I don't own any of the characters. This takes place literally two hours after episode 26.
She was angrily throwing clothes into a bag in preparation for the trip. No matter what anybody said, Hammy still blamed herself for what happened to Naga, and she wasn't sure she'd ever get over it, even after they got him back.
Turning to shut one of her dresser drawers, she blinked when she saw something red out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over, she blinked again when she realized who it was and nudged the drawer shut with her hip. "Tsurugi..." she said softly before turning back and yanking open another drawer. "What are you doing here?"
The Phoenix Ranger was quiet for a moment, watching her pull some shirts out of the drawer and look them over before deciding which ones to pack. "You still blame yourself for what happened, don't you?"
"How could I not?" Hammy snapped as she slammed her drawer closed and dropped into the desk chair. "Maybe if I hadn't said anything..." She sniffled a bit and picked up her plushie that Stinger had made and tucked it in her bag.
Silence reigned through the room for a while, Tsurugi eventually pushing himself off the wall and moving to crouch beside her. "There's a saying I remember from before I went into stasis," he began.
Zipping her bag closed, Hammy looked up at him with a curious expression. "Oh? What was it?"
Tsurugi was silent for a moment, wondering just how she'd take it, then reached over to rest a hand on her shoulder as he said, "You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once and move on."
Hammy blinked at him, then her eyes dropped to the floor as she fidgeted with the bag strap. "...if only I could," she began before taking a deep breath and looking back up at him. "But I'll do my best," she promised, giving him a hug.
Tsurugi smiled and hugged her back. "Well that's all I can ask for," he murmured.
Hammy nodded and stepped back, picking her bag up. "Well I guess I better go," she said. "You guys have to leave soon anyway." Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she turned to leave, heading out to meet up with Balance, Garu, Lucky and Kotaro.
Tsurugi watched her go, hoping his advice helped as he turned to meet up with his team.