A/N: IT'S DONE! HAH!

But like literally, this just wouldn't end and I can't just not write. The next chapter promises to be long too but we'll let tomorrow's chapters worry about themselves.

For now, enjoy!

"Sick you say?" Izaya forced himself to relax under the watchful eye of Haruya Shiki, who was currently sitting across from him. The Awakusu-kai executive tapped the end of his cigarette against the ashtray beside him thoughtfully, as if mulling over the validity of his claim. "You don't look to be in poor health to me."

Izaya made a conscious effort not to bite his lip. "Believe me Shiki-san, I am in no position to be doing anything at all." A typical smirk stretched his lips, even though the sickly ochre of the room made his stomach turn. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I could have spared you the trip here."

Shiki waved it away casually, but Izaya would have been a fool to miss the way his eyes narrowed calculatingly. "It's nothing Orihara-san, I'm merely disappointed you wouldn't hear me out."

Digging his hands into the back of he cracked leather of his seat to keep from brushing at his thigh instinctively, Izaya affected a frown and said, "But surely you want someone at the top of their game. I am anything but." Even if I don't look it.

To be completely candid, Izaya hadn't even wanted to get out of bed that morning, so worried was he about what the new day would bring. The day before had been grueling, every minute of it spent on frantic research that only just kept further mental collapse at bay. Neither he nor Namie had found much of anything and it was discouraging to say the least.

The only thing that had pulled him out of bed was this impromptu meeting with Shiki that he hadn't been able to get out of. Now he was here, in the back of some club no doubt controlled by the Yakuza, talking to a powerful man that he generally wouldn't be saying no to. I've got my own problems, cut me some slack.

"Whatever is ailing you, I'm sure this wouldn't get in the way." Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Shiki regarded him coolly before adding, "And it's a highly sensitive matter, I wouldn't want it getting out because I chose my informant carelessly. You are the best."

"You flatter me," Izaya murmured, though he couldn't deny that he was more than a little curious. Focus, you've got more important fish to fry. Shizuo is your soulmate for god's sake, don't get sidetracked! "But ultimately, I can't help you at present."

Shiki leaned forward, a hard look entering his eyes. "This isn't exactly a matter I wish to debate Orihara-san, I needyou on this now before it gets any worse." The furrow between his brows deepened and Izaya could see the way his fingers twitched over his cigarette. "Already some rather important personnel have been affected, I can't let this get any more out of hand than it already has."

Deciding that getting out of this would be more trouble than it was worth, Izaya finally nodded, "Very well Shiki-san, I'll see what I can do, but I must warn you, it won't garner my full attention until my own problems have passed." Shifting forward, Izaya deliberately reached for the manila folder at the center of the table and dragged it towards himself. "By all means, start talking," he urged.

With an almost relieved look on his face, Shiki leaned back again. "It started roughly two days ago. Usually I'd bring things of this nature to Kishitani-san but unfortunately, he seems to be unavailable as of now."

Pulling out the sheef of papers, certain sections held together with paperclips, Izaya felt a buzz of nervousness enter his system. Almost like a phantom pain, his thigh started to itch.

It was a list of people, people showing a very familiar list of problems. What kind of joke is this supposed to be?Izaya wondered, flipping through the pages, waiting for a punchline that wasn't coming.

How the hell are so many people suddenly showing symptoms of soulmates?!

"As you can see, many people working under me have started showing some very odd…" Shiki waved his cigarette about, searching for the right word. "Symptoms that are not easily explained away. Naturally I've done my own research, as have others under me, but all we seem to be able to find is old legends and hearsay." A dangerous smile that was missing it's mirth. "Right up your alley, right Orihara-san?"

Izaya glanced up from the papers, fighting to keep his expression smooth. "Sudden telepathic abilities? Odd tattoos? These seem quite unrelated to each other Shiki-san. How is a black collar in any way related to color blindness?" Inside his stomach was churning. What the hell was happening? He didn't have time to deal with this, he was still dealing with his own problems!

Did it spread, am I contagious? But no, I haven't had contact with that many people since it happened, how can this possibly be my fault?Izaya's panic mixed with confusion. Shinra had said these things were rare, why were a large number of people suddenly being affected?

"I'm as confused as you are." Shiki assured him. "But they've all appeared within the last two days. At first I ignored it but due to recent events, I reconsidered." Izaya, caught up in his own thought as he was, almost missed what happened next. The Awakusu-kai executive's hand swiftly moved to his collar and twitched it straight, pulling it back over his neck.

But not before Izaya caught a glimpse of the black band around Shiki's throat.

Oh…

"So you want me to find the cause of this," Izaya started slowly, eyes narrowing as he took a recount of Shiki's presence. Now that he knew what he was looking for, Izaya could see the slightly disheveled air about the generally crisp man. The unnaturally high collar for someone who usually left the first two buttons open. The way his mouth tended towards a tight line as opposed to his typical relaxed expression. He's faking calm as much as I am. Tell me Shiki-san, who isyour soulmate?

"And a way to get it to stop spreading and a solution if there is one." Shiki was nodding, that furrow between his brows deepening again. "Believe me Orihara-san, this is not some trivial manner. I wouldn't be wasting my money on you if it were."

"Of course…" Calmly, Izaya slipped the papers back into the manila folder. A soulmate epidemic. What is the world coming to? "I'll take a look, ne? After all, I do tend to specialize in the extraordinary."

Shiki frowned. "I'd rather there be a more innocent explanation, but I'll take what you give me Orihara-san. Whether I like it or not, you tend to be right." A rueful look twisted his mouth. "If only selectively so."

Izaya gave a deceptively easy smile. "An informant is as an informant does. I'll get back to you soon." Getting to his feet, Izaya gave an almost mocking bow. "Goodbye Shiki-san, I do hope this apparent epidemic doesn't bite you as well."

Or at least worse than it already has.

As he left the club, Izaya took a breath of fresh air and squinted against the blinding gold of outside. Really, he knew he should be getting back to his apartment, back to his research. Namie was currently out, probably would be for most of the day as she talked to various sources in an attempt to gather some more reliable, if less guaranteed, information. He didn't want to be cooped up in there alone, on house arrest until further notice, but he knew deep down that he had to.

Besides, why would he want to see Shizuo anyway?

Never once did he question why mentally that was the only alternative.

Lightly, Izaya sprung up and onto one of the concrete pillars that lined this particular stretch of road. Those around him hardly blinked as he used his new perch to leap higher onto a mailbox. It felt good to get a bit of his coordination back, however small the achievement was. His vision, while making it difficult, eventually started to just settle in, become the new normal. Izaya still hated it, but he was starting to feel suspiciously resigned to it anyway.

I'd get rid of it in a second if I had the chance.Well, maybe not in a second, seeing as how the most obvious solution was one he'd never take. It was all so screwed up just thinking about it gave him a headache. It wasn't being helped by the fact that Shizuo had suddenly taken to breaking his usual pattern of behavior.

And now there had been a veritable outbreak of people experiencing unexpected symptoms of soulmates, almost as if Celty had triggered some sort of cataclysm with her single action. Well Namie did say she clearly didn't know what she was doing…Grinding his teeth together, Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets and glared over the heads of the few humans walking past him. Why did this all have to be so complicated?

Is my life ever simple?

Unexpectedly, a smile crossed his face. Whatever else he wanted to say about the situation, the idea of Haruya Shiki, Yakuza executive and generally a powerful and dangerous man, discovering that he had a soulmate was hilarious. Especially if the way he found out was through an obedience collar. Shiki-san forced to obey someone else? The very idea is delightfully ridiculous.

Oh the things I could do with this...

Turning back in the direction of his apartment, Izaya's mirth faded. In the end, I'm still dealing with many of the same problems and they only seem to be getting worse. I don't have time to play around with these new developments. I'd be better off finding the solution.

He was about to dutifully start home when the ground abruptly fell out from under him.

Blinking the stars from his eyes and groaning, Izaya peeled his forehead off the ground, confused as to what had just happened. His first thought was that his support must have been knocked out from under him. It was quite a common occurrence after all, considering the amount of time he spent around Shizuo. But no, the mailbox was above him, still standing. His next assumption was that someone had grabbed him and pulled him over but this too turned out to be unlikely. The people nearest to him were several meters away and only a couple had even noticed his fall.

What the hell? Did I just slip?

Why then did it feel like someone had grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him down?

Then there was a hard tug and Izaya's thoughts scattered as he found himself being dragged down the pavement by his ankle. Who's doing this?Flipping onto his back and trying to latch onto something to keep himself from being yanked around any more, Izaya's stomach plummeted. There was no one there. Another wrench of his ankle forced him to accept that whatever was going on wasn't going to be easily explained. What the hell is going on?!

Attempting to struggle to his feet, Izaya let out a shout of surprise as he was promptly pulled over again in an undignified sprawl of limbs. Oblivious to his fall or for that matter him, whatever was dragging Izaya kept yanking him down the sidewalk like he weighed nothing. Noticing the people starting to stare, Izaya fought to gain control of the situation, scrambling forward and trying to get up again.

It was nearly impossible, whatever was dragging him wasn't stopping, wasn't so much as slowing. Instead it was a constant pull forward that reduced any and all resistance to nothing but torn skin and pulled muscles.

His hands were bloody and his jeans were shot to hell by the time he managed to regain his feet next, a whole block later. By now panic was raging through his blood. What is happening, what's wrong with me?This time when he felt another pull, Izaya went with it, forcing himself to keep up with the constant torque on his leg. Though he wanted to compare it to a hand grabbing his ankle and pulling him forward, it was more like a rope than anything

Looking down at his feet as he fought to keep up with the steady pull on his leg, Izaya spent a moment in intense confusion. There's nothing there, what's going on?And then he saw it, the first flash of color he'd seen in two days.

A shimmering strand of red, looped around his ankle.

Izaya's hands started to shake.

No, no no nonono, it couldn'tbe, it couldn't! Izaya fought his rising panic as he spend up, giving himself more slack in the line. He kept glancing down, hoping he was imagining things but it was still there, shining and damning.

An unbreakable red string.

A string of fate.

I've got to get back home.Suddenly fueled by overwhelming fear, Izaya took off running towards his apartment, not caring how many weird looks he got for it. His legs, arms and lower back were torn and bleeding thanks to the pavement he'd been dragged across. His palms were bloody and cut but he could care less. The only thought in his mind was one long cry of fear.

I can't deal with another symptom, I've already manifested three! This shouldn't be happening, why does this problem keep getting worse! I. Can't. Handle this!

It only took him only a few minutes to get to his apartment building, another two to fly up the stairs. His heart was hammering by the time he finally threw himself into his apartment, cold sweat mixing with the blood on his back. It burned, but his mind was too scattered to register it. What the hell- how the hell?

In a rush, Izaya slammed his door closed and locked the new lock that had been installed above the old one. Panic won't get me anywhere, I need to figure out what's wrong.But the fear racing through his blood didn't agree. Please don't let this be what I already know it is.His silent prayers were useless, he already knew the truth. Feeling sick, Izaya's gaze lowered to his ankle once more.

Now that he wasn't moving he was able to get a good look at the red thread. It was fastened securely around his ankle, snug but not enough to cut off circulation. Disturbingly, or perhaps inevitably, there was no visible knot or tie. Bending down, or more accurately, collapsing to his knees, Izaya yanked at it and found that as he suspected, it wasn't about to budge. As a last resort he flipped out his knife and tried in vain to sever the cord. It was only once he'd irrevocably dulled the blade that he stopped trying.

Letting the knife fall from his trembling fingers, Izaya curled up in the middle of his floor and hugged his knees, fighting the terror that filled him. I need to call Namie, I need to do something I need to- to-But he couldn't think straight, his mind was filled with useless static. Fear, after all, was the most virulent killer of potential solutions.

He knew what this meant, Shinra had said that this string could control how far he could get from Shizuo. Considering the beast's strength, that meant he was practically at the man's mercy. If Shizuo wanted to drag him somewhere, he would.

He already has, Izaya realized with a thrill of fear and loathing. He's the reason I'm now cut up and bleeding, shaking in terror.For someone who had acted so worried about him, Shizuo sure hadn't had any qualms with dragging the Raven through Shinjuku by the ankle. Maybe he doesn't know, but Izaya was having a hard time reconciling this with the image of himself Shizuo had portrayed yesterday.

After all, shouldn't it be obvious that something was wrong if he was suddenly dragging along a protesting and fighting Izaya around by his own ankle.

Honestly, Izaya had no idea, nor could he really summon up the strength to care.

All he really wanted to do was collapse into his swivel chair and pretend like this wasn't a problem. Just let the beast do what he wanted while Izaya confined himself to his apartment. Fitting, ne? Like the slave these symptoms have made me to be, I'll be kept in a cage.

His mind went blank as he felt the string around his ankle go taught again. Izaya didn't even have time to escape before he was dragged across his apartment floor by several feet. Fear seizing him once more, Izaya fought to stand only get pulled over once again. W-what the hell is he doing? Stop it, you beast!Yet he just kept getting dragged over his carpet, leaving a trail of yellow blood in his wake. Just stop moving for a second! Staring towards his door hopelessly for a moment, Izaya turned back to look at his ankle only to feel his stomach drop.

Because he could see the trail the thread followed, and it lead straight through his large bay windows that overlooked the district of Ikebukuro.

Filled with renewed vigor, Izaya fought the steady pull on his ankle, straining against it in an attempt to get away. He's going to kill me,Izaya realized in horror. If he doesn't stop, Shizuo's going to crush me. But he couldn't get away, the monster was far stronger than him, probably thought nothing of Izaya's efforts to make him stop moving.

He just kept pulling, walking in that stupidly sedated way he always did. Just like a mindless beast.

Izaya's side smacked against the base of his desk, which provided some resistance against Shizuo's steady march forward. What is he even doing? Doesn't he feel anything?But then the thin wood buckled under the pressure and with a terrible splintering sound, Izaya was forced through the back of his desk. Large splinters lodged in his skin as he was dragged yet further, ever closer to the edge of his apartment.

No, NO! STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME!

For a second, the pressure lessened, and Izaya tried to scramble away. Just let me get out of here, please!And for a moment, he thought he was going to be okay, he even managed to get his feet back under him and walk forward a few tentative steps.

Then his vision faded as he was slammed against the glass of his apartment wall. Izaya could hardly see straight as he felt himself being pulled ever harder, pressed against the glass. As his vision cleared, Izaya could feel his blood run cold and his stomach plummet further.

I'm going to die. He really is going to kill me.

My own soulmate is going to kill me.

And at last the tears started spilling out over his cheeks as with the last remnants of his strength Izaya fought to get away from his inevitable demise. But Shizuo kept pulling and he could feel the glass bending under the pressure. It hurt, he could feel his bones being ground into the hard surface and his hands left smears of golden blood behind them as he scrabbled for purchase.

The drop will kill me, he'll pull me out of the window and there won't be anything to stop me from turning into a stain on the pavement below.

Sobbing, stuttering over curses and pleas for Shizuo to just stop,Izaya heard the unmistakeable sound of the thick glass fracturing and closed his eyes against the blinding gold of the outside world. He didn't want to see it happen. Didn't want to watch the ground vanish as he was yanked through the glass and out of his apartment.

And to think I thought he might actually care…

And just as suddenly as it had begun, the pressure on his ankle vanished and Izaya collapsed against his carpeted floor.

Dazed, confused as to what had just happened, Izaya blearily opened his eyes and stared at his ankle. The string had some slack to it, how much he didn't know, but he wasn't dead. Shizuo hadn't killed him after all. Hugging his knees, ignoring the pain that seemed to cover his entire body, Izaya just let himself cry, let the remaining fear and hopelessness drain out of him.

I'm alive. He didn't- Shizu-chan stopped moving.

Part of him felt pathetic for the tears that dampened his hair and neck, making his breathing stick and his face red. The rest of him could care less. He'd been about to die, this wasn't an untoward response. For a moment a wash of relief and gratefulness crashed over Izaya because he was alive and that was very important. Especially when not but a second ago he'd been convinced he was going to be killed.

But then the anger swelled up behind it because it didn't matter that Shizuo had stopped, what mattered was that he hadn't cared enough to halt before then. When had the beast ever cared? How dare Izaya even dream that he might? That was foolishness of the highest degree and Izaya hated himself for it but more than that, he hated Shizuo.

Something needs to be done.

Getting to his feet despite the shaking in his limbs, Izaya started for the door, grabbing for the cellphones he'd left on his desk as he went. His first order of business would be to get out of this apartment so Shizuo didn't almost kill him again by moving too far away.

Then he was going to find the man andgut him for what he had almost done.

I don't care if Shizu-chan's my soulmate, I don't care!Izaya thought fiercely, gritting his teeth in a snarl.I'm going to kill him for this! Otherwise he's going to kill me.

Once he was out on the streets, Izaya reached down and grabbed for the thin thread of red fate that connected him to the monster. After all, what better way to find the man than to follow the convenient trail of breadcrumbs laid out for him? As he ran, Izaya looped the thread around his arm, holding the slack close to his chest.

Fate shouldn't look nearly so sparkly...

As he ran, he felt one of his phones ringing. Irritated, Izaya grabbed for it and answered sharply. "What do you want?"

From the other end of the connection, he heard his secretary breathe, "Oh god, what happened this time? Are you okay?"Horrified and more than a little frustrated she continued, "Because if you honestly went and got yourself hurt, I swear-"

"I have another symptom," he told her, forcing himself to slow down to a fast walk so he could talk properly. "The red string of fate, I discovered it after seeing Shiki-san." Glancing down at the coils of red around his arm, Izaya's jaw clenched. "He almost killed me Namie-san. He was going to, I promise you he was."

"Who, Shiki?"Namie demanded, her voice getting lost to the sound of traffic as Izaya left Shinjuku and crossed over into Ikebukuro. "You're not making sense Izaya, what the hell is going on?"

"SHIZUO ALMOST KILLED ME!" he yelled into the phone, not caring about the way his voice shook. "He- the thread only lets me get a certain distance from him, he almost dragged me through the window of my apartment. I almost died Namie-san, the glass cracked, I couldn't-" His voice was weakening and he hated himself for it. "He's so much stronger than me, I couldn't do anything."

"Izaya,"her voice gentled considerably. "I'm sorry. You should have called me as soon as you found it. I would have come and helped-"

"Oh, but I didn't need help," Izaya spat, hardly paying attention to the people swelling around him. "I needed Shizuo to stop moving and he almost didn't. It's a miracle I'm still alive at all. He was going to murderme."

"Calm down,"Namie advised with a sigh. "You're freaking out right now but I need you to look at this calmly. You have a small apartment in Ikebukuro, right?"She sounded reasonable, not exactly what he was looking for at that moment in time.

Sneering terribly, Izaya assured her, "Oh, I won't be needing to stay there Namie-san because I'm ending this right now."

"What the hell are you planning?" Namie asked, alarmed. "Izaya, can we please think about this for a moment, whatever you want to do, it's not-"

"I'm going to kill him!" he snapped into the phone. "I'm going to slaughter him like the beast he is, I should have done it the moment this whole thing started!" The anger in his blood wouldn't let him do anything else. He was done giving in, he was going to end it his way.

The only right way.

Otherwise, well, Izaya was tired of breaking down, piece by pathetic piece.

"Izaya!" Namie's voice hurt his ear and he held it away from his face. "Don't you- STOP AND THINK FOR A GODDAMNED MINUTE!"

"I'M DONE THINKING!" Izaya shouted right back. "HE. ALMOST. KILLED ME! I'm just returning the favor!"

"Do you have anyidea of what the ramifications for doing this are?"Namie asked, incredulous. "Well? Do you? Because believe me Izaya, it's not going to be pretty. This shit doesn't end just because you kill him. In fact, I can guarantee it'll be worse so would you please-"

"At least he won't be pulling me off of any buildings," Izaya hissed before hanging up on his secretary. She just didn't understand, she hadn't been at the top of a highrise, watching her life flash before her eyes as the window glass cracked under her weight. She hadn't been dragged across a good block of pavement without knowing what was going on. She didn't have a soulmate!

Shoving his phone back in his pocket, Izaya palmed two knives and slipped them up his sleeves. He had to be getting close, there was too much red thread around his arm for it to be otherwise. For a moment he blinked in surprise as the fact he was seeing another color than yellow really sank in, but then he thought about what it stood for and he felt more irrational anger rise up.

I'm going to kill him! Even if it kills me too.

And then he saw a blinding flash of light and froze because there he was, in all his monstrous glory and he was staring right at him.

"Izaya?" Izaya didn't dare think about Shizuo's tone of voice because that would have meant he'd have had to think about the overwhelming relief and emotion there.

Instead, he let his blades slide free before launching himself at his soulmate.

~•~

Shizuo wasn't having a good day and that might have been an understatement.

He'd woken up irritable and worried, unable to think about anything but Izaya. The first part of his day had been spent in a daze, too tired to keep his thoughts straight.

And now something was wrong with his ankle and honestly, Shizuo was so sick of this shit.

Something, though he couldn't figure out what, felt like it was dragging behind him. Shizuo kept checking his ankle but if there was something there, he couldn't see it. For the last block it had felt like he was dragging a weight behind him. It wasn't so bad, but it was fucking annoying.

Really, he had bigger things to worry about, he didn't need this shit.

"Shizuo! Something wrong?" Tom called, turning around to give him a curious look.

You mean other than what's already wrong?Biting back the uncharitable response, Shizuo gruffly answered, "No, nothing," and gave his leg another good tug. As if he'd pulled whatever it was loose, the weight vanished and he lurched forward unexpectedly. Catching himself, the blond man ignored the twin looks of confusion on Vorona's and Tom's faces.

"Is having to do with Soulmate?" Vorona asked, tilting her head to the side and watching Shizuo intently. He hated that thiswas now their go-to question, but he could hardly blame them. It had been his immediate assumption as well.

Falling into step beside them, the blond sighed. "I have no fucking clue." Looking down at his ankle again as it met with a slight bit of resistance, Shizuo ground his teeth together. "I feel like something's tied to my ankle or something." Which was stupid, because he couldn't see anything there.

Glancing back, Tom stared down at Shizuo's feet and shrugged helplessly. "There's nothing there Shizuo." He looked genuinely regretful that he couldn't help which only made Shizuo feel worse.

"Don't worry about it Tom-san, it's probably nothing." He didn't believe his own words, but that didn't exactly matter. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it. Shizuo's only course of action was going to Shinra and he was sick of beating that dead dog.

I could try talking to Izaya again…

But he didn't dare. Remember his face, remember the fear you saw there. Don't make it worse, just let Izaya calm down and solve his own problems. It's for the best.Why did he want to do anything to help the man he'd until recently considered his rival? Shizuo didn't know, nor did he care. He had more important things to think about than a simple change of heart.

They'd probably just go back to hating each other after this was all over anyway.

"Look on the bright side," Tom suggested with a half-smile. "At least we shouldn't be dealing with anyone too stressful today." Which was tantamount to him saying at least you won't lose it and hurt more people because you're distractedbut Shizuo was grateful for it anyway.

"Good," he muttered, hunching his shoulders and looking at the ground. The sidewalk looked like lava but while it had made him uneasy for the last few days, by now Shizuo was used to it. It's just Izaya's eyes after all, it's just my vision and my wrist. I'm fine, much better than the Flea anyway…

It worried him, thinking of Izaya and how scared he'd been. Shizuo didn't want to believe that Izaya would try and kill himself over this but he didn't know. It was Izaya, how could he know? All he wanted was for Izaya to go back to his usual asshole-ish self. He didn't want to deal with whatever had become of his enemy.

Honestly, it all just made him feel sick.

"Is not this place of residence?" The sound of Vorona's voice brought Shizuo out of his daze. Glancing over the heads of his friends, Shizuo glanced up at the shit apartment and sighed. Another day, another problem, another idiot he had to deal with.

"Yep," Tom confirmed, giving a resigned sigh. "Shouldn't be much of a problem. Never has been, just a bit irritating." Glancing behind himself at Shizuo, Tom cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Wanna sit this one out Shizuo. Vorona can probably handle him if he gets violent."

Almost irritated that Tom would give him special treatment, Shizuo grunted, "No, I'm fine. I'm not going to blow up just cause he's a dick." Tom gave a half-laugh and a what-can-you-do sort of shrug. Shizuo took this as intended and followed his employer towards the apartment.

It was dirty, disgusting. The man who opened the door wasn't much better. Shizuo hated the look of his eyes especially, like a beetle, glinting sickly red in his vision. Of course, he forced himself to ignore it, focusing instead on the situation. I can't fix my vision, I can't do anything to make this more pleasant so I might as well focus and not screw up.

The man whinged, curling under Tom's gaze. Shizuo took a deep breath and lit up, pretending for all he was worth that the idiot wasn't talking. Something about not having the money this time, telling Tom he shouldn't pester him so much. But there was something about the man that Shizuo instinctively knew was off. The slight shifts in the man's behavior that indicated there was more to see than met the eye.

Unfortunately, Shizuo knew the look too well. It was the same fucking look that Izaya used to wear before he drew the knife, let loose with the insult, changed tactics. All of it, conniving, evil, disgusting. And it pissed Shizuo off because that expression was the one he wanted Izaya to be wearing instead of the fear and the misery. This man, who looked small and dirty, shouldn't have been giving Tom that smile.

A moment later, Shizuo realized what the implications of the look were and only recognized it just in time. No matter how hampered his vision was, his reflexes hadn't suffered a bit. He moved almost before the man did, lunging forward to block the knife that had been aimed for Tom.

"Piece of shit!"the man spit, the sycophantic look vanishing at once. He attempted to strike again with the blade, a dirty carving knife that wasn't built for this but seemed perfectly capable of making Shizuo's life irritating. Letting out some of the irritation and energy he'd been bottling up, Shizuo lifted the man off his feet and threw him backwards, sending him crashing through the wall and into the alley behind.

"No offence," Shizuo said, an angry grin on his face, rage still rising off of him in waves. "But I really don't like violence. Also, I don't like people attacking my employer." The man was still spitting curses, shaking the rubble off. Grudgingly, the blond gave the man some credit. Most people didn't stand up after he threw them through a wall.

Only one person ever does… The thought only pissed him off more.

"I'll kill you!" he screeched, unsteady but upright and furious. Glaring at Tom in particular, he hissed, "I'll gut you and your fuckboy and the whore, I'll fuckng kill you all." Shizuo normally wouldn't have cared about this posturing, but the man got up and it irritated him to no end that he'd been almost expecting some sort of crafty threat. The kind Izaya might spit out as they flew down the streets.

Not the desperate orders that sounded more like pleas that had tumbled from his mouth the day before.

"Do you really want to fucking try?" Shizuo tried to walk through the door only to feel his ankle resist him again. Too fixated on the man in front of him to give it proper consideration, the blond pressed on, walking towards hole in the wall where he stopped, staring at the lowlife with fire in his eyes. "Because I've been having a shit couple of days and I willhurt you."

He was sick of this man, sick of his mystery problems and even more tired of the ones he partially understood. And now this man was threatening Tom and Vorona and that was the last straw. All in all, he was too worn out for this shit.

"Don't kill him Shizuo," Tom said, sounding tired, resigned as if he'd know this would happen. Instantly, guilt flooded into his bloodstream. Shizuo cringed as he remembered that just a moment ago he'd been convinced he could handle some minor irritations. This wasn't handling, this was, in fact, the very antithesis of dealing. "Come on, he's harmless, ignore him."

Drawing in a hard breath, Shizuo forced himself to take a step back. Tom was right, this wasn't worth it. He should be worrying about Izaya, not about something like this.

But even as he turned around, the idiot behind him had to open his mouth again.

"I'll destroy everything you've ever cared about!" the man shouted, brandishing his knife wildly. "I'll kill anyone you ever loved. I'll crush you!"

And like that, Shizuo snapped because while he knew that he could handle himself and Vorona and Tom weren't helpless either, he hatedpeople who threaten those closest to him. Usually, when someone said something like this he thought of Kasuka and that was enough to drive him into a blind rage. The thought of anyone hurting his little brother could make him see red faster than anything else. It was his natural reaction.

But that wasn't what made him turn around because Kasuka hadn't been the person who popped into his mind.

Instead, he'd seen an image of Izaya, cowering against a wall, tears leaking out of his eyes and an inexplicable fury filled him. The idea that this piece of filth, or any piece of filth for that matter, would dareto lay so much as a finger on Izaya awoke in him such a primal rage that he moved without thinking. Faster than was should have been strictly possible, Shizuo lunged forward and slammed the man into the brick wall at his back, pinning him by the throat.

"You wouldn't dare,"he growled, his voice somehow conveying every bit of the incomprehensible ire in his blood, all the desire and need to snuff out the light of this pathetic shit. He tried to get closer but found that his ankle was yet again holding him back, the pressure greater than before. Something told him to let go, give up and obey the pull behind him but Shizuo physically couldn't. All he wanted to do was killthis man for ever daring to hurt Izaya.

HE'S MINE! MY FUCKING PROBLEM, MY FUCKING SOULMATE! YOU CAN'T HURT HIM, YOU CAN'T EVEN TOUCH HIM!

His fingers retracted, even as he tried to get better purchase, pulling his protesting foot forward, slowly but surely. "He's not fucking yours to so much as look at!"The man was trembling now, the knife was long gone. Tears and snot and sweat leaked from what seemed like every possible orifice, entirely disgusting, just like the trash he was holding aloft. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Shizuo suddenly thundered, slamming the man's head against the wall again and again. "HE'S MINE!"

And he would have killed him, had not the voice of Tom and the tug of Vorona's grip yanked him free of the fury that had him ensnared. "Shizuo!" Tom barked, sounding scared for the first time since they'd started working together. "Let him go!"

"Shizuo-senpai, is unfortunately illegal to cause death in such manner," Vorona insisted, her fingers digging in hard. "Do not! Is not worth uncomfortable consequences."

It took everything he had, but Shizuo wrenched himself free of his own anger and stumbled backward, finally letting the tension on his ankle loosen. Finally allowing Vorona to push him back, away from the man now curled up on the ground. The back of his head was bleeding but Shizuo couldn't make himself feel guilty for what had happened.

Dirty fuck deserved it. "He was threatening- Said he was going to kill-" Shizuo couldn't even finish a sentence properly, the anger in him wouldn't let his mouth work properly. He just let Tom grab his other arm and help Vorona lead him out of the dank apartment and into the harsh red glare of the sunlight.

"Shizuo, it's what they all say," Tom reminded him patiently, closing the door behind them as if that would do much good. Massaging his forehead with his fingertips, Tom muttered something under his breath that Shizuo would have sworn was At least the city counts the damage he does as natural disasters.

"Look," he finally said, walking down the small staircase towards where Vorona still had a hand on Shizuo as if holding him back. "You can't just blow up at everyone who threatens Kasuka. I know it's hard for you but think about it. He's got bodyguards, he's got private security. Hell, he's even got a pseudonym. No one's going to touch him."

"I wasn't thinking about Kasuka," Shizuo growled, only realizing it was true once he'd said the words. I was thinking about Izaya,he forced himself to acknowledge, brushing at the glowing name on his wrist. I was thinking about my soulmate getting hurt and it made me furious.

Tom gave him a nonplussed look, but Vorona caught on almost at once. "Is thinking about soulmate," she stated softly, watching Shizuo's face intently. "Much worried about Izaya occurring harm from annoying man."

The debt collector's eyes widened as if surprised, then they sobered. "I see," was the only answer he had for the situation.

But now the dam had broken and Shizuo couldn't contain himself. It all came pouring out at once. "Fucking piece of shit thinks he can act all pathetic and scared like that and not talk to me about it. We're fucking soulmates and I'm not even allowed to fucking see him because everyone's worried about it getting worse. What if it's already fucking worse, huh? What if he's hurt? What if it's my fault? How am I supposed to do fuck all if he's a city away?"

Vorona's usually flat face fell a bit as if trying to sympathize with his pain. "Matter is not simple. Izaya and Shizuo-senpai, rivals. Not friends. Makes problem difficult to unnecessary level."

"Fuck, I know that!" he snapped, clenching his fists, hating how his anger instantly turned cannibalistic and started eating him from the inside out. Shizuo dug his fingers into his hair, trying to relieve some of the stress. "It pisses me the hell off. Why does it have to be him?"

"I don't know," Tom admitted, giving a slow sigh. "But I do know that this isn't going to help anyone. You're just torturing yourself."

"GOOD!" Shizuo snapped. "I fucking deserve it!"

"No," Tom said calmly, stepping forward till he was standing directly before the blond. "You don't. I know you Shizuo, I know you're going to figure this out but trust me, that informat isn't as weak as everyone's making him out to be. He'll pull through and all you can do is be there for him when he needs it."

Knowing his employer and long time friend had a point, Shizuo let go of his hair and looked up miserably. "He never fucking asks for help," he muttered, clenching and unclenching his teeth helplessly. "He just self-destructs."

"Shizuo-senpai has much in common with Orihara," Vorona observed, raising her eyebrows minutely. "But Tom-san correct, must not obsess." Forcing himself to release some of the tension from his mind, the blond glanced up at Vorona and nodded slowly.

"You're right." But they didn't feel right, Shizuo felt like something was horribly wrong but everything felt like shit so he decided it would be easier to just keep moving than running over the same pothole. "I'll be fine."

Though he probably didn't believe it for a second, Tom nodded slowly. "Then come on, we have work to do and this isn't getting any of it done. We might as well."

Obediently, Shizuo followed in a daze. As they headed back into the more populated sections of Ikebukuro, Shizuo refused to let his thoughts wander. He couldn't keep worrying about Izaya and he couldn't keep obsessing over the matter of soulmates lest he go crazy. At least his ankle wasn't bothering him any more. It was a small thing, but small things were still better than nothing.

Vorona and Tom made small talk, Shizuo normally would have joined in but he couldn't be bothered. All he had the energy to do was focus on the streams of people around him. All the same dull crimson, all blending together if he stared too long. The one thing he wanted to see, the flash of a solar flair in a sea of blood, wasn't there. But what did it matter, it wasn't as if Izaya and he were going to fix anything...

"So there are two names this way," Tom pointed to the right, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But there's one name this way."

"Is getting near lunch," Vorona observed, glancing to the watch that Shizuo automatically held out only to scoff when they noticed it was broken. "At least close," she decided, and Shizuo pulled his arm back, still not really listening. "Good ramen place to left. Might as well."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Tom pondered, stroking his chin. "I mean, if we're going to have to go back the other direction anyway we might as well get lunch sooner rather than later."

Vorona nodded in agreement. "Shizuo-senpai have opinion on proceedings?"

But Shizuo wasn't listening, he was so far from paying attention he might as well have been deaf.

Because a few meters away he could see the bright fire of light that could only mean one thing and it was all he could think about. As the crowd parted, he saw the man, standing straight and tall like he always used to. With purpose and life in his blood. The Raven hadn't seen him yet, but it hardly mattered because for those moments, Shizuo could feel a wave of relief follow the worry and guilt that had instantly filled him. Okay, he's okay.

But then Izaya turned and Shizuo realized that okay was the furthest possible thing from the truth of what he was seeing before him. Izaya's face was swollen with tears, putting to shame anything he'd seen the day before. His teeth were bared in a snarl and there was an irrational rage surrounding him, one so powerful that Shizuo could feel it from where he stood.

As their eyes met, Shizuo softly said, "Izaya-" unsure how to finish his thought, not even knowing what he was supposed to say to the hurting man before him.

But as it turned out, he didn't have to, because in the next second Izaya drew his knives and lunged for Shizuo's throat with a feral cry of anger. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Unprepared, Shizuo felt Izaya's first knife bite into his arm as he flew at him with a fury he'd never seen before in the man. Cursing as blood stained the second shirt in what felt like as many days, Shizuo leapt out of the way as Izaya regained his bearings and came after him again. "Izaya!" he snapped, alarmed and unsure where the rage had come from. "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

"YOU ALREADY KNOW!" Izaya spat in his face, slashing at him with such intensity it was as if a demon had possessed him. "IT'S YOUR FAULT SHIZUO, ALL YOUR FAULT!" Another swing of his blade, another quick dodge backward. "YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

It was the same thing he'd been told a million times before but this time, it really hurt. Shizuo didn't want to hear that he was a monster, he already knew it was true. So instead he just focused on staying out of range of Izaya's blades. "What the hell happened to you?" he begged, still retreating. "Izaya, just stop for a second and-"

"NO! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER. I AM A GOD!"He sounded desperate. Hell, he looked desperate. Beneath the anger was a powerful fear that rocked Shizuo to his core. What did I do to you Izaya? How did I hurt you this time? "YOU WILL NEVER HURT ME AGAIN!"

"Just tell me what I did!" Shizuo pleaded, avoiding the pedestrians that were scattering around them. Tom and Vorona were watching, both looking like they wanted to intervene but Shizuo gave them a look that said as loudly as a wordless command can to stay back. This was his problem and he wasn't going to let Izaya get any more hurt than he already had.

It would have been an easy enough matter to flatten Izaya who was being reckless in his fear, but Shizuo couldn't didn't want to hurt the man, he was tired of doing that. Instead he destroyed the blades in Izaya's hands with two well placed moves but all it seemed to do was make the Raven more desperate.

"What do you think you did?"Izaya demanded, his voice hoarse, quavering. Whether it was from anger or from terror, Shizuo couldn't tell. More knives found their way into his fingers. "You're my soulmate!I can't see anything but gold everywhere, I've got your name on my thigh!Don't look at me like you're sorry when you aren't."

Shizuo's eyes widened but he didn't attack back, he just divested Izaya of his new knives, accepting the bite of metal against skin almost like penance for what he'd done. Another two knives were produced and Izaya leapt at him like he couldn't do anything else. A rabid dog, an injured panther, backed into a corner and fighting for his life against someone who didn't want to hurt him.

"That's not the only thing you're upset over," Shizuo insisted, ignoring the blood dripping from the various wounds Izaya had inflicted. "Look at me Izaya, why are you so upset? You- you're fucking crying Flea. Shit, I'm sorry for whatever I did, just tell me what's wr-"

"DON'T YOU SAY THAT!" Izaya screamed, and Shizuo knew he was a moment away from just shattering. "AFTER WHAT YOU DID YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!"

This time when Shizuo crushed the knives between his fingers like tinfoil, Izaya withdrew for a second, breathing hard as he looked for another weapon, another thing to hurl at Shizuo. The blond could see it in the red halo around the man that he wasn't okay, could read every emotion sparking in the depths of his eyes. What did I do to him? Why is he like this?

"Just please, tell me," Shizuo begged, holding his hands out as much as a matter of protection as supplication. "Izaya, I don't want to hurt you, I just want you to go back to normal, I didn't mean to do whatever it was that I did so please-"

Finding one last knife, Izaya snapped forward with all the force of a hurricane. "YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!" The blade sunk into Shizuo's shoulder. He felt it, but he ignored it. Instead, he caught Izaya's wrists in his hands and drew the struggling man in close, close enough that he could see the fresh tears escaping from Izaya's eyes. Inside, he could feel his blood running cold but instead of showing what was going on inside his brain, Shizuo simply knelt on the pavement before the fighting Izaya and waited for him to stop thrashing.

"YOu, you…" As the tears fell harder, Izaya's face crumpled and the fear finally came pouring out. Shizuo felt the man start to shake but unlike the debtor he'd almost killed earlier, this trembling made his heart burn. He didn't dare pull Izaya any closer, but he didn't want to let go either. "I- I couldn't get away," Izaya whispered, the fight leaving him. "You're too strong…"

As his knees buckled, Shizuo caught him, kept him from falling to the ground completely. Like this, he saw the horrible cuts covering the man's forearms and palms, destroying the smooth skin that usually was there. The bright crimson blood seemed to glow, standing out against the man's already red skin like liquid fire. Guilt clawing it's way up Shizuo's throat, he steadied Izaya, kept him from running.

"What did I do?" Shizuo asked softly, leaning his forehead against Izaya's in a moment of irrationality. Why he wanted to be this close was incomprehensible. How could he explain something so new, so confusing. What he could do was try and keep his breathing flat, try to convey his calm to the shaking man in his grasp. "Izaya, please, I can't solve anything unless you tell me."

"You can't do anything you idiot," Izaya spat, jerking back, away from Shizuo like he'd been burned. "You- I- It's the string of fate. You've been dragging me around all day. How could you not- Do I mean that little to you?"

And then the pull on his ankle started to make sense and Shizuo felt his stomach plummet. What have I done? The blood… Was that because of me?But he knew it was, couldn't pretend it wasn't. Oh god, I hurt him. All this time spent trying to not make things any fucking worse and all I can do is hurt him.

"I hurt everywhere," Izaya whimpered, more tears spilling over his cheeks as his shaking increased. "I- I'm bleeding and I'm bruised and I couldn't even get away. I couldn't do anything."he pulled his hands free of Shizuo's grip and scraped at the ground, holding something up.

Now that it was obvious, Shizuo could see it too, even against a backdrop of red. It was red string, dripping over Izaya's fingers like shimmering water. "Didn't you even notice the pull on your ankle? Did you even stop to think?"

"I didn't know," Shizuo said but it sounded too much like a useless excuse. "I had no idea. I couldn't see anything-"

Izaya stumbled back and stared at him with such accusation in his eyes, it took Shizuo's breath away. "You almost pulled me out of the window of my apartment." He shook as he spoke, attempted to mop at the tears still covering his face. "I- I couldn't get away. I thought I was going to die. The glass cracked Shizu-chan, you almost made me fall to my death and you didn't even notice. You never even stopped to think."

And then, like he needed a final nail in the coffin, "Does the word soulmatemean nothing to you?"

Shizuo opened his mouth, but there weren't any words to say. All he could do was stare at Izaya as the raven-haired man slowly backed away before running away, leaving him keeling in the middle of the road. Only noticing his own shaking now, Shizuo lifted unsteady fingers to the knife in his shoulder and yanked it out, not caring about the blood that spilled over his fingers at the action.

I almost killed him,Shizuo thought, bile rising in his throat at the words. I tried to protect him but in the end all I could do was hurt him.Feeling worthless, Shizuo's head hung limply on his neck. He hardly noticed Tom and Vorona as they rushed to his side, trying to reanimate him. The only thing he could think of was Izaya.

And of how majorly he had fucked up something he hadn't even known he cared so much about until it was too late.

A/N: So the current count is at 30:24. Honestly, I haven't gotten around to responding to each person who voted but fear not, your vote HAS been counted. I'll respond soon, I promise. You're all beautiful, never change.

To the devilish little guest who thought that voting for Izaya five times, just on different chapters, well played *claps slowly* well played. I tip my proverbial hat to you. That takes dedication. And while I can not in good conscience give you credit for all five, I gave you two votes for Izaya, just because your perseverance impresses me.

But seriously people, one vote. I will know if you do more. I'm terrifying like that...

Unless you can guess who Shiki's soulmate is. Whoever can do that wins an extra vote (unless they can convince me to give them more ;) ).

Suicide watch is a little more confining than I expected but progress is being made. I'll figure it out soon, I promise. Until then, expect another chapter of The Users and the Used as soon as I can swing it. I'm doing my best, I promise. Please have patience with me my dears.

All of your love and kindness has been amazing, I can't even begin to say how much it's done for me.

Until next time~