A/N: Since this story was inspired by the video game, Judgment, I have tagged the fandom, but the characters in the game don't exist in this story. I have used the fictional world of Kamurocho since it'll be easier to describe the locations. I couldn't wait to post the first chapter of this story and really hope you all like it.

The Kamurocho district was a fairly dangerous city, depending on how you lived. Ask any of the locals who resided there, and they would tell you how nice the city was, but if you asked those who owned clubs or small businesses, they'd probably think you're starting something; some might be polite enough to warn you to watch your back. The office was in a small building that blended in perfectly with other businesses such as pawn and betting shops. The office sat between an off-license and a recently vacated noodle bar. The advertisement was small but well-known with most locals, a 'friend referred me' type place, and was lowkey so as not to step on anyone else's boundaries.

In some cases, people tended to tread carefully when approaching the building, but they were usually locals in trouble with their loan sharks or even Yakuza. The office was owned by a young, strong, handsome detective named Izaya Orihara. His outward appearance gave false impressions because of his petite frame and mostly cheery personality, but people learned not to mess with him after the initial encounter.

Izaya's reputation had mixed views throughout the district. He was friendly with the locals on their street, and many of the older generations looked to him for help. To counter this, Izaya wasn't so popular with other business owners and some gangs; the Yakuza were often a neutral party to this. Despite their dislike for Izaya, his unpredictable personality, and it was unclear how strong he was, they often avoided conflict.

Izaya's attire made him stand out among locals: black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, and he was mostly seen wearing a long black fur-trimmed jacket. Not exactly the clothing one would associate with a detective.

Izaya stepped inside his office building with a sigh, touching his face with the tips of his fingers to a three-lined scratch made by a claw. After checking the mailbox and finding it empty, Izaya started ascending the stairs.

This morning, an elderly woman suspected someone was stealing fruit from her garden. Now, this would sound like a ridiculous job to take were it not for the fact that the growing fruit was for her market stall that was well perceived. Izaya had often purchased grapefruit as a treat and sometimes lemon for his tea. In the year and a half he had been there, Izaya had learned not to piss off the locals because they were probably some of the best people to know if you needed information. It was an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' type of neighborhood.

Back to the elder, Izaya had quickly discovered a trail leading from her garden to a broken piece of the fence, and it turned out the old woman had a family of raccoons living behind her house. Izaya's sudden appearance startled the fruit thief, and it scratched him.

Even though the elder was excited over her new furry residences, Izaya advised her to build a greenhouse while she still had fruit to sell and referred her to a self-employed contractor that he knew.

The job may have been nonsensical for his line of work, but for ten thousand yen, he would gladly get scratched in the face.

Izaya turned the corner and ascended the last steps leading to his office. It was almost one in the afternoon, and a bento box of sushi in his fridge waited for him, a gift from the grocery store owner the day before to thank him for his interference with a thief that morning. It might sound like Izaya was your average local vigilante, but the truth was, the raven-haired male's former occupation bared the exact opposite, and it was from this past, that the dangerous part of his reputation came.

When Izaya reached the last step, he looked up, and to his surprise, someone was waiting for him. Izaya stilled his movements to assess the individual leaning against the wall by the window with his arms folded. The other male was probably around six-foot, with short, blond spiky locks, dark blue shades sitting atop his head, dressed in – was that a bartender uniform? The male looked roughly the same age as Izaya: twenty-three, maybe twenty-four, and like Izaya, his handsome features yet lean frame contradicted the air of robustness surrounding him. For this reason, it made it hard to determine if he was a threat, which Izaya didn't like.

The blond finally looked at him with an instant scowl on his face as though Izaya had somehow already offended him. "About time. I've been waiting here for over an hour."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, pulled a key from his jacket, and cautiously opened the door. Izaya turned to the blond and stood directly in the doorway with no intention of inviting him in. "Non-locals use the indicated email," he told him and flicked his card.

The man caught it against his chest with narrowed eyes and scrunched it angrily before slamming his hand against the door when Izaya tried to close it. "I'm not a client!"

Izaya instantly took a few steps back and held out a switchblade. "You really don't want to get into this with me. Leave now before I show you what I can do to street thugs like you." Izaya was sure the blond wasn't an everyday street thug, but the way his anger easily took control suggested otherwise, and it amused him to taunt them. Izaya watched him grasp the doorknob and was surprised to see it crush under his grip. No, definitely not an everyday street thug.

The blond let out a sigh and removed his hand. "I'll pay for that."

Gone was the anger from seconds ago, replaced by the somewhat calm expression Izaya had seen at first glance. "I was told to come here."

Izaya withdrew his blade after deciding the blond wouldn't lunge for him and walked to lean against his desk. "By who?" Before the blond could reply, Izaya pulled his phone from his pocket when it rang. Keeping his eyes glued to his somewhat 'intruder,' Izaya answered with a small grin, yet his tone clearly indicated his annoyance. "Kine," Izaya noticed how the other's attention increased when he said this name. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little busy right now. Can I call you back?" Izaya's tone was polite, allocating some form of respect, but the tone was nothing short of sarcasm too. "What's that?" Izaya turned slightly with a small frown and leaned over his desk, his other hand coming to rest on the surface and gradually, his fingers curled in agitation. "What." His teeth were clenched now, and the grin and casual respectable tone were gone. "Is this a joke?"

The blond watched the raven carefully. He had already decided that he didn't like the sly individual and was greatly annoyed that the raven did nothing to hide his distaste for the situation. Well, he didn't want to fucking be here either! But…Kine, the one with whom he and the raven seemed to share a mutual acquaintance, the other more than him, he guessed, had been the only one who believed his innocence. The blond was here because of Kine, and he owed him. As much as he already distrusted the male before him, anything was better than rotting in prison. He didn't know how Kine convinced the cops he was innocent for now, but he would try not to mess it up.

The deal was that he remained here under the supervision of this scrawny brat and stayed out of trouble. The detective job surprised him, and he sensed their cases were often not entirely on the level which contradicted the part of keeping out of trouble, but he trusted Kine's judgment if nothing else. As he watched the raven, it amused him to discover that the other male was unaware of this little deal, and it seemed he had no choice, but unlike the acting detective, he kept his amusement to himself. If Kine was involved, he suspected the raven hadn't always been a detective, making him guarded.

Izaya disconnected the call with a loud sigh and frowned at the man before him. He worked alone and did nothing to hide his annoyance since he apparently had no part in Kine's decision. Izaya had made it clear that he would be in charge and was relieved to hear Kine at least agreed with that. "Shizuo Heiwajima," Izaya said the name bitterly, showing his instant dislike for the other. Izaya straightened, and his posture had changed to a defensive one since the phone call. "I don't know what Kine was thinking when he sent you to me, and I can tell that you don't like this any more than I do, but I won't let someone convicted of murder destroy what I've worked for, so we'll just have to find a way to make this work." Izaya's tone didn't change, but despite his outward chauvinism toward the blond, he was smart enough not to provoke him too much. Izaya had heard the name Shizuo Heiwajima through various connections before he became a detective, but they never once crossed paths, so until now, Izaya didn't know what he looked like. Shizuo, however, looked like he had absolutely no idea who he was.

Shizuo growled in anger and slammed his foot down. "I'm not a murderer!"

A small grin formed before it quickly disappeared. "You're telling me you're not a murderer after crushing part of my door?" The grin was back, and Izaya found amusement in Shizuo's obvious affliction. "It's a shame about Tanaka. I heard he was quite an understanding and kind guy, but in my opinion, perhaps he was too lenient. He certainly trusted you enough, and I doubt he suspected a thing. It's tragic. To be murdered by the one whom you trusted the most, hired for that very purpose of protecting you. I would have convicted you too if I-" In a flash, a hand wrapped around his throat, and Izaya found himself pinned to the desk, looking up into hate-filled eyes. The hold from Shizuo was tight enough to keep him still but loose enough to show he had no murderous intent despite his obvious thoughts. Izaya instantly held his knife to Shizuo's throat and his other hand to the blond's chest. With surprising strength for his petite form, Izaya raised his leg and kicked him in the stomach. Shizuo stumbled back with a growl but stayed on his feet and lunged forward again with a raised fist. Izaya ducked the punch aimed for his face, grabbed Shizuo's wrist, and sidestepped to land a hit with his elbow. Shizuo jumped back and grabbed Izaya's knife-wielding hand before the blade could cut his chest. Shizuo held Izaya's wrist firmly to the side, squeezing hard enough so that the raven would drop his weapon, but was surprised to find that he refused.

Izaya narrowed his eyes dangerously, and with quick movements, he was behind Shizuo with an arm wrapped around his neck. Neither one had landed a bruising blow, which proved their skills as fighters and their underestimation of one another. Shizuo growled and crouched forward to flip Izaya over, and the raven grunted when his back hit the floor. Shizuo's form loomed over him, and Izaya cursed Shizuo for gaining the upper hand twice. "Alright," Izaya said with a breathless huff, taking comfort that Shizuo was breathless too. The tone with which the word was spoken was a yielding yet reluctant one. "Let me go," Izaya warned when he realized Shizuo wasn't releasing him.

Shizuo gritted his teeth and knelt down, raising Izaya's hand above his head and pinning his other arm when the raven tried to strike him. "I didn't kill anyone. I didn't murder Tom."

Izaya's whole body tensed with anger, though it did not show too abundant on his face. Shizuo was perhaps one of the few able to challenge him in close combat, but what angered him the most was that Izaya knew if Shizuo had used his full strength like he had done with the doorknob, he might be dead by now. "You sound extremely certain."

Tightening his hold slightly, Shizuo bellowed, "I was set up!"

Izaya didn't flinch from Shizuo's tone, nor did he react to the ache in his arms. "While all the obvious evidence convicts you as the killer, I believe you."

Shizuo blinked in surprise, and his hold loosened before he knelt back, releasing Izaya completely. Shizuo watched the raven stand up and idly rub the feeling back in his wrists. Despite Izaya's arrogant expression, Shizuo could tell he was sincere.

Izaya leaned against the desk with a chuckle as Shizuo stood. "If you did murder Tanaka, I'd be dead by now. A real killer would not have granted me such mercy, especially regarding my earlier comments." Izaya's eyes narrowed slightly, and Shizuo could tell he hadn't released his hold on the knife that was now back in his pocket. "And you have the strength to do so in a heartbeat."

Shizuo understood the meaning behind Izaya's words; they told him the raven wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he tried, but they also indicated Izaya's acknowledgment that if Shizuo truly intended to kill him, Izaya would probably lose, or at least the stakes were extremely high. Despite how he felt about Izaya, Shizuo couldn't dismiss his words entirely; no one had believed him apart from Kine, and he felt obliged to at least acknowledge that much. The raven's name engraved on a small silver plaque before it slid off had caught Shizuo's attention when he pinned him to the desk. "Thank you, Izaya."

Shizuo's sudden gratefulness was clear, but it didn't make it any less surprising; still, Izaya grinned and casually picked up the fallen plaque before setting it back in its place. "I said I believed you, but your actions are still brutish to me. You act before you think, and violence seems to be your answer for everything." Izaya watched Shizuo's fists, and the way he tensed showed the need to lash out. "Like right now. You're already trying your best not to take a swing at me."

Shizuo growled. "Don't act like the saint here. Your fighting skills and untrustworthy attitude tells me you're not so innocent in that department either."

Izaya laughed. "Thank you." Izaya stepped forward with intimidation and stopped just a few inches from Shizuo. "But despite your accusations, I prefer to settle a situation with rational solutions, and you'd be surprised how responsive people can be." Izaya grinned. "Especially if they know what I'm capable of. I can do as much damage intellectually, but as you just discovered, I will defend myself if given no choice."

Shizuo tried to calm down. Izaya depicting him like that angered him more than it unnerved him, and he didn't know how long he would last without wanting to pummel the man.

Izaya sighed and returned to the desk to sit behind it. "I have to respect Kine's decision, and unfortunately that means accepting you as my partner. I have to accept that Kine knew what he was doing when he sent you to me, but let's me make this clear. I'm in charge, got it? I have a lot more experience if nothing else. If you don't like it, then leave. Kine knows I won't sabotage my own deal with him just to purposely cause trouble with you." Izaya smirked. "So I will willingly teach you how to become a civilized human, and I will show you the ropes. The decision is yours."

Shizuo reluctantly ignored Izaya's quip that he was just a reckless uncouth member of society in favor of the sincerity in his last words. His own deal with him? Shizuo didn't know what that meant, but he sensed it was probably similar to his own and took comfort in that for now. Shizuo had no desire to find out why Izaya was here; his only concern was proving his innocence, and if that meant working with someone like Izaya, he supposed it was a small price to pay. "Fine. I accept that you're in charge, but I wanna make it clear that I really hate you."

Izaya resisted the urge to click his tongue, refusing to show his annoyance. Izaya didn't understand how the blond could adamantly admit to hating him incontinently. "That's fine with me, but a truce would benefit us to avoid any complications during cases."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes, but there was logic in Izaya's proposal. "Like you, I won't ruin my chances by causing trouble for you, so as far as cases are concerned, I'll accept your truce."

Izaya couldn't help but grin in triumph. "Good. Now," Izaya pulled out his wallet and slid several high bills across the desk, "Go buy me a new doorknob. There's a shop one street over that sell these types."

Shizuo took the money with a raised eyebrow. "Was this knob made from gold or something?"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "You broke the lock, and those aren't cheap to replace, you know, and now I have to get a new key cut. The shop does that too, so take the money and get both. Tell the owner that Izaya Orihara sent you and he'll probably cut you a second key for free." Izaya noticed Shizuo's surprise and chuckled. "You work here now, so you will need a key. We won't always be together during a case, so it'll be easier if nothing else."

Shizuo clicked his tongue and slipped the money into his wallet. "I said I'd pay for it."

Izaya chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. The money will come out of your half of the payments we receive until the debt is repaid."

Shizuo growled at the raven before he left to complete his task, shutting the door even though it wasn't now secure.

Izaya sat back in his chair with a smirk. His overall encounter with Shizuo amused him. "Perhaps it might not be so bad after all."