Disclaimer: I do not own Hamtaro including any Hamtaro characters.

Chapter 5- All Plans Will Fall Into Place

"You must think I'm a monster."

"Of course not!" Pashmina insisted as she gently placed a hand on Panda's shoulder. "You were just trying to help your friend."

"Pashmina?"

"Yes?"

"They say bad things happen for a reason, but what is the reason?"

Their eyes met and a silence followed a silence that said so many words, until Panda fell to the floor crying.

"It was my fault, Pashmina. It was my entire fault!" A pair of arms wrapped round the distraught boy.

"It will be ok in the end, you'll see."

Panda ran the edge of his sleeve against his face, removing the signs of any tears. "Your right" he said, with his best smile placed against his face.

"Anyway" Pashmina began, "I know what might cheer you up."

~/~/~/~/~/

A sandy blonde haired boy stood at the bottom of the tree using his hands to protect his eyes from the sun shinning brightly above.

"Is that a yes?" He called up to the other boy, resting on one of the tree's higher branches.

"Never decline to recline." Jingle gave a single drum to his guitar.

"Right, well I'm going to take that as a yes and go home."

"Always take the path less travelled."

"Thanks," Stan picked up his bag and through it over his shoulder "but I'll take the train." Twisting his back to Jingle, he began to hum a tune he had heard his sister sing countless times as he made his way home.

~/

Stan smiled to himself; he had got the all clear from Sandy. They were going the circus tonight without Boss; looks like the plan had sorted itself out perfectly. Well, nearly perfectly.

"What do you think Stan?"

"Why, what?" Stan asked the boy next to him. He called all the boys beside him his friends, but to be honest he had never had more than three whole conversations with any of them.

"Told you he wasn't listening." Stan didn't hear that either, instead he noticed Hamtaro walking just a short distance away.

"Hey Hamtaro, over here!"

"Why are you calling that loser over?" One of the boys asked. Stan couldn't remember his name, maybe it was Steve.

"If you have such a problem I'll go over to him." And with that Stan walked over to the ginger haired boy that was only a short distance away.

"Hi!" Stan just couldn't understand that, no matter who came up to him, Hamtaro would always be so friendly and open.

"There's been a change of plan" Stan explained. "The circus is tonight."

"Oh, that's good!" Hamtaro said with a beaming smile as he began to fish in his pocket for some change.

"By the way, have you seen Panda? You know, after the incident."

"I think he was with Pashmina." Hamtaro said, as he finally produced two golden coins out of his pocket. "Yes! I knew they were in here somewhere."

"Hamtaro! Stan!" Both boys twisted around to see Sandy coming their way. "Fancy seeing you two here."

"Why aren't you in Gymnastics?" Stan asked, as he recalled Sandy had starting night time classes.

"I told them I was sick so I could go to the circus. So Hamtaro, be there or be square and Stan, well you don't have a choice."

~Yay! So next chapter we are finally going the circus. This chapter seems like a bit of a waste, but anyway I hope you still enjoyed it~