Chapter 60: Radiant Family

"Finally, I can sleep in my bed…" Wave grumbled with his arms hanging tiredly by his side. Beneath his eyes bags from the unsleepable night he had pondering how he would talk to Aina whenever he got the chance to go back home.

But for now, he would be content with collapsing onto a comfy bed and let his mind deal with his realizations about his relationship with Aina.

Though, he still had a good few hours to go before he and the other Jaegers would get back to the Jaegers Homebase.

They had just arrived in the capital not minutes earlier and found themselves walking down one of the various commercial districts lining the main streets. Only to have all their steps unanimously stopped when Bols clapped his hands together to gain all their attention.

"Since we've returned, why don't we all go have a nice lunch? My home is nearby and I would love to introduce you to my wife and daughter," a blush somehow formed on Bols mask while he cupped his cheeks in his hands.

"I'd really love to just get to b-"

"Are you sure?" Seryu asked, "won't we be intruding?"

"Not at all! Kije will be more than happy to host all of you. She has been wanting to meet you all."

Seryu looked between Kurome and Run, ignoring the tired Wave before Run spoke up, "so long as we do not disturb your family, I am more than happy to go."

"Yeah, me too," Seryu added while Kurome just nodded her head, keeping her crumpled brown bag close to her chest..

Wave groaned to himself more than anyone, stroking a hand through his hair while straightening his back, "if everyones going, I've got no excuse not to." He replied letting Bols release a small relieved sigh. "Is there enough food at your house for all of us?" he asked.

Bols tilted his head in thought before shaking it, "no, I would like to go shopping before we arrive. Kije only buys enough for herself and Logue when I am away. And we avoid stocking up on food in fear Logue may eat herself silly."

"Then I guess we'll stop by the market on our way there."

"I would appreciate that," Bols rubbed the back of his head bowing down just a little.

The five Jaegers soon found themselves making way through the bustling stone clad streets of the capital. Bols chattering and raving about his lovely daughter and wife with a happily listening Seryu and Kurome, though the latter only goofily smiled to herself never uttering a word.

When Seryu suddenly exclaimed, "AH!" that cause the others to bounce and go on edge, their gazes shooting to focus on her, "we should invite the captain. It's unfair if we all go out for lunch while she's stuck in the base."

All but Kurome seemed to realize their folly of forgetting their leader, "right, I'm the fastest of us. I'll go ask her if she wishes to join us." Run summoned his white wings from his teigu, letting the others give him a few small farewells before shooting into the air.

***

"I'm home!" Bols gently pushed open the door to his house and called out to the inhabitants. It wasn't a large house, many weren't in the walls of the capital, but it was just large enough for Bols and his family to host their friends every now and then.

It didn't take long for rapid stomping noises to scurry down the stairs drawing the curiously tilting heads of the Jaegers to focus on the staircase where a small blonde haired girls was rushing down the stairs.

"Papa!" she shouted, lunging off the staircase halfway down, her arms opened wide as she soared through the air towards her father, his own arms open to her. Catching her with a gently 'thump' sound of the minute six-year-old colliding with her father. "I missed you," the girl buried her face into Bols chest and giggled as her rubbed her back.

"I did as well Logue. I missed you so much," Bols giddily rubbed his mask covered cheek against the head of his daughter.

"That… is adorable," Wave muttered to himself, noticing besides him both Seryu and Kurome staring at the little girl with expressions that were practically melting from the sweet girls cutesy appearance.

"Welcome home," from the staircase came the soft voice of Bols wife, Kije. Light brown hair hung to her hips with bright purple eyes of which both opened wide seeing the group just behind Bols and her daughter. "Oh," she said a smile plastering her face as she descended the staircase completely, "you must be my husbands colleagues, it's a pleasure to meet you." She gave a light bow to them.

"Uh, oh right, y-yeah, I'm Wave. This is Kurome and Seryu," Kurome nodded to Kije and Seryu beamed at her with a rapidly waving hand. Wave winced feeling something sharp jab into his leg. That being the teeth of Koro, "Ow-ow-ow, let go I'm sorry," Wave kicked his leg to get Koro off him, "that's Koro. Seryu's partner. Ow," Wave fell to his knee to rub his calf where toothmarks were now dotting his skin through his now torn pants.

"A pleasure to meet you," Kije brought a hand to her chest and lowered her head, "I'm sure Bols has already raved about me and our daughter but let me introduce myself. I'm Kije and this little monster," Kije approached Bols and Logue, taking position besides them as all three turned to look at the group of three, evidently sparkling with a blingding light billowing out behind them, "is Logue, our daughter."

Bols knelt down a little to let Kije take Logue into her arms. Wave recoiling from just how radiant the family was.

"It is my utmost pleasure to meet you as well miss Kije!" Seryu stood to attention, giving Kije a heartfelt and textbook greeting.

"Mnn," Kurome just bobbed her head along after Seryu spoke.

"Please, no need for the formalities. I'm no soldier. Just a simple woman with a simple life." Kije placed her free hand against her cheek while Logue just tilted her head to the three strangers, growing a bright smile not long after.

"Understood, Kije," Seryu's smile softened, growing less tense.

By now Bols had decided to speak with his wife, "I was wondering if you could prepare us some lunch? I've already bought some ingredients."

"Oh of course. I'd be happy to," Kije answered smilingly. "Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Soup!" Logue suddenly burst out in her mothers arm drawing a soft smile to the youngling.

Even with his mask on, Wave could feel Bols smiling himself, "that sounds good, would you be able to make rolls to go with it?"

"Absolutely," Kije bounced a little to get Logue into a better position for Bols to take her from his wife. "Um," she traced her eyes over the three Jaegers, locking onto Kurome for a moment before saying, "Kurome, is it? Could you help me prepare everything? Two sets of hands make quicker work than one after all."

Kurome surprised at this offer just tilted her head in confusion, shrugging her shoulders not long later.

"Great, the kitchen is this way," Kije turned on heel making her way down the hall with Kurome quick on her heel.

"I'm surprised your not cooking, Bols," Wave commented.

Bols heartily chuckled, "Kije says its her job to take care of feeding me. If I ever try to cook at home she will kick me out of the kitchen in seconds." He poked at Logues cheek, the little girl puffing her cheek up annoyedly trying to knock her fathers hand away with her small hands.

***

"So, you're Kurome?" Kije asked skilfully peeling an union and chopped it into small semicircle slices while Kurome turned whole potatoes into cubed potatoes. "I hear you have a sweet tooth."

"Mnn," Kurome shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

"I do as well. There's this little shop a few blocks away that makes an absolutely delicious carrot cake. Maybe you should go by sometime. Just tell the baker you're my friend and he'll cut down the price a little." Kije swiftly moved from onions to carrots while Kurome was just getting started with her third potato.

With a lingering silence between them, Kurome and Kije moved from ingredient to ingredient, tossing chopped vegetables into a pot along with some premade soup stock Kije had made just days prior.

"Tell me," Kije finally broke the silence between them just as she cut one of the rolls in half, "are you seeing anyone?"

Kurome's pressed to hard cutting through her own roll, the edge of the knife finding its way cutting though the top layer of her hand, causing her to drop both the knife and the roll with a sharp pain in her hand that lasted all of a second before dying down a little, enough for her to bring the small cut part of her palm to her mouth and began to suck on the small wound.

"I'm so sorry!" Kije panicked, guilt filling her as she knew her question was what had lead to Kurome accidentally cutting herself. "Let me see," she reached out to Kurome's hand, gently gripping her wrist to lower it down enough to see the small cut.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think I'd make you jump like that. I've got some cream in my room let me go get it." Just as she was about to turn and run towards the staircase, Kurome spoke up.

"It's fine. I've got bandages here," Kurome dug through her pouch pulling out a small bundle of white cloth, tearing off a small piece to wrap around the cut.

"No its not! You're hurt."

"I've been hurt before."

"Still…"

Kurome lifted her head to Kije and smiled, "its fine. This is nothing to me. Its far from the worst type of pain I've felt." Kije could see pain lingering in Kurome's eyes, hidden behind nonchalance and her false smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kije asked but got a small shake of Kurome's head in return.

"I don't let it hurt me anymore. I've found someone that makes it go away." Kije's brows quirked up, her previous questioned answered. "I'm happy that you did," Kije placed a hand on her hip, "still, if there's ever anything you want to talk about, I'm always free. If you ever need an ear to listen to you who's not a part of the Jaegers, you can always come to me. Okay?"

Kurome's lips fell open but shut to form a smile and nodded her head.

"perfect, now," Kije leaned forwards, her eyes sparkling, "tell me about him. What's he like? Handsome?"

A blush took to Kurome's cheeks inadvertently finding herself humming a "Mnn," and bobbing her head up and down. "He makes me feel…" she gulped, not quite willing to really say what he make her feel like, "he makes me feel happy." Most times like a happy puppy, though that was a little embarrassing to say aloud. "A little…" a whine came from Kurome's throat, "a little controlling. But I don't mind."

"Ohh, he's quite assertive than?"

'Assertive' is one word for controlling Kurome's very being.

Kije huffed to herself and crossed her arms, "I remember when me and Bols first got together. He was so nervous around me that he couldn't even bring himself to asking me out. I had to do it myself! You're lucky to have someone who'll actually be forward with you."

"Kije, why did you ask me that?"

"I saw how you were holding that bag. I was the same when I got my first piece of lingerie just for Bols. I was so excited to wear it for him that I tripped over myself and ended up dropping it in a puddle. I cried to myself for hours after that. That was supposed to be such a special night and I ruined it because I was so head over heels. You look just like how I felt back then. That and I don't exactly have much to do, so gossiping is one of my hobbies. And one of my husbands co-workers having a hidden boyfriend is the juiciest thing I can think of."

Kurome blushed embarrassingly at having been seen through so thoroughly and accurately.

Kije scanned over the doorway to the kitchen, leaning closer to Kurome and whispered, "do you think I could see it?"

That was one way to dumbfound and turn Kurome red while rapidly shaking her head.

"Oh, come on! I'll keep it a secret between us girls. Is it something… sexy?"

Kurome's hands shot to her cheeks, steam raising from her head.

"It is, come on, come on! I'll even give you some 'naughty' tips that'll make him fall head over heel for you."

It was a tempting, if not embarrassing offer. Kurome knew herself that what was in the brown bag by her feet, was a little more than 'sexy' more to the point of being deviant in nature. But these 'tips,' they drew her curiosity. She didn't care for the head over heels portion, but more for the fact that whatever they were, they may make Parc even happier.

Swallowing her saliva, Kurome slowly bent down to the bag, hands hesitating for a moment before lifting it into her arms. "P-please don't tell anyone about this."

Kije crossed her heart and zipped her lips.

"Hnn," still nervous, Kurome held the bag out to Kije who grabbed it with sparkling eyes that bored holes into it. Her hands swiftly but cautiously unfolding the curled lip of the bag, separating the two sides of the bag and peered into it. Eyes widening while cheeks went red.

"Oh my. That, this is… Oh my."

Kurome buried her face into her hands hearing the crinkling of the paper bag as Kije dug through it, pinching the leather of suit slowly prying it free before laying the bag down and held it infront of her.

"Wow, this is. Just wow."

Was that admiration in Kije voice? Because it sounded like admiration to Kurome that caused her to lift her head from her hands to see Kije sparkling with red cheeks at the erotic leather outfit.

"I've seen these before. But I've never had the confidence to buy one. Don't you find it intimidating?" Kije lowered the outfit, overlapping it with Kurome's body, just imagining Kurome wearing it herself.

A nervous whimper came from Kurome, it was a little intimidating. But she was fine with that if it pleased her master.

"Who am I kidding. I'm a grown woman scared of a piece of leather… maybe I should get one?" she mumbled the last bit to herself. Noticing a little something else at the bottom of the bag. Folding Kurome's suit, she placed it down on a clean portion of the counter. Reaching back into the bag. And what she pulled out, excited her, her eyes shot between the object in her hand and Kurome.

"I have to see you wear this."

Kurome jolted, "eh?" he eyes locking on the fluffy object Kije was holding out to her.

"Please?" It was at this point, that Kurome realized she was going to need to work on her puppy dog eyes, because Kije certainly had a better pair that made her shiver guiltily at even the thought of refusing her.

Her hands rose, unsteadly taking the furry object from Kije's hands. Slowly bringing it closer to her head and pulling on the two ends of the head band around her head, pushing the ends inbetween her hair before releasing it and letting it tighten on her head.

A squeal came from Kije as she bounced op and down. "You. Are. So. ADORABLE!" Kurome recoiled backwards as Kije tackled her, rubbing her cheek against Kurome's, "he's going to love it," she whispered into the furiously blushing Kurome's ear.