Chapter 9: Reflections On A Rainy Day

Author's Note: I have to say that this story has pretty much turned from humor to tragedy, which was something I didn't even expect. The main focus of this chapter is still Oxnard and his untimely death (which is a shame really, because I'm not such a big fan of Oxnard either) and that this chapter is still pretty sad. But that's the current mood of the story. Next chapter will probably (hopefully) be more cheerful. Enjoy?

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hamtaro. It's pretty obvious.

It was hard for Bijou to tell everyone what had happened when she went to see Oxnard. It was hard for her to explain without bursting into tears. But she did. She did explain it to everyone. She explained it as best she could.

It was times like these; the Ham-Hams all being together; that they weren't so different. They were just a bunch of hamsters crying over a friend's death. But it felt good.

As Bijou cried she noticed she liked the feeling the slightest bit. She felt as if she was letting go of something; letting go of something that had been on her ever since the day she returned from France. And as she cried she couldn't help to think that she should do it...more often.

Some people would live through life holding their head high about everything. These were the kind of people that had the most on them; the most on their heart. These were the people that didn't forgive when there was a mistake; and didn't let go. That was the kind of person Bijou didn't want to be.

She spent the rest of the day sobbing; stopping every so often, and then starting up again. She fell asleep crying; and the next day she was glad to see the weather agreed with her. It was raining.

Rainy days were always one of Bijou's favorites. The sound of rain landing on the roof seemed to calm her worries. She could sleep easily to the sound of the rain, singing her a lullaby, and she could just think better. It was as if...nothing really mattered.

Walking over to the clubhouse with an umbrella over her head, she felt like a little kid; as all of life's worries drifted away. She looked over at a mud puddle nearby. She hated mud. She hated getting dirty. But now all she could think of was just splashing in it; letting go of all of life's harsh realities. It was when it was raining she could reflect most. She could compare; she could remember.

The rain would cover her tears.

There was a right time for everything; and now just seemed the right time to cry. She didn't care who would see her. She was letting go; very slowly. Wasn't everyone else? She had seen a side of everyone yesterday she never had before. There were tears; laughter and memories. Everyone expressed what was on their heart, as they tried to get over it. She felt closer to her friends that day. But most of all...she felt closer to herself.

She opened the door to the clubhouse very slowly to see that everyone was seated at the table once again. The clubhouse was surprisingly clean, as she could clearly tell that there was some sort of a meeting being held. She made her way in, closing her umbrella, and hurried to her usual spot at the table; front center.

Up front of everyone was Maxwell, having a chalkboard out to draw up a plan. She was pretty sure she knew what was going on; the Ham-Hams were planning Oxnard's funeral.

She sat silently; her mind blank on ideas. She couldn't hear what Maxwell was saying. Her mind was somewhere else. All she could hear was the sound of the rain; calming her little by little.

Her mind suddenly snapped back to reality, when she saw a familiar hamster walk in. It was Pepper. Pepper must have heard what had happened. At first, the country hamster thought Oxnard was lost. It wasn't until Maxwell told her what had really happened; that she had realized her dear Oxnard was really gone. She took a seat next to Bijou, with her head down.

Bijou felt bad for her. She had lost the one hamster she truly loved. Oxnard wasn't just a hamster; but a person. A life taken away from a problem that was out of control. No one was to blame.

Pepper looked up, holding back her tears. She listened to Maxwell's plan, and even suggested some ideas of her own. The meeting went by slowly, until it was adhered. All the hamsters left, very happy with the idea proposed, except for Pepper.

As Bijou got up to leave, she saw Pepper doing what she had held back to do earlier: cry. She felt as if now was the time to talk to Pepper; to give her a friend to help her through. She took her seat again, and put on paw on Pepper's shoulder. "It's okay," Bijou softly said, this time not trying to fake a regular accent. "Oxnard's in a better place now."

"But why did he have to go!?" Pepper exclaimed, with her usual country accent. "He was a good ham. He didn't deserve to die. It ain't fair!"

"Life isn't fair," Bijou said, beginning to cry as well. "We just have to live with it...and go on."

"But what if I don't wanna go on!?" Pepper exclaimed, sobbing a bit louder.

"You just have to," Bijou said softly, looking down. "We have no choice."

Pepper said nothing after this. The two spent the rest of the afternoon in silence. The only thing heard between the two was the soft gentle sound of rain.

Final Notes: Pretty tacky, eh? I like rainy days a lot too, so that's why I wrote it into the story. I'm sorry about the spelling mistakes and any of that stuff. I was a bit too lazy to proof read it a second time. Please review. The best part about writing this story is hearing what you think! =)