Sesshomaru ignored Kris, instead looking at Aura. That had pretty much been a challenge. So, he raised an eyebrow at her and, within less than a minute, had located three more books.

"These belong in the library," he murmured, keeping her gaze. "You do not need to have these scattered around the house."

Kris started cleaning up her room, sort of. Meaning tossing clothes in a corner and hiding all her personal knick knacks, things she'd kept over the centuries. She was very protective of those.

Aura glanced at the books in his hand for a moment, taking in the titles.

"I was looking for one of those last week," she commented. She didn't say anything when he said that the books belonged in the library. He was right. She just wasn't going to admit it. Besides, those particular kinds of books spent more time out of the library than in it, anyways.

Four days later, Sesshomaru and Hisoka had spent the whole day rummaging through things. Sesshomaru kept finding books all over, which he then put in the library. He was going to make Aura reorganize all her books, once he found them all. He knew he would find more, especially once he got to her room. He could be patient.

Kris had taken to leaving before they got there, and not coming back until they were gone again. So she was out on her run, though she got closer to the house than she intended. She paused a little ways away, just listening to see if she could hear them. She could sense them, certainly, and briefly wondered if the reverse applied.

Aura, on the other hand, was currently being climbed on by a bunch of kids. Not that she really minded, of course, except when one child constantly put holes in her shirt. She was glad she kept a bunch of told t-shirts at work specifically for days like this... Once naptime rolled around, she would pull a spare shirt from her 'stash' and change into it. The ruined shirt would end up in the stash of rags at home. Or at least, it would end up in that general direction.

Hisoka was working on digging things out of closets at the moment. He had forgotten just how many pairs of shoes a pair of females could have between them, and to be honest, he wasn't sure how anyone could wear the death-traps he'd unearthed in the back of the coat closet. Regardless, he set them aside in the pile with all of the other shoes. He would help the girls sort through them when they got back.

Kris snorted and shook her head, going past the house, almost teasing the two youkai inside with her proximity and refusal to enter the house, before she finished running towards the daycare where Aura worked. She slipped inside, glancing around. There was a new one in the litter today, and she blinked at the little hanyou like herself.

In an instant she was next to Aura, still watching the napping children. "I haven't seen him before," she murmured, nodding to the hanyou, who was currently sprawled across a little kitsune.

Sesshomaru managed to get most of the books from all around the house, and continued to find other things. He made a place for mail, receipts, books, and other paper things he found around the house. He let Hisoka deal with the shoes for now.

"He's new," Aura murmured back as she stuffed her ruined t-shirt into her bag to take home. "Only within the last week or so. I'm not sure who drops him off, he's usually here before I get here, but his mother has been picking him up in the afternoons." She was usually the last adult to arrive, but she was also the last to leave, so she saw all of the kids at some point throughout the day. "I've noticed he's a bit of a snuggler in the mornings, but he perks up around noon or so." Of course she would notice that; she was usually the one who volunteered to be the living snuggle-buddy most of the time.

Hisoka paused later that day to check the time. He had moved on from digging out shoes to throwing any stray clothing he found into a basket. He would have the girls sort through it later alongside the shoes to determine which articles belonged to which female.

"My lord, isn't it about time for you to pick up your brother?" he asked. He knew all about Sesshoumaru's schedule, so he knew that today was something of an anomaly.

"Mmm." Kris's gaze sharpened when she noticed the two stirring. Most of the other children were getting up again, since the parents had started to arrive. The fox looked up first, looking over at her, clearly curious. The inu-hanyou followed his example, little ears perking in her direction. But she didn't move yet, knowing this wasn't her territory.

"Hnn." Sesshomaru glanced at the clock. "Indeed. Are you going to come with me, or stay and continue your efforts?" He looked briefly amused, even while making sure he had verything he needed with him.

Hisoka stood up and dusted off his hands. He glanced at the now-empty closet and the clear hallway.

"I believe enough progress has been made physically for the day," he replied. "We still need to get Aurellia and Kristine involved in the cleaning process, however. You know as well as I do that we cannot do everything for them." Besides that, Hisoka had a bit of a soft spot for Sesshoumaru's little half-brother. The pup really was rather endearing, and it was amusing to watch him punch right through the taiyoukai's carefully-built facade.

Aura went around and started to collect up blankets and pillows to put them away, now that naptime was over. It gave her a chance to check on the kids as she did so, since she went past most of them just moving around the room. She was fairly sure a few of the kids had taken to following her around, but she'd never been able to catch them in the act. Every time she turned around, they scattered, giggling.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Agreed," he said quietly. "We will attempt to find them after we have retrieved my brother." He set down the last book he'd found in the library before he headed for the front door. Neither of them needed a car, so he didn't have to worry about that. They'd just run over to the daycare. Inuyasha had switched to a new one, again. Silly pup always found trouble, somehow.

Kris grinned when she watched the kit practice his stalking skills on Aura, tempted to give him a few pointers, but she wasn't sure if she was welcome to or not.

So when someone tugged on her pants leg, she blinked and looked down at the little hanyou.

"You got eaws," he said, looking up at her solemnly. "Like mine."

Kris melted, just a little bit. "That's true," she acknowledged. The boy held out his arms, and she picked him up easily, inspecting him. He looked in good condition; his claws were neatly trimmed, his clothing was in good condition, and he looked (and felt) like he had enough to eat every day. But she still coddled him a bit, tickling behind one of his ears while he gave her a similar inspection, tugging gently at her hair.

Aura glanced over at Kris and grinned a bit. They were so cute! Taking the pillows and blankets, she stashed the pillows in the closet and put the blankets and pillowcases in a bag to be washed in the morning before the daycare opened. She glanced over when the front door opened and paused what she was doing, almost doing a double-take. She hadn't expected Sesshoumaru to walk in.

Hisoka stayed outside while Sesshoumaru went to retrieve his brother. No sense in startling the people in charge by having two youkai walk in. He definitely scented humans in the building, and some of the scents actually seemed familiar, although they were a little too tangled with the scents of so many children for him to really sort them out properly.

Kris froze when she felt two familiar youki. What were they doing here?

Her question was answered almost instantly, for the hanyou in her arms turned and started squirming to get down with a big, childish grin on his face. "Sess! Bwothew!" he called, looking at his big brother with the admiration of a child.

Kris's jaw dropped, just a little. That was his brother? Oh, hell... She held the little one tighter for a moment before she released him, setting him on the ground and watching as he ran over, jumping into Sesshomaru's arms with a practiced move.

Sesshomaru was frozen for a moment when he spotted his little brother being coddled by Kristine. She looked just as startled to see him, and after the brief protective surge faded, he had an idea. He caught his brother easily, holding the squirming inu-hanyou. Then he caught another familiar scent, and he looked over to find Aurellia there as well.

Well, well. Two for the price of one. Perhaps he could find a way to work this to his advantage.

Aura's eyes widened, and she had to forcefully suppress a grin when she saw the pup jump into the taiyoukai's arms. That had to be the most adorable thing she'd ever seen, although she would never say it aloud. At least, within hearing distance of Sesshoumaru.

"Well," she commented. "I didn't expect that." She glanced at the time. Yep, right about the time the inu-pup usually got picked up. Putting the last pillow neatly into the closet, she closed it and went to the sign-out book to check the list of approved sign-out names, since every child had a list of people allowed to pick them up at the end of the day. And there it was. She was a little surprised that she missed his name on the list before... She wasn't looking for it, but still. She pulled a pen out of the cup on the counter next to the book and marked down the time. Then she looked at the taiyoukai.

"Sign him out and he's all yours," she said with a bit of a grin. She was almost waiting for a reaction, since she knew she was a lot neater and more organized at work than she was at home.

Sesshomaru eyed her for a moment before he switched the pup to one arm, signing quickly with his other hand. He looked at her for several more long moments before his attention was, again, briefly sidetracked by his brother. Inuyasha waved cheerfully at Kris, and she couldn't help but smile as she waved back a little.

With a small snort, Sesshomaru turned and started for the door. "I expect to see you both back at the house within the hour," he said, his voice calm.

Kris immediately scowled at his back. The cuteness of him with the little hanyou wore off, and she wondered how such a sweet kid was related to such a hard-ass like Sesshomaru.

Aura snorted as she put the pen back with the others and closed the book. Yeah, she'd be lucky if she was out of work in time.

"Don't hold your breath," she replied cheerfully as the door closed behind him. She rolled her eyes and looked at Kris. "That was really weird," she said. She grinned. "But kind of worth seeing."

Hisoka was waiting for them outside.

"All set, my lord?" he asked when Sesshoumaru came back outside with Inuyasha in one of his arms. He took note of the taiyoukai's slightly devious expression. "My lord? What are you planning?" Because he knew Sesshoumaru was planning something. There was just no other reason for that particular expression on his face.

Kris shook her head, still looking after them. "His little brother's like me," she murmured, still perplexed. "I can't believe he actually has a side that's not a total jerk."

With a little shiver, she shook herself out of her thoughts. "Mind if I stay here until you're ready to go?"

Sesshomaru looked over at Hisoka with a faint smirk, smoothing down Inuyasha's hair when the hanyou settled himself against his brother. "They both like him," he murmured. "The hanyou especially."

"She's like me," Inuyasha muttered, snuggling against Sesshomaru. "Not pack?"

"No," Sesshomaru said easily. "She is not part of our pack. Not like the cat." He slanted a faint, teasing look at Hisoka.

"Hang around all you like," Aura replied. She didn't mind, and the kids liked it when Kris visited. "It's so weird, though... It's one of those things you never think would happen. And the boy is so adorable, too." She opened the book again and pulled out a pen as a few more parents showed up to reclaim their spawn. Closing up might be quicker than she thought. She snorted when a thought suddenly crossed her mind. "And he looked way too domestic just then, when he picked up his brother."

Hisoka gave a faint smile.

"Many would argue that a cat is not properly pack," he reminded them, although he didn't argue the point. After all, it was an honor to be claimed as pack, even as honorary pack, by this particular family. "And it does not surprise me that the girls took to him, my lord. Many a pup has melted a female heart before."

Kris shook her head, snickering. "Yeah. We have ammo with which to tease him now." She grinned broadly. There weren't many kids left, and those that were headed over to look at her, clamoring for her attention. So she indulged them, a smile hovering at the corners of her lips.

Sesshomaru chuckled quietly and started back for his house. "We can use that to our advantage, I believe," he murmured. "We will test, perhaps, when they return." He shifted his grip on Inuyasha, carrying him more securely towards their house.

Hisoka was intrigued now. He had a general idea of what Sesshoumaru was planning, and he was very interested to see how it played out. It was a rather unorthodox method of trying to get through to a client, but from what he had seen of the girls, and what Sesshoumaru seemed to be thinking, it might just work.

Aura couldn't help but grin, too. It definitely had the potential to help them tease Sesshoumaru. It would be a bit of revenge for what he was putting them through at home. After about half an hour, all of the kids were picked up, and Aura finished closing up the daycare. She would be back the next day.

"Ready to go?" she asked Kris.

Sesshomaru smirked faintly and nodded, carrying Inuyasha back to their house. He left the little hanyou at home with his mother before he looked back at Hisoka.

"Shall we return to their house?" he asked quietly. "Perhaps test my theory?"

"Sure." Kris made sure all the kids were safely tucked away by their parents before she shook her head and left, following Aura. But she didn't like cars much; she didn't trust them.

"I'll meet you back at home, okay?" She gave Aura's car a look.

Aura rolled her eyes as she pulled out her keys. She knew Kris's aversion to cars, and also knew better than to try to get her into a car.

"That's fine," she replied. She tossed her bag into her car, and gave Kris a bit of a grin. "Looks like we have some new rags again. That little squirrely kid put holes in my shirt again. At least I made sure to wear an old one today."

"I leave the decision up to you, my lord," Hisoka replied. "Technically, work for the day is complete, however, if you want to test your theory, I will accompany you." He was willing to take either course of action, so he could agree to either decision.

Kris grinned. "Oh good. Cleaning and oiling rags." She shook her head. "I'll see you at home."

And she headed back for home, ignoring the other youkai in the city. It was inevitable that she would run into them sometimes. Mostly she just hoped they would ignore her.

Sesshomaru nodded and started for the girls' house again. "I thought you would be more eager to berate the hanyou," he said, teasing his old teacher just a little. He knew Hisoka was getting exasperated with the hanyou avoiding them intentionally.

"Perhaps," Hisoka agreed. Oh yes, he was getting annoyed with her. But he also didn't think scolding her would get him anywhere. He was already working on taking a different approach to the problem. "Then again, my lord, you also haven't been making as much progress with Aurellia as you thought you would," he pointed out.

Aura just started up her car, turned up the radio, and set back off for home. It felt good to sing at the top of her voice on the way, even though she only got through maybe three songs before she was pulling into the driveway. That was okay, though... She could turn on her stereo later, where she had just about the same selection as the radio station did. And hers was all commercial-free.

Sesshomaru nodded his agreement. "Well, that may soon be changing," he murmured. He was hoping that he could find some way to persuade her to cooperate. He had a few ideas to try, although he was almost more curious to see how Hisoka handled the hanyou.

Kris got home first, and was already working on making dinner. She had some chicken out and was working on seasoning for it. Then she froze when she felt two familiar youki heading their way, even as Aura pulled into the driveway. "Oh, hell," she grumbled.

Aura was just getting her things out of the car when she felt the youkai approaching. Their youki bubbled across her skin, a slightly unsettling contrast to the wonderfully youki-free drive home. She glanced around, and then headed inside. There was no use in trying to get them to leave; they'd both proven to be infuriatingly stubborn when they wanted to be.

Hisoka could hear the slam of the car door as they got closer.

"Seems they arrived first," he commented. That was interesting; he would have thought they would have stayed away longer, just to spite the pseudo-order to be back within the hour.

Sesshomaru looked faintly amused. "Perhaps they weren't expecting us to actually show up again." He shook his head, slowing down and stopping in front of the front door. He knew they were both inside; he could hear the hanyou cursing. He knocked on the door politely. He didn't need to, but it probably made them feel a little better.

Kris scowled at the door, deboning the chicken with a little more force than necessary. Then she spread the seasoning on, glancing back at the door and ignoring it.