Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Cian. This is rated M for eventual language and smut. You have been warned!

CHAPTER FOUR: FORGET ME NOT

Kurama let the note drop on the floor and he quickly sank to the ground with a sigh. Hiei had come back to do something nice for him, and instead found him on a date with someone else. Kurama picked up the note and read it again… and again… and again… until he fell asleep curled among the rose petals on the floor.

He awoke to several things at once, the phone ringing, the alarm upstairs in his bedroom beeping, footsteps in his kitchen, and knocking at his door. His logic quickly prioritized the different problems as he stood up, stiff from sleeping on the floor the night before. He made his way to the kitchen and sighed when he saw the figure making him breakfast.

"Yusuke, why do you even bother?" Kurama muttered. "You know you can't cook. Please, at least spare the pans."

Yusuke grinned. "You're lucky your boyfriend called and said something was wrong with you, or you'd still be sleeping on the floor. Now, can you go turn off your alarm before I throw the damn thing out the window?"

Kurama made a mental note to ask him about whom his supposed 'boyfriend' was later. Instead, he made his way to the door next, and flung it open. Much to his dismay, Cian was on the other side of it. Kurama took one look at him before slamming the door in his face. "Yusuke!"

"Yeah fox-boy?"

"Stop mutilating my kitchen and come help me!" Kurama rushed around, frantic now. With one hand, he grabbed the phone while the other busied itself picking up rose petals from the floor. He didn't throw them away like he knew he should. They were far too precious to him now. Instead, they were put in a bowl and placed on the table like potpourri.

"Hello?" Kurama answered.

"Kurama, I'm dragging you shopping today after you get out of work!" Keiko crooned from the other line. "My wedding is only three weeks away and I don't have anything planned!"

"Hold on a second," Kurama muttered. "Yusuke!"

"What?! Do you want me to burn the eggs here?"

"Can you let someone in? He's at the front door. I have to go upstairs, change, brush my hair… Yes, Keiko, I'm still here." Kurama bounded up the stairs.

Yusuke grumbled all the way to the door and opened it. Cian waited calm and patient out on the front porch, not at all phased by the fact the front door had just been slammed in his face. "Come on in," Yusuke muttered before moving out of the way. Inwardly, he frowned. There was something so wrong about this guy. It gave him the creeps.

Cian moved in to the house once Yusuke had moved and shut the door behind him. "Where's Kurama?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Upstairs primping. He's a fox; he takes great pride in the fact he cares about his appearance enough to brush his hair and teeth every day. He can't stand to have people see him when he looks less than his best."

Kurama came downstairs with the phone still attached to his ear. "Three weeks to plan a wedding? Keiko, why not hire a planner then?" He nodded. "Yes, I see." A deep sigh. "You're lucky that you're a good friend of mine, or else I would never agree to plan an entire wedding by myself, with little or no help from the bride, other than being given a budget and a list of acceptable colors." Kurama hung up the phone and turned to both his guests.

Cian looked amused. "Good morning."

Kurama pointed to the couch. "Please sit down while I try to salvage breakfast." He made his way to the kitchen and examined the food, only to find what he had feared: burned eggs, blackened bacon, and little black things Kurama was sure had been meant to be pancakes. "Yusuke, I appreciate the effort, but please, get out of my kitchen before you destroy something. Or burn yourself."

Yusuke put his finger in Kurama's face with a pout. "But I already burned myself. Stupid fuckin' pancakes! They wouldn't flip!"

Kurama smiled. "It's fine Yusuke. I'll clean up everything and make breakfast."

His friend beamed at him. "So I'll actually be able to eat? Keiko kicked me out this morning, muttering something about her mother bringing over a wedding dress to see if she liked it. You know the whole superstition with a groom not seeing the bride in her dress. She didn't trust me not to peek."

"I do have a question… You said my boyfriend called you and told you something was wrong with me. Just who exactly were you referring to?"

Yusuke looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you kidding? Hiei called, miracle right, and was being all civil to me. He told me that he thought something was wrong with you and to come check on you in the morning. I told him to do it his damn self if he was so worried, but then he threatened to kill me if I gave him any more shit about it."

"Hiei called you?"

"Yep. I got the boyfriend thing from him too. He told me at first that he wanted me to check on his 'lover' in the morning. Then he clarified and said it was you."

Kurama's cheeks turned crimson. "Thank you. Go to the living room and play nice with my guest. His name is Cian."

Yusuke grumbled, but did as told. Kurama gazed at the burned remains of what was supposed to be his breakfast and was silently glad Cian had come over. He was now not forced to eat this and pretend it was edible. Instead of anything complicated, Kurama settled on waffles and fruit salad. Healthy, easy, simple. He hummed as he worked in the kitchen, oblivious to the conversation taking place in the living room.

"I'm one of Kurama's best friends. The name is Yusuke." He plopped down on the couch across from where Cian sat. "You see, Kurama is really special to all of us in our group. I'm sure you can see why. But he's also a hell of a lot more frail than what you know. He can be hurt easily, especially when he gives his trust to someone."

"I'm aware of this," Cian murmured in his amused voice. "I'm also aware that he cares about all of you as much as you seem to care about him."

"Yeah, but that's not the point." Yusuke glared at the man. "If you do anything to harm him, anything at all, me and all my friends will come after your ass. And destroy you. Got it?"

"Are you threatening me Yusuke?" Cian leaned forward, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Because I take threats very seriously."

Yusuke smiled, an imitation of the cruel way Hiei could smile at times. "Naw, I'm not really big on threats. You see, if you hurt Kurama, I won't be the only one to come after you. I can think of a few other people who would do the same. And one who would go to greater extremes than I will to protect his fox. What I'm saying to you isn't a threat. It's just a fact of life."

Cian smirked as he leaned back again. "What makes you think that Kurama isn't capable of making his own judgments?"

Yusuke laughed. "The thing with Kurama is simple. He always sees the good in people and never looks at the bad."

"And you think I'll hurt him?"

Yusuke shrugged. "I think that you being around him is hurting him enough already. He belongs to someone else. Someone you haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. If you intend to fight for his heart, you better learn quick. Because the demon I know won't give up on Kurama very easily."

Kurama sauntered in to the living room with a smile that quickly faded as he saw the tension between the two. "Did I miss anything?"

Yusuke grinned at his friend. "Nope fox-boy. You didn't miss a thing! I'm starving, where's the food?"

Kurama shook his head. "In the dining room." He watched Yusuke bound away before turning to his guest. "What happened?"

Cian lifted himself from his seat and kissed Kurama on the cheek as he passed. "Nothing. We just talked about the weather a little bit, and the political events of Makai."

Kurama looked doubtful, but followed him in to the dining room. Half the fruit salad and a stack of waffles had already magically disappeared. Kurama smiled as he ate, content to converse with Yusuke about the upcoming wedding, their jobs, their hopes, and their plans for the future. Cian listened and ate, but rarely joined the conversation. After the last of the food had been shoved down Yusuke's throat, he got up with a groan.

"Aw man… I gotta head off to work. I'm glad to see Hiei was wrong and that you're okay fox-boy." Yusuke hugged Kurama around the shoulders once. "Tell me how the wedding is coming along, 'kay?"

Kurama nodded. "Don't work too hard."

Yusuke laughed. "Yeah, like I ever do." With a wave, he left the house and was off.

Kurama turned to Cian. "I apologize for Yusuke's less than graceful table manners. I've been trying to cure him of his aversion to chewing with his mouth closed for years." He gathered up the dishes and headed to the kitchen.

Much to the fox's surprise, Cian carried half the load and gladly helped Kurama with the dishes. "He's definitely does not lack personality. I'm glad that you have friends who care so deeply about you that they'd come by at an ungodly hour of the morning just to attempt breakfast and make sure you were okay."

Kurama smiled as he looked down. "He has a good heart."

"So do you," Cian dried the last dish and placed it in the cupboard Kurama indicated. When he straightened, he pulled the fox close and stole a kiss. "Now, why did you slam the door in my face this morning?"

Kurama blushed. "No one in this world or the next should be subject to smelling my morning breath."

Cian laughed and kissed him again. "When is our next date?"

Kurama sighed. "I'm busy for the next two weeks. One of our girls at the bookstore quit without any notice so I'm taking her shifts. Then, I have Keiko and Yusuke's wedding to plan. The two days I do have off the next two weeks have already been planned. The group and I are all going to an amusement park. We're leaving Friday the moment I get off work, camping in the woods, and then spending the next day in the amusement park."

"Amusement parks don't seem like an adventure you'd choose for yourself."

Kurama pulled away from Cian's grip around his waist and leaned back against the counter. "My life is centered around those who are close to me. I want it that way. If going to a silly amusement park makes them happy, then I'll go. I'm sure it will be fun to watch the boys scream at something so simple as a ride."

Cian moved forward, effectively trapping Kurama between himself and the counter. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Kurama shook his head. "No."

"Do I have competition for your heart and devotion?" Cian's lips burned a trail down Kurama's exposed throat while his hands wandered places Kurama was sure they shouldn't be.

Kurama grabbed the wrists to stop the movement of hands. "Yes."

Cian backed away a step at the frank honesty. Damn, he thought. "Should I be worried about this other man?"

A small smile flitted across Kurama's face as the memory of crimson eyes passed through his thoughts. "Yes, you should. Hiei is very special to me."

Cian moved forward and claimed the fox's lips again. This kiss was brutal and demanding, nothing like the other kisses. Kurama decided not to respond, not to encourage the other man. Cian's tongue forced Kurama's lips to part and he delved in to the warm cavern of Kurama's mouth. The fox still tasted of sweet melon. Kurama fisted his hands in the soft white cotton of Cian's shirt, both resisting and giving in. If one could be raped through a kiss, Cian was certainly doing just that.

Kurama trailed a hand up Cian's neck and to his hair. With a swift and strong tug, he pulled the other man's face away from his. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Cian asked with mock innocence.

"Don't make the mistake of underestimating me. Dominance over me is a gift that I give those I chose to. Only two demons in my existence have earned the right to establish dominance over me, and you aren't one of them."

Cian smirked. "Then tell me, fox, who is?"

Kurama's green eyes hardened. "The first was my mate in my last life, when I was just a demon. He was killed. The second is your competition. Keep that in mind the next time you try to dominate me in a kiss."

Cian managed to look ashamed of himself. "How does one earn the right to be dominant over you?"

Kurama leaned back. "They start by earning my trust. Then, if they can capture my heart, I might allow it. They must also prove to me that they're at least on the same level as I am." He turned his face away from Cian, a look of arrogance replacing his anger. "I won't let a weaker creature dominate me."

Cian turned the face towards him. "Kurama, I want to spar with you."

Kurama's eyes brightened. "I don't think you realize how serious I am during my training. I don't hold back."

"I don't want you to." Cian grinded his hips in to the fox's.

Green eyes widened. "Are you suggesting that we have an actual match rather than just sparring? With my submission being the prize?"

"Yes," Cian whispered in his ear. "Unless Yoko Kurama thinks he can be beaten. This is exactly your favorite game, fox. Playing where the stakes are high for both parties and you have something to gain from it."

Kurama gazed up at piercing blue eyes. "What will I gain from my victory?"

Cian held a seed in front of Kurama's face and watched the eyes immediately lock on to it. "Do your recognize it?"

The fox nodded, never taking his eyes off the seed. "Yes. It's called Kiss of Death. It was originally named such to scare people away from it. However, the seed will grow in to a beautiful flower. It is said that when a dying person eats a petal from the flower, they are delivered from death's door."

"What else?"

"However, the petal must fall from the flower of its own accord but be caught before it touches earth. If it touches earth and is fed to someone, it becomes poison. The flower protects its owner with its thorns, like a rose. The thorns are deadly to all but its owner."

"Very good."

Kurama managed to pull his eyes away from the seed that was the rarest to find. A seed he'd been searching for since he knew of it. "I understand the value of that seed better than anyone. Even so, it's not worth putting my body up for stakes."

Cian put the seed in his pocket. "And I'll tell you everything you want to know about me."

Kurama nodded. "At dawn's light tomorrow, I'll meet you at the temple. I'm sure you know enough about me to know where it is."

Cian nodded and moved forward to capture the fox's lips with his own.

Kurama turned his head away. "I have to get ready for work."

Cian smiled. "And call Hiei."

Kurama glanced at Cian. "Hiei is unreachable right now. Even if I were to call him, it would be none of your concern." A plan formed in Kurama's head. "I have to work and then I have classes. After that, I'm going with Keiko to get a wedding dress and pick out a design for her bridesmaid. Between work and my classes, I have an hour of time. Come see me at noon."

Cian took a flower from his pocket and placed it in Kurama's hair. The purple of the flower stood out against Kurama's red locks. "I'll see you then." He glanced over his shoulder once. "When it comes to winning your heart, I won't play fair, fox."

Kurama smiled, his eyes shadowed. "That's good. Because neither will Hiei." He saw Cian to the door before returning to the kitchen.

Kurama plucked the flower from his hair and gazed at it. A forget-me-not. How quaint. He threw it on the counter and sighed. Today was bound to be a very long day.

AUTHORS CORNER:

Again, I hope you all enjoyed it! Things are getting even more complex and heated as the battle for Kurama's heart continues! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I truly appreciate being able to know what you all think. The next chapter will be even more interesting. I'm so excited! So excited that you all might get two chapters in one day again. Oh, and this weekend, no updates for all of you. I'm sorry, but I'll be super busy. But I'm making up for it with plenty of chapters now. . I hope you guys enjoy. I think I'm as addicted to this story as you are.