Distortion and Delirium: Echo vs Hiro Mashima

A hollow screamed as it was cut in half. A tall man in a long black cloak stood over the remains in disgust. ''"The captain of the Kido Corps sent to do such menial tasks like killing hollows. Unbelievable." ''Hiro had been sent to the human world to try and scope out some kind of "new threat" but all he had found there was worthless hollows. The man sighed and began to look around for more signs of spiritual activity.

Meanwhile, a mere block away, a don of a secret Soul Society mafia sat at his desk, muscular brutes all around him. He had recently hit the jackpot, taking ownership of a large spiritual drug facility that was on the verge of cracking the greatest formula ever created, only known to the ranks of the Bara Murasaki. Suddenly a strong, bonechilling, breeze swept through the large office. Ding! The elevator was on their top floor. It opened, an eerily black fog creeping out. For a split of a second, a pair of horrifying black and green eyes shone in the black abyss.

"Who's there?!" The don demanded.

But rather than a hideous monster, a young man stepped out, not with horrific eyes, but quite breathtaking crystal clear deep blue eyes.

"...Hahahaha!!! The Bara sent you? Some helpless punk? It's hilarious."

The black haired teen wasn't laughing.

"Boys, kill him." Replied the confident mobster.

They all surrounded him, four to one. Finally one took a swing at him with his brass knuckles. The stranger instantly caught his elbow with his arm at a ninety-degree angle, using his other hand to brutally snap it in two. He used the detached arm to spear its owner in the throat with an out spurred bone. Following up with a roundhouse kick that sent the next henchmen's nose bone into his skull. He walked inbetween the two remaining terrified bodyguards, smashing their temples in at post Mach speeds. He finally reached the don, who shivered in terror.

"P-Please...Don't hurt me!" He pleaded, falling backwards out of his chair and out of the tinted window behind him.

This wouldn't do, the assailant needed to wipe the don's mind for information. He appeared over the falling man, grabbing his throat and corrupting the man until his face started to disentigrate, the assailants own eyes taking on the previously mentioned green and black glow. The don's body thudded against the ground, The young man stepping lightly off his corpse. He brushed his coat off and started to blend in with the crowd.

Hiro sensed a disturbance. He quickly took one of the five staffs he had on back out, and gazed through it's single floating eye. He saw one singular figure among a crowd that had a substantial amount of reiryoku. "Hmph. Either he's surpressing his energies or he's really that weak." thought Hiro inquisitively. He returned his staff to it's place on his back and approached the person.

He noticed the figure following him, so Echo walked into an alleyway, stopping without turning around.

Hiro smiled. No normal human should be able to notice him outside of his gigai. He drew a staff that had a demon head-like top and followed the bot into the alleyway.

Echo turned around, glancing sideways at the man with his casual mask of apathy. "And just who might you be?"

"Who are you?" mimicked Hiro. He didn't like giving his name out to those that he considered weaker than him. This man was no exception. He put the demon's head staff back in it's place and pulled out a staff wich seemed to be shaped like a trident. A quick change of mind. He felt that this staff would be better suited for the narrow alley.

"I don't have the time or patience to play word games with some armored sadist." Echo turned around, resuming his former pace.

Hiro frowned beneath his scarf. "Who are you?" repeated Hiro. With another sudden change of mind he switched back to his demon head staff. He was unsure of what to use incase things got....unfriendly.

"Until it concerns you, my name won't be mentioned. "Farewell." He walked away from the older man.

Hiro used shunpo to appear in front of the young man. His stubborness was unwavering. "Who are you?" he repeated for the third time.

Echo often disguised his warnings, and this man had already went beyond it. Echo's eyes burned a demonic green, visible creatures in unparalled agony screaming for mercy within their illustrious core. His gaze burned with power, rapidly melting Hiro's mask where his focus was centered. "This is your chance to walk away, use it wisely.

Hiro quickly removed his scarf and hood revealing a messy mop of blue hair with a matching set of eyes, and a strange tatoo. "Watch your wandering eye, young one." warned Hiro as he pulled an arm back and threw a punch at Echo.

"I assure you, my age has no rule over me, I have seen things in my few years that many live an entire life without seeing." He brushed the man's punch to the side with a thrust,, spinning around and directing a powerful kick to his opponent's head.

Hiro grabbed his foot with his free hand, turned, and threw Echo against a wall. "But you lack expierience because of your age. And, I assure you, that I do not." said Hiro as he made a lung at Echo with his staff.

Echo landed on his feet, flipping over the staff to draw his sword in mid air, using its sharp ridges to tear apart Hiro's shoulder joint. "If that's so, then you have much more to lose than myself." Echo landed behind him, waiting.

Hiro grabbed the staff with his free hand as he tightened the wrapping around his new wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "Otakebi!" he shouted as he fired an unatural purple flame from the mouth of his staff.

Echo noticed the demonic energy of the flames as he held his hand out, corrupting them until they were swallowed in ancient energy. "You must be with the Society, you reek of it's pathetic grip."

Hiro gave a bit of an annoyed look. He was being under estimated by a teenager. He pulled out a staff that had three silver rings in it. "Kagami!" shouted Hiro as he split into two, evenly dividing his power between himself and his clone. The clone held out one hand and Hiro did the same. "Hado 31: Shakkaho!" they both yelled in unision as they fired two large fireballs at Echo.

Echo ran up the alley wall and averted the blasts, slicing the wall on his way down, corrupting it.

Hiro looked at the boy with curiosity. Who was this teenager who was able to stand up to a captain without even releasing his zanpakuto? Hiro pulled out a trident like staff. "Kiono!" he shouted as the centyer branch of the staff begun to charge with energy and the two side branches had large golden wings sprout from their sides. one of the Hiros disapated as the real one charged at Echo, axe in hand.