Lucky, a hamtaro fanfic

CFB: Normally I hate songs like these, but this one actually makes me smile, even though I hear it CONSTANTLY at work. And, while I was trying to think of a song to use for this fic (whilst at work) this song came on and wham! Idea. This fic has been a long time coming…so I needed to get this posted! Just a little one-shot of gratitude.

This fic is dedicated to Michaiah – who is an awesome reviewer and friend on this site, and I wanted to thank her. I finally got to sit down and write this, and I'm sorry it's late (like, a few months late…), but I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Hamtaro, it's characters, and the song Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait are not mine.

Enjoy!

Lucky

Do you hear me?
I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky oh my, baby I'm trying

When she told him that she didn't mind that he was going to University an ocean away, in an entirely different country, he believed her. And when he told himself that staying in touch across that ocean would be easy, and it would be just like being near her in person, he honestly believed it.

Only when he got to that distant shore, and she wasn't there to ask him, "How was your day, Maxy?" after a particularly dreary day of classes, or fix his bangs when they started to stick up, or tease him about his love for books, did he realize that it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would to be away from her. When the rain streaked across the fog-covered window of his London flat, he wondered if it was raining where she was, or if, when it rained, she wondered if it was raining where he was.

And he hoped, deep in his heart, that she knew he was trying. That the ocean, no matter how vast it was, could not dampen the bond that tied them was difficult, being restricted to maybe a phone call a week and scattered letters and e-mails, but he was doing everything he could to remind her that one day soon, they would see each other again. Nothing could weaken the bond that connected their hearts.

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard,

When he told her that he was going to University over in England, she told him that she didn't mind. But really, at first, she felt like her heart had sunk to the bottom of the English Channel, though she had tried desperately not to let it show that she felt that way – she didn't want him to feel guilty about going for his dreams, even if she felt a nagging pain knowing that he would soon be gone. The idea of not seeing him everyday, as she had since they were five, seemed ridiculous to her - but his grey eyes had shone so brightly when he had shown her his acceptance letter, to the school of his dreams, and she couldn't help but smile and congratulate him, even if she felt like being stuck in their hometown, while he was off seeing another country - and the girls of another country - would be unbearable.

But she knew that he cared, and he was trying hard. Whenever he called, she could hear the sincerity in his voice when he said that he missed her, and it made it easier for her to cope with being alone. And it made it easier for her to believe the 'see you soons' in his letters and e-mails as well, despite the fact that she knew they might be empty promises.

He meant well. That was all that mattered to her. When it was sunny, and she was out for a jog or a walk amongst the sunflowers, she would remember how he had held her hand whenever they used to walk together, and she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. But even her imagination couldn't truly fill the ache in her chest.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Oooohhh......

Whenever he missed her, he would remember what had brought them together in the first place. That fateful conversation on the swing-set, outside their kindergarten classroom, all those years ago...

Even as a five-year old, she had a very commanding personality, and seemed to exude intimidation like it was her perfume of choice. She wore her soccer uniform to school a lot, and her clothes always seemed to have either a patch of dirt or a grass-stain on them from roughhousing with the boys in their class - while his were always immaculately clean, and he never let his glasses look even slightly imbalanced on his nose. And that day, with a grey sky looming overhead, she had marched up to him on that swing-set, as he sat reading his new book about trains, and demanded, her green eyes sharp and piercing,

"Give me that swing! That swing is mine, and you stole it!"

He had been so bewildered by the bedraggled appearance of the tomboy, the "No," had passed through his lips before he had time to really process what she was saying.

Then she had proceeded to knock his book out of his hands and push him backwards off the swing, sticking her tongue out at him as she did so. Effectively, for him, at least, it was love at first sight...or rather, love at first shove.

Every time he remembered that moment, he smiled. He may have stolen her swing that day, but she had stolen something much more important from him - his heart. And she had kept it safe for the past fifteen years, even now, when they were apart with only promises of a brighter tomorrow to hold themselves up with.

He hoped she smiled too, when she remembered.

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

Her friends tried to sympathize with her, but they really couldn't. Bijou had Hamtaro, and they had recently moved into an apartment together while they attended the local University. Pashmina and Jingle were exclusive now, after at least a year of flirtation, despite the singer/poet's growing popularity around town, and even Penelope, now a junior in high school, had found companionship in Cappy, a senior – something that each of them had seen coming for the longest time. Even her brother Stan, the notorious flirt of Hamutown, had settled down with a kindly Nurse-in-training named Flora! (And supposedly, he hadn't so much as looked at another girl yet, which was a real shocker.)

Sometimes it was hard for Sandy to be out with her girl friends, as they chattered on and on about their boyfriends. During High School, she had been the envy of all her friends – the only one with a steady boyfriend, and a doting one at that – but now it had all been flipped upside down, and reversed into a reality she wasn't used to. And seeing Hamtaro hold Bijou's hand to help her step over a mud puddle as they walked along the city streets, or hearing Jingle recite his latest love poem to Pashmina, made her heart feel like it was twisting in her chest, as if trying to escape. Everyone had a hand to hold now, and a shoulder to cry on…but hers was across an ocean, too far for her to reach across when she felt lonely.

She missed him – no, that was an understatement. It had been two years since she had last seen his smile in person (he didn't have enough money to come home for the summer holidays, so he had signed up for summer classes instead), and she was afraid that she would soon forget the kindly gleam of his warm, grey eyes, or the pleasant note of his laughter. But even when it seemed like despair was all she could feel about being apart from him, she would remember that he loved her – and he had promised that he would see her soon.

He had never lied to her before. She had faith that soon, he would deliver that promise.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

After two years, he really couldn't take it.

The rain-soaked streets, the constant need for coffee (and only being able to find tea), always missing the bus he needed, and studying for long hours was bearable. In fact, it had become, as he adapted to life as a University student, quite routine. He was used to having bags under his eyes, droll professors lecturing him, and being away from the comfort of Hamutown. Even his normally immaculate brown hair now constantly stood up at odd angles, and every time he looked in a mirror he cringed, it was another thing he had just gotten used to.

But being away from her was never routine.

And he couldn't stand it any longer.

He gathered all of what he needed into a tattered duffel bag, scribbled a hasty note of explanation to his roommate, dug all the cash he had out of his sock drawer, and, as he hailed a taxi, prayed that there would still be some tickets left when he got to the airport…

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music, fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair
Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

Sandy had never been a fan of surprises, but after that sun-shine filled day in May, she had an abrupt change of heart.

She was sitting alone in the field of sunflowers behind her house, a past-time she had often shared with him, when he was home. Bijou had just cancelled their plans together (Hamtaro had gotten his head stuck in the bars of the staircase yet again), but she was content with that – she often enjoyed a nice, leisurely afternoon of sitting in the warm sun, under a pale blue sky as yellow petals danced around her, a breeze caressing her face. But it irked her that her cell phone was painfully silent in her pocket. He had promised to call today…

He had never broken a promise before…

As she sat, knees drawn up to her chin, she was only vaguely aware of the sound of rustling behind her. Only as it drew closer, and she could hear the plod of footsteps, did she close her eyes, wondering who had the gall to interrupt her, and, assuming it was her irritating brother, barked,

"Stan, for the last time, I am not telling you where I hid the oreos. You like, ate them all last time!"

There was a familiar, heartwarming chuckle from behind. Sandy could feel the hair on her arms stand on end, and her green eyes widened. Was her imagination just taunting her, now?

"C'mon, Sandy. You know I prefer chocolate chip."

His voice was all the confirmation she needed. She shot to her feet and whirled around, in a second that seemed to take hours, coming face to face with him for the first time in two years. He looked – well, to be honest, he looked positively awful – like he hadn't bathed in three days, with his shaggy chestnut hair standing up at awkward angles, holes in his best jeans, and a ratty duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. Even her grass-stained khakis looked clean compared to him.

And regardless, he was still better than she remembered, because he was here at last.

She crossed the short distance between them and threw herself into his arms, choosing not to care that he smelled like the bathroom at an airport terminal, and reveled in the fact that they were together again, and he had kept his promise after all. He had come across an ocean to see her again, and he was much warmer than she remembered. And in that instant, all the sorrow and the guilt and the pain of being separated melted away, and they were both able to relax, and let out twin, perfectly contented sighs. He felt at last like he was home, and she felt like she was whole again.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe how lucky they were.

After they broke their embrace, Sandy felt her pocket vibrate, signaling a text message. He grinned as she pulled out her phone and read it, and a sparkle came into her brightened green eyes – eyes he had missed dearly.

Text Message!

From: Maxy

Told you I'd see you soon!

Hope you enjoyed!