Disclaimer: I don't own Hayate no Gotoku. I wish I did, that would be awesome. I don't make money from this. I wish I did. I could use it.

A/N: Alright, chapter two is up! Sorry for the little delay, computer trouble and all that. Any how, now we're on to girl number two, Maria! I like this one better than Nagi, Because I like how Hayte brings out the little flaws in Maria. Now then, shall we?

Chapter Two: Maria

When it comes to Hayate, she can only come to confusion. He has a power to twist her insides and put her brain in a knot, and she looks every which way for an answer, only to come up with a blur. She wants to know exactly what is true, but his very presence seems to blur logic and emotions, and she can't tell which is which.

Perhaps she had been a bit rash, thinking it was destiny that she had met the boy that night, but the more she got to know him, the more she understood that perhaps it had been some fate, some type of divine plan that he should show up before her.

From hearing him talk, she could tell that he had experienced past pains that no person, let alone her, could fathom, or understand. Even so, he laughed about not being taken care of when he was sick, of working long shifts in chemical plants as an eight year old, of having parents that would sell their child to support their gambling habits. His laughs ran hollow, and Maria could see that underneath all those laughs, there was pain. Pain of not really knowing love, not understanding what love really way.

Of course, he made her understand that she really didn't know anything on the subject either. Before she met him, she had some sort of preconceived notion that she knew all she needed to in life. She had blown through school in nothing flat, been school president, had met Nagi, and became something of a mother/sister figure to her. She knew how to take care of the mansion, how to raise Nagi, to give her advice. She knew how to deal with Klause, how to scold Tama, how to cook, how to be perfect in their eyes.

Then she met Hayate, and Maria learned that she really didn't know any thing. What was love? What was it like to feel that way for somebody who's not your family? What was it like to deal with true hardship? How does one deal with loss or pain? How do you confess feelings to another? How do you show such affection? How does one laugh about evil, face past hardship, and still seem like the most carefree individual in the world? The more and more she began to know him, the more and more she understood that she really didn't know anything about the real world.

Thinking back, she really did let her childhood pass her by. She blew through school, never making any lasting friends. She never had a boyfriend, she never knew what it was to love like that. She began working for Nagi at an early age, she never got a chance to play like a little girl. Her life had not been as perfect as she had thought. As she began to know him more, those little insecurities began to grow in Maria's mind, and soon, she felt like she knew nothing.

Then she began to wonder, how did she feel about him? Was she in love with him, did she have a crush? Dis she think of him as family, as a brother, or a son? Did she think of him as a friend, a companion to talk to and help her through hard times. Was he just a co-worker, whom helped her take care of Nagi? Or... did she hate him somewhere inside, for taking her perfect image of her life and shattering it with no effort whatsoever?

Maria couldn't tell, because she didn't know what any of that was like. How could she know if she loved him, when she didn't know what love was like? Was love that feeling of wanting to see somebody happy, to see their smile, to be near them, to comfort them, to have that damn feeling of butterflies in your stomach every time you were near him, or every time he flashed that smile in your direction? If it was, then maybe she was in love. Maybe she really did love him.

But even if she did, even if she sorted out all her emotions and found that, without a doubt, that she was in love with him, she still wouldn't do anything. Nagi loved Hayate, and even if that love was based on falsehood, it would crush the girl's heart to see Maria take Hayate away. And Maria loved Nagi, like a mother loves a daughter, or an older sister loves her younger sister. Crushing the heart of a person you love, it was too cruel a notion to cross Maria's mind.

But then again, perhaps it was Maria's heart that would be crushed. If she sorted out that she loved Hayate, perhaps the knowledge that he could never be hers would break her heart, would crush her. So perhaps the confusion of her own emotions was nothing more than a barrier, a simple self-bluff to protect her heart, that only now did she understand was oh so fragile.

So she kept helping him. When he fell down she would lift him up, when he frowned she made him smile, when he wanted comfort she provided it. When he needed help with anything, she was there to support him, to make his hard life just a bit more easier, just a bit more comfortable.

For now, Maria's emotions were still jumbled, and despite all her speculation, she was still at a loss as to her feelings for Hayate. So she would wait and see, and when she finally did figure it all out, when she finally did solve the puzzle that was her feelings, then she would act. Then perhaps she could act without hesitation, and finally work up the courage to act on her foolish emotions.

Until then, he was Hayate, the boy who helped her care for Nagi, the boy who challenged her skills in cooking and cleaning, the boy who's smile made her blush, who's presence made her tingle, who's laugh made her smile. He was the boy who could tear down all her walls, all her emotions, all her logic.

He was Hayate, the first boy whom destiny had blown her way.

End Notes: Short again, I can't help it, It's hard to make these suckers longer. I'll be doing Sakuya next, then Isumi... hmm, then I guess I'll do Hina. I really want to save Hina for later, since I really like that chapter, but I may have to move it up. Hmm... perhaps I can do Nisizawa first... gah, I don't know. In any case, Sakuya will be next. BE THERE!!

P.S, reviews are my friend, and your's too!