Fujiko's mind raced with thought. She was bold to say the flames Hiroki was emitting didn't bother her, because in all reality, just standing close to the boy was giving off enough heat to ward her away. Her claws were only effective in extremely short range. She needed a way to reach out and touch him without getting burned herself.
"What's wrong? Cold feet? Let me warm them up for you." Hiroki pointed his finger as the flaming aura began to coil around his arm, all the way down to his Index. With a flash, small flame bullets shot from his finger and down at the ground, making Fujiko dodge as best she could. A few of the stray shots hit her, burning small holes in her shoes and making her wince a bit.
"Hm...that's unusual. Any other kunoichi would have been able to dodge some shots like that no problem. But it seems I nicked you. Ms. Shimazu, do you still need to warm up some more? Allow me to provide." Hiroki then flicked his arm out, sending a wave of flames from his body around Fujiko. Now, her entire body was engulfed in the flames, but she didn't scream or react to it in frantic terror, but rather surprised that the flames didn't seem too hot.
"What is this...what did you do to me?" Fujiko said worriedly, inspecting her body and the flames that trailed up and down it.
"I coated you with my flame powers. You see, the fire you've seen from me isn't real fire--it's ninjutsu techniques I've created through my element affinity. It's not advanced as a full shinobi's control, but the fire you see is simply made of my spirit energy, allowing me to control it's properties. It doesn't behave like real fire. I can choose who it burns, how it spreads, how hot it is, everything is all determined on one sole factor...but you can't know it. Now, what do you say we raise the heat a little bit?"
Hiroki lifted his hand up, and every so slowly, Fujiko began to worry more. The flames around her went from lukewarm to about as hot as bathwater, and were quickly rising.
"I'll leave it there for now, but give a gradual increase. The longer you let this fight go on, the more heat you'll experience. The flames aren't actually burning you alive, but it's going to feel like they are. Now, what'll it be?" Hiroki asked, smiling.
Fujiko hung her head. There was a silence between the two for a moment, then, she looked back at him with cocky glee.
"This...this is a fight. A real fight. I'm being put up against astounding odds....and it's gonna be really satisfying when I beat them!" Fujiko ignored the flames on her body and launched forward, catching Hiroki off guard. She spun around the boy lashing and cutting his body all over wherever he was open, using the opportunity to inflict as much damage as possible. Hiroki broke the combo with a mighty roar, summoning the flames around him and pushing Fujiko away.
As she slid back, she took note that the flames around her body had disappeared and reappeared around him.
"I like this spirit...you're very fun to fight against, Fujiko! But I'm not gonna lose!"
"Really now...it seems with that little move there, I'm beginning to understand more and more how that little power of yours works. You can't keep more than one blaze active!"
"Don't worry. I'll put you back on the rocks right now!" Hiroki flicked his finger again, sending patches of fire all around Fujiko, blocking her advance.
"You think I need to use the ground to get to you?"
"POUNCING...." Fujiko jumped high into the air, facing downwards as she began her descent. A red flashing aura began to circle around her.
"TIGER!!" She landed swiftly on her feet behind the boy. It took a second, but two mighty claw strikes across the boy's chest landed, sending blood from the cuts in both directions.
Fujiko observed her hands, noticing the red aura from before slowly fade away.
"That was the power we generated...I just used some of it! I bet it enhanced my strike even more...I'll just need to hit him with another one of those and this fight is mine!" She planned to herself. Turning to the boy she cut, Hiroki observed his wounds before promptly ignoring them.
"That was quite a strike, Fujiko, but I've been taking very close inspection of you this entire match. You lack speed of a standard kunoichi. Why's that?"
"Tch. What the hell do you know about Kunoichi?"
"My mother was one. That's how I have my flame powers as a samurai. So tell me...why aren't you that fast? There's a certain standard those warriors have to meet...your entire class is built around quick and clean assassination."
"Look, my speed is none of your concern. What you should be worried about is how I'm going to beat you."
"It tells me you aren't a true kunoichi. A defect. Maybe your parents belonged to different classes themselves? If that's the case, that's just sad, and I can't blame you. But you come from noble blood...one of the most esteemed families in Japan...yet you can't match the speed of a standard Kunoichi...pathetic." Hiroki groused. His demeanor was as fierce and stern as ever.
Fujiko was taken aback by that comment, and for the first time in the match, truly doubted her ability. Her opponent read her like a book. In most practice fights she had up until now, she was able to feign her speed to make it appear she wasn't lacking in that category with lunges and high jumps.
Hiroki had cracked the code and seen through the illusion. He knew now that because she wasn't as fast as most kunoichi, he could exploit that and beat her easily now. With victory that seemed so close now inching away farther than before, her efforts she made to get here in the first place became futile.
When faced with true power...she felt helpless...until she didn't.
She felt a pair of eyes staring her down in the back of her head. Quickly Fujiko turned around and looked up into the rafters, of which she was met with a familiar gaze. Ikkei was watching her like a hawk, analyzing what was going on. Fujiko knew he wanted her to carry on. The two couldn't speak, but his gaze gave a speech of a thousand words.
"No...I can't. You're getting in my head. I can't afford to listen. I can't afford to believe I'm weak...and I sure as hell can't afford to lose. I don't care what it takes now...I'm going to do anything and everything to beat you, Hitonaka!" Fujiko declared.
"So be it. I'll end this now before you have the chance to do so."
Hiroki extended both his arms out as a ball of flames formed, He then flicked the ball upwards, and in mid air, it expanded into a ring that fell right around Fujiko. Right when it landed, the flames picked up in size and intensity, effectively trapping the girl in a prison of blaze.
Hiroki wasn't done. He began taking steps backwards, flicking his sword along the ground. Fires would then start wherever his sword pointed, creating an entire field of flame with the more distance he put between them. Now, he stood at the very end of the mat, flames shrouding his image. He simply waited now with crossed arms and a confident smile.
"You'll have to go through hell to beat me..." Hiroki threatened.
Fujiko, unfazed by this, took one step forward onto the cage surrounding her, and gauged just how hot these flames were. It wasn't hard to tell they were on par with actual fire. Instead of pulling away, Fujiko took a deep breath and considered what she had just been told.
"They're not real flames. It's not real fire. It's manifesting of the spirit through Ninjutsu. It's only going to hurt for now. I can beat this." She thought to herself. Then, with an all out charge, Fujiko boosted forward faster than she ever did before, breaking through the cage and dashing through the field of fire, ignoring the flames that had caught to her body and were now burning at the temperature of real fire. Hiroki, realizing his defense had been shattered, raised his blade to block. Fujiko jumped up into the air above him, slicing his surroundings with her claws as fast as she could. Her red aura had returned from before to amplify the power of the strikes.
Hiroki's guard had been broken effortlessly, and the barrage of attacks rained down on him and covered him in cuts. Fujiko finished off the assault with one last dual cut attack, arranging her claws in the shape of an X before throwing it down onto Hiroki, sending him straight into the ground. A massive crater shaped like an X formed around him, and like that, all of the flames that once danced around the battlefield faded away in an instant.
Fujiko huffed in pain, realizing the flames had still left a burning sensation on her body. Hiroki was covered head to toe in cuts, his clothes ripped and blood dripping from some of the deeper slashes. It seemed for a moment that the boy wouldn't get up, but a wave of fear overcame Fujiko when he rose slowly to his feet.
"That was a brilliant attack...but it's not enough." Hiroki growled. It was apparent he was angered now. His teeth were grit and his eyes were squinted. Fujiko slowly backed away to regain her strength and slowly ignore the pain, but trouble was slowly closing in as Hiroki drew his sword and advanced. Instead of immediately resulting to his flame powers, Hiroki was now fighting Fujiko with his actual sword.
The girl reflected his attacks as best he could, keeping up just enough to protect herself from any further injury. Her mind raced with the fact he had ignored his flame powers now. Was it because she was able to overcome them with force? Possibly. But the fact there was one sole element behind his power that could have restricted it made her think even further.
He mentioned there was one aspect she could not know of. Thoughts collided and she determined there was a weakness behind it. Something was now stopping his powers from coming out, and the only factor she could attribute it to was the only thing she could see from him now--rage.
Hiroki had been so overcome from rage, he was unable to use any of his fire attacks. After all, if Fujiko's opponent managed to get through your toughest defense and still put up a fight, she would have been beyond angry as well. Deciding to bring this point to note, Fujiko stopped the clash and slid backward, giving some space between the two.
"I figured you out, Hiroki. You're not as high and mighty as you think. The reason you're coming at me right now with your sword is clear. You can't use your fire powers when you're angry. What a baby!" Fujiko teased. This made Hiroki even more furious, but before he could lift his sword to attack again, the ten minute timer rang out.
"Fighters, cease. Time has run out. For now, I'm declaring this a draw. If you two could please come over to the rafters, your wounds will be treated by medical shinobi up there." The proctor declared.
"A draw?" Fujiko asked, dumbfoundedly.
"Correct. Both of you were both standing and capable of fighting more had the time not stopped, so I will declare this a draw. For now, this could mean you are both accepted."
"Woah, really? HELL YES! HAHA! YOU REALLY HAD ME WORRIED THERE, YOU BASTARD!" Fujiko shouted with glee, playfully hitting Hiroki across the head.
Hiroki couldn't help but crack a smile at the notion, his anger slowly fading.
"You put up a really good fight there, catgirl. Maybe I should get a rematch sometime."
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME CATGIRL!!!???" Fujiko roared.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hiroki shouted nervously, giant sweat glands dripping from his forehead.
"Good. Now, let's get going. I scratched you up pretty good. Don't want you to bleed out more than you already are." Fujiko said, following the proctor to the lift.
"Wait! Fujiko...no hard feelings. I just said all that to get in your head." Hiroki admitted, looking down at the ground.
"Don't worry about it. I know why. It actually worked for a second. But when you have someone with a really strong will, things like that aren't as effective. I applaud you for trying anyways." Fujiko complimented with a slight smile.
"Right, hehe. Well, let's go." Hiroki responded, rubbing the back of his head with a warm smile of his own.