CH. 2 'Not that its any of your business' OR 'Tell me if this is really okay?'


""So…" Mei Mei said, as soon as they were out of ear-shot. She was all smiles, and the sight made Rinami's stomach turn. "How was it? Seeing Gojo after all this time?"

Rinami would've preferred to ignore her and not answer (Mei Mei was one of her absolute least favorite people, currently coming in second only after Gojo), but she had somehow gotten stuck with her on today's visit to the school. Rinami knew Mei well enough to know that she wouldn't be left alone until she at least gave her some information. Probably so that she can find some way to monetize it later. Rinami thought dryly.

To Mei Mei she responded shortly, "It's whatever. Gojo doesn't concern me anymore."

Mei Mei smirked. "Of course not. Why don't you tell me about this new fiancé instead? Everyone is just dying to know more since nobody has ever met him."

Rinami looked sideways at Mei Mei. The platinum-haired woman raised a hand. "I'm just asking what everyone wants to know Rina. I'll be honest, with the whole 'touch' thing, we kind of all assumed that, with the exception of Gojo, relationships were sort of out of the question for you."

Rinami ground her teeth. She disliked Mei Mei broaching the topic, but she was sure the words were probably true. Her relationship with Aizen had surprised even herself, so she shouldn't be shocked that those who had known her for so long might also be taken aback by it.

Rinami sighed, "I'm not sure where to start. Aizen Kibutsuji. He just works a normal job as a mediator for a big company here in Japan. He's not a sorcerer per se, but they're in his family and he can see cursed spirits and wield cursed energy." She looked at Mei Mei who was listening intently, and Rinami had no doubt that every word she was saying was being stored away for potential profit opportunities at a later date. "He probably could have made it to a grade 1 if he had become a sorcerer. He has a cursed technique that allows him to temporarily sort of repel other cursed techniques."

"Ooooh…" Mei Mei's eyes widened at this information, and Rinami was almost sure she could see dollar signs flashing behind them. Hmm, maybe I shared just a little too much. She gave the other woman a sharp look. "It's not that strong of a technique Mei Mei, and it's very limited- low level techniques only."

Mei Mei settled back, but not enough to Rinami's liking. She could still feel Mei Mei's interest was piqued and it made her uncomfortable. She supposed she could have said nothing, but it was all going to come out shortly anyways. She'd rather control the narrative herself, and having Mei Mei as the pipeline was probably her best option.

"So," Mei Mei said thoughtfully. "Are you saying that he can suppress your power? Are you able to touch him? Are you two… intimate?" She smiled and raised an immaculately arched eyebrow at Rinami.

Rinami ground her teeth again. She was going to have to visit the dentist after dealing with Mei Mei today. Talking through clenched teeth she answered as calmly as she could. "He can suppress it somewhat. He's helping me, and what he can suppress grows day by day. Not that it's any of your business, but no, we haven't gotten to a point where we can be completely intimate yet." Although I think it's getting really close, Rinami thought to herself. She couldn't deny that she was excited about the idea. She'd spent most of her life basically unable to be physically close to anyone, and her time with Aizen had been something she'd only ever dreamed of. Being held in his arms and kissing him was amazing, but she yearned for more, and as their control of their powers had grown, so had the amount of closeness they were able to have. In truth she thought they were ready to move forward now, but he seemed to think they needed more time. Rinami sighed to herself. None of this was Mei Mei's business either way.

"Well," Mei Mei said merrily, "You know that we're all excited to meet him. I'm sure that Kyoto will meet him first, but I do hope that you'll bring him to Tokyo Jujutsu High as well." She paused with intent. "…I'm sure that Gojo would love to meet another sorcerer with an ability to repel…" Mei Mei pretended to be in thought about it. Inside of her own mind, Rinami pretended that she was strangling her. She'd had enough for the day.

"Well Mei Mei, it's been quite a…. day. I'm going to head back to my room and rest up for tomorrow's exchange events. I appreciate the walk down memory lane and the introductions to Tokyo's Jujutsu High's new students. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Mei Mei smiled, completely unbothered by Rinami's curt tone and obvious attempt to rid herself of her company. "Well it's good that Kyoto was willing to come. I know there was serious consideration given to cancelling the games, what with the dangers of Sukuna running loose and the threat it creates to have all of the students gathered here at once."

Exasperated, Rinami shrugged. "I'm sure the thought was that Gojo's here. As long as he is, I can't imagine that there's any worry about anything that Sukuna could possibly do. I'll see you tomorrow Mei."

Rinami turned to head to her hotel room. She hadn't wanted to mention it to Mei Mei but Aizen was planning to join her in Tokyo for part of her trip. He hadn't been able to get off work for the first couple of days, but he would be here tomorrow morning. She was excited to see him, but less so about the prospect of possibly introducing him to everyone. She knew it made the most sense to introduce him now, since he'd be here, and both Kyoto and her Tokyo colleagues were here. But still, she wasn't quite ready to share him with them, and the idea of an introduction made her nervous for some reason…

As Rinami entered her hotel room she could immediately sense Aizen's presence. He came early? She noticed his shoes by the door and quickly kicked her's off and ran into the room. Aizen sat on the couch waiting for her, a smile on his handsome face.

Rinami ran to him, stopping herself short of jumping into his lap and throwing her arms around him. It had been such a long day and seeing him made it so much better. Unfortunately, Aizen tended to be a little stiff about things like that. He was a really good guy- he was kind, patient, loyal, and dependable. However (and she would never admit it out loud), sometimes she did find him to be a little bit boring. Maybe a LOT of the time.

He was typically very serious - he worked a lot and was often gone out of town or busy with work. But every now and again there were times when he showed a different side of himself. It was almost like he'd shed his business suit and tie and the real him would come out. That side of him was playful, fun, and interesting, and didn't shy away from touching her or showing physical affection. He looked her in her eyes and she always felt like he really saw her. As a whole he checked all the boxes, but it was that part of him that she liked the most and that she'd really fallen in love with.

He'd proposed pretty quickly but she'd had no qualms about saying yes. She had fallen for him fast and hard. And this was before she even realized that touching him could ever even be an option. It was hard to explain, but since the day she'd first met him, she'd been immediately and intensely drawn to him. She hadn't told anyone, but they planned to get married just as quickly, in a quiet, private ceremony very soon.

Rinami paused, reflexively wondering which side of him was showing today and why he'd decided to come to Tokyo early. She was sure he'd said he had important work today….

Before she could say anything, he flashed her a boyish smile and stood to greet her. Aizen was 9 years older than Rinami, but the age difference didn't bother either of them. She rather liked his maturity, and considering that her last romantic partner had been Gojo, it was a welcome change.

"Hey Ami" he said, loosening his silk tie with one hand as he stepped forward to reach out to her with his other. 'Ami' was the only name Aizen called her, and he was the only person that Rinami allowed to use that name. Rinami smiled, she could see a small gleam in his eye and had a feeling this was her favorite side of him coming out to play today. It made her even more excited to see him.

She looked at him in wonder as he grasped her waist and pulled her in. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you-" She was silenced by a gentle kiss placed directly on her lips mid-sentence. It literally left her speechless. He pulled away and grinned at her surprised expression. Yep. This was definitely her favorite version of him.

"I decided to wrap it up early. I wanted to be here for you, and this particular client's contract can wait."

Before she could ask any follow-up questions, he leaned in and gave her another kiss on the lips. This one lingered longer than the first. Breathless she looked up at him and found his eyes boring deep into hers.

"Besides, I've really been missing you…"

Rinami felt heat rising in her chest and her heart skipped a beat.

Aizen stepped back and grabbed one of her hands, "We'll get back to that later. Come on, I brought dinner. I want to hear all about your day. What you did, who you saw- all of it". He pulled her towards the hotel room's small dining table, where he had laid out containers filled with some of her favorite foods. Rinami blushed. Aizen was always so thoughtful..

They sat down to eat and Aizen listened intently as she recounted the day's events at Jujutsu High. Once she finished, Aizen asked about the plans for tomorrow and about him joining her at the school the next day. She wondered if there was a way that she could delay the introduction. It wasn't that she had anything to hide, she just really wasn't ready to introduce him to everyone just yet. In an effort to change the topic, she lamented about the long day that she'd just had, and after offering to clean up the dinner, she excused herself to shower before bed.

Returning from her shower she found Aizen reading over some paperwork and waiting for her in the bed. He looked up and placed his papers down as she joined him on the bed, her damp hair dangling over her bath robe.

Hoping to avoid any of the prior conversations around Jujutsu high, and also looking for some affection, Rinami crawled over to him and lightly kissed him. "Didn't you say we'd get back to this later?"

Aizen smiled and pulled her on top of him kissing her again and wrapping his arms around her. "Yes. You're the entire reason I'm here after all."

Rinami studied his light brown eyes. She always thought they were so attractive, and they had this beautifully unnatural way of almost changing color in the right light. She ran her hand over the line of his jaw, admiring his face and enjoying the feel of basic human contact.

"I love you." She said it simply. The words were as easy and pure as what she felt for him. There was a connection with his soul. Something that went deeper than the physical. It was how she knew without a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

Aizen looked at her and she could see the mixture of color in his brown eyes as they filled with tenderness. He slowly ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "I love you too." he said softly "Truly." He looked away and blinked hard. When his gaze returned to Rinami his eyes had returned to their normal warm brown color. He slid a hand behind Rinami's head and in one quick motion he deftly flipped her on her back onto the bed, straddling over her. Rinami laughed as he smiled and then began to slowly kiss her neck, her hands reaching up to toy with his hair. As his kisses became more intense, Aizen abruptly sat up and stared at her, obviously contemplating something, but saying nothing. Before Rinami could say anything, he slowly began to open her robe, keeping his eyes on hers as if he was trying to gauge her consent. Rinami held her breath. Maybe it meant that he was finally ready?

She kept her eyes pinned on his, shivering as his hands slowly opened up each side of the robe and then traced down her body. Content that she wasn't going to protest, Aizen finally took his eyes from her and then bent down to kiss upon the newly exposed skin. Rinami could feel the goosebumps rising across her body. She raised her torso, silently offering up more of herself to him and he obliged. It was the most physical attention he'd ever given her and he didn't appear to be slowing.

As his mouth finally reached hers again, he turned reddish-brown eyes upon her and she saw something new behind them now. He lunged at her mouth, pressing his tongue to hers and kissing her with force. Rinami's eyes-widened. She had to admit that she loved this feeling he was giving her, but at the same time it was so unlike the typical Aizen who was usually so reserved and contained. Now however, he followed up his kiss with hands that were nimble and relentless. They moved confidently around her body, easily removing her robe and her bra and then supplanting themselves in their place. His hands softly kneaded and pulled her body while his tongue probed her mouth.

Rinami hit a state of desire she'd never known before. She was hazy with it, her heart pounding, her body felt like a live wire, each of her nerve endings on fire with every touch. Lost under his assault, she barely noticed as he moved down and slipped off her underwear. Removing his own at some point in time. She only gained a small slip of sanity as he settled himself between her legs, his mouth at her neck once again and his hand sliding between her to feel just how ready she was.

"Ahh, fuck" he muttered. And Rinami froze just a bit. That was out of the ordinary. She had never heard Aizen curse before. He was just too straight-laced for that. She was seeing a lot of different sides of him tonight.

"Ami…" he breathed and Rinami found herself pleased to know that she wasn't the only one so heavily affected by all of this.

"Tell me if this is really okay? Are you okay with it?"

Rinami couldn't form words. She felt like her body was already saying enough, what more could he possibly want? Instead she grabbed his head and kissed him with fervor. She looked him deep in his eyes, 'oh they've really changed color now' she thought absently, "I love you. The you that you are deep in your soul. You're going to be my husband soon. Yes, I'm okay with this. I want you. You have to know that by now."

Rinami was disappointed to find that, opposite of the effect she had hoped for, this seemed to actually make him pull back. Surprised, she grabbed him by the neck and held him in place

"Aizen? What's going on? I thought you finally wanted to?"

He turned to her with a look in his eyes that she couldn't make out.

"…I'm not really… Aizen."

Rinami was perplexed

"Huh?"

"I mean, I am.. but I'm not..."

Still confused, Rinami looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm lost. Do you mean you don't feel like yourself right now?" That might explain a few things with his behavior tonight…

He looked at her and slowly shook his head. "No. that's not what I mean." As she watched his face seemed to blur and begin to change in front of her, "…I mean that 'Aizen' is just a mask I wear…" the blur started to re-focus and shift, new features taking shape, Rinami's head was reeling. As a jujitsu sorcerer she couldn't say this was the weirdest thing she'd ever seen, but in this situation, at this particular moment…she was being blindsided and who or what was he turning into? The face was becoming so familiar…

"…one to conceal my true identity…"

Rinami gasped in horror as his face stopped changing and the new face took form in front of her.

"S….S-Sukuna?"

"Ryomen Sukuna."