Best Birthday Present Ever?
Chapter One
Have a nice trip!

Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star or any of the characters. They all belong to some other people, and I don't feel like being sued just yet. However, I DO own Haruka, but not her origins. You can borrow her, provided you ask and let me be your editor. Well, enough of my ramblings! Ja ne!
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Jim Hawking sighed. It was two weeks until his twelfth birthday. It seemed everybody had forgotten his birthday, and him. Aisha wasn't even teasing him. Everybody seemed to be so distracted.
"What's wrong, Jim?" Melfina asked.
He almost jumped out of his chair in surprise. He had had no idea she was there.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just bored, I guess," he replied nonchalantly.
"Oh, OK!" she cheerfully agreed.
He visibly sweatdropped. For a bio-android, she was rather dense. Halfheartedly, he listened to her footsteps as she headed out the door. The young genius once again let his mind wander.
For the past few days, he had been having strange dreams. A flash of pale green hair and glaring gold eyes. It was eerie, yet beautiful.
"Hey, Jim! What's with the long face?" an unusually cheerful Gene exclaimed as he clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, nothing," he muttered.
"I can tell when you're lying!"
"I'm just depressed about my birthday, I guess."
"You're supposed to wait until you're older to be upset about aging. You're only eight, after all."
"I'M TWELVE!"
"See! There's the Jim we all know and... uh... know."
"Just... go."
The red-haired outlaw ruffled his young friend's hair.
"Don't get so worked up over everything, Jim!"
Jim mumbled something about being more mature than most of his elders and stalked off.

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"What's this all about?" Jim asked unsurely, as he scratched his face right below the blindfold.
(A/N: Please remove your mind from the gutter. Thank you.)
"You'll see soon!" Aisha chimed in, a suspicious ring to her voice.
He fumed as Melfina guided him up a too-familiar ramp. The Outlaw Star. Oh, god, please, not a trip, he silently said inside his mind.
In a few minutes, he heard a rumbling. DAMMIT! he inwardly screamed.
"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" a very annoyed Jim inquired.
"Not yet! Just be patient!" Aisha scolded.
He growled under his breath. They could at least tell me where we're going!

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Jim woke up as the Outlaw Star landed. It took him a moment to realize just where he was, and then it came to him. On this goddamn birthday trip...
He sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest. He was so incredibly bored. So far, this had been his worst birthday ever, while keeping the time he fell into his cake in mind.
"Well? Where are we?" he annoyedly demanded.
"Hopefully on the right planet," Suzuka replied as calmly as ever.
"What do you mean, 'Hopefully on the right planet,' Suzuka?" Jim wondered out loud, having lost that tone to his voice.
"Apparently, our captain here gave Melfina a beer. It seems bio-androids aren't very good drinkers."
"Whaddaya mean, she's drunk?!?!?!"
"Well, I guess you can take off your blindfold now."
Our young friend did as the assassin suggested, and saw Gene and Aisha standing over Melfina, who was giggling and hiccuping at the same time.
"We landed someplace safe, at least."

To be continued...