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Taizen felt his arm heating up, Fulgar actually grabbed it! For the love of- This guy had no fear whatsoever! He even- "Ah!" Taizen hissed as He felt his head being head-butted. He stumbled backwards, bewildered. Taizen felt like he had in the tournament now, Wounded, and covered by heat. Half of that heat had been caused by Fire, the other half had been caused by the warmth of his own blood hitting the cold wind. As His head cleared. He placed his left hand on his right- planning on healing it- And noticed now that Fulgar had succeded in evaporating the ice. He scowled, the wound wasn't deep, well, if it was not much blood was coming from it. Fulgar may or may not have anticipated it, but he had branded Taizen with his sword.

He'd have that blistering mark shooting fire through his veins until he healed it, he now resorted to using one of the two flasks he carried with him. He moved his hand from the flask to his arm, the water enveloped it, and Taizen quieted the pain in his mind, and focused again on the cold. "This is the second Time I've had to heal myself against Fulgar!" He scolded himself, He was more surprised when the mark remained, the pain had subsided but the mark had remained. Ah! Perhaps he had a limit to his healing abillities...? All the same, he froze that hand into a gauntlet again. Not bothering to turn it into a sword. Close-quarters with Fulgar was foolish, he had strength Taizen did not. He looked up to See Fulgar's reaction to Taizen's healing. Only to stagger, the wound! It was gone! No, it wasn't gone, it had stopped bleeding! This Firebender had... Cauterized himself?! Now that, above all he had seen Fulgar do, was ballsy.

But, he couldn't back down now, Fulgar was challenging him! He hadn't the skill that Taikai had of the water-elevator. But he did have enough skill to atleast shoot him upward. Making a small circle with both hands, the snow beneath him swirled, and after that, he bent his knee's and raised his right hand. The snow began to turn, and twist, before Rising, Taking Taizen with him- Up to Fulgar's level.

Kurai rushed in the direction she heard Niima's voice, she came out of the smoke like a ghost out of the forest surrounded by a blue aura. Every step she took the ground turned a to a dark charcoal color. She found Niima thanks to her clearing up the smoke. she dipped into the ground placing her weight into her hands. She pushed up using her legs like spear, she spun her legs violently. She took this time to get into close range, she noticed she needed far distances to create powerfull attacks. Kurai had to carefull since she found out Niima knows how to handle herself even without airbend which could prove difficult. Kurai taking an even deep breath in she felt her hands start to build up with the ka engery. Kurai threw punches furiously she used her weight and triceps to pack a powerfull punch. Every hit she made with the ka engery it would give the feeling of a lasting sting such as when your out in the sun too much. Throwing muiltiple quick punches would give a better chance to land these "special" punches on her opponent.

Kurai felt her opponent give out from the pressure hearing a loud crack vibrate threw her fist. She paused snapping out of her fighting trance before she could react to her action she was blown away by a powerfull punch. Kurai's air was shot out of her, she flew her back slamming against a marble poll. Without a second lost she pushed off landing on the top of a poll she stood stright taking deep even breaths. She rubbed her hand together using the built up ka energy she delicatly place them on her torso. Kurai hissed she opened her eyes as a piece of marble flew out toward her. She dodge the one that could have taken her head off but she missed the one that her soilder. "AHH!!!" She hunched feeling her arm off, she looked over to her arm. "w-what the...!" Her arm was hanging out of the socket. Kurai quickly made up a decision she grabbed her arm tightly and grit her teeth inhaling air sharply. She squeezed her arm before shoving it back into the socket heard a pop. Kurai carefully moved her arm around rotating it make sure she didn't do something wrong. "Good hit Niima!" She shouted smiling. Her arm felt sore as if she was lifting 10 cowpigs. "But im not going to give up!" She ran jumping pillar to pillar before dropping down running around the poll. "Niima...!" Kurai took even strong breaths she concentrated hard. She smirked 'I'll try this out lets hope it works...!' Hidding behide a poll she rose the heat in the surrounded area. Soon the dirt look like it was glimmering with water kurai now began running circles around Niima. Giving the illussion that she was a dark shadow in many places.

Now, his feet were touching air, and the snow could no longer support him, this however stop the snow from rising, he was slowing in his rise, and about to start the slow descent downward. he whpiped his arms around, left, right, back, and with a double punch forward. The snow that had been falling with him, wrapped around Taizen, and propelling him forward. He crossed his arms over him like he had the last time, he'd been confronted by Fulgar's Fireballs, and again, he had the luck to miss one, and get hit by three. The fireball's stung, but the burns they were capable of would be snuffed out as Taizen's body, and the snow carrying him, hit Fulgar. With the poles around them, Taizen had planned on knocking Fulgar into one, and somehow dropping him into the snow-covered ground. Atleast then, Fulgar would be wounded, possibly fall on his leg, and be in the perfect position for an over-all freezing. Since the snow would be all around him.

Poor Niima. At the rate her stomach was getting beaten at ..she was never going to have children! She refused to look weak..she refused to be the weak airbender everyone has made her out to be! She refused to give in!

While Kurai was using the sun to shield her incoming attack, Niima just needed to know the direction, small motions made with her hand before she had even made contact. She grunted but remained standing, if anything balancing Kurai in her position. Kurai would find she didn't hit Niima as hard as she had intended, in fact the air around Kurai seemed to fend her off and slowing her speed.. Niima didn't need to do big bursts of air, just as Kurai would find by the small but noticible wind current that strayed along her fan's folds. Niima had a skin-like wind barrier.

With Kurai up close, barrier in place, she was sure that Kurai would be caught off guard so she used this to her advantage. She yanked her arm out from under Kuari's leg, making a swift jab towards Kurai's neck as her perch was no longer there, Kurai would have no choice but to fall somewhat downward, right into the two fingers that where aimed for her throat. A swift strike to her windpipe, a move that could well stun Kurai but instead Niima aimed simply to close off the pipe long enough to steal Kurai's breath. She didn't want to kill Kurai after all and that particular technique could be deadly if used properly.

Hiding her pain she would stomp the ground, thrusting a cyclone wind up to hopefully toss Kurai away. She refused to give in. Kurai would have to probably break a few more bones or knock Niima unconcious if she wanted to bring Niima down..she refused to lose.

[F-8]

Kurai shouldn't have shown mercy and let her shiled down. She felt her air being blocked and before she knew it she had flown backwards. Kurai coughed all the liquid in her mouth. Quickly she made sure to keep her calm and thought about how heat can expan things and soothe, it could help her out. She put her fingers to her throat using the heat to slowly open her windpipe. Kurai wished it could go faster it felt like she was trapped under water. Finally, she gasped letting the air feed to her fire. Color filled her face again she grinned, "Oi! Niima! I see even with that broken arm you still got a punch...!" Kurai stared at the ground. "Then I'll have to give it my all like you! You really are a good fighter!" She laughed pulling herself to stand up. "come on give me your all...!" She stood in a stright standing position closing her eyes she held her hand out slightly curled her forehand facing Niima. Kurai relaxing her body and tuning all her other senses since sight didn't help when your fighting something that cannot be seen.

Kurai heard Niima's words, "Niima I understand!" She smiled. "You have the heart of a warrior for a true warrior will never crumble even when faced with the fear of death!" Kurai was filled with joy of hearing the attacks coming toward her. So powerfull she could feel the ground tremble exciment kept building up. After listening to her words she thought and it became clear. "...feel.." She smirked, Kurai's muscules we're relaxed and loose. BOOM! Dust surrounded the arena defing silence filled the ears of anyone near. "KYAA!!!" most of the rumble went flying back to niima. A blast creating a ripple effectin in the clouds of dust, kurai stood there a ball of fire surrounded her before it slowly vanished. The ball reacted as an absorbent of the air powering up the fire."Niima my grandfather taught me for a fire to grow it needs air..." She said a soft voice, blood dripping over her eye aswell as her arms. "I will feel I will grow I will...I will..never give up..!" She looked up her eyes glisting. "I am proud to fight a fellow true warrior...!" She smiled. She paused closing her eyes her fans shot open before rushing at Niima. Kurai danced pillar to pillar twirling and jumping building up ka energy and shooting out thin but rather long blades of fire. Kurai landed a few pillars away catching her breath, niima's previous attack on her throat was still affecting her but not as greatly when she recevied it lucky. Her arms and wound on her head would have bothered her more if she didn't have so much adrelin pumping threw her veins.

Staring up he saw a large sheet of snow was being brought onto his head. He shut his eyes hard when the snow collapsed over him. Taizen, you left me no choice, just as the snow began to fully bury him Fulgar created a shield from his fire. Fulgar was knocked to the ground with the force of the ice, luckily for him he'd breathed hot enough to create a kind of small cave in the ice and snow. He looked around his icy tomb, he didnt have much air in it. He quickly tested the ice, a jab to it proved it was solid. From here he he could easily blast through, I want a bit of a surprise on this one he thought with a grin. It wouldn't be long until Taizen Figured out that Fulgar was perfectly fine, except for a bum leg that was already feeling better.

He had to think of something fast, he wanted this to be more than a bit garish on his part... but he was running out of air in a hurry.

It hit him like a ton of lead. Perfect. He thought, he sat in a meditative position turn his head in a circled and arched his neck. From his mouth spread blue fire, it would soon shatter ice. As soon as he had room to stand he did, completely wrapping himself in fire. He once again began cutting through the snow. By now they could probably see the orange through the blue of the ice. He arched his neck and let loose all his fire power. From his fists fire arched and weaved, from his mouth fire spit, and from his feet fire bellowed.

The lack of air was taking its toll on him, his eyes were blackening as he got dizzy. He was so close now.

Exploding through the remaining ice fire like smoke oozed from the top of the hole he'd just created he rose with the fire at his feet.

He gulped in the fresh air, "What a rush" he said, his voice shaking from the effort, he was visibly weaker at this point.

[9]