Chapter 5 – No Regrets

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry I haven't written anything for this fic in a long time, but I honestly got caught up with other stuff and couldn't get back to this until now. I wasn't happy with leaving this fic unfinished, so I decided to write one more chapter with William and Hide to wrap things up. This one's like an epilogue to the mission where they go search for William's son in Nioh 2.

Enjoy the final chapter of The Wind and Sea

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"I can't believe he's still sleeping," William said as he carried his son on his back. The boy snored quietly, occasionally mumbling something or the other.

His friend Hide kept sparing the boy curious glances every now and then, but kept his eyes on the dark ahead. It was pretty late, and they had nothing but the moonlight to show them the way. If they run into any danger, he would have to rly on Hide while he protected his son. His house wasn't too far off. The golden rabbit spirit stopped occasionally to look back at them before running off again as it guided them back home.

Walking down the forest path, William couldn't help his mind wandering to his friend. He didn't know much about the other man, other than him not being entirely human. Time and again he had seen the man change into a yokai or even commune with them in a way he never seen before. They first met while he was tracking down Maria and worked together to stop her in time, but there hadn't been any chance to sit down and actually learn much about him. Now he helped him save his son and despite William's insistence that they would be okay, he came with them to make sure they made it home safely.

A shiftling, Hanzo told William when he asked him about it. Apparently, the ninja had his own encounters with Hide on the battlefield. A being born from a human and a demon, caught between two different worlds and belonging to neither. Unable to withhold his questions anymore, he broke the silence. "Hey, um, friend?"

Hide paused and turned to him his usual blank stare, with the faintest quirk to his brow.

"I can't say I have met many shiftlings like yourself since I came to Japan, so I hope you don't mind me being curious. Where did you come from exactly? Maybe I have come across your family at some point?"

Hide's eyes widened a fraction, and his expression became guarded, but William's sharp gaze caught something mournful shining in it regardless. The man in front of him didn't have a family, or perhaps not anymore.

"I see. I'm sorry for having brought it up." William said. "I understand where you're coming though. I was an orphan, too."

Hide gave him a curious look.

"My parents were killed when I was a young boy and didn't have anyone to turn to. I was alone for a long time. My one companion was my guardian spirit and she became my only family," he explained, surprising even himself. Years ago, he wouldn't have dreamed of opening up like this to someone, let alone a person who was practically a stranger, but he supposed he had shed his cold, old self a long time ago.

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Hide listened quietly to the man's tale, thinking it over. He didn't think he would find this much in common with the foreign man, but life never ceased with its surprises, he supposed.

He then gave another glance at the sleeping boy. Joseph, William had called him earlier. He supposed now he understood the protectiveness he felt toward the child. Joseph reminded him of himself when he was that young, left to fend for himself in a world full of demons and thugs. Part of him wanted to shield the boy from it all since he had nobody to do the same for him back then.

"I tried convincing myself that Saoirse was the only one I needed. She would never disappear the same way my parents did, but when she was stolen from me by an evil man, I searched far and wide just to get her back. I didn't think I would be able to handle another loss," William said softly. "Along the way, however, I made friends and even found…love. Sadly, I lost many of them to the war and the demons. Even though it ended in pain, I realized I don't feel regret for having met those people. All those times we shared, the adventures we had, or even just having fought by their side, it all meant something for me. I still carry them with me wherever I go, and cherish them the best I could."

That gave Hide a pause and felt his chest grow tight. He thought back to his parents, his siblings, and friends like Tokichiro and Koroku. Back when he thought he finally found a place where he belonged and people he could care for, he watched them disappear one by one and had been utterly helpless to save them, and it hurt…so much. There were moments where he wished he had stayed in his hut in the woods and never left it, finding the crushing loneliness and aimless existence he had to be a greater mercy than the heartbreak and loss he came to face over and over, but at the same time, some part of him didn't want that either. He stopped as a blue light came into being beneath his feet.

The serpent spirit was watching him with a reassuring stare, the one his father left him with to keep him safe when he wasn't there to. Hide came to a halt and felt burning wetness in his eyes as a tear streaked down his cheek.

His friend stopped and gave him a concerned look. "Are…are you alright?"

Hide wiped at his face and turned to him, the smallest smile rising on his lips. No, he would never take all of that back, no matter what. Even if it brought him pain and sorrow he couldn't bear sometimes, he wouldn't trade the journey he had and the people he met for anything. Compared to a time when he felt nothing but alienation toward the world around him, the warmth that came whenever he remembered them was something he wanted to treasure. Bringing his hands together, he gave a grateful bow. Thank You.

Raising a confused brow, William smiled back and nodded back with some understanding. "Here we are!" he eventually said, as a light cut through the shadows of the forest and a house came into view. The rabbit spirit waited for them by the door.

"Finally!" a new voice shouted.

While Joseph shot awake at the call, Hide almost grabbed his weapon when a women stormed over to them, setting her hands on her hips.

The boy's face paled upon seeing her. "M-mother!"

"We'll talk about this later," she told him sternly and turned her inquisitive eyes to Hide. "Who is this, Anjin?"

"This is Hide, a friend. I met him while looking for Joseph and he helped me bring him back." He turned him, looking a bit awkward. "This is my dear wife, Okatsu."

Her cold expression melted, and she smiled warmly at the shiftling. "Thank you, then. Joseph, where are your manners?"

The boy sputtered and gave a bow to Hide. "Thank you very much!"

"Now, would you like to join us for dinner?" she asked him.

Shaking his head, Hide motioned that he had somewhere else to be, but she held up her hand with a look of finality in her eyes.

"Apologizes, but I've already cooked dinner and warmed up water for a a bath just in case. If you try leaving, I'll track you down and bring you back myself."

Hide blinked in surprise and turned to William who winced. "Trust me. She means it."

Nervously, Hide resigned himself to staying over for the night and nodded, even though he knew Mumyo wouldn't let him hear the end of it when he went back.

Okatsu perked up instantly. "Good! Now, let's go inside. Dinner will get cold."

Hide followed the family inside. The aroma of the food was enticing and felt the meal warm him up immediately. While they ate, William went over the details of their search under the request of his wife and the shiftling watched Okatsu listen with the fakest calm demeanor he ever seen and their son trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

William's blue eyes found his, colored with amusement and Hide found himself mirroring some of it. At the back of his mind, he wondered if this was what it's like to eat among family. He never shared a meal with his own before, and strange as it may seem, he decided he was glad to have stayed over after all.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Despite the long hiatus, I'm glad to have came back to finish this fic and I had a lot of fun writing about these characters again.

Until next time!