A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I hope everyone enjoys this conclusion:D

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The Final Piece
Chapter Nine

"Where is home for you, exactly, Himeno?" Hayate asked. It was a serious question, but Himeno seemed not to be able to offer a serious answer to him.

She smiled. "I don't know right now, actually..." she admitted. "I guess that depends on a couple of things."

Hayate nodded. "Yes...that's right. You and I need to have a talk. I heard something when we were fighting, and you...you could have gotten yourself killed, Himeno. I was really worried about you, you know that?"

Himeno blinked. "You heard...?"

"Kei told me." Hayate nodded. "And I didn't want you to get hurt, so I had to say something."

Himeno kept her gaze on the ground. "I understand..." she whispered.

"Himeno, I..."

"It's okay, Hayate." she smiled at him.

He smiled back. "That wasn't what I was going to say, you stupid girl. I was going to say I think we should find somewhere to sit down and talk for a while, but then you had to go and interrupt me in the middle of a perfectly good sentence..."

Himeno blushed. "Sorry..."

She glanced back at her family. They were standing there, as if they were admiring her like she was some kind of piece of artwork. Himeno nodded to them, wrapping them each tightly in a hug, and then glanced at Hayate once more. Her family smiled at her, and finally, they left Hayate and Himeno to themselves.

"Let's go to the garden," he suggested, taking her hand in his own.

She only nodded and followed after him.

Suddenly, they stopped. They were in the area of the garden that was just below the balcony that branched off of her room. When Himeno looked straight up, she could see her mother's flower staring down at her from the balcony, and she smiled. "Don't worry, mom! This is a good guy...I think..." she added near the end.

"You think?" Hayate repeated, trying his best to look hurt, but failing miserably.

Himeno sighed deeply, and took a seat on a bench that overlooked the rest of the garden which stretched out in front of them. She frowned. "Look, Hayate, I know it was stupid, and I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, and I just wanted to say..."

"What was stupid?" Hayate demanded. "You haven't done or said anything stupid in quite a while as far as I'm concerned, Himeno. Nothing is stupid..."

"But you..." She began.

Hayate took a seat next to her. "I was worried about you. You scared me to death, you know...trying to take on everything on your own. When Kei told me why, I just couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let you get hurt on my account, Himeno. It is my job to protect you...not the other way around. I thought we explained that to you when we first met?" he smiled at her.

She blinked several times. "Yes, but...things are different now. I am different now." she whispered her reply.

Hayate nodded. "And so am I, Himeno...and it's all because of you..."

Himeno stopped staring at the floor when Hayate said this. She looked up, a look of pure surprise on her face, and blinked several times. "What? What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Hayate smiled. "I mean...you changed me...for the better. You helped me to open up...and you helped me to realize my true feelings. I am a better person because I met you. Because you changed me..." he told her.

Himeno nodded several times, although she could feel that her eyes were watering and the dam that held back her tears was not going to last for long. She smiled again at him. "Hayate, I'm sorry, I..." she stammered.

He blinked. "What do you have to be sorry for? Nothing! I was thanking you, Himeno." he whispered.

Again she nodded, although she could no longer find anything to say to him. This was it. Kei had died to save her and Hayate...to save them...so that everything could finally come out into the open...and she found herself, for once, at a loss for words. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but quickly closed it again. Hayate looked at her with a strange sort of confusion on his face.

"Himeno..." he began.

"Hayate...what Kei said...you shouldn't have listened. Don't worry about it. It's all right. I'll be fine..." she said quickly.

Hayate frowned. "Himeno, how are we ever supposed to talk if you keep interrupting my sentences? You are so troublesome sometimes, I swear..." he groaned. "I was just about to say something really important about what Kei said...so how about I talk now and you listen? I don't want to hear any more regrets or apologies from you, because I have something that I need to say." he answered her.

Himeno nodded and gulped...a signal that it was all right for him to speak.

He cleared his throat. "Himeno...I never want anything bad to happen to you. Never. I want you to always be safe and be happy...just as you are now...because that...that is what drew me to you in the first place. You always had a smile on your face, even when we all knew that there was nothing to smile about. You always lifted everyone's spirits, and you were brave, and kind, and giving...it was as if you should have been my knight, instead of me being yours. I thought you would need protection, but you didn't. You were marvelous on your own. You made me want to be a better person...maybe even more like you."

"Hayate..." Himeno whispered.

"I was happy, Himeno...I was happy when Kei told me what you had been hiding from me. I thought after what happened with Takako last year, that you would never even think of such a thing. That's why I was kind of relieved when Kei told me everything...because for the longest time I had wanted that to be true, but I never was sure..."

Himeno coughed, and choked back a sob of surprise. Hayate wrapped her in a hug.

"I love you too, Himeno...I have for a long time..." he said into her ear.

"...Hayate? What did you do to make Himeno cry like that?"

Both of them gasped and jumped apart quickly. Himeno was blushing madly, but Hayate had managed to gain some of his wits, and smiled at the little boy that stood in front of him. "Don't worry about it, Shin. Himeno is just really happy because...because her family is all right. Besides, I think you're a bit too young to understand these types of things yet..."

"...Understand what?" asked Hajime as he rounded the corner.

Hayate slapped his hand to his forehead in desperation. "Never mind..." he groaned.

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A/N: Had to leave it there. I wanted Himeno and Hayate to finally figure things out, and so they have. I know it was short, but I don't think it would have the same effect if I dragged it on for too long. Hope you enjoyed this one! Please review and let me know what you think!