Final Fantasy XIII is owned by Square Enix.

Unlike much of my other work this isn't a out and out Hope/Lightning fic but is spiced with it. Maybe all dump more in the later parts if you like it that way.

It's all Fair Game

By Slazyer

"Vanille go long!" Hope yelled as he threw his boomerang at her. Hope's new low level Airwing boomerang flew towards Vanille and she caught it easily.

Sazh whistled and waved his arms. "Come on Vanille put it right here!"

Vanille remembered what Hope told her about throwing a boomerang. 'The throw starts in you hips, then shoulder, your elbow and ends with your wrist.' She let it fly and the orange toy took off like a bird. She didn't have Hope's accuracy with it so Sazh had to jump to make the catch.

Hope, Vanille, Snow, Sazh and Fang were running around a big open and monster free field playing a impromptu game of catch. Although it seemed that half the time was spent play fetch because not everyone had gotten use to throwing the boomerang.

Hope had bought the new Airwing just for this reason, a toy that everyone could play with. He was playing a game without any rules or winners but full of laughter with his new friends. They were having so much fun they almost forgot they were on Pulse. Laughing like this you'd think they were playing on the beaches of Bodhum or a park in Palumpolum.

Lightning, however was not amused at all. She stood far way from the game glaring at it's players. She thought back to when Hope bought the new Airwing and asked if anyone was up for a game of catch. She was already a little upset that Hope would wasting gil on a downgraded weapon.

Worse then that was everyone agreed to the childish idea. Sure, Lightning, knew Vanille and Snow would be for it as those two were just big kids at heart but Sazh and Fang had joined in as well. Lightning was the sole opposition and was out voted.

"Ridiculous." Lightning said hotly.

A memory from Lightning's childhood replayed in her mind. She was eighteen an dressed in a fresh new Guardian Core cadet uniform. Serah then a little girl of fifteen ran up to Lightning holding a beach ball. 'Come on sis, don't you want to play with me?'

'I don't have time for kids games.'

The image of little Serah's crestfallen face didn't even tug on Lightning's heart even now. "Absolutely ridiculous."

It was then that a stray throw form Fang sent the boomerang flying at Lightning. It landed a about a foot away from the brooding soldier.

"Hey, give us hand will you?" Fang asked waving her arms around.

With a snort of contempt Lightning picked the boomerang up. She didn't want to get caught up in this silly game but if throwing once it would get them to leave her alone then that was alright. Hope was the closest one to Lightning so she picked him to be her target.

Lightning wound back her arm and threw.

Thud!

The boomerang struck the ground not three feet in front of her. To the observers it looked like she spiked the thing into the ground. Everyone was watching at Lighting with stunned looks on their faces, only Hope dared to crake a smile.

"It just slipped!" an embarrassed blush crossing Lightning's normally stoic face.

"Don't worry about it Light. Boomerangs are harder to use then you think." Hope said trying to console Lightning, something that just made her even more self-conscious.

Lightning picked the boomerang, something little more then a child's toy and snorted. She would not be made a fool of by a toy. Lightning threw it again with all her might.

The Airwing took off spinning straight for about six feet. Then it did a 180 turn and flew right back at Lightning.

Crack!

The boomerang smacked Lightning right in the face and left a red mark on her forehead. No dared laugh as Lightning picked up the boomerang and glared at it like it was full of this treacherous intent from the start. Hope walked over the Lightning to personally retrieve his new Airwing.

"You okay Light?"

"I'm fine." Lightning said curtly.

Lightning then looked down at the boomerang that was the causes of all this, the one the was in her hands. Before Lightning even knew what she was doing some evil intention took over her.

Lightning snapped Hope's new boomerang in two.

Lightning took the two busted orange wings, folded them on top of one other and gave them to Hope. She even smiled with satisfaction at the destruction of the damnable thing.

Hope looked down at the busted remains of his Airwing boomerang in his arms and bowed his head as if lamenting it loss.

The next few seconds lasted forever because on one moved or say a word.

Lightning came back to her senses a few moment's later. She had not indented to do that but she was so angry that it just happened.

Then Lightning heard a sound that almost tore her apart for the inside.

"Hic…"

A few more muffled sobs followed as Hope's shoulders jerked with each one of his repressed cries. She couldn't see his face through the mesh of sliver hair but saw the teardrops fall down his chin and Hope held the broken remains of is boomerang against his chest.

Lightning had made Hope cry.

Lighting was never one to use kid gloves with Hope but that was life and death stuff. When she'd teach him the things he needed to know to stay alive. Lightning defiantly didn't take it easy on Hope but she'd never been mean to him, at lest until now.

Hope turned and walked away very slowly. Then a he stopped and let the busted boomerang fall from his hands and wiped the tears from his face.

"Lightning what the hell's the matter with you, why on Pulse did you do that!" Snow asked angrily.

Lightning felt about a foot tall and it's wasn't just Snow massive height but the fact that she didn't have an answer for him.

Sazh had to physically pull Snow away from Lightning. For all the abuse Snow had taken from Lightning without a word anger he now looked ready to strike her, sister in law or not.

"Come on man, ease up. You know that's just how she is." Sazh said while shooting Lightning a dirty look.

Fang and Vanille where no more understanding then the guys were.

Even happy sunshine and flowers Vanille was pissed. "How could you Lightning? I never knew you could be so callous."

Fang pointed an accusing finger at Lightning. "Good going fearless leader. We're all having fun playing a game, reminding Hope that he's still a kid. He gets his mind off his mother and worrying about what happened to his father when you ruin it or him."

Honestly she had forgotten that. Not that she forgot that Hope lost his mother or was worried about his father but that he was still a kid. Hope's maturity and composure in battle often surprised Lightning. Like how Hope handle himself in a mess that would make many strong men break down. Before long Lightning held Hope up to the same high stander she set for herself and he meet them easily.

Somewhere along the way Lightning forgot that Hope was still a child and had the needs of a child, like a little fun now and then.

Hope stopped crying, he dropped the remains of his new boomerang on the ground and wiped any remaining tear tracks from his face. "It's alright." no Hope didn't sound alright. The forced cold indifference in his voice was chilling, like he was willing himself not to care that he was hurt. "If we don't have time to play then we defiantly don't have time to waste on me crying."

Hope's cold hardened voice was worse then his crying to Lightning.

Lightning hurried after Hope not to apologies or anything like that. If Lightning didn't get away from the disapproving glares from her four friends then Hope wouldn't be the only one fighting back tears. She had to make it up to Hope somehow but she didn't know what to do.

-end-

Now where did this come from? I was thinking about Lightning and Hope playing a came of catch and his Boomerang flying back and hitting her in the face. Now it's become this and I'm sorry.

Anyway there may be a little (or a lot) of Hope/Lightning in the next part of this. I'm only planning this as a two part fic so until next time.