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 pulled Lightning closer when she leaned her head against his shoulder, resting the side of his face against her bangs and forehead. He closed his eyes and took in the close proximity and the silence and the calm. It was nice, after all the suffering. He and Lightning were together again, even if their separation was Riku's fault.

Lightning glanced up towards the sky again, hearing Riku's soft sigh. He was relaxed...at peace. She hadn't seen him that way since Xehanort's return. It had literally been months since she saw him at peace. She wished that the peace would last, and that the nightmares would go away, but she knew conflict rarely resolved itself that quickly. That was why she could appreciate this moment while they had it. It was far better than the darkness they recently experienced. 

"...I missed you," Riku whispered gently. He let his eyes stay closed, not wanting to see anything; just feel it. Feel Lightning and her skin against his, her body in his arms, her hair tickling his chin. Her warmth. He hadn't experienced it in days, but it felt like weeks. Being away from her was harder than before.

"I missed you too," Lightning said quietly. She had been thinking it all along, but now that Riku verbalized it, she felt that she could too. They had some good moments lately: in the time since Xehanort's return, she and Riku established themselves as a couple and trusted each other deeply. He even humbled himself for her when she had wisdom to offer in training. They had a lot of bad--a lot of hurt, but there was good too in that time.

Riku moved his hand from Lightning's arm to the side of her head, keeping her close as he finally opened his eyes and witnessed their close proximity. For the first time in a long time, he was at peace. After all the fear, the struggle, the sorrow, the anger...he was finally okay again. He hoped Lightning was the same. 

Edited March 14, 201411 yr by Forever Love

Lightning slowly shut her eyes, Riku's hand on the side of her head making her feel more calm. Now that it was so quiet and calm, she realized that she didn't really overcome the drowsiness of waking up; she just put it on hold for a while. But now things were at peace and quiet and she was comfortable--those things were making her sleepy.

Riku lifted his gaze to the sky, seeing the stars from his place in the grass. He smiled when he found the Islands, and then he saw others, some he even recognized. "...Do you want to know which stars are worlds I've been to?" he asked softly, his thumb running over a few silky strands of Lightning's hair. That was the main reason they sat down, after all.

Lightning hummed a quiet response, peeking her eyes open. It was hard to do that, though, with Riku's thumb rubbing over her hair so gently. He was more than just a protector in battle, and moments like this reminded her of the connection they had with one another. 

Riku lifted his free hand, pointing to a star two to the right of the Islands. "That one there... That's Radiant Garden," he said softly. He had never known it was so close until Sora pointed it out to him. "And the one next to it, that's Twilight Town." Lightning had been there, but only briefly.

Lightning silently followed Riku's finger up to the sky when he told her the worlds that she had visited. She watched and listened to all the worlds that he visited, some of which she never heard of. Every once in a while, when he told her of a world, he would break off into a small story about that world and why he liked it. Seeing all those worlds...It must be nice. Lightning was adventurous, so of course she wanted to see what was out there too. But not like this. 

"Sora's seen more than me, of course," Riku finished, his hand now resting on Lightning's shoulder instead of her head. He told stories of worlds that he particularly enjoyed, though the ones he visited when he was younger weren't so fun. He had been with Maleficent at that time. No good memories came from that.

Lightning hummed a quiet response, her eyes now shut. The stars were still in the sky, but it had begun to lighten up a little bit. She didn't know the time, but in a few hours, the sun would probably be rising. Even if she didn't sleep well the past few nights, she was used to being half-conscious at this time, and so she was feeling that way now as well. She wondered if Riku was sleepy now too.

Riku looked from the sky to the girl under his arm at her hum, and that was when he smiled. "Light," he said softly, brushing some of her hair away from her face when a breeze came back. "You wanna head back in?" She was tired. It was obvious. He wouldn't keep her up any longer. She didn't need to suffer from his nightmares.

"Depends," Light responded quietly, getting chills from Riku's soft movement and not from the breeze. "Are you ready to try to sleep again?" If he was going to stay awake, then she would as well. It was easy enough to get her to wake up: just add some pain to her legs and she was awake whether she wanted to be or not.

Riku couldn't keep his smile from fading at that. He didn't want to go back to sleep, because his last nightmare was still clear as day in his mind, but if it meant Lightning got some rest, he would try again. "Yeah," he said, lowering his gaze to Lightning's lap. He was willing to try.

So no, Lightning surmised. He said "yes", but he really meant "no." That was okay. They'd just relax under the stars until he was ready. She gently withdrew herself from underneath Riku's arm, laying herself on her back so that she was looking up at the stars. "Tell me more about Wonderland," she prompted quietly. That one sounded interesting. 

Riku blinked at the sudden change in subject, but he humored Lightning with the story. "I was only there for a little while, but...you can drink this potion and get really small. Only a few inches tall," he said, lowering his gaze to the grass. "You have to be, to explore the world." It was the weirdest place, apart from Halloween Town. Riku only briefly visited that place. He mistook it for another world and had to reroute. 

"I could hold you in the palm of my hand," Lightning snickered quietly. And what would she do with a hand-held Riku? She'd probably pick on him a lot--hold him by the back of his shirt, swinging him around a little bit, dunk his body into some water...harmless little things like that. 

"That's weird," Riku said with a small shake of his head. Being small made him feel more vulnerable, which Riku hated. He wasn't a big fan of Wonderland, just because everything was rigged up and backwards. It got aggravating after a while, navigating that world. Riku was just happy he got out.

"You're weird," Lightning retorted stupidly. It was a terrible comeback, but in her tired state, it was all that she could think of. Even if the world was weird, she wanted to see it someday. She didn't feel like she could go back to a normal life after all that happened.

Riku rolled his eyes at the lame retort, but he looked to Lightning anyway. "Wanna know what's weirder? A world where you can fly," he said in the quiet. Neverland. He was there with Captain Hook years ago, when he was in the Darkness and against Sora, but for Kairi. He had done everything to save her. Hook got defeated after Riku left the ship, but Riku couldn't care less. Hook never matted much to him.

"Ha," Lightning laughed quietly. "That is weird." A world where you could fly? She wasn't seeing it. She only heard of superheroes flying around, and that didn't have any appeal to her. Besides, if she and Riku really wanted to fly, he had a glider. 

Riku heard that laugh, and even if it was faint or sarcastic, he liked the sound of it. He smirked slightly and laid down beside Lightning, resting one hand behind his head as he gazed up at the sky. "We'll go there sometime," he told her gently. Now that most of their troubles were over, they could do it easily. All of them could go.

Light hmphed quietly, giving Riku an "alright" in response to his statement. If he wanted to go, then she wouldn't say no. After all, she could basically go to any world she wanted to except for one: her home world. There she was a wanted criminal--a murderer. Those thoughts darkened her eyes. 

A few days later

 

Riku walked with his friends on the island in Neverland, everyone there but his parents and the King. Riku was carrying Lightning on his back again, his hold on her secure as Sora led them to Tinkerbell, the pixie fairy. Riku wasn't sure where she was, but Roxas did mention on their walk that he met her in the past when he was in the Organization. That must have been a day Riku hadn't been watching him. Regardless, Riku was just happy to be here and be well-rested. The past few nights had been better than the ones before, and he had Lightning to thank for that. Whenever he woke up in a fright, she would calm him down enough to get back to sleep. He was right: he really did need her to get through this.