"I'm surprised that Shizu-chan is so docile tonight," Izaya jeered, he felt he needed to aggravate the boy and form some kind of normalcy before things got too comfortable. Shizuo snorted and, to Izaya's disappointment, didn't retaliate. A sense of annoyance filled the raven's being as he tried again. "What's this? Are you too afraid you'll go berserk and show your true nature if you get even the tiniest pissed off?"

"Yes...so why don't you shut up." Izaya wasn't prepared for Shizuo to readily agree to his insult and almost made both of them trip. "Stupid Flea, get your head on straight." Izaya glared at the prince, it was his head that should be put on straight. Why was he acting so strange?

"Shizu-chan is an idiot." The only sign Izaya got that showed Shizuo's anger was a growl and no more. Izaya was contemplating on messing the whole dance up but knew that he promised Kadota that he was going to behave and sighed out in irritation. Orihara Izaya never went back on his word.

Izaya was chatting to a lovely lady with Shizuo standing silently next to him. It wasn't like they had to be together right now but Shizuo didn't feel like being bombarded with all the people's conversations and instead left them in the raven's hands. He watched as Izaya's eyes lit up with mirth and how the boy was so pleased and lost in the conversation that he used a lot hand gestures. It's been a while since Shizuo had seen him this happy, not since their fight in the town.

He wouldn't say it out loud but he was relieved he had Izaya by his side to do all the talking whereas he imagined if he had a normal female fiancé he would have to be the one talking to all these people. Yeah, definitely keeping that to himself. He couldn't help his eyes wander down to Izaya's hand which was holding onto the crook of his elbow. As much as it disgusted him that he was being touched by the flea it rivaled with the amusement that Izaya had deemed it necessary to still hold onto Shizuo.

Amber orbs traveled up the teen's small build and lingered on that moving mouth that blabbered too intelligent words and sweet nothings. The prince felt his own lips tingle as he brought a hand to wipe away the feeling and turning away from the boy.

From the edge of Izaya's vision he could see Shizuo turn away with a slight flush to his face. This only intrigued the raven as it also confused him. The woman he was chatting with asked if he would like to get a drink with her and he wondered if the blond would be alright by himself.

'Wait...why would I care? It's just Shizu-chan,' with that in his mind Izaya agreed. "Shizu-chan, I'm going to get a drink. Don't get lost while I'm not with you ok~" Izaya trilled mock affectionately as he walked away with the dark haired female. Shizuo watched them go and rubbed at his arm that had suddenly gotten cold.

"Mr. Orihara...do you mind if I call you Mr. Izaya?"

"Whichever is fine, now what do I call you," he said cheerily. They had gotten their drinks and she had suggested for them to drink in favor of the beautiful moon on the balcony. Something was off about her so he decided to take the bait and see how far she was willing to go and what exactly she was after.

"You can call me Scarlet."

"Scarlet-san, I have a question for you now." Izaya used his tone carefully and knew that she was unsuspecting his next move. "Just what was it that drove you to come here and what are you after? It really makes me wonder what you want from the royal family. The prince – though I would have to say you have terrible taste – or maybe some deep hatred that brings you here in hope to kill him and the entire family, the possibilities are endless."

The widened of her eyes and the fear that struck her expression almost made Izaya erupt in maniacal laughter. Before he could get the chance to open his mouth, a dagger was pressed against his throat with Scarlet standing in front of him. She bore her teeth at him as her mouth was twisted up in a hideous scowl.

"Ara, it's individuals like yourself that reminds me of the ugliness and disgusting part of my lovely humans." The blade was slightly dug a little firmer against his throat and Izaya knew there was a slight incision, but dismissed it carelessly. "But even with that I still love you all."

"Shut up and just come with me nice and slowly. Don't make me kill you...you're not the one we're after."

Izaya narrowed his eyes and the woman outwardly bristled.

Shizuo was fidgeting by Tom as his hands twitched for a cigarette. He wasn't allowed to smoke until the stupid ball was over and done with but Shizuo seriously felt like he wasn't going to last much longer without some nicotine.

"Master Shizuo-sama, I got you some cake." Vorona approached the two males while handing a cup of punch to her senpai and the dessert to her master. Shizuo looked at the Russian with fondness as he took the treat and thanked her immensely. When he popped in the first piece of sugary goodness in his mouth he caught the eye of a sharp looking young man who seemed to have been staring at him.

The guy was wearing all red and had slicked back raven hair along with dark colored irises. His stare shot through Shizuo and sent a cold shiver up his spine. The man began to walk away and the blond's eyes followed him until he lost sight of the red.

Something felt very wrong.

"SHIZU-SHIZU! Something...something has happened!" Erika's voice was on the verge of squeaking as she breathed unevenly and by the sound of her voice it wasn't the 'good news' kind. Walker was right behind her as he jogged up to the prince, also looking in a panic state.

"Yumasaki, what the hell is happening?" Kadota had heard the commotion and was by Shizuo's side. The blond servant took in gulps of air to steady his breathing before concealing to the group whilst Erika was trying to keep herself from hyperventilating.

"It's Izaya-san. We were just going to patrol around the balconies as you said and...on one of them was this woman wearing all red who had a dagger at Izaya-san's throat. Before me or Karisawa-san could do anything she jumped down and ran towards the forest." Walker patted Erika on the back and rubbed at it comfortingly. The whole group started at the info and stared at the two with wide eyes.

'All red...you mean...' Shizuo's thought process didn't get to finish when a note suddenly fell from above him and landed near his shoes. He picked it up before reading it aloud for everyone else to hear.

'Your Majesty Heiwajima Shizuo,

We do not agree to you marrying a Japanese person. How could you betray your country like this! Don't you remember what horrible terms we were on with Japan and now you want to marry someone from that god forbidden country. We do not think you are fit to be our king. We have taken the Japanese scum and if you do not want us to spill his blood then come and find us to be in his stead. If you do this then we shall return him back to the filth of a country from whence he came from.

The Crimson Assassins.'

Shizuo crumpled the letter and threw it to the ground angrily. So what if Izaya was Japanese? This whole marriage was supposed to make the countries forget their dark past and move on. And these stupid people wanted to keep creating conflict and violence!

They were going to kill Izaya!

As Izaya and Scarlet got further into the forest, more and more people who wore the same shade of red as her joined them. With the dagger at his back, Izaya continued forward with his trademark smirk on his face the whole time. When they reached a small clearing he was lead to the middle where he was faced with hundreds of people in red. Scarlet had abandoned his back and rushed to the side of a tall young man with slicked back raven hair.

"Ah, and who might you be?" Izaya wasn't worried. Exhilarated, yes. Worried, hardly. If their target wasn't specifically him he had nothing to lose at the moment. Besides if worst comes to worst, he could handle himself fairly well in combat before finding an opening to escape from. "Sorry, if I'm not as intimidated as you'd like~"

"Scum...," Scarlet muttered under her breath. Izaya perked up at the word and narrowed his garnet orbs dangerously, successfully making her turn away out of fear.

"Seems as I have been disliked for no particular reason. Hah, how annoying. That only reminds me of a particular monster..."

"Do you know why you are here, garbage?" The man with slicked back hair spoke as if Izaya was the lowest as low could get, and that in itself angered the teen extremely. Keeping a calm collected mask, Izaya decided to humor the red clothed crowd.

"Eh, judging by my situation and your highly degradation of me...I'd have to say I got you guys all figured out~" Izaya didn't hold in the glee in his voice as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other nonchalantly. The twitch on the man's forehead signaled Izaya of his anger, as he strode over to the raven haired teen. According to his body he looked as if he was going to punch him, and Izaya would let him.

"Shut up!" The punch stung but Izaya found himself smiling as he let out cackles of laughter. "I, Crimson, cannot stand to hear such filth talk as if he knows everything. Enlighten me, you rubbish, what exactly do you think you know?"

"Let me guess. You guys are the fabled assassins that were after me. Now why me?" Izaya took a step back to look the man in the face and give him a toothy smirk. "Because you guys are too scared to go after the monster himself~ So you think since I am his loving fiancé, if he heard I was in danger or was going to get killed he will offer himself up for me, ne? Hahaha, now that is precious. Looks like you guys haven't done your homework correctly."

"What nonsense are you babbling!" Crimson kicked Izaya off his feet – which Izaya already predicted he would do but had let him do so – and glowered above him. "Are you not his beloved? Surly, he will come!"

"Pffft. Beloved? Don't make me sick. He won't come, I am so sorry to disappoint you. You see, he hates me and I him." Izaya let out the laugh he had held in so long. To his ears it sounded bitter and made his stomach hurt but he kept laughing. He knew he was going to be punched again as he was lifted from the ground by the lapels of his jacket. It stung even worse than the last as he tasted the metallic taste of blood at the edge of his mouth.

"If he does not come than we shall have the enjoyment of beating your ass into a pulp." The man then signaled for the others to join him as Izaya felt a kick to his stomach before a hand clawed at his scalp and tugged his head up by his hair. Another punch was landed on his face with multiple blows hitting his torso. Just a little longer...

For a second everything stopped as the sound of a sword being unsheathed filled the air, but that second was all Izaya needed. A wide smirk pulled on his bloodied lips.

He had found his opening.

As Izaya sprung up and slashed Crimson diagonally across the face with his flick blade a thundering roar exploded around them. Before Izaya could even get his thoughts straight he was yanked back by his collar and thrown a good distance away. The raven rubbed at his sore head and opened his eyes to the impossible.

Everything happened so fast. Shizuo stood in the middle of the chaos as he threw and fought the group off. The prince's roars seemed to echo around the forest and the inside of Izaya's head. It all seemed to happen in slow motion and at the same time so fast that the smaller teen couldn't keep up with it.

'Why? Why is he here?' was the only coherent thought that repeated in Izaya's mind. By the time it was all over, Izaya hadn't even noticed the person approaching him with a pocket knife.

"It's...it's because of you...," Scarlet shouted as she dragged the blade across Izaya's skin. The teen hissed as he moved at the last second to avoid a scaring wound. He grabbed her hand and gave her a wry smile.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I apparently did to ruin your life but I do pity you for experiencing what it feels like to fly."

"Wha-!" Scarlet was then seized by a certain blond before she was thrown – probably not as harshly as others – away from the raven haired teen. Izaya fingered at the wound on his shoulder that ran down his arm before looking up at the blond prince.

Izaya felt a shiver rack down his spine the minute he saw Shizuo's face. It was full of pain and anger with the conflicting emotions swimming in those honey orbs. But nevertheless it was the most scariest expression Izaya had ever seen on the brute and he was subconsciously glad it wasn't directed at him.

"Why is-"

"Stupid! Idiot! What the hell were you thinking! You're not this weak to be fooled by people like these." Izaya was startled by the sudden insults thrown his way and watched as Shizuo's face screwed up in more anger as he punched the tree the shorter of the two was leaning on. "Fuck..."

"...For your information, I let them beat me up. It might be a good idea to struggle from the very beginning for you but it's far more smarter to make your enemies underestimate you. I was looking for an opening and would have gotten away until-"

"What's wrong with you?! What if they had killed you, what if they had a fucking gun, hah!? Then what, Izaya!" Shizuo shouts made Izaya wince. They were so full of emotions that it confused the raven even more on why the other was here in the first place.

"Let me ask you a question, Shizu-chan – and stop interrupting me! – why exactly are you here?" Izaya glared at the taller teen. Shizuo was still seething but he calmed down considerably as he tried to word his reasoning.

"Because...I got a note...and it said they were going to kill you...but the main thing is that they wanted to create more violence and I hate that!" Shizuo's voice went softer and softer until he exploded about the violence part.

"Ahaha, that is so like Shizu-chan." Izaya lowered his head so that Shizuo couldn't see his face, as he let out a few chuckles. "Of course that's what brought you out here," Izaya mumbled under his breath, unbeknownst that Shizuo heard him. The raven got up and dusted himself off before proceeding to walk past the prince. "Well, you did what you came here to do so let's head on back."

"Oi, is it ok for you to be walking already?" Shizuo had caught Izaya's wrist to keep him from going any further. Shizuo kept glaring at the wound down the flea's arm and when Izaya turned around he saw what had been done to his face.

"What's it to Shizu-chan? You've wounded me before."

"Yeah, but it was me who fucking gave them to you," Shizuo growled, eyeing the bruises and blood on the other's face. Izaya gave Shizuo an incredulous look.

"That makes no sense at all." His wrist was tugged towards the blond before he felt Shizuo's tongue on the side of his mouth. Izaya flinched before trying to push against the boy. "Hey-! What are you doing? Didn't we already establish that kissing was-"

"Not kissing. I'm licking. If I lick them they'll heal," Shizuo said matter-of-factly. Izaya was going to yell at him saying that his reasoning was false but Shizuo took that opportunity to shove his tongue in his mouth. Izaya whimpered as the teen used his tongue to run over the cut inside his mouth and lap at the blood on his lip. The raven brought both of his hands to Shizuo's chest to attempt to push him off when the other brushed them away and laid them by his sides. "Don't use your arm too much...looks like it fucking hurts."

Shizuo licked at a bruise on Izaya's cheek before sucking on the flesh making a squeak emit from the boy. He traced his tongue down the other's jaw before dipping it down his neck and lapped at the small incision there. The taller teen could feel the vibrations of Izaya's groan as he traced the superficial wound with his oral muscle. He moved on to the shoulder and licked. Izaya made a noise of discomfort and tried to squirm away, but Shizuo only held him closer and shushed him against his arm before continuing to lick.

By the way Izaya trembled, he knew it must have hurt but Shizuo kept on licking knowing that it will feel better afterwards. When he reached the end of the cut he kissed it gently and brought the teen's palm to his lips to give it a small peck as well.

"You...don't let others carelessly hurt you like this."

Izaya furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why? Should only Shizu-chan get to hurt or lay his hands on me?"

The silence and Shizuo's face only confirmed the question and made Izaya blush against his better judgment. When Shizuo pressed his hand against Izaya's stomach, he flinched so hard it jolted the both of them.

"What the hell was that?" Shizuo hissed worriedly. Izaya mumbled under his breath as he held an arm against his throbbing tummy.

"Nothing..."

"Flea...," Shizuo growled out warningly, but Izaya only turned away and ignored the other's tone. When they heard a rustling in the bushes, Shizuo pulled Izaya flush against his body and glared out into the forest. "Who's there?"

"Why hello there~ It was nice seeing you again. I see you guys are as close as always." The red cloak made Shizuo growl and Izaya glare. "Ah, no I am not part of that so called group of red. Frankly I don't think they deserve to wear the color, right Mikado-kun?"

"Shii-san should be more discreet." Another figure approached them along with three others behind him, all wearing the same red cloak. "I am sorry to have interrupted the moment, your majesties. But if you do not get back soon, Kadota-san will worry."

"...Friends of yours, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked the dumbfounded blond. Shizuo shook his head while muttering something about having never seen them before in his life.

"That's not true. You saw me that one morning. With the bird."

"...AHHH! You!" Shizuo started as he pointed at one of them. "Who the hell are you?"

"Forgive us, we should introduce ourselves. I am the yellow of Diamonds: Kida Masaomi. Or the Great Kida Masaomi to common folk~"

"Blue of Spades: Ryuugamine Mikado, at your service."

"Red of Hearts: Sonohara Anri. Pleased to finally have met you both, your highnesses."

"Green of Clubs: Kuronuma Aoba. How do you do?"

"And I am just the Ace: Kiyomizu Shii. Sorry for appearing before you and not getting to introduce myself before. And we are what makes up the King's and Queen's knights."

"Knights...?" Izaya and Shizuo both voiced the confusion they felt as they eyed the group warily.

"Ah, I see you both are not informed...well for now let us head back to the mansion." Mikado, who seemed to be the leader of the set, motioned for the two to follow them as the others went into a square formation around the couple with Mikado in front of Shizuo and Izaya. "We will need to report to Kadota-san about the assassin's escape."

Shizuo hesitantly began to move forward which in the process brought Izaya along with his strides. The raven almost stumbled when he tried to keep up the taller teen's pace. Izaya hissed softly at the blond, "Shizu-chan, let go of me. I'm not broken, mind you; I can walk on my own."

"Shut up...I don't know if we can trust these guys yet." Shizuo only held Izaya closer to his side when they exited the forest. Mikado glanced back at them and flashed a small smile when he stepped aside to reveal Kadota just ahead.

"Shizuo! Izaya! Are you guys ok?" The prince finally relaxed upon seeing his brunet friend and rushed to meet him. The knights hung back as they kneeled and bowed their heads to the king's assistant.

"Kadota-san, the assassin's seems to have escaped through the forest trails. Please allow us to go track them down and present them to the court or prison."

Kadota seemed to ponder the idea before he nodded at Mikado. "Yes, that would be for the best. Ryuugamine and Sonohara shall be assigned to this duty and don't be too hasty and at any cost, if it's too risky report back. Kiyomizu, I want you to patrol around the city and especially around the mansion."

"Understood!"

Shizuo and Izaya watched in amazement as Kadota directed the knights in a superior manner. They knew that the king's assistant had a high level of power over most of the servants in the Heiwajima household but to see him in action was truly a sight. This only made Izaya think back to his previous thought about being more careful around the brunet.

"Kuronuma, I want you to stay with Shizuo and Kida you with Izaya," Kadota said sternly. The duo didn't react – still pretty engrossed with Kadota's authority – before they started at the order and voiced their shock.

"...What!?"

"It can't be helped, we must be at our top security right now," Kadota countered. Shizuo's glare said that he didn't think he needed protection and Izaya's look of distaste voiced his opposition against having someone guarding him. "No arguments, ok? Shit, you're hurt...are you ok?"

"...I'm alive." Izaya glared at the tall brunet as he tried to hide his shoulder away from the crowd. He could feel Shizuo's grip on him tighten just a fraction which brought the teen to realize that he was still being held. He tried to move away from Shizuo but the grip the prince had on him made it impossible. "Just get Erika and Walker over here to fix my jacket and shirt. We don't want our guests to freak out, ne?"

Kadota paused before nodding and taking out his cell to call the otaku duo and to tell them to inform the others that everything was alright. Mikado and Anri made their exit as they ran back into the forest as Shii also dashed off in the direction of the town, leaving Kida and Aoba at Shizuo's and Izaya's side.

Shizuo chewed on the butt of his cigarette as he glared out at the forest. He was standing on the balcony that Erika and Walker had stated they saw Izaya being taken from. The ball had gone on with no suspicions arising from the party guests and had ended just minutes ago. Behind him, Aoba stood silently observing the blond prince.

"Could it be that you are relieved that you made it in time?"

The taller teen spat out his cig and sputtered due to the smoke going down the wrong pipe. He stood there coughing for a while as he glared at the knight. He looked no older than a kid, probably a little younger than Shizuo and that seemed way too young to be a knight of the royal family.

"That's...not it." Even to Shizuo he sounded lame and uncertain. He looked away from the raven kid and pulled another cancer stick out for him to puff on.

Mii: NUUUUUUUU! You guys don't even know of the semi-sweet scene that happens a little while after this! Why am I leaving you guys at the most worst parts! You have no idea how hard I tried to post a little earlier but alas! I have a hard time writing for long periods of time and just...I fail /shot

((I highly suggest, HIGHLY suggest, that you go read this on the kinkmeme if you are waiting for the semi-sweet scene. Link on my profile part XI [11]))

I forgot to mention...Kiyomizu Shii is my OC, and I am terribly sorry if that bothers you!

I am so happy at the reviews and don't mind they are scarce. I'm just glad there are you guys out there that are willing to tell me how much you guys are liking this story! I'm happy getting any reviews at all...

Thank you to all of those who have reviewed and are still reading this story!