The final chapter of "A Beautiful Mess" is here! Sorry it took so long, I'm a mechanical engineering student, and I've been focusing about 98% of my time on just doing school work. The funny thing is that I PICKED this major. Talk about masochistic....

Anyway, let me just say some thanks to some reviewers of my story!

ChargingForwardBlind: Thank you, I really appreciate it! I actually really enjoyed writing Jingle; it's a helluva lot of fun. Hence, my next story (which is gonna be ongoing). And don't worry, Bijou gets her little bit of happy ending. :)

Laidbackguy: Glad you liked it, and that I could make you feel a little with it. Hopefully this one will turn the sad into happy.

RubyxSapphire: It's Hamtaro! Kinda hard to make it anything other than cute. :3 I still appreciate your review, though, so thank you very much!

Chipmunk4ever: No, I never really noticed that about the symbol, but you're kinda right. Yeah, I know how to procrastinate, I practically wrote the book. This chapter is a prime example, but it's finally done!

And now, let's continue on without making you wait any longer!

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BIJOU'S POV

Initially, I didn't realize what was going on. All I could comprehend were my own emotions, and my body seemed to be acting on its own. My vision went black, and suddenly, I was running through the leaves and grass away from Hamtaro. My memory came crashing back to me, and I finally realized what I had just done. I kept running, though I wanted so much to go back and apologize for my outburst. A part of me was still comprehending the fact that I had just confessed my feelings to him, and I thought it would be impossible to confront him again.

My head was pounding, and my legs felt like jello, but I continued to sprint until I reached one of the trails into the clubhouse. Without stopping, I leapt inside, taking quite the stumble as I did, but it didn't faze me. I must have looked like a mess, my formerly pristine blue ribbons now covered in dirt and my makeup likely running, but I paid little attention as I bolted towards the door. I threw it open and quickly closed it behind me before sitting down, my paws covering my face and my body tucked in close to my chest, against the door.

Luckily, most everyone had left for the day, and I silently thanked myself for that fact. The last thing I needed was five or six ham-hams all around me, trying to make me feel better. I looked up for a second when I heard quiet shuffling, and I saw Boss. He had probably heard the commotion I made coming in and left his room to find out what it was. He took one look at me and his face dropped. He never liked to see me upset or sad, kind of like having an older brother. He came over and sat down next to me without saying a word, and I cried into his shoulder for what must have been about a half hour. In fact, I was surprised there was that much water in my body.

When I finally calmed down, I pulled my head up to look at him. I already knew he was going to ask, but I waited for him to voice the question. "What happened?" he asked, quietly, calmly. I felt the lump in my throat come back again, but I choked it down and began to tell him exactly what occurred after he left me and Hamtaro alone. My sniffling must have made it almost impossible to comprehend what I was saying, but I continued anyway, including as much detail as possible, and Boss just sat quietly, listening.

When I had finished recalling the events, he turned his head down and shook his head. That wasn't exactly what he had been planning would happen, that much was obvious. All the ham-hams had worked so hard to make the whole day happen, and to keep it secret from me and Hamtaro, and it was depressing to think that all that they had done was for nothing. He looked back up at me before opening his mouth again. "Bijou, don't you know what day it is?" I thought for a second, trying to figure it all out. I knew it wasn't Hamtaro's birthday, I remembered that pretty well. It was almost summer, so I knew it wasn't Valentine's Day, or anything of the sort, either. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind, and Boss realized that. "Laura and her family left a year ago today."

It all sunk in, and I understood why Hamtaro had looked so sad, and why he wanted to be alone. It wasn't anything I did wrong, nor was it because he didn't notice me. I felt the tears come back again, my conscience kicking me for being so selfish on a day like today. I leaned back onto Boss' shoulder, crying again, and he held me close, trying to comfort me. He reminded me of the father I never had, the way he would put up a strong front and always give me his best advice. He probably knew exactly what was going through my mind and what I was feeling. "We all knew Hamtaro would be depressed today," he started, "and we all know you're the best at cheering any ham-ham up." He smiled as he explained what had been going on all day.

"I know I wouldn't want my day with you to end like that." I knew what he was saying, and I began to feel nervous again. I wasn't so sure I could talk to Hamtaro after what I had done today, but Boss was right. He deserved to be happy. That's what he had done for all the ham-hams through all these years. He held us together, made us a family, and reminded us of so many of our own values, like to always help a ham in need. "You know where he lives," Boss advised, "so go make things right." I smiled, probably for the first time since I had arrived at the clubhouse that morning, and wrapped my arms around his chest. I didn't say anything, but I didn't think it was necessary, and in a matter of seconds, I was darting off down the old tunnel again.

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"Hamtaro!" I yelled as loud as I could, pounding with all my force on the large, wooden door to his cozy little home. I had been trying for about ten minutes to get him to answer, but he refused to acknowledge me. The way I saw it, there were only two real possibilities: either he wasn't there at all, and I was desperately calling for someone who wasn't even around, or our fight earlier had made him want to ignore me completely. I cringed at the latter possibility, and I tried to remain optimistic. 'Maybe he's still watching the sky!' I convinced myself, refusing to believe he could possibly be angry at me after everything we had been through together. 'I'd be furious with you, if I was him,' my mind remarked, but I violently forced that thought to the back of my head, and darted off towards the clearing where we had our argument about an hour ago.

I held onto as much faith as I could, but that one creeping thought just kept haunting me, and I found myself running more out of desperation than anything else. I refused to let his day end on such a bad note, just because of me. When I finally got there, I recognized the leaves Boss had held aside when he led me there earlier, and I pulled them violently away. I dropped to my knees, heartbroken again, when all I found was an empty space where Hamtaro had been just over an hour ago. I felt the lump return to the back of my throat, but the tears just wouldn't come. I put my face in my paws and sobbed, but I didn't cry a single tear. I guess the whole day I had spent crying had left me dried out.

I dropped my head and dragged myself slowly to the empty spot in the grass, staring out at the stars. Usually, I loved staring out into the night sky, but it all just reminded me that the day was pretty much over, and Hamtaro had likely gone home, his last impression of the day being a fight with me, the ham he considered a best friend. 'What a way to repay him...' I thought, depressed as I spotted Orion amidst the other constellations. "Hamtaro's favorite..." I said to myself. Of course it was his favorite; Orion was the hunter, the adventurer. It was his love of adventure and sense of heroism that I loved about Hamtaro, but sometimes I wished he had noticed some of the other constellations like Cygnus, the swan, or Columba, the dove.

I felt numb, and it felt like I was dreaming. Bats flew overheard, screeching to find their way in the dark, but I never perked my ears to listen or followed them with my eyes, like instinct would normally tell me to do. I wasn't afraid of anything sneaking up on me, even though I was an easy, weak target for any predator. I now realize how very lucky I was that an owl didn't swoop down, or that a cat didn't creep up silently from behind that night. I must have sat there for close to an hour, though it felt like only a few minutes since I had no perception of time at that point, before I mentally recovered enough to consider that I should go back home. I was sure Maria was probably worried sick about me, but I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty for making her wonder where I was.

I remember standing up, my body sore from sitting completely still for so long, but I still can't recall ever actually walking back to the mansion where I lived. It was as if I was in autodrive, and my subconscious mind must have just guided me back home. All I can remember of the walk was seeing the white house become slowly visible above the concrete. The metal gate guarding the house came slowly into view as well, and I could make out something strange up against it. The moon was kind enough to shed some light on the street, and even in the dead of night, I could make out a familiar orange and cream outline. I halted when I realized it was Hamtaro, leaning against the iron gate, staring quietly up into the sky.

My heart began to beat faster, and the feeling returned to my body. Reality rushed back to me, and a cool breeze made me shiver. Suddenly, I could hear crickets and owls singing in the dark, and I could feel the cold asphalt beneath my feet. I could taste how dry my mouth was, and I swallowed hard, trying desperately to wet my throat again. What I noticed most, though, was that after seeing him, I didn't feel that hopeless, crushing pain I had been feeling only a few minutes earlier. My heart felt just a bit lighter, and the hope that I still had a chance to make this right came back. My throat was still dry, and my heart was probably going a million miles an hour, but I forced myself to slowly approach him.

He never looked down at me as I inched closer and closer to him. He just continued staring into the sky, and when I got close enough, I realized he was even smiling. I thought it was unusual for him to look so happy after we had argued and parted ways the way we did, and I longed to know what he was thinking about that caused him to be so calm and content. As I look back now, I'm glad he was, because it made it that much easier to approach him, knowing that he wasn't still upset or holding a grudge about what I had said to him. Before long, I stood only a few steps in front of him, my blue eyes on him, and his still focused on the stars.

"Hamtaro, I..." I began, but just the action of speaking beckoned the lump back into my throat. I wanted...no, I needed to tell him how sorry I was for what happened earlier, but it was as if the cold breeze that rolled by had taken my voice along with it. Every sound I did manage to make only made it harder to keep my composure. I didn't want to cry in front of him anymore, but my body didn't seem to agree with my mind, and I was tearing up again. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't want him to see me like that or if it was because I wanted to be close and make sure that he wasn't going to leave, but I moved closer and put my arms around him. And then I just let it all out. I half-talked, half-sobbed into him, trying to explain everything.

"I...I'm so sorry..." I managed to confess, somewhat unintelligibly, between sighs and sobs. I'm not sure exactly what I expected at that point. Maybe I thought he would push me away, upset and angry with me. Maybe I was hoping he would pull me in close, and tell me that it was okay. All I know is that when, after about five minutes, he did absolutely nothing, I started to get scared that maybe I had ruined any chance at all I had to be with him. Driven by this new fear, I just began talking, not really understanding what I was saying, but doing my best to explain how stupid I had been. I only stopped when I felt a slight pressure on my shoulders, pushing me back just enough so I could see his face.

He looked at me with that smile still on his face, and I felt more at ease knowing that he wasn't upset with me. "You look beautiful, Bijou." What he said was completely unexpected, and I almost didn't believe the words had really come from his mouth. I had a hard time understanding how, even with what little makeup I had running on my face from my tears and my fur and paws disheveled from running around all night in search of him, he still thought that I was beautiful. I wanted to comprehend why, and I tried to voice the question, but I was still too confused to do anything except sit there with my mouth slightly open, gaping at him.

Before I had the chance to collect my thoughts, he turned his head back up at the sky and it was silent again. Instead of feeling nervous and depressed by the lack of conversation, however, the silence was welcoming, and I felt closer to Hamtaro. I embraced the clear quiet night, and I looked up into the stars with him, but not before moving myself just a little bit closer to him. We may not have been "together" in the sense that I wanted to be, but I wouldn't have changed that night in any way.

We had been just sitting together for about a half hour, and I was beginning to think that I should head inside so that Maria would know that I was okay, but I felt a slight pressure on my paw. It was gentle, and barely noticeable, almost like the wind was kissing it. When I looked over to my right, I saw that Hamtaro had placed his paw on mine, though he seemed to be trembling a little as he did. He must have been more nervous about this kind of stuff than I thought, because when I turned to look at him, he quickly took his paw off mine and laid it on the ground next to him, his face going beat red.

I couldn't help but giggle a bit at how cute it was to see him the way he was. As far as I had ever known, Hamtaro had never been one to get embarrassed, and it felt nice to know that I was probably the only ham-ham who had seen this side of him. It meant I was closer to him than any of the others were. I found that I missed the feeling of his paw on mine, and I inched a bit closer. My face must have been about the same shade of cherry red as his when our paws finally touched again. We locked eyes for a quick second, and he smiled before looking back at the sky, this time without withdrawing his paw from mine. 'Well, I'm sure I could stay just a little while longer,' I thought before resting my head on his shoulder. Who would have known a day that began so terribly could become one of the best I can remember. You know, I even thought, as I was sitting there, genuinely happy to be alive, that I heard the soft sounds of a guitar on the wind.

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And there you have it! Sorry if it's not quite as good, I had a hard time writing this one. Regardless, I managed to finish the story off, and only about a month late! For all the readers from , thanks a bunch! It feels good to actually get reviews saying it's not a lousy story. And for all of you on HHP who might have read this, I would like to thank you too! There's unfortunately no real easy way to review the authors on HHP, and I know, I've wanted to send a few reviews to others myself.

Before I finish this off, I'm just gonna remind everyone reading that I'm (hopefully) not gonna completely disappear. I'd like to start an on ongoing Hamtaro fanfic, the main character of which will be Jingle! I really liked writing him in the third chapter of this story (or second, if we count the first as just a prologue), and I wanted to keep doing so. I'm calling it "Hourou Tongari," or "Wandering Jingle," kind of a play on "Tottuko Hamutaro." In any case, it's gonna be a series of his little adventures both in and out of the Ham-Ham clubhouse, so if you have any fan characters you'd like to make appearances in a chapter, PM me on fanfiction, or if you reading this on HHP, email me at .

Well that's all I have for all of you, so good bye, and good luck! Oh, and I know it's a couple days early, but HAPPY HALLOWEEN!