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!

Light arched a brow, looking over at Riku. "You're letting it go that easily?" she asked, surprised. From what she had seen of Riku and Sora, Riku teased Sora relentlessly about anything and everything he could. Now Riku was willingly giving up material to not tease Lightning? What was the deal with that?

Riku swallowed a piece of pizza before speaking. "You've had it rough enough," he realized, glancing over at Lightning. "I'm not gonna push it." He didn't want to push her to her limits when she just got here. He wouldn't be a good host, or a good friend, if that happened.

Light hummed, taking a bite of the pizza. That is good. The thought was in reference to the pizza, but it applied to Riku's words too. Unfortunately, it left her confused though. Earlier he had embraced her and held her while she slept. Was that out of compassion, or was there something more there? She thought she saw more, but...she could have been placing her desires on him.

Riku turned his head forward again, looking to the television as he continued to eat his pizza. After a moment, though, he passed the remote over to Lightning. She was his guest, so she could control the TV for right now. He didn't have a preference on the channel anyway.

Lightning glanced down at the remote, and then at the TV. Right now, it was on wrestling--which she really didn't care about at all. Riku was such a guy, watching sports like that. She nearly put on some dramatic show just to tease him, but instead, she put on Blitzball. She knew that he liked that, and anyway, she didn't care what they watched. She was going to be lost in thought for a little while.

Riku found himself smirking again at the show of choice. It wasn't what he expected, but he went with it in silence. He continued to eat in silence before rising to get another piece of pizza. He was a guy, for one, so the appetite was obvious. But on top of that, he was a bigger guy, muscle wise. He needed the grub for energy to workout a lot of the time.

Earlier, Riku had told Lightning to make herself at home, and so she did. She went back for a second slice of pizza, got herself a glass of water, and then returned to her spot on the couch. Once she was satisfied with the food, she brought her legs up onto the couch, having them lay off to the side as she leaned towards the corner. She lightly leaned the side of her head against the side of the couch and had her eyes shut, not that Riku seemed to notice for the first few minutes. Probably too into Blitzball to notice that she was ready to fall asleep again.

"Aw, yeah!" Riku said, sitting forward as he stared at the large television. "Get him, Tidus!" His good childhood friend was on the Islands' team in Blitzball, and he was happy to cheer his friend on. He was so into it he neglected his guest, so used to being on his own. But that would change over time.

Light smirked slightly, fighting the urge to hmph at Riku. So, so typical. How could he be so ordinary after the adventures he had gone on? Regardless, she allowed her smirk to fade away as she tried to fall asleep again. She knew that her room was just down the hall, but like she had told Riku earlier, she felt safe with him. It was worth sitting here with him cheering for Blitzball just for the feeling of security.

"Yes!" Riku cheered, though he didn't do it obnoxiously; his voice was loud enough to express his excitement, but not disturbing for his guest. He adjusted the volume automatically, not really thinking of his actions in the first place. He pumped a fist into the air as the Blitzball team scored yet another goal (thanks to Tidus), and as the applause rang out, there was a close-up of his friend. He could see that Tidus was at home when in the water, and that was how Riku was too, but when he had the Keyblade. He had gotten so used to having it that he was most comfortable when it was in his grasp. It gave him great power, but it also gave him tremendous courage. It saved his life, more than once.

Light dozed off more, half asleep. When she was in that state, one of her feet moved a little bit and accidentally touched Riku's leg. She hardly noticed it though. She wanted to think some more, to try and figure out exactly where she stood with Riku. Or better yet, where he stood with her. She knew that she had a crush on him. It was hard not to, with how courageous, kind, and strong he was. How could somebody so amazing like her in return?

Riku turned his head, the touch capturing his attention. His smile fell away when he saw Lightning's position, instead slightly surprised. She was falling asleep. Was she really that comfortable around him? He knew she was, but it still surprised him to an extent.

There was no way he could return the feelings. Lightning told herself that, anyway. She recognized her own strengths--she was able to put emotions behind her to protect Serah, and she was able to take a ton of pressure before collapsing. But relating to people definitely wasn't one of her strong suits. Therefore, no person could relate to her. She wondered again why Riku stuck with her. It wasn't pity, she could tell that much. But what was it?

Riku lowered his hand from his lap to Lightning's ankle, lightly touching it. "Light," he called softly. If she was already asleep, he would take the right measures to get her to her room and in a more comfortable place. But if she was awake, he was going to advise her to get to bed. She probably needed the sleep.

Lightning didn't respond to Riku right away, not because she was in a deep sleep, but simply because she didn't feel like it. She knew that he would tell her to go to bed, and she was comfortable here on the couch beside him. So, she figured that if she pretended to be asleep, he'd just leave her here a little bit longer with him.

Riku didn't get a reaction, and he figured that if his voice didn't wake her up and neither did the TV, then Lightning was out. He stood from his place on the couch and moved over to stand in front of her, bending down and starting to turn her gently so he could pick her up easily. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and stepped around the couch to head down the hall, having wrapped her arm around his neck so she wasn't uncomfortable, if she could even tell what was happening.

Light was surprised when Riku picked her up off the couch. No--"shocked" was a better word for it. This was definitely above and beyond the duties of friendship. Oh, how she wished she could understand this confusing guy! Regardless, she was half-asleep, so she did what was natural to her: she leaned her head against his shoulder and savored the moment while she could, though it wouldn't be a clear memory in the morning.

Riku made his way to the guest bedroom--now Lightning's bedroom for the next week--and quietly stepped in, making sure not to bump Lightning's legs on the door. It was dark, but he could see easily due to his time in the Realm of Darkness. He approached the bed and gently started to set the girl in his arms down, able to handle her easily because of his strength. He remembered doing this to Kairi a bit when they were younger, especially if she fell asleep on the beach. Sora had obviously been jealous of him at the time, but his friend didn't have to worry about that anymore. Sora got the girl, and Riku was on his own, just like it was meant to be since the beginning. But, if that was the case, why was Lightning here? Was she some sort of sign?

Light felt Riku's arm move underneath her knees, but since he was leaning down next to the bed and hadn't released her completely, her head was only lowered to lean against his chest. From her position, she could faintly feel his heartbeat. Strong, like he was. But everything about his posture right now was gentler. He was so contradictory and confusing. But so...so great.

Riku set Lightning's lower half down first, but then he adjusted his hold so he could support her upper body and head as he lowered it to the pillow. He also held her arm, removing it silently from behind his neck and instead setting it on her stomach. Riku moved to grab the blankets, starting to pull them up and over Lightning. He admitted that she was beautiful to her face before, but he knew it was true when she slept. She had a hard exterior when she could control it, but right now, in unconsciousness, she looked so gentle.

Lightning couldn't fight her blushing any longer. She gently rolled onto her side, facing away from Riku while her pink hair ran over her cheek. She'd see him again in the morning--or afternoon, if she slept in for a long time. She was really exhausted, after all. So exhausted she was having a hard time staying half-awake while Riku tucked her in.

Riku couldn't help but smile softly, leaning upright once he finished with the blankets. He gazed at Lightning for a small moment before turning, walking out of the room and shutting the door quietly behind him. He guessed he would head to bed too, considering it was pretty late.

The next morning, Lightning slept in late. Well, late for her, anyway. She was always an early-riser because of school. She supposed that she was enrolled in Serah's school again now, but she wasn't planning on going if she didn't have to. Around 9:30, she finally managed to coax herself out of bed, into the shower, and then into her usual outfit. She felt more like herself that way. But it was hard to be completely herself when she recalled how Riku carried her to bed last night. Regardless, she combed her hair and then headed out towards the living room, wondering what Riku was up to or if he was even up.

Riku shook up the protein shake in the bottle, standing in the kitchen and starting to come down from his high. He just went on a morning run, like every other morning, and when he got back, he realized that Lightning wasn't awake yet. She had to have been sleep-deprived after staying with Zane's family, which wasn't that surprising. Her living situation hadn't exactly been great. At least she could sleep comfortably in his home, though. That made him feel pretty good.

Breakfast? Or just laying on the couch? After a few seconds, Lightning decided breakfast. Riku had to have some kind of cereal lying around; she would just take some of that. When she entered the kitchen, though, she noticed that she wasn't alone. She looked Riku over and immediately guessed that he had been up and doing stuff for a while now. Did he go to the gym?