To heir is human pt 1(solo)

Los Angles, California

If not for the stiffness of the gigai he wore Arawn would be enjoying his walk down the semi-busy street. It was warm enough outside that he didn't need a sweater. He wore a short sleeved black shirt with the text "WIS 18" on the front, and pair of blue jeans. Anxiously he flexed his fingers and wiggled his head. No matter how much he tried he couldn't seem to get comfortable. As much as he disliked the false body it was needed. He knew for a fact that he could interact with the physical world while a shinigami. The problem was that he was on Earth to get some items. His crew had pulled an all-nighter two days ago. As a reward for their hard work he had offered to treat them. Unfortunately they wanted things not found in Soul Society. So to stay true to his promise he donned the suit and ventured to this city. Apparently one of the objects Simone wanted was exclusive to a shop in the city. She had even been kind enough to give him a map. He had to categorize the trip as "resource procurement" when they asked why he going on the trip. There was a small feeling of guilt, but Simone reassured him that others did worse than that. As he stopped at the crosswalk he silently wondered what things others did. The light changed and he let the matter drop. He half ran across the crosswalk as he looked down to his phone to confirm he was going the right way. Another 6 blocks and he'd be there. Arawn wished he could have just opened a portal near the shop, but imagined the havoc the might have caused. A person suddenly appearing in front of a shop was bound to get some attention. Instead he had entered from inside a very old and abandoned building and worked his way there. For a moment there he had considered getting in a cab, but he was unsure how much money it would require. He rather keep the cost of this trip to a minimum. Thus his long walk across the congested roads and crowded sidewalk. Every so often he smiled or nodded to those he made eye contact with on his way. It didn't happen often, but for the most part no one spoke to him. He consulted his map once again. The maze like pathways awaited him. Arawn stood there studying it trying to find some shortcut that Simone had overlooked. Unfortunately the route she had marked was the most efficient. So he continued upon his way wondering if this thing was worth the effort. All this for a chocolate cake. Arawn hated chocolate so he wasn’t going to try it himself. But he might reward himself with some other sweet the shop provided.
So deep in thought was the red haired shinigami that he didn’t notice the two young men that had been trailing behind him for the last few blocks. One man wore a green ball cap with his shaggy brown hair peeking from beneath it. His hands were hidden in his pockets as he walked the sidewalk. The man next to him had his black hair slicked back from his face. A wide frame shades hide his eyes from view, but they were locked in Arawn’s back.

The two men had noticed him when he had crossed in front of them at the corner store. They had been relaxing when they felt the spiritual energy flowing from the man. He wasn’t someone they knew. Anyone with any speck of energy was known through the city. If not they stayed away. But this man didn’t seem to notice that they were following behind. No one skilled would be so oblivious to their presence. As they walked the on wearing shades pulled out his phone and dialed. Several seconds passed as the phone rang in his hand. He waited patiently for a response then clicked his tongue.
“No one’s answering.” he muttered looking to the other man. “What do you think?”
The other man reached up and adjusted his ball cap. He pushed back the sleeve of his shirt.
“Dunno man.” he said quickly. His head turned to follow the movement of a very cute girl crossing the street. “This is boring, why can’t we just ignore him and go to the arcade?”
“Stupid!” The man’s hand shot out and slapped his friend across the back of his head sending his hat to the ground. “We can’t have people wandering about. He could be a spy or something.”
The other man considered the first man’s words, but bent down to retrieve his cap. He didn’t look very happy, but he didn’t say anything.
“Come on, let’s get him.” The man increased his pace and looked over his shoulder to see if the other man was still there or not.

Arawn was consulting with his map one more time when someone grabbed him from behind. He was too shocked to even scream as he was shoved quickly into the alleyway to his left. Arawn nearly tripped over his own feet before being slammed back first against the brick wall. The idea of struggling came to mind just seconds prior to the assailant’s hand grabbing his throat.
“One word and I crush your windpipe.” The fingers dug into his neck and squeezed. Just great, Arawn thought to himself, I’m being mugged. He looked at his attacker and nodded his head slowly. Although the man was unarmed Arawn’s hands were up like he was being held at gunpoint. The man holding him was only a faction taller than he was, but from the looks of it not much in the way of muscle. Despite that the vice like grip the man had on his neck was impressive. Looking over the man’s shoulder he saw another man standing there watching them. Arawn groaned. This was turning out to be a bad day.

"Who are you? What clan are you with?" The man gave Arawn's neck an encouraging squeeze. But how did he expect a response with his hand restricting the man's airway? That fact aside the fact that Arawn had no idea what the man was talking about made formulating a reply even harder. Clan? He frantically pointed to his throat hoping the man would get the clue that he couldn't speak while being choked. For a second the man stared sternly at the red haired man. But seconds later he figured out what the pointing meant. Very slowly he relaxed his grip. "Who are you?" he asked again as if the hand had prevented Arawn's ears from working. Instead of responding Arawn took this time to take in the crisp cool oxygen into his lungs. He purposely made overly dramatic gasping noises. A few seconds of wheezing was allowed by his captors, he took that time to think. They weren't simple robbers. Now that he wasn't being strangled he could feel the spiritual power radiating from the man. Why he wanted to know who he was questionable, but Arawn needed to say something before he started to choke him again. He didn't know what to say, so he went with the truth.

"What are you talking about?" he responded and the man's eyebrow twitched. Apparently that wasn't what he wanted to hear. The fingers dug into the sides of his throat pinching the flow of blood to his head. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" he exclaimed once more over dramatizing his discomfort. Feigning weakness was a safe ploy in hopes of getting them to lower their guards. The squeezing did decrease, yet not completely. Arawn took a quick glance around the alley, but the man's hold kept him from seeing much.
"Man, I don't think he's anybody." the man in the back said. He looked back toward the entrance of the alley then back as his companion. Of the two he seemed less comfortable with the situation. "Come on just let him go. We can't be jumping on everyone with a spec of chi."
"Shut up!" The front man said obviously agitated. "It's not just that. Even for a wild he's got more than most people ever can pull off. Don't you feel it? He's got it coming off him in waves." The other man moved forward and drew his face closer. His green eyes locked on Arawn's for several seconds before looking away.
"Dood, he's got some juice." the man in the cap said as he pulled back. He tucked his hands into the long blue sleeves of his jersey so only three fingers on each hand was visible. "He could be a wild. No Earth clan would dare wander around like that." The man wearing shades shook his head and his other hand dove into Arawn's jean pockets. At that point Arawn figured it was a robbery after all as the man pulled out the money he was given from the front pocket. The disappointment on his face was obvious. He tossed the wad of bills to the ground with a snort. His hand dove back in, but found nothing. He moved his search to the red head's back pockets, but found them empty as well. He squeezed his fingers into his captive's neck again.
"No I.D." the man muttered "Who the hell are you?" he asked for the third time. Arawn wasn't sure what to tell him. The truth hadn't worked, so lying was the next thing in his bag of tricks. They were looking for someone or something. For some reason or another they had singled him out as a person of interest.
"I'm a tourist!" the lie spilled from his lips as the squeezing continued. "I just came to town with some friends." the last part came out several octaves different than his normal voice. Arawn couldn't see the man's eyes, so he was unsure the man's reaction to his words. "I was supposed to pick up some snacks." He gestured towards his phone, but then remembered he wasn't holding it anymore. When the man had grabbed him he must had dropped it. If he could he would show them the map to the special show Simone had sent him to. Without said map as proof his pointing seemed rather silly. "Just take my money, I won't tell anyone! Please don't hurt me!" he tried his best to sound scared. It wasn't hard he was fearful that these men might just do him some harm. It would seem that he bought the act as his hand did ease up once again.

"See I told you man, he's just some random guy." said the other man. He was the easier of the two to convince Arawn notes. The other man didn't seem too sure as his kept his hand latched to his neck."Just let him go and let's scram." The shades wearing assailant looked back at his accomplice.
"Don't be stupid, we can't have a wild running around like this." He said. "We'll take him back with us." Arawn didn't like the sound of that. It was one thing to get mugged, it was another to get kidnapped. With the man distracted the shinigami decided to make his move. With half a jump he launched his knee straight up right into the man's elbow. He screamed as the bones clashed against each other. Arawn's knee won, and the man released his grip. The attacker turned his head just in time to recieve Arawn's fist in his face. His sunglasses were knocked clear of his face. For the first time Arawn saw the man's eyes. There was utter shock that he had been hit. That shock increased as the red haired man's foot came flying into his stomach and pushed him backwards into his companion. The two bodies fell to the ground in a tangle. Arawn took a second to spot his phone on the ground. He scooped it up and ran from the alley. He could hear the men shouting as he dashed down the street.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. The awkwardness of the false body forgotten as he tried to put as much distance between himself and his attackers. His escape was hampered as people on the street didn't exactly jump out of his way as he darted down the street. Instead he had to slow down and try not to crash into people. He didn't bother to look back, it was best to keep going. Looking back would only slow him down more than the pedestrians. His shoulder bumped into a man hugging a woman. The man looked up quite annoyed. Arawn spun, regained his footing, and shouted his apology as he continued on his way. He needed to get somewhere and hide. They had singled him out due to his spiritual energy, they would probably use it to track him down. He had thought the gigai muffled his reiatsu, but he was mistaken. It merely felt that way to him, in truth he was a walking flare to anyone with a bit of skill in detecting it. Or probably anyone. When he got back to Soul Society he'd be sure to look into that matter. Hopefully that would be very soon.

Luck would have it a crosswalk was green as he came to the corner. Without hesitating he hurried across the street. Of the swarm of people moving through the painted area, he was the only one running. Arawn weaved through the two groups until he reached the other side. His foot had barely hit the opposite curb when he saw the man standing before him. The crowd seemed to part around him as he stood there with his arms folded. His nose bloodied, and his shades gone, he looked absolutely pissed. Arawn skidded to a halt and turned right and started to run.There were less people in his way, but that just mean Arawn could really pick up speed. But once more the man appeared in front of him nearly half a block away. How the hell was he getting ahead of him? He probably lived here and knew all sorts of short cuts. Again Arawn changed directions and headed the opposite direction. Too late did he realize the lack of people worked against him. That thought came to him as he raced past another building. The number of people had diminished. Only a few spotted the sidewalk. Most didn't even flinch as they saw the red haired man run by. Only a couple looked up to watch him zoom across the pavement.

Finally Arawn halted. There was almost no one around now. The had succeeded in herding him here. He thought of turning around, but knew that might not be possible. He slipped into an alley to catch is breath. It felt odd. More uncomfortable than just simple walking. It was nearly suffocating. Like wearing a full body sweater in the middle of a summer day. As he struggled to breathe he thought he heard something. He whipped his head back and forth expecting an attack. From the distance he could see both the end and the entrance to the alley. There was nothing to see. Arawn kicked himself for not knowing how to sense reiryoku at range. As with the suppression technique it was something that he really needed to work on. Hopefully he'd survive long enough to worth on them. His heartbeat had slowed. Now he wondered if he could open a portal back to Soul Society here.
"They're probably watching." he whispered. If they could sense his spiritual pressure they might see the portal. To avoid revealing such things to the humans was taught during the academy. So until he lost them, he was stuck. Of course there was another option. He was reluctant to think it, but he was desperate.

Slowly he crept to the end of the alley and looked up and down the block. Empty to the north, but there were some people walking the opposite direction to the south. None of them looked like the people perusing him. Across the street were several older buildings. A wrecked department store? It looked like an old mom and pop like outfit. A small space was better than being caught out in the open. Like lightning he dashed across the road to the store's front. Wooden planks barred the doors and windows. Arawn moved to the door and grabbed the board and tugged. The wood groaned and bent slightly. Arawn grunted and pulled again. The top portion of the board pulled free. This gave him enough leverage to pull the bottom part free. He then used that as a pry bar to remove the next board from it's position. For a moment he looked up from his work to see if anyone was watching. There was no one in either direction. Quickly he went back to work and pulled the third and final plank free. It took little effort to kick the door in and Arawn stepped into the dark building. The air was thick with dust and mold. No one had been here in a very long time. The only light came from the now opened door and what little could slip through the barred windows. Arawn smiled. This would be perfect. Here he could fight off his attackers. He was sure they were watching him, waiting to see what he was doing. Now it was his turn to wait. How long until they tried to come for him? His steps echoed as he moved about the empty room getting a feel for the area. Barely forty by forty feet. Small enough to ensure he'd not get overwhelmed. "Game on." he muttered and leaned against the back wall.

"He just went into the building." Said the young man with the broken nose. He stood in the alley with this long shirted friend. They had followed Arawn as he ran through the streets. "Let's go get him." he took a step towards the building and the other man grabbed his arm to stop him. "What?" he asked very annoyed.
"Come on man, let's leave him alone." the young man stated. He looked at the building across the street then back to his friend. "
"Leave him alone?" came the retort. "Did you see what he did to my face!?" he pointed to the bloodied nostrils that flared widely. The man jerked his arm away from the hand that held him. "He broke my fucking nose and you want him to just walk away?"
"You were choking him man, did you expect him to hug you?" That observation didn't calm the man in the slightest. Of course he didn't want to hear that his injury was his own fault. Somehow he saw himself as the victim despite his aggressive behavior. His words only served to irritate the other man further. In a flash his hand shot forward and grabbed his comrade by the throat.
"You listen, and you listen good." He supposed friend gasped as the man's hand squeezed hard. "I'm going over there to kick that guy's ass. I expect to see you behind me or I'm coming to kick yours next." He punctuated his sentence by putting more pressure upon the man's throat. The man tried to pry the fingers free of his neck, but couldn't get free. "We clear?" Unable to breathe the man nodded vigorously. The man released his hold and the other young man leaned against the wall catching his breath.

The man looked at his friend for several seconds and his friend looked back. Finally he turned away and turned toward the building. He looked back and forth down the street before jogging across. The other man dusted himself off and felt the section of his neck where the hand had been. It felt like the it was still there grabbing him. He took a look at his companion's back then hurried after him. Very quietly the two moved across the street. Once on the other side they looked around once more to see if anyone was watching them. Fortunately for them the street seemed to be empty. He had misgivings, but knew his buddy would stay true to his words and beat him up next after he was done with the other guy. He sighed. This earned him a very stern look from the other man. As if his sigh would alert their target of their presence. Still he held up his hands in surrender and closed his mouth. They moved closer to the door they had seen the red haired man go into. The man hugged the wall to the right of the door and motioned his companion to take the other side. Reluctantly he took up the position on the left. The first man held up his hand with his index finger extended. He mouthed the words "One, Two....." By the third count he pushed in the door and entered the building. He took five steps into the room and stopped. It was empty.

Arawn had been sitting in the dusty room for what felt like hours. He expected them to come running in almost any second when he had first arrived. After awhile he wondered if they really were still chasing him. He got his answer as he saw a shadow move across the door. Suddenly seeing them so close he thought of what he could do. While sitting there he had thought of multiple plans of attack. The most simple of his plans was to let them in and fight them in side the small building. The small space would restrict their movements and prevent him from being surrounded. Instead he decided to try something different. First he moved closer to the door. Then Arawn focused his energy to his feet and pushed himself into the air. He quickly hit the ceiling and laid himself flat just as the door opened. The shinigami hung literally hung by his fingers to stay aloft. His pursuer walked in right beneath him.
"What the hell?" the man spoke a he walked further into the room. Less than a second later the second man came in and passed right under the shinigami. The first man reached the back of the room to confirm there wasn't an exit hidden on the rear wall. "Where is he?" the man asked. He turned around just as Arawn dropped from the ceiling behind his friend. The shock prevented him from warning his companion. Arawn landed in a fighting stance. Sa Shin Mu: Hyun-Mu. His gigai hindered his energy control, but he hoped he could summon enough for his attack. He barely felt the burst of energy flow through his body as his arm came forward and smashed into the man as he turned. The long sleeved man too the hit straight to his stomach and went flying into the back wall. Even if he didn't have the energy in the attack his strength seemed enough damage to knock the man senseless. After hitting the wall the other man didn't get up.

The first man was no doubly shocked. He looked from Arawn to the still form of his friend several times. The surprised turned to anger over his companion's injury. While Arawn had hoped the powerful strike would deter the other man from attacking, he was wrong. The man lunged. His hand was open as he grabbed for Arawn's neck. Without the element of surprise Arawn found he could dodge the man's movement. A good thing he did. When he shifted to the side out of reach the hand went into wall beside the door. At first Arawn thought the wall was weak, but the man pulled his hand back with a chunk of rock. With little effort he crushed the stone like it was made of chalk. The man was already moving again. He growled as he thrust his hands at Arawn again. Rather than move out of the way Arawn swayed his body slightly to avoid the strike. He countered with a low kick to the man's knee. The shinigami expected the man to fall to the ground, but instead his other hand came zooming in. This time Arawn had to move. As he jumped back the man's fingers latched on to the front of his shirt. He gripped the clothing keeping Arawn from completely retreating. The man grinned as he brought his other hand back up to strike. Arawn brought his foot up and kicked the man in the chest as hard as he could. It was less of an attack and more of an evasion. The kick pushed him backward ripping his shirt and getting him out of range of the second strike. Arawn looked down at the hole over his chest. The man's strength was amazing. He had broken a wall, he could only imagine what he could do to bone. The man smiled as he blew the remnant of the shirt from his hand like a stray feather.

"I'm going to rip your head off." Arawn was certain he was serious. Both men started to circle one another, each looking for an opening. The man feinted left, then right. Both times the shinigami twitched much to the man's amusement. Finally Arawn stopped and took a deep breath. He relaxed his arms then opened his fist showing palms to his opponent. The small space now worked against him. If he ran for the door it was possible for the enemy to nail him. The solution was simple; he needed to get him with a powerful attack. Otherwise he'd be torn to pieces in seconds. He tried to summon his reiryoku once more. Sa Shin Mu: Ju-jak. Nothing. He couldn't get anything to his hands. Standing on the ceiling and Hyun-Mu must have depleted what little energy the gigai allowed him funnel. Not enough.
"Rather than both hands, let's try just one." he muttered as the man feinted left again. Arawn ignored it as he focused all his spiritual power to his left hand. He couldn't see the cushion of energy that normally encompassed his hand, but he could feel the slight trickle of energy fill his left arm. Arawn tucked his right arm by his hip and the open palm of his left forward. Almost on cue the man attacked. Shifting left then right, he darted forward. Rather than fall for the feints Arawn stood still. The man wasn't much for strategy, he was like a bulldozer he would attack head on. True to this the man punched right at the shinigami's face. Arawn's left hand intercepted the attack. There was a crunch from his hand and a jolt of pan as the man's strength came to bear, but already was the red haired man moving. He stepped forward and spun clockwise. As he came out of the spin he brought his right elbow out. Arawn back was to the man but the strike clubbed his opponent against the side of his head head. While he was still reeling Arawn took another step and turned 180 degrees. Now he was facing the other man's back. His left hand was now a fist and shot into the man's side. Instantly Arawn regretted this action. His hand was indeed injured from blocking the first hit, using it to attack hardly made it any better. Putting that out of his mind his right struck the man in the center of his spine. The man tumbled forward. He turned snarling like a beast. The man's hand came flashing out to punch, but it was kick that connected with Arawn's mid section and sent him skidding backwards. There was no mistaking the crunch as his lower ribs absorbed the man's might blow. False body or not the pain was all too real. The impact wasn't dulled in the slightest. He had been so focused on the dangerous hands, he had overlooked the man's feet. Something he didn't have long to reflect on as the man pushed his attack.

Another kick came, this time aimed at the head of the doubled over shinigami. Dodging didn't take much effort, but the pain that accompanied it wasn't too welcome. The injury was hindering his movements and the man seemed to be more motivated after taking Arawn's blows. Just his luck. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the unfortunate situation, it was time to act. Barely dodging the attack was a mistake as now the man was in range to use his hands. Arawn could only block a the left than right fist rapidly tried to assault him. Rather than defend he tried to deflect the strikes and sway. The former had more success than the latter. Movement was difficult as the man was relentless. Even with his injured left he was able to keep the strikes from landing. It was almost like a boxing match the way their hands wove back in forth between them. Jabs and crosses being thrown by both, but each barely missing. Arawn was still on the defensive. Too cautious to commit to a strong attack he snapped his fist at the holes in the other man's defense. This was going no where, but he figured the best solution for the apparent stalemate. A slow and feeble punch at the man's right cheek with his left hand. The opponent saw the obvious strike and moved his arm to intercept. It was like tossing an underhand pitch to a professional baseball player. The arm arrived before the fist. At the last moment Arawn's fist opened and he grabbed the mans wrist. To say the least the man was surprised. Doubly so when Arawn's right hand slipped underneath the extended arm to latched onto the other wrist. With a large jerk Arawn pulled his arms reversing the positions. Now his opponent's arms were crossed. Before the man could bring his strength to bear and uncross them the red haired man's head slammed into the unaware man's face. A headbutt. Not the most elegant of moves, but very effective. The main problem was that it was a double edged sword. Even though Arawn was ready for it, his head was hurting from the clash. Thankfully he got off easy compared to the other man. When he released the man's arms he stumbled backwards holding his head. It looked as if he'd forgotten how to even stand. Arawn quickly shook the cobwebs from his brain and took advantage of the opening. He charged the staggered man and jumped. If not for the headbutt the man might have avoided the flying drop kick, but this was not the case. Instead both feet collided with the man's chest and sent him through the boarded up window. The wood was weak enough as it was, but even if it had not there was enough power in the attack to have done so. Outside the building the man rolled to a stop on the sidewalk. Chunks of wood that had cut into his back were driven deeper by the impact with the stone pavement. He screamed out in pain trying to pull the wooden daggers from body. Arawn stood there and looked out the window at the fallen foe, and then at the unconscious man against the wall. If he was to get away, now would be the time.

He ran through the door and didn't look back. Through the streets he ran with no idea which way he was going. There were no crosswalks or streetlights. Not that he would have noticed. He didn't stop until he reached a darkened alley. For several minutes Arawn pressed himself against the wall trying to keep his breath. Finally he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small pill. Arawn tossed back his head and popped the pellet into his mouth. The next instant he was in his shinigami robes and his gigai remained against the wall.
"What are we going to do today?" asked the false body in his own voice.
"Home." Was all Arawn said as he drew his weapon and pierced the empty air. With a twist and bit of spiritual power a portal opened. This was one time he was glad to see the ornate sliding doors. "Let's go." Arawn said and stepped through the waiting gate. He'd have to explain this to Simone later.