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's eyebrows instantly furrowed, the memory coming back. "He challenged her to a Struggle match," he explained, voice low. "He went against the rules and knocked her hard against the head." He had been so protective at that time, but not nearly as protective as he had been when Zane was around. That was worse.

Serah glanced down at the ground, eyebrows furrowing faintly. So that was what happened. She knew those Struggle bats were hard, and Snow was a big guy. Poor Lightning. No wonder she's acting so different. It was unlike her to cuddle up to somebody, yet Serah couldn't convince herself that it was the concussion that caused it. if it was just the concussion and there was no chemistry between her and Riku, the Keyblader wouldn't have his arm around her.

"I've kept my eye on her," Riku told Serah, seeing her expression. It softened his up a bit. "Don't worry." He knew going to work would make things worse, which was why he stopped her. And now she couldn't work for the rest of the week. Her boss was smart in that way.

Serah looked up at Riku, nodding faintly. He looked out for her. Something was definitely going on then, because... "Lightning never lets people look after her, Riku," she said quietly, shifting her gaze to her big sister. "...If she's letting you do that, then she really trusts you." She knew her sister well, and how she tried to keep others out. Yet Riku was an exception to the rule. It was fascinating, especially since their first encounter apparently wasn't a good one.

Riku blinked at that, looking over at Lightning. She...trusted him that much? How could she, when they barely knew each other? They knew each other, but not into too much depth. His eyebrows furrowed a little more as he looked over at the floor, curious. That was...interesting.

Serah stood up after a few seconds, glancing at Riku before she looked to the kitchen. "I'm going to go start on dinner," she said. She knew it was unusual for a fourteen year old to say that, but she was mature for her age, like Lightning. It was how things needed to be. "You're welcome to stay and eat with us if you want." If he left now, he'd probably disturb Lightning.

Riku looked over at Serah before his eyes found Lightning again. "At this rate, I don't think I'll have much of a choice," he admitted. Lightning hadn't moved since Snow left, which convinced Riku she had fallen back asleep. If he moved, he would wake her, and he knew how essential rest was with a concussion. Leaving was out of the question.

Serah smiled softly, nodding. "Dinner for three, then," she declared. She started towards the kitchen, but only got about five steps away before she looked back to the young man on the couch. Holding her sister, who refused to be held. He must have been something special. "Thank you," she said softly in appreciation. Him being Lightning's friend was clearly good for her. Finally, she had somebody she was willing to lean on. Literally and metaphorically.

"Yeah," Riku said with a small nod, sincerity in his gaze. "Sure." Whatever he was doing--being with Lightning, watching out for her, protecting her--he was doing it right. And he didn't really have the urge to stop.

Lightning listened to the conversation, and her sister leaving the room. Apparently she was good at faking being asleep after all these years, because both Serah and Riku believed that she was unconscious now. In a way, she wished she was. She didn't like how Serah's words stirred emotions in her heart. Maybe she did trust Riku. She just couldn't explain why.

Riku watched Serah go, but then his eyes fell on Lightning again. Well, he guessed moving wasn't really a choice. He relaxed into the couch again, focusing on the television. He used the remote to flip it back to cable and instead tried focusing on that, though it was difficult.

Lightning waited a few minutes, hearing the soft sound of sports on the TV. During those few minutes, she decide it would be best to just pretend that she didn't realize she was against Riku at all. Though a part of her wished to acknowledge it. Instead, she peeked her eyes open and looked at the television. At least the grogginess in her eyes weren't a lie; she really was tired. She wished she could go back to sleep....like she did before. Stop it. You can't be like this.

Riku stared at the television, getting wrapped up in the Blitzball scores. He missed the game because Lightning wanted to watch the movie, but it was no big deal. He could catch up on the game anytime, like now. He was just glad it was distracting him...somewhat.

Lightning sat up a little more, aware Riku's arm was around her shoulders but pretending not to be. She lifted a hand and pushed her pink bangs to the side a bit, blinking once or twice to try and shake off all the feelings that she had. She realized that if the situation wasn't going to be awkward, now would be the time for Riku to withdraw his arm. Yet she wished his arm would remain. Never before had she felt so conflicted.

Riku turned his head when he sensed movement, and seeing Lightning was awake, he started to take his arm back. He put it on the couch behind her, acting casual. If she found out what position she had just been in, he knew she probably wouldn't take it well. "Welcome back," he told her, smiling a little. Hopefully that rest did her some good.

Riku taking away his arm was bittersweet, but better for now. Maybe. Lightning looked over at him, seeing his gentle smile and eyes. He wasn't disgusted that she leaned against him. Unless he was covering it up to try and protect her. "Guess I accidentally took some pills that made me drowsy," she said, speaking the truth. "Sorry." She really hadn't meant for this situation to arise.

Riku shrugged, turning his attention back to the television. "No big deal," he said softly. It wasn't, but he was making a big deal out of it anyway. And apparently so was Serah. Maybe...it is a big deal, he realized. Lightning apparently didn't warm up to people so easily. What made Riku so special?

Lightning turned her gaze back to the TV as well, knowing that Serah was in the kitchen cooking. And though Lightning was still close to Riku, she tried to appear unaware of it. "Enjoy the movie?" she asked as she watched blitzball. She had enjoyed what she saw of it, though there seemed to be more romance than she recalled in it. Or was she just nitpicking because Riku was here?

"Yeah, but I gotta admit... I spaced sometimes," Riku said, remembering that he had been thinking about the Corps, and his friends. But he also thought of Lightning sometimes. He never would have thought he would be sitting here with her. It was...odd, but he liked it. Which made it even more strange.

"Oh yeah?" Lightning asked, leaving it open for Riku to elaborate on what he just said. He spaced out, but what was he thinking about? When had he realized that she was against his shoulder? When did that happen anyway? And when had he put his arm around her? There were so many questions that she'd probably never get answered.

"Mm," Riku hummed, nodding a little as well. "I was thinking about the Corps, and Sora and Kairi." Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really seen them much in the last week. He had to change that. What he wasn't going to change was that he thought about Lightning too. He couldn't mention that, not wanting to freak her out.

"Mm," Lightning hummed. Right. His friends. They're his age. Why would he want to be my friend when he has them? I'm just a kid. At least in age. Maturity wise, she was in the same area as him. Rumors said that Riku had a dark past, and they both knew that she did too. She had to if both her parents were dead and she was stuck raising her sister. But thoughts of insecurity still plagued her.

Riku looked over at Lightning after a moment of silence, studying her. "Anything in particular that you dreamed about?" he asked, curious. She had been out cold. What kind of things did she dream about while resting against him?

Lightning took a second to remember. But lied about it. "No," she said, faintly shaking her head. "No dreams." But in truth, she dwelt on part of the movie and how it connected to her. The death of Peter Parker's uncle and the devastation of the loss reminded Lightning of the death of her father, even if that hadn't been a violent death. She still dreamed of losing him. That wasn't something she was going to tell Riku though, unless he forced her into it. If he did that, he'd have to know she was lying, which she doubted he could figure out.

"Shame," Riku said, looking back to the TV. "I've heard girls have the craziest dreams." He was interested in what exactly they dreamed of, but then again, Lightning wasn't just any girl. She was different, in nearly every way. It was intriguing, to say the least, and it pulled Riku in more.