A/N: O____O Whoa! It's been so long since I've updated! Yikes...Sorry everybody^^;; I guess it's just kinda been awhile since I've visited ff.net. Uhh, the delay was because...um... I was...busy tying Dex and Howdy down! Y-yeah, that's it! They were fighting so much that--
Howdy: GIMME MY ABACUS, DEXTER!
._.;; bah... I should tell him that I took the abacus, ne?
Dexter: O_O So YOU took it?! Well tell him, and get him off my back already!
O_O Uhh... *shoves Dex* Go fight like a man! _;; ^^;; Anyways, again, I'm really sorry for not updating in so long, so as a special treat, I'm putting in both chapter 12 and 13! Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 12: Boss and Bijou Found! Truth Revealed: Innocence!
"Well, how about the ferris wheel?" Bijou said.
"Uh..." Boss began, looking at his feet. "I, uh..."
"Hm? What is it, Boss, is something the matter?" Bijou asked.
"Uh, n-no, of course not, Bijou!" Boss said, looking up. "It's perfect! I-I'm having a wonderful time! I...should be enjoying myself like this..." Boss looked at his feet again. "I'm...having so much fun with you, that I...don't want it to ever stop... There isn't anywhere else in the world I'd rather be..."
Bijou glanced at Boss. Was this it? Instead of being confessed to by the one she had only hoped for love from, she was going to be confessed to by the one she had seen as an older brother? "Hamtaro did not confess to me..." she thought. "...so the least I can do is let Boss have a happy holiday..."
"Boss, is there...something that you wanted to tell me?" Bijou said, almost wanting to cry. "Why am I so upset?" she thought. "I should not be so selfish... Many people do not get to be with the ones they want... And besides, someone actually loves me... I am lucky for that!" she thought deeper, trying to crack a smile.
"Bi-Bijou... The truth is..." Boss said, turning redder and redder by every word he spoke. Then, he was cut off by a loud screech. Nearby was a bicycling ham-ham with two familiar faces climbing off the bike...one of which was holding a box.
"C'mon, you gotta be kidding! Don't be so cheap!" the owner of the bicycle said, obnoxiously.
"L-look, uh, sorry, dude, can I give you an IOU?" Stan said, sweating.
"Ya can't get blood outta a turnip! That's all the seeds we got with us! Hmph!" Howdy said, walking off.
"Look, sorry man, we're in a hurry. It's a race...for true love! And, uh...Christmasey-mushy kinda stuff like that. See--" Stan began.
"Fine, fine, don't gimme the details. Spare the sap, the ride's on the house." he said. "Merry Christmas!" He yelled, riding off.
Howdy and Stan ran over to Boss and Bijou the minute they saw them.
"Howdy? Stan? What in the world--shouldn't you be at the party?"
"The party was cancelled as soon as you two went missin'! Now then..." Howdy said, reaching into the pocket of his apron. He pulled out a note and handed it to Bijou. "Here, read this!"
Bijou saw that the note was the same one attatched to Hamtaro's gift. "No...no thank you. I do not want to see that. What good would that do now? I know the truth about what happened at the party." She sighed sadly. Boss remembered his guilt of knowing what the note was really about, and the guilt quickly started to grow more and more.
"C'mon, Bijou, you gotta read it! If ya do--" Howdy was cut off.
"No thank you!" Bijou said firmly and angrily, slapping the note right out of Howdy's paw.
Boss looked at the shock on Howdy's face, then the anger on Bijou's. He couldn't stand it anymore... He knew that if he really loved and cared for Bijou, he wouldn't keep secrets like this from her. He bent over and picked up the note, then slowly started to read in a weak voice.
"Dear Ham-Hams, thank you for everything you've done for me up until now. The time has come for me to be honest and tell everyone how I feel..."
"Boss, I have heard enough. Let's go on the ferris wheel now." Bijou said as she began to walk away with her stick. Boss stopped her and forcefully grabbed her by the arm.
"I'm not finished...Bijou! Just...listen!" Boss said, continuing. "Ever since the first day I met my new friends, my feelings have fluttered all because of who I care about very much, and things haven't seemed to have changed since..."
Bijou slightly grunted, trying to pull away from Boss's grip.
"And now, I feel like I haven't appreciated it enough. I love all of you, ham-hams. I feel as if I could spend the rest of my life with you, and I hope that these...wonderful days of paradise, playing and meeting with you every day...continue for the rest of my life..." Boss started to break up a little. "All my love...and hope for our future..." he stopped to sniffle. "Hamtaro."
Bijou couldn't believe it. "So...the note was not for Pashmina after all?"
"Naw, Bijou, he gave gifts to all of us! You just happened to walk in when Pashmina was gettin' hers!"
"Yeah, that's why the box was so heavy. And look!" Stan said, opening the box he was holding. He pulled out a pair of red ribbons and a red santa-like coat. "Yours was the biggest out of all of them!" Stan exclaimed.
"But...What if that is just...coincidence?" Bijou wondered aloud. "What if Hamtaro...still does not understand my feelings for him? After all, that present was for all of the ham-hams...and it is the special Christmas Eve where all of your dreams come true if...if you..."
"Bijou, he even told all of us that he liked you back at the clubhouse. What more proof do you need?" Stan said sternly.
"I... Oh, but...Stan, you do not mind? Back at Acorn Mountain, when Hamtaro and I--"
"Yeah, well I'm...just in the mood for Christmas, that's all..." Stan said, folding his arms.
Bijou smiled. "Merci beacoup, Stan. Merci beacoup, Howdy. Though...I... I just do not know... Maybe I should not bother Hamtaro..." she said, beginning to feel discouraged.
"Bi..." Boss said, stopping to sniffle again. "Bijou..." he said, looking away. Bijou looked at him, worried. Should she let Boss be happy, or go be with Hamtaro?
"You...only have until midnight tonight... I was gonna tell you that..." his speech became stuffy as he tried to hold back his crying. "That...my wish...for this special Christmas Eve is... the only thing I want this year is.... for you...to be...happy... with whoever it is you want to be happy with. Now...it's the one special Eve where any wish you want...can come true...so..." He turned around and smiled at Bijou, looking at her through teary eyes. "You have to hurry." he said softly.
Bijou was nearly silenced. Boss was letting her go? "I cannot believe it..." she thought. "If Hamtaro loved someone other than me...I do not think I would be able to give him up so easily...even if it did make him happy... Boss must love me more than I thought he did..."
"Merci, Boss. Thank you very much for your kindness. Merry Christmas, all of you." she said. "Do any of you know where Hamtaro might be?" she asked, trying to seem more grateful than impatient.
"He and Cappy are searching around the Northwest area of the park." Stan said.
"Searching? For what?" Bijou said.
"For a certain 'lil French ham-girl who ran off!" Howdy said, smirking.
"Hey, hey! Don't make things any worse!" Boss said, roughly scrunching his nose against Howdy's.
"Oh my goodness! They are looking for me? Oh dear I must go find them!"
"All right! C'mon, you two, let's get goin'!" Howdy said, running over to Bijou's side.
"Right!" Stan said, running towards them.
"What's the hold up, Boss-man?" Stan asked.
"Uh... Y-you guys go ahead. I think I'm gonna...maybe ride a couple-a rides before we go back to the clubhouse."
"Okay, Boss." Bijou said. She figured he had earned a break from running around. After all, he had just gone through something very painful for him. "Well, let's go, boys!" she said.
Howdy looked back at Boss. He had said that he wanted to go on rides...but Howdy knew it was something deeper than that. He saw the dishonesty and heartbreak in Boss's eyes...and wanted to do something about it.
"Uh...Bijou? I think I'm gonna stay here for awhile 'n...maybe uh...get some popcorn!" Howdy said.
"Heke?" Boss thought.
"Oui. Alright then." Bijou said. She and Stan were off to find Hamtaro, along with the other ham-hams still looking.
"Well, Boss, which ride d'ya wanna go on first? Ya up to a roller coaster? Yee haw!"
Boss sweatdropped. "...Alright..." he muttered.
****end of chapter 12****
Dexter: *eyes Ravens suspiciously* Well, Boss came clean, shouldn't you?
*sigh* Alright. Howdy!
Howdy: WHERE IS IT---Heke?
I took the abacus! I'm sorry! @_@ *gives abacus back*
Howdy: Oh...Heh, well, there it is. No problem.
Er...that's it? O_O You're not mad? Well, you should apologize to Dex for accusing him so much^^;;
Howdy: ¬_¬ ...Well...Alright. Sorry bout that, Dex.
Dexter: *sigh* It's alright, it was just a misunderstanding.
Howdy: Hyuk...a lil embarrassin', too. ^^; *turns a little red*
O_O HEY HEY HEY! I promised no yaoi or yuri in this story!
Howdy and Dexter: O_____O HEKE?! *back away from each other*
...o.o right. -_- Anyways, here's chapter 13!
Chapter 13: Almost There! Confession Time? Ready!
"Oh dear! I am so sorry, sir, I did not mean to--Panda?" Bijou said.
"Bi-Bijou? Hey Maxwell, look! It's Bijou! And...Stan?" Panda said curiously.
"Hmm? Hey Bijou!" Maxwell said, running over. "Wait...If Bijou's here, then where's Boss?"
"Boss was with me. He and Howdy are out on the rides now." Bijou said.
"Oh, I see." Maxwell said.
"Well, if you see the two of them again, would you tell Boss that we're going to all meet at the Minihamuzu show at midnight? They're calling it "Merryhamuzu", and we're gonna watch it and then go home." Panda said.
"Oh my, that sounds so exciting!" Bijou said.
"Oh, Bijou, Hamtaro wanted us to tell you something else too!" Maxwell said.
"Heke? What is it?" Bijou said.
"You're supposed to meet him just before the show at the Moonlight Bridge." Maxwell said, pulling out a map.
"The...Moonlight Bridge?" Bijou asked.
"Yes, see?" he continued, pointing to it. "It's called the Moonlight Bridge, because the moonlight always hits the pond underneath it at night, and it's magnificent!"
"It's a very romantic meeting place, Bijou. He's probably got a good confession in store for you!" Panda said cheerfully.
Bijou felt as excited as when Pashmina and Sandy told her about the gift. This time, maybe it would be for real! She turned a deep, deep red and fantasized of what may happen at the bridge. "Oh, it will be just like in all of Maxwell's romance novels that Sandy has told me about!"
"Well, I guess we all better get going! We need to tell more ham-hams that we found you!" Maxwell said.
"Oui!" Bijou said, still excited.
"Bye-Q!" Maxwell exclaimed.
"Later, you guys!" Panda said.
"See ya!" Stan yelled. He and Bijou continued walking down the busy roads of the festival.
[11:30 P.M.]
As it started to snow, Bijou and Stan decided it was time for them to start making their way to the theater entrance.
"Hey Bijou, you want a snack or somethin'?" Stan asked.
Bijou didn't even hear Stan. She was too busy thinking about the Moonlight Bridge confession. "Oh it will be absolutely perfect! The thought of a moonlit lake reminds me of France! Oh, I can see it now... He will tell me how he feels, and I will tell him once again, and he will be so happy when he notices me wearing the beautiful coat and ribbons that he ga--" Bijou froze right there.
"Huh? Uh, what's the matter, Bijou?" Stan said, stopping and looking back at Bijou.
"Stan...Where is my present from Hamtaro?" she asked quietly.
"The present? Oh yeah, it's...uh..." Stan began sweating. "Oh jeez! We must have left it over on that bench by the ferris wheel!"
"What?!" Bijou exclaimed. She began running over to the southern side of the park.
"Wow, she's pretty athletic for a French chick!" Stan thought. "Hey Bijou, slow down!" he said, chasing her. "Wow, Hamtaro's lucky! She's got a sweet butt!" Stan thought to himself, grinning.
[Among the others at the fair...]
"Well, the show's gonna start soon, so I guess we better start heading toward the stage entrance..." Boss mumbled.
"Yeah..." Howdy sighed. "I guess so."
The two of them started walking along the path. Boss had a caramel-covered sunflower seed, from which he had taken one bite. Howdy looked at him and was...a little concerned.
"Uh..hey, Boss? You eatin' that thing or what?" Howdy said softly. For the first time, he was actually trying not to be loud and obnoxious.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, this? Krrmp-krrmp-krrmp! Hehe...delicious!" Boss said. Soon enough, though, he stopped eating and stared back into space.
Howdy looked at him again. He thought he had seen a tear trickle down Boss's cheek. He had never seen Boss so serious about his sadness before. It reminded him of...himself.
"Boss, are you--"
Boss moaned and cut Howdy off. "Look, Howdy, if you want the seed, just say so, okay?"
"Uh...it's not that..." Howdy said nervously.
"Let's stop and rest for a minute, my paws are killin' me." Boss said, walking over to a nearby bench.
Howdy said nothing and just sat next to him.
"Quite honestly, Howdy...This Christmas sucks ass." Boss said.
"Heh, yeah.." Howdy snickered a bit. Boss had usually been pretty good about watching his mouth around the ham-hams, so Howdy had never heard him swear so freely before... It sounded a bit funny to him. Now he wanted to talk to Boss about it pretty badly...No one had ever understood him very well before, and...well, maybe this would be it.
"Boss-man..." Howdy said.
"Hm?" Boss replied, still staring out into space with the cold look on his chilled face.
"You were plannin' on tellin Bijou that ya love her tonight, weren't you?" Howdy said in a surprisingly serene voice.
Boss pressed his eyebrows firmly onto his half-numb face, trying to keep the tears from starting again. He shook his head and mumbled an "Mm-mm".
Howdy didn't understand why he denied it. He was making it a bit harder for them to connect, which was what he was aiming for. He decided to somewhat play along.
"Okay..." He began. "But don't feel bad... No matter how special today might be, I guess that means that not everyone gets to confess their love and...I dunno, live happily ever after, or whatever... Heck, look at me..."
"Heke?" Boss looked down at Howdy through his pair of old, tear-filled eyes. "But Howdy... Don't you have Pashmina? I mean, I guess it's... not too late to confess to her, ya know..." Boss cut himself off, sniffling some more.
"Well, y'see..." Howdy said, as he moved his arms behind his head to relax. "All through the party, she was laughin' 'n singin' 'n havin' a lotta fun with Dexter and Stan! Of course, Stan just probably joined in since Bijou wasn't there..."
"Mm-hmm," Boss said, nodding and even laughing a little bit.
"I tried to show off a little by...tellin' s'more-a my jokes, but.." Howdy cut himself off and yawned a bit. "Looks like, as usual, I just came off as...well, annoyin'. I mean, I...I really think that if I confessed to Pashmina, it'd only be, y'know... more trouble on her mind. She's been pretty worried about Bijou lately.
"Yeah, so have I." Boss said, blushing a bit. "So.. I guess... we're BOTH alone, aren't we, Howdy?"
"Heh... Yeah.. Guess so. But, ya know, that's all the more reason we want them to be happy, don't we? Ain't that the reason we keep workin' so hard for Bijou and Hamtaro?"
Boss nodded and wiped a tear away. He had always wanted Bijou to be happy...but with him, not Hamtaro. Everyone else had been working hard, but...he had just been selfish.
"Howdy..." Boss said, looking over at him.
"Hmm?"
"...Thanks...for, uh, talking to me about...all this."
"No problem. Thanks for listenin' to me."
"...No problem."
[Moonlight Bridge]
Hamtaro glanced up at the large clock. "It's already 11:45...The show starts at midnight... where could she be? Didn't she get the message?" he wondered. "I hope she's okay..." he sighed. "Things have already gone bad enough... What if we don't make it by midnight?" he sighed again and looked down.
"HAMTARO!!!" some familiar voices cried out.
"Ookwee! Ookwee!"
"Heke...Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope? What are you three doing here?"
The three girls tried to catch their breath from running so quickly. They panted and panted, trying to get the words out.
"Hamtaro---you gotta---.....Bijou---she's..." Sandy tried to get the words out.
Hamtaro's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "What? What happened to her?" he said immediately.
"No, no..." Pashmina exhaled. "It's--She's--not gonna make it to the---bridge..."
"I don't understand!" Hamtaro said, as tears began to form in his eyes. "Where is she? What's going on?!"
"Ookwee!" Penelope said.
Sandy took a deep breath. "Okay... Bijou got sidetracked, so she's not going to be able to make it."
"Yeah--" Pashmina said, still gasping. "Sh-she'll just have to...meet you at the show."
"What? Wh-why?" Hamtaro said.
"Like, sorry, Hamtaro...She wanted to get there really bad, but it's already only ten minutes until the show." Sandy said mournfully.
"Yeah...We're sorry, Hamtaro. We know how much you wanted this to be a special moment between you and Bijou... Uh, but it'll still be special!"
"Uh..Yeah! Even if it's not at some totally old bridge...She'll probably be very happy!" Sandy said, trying to put up a good face.
Hamtaro couldn't stand it, though. He wanted this to be special...for Bijou... and for himself. For the two of them. "I can't do it... I can't just let this go so easily..." he thought. Hamtaro had an angry look on his face, but still had tears in his eyes.
"Uh...Hamtaro?" Pashmina said softly.
"Like, are you okay? You can still see her at the show..." Sandy said.
"Ookwee?" Penelope added, as usual.
"I can't let this go to waste!" he yelled. "Listen, you guys, I'm gonna need your help! Follow me!" he yelled, charging off.
"Whoa! Hey, Hamtaro, wait up!"
"Like, slow down, boy!"
"Oo-ookwee!"
The three girls chased after him.
"Like, didn't we just finish running?"
"Yeah, but at least we'll have lost pounds from all this fair food!"
"Where are we going anyway?"
"I don't know, but at least it looks like he's headed for the theater entrance!"
****end of chapter 13****
*sigh* Well, that's all taken care of! Boss finally let Bijou have her way, and was cheered up a bit by Howdy, and now Hamtaro's wondering what to do for his big confession! So how'll it all work out? And I'm sorry to say this, but the next chapter will be the last. So I can't promise it'll be very long, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! For now, payce out! ^.~
Howdy: GIMME MY ABACUS, DEXTER!
._.;; bah... I should tell him that I took the abacus, ne?
Dexter: O_O So YOU took it?! Well tell him, and get him off my back already!
O_O Uhh... *shoves Dex* Go fight like a man! _;; ^^;; Anyways, again, I'm really sorry for not updating in so long, so as a special treat, I'm putting in both chapter 12 and 13! Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 12: Boss and Bijou Found! Truth Revealed: Innocence!
"Well, how about the ferris wheel?" Bijou said.
"Uh..." Boss began, looking at his feet. "I, uh..."
"Hm? What is it, Boss, is something the matter?" Bijou asked.
"Uh, n-no, of course not, Bijou!" Boss said, looking up. "It's perfect! I-I'm having a wonderful time! I...should be enjoying myself like this..." Boss looked at his feet again. "I'm...having so much fun with you, that I...don't want it to ever stop... There isn't anywhere else in the world I'd rather be..."
Bijou glanced at Boss. Was this it? Instead of being confessed to by the one she had only hoped for love from, she was going to be confessed to by the one she had seen as an older brother? "Hamtaro did not confess to me..." she thought. "...so the least I can do is let Boss have a happy holiday..."
"Boss, is there...something that you wanted to tell me?" Bijou said, almost wanting to cry. "Why am I so upset?" she thought. "I should not be so selfish... Many people do not get to be with the ones they want... And besides, someone actually loves me... I am lucky for that!" she thought deeper, trying to crack a smile.
"Bi-Bijou... The truth is..." Boss said, turning redder and redder by every word he spoke. Then, he was cut off by a loud screech. Nearby was a bicycling ham-ham with two familiar faces climbing off the bike...one of which was holding a box.
"C'mon, you gotta be kidding! Don't be so cheap!" the owner of the bicycle said, obnoxiously.
"L-look, uh, sorry, dude, can I give you an IOU?" Stan said, sweating.
"Ya can't get blood outta a turnip! That's all the seeds we got with us! Hmph!" Howdy said, walking off.
"Look, sorry man, we're in a hurry. It's a race...for true love! And, uh...Christmasey-mushy kinda stuff like that. See--" Stan began.
"Fine, fine, don't gimme the details. Spare the sap, the ride's on the house." he said. "Merry Christmas!" He yelled, riding off.
Howdy and Stan ran over to Boss and Bijou the minute they saw them.
"Howdy? Stan? What in the world--shouldn't you be at the party?"
"The party was cancelled as soon as you two went missin'! Now then..." Howdy said, reaching into the pocket of his apron. He pulled out a note and handed it to Bijou. "Here, read this!"
Bijou saw that the note was the same one attatched to Hamtaro's gift. "No...no thank you. I do not want to see that. What good would that do now? I know the truth about what happened at the party." She sighed sadly. Boss remembered his guilt of knowing what the note was really about, and the guilt quickly started to grow more and more.
"C'mon, Bijou, you gotta read it! If ya do--" Howdy was cut off.
"No thank you!" Bijou said firmly and angrily, slapping the note right out of Howdy's paw.
Boss looked at the shock on Howdy's face, then the anger on Bijou's. He couldn't stand it anymore... He knew that if he really loved and cared for Bijou, he wouldn't keep secrets like this from her. He bent over and picked up the note, then slowly started to read in a weak voice.
"Dear Ham-Hams, thank you for everything you've done for me up until now. The time has come for me to be honest and tell everyone how I feel..."
"Boss, I have heard enough. Let's go on the ferris wheel now." Bijou said as she began to walk away with her stick. Boss stopped her and forcefully grabbed her by the arm.
"I'm not finished...Bijou! Just...listen!" Boss said, continuing. "Ever since the first day I met my new friends, my feelings have fluttered all because of who I care about very much, and things haven't seemed to have changed since..."
Bijou slightly grunted, trying to pull away from Boss's grip.
"And now, I feel like I haven't appreciated it enough. I love all of you, ham-hams. I feel as if I could spend the rest of my life with you, and I hope that these...wonderful days of paradise, playing and meeting with you every day...continue for the rest of my life..." Boss started to break up a little. "All my love...and hope for our future..." he stopped to sniffle. "Hamtaro."
Bijou couldn't believe it. "So...the note was not for Pashmina after all?"
"Naw, Bijou, he gave gifts to all of us! You just happened to walk in when Pashmina was gettin' hers!"
"Yeah, that's why the box was so heavy. And look!" Stan said, opening the box he was holding. He pulled out a pair of red ribbons and a red santa-like coat. "Yours was the biggest out of all of them!" Stan exclaimed.
"But...What if that is just...coincidence?" Bijou wondered aloud. "What if Hamtaro...still does not understand my feelings for him? After all, that present was for all of the ham-hams...and it is the special Christmas Eve where all of your dreams come true if...if you..."
"Bijou, he even told all of us that he liked you back at the clubhouse. What more proof do you need?" Stan said sternly.
"I... Oh, but...Stan, you do not mind? Back at Acorn Mountain, when Hamtaro and I--"
"Yeah, well I'm...just in the mood for Christmas, that's all..." Stan said, folding his arms.
Bijou smiled. "Merci beacoup, Stan. Merci beacoup, Howdy. Though...I... I just do not know... Maybe I should not bother Hamtaro..." she said, beginning to feel discouraged.
"Bi..." Boss said, stopping to sniffle again. "Bijou..." he said, looking away. Bijou looked at him, worried. Should she let Boss be happy, or go be with Hamtaro?
"You...only have until midnight tonight... I was gonna tell you that..." his speech became stuffy as he tried to hold back his crying. "That...my wish...for this special Christmas Eve is... the only thing I want this year is.... for you...to be...happy... with whoever it is you want to be happy with. Now...it's the one special Eve where any wish you want...can come true...so..." He turned around and smiled at Bijou, looking at her through teary eyes. "You have to hurry." he said softly.
Bijou was nearly silenced. Boss was letting her go? "I cannot believe it..." she thought. "If Hamtaro loved someone other than me...I do not think I would be able to give him up so easily...even if it did make him happy... Boss must love me more than I thought he did..."
"Merci, Boss. Thank you very much for your kindness. Merry Christmas, all of you." she said. "Do any of you know where Hamtaro might be?" she asked, trying to seem more grateful than impatient.
"He and Cappy are searching around the Northwest area of the park." Stan said.
"Searching? For what?" Bijou said.
"For a certain 'lil French ham-girl who ran off!" Howdy said, smirking.
"Hey, hey! Don't make things any worse!" Boss said, roughly scrunching his nose against Howdy's.
"Oh my goodness! They are looking for me? Oh dear I must go find them!"
"All right! C'mon, you two, let's get goin'!" Howdy said, running over to Bijou's side.
"Right!" Stan said, running towards them.
"What's the hold up, Boss-man?" Stan asked.
"Uh... Y-you guys go ahead. I think I'm gonna...maybe ride a couple-a rides before we go back to the clubhouse."
"Okay, Boss." Bijou said. She figured he had earned a break from running around. After all, he had just gone through something very painful for him. "Well, let's go, boys!" she said.
Howdy looked back at Boss. He had said that he wanted to go on rides...but Howdy knew it was something deeper than that. He saw the dishonesty and heartbreak in Boss's eyes...and wanted to do something about it.
"Uh...Bijou? I think I'm gonna stay here for awhile 'n...maybe uh...get some popcorn!" Howdy said.
"Heke?" Boss thought.
"Oui. Alright then." Bijou said. She and Stan were off to find Hamtaro, along with the other ham-hams still looking.
"Well, Boss, which ride d'ya wanna go on first? Ya up to a roller coaster? Yee haw!"
Boss sweatdropped. "...Alright..." he muttered.
****end of chapter 12****
Dexter: *eyes Ravens suspiciously* Well, Boss came clean, shouldn't you?
*sigh* Alright. Howdy!
Howdy: WHERE IS IT---Heke?
I took the abacus! I'm sorry! @_@ *gives abacus back*
Howdy: Oh...Heh, well, there it is. No problem.
Er...that's it? O_O You're not mad? Well, you should apologize to Dex for accusing him so much^^;;
Howdy: ¬_¬ ...Well...Alright. Sorry bout that, Dex.
Dexter: *sigh* It's alright, it was just a misunderstanding.
Howdy: Hyuk...a lil embarrassin', too. ^^; *turns a little red*
O_O HEY HEY HEY! I promised no yaoi or yuri in this story!
Howdy and Dexter: O_____O HEKE?! *back away from each other*
...o.o right. -_- Anyways, here's chapter 13!
Chapter 13: Almost There! Confession Time? Ready!
"Oh dear! I am so sorry, sir, I did not mean to--Panda?" Bijou said.
"Bi-Bijou? Hey Maxwell, look! It's Bijou! And...Stan?" Panda said curiously.
"Hmm? Hey Bijou!" Maxwell said, running over. "Wait...If Bijou's here, then where's Boss?"
"Boss was with me. He and Howdy are out on the rides now." Bijou said.
"Oh, I see." Maxwell said.
"Well, if you see the two of them again, would you tell Boss that we're going to all meet at the Minihamuzu show at midnight? They're calling it "Merryhamuzu", and we're gonna watch it and then go home." Panda said.
"Oh my, that sounds so exciting!" Bijou said.
"Oh, Bijou, Hamtaro wanted us to tell you something else too!" Maxwell said.
"Heke? What is it?" Bijou said.
"You're supposed to meet him just before the show at the Moonlight Bridge." Maxwell said, pulling out a map.
"The...Moonlight Bridge?" Bijou asked.
"Yes, see?" he continued, pointing to it. "It's called the Moonlight Bridge, because the moonlight always hits the pond underneath it at night, and it's magnificent!"
"It's a very romantic meeting place, Bijou. He's probably got a good confession in store for you!" Panda said cheerfully.
Bijou felt as excited as when Pashmina and Sandy told her about the gift. This time, maybe it would be for real! She turned a deep, deep red and fantasized of what may happen at the bridge. "Oh, it will be just like in all of Maxwell's romance novels that Sandy has told me about!"
"Well, I guess we all better get going! We need to tell more ham-hams that we found you!" Maxwell said.
"Oui!" Bijou said, still excited.
"Bye-Q!" Maxwell exclaimed.
"Later, you guys!" Panda said.
"See ya!" Stan yelled. He and Bijou continued walking down the busy roads of the festival.
[11:30 P.M.]
As it started to snow, Bijou and Stan decided it was time for them to start making their way to the theater entrance.
"Hey Bijou, you want a snack or somethin'?" Stan asked.
Bijou didn't even hear Stan. She was too busy thinking about the Moonlight Bridge confession. "Oh it will be absolutely perfect! The thought of a moonlit lake reminds me of France! Oh, I can see it now... He will tell me how he feels, and I will tell him once again, and he will be so happy when he notices me wearing the beautiful coat and ribbons that he ga--" Bijou froze right there.
"Huh? Uh, what's the matter, Bijou?" Stan said, stopping and looking back at Bijou.
"Stan...Where is my present from Hamtaro?" she asked quietly.
"The present? Oh yeah, it's...uh..." Stan began sweating. "Oh jeez! We must have left it over on that bench by the ferris wheel!"
"What?!" Bijou exclaimed. She began running over to the southern side of the park.
"Wow, she's pretty athletic for a French chick!" Stan thought. "Hey Bijou, slow down!" he said, chasing her. "Wow, Hamtaro's lucky! She's got a sweet butt!" Stan thought to himself, grinning.
[Among the others at the fair...]
"Well, the show's gonna start soon, so I guess we better start heading toward the stage entrance..." Boss mumbled.
"Yeah..." Howdy sighed. "I guess so."
The two of them started walking along the path. Boss had a caramel-covered sunflower seed, from which he had taken one bite. Howdy looked at him and was...a little concerned.
"Uh..hey, Boss? You eatin' that thing or what?" Howdy said softly. For the first time, he was actually trying not to be loud and obnoxious.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, this? Krrmp-krrmp-krrmp! Hehe...delicious!" Boss said. Soon enough, though, he stopped eating and stared back into space.
Howdy looked at him again. He thought he had seen a tear trickle down Boss's cheek. He had never seen Boss so serious about his sadness before. It reminded him of...himself.
"Boss, are you--"
Boss moaned and cut Howdy off. "Look, Howdy, if you want the seed, just say so, okay?"
"Uh...it's not that..." Howdy said nervously.
"Let's stop and rest for a minute, my paws are killin' me." Boss said, walking over to a nearby bench.
Howdy said nothing and just sat next to him.
"Quite honestly, Howdy...This Christmas sucks ass." Boss said.
"Heh, yeah.." Howdy snickered a bit. Boss had usually been pretty good about watching his mouth around the ham-hams, so Howdy had never heard him swear so freely before... It sounded a bit funny to him. Now he wanted to talk to Boss about it pretty badly...No one had ever understood him very well before, and...well, maybe this would be it.
"Boss-man..." Howdy said.
"Hm?" Boss replied, still staring out into space with the cold look on his chilled face.
"You were plannin' on tellin Bijou that ya love her tonight, weren't you?" Howdy said in a surprisingly serene voice.
Boss pressed his eyebrows firmly onto his half-numb face, trying to keep the tears from starting again. He shook his head and mumbled an "Mm-mm".
Howdy didn't understand why he denied it. He was making it a bit harder for them to connect, which was what he was aiming for. He decided to somewhat play along.
"Okay..." He began. "But don't feel bad... No matter how special today might be, I guess that means that not everyone gets to confess their love and...I dunno, live happily ever after, or whatever... Heck, look at me..."
"Heke?" Boss looked down at Howdy through his pair of old, tear-filled eyes. "But Howdy... Don't you have Pashmina? I mean, I guess it's... not too late to confess to her, ya know..." Boss cut himself off, sniffling some more.
"Well, y'see..." Howdy said, as he moved his arms behind his head to relax. "All through the party, she was laughin' 'n singin' 'n havin' a lotta fun with Dexter and Stan! Of course, Stan just probably joined in since Bijou wasn't there..."
"Mm-hmm," Boss said, nodding and even laughing a little bit.
"I tried to show off a little by...tellin' s'more-a my jokes, but.." Howdy cut himself off and yawned a bit. "Looks like, as usual, I just came off as...well, annoyin'. I mean, I...I really think that if I confessed to Pashmina, it'd only be, y'know... more trouble on her mind. She's been pretty worried about Bijou lately.
"Yeah, so have I." Boss said, blushing a bit. "So.. I guess... we're BOTH alone, aren't we, Howdy?"
"Heh... Yeah.. Guess so. But, ya know, that's all the more reason we want them to be happy, don't we? Ain't that the reason we keep workin' so hard for Bijou and Hamtaro?"
Boss nodded and wiped a tear away. He had always wanted Bijou to be happy...but with him, not Hamtaro. Everyone else had been working hard, but...he had just been selfish.
"Howdy..." Boss said, looking over at him.
"Hmm?"
"...Thanks...for, uh, talking to me about...all this."
"No problem. Thanks for listenin' to me."
"...No problem."
[Moonlight Bridge]
Hamtaro glanced up at the large clock. "It's already 11:45...The show starts at midnight... where could she be? Didn't she get the message?" he wondered. "I hope she's okay..." he sighed. "Things have already gone bad enough... What if we don't make it by midnight?" he sighed again and looked down.
"HAMTARO!!!" some familiar voices cried out.
"Ookwee! Ookwee!"
"Heke...Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope? What are you three doing here?"
The three girls tried to catch their breath from running so quickly. They panted and panted, trying to get the words out.
"Hamtaro---you gotta---.....Bijou---she's..." Sandy tried to get the words out.
Hamtaro's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "What? What happened to her?" he said immediately.
"No, no..." Pashmina exhaled. "It's--She's--not gonna make it to the---bridge..."
"I don't understand!" Hamtaro said, as tears began to form in his eyes. "Where is she? What's going on?!"
"Ookwee!" Penelope said.
Sandy took a deep breath. "Okay... Bijou got sidetracked, so she's not going to be able to make it."
"Yeah--" Pashmina said, still gasping. "Sh-she'll just have to...meet you at the show."
"What? Wh-why?" Hamtaro said.
"Like, sorry, Hamtaro...She wanted to get there really bad, but it's already only ten minutes until the show." Sandy said mournfully.
"Yeah...We're sorry, Hamtaro. We know how much you wanted this to be a special moment between you and Bijou... Uh, but it'll still be special!"
"Uh..Yeah! Even if it's not at some totally old bridge...She'll probably be very happy!" Sandy said, trying to put up a good face.
Hamtaro couldn't stand it, though. He wanted this to be special...for Bijou... and for himself. For the two of them. "I can't do it... I can't just let this go so easily..." he thought. Hamtaro had an angry look on his face, but still had tears in his eyes.
"Uh...Hamtaro?" Pashmina said softly.
"Like, are you okay? You can still see her at the show..." Sandy said.
"Ookwee?" Penelope added, as usual.
"I can't let this go to waste!" he yelled. "Listen, you guys, I'm gonna need your help! Follow me!" he yelled, charging off.
"Whoa! Hey, Hamtaro, wait up!"
"Like, slow down, boy!"
"Oo-ookwee!"
The three girls chased after him.
"Like, didn't we just finish running?"
"Yeah, but at least we'll have lost pounds from all this fair food!"
"Where are we going anyway?"
"I don't know, but at least it looks like he's headed for the theater entrance!"
****end of chapter 13****
*sigh* Well, that's all taken care of! Boss finally let Bijou have her way, and was cheered up a bit by Howdy, and now Hamtaro's wondering what to do for his big confession! So how'll it all work out? And I'm sorry to say this, but the next chapter will be the last. So I can't promise it'll be very long, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! For now, payce out! ^.~