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 chuckled softly and grabbed Lightning's hand near his stomach. He leaned closer to her and placed a light kiss to her cheek, ignorant of the fact that Kairi and Namine witnessed it. They giggled to each other as Riku released Lightning's hand and went back to eating his food, smiling to himself. He impressed Lightning in one way, at least. That was good enough.

Roxas too witnessed the kiss that Riku gave Lightning, though he was smart enough not to giggle at it. He was on better terms with Riku now that the fighting with Xehanort was over, especially since Riku apologized for his secret keeping and what it cost them. Roxas was mostly worked up now just because he hadn't been able to protect Namine back then. He worked and trained hard at Disney Castle, but it hadn't paid off today. He made it into the third (of five) rounds and lost like everyone else except Aqua did.

Namine glanced to her side, the blonde sitting beside Roxas. The last few days had been good for them; they spent them in the art room if they weren't outside in the nicer weather with their friends. The kisses on either side hadn't gone ignored of course. In fact, Namine sensed a new kind of tension between them, which she tried to ignore. She didn't want to lose Roxas. "You okay?" she asked him softly, tilting her head. He looked disappointed. Was it because of the match? He did great. There was no reason to be upset.

Edited March 19, 201411 yr by Forever Love

Roxas snapped out of his thoughts, looking over at Namine. "I'm good," he responded with a brave smile. I'll just have to work harder, he decided to himself. I'll get stronger and come back again. And once I win, I'll know I'm strong enough to keep her safe. And then... And then what? Would he have the guts to tell her his feelings then?

Namine smiled faintly and nodded, her eyes lingering on Roxas for another moment. She had to admit, watching him fight in good sport attracted her to him more. He was strong, even if he did occasionally doubt himself. He protected people and fought for the greater good. And when he won three of the five matches, his smile had been radiant. Namine couldn't stop staring at the time, but she looked away now, just so she wouldn't be too obvious. As if the kiss on the cheek wasn't obvious enough.

For some reason, Roxas fought off a blush. He was used to getting feelings of warmth when he looked at Namine, but when she looked at him like that in return... He chased the thoughts away by bringing up a conversation with her. "So, you, uh, get any further with that clay project?" But of course, as soon as he said it, he realized that was a dumb question. He was with her when she last worked on it.

Namine's smile turned shy at the question. "Not since the last time, no," she answered with a shake of her head. "I think I'm stuck." She wasn't sure what to do with it anymore. She kind of got used to the clay stuff, but not completely. She made a few things, but they were mediocre compared to what she wanted to accomplish. She needed to get back in the art room and try again.

"Bummer," Roxas said as he lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head. "I'd offer to go in with you, but I think I'm more of a distraction than anything." He looked over at her and smiled weakly, finding truth behind his own words. She tried to keep him occupied when he was in that room instead of getting too deep in her own pieces. 

Namine met Roxas's eyes and her current smile grew. He was right, but not in the sense that he probably believed. While she did try to keep him occupied so he wasn't bored, she found him distracting for another reason. Roxas was just...handsome, and charming. He gave her butterflies, a sensation she only experienced when with him. When he watched her work on her art, the look in his eyes sometimes made her blush. He didn't know the effect he had on her. "...I just don't want you to get bored watching me," she said in her own defense, going with what Roxas believed. Namine knew he was wrong.

"I'm not like Sora," Roxas smirked, catching the brunet's attention. "I can sit still for more than ten minutes." He heard Sora give out a "hey" in protest, but his smirk remained. They all knew that it was true. Roxas was a lot more patient than Sora was.

That's what makes you a perfect companion, Namine thought, her eyes moving from Sora to Roxas. Of course, she didn't mean it romantically; she meant that because Roxas was patient, he was good to experiment art with. He didn't rush her when he was present. But...romantically, Namine could see him being a good significant other. He was kind, loyal, sweet, and charming. Roxas protected the people he cared about. Whoever was lucky to have him would be taken care of.

Ven heard the bell ring, and he glanced back at a clock.  "Looks like it's time for the semi-finals," he said with a bright smile. He was excited to watch them, even if he wasn't going to participate himself. At least he could watch Aqua fight and hopefully win. Even if she was forced into it initially, he knew she would put her all into it. She always did devote herself completely to whatever she did.

Kairi smiled in glee. "Great!" she said, then looking to the girl with the blue hair. "Ready, Aqua?" She was the only one of the group left in the tournament. If she won this match, she faced the final contestant. Kairi wasn't sure who it would be.

 

Aqua released a breath in nervousness and nodded, smiling slightly. Seeing her friends get knocked off one by one meant that her next opponent had to be tough; all of them were experienced fighters. She was in the Realm of Darkness for a long time, but still she did well. Maybe she got lucky. Even so, she rose from her seat and looked to her friends. "Wish me luck," she called with a wave, then starting for the coliseum. She needed to get inside.

Lightning said a "good luck" along with others at the table, the teen having faith in Aqua. Aqua mentored her in magic for a while at Disney Castle and taught her other techniques useful for a fight. Seeing her skill firsthand, Lightning knew that Aqua had a good chance of winning the entire competition. 

Riku watched Aqua go, but then he turned his attention back to the table. "I guess we should go get our seats," he suggested. He had a feeling this next fight was going to be a good one. The masked soldier managed to defeat everyone else, but he was up against a great mage. Riku wanted to see how this went down.

Light nodded in agreement, witnessing others rise to their feet. She set her hands on the table and pushed herself up along with them, stepping back and over the picnic bench before her hands returned to her sides. The pain in her legs was gone, but there was weakness present because of the lack of use they got and because of some of the effects of Cedric's bullets. She'd have to work to regain full strength, but that was much better than what she was facing a week ago.

Kairi glanced over at Lightning when she rose, still concerned for her sake. She was a lot better than before, recovered almost completely, but she still had to have help to walk. Riku took care of that without missing a beat; he wrapped his arm around Lightning's shoulders to keep her close and steady. Kairi only smiled and walked with Sora toward the stadium. Riku was smitten.

Lightning smiled weakly in appreciation, wrapping one of her arms around Riku's back. She did look forward to the day when she could walk independently, but needing help wasn't too bad since it gave her an excuse to be close to Riku's side. Leaning on him physically was a reminder of how she could also lean on him emotionally without fail.

Riku squeezed Lightning's shoulder under his hand and started toward the stadium with the others, walking through the doors and finding a place to sit on the stone steps. It was crowded due to this being the semi-finals, especially since it had good competitors. Phil announced that it was time to begin and called to the contestants, introducing "Master of the Keyblade, Aqua". Riku whistled for his friend and clapped his hands as she left the gates and stepped into the coliseum. 

"Yeah Aqua!" Ven cheered, letting out a shrill whistle after his call. She had this in the bag for sure. Yeah, she was facing the helmeted guy who nobody else could beat, but he mainly relied on physical attacks while she was more focused on magic. It would be close, but Ven believed Aqua would come out on top.

Aqua turned her head and looked to the stands, smiling gratefully at her friends' words of encouragement. She nodded to them in acknowledgment, but then focused ahead as Phil announced her opponent. She didn't hear his name due to the uproar from the crowd, who clearly favored him. That didn't bother Aqua; she was more concerned with defeating the soldier. She was the last Keyblade wielder of her friends to still participate. She would prove the Keyblade wasn't to be messed with, and neither was she.

The soldier confidently walked out of the other side of the arena, a silver helmet concealing his face. He wore black pants and a knitted black shirt that had no sleeves, which greatly complimented his toned arms. His large Buster Sword was on his back, attached until he was ready for the fight. He waved to the audience, smiling for more reasons than one. ...He knew this warrior in front of him, and she hadn't aged more than a year over the span of over ten. 

Aqua summoned her Keyblade to her grasp and got into her stance, eyes hard as the crowd finally quieted. It was time to duel, and she wasn't going down without a fight. Whoever this guy was, he would have to give his best to defeat her. There was a countdown, and then a horn sounded. Aqua immediately ran in, prepared to win.

The soldier quickly drew his sword, easily blocking the smaller Keyblade that came his way. Considering the sheer weight of his sword, it was no wonder Aqua's made little impact. Nevertheless, he humored her, pressing back against her blade with some pressure. "Would you like to make this more interesting, Keyblade Master?" he inquired. 

Aqua ground her teeth together at the strength behind the soldier's sword. He was going to taunt her, wasn't he? "What did you have in mind?" she asked lowly, staring into his eyes. They were the only part of his face she could see...and they somehow looked familiar. The voice even sounded familiar. But how could that be?