[CB] Chasing shadows (Draylontis)

Still cradling his arm Arawn's ire had yet to fall. The whole night had been nothing but a big pain. In this case both literally and figuratively. Perhaps it would have been better just to tell the powers that be about the cameras. Still rather odd such a system was in place and they didn't know about it. Who could pull such a thing off. There wasn't anyone that came to mind that could infiltrate all of Seireitei and set up surveillance of this level.
"I guess Bryce will have to find something else to watch late at nights." Arawn sighed. Chances were the hunchback would not be please. "Maybe I can get him to get away from that computer and read a book." he said as a after thought. A snowball had a better chance than that ever happening. The red haired man had a laugh at the small joke. It was then that his phone began to ring. Grabbing his phone with one hand wasn't too hard. He checked the ID.
"Speak of the devil." he muttered and flipped the phone open to answer it "This better be good news." he said into the receiver.

"Thank god, I finally got you!" Bryce squealed into Arawn's ear. It was painful enough for Arawn to pull the phone away. When he brought it back to Bryce was still babbling. "......and I couldn't reach you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you." Was the sarcastic reply "Where's the other guy?" he was curious if he had succeeded in capturing the suspect, but as things were going it was doubtful. The memory of the big man attacking him sprung to mind and he could feel his arm throb.
"Draylon? I think he went looking for you." Bryce said timidly. Arawn looked around, he didn't even know where he currently was. "I'll call him." The phone went dead before he could even ask for directions. Arawn sighed and continued to walk hoping to see some familiar landmark. The minutes passed and his phone rung again. The caller ID once more said it was Bryce.
"There was no answer." Arawn looked back the way he came, no way he was going to go back there and face that brute. Especially not alone and injured. Could he have been captured? As he pondered the situation an idea came to him.
"I'll call back in a minute." Was all he said as he hung up and opened his map. He had forgotten about the map function. But he had remember the shinigami investigating the fire. If he could somehow persuade them to help he might be able to find the other shinigami. At the same time he could get the healers to look at his arm. Upon looking at the map he saw that he wasn't far. Holding his crippled arm tightly he shunpo'd away.

At the burned warehouse

The shinigami that had tried to comfort Draylon looked at him with wide eyes. As did those holding his arms. Everyone had froze upon the shinigami's request.
"I promise we'll get it." he said hastily motioning for Draylon to keep moving. The leader of the group turned to face the offender. The man averted his gaze quickly.
The man in charge was less than pleased as he stared at the other man.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation; there was an massive fire just hours ago, and another one here. We are on orders to detain or capture any suspicious individuals. This the second fire and you're trespassing in a restricted area and attacked one of my men. You are a suspicious individual I have every right to detain you! I don't care about your comfort!" The man was quite loud with his yelling the shinigami on either side of Draylon flinched. "Fine you're worried about you damn sword, let's see fix that for you!" he moved to stand right in front of the shinigami. "Hold him down." he said calmly. The two shinigami holding Draylon looked at each other. "I SAID HOLD HIM DOWN!!" They reluctantly nodded to one another and took a firmer grasp on the captive's arms. Next they interlocked their legs with the man between them. "If we knock you out you weapon should revert back to normal." With a smooth motion he removed his sword and sheath from his hip and raised it above his head. Arawn arrived on the edge of the street just as the man brought the heavy wooden sheath came down on Draylon's head.

Dray realized that maybe he should have asked nicer, he had thought that the leader was far enough away to not hear him, he was wrong. The leader came back over and yelled in his face about the situation, as if he didn't know what was going on, sure he had screwed up badly but that didn't mean that he couldn't be treated at least civilly, he even felt bad about the man he had fallen into, but no they were going to be hostile, at least the leader was. He said if he wanted his zanpakuto so bad he could just be beaten unconscious to revert the zanpakuto, unfortunately dray knew that wouldn't work. The Leader ordered the men to hold him down and they gripped tighter, gripping his arms and wrapping their legs around his.

The leader raised his sheath above his head and swung down hard at Draylon's head, unfortunately his aim was off, probably due to anger or the fact that he just wanted to hit dray he wasn't sure, clipping dray's head and most of the force smashing the sheath into his collarbone, it hurt, a lot but it was better than taking that whole blow to the head, it didn't feel broken but it still hurt like hell and his head was ringing a bit. He knew that the blow would leave a nasty bruise, he grimaced in pain and said, "Constant release shikai don't revert, even when unconscious..." Dray grunted in pain as the man on the side adjusted his grip, sending pain through his head and collarbone. He winced as his head pulsed with pain with each pump of his heart.

"Is that a fact?" The man said as he brought up his knee swiftly into Draylon's stomach. Before the other man could recover he swung sheath again across the captive's face. Without slowing the hand made a return trip smacking the wounded man across the head once again. "We don't know til we try!" he said as he continued to swing the weapon back and forth at Draylon. This went on for several moments. With each strike those holding the injured man flinched, but they kept hold of him as instructed. All of them tried to avert their gaze from the scene playing out in front of them. After a rain of blows he raised the sheath once more to release a heavy swing from above. Instead of the head the man's weapon came down upon his collar bone. "No change yet." The man took a glance at Draylon's dropped weapon. "Let's see if this works." He said raising the weapon again. Before his hand could fall the man that had spoke to Draylon before had stepped forward and grabbed the leader's wrist. A look of grim determination filled his face.

"Stop this now!" he said. A look of complete rage fill the other man's face. He looked ready to strike this man. "Your little sister's death isn't this man's fault." he said softly. The rage intensified "She wouldn't want you to be like this, this isn't how you would want her to see you." The leader's face softened. He looked around at the group. His eyes met with those around him; all of them had a look horror mixed with pity and shame. Hanging his head in defeat he dropped his weapon and sobbed. While he didn't raise his head it was clear that he was crying.
The man turned away and walked in the opposite direction from the group. The rest of the group said nothing.
"The fire in the dormitory, his sister is listed among those lost." The man that had intervened said as he picked up the man's fallen weapon. He stared at the sword in his hands. "He was so proud of her, they had become separated once he became a shinigami. And she had finally come to join the Academy. He sighed and tucked the weapon in his belt. "Come on, let's get him some medical attention." He and the other man took Dray towards the small area where the 4th squad medics were gathered.

Down the road

Arawn could barely make out gathering of shinigami as he slowly progressed down the street. Using shunpo had been a bad idea, the sudden motion was quite jarring to his wounded arm. After stopping he had walked very slowly as to avoid any more pain. As he moved up the street another shinigami was coming his way.
"Hey, can you_" Tears streamed the man's face. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to say anything. The man didn't even stop he just kept on walking right past the wounded Arawn. Shaking his head he figured it was best to ask the others still gathered. Some where already walking away while three of them came to intercept him.
"Halt state your business." One of the larger men commanded. Arawn was quick to stop and held his good hand up in surrender. The other man's hand was already on his weapon.
"I'm actually here looking for help." He didn't to make a scene. "I was injured and needed some medical attention." As he spoke one of the men held his head to the side and squinted at Arawn.
"Wait a second, weren't you here earlier? We found here when the fire was going." the other man stated. The big man's hand came away from his sword, but he gave the red haired man suspicious look.
"Yes, that was me." Arawn glad that the level of tension was lowered.
"So ho did you get hurt, you barely just left." the man eyed the way the other man had his arm cradled in his sleeve.
"I got hit by a cart." he quickly lied. "The other man didn't even bother to stop." he said with a sheepish grin. "It hurts quite abit, I was wondering if I might get some treatment. The 4th squad barracks if much further away."
The big man looked at the other two. Both men shrugged back at him. Without their leader they weren't sure what they should do.
"Sure." he said finally and moved to the side allowing the man to get by. Arawn gave a small bow and shuffled by the trio towards the site of the burned building. As he entered the are he glanced at the torched structure. They didn't get a chance to check it out, and now they had lost the suspects. He noted the number of white labcoats in the area. Had the 12th squad been called onto the scene? Sighing he headed over to where some shinigami where gathered hoping they were the medics he had met earlier. Luck would have it he was correct. He was happy to have found the medical staff, but he would have to wait as there was three people ahead of him. Or was it one? Two men stood on either side of another person escorting him to the healers.

There leader either didn't care or didn't trust him, he slammed his knee into Draylon's gut and up into his ribs, driving the wind out of him. Dray started to choke a bit because he couldn't breathe but the man wasn't finished, swinging the sheath, it cracking across his head, right near the temple, leaving him slightly dazed. He heard the man say something but couldn't comprehend it in his state. He felt the sharp pain of being cracked across the face, and again and again, blood starting to splatter from his face, the man had injured Dray's jaw somehow and Dray was almost in a delirious state from the amount of pain he was in. Just as it seemed the man had stopped, the man smashed his sheath back to where it had his his collarbone before, making a sickly cracking noise. Dray nearly passed out from the pain, instead going limp in his captive's arms. He felt one side release and Dray's body slouched to the side as he struggled with the pain and agony of his injuries, his senses fading in and out of focus, the boy who had been nice earlier was saying something to the man who had beaten him, He picked up pieces here and there, apparently the man's sister had died in the fires, which killed all spite and hatred Dray had for the man who had beaten him senseless. The main who had probably saved his life came back over and lifted him back up, walking him somewhere, Dray's ability to concentrate failed him and he passed out.

Dray woke to an extreme amount of pain as he was laid down on a bed from standing position, He glanced around without moving as he knew he was in bad shape, although for some reason he wasn't in that much pain, though he knew he should have been, He saw the medic working on him, looking over his face and collarbone first of all, then his eyes laid on the two men who had carried him here talking about something or another. Dray tried to say something and only managed to cause himself an extreme amount of pain. The medic saying "Don't Try to talk." No shit Dray carefully lifted one of his arms and made a motion towards the young man who had saved him. The man saw the motion and walked over a bit standing over him, before the man could say anything Dray made a writing motion with his hand. The medic looked annoyed at Draylon and the other man but allowed him to slip a sheet of paper under Dray's hand and putting a pen in his hand. Draylon simply wrote, "I have information you need to know."

With the help of the two men the injured was helped to a swiftly made cot. Curious Arawn tried to look at the man. The shiniami was badly beaten. His face was swollen and there was quite abit of blood. He looked back at the long dead fire and wondered how the man had come upon such injuries while battling the blaze. The healers were quick in their work their hands began to glow as they held them over the man's body. Not too long ago he had expressed his interest in the healing arts. Seeing it as a form of kido he had hoped to learn some of the techniques. That attempted had failed unfortunately. Such a skill would probably be useful. With that thought in minde he wondered if someone experienced in healing could in fact heal themselves. Although he wasn't sure the mechanics of the spells he figured it might be possible. If so that was even more reason for him to learn it. Still there was the possibility it wasn't. He thought to ask, but figured it could wait for some other time. Shrugging, and quickly regretting it, Arawn waved his uninjured arm to get the attention of the man not applying treatment.

"Pardon, me." he started to the medic. "I'm need of some aid as well, if possible." The man nodded and stepped forward only to stop. He peered at Arawn closely.
"Hey, didn't I see you before?" Indeed it was the same man that had checked him earlier after the explosion. To this Arawn gave an assembled smile.
"Yes you had." He started shifting his eyes away from the other scrutinizing gaze. " I got into a slight accident on the way home." He opened his shirt and showed the man the now swollen, and quite painful, arm. With at look the man's face softened. He like the investigator had been suspicious of him. But it seemed all that was forgotten quickly with the task at hand. The man moved closer to examine the limb. He pressed his hands on the forearm and got a yelp out of Arawn. His eyes teared up at the very sharp pain from the examination.
"What happened?" the other man asked as he looked at the bruising of the skin along the rest of the arm.
"I got hit by a wagon." Arawn said evenly as the man poked him again this time he was rewarded with a gasp from the patient.
"Really now?" the medic said his voice low. "An odd place to be hit."
"It clipped me." was the fast reply, but the doubt on the man's face was clear. Yet he didn't have anything to say on the matter. Finally he held his hands over the wounded arm and a soft green glow surrounded them. Arawn could feel the warmth coming from the glowing palms and felt pain lessen. The tingly yet itching sensation filled the mangled arm. He waited while the energy went to work healing his wound.

"I have information you need to know." the younger shinigami read aloud. He looked at Draylon then to the medic. The medic shrugged and resumed his work healing the injured man. Gently the other man placed a hand on Draylon's shoulder. "Don't worry we're not going to arrest you. I think the chief was just tense." He looked down at the others' beaten face. "I know it's asking alot; but do you think you could forget about this? He's usually such a good guy. When he found out what happened, he didn't react at all." his voice had a far away tone to it, but then it snapped back to reality. "But I guess there there was something wrong. The man's not made of stone. " Standing not too far away Arawn listened as he underwent his own healing procedure. He could only wonder that had transpired. "Even on the battle field he nurses a gentle_"
"OOOOOW!" Arawn suddenly screamed as his medic pulled his arm into a new position and turned it. Blinking back the tears he gave the man a dangerous look.
"Keep still, I need to make sure to set this bone right." was the only apology he got. Indeed he had been moving slightly, but it didn't warrant such treatment. He placed his glowing hands above the elbow now. The man near Draylon had stopped talking due to the sudden outburst.
"Ah, anyway; don't worry about it. We can talk about this after you're done." As he said this the healer nodded slowly hoping the man wouldn't disrupt his work.

Draylon Watched the young man's reaction as he read the note out loud, the man's only response was to reassure him, which both annoyed him and relieved him, he was annoyed because he believed that it would be a while before he would be able to tell them what he knew, yet he was relieved at the same time because he was not in any condition to stay awake let alone explain what happened, it was also reassuring to know that he wasn't going to be arrested. The man started talking about the captain, the one who beat him, asking Dray if he could find it in himself to forgive the man, Draylon had already done so however once he had heard about the man's sister. Dray watched the man as he talked, unable to do or say anything as the medic worked on his face.

There was a yell of pain from the side, dray instinctively looked and paid the price for it with a massive amount of pain spiking through his shoulders, neck and head. Dray was starting to pass out, he struggled to remain conscious as the man said one last thing, but he only heard, "Don't worry about it." before his vision went black and he passed out.

For some reason Arawn had the distinct impression the his medic was making his procedure as painful as possible. Ever few seconds he would receive a sharp pain as the man would adjust his arm and then resume the healing process. He did claim it was since the bone was broken he had to make sure the parts healed properly. But for some reason that felt like a lie. The medic had seen many wounds in his career, it was possible he knew from looking that Arawn's injury wasn't from a 'hit and run'. Perhaps it was the professional discourtesy that fueled the man's actions, either way Arawn did he best to endure it. Despite the painful treatment the arm did look better. It had been swollen and discolored before they had started. With that in mind Arawn looked for a way to distract himself from the unnecessary roughness. This proved quite difficult a he had to remain still for much of the treatment.

"Owww" he groaned as his arm was shifted again. The medic ignored his outcry. Thankfully the pain was lessening with each application of his healing magics. At this point Arawn looked over at the only other patient in the area. There was a medic hovering over his body healing him. He silently wondered if he could get similar treatment. Laying down would be alot more comfortable than standing up. As he thought about it more he caught a glimpse of the wounded man. His face no longer mangled he saw it was man he was looking for. Arawn shook his head in disbelief. He had been worried about his squad mate and here he was right before him. Why is here here? quickly came to mind. He turned quickly to the medic helping him.
"Can you hold on for a moment?" he asked, but was gone before the man could reply. Arawn moved towards the downed Draylon with the two men next to him.
"Is he going to be okay?" Upon closer inspection it would seem that the other shinigami was knocked out. "What happened to him?" he inquired and both men shared a look. Finally the other man stood up.
"It's none of your business." came the swift reply, he spied the disgruntled medic behind Arawn. "I suggest you go back and finish your treatment." he said firmly. The red haired shinigami had to think of something.
"Actually it is my business." Arawn said as he used his good arm to open his top. Inside the fold was the emblem for the 12th division. "We both work in the 12th squad, that man is my assistant." The first part was true, the second was a lie. Still it effect was apparent when the man's face softened.

"I see." he seemed to get nervous. His gaze went from the prone body to Arawn and back again. "There was abit of an incident...." The man's voice trailed off as he didn't complete the sentence. His gaze refused to meet the other man's.
"An incident? One that left his face smashed? Seems a very strange incident." The man groaned, and then ran his finger through his hair.
"Fine I'll tell you." He said and pulled Arawn to the side. Several moments later Arawn had the full picture. The medic tired of waiting walked over and resumed his healing. Thankfully he hadn't heard anything of the conversation before that.
"I think we should just call it a night." he said at length as he thought how best to handle things. "This second fire will need your undivided attention, I don't think you'll want to bother arresting someone over such a minute accident." The tingling in Arawn's arm had increased while the pain had decreased. "I don't think your boss would like a trial and have tonight's events come out." The other man's face darkened at the mention of his friend.
"Yeah, I think it's too much work at this point." He looked over at the people still sifting through the wreckage. While he looked tired, he did sound revealed, even at the veiled threat of extortion. Arawn looked down at Draylon's body. The healer had finished his work. For all intents and purposes the young man looked normal.
"I gave him something to help him rest. There were some skull fractures as well as breaks in the collar bone." The medic informed him. "He'll be out for a couple more hours. Be sure take it easy with your arm for the next few days."
"So we're free to go?" Arawn asked while flexing his now healed arm. There was some soreness, but only the feeling as if he'd slept on it wrong. Amazing skills those healers.
The man looked at Draylon as well and then back to Arawn. "Yes." he finally said. Arawn nodded and walked over to Draylon. He picked up the unconscious man and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of rice. He hardly felt any weight. The other shinigami was rather light.
"Wait, he left his zanpukto back there." The man called out quickly. After what the man had told him Arawn wasn't about to carry that thing, actually he was sure he couldn't. He groaned, he really wished Draylon was awake to get his weapon.
"If you can have someone send it to the 12th squad that would be great." Arawn stated with a shrug. "If not I'll have to send this guy to get it after he wakes up." The other man nodded and Arawn shunpo'd away. It had been a horrible night. Too many things had gone wrong than right, and he was left questioning why they had even tried. Pushing that thought from his mind Arawn focused on his next flashstep. The sooner he got back the sooner he could try to figure things out.