Hattori had been considering this for quite some time, the value of his family name and what it meant to him and the world at large. Some wolves handed it out readily, perhaps even to those undeserving, but in Hattori's case he had thought about it long and hard. Some of his children chose not to use his name or blended it with that of their Mother's and though it irked him in some way, that was still their prerogative. It went deeper than simply wanting to see his name in use though, despite what some might claim.

It was no secret that his cousin wasn't pulling his weight as a member of the clan, or even as a Father for that matter. In Hattori's mind, it was irrevocably selfish that he had more children when he didn't spend any time with those he already had. That he briefly reappeared to do the deed and wandered back off to wherever it was. The fact Sedna had welcomed his advances at all was questionable, but he was beyond wanting to question what went on in her mind by this point. Sedna is as Sedna was.

Point being, he lingered in the communal area as he waited for the four wolves to arrive. Each of his companions had been sent to seek them out and bring them to speak with him.

Akito had been doing what he normally does. Practicing. Wielding the bamboo staff between his jaws, he worked on accuracy and endurance. Even when the muscles that lined his face began to tremble, he continued. Pushing through the ache until a familiar companion emerged from the shadows. Placing the staff upon the ground, Akito looks to the dog with question in his eyes. What was the summons about? Update on how the ball had gone? Not that Akito was still thinking about that… About Maki, that other girl who was a tad younger than himself, how he had actually enjoyed himself that night. He wouldn’t lie. Maki had been fun to dance with, no matter insistent he was on keeping a stoic expression. Convinced it couldn’t be able one night at the Hallows, Akito follows the dog with a swiftness. First to arrive, Akito moves into the communal space and bows his head to Hattori. Then he takes a seat, his own pup coming to rest beside him, leaning against his thigh.

There seemed to be a lot on Kuroo’s mind as of late. His feelings toward Nami. They’re just friends okay! But also how his brother was feeling. After Kunai disappeared in the middle of the night, he hadn’t batted a lash in asking his brother to return to sleeping in the same den as him. Yet, this time, it was the hut out in the bay because in typical Kuroo fashion, that was where he could always be found. And so of course, the last thing on his mind, as he sat watching his net bob along the surface of the water, was the fish in the bay.

So distracted by the marbles rolling around in his head, Kuroo didn’t hear the companinion approach until the dog sat beside him with a tail dragging through the sand. Kuroo’s bright smile meets the panting dog and he wasn’t no time giving the Akita a piece of dried fish. Once their snack is eaten, Kuroo stands and leaves with the dog to the communal area. There he sees Hattori, who honestly looked a little… off. Stiff perhaps? Uncomfortable? Just a slight change in his normal demeanor has Kuroo questioning the call. Especially when he sees his half-brother, Akito, already sitting there still as a statue. Hattori 2.0 as he fondly called him in front of Usagi.

Taking a seat right beside Akito, Kuroo slides down until his belly touches the cushioned seat and his hip is pressed against Akito’s side. “Hattori, you’re looking refreshed,” he mentions to their fearless leader with a swish of his tail and a widening smile.

"Speech"

Truthfully, Usagi didn’t feel a damn thing about Kunai disappearing. They had been distant for a while, and they’d barely seen each other anyways. What’s done is done — the man had made his choice, and Usagi made amends with being on his own again. He was happy for Kuroo, at least; his brother had been close to another wolf, Nami he believed her name was — and they spent a vast majority of their time in the bay. On the other hand, he busied himself in the maze he called home, effortlessly weaving through the tall stalks without so much as a stumble.

While patrolling one day, the call for his summons rang out into the bamboo. Hattori’s call, no less. Stopping in his tracks, the hohei shifted his direction towards the source, finding his brother and Alito already present. He glanced over to his superior then, dipping his head respectfully. ”Hattori,” He greeted him. He went over to sit next to Kuroo, still wondering what the occasion was for them to all meet.

Speech

wishing there was something left to lose

this could be the day i die for you—

For a moment in her foraging, she mistook the shadow of the golden cat for her own and had started prattling away until it bapped her butt. Horned head swinging with a squint, she realised it wasn't Kenta at all... he must still be looking after Midas. She dusted off her paws and wrapped the mushrooms carefully before following the feline back to it's master, noticing her brothers already gathered, she contained the wiggle that wanted to break free and squeezed her way between Usagi and Kuroo, offering both a stop me smirk before turning her attention to Tori. This was an odd little gathering indeed. Did he have a job for them to do?

“Speech”

Hattori hummed in agreement with Kuroo's statement. His mood had certainly levelled out some after the siege, he'd been undeniably in a foul mood for a good while after that, and could you blame him? That night in and of itself and been stressful and the aftermath-sometimes he half expected others to come seeking out their lost kin. Perhaps they'd want to speak next time, or their forces would be doubled in number, it was hard to say when their enemy wasn't even on the same continent. Still, there were more important matters at paw and if nothing else they were more pleasant.

His gaze flickered over the wolves who'd gathered at his call. All timely, all wolves he trusted not only as clan mates but as family too.

"I have been thinking," he began with furrowed pale brows, his gaze intense but from frustration not aimed at any of them. "About your father and how he has done wrong by you." For all their disagreements and how often they had clashed, how his cousin had treated his children was his greatest fault. Something the man would likely have excuses to make if given the chance to defend himself. But he wasn't here, and Hattori wasn't convinced he'd ever be swayed to let him return. Akito and his siblings had never even met the man, what could possibly excuse that?

"It will not erase any hurt or frustration you may feel, but you are all my family. I offer you the Hattori name, if you would have it." Was the old man getting sentimental in his old age? Maybe.

Akito doesn't mind in the slightly that Kuroo leans against him. No words are even spoken between them as then Usagi and Fuji come to join them. Instead, Akito's mind is on Hattori. Why had he called them specifically and no one else? What could this be about? His mind whirled in quick circles as he fought back the flurry of emotions that flared. Surely it wouldn't be bad news... The start of Hattori's speech has his muscles tensing. Both eyes set firmly on the Kaicho as the man continues. So it was about their father... The sentence sends his fur bristling. Not at Hattori, no, at their father. There was no denial that Raijin was an absent father, but the question lingered. "Do you know where he is?" The words leave him before he can even consider or think about it all. Was Raijin ever to return? Did he even care about his offspring? He breathes a deep breath, suddenly smoothed out when Hattori is given a chance to offer them his family name. An honor it truly was. Akito can't help but blink a few times, ears perking up and head tilting slightly. What was he to say? Did he need time to think about it? What did their mother think?

Usagi and Fuji come to also sit near him, a pile of siblings like it was meant to be. Kuroo wouldn't know where he would be if it weren't for Usagi's reliability or Fuji's driven nature. They all played a piece in the puzzle where the pieces fit together perfectly. He lets out a relaxed sigh, leaning back into Usagi just as Hanzo begins to speak. The furrow of the man's brow is nothing new, but the words cause him to furrow his own. Why was he speaking of Raijin? Hadn't they already put that mess to bed? But then his eyes flicker to Akito. The boy really had never known his father... It was a shame.

But... where were the others? Rheum, Tachi, Himawari, Buruberu, Villi, and Vei were all missing. He knew Rheum had gone off to travel Boreas, but had the offer to take the Hattori name been extended to her as well? What about Tachi? The others? His brow furrows even more. Why were they better than the other kids? Because they were still within the bamboo? Is that what made them worthy? He wasn't sure it sat well in his belly. And as Akito asks where Raijin is, he feels his heart wrench even more. How could anyone be horrible to their kids? Emotions flooded Kuroo as he sits, staring at his paws. He wants to take the Hattori name, but only if Usagi wishes too as well. Last he remembered, they still honored their mother's name which felt as important as it did the day they left Nihon.

Kuroo Shima

Usagi lets his family be close to him, and why not? Every person here might as well be of his own flesh and blood; Kuroo, his beloved brother, leans against him in support and he allows him to do so, offering a lean back as well. Fuji is here, as is Akito; he wonders where the rest of his half-siblings (scratch that, they might as well be full) are, but he tried not to dwell on the thought for too long. Those kids are adults now, and some have long left the bamboo for something greater than themselves. Greater than his blood father, anyway. Hattori makes the most unexpected announcement, explaining the hurt theg’ve experienced due to Raijin’s absence. Something twisted in his gut, some level of hurt. Hurt that his father failed in every aspect of being a decent parent. Hurt at his seemingly careless regard for consequences of being with someone he loved. A complete disregard for all his children. Anger threatens to boil up like a pressure cooker at the mere mention of his father, but he keeps composed, forcing his shoulders to slump down and relax. And then..Hattori offers them all his surname. He blinks. He..wanted to accept them, wholly, truly, as close kin? He knew they were already related but this..this was entirely a different level. Usagi glanced at everyone present, trying to understand their reactions — would anyone bite? He, for one, considered it an honor. A high honor, born of respect which he had nothing but for his superior. Dipping his head respectfully, Usagi broke the silence to say, ”Though I do not wish to speak for my siblings, I humbly accept your offer, Hattori. It is a great honor you have bestowed upon us. Thank you.” Not just thank you for this moment — thank you for everything. For his family. For reuniting him with kin. For this home. ”Speech”  ’Thought’

Fuji settled herself as Tori began to address them, her shock just only evident in a single blink of her honey yellow eyes. She didn't have the same hurt her brothers had. Taking much after her mother, she hadn't really been left to her own devices long enough to ponder the mans absence, burying herself in her studies of healing and sword art. Their hurt was palpable, but she had to agree with Usagi. It was a great honour.

She did hold some pride in her mother's name too, but the woman would soon leave them, as their father had to care for Erik and Morganna away from the bamboo, and perhaps shedding the name she was born with would help her come into her own and forge a closer connection with the newest lives born into the bamboo. “I too, accept your offer.” She dipped her head respectfully, a strange feeling of unexpected security coming with her words. Perhaps this was really where she was meant to be all along?

“Speech”

Hattori turned to Akito first, the barest hints of a grimace tugging at the corner of his lips. He was annoyed at his cousin for several reasons, one being how disrespectful his actions had been as a whole, both to Hattori as his Kaicho but to Tojo as a whole. Hattori could stomach a lot of things, but such blatant disrespect simply couldn't be tolerated as far as he was concerned. With each season of his absence passing by, he pushed things further and further- and the man hadn't even sought permission. Just vanished one day and hadn't returned.

"I do not." He admitted, clearly frustrated this was the case. "Some time after he left, I had one of my companions investigate on my behalf. They searched both Auster and Boreas and even spoke to some Nomads passing through. They claimed to see someone matching his description boarding the vessel they had used to arrive." He had been stewing on this information for some time, he had no reason not to believe these strangers, but ultimately it did not reveal much. "But after that? I would say it is likely he returned to Nihon, but knowing him he could be anywhere."

He was glad they accepted his offer, that was all it was. Not a brand to be foisted upon them, if they didn't wish to have it.

"Nothing will change between us. As far as I am concerned, we have always been family."

In truth, Akito could hardly remember what his real father looked like. Considering he appeared so similarly to Vidarr or even Hattori, he hadn't bothered to really ask his mother about him anyway. The fact that Hattori was even bringing it up brought an odd sense of emotion to him. Should he be sad that his father wasn't around? Grateful? He didn't know the guy anyway so was it even someone to miss? Conflicted, Akito nods softly as he lets out a sigh. Okay, so, returned to Nihon, that was it. End of story.

Still reveling in the whole thing, he looked up when Usagi and Fuji both agreed to take the last name. Being a Hattori would... make him proud? Right? Akito would feel... better being attached to such a name. Right? Or would it make more sense to take his mother's name? Archer? Right? Conflict still rages in him, but he leans closer to Hattori. The man that wasn't even his true father had been there, raised him, taught him, more than even Vidarr. Though he couldn't blame the man since he lived on an entirely different continent. Finally, he comes to a decision.

"I would be honored to take the name Hattori," his voice is soft, but sure as he looks over to the Kaicho.

"speech"

They would never see their mother again and apparently their father either. Plus, they weren't getting any younger. Life would move on whether they were okay with it or not. Kuroo stewed on these things as both Usagi and Fuji accepted the offer and soon after Akito once Hattori confirmed that he was unable to find where Raijin had even gone off to. For as angry as he wanted to be at Raijin, Hattori's offer dissipates those frustrations.

To belong... To have someone to call family. Hattori was more a father to him than any other male figure in his life. Taking a deep breath, Kuroo finally gives Hattori a smile and a confirming nod. "I too accept your offer. Thank you, Hattori," he responds in their familiar tongue, a respect he can show Hattori though he spoke more often in the common tongue as of late. "Though it won't change much. Is there anything you'd like from us?" His head tilts lightly to the side, curious if there was anything else on the Kaicho's mind.

"Speech"