City Life

Disclaimer: I don't own Hamutaro/Hamtaro.

Notes: I will be using their english names. Yes, they are human, and I still use Hamutaro and Roko-chan/Hiroko (Laura's Jap. name). Hamutaro's supposed to act a bit...sad. All of them are fifteen, except Boss and Maxwell, whom are sixteen. Yes, this was from my old writing account. I won't tell which.

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Prologue

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We were moving. We, as in me, my aunt, and my hamster, Roko-chan. We lived in the peaceful country sides all our lives, but we needed to go to the city. "I need a better job, Hamutaro-kun," she told me as she clutched my hand. "I can't make enough money here to take care of all of us." Was I a burdan?

If you're wondering where my mom is, she's dead, just like my dad. She died from a drunk driver when I was seven, and when I was even younger, my father died from cancer. Now I live with my auntie. She's not crazy about rodents, but when she saw how much I loved hamsters, she got me Roko-chan, a dwarf hamster, so I wouldn't get lonely. Now I'm fifteen, and I have to leave my home behind, but I don't show my sadness. If I don't act happy, Auntie will be sad too.

"It won't be so bad, Hamutaro," Auntie told me cheerfully in the car, but I sensed the sadness in her. "You'll make a lot of new friends. You'll live happier. It'll be better." She looked at me from the mirrors, then concentrated on her driving again. Yeah right. I looked out the window to see the last glimpse of our farm. The people at my new school will just make fun of my hair, just because it's orange and white...

We got there at four. The house wasn't too shabby, and a lone dog house stood next to it. "Later, we can see if we can get a dog," Auntie told me as she locked the car. Roko-chan seemed to quiver with fear at the thought.

"It'll hurt Roko-chan!" I protested.

Auntie paused for a second, her eyes looking down at me. "A friendly dog," she finally told me. That answer was satisfying enough. We went into the house, and looked around. Although it was stripped bare, it was ten times nicer than our old home. "Choose a room, Hamutaro-kun," Auntie urged me on, so I walked up the stairs and picked a random one. It was okay; there was a window right in front of where my desk should be, and there was even a closet lodged to the right. I set Roko-chan's cage on the ground.

"Ooh, this is a nice one," Auntie came up, her hawk-like eyes soaking up the room's details. "I already know what it will look like." From downstairs, there was a knocking. Auntie nodded. "Probably the men with our things." She exited to answer it, and I followed her. Auntie opened the door, but it wasn't the movers.

"Hello!" A woman greeted us. Her face was pale, her cheeks flushed. She had brown hair, lined with aging gray streaks, and had a summer skirt on. She also wore wire thin glasses. "You must be the new neighbors." A boy stood next to her. He had bleached gray hair, and his front tooth stood out a little. He looked very timid. His body was a bit chubby, but he could still pass off as fit.

"Why, yes, we are!" Auntie smiled, shaking the woman's hand. "I'm Marian, and this is my nephew, Hamutaro."

"I'm Cindy Iwata, and this is my son, Oxnard," she gestured to the nervous boy next to her. "Oxnard-kun, give it to them." He fumbled with a wrabbed bag. "Here," he muttered, handing them to me.

"Cookies, how thoughtful!" she looked at me, and I snapped out of it. "Oh, thank you!" I thanked them. Mrs. Iwata smiled.

"If you need somebody to talk with, come to me, Marian," she told her. "And Hamutaro-kun, please be friends with Oxnard. He doesn't have many." She turned fondly to me. "You're going to the same school, right?"

"I guess so." I answered, staring at the cookie's wrapper. Hamsters.

"Well, we'd better be going now!" she bowed, along with Oxnard, and they walked off of the porch, heading towards their house next door.

"Well, they were nice," Auntie put her hands on her hips. I nodded, and she looked at me. "Be friends with that adorable boy. He's your age, I suspect, and...oh! The movers are here!" she stepped off of the porch and went to greet them. I looked onto my right, and saw Oxnard looking at me from the window. I waved, which made him surprised, but then he waved back, too, grinning. This might work out, after all...

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