Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hamtaro or associated characters.

Butterflies

Hamtaro crossed the road, just missing cars as he safely made it to the other side. He sighed deeply in relief after not getting hit by a car, before smiling as he walked towards the park where Pashmina had told him to meet her.

She greeted him. "Hamtaro! You could make it!" she said, darting towards him. Hamtaro smiled.

"Of course I could, Pashmina! Today's your birthday, after all!" Hamtaro smiled before pulling out a small gift from behind him.

Pashmina smiled, mostly to herself as she stared at the glistening grass. It was early enough in the day that the grass still had some dew on it.

Hamtaro noticed her looking at the ground. "Everything okay?" he asked softly.

She looked up at him. "I don't know…" she said with a confused expression.

Hamtaro frowned. "Well maybe this will cheer you up," Hamtaro said simply before pushing forward his small gift. It was neatly wrapped in light pink paper that matched the colour of her scarf. She beamed at him.

"It's beautiful, Hamtaro," she said breathlessly as she was careful not to tear the paper that much so it didn't get ruined. She slowly opened it to reveal a crimson scarf with a small cherry blossom picture in the right corner. It frilled on both ends.

She smiled almost instantly. "Wow…" she said breathlessly. "Are you sure this is for me?" she said, taking it off of the paper and holding it in her hands as if it wasn't real.

"Of course it's for you," Hamtaro smiled. "Do you like it?"

Pashmina beamed before hugging Hamtaro quickly. "I love it," she whispered before releasing the hug and taking off her old scarf. She tucked it away, as she put on her new scarf and twirled around in it.

"How do I look?" she said happily, knowing she looked good.

"Really good!" Hamtaro smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.

Hamtaro's ears perked up as he looked around. "So, when is everyone else going to get here?"

Pashmina looked at him a little uneasily. "No one else is coming," she said.

Hamtaro's face fell as he frowned. "They don't know it's your birthday?"

"Well…" Pashmina looked at the ground hesitantly, and Hamtaro frowned before getting in a position to leave.

"I'll go tell them it's your birthday, okay?" he smiled.

Pashmina put her small paw on his shoulder, and he glanced at her. "Huh?" he turned to face her again.

"I didn't tell them it was my birthday," Pashmina said, looking at him carefully.

"But why?" Hamtaro was obviously confused.

Pashmina took his hand and gently walked him over to a nearby tree. Before sighing.

"Hamtaro…" she started, avoiding eye contact. "I only invited you to celebrate my birthday, for a special reason. But…it's a secret."

Hamtaro blinked. "I can keep secrets," he said before smiling. "I've kept a million secrets for Laura," he said, thinking about his owner fondly, "like the time she told me that she liked-" he stopped and blushed a bit. "I mean…you can tell me, Pashmina," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously before looking at her, "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Pashmina looked uneasy. "Promise?" she asked reluctantly. Hamtaro nodded in response.

"I only invited you because…" she paused, "I…I like you."

Hamtaro smiled. "Well I like you too, Pashmina! You're a really nice friend!" he grinned.

Pashmina frowned. "No. I mean, I like you…like you."

Hamtaro heard the words, but didn't comprehend them. Pashmina answered his questioning glance.

"Have you ever felt like you have butterflies in your stomach?" she asked him. "Has your face ever got so hot you felt like it was going to burst? Or have you ever felt like kissing anyone?"

Hamtaro thought about it, and came up with a blank. "I don't think so…" he said slowly. "But I have felt kind of dizzy and warm around someone…" he answered.

Pashmina smiled. "Really? Who?"

"You," Hamtaro said with a frown. "Am I sick?" he asked. "Do I have a temperature or something? Or are you sick and contagious? I only feel sick around you, and–" Pashmina interrupted by putting her index finger on his lips. He closed his mouth and stopped talking.

"You're not sick, Hamtaro," she said soothingly, "you're in love."

"Love?" Hamtaro spat out. "Have you ever felt this way about anyone?" he said, feeling a little strange about it all.

"Yeah," Pashmina nodded. "I feel the same way around you."

"So…I'm in love with you?" Hamtaro questioned, blushing a little.

Pashmina smiled. "Yes," she said soothingly. "And I'm in love with you," she said, before quickly kissing him.

"Wow," Hamtaro said breathlessly after she kissed him. "Did you just kiss me?"

Pashmina nodded. "Yeah…is something wrong?"

"No," Hamtaro said, "I just feel especially dizzy and warm. And," he paused and got excited, "hey! I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach!"

Pashmina giggled and Hamtaro hugged her. "Thanks for explaining all of this stuff, Pashmina. It's a lot clearer now."

Pashmina smiled. "You're welcome, Hamtaro," she said before walking off with her hand in his. She brushed her scarf out of the way.

"Thanks again for the scarf," she said sweetly, and Hamtaro laughed.

"Aww, it was nothing," he said before kissing her.

She giggled after he stopped, and she blushed. "You're a fast learner, Hamtaro."

Hamtaro chuckled before walking with her hand in hand again. "Thanks. I owe it all to you."

"So, where exactly are we going?" Pashmina questioned.

"To tell everyone it's your birthday," Hamtaro smiled and then Pashmina smiled, too.

"Thanks," she said softly.

He just smiled at her gently as they made their way to where Boss and the others were.

--END—

My first Hamtaro fic. Good? Bad? Please review!