Hisoka put an arm around her waist.

"Let's go back," he said softly to her. It was clear she was a bit shaken and more than a little uncomfortable, and he knew she would feel better back home with the children.

Kris nodded and let him lead her back to the house. She was still unnerved, but she tried to hide it for the kids' sakes.

Shippou and Alex looked up when she entered, both of them grinning at her. They'd pulled Inuyasha into a game with them, and Alex ran over to go enlist her help.

"That's not fair!" Shippou immediately protested. "'Soka, that's not fair!"

Kris chuckled quietly. "Now, now, children," she soothed, picking Alex up. If she held her daughter a little more tightly than normal, well, Alex didn't point it out.

Aura was sitting on the floor in a different part of the room, looking after Katsuro and Aiko so Sess could supervise the other children. She grinned a bit when Shippou immediately appealed to Hisoka for help.

"You have the advantage over them anyways, kit," she reminded him gently. "Don't worry so much."

Shippou pouted and Kris put Alex down with the other two before going to start dinner.

Sesshomaru snorted and stayed where he was, though he looked at Hisoka with a quirked eyebrow, silently asking what had happened.

Hisoka caught the look, but tilted his head slightly at the children. It was something best discussed without them around.

When Shippou started to pout, Aura gently set her son on the floor (he had been cuddling with her in her lap) and went to pick up the kit.

"Come on, now," she said softly, running her fingers through his hair a little. "You're supposed to be setting a good example. You're the oldest, remember? And everyone looks up to the big brother."

Sesshomaru nodded a little and watched the little ones quietly, glancing over at Kris once to gauge her mood.

Shippou relaxed a little when she did that, nodding after a moment. Okay, yeah, he could deal with that.

"Does that mean I have to let one of them win?" he asked in a conspiratorial whisper, grinning a little.

Hisoka glanced over at Kris as well. She still looked a little out of sorts, and he didn't blame her. Then he glanced out a few of the windows, checking just in case. He didn't trust that other fox, no matter who he claimed to be.

"Maybe sometimes," Aura whispered back to Shippou, grinning a bit. "But you don't have to let them have all the fun." Gently, she set him on his feet again. "Why don't you see if Kris needs help in the kitchen? You know how to stay out of her way if you have to."

Katsuro pouted a little when he realized his mother's attention was elsewhere at the moment, and he toddled over to his father to see if he could get him to cuddle a bit.

Shippou grinned and nodded, trotting over into the kitchen to see if Kris needed any help. Kris set him to chopping some veggies, keeping a careful eye on him as she cooked.

Sesshomaru looked at Katsuro before he chuckled quietly and picked up his son, pulling him into his lap easily and rubbing the pup's ears. Clearly he was feeling a little neglected, something Sesshomaru had no problems changing.

Hisoka chuckled slightly as he watched the little pup snuggle comfortably up to the taiyoukai. Clearly, Sesshoumaru had taken to fatherhood very well.

"Still a little clingy, I take it," he commented, glancing from father to son and back.

Sesshomaru smiled faintly. "Just a little," he said quietly. A little was an understatement, but he didn't mind, and he knew Aura didn't. Besides, he was used to Inuyasha being cuddly when he wanted to.

"A phase he will mostly outgrow, I should think," Hisoka said. After all, the pup's father wasn't what anyone would consider to be 'cuddly,' and that combined with Hisoka's own knowledge of children made him confident in his assessment. "Although it would not surprise me if he always reserves a few hugs and cuddles for his parents."

"Most children do," Sesshomaru said with a faint smile. "For a while, at least." And depending on the children, and the parents.

He got the feeling this pup would never be too old to demand a hug.

"And it seems this one is lucky to have parents willing to indulge him," Hisoka added, teasing just a little. "Although I have noticed Aura tends to want to spoil him more."

Sesshomaru nodded just a little. He was willing to let Aura indulge the boy for the moment, but he wasn't going to let him be completely spoiled. He did have to teach the pup some things, after all.

Hisoka let the subject drop, lapsing into comfortable silence as he watched the rest of the children play. He did, however, lean down to pick up Aiko when the little one crawled her way over. He settled her in his lap and rubbed one of her ears gently.

Kris finished up making dinner and set food out for them. "Okay, come eat."

Sesshomaru watched the kids scramble over first before he set Katsuro in one of the chairs, going to fill a plate for his son.

Hisoka followed, although he handed Aiko to Kris. He knew Kris liked to spoil their daughter, and liked to fuss over her.

Aura followed the kids to the table, sitting near them so she could keep an eye on them all. She didn't expect any sort of misbehavior, but habits are hard to break. That, and her seat let her keep an eye on the sky outside.

She and Sess had learned real quick when their son's human night tended to fall.

Kris ruffled Aiko's hair gently before keeping hold of the little one, keeping her on her lap during dinner. She wasn't worried about that. She fed her little one easily, giving her bits of soft food. Aiko wasn't quite ready for normal food yet. Not quite.

Sesshomaru helped keep an eye on all the little ones easily, making sure they all ate and no one misbehaved.

Aura kept a close eye on Katsuro. The pup got more and more fidgety as the sun set, until Aura reached over and pulled him into her lap. She could tell he hated his human nights, and she didn't really blame him. So she held him close and cuddled him as the sun set completely. She knew from experience that he would cling to her or Sesshoumaru all night until he fell asleep.

Kris moved over and patted the pup's head gently. Aiko and Alex both disliked their human nights, although Aiko dealt with it better than Alex did, surprisingly. But Kris knew it was hard to deal with.

Then she tactfully retreated, figuring Sesshomaru wouldn't want her that close to Katsuro while he was so vulnerable.

Sesshomaru was indeed eyeing Kris. It wasn't entirely his fault; his instincts were clamoring. He figured he'd get used to it.

Eventually.

But he did keep an eye on everyone else while he settled a little closer to his mate and his son.

Aura leaned against Sesshoumaru, still holding their son close. Katsuro was clinging to her, clearly not about to let go until everything was back to normal.

Hisoka went to keep an eye on the other children. Aura and Sesshoumaru were going to be preoccupied with their son for the rest of the night, so he and Kris would have to keep the rest of the children out of trouble.

Sesshomaru stayed near them all night, not at all bothered by not sleeping that night. He wanted to make sure they were both fine.

Kris had no problem with that, keeping track of the other kids easily and corraling them into playing games.

Katsuro ended up falling asleep snuggled up with his parents not long after dinner, and Aura drifted off against her mate a little after midnight. They both woke up just before sunrise, though; Katsuro on his own and Aura because her son woke up. It was how the night typically went when Katsuro was human.

Sesshomaru stayed where he was, content to simply keep watch all night. He made sure everything was well when Katsuro woke up, though, glancing around swiftly. Only another few minutes until sunrise.

When Katsuro woke up, he climbed out of his mother's lap and into his father's. Mother was the one to snuggle with for the night, but Father was the one who made sure everything was okay.

Aura woke up when Katsuro climbed out of her lap, but she didn't make any move to stop him. She knew he was just moving over to Sesshoumaru, like he did every time.