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Disclaimer: I do not own Hayate the Combat Butler or its characters.

[Hayate speaks...]

Things have taken an unexpected turn in these two days. I set out from Tokyo with one wish in my heart and one name on my lips – to find her... Miss Nagi. I had never thought that I would find her like this, depressed to see me again and unwilling to even talk to her old butler. But Daichi has helped me a lot today. He might have broken my rib cage but he is a good man. He wanted to know who Miss Nagi really was and what was she to me. When I told him everything, he was very considerate and asked for my forgiveness because he attacked me out of a misunderstanding. As if that was not enough, he has brought me to his house to tend to my injuries. I would have liked it better if my nurse was not that paedo-Okaasama. She is too lecherous for someone with one foot in the grave. But there are others too. Daichi's friend – Ryen - who has a tendency to say secretive inappropriate things out loud and then get smacked by Daichi for doing that. His mother, who seems very kind and acts like it. His brother – Kenta – who was sweet enough to get me a shawl because he thought I was shivering from the cold. I was, in actual, trying to calm my nerves on seeing the Mistress again. She is sitting right across me and I can't say even a single word to her. I promised Daichi that I wouldn't speak to her until she confessed that she knew me. So here we are, having dinner with the Noharas, acting like strangers with each other.

"Mother, will you pass the rice here?", Daichi says.
His mother doesn't reply though. Daichi's grandmother looks at them both, picks up the pot of rice and hands it to Daichi. He frowns and says loudly,
"Mother, I said I am sorry. I didn't get these wounds on purpose. Grandfather, please tell her"
"It's a mother-son matter, boy. Keep me out of this"
"Nagi-chan, would you like some miso soup?", his mother says.
"Oh. Of course. You have a daughter now. Why would you care about me?", Daichi sulks.
For a man whose grip is as strong as earth's pull itself, Daichi sure is a Mama's boy.
"No, Auntie. I am almost done"
I look up from my food at Mistress. She is wearing a plain kimono, sitting on the tatami mat like everyone else. Back at home, she would never sit like this. Or keep so quiet that her silence became a pain to my ears. When did my Mistress become so adaptable?
Daichi's grandfather asks,
"Ayasaki-kun, have you found your Mistress yet?"
Miss Nagi rears her head up in surprise. Daichi reaches for a glass of water, coughing and giving me a slight nudge. I say,
"I haven't"
"Mistress?", Daichi's grandmother turns to her husband.
He explains,
"Ayasaki-kun has come to our village looking for his lost mistress. I told you about him last night"
"Weren't you talking about some deranged lunatic staying at the chief's house?"
Wow. Awkward. He flares his nostrils a little and concentrates on the food, not to look me in the eye.
"How old is your mistress, son?", Daichi's mother asks me.
I glance at Miss Nagi while she shifts around and pretends to not be a part of the conversation.
"She will turn nineteen this year"
"Very young", Daichi's grandmother comments. She smiles with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, "I too could have had a sex slave when I was young. But then..."
"Water!", we all choke on the food at once. Are all old women here like this?!

After drinking an ample amount of water, I explain to her,
"I am her butler, not her escort"
"Excuse my wife, son. She has a crude sense of humour"
I can see that.
"Neechan, have my veggies", Kenta holds a bowl in front of Mistress, his chubby fingers pushing it away from himself.
"Haha", his grandmother says, "Nagi, don't be fooled by that. He is giving you his vegetables only because he doesn't want to eat them"
'Heart, stop it. Stop beating so fast. They will hear you thumping like this'
God. It's been months since I last saw Miss Nagi smile. And somehow, it's even more beautiful now than it was before. She says,
"Kenta, you should eat your vegetables. How else are you going to be strong like your brother?"
I admit that Daichi is more muscular than me. But your butler with superhuman strength is sitting right here and you praise someone else's physique. Great. Very kind of you, Mistress.
"I want to be strong like you, Neechan! And you don't eat your veggies too", Kenta says.
The elders stifle a laugh as Miss Nagi turns red in embarrassment. That's true though. She won't eat vegetables unless you cook them into something unhealthy.
"Ryen has informed the chief about you staying with us, Ayasaki-kun. And I assure you that you will be looked after well here", Daichi's grandfather says to me.
"Thank you", I say, "I appreciate it very much"
"And maybe once the Siege is over, Daichi can help you find your mistress"
Miss Nagi picks up her dish and goes inside in a hurry. I have never seen her do the pick-up-your-own-dishes-thing before this.
"What is the Siege?", I change the topic.
"Oh, it's a violent mass festival of bloodshed and fatalities. You don't want to know", Daichi's mother says with a scornful smile and goes inside with her and Kenta's dishes in one hand.
It looks like I am not the only one here with secret unresolved issues.

[Daichi speaks...]

I don't understand why Mother has to be so overdramatic. Every time I sustain an injury, she either panics or stops talking to me altogether. The last time I got into a fight, she gave me the silent treatment for a month. She did forgive me when I promised that I wouldn't do it again. But how is a trained budo professional not supposed to fight?

To confront Mother, I am looking for her all over the house. But I can't find her anywhere. She must be in the backyard, washing the dishes. I am on my way to there when Nagi grabs my arm from behind,
"What is going on?"
Alright. I will deal with this first. I turn around.
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Why did you bring him here?", she is frowning hard at me.
"Who?"
"Hayate"
"So you know him?"
"Daichi, don't play dumb. You know that I know him. Damn it, you even beat him to a pulp. Why the hell did you bring him here then?"
"Don't you think you should be saying something else?"
"Of course", she looks offended, "He told you something, didn't he? You would rather trust a complete stranger but not me"
"Frankly, Nagi", I smirk, "I don't know whom to trust anymore. The so-called stranger told me everything about you and him. I was humiliated that he felt free to open up to me but the one I consider family doesn't find me worthy enough to reveal such an important fact. And because Hayate's story is more truthful, I believe him. But I can't wait to see what new lie you can come up with. Either way, you are going to be leaving soon for Shinjuku. So this is your last chance to tell the truth"

I left her standing there. She looked hurt but she had to hear it. My patience with her is wearing off. From what Hayate told me, she is not just any city blonde. She is the sole heir to the Sanzenin fortune, granddaughter of Mikado Sanzenin. Even a hermit knows who Mikado Sanzenin is. He is the wealthiest oil tycoon in Japan and it was one of his random organisations which urbanised Shiranou. He literally has money to burn. And Nagi left all of it behind to be here. I thought Hayate might have an explanation for that too, but he didn't. Back in Tokyo, Nagi has been declared as deceased. It was quite heroic of Hayate to risk his life and limb to find her again, even though all the evidence said she was dead. As I said before, loyalty is not enough to do something like that. The rascal loves her. I can see it.
"Come on. It's bed time"
Hayate is sitting outside on the porch. He looks up on hearing my voice.
"Hey, uh, thanks again, Daichi"
"Don't mention it. Get in", I point my thumb towards the house.
"Where am I going to sleep?", he stands next to me.
"You can sleep in the drawing... no. Wait"
Yeah. That would be perfect.
"Do you have any problem sleeping outside near the fields?", I ask him hoping for a 'no'.
"I don't"
"Alright. You can sleep near the fields. But your bed will be under the window to Nagi's room. Do you have a problem with that?"
"N-no. No, I don't. I don't have a problem with that"
He looks quite happy on hearing that.
"Good. Follow me"

Hayate follows me to my bed (which is going to be his bed now) near the fields. Nagi's window is closed but she might hear us. So I whisper to Hayate,
"If you need anything, anytime in the night, get up and get it yourself"
He nods in comprehension. I begin to leave but...
"Daichi, is that you?"
I raise a finger asking Hayate to keep quiet while I answer Nagi,
"Yes, it's me"
"Are you sleeping?"
"No"
Hayate is looking at the window like a crow at a corn cob. I hope he is not in the habit of peeping at Nagi when she is asleep.
"Did he hit you too much?"
Well, I am swollen in all the wrong places and I doubt if I will ever be able to squat thrust again.
"I hit him too"
"He is stronger though"
Hayate hides his smile by looking away at the fields. In my defence, he is taller and there's some supernatural element about his fighting techniques.
"So?"
"Listen..."
'Crap', I quickly push a reluctant Hayate under the bed when her voice sounds nearer. She must not open the window. If she sees Hayate...
"I am sorry"
"For what?", I try to sound normal.
"I should have told you the truth in the beginning. But, Daichi, I was afraid you would send me back"
"It's your home, Nagi. You are going to have to go back someday"
"Home?"
Was that a question?
"There is no home there, not for me"
Hayate pokes his head out from under the bed. We both listen in absolute silence as Nagi speaks.
"Back in Tokyo, I have servants. I have friends. I even have a pet cat. But none of them want me there, Daichi. They just stay with me because they're supposed to or because they're getting paid for it. No one wants me there. Maria must have cried a little since I haven't been home for months, but she will get over it. Everyone will. You must understand me when I say this, Daichi, I am not wanted there. A few people love me but they do it out of compulsion, not compassion. Even Hayate... he wouldn't be my butler if it were not for a misunderstanding. I thought he loved me but he doesn't. He said so himself"
I look down at Hayate but his eyes are fixed on the window, and there is a certain gloominess in them. Was he even telling me the truth?
"I want to be here. You, Grandfather, Grandmother, Auntie, Kenta – you all seem like you want me to be here. And you people love me without any terms and conditions. When you ask me to go back, you are asking me to return to a world where no one loves Nagi. Here, everyone does. Call me selfish but I want to feel loved, Daichi. It is a nice feeling. Let me feel it till I can't take it anymore. Please?"
Why didn't this silly girl tell me all this before? All these days I thought she was just... Nagi...
I sit on the bed dumbfounded.
"You won't send me back, will you?", her voice comes from behind the window.
"Daichi?", she says when I don't respond, "You won't send me to Tokyo, right?"
"No. I won't"