Ok... You all formally know me as Obsidian Neko, but I've changed my penname. Didn't want to confuse anyone :]
First off, I want to say sorry for taking so long with updating. Work is a bitch. My inspiration is kind of dying lately, so forgive me is this chapter is pretty crud.

Blood Stained Blossom

By

Koneko Onee-chan

x-x-x-x

Chapter Seven

Lost In Sorrow

x-x-x-x

Even in the dim light of the room, Sakura's skin seemed so pale. She looked like a porcelain doll –so pretty to look at but also so fragile. Alois knew that from experience. Looking back on what he had done to her filled him with regret, and he knew that the scars he had left her would never heal.

So this time, he thought as he traced a finger down the soft skin of her cheek, he'd promise to treat her the right way. He let a breath out through his nose, standing upright from where he sat on the edge of the bed the pinkette was placed upon.

"You can begin, Claude." With those words uttered, the platinum blonde left the room, thoughts centred on how to deal with Ciel and his butler. But first, he needed to greet his guests. He was still Earl Trancy, after all.

Claude watched the young teen leave the room with a trained eye, shifting his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose before turning back to the unconscious woman. He'd admit that she was indeed beautiful, but like this –she seemed so weak. While she was painted in her own blood, wounds inflicted upon her; only then did she look like a true work of art.

The golden-eyed spider demon gave a rare sigh and began one of the most forbidden rituals within the demon world.

x-x-x-x

Alois breathed in a shaky breath as he leaned against the thick mahogany door, hand clasped over his mouth to muffle any noise he might make from the tears falling slowly from his eyes. Quietly, he walked away from the door as his feet took him unconsciously to the end of the hall where a door was left ajar just slightly.

He opened it without thinking, and instantly the scent of musk and the faint smell of dried blood assaulted his nose. It only brought more tears to his eyes when he realised what room he had walked into, a heavy grief and regret weighing heavily on his chest.

"Sakura-onee-sama… I'm so sorry,"

Alois slumped against the bed, the thin duvet coated in a light sheet of dust that rose in the air at being disturbed. He coughed, pushing himself off the bed with more force than he realised. He jumped when a small thump sounded. It was a book. No, a diary. The large letters engraved on the leather cover made it obvious.

The platinum blonde reached for it, his fingers hesitating only millimetres from touching it. He drew in a breath and plucked the small book from the ground. A blood-curdling scream made him jump once again, the diary falling from his slack fingers from the shock. It thudded against the wooden floor, the pages flipping randomly to an entry written in neatly curved handwriting.

'Dear Diary,

It's night-time now. The master is asleep. Even now, though I write, I am terrified. If the master finds this diary he will bestow punishment upon me, until I am on the verge of death-'

A sharp intake of breath hissed through his clenched teeth. He hastily closed the book, his hands shaking slightly. A last few letters caught his eye before the diary completely closed.

'Though my master, he is a very frightening person. I both loath and fear him. I can only hope that one day I can escape from this hell.

Sakura Haruno,

My Master's Blood Stained Blossom-'

Another scream tore him away from the bed, the diary forgotten as he dashed down the hallway towards the sounds. He threw the doors open, his eyes widening upon the sight that met him.

Sakura was screaming; long, loud breathless shrieks that tore from her throat one after another. She coughed mid-scream, blood erupting from her mouth in a violent burst of crimson. Her eyes flashed open for a split second, and Alois gasped. He couldn't help it. Those were not her eyes. They weren't deep jewels, the colour of emeralds, but an almost glowing crimson.

In that moment Alois felt fear. An emotion he had not felt since he was a naïve child. He was witnessing the transformation of a demon right before his very eyes, and he could honestly say it was not as pleasant an experience as he had once thought. It was agonisingly slow, tearing the person from the inside out and stripping them of everything that remained human.

Thick black markings sizzled on the pinkette's pale skin, the tender flesh smoking, emitting yet more screams from her raw throat. She thrashed wildly, her eyes snapping open to lock onto the demon butler's before her. A feral growl left her lips, her hands locked around Claude's neck before either of the males could blink. Her fingernails dug into his skin, small wells of blood rising and falling from the broken flesh.

The black markings ceased their way down Sakura's pale skin, fading drastically until they were completely gone. An almost relief left her body in the form of un-tensing muscles, but her grip on Claude's neck did not falter. It only seemed to get tighter, fingers straining enough to tear through his neck.

The loud banging of the door hitting against the wall broke the two apart, and Sakura wasted no time in darting away from everyone. Her eyes were wild, glowing almost eerily in the dim room. She hissed, much like a demonic-sounding cat, and darted through the door, her shoulder colliding with Sebastian's. His eyes widened, startled before he realised just who had barged past him. He reached towards her only to grasp air. She was already gone.

x-x-x-x

What was happening to me? My body was hot, so very hot. It felt as though I was burning from the inside-out. I couldn't get enough breath, my lungs feeling like they were being squeezed by some unknown thing inside my chest. My shoulder throbbed where I ran into something, but it was nothing compared to the pain inside me.

A door appeared to my left and I went through it, knowing somehow it would lead me outside. It did, as though I had a strange animal instinct that worked unconsciously. It made me feel un-human.

I stopped so abruptly I tripped, my face colliding against the floor with a shock. It made my bones rattle. My eyes burned and I felt the almost scalding tears run down my cheeks.

"Sakura…" I jumped at the sound of my name being called. I didn't want to look at him, or better yet for him to look at me. I was a mess, but more than that I was a monster.

A human turned demon. It was terrifying. I felt fingers touch my arm and I screamed, wildly thrashing my arm at Sebastian. I felt my nails slice the smooth skin of his cheek and the small hiss of pain that left his lips and ran, scrambling myself up on all fours and running desperately past trees and upturned roots.

"Sakura!" His voice was strange, desperate nearly. But I didn't stop running.

I tripped again and a hand grabbed my arm firmly, pulling me back against a solid, warm chest. I fought him, scratching and hissing hoping he'd let me go. His grip tightened until my bones felt ready to break. I whimpered and sagged against him, my body and mind feeling exhausted suddenly.

The tears came back and I could do nothing to stop them, only grasp the front of Sebastian's shirt as I cried. I felt his hand hesitate before it rested on top of my head, sliding down until he was stroking my hair soothingly.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

I pushed away from him, keeping my head down so my fringe covered my eyes and the tears from view. I didn't have enough energy to be angry at him, and even if I did I don't think I could have been. Because it wasn't him that had made me like this, it was Claude.

I had a strange feeling that if it was Sebastian who had turned me, maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't have been such an excruciating experience. He would have rolled my mind with those hypnotic eyes of his, keeping the pain at bay. I gasped suddenly, my arms clenching across my stomach as it burned. But it wasn't painful. It was as though a slow, soft heat were bubbling inside me, caressing things that couldn't be touched.

"S-Sebastian…" I looked up at him, and from the look on his face I knew what swam in my eyes. Desire.

Desire for him, I thought, startled. What was happening to me?

He walked towards me, his footsteps slow, precise. It only made my longing for him the more intense. I reached for him as he stood in front of me, his eyes smouldering. My arms locked around his neck like steel, my mouth hungrily latching onto his soft lips. He made a noise at the back of his throat that made me deepen the kiss, my tongue flicking across his lips with need.

He pushed me away, softly. His hair lightly brushed his cheek as he shook his head.

"Giving into the desire will only make you worse, Sakura. You will lose your body to the demon and will never look, feel, or think like a human again. Fight it," His ruby-brown eyes had lost the hungry sheen that they held only moments ago, and in its place was an emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on. Sorrow, or close to it.

I realised then with a start that he truly did care for me. All the teasing from before was real.

"Onee-sama,"

I whipped my head around to face the source of the voice, my eyes widening upon the sight of Alois. He was smiling, a soft, boyish smile that I hadn't seen since years ago. There were tears in his eyes, slowly falling down his pale cheeks and dripping off his chin. It calmed me, cooling that burning desire until I thought I had imagined it.

"Alois..." My voice sounded strange, distant. He came towards me, his platinum blonde hair swaying gently in the night breeze.

I stiffened when his arms wrapped around my waist. But he did nothing, only burying his face in the silk of my dress. I felt a warm wetness soak into the material of my kimono, and I knew he was crying.

My arms acted on instinct, wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him closer against me. Tears of my own escaped my eyes.

"Sakura, I'm sorry for everything… I'm sorry about this," He pulled away from me and reached his hand up, cupping my cheek in his cool hand. His thumb brushed near my eye and I closed it on instinct. He gently ran it over my eyelid. I knew what he meant.

"… Claude did this to me," I pulled away from him fully, so he was within arms distance of me and hugged myself as if I were cold. I wasn't, but the remembrance of the agony and Claude standing over me, that strange glint in his eye… it had scared me more than anything, more than all the pain and suffering I'd been through because of Alois.

"Sakura, I-" The words died in his throat, and I watched in horror as the hand retreated from the side of his stomach. A trickle of blood fell from the corner of his lips and Alois fell to his knees, his eyes wide with shock. I looked at Claude to see him scoffing down at the bleeding boy, before his eyes locked with mine. He brought his bloodied hand up to his lips and licked his fingers, his eyes never leaving mine.

I screamed.

A/N: It's short, I know, but I don't really have much free time lately. I tried! Tell me what you think in your reviews; if it really sucks I'll try and edit it as soon as possible.

R&R

~Koneko Onee-chan