Rin and Alex were slipped a drug at the party, now Claude not only has to deal with the sleeping Sebastian but a pair of women who are in a haze. Alex finds herself admiring Rin and becomes jealous of her beauty.

What will happen when Alex realizes Rin isn't asleep?

How will Rin react when she learns of Alex's past?

Can Rin control her feelings so she can maintain a professional relationship?

Enjoy,

~The Dark Ringmaster

Happy Birthday Arlene.

I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 31: The Injured Butterfly

Alex felt strange as she wandered through the house, she couldn't even focus on anything anymore. Claude had practically dashed away with Sebastian in his arms when he pulled in. Alex supporting Rin who had fallen asleep, she looked even more out of it than she did. Her ink black hair was a mess and her eyes were closed, some how she looked even more beautiful this way. Alex sighed as she gently placed her on the sofa; Rin was much more beautiful than she was. She was covered in scars, and horrible memories, while Rin didn't even have a single blemish. "If only I were beautiful," she sighed. She sat on the sofa beside Rin and closed her eyes. She could remember every comment they had whispered at the bar, Rin was the object of their dreams, a petit woman with beautiful long legs, a decent bust and a pair of honey colored eyes. Alex didn't even come close, "You are," said a lukewarm voice, Alex opened her eyes to find it was Rin's voice. She had a thick Japanese accent and her face was a breath away from Alex's.

Rin slowly placed a hand on Alex's neck, it was soft and warm, and Alex was confused. "You're beautiful you just don't know it," she whispered. Alex scoffed at this; she had been told over and over that she wasn't. She sighed and slowly moved closer, something in Alex told her to pull away, "You're so clueless," she whispered. Before Alex could even register what was happening she felt a pair of soft warm lips collide with hers. Alex's eyes widened and she attempted to pull away only for Rin to hold her closer. Alex shivered as she felt Rin's tongue slip into her mouth, she had no idea Rin was bi which disturbed her. Her head was spinning and she started to feel nauseous as Rin slipped her hand under Alex's shirt. "Stop," Alex panted desperately, she felt her skin crawl with discomfort as Rin continued to touch her. "Please," she begged, however Rin refused. Alex was on the verge of passing out, she felt her consciousness slipping away and the un-pleasantries coming back. "No!" she shouted and pushed Rin away with all the strength she had left. Rin fell backward and Alex fell to the floor.

Claude was in the room in seconds and he looked at the pair. Alex was on the floor wheezing, her eyes were wide with terror and her lips moved however nothing seemed to escape them. His eyes darted to Alex's disheveled clothing and he looked at Rin who looked confused. "What's wrong?" asked Rin in confusion, she went to touch her only for Alex to pull away. Rin was about to shout when in a flash Alex was in Sebastian's arms and Claude was blocking Rin. "Enough," said Claude sternly, his voice was cold and unyielding. Rin shuddered, she felt as though she had been cut with a knife. Sebastian glared at her and she shuddered again, she noticed how protectively he was holding Alex. She stepped back for a moment and looked up Claude's golden eyes, they were narrowed and she swore she could see her soul in them. Sebastian simply held her there. Rin was still confused, Claude had pretty much ravaged the smaller demon, yet he had sprinted down the stairs to her aid. She could tell Sebastian was still aching, yet he seemed to ignore the pain.

Sebastian picked Alex up and slowly carried her up stairs, as Claude rolled Rin's sleeve back. It was as though nothing had happened. She felt a prick as Claude slipped a needle in her arm and she winced. She looked over to see a syringe in her arm, "What's that?" she asked cautiously. Before he looked as though he was about to kill her and Claude replied, "It's to alleviate the affects of the drug, you were dosed with a potent aphrodisiac." Rin sighed she had been dosed with ecstasy before however nothing this strong, "My head hurts, however I wasn't delusional," she said firmly. Claude looked at her, he was indifferent, "She really is beautiful," Rin said. Claude sighed and took a seat next to her on the sofa. He slowly ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back. His eyes were closed and whispered, "Do you know what happens when you tear the wings off a butterfly?" Rin felt a chill run down her spine; some how there was an unspeakable air of darkness around Claude as he spoke.

"No," she whispered and Claude looked at her coldly, "It dies," he said. Rin shivered Claude looked emotionless, it was as though he were made of stone. "Alexandra has managed to survive this long without a wing, however I'm not sure what will happen if someone were to tear off another," he said softly. Rin paused and looked at him, she felt as though ice water had filled her veins. "What do you mean?" she said hesitantly. Claude crossed his legs and replied, "She may not even let you in, Sebastian and I had a hard enough time breaking through ourselves, and that was a daunting task." Rin waited patiently as Claude silently drafted what he was going to say in his head.

"Alex's past isn't the nicest, in fact it's so dark you could swear that it's ink black. However the ink is anything but pure black pigment," he said softly, "It's mixed with plenty of red." Rin was even more confused and asked, "Red?" she asked. Sebastian returned and replied, "Blood red." She looked over at him, he was standing in a dress shirt and jeans. She shivered when he realized what red had meant, "Whose?" she asked after a moment. Claude was silent and Sebastian replied, "Her own." Rin's lips parted as she attempted to understand what they were saying. "Alex was abducted and raped as a child, however it didn't stop there," said Sebastian softly as he took a seat in front of Rin. She looked back at Claude who had gotten up and was now standing behind the chair Sebastian was sitting in. His hand rested on the back and Rin watched as Sebastian shifted in his seat, his slender legs crossed and one arm rested on the arm rest as he let the other rest in his lap. "She was subjected to various forms of torture, from physical beating to watching her brother being murdered before her eyes, we don't know what else happened, she doesn't say," said Sebastian he looked at the floor and whispered, "All we know is from photographs and her screams." Rin shivered when she realized what she had just done, Alex wasn't submitting, "She was scared," she whispered. Claude nodded and the room fell silent.

She froze and Claude disappeared for a moment, "I just," she muttered and looked away in anger. Sebastian was still and Claude returned with an envelope, Rin looked up to watch the photos fall out of it as he tipped it. They fluttered to the table top and Rin's eyes grew even wider. In each photo she could see how badly they had beaten her, crimson ribbons ran down her back and legs. She covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at the massive black and blue bruises which covered Alex's slender body. The brand was bright red against her skin and Rin looked away, she felt queasy from just looking at the photos. However it wasn't simply the blood and bruises which disturbed her. Someone had taken a portrait of Alex, she was ghastly pail and looked as though she was about to break. It wasn't until you looked into her eyes, it was as though there was nothing left, they were empty, void of light and even hope. She gasped and dropped the photo, her hands were trembling and she realized why Alex didn't think she was pretty. "What did I do?" she muttered in horror as she rose from the seat. Sebastian's gaze made her feel even more uncomfortable than usual. Sebastian was about to say something when a blood curdling scream ripped through the air.

Sebastian and Claude ran up the stairs and Rin trailed behind them, sitting bold up right in the bed was Alex. She was pail and trembling like a leaf in the wind of a storm. Her ocean blue eyes were wide with terror as she looked at them. Claude slowly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, Rin was shocked until she realized Sebastian's eyes had never left her. His gaze was even heavier, "Do you know why children are afraid of the dark?" whispered Sebastian. Rin shook her head and she drew a deep breath as Sebastian leaned in closer. His breath was soft and warm however the words made her shudder. He smirked darkly and walked over to the bed, after a moment he was sitting on the other side of Alex holding her close in his arms. Rin was still standing there, her entire body was shaking and she felt her heart pounding. She had no idea something so beautiful could be so dark. She took the scene on the bed as a sign to go when Claude got off the bed and said, "You're staying the night." Rin felt even more uncomfortable and fallowed him to the room which she would be staying in, "If your worried about her remembering what happened," said Claude as Rin walked by him. She was standing in the threshold and she turned around.

"She won't remember, her senses are so heightened right now she won't be able to recall what occurred," he said and Rin slowly relaxed. Her shoulders dropped and Claude said, "Good Night." She watched as he left and she hugged her arms to her chest. She could still remember what Sebastian had whispered, "It's because they know what's in it," Rin said aloud. She closed her eyes and hoped that in the morning every thing would be different.

Rin woke to the smell of French toast and she immediately remembered what had happened the night before. She groaned as she managed to get out of bed, she had expected to have to wear the same suite only to find a suite bag on the wardrobe door and a box of shoes. She was hesitant until she opened them, the suite was a light gray one and she could tell that Sebastian had picked it. Not only was it presentable but it was from Intrigue. She slipped into it and wandered down the stairs. Even though Claude had said Alex wouldn't remember she had her doubts. She turned the corner to find Alex at the table she was finishing her coffee and said, "Okay, I've ordered all the LEDs and I'm finishing the invitation designs." Rin stared, Alex looked better, she had color in her face and she seemed to be relaxed, he had expected her to be wound up tighter than a spring. "Morning," Rin said nervously and Alex looked up. Her hair was styled and she responded, "Good morning." Rin felt as though she had gone back in time, it was as if none of it happened. Claude wasn't kidding and she looked over at the pair nervously. Claude nodded and Rin took a seat next to Alex. "Okay I've been at this for a while and this is what I came up with for design," she said happily, the card was a beautiful white and silver design with black lettering. "Wow," said Rin as Alex finished the design. "How long did it take you to make that?" she asked and Alex tapped the stylus to her chin. After a moment she shrugged and said, "About fifteen minutes." Rin shook her head and said, "If only." Alex smiled as she ran through the rest of the card designs, they were bright yet sophisticate, Rin never designed the cards on her own and she realized the advantage of having a Graphic Designer in her corner. "I love that," said Rin as she pointed to the crest which had been printed on the front of the card. "Thanks," Alex said, "Okay so I've ordered them and they will come with matching addressed envelopes based on the list which we had been provided with."

Rin stared as she watched Alex shift into work mode. "I'm having them done in a rush, Neil owes me a favor, Jodi and Allen have agreed to deal with the stamps and such as well as deliver them to the mail," said Alex. She slid her finger across the tablet screen and Rin stared, Alex had been at this for a few hours and she could tell. "Now then these are the flower arrangements, as well as the china I had selected for the event," said Alex. Rin stared at the beautiful white china was plum colored detailing, she had selected a beautiful lavender table cloth and she stared at the glasses which had been selected. They were high quality crystal and she noticed the price continue to go up. "You really know your stuff," said Rin as Alex shrugged. "I guess, this is my first time," she commented. Rin was taken back for a moment; Alex had managed to accomplish in a few hours what took her days to finish. She stared as Alex shifted screens; she had even designed the cake which Rin admired.

"I set up a time to meet with a master chef from France this afternoon, he's aware of the short notice, I also sent the design to the patisserie," said Alex, "I'm hiring a chamber of musicians from the LSO and a few Jazz musicians would also like to make an appearance." Claude and Sebastian smiled and she noticed that the pair were looking at wines, "We've almost finished the wine list, we will place the order in a moment," said Sebastian as he tapped the screen lightly. Alex smiled as she turned the screen off, "Okay then let's get to work," said Alex as she rose from her seat. As always Claude and Sebastian stood waiting for her to leave before sitting back down. "We need a good desert wine, 45 years… perhaps," said Sebastian. Claude looked up at him and said, "We could." Sebastian tapped his chin as he said, "Do you think we can find it, I mean it was." Claude scoffed and replied, "Is that even a question?" Sebastian snickered and replied, "No it's not, so let's see, oh that's do able," said Sebastian as he adjusted the size of something on his tablet. "Very," said Claude as he rose and the pair walked by Rin, they were grinning from ear to ear. She watched how naturally the pair moved and she began to wonder what they were off to find.

Alex was leaning in the door way and she smiled with her tablet under her arm. "Off to see the chef," she said as Claude and Sebastian pulled up in front of the house. She jumped into the car and Rin fallowed, Alex honestly didn't remember any of what had happened the night before which frightened her. She began to wonder how much of her life she had blocked from her memory. Sebastian was watching, his gaze was piercing and she shifted a little. "This is going to be a long day," she commented and Alex looked over at her. "Yeah but I can't wait to see the look on their faces," said Alex brightly. Rin looked over at Alex and noticed how excited Alex looked, "What do you see when they look at each other?" asked Rin unconsciously. "Who?" Alex asked and Rin looked at her, "Earl and Lady Campbell," she replied. Alex paused. Rin could tell Alex hadn't thought about it however she didn't expect a bright smile to sweep across her lips, "This," she replied as she showed Rin a picture of fire works. Rin wrinkled her nose; she hadn't seen anything remotely similar to that kind of excitement in their expressions when they looked at one another. "They're not like us, their emotions are shown through their eyes," said Alex. Rin simply huffed and looked out the window and watched the world go by. She honestly didn't understand her, Alex's past was dark and yet she tried to make it look as though she was happy.

Part of Rin just wanted to strangle Alex and the other part envied her strength and courage, "Why are you doing this?" asked Rin, she looked over. Alex kept her eyes forward as she replied, "I want to give them the greatest gift they could ever ask for. 45 years together through thick and thin is something to be admired. It isn't simply the fact that they're both alive, but the fact that they've managed to keep their relationship alive." Rin felt this strange flicker of admiration in her chest as she listened to Alex, "Life's hard however it's wonderful to see that not only did they find the right one but they've managed to hold on to them for so long," she said. Rin stared at her and watched as Claude and Sebastian's fingers entwined on the consul. She noticed how comfortable they seemed together and then remembered what the Earl and Lady had looked like. They moved so naturally together and she sighed. She still didn't see the whole picture however she began to respect Alex just a little more.

Rin's eyes settled on Alex's lips, she remembered their soft feeling and sweet taste as she stole a kiss. It was intoxicating, which she hadn't expected. In truth Rin kissed Alex simply because she was horny, however this was entirely different. She felt as though she was addicted, it was an unusual feeling. For as long as she could remember Rin liked both men and women, she found them both beautiful, however she had to admit standing beside these three was unbelievable. Even if Claude was only interested in Sebastian, he still managed to make men and women crumble to their knees. Sebastian was deadly with his slender figure and devilish smirk. The only one which she didn't understand was Alex, the only think which stood out was her ocean blue eyes, she didn't wear tight clothing, however Rin felt how perfect her body was. With the right clothing and make up she could be drop dead gorgeous. Her eyes fell on Alex's full lips again and she felt hot all over.

"Rin?" asked Alex and she snapped out of it. "Is there something on my face?" she asked. Rin shook her head and blushed a little, "No I was just thinking about something." Alex sighed and said, "I don't have a dress for this, it looks like I need to pick one up." There was a hint of irritation in her voice. Rin knew why she wasn't looking forward to it and Sebastian said, "I'll help you with that, don't worry, Rin needs a dress as well." She looked at Rin, her ocean blue eyes were filled with curiosity again and Rin nodded. "Great I'm not the only one being tortured!" she said happily. Claude chuckled and Sebastian pouted. "I don't consider it torture," he mumbled and Claude noticed the crestfallen look on his face. He chucked and whispered, "Don't worry about it, we still have to pull out our tuxedos." Sebastian nodded and pulled in front of the restaurant.