Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star

A/N: Well I can't lie I don't expect really anyone to read this. Updates on The Outlaw Star Fanfiction page are almost non-existent but I just can't resist writing this story and seeing if anyone likes it. For this story I was slightly inspired by the Wolverine comic Old Man Logan: Bordertown. Anyone whose reading this and may have read that comic (which I don't think are any) you may not see the inspiration at first but maybe in later chapters. Jim and Aisha are my favorite characters in this series and I always liked there personal chemistry. To clarify this is a friendship story with a possible crush Jim could have on Aisha (we'll see). If I were to write an actual shipping story it would be with a much older Jim and in a sequel. Anyway here's chapter 1, hope if anyone reads this they enjoy it

Chapter 1: Here We Are

Darkness and a piercing headache was all that Jim could see and hear right now. His eyes blinked as he began to awaken from his previously unconscious state, with a glaring white making up most of his distorted vision. He groaned and placed his hand to his temples in an attempt to sooth what felt like a constant beat in his head. After a few seconds, Jim senses were beginning to correct themselves allowing him to grasp where he was, a slight chill went up his spine while he heard the sound of blowing wind and dripping water.

Jim was being suspended from his seat inside the upside down cockpit of the Outlaw Star with only his seat-belt keeping him from a long drop. He looked around and noticed a massive hole was where the front monitor had been, giving a peek to the outside of the ship. Snow and a cold breeze greeted his face. Jim began to realize that he had been in a near fatal crash and began to worry about his comrades.

"GENE!?...GENE!" He repeatedly yelled as he tried to look up at the pilot seat to no avail, as his current position made it impossible to see. He thought he'd try to see if his other friends were okay "AISHA!?...SUZUKA!?" Jim looked to the sides to see that the other seats were empty as well. What about Mel? She has to be here. "MEL...CAN YOU HEAR ME!?"- Again he heard nothing. How could Mel not be here she's a part of the ship? – "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!" Jim yelled with all his might in his last attempt to communicate.

There was no response, nothing but the harsh breeze coming from outside and the drip drop of water inside the cockpit. It was then that Jim looked directly down and noticed that the dipping water he kept hearing was falling directly below his suspended body. The better look he got at the water, the more he realized how strangely colored the water was. Why is that water red? It was at that moment when Jim looked below his waist to see that the water was actually blood and it was coming from him. In his right leg was a big piece of metal shrapnel that protruded from his upper knee to his upper thigh. No doubt caused by the crashing of the ship.

It was here that Jim began to hyperventilate. What was going on? Why was he alone? Why were his friends not here? The questions began to pile one after the other, when suddenly he heard the exact thing he needed to hear.

"JIM, AISHA'S COMING" Jim sighed in sweet relief. Thank God, Aisha was here. Aisha limped inside the cockpit with a tattered cape and hair covered in snow allowing Jim to get a good look at her and caused him to gasp. Aisha's face had blood trailing down her head, across her left eye which was swollen shut and one of her arms dangling unceremoniously like it had been dislocated with an additional limp in her left leg. Jim had always known that Ctarl-Ctarl had an expedient healing factor, so Aisha was probably nearing the end of her body doing its work, which meant the initial damage done to her must have been much worse. She looked up at him with a smile that she was working through her pain to give.

"Don't worry Jim, I'll get you down" She attempted to assure the boy. When she inhaled through her nose; suddenly she felt sick and her good eye widened in fear. She smelled Jim's blood, something that brought immense terror to her. She could see a big puddle of Jim's blood dripping from his leg as she got closer and the smell got stronger, Aisha had to put a hand over her mouth due to her natural enhanced senses making it more potent. The smell of blood was only supposed to come from her enemies not Jim. Worry began to fill her mind, what if the shrapnel in Jim's leg had hit somewhere vital? They were not in a place where surgery was possible.

Jim looked at her with worry "Aisha are you okay?"

Aisha had to pull herself together, for Jim's sake "Yeah…I'm okay Jimmy lets just get you down"

"But, how am I gonna get down?"

He raised a good question. There was nothing but broken machinery and glass around Aisha so she couldn't stack anything high enough, nor was there anything for her to grab on to retrieve Jim. Which left only one thing to do; Aisha walked over to the frame of the broken front monitor of the ship, and lined up her dislocated shoulder in order to make sure she did this right.

"Jim, I'm gonna get you down but your gonna need to be brave for Aisha okay, could you do something for me?" She told him in a calming voice so not to scare him.

Jim nodded and decided to do what she told him.

"I want you to stay calm and count to three for me"

Putting a dislocated shoulder back into place was something she had done plenty of times but doing it always hurt.

Jim began with great hesitance "One…Two…Three!"

The sound of a metallic bang and crunch sounded as Aisha's shoulder popped back into its correct placement.

"Arghhh….huh…huh" Aisha panted and took sharp labored breaths. Jim called out her name fearing for her well being.

Aisha slightly whimpered like a hurt cat as she pulled herself off the floor and walked over to where Jim was hanging. For Jim looking at his friend struggle in such a way was unbearable. He just wanted to get out of this thing.

Aisha knew this was risky, she didn't know the extent the damage to his leg was and simply moving might make it worse, but there was no choice she had to get him out of there.

"Now Jim, I want you disconnect your seat-belt and I'll catch you" She calmly relayed to him

Jim looked mortified "But what if I hit the ground?"

"I give you my word; I won't let anything happen to you. Do you believe in me?"

Jim replied meekly "Yes"

"Then you should know a mighty Ctarl-Ctarl never goes back on there word" Aisha declared proudly.

Jim believed her, through out the past year of there friendship Aisha had always looked out for him. In the Grave of the Dragon she had protected him with no sense of self preservation and did so again at the Galactic Leyline. She never gave him a reason to doubt her, so he figured he shouldn't start now.

Jim unclipped his belt and allowed himself to fall. Aisha immediately went forward and caught him safely, but suddenly felt her bad leg buckle and give way. She landed on her back while protectively holding Jim to make sure she took all the brunt force.

Jim hissed as his leg stung but thankfully the pain subsided. Jim's face was greeted by the warm skin of Aisha's upper chest and for a brief moment he felt safe and content. Today was proving to be one of the most difficult days of his life and right now Aisha was proving to be his guardian angel.

"Are you ok Jimmy?" Aisha asked while huffing and puffing.

Jim put his head up showing a tired face "I'm okay. Thank you Aisha"

Aisha leaned her head back and was quietly overjoyed. She got him down but she knew it wasn't over; she needed to attend to his leg. Aisha had trained in first aid at the academy so she knew that she needed to get him somewhere to treat his leg without laying his wound bare to the elements. Jim slowly lifted himself up so he could sit straight while Aisha did the same. Jim hissed in pain, making Aisha flinch to assist him, but he raised his hand assure her that he was okay for the moment. Then Jim asked the question that he had been wondering since he first woke up.

"So where is everyone?"

…

Aisha wasn't sure herself, when she woke up she found herself in a pile of snow drenched in blood, no doubt from the wounds the crash had inflicted upon her. Thankfully when she woke up, her healing factor had already sealed up the more severe wounds. She had difficulty seeing at first due to one of her eyes being swollen shut. She looked around with her good eye in shock to see the crashed Outlaw Star battered, dented and turned upside-down. The right side engines were completely gone with the cockpit front window being smashed to oblivion. She thought perhaps the crash had dislodged her from the ship all the way outside, but the more she looked around it seemed that wasn't the case. From where she was to the ship itself, Aisha saw multiple drag marks and footprints leading past her and out into the vast wilderness which consisted of nothing but snow and mountains.

Before this had happened the crew of the Outlaw Star was simply on its way to a station to refill on supplies; when suddenly a mysterious projectile hit them out of nowhere and led them to where they are now. Someone must have found them after the crash and took the rest of the gang somewhere, "but why did they leave me here?" she wondered out loud.

Aisha began to consider her friends. She knew Gene and Suzu would be okay as they always seemed to be survivors like her and with Melfina's robotic body had come the advantage of not being mortally hurt very easily, not to mention Gene's always conscious effort to protect her. Her mind quickly turned to Jim and to the fear that perhaps someone so small might not survive such a crash like this, when suddenly she heard something from the ship that caused her ears to stand up.

"CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"

"Thank the god of all Ctarl-Ctarl" Aisha sighed in relief, before hissing in pain as she slowly limped over to the ship with one of her arms dangling.

…

After Aisha relayed her awakening to Jim, he simply groaned in frustration. Aisha and Jim had crash landed on some random planet that they were only passing by and knew next to nothing about it. This whole thing led to one more question that made this whole situation even worse. Jim looked to Aisha with a look of worry.

"So who do you think shot us down?"