relationship, he often came across as awkward. However, it comforted her that he thought this relationship was different from his others.

Riku smirked at the sound, gazing at Lightning in silence for a moment. But then he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Oh, c'mon," he said quietly. "You know I knew what you meant." He wasn't that clueless. He got a little lost when it came to relationships, especially in this one. The press claimed he was a "ladies' man" but they were off. He wasn't sure what to do in a true relationship, one as real as the one with Lightning. If there still was one.

"Yeah," Lightning said quietly, though her voice held some sarcasm behind it. "Sure." She didn't believe that he caught it the first time, but she did think that he understood it now. Instead of provoking him to further debate, she leaned against him lightly and rested her head on his shoulder. For the millionth time, she realized just how much she missed him lately.