A Beautiful Mess Chapter 2: Set Up, a hamtaro fanfic

Just some notes before the story continues:

Reviews:

sandandmaxwellfanatic: Thank you, that's exactly what I was going for with Boss and Bijou. As for the site, I'll send you a pm. I'm not exactly sure if I'm supposed to include links to other sites in stories.

DolphinGoddess 17: Yeah, I originally meant the first chapter to be a bit longer, but I ran out of steam pretty quick, and didn't want to let it stew. It's a prologue, though, so I figured it was alright. Thank you very much!

Macarov: Thanks a lot for your perspective. I like first person a lot more than third person. I just find it easier to portray emotions when you speak as the character the events are occurring to.

ChargingForwardBlind: Congrats on first review! Again, thanks for the support. Just read the later chapter of Rain of Nightmares today, and I'm glad to finally know exactly what happened before the whole story with Hamorette and Soren. Waiting patiently for the next chapter. :D

And now, chapter 2!

------------------------------------------

BIJOU'S POV

I looked up and let the sun bathe my face. It was a beautiful day, and I walked slowly to the clubhouse, taking it in as much as I could before I dipped underground to visit the others. It didn't bother me that I was later than usual, and I stopped for a second to admire the clear, blue sky. The sounds of birds and squirrels created a little song, just for me, and the fresh scent of flowers still lingered in the air. That's why I loved that short period of time right before summer so much.

As with every day, my path to the clubhouse led me right past Hamtaro's relatively new home. I found it hard to believe that it had been about a year (I couldn't remember the exact date) since he had started out on his own. It came as a shock to all of us, seeing as he had cared so much for Laura in the past. He was so depressed and heartbroken back then, it was almost like he was a completely different ham. It made me really appreciate that Maria's parents hadn't sent her to France like they originally planned. And of course, I felt so relieved when after weeks of sadness, Hamtaro finally managed to get over his loss, at least a bit. It was like seeing a long lost friend again, and I began growing closer and closer to him.

I headed over to his door and knocked, as we usually walked together to the clubhouse. Panda had really outdone himself with the door for Hamtaro's little house, and he had only gotten better since then. It was amazing to think back at how much we had all changed in such a short time. I realized I had been distracted and knocked again, but there was still no answer, so I assumed Hamtaro had already left to get to the clubhouse, and set off without him. As I turned to leave, I thought I heard a sigh from inside, but it seemed more likely it was just the wind. Hamtaro wouldn't have just ignored me.

After another 15 minutes of half-walking, half-skipping, I finally reached one of Boss' many tunnels that led straight to our little hangout. I hopped in, and immediately cleaned myself off a bit. White fur is so nice, especially in the summer, but it was impossible for me to even walk to the clubhouse on a normal basis without getting filthy. Underground tunnels just never agreed with my fur. Regardless, I hurried off down the familiar hole and came upon the door. Without hesitation, I pulled it open and stepped inside.

"Hamha, everyone!" I exclaimed loudly. After being around my friends for so long, my accent had gotten less and less noticeable, and a year later, it had almost disappeared entirely. I broke from my thoughts to take a look around, and noticed everyone around the wooden table. The only ham who appeared to be missing was Hamtaro, but what I found more strange was that everyone had suddenly grown silent when I walked in. They were talking about something important, I knew that for sure, but before I could ask what was going on, the girls had gotten up and were pushing me into one of the empty rooms of the clubhouse, giggling about a "makeover."

"What has gotten into you girls?" I asked loudly once the door had finally been closed and the boys couldn't hear us. I must have been louder than I intended, because they cringed a bit as I spoke.

"Jeez Bijou! Like, blow our ears out why don't you?" Sandy complained while holding her paws to her ears.

"Yeah, the boys are just playing acorn soccer today, so we figured we'd have some girl time!" Pashmina announced, giddy and excited as always. "We're gonna give you a makeover so you can look beautiful for you-know-who..." She paused for a second, probably just for dramatic effect. Of course they all knew I still liked Hamtaro. We were basically like sisters, so there was almost nothing about me they didn't know at this point.

'Wait,' I thought to myself, 'Sandy would never miss out on showing up all the guys in acorn soccer to do a makeover. "You would rather be here than outside playing with the boys, Sandy?" I asked, suspicious since everyone had been acting a little strange today.

"Pashmina said that she wants to make me look...pretty, for Maxwell..." She blushed as she explained the situation, though I could tell she was NOT looking forward to actually looking like a girl. It was obvious she would much rather be outside right now, playing sports. Regardless, I found it very romantic that she would do something she hated so much just for Maxwell. I began to blush as I found myself imagining how Hamtaro would react to my "makeover." I was only interrupted from my thoughts when Penelope finally spoke up.

"Love!" she said, clear as a bell. It WAS pretty much her favorite word since she had begun starting to talk, and she used it constantly. Pashmina picked up the young ham and nuzzled her.

"That's right! Sandy and Maxwell are in love!" She put Penelope down, and I saw Pashmina whisper something in her ear that made them both giggle and glance at me. I would have tried to get them to tell me what they said, but I already knew that was a futile effort. I was getting a little frustrated with all the secrets being passed around in the clubhouse, though, and I resolved to find out what everyone was keeping so private. For now, I figured I should focus on just trying to look my best for Hamtaro.

------------------------------------------------------

I stood there, hours later, staring into the mirror. I knew my jaw was dropped, but I didn't care at that moment. The girls had really outdone themselves, and as I examined the image looking back at me, a smile crept onto my face. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to find beautiful navy blue ribbons with sequins lining the sides that I could wear in place of my normal blue ribbons. They had given me a lighter blue sash that I wore around my waist and tied in the back like a bow. It reminded me of the way Hamtaro had worn Laura's ribbon when he had been taken far away and found his way back home. My paws were cleaned and my nails were filed down a bit as well. My makeup, unlike most of our other "play" makeovers, was done very conservatively, just enough to bring out my eyes a little bit. I had never felt so beautiful in my life.

"Cats! Look at the time!" Sandy's sudden statement broke me from my trance, and I glanced at the clock Panda and Dexter had worked together to create when we started coming to the clubhouse. The face read "5:30." "You need to find Hamtaro, otherwise the whole day will be a waste!" Sandy exclaimed and proceeded to force me out the door. 'How come I have no control over where I go and when today?' I asked myself.

"But Sandy, we haven't done yours yet! Don't you want to look beautiful for Maxwell?" I asked, nervous of approaching Hamtaro and trying to avoid it the best I could. One look at her face was enough to know how she felt about being left out, though. She looked like she couldn't be happier, obviously infinitely relieved she would be able to get out of being girly for once.

Pashmina answered for her while helping to force me out of the room. "We don't have enough time. We'll have to do Sandy's makeover tomorrow!" she squealed, and Sandy's face fell, as she was already dreading what tomorrow would bring. "But...but," I protested, but before I could make a coherent argument, the door was closed and locked behind me.

When I turned around, I felt like every pair of eyes was on me, likely because they were. The boys had finished their game of acorn soccer a while ago, and were currently engaged in their own personal activities for the time being. Maxwell was reading, Panda was building, and Howdy was telling horrible jokes to the others. Just a normal day at the clubhouse. Their short pause from what they were doing felt like forever, and I just stood still, feeling exposed. My eyes darted around, looking for that bit of orange hamster I had taken forever to dress up for, but again, he didn't seem to be around. I was about to just hide in one of the other rooms of the clubhouse when luckily, Boss interjected.

"Looking for Hamtaro?" he asked calmly. The other ham-hams went back to their normal activities and I nodded rigidly to Boss. I could already feel my tension easing since the others had stopped looking at me and focused on other things. 'Is it just me, or do the others look like they're trying TOO hard to act normal?' I considered when I finally had the nerve to look around again. Some of them continued to shoot me glances, and their actions appeared scripted and suspicious. 'Something is going on around here...'

"He showed up a few hours ago," Boss interrupted. "Follow me, I'll show you where he is." he offered, and I quickly jogged behind him as we headed off down one of the many tunnels Boss had constructed in the past few years. I thought again about how strange everyone seemed to be acting, but we popped above ground, and the red and orange light from the sunset distracted me from my thoughts. It took a good two or three minutes of walking before Boss finally stopped and held a few leaves aside for me.

"Hamtaro's straight ahead," he said, and without another word, he turned around and started making his way back to the clubhouse. I looked ahead, and there he was, sitting quietly in the light of the sunset. My heart began to beat faster, and the butterflies in my stomach began to flutter around. I was normally very calm around Hamtaro, but I figure just the circumstances cause me to become suddenly nervous. The twigs and branches had been moved out of the way not long ago, it looked like, in order to create this perfect view of the sunset.

It hit me then what had been going on all day. The boys hadn't been playing soccer at all, they were clearing this area out for just this occasion, and the makeover hadn't been just on a whim, it was planned. The ham-hams were attempting to set me and Hamtaro up. 'I'm going to have to thank them all later' I thought to myself, blushing madly. 'But why today?' I shook the thought and swallowed hard before approaching him.

The leaves and grass rustled around my feet as I walked, and I was only a few steps away when Hamtaro turned around to see who it was. Hamtaro was always smiling, but as his eyes caught mine, I realized his mouth was turned in a frown instead. His brown eyes looked sad, and his whole body was drooped down. It didn't take much to figure out there was something on his mind. Regardless, he tried his best to force a smile when I walked up, before returning his gaze on the orange sun already starting to dip below the horizon.

I sat down beside him, and stared out at this beautiful view the other hams had cleared especially for us. I had walked by the spot many times, but the brush had always blocked what I felt was one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen. The city was tucked away on the right side of a great, rolling hill, lights beginning to flicker on for the night, and the clouds had changed from monotone white to a thousand different shades of pink, orange, and red. In the far distance, I could make out a few high mountains, seemingly standing watch over this awe-inspiring scenery. My heart melted.

Hamtaro sighed, and I felt the butterflies return to my stomach. 'Maybe I should have put a bit more blush on,' I nervously thought, nervous that maybe there was something we had missed during the makeover. 'Well, it's too late now,' I reasoned, and glanced at the ham sitting next to me. His far off, depressed look hadn't changed since I had first approached, and it made me feel sad to know that something was bothering him so much. I put aside my own feelings of anxiety, and tried to talk to him, hoping I could dispel some of his somber thoughts.

"The view from here is beautiful," I said quietly. I knew it was kind of cheesy and lame, but I couldn't think of anything else to start a conversation.

"Yeah..." he sighed, then said nothing. Confused, I pressed a little more to get him to talk to me.

"I wish I could just sit here and watch the sunset forever, don't you?" I asked.

"Sure," he muttered before going mute again. I inched closer and gently touched his paw with mine.

"I'm really glad I could be here to watch it with you," I almost whispered. He shifted a bit, moving his hand.

"Bijou..." he said, exasperated, "I'm sorry, but...I just want to be alone right now..."

My heart felt shattered as soon as the words escaped his mouth. I felt my eyes instantly begin to water, and it got harder to breathe. 'He didn't even notice?' I tried my best to comprehend what he meant. After spending all day trying to look my best just for him, he wanted me to leave him alone? At first, I thought that maybe I had done something wrong, something he didn't like, and I searched my memory for any reason why he would be upset with me. When I couldn't find anything, though, I began to grow very frustrated, and my frustration soon led me to become mad at Hamtaro. 'The least he could've done,' I vented, 'was acknowledge what I had done all day just for him!'

I got up and began to walk away, but something inside me must have just broken. After secretly admiring him for so long, my fragile little heart just couldn't take it anymore. I had never been so upset with Hamtaro, and before I could process what I was doing, I had turned around to face him again. Warm tears were stinging my eyes, and my face felt burning hot. I did something then I never thought I would ever do. I began yelling at Hamtaro.

--------------------------------------------------

Believe me, I meant it when I said this story would be HxB. You're just gonna have to wait for that. As far as the next chapter goes, I have a feeling it's gonna be real hard to write, but I'm kinda looking forward to it. Just one word as a hint: Jingle.

I wanted to do this in first person, because as an omnipotent narrator knowing everyone's feelings, it sort of takes away from making the audience feel some sort of emotion. Doing first person, I felt, would make it easier to relate to the character, so now we have a bit of how Hamtaro feels from the Prologue, and what Bijou's experiencing in this chapter. I'm gonna be switching back and forth, so it won't be all one person's point of view the entire time.

Alright, now some explaining. One of my buddies graduated from high school and went to a college in South Carolina. I live in the Northeast, mind you. About a year later, when that person came back to visit, he had managed to pick up a southern accent. When I wrote this, I thought 'what better way to show passage of time than to include Bijou's accent becoming less prominent?' She does hang out with a bunch of other hamsters every single day, none of which speak French, so it only made sense that she would begin talking a bit more like them. In fact, as far as I remember, Maria doesn't even really have an accent. Alright, I'll admit it was also to keep from having to write out Bijou's accent in dialogue. :)

Anyway, I'm just gonna let you make what you will of it now, so I hope you enjoyed it! I'll do my best to make another chapter before TOO long.