Requested by:Loverrr01
*Werewolf Rengoku Au
Summary: you were a human who collected herbs for a living. While looking for some of them, you met a man who lived in the woods near your village. Soon, you began coming to the forest just to see him.
Tws: biting, kidnapping, mentions of noncon
You carefully picked your way through the forest, making sure not to step on as many plants as you could.
Your eyes scanned the trees around you, looking for the signature orange butterfly shaped leaves that signified the Japanese Ginkgo Tree.
Those very same leaves, when prepared correctly, help with blood diseases and memory problems.
The only reason you were out here was because one of the villagers had gotten an infection, and you didn't have enough leaves to help him properly. However, if he didn't get the treatment, he'd die.
So you went to retrieve some leaves, going as far in as you needed to.
That turned out to be halfway through the damn forest before you finally found some of them. Your eyes lit up, and you slid the basket off your arm and into your hand.
You started picking off the leaves, and when the basket was almost full, you turned away.
Standing just close enough for you to make out his face was a man.
He had bright flame colored hair, and matching orange eyes. On his face, he wore a welcoming and cheerful smile. He looked powerful, and if the sword on his waist was any indication, he was probably a warrior.
After recovering from the shock of seeing him, you hesitantly lifted your hand in a wave.
He responded with one of his own, far more enthusiastic than yours had been, and bounded over to you.
"Hello, young woman! Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked when he finally stood in front of me.
You shakily nodded, not exactly sure of who he was.
Sensing your confusion, the man introduced himself. "I am Rengoku Kyojuro! I'm quite excited to meet you! Is there anything I can do to be of assistance?"
You explained to him what herbs you were looking for, and he eagerly led you in the direction they were.
You were suspicious of him at first, not knowing if he was simply taking you there to murder you, but you relaxed when you saw the familiar leaves of the neem tree.
He stopped, and watched as you crouched down and carefully harvested the plant. He attempted to replicate your movements- failing of course- and added his leaves into your basket.
When it was completely full, you stood from your crouch, Kyojuro following suit.
You turned to leave, the sound of his voice stopping you.
"I never got your name, Miss."
You almost slapped yourself in the head when you realized he was correct. The only thing that stopped you was the herbs weighing your arms down.
You faced him again, an apologetic smile matching your tone. "It's L/N Y/N, sorry."
He didn't seem too bothered, and simply waved at you as you both went your separate ways.
As odd as Kyojuro may have been, you found you had enjoyed his company. Perhaps you'd see him again soon.
The very next week was when you met him again.
This time, you were stumbling along in the moonlight, looking for the delicate purple flowers marking a yarrow plant.
You found them, and knelt down to pick them when you heard it.
The sound of wolves.
You shot up, head whipping around wondering where it was. From the sounds of it, it was nearby. Slowly, you headed towards the nearest tree, you eyes and head scanning the forest around you for any sign of movement.
When you did notice, it was too late.
The lone wolf was upon you in an instant, it's fangs a brilliant white that shimmered. You wondered how long it would be until those fangs buried into your neck, stained red with your blood.
You closed your eyes, not wishing to watch as it tore out your throat.
It lowered its head to your neck, sniffing, before the weight on your stomach lightened.
You sat up, eyes opening in surprise. The wolf was still there, though he kept his eyes on you and stayed somewhat at a distance.
You watched it warily, not sure if it would attack you again.
But it seemed content to stay there, so you slowly stood up, and attempted to leave.
The wolf growled, canines flashing.
You sat back down.
You were not getting eaten today, no thank you.
So you resigned yourself to waiting, praying that when the sun rose, this wolf would leave.
You stayed up all night, too afraid to close your eyes for fear you'd recieve teeth in your neck.
So you were awake when the sun rose and the wolf's bones cracked and twisted and changed their entire shape.
Gaping, you could only watch in horror as the man you'd met less than a week ago appeared when the bones had ceased their movements.
His eyes opened, and you could no longer deny the truth.
Kyojuro... was a monster.
He sniffed the air quite loudly, and you flinched when his eyes met yours.
"Mate." he whispered, and lunged for you.
You scrambled back, but you weren't fast enough to evade whatever Kyojuro was, and he pinned you to the ground again.
Like in his wolf form, he sniffed you neck, letting out a groan at whatever he smelt.
Unlike last time though, this version of Kyojuro actually bit you.
You stiffened, letting out a small cry at the pain, and started to cry.
Kyojuro pulled away from your neck, and brushed away your tears.
"Why are you crying, love? I'm your mate."
You had no idea what that meant, and he seemed to realize that. Still on top of you, he explained.
"A mate is the person you are meant to be with. When two mates find each other and accept the bond, it is a precious thing." He smiled, a sly, coy thing. "It's said that true mates bear strong children."
You stared at him in horror as he continued in a thoughtful tone.
"I suppose you humans can't feel the bond like us weres can." He shrugged, and pressed his face to your neck again. "It just means you can't reject me."
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