Hello everyone!

So, this is the newest story I've been working on for a while now.

First off, I should mention that the events leading up the beginning will make much more sense if you've seen the anime, the very last episode, to be precise.

-There was an attempted attack on Yuuhei Hanejima (Kasuka Heiwajima) while he filmed a live television special, 'The Number One Couple in Ikebukuro'. Luckily, the attacker was stopped by Shizuo.
After that, it's the final fight between Shizuo and Izaya, going on to a chase into the night.-

This story is based off of that... Think of it as an alternate course of events for the two of them, ultimately leading them to find something more in each other...something other than hatred.

With that, I present to you Lingering Doubts.

Lingering Doubts: Chapter 1

Cellphones flipped shut, practically in synch.

There was a low growl from one man, a smirk from the other.

Eyes met.

Resistance snapped.

The chase was on.

"I've decided the time has come. I'm going underground for a while."

Izaya Orihara did, indeed, leave the streets of Ikebukuro that day.
But not long after he left, did a certain blond in a bartender's uniform find dissatisfaction with that intended reality.
This was what he had wanted, wasn't it?

No. It wasn't.

Shizuo Heiwajima didn't want that.

The day had consisted of one of their largest fights yet. Street signs were embedded into the ground all around them to form their 'battleground' by sundown, the chase ultimately ending when a dreadfully familiar sense of déjà vu chose to revisit the blond...

...He was hit by a truck.

Just like the time from high school.

Right after his very fast recovery, he had chased the informant into Shinjuku as night began to set, but he somehow managed to lose track of him. After all, the neighboring city was more of Izaya's turf.

However, Shizuo wouldn't have that.

Determined, he did the only logical thing.
He went out in search of the flea.

It was laughable, really, just how easy it was. Of all places, Izaya actually went back to his own apartment.

As if Shizuo wouldn't follow him there.

It hadn't even been half an hour before Izaya was greeted by a very loud and very annoying pounding on his door. In the instant that he opened the door, he questioned why he even bothered in the first place, his body freezing in place as he saw just who was standing there on the other side.

"Shizu-chan." He spoke stiffly, the blond not wasting a second to push past him, taking a weary look around before glaring angrily at the other male. "...I would greet you accordingly...but, you aren't exactly welcome here to begin with." He flicked his wrist towards the door. "There's the exit. From which you came."

His request went ignored, the blond with fists at his sides, the expression on his face clearly displaying his attempt to try and keep himself under control as to avoid unnecessary damage to the whole building. He didn't need to cause any more destruction today.

"No." Was all Shizuo said.

"...No?" Izaya laughed, backing his body away, all the while preparing a knife in his pocket for defense, if need be. "Why's that, hm? You're trespassing, you know."

"...I don't care."

"...Right, right. Shizu-chan doesn't care. But then again, he's quite incapable of that in the first place, anyway." The smirk on Izaya's face widened before it fell. This was already getting to be a bother, and he just wanted to know what sort of business the blond had with him, then have him go on his way. "Now, what are you doing here? Have you come to beat me up? In my own home, no less? So mean..." He faked a frown for dramatic effect, only for it to be replaced with a small and waiting grin.

"Bastard. You wanna know why I'm here?" Shizuo's eyes glinted dangerously, but he didn't allow himself to snap...yet. It was all a matter of keeping himself under control. "Today my brother almost got hurt because of you. Also, don't say strange things like what you said before without an explanation. What the hell are you planning?"

Izaya's eyes narrowed, his grin faltering once more. "Well, I knew that 'Yuuhei's' beloved brother would keep him from any harm, without a doubt." He tilted his head almost thoughtfully. "Besides, how else would I lure Shizu-chan where I wanted him, eh?" Izaya took another step back towards the wall. "As for these strange things that I supposedly said...what are you talking about?"

"...Lure me... So you could get me hit by the damn truck-!...and you know exactly what I'm talking about! You said you were gonna go underground-"

"Ah... Heh yes, I suppose I did say that. But that's hardly the main reason you're here, right? Besides, I would've thought Shizu-chan might be pleased about that... Curious..."

"What's this main reason?! I don't need a reason to beat you up. Besides, it seems like you're always involved when things go wrong!"

"Domestic violence? Please refrain, Shizu-chan."

"Domestic vi-! What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"I'm right here. You don't have to yell."

"Like hell I gotta listen to you!"

"...Shizu-chan."

"It's bad enough that I always have to somehow be involved in your plans, when I want nothing to do with them! I wish you'd just stay away and leave me the hell alone!"

"...Shizu-chan..."

"Going underground? What a joke. That's probably your way of saying you're gonna go into hiding so you can plot something else!" His eyes could practically shoot daggers. "No, you know what? I should just come here everyday to make sure you aren't planning anything!"

"Shizuo!"

The blond finally came to a stop mid-breath, his eyes wide as he looked at Izaya once more. "...Wh-what did you just say?"

"Shut up!" The younger male hissed out, clenching his teeth in obvious annoyance, before he visibly relaxed upon seeing Shizuo temporarily quiet. "Anyway, you can't just invite yourself over here. I can't allow you to continuously trespass, since you aren't at all welcome here to begin with."'

"No, you shut up." Shizuo responded like a stubborn kid. "I've decided that it's gonna have to be my job to make sure you don't screw anything up anymore. Including my life and everyone else's. Clearly attempting to catch you and beat the shit out of you hasn't been working out. I've had it with this bull crap." He crossed his arms with a frown. "So, I'm trying another way. As much as I hate the fact of even breathing the same air as you, I'm gonna show up here every single day. Whether you like it or not."

"Ohh, so I'm being placed under some sort of supervision?" Izaya taunted the older male, although the look on his face remained dull.

"Something like that. No doubt you need it."

At this point, the original reason for their argument was lost.
They had been arguing, simply for the sake of arguing.

But, at least it wasn't physically violent that time, and, oddly enough, they managed to reach some sort of a conclusion.

"...If this is a substitute for our usual chases, then..." Izaya looked like he was debating with himself in his head of what he should say next, and when he finally did finish speaking, he still looked uncertain. "...If you agree that you aren't going to attack me outside of here...and especially not inside here either, then...I'll allow this."

Shizuo had something ready to bark back, but...he paused, and had to repeat the informant's words in his head a few times, trying to figure out if he had really heard that correctly.

"...Wait...you're-..." Still feeling stubborn, he turned his head away with a snarl. "Tch. No promises on that attacking part...but I guess I can try if it means knowing for certain if you're up to no good." A wide smirk replaced his frown. "Oh, and I don't need your permission. I would've shown up either way."

An amused smile appeared across the brunet's face. "Really now? Well, let's just see if you can actually go through with this little pact then, hm?"

...And so, regardless of their dissatisfaction on the matter, a new routine began.

"..."

"...Oh. You actually showed up."

Izaya opened the door to a sour-faced blond, who was standing with his arms crossed, glaring down at the informant. With a loud sigh, the shorter male stepped aside, allowing Shizuo to enter, much to his displeasure. There was no point in even trying to fight it when a man with superhuman strength could easily toss him aside.

The bodyguard wordlessly strode over to the couch, taking a seat and making himself at home. Izaya simply rolled his eyes with a small tsk, shutting the door after his 'guest' before going back to his desk to continue his work.

The next hour went by in silence...aside from the occasional typing sounds of a keyboard.

Shizuo peeked over from the couch every-so-often, that action not going unnoticed by Izaya. But he continued to avoid acknowledging it, even though the feeling of someone watching him was getting on his nerves.

The irony being that he was the one used to doing the watching.

After a few more minutes, Izaya couldn't take it anymore.

"You know, you don't have to sit there the whole time."

There was a grunting sound, Shizuo turning his head back with narrowed eyes. "What else am I supposed to do? From here, I can keep an eye on you, and not have to deal with your flea stench."

"Well you can always-...Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"...I don't at all have a 'stench'."

"Then why can I smell you whenever you're in the city?"

"Your nose must be deceiving you. It's probably a combination of all those lowlifes you deal with, not to mention your horrible smoking habit."

"Like I don't know the difference! Then explain why I can follow your scent and it always leads straight to you?"

"...You really are like a dog, aren't you?"

"...Shuddup..."

Both of them took a moment to cool their nerves, then Izaya broke the silence.

"...Just stop staring at me. Although I know that you won't do even that, so at least tone it down a bit. I'm trying to work."

"Oh, plotting something?"

"No. I have a job, you know. Do you really think that I spend a majority of my time scheming?"

"AHA! So you admit it-"

"I never said anything of the sort." Izaya frowned as he stared at the computer screen. He was actually being honest. His 'scheming' days were over, or at least, for now. He just wanted to be away from everything for a while, especially the blond brute...who just happened to be invading his apartment, observing his every move.

So much for a break.

"Speaking of which...don't you have a job to go to?" It occurred to Izaya that Shizuo still worked for the debt-collecting agency, and there was no way that he'd be able to come to his apartment every day like he had claimed he would-

"I got a month off. Boss is out of town."

...Well, wasn't that just convenient.

"...Is that so..." Izaya tried to seem unfazed, but displeasure was still detectable in his voice, if not on his face. After all, Shizuo could read him like no one else could.

"Yep." Shizuo had an almost...dark grin on his face. One which Izaya didn't like very much. "So we're gonna be spending a looot of time together, I-za-yaaa..."

"...Wonderful." The other said between clenched teeth, taking a deep breath in order to calm himself.

"Very." Shizuo agreed with a similar tone of voice. "So you'd better get used to it."

"...I refuse." Izaya mumbled, the clicking of a mouse following after. "I'd much rather be chased, actually."

"Oh really?"

"...Yeah. It's better than being constantly observed as if I'm some sort of prey. At least with a chase, I have a chance of getting away from you. Which I have, every time. But here, I'm stuck in the same room as you, and I have no choice but to stay. So, yes, a chase would be much better than being watched."

"...Ohh reaaally? Well...consider this payback for all the times you 'watched' me."

"No I-...WHAT?"

"Aw don't even try to deny it, I-zaa-yaaa." The blond snickered, the evil grin remaining. "I've caught you plenty of times...and now that I think about it, seems like you're observing me more than the human beings that you supposedly love so much."

Said informant was practically getting red in the face from anger at that point, his calm demeanor slowly crumbling with every growing second. He put his hands into fists under his desk, keeping from possibly bursting from his emotions.

Never had he ever felt so frustrated in his entire life...and it was all because he didn't know what to say next.

"You...just-... Shut up." The words were finally hissed, Izaya admitting his temporary defeat and going back to work...or at least, trying.

"Fine then." Shizuo smirked, leaning against the couch once more with a satisfied hum.

'I learned something interesting today... Apparently I can get him to be quiet.'

;)

-Milarius