My Ryou

I stared at the spot where Akane had disappeared, my arm stinging more from guilt than the actual wound, which wasn't even deep - I'd gotten worse scratches harvesting thorny herbs. What a ridiculous pain in the ass this whole situation had become. First the drunk whale slugs, then the slime, and now this.

"This is exactly why I prefer plants," I muttered, but my heart wasn't in the sarcasm.

The image of Akane's tears kept replaying in my mind. Sure, she was annoying. But she'd never actually hurt me before - not until I made her feel cornered and scared. And how did I repay her persistence at friendship? By flinching away like she was some kind of monster.

Great job, Ryou. Really stellar human being you are.

I slumped against a tree, fighting the urge to bang my head against it. Finding Akane wouldn't be as simple as tracking her down like some lost pet. Footprints would be useless since she could just hop between shadows like they were trains. And calling out would just send her running in the opposite direction.

But then a memory suddenly surfaced - Akane's adverse reaction to cilantro during our first meeting. The way she'd recoiled like I'd brandished garlic at a vampire. If anything could draw her out, that would.

I pushed off the tree and surveyed the woods. Cilantro preferred partial shade and moist soil. The Woods sloped subtly toward the east, and spring rains would have carved little channels perfect for wild herbs.

My feet carried me down the gentle incline, eyes scanning the undergrowth. The canopy thinned just enough here to create dappled sunlight - ideal growing conditions. A cluster of white spring flowers caught my attention - Queen Anne's Lace. Where there's one umbel, there's usually...

"Gotcha."

Wild cilantro. Not the cultivated kind found in the gardens of my world, but its more potent forest cousin in this one. The leaves were smaller but their pungent aroma packed twice the punch.

I picked a bunch of cilantro. It felt a bit unfair to use Akane's weakness against her, but I didn't have much of a choice.

Now, where would a werewolf hide? Tree tops? No, that was more of a cat thing. A den? This wasn't some nature documentary.

Then the most ridiculous idea popped into my head - one that reeked of pure Akane-logic. Just walk through the Woods waving the cilantro like some werewolf detector.

"Oh god. She's infected my brain."

This had to be from the time Akane carried me. The blood must have rushed to my head too many times, scrambling my common sense. There was no way I - Ryou Kusunoki, perpetual voice of reason - was actually considering this plan.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I muttered, raising the cilantro bunch above my head and starting to walk. The leaves fluttered in the breeze, releasing their sharp scent. "Here wolfy wolfy. Come smell the nice cilantro."

My reputation would never recover if anyone saw me like this. But somehow, I couldn't bring myself to care.

A flicker of movement caught my eye - a shadow darting between trees that definitely wasn't cast by branches. It weaved through the Woods like ink through water, always just out of reach.

"Akane!" I called out, changing course to pursue her. "I know you can hear me!"

The shadow paused briefly before shooting off faster. She was heading toward the river, but there was a ravine cutting through that would force her to go around. Unless...

I veered off the path and slid down the ravine's steep wall, landing with a heavy thud. I scrambled up the other side, using roots as handholds. The sound of rushing water grew louder. Just a little further…

The ravine opened into a riverside clearing just as the shadow emerged from the treeline. Without thinking, I launched myself forward.

Time seemed to slow as I collided with the darkness. Akane's solid form materialized in my arms as we hung suspended for one breathless moment.

Then gravity remembered its job, and we crashed into the river together.

I sputtered as river water filled my mouth. Before I could even wipe my eyes, Akane shoved me away with enough force to send me stumbling backward.

"Stay back! I could hurt you again."

"No, you won't."

"You don't know that!" Akane's ears flattened against her head. "It was a mistake, okay? This morning, all of it. I only followed you because I was bored, but we were never meant to be, Ryou."

"Since when do you care about what's 'meant to be'?" I took another step closer, water now up to my waist.

"Look at us! You're human, I'm a werewolf. We're both girls! And even if you're not scared of me now, my family would-"

"Have my head? Yeah, Shion told me everything."

Akane's eyes widened. "Then you know why-"

"I don't care."

"How can you not care? They could kill you!"

"Because I like having you around, you stupid wolf." The words burst out before I could stop them. "My life used to be wake up, go to school, sleep. Repeat. But then this annoying werewolf shows up, tackles me into a pond, and suddenly I'm in a ridiculous circus of drunk slugs."

The water rippled around us as I took another step closer. "And you know what? For the first time in years, I feel alive. You drive me absolutely insane, but somehow that's exactly what I needed."

Akane's tail drooped. "You're just saying that."

Her eyes darted to the shadows stretching across the riverbank. I recognized that look - she was about to bolt. Without thinking, I lunged forward and grabbed her tail. The fur was surprisingly solid in my grip. I yanked with everything I had, refusing to let her disappear again.

"Ack!"

We tumbled backward, water splashing everywhere. When my vision cleared, I found myself flat on my back with a very startled werewolf sprawled across my lap.

"Look at me." I gripped Akane's shoulders, forcing her eyes to meet mine. "You're not some scary Akatomi werewolf to me. You're just Akane, the idiot who gets scared by cilantro."

"But-"

"No buts. And your family? Please. I just dealt with a spider women and drunk whale slugs. A bunch of stuffy werewolves isn’t going to faze me."

"They should! My sister alone could-"

"Could what? Whatever it is, been there, done that with you already." I poked her chest. "As for this whole mate thing - I don't know the first thing about werewolf bonds or whatever. But I'm not about to let your family determine who either of us can be with."

Akane's ears twitched. "You mean...?"

"I mean we'll figure it out together." I flicked her nose, earning a yelp.

"But Ryou... you really want to...?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be your weird mate-thing. For real this time. Now can we please get out of this river before-"

Akane lunged forward, crushing me in a hug that sent us both underwater again. When we surfaced, she was practically vibrating with excitement, ears perked straight up.

"Mine!" She nuzzled into my neck, her wet hair tickling my chin. "My Ryou!"

My heart did a strange flip when she pressed closer, radiating warmth despite our soaked clothes.

"Does this mean I can sleep in your bed now?"

"Absolutely not."

"But mates share dens!"

"We are not having this discussion while sitting in a river."

Akane just laughed, the sound echoing through the Woods like music.

Her laughter then died abruptly, her ears drooping as she pulled back to look at me. 

"There's... something else I should tell you." Her tail swished anxiously through the river.

"If this is about more den-sharing customs-"

"No, it's not that. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but..."

The world suddenly tilted sideways. Black spots danced across my vision as the adrenaline that had been keeping me going finally decided to peace out.

"Oh." I blinked slowly, watching the trees blur together. "That's not good."

"Ryou?" Akane's voice sounded distant despite her being right in my lap.

"Probably shouldn't have skipped breakfast," I mumbled, swaying. The world spun faster. "And lunch. Maybe dinner too..."

"RYOU!"

The last thing I registered was Akane's panicked face as she lunged to catch me, her golden eyes wide with alarm. Then everything went black.