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!

"Wanna talk about it?" Riku asked, setting the plate down on the counter. She was his for the next week, so she would have to talk to him sometime. Whether that was now or later was her choice, but he would be there nonetheless. He had been, anyway, for a while now.

Lightning subconsciously pulled at one of her long sleeves as she didn't respond. The only reason she didn't was because she didn't know the answer. Did she want to talk about what was under them? Did she really want to put this on Riku? ...Couldn't she carry her own burdens anymore? She didn't like the idea of making him upset, but she didn't like the idea of keeping any of it to herself either. What was the right thing to do?

Edited July 16, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku tilted his head slightly, waiting in silence. By the way Lightning hesitated, he knew something was wrong. Zane said he didn't touch her, but...there could have still been a lie there. "Lightning..." he encouraged. If she needed to talk, she just needed to tell him. He would listen.

Lightning went with the decision that she made a long time ago, and that was to not push Riku away. She set a hand on the counter. "I'm just...glad, that it's over," she said quietly. "And that I don't have to live in fear anymore." Riku knew what Zane threatened. What he didn't know was that Zane had promised to follow through with it tonight. That was why Lightning had been in the graveyard. She had been planning to run away.

Edited July 16, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He nodded a little, but that didn't mean that he was happy with what he heard. Lightning had been afraid. The day she and Serah were separated, it hadn't shown, but now he guessed he knew the truth.

Lightning looked up at Riku, finally. "I don't get afraid, Riku," she said, fidgeting with her other sleeve. "Ever. But...The past week and a half...that's all that I was." Zane's family was just as bad as he was, especially Zane's father. He was a big man too, and a frightening one. The type of abuse he put his wife through was awful. And the fear he instilled in her was also terrible.

Riku wasn't sure what to say, so he didn't say anything. Lightning was right; she never got afraid, but recently she was. That actually scared Riku a bit. He was protective of Lightning ever since Zane first approached her on the beach, and now... Well, it was instinct, to defend her.

Light let the silence linger for a few moments, but she didn't break it. Instead, she walked over to Riku's counter and grabbed a slice of pizza. She put it on her plate without speaking, not knowing what else to say right now. She summed up the experience in what she said just now, but obviously there were specific things Riku didn't know about. Not yet.

Riku looked at the girl who stood close to him, and he wordlessly stepped over, grasping her plate. He gently took it from her and set it down on the counter. There was something he noticed just now, and he wanted to know something. And he hoped Lightning would agree to it.

Lightning looked up at Riku in the silence, her eyes showing confusion but trust at the same time. She didn't know why Riku took away the plate, or why he was looking at her that way. But Riku wasn't a bad person, and everything he did, he did with her best interest at heart. So, she'd trust him.

Riku silently took Lightning's hand in his, lifting her arm out so he had access to her sleeves. He glanced at her as he started to pull her sleeve up, interested in why she kept tugging at it. She had never done that before, so he knew she had to be hiding something. But what?

Edited July 16, 201213 yr by Forever Love

Lightning looked down at the ground. She knew what Riku would find when he pulled up her sleeves--a bruise or two on each arm. Half the time, it was Zane and the other half, it was his father. The bruises weren't too bad though. She had actually knocked her head while she was there, but you couldn't tell that right now. That was a story that would come out in time.

Riku saw the bruises, and he stared at them for a moment. He knew who was capable of something like this--Zane, or his father. "...What happened?" he asked, voice quiet. He wouldn't dig for answers, but he was curious. He never liked to see innocent people get hurt, especially his friends.

"One was from his father--an iron grip because I locked my bedroom door at night." Lightning still looked down at the ground as she spoke. "The other from Zane. After his father removed the lock, I blockaded the door. Zane wasn't happy the next morning." So, he grabbed her and smashed her against an end table. The second bruise was a result of that.

Riku sighed at that, not at all happy to hear it. He held Lightning's hand as he moved the other to his pocket, pulling out a potion. He tossed it over her head in silence, knowing that it would help remove the bruises. As for the mental pain, he couldn't really do anything about that.

Lightning's hand slowly curled around Riku's that was holding hers as the warmth and comfort of the spell washed over her. Moisture gathered in her eyes as she continued to stare down at the ground. "I was scared," she repeated softly, nearly whispering. Not scared for her life; Zane lived with his father for seventeen years and didn't die. She was scared for a lot of other reasons though.

Riku looked down at the hand in his, lowering it but still keeping a grasp on it. "I know," he told Lightning softly. He knew she was scared, and he didn't blame her. She had been in an abusive household, with a creep who threatened to do more than just physical damage. That still made him angry, but at least it didn't happen...as far as he knew.

Light gently slipped her hand out of Riku's, instead wrapping it around his lower back as she stood to his side. She leaned her head against his shoulder, knowing that this type of intimacy was rare for her. Still, she knew that Riku could handle it. Maybe she was acting this way because of fear, but it was more than that too. "But I feel safe with you," she said quietly, being honest. She didn't feel scared anymore.

Riku was slightly surprised by the words and the movement, but he didn't really mind it. "Mm," he hummed in acceptance. That was good, that she felt safe with him. He didn't want Lightning still being cautious around him when there was no reason to be. He would protect her, she knew that. Riku lifted his arm, wrapping it around Lightning's shoulders. She wouldn't have to worry about being scared for a while; she was with him for the next week, and would be with his parents after that. She would be safe.

Lightning kept her gaze on the ground, and though Riku wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she wasn't completely certain that he was comfortable with her movement. She knew she was acting a little different after everything, so maybe her judgment was impaired along with her actions being out of sorts. "Sorry," she said, slowly removing her arm from around Riku. She supposed that move wasn't appropriate.

Riku looked down at Lightning, and he could sense her tension. "No big deal," he said, though he moved his hand from her shoulder and instead to her head. He ruffled her hair as he smirked, trying to lighten things up a bit. "Go ahead and eat, kid. You probably haven't had a good meal in days." He lowered his hand and instead grabbed his plate, putting pizza on it as he made his way toward the living room.

Lightning grabbed her plate as well, heading towards the living room as well after straightening her hair. "You call this good?" she retorted, glancing down at her pizza. But Riku was right; she hadn't had a good meal for a while. Man, is it good to be back. Life wouldn't exactly return to normal, but this was much better than staying with Zane another day.

"It's better than what you've had the last week," Riku called over his shoulder. He found a spot on the couch and sat down, reaching for the remote to turn the television on. He knew that Zane's parents probably didn't take care of Lightning, especially in the feeding aspect. Surely she was starving.

"Maybe," Lightning agreed. She sat down on the couch beside him, in the middle of the cushion. Not too close to him, but not too far. "But you really shouldn't call me 'kid'. It's patronizing." It was weird to think of herself as a kid anyway. She felt like she was an adult for a long time now, because of her responsibilities and her maturity level. She wasn't like other girls her age, or even those a few years older than her.

Riku smirked, though he nodded. "Right," he agreed. He had only been joking, but if it was that bothersome, he wouldn't joke with the name anymore. Lightning had a rough enough time the past week and a half; he wouldn't make it worse the first day she was back.