Disclaimer: I do not own these lovely little hedgehogs.~ Sega and Sonic Team does =)
His thirst was unbearable.
The usual dose of Mozart and Chopin hasn't lulled the irritating urges like they usually did. The moon was only a quarter and seldom stars shine in the dimly luminous sky tonight. A hand spreads out from a window, trying to grasp the satiating wind, which danced around his fingertips and slipped stealthily through his fingers.
A succulent scent envelops his nose, halting all unnecessary senses into hypnosis, his eyes closed to follow the invisible trail of the sweet smell…
This torture, this indirect suffering that he's endured for the past four days, drove his imagination over the edge. Surely no perfume could be that strong to take his nose away into Lala land; it was just preposterous to think that even…but no, it couldn't be. Even he himself didn't know why he almost crept to that conclusion. All he knew was that this mysterious scent was making him thirst for more. Except, it wasn't the kind of thirst that he's used to. No, because his heart had said otherwise…
The sullen master walked up from his chair and closed the window, in case his impulse suddenly turn feral against his self control if he had to inhale that infernal scent one more time…
An echo was heard from the great oaken hall entrance and his eyes finally snapped open in the newborn darkness, from his deep introspection. If there had been one thing he hated, it was interruption. He turned around just in time to see his valet crouching over with struggle, a heavy laden burden laid onto his back. The master lifted an eyebrow and then scowled, his blood red eyes glistening with dissatisfaction. The valet looked upon his master's countenance with pained exasperation, sweat now breaking out from the strenuous effort to keep this load from the floor.
"Well?" the master asked with slight irritation.
The valet started from his sore stupor and laid the body to the floor. "My lord," the valet panted. "I don't think…."
"You don't think?" His eyes appeared to burn through the valet's expectant terror. "You don't think what, exactly?"
The valet gulped from his glare. "My lord, I don't think this…this…this maiden…she's not too fresh, sir."
His master grimaced.
"I-I-I mean, she was one of the ones who had that disease, my lord! I mean, sure she had been in the recovering state, but still traces of the bacteria was residing in her blood, especially near her throat and her lungs, so it's possible that her blood is still bad, unwell, spoil -,"
"Spoiled?" The dark master chuckled at his valet's misuse of his words. "'Spoiled' is when we're talking about whether she was a maiden or not, am I wrong Leonard?"
Leonard flushed from his mistake, but hastily apologized and finished his explanation.
"Well, what I'm trying to say is that this Mortal's blood is sour."
The master strode over to the unconscious body, bent down on one knee, and lent a gloved finger onto the fresh wound that Leonard created over the body's neck. He smelled the red stain on his finger and wrinkled his nose, growling in clear discontent. He then stood up and, staring at the precious body before him, frowned and crossed his arms. It clearly wasn't his night, at all.
Leonard kept his sights on his master's expression, waiting for his next command on what to do with the corrupted body.
He closed his eyes and bent his head down. "Leonard, you know what to do with the Distastefuls."
And with that, he turned his back from the valet and coldly stared out from his window once again, more aggravated by the fact that he won't be getting any dinner tonight. Whether it was karma or just plain Mother Nature taunting him out of fun, his urge to rip something apart was strong indeed. He thought to open the window again but he had quickly decided against the choice. Leonard nodded and, gathering all of the strength once again, he dragged the girl's body out of the room and down the hall toward the Dismemberment Chambers.
Wiping the remaining mess off of his shirt, it hadn't been long until Leonard had come back and beheld his master in that same restless and immersed mood. He knew that it had been a tough week for his master and there was only one explanation why, but he never sought to bring the subject up, mainly based on the fact that the master had desired to remain…unattached. Nevertheless, curiosity had betoken upon him.
"My lord…I've noticed that your attitude has been unpleasant for the past four days. Perhaps it is that time in your life?"
The master turned his head and smirked, knowing exactly what Leonard was implying. Leonard shrank back, expecting a scolding from his mouth or jeering from his lips for that silly solution to his problem.
But there was no sign of risible taunts or anger. Instead, he saw the master get up and walk over to the dagger hanging from his wall, displacing it from the wall and, using a nearby handkerchief, polish it. He was still smirking.
"You know, I have thought that this recent discomfort was related to this stage in my afterlife. No matter how much I tell myself that I can outlive these urges," he sighed. "It looks like Nature is out to work against me."
Leonard, almost pleased at the correctness of his hypothesis, asked, "So, my Lord, are we going to…?"
The master broke his steady concentration from his polishing and, his glance at Leonard, nodded.
"Yes, Leonard. We're going to look for a Mortal girl, a girl pure and sweet enough…to be my Maiden Consort."
And as he uttered those words, his thoughts shot back to that same sweet and addicting smell that invaded his senses and turned his mentality upside down tonight. Maybe…
Again, he saw it as impossible and dismissed it as folly. Putting down his dagger, he grabbed his cape by the coathanger and took his ivory cane from the umbrella holder.
"I can understand how important it is to have one, but what I cannot understand is that why would you use her as a means of surviving to your fullest. It just...doesn't sit right with me. Heh, well whoever becomes my choice - ,"
Leonard opened the door for his master, with him walking out the room and down the hall toward the entrance. Leonard caught up with him, already out of breath and curious still.
"What, Master Shadow? Whoever becomes your desired choice?"
"...well, she will be one unlucky Mortal."