Disclaimer= I do not own Hayate the Combat Butler.

A/N= This is a long oneshot.

It didn't really eat at her until now. I mean, she did get jealous whenever he acted too "friendly" around other girls. Why she didn't act on her intuition until now remains a mystery. There was exactly one week left to go before graduation, before Nagi would go to a university. Hayate changed her life dramatically since their first encounter. His charm and good looks made her fall for him instantly. In her eyes, he was the best butler ever. She paid his tuition at the academy. The years flew by for them. Alas, graduation loomed. Nagi always wanted to be by Hayate's side. The one thing that worried her, the one thing that kept eating at her, was his feelings for Maria. Since the day that Hayate thought that he wasn't accepted at the academy, he would act strange whenever hew as around her. Suspicions were heightened when he saw a photograph of the two on the Ferris Wheel. Nagi needed to know once and for all what Hayate's feelings were towards Maria

Sunday came around, with graduation slated for the enxt day. Nagi was growing so restless that she decided to ask him today. She found him drinking tea in the kitchen. He noticed her so he stood up and asked if she needed anything.

"Come with me to my conference room, alone. I want to ask you something." She was already halfway towards the room before Hayate had anytime to react.

The Nagi Room (as she preferred it to be known as) was humongous. When Hayate finally got in there, she was seated on an elevated chair at the head spot. He sat down the opposite end. Silence engulfed the room for a few minutes. Nagi was loudly tapping her chair, which told Hayate that she was going to ask him something big. He had enough of the silence.

"Eh, Milday, what --"

"Hayate, what do you think of Maria?"

Red marker colored on his cheeks wouldn't have made a deeper blush than what was already on his face.

"Milday, waht do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me! What do you think of Maria!?!"

"Well, I think she is a very kind person."

Nagi wasn't satisfied with his answer, so she pressed.

"Do you think she is cute?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she is pretty?"

"Yes." Nagi was seething.

"Do you blush when she gets close to you?" She was going in for the kill.

"I'll admit, I do blush, yes."

She went in for the kill.

"Hayate, do you love Maria?!" Her eyes bore through him.

"No, I love someone else. I believe she knows who she is."

Nagi waited excitedly for the extended eye contact, but he looked away as soon as he said that. She was mortified.

"You...BASTARD!!!" Nagi snaps and goes bezerk, throwing chairs all over the place. Hayate tries calming her down, but he has to duck the barrage of chair remains fired at him.

"How...how could you! Don't you know how I've felt since we first met!?"

Many tears streamed down Nagi's face.

"Milday, you need to calm down." She gradually cooled off.

"Oh yes, I need to. I'll do a little shopping to unwind." With a snap of the fingers, the SPs came and took off with Nagi towards the mall.

Later on in the evening, Hayate was watching some game show on TV when Maria came to his side.

"Wazaap, Maria?"

"Hayate-kun, I just received a call from Nagi. She will be back late, so we do not have to stay up for her."

"Okay, sounds good." He unintentionally let his voice trail off.

"Hayate -kun, did something happen earlier between you and Nagi?," asked Maria.

"What? Oh no, nothing happened."

"HAYAte-kun..." Maria had that look on her face.

"Maria-san, she just got a little upset, so she went shopping. Shopping is soothing for girls, as you know..."

"Ah yes, yes it is."

"Well, I better get some sleep, the big day is tomorrow."

"Good night, Hayate-kun."

Its Graduation Day and Hayate is up bright and early. He quickly showers, puts on his robe and goes to his closet to pick out his attire. Satisfied with his selection, he heads to his master's room to wake her up. He finds a note on the wall.

"I'm at school already to help set up everything for graduation. Don't worry about me Hayate. Oh and Maria, you have the day off. Go shopping with the $5,000 I left you."

"Maria-san!" Maria glides over to outisde Nagi's door.

"I'm getting the day off? Interesting. and I have $5,000 to spend! Okay!" She leaves just as soon as she arrives.

Hayate arrives to school a little while later. He runs into Hinagiku-san.

"Good morning Hinagiku-san, have you seen Milday around?"

"No I haven't seen her at all," she said,"I greeted everyone by the gates that is here helping set everything up for the ceremony, but I didn't greet her."

"Oh crap," thought Hayate.

He starts to look around the school for Milady, only to find her absent in all the places he searches. Outside of the school gates, he searched for her in Ayumu's house, Wataru-kun's store, and even in the corporate buildings downtown. She was nowhere to be found. Desperate, he raced home, up the stair steps, and outside of her bedroom. He knocked with Butler Punch force.

"MILADY! MILADYY!! OPEN UP!! YOU WILL BE LATE FOR THE CEREMONY!!!"

There was dead silence on the other side. Distressed, he kicks the door open, only to find it pitch black. Hayate flips the lights on, and notices a limp Nagi on her bed facing down.

"Mi...Milady?" He dashes to her side and turns her over to find her eyes closed. He repeatedly shakes her to get a response, but none is given.

"Milady!? Oh no, you can't be dead, you just can't!! This was going to be your best day, WHY!?!" Hayate notices a few moments later a note addressed to him on her side table. Picking it up he reads:

[Dear Hayate,

I have decided to end my life. I intook 3 times the lethal limit worth of sleeping pills. I know you love Maria--so go be with her. I'm leaving my estate to you and her.

Love,

Nagi.]

"Oh my...GOD!" Hayate bursts into tears again. Clutching her closely, he starts whispering to her.

"Milady, remember when I thought that I did not get accepted to the academy? Maria came to where I was (after I had run out) and sat with her back towards me. I started complaining again about failing to get accepted. She grabbed my face, pulled it close to hers and held it there for a little bit. It seems that she has feelings for me, but I do not for her. I do not love her; I love somebody else. Her name is..." Just when he was finishing his thought, Maria came in.

"HAYATE-KUN, what's going on!?!"

"Nagi committed suicide." And with that, he took a sword that he grabbed from out of nowhere and stabbed himself in the chest with it, leaving Maria shocked.

"HAYATE-KUN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF!!!"

With darkness quickly setting in, he spoke.

"My parents messed up my life. Fate paired Milady and I together. If I hadn't met her, I would've been long dead. Since she took me in, I knew that I lived to only serve her. Now that she is dead, I have no reason to live."

Hayate-kun was all Maria could muster.

"Maria-san, Milady is my riaru rabu."Using his remaining strength, he picked up the dead Nagi and held her. Staring at her lifeless eyes, he said his final words.

"Milady, I love you."

Hayate died while holding his master in his arms.