Author's notes: Sorry for taking so long to update the last chapter, but things have been kinda hectic lately. Don't worry though, cuz now I'm back in my writing mood. Last time, Stan was confronted by the ham-hams and must now confess his intentions for ruining Sandy and Maxwell's date. Will this reveal anything about his past? This is Burnfist signing off!
Disclaimer: I think I should stop writing the disclaimer because this point you already know that I don't own Hamtaro. Everything in this chapter is owned by Hamtaro, except for Stan and Sandy's mom, Jade, but they pretty much own that too. But I guess you could say I own Happy Pets Animal Shelter if it hasn't been built yet.
Note: Most of the chapter takes place in Florida (I'm not from Florida if you were wondering, but I do know someone who is…). The residence of most of the ham-hams currently (at least in this fic) is Tokyo, Japan. Don't ask me if that is truly where they're living though. They could be in Kyoto. They could be in Soko. Maybe even Hokkaido. All I know is that they're in Japan.
Chapter 6: A Tiger's Burden, Stan's Past
The sun was almost setting, but none of the ham-hams cared. They had been listening intently to Stan's explanation of why he wanted to prevent Sandy from losing her innocence, about his promise to protect her, and anything that was related to his attempt to sabotage Sandy and Maxwell's date. After Stan finished, everyone was quiet for awhile. They didn't knowhow to respond to something soradical.Then finally Howdy broke the silence.
"Yer friggin' crazy! So yer telling us that you wanna stop their date cuz ya think Maxwell will go all horny on her!"
Dexter, as usual, conflicted Howdy's words. Either way, his thoughts on Stan's actions were the same. "I think it would be quite illogical for Maxwell to do that Sandy. After all, he knows very well that Sandy could easily kill him on the spot if tries anything funny."
"Sure…that is if she didn't love him so much…" Stan muttered back. His tone was a lot more sarcastic. Then again, hisday was nothing more thana hectic hurricane of beatdowns coming from unknown forces."Besides, I'm afraid of something happening to her. I mean, after all, she's my only family left…" Everyone else felt sorry for Stan, in a way. While he was trying to stop their date, he was only concerned, and like he said, Sandy was all he had left.
Panda then decided to speak up for the ham-hams. "I understand how you feel. I'm guessing we'd all feel a bit suspicious if something was going on with the ones we love. But Stan, aren't you taking this a little far?"
"Far…? I don't think so…" Stan stared at the entire group of ham-hams, as if one of them were about to spring on him. "I made a promise to protect Sandy no matter what! Maxwell's a nice ham and all…but I'm afraid to leave Sandy in his paws. A scared bookworm can't possibly take care of my sister…"
"That is not true!" Bijou stood up and rebuked him.She, as well as Pashmina, knew that the couple was too strong for anything that came in their way."You may not have seen it happen, but after we left the ham-ham ranger show, Sandy was missing, and when Maxwell found out, he went out of his way to find her."
Stan's eyes widened. Are we talking about the same Maxwell here!
"Bijou's right." Hamtaro said. "I don't think Maxwell would ever leave Sandy's side like that. He loves her too much to let anything happen to her."
"…You're all lying…aren't you…?" Stan wouldn't believe it at all. Listening to them talk about how Maxwell was strong enough to protect Sandy was making him sick. To him, he was onlyone who could protect her."You really think you could trick me by saying that wimpy bookworm would rush off to find Sandy like that? Maxwell can hardly do anything but read…"
"Maybe it's you who's unfit to take care of Sandy!" Stan's eyes shot wide open after hearing that from Boss.Stan gave Boss a deadly glare. One that would have any normal ham ham begging for his life, but Boss wasn't the type who would let thatglare scare him. "Doesn't she deserve some freedom? She's been living without you for awhile. I doubt Sandy would let anything like that happen, and Maxwell's too dedicated to her to let anything like that happen. Are you sure…you're keeping your promise?" Suddenly a punch came at Boss, but he blocked it. Stan's ferocity has reached the breaking point. Anytime now, he could spring on Boss and kill him.
However, Stan simplygrowled and turned his back on them. He ran off, wanting to be as far from them as possible.
Pashmina obviously felt very sorry for him. "Are you sure that wasn't too harsh, Boss?"
Boss shook his head. "No. He needs something like that to wake him up. He needs some time alone to think about what he's doing. Maybe he'll finally realize that he shouldn't interfere with Sandy and Maxwell's relationship." Everyone agreed with Boss' suggestion. Maybe it was best if Stan had some time to himself to recuperate.
"Wow. It looks like Boss is being serious for once."
"Of course I'm being serious! And what are you still doing here anyway, Sparkle!"
"Hey, I'm a ham-ham too, aren't I!" Yet another argument erupted.
Sweat drops were running down the other ham-ham's heads.
"Those two are becoming another 'Howdy and Dexter'…" said Oxnard. Everyone agreed. Them arguing all the time made it seem like they were a different version of Howdy and Dexter. Sometimes it felt like they were even worse than those two.
"Hey, what are you all doing here?" Everyone turned around to see Sandy and Maxwell running towards them, carrying Cappy and Penelope. They had just come back from their little 'love scene'.
"Oh, nothing." said Pashmina. "Let's go."
Somewhere, still in the carnival, Stan was by himself, thinking about everything that had happened up until now. He couldn't bare what Boss had just said to him. 'Can't keep my promise'? He's wrong…they're all wrong…I'm doing exactly what Mom wants me to do… But soon a little doubt came to mind. Then he closed his eyes and thought back to when he saw a tiger more ferocious than him or his sister: His mother.
Flashback-
The place: Happy Pets Animal Shelter in America. While it certainly looked happy to an onlooker, the place was actually quite grim to most animals. The animals weren't abused or anything, but the area still had a rather gloomy feel to it.However, most of the animals tried to make the best of things, especially the hamsters. In fact, in one part of the animal shelter, a couple of girl hams were petting a little tiger-striped boy ham.
"Aw, look at him! He's so cute!" said a giddy girl ham. "We should take him back to our cage."
"Yeah." replied her friend, who just as giddy. "Maybe he'll brighten up our place." The young boy ham's smile grew upon hearing that. He obvioiusly had something planned for the girls.Oh, I'll do more than that…
Then…
"Stanley!" Another girl ham hugged him. She turned out to look almost exactly like him, but with more creamy white fur. Her young appearance made it seem like she was a younger sister, but when she hugs him, ham ham think they are something else. Something that would make Stan furious.
"Aw… Looks like he's taken." Groaned the girl hams as they walked off. They were quite disappointed in seeing the cute boy ham belonging to another.
Stan was obviously very peeved. His chance to get a girl ham had been shattered yet again."Sandy! Augh, just when I really had those girls going! And it's Stan, not Stanley! Man, why did you have to do that?"
"Aw…but I, like, wanna play with you!"
"Later!"
"Now!"
Stan smacked his forehead in annoyance. This was the fourth time this week that Sandy had driven a girl away from him, not to mention she'd been saying his full name loud enough for everyone to hear. However,everytime he'd refuse to play with Sandy, she'd begin to cry and whine, leaving Stan no choice but to play with her. To him, Sandy, his twin sister, was nothing more than a big annoyance. In fact, it was almost as if she were a younger sister to him, always crying, being rowdy, and messing up his girl hunts.
Finally after they had played, Stan was ready to try another girl hunt. He seriously needed a better hobby. "Alright, now that I've played with you, I'm gonna leave you with Mom. I need a little me time now." But just as Stan was about to leave…
"Dinner's ready!"
"Dinner!" Sandy rushed off to the cage. Stan was really irritated at this point. Right when he was about to have fun, he had to go to dinner.
"Stan! You'd better get here before Sandy eats your veggie-o's!" Stan sighed and headed for the cage. After all, this was the one person he'd rather not piss off. His mom…
After dinner was finished, Stan and Sandy were bathed by their mother. A full grown hamster, their mother, like her children, looked like a tiger. Almost like an older Sandy without the ribbon.
As she happily cleaned their fur, their mother asked them, "So what have you two been doing today?"
"Oh, we were just having fun!" Sandy said. "Stan was having fun with his girl hunts, and then we played together, and and…" Stan cringed as Sandy gave away his 'hobby'.
"Oh, You're just like your father, Stan…" His mother said with a sigh. Stan cringed again. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. I bet right now Sandy's gonna say…
"Tell me a story about Daddy, Mommy!" Sandy happily urged her mother. Stan smacked himself in the forehead. I knew it…Geez…not the story again!
"Alright!" Their mother replied as she dried them. "Hop into bed and I'll tell you." A weird thing to say, considering that their "bed" was right on the woodchips, but Sandy got into her sleeping position, wanting to hear the story.
Sandy's mother cleared her throat before she began. "Long ago, there was a boy ham. He was a white hamster with blue tiger stripes."
"That's Daddy!" Sandy exclaimed happily.
"Very good!" Her mother nodded. "He was a big flirt, just like your brother, but would do anything for the ham-hams around him. He believed that if you help someone, you get something back in return…and he was always hoping for a girl. His motto was 'If I help someone…I'd better get a chick out of it!" Sandy giggled hearing that last line. "But his wish eventually came true. Because one day, he saw a girl ham being attacked by a couple of evil ham-hams. Luckily, he was there to save her from those ham-hams. He ripped right through those guys like a real tiger and saved her."
"And that girl ham was you, right?"
"Yep! The first thing your father said to me was, 'Would you like to bear my child?' And the first thing I did was slap him in the face." Both Sandy and her mother giggled. Even Stan laughed a bit. Then their mother continued. "But as time passed, the only girl ham your father would follow was me. He kept asking me if I could bear his child, but I kept refusing. However, with each day, I grew to love him. And then…we finally did it…" Their mother giggled as she remembered every single moment.
"Did what?"
"Erm…nothing…" Sandy's mom nervously replied, not wanting to Sandy to know what she meant by 'did it'. "Anyway, after that everything was perfect. We lived happily, and soon…we got two little bundles of joy that I couldn't be more proud of."
"That's me and Stanley, right?" Stan cringed as Sandy once again used his real name.
"That's right. Now I think it's time for some shut eye." Sandy's mom told her.
"But what happened to Daddy? How come he's not here?"
"Well…he needed some time on his own. He really needed to go out and explore. I wanted to go with him, but it would be dangerous if I brought you two along, so we stayed here while he wandered off."
"I hope we…see him again someday…" Sandy uttered with a yawn as she quietly drifted to slumber.
Her mother smiled at her cute and loveable daughter. "So do I…"
"Did you have to make up that excuse to her?" Stan questioned his mother. "She's just as old as I am. There's no need to keep the secret from her…"
"Oh, Stan…I know how you feel…" His mother comforted him. "But she can't know…I wish that story really was true too…" Then she changed subject. "Stan…"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Would you take care of her for me?"
Stan shook his head. "No way! She's always getting in my way and bothering me, I can't take it!"
His mother giggled. "That's exactly what your father would've said…but Stan, I won't always be there to take care of the two of you. One day, I'll be gone, and it'll be just the two of you. I'm sure Sandy will mature into a beautiful young girl ham one day who can take care of herself. But until then…please take care of her."
Stan sighed. "Ugh…fine…but I won't like it…" Stan lied down right next to Sandy and fell asleep.
Their mother smiled, seeing the twins together. I know that day is coming soon, Stan. Please take good care of her…
The next morning, a couple of the older hamsters were having a bit of fun talking to each other. Among the hamsters was Stan and Sandy's mom.
"…and then my husband had the nerve to say 'would you like to bear my child?' And I slapped him for it." All the ham-hams laughed. Stan and Sandy's mom was pretty popular around the shelter. She was a little younger than most of the adult hamsters but she was very popular around them. She seemed to understand everyone around her.
"Well, you certainly know how to make us laugh, Jade." said another hamster. "But, you know, I worry about you. You've been here for quite awhile and haven't gotten a new owner."
"Well…those guys didn't want me…yeah, they thought I wasn't cute at all…" Jade pouted. But the other ham-hams already knew what had happened.
"Jade…you're an extremely cute hamster that everyone wants…but how do you expect to get adopted if you bite every single person who tries to adopt you?" Her friend hit it right on the mark. Jade, while only looking like a tiger, was known to act like one towards the humans who would try to adopt her. She'd growl and bite any unsuspecting human. While she tried to be more gentle towards children, many of the parents still refused to adopt her.
"Well…I haven't found the right human, that's all."
"Jade if you keep this up, you'll end up facing the 'big needle.'" Everyone gasped in fear when her friend mentioned grim reaper of all hamsters. At the end of every two months, the shelter would check all the animals. If there were any animals that sinceforth hadn't been adopted, they wound up subjected to the quick and painful death of being put to sleep, AKA 'the big needle'.
"So?" All of them gasped again. Many thought Jade was crazy, there was no hamster alive who wanted to be subjected to the big needle. "Well, it's time I go back to check on my children."
"Jade…" She turned back to her friend. "What about your children? What happens to them if you die?"
Jade had no choice, she had to tell them the truth. "Would you rather be separated from your own children, never to see them again?" Silence fell on the entire room. "Exactly. If I can live with them as long as I can happily, I will have no regrets. Even if I die, their youth will find themselves new owners or maybe even be able to leave this animal shelter. I won't let them stay in here any longer."
Just as Jade was about to leave, her friend spoke up again. "But then if you're gone…who's going to take care of them?"
Jade chuckled to herself. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm covered." And with that, Jade left for her cage.
Later that day, the twins were playing happily in the cage. Or at least Sandy. Stan wasn't too thrilled about her messing up his girl hunts again. Then a couple of foot steps were heard.
Jade easily recognized the sound. They're here… She turned to Stan and Sandy. "You know the drill, you two."
"Yup!"
Coming out of the shadows in the long hallway was a man wearing the Happy Animals coat and a family of four. When they got to the cage labeled 'Jade', they saw Jade playing with two little fur balls that were similarly to her fur pattern.
"Oh, that's so cute…" said one girl.
"She'll make the perfect guard." said the brother.
"Yeah right! She's gonna be a pretty a lil hamster."
"No way! She's gonna be my guard dog!"
"She's not even a dog!"
"So!"
As the argument dragged on, Jade couldn't help but laugh. Every time they performed this drill, Stan and Sandy would be giggling happily as they were tossed into the air. Sandy especially enjoyed it. To her, it felt like she was flying. Of course, the problem was that they had to stay rolled up until the humans left. They didn't know why their mother would make them do this, but it was fun, so they didn't complain.
"Don't worry kids, it'll be over soon." Her mom reassured them.
"No! Keep going Mommy!" Sandy obviously loved this. Then Sandy shrieked when she felt cold fingers pick her up. "Mommy!"
"Sandy!" Both Jade and Stan were extremely worried at this point, seeing Sandy being held by the Happy Pets employee. Not only could the worker throw her away, but if Sandy were to get out off her 'furball form', he could end up putting her in another cage far away. Jade was not going to let that happen.
"What kind of toys are these?" The worker should've regretted ever touching Sandy, for he soon felt a small puncture on his hand. He yelped in pain and dropped Sandy, who somehow remained rolled up as a fur ball. The worker shook his hand furiously in pain. When he was finished, a small wound was on his hand. However he didn't care, knowing that Jade would never stop biting him.
The parents had obviously seen enough. "Alright children, we'd better find another pet. One that wouldn't hurt it's owners…"
"But Mom!"
When they were all gone, Jade turned to her two fur balls. "Alright kids, the coast is clear." At that moment, the two fur balls unfurled and sitting there were the twins.
"I'm so dizzy…" Sandy stumbled as she tried to straighten herself up. "Hee… Let's do that again!" Stan dropped to the floor once again, anime style.
That night, Jade was listening quietly as she heard several humans conversing with each other. She knew that the topic of their debate was her.
"But we can't! She's so young compared to most of the hamsters."
"I don't care! She'll never get herself adopted. Every time someone gets near her, she bites, scratches, or does anything to scare them away. I've had it with her. Besides, we have to make space for more animals."
"But it's not even that time!"
"We're putting her to sleep tomorrow and that's final! Do I make myself clear?"
Soon the two humans left and turned out the lights. Despite hearing all that, Jade remained perfectly calm. At this point, she already knew she'd be put to sleep. All she could do is prepare for not only her fate…but the fate of her children. Then…
"Why?" Jade turned around and saw Stan, wide awake. However this time, the usually composed Stan was in tears. "Why are you always doing this? You know you're facing the 'big needle' tomorrow. If you just got yourself adopted…"
That's when Stan felt great warmth. The type of warmth you'd feel when your mother hugs you…
"You don't understand, Stan." Now even Jade was in tears. "I don't fear death at all. I can easily face my own death, but what I can't face, what I truly fear, is being separated from you…"
"But we won't be separated! When we get out of here, we'll somehow find each other. I promise I will. I'll even take care of Sandy like I promised. I swear it! Just don't die, okaa-san…" Jade then held Stan's head and tilted it so that they could see each other, eye to eye.
Despite the tears streaming down her fur, Jade was still smiling. "I know. We can never be separated as a family, but I can't trust you with the humans here. You two need to find freedom and a human who will take care of you as well as I have."
"But there's no such freedom…"
"Stan…you've seen birds before right?" Stan nodded. Jade then continued. "'Birds have the freedom to fly through the sky…but what if there's no branch for them to perch on? If that were to ever happen, they would regret having wings in the first place…' That's something your father once told me. 'Freedom, in the truest sense, is actually having a home to return to.' Just like a ribbon…" Jade smiled again. She began to recall a toy she once played with in her youth. "A ribbon flows through the air gracefully and freely, as long as there's a hand to play with it…"
Stan imagined it. He saw that ribbon in the flowing freely through the sky. He wished he could be free just like it. Just then in his thoughts, he looked down to see who was waving it, and it turned out to be someone he didn't expect. Sandy…? The scene was shook out of his mind as he felt his mother's paw tapping his shoulder.
"Stan, I've got something for you and your sister." Jade walked over to the corner and pulled out a box. She blew off the wood chips on the box and opened it up. Stan's eyes widened in awe as he saw what was in it: in the box were two items. One was a pair of green chrome like maracas that sparkled brightly. The other was a simple, but beautiful pink ribbon. Stan reached in a took the maracas, shaking them a bit to test them out. "Think of them as early birthday presents." His mother smiled as Stan soon began to run all around and shake his maracas like there was no tomorrow.
"Oh thank you, Mom!" Stan exclaimed. After playing around, he stopped to ask her something. "Is this ribbon for Sandy?"
Jade nodded in reply, smiling happily as he handed him the ribbon. "I'm giving it to her for a reason. Like what I said earlier, I want you to protect her, but… please don't be too hard on her. Let her live her life to the fullest. Just like the ribbon I'm giving her."
Stan turned around to see Sandy, sleeping like a baby. For the first time in his life, he felt some pride being her brother. He smiled as she began to toss and turn, giggling in her sleep. He then turned back to his mother. "Don't worry, Mom. I promise to take good care of her. I won't let you down."
His mother smiled happily, nearly forgetting that this would be her last night. "Alright, off to bed now Stan. You have a busy day tomorrow."
Stan nodded and curled up into sleeping position. Just before closing his eyes, he stared at Sandy one final time. I won't be like last time. This time I'll take care of you. And I'll always be there to protect you…no matter what. I'll make sure that you life your life free, just like the twirling and whirling of a ribbon. Twirling…whirling…
The next day…
"GEEZ…HOW THE HELL CAN YOU LIGHT A FIRE WITH TWO TWIGS!" Stan snapped the two twigs and shoved to the ground. It's been about a few hours since he and Sandy had left the murky halls of Happy Animals. Currently, they were resting near palm tree. Well actually, Sandy has been asleep the whole time. Stan had to carry her all the way here, but that didn't matter to him. What mattered was getting as far from the shelter as possible. He could never forget what happened:
A few hours ago, Jade put her plan into action. She made Stan and Sandy (who was still asleep) come together to form a humongous fur ball. When the workers came, one of them took the ball away, seeing as how she wouldn't need a toy at this point. As the worker moved, Stan could hear what was going on. It sounded as if a bunch of zoo keepers were trying to recapture a tiger. He could see that Jade wasn't going to give up quite so easily. She kept hissing at them, warning the workers about her attacks until they finally got her and pinned her down. Stan couldn't bear to see it, but he could still hear her last squeal…
"Mmmm…" Stan turned around. Sandy had finally awaken from her long slumber. For the first time in his life, he was glad Sandy slept in. There was no way he wanted her to see what had happened. "Stan…? Whoa, like, wow! How pretty!" Sandy took in what was in front of her: miles of sand and palm trees, the clear ocean, pretty shells in front of her. To her, it was absolutely gorgeous. And above, she could see the sun smiling down on her as she was basked in light. Sandy loved it all. "Stan! Mom! Come here and see all this!" Sandy looked around but no one was there but Stan. "Mom…?" She walked over to Stan "Hey Stan, where's mom?" Stan couldn't stand to ruin this moment. He couldn't tell her the truth, so he put his paw on her shoulder and gave it to her straight.
"Sandy…mom…left to go find dad." Stan sighed. He didn't know if this would work. "Mom wanted to go find him…so we could live happily as a family. So, for now I'm in charge, alright?"
Sandy remained silent for a second and said, "Okay. Well, we'd better wait here for her. I'm, like, totally glad she went out to look for him. I want our entire family to be back together again…"
"Heh…yeah…" Stan shook his head. He decided to change the subject. "Hey, let's go and play!"
"But Stan, don't you wanna go on a girl hunt?"
"Yeah, well I uh…" Stan sighed and put his paw on Sandy's shoulder. "Well I guess I've gotten tired of it…So, do you wanna play or not?"
"Yippee!" Just as Sandy was about to go near the ocean, Stan quickly gripped Sandy's paw, while other paw was behind his back. "Stan?"
"I'm not stopping you Sandy, but…" Stan slowly moved his other paw and Sandy was amazed at what she saw; a pink gymnast ribbon wand. The ribbon swayed and flowed like a majestic flag, flowing as free as the wind itself. It's shades of pink twinkled in Sandy's eyes, like a prism. Stan saw the admiration for the ribbon in her eyes. Smiling, he finally gave it to her, leaving Sandy breathless. "There's no need to thank me, Sandy. It was something that Mom wanted to give you. She was in a hurry, so I'm just delivering it for her."
It didn't matter to Sandy. It was Stan who was giving it to her right now, so even if Jade was the one who got it for her, she thanked Stan greatly with a big warm hug. "Oh thank you…onii-chan…"
A slight tint of red emblazoned Stan's face. Stan looked up at the clear, blue sky, thinking of the one person who sacrificed herself for their future. Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of Sandy just as you would... I promise.
…
"I can't wait to see what it looks like!" Sandy exclaimed, viewing the sites of Florida from a car window.
"Yeah!" Stan was just as excited. Maybe even more, considering he was running around their new cage. Alright! We hit the jackpot!
It had been nearly two months since they escaped Happy Pets. They had enjoyed their new home near the beach. While the rising tides were occasionally dangerous, they were able to make their way around them. It was fun exploring the beach, seeing new shells and animals. The palm trees provided the two of them with a suitable home and because many go to the beaches often, they would sneak food out of the picnic baskets. However, it didn't last. Unfortunately, during one of their picnic raids, a man had spotted them and picked them up. Even worse, he was a Happy Animals worker on vacation. Lady luck was smiling on them, though, for a passerby noticed him picking up the two and asked if she could pet them. When the worker mentioned that the twins had no owner, she became giddy and asked if she could keep them. And so, Stan and Sandy belonged to a new owner: Hillary, a rhythmic gymnastics medalist who happened to be performing in Florida. After signing the papers, Stan and Sandy officially belonged to her.
After the long ride, Hillary picked up Stan and Sandy's cage and went inside a hotel. Stan and Sandy were dazzled by the many fancy decorations inside, but they felt it was a little too fancy for the tastes. Ironically, Hillary felt the same thing. She then took her card key out and opened her room. Now THIS was more like it. While it was definitely very clean, the place had a nice view, which overlooked Stan and Sandy's former home. The room smelled fresh and just the look of it made them feel comfortable.
"This is it, you guys!" Hillary finally told them. She opened their cage and let both of them come to her palm. They climbed on her hand, and she brought them up so they could face her. "You two are so cute! I love those tiger stripes of yours! Well…welcome to your new home…temporarily…"
…
"And there it is again! A perfect performance from Hillary, representing Japan!" Went the announcer on TV.
"Alright Hillary!" Sandy cheered as she blazed through the cage, twirling her ribbon as she went. It had already been six months since they moved in. Stan and Sandy had started to get used to living with Hillary. Hillary was like a second mother to them. After her performances or practices, she'd always bring home something new for Stan and Sandy. She especially loved Sandy because she'd always attempt to do all of Hillary's moves. The first several tries, she messed up her routine. Stan, of course, laughed at her pitiful attempts and Hillary would giggle, thinking she was doing something silly, like banging her head against the cage. However, after merely one day, she was able to perform many different moves, some of which were dubbed impossible for any hamster to do. Both Stan and Hillary were impressed with what Sandy could do, which encouraged Stan to perform some stunts to keep up with her. Hillary was proud of her two athletic hamsters.
"Hell yeah!" Stan followed Sandy in pursuit, shaking his maracas wildly. "Go Hillary! You took 'em down again!"
"Wow. You two are sure happy today." The twins shrieked and turned around, sighing a breath of relief. It was only Hillary, back from a long, tiring day. "I've got some good news you two: we're going home today!" The twins had that confused look all over their face. They thought this was already Hillary's house. "I bet you two are too used to living. Sorry, but I don't live here at all. We're only staying here for the tournaments. We're actually going to be living in Japan." Stan and Sandy, a little confused, were able to make sense of the situation, since Hillary would always let housekeeping come in and clean for her. Then the twins started to recall the land of the rising sun. Their mother said they were actually born there rather than here in Florida. "I hope you two can understand. Oh! Before I forget, I have something for the both of you." Hillary pulled out a bag, which read 'Toys 'R Weeee'. "It took me awhile to find something for you two to play with. You really can't find good hamster toys at a pet store. Well anyway, this is for you, Stan." She opened the cage and held out her palm. Stan slowly moved towards her hand, wondering what she had. Then Hillary slowly opened her hand and…
"WHOA! A skateboard!" Stan was so thrilled when Hillary revealed his present. It was a hamster sized skateboard with a pair of maracas similar on it. The little toy's chrome green color sparkled as the sunlight bathed it's surface. He always enjoyed watching skateboarders perform all kinds of tricks and always wanted to try it out. But, like Hillary said, hamster-sized skateboards aren't exactly the easiest to find. Stan was so filled with joy that he decided to try it out. He sped all over the cage on his skateboard, faster than a ham-ham running from a crazed cat. Sandy giggled a bit, seeing him truly happy for the first time (though she ends up getting annoyed by it later in the series…).
"I'm glad that you like your present." Hillary giggled. Then she finally turned to Sandy. "I'm sure you're dying to see what I have for you." Sandy could hardly contain herself. She couldn't wait. She looked up at Hillary and gave her the 'sparkly eyes look', the look that most ham hams, especially girl hams, would give in order to get what they want. Call it conceited, but when you see Sandy do it, you won't be able to resist. "Okay, okay. I'll get your present out. You're so unbearably cute, Sandy." After reaching in the bag again, Hillary held out her hand to reveal some hamster sized rhythmic gymnastics equipment. Sandy's eyes glittered and sparkled as she eyed her new equipment, which included a small ball, a pair of clubs, a hula hoop, a jump rope, and three more ribbon wands; one blue, one red, and another yellow (now you know where Sandy got all the stuff for the girl ham's performance in 'Let's Dance Sandy'.) "I was so surprised when you were able to perform some of my moves Sandy. I want you to have these so you can practice even more."
Sandy was so filled with joy and gratitude. She ran over to Hillary's hand…only to trip half way there. "Ouchichi…"
"Hey are you alright, sis?" Stan asked.
"Yeah." Sandy giggled. "It's probably just my tail."
"Your tail?" Stan looked down and sure enough, she was right. Most of the time, a hamster's tail is bare. However Sandy's was covered in fur, and had been growing recently, to the point where she'd been tripping on it. Stan sighed and helped her up. Just like Mom…
Hillary giggled and put the equipment down. Then she let out her hand again. "Come on Sandy. I've got something else for you." Stan nodded, allowing Sandy to climb up on Hillary's palm. Hillary smiled sweetly at the young girl ham. "I don't like to have favorites, but you're the one I'm proud of most, Sandy. You're always trying your best at rhythmic gymnastics, and every time I come home, I always see you sleeping quietly. So I want especially to give you this…but first, turn around and close your eyes." Most hamsters wouldn't understand a command like this, but Hillary and the twins, especially Sandy, had a special bond that could only be matched by certain owners. Hillary could talk to them, and they'd easily understand what she meant. So, Sandy turned around and did what she was told. Few minutes later, "Alright. Open your eyes and try to look at your tail." Sandy did as she was told and found a scarlet red ribbon on her tail. Sandy shook it a couple of times, watching the ribbon flow freely like her ribbon wand. Sandy couldn't help but smile at the ribbon which so brightly decorated her tail. Hillary then placed Sandy back in her cage and filled their food tray with sunflower seeds. "We have a big day tomorrow, you two. So, please get some rest." And with that, Hillary left the room.
Sandy felt overjoyed, and yet somehow, a little saddened. While she was happy for receiving so many presents from Hillary, she couldn't feel but sorry for Stan. It was almost as if he were left out. "Stan…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry…"
"Heke? For what?"
"Well…Hillary was paying more attention to me, and…" That's when Sandy was interrupted by Stan stuffing a sunflower in her mouth. "Uggph-- W-what was that for!"
Stan chuckled. "Relax! Was that all, Sandy? Hillary's right, you're the one who fills her with joy. Y'don't need to be sorry about that."
Sandy giggled a bit and hugged Stan. "You're right…Stanley…"
"Would you quit calling me that!"
Later that night…
"Yeah…we're going back to Japan in two days." Hillary was staying up late, confirming her flight back home. "Oh! I got two hamsters while I was staying here, so I was wondering…hm? Yeah I have two ham--What! No! I can't do that! I just can't do that. Isn't there something you can…oh…I see…alright…I'll see what I can do…" After hanging up the phone, Hillary flopped over the couch, her hair plastering over her eyes trying to hide the expression in her eyes. She then turned and looked at the cage to see Stan still awake. This was a habit of his since day one, which allowed him to learn many dark secrets. Hillary walked over to the cage and opened it, then let out her hand, allowing Stan to climb up onto to her palm. "I'm sorry if I hadn't been paying too much attention to you, Stan." Stan simply chuckled to himself. Eh, don't worry about it. You should be happy for Sandy. She loves you just about as much as Mom, after all. "I care about you too, especially since you keep Sandy company while I'm gone. I don't know if I can do this, but…Stan, in two days Sandy and I will be leaving without you." Stan nearly snapped after hearing that last line. He'd been separated from both his mother and father, and now he was about to lose the only family he had left? "I wish there was some other way. I kept telling them that I can't separate the two of you, but they said that I can only travel with only one pet. I'm so sorry, Stan…" Suddenly, she felt a small tickle on her wrist. Stan was happily rubbing his fur against her skin, despite what he had heard. He continued to nuzzle her soft skin, making Hillary giggle a bit. Soon, Hillary's soft smile was back. "Thank you Stan."
Hillary placed Stan back in his cage, and went to bed. Stan smiled, knowing that his owner was happy again. It ain't your fault, Hillary. I don't need to go home with you. As long as the two of you are happy, I'll be fine. As long as Sandy--
That's when Stan heard sniffling from the cage. It seemed that someone else was still awake, listening to Hillary's conversation. He turned around and Sandy was there, tears coming from her eyes.
"Sandy, what's wrong?" Stan finally asked.
"Don't play dumb, Stan. I know what's going on. I overheard you and Hillary. The two of us are going to be separated!"
"Don't worry about that, Sandy! One day, I'll come over there and we'll find Mom and Dad again. We'll be a f--"
"Mom and Dad are dead!" Stan eyes widened as Sandy continued to cry her heart out.
"Where did you learn that, Sandy? C'mon, you know that's not true! They're just--"
"Don't lie, Stan! I've been listening to you and Mom, every night after she'd tell us that story. And I saw Mom being taken away when we were leaving the shelter. After all this time, I always tried my best to stay happy, because I know I still have one piece of my family with me. But now…we're going to be separated. We'll never see each other again!" That was when Sandy got up and hugged Stan, drowning his fur with her tears. Sandy couldn't take anymore of this. She'd already lost most of her family. If Stan wound up gone too, then she'd never be able to smile again. Then, she heard…Stan chuckling. Soon that chuckle turned into laughter, pissing Sandy off. "What's so funny!"
"I'm sorry, Sandy." Stan replied, trying to regain his composure. "But seriously, Sandy, is that all you're worried about? It's not like I'm gonna die! We'll see each other again!"
"But Stan--!"
"Look, you said it yourself. You've done your best to keep yourself happy all this time. Why can't you do it now?"
"Stan, you're my only family left and I--"
"I know what you mean." Stan interrupted her yet again. "I'm scared of losing you too. Everyday, I think about your safety…ever since Mom told me to take care of you." Stan paused to look Sandy straight in the eye. There was a calmness in his demeanor. "That night before Mom died, I made a promise to protect you at all costs, but she also promised me to make sure you're free to choose your own decisions. I can't go on bossing you around anymore. You have to go out and make your own friends."
"…You're just saying that so you can get your hands on another girl ham…" Sandy replied sarcastically.
"I haven't been doing it in awhile you know." Stan chuckled to himself. "But still, Mom wants me to make sure you live a free life. I can't keep that promise if you keep hanging around me like this."
Sandy thought about it for awhile. Stan is pretty much right, it would be best if her life were free. Still, there was one thing on her mind. "…but if I leave…aren't you going to be lonely…?"
Stan hadn't thought about that. He didn't realize that if Sandy were gone, Stan would be all alone. Not even Hillary would be there with him. It would be some new human friend of Hillary's. But despite all of those thoughts, Stan's smile remained bright. "Don't worry about it, Sandy. I'll be fine by myself. I think I need a bit of free time alone to think after all."
"Yeah, about how to get more girl hams."
"Wow, you're being a wise ass today, aren't you sis?" That's when Sandy got so furious that she tried to jump Stan. However, Stan dodged her charge and pinned to the ground. "Sorry about that comment, but don't worry about me. I'm more concerned about you." Stan picked her up and hugged her. "Just live your life freely. Don't worry about me. I'll always be with you."
"Oh, onii-chan…" Sandy started to cry. She was just so happy to have a brother like Stan who would risk all this just for her. Then at that moment, she heard a soft, soothing voice fill the room. She looked up. Stan, still hugging her, was singing a simple, but comforting melody. "Hey, onii-chan, what's that song you're singing?"
Stan smiled at her. It was almost as if he expected her to ask him. "I'm glad you asked. The night before Mom died, she gave me a ribbon. The ribbon that you've been dancing with ever since Mom's death was her final gift to you. When she gave it to me, she told me to let your life flow freely, just like a ribbon. When I thought about how the ribbon twirls through the air, I thought up a song. It took awhile for me to think it up, but you inspired me every time you played your ribbon. I don't think it's finished yet, though. It doesn't sound too good. I call it 'Twirling Whirling'"
"Onii-chan…could you sing it for me?"
Stan nodded and decided to sing for his sister.
Twirling whirling 'round we go
Twirling high and twirling low
See the colors skip and flow
Twirling 'round we go
Twirling whirling 'round we go
Twirling high and twirling low
See the ribbons as they blow
Twirling 'round we go
Twirling whirling 'round we go
Twirling fast and twirling slow
Twirling 'round we go
Twirling whirling 'round we go
Twirling whirling 'round we go
Life gets lonely yes I know
We'll be together sis and bro
Twirling 'round we go…
"That was beautiful, onii-chan." Sandy sleepily applauded him.
"Yeah, I know. You'd better get to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Right. Oyasumi nasai, Onii-chan (Good night, big brother)."
"Oyasumi, Torahamu-chan (Good night, Sandy)."
One year later…
Twirling Whirling 'round we go
"Hmm…?"
Twirling high and twirling low
"That song!"
See the colors skip and flow
What the…did her voice crack or something? Stan opened his eyes. He had been sleeping for quite awhile and would've continued sleeping anyway. After all, not much had happened since he moved to Japan with his new owner, Noel. He was able to see Hillary again, along with a couple other cute girls, but after all this time, he couldn't find his sister. But this could be it. He could--no. Looked like he was out of luck after all. Once he opened his eyes, what he thought was his sister turned out to be a boy ham with orange and white fur. Stan, confused and angry that a boy ham could pose as his sister, strangled the poor ham (just a redone version of that very same episode). "Alright kid, where did you learn that song?"
"I know Sandy looks like a tiger, but are you sure her brother isn't a real one?" Oxnard yelped as he took cover.
"Wait, Sandy?"
"Yeah." Hamtaro replied as he slipped out of Stan's grasp. "I'm Hamtaro and that's Oxnard. Our friend, Sandy has been looking all over for you."
"Yeah, she's been singing her heart out, just for you." Oxnard added.
So Sandy has been really worried about me, even now… "Heh, can't blame her for that. Well then, we'd better get going! Right Red? How 'bout you, Ox?"
"Did you just call me Red…?"
"I'm Ox?"
…
"So she's been having a great time without me?" Stan asked Maxwell. The two boy hams were discussing what had been going on since Sandy made it to Japan. Maxwell told him everything, from the day he saved her from the cats to the recent autumn festival where she and the rest of the girl hams stole the gold from the competition.
"You didn't have to worry about her." Maxwell reassured him. "She's a very optimistic girl. It'd be kind of weird if she were to get depressed, so we do our best to keep her happy. In return, she gives so much joy."
"Seems like you like my sister." Stan teased Maxwell.
Maxwell began to blush. "N-no, it's not like that! Really!"
"Are you sure? It seems kinda odd that a sporty girl like my sister would talk so much about a bookworm." Stan continued to tease Maxwell. He did, however, eye Maxwell suspiciously.
"Well…I guess you could say--"
"Hey Maxy!" The two turned around. Sandy was running up to them, waving her hands in the air. She seemed quite happy to see Maxwell.
"Oh it's Maxy now, huh sis?" Stan teased Sandy.
The couple blushed furiously, but Sandy was the one that bitterly resented Stan's accusation. "Stan! You're, like, embarrassing Maxwell and me!" She then turned to Maxwell. "So, what were you two talking about?"
"Oh…nothing." Maxwell replied.
"Oh whatever." Sandy took Maxwell's paw. "I…need to talk to you for a few minutes…"
Stan saw an opportunity to tease the couple again. "If you two are gonna make out, go do it at Acorn Mountain!"
"Acorn Mountain?"
Stan's eyes widened. After all, no one was supposed to even learn of the acorn filled area. Oh no…that was supposed to be my secret! "Oh nothing. I'd better be going now!" Stan dashed right out of the room. However, Sandy wasn't going to let him off so easily.
"Get back here and tell me where Acorn Mountain is!"
End of Flashback-
The sun was setting, as the rest of the ham-hams headed for the parking lot. The depressing mood from earlier had faded, as everyone acted normally. Boss and Sparkle were still arguing, along with Howdy and Dexter. Oxnard and Pepper were sleeping in the cart, while Hamtaro and Panda were busy discussing what had been going on to Maxwell.
"I see…" Maxwell replied. They had told him about Stan and what his big plans were. Ironically, he felt a little sympathetic towards Stan. After all, they were both boy hams that loved Sandy dearly. Stan being her brother was the only difference. "I can see why he would be upset. After all, he is Sandy's brother."
"Maxwell, I know how you feel," Panda began. "but he is taking it too far, right?"
Maxwell shook his head. "He's kind of right, in a way. Lately, I'd get this kind of tingling sensation every time I'm with Sandy. Today was just a very passionate kiss, but I'm afraid of what would happen later. I do love Sandy, but I don't want to cause her or her family any trouble." It was true. His recent interactions with his girl ham, have caused a tingling sensation. A burning desire to bring him closer to Sandy. However, this sensation, if seen, may cause dire consequences and trouble between families.
Hamtaro finally spoke up. "Yeah, but I think Panda's right. I'm sure that you and Stan can talk this out, right? Besides, I'm sure Sandy wants to know what Stan has been doing lately."
Maxwell shook his head again. He felt that he could trust to pull out on his own. "No. After what Boss said to him, he's probably contemplating his situation. He'll come around, don't worry." Maxwell paused for a minute. Suddenly, his calm demeanor turned into a frown. "There is a bit of problem though."
"What is it, Maxwell?"
"I was wondering if…"
Meanwhile…
"So you finally kissed him!"
Sandy nodded and her face was totally painted in red. While she wanted to tell the girl hams the entire story about their romantic encounter, she decided not to. Just the mention of the kiss was embarassing enough. Telling them that they were drenched and cuddling each other during their passionate kiss would totally embarass her to no end.
"Alright Sandy!" All the girl hams congratulated her on her success. Despite this being Sandy'saffair, they were almost in charge of her love life, or at leasthow she wanted to run it. Call them matchmakers if you want, but they were pretty good at it."We knew you could do it!"
"Ookwee!"
"Oh stop it, you're, like, embarrassing me!" Sandy replied, turning away to hide her blush.
"It's alright, Sandy." Pashmina told her.She gave Sandy a couple of pats on the back."We're just so happy that you were able to finally kiss your boyham."
"Oui! I could never do that with H--" That's when Bijou cut herself off and turned herself from the rest of the girl hams. A bit of blush cover her face.
"It looks like Bijou has crush too, right Penelope?"
"Ookwee!"
"Anyway, the date is over now." Sandy said with a sigh.
The girl ham's eyes widened. "Why?"
Back to Maxwell…
"You're out of money!"
"Yeah…" Maxwell muttered. "We've did so much today that I ended up spending a lot."
"Geez…how much money did you two spend?"
"Well…I kind of forgot, but…" At the same time, Sandy and the rest of the girl hams came out of their hiding spot. "Oh, hey Sandy! Do you remember what we spent our money on?"
"Yeah!" Sandy replied. "First, we spent money on the food we weren't able to eat. Then we paid for a movie we couldn't watch, not to mention snacks we didn't eat. Plus, we had to wash off at the gas station. And then we went to the arcade."
That's when Dexter interjected. "I don't think the arcade quite counts. How much money could a couple of games cost?"
Both Sandy and Maxwell remained completely silent. It was pretty obvious now.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sparkle shouted. "How the hell could you spend so much money!"
"Well, DDR isn't exactly the cheapest of games to play…" Maxwell uttered. "Either way, our date pretty much ends here, so where would you guys like t--"
"Wrong!" Everyone looked at the incredibly enthusiastic girl hams. "You're date isn't over yet!"
"It's not?"
Pashmina pulled out something from her scarf. "Of course not. It's only sunset. Why end it now, when your date can continue throughout the night? Besides, I got these, everyone!" Pashmina then flashed out what looked like…
"Tickets to the Minihamuzu concert!"
"Yup. Front row seats, too! Bijou and I spent hours trying to find these."
"Oui. We reserved the entire front row for all of us." Bijou replied.
Sparkle sighed, muttering, "How come you never show up at MY concerts…?"
"Because we'd rather listen to anyone sing than you." Boss muttered to himself.
Unluckily for Boss, Sparkle heard him. "What the hell did you just say!"
Either way, this day was apparently not going to end anytime soon, so Sandy and Maxwell agreed to go with them. As they headed for the concert, Sandy reached into the hidden compartment of the car.
"I can't wait!" Sandy exclaimed. "The concert will be--Oh no!"
Maxwell turned to Sandy. "What's wrong?"
"I--Maxwell, a car!"
"Yyaah--!" Maxwell swerved the car over to the side and stopped right there.
"Can't you guys drive properly!" Sparkle yelled at them.
Maxwell ignored Sparkle and faced Sandy, "What's wrong?"
"My ribbon wand…" Sandy cried. "My ribbon wand is gone…"
"Don't worry, we'll help you find it!" Maxwell reassured her as he tried to hiff it out.
"We can't waste too much time!" Pashmina urged them to hurry up. "The concert is starting in 30 minutes!"
Maxwell sighed. Their chances of reaching the concert before theconcert ended were slim."We don't have enough time, then."
That's when Hamtaro stood up. "How about we all try to find Sandy's ribbon?" Everyone turned to him. After all, he was the one who'd help you the most if you were in need, and his luck often pulled the ham hams through."I know that we're going to the Minihamuzu concert, but this is Sandy and Maxwell's special night. We all have to find her ribbon wand."
Bijou agreed with him. "Oui! We all have to help out!"
Boss stood up right after her. "Yeah, I'm in!"
"Me too!" Panda replied.
"Me three!" Pashmina responded.
"Ookwee!"
"I bet I can get a couple of the hams at ham-ham carnival and the movie theater to help search the place." Sparkle added.
Maxwell turned to everyone, grateful for their doing this for Sandy. "Thank you, all of you." All of the ham-hams nodded and hurried off to find Sandy's ribbon.
I can't believe I've lost it… Forgive me, okaa-san (mother), onii-chan (big brother)…
Okay, everyone is probably wondering what happened to most of the fic. Well, the new rules made me take down all the song and chat/script portions, so yeah.Unfortunately, you'll never find out what Sandy's song will be, so sorry. However, admin.parts of the Twirling Whirling song were created by me, so don't take it down. Geez...you guys are so strict.Anyway,we're coming down to the conclusion.Yep, one chapter left, you guys! So prepare yourselves for the heart-wrenching conclusion of Aishiteru!
Next and Final Chapter: In a race against time, the ham-hams must find Sandy's ribbon before the concert starts. When all hope is lost, a lost friend comes back with healed wounds. Will the ham hams make it in time and will Stan ever recover from his shock? Tune in next time for the final chapter of Aishiteru!