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Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hamtaro, and I never will.
Guess what?! It's the new story, sequel to Nothing you Love is Lost! Visit N.Y.L.I.L. under my FanFiction pen-name, TerraLuna17! I hope ya like it! For a picture of Keona, go here: http://www.geocities.com/viennawood/keona.jpg
Chapter Three: Meeka
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If Keona had been alone in this journey, she was positive that the utmost horror and fear would dwell in her heart as she slowly put distance between herself and her friends. She was not, however, alone. The mere fact that the love of her life was with her was enough to comfort her in her nightmares for years to come.
"So," Panda said quietly, "Where should we head first?"
Keona froze. She hadn't thought about that. Mina could be anywhere in the world. Where should she go? It was three years ago, Mina could have moved all the way to the other side of the world by now.
"Do you remember where you came from when you first found the clubhouse?" Panda suggested. Keona nodded.
"Yeah. I came from downtown, and I got there from the cornfields over to the east." Panda smiled.
"Do you remember where the owl dropped you? I don't..."
"Yeah," Keona murmured, suddenly somber. "I visit it once in a while. Why? Do you think we should try and find her old house?"
"Yeah," Panda nodded. "I think that's where we should start."
Keona mentally berated herself. Why hadn't she thought of that? Panda smiled at her, and she felt better. She tried to hug him, but he turned it into a passionate kiss, and they didn't move for several minutes. The devoted love they shared had been more than Keona could ever hope for when she was a child. Looking back, Keona couldn't believe the stroke of luck she had experienced when she was reunited with her love.
Within an hour they were so far away from their home, that a sickening feeling of despair filled her heart, and Keona wanted to cry.
The farther away Panda and Keona walked, the sharper and shakier her breath was. It wasn't long before hopeless tears were streaming freely down her face. As soon as Panda noticed, his eyes widened.
"Keona? What's wrong? Oh, no... what-"
Keona shushed him with a paw to his lips. "I'm okay... it's just that I have this horrible feeling that we'll never see them again... Hamtaro, and Bijou, and Sandy... oh, Panda-" She fell into his waiting arms and held him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
What's wrong with me? Why does... It hurt so much... she thought, squeezing Panda still harder. After her sobs subsided, Panda looked into her eyes and whispered, "Of course we'll see them again. We can visit them every day! Don't you worry about that, Keona... "
Still holding his hand, Keona gazed mournfully up at the sky. Black clouds were hiding the moon.
Suddenly, a yowl emitted from somewhere behind them. The two whirled and gasped at what they saw. A pack of six alleycats were only ten feet away! The leader was a large golden tomcat with a slightly bent tail. The cats were not, however, looking at the two hamsters. they were stalking a small figure, about half of Keona's size. Since it was in shadow and there was no light but the stars, they couldn't see it.
Suddenly the leader yowled again and they took off after their prey, who bolted off quicker than Keona and Panda could follow. They quickly followed them around the corner and saw that three cats had cornered it and the other two were watching over the shoulders of their leader and his henchmen. One cat, a thin silver and black one, let out a low hiss and their prey squeaked loudly in terror.
Just then the clouds parted to reveal a shining full moon. It lit up the alley as a small white-and-chestnut hamster raced behind the group of cats, pounding along the ground and squeaking like nobody's business. The cats all whirled around and took off after Keona while Panda rushed up and grabbed the prey they had been stalking. It was a mouse, red, white and black, and a female mouse at that. Panda smiled. Keona knew what she was doing.
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(A/N: First Person: Keona) I had been chased by alleycats often, occasionally in this exact alley. Therefore, I knew some secrets. I bolted across the alley until I reached the side of a building. Searching frantically, I finally spotted a small step ladder that descended down from a window. I quickly scurried up it and watched with glee as the cats circled beneath me. I knew Panda would have gotten into a safe spot by then.
I smiled at the ladder that had the window closed on it, attaching it firmly. I remembered sneaking into this person's apartment to attach this ladder, knowing it would come in handy one day.
As the cats slowly left, I climbed down cautiously. When I reached the bottom, I surveyed the predators as they stalked away dejectedly. When they were out of sight, I ran down to meet Panda, who was comforting the mouse.
"It's okay... it's okay... they're gone now..." Panda was saying softly. "It's all right..." I grinned.
"You're a natural born father," I remarked slyly.
Panda whipped around and blushed furiously. I didn't want to cause a conflict, so I changed the subject.
"Well, now, what should be do with Squeaky there?" Panda sneered.
"You're one to talk, Keona. I was trying hard not to burst out laughing when you sprinted across, squealing like a guinea pig!" I gave him a nasty look.
"You're avoiding my question. Should we keep him with us?"
"Umm..." Panda muttered, avoiding my eyes. "Actually, I think she's a girl." He blushed even redder and I laughed, then narrowed my eyes.
"Seriously, why are you avoiding my question? Is there a problem?" Panda shook his head vigorously.
"No, it's not that, it's just that... well, I don't know whether she belongs to someone or not. How can we know?" I frowned thoughtfully.
"Well, we could ask her. Has she said anything to you yet?" Panda shook his head.
"She hasn't said anything yet, but let's try." The two walked over to the mouse who was eagerly surveying the alley.
"Hello?" I ventured. "My name is Keona. Where do you live?" The mouse smiled up at me and cried, "Meeka!"
Panda and I glanced nervously at eachother, both wondering the same thing. This time Panda tried.
"I'm Panda. Do you live around here? Do you have a human?" But the mouse only smiled. "Meeka!" she cried excitedly. Panda shrugged.
"Well, I guess she's too young to talk. But does that mean she has an owner?" he wondered disappointedly. I was disappointed.
"Well, I guess we shouldn't risk it. Come on, it's late. We gotta set up camp somewhere." We started to walk away, but the mouse followed them briskly, scampering along behind them. I sighed.
"Sorry, little one, but you can't stay with us!" We started off again, but the mouse still followed. Panda looked extremely pained.
"Keona, what do we do?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the mouse.
For an answer, I took Panda's hand and led him away, leaving the mouse behind. She sat there and watched them with mournful eyes. I looked back and noticed, and as I watched, the mouse flipped her head back and cried out sorrowfully. I stopped walking as the horrible sound echoed in my soul. I looked pleadingly at my lover.
"Panda, come on, can you say no to that??" Accenting her remark, I gestured toward the wailing child. Panda shook his head, and smiled grimly.
"No, I can't. Okay, okay, we can take her with us." I jumped up and down, laughing and clapping. Why do i always have to be the grown-up? thought Panda peevishly. but he didn't say that. Instead, he asked, "What should we call her?"
"Well," I replied, "That's obvious, isn't it? She's Meeka!" Smiling, I ran back to Meeka and gathered her in my arms. The child stopped crying and started laughing joyously, with no restraint to her bliss. Oh, to be young again, I thought, smiling at Panda.