It Hides Inside You [Yuuto, Urahara]

It hadn't taken long for the Second Division to take action when he came to them for help. By the time they did, however, the Hollow mask had encroached the entirety of his face, and the only thing that had been stopping him from lashing out and attacking anyone was sheer force of will. They escorted him to the barracks themselves, placing him isolated from all others.

Mirai had come back with him, following suite after he had retreated, but they had not let her see him. He heard her protesting as he blacked out. Even in his dreams, it felt as if he was drowning, suffocating in some thick, viscous liquid. Every time he tried to surface, he was pulled back down again, each time stronger than the last -- and it was painful. He could feel the demon blood that had become so normal for him burning, with the sickening feeling of Hollow replacing it.

He pushed down the desire to scream, and continued to reach for the surface. No matter how strong the force pulling him down was, no matter how much pain every cell of his body was in from this infection, he would overcome and survive. Again and again, he kept reaching the surface, only to be pulled down and feel more pain wrack his body.

Then, suddenly, he awoke. Instinct forced him up, though he didn't make it far, only his head suddenly jerking upward and his neck snagged on something, knocking the air from him. He looked to his sides, seeing Kido restraining him. Well, he couldn't really blame them for that. He couldn't feel the Hollow mask on his face now, either.

Even still, he felt exhausted -- but, he couldn't let that stop him. It was only a matter of time before it tried to take over again. He had a feeling he wasn't out of the woodwork just yet.

He could hear the sound of a fan unfolding and moving through the air. He turned his head to the side, pain searing his neck and skull as he did, and looked over at the other figure in the room as best he could. Captain Urahara -- part of him wasn't surprised. He was a half-Demon that came back with a horrifyingly serious Hollow infection. There were probably no shortage of Research Division members that wanted to see what was happening in his head.

"Captain Urahara...?"

He groaned softly, tilting his head back slightly. The hazy veil of sleep slowly faded away, and every fiber of his being still burned with pain. Despite the restraints and his understanding of why, he still tried to free himself, struggling against the Kido, before turning to face him again.

"Every cell of my body is on fire. It's not as bad as it was when it first started, but...I can feel it changing me. It...It tried to take over, but, I stopped it."

He went to say more, but stopped himself. He tried to look at himself, at the wound he had before, though, through the Kido, he couldn't really see much. So, he turned to Kisuke again, a look of confusion coming to his face.

"How...long was I out?"

Yuuto's eyes widened at the revelation of how long he had been unconscious. Several days?! In a panic, he started to tug and struggle against his restraints in response. Even as his demon half slowly burned away, it was not going gentle into that goodnight. His emotions surged to their highest, forcing him into moods and reactions that none would see from him.

In his frenzy, another wave of pain wracked his body, and he suddenly jerked and thrashed in response, groaning through grit teeth as his body tensed, hands clasped into fists.

Even in the struggle, he was violent, aggressive, panicked as he was suddenly pulled upright. The grey, beady, inquisitive eyes of the Research Captain met with a faded scarlet -- no longer beautiful, clear, and shining gems, but misty, dying embers of a devil that plagued him for over two-hundred years.

Kisuke's explanation had not been lost on him -- he understood that the man had been there when the first sets of Vizards were born and awakened, and he knew that his own stubborn will was the only thing keeping it back. As it processed, part of him held doubt that he could hold it back and suppress it.

"Please, release me. I need to speak with the Head Captain immediately and report what I found in Africa's crater."

His body continued to tremble, jerk, and strain against his confines, wincing as he looked around. Were it not for the block he was fastened to, he would have thought they were simply outside in the Soul Society or Living World.

But, he knew better -- they were somewhere isolated from the rest of the Seireitei, keeping him away from everyone to ensure that, should he lose control, he could be contained and taken care of. More than likely, they were somewhere either under the First Division barracks, or isolated in the Second Division's medical ward.

An eye twitched as Kisuke mentioned that he wouldn't be able to leave unless he was certain that the Hollow was under control. It seemed like the Hollow could hear it too -- and, as if it could hear them, Yuuto could hear something.

At first, it was just a buzzing, vibrations that seemed to desire to make a more formalized sound, an accent peculiar to neither human nor animal. The faded scarlet in his eyes slowly began to change. The sclera began dampening to black as the pupils faded to a sickly, sulfur color.

His body suddenly felt another wave of pain, as if someone had dipped his nerves into acid, and he threw his head back, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. He didn't scream or cry out, instead groaning as his body tensed up, straining and pushing against the Kido restraints. As he spoke, it was clear that Kisuke was not the intended recipient.

"Get. OUT."

Even though no words were spoken, he could understand the sounds in his head. He understood what it wanted, something that he had no intention nor desire to allow. A pale white began to manifest, creeping and coiling around his face, the sickening pressure of Hollow energy looming in the room, though, it would not last for long. As it began to coil around his face, suddenly, it stopped.

Through sheer force of will, Yuuto forced the Hollow back -- for now. Even through the pain and torment of something that had become an intrinsic part of his existence being overwritten and purged, he would still fight.

"I don't need you, so SHUT UP and GET OUT."

Though, as much as he struggled and fought, it was evident that the Hollow had its own share of will and strength, with the mask beginning to slowly coil back around his face again. Yet, no matter who or what was against him -- if they stood as a threat to him protecting the world and those he loved that were in it, he would fight until the last breath. Nothing would stop him -- not even death.

The question was, how long would his will be able to resist?

Kisuke's voice was distant by this point, drowned out by the noises that somehow conveyed the creature's intentions. He knew that he alone could force this thing to submit. Yet, the task still felt impossible. Every cell of his body screamed in pain, the creature seemed to be drowning out even his own thoughts as he tried to force it back again, to take control of his body and mind.

The mask continued to coil and creep around his face, growing more and more complete. A mask of seemingly avian origin slowly manifested across his face, several empty, black sockets along the sides of his cheeks, including where one's eyes should be. As the mask continued to latch onto his face, the Stealth Force's Captain let out one last scream of defiance, desperation, anger, and sheer will:


As the mask finally saw completion, power erupted from Yuuto's body, his arms and legs straining and thrashing more violently against the restraints. The room would begin to rumble and creak as the man's spiritual power was fully unleashed, no longer bound by his own restrictions under the Muon.

The beak of the mask creaked, before the small, barely seen slit that created the illusion of a mouth suddenly snapped open. A horrible noise came his mouth, one that most would think incapable of being made by human throats, as a horrible scream that sounded neither like a human, Hollow, or even animal -- but a terrible mix of all three.

He continued to thrash and struggle against his bindings -- and even with their intent, there was only so much they could take.

SNAP.

The moment he recognized he was free, his body shot forward in the blink of an eye, aiming to grab Urahara and claw out his throat.