Lightning Strikes Twice

Hope peered down at the gun in the display case. It was a real beauty, all polished steel with chrome plates along the grip and a long, slim barrel. It almost seemed to shine as he looked at, and he could feel his hands itching just to hold it. From what he could tell, it was a restored Balamb Classic, something he'd never seen before, at least, not in working order. And the price tag wasn't half bad either at only fifty dollars. Sure, that was more money than he'd ever held in his hands before, but it was pretty much a bargain for a fine old gun like that.

"A real Balamb Classic," Hope breathed. "Wow."

"I wouldn't think too much about getting that, if I were you. The Balamb Classic tends to jam once it gets old, even if you do work to get it restored."

Hope's eyes widened. That was Lightning's voice. With a smile on his face, he turned to the door of the shop and then stopped and stared. Lightning had gotten shorter, a lot shorter. In fact, she looked all of maybe seven or eight years old. "Uh… is that you, Lightning?" Hope asked, feeling right foolish. "You seem… uh… different."

"Different?" There was Lightning's voice, only now that Hope thought about it, it wasn't coming from the door of the shop, but from behind one of the shelves alongside it. Sure enough, Lightning emerged a second later, slim and easy in her grey coat, the familiar gold-plated star on her chest.

Hope tilted his head to the side. Unless he'd taken an awful knock to the head, he was pretty sure there were two Lightnings in front of him. One of them was the usual size and the other was a good deal smaller.

"You all right there, Hope? You're staring something fierce," Lightning said.

"Maybe he's just strange," the little Lightning said. "Maybe you should arrest him!"

Arrest him? Hope rubbed his eyes and squinted at the little Lightning. Well, her voice was certainly different, and now that he looked, really looked, the little Lightning was different in other ways too. For one, her eyes weren't the same electric blue as Lightning's. They were grey. Her hair was a brighter pink than Lightning's too, a showy, flashy kind of pink.

"Who is that?" Hope blurted, before he realised how much a fool he sounded. "I mean, who is that standing right there next to you, Lightning?"

Lightning sighed and Hope thought it was a very tired sort of sigh, like she hadn't had too much sleep the last couple of days. Then she reached down and put one hand on the little Lightning's hair and pulled. The hair came off – it was a wig, Hope realised – to reveal that the little Lightning actually had black hair. "This here is Yuffie Kisaragi."

"That right?" Hope was getting a bit tired of sounding like a fool, but his head didn't seem to want to work too well. "Why is she dressed like that? She looks, well, she looks just like you." And she did. Everything Yuffie wore looked like a smaller version of what Lightning wore, the girl even had a red scarf like Lightning, although given how short she was, it looked more like a cape than a scarf. "And why are you in Midgar Town?"

Lightning put the wig back on Yuffie's head, the girl giggling as she adjusted it to sit just right on her head. "There are some things you just can't get back in Bodhum, so people usually order them in and have them taken out to Bodhum via stagecoach. There's a fair few orders this time though, enough, actually, that I decided to come over and escort them back in case there's trouble." She glanced down at Yuffie who had drawn a wooden gun and pointed it at Hope. "This one decided to tag along."

Yuffie pretended to squeeze off a few rounds at Hope and grinned widely. "Miss Farron said we had to learn all about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I want to be a sheriff so I got to tag along!" Yuffie struck what Hope figured she thought was a scary pose and tried to glare at him. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a deputy with Lightning! They'll call me the great gunslinger Yuffie!"

Hope felt a chill run down his spine and felt, for some reason, like he was being threatened.

"Serah thought it would be cute for Yuffie to tag along dressed like that," Lightning said. "As for why Yuffie had a costume like that in the first place, don't ask me, I've got no idea."

"Aerith and Tifa helped me make it and I stole the scarf from Vinnie!" Yuffie grinned.

"So anyway, Hope, were you looking at that old Balamb Classic?" Lightning asked as she strode over to the racks of guns along the wall. Yuffie trailed behind her, one hand latched onto Lightning's coat, her eyes wide as she looked about at all the guns.

Hope followed Lightning. "I wasn't going to buy it – even at fifty dollars, it's much too pricey for me, and even if I did have the money, father would throw one mighty fit if I picked it up."

"That's fair enough." Lightning stopped to examine a shotgun. "But if you ever do get round to buying a gun, Hope, you'd best steer clear of it. Like I said, they tend to jam something awful once they get old, even if they are restored. If you want a gun like that, your best bet is to find a good gunsmith and have them fix you up a new one based on the design."

"I'll remember that," Hope said. "So why are you in this store? You looking for a gun?"

Lightning shrugged and pulled Yuffie away from a pretty rugged looking pistol. Honestly, it was one thing to have the guns on racks for customers to examine, quite another to have them at a height that even a short kid like Yuffie could reach. "I've come to pick up some supplies. I do a fair bit of shooting and bullets don't make themselves." She frowned and thought back to her little run in with the Bahamut Bandit. "There's been some trouble too, around Bodhum, and my shotgun and rifle are getting a bit old. I figure now would be a good time to get something new."

"What do you mean trouble?" Hope asked. Lightning wasn't his only friend over in Bodhum, there was her sister, Serah, and if he remembered right, that Snow fellow lived near there too. "What happened?"

Lightning studied the rack of guns intently. She could almost see the sly grin on that damn bandit's face. It made her want to shoot something. "I had a little run in with the Bahamut Bandit and Vanille the Kid."

"Wow!" Hope said. "What happened? Did you beat them? Did you shoot them or –"

"She beat them up!" Yuffie shouted, almost like she couldn't imagine Lightning losing a fight.

"I'd rather not talk too much about it, actually, official business and all," Lightning said. The memory was still a little fresh, and the fact that they'd gotten away – never mind that it hadn't been her fault and that she'd slugged the Bahamut Bandit a good couple of times – still grated on her nerves. Next time, she'd be ready for them and if that bandit tried to get sweet with her again, then so help her, she'd hit her twice as hard as last time.

"Oh," both Hope and Yuffie said at almost the same time.

"Can I give these a try?" Lightning shouted to the storekeeper who was behind the counter at the back of the store.

The storekeeper shouted back, "Take your time, sheriff. I've got a firing range out back you could use if you want to give them a go."

"I'd appreciate that." Lightning turned back to Hope. "So, Hope, where's that father of yours?"

"He's got some business in town, looking to cut a few deals, I reckon. I've got time to kill right through to sundown." Hope smiled weakly. "Mind if I tag along?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuffie shoot him an angry look but did his best to ignore it. She was just a kid, after all.

Lightning nodded. "I don't see why not." She turned back to the racks of guns. "Now you two can help me look. Remember, I'm after a shotgun and a rifle."

She'd hardly spoken when Yuffie ran over to one of the other racks and pointed up at a shotgun. "Get this one, Lightning!"

Lightning looked over at the shotgun and frowned faintly. The shotgun Yuffie was pointing at was right in the middle of the rack and not really all that much to look at, but she'd gone straight to it. That meant she probably knew what it was, and Lightning wasn't sure whether she should be worried or pleased that the little girl knew so much about guns.

"That's not a bad choice, actually." She patted Yuffie on the head and then looked back at Hope. "Know what it's called?"

Hope grinned. He knew this one. "It's a –"

"It's a Nibelheim Break-Action!" Yuffie shouted.

"That's right, Yuffie, but you shouldn't yell." Lightning hardened her gaze a fraction. "Besides, Hope was talking, and you should have let him finish."

Yuffie looked away. "Well, it's not my fault he's so slow." When Lightning turned away to look at the rifles, the shotgun held in one hand, Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Hope. For his part, Hope just ignored her. A future deputy shouldn't pick fights, even if with smug little kids.

Lightning sighed as she looked through the rifles. Shotguns were all well and good for close up work, but they weren't much use at all beyond maybe forty or fifty yards, and while she was just fine with her pistol at long range, there were times when something with a bit more bite might be good.

If she'd had a good rifle on her when the Bahamut Bandit and Vanille the Kid were running, it wouldn't have mattered much that they'd gotten a head start. Then again, they wouldn't have gotten away in the first place if Nabaat had been even half decent as a marshal. Still, Lightning had a feeling that she'd be seeing more of the two bandits, and if she'd did, well, she'd be ready for them.

"I think this one," Lightning said as she pulled a rifle off the rack. "Do you know what –"

"It's a Galbadia LR!" Hope shouted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuffie pout and he had to bite back a smirk.

Lightning gave him a strange look. Wasn't he a bit old to be yelling like that? "Mind if I take these out back and give them a run through?" she asked the storekeeper.

"Go ahead," the storekeeper replied. "But I'll need a deposit of twenty dollars in case you damage them, and another five dollars for some ammunition."

Lightning went out back with Hope and Yuffie in tow and gave the shooting range a quick look. It wasn't half bad, actually, much better than she'd expected. The gun shop backed out onto an empty plot, so there was plenty of space and not much chance of hitting anyone by accident. There were targets set up in the open space at different distances, mostly circular wooden targets nailed onto poles sunk into the ground.

"You two keep back," Lightning said. "If you want, you can hold the bullets."

Lightning picked up the shotgun first and took a moment to get used to the weight of it. It had a nice sturdy sort of weight and turning it in her hands, she swung it experimentally. Good. If she had to, she could use it almost like a club without worrying about breaking it. "Hand me some shells, Yuffie."

Lightning snapped the breach of the shotgun open and loaded a couple of shells. The breach closed smoothly and she lifted the shotgun up to her shoulder and aimed it at a target about twenty yards away. She fired. The shotgun kicked sharply against her shoulder and she smiled faintly as the target practically exploded in a shower of wood. It had power all right, and for a shotgun, it seemed pretty accurate. She aimed at another target, this one about forty yards out and fired again. The target shuddered as a whole heap of holes appeared in it.

"Hand me some more shells, Yuffie," Lightning said. For the next few minutes, she ran the shotgun through its pace and finally sure that it would do right by her, she turned to Hope. "Hand me the rifle Hope, and some bullets."

Just as Hope was going to give her the rifle, Lightning felt a tug on her coat.

"Can I try it?" Yuffie asked, eyes on the shotgun.

Lightning stared.

"I'll be really careful and I promise to listen." Yuffie's eyes had gotten all big and her lower lip was jutting out. "Please."

Lightning had to give the kid credit. She certainly knew to look cute, problem was, Lightning had grown up with Serah, and Serah was all kinds of good when it came to looking cute. Growing up, Lightning had needed every scrap of will she had just to say no to Serah, especially, when the younger woman had gotten all teary-eyed and pouty. "No."

Yuffie's gaped for a second, but recovered. "Please," she begged. "Please."

"No, you're too little, Yuffie, maybe when you're older." Lightning had to bite back a wince as she imagined how far the sharp recoil of the shotgun would throw the little girl. She'd probably end up flying through the back window of the store or some such.

"Can I give it a try?" Hope asked. "I'm fourteen now so…"

Lightning shot him down with a single look. "Your father wouldn't take too kindly to me letting you shoot a gun like this without him knowing first. Besides, you're bigger than Yuffie, but you've got a bit more growing yet before you can handle a gun like this right. Odds are you'd pop your shoulder firing it, Hope." She handed him the shotgun and took the rifle. "That said, you can hold it, maybe get a feel for it."

Hope took the shotgun and had to quickly adjust his grip on it. It was heavier than he'd thought, and bulkier too. Raising it up to his shoulder and staring down the barrel at one of the targets, he gulped. Twenty yards seemed pretty far away from this point of view.

"Give me that," Yuffie asked as she went over to Hope. "Let me hold it!"

Hope took one look at the shotgun and then one look at Yuffie. They weren't all that different in size. "No."

Ignoring the bickering behind her – Yuffie apparently hadn't taken too well to being told no – Lightning focused on one of the targets a bit further off. The rifle felt good in her arms and after she'd squeezed off a few rounds, she was pleased to see that it was accurate too.

"Come on you two," Lightning said, taking the shotgun off Hope who had an arm on Yuffie's head to keep her away, "Let's head back inside so that I can pay for these."

All up the price of the two guns, plus ammunition for them and her pistol came to sixty dollars. It might have seemed a bit steep, but Lightning had learned the hard way that when it came to guns, a bargain could easily end up being a tombstone. That left just one more thing for her to do. Lately, her pistol hadn't felt quite as good in her hand as she was used to and she wanted to know if there was a gunsmith around that could take a look at it, and not just any gunsmith either. Her pistol was custom made and she wasn't about to let just anyone take a look at it.

"You two wait outside," Lightning said as she handed Hope several boxes of ammunition to carry. "I'll just be a minute. I've got something I want to ask about."

Outside, Hope adjusted the boxes of ammunition in his arms. They weren't all that heavy, but he felt a little bit foolish carrying so many bullets and shells when he didn't even own a gun himself. It didn't help much either, when a couple of the people passing by stopped and stared before moving on. Of course, their staring might have a bit to do with the little Lightning beside him with a right big frown on her face.

"You want to become her deputy too, don't you?" Yuffie growled.

Hope had to fight not to laugh. For all the fire in Yuffie's eyes, the girl was too little to be more than cute. "Maybe I do," he said. "You got a problem with that?"

Yuffie stomped one foot on the ground. "You're not good enough. I'm going to be her deputy."

Ignoring the spark of anger that shot through him, Hope tried to stay level headed. He was the grown up here. "You're a bit young don't you think, and a bit little too?"

Yuffie's little hands clenched into fists and she marched over to Hope. "I could beat you in a fight!"

Hope tried to hold back a laugh and failed. Yuffie was just a kid, and a short one at that. "I don't think you could."

Yuffie's eyes narrowed and a distinctly Lightning-like look entered her eyes. "I bet I can."

Hope ignored the faint sense of unease he'd started to have. "I don't think you could."

"I can," Yuffie said. And then she kicked him in the shin. Hard.

"Ouch!" Hope shouted as he struggled to keep a hold on the ammunition, no easy task when he was hopping around on one leg. Things got even trickier when Yuffie launched herself at him with a yell, latching onto his back.

"Take this!"

Lightning was deep in thought as she stepped out of the store. There wasn't anyone in Midgar Town who was up to her standards, but the storekeeper knew of a man not too far off who'd been pretty good with guns back in his day. He was supposed to be retired now, but if Lightning knew anything about good gunsmiths, it was that they didn't ever really retire.

However, she was snapped right out of her thoughts, when she saw what Hope and Yuffie had gotten up to. The boxes of ammunition were on the ground and a few feet away were Hope and Yuffie. The girl had her scarf wrapped around Hope's neck and was doing a pretty fine job of strangling him. For his part, Hope was doing his best to try and pry Yuffie off, but the girl was squirming out of his grasp and kicking wildly at anything she could reach.

Calmly, Lightning went over to the pump in front of the store and filled a bucket with water. "That's about enough," she said as she poured the bucket over the pair. As the two of them broke apart, Lightning let her eyes narrow just enough to let them know she wasn't pleased, not one bit. "What do you two think you're doing?"

Yuffie and Hope looked at each other.

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

X X X

Author's Notes

First of all, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off this.

This chapter was kind of funny to write, mainly because I had a whole lot of different ideas for what it could be. In the end, I settled for this one, because I wanted to get Hope back into the story, as well as Lightning. I actually quite liked some of the interaction between Hope and Lightning in the game, especially the way he really seems to look up to her, and I thought it would be nice to include some of that here. I also thought it would be nice to see how he'd react to someone with a similar idea.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.