Chapter 3: The Devil's Lawyer
— How much longer will I have to be locked up in this place?
Rukia was not happy, she had been inside that Mental Care clinic for a few years and she was sick of the place. The only advantage she had there was that Kaien was not giving her medication, but the disadvantage was that she had become his little experimental Snowflake.
Ichigo didn't want to tell her the famous "I told you so" because there was no way that phrase would sound good within that whole situation, but he knew what Kaien was like when he became obsessed with something and how difficult it was to make him change his mind if his curiosity was not satiated.
And Kaien was obsessed with Rukia and what dwelt within her.
— I'm working on it and I managed to reduce your sentence, you just have to wait a couple more months and you'll be free. — Ichigo clarified as he sat on one of the chairs in Rukia's room trying to lessen the headache that the previous discussion with Kaien had left him.
Another advantage Rukia had was that thanks to the money her father paid, she had more comforts than anyone else there, so Ichigo used to joke that she was in a rest and relaxation center.
Because of the situation they were in, attorney-client, their relationship could not be made public and they had to keep a low profile or Ichigo could be removed from the case. They were both aware of what they were playing at when they started the romance and knew how it could end if they were careless.
They never thought things would get this bad.
— What if Kaien won't let me leave? What if he lies about my health and makes me stay here any longer? — Rukia's doubts were real, as was the anger and desperation in her voice.
— He can't and if he tries, we'll find another doctor to evaluate you. — Ichigo explained making Rukia come to him to make her sit on his legs. — He can't refuse or things will get ugly, for everyone, and that doesn't suit him.
— When I get out of here, I'm going to kill him.
The whisper of Rukia, who at that moment was hugging him and resting on his chest, made him smile. Ichigo also had some unfinished business with Kaien, besides the argument they had in the morning, and the idea wasn't so bad. They just had to find the perfect moment.
Sex with Kaien had stopped being fun after a while, what Rukia liked about those encounters was the fact that it was always three in bed and with Kaien it was just, Kaien. Boring, emotionless and without the same passion that Ichigo showed her when they were together.
Kaien was the accessory to the relationship.
Ichigo didn't agree with including him, he had explained to her what Kaien's personality was like and that it wasn't a good idea to have Kaien join them, but Rukia never thought that the situation could end like this.
Fortunately, Kaien had decided to stop the relationship with them when he concluded that he couldn't mix with his object of study and that relaxed Rukia a little, who was afraid that Kaien would drug her if she didn't yield to his intentions. Ichigo thought the same because at that moment, Kaien had the power over them.
— In the afternoon your brother will come for you, little Snowflake, and you will be taken away from me. — Kaien explained to her while they were in his office. — The advantage is that you have to continue to attend therapy with me, so we will see each other at least once a week.
"He's going to start studying us in a semi-controlled environment. We have to eat him. On his desk, near his right hand, is a letter opener. We take it and stick it in his neck."
Her inner demon's suggestion wasn't so bad but Rukia had to be careful or she might actually end up in a jail. Rukia inwardly shook her head at that idea and the demon growled angrily.
Kaien must have noticed the way she looked at the letter opener because he immediately tucked it away inside a drawer in his desk.
Kaien had become her primary psychologist since she was 16, after her father changed her therapist because the previous one had declared her schizophrenic and he wanted a second medical opinion.
Back then, she would not have imagined that Kaien and Ichigo knew each other, much less that Kaien would be an attendant at those feasts or that the three of them would share a bed.
It had all been so fortuitous, that for a while she thought that between Kaien and Ichigo they had planned to hunt her. Ichigo swore to her, upon his non-existent soul, that he had never done such a thing and, although the pleasure of the hunt her had been delicious, he did not know that she was Kaien's patient.
Rukia decided to believe him, the subject was never brought up again and Ichigo reaffirmed to her how important the relationship was to him.
— We will have a social worker and a police officer watching the sessions.
— They will stay outside, they can't violate "doctor-patient" privacy, so don't be afraid because we will be able to talk freely.
"In conclusion, we cannot kill him in the office. Maybe he's afraid we'll hurt or harm him and that's why he hid the letter opener. He knows us too well."
The talk turned into one last session so that he could continue studying her, as if she were a damn guinea pig, and he wouldn't let her go until he was satisfied with the information he had gotten from her.
Before leaving Kaien's office, Rukia could read a manuscript that had the title "Schizophrenia and demonology. Is there a relation or is it all a product of the human mind?" and the voice inside her head vowed to make him meet the devil himself in person.
— "Ichigo's boss is not going to be happy about that visit." — Rukia thought to herself as the voice in her head made that statement.
In the afternoon, just as Kaien had said, her brother and Ichigo were there.
Ichigo took care of the last paperwork regarding her release and they only left the place after Kaien said goodbye to them and let them know that Rukia would have her first therapeutic control session the following week. He also reminded them that she could not leave the country.
"He's not going to leave us alone until he gets everything he wants from us and publishes his book."
After her release, Rukia had a lot of free time and, although she lived alone in a rather nice apartment in a rather exclusive area, her father made her go back to the main house to keep an eye on her. That was a problem because she couldn't leave her house at will and that ruined her plans.
Ichigo arrived one morning to pick her up and her father appeared before him and asked him what were the intentions with Rukia, as if they were a couple of teenagers who had to ask permission to go out.
That situation was the most awkward thing that could have happened.
If it wasn't for Ichigo's assurances that they were only going out for coffee, plus the fact that he had earned the family's trust by securing Rukia's quick release, they wouldn't have let them leave the main house.
— It's been years since the last time I had to ask permission from the father of a woman I'm dating. It's ridiculous, you're mine. What's next, ask permission so we can date freely?
— And give me an engagement ring.
Rukia said that jokingly, looking at her hand, specifically the respective finger where the engagement ring went and started to laugh.
She knew Ichigo's position on marriage.
He had been married before and the divorce had been somewhat chaotic because his ex-wife fought for custody of their son and with it, high monthly child support because the prenuptial agreement dictated that, in the event of a divorce, she would leave with only what she came with.
Ichigo deeded the house in his son's name so that his ex-wife could not sell it and a monthly fee was established to support the expenses of the child and the mother.
The only condition that Ichigo set to end all that divorce process that had become ridiculously long because of his ex-wife, was that Orihime should not have any kind of love or sexual relationship with any man or woman while their child was a minor.
Orihime accepted it because the monthly child support offered by Ichigo was exaggeratedly generous.
It all ended badly, because Ichigo was the Devil's Lawyer and Orihime made the mistake of showing herself in public with a doctor.
As soon as Ichigo found out, he took it upon himself to make her know hell in a very literal sense because she ended up locked up in an insane asylum quite far from there, medicated for life, and with visits restricted to her brother only.
— And what else, little bunny? Are you also going to want me to give you children, a house and a cat? — Ichigo asked with a small dose of humor.
Rukia didn't answer until they were both inside the car, as if she was thinking carefully about her answer.
— I want two children, a house with a big garden and a black cat.
Ichigo just laughed and shook his head slightly before giving her a kiss. He didn't answer anything else and they both headed to a nearby coffee shop for coffee.
"Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him."
The voice in her head kept repeating the same prayer as Kaien sat next to her and tried to get the demon inside her to say something interesting. Rukia knew that if she did what Kaien wanted, let the demon speak through her mouth, it would all end in a massacre.
The last thing she wanted was to be locked up again.
— Can we end today's session now? — Rukia asked, whose hand had that slight tremor that showed the internal struggle she had with her own demon not to give up control of her body to it. — I feel exhausted.
— You can go, Snowflake, see you at the feast on Saturday.
— I will not go. I'm not in the mood for a feast. — She lied, because all she wanted was to give something to her inner demon to keep it calm.
— But you should go, I insist. — Kaien walked up to her and gave her a small kiss on the lips that angered Rukia. He had lost those privileges when he got out of the relationship and started using her as his home experiment. — I want to see how you behave at a feast.
— You've seen it before.
Rukia pushed him away and got up from her seat. She didn't want him to touch her, the desire for him was gone and the only way she would get it back would be if he was the feast banquet.
"Let's eat him. After all, it's a feast."
— But I didn't know before what I know now. It's a pity you don't remember anything that happened when you were a child or I could investigate with greater certainty how a demon ended up inside you.
— It's a mystery we'll never find out. — Rukia whispered and the voice in her head just laughed at that answer. — See you next session, Kaien.
Rukia came out of Kaien's office and saw the police officer and the social worker, who were always there and who watched over her compliance with her therapies; they asked her a few questions which she answered easily and left the building only to realize that Ichigo was waiting for her outside, phone in hand.
— You got out earlier. — Ichigo opened the car door on the passenger side for Rukia to get in. — I was going to call you.
— I thought you had work to do. — Rukia gave him a short kiss on the lips as a greeting and got into the car. Ichigo closed her door and entered the vehicle from the other side. — I didn't think I'd see you this week.
— I had, but I also finished earlier. — Ichigo looked for something in the back seats of the car with one hand and when he found it, he handed a box with some holes and a very big red bow to Rukia. — A gift to accompany you when I have to go out.
— A gift to accompany me?
Rukia stared at the box with holes in it, shook it a little and a small meow came from inside. Rukia panicked and immediately opened the box only to find a small black cat, completely black and fluffy, that put its little paws on the edge of the box and started meowing.
"He's going to propose to you."
— It's beautiful! — Rukia took the little kitten, ignoring the voice in her head because she had never really thought about Ichigo proposing to her, and Ichigo set the box aside.
— When are you leaving?
— After the feast. — Ichigo replied before starting the car for both of them to get out of there. — My apartment or your house?
— My home.
Rukia settled the kitten on her lap and started petting it with her hand as Ichigo made his way to her house. She felt exhausted from the session with Kaien and all she wanted was to take an aspirin.
— Ichigo, what I said about the ring…
Rukia didn't know how to bring up that topic. That time it had only been a product of the moment and she didn't want to force Ichigo to be with her like that. Besides, they hadn't talked about that specific topic other than the time he told her about his divorce and everything that happened.
— Do you want me to make you a proposal? — Ichigo asked in a curious voice as he stopped at a red light. Rukia didn't know what to say. — If I make you a proposal, would you accept it? You can always say "no" and we can continue with the relationship as it is, but I want to know if I have to buy the ring or not.
— It's just a piece of paper. — Rukia whispered, but the thought of marrying him sprang to her mind too quickly.
— It's a contract, like the one we signed when we started the relationship. — Ichigo whispered after they passed the entrance gate of Rukia's house. — Technically we're married, in case you hadn't noticed, only there was no party, we skipped all family protocol and you still don't use my last name.
Rukia narrowed her eyes at him as she petted her evil's kitty. Ichigo parked in the driveway with a slight smile on his lips.
— I refuse to accept that I have been married to you for eight years. — Rukia opened the door to go down, but she didn't. — As long as my last name is Kuchiki, I am single. So when you come back from your trip, I expect you to give me my engagement ring, and I want it to be diamond.
— I knew a little bunny like you was pretty expensive.
Ichigo kissed her like he used to before letting her get out of the car with those kinds of kisses that made her hungry.
All week, Rukia had been thinking about how to get rid of Kaien because she no longer intended to tolerate him using her as his guinea pig or for him to keep blackmailing her that if she didn't cooperate, he would lock her back up in the Mental Care Center and medicate her to study the effects of narcotics on demonic entities.
That was excessive and had been the reason for one of the many fights between Ichigo and Kaien when Rukia told Ichigo about it.
However, they both knew that Kaien had the power to do so, and changing therapists was not feasible because not many would want to treat the most famous murderer of the last decade, who did not even serve the sentence imposed for her crime, without feeling the moral duty to fill her with pills or send her directly to an insane asylum.
When Ichigo went to pick her up in the morning for them both to go to the city where the feast would be, Rukia had already come to an important conclusion about what to do and Ichigo finished shaping that idea.
The feasts were in a big mansion and no one came directly to the place without making some stops, so getting lost on the way would not be so suspicious.
After the feast, which was as pleasurable as ever, Rukia approached Kaien and asked for a "last time".
— It was fun when the three of us were in bed, indulge me and I'll tell you what I remembered about the ritual. — Rukia whispered as a way to convince Kaien, who was eager to know those details.
— She wouldn't even tell me and she's been at it all day, now I feel jealous. — Ichigo commented, placing a hand on Kaien's shoulder in a relaxed attitude that was as fake as Rukia's desire to take Kaien to bed.
— It's just that the Therapist has something you don't, Mr. Lawyer.
Ichigo rolled his eyes under the mask they were forced to wear and feigned indignation making Kaien laugh.
— Just say yes, I want to know the details too.
— Just because it's impossible to say no to you, Snowflake.
Rukia smiled as an excited child does, took them both by the hands and they left the feast hall, where some guests were beginning to lose their clothes under the effects of some narcotic that had been served during dinner.
They went up the stairs to one of the rooms that were set up for those guests who wanted more privacy, and Rukia locked the door from the inside.
Rukia let Kaien kiss her, she was the one who led him to the bed and made him lie on his own back before she climbed on top of him. Rukia's clothes were still in place as she settled on Kaien, to whom she opened his clothes and left small kisses on his chest, following one of the foreplay they had earlier while Kaien began to caress her legs.
Ichigo poured himself a glass of a black liquor, took a sip of his drink and climbed onto the bed, stood behind Rukia and made her lift her head to let the liquor he had in his mouth drip into Rukia's mouth.
She drank it at that moment and there, in a scene that became too erotic because everyone was still fully clothed, Kaien started trying to take Rukia's clothes off.
What happened next was something that there is no way to explain because it was several things at the same time, but they all ended with Kaien's death thanks to a dagger that leaked between his ribs and reached his heart.
Rukia gave Kaien one last kiss and got off him adjusting the dress that had gotten out of place during Kaien's struggle to save his own life.
Ichigo, who had gotten off the bed earlier and drank the rest of the liquor left in the glass, handed Rukia a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his hand but the demon inside her asked to taste Kaien's blood before the evidence was removed.
— My boss is pleased. — Ichigo commented after pouring Rukia a glass of liquor for her to drink. — Make your wish, little bunny, and let's get out of here.
Rukia did, she made her wish and got rid of the demon inside her because she had completed her uncle's failed ritual. No demon refused a direct order from the Boss and she couldn't start her new life by sharing her body with that killing-addicted demon, because while it was fun, she had other plans that didn't include it.
Also, if she wanted to talk to her demon, there were always ways like Ichigo used to talk to his boss.
— Do you want to go for a drink? There is an excellent bar in the neighboring town. — Ichigo asked as he started the car to leave the place.
The host of the feast would get rid of the corpse, Ichigo had made sure of that, so he and Rukia got out of there and went back to the neighboring city because no one could link them to Kaien's death.
— Of course! We have to celebrate that it's just me.
Ichigo took the road and Rukia sighed with a smile on her lips because freedom felt too good.
Notes:
This author thanks everyone who read this old story. I'll answer a few questions here, in this box, in case my writing wasn't good.
- Yes, there was a demon inside Rukia. Her uncle's ritual failed because it was interrupted in the middle of it, so what he was summoning entered Rukia because she was pure.
- Kaien and Ichigo know each other, they are family. Kaien took Ichigo to the feasts for the first time. Human flesh was eaten at feasts, so Rukia's inner demon was happy to attend.
- Ichigo was in the same sect as Rukia's uncle, he got what he wanted and changed associates. Ichigo was there when Rukia was going to be sacrificed, he was still young when he sold his soul to the devil.
- Rukia's inner demon took care of her because she was the link with the human world, it was not convenient for it that Rukia died or was locked up. And yep, Rukia's inner demon sometimes controls her body.
I think that's all. Thank you all!
