Disclaimer: Kenjiro Hata is a the owner of all things Hayate no Gotoku. I am but a humble fan fiction author. Kenjiro Hata is the owner of all money Hayate related. I am but a poor student.
A/N: See the endnotes for author comments. Enjoy the story.
Farewell, Our Lovers
Three sharp raps at the door, and she turned her head towards it. "Enter." She said calmly. The door to the vanity room opened, and a familiar blue-haired butler walked in. Currently in a more formal uniform for the ceremony, He looked towards the girl sitting in front of the mirror, a small smile on his face.
"Ready, Ojo-sama?" He asked. Nagi gave a half smile.
"I'm just finishing up my makeup." Nagi replied calmly. Methodically, she picked up the sticks and bottles from the dresser one by one, applying them ever so gently to her face. Hayate stood to the side, watching with a smile on his face.
"You much be excited." He said cheerfully, "And happy. It's not every day a girl gets married."
Nagi said nothing, continuing to apply her makeup. Happy? Was she happy? Excited she was, but happy? It was true of course, it wasn't every day that something like this happened. In fact, this would most likely be the only day in her life this would happen. So shouldn't she be..?
"Yes, I am excited." she said, finishing up her makeup. Standing up from the seat, she turned towards Hayate, spining in place as her white dress flew around her. After a full turn, she smiled towards Hayate. "How do I look?" she inquired, "And be honest.". Hayate gave a warm smile.
"You look beautiful, Ojo-sama." He said sincerely. Nagi blushed, looking at herself in the mirror. She had grown so much from when they had first met. She was eighteen now, an adult. Her teenage years had matured her, Nagi had gained a much gentler temperment, though she was not above fits of rage. So many people remarked that she was the mirror image of her mother, her long hair and gently face, though Nagi didn't have a good enough memory of her mother's face any longer to agree or not. Even so , she was happy to receive such comments, especially from him.
"I'm glad." She said finally, turning back to face Hayate. "I wouldn't want to look bad on a day like this, would I?" She said, laughing nervously. Turning away from Hayate, she looked at herself in the mirror again, an uneasy feeling stirring in her stomach as she looked at herself in that white gown.
"I'm sure you will be happy Ojo-sama." Hayate said, a bit of assurance in his voice. Nagi giggled. "It will be interesting, to say the least. Living with somebody else. I wonder if I'll still feel alone, even after being joined."
"Alone, Ojo-sama?" Hayate inquired. Nagi turned to face him. She was smiling, yet there was a sadness in her eyes. "Yeah, alone. Strange, isn't it? How a person with everything can feel like they have nothing. I've always had money, but that's never brought me happiness. I could buy the country, yet I couldn't win one person's heart. Ever since Mom died... I've felt nothing but isolation. Nobody, no matter how close, has ever been able to take that horrible feeling away. Nobody..."
Nagi walked up to Hayate, grasping his hand. As he, flustered, looked from his hand to her face, she smiled. "Except you, Hayate. Have I ever told you that? If not, then let me say it now. Hayate... out of all the people in the world I know, you are the only person who has ever made me feel like I wasn't alone."
Hayate blushed, taking a step back. "O-Ojo-sama..." He started, but Nagi raised a gloved hand, pushing a finger to his lips. "You know... I've always loved you Hayate.. ever since that night. I know that we cleared up that misunderstanding a long time ago but even so... I have always loved you. I still love you, Hayate."
Before he could react, Nagi was on her toes. Slowly, she moved her lips to touch his, and pressed ever so slightly against his face. He didn't move, didn't back off, but didn't move in either. He simply stood, eyes half closed in sorrow, accepting his Ojo-sama's actions. After a few seconds, Nagi pulled away, standing normally again. Looking up at her butler, Nagi smiled.
"I'm sorry, for never telling you earlier. I think a part of me always wanted to hope that you would come to love me too. Now I realize, that was nothing more than a child's daydream. It is too late to stop this wedding from happening. Even if it weren't... this is my duty as the heir of Sanzenin." Holding out her hand, she took Hayate's, brushing the gold ring on his finger.
"I never thought I'd lose to hamster..." Nagi said as she gazed softly at the ring, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I wish you great happiness, Hayate."
Letting go of his hand abruptly, Nagi moved swiftly past Hayate. With determined steps, she made for the door. Before Hayate could respond to Nagi's words, she had already left the room. There he stood, alone in the room, a single tear in his eye. Holding up his left hand, Hayate brushed the ring softly.
"I've failed you, Ojo-sama." Hayate said quietly. "It is a butler's duty to make his Ojo-sama happy. Had I known... I would have done everything in my power to make you happy. Yet even so I.. I apologize... for not being able to return your feelings."
Quietly, Hayate followed his charge out of the vanity room.
XxXxX
A short ways outside the grounds, Wataru stood on a small wooden bridge, looking down into his wavy reflection. As much as he had already resigned himself, Wataru still found it hard to accept it. Casually, he picked up a pebble and tossed it into the river, watching the reflection of his sad face ripple across the water.
"Wataru?"
Startled, Wataru jumped up suddenly. Turning, he stood stiff as the figure approached him. Wrapped in a formal kimono for the occasion, with her long black hair in a formal tie, Isumi walked slowly towards Wataru. She crossed onto the bridge, and when she was only a few feet away from him, she finally came to a stop. Wataru stared at her passivly. She was so beautiful, even more so than usual. They both stood their, silent for a few moments, before Isumi finally spoke.
"Wataru-kun... why aren't you at the ceremony?" She asked cautiously. "It is going to start soon..." Wataru stared at Isumi for a moment, before giving a small chuckle and throwing another stone into the water.
"Yeah I know..." He said casually. "I don't know what I'm doing out here, to be honest. I guess..." He faltered, his eyes gazing at the two reflections cast in the water, "I guess I'm ashamed." He concluded. Isumi cocked her head.
"Ashamed? Of what?" She asked innocently. Wataru grinned. "I failed, you know? I had pledged to rebuild the family fortune by myself, without any help from the Sanzenin. Heh, what a joke. I should have known it would be impossible. In the end, it was inevitable that I would be crawling before Nagi for money." Isumi stood silently, though there was a troubled look in her eye.
"Do you... hate Nagi, Wataru-kun?" She asked shyly. Wataru looked up, turning to Isumi. "I... no, I don't hate her. Really, I kind of like her, in an ironic sort of way." He admitted, smiling. "But still.. I don't love her." He said sadly. Isumi shook her head. "Wataru-kun..."
"There is a girl you know, one that I really do love." Wataru said in a matter-of-fact way. "If I told you even half the stuff I did in order to get her attention, to help her, to stay by her side... well you wouldn't believe me." Wataru chuckled slightly. Slowly, he looked up at the sky. "Yet... I always knew she was beyond my reach. To me, she was an angel. So beautiful, so perfect... yet so far beyond my reach it was laughable."
Isumi took a step forward, her eyes tearing. "Wataru-kun-"
"Yet even so... I wanted to be close to her." Wataru declared, clenching his fists. "Even though I knew it was hopeless, I still wanted her to notice me, to acknowledge me, to need me. To-"
Without a word, Isumi closed the gap between them and, with a small motion, kissed Wataru softly on the cheek. When she pulled away, she was smiling. Wataru stood paralyzed, blushing from head to toe.
"E-Even though I may not feel that way about you, I still..." Isumi stumbled out, "I still consider you a very special person to me, Wataru-kun! T-That's why..." she stopped, a tear coming from her eye, "That's why I don't want to see you sad. Wataru-kun, Nagi... I don't want to see anybody special to me so sad."
Wataru stood silent. As Isumi raised a hand to wipe away her tear. Just as she reached her face, Wataru's hand shot out, and gently, he grasped hers in his. Surprised, Isumi looked up into Wataru's eyes.
"Isumi... tell me. Did I ever... was there ever a time that I had a chance?" Wataru asked, a pleading note in his voice. "I just want to know... were my efforts, were they ever worth it? Even for a moment?"
Blushing, Isumi looked away slightly, focusing on their joined hands. "Any feelings I may have had for Wataru-kun..." She began, "Were not worth ruining my friendships with both you and Nagi over. Despite your feelings for one another... you two were still engaged. So I..."
Wataru shook his head, smiling. "I understand, that's all I wanted. So... Thank you. I think I can face this now."
Walking past Isumi, Wataru headed for the ceremony. Turning, Isumi watched as Wataru, his back to her, waved from behind.
"Goodbye, Isumi." He said softly. Isumi raised her hands to her eyes, wiping away the tears.
"Goodbye, Wataru."
XxXxX
"We are gathered here today..."
As the pair stood at the alter, waiting to be addressed, Nagi and Wataru exchanged a brief glance. In each other's eyes, they saw the infinite emotions that were roiling to bust to the surface. Yet even so, neither one of them said a word. They didn't smile or frown, laugh or cry... they simply stared at one another, listening as the priest continued on.
"Do you Wataru Tachibana, take Nagi Sanzenin to be your friend, your lover, the mother of your children and your wife? Will you be hers in times of plenty and times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. Do you promise to cherish and respect her, to care and protect her, to comfort and encourage her, and to stay with her, for all eternity?"
In that moment of pause, Wataru stared intensely into Nagi's eyes. Everything he felt was threatening to burst forth, but in that moment, he gave a small smile. With a deep sigh, he turned to the priest with steely determination. "I do." He said simply.
In her seat, Isumi felt a tear fall from her eye. Taking out her cloth, she wiped the tear away slowly.
"I'm sorry Wataru-kun... Nagi."
"Do you," The priest continued, turning to Nagi, "Nagi Sanzenin, Take Wataru Tachibana to be your friend, your lover, the father of your children and your husband. Will you be his in times of plenty and times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of faliure and in times of triumph. Do you promise to cherish and respect him, to care and protect him, to comfort and encourage him, and to stay with him, for all eternity?"
Raising a hand to her breast, Nagi looked down to the floor. For a few moments, she was silent. Then, slowly, she looked back up to face the priest. "I do." She proclaimed.
Sitting beside him, Nishizawa gripped Hayate's hand in hers. When Hayate turned to look at her, he saw that Nishizawa had a pained look on her face.
"Hayate-kun... is this right?" She asked sincerely. Hayate opened his mouth to assure her that it was but, when the words refused to come to him, he closed his mouth, simply pulling her closer to him.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
With it finished, Nagi and Wataru turned to one another. Slowly, they raised their hands in unison, and taking his hand in hers, and hers in his, drew close, and pressed their lips together. A single tear rolled down Nagi's cheek, though almost nobody in the crowd understood it for what it was, a tear of sorrow.
As they parted, the priest rose his hands. "May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Sanzenin."
A thunderous applause rose up to the darkening sky.
XxXxX
"Well, that was one hell of a ceremony, huh?" Wataru inquired to his new bride. A few hours after the wedding, Wataru and Nagi sat inside the suite of an upscale Japanese hotel. Laughing at his own remark, Wataru began to undo his formal wear, starting with his tie, which he casually threw to the floor. Nagi sat down on the bed, giving a small pout.
"Hmph. You actually looked half-way decent in that outfit." She said sharply, turning away from her husband. Wataru gave a sort of lopsided smile. "Heh, did I? Well you know..." Wataru took off his jacket, placing it in his arms as he turned towards Nagi, "I was surprised. You look very beautiful in that gown." He said honestly. Nagi blushed, averting her gaze. "S-Stupid! Don't say cheesy things like that..."
"Haha, sorry." Wataru replied. A cold silence filled the room for another minute, as Wataru continued to strip out of his formal attire until he remained simply in his slacks and dress shirt, abite with rolled up sleeves. Suddenly, Wataru cut through the silence.
"Wataru Sanzenin, huh?" He mumbled to himself, causing Nagi to look towards her groom. "It doesn't have quite the same ring as Tachibana does but... I guess I'll get used to it, right?" Nagi bit her lip, giving a small sigh.
"I'm sorry Wataru... I know you tried hard to rebuild your family's fortune by yourself, yet I-"
"Are you still hung up on that?" Wataru cut in, looking Nagi in the eye. She was silent, but gave a small nod. Wataru let out a sigh, smiling. "Well don't be. That was a foolish dream pursued by a foolish child. I never had a change at restoring our fortune to what my parents wanted. Not with a rental store, at least." Wataru mumbled to himself. "Besides, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you, Nagi."
"Huh?" Nagi cocked her head in confusion. "What for?"
"Well... I know how much you loved him..." Nagi gave a small gasp, touching her hand to her heart. "And how much you wanted to break off the marriage. Yet you weren't able to get out of it. I know that it was partly due to your Grandfather, but still, it was my parents' inability to let go of the past that set all of this in motion." Wataru said, a tone of shame in his voice. "And because of that, you were forced to do this." He finished.
The room was silent again, and just as Wataru went to turn away, Nagi gave a small giggle, followed by another, and soon she was on her back, laughing on the bed. Wataru gave her a curious gaze.
"As if you-" She started, though her laughter was interrupting her speech, "Didn't want to get out of it, hah, as well? Haha! Don't act so chivalrous. I know you still love her, Wataru." He gulped slightly. "So don't apologize. You've been forced into this just like me. So don't..."
Nagi fell silent, and Wataru walked towards the table in the corner of the room. Picking up the wine bottle on the table, he uncorked it and began to pour two cups of the red liquid into glasses.
"Heh, it's ironic, isn't it? Both of us, forced into a marriage we didn't consent to, both in love with a different person, and both under the realization that the people we loved... were never even in our grasp to begin with." He gave a chuckle. Nagi turned and smiled at Wataru. "Huh, I guess you do have a point there. So you're saying that both of us were after the unobtainable?" She inquired. Wataru nodded.
"Yeah, in the game of love, we set goals far too high to reach... and fell short. So, I guess that it's destiny that the two losers would end up together." Walking over to the bed, he handed a glass to Nagi, which she accepted tentatively.
"So then, my fellow loser. Here's to our new life, eh?" Wataru said, holding up his glass. Smiling, Nagi did the same, clinking the glasses together. "To our new life."
In unison, the pair downed the red liquid, a final farewell to their childhood.
Reference Notes
1. Nagi referres to Nishizawa as 'Hamster', in the manga.
2. In Volume 3, Chapter 1, Maria and Hayate state that Wataru is marrying into the Sanzenin family, so Wataru has his last name changed, not Nagi.
3. While Nagi and Wataru are both Japanese, Nagi has spent much of her life outside of Japan. As such, I chose for them to have a European style wedding. The wedding vows were taken from the internet.
Endnotes: I'm not sure why I'm such an asshole. I mean, I like both Nagi and Wataru as characters, yet I torture them like this... I'm such a bastard.
This is an idea I came up with while in the process of writing the next chapter of Perspectives. It was a simple a concept as, "What would happen if Nagi and Wataru never broke off their engagement." Realistically, they would have found some way to worm their way out of it, but I did this for dramatic effect. I also like to use fan fiction to explore the more serious elements of Hayate no Gotoku, so excuse the lack of comedy. I also stuck Nishizawa in there as Hayate's fiance because everybody ships Hinagiku, and poor Nishi-chan doesn't get enough love.
If you enjoyed it, or if you have legitimate feedback or criticism, please feel free to drop me a review. You people make me grow as a writer. Not to mention that your response, positive or negative, will influence what kind of oneshot I do next.