The days that followed Dai and Hina's first day with Suzu and Okami were the most joyful days that Hina had ever experienced in a long time. Dai and Hina were still in a loving relationship, they took Suzu and Okami to school, they treated them like they were their own children and never thought differently about them. Dai even found more inspiration in his painting with the moments between Hina and the children, or Suzu and Okami. Hina's biggest challenge however, would come one day when Okami and Suzu came home from school one day and walked on all fours sadly before going into Hina's lap for comfort.
"Okami, what's wrong my little pup?" Hina gently asked him.
'Little pup' had been a term of endearment that Hina called Okami, which he had gladly accepted and loved immediately.
"Okami's teacher was teaching him about kitsunes today and how long they live and the tails they get as they get older. But Okami.....doesn't....doesn't think he'll....he'll live as long as kitsune do." Suzu explained to Hina as tears began forming in her eyes.
"Oh, Suzu, come here...." Hina said opening her arm for Suzu to come over to Hina's side, which she did almost immediately.
"Is....is it true? Do werewolves not live as long as kitsune?" Suzu asked through tears.
"N-no Suzu, I don't....I don't think they usually do." Hina admitted to Suzu not wanting to lie to the sweet little girl.
After a time, Dai, who had finished with work a little late, came home to see Hina tiredly putting the children to bed.
"Hina-chan, are you alright?" Dai asked as he saw Hina tucking in the children.
"Okami...." Hina began to say but lost her voice for a moment. "Okami was.....sad earlier because werewolves don't live as long as we kitsunes do." Hina explained as she gave Okami a kiss on the forehead as he slept.
"Ah....I see. What did you tell him?" Dai asked as they went outside to the backyard to continue speaking.
"What could I tell him? I told him the truth. After I helped them get them ready for bed, I rocked Okami to sleep. Suzu thankfully went to sleep a little sooner than Okami, but Okami....oh, Dai-chan, I want to help him. I really do, but I....I just don't know what to do for him. It's been days now and Okami and Suzu feel like our own children. How am I supposed to help our child with something like this?" Hina asked Dai trying not to cry as Dai held Hina in his arms and they stood outside looking up at the stars.
Hina's eyes now fell towards the capital and a thought suddenly crossed into her mind.
"I think I have an idea on how to help Okami." Hina now said looking into Dai's good eye.
"How?"
"I'm going to see Lord Tatsu and Lady Shizen and ask them to help slow his aging down so that he might live as long as we do." Hina said.
"Alright, I'll go with you tomorrow and...." Dai began to say.
"No! No, I'll go by myself tomorrow to see them first." Hina said immediately.
"Why? Why must you go alone first?" Dai asked as Hina looked away from Dai's eyesight.
"Because.....because it concerns my past.....and my past haunts me and I don't want that to haunt you as well." Hina said still looking away as Dai gently brought her eyes back up to his good eye.
"Hina, I told you before. Your past doesn't matter to me. Who you were doesn't define you, it's who you are today that Suzu loves, that Okami loves, and yes, the one that I love." Dai said as Hina gave a gentle smile before kissing Dai on the lips.
"Tomorrow I'll go see Lord Tatsu and Lady Shizen when you are at work and the children are at school." Hina said they walked back inside and both went into their beds to fall asleep.
The next day, Hina told Suzu and Okami that she would be going to see Lord Tatsu and Lady Shizen to ask them about a surprise for the children. Hina worded it like that so she didn't worry them if Tatsu and Shizen couldn't grant Hina's request.
Okami and Suzu both gave Hina a hug before they left for school and Suzu gave Hina a drawing to her. Looking at it, it was obviously a drawing of the four of them as a family, although drawn a little crudely considering it was made by a seven year-old. Hina then went to meet up with Chisai who told her of what she wanted to do, and although Chisai was reluctant at first, he accepted when Hina told him she was doing it for Okami and Suzu.
Walking towards the capital, Hina could feel her heart beating, but it seemed to get even worse when she walked through the gates of the capital. Hina took a deep breath and continued following Chisai inside to a set of doors where he told her to wait outside while he went inside to speak with Tatsu and Shizen. Hina thought it was strange leaving her alone, until her eyesight glanced towards her right and realized that Fukushu was watching her.
"You must have a matter of great importance if you've come here to see Tatsu and Shizen." Fukushu said.
"I come here not for myself, but....for someone else." Hina responded without looking in his direction.
"Who would that be?" Fukushu asked this time without Hina replying to him.
"Whoever it is, the fact that you're here in these halls like this, tells me everything. You must care deeply for whoever it is. But know that I am still watching you." Fukushu warned her.
"That truth has never once lost my mind." Hina said as the doors opened and Chisai came out.
"They're ready to see you. You may go in alone." Chisai said as Hina nodded and left Chisai outside alone with Fukushu who was tapping his foot.
"So....Fukushu....ever thought about being a grill chef at a family barbecue?" Chisai asked his brother. Fukushu just took a deep sigh.
Hina walked slowly towards the thrones that Tatsu and Shizen sat on at watched as Hina bowed before them, giving immediate surprise to the two of them.
"We understand you have come to us today to be granted a request." Tatsu said.
"Yes." Hina said softly.
"But your request is not for you specifically, but one who is known to you. Who is....loved by you." Shizen said.
"Yes." Hina said again very softly.
"And do you come to us asking us this request as 'Hina', or are you coming to us as 'Hinata'?" Shizen asked as Hinata looked down while all eight of her tails were revealed and she tried her best not to cry.
"Please....please I beg you....I don't this for myself.....for it would be selfish.....I am not that kitsune anymore.....I come to you.....as a mother......asking to help her child's wish come true....." Hina said while still looking down and tears fell onto the floor as she found it hard to sit up and look at the two.
Tatsu and Shizen looked at Hina then to each other. They spoke silently to one another so quietly that Hina was unable to hear them. Finally, after a time, Shizen was the one to finally speak again.
"Your request will be granted, if you may pass a trial." Shizen said.
"A....trial?" Hina questioned as Shizen walked up close to her.
"Yes a trial of....the....mind." Shizen said as she flicked a finger at Hina's head and she suddenly found herself falling through what seemed like the sky before she fell down onto the ground.
Hina got up and looked around to see her surroundings. There were kitsune fighting kitsune around her, and her holding a sword, but not her father's sword, another sword.
"Fight on! For Lord Tatsu and Lady Shizen!" A kitsune voice cried out.
Hina now realized where she was, it was the civil war, her civil war that she had begun. Kitsunes began attacking her and she fought back as hard as she could. She had no idea why she was experiencing this again. It was a moment she didn't want to relive. But then then she heard a familiar cry of pain.
"AH! My eye, oh god, it hurts!" Hina looked over to see it was Dai who was in pain from his eye wound, which looked recently fresh.
"Dai, you're hurt! Here, let me help you." Hina said trying to take some of her uniform and give it to Dai to dress his wounds.
"Why should I accept your help? It's your fault my eye is like this. You did this to me!" Dai said as he went off.
"No, no Dai, please, I....I didn't mean to hurt you!" Hina said trying not to cry as she suddenly heard a little girl crying and saw Suzu now crying, looking at the dead bodies of her parents.
"Suzu! It's....it's alright, I've got you." Hina said Suzu suddenly pushed her back.
"You did this! You killed my mommy and daddy! Now you're pretending you can be my new mommy! You're a bad lady!" Suzu said cruelly as Hina backed away and she now heard a whimpering as she turned to see Okami in a corner in his wolf form whimpering.
"Okami, it's....it's alright. Look at me, it's me......it's mommy. Please don't you hate me too, I love you...." Hina tried to say as the image of Okami ran away from her.
"Okami!" Hina shouted as she reached out to Okami who was long gone.
Shizen now appeared before her.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why do you torture me like this?" Hina asked.
"I'm not the one doing this. What you've been seeing is your deepest fears. The only way for you to stop these visions, are for you to confront what you fear most." Shizen said as her image now faded and a door appeared before her.
Hina opened the door and walked through to see the throne room of the kitsune capital with a single throne and an eight tailed Hina or rather Hinata sitting there.
"Were you always what I envisioned? That I would one day conquer the kitsunes and be a leader? Did I always think myself in the right? No. What I did, I did because I thought I was in the right, because I thought our leaders were incompetent. But.....I see that....even if I had won, eventually I would've been in the same position as them. I was just another rebel who was leading their own cause. In time.....another would do the same to me....again and again.....it's just a cycle of hate and violence. You chose that violence!" Hina said yelling at her sitting self.
"I....chose that violence. But.....I've been told that my past.....does not define me. But....I must accept that it was me. You are what I once thought I could be, but now...." Hina now reached into her kimono and pulled out the crude drawing Suzu gave her. "I realize that I can be better than what I was, and I can find peace in that. For my beloved Dai, for my sweet Suzu, and for Okami....my little pup. Hinata is the chapter of my life that is over, and Hina is the life that I am choosing to live now with them." Hina said as she now saw a vision of Dai, Suzu, and Okami waiting for her and walked towards them and accepted their hands.
Hina opened her eyes and looked around as she sat up to see Tatsu and Shizen looking at her a little surprised before they looked at each other exchanging a few glances that only were known to them before Tatsu turned back to face Hina.
"Hina, it seems you have passed your trial. When you are able to, bring your family here and we will perform the ceremony to extend your son's life to be that of a kitsune's life." Tatsu said as Hina slowly stood up and bowed towards the two.
"Thank you Lord Tatsu, thank you Lady Shizen." Hina said bowing as she now left the throne room and closed the door behind her.
She reached into her kimono and looked at the crude drawing Suzu gave her and began crying happy tears not for herself, but for her family.