I'm not responsible for the creation of Hamtaro or any other characters, just this story. I'm on fanfiction, dur.
1 YEAR EARLIER
The full moon poured through the bedroom window, and I looked back one last time. Boxes were stacked and labeled, and the room was completely cleared out, except for a bed and a girl, fast asleep. We had been through so much together, and just seeing her sleeping peacefully as I was about to walk out made my eyes start to water. If I only I didn't have to leave...
Her parents made the decision a few weeks ago, and found a nice, big house they wanted to move to in America, and I knew as soon as I heard about it, my life was going to be changed, regardless of the decision I made. How could I just leave all my friends, though, after I had become so close to them? It took me weeks to realize it, but living without Oxnard, Bijou, Boss... just thinking about it makes me nauseous. Even with Laura around, I don't think I would be able to handle myself. After years and years of sneaking off during the day to the clubhouse, the other ham-hams and I share a bond which I would never be able to feel again if I went with Laura to America.
It's not like I don't love Laura, don't get me wrong, but when she left for school or to hang out with Kana every day, it was always the ham-hams who were there for me. When I went to meet my mother, when we stumbled upon Ham-Ham land, when Boss created Shiron. We all had those adventures, felt those losses, and celebrated those events as a family would, and that's what the Ham-Hams had become; my family.
Laura had grown in the past few years, as well, and it occurred to me that she didn't need me quite as much anymore. She had started middle school, and before long, I had taken a back seat to a lot of her other more social interests. She did her best to maintain the relationship we had, but times change, and so do people. She needed to move on and focus on her own life without me. It occurred to me that I did too.
I climbed up onto her bed and snuggled up against her for the final time, heartbroken that I would never feel her warm skin again. She stirred a little in her sleep, only for a few seconds, and then was deep in sleep again. I fought the urge to simply fall asleep there and crept down the sheets again. I crawled behind the bed and out that familiar hole into the darkness, and I started a new life.
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PRESENT
It was a year ago today that I set out on my own as a field hamster, and things had started to become normal again. I didn't let anyone know that Laura had left because I knew that would only make them worry and try to cheer me up, and I wasn't in the mood for special treatment for a while after that fateful night. I ended up staying in the bushes by Laura's house for a while, that way when Oxnard would come around looking for me, it would seem like I just left the cage for a while.
Of course, Oxnard was my closest friend, and Laura was Kana's best friend, so I knew it was only a matter of time before he pieced everything together. It was only a few days after Laura had gone, which was expected since I figured Kana would be pretty upset by the whole ordeal. Not surprisingly, Pepper found out not long after that, and in case you don't know Pepper, she isn't exactly the quiet type of ham. So, the rest of the gang found out, and that was when I moved further away from Laura's house. Waking up outside it every day had only served to depress me further, and I figured it was about time I learned how to become a true field ham. I refused Boss' offer to stay in the clubhouse, and I dug my own home not far away. That way, I would never miss out on the events at the clubhouse.
Things went by uneventfully for a while, but, as I continued to learn, life is all about change. About 4 months after I had established my field ham lifestyle, Oxnard moved to the farm to be with Pepper. I did my best to put up a strong front, but that turned out to be a VERY hard week or two for me. Oxnard had been the first ham I met when I had moved here with Laura, and it was easy for anyone to see that we were best friends. They ended up visiting now and again, but it was usually months between seeing them.
Boss did finally work up the courage to ask Bijou out after YEARS of being too scared to do so. I had been silently rooting for him for a while, as I could tell he really liked Bijou, but that same day, she had approached me, looking especially troubled. She proceeded to explain the predicament she had found herself in. Apparently, she didn't feel the same was about Boss, but was utterly opposed to the idea of hurting him at all. Bijou had always been thoughtful and caring.
I did my best to give her what I thought was sound advice. I felt like a traitor, but I let her know that it was probably best for her to turn him down; otherwise there would just be two broken hearts later instead of just one now. In the end, she ended up going with Boss, and sure enough, within a few weeks, they had ended it. For a little while after that, they didn't talk much, but they came to their senses and have since become good friends again. I feel like it did Boss some good because he seems to have moved on. He still has Sparkle, Oshare, and Gelato to chase after anyway.
Penelope had grown a bit in the time I left, as well. She's learned a couple new words now, much to everyone's excitement, but she still has a little more to learn before she starts actually forming conversational language. Of course, "snack" is one of her favorites, and "Mina" since she looks up to Pashmina so much. I don't know where she learned the word "love," but she's become quite enamored with it, especially upon seeing me and Bijou playing together or just talking. I don't really understand what makes her think we are the image of love, but Pashmina thinks it's the most adorable thing ever.
What I found most strange though was that Jingle started to show up more and more often after Oxnard left. There's still no improvement in the name department. Ham salad, Hamjiro, Hamtango, he seems to use every "H" name except for mine. In any case, I've started to listen to what he's actually saying a bit more, and once you get past the riddles he speaks in, he's actually pretty wise. I figure it's because he's traveled all over the place and has had a lot of life experience in his wandering lifestyle. He helped me through after I left Laura, and again when Oxnard had moved to the farm. He was even around when Bijou and Boss had their little stint, though I don't really know why he felt he needed to console ME at that point, but the point is he seems to know when hams need some advice and shows up at just the right time.
I finally decide to get up from my bed and head to the clubhouse. If I keep the others waiting, they'll assume I'm feeling sick or upset. Just to think, all that reflection is simply a result of it being the one year anniversary of my departure from the cage. I can already tell today is going to be long. I just hope I can hide enough of my own thoughts that the others won't feel the need to worry themselves over me...
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Alright, this is where I write some author's note about this whole first chapter. I don't think I'll get to write the second one for a little while, as I am quite prone to blocks. In any case, let me explain a little.
I wanted to make this as in character and be consistent with canon as possible while still being my own actual idea. Probably not very in character, considering Hamtaro is leaving Laura, and Boss finally gets the courage to tell Bijou how he feels. Unfortunately, that was the only way to make the story seem ok with Boss almost killing Hamtaro later, as I've seen in other stories.
Those events that I listed earlier are actually from the show / OVAs. I've been watching the Japanese episodes subtitled on ham-ham paradise, and I like the later episodes much more than the episodes in English. I feel like it moves from a 4-5 year old audience to maybe a 6-7 year old audience. The episodes where Hamtaro goes to meet his mother and when Boss creates Shiron actually contain loss but are still kid-friendly, which is why I like them a lot. Plus, the opening and ending songs are ten times better in the Japanese version. :3
That's all I'm gonna say, so I hope you enjoyed this, as it's a result of my growing boredom this summer. Seriously, Noah only had to deal with 40 days of rain. Rainiest summer ever.
Btw, the name of the story is from the song by Jason Mraz. It really doesn't have anything to do with the story, just a beautiful song and good name for the fic.