Aura opened her mouth to politely refuse, and then thought better of it and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me," she said softly.

Kris nodded and let her kids settle on her futon while she got out a second one, putting it down next to hers.

"There. Let me know if you need anything else." She grinned briefly at Aura before she settled down, letting Aiko and Alex cuddle up against her.

"I still remember where everything is in the house," Aura protested teasingly as she settled down on the second futon with her son. "I'm perfectly capable of finding things myself." Settling on her side, she curled up around her son, who in turn snuggled in close to her and curled up himself before going right back to sleep.

Kris rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "You've got a pup attached to you. Easier for me to get up and down."

But she relented and fell quiet, relaxing where she was with her three charges.

"And you've got three pinning you down," Aura pointed out, albeit softly so as not to wake her son. Gently, she rubbed his back a little as he snuggled closer. She didn't blame him for wanting a nap; the night before had been stressful for him. After a little while, Aura dozed off as well.

Kris just stayed there, resting and relaxing with the kids. She didn't need a nap, but the quiet time was nice.

To be honest, Aura enjoyed her nap, even though she was sleeping very lightly because her son was snuggled in with her. It was nice to be able to wind down a bit before having to play with the kids again.

Kris was up before Aura was, getting snacks ready for the kids, including some softer things for the two younger ones. She paused when she noticed someone outside again, and her eyes narrowed when she noticed the fox outside again.

"Stay with them," she muttered to Hisoka, nodding briefly to the kids and Aura.

Hisoka nodded and moved so he was between the little ones and the door. He wasn't sure why the other fox had felt the need to intrude on someone else's territory, rather than waiting for an invitation, but it couldn't be good.

Kris moved outside to go talk to him again. And hope that talking this time wouldn't involve chasing him off with force.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I told you, I just want to get to know my daughter," he said with an innocent grin.

"Bullshit. Try again."

He dropped the overly friendly act and shrugged. "Alright. If you really want to know... You need to leave these people."

"Why?"

"Because I need you to help me."

"With what?"

"I need you to help me settle a debt."

"And why should I?"

"Because I am your father, and you owe me. So you will help me."

Kris growled. "No. I don't owe you anything. Go find someone else to help you."

Hisoka kept an eye out the window, watching the exchange. It was tricky to keep an eye on the children at the same time, but Aura had woken up once the children really started playing again, and she was reigning them in well enough.

Aura looked out the window curiously, her brow furrowing slightly when she saw the unfamiliar fox outside with Kris. she almost asked what was going on, but Hisoka was tense enough that she held onto the question for the moment.

THe fox sighed. "I had hoped you would cooperate." He moved closer to her, and she moved away. He blinked. "Playing games now?"

"Only if you can catch me." Kris took off, and the fox followed her. She just hoped that Hisoka would stay inside long enough to let her do what she needed to do.

Hisoka watched as Kris ran off, itching to follow. But he had to look after the kids, at least until Sesshoumaru returned. He trusted Aura with the children, but it would be easy for them to get out of hand if it was just her looking after them.

Aura, on the other hand, had no such doubts. She's seen Kris run off, and knew something wasn't right.

"Go follow them," she said to Hisoka. "I can watch the kids, go on."

Hisoka hesitated for a split second, and then nodded, heading out to see what was going on.

Kris led the other fox on a wild goosechase through the woods, taking her time and looping around a few times. She wasn't going to make this easy for him.

When she passed her own trail, she jumped up into a tree, waiting for him to pass before she jumped on him, pinning him down to the ground with a vicious growl.

"You leave me and my family alone, you son of a bitch," she snarled, her eyes slowly turning red. "Or you'll regret it."

By the time Hisoka managed to find his mate, she had already pinned the other fox to the ground. She seemed to have everything well in hand, so he hung back to observe. He knew she wouldn't appreciate him intruding on her self-assigned duty, anyways, so he let her do what she needed to. But he kept an eye on her all the same.

The other fox sighed. "Fine," he muttered. "You'll regret this one day, little one."

Kris snarled at him before she shoved off him, getting to her feet, her eyes still half-way red. She tood and watched him leave, making sure he actually left her territory.

Once he was sure the other fox was gone, Hisoka stepped out from where he had been watching.

"Kris?" he asked gently.

A shiver rippled down her spine, and Kris hunched her shoulders, working hard on controlling herself. Only once she felt more comfortable did she turn to look at him.

"Is everything alright now?" Hisoka asked, still calm and gentle. He took half a step forward, but then let her make the next move. He knew how volatile she could be when she was riled like this.

Kris let out a slow breath. "Yeah, I think so," she said quietly, briefly scrubbing at her face. "I don't think he'll bother us again. And if he does, I gave him more than fair warning."

Hisoka nodded and went over to her. Gently, he slipped an arm around her waist.

"Let's go back home," he said softly. "We may need to rescue Aura from the children."

Kris nodded and let him lead her back home, taking the time to finish relaxing and calming herself.

By the time she got back, she was more worried about Aura than anything. "Everything okay?" she called as she entered the house.

"Everything's fine!" Aura called back. She didn't even try to stop Alex from darting over to jump on Kris. It seemed that she was still a little insecure, and missed her mother. Shippou seemed content to play with his sisters and 'cousin,' though.

Kris caught Alex and held her easily, staying there for a few extra moments. Then she carried her into the other room, sitting and putting Alex in her lap.

Aura was sitting on the floor, watching the children play. Or rather, watching Shippou show off for the younger ones. It was really all the same, to them, and it kept them occupied. She looked up when Kris came in.

"Is everything okay?" she asked quietly.