Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Gift of New Beginnings ❯ Chapter 1
[ A - All Readers ]
If you haven't read “Gift of the Rose” by Inuyatta,
which can be found on fanfiction . net, I wouldn't recommend
reading this yet.
Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I claim ownership to
Outlaw Star or other franchises set in the Toward Stars
Universe.
Gift of New Beginnings
The first thing I noticed after waking up was what smelled like
pancakes. Gradually, I opened my eyes before I proceeded to sit up
in my bed and stretch, letting out a large yawn afterwards. The
next thing I noticed was how quiet it was. As early in the day as
it was, usually I'd at least hear Aisha watching the TV. Even so,
the lights were on, and the smell from before was still wafting in
the air, so it was clear that there was at least one other person
here, and that they were cooking breakfast. Still groggy, I got up
out of bed and made my way downstairs. To my surprise, I found Jim
in the kitchen, placing about a dozen pancakes onto a plate.
“Jim?”
“Good morning, Hanmyo!” Jim greeted me cheerfully. Like
me, he was still in his pajamas, but I got the feeling that he'd
been awake for a while already. That wasn't good. For at least the
past week, he'd been working even harder than usual, getting up
early and going to bed late, taking on several jobs a day, and
really only taking quick breaks to eat and go to the bathroom. And
whenever he wasn't out on a job, he was constantly typing away on
his computer.
“Jim, you shouldn't be up so early, let alone working in the
kitchen. You haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and I'm
getting worried,” I scolded him.
Jim smiled apologetically. “I guess you're right. Even Aniki
and Mel were getting on my case this morning.” He then
snorted. “Never thought I'd see the day Gene would be
lecturing me on working too hard.”
“All the more reason for you to go to sleep early
tonight!”
“If that's what you want, Hanmyo, then alright.”
“Really?”
“Promise!” Wow, Jim's serious! Satisfied with his
response, I asked about something else that had been bugging me
this morning.
“By the way, where is everyone?”
“Out doing errands.” His answer didn't make any sense
to me. If it had just been Melfina, or even Suzuka, I'd understand,
but Gene and Aisha as well? And at this hour? I looked at Jim, and
I saw no trace of dishonesty in his eye. But I couldn't shake off
the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. This
wasn't like him, but at the same, I knew I could trust him. So I
just let it drop. I took a seat at the table and Jim put a plate
with half of the pancakes he'd been preparing in front of me.
“It's been a while since I cooked something like this without
any help. I hope they still turned out alright, though.” I
could tell Jim was worried, but I knew better than to sugarcoat
things like this with him. Fortunately, one bite was enough to know
that I wouldn't have to.
“They're a bit gooey, but still pretty tasty! Thank you,
Jim!” Blushing slightly, Jim finally relaxed enough to take a
seat and join me.
Once we had finished eating and put our dishes away, Jim had
another surprise for me. “Hey, Hanmyo? Do you feel like going
to the park today?” I blinked in shock, not sure I'd heard
him correctly. He'd been working himself to the bone for the last
week, only to now want to take the day off and spend it with
me?
Unfortunately, Jim misinterpreted the look on expression.
“Well, I guess if you'd rather do something else,
then…” I didn't let him finish. Grabbing his hands and
pulling them to my chest, I looked him right in the eyes, making
sure he wouldn't misunderstand my intentions.
“Jim, I'd love to go out with you today. It's
just…you've been so busy lately, that it's really
surprising.”
This appeared to his mind at ease. “True. But I wanted to
make sure that I would have today free just for you, and I sure
didn't feel like taking any chances.”
“Just…for me? Why? And why tod-” My eyes widened.
“Today's the day?”
Jim nodded his head in confirmation. “One year ago today, you
and I met by the fountain in the park back on Symka 5. Even though
we're on Sentinel right now, I still thought we should celebrate
somehow.”
At this I threw my arms around his neck and pecked his cheek.
“That's so sweet of you. Thank you, Jim! Thank you!”
Jim just smiled his adorable smile as he wrapped his arms around
me. Eventually, we broke out of our hug and went to get dressed
before we left on our date (Jim couldn't help but blush when I said
that).
(Gift of New Beginnings)
We got to the park right around noon, and for several hours, we
just sat on a bench, watching the clouds and chatting, only
stopping when the sun began to set. It's amazing how time flies
when you're having fun enjoying such simple pleasures with someone
you love.
But on our way back to Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, Jim had
one last surprise for me. Instead of going straight back to the
shop, he drove to Clyde's Bar. Gene and Jim have known the owner
for quite some time and introduced me to him not too long after I
started living together with them. Clyde's a pretty nice guy
altogether, as well as the waitress Iris. I could do without some
of Iris's teasing of me and Jim, though. According to Clyde, she's
trying to come to terms with her unrequited feelings for Gene, but
even so, I think she gets a little too much enjoyment out of
tormenting us.
Still, I had no idea why we were stopping here, and Jim wouldn't
say anything about it, either. Even so, after parking the car, he
grabbed my hand and smiled softly at me. I decided to once again
just trust him and let him lead me inside, though I admit I
hesitated for a moment when I saw that there was a sign on the door
indicating that the bar was closed for a private party.
The inside of the bar was pitch black. I turned to Jim for answers,
only for the lights to come on then and there. This was followed by
a popping sound and Gene, Melfina, Aisha, Suzuka, and the pink
Gilliam bot jumping up from behind the bar. But it was the three
words they all shouted that rendered me completely speechless.
“Happy Birthday, Hanmyo!”
I could only turn to Jim in shock, who was still smiling, only
somewhat more bashfully now. “For some time, I have had the
idea of throwing you a surprise party, but I realized that you
probably never celebrated your birthday before, so I was pretty
nervous about how you would react if I organized one for
you.”
Seeing that I still wasn't quite ready to talk yet, Jim continued.
“Even so, I really wanted to do this for you. I know you
still blame yourself for some of the things you've done in the
past, but I wanted to show you that there are still people who are
glad you were born. I know I sure am.”
“Enough blabbering, Jim!” Aisha snapped, getting
impatient. “Let's get this party started already!”
And what a party it was! Clyde, Melfina, and Iris pulled out all of
the stops and had whipped up a spectacular and delicious feast.
Gene and Aisha got into a karaoke battle, only calling for a brief
cease-fire in order to get Suzuka to sing at one point. I don't
think I'll ever figure out how they pulled that off. In addition,
shortly after the party had first started, a few other guests
appeared. First was Fred Luo, who I knew was on good, if somewhat
awkward, terms with Gene and Jim, despite the large debt they owed
him. Personally, I found him fairly harmless and quite amusing.
Next were the two people responsible for rescuing me from the empty
vacuum of space: Kenji-kun and Nakao-sensei. Apparently, Jim had
contacted them a while ago and invited them, knowing how important
they were to me and my survival. The two of them had been all too
eager to take a leave of absence from their work to attend my
party.
Sometime later, I stepped outside just get a breath of fresh air
and look at the stars. After they had arrived, Nakao-sensei sat
down at a table with Suzuka, and the two had just been quietly
sipping their drinks, watching everyone else enjoy themselves.
Meanwhile, Kenji-kun and Fred had joined the karaoke battle, and
between the two of them and Gene and Aisha, it was hard to say who
was enjoying themselves the most, let alone winning. But little did
I know that one last guest was going to make an appearance.
“Nice party, kiddo,” said a voice from behind me. I
turned and went pale as I recognized the face illuminated by the
light of the moon.
“S-Sh-Shimi…” I stuttered. “I-I thought all
of the Anten Seven had been killed off by Gene and his
crew.”
“You and me both, kiddo,” was his answer. “As far
as everyone knows, the mercenary Shimi did indeed perish in a duel
with Gene Starwind. In reality, after meeting them, I started to
get some weird ideas in my head, and decided to change
professions.”
“So you faked your death…And Hazanko never found
out…” I was amazed. I had always known that Shimi was a
skilled fighter, even amongst the Anten Seven, but I would never
have guessed that he was capable of deceiving the entire universe
into thinking he was dead.
“Apparently not,” my former colleague confirmed.
“By the way, Shimi was just a trade name I used, and Shimi is
supposedly dead. I'm an outlaw now, just like you and Gene. So call
me by my real name, Leilong.”
“Alright…Leilong,” I tested out the new name,
surprised by how easily it came. “You know, I think I prefer
that name. It suits you a lot more, too.”
“Glad I have your approval, kiddo,” Leilong chuckled.
He walked next to me and stared up at the sky along with me.
“Got to say, the life of an outlaw suits me quite nicely. Far
more freedom, and far fewer regrets.”
“I feel the same way,” I agreed. At this, Leilong began
walk away. “Huh? Where are you going?”
“Tonight's your night to shine, kiddo, not mine,” he
shrugged. “If I poke my head in now, well…that wouldn't
be very fair to you.” I was initially perplexed by his
comment, but it didn't take me very long to figure out what he
actually meant.
“They don't know yet, either,” I stated.
“No, they don't. But I will tell them…later. Like you,
I owe them for giving me a chance for a new beginning, and at the
very least, they deserve to know that. But you beat me to it, fair
and square. I'll be back soon, but don't spoil the surprise,
alright?”
“I promise,” I said without even thinking. Then again,
even when he went by Shimi, he'd always had an odd effect on
people.
“Thanks, and I'll see you around.” Before he was
completely out of sight, he added, “Oh, and happy birthday,
Hanmyo.”
About a minute or so later, Jim came out to get me. “Hey,
Hanmyo, are you doing alright?”
“Of course I am, Jim. I just felt like getting some fresh
air,” I reassured him. “Jim, thank you for everything
you've done for me.”
“You're welcome,” Jim stood next to me, right where
Leilong had just been, and joined me in stargazing. Suddenly, he
gasped and brought his palm to his forehead.
“I completely forgot to get you a present! Aw man!” Jim
moaned. His comment made me burst out laughing, much to his
confusion.
“What are you talking about, Jim? You didn't forget to give
me a present!”
“I didn't?”
“Jim, earlier you said that you had guessed that I had never
celebrated my birthday before,” I started to explain.
“And you were right. Hazanko had abducted me when I was just
a baby, and had been trained as a pilot and assassin ever since. He
never told me what day I had been born, and honestly, it wouldn't
surprise me if he didn't know himself, let alone care.”
Seeing that he still didn't quite get it, I shook my head and
smiled before wrapping my arms around his neck. “Jim,”
I said, staring lovingly into his eyes. “You gave me my
birthday.”
I leaned in and pressed my lips against Jim's, closing my eyes as
soon as I made contact. Seconds later, I felt his hands on my back,
and we remained in our embrace for what felt like a lifetime in
paradise. When we finally separated, I grabbed his hand and
together we walked back into the bar and rejoined the
festivities.
Fate had brought me and Jim together, and fate had allowed me to
join his wonderful family. I have no idea what else fate had in
store for us, but I have faith that where it takes me, I'll have
Jim at my side.
(The End)
As I state in the summary, this is intended to be a sort of sequel
to Inuyatta's “Gift of the Rose”, one of my favorite
Outlaw Star fan fiction stories of all time. I first found
“Gift of the Rose” back in the summer of 2010, and it
had a tremendous impact on me. It's actually what inspired me to
start writing Outlaw Star The Flower of Fate in the first
place.
I wrote this all in a single sitting, pretty late at night, so
there are probably some spelling and grammar errors I overlooked.
If you notice any, don't hesitate to point them out to me. Even so,
I hope you all enjoyed this story, and Inuyatta, thank you once
again for writing “Gift of the Rose”.