Sesshomaru continued playing with his little brother, although he did have to growl a few times at the pup to keep him from playing too rough. Inuyasha took the criticism well, and even stuck out his tongue at Sesshomaru once. The elder allowed the disrespect.

Kris grinned briefly and got her own dinner, watching how much Shippou ate and making sure he had enough food. She wouldn't care if she didn't have enough, but the kit and the cat were more important. So she only had two pieces.

Aura couldn't help but giggle just a bit at that. It was too funny watching the two, especially when Inuyasha did things like sticking his tongue out at his brother. She ignored the times when she got pricked a bit by the pup's claws. He didn't make her bleed at all, and really, she got worse than that on a daily basis from the daycare, anyways. She was the daycare's primary consumer of band-aids.

Hisoka noticed right away that Kris didn't get as much as what she gave to him and Shippou. That just wouldn't do. Discretely, while she was distracted by something the kit was saying to her, he slipped a bit off of his own plate and onto hers. He didn't mind taking less if it meant she had enough.

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at Aura, picking up the pup and plopping him back between the two before Inuyasha got himself tangled in Sesshomaru's clothing.

"What is it you find amusing?" he asked her quietly.

Kris stretched briefly and let Shippou move closer to her, curling up to sleep after the excitement of the day. Kris didn't move, letting him settle in there, while she stared outside, too alert to be doing anything but guard duty. Even with the kit snuggled against her.

"Just the way you treat each other," Aura replied. She grinned. "It's cute."

Once the kit settled in against Kris, Hisoka moved over to her other side and sat down.

"You should relax a bit," he said softly. "It's been a long day for you, too." After a moment, he held out a hand. "Let me see your claws for a moment."

Sesshomaru's eyebrow climbed higher up his forehead, but he didn't say anything. Instead he let Inuyasha climb over onto Aura again, starting to play with her.

Kris blinked at him but held out her hand after a moment, watching him. She was rather curious to see what he was going to do.

Aura didn't move as the pup managed to get his arms up onto her shoulders, and then she only leaned forward a little so he wouldn't fall off. He would slide back down, though, which was the entire point. Hey, she didn't spend all day looking after a squirrel-kit and not learn a few things about climbing. Once the pup slid back down, she turned around and playfully grabbed him, snuggling him for a moment before letting go again.

Hisoka examined her claws for a moment before starting to trim and sharpen the edges of each one.

"You haven't been taking care of them," he admonished gently as he worked. It wouldn't be as good as it would be if he had a file on hand, but it would be good enough. Once he finished that hand, he let go and reached for the other.

Inuyasha squealed happily and darted away before trying to pounce on her again. Most humans didn't like to play like this, he'd discovered, and his brother and father tended to turn it into lessons. Not that he minded the lessons, but sometimes it was fun to just play.

"Oh." Kris turned faintly red and let him continue, even as she shrugged. "Guess I don't pay attention." She didn't normally have any reason to keep track of her claws. They worked well enough most of the time.

Aura grinned and let him pounce on her before turning it back around on him and cuddling him before letting him squirm away again. This was a game she didn't mind playing.

"Your claws are your primary weapons, and your primary tools," Hisoka explained as he worked. "They should be kept in good condition, just like any other weapon or tool." Once he was done, he let go of her hand again. "There." He smiled a bit at her. "Perhaps when the kit wakes up, you should take a look at his claws and see if they need attention."

Inuyasha grinned and continued playing with her, really enjoying this game. He pounced on her again and hung on this time, growling playfully at her. His growl was kind of like a puppy growl; not at all intimidating, and rather cute and high-pitched.

Kris shook her head. "His claws are fine," she said, glancing at him before looking away again. "I already checked them." She shrugged. It was easier for her to accept looking after someone else than trying to take care of herself.

Aura grinned and caught the pup when he pounced on her, rolling backwards so he had her 'pinned.' She could let him think he won, just this once.

Hisoka nodded.

"Alright," he said. He wouldn't push the issue; Kris was much more attentive when it came to Shippou than when it came to herself. After a moment, he said, "if you like, you can go ahead and relax... I can keep watch for a while."

Inuyasha grinned and nuzzled her cheek before settling down there, clearly quite happy. Sesshomaru just smiled faintly, amused as he watched them.

Kris glanced at him, hesitating for a few moments before she nodded. "Alright. Wake me in a few hours." She picked up Shippou carefully, moving over to a bedroll and settling down there, curled up around the kit.

Aura cuddled the pup and sat up, although she still let him snuggle. She was starting to wind down herself, now; she could only keep up this level of activity for so long, after all.

Hisoka nodded. He would probably let her sleep for a little longer than a few hours, but he would wake her up at some point, once he was sure she'd gotten a decent amount of sleep. For now, though... He would keep watch so she could relax.

Sesshomaru noticed and stood quietly, looking at the two of them.

"Shall I start dinner, then?"

Inuyasha nodded after a few moments, snuggling up against Aura.

Kris settled down to sleep, keeping track of Shippou at all times. She wasn't worried about Hisoka not waking her up, since she knew she could make him regret not waking her if she had to.

Aura nodded as well, although she was more agreeing with Inuyasha than anything. She didn't mind waiting if they wanted to, but if the pup wanted dinner now, then that's what would happen. She held the pup when he snuggled up to her, although she did get up and move to the couch. It was more comfortable than sitting on the floor. Once she was comfortable on the couch, she cuddled Inuyasha a bit and started to rub his ears a little. She'd wanted to for a while, now, and she knew from experience that Kris enjoyed it.

After a while of keeping watch, Hisoka figured it had been just long enough and went to wake Kris. Alright, so it had been a bit longer than just a few hours, but it wasn't as if he'd disregarded her wishes entirely. He just let her get a bit more rest, that's all. Going over to her, he touched her shoulder and gently shook it, careful not to wake the kit snuggled up to her.

Sesshomaru nodded and slipped downstairs. He already had some food in the fridge, he just had to finish cooking it. Because, yes, he could cook.

Inuyasha fairly slumped against her when she did that, making a little rumbling noise not unlike a purr. His eyes slipped closed and he stayed there, quite content.

Kris tensed, her eyes snapping open, and for a moment she looked as though she were ready to defend herself and her kit. Then she relaxed and yawned briefly, purposefully not mentioning anything as she shifted Shippou so she could get up.

Aura kept rubbing his ears like that. He was the cutest thing ever when he was all cuddly and happy the way he was, and she didn't mind in the slightest just sitting there rubbing his ears for him.

Hisoka didn't comment on it, either, just sitting back and giving Kris some room to wake up. He wasn't offended at all at how she woke up; indeed he was actually kind of pleased, since it proved to him that she had good protective instincts.

Inuyasha purred quietly, staying close to her, quite content to stay there until Sesshomaru called them down for dinner. Which wasn't for half an hour. Then the pup opened his eyes and stretched a little.

Kris woke herself up fully and moved away, going over to sit by the door to keep watch for the rest of the night. She didn't mind doing that. And even if Hisoka asked to be woken up earlier, she wasn't going to. Because she was stubborn.

Aura let the pup go when he opened his eyes and stretched. She would let him jump down from her lap, and then she would follow him down to dinner. He probably knew where he was going, after all. She would just end up lost, on her own.

Hisoka went and made himself comfortable on his own futon, across the room, but he didn't go to sleep. Instead, he stayed up to keep an eye on Kris as she kept watch. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but he'd seen how stubborn she could be when it came to her own well-being. He wouldn't say anything for now, but he would still keep an eye on her.

Inuyasha did jump down, but he waited for her to get up before he grabbed onto her hand, leading the way to the kitchen, where he and Sesshomaru usually ate when it was just the two of them.

Sesshomaru left the food in pots on the stove, since he was not serving anyone. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them as they entered.

Kris glanced back at him and her eyes narrowed very faintly but she didn't say anything, just keeping watch. She, of course, didn't realize that he was keeping track of her rather than not sleeping because he was with her. But she wasn't going to say anything, instead just shifting her weight.

Aura smiled a bit as the pup grabbed her hand to lead her down to the kitchen. She was grateful, though, since it meant she wouldn't get lost trying to find it. The youkai and hanyou might have super-sensitive noses to lead them places, but she didn't.

Hisoka could see it every time Kris changed position or shifted slightly. Where his ears and nose weren't as keen as a canine's were, he was a cat, and cats had no rivals when it came to night vision. He didn't count owls; owls were just hunting practice, as far as he was concerned. But he made good use of his eyes as he kept track of Kris.

Sesshomaru looked at them for a moment before he picked up Inuyasha. "Alright, pup," he said quietly. "Pick what you want."

Inuyasha looked at the food before him before asking for a big ladle of mac and cheese, a little bit of salad (which Sesshomaru didn't quite skip, since he didn't believe in salad), and some chili.

Kris stayed up until sunrise, when she stretched briefly and got up, twisting around to crack her back on both sides. Then she stretched out again before going to check on Shippou, ignoring Hisoka for the moment.

Aura couldn't help but raise an eyebrow herself at the selection. It was all very kid-friendly... Well, with the exception of the salad, of course, but still. A very kid-friendly spread, and she was impressed.

Hisoka kept an eye on Kris until the sun came up. He wouldn't argue with her over taking such a long watch for the night... But he would insist on keeping watch himself the following night, when the moon was full. He would make sure she was protected so that she would be able to rest and relax while she waited for the sun to come back up.

Sesshomaru sat Inuyasha at the table with his food before he looked at Aura, raising an eyebrow at her. "Go ahead," he said quietly, stepping aside so she could get her food. Which wasn't just him being nice. It was him taking care of his pack, or hopeful pack.

Kris glanced over at him before she vanished outside. It didn't take long for her to get back, and when she did come back her hair was still rather wet, and she was shivering just a little. The stream feeding into the lake was colder than she remembered.

When he stepped aside, Aura went over to take some food for herself. She didn't like taking anything without being invited; it just felt kind of rude, so she waited until he said something. Made perfect sense, in her mind. She took an actual serving of salad alongside the mac and cheese and the chili, and then sat down at the table with her plate.

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. Surely there was a way for her to have a warm bath inside rather than going out for a quick dunk in the cold water. Regardless, he got up and took a blanket over to her.

"Here," he said softly. "You'll feel better once you're warm again."

Sesshomaru got his own food after they both had food, sitting down to eat. He liked the kid-friendly menu once in a while. They didn't do this every night, after all, but he knew that Aura was likely to enjoy this kind of food.

"Thanks," Kris muttered, taking the blanket and wrapping it around herself. She'd never really added a bath to this place, and she didn't want to spoil herself too much. Although she might have to think of something for Shippou; she remembered hating her cold baths when she was his age.