Hisoka raised an eyebrow.

"And what idea is this?" he asked. He was curious as to what idea would interest her like that.

"A potential way for us to have one of our own." She looked at Alex meaningfully before looking at Hisoka to see if he got it. She was still excited by her potential revelation.

Hisoka caught on to her train of thought almost immediately, and his eyebrows went up. It was an interesting idea.

"It could work," he said. "Timed just right, it could work."

Kris nodded with a brief grin. "Might take a little while," she said quietly. "If you want to, anyway." Because they'd never actually discussed having children of their own. They'd just enjoyed the first steps of making them.

"Is it what you want?" Hisoka asked. He knew it would likely take a while for them to dial in the timing just right, but it wasn't as if they were on any sort of time constraint. "If you want to try, then I would be pleased to have a child with you." Because she was his mate, and whatever made her happy was fine by him. And never let it be said that he didn't want a child of his own. He loved Shippou and Alex, though, and would continue to do so even if he and Kris had a child.

Kris nodded after a moment. She did want a child of her own. She'd keep Shippou and Alex, of course; they were pack now. And if she found another halfling in trouble, she wasn't going to turn them away. But the thought of having her own child with her mate was... very pleasing.

Hisoka leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"Then that's what we'll do," he said softly. Her plan might be tricky, but it should work, so he was willing to try.

Kris smiled and settled in next to him, quite content with life. Sure, it would take a while, but if it got them the result she wanted, it would be worth it.

Indeed, it did end up taking a while, but some careful timing and a lot of patience ended up paying off and it wasn't too long before Hisoka was able to watch with quiet pride as Kris cradled their little one.

In the meantime, Aura had her hands full taking care of Katsuro. The pup had managed to get his feet under him, albeit a little unsteadily, at first, and had taken to following Inuyasha around whenever he got the chance. Although Aura had to admit that the two hanyou were adorable when they played, it sometimes made keeping track of her son a challenge.

Lucky for her, her mate was always able to track them down easily.

Kris grinned at Hisoka, looking exhausted still while cradling the little cat-eared hanyou against her. The little girl had quieted down, and Kris looked about ready to pass out.

Sesshomaru was currently tracking down his son and his little brother. He'd given them a bit of a headstart, but he knew he'd have to dump them both in the tub once he found them again. It was about an hour before dark, and he'd already tracked them to a few trees and through more than one mud puddle.

Hisoka smiled back and sat on the bed next to her, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"She's perfect," he said softly. Gently, he reached out and touched one of the newborn's ears.

Inuyasha was really the one leading his brother on a merry chase; Katsuro was just tagging along and having fun. Besides, the little pup was getting tired, and letting his father catch him was sounding like a good idea.

Kris smiled and snuggled closer to him, holding the little one. The little one made a little sound and stayed there, settling down, her little ears flickering once.

Sesshomaru caught up to them easily, looking at the two boys before he snorted and picked up his son.

"Inuyasha, let's go get cleaned up for dinner," he ordered, holding his squirming pup easily.

Hisoka gently put an arm around Kris's waist and let her snuggle close. Right then, he was exceedingly pleased with life. He glanced over when he heard the door to the room open and saw Shippou peeking in.

"But we're havin' fun!" Inuyasha protested even as he followed his brother inside. Katsuro whined a bit, trying to echo Inuyasha's sentiments, and squirmed in his father's grasp.

Kris smiled, tired, and nodded for Shippou to come in. He scrambled into the room, Alex following him, and they both managed to scramble up on the bed, peering at their newest sibling curiously.

Sesshomaru snorted. "Too bad. Inside to wash up." He held the squirming pup easily and reached over, plucking Inuyasha up easily. He carried them both inside and straight upstairs to the bathroom.

Hisoka kept an eye on Alex and Shippou, although he knew they would behave themselves. It was just precaution on his part. He pulled them into his lap so they could see their little sister better.

Aura couldn't help but grin a bit when she saw him coming up the stairs with the pups.

"Where did you find them this time?" she asked as she kept pace with him. Both pups were muddy, so it was clear that a bath was in order before dinner.

Kris smiled and shifted so they could both see the little girl a bit better. "This is Aiko," she said quietly.

Shippou shifted a little closer, though he didn't try to do more than that yet. He also grabbed Alex so she didn't topple over onto their mother.

"Playing in the mud." Sesshomaru looked tolerantly amused, carrying them both up to the bathroom and getting the water running while he tried to get them to cooperate. Because somehow now he had to rope his little brother into cooperating, as well as Katsuro.

Hisoka watched the kids as they looked at the newborn. Alex seemed particularly fascinated, and he couldn't blame her. They were both cat hanyou, after all. After a few minutes, he gathered up Shippou and Alex.

"Come on, you two," he said softly. "Let's give your mother a chance to rest for a while."

Aura grinned.

"That sounds like it was Inuyasha's idea," she said as she reached out to take said pup. She looked at him. "Wasn't it?"

The pup's ears twitched a bit, but he didn't look all that contrite.

"Maybe," he finally said.

Kris shot Hisoka a grateful smile and relaxed, settling down and curling around Aiko. Now she wanted to take a nap. Nap definitely sounded good.

Since Alex hadn't been around as long as Shippou, she was frowning a little as she thought about the new little hanyou.

"Are we still gonna live here?" she asked, looking up at Hisoka.

Sesshomaru snorted and managed to dump Inuyasha into the tub. He set Katsuro in more gently and started to wash the two pups off.

The question surprised Hisoka a little.

"I don't see why not," he said, looking at Alex. She seemed troubled by something, so he rubbed behind one of her ears gently to get her to relax a little. "Why do you ask?"

Aura waited until her mate was done washing the pups before coming in with towels. This wasn't the first time this particular situation had played out.

"Because you have a new kid now." Alex still looked troubled, her lower lip sticking out in a full pout.

Sesshomaru took one of the towels and dried off Inuyasha, since he was more squirmy, and then got them both to dress in clean clothes for dinner.

Now Hisoka understood.

"You don't have anything to worry about," he said softly as he sat down with her. He rubbed her ears gently. "We're a family, nothing will change that." Because Alex was feline, he didn't use the word 'pack,' but the meaning was the same.

Aura used the other towel to dry Katsuro, smiling when her son giggled and sneezed from the towel-fluff. Then she handed him off to her mate again to be dressed.

Alex nodded after a moment and crawled into his lap, settling against him quite happily. She was more reassured now.

Sesshomaru wrestled both pups into their clothes expertly before he set them down.

"Downstairs," he ordered. "For dinner." He watched as they both perked up at that and scrambled out of the bathroom.

Hisoka let her snuggle, purring softly and running his fingers through her hair. After a few moments, he gathered her up and stood.

"Come with me," he said. "Dinner is up to the three of us tonight, since your mother isn't going to be cooking."

Aura smiled softly and went to give her mate a kiss.

"And note that only one of them is ours," she commented.

Shippou grinned and went into the kitchen, scrambling up to Kris's tea cabinet. "Think she'll want tea?" he asked. He still knew how to make her special blend. Alex was learning.

"That fact hasn't escaped me." Sesshomaru slid an arm around her, pulling her close. "My father finds this amusing, I'm sure."

Hisoka nodded as he set Alex on the counter.

"I think she would like that," he said. Opening one of the cabinets, he pulled down Kris's favorite mug and set it where Shippou could reach.

"I'm sure he does," Aura replied, cuddling close to him. "I think he's been looking forward to it for a while."