A/N: I'm sorry about the last chapter. I can tell you there will be more tears, but that was the worst of it.

I'll admit, I was going to wait just over a week to post this, just to drive everyone nuts but really, I'm not evil, I'm just differently unkind!

Enjoy!

Shizuo spent a few minutes just staring at the blank wall where Izaya had been standing. His side had started to irritate him so he'd pulled the knife out, not really caring about the blood now staining his bartender's uniform. It hurt, of course it did, he'd been fucking stabbed, but it was nothing like the usual injuries his and Izaya's fights caused.

To be honest, Shizuo's mind hadn't quite caught up with what had just happened. One moment it had been a normal day, the next everything had gone to shit as he discovered Izaya was an Omega and his soul mate.

Then, just to top it all off, the flea had vanished, leaving Shizuo to try and figure out what he was supposed to do now

Fuck.

His body was still trying to adjust to what had happened. Pheromones kept pouring off of him in waves and his blood was still boiling, but it wasn't exactly from rage anymore. More like an intense desire for Izaya than anything else. Except he was supposed to hate the flea so why didn't he? Why did he feel like he should run after Izaya instead of leaving him be like the raven wanted?

The fact that Izaya was an Omega certainly made things different, or at least complicated. Shizuo's stomach turned as he thought of how many times he'd recklessly injured Izaya and how many times the fucking flea had come back for more like he wasn't even affected. He hadn't even suspected, despite what looking back on it had been quite obvious tells. The opportunity to rid himself of some of his anger through concentrated violence had been just too tempting to pass up.

Running a hand through his hair, Shizuo cursed loudly. What the hell had he been thinking? What the hell had he almost done? Izaya had been scared of him! He'd been in tears for fuck's sake, never mind that his body had reacted to Shizuo's actions, the flea had been terrified. Instincts be damned, he never should have caved so easily to his Alpha nature. Just because he wanted to devour Izaya didn't mean he had the right to.

Except we're soul mates. The thought made Shizuo growl. Bad enough that he'd hurt an Omega, the blond had hurt the one person destined to be his mate. But it's Izaya, I might not hate him but why the hell would I ever care about him? Whether there was a reason or not, he did care about the flea and that scared him. Shaking his head, Shizuo leaned against the wall at his back. Everything was moving far too fast for him to keep up.

Izaya's pheromones still drifted through the air around him. Shizuo clenched his fists as he glanced down the alley in the direction the flea had run. He wanted to follow him, the desire so powerful it was bordering on irrational. Feh, just look at all the shit following him caused last time. The words Izaya had left Shizuo with before disappearing were enough to know how the raven would feel about it if he came after him. In this situation, the right thing to do was probably to leave. And god knows I've fucked up enough as it is.

Turning towards the mouth of the alley, the blond forced himself to take a step forward before pausing, a scowl on his face. So what, I'm just going to leave him? What kind of shit Alpha does that make me?

It was what Izaya seemed to want but Shizuo couldn't physically push himself to just go without a second thought. Yeah, he'd screwed up, he wasn't even sure what he'd wanted to do originally but he was pretty sure that hadn't been it. It wasn't like the pair had much of a relationship to fuck up in the first place but Shizuo wasn't entirely convinced that mattered anymore. Somewhere, Izaya was probably curled up in a corner, cowering and crying pathetically because of what he'd done. The bastard was in heat, he definitely wasn't going to get far, much less make it all the way back to his apartment in the next district over where he'd be safe. That was entirely the blond's fault and he wasn't about to let Izaya suffer for something he couldn't control.

Starting now, he wasn't going to let his Omega pay for Shizuo's own lack of control.

He's going to hate me for this, Shizuo acknowledged bitterly as he turned back around and stalked down the alley. Not that the flea had ever felt anything other than loathing for the blond but oh this was going to make this so much worse. If it's going to end badly, why am I even bothering? What am I expecting this to fix? It wasn't going to mend their relationship, something that had been twisted from the beginning, and it wasn't going to fix what they'd just done. Shizuo wasn't going to forget that Izaya was his soul mate and he definitely wasn't going to forget he was an Omega. Their days of fighting were over, Shizuo wasn't about to throw a vending machine at an Omega, but that didn't really matter.

He had to find Izaya.

This was my mistake, he's my Omega and I'm not going to leave while he's hurting.

Instincts really were far more powerful than anything else.

Izaya's trail was simple enough to follow, it wasn't as if he'd tried to hide it. Shizuo found the emergency stairs the flea had used to escape to the rooftops of Ikebukuro and growled under his breath before climbing them. That damned bastard had better be okay, he thought mutinously as he scanned the roof he was on for any sign of Izaya. Running into another lungful of intoxicating Omega pheromones, Shizuo spat out a furious, "Fuck!" To any other Alphas nearby Izaya probably smelled like heaven, his heat making his scent exponentially more powerful than it would have been otherwise.

If any of them have so much as touched my Omega I'll- Okay whoa, wait, hold on, his Omega? Shizuo scowled as he shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of his own traitorous thoughts that he'd been letting run wild for a while now. No, it didn't matter how good Izaya smelled or whether they were soul mates or not. If the flea didn't want him, and Shizuo knew the answer to that question already, then he wasn't going to touch him, much less claim him in any sort of lasting way.

That being said, his base instincts to protect what was rightfully his were quite a lot stronger than his common sense at the moment and Shizuo happened to agree with them. It didn't matter if Izaya hated him or not, he wasn't going to let anyone so much as lay a finger on the raven if he could prevent it.

The path the flea had taken across the rooftops was proof of how distressed he'd been. Usually, Izaya was calculating and his movements and actions reflected that. Here, Izaya had blindly fled from Shizuo, no order to his direction. Another bit of guilt wormed its way into Shizuo's mind and he almost turned back. He doesn't want me there, he's scared of me because I almost became the monster he's always painted me as. If I show up now, it'll make things worse, I might make him panic further.

Once again, instincts trumped logic. Shizuo pressed on.

As the scent got stronger, the blond started listening harder for Izaya's breathing. The pheromones in the air were so thick Shizuo almost couldn't follow them because they seemed to go in all directions. Lost, Shizuo dragged in several heavy lungfuls of air, trying to decide where Izaya had gone.

Unexpectedly, the putrid smell of other Alphas hit him. Spinning in the direction of the smell, Shizuo froze as his brain registered what he was seeing take place in the near distance in less than a second.

Three Alphas, all leering and ugly, were clustered around a single Omega, his Omega, clearly the target of their unwanted attention. His black coat had been tossed recklessly to the side, along with a dark shirt. As one of the men moved, Shizuo saw the pale terrified face of Izaya and watched as the flea mouthed two words. He couldn't hear them but he knew exactly what Izaya had said.

"Shizuo, please."

The Alpha saw red.

With a roar that startled all three of the disgusting lesser Alphas who had dared to hurt Izaya, Shizuo charged. So clouded in fury was his mind, the blond hardly registered the scream of the first man as he threw him off of the rooftop. Without a moment of hesitation, Shizuo's fist collided with the skull of the second, forcing him to release Izaya's hair as he fell to the ground. As the last man let go of the raven as well, Izaya collapsed to the ground and curled up tightly, terror clear in his every breath.

The third man backed away quickly, his mouth moving, probably speaking. Unfortunately for him, Shizuo couldn't hear anything past the rushing blood in his ears. He's mine, his thoughts roared. Mine and only mine! Stalking towards him, Shizuo grabbed the last Alpha and threw him against the wall of the building next door. Something cracked on impact and the man fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Don't move, Alpha."

Feeling a chill cut through his adrenaline, Shizuo slowly turned around to find the Alpha he had only knocked to the ground was sitting upright, one hairy arm wrapped around Izaya's thin neck. The raven's carmine eyes were wide and fearful. At this distance, Shizuo could see the bruises and ugly marks marring Izaya's pale torso and there was a handprint on Izaya's cheek, probably from where one of the men had hit him. It looked painful.

In a soft, deadly voice, Shizuo slowly said, "Let. Him. Go, right now." The Alpha shook visibly but he tightened his hold on Izaya all the same. Feebly, the raven's fingers scrabbled at the man's arm, his body too weak to truly fight back. It took everything Shizuo had not to just kill the man instantly. Only the thought that he might hurt his Omega in the process kept his anger in check. Ironic that the person that usually so enraged him was the only thing keeping him from snapping.

"You're not in a position to make demands," the man sneered, his beady eyes fixed on Shizuo. Despite his show of bravado, the blond knew how scared he was. Threateningly, he took a step forward. The other Alpha scrambled backward, dragging Izaya with him roughly. The raven hissed in pain and whimpered pathetically.

At the sound, the thin thread holding Shizuo back broke. "Get your hands off my Omega!" Before his voice had even finished echoing, the stronger Alpha charged the man holding Izaya. With a yell, the weaker Alpha tried to pull the raven up and use him as a shield but Shizuo was faster. His fist connected with the man's face with such force that bones cracked under his fingers. Knocked unconscious, the man slumped to the ground, finally releasing Izaya.

Without making a sound, Izaya whilted to the rooftop. Instinctively, Shizuo caught the shivering Omega in his arms, all else instantly forgotten. Izaya didn't fight him in the slightest, if anything, he curled up further into Shizuo, his eyes screwed tight, a look of fear still on his tearstained face. In the face of Izaya's pain, Shizuo's rage just contained itself. He couldn't be sure what had brought about the change in reaction to Izaya but he knew he wanted nothing more than to keep the raven from ever being hurt again.

If I had been even a little slower he'd have been- Shizuo blocked out the thoughts that made his throat close. In all his life, he'd never felt quite so protective of one individual. Holding Izaya gently, as if the Omega was made of glass, Shizuo stooped to pick up Izaya's discarded clothing and took a moment to wrap him in his coat and another to wipe away the tears that had started collecting in the corners of the raven's eyes.

"It's okay Izaya," Shizuo rumbled, getting to his feet and looking for a way off the roof. "I'm not going to let anyone touch you like that again. You're safe, I promise." Maybe it was his words that soothed Izaya, maybe it was just his Alpha scent which was naturally calming an Omega who recognized him as being his mate. Whatever it was, Izaya shuddered, melted willingly into Shizuo's hold and passed out.

As he stood there, Shizuo realized that whatever he did, his first priority should be getting Izaya somewhere safe so he could sleep. He didn't remember much from his high school health lectures but he could guess that being in heat was pretty exhausting, just going off of how the flea had been behaving. Briefly, Shizuo considered taking Izaya to Shinra but as a growl built in the back of his throat, he decided the idea was impractical. Sure it might be best for Izaya, but Shizuo knew that the moment Shinra touched the raven, he'd be liable to attack the doctor.

It wasn't that he wanted to, it was just a statement of fact that he would.

His only other option was taking Izaya back to his apartment. There, Shizuo would be able to keep an eye on the sleeping Omega. As an added bonus his entire house was so thoroughly saturated in his powerful Alpha scent that only someone truly crazy would dare to mess with Izaya while he was in there. Of course, Izaya waking up and finding himself in Shizuo's house might end in anger but the blond had already made up his mind.

Taking a hard breath, Shizuo strode over to the metal exit staircase and started down it towards the streets below. The path reeked of the disgusting Alphas who had almost raped Izaya. Fuck, they already hurt him, there isn't any almost about it. If Shizuo ever saw those animals again, he'd kill them and damn the consequences. He'd kill anyone who even thought about hurting his Omega. All he did now was pull Izaya in closer in an attempt to drown out the other Alpha scents around them.

No one they passed questioned them, no one dared. Most didn't even chance looking at them for fear of angering the rutting Alpha. People, Alphas, Betas and Omegas alike parted for Shizuo and his precious Omega. He's not mine, he hates me. Izaya would never let that happen, he'd kill me before he'd be willing to mate. But oh did the words feel satisfying, like he'd wanted to say them his whole life. There was something undeniably right, watching people hurry to get out of his way. Every one of them knew Izaya was his, none of them would ever dream of touching the raven. As long as he was near Izaya, the Omega was safe.

It was strange, Shizuo had always assumed he'd never find his soul mate, that shit was stupid. Even if he had, the blond had been convinced it would be some wispy girl who broke if he so much as looked at her wrong. The realization that his destined mate was Izaya, a flea that had proved time and time again that being an Omega didn't mean being weak, was entirely mind blowing, even if they never actually mated.

And we won't, the flea fucking hates me and I'm not going to jump him. I have more control than that.

Strange, none of that seemed to matter. With Izaya in his arms and the Omega's scent saturating his body, Shizuo felt calm, he felt right. This was what made Alphas what they were, this protective, dominant instinct. The intense desire to keep safe what was theirs. Until now, Shizuo wouldn't have been able to understand.

Now, well, it was a wonder he hadn't murdered those three Alphas on the spot after what they'd done.

The walk to Shizuo's apartment wasn't a long one, most of it blurred by Izaya's scent and Shizuo's own hormones. Really, the blond was almost surprised to find himself in front of his own door. As the ex-bartender dug about in his pocket for his keys, Izaya shifted but didn't wake up and for that he was grateful. The raven desperately needed the sleep and Shizuo desperately needed to keep Izaya here, where he could protect the flea from danger. If he had found himself in Shizuo's house, the blond had little doubt that Izaya would have demanded to be taken back to his own apartment.

Thankfully, Izaya was asleep and Shizuo was fairly certain he'd stay that way.

The moment they were inside, Shizuo hurried for his bedroom and laid Izaya out on his bed. At the sight of the bruises those vile creatures had left on his Omega, Shizuo's vision started to go red again. Only the soft murmur of breath from Izaya as the raven curled into Shizuo's pillows and inhaled deeply calmed the blond.

That's my Omega.

Perhaps it was wrong to think of Izaya in such a way, after all, the raven had told Shizuo quite plainly that he didn't want to mate, but that being said, the blond felt responsible for Izaya. He wanted to be responsible for him. When Izaya was hurt Shizuo wanted to be the one to help him, and if his Omega was lonely, he wanted to be there to hold him. Maybe it was just his instincts talking but Shizuo doubted that was all these feelings were.

With a soft sigh, Shizuo reached for Izaya's shirt. He had the feeling that if Izaya woke up like he was, shirtless and in Shizuo's bed, he'd freak out. His nose caught the scent of the other Alphas and the raven's fear and Shizuo growled softly before forcing those animalistic sounds back down his throat. He was acting like an overprotective Alpha which was stupid, he knew it was.

Despite being aware of it, Shizuo still dug one of his tee-shirts up for Izaya to wear. It took him a few minutes to get the flea into the shirt without waking him but once he had, Shizuo sat on his bed next to Izaya, just watching him quietly. Like this, his Omega looked peaceful, unworried. That's how he's supposed to look. I never want to put that terrified expression on his face again.

Shizuo sighed again and absentmindedly ran a hand through Izaya's hair. However much he'd hated Izaya before, he couldn't bring himself to hate him anymore. I'm fucked, aren't I…

The raven leaned into his hand and a soft groan escaped those thin lips as he shifted, drawing his clenched hands closer to his face. Repressing all the loud urges that demanded he mate with Izaya, just to cement the fact the Omega was his, the blond pulled his hand back and tugged his sheets over the raven regretfully. Just to reinforce his own resolve, Shizuo deliberately closed the blinds in his room before quickly making his escape.

For the first time in an hour, Shizuo had time to think.

What he thought was frightening.

He wanted Izaya, his Omega, and his soul mate, to stay with him.

Izaya didn't want an Alpha to so much as touch him and what had happened on the roof before Shizuo had appeared only proved why.

And if that wasn't enough, said Omega was curled up on his bed breathing in his scent, allowing a rutting Shizuo to protect him.

Almost as if he couldn't help but tempt fate, Shizuo put his head in his hands and wondered, How much worse can this possibly get, and where did I fuck it all up so badly?

But the question he most wanted to ask was, what can I do to convince Izaya to stay?

A/N: See, I wouldn't let Izaya get hurt that badly. I'm mean but I'm not quite that m-

Oh, hah, actually, um, yes, yes I am that mean. But not in this story. I've put you through almost enough pain and sadness.

All of your panicked words of kindness were beautiful, all of you readers make me ridiculously happy. ^w^

Poor Shizu-chan… and he tries so hard.