Note for readers:

Hi everyone! It's been many years since I've written a fanfic, but I wanted to get back into writing lately. The new seasons of Durarara! and the development of characters such as Mikado and Aoba inspired me to write this. There will mainly be Mikado x Aoba, and a little Mikado x Izaya & Mikado x Kida later on. I don't think I'm going to make this into a lemon, but maybe later down the line (if requested) I'll change my mind. ;)

My style of writing may be kinda tedious due to my slow pace, but if you like character development and all that good stuff then you should be fine! ^_^ I also try to stick to info from the Light Novels to stay true to the characters.

Enjoy!

The shadows of night stretched across the bustling city of Ikebukero and the dim glow of a street lamp unveiled a boy casually strolling by. The young teen scanned the screen of his cell phone and felt a grin stretch across his face. The boy then snapped his phone closed and looked out at the luminous city. This was his new home; the place where he loved to be the most. The boy knew that in the shadows of Ikebukero lie the unknown; the seemingly impossible. This was exactly what made his heart beat with anticipation and excitement. He was now walking among these shadows and was determined not to be left behind by them. The teen gripped a pen soiled with blood tightly and contently thought to himself: "The pawns are in my hand…"

The leader of the Blue Squares held his bandaged hand to his chest and felt his heart beat faster. He greatly underestimated the leader of the Dollars and paid the price. Even the informant, Izaya Orihara, had underestimated Mikado Ryugamine. Who, or what that boy was, was something so enigmatic- something so unpredictable that the blue-haired boy was still shocked at the events that had happened. Aoba stood alone in the emptiness of the abandoned building. Unknown to the boy himself, his body was trembling. He thought he was going to take control of the Dollars, but was instead completely devoured by a single boy. Touching his bandaged hand, the boy spoke aloud. "Mikado… senpai…" A faint blush crept upon his face. "Just who… what in the world are you?"

In the days after the incident involving the two gang leaders, Mikado was the happiest he'd ever been. Happier than the times he spent with his childhood friend, Masaomi, and his romantic interest, Anri Sonohara. He now had power, and could use that power to keep his life different and interesting. The Power to live in the shadows of Ikebukero and evolve himself. Nothing was more important than his own desires, and now things were finally happening in his favor.

The blue-eyed teen found himself spending less and less time with Anri and more with Aoba and the other Blue Squares members. He could tell that the gang members were not loyal to him, but to his second in command; Aoba Kuronuma. Mikado was aware of this, but was secretly preparing himself for the impending 'betrayal.'

The leader of the Blue Squares spent his time searching for means to gain an upper hand against the Dollars, but to no avail. The teen didn't come across as a trustworthy person, so many rejected his offer of an alliance. Aoba cursed to himself, but his position of being Mikado's second in command didn't make him unhappy. In fact, Aoba found himself almost enjoying following the orders from his senpai and even excitedly anticipated what Mikado was planning next. What he personally wanted wasn't power or status, but the freedom to be reckless. He wanted to expand the "sea" he swam in, and Mikado was doing exactly that for him.

"Mikado senpai!"

Upon hearing this, the older teen turned his head to greet his kouhai.

"Kuronuma-kun… how is everything going?"

Aoba caught up to Mikado and walked beside him, tilting his head up to match the gaze of the other's deep blue eyes.

"Everything has been going as planned. The others finished taking care of the "trash" and are waiting for us at the usual place."

Mikado smiled warmly at this news and moved his gaze in front of him.

"Good, you all did well. Now we can look more in to this "stalker" case. Trash like him won't be able to soil the name of the Dollars for much longer."

Aoba found himself having to quicken his pace to match the other's. The younger teen saw the eagerness of his leader and smirked to himself.

"Right. We've gathered information of the suspect and made a plan. I'll tell you the details when we meet up with the others."

"I knew I could count on you, Kuronuma-kun." Mikado smiled at the younger teen. He noticed that Aoba was gripping his bandaged hand and even struggled to keep a complacent face. Ever since he had shown his "black feelings" to the blue-haired boy, he had noticed a distinct change the other's tone and demeanor. The one who referred to him as "senpai" and often spoke with a condescending tone was now rather soft spoken and respectful. Mikado wasn't entirely sure, but he thought he even detected fear in the other.

Aoba noticed Mikado staring at his bandaged hand and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He was still unable to gauge Mikado's potential, and that made him fearful. He still felt Mikado's silent hostility towards him, so he made an effort to follow his orders precisely without resistance. Despite this fear he felt... no, maybe it was because of the fear he felt that Aoba's heart raced in excitement whenever he was beside his leader.

This chapter was mainly character development/plot building, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways!

Thanks for reading! ^_^

~Momo