Chapter 4 – Cerulean Rain

A/N: Hey everyone, it's been a while since I have done a chapter, but I was quite busy this last month. On other news, I have finished the Tengu's Displine DLC for Nioh 2 and I found it pretty neat. Looking forward for more stuff in the future.

Enjoy!

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"Come on, aim higher!"

William almost rolled his eyes as Okatsu stood by the dummy, waiting with her arms crossed. They were in the garden outside the dojo that morning, working on improving his aim with the ninja weapons.

It was not turning out well.

Tightening his hold on his kunai, he threw it with all his might, grazing the dummy and watching the weapon strike a rock and fall into the lake.

"At this rate, I might order another set," Okatsu said, running a hand through her hair.

William sighed. His aim with the bow and the matchlock was remarkable, but for some reason those skills didn't apply for ninja tools and spells. He heard a snicker from behind and glared at Hanzo who was watching them from under the shade of a tree. "I can't help feeling you two do this to poke fun at me rather than assist,"

"Hey, it can be both," Hanzo shrugged.

Okatsu walked to William, snatched a kunai from his hand and launched it at the dummy without a pause. It went straight into the target's chest. She turned to him with a hooded stare and his eyes darted elsewhere.

"I can't speak for spell casting, but you're putting too much force into your throw. Be quick and precise," she explained.

"In other words, you're over-thinking it," Hanzo added. A scampuss spirit rolled into view and stopped in front of the ninja expectantly. He scratched its head with a pleased grin.

"Hanzo!" Nekomata manifested suddenly, looking troubled. "An enraged spirit has appeared!"

All mirth vanished from the air. Hanzo shot up. "Lead the way,"

The three rushed out, following the spirit's guidance. A spike in the air confirmed the warning as the temperature dropped noticeably. They arrived in the center of the chaos to see a huge spirit rampaging through the streets. It was in the shape of a black bird with a long neck and a feathery tail. A white painted mask was all the demon had for a face. A cluster of red eyes covered its round belly, looking around and blinking rapidly.

William tightened his grip on his blade while his two companions exchanged knowing looks before darting in different directions. William rushed forward, getting the demon's attention on him. It released a piercing shriek and came charging in. He rolled out of the way and its momentum caused it to run into a house.

The two ninjas jumped in. Hanzo unsheathed his sword and cut off its tail with a swift slash. Calling for her rabbit spirit, Okatsu's feet glowed as she ran over the demon's back all the way to the top and tore off its head with a kunai. To their surprise, the beast reacted only by smacking them both away with its massive wings.

While the cutoff tail and head melted into black sludge, shadowy tendrils that flailed madly replaced them on the demon's body. William took a step back as he considered their options.

"Ignore the limps. They're not real," Nekomata whispered.

Biting his lip, he regarded the approaching demon with steely focus before deciding to go for the part of the body they had yet to attack. He called on Kato and took a fighting stance as the fire wolf fused with his sword. Wasting no time, he charged at the demon, avoiding the tendrils that came down to skewer him. With a cry, he slashed at the demon's belly and eyes, letting the ravenous flames devour the shadowy form.

William retreated as the demon gave a chilling screech before exploding into unearthly mist that swept through the area. He heaved a sigh of relief once the air returned to normal and watched the flames vanish from his sword. He felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to Hanzo who was holding his side.

"Well done,"

Any joy the demon's defeat could have brought was gone immediately when people came to investigate the scene. Distressed cries spread at the victims and destruction the beast left behind.

William's eyes found Okatsu who watched the disarray with a grave look before storming away.

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She knew she should be heading back, but she didn't feel ready yet, didn't feel like she had done enough.

Hands full of shurikens, Okatsu flung one after the other into a tree, the sound of metal sinking into wood echoing out in the dark forest. The cloudy sky had long begun to pour and her clothes were drenched yet she remained there, panting with an insatiable burning in her chest. She eventually stopped, staring at her handiwork, but the sight of the damaged bark, the cold rain falling over her and the fiery rage coursing through her veins did little to soothe her numbed mind.

A loud splash behind made her whirl around with the final shuriken ready when she was met with those blue eyes and golden hair. William was staring at her with a red umbrella in hand.

"Oh, it's you," she said with a sigh, lowering her last shuriken. "How did you find me?"

"Hanzo said you would be here,"

"Of course he did," she grumbled. She always came here when she wanted to be alone and the last thing she wanted was for others to know about this place. William stepped closer and held the umbrella over both of them.

"When I noticed the weather, I knew you will be drenched so I came looking for you," he explained.

With absence of rain pouring on her, she became painfully aware of how cold she was. Her wet clothes clung to her skin and a chill snaked through her bones. Choosing to stay here was probably not the best idea and she knew she would be regretting this tomorrow. "Thank you,"

"I see you've been busy," William noted.

She looked around the clearing to the number of trees she littered with her ninja tools. It looked as if a brutal battle had taken place here. She didn't realize that in her blind desire to vent. In the state she was in at the moment, she could only offer a tired shrug.

"May I?" William held his hand out. Blinking, she passed him the last shuriken. He focused on a nearby tree and went for a swift throw. It sunk on the tree's side, way below Okatsu's.

"Almost there," he said.

That brought a brief flicker of mirth to her mood before her face fell again. "Let's leave,"

He didn't say more as he took her out of the forest. They were walking in silence the entire time. The quietness was only broken by the tapping rain and the occasional splash from puddles.

"From what we gathered, the demon attack was the work of rogue mages. They captured and corrupted some spirits to create that…thing from earlier to stir up trouble in the region," William explained.

"How surprising," she mumbled.

"Hanzo and I have already tracked the mages down and dealt with them," he finished and turned to see her expression. "Are you alright?"

The answer to that was clear, but she figured that was not what he meant. She stopped and clutched her fists. "I thought with the end of the war peace will finally be brought to the land. No more bloodshed, but that was just a naïve wish. It will always be innocents who have to pay for the greed of tyrants and criminals," she said bitterly, though her heart ached after admitting that.

William watched her silently as if thinking over what she said. "I never thought much of peace and protecting others in the past, but you're right. There will always be conflicts and people who thirst for power…just like how there will always be someone, somewhere, who's still willing to rise up and bring them down," William said. "And I'm not afraid to jump into battlefield again and again to fight…with you,"

She froze when his lips met hers. The rain poured and tapped against the umbrella, yet she heard none of it in that still moment. When he pulled back, he gave her his rare smile, his blue eyes having a gentle warmth to them.

Her thoughts began to flow again and she slowly smiled back, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"For once, I don't mind that,"

She heard him chuckle lightly and let him lead them away. A minute later, he stopped and she looked at him. Following his gaze, she saw a small cup left under a tree. She was about to question him when he held the umbrella out to her. "Take this for a moment,"

William walked over and crouched in front of turned tea cup. She became aware that the abandoned item was trembling. "Are you alright in there?" he asked it. A flutter of light later a kodama spirit was standing there. It was hugging its small form while gazing at the darkened sky, flinching at the distant thunder. William lowered his hand to the spirit. "Let me take you somewhere safe. This is no place for a little one like you,"

The kodama hesitantly stepped onto William's hand. He stood up and placed the spirit in his scarf where it dipped into the warm wool.

Okatsu couldn't help smiling. No matter how hard she tried, she could never figure this man out. One moment he would seem stoic, blunt and fierce in battles and then…

William was soon back to her side, looking away almost sheepishly. "What?" he said while the kodama waved at her from its hiding spot.

"Nothing," she giggled while holding the umbrella over all of them. They walked back home with the crystal-clear rain falling around them.

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A/N: Always a pleasure writing about these two. The demon in this chapter was my own attempt at creating a Nioh boss, so I hope I did an okay job with the design.