Hamster-sitting

Note: The story idea comes from April's incredibly funny shounen ai fic, And in the Morning. You can read it here.

Hamster-sitting

Fluffy-san was a hamster. A cute, white and brown hamster that little Pan-chan had taken care of for quite some time. She had begged and pleaded with her tousan for the thing when they passed the pet store window at the mall and Videl talked him into letting her have something small like that. She said it was great responsibility training. So he did and Pan had hugged him hard and said that she would love him forever. Gohan had laughed and said just wait until the teenage years hit. She would change her mind.

Now precious little Fluffy-san was now in the temporary care of another. Another named Son Goku, that is. You see, Pan-chan was going on a one-week camping trip with Videl and Gohan and unfortunately Fluffy-san wouldn't like the wilderness very much seeing as one of the wild animals might get hungry for a little snack. So after a *very* tearful farewell, Fluffy-san was left in his cage at her grandparents' house along with a pretty lengthy list of his likes and dislikes as well as caring instructions all written in Pan's childish scrawl.

Goku stared at that list now, turning it around and around trying to figure out something. What did it say? They all knew that he couldn't read very well. It was just a skill that he hadn't picked up.

"Goku-sa," ChiChi took it from her hands. "It just says that you have to feed him once-a-day, clean out his cage on Saturday, and sing pop music to him because he seems to like that." She smiled. "It's a big job."

"Hai," Goku put a hand behind his head. "I hope I do okay!" Then ChiChi left the room and he looked at the little guy.

"He looks hungry," Goku said to himself. "I better feed him before he dies." So he grabbed a handfull of pellets, took his dish out, and put them all into the small bowl. It was too many but Goku thought that it would be a good snack for later on. How can too much food be bad?

The next day Goku woke up early and remembered Fluffy. Remembered to feed him that is. So Goku got the box of hamster pellets from the table next to his cage and opened the little door.

"Here's your breakfast, Fluffy-san!" He said cheerfully as he refilled his dish and changed his water. Upon returning these things to his cage he noticed something funny. "Fluffy-san?" He asked aloud. Then he poked him with his index finger. The hamster sort of fell onto his side.

"Oh kami!" Goku panicked. "I killed Fluffy-san!"

"Goku-sa is something wrong?" ChiChi came into the room, purse in hand.

He plastered the fakest grin in existence onto his face. "Iie, ChiChi. I'm fine. Everything's perfectly fine!"

"Okay..." She was staring at him strangely. "Well, I'm going to the store for some groceries and I'm taking the car."

"Alright ChiChi. Bye ChiChi!"

She was still confused but she left the house anyway.

"What am I going to do?" Goku's eyes darted left and right nervously. "Pan trusted me to take care of her hamster and I killed it in one day! Well," he sighed. "I can at least bury him."

Goku thought it wouldn't be a funeral without at least one other person there so he called one his closest friends, Vegeta.

"You want me to WHAT?" Vegeta asked in shock.

"I want you to attend Fluffy-san's funeral. I'm doing the eulogy. Pan would do it, but she's not here."

"Pan asked you to take care of her hamster," Vegeta began slowly.

"Hai."

"...and you killed it the very next day?"

He looked down embarrassedly even though Vegeta couldn't see him. "Hai."

Vegeta began to laugh loudly. He couldn't help it. "You killed it the next day!"

"It's not funny Vegeta! Just please come over so I can give him a proper funeral."

"Alright," Vegeta grumbled. "I don't know why I'm doing this...."

"Because you like Pan," he said simply.

"Yeah, I guess that's it."

***

They stood around the grave in Goku's backyard. Fluffy-san lay in a shoe box next to the hole and Goku had his head bowed.

"We are gathered here today to say goodbye to Fluffy-san," Goku sniffed. "He was a very good hamster and we all loved him a lot."

"Get to the blasted point," Vegeta muttered.

"If Pan were here with us right now, I'm sure that she would tell you how much she cared about..... about...." Then Goku burst into tears and fell to his knees. "WHY FLUFFY?! WHY?! COULDN'T YOU HAVE TAKEN VEGETA INSTEAD?!"

"Nani...? Hey!" Vegeta dragged him to his feet. "Get a hold of yourself, Kakarott."

"Gomen nasai. I didn't mean that last one."

"We can do something about this," the shorter saiyan said slowly.

"How?" Then Goku's eyes lit up. "We can get the Dragonballs and wish him back! Yeah!"

Vegeta hit him. "Bakayaro, why would we waste a wish on a stupid hamster?"

"He wasn't stupid... But you're right. That would be a little extreme."

"I was thinking about going to the pet store and finding another that looked exactly like him."

"That's a great idea Veggie-chan! You're a genius!"

He frowned at the use of that nickname but he nodded nonetheless. "I know."

***

They went to the mall, the very same mall that had Satan City Pets. They might have another hamster that looked like Fluffy-san.

Goku smiled at the rabbits and puppies and kittens. He wanted one for himself now.

"Kakarott, do you want to end up killing every pet in the City?"

His face fell. "No. That would be bad."

"Can I help you?" A salesman asked as he saw them around the hamsters.

"We need another one to match this one," Goku held the paper bag up to his face.

The wrinkled his nose and man turned away. "Yes, that one *is* quite dead."

Goku's eyes misted over a bit but he didn't cry. "Do you have one? It's my granddaughter's and she let me babysit him for a week."

"How long have you had him?"

He looked embarrassed once again so Vegeta said it for him.

"A day."

"I think that's a new record! People usually come back in a week or two trying to get a new one for their children." The salesman began to gently move the hamsters around. We have a lot of brown ones."

"There's one!" Goku pointed. It had white spots just like the other one. "Wait, what kind of hamster is that?"

"Huh?"

"What... kind?"

"He means what sex is it?" Vegeta smirked. Goku blushed at the word.

"Oh a female."

"Well, I know Fluffy-san was male. So, do you have a male one like that? Maybe she has a twin."

"I'm sorry sir," he shook his head. "This is the only one who looks like that one."

"Okay," Goku sighed.

Vegeta frowned and tried to find a reason why he was being so nice today. 'Maybe Bulma put nice pills in my cereal.' "Kakarott, we can just go to another pet shop."

"You mean it?" He asked excitedly. He hugged Vegeta tightly. "Thank you!"

"Let me go Kakarott!"

***

Twelve pet shops later, they had finally found a rodent that looked exactly like the old Fluffy-san. Goku took him home and put Fluffy Jr. into the cage with a happy smile.

"Kakarott," Vegeta said as they buried the other one, "you will promise to feed that hamster once and *only* once per day."

He nodded. "Hai, Vegeta."

"And you will only give a teeny, tiny little amount of food. Tiny to you that is."

"Hai, Vegeta."

"And you will *never* have to call me again to attend some funeral."

"Hai Vegeta!"

"Good." He nodded. "I'm going home. We'll spar later."

"Usual place?"

"Usual place."

***

The day Pan returned she hugged her Goku-ojiichan and ran over to Fluffy-san's cage. "Hello Fluffy! How are- AH!" she shrieked.

Everyone came running. "Nani? Nani?"

"Fluffy-san's dead!"

Goku's eyes widened and he began to mutter to himself. "I didn't over feed him or overwater him or anything!"

"Tousan," Gohan said. "Fluffy was already sick before we left."

Goku blinked. "Huh?"

"Hai. I knew he was going to go soon but not this soon."

"That means I didn't kill the other one!"

Pan frowned at him. "What other one?"

"Um, well Vegeta and I went to the pet store and found you another one who looked just like the old Fluffy-san. I have no idea why this one died."

"Oh my kami you killed Fluffy!" She cried. "You meanie!"

"I'll get you something else," Goku said as he picked her up. "Just don't cry! I can't stand to see you cry."

"Okay, Goku-ojiichan. Can I have a puppy?" She asked. "Please?"

Goku looked at everyone. "Can we have a puppy? Please?"

Gohan laughed. "We'll talk."