[hider=Daniel Day Dalton vs. Kuhaku Shiro]
It was Shiro's turn to enter the arena. Looking around at his fellow students and Hunters, he swallowed dryly. To be honest, he was rather nervous. He still had no idea who the hell he was going up against.

[i]"Screw it,"[/i] he thought to himself.
[i]"Whatever happens, happens,"[/i] he sighed.

Looking across the way, he noticed that the other participant hadn't stepped into the arena yet. Making a face, he shrugged and decided to step in first, maybe with a little flair and style. Crouching down, he launched himself from within the audience and made a graceful four-point landing in the area. Standing up, he reached behind his back and unslung his weapons. Bearing his shield on his left forearm, he grabbed his sword and ripped it from its sheath from within the shield. Golden hazel eyes scanning the crowd around him, he awaited his opponent to make his appearance. Whoever this 'Danny-boy' was.
---
Daniel watched as Tiger Boy made what was apparently supposed to be quite the entrance. It wasn't much compared to what he had seen before, especially when he saw himself making entrances. Still, no need to show off yet. He'd have Tiger Boy taken down before he could even say "Uncle!". Calmly walking over to the arena, cracking his neck, he stared at his opponent with a grin on his face. Upon reaching his designated location, he looked at his opponent up and down, then drew only his short sword from his left side. [color=f26522][b]"I think this'll do for now,"[/b][/color] Daniel said. [color=f26522][b]"Hell, I'll give ya a bigger handicap, I'll only use my left hand."[/b][/color] He then waited for the fight to begin.
---
Shiro frowned as his opponent casually strolled into the arena. It made him feel like a bit of a show-offy ass. Ears twitching, he quickly examined his quarry. First thing was that he was a human, so he had a slight advantage there. Second was that he seemed to dual-wield swords, but when he only drew one, he gave a confused look. Daniel mentioned something about only using his left. So, this one had a little arrogance. Or, was it confidence? Either way, it miffed Shiro a little. Sheathing his sword into his shield, he walked to the center of the arena and reached out with a black-gloved hand.

Offering a smile, there was no reason that they shouldn't be civil about the preceedings. He only hoped that Daniel took his offer for what it was and not a dirty trick. He wasn't like that.

[b]"Let's have a good one, shall we?"[/b]
---
Daniel raised an eyebrow when Tiger Boy came up and extended his hand for a handshake. He gave it a moment's thought, then shrugged and came over to return the greeting. Taking his hand and giving a firm shake, he responded, [color=f26522][b]"Let's see if we will."[/b][/color] He then returned to his original spot and resumed waiting for the announcement to begin.
---
Shiro beamed brightly, happy that Daniel returned his handshake. Returning to his side of the arena, he once again unsheathed his sword and adjusted his ammunition belt on his hips. Looking around, he awaited the signal for the start of the fight. They were allotted five minutes. A lot could happen in 5 minutes. Bringing up his shield and settling into a combative stance, Shiro's eyes slowly changed color to a bright, icey blue. Black stripes streaked across his ears and hair. He was as ready as he could ever be.

Something sounded and a voice bellowed out, [color=92278f][b]"Start!"[/b][/color]
Shiro dug his feet into the ground, his piercing eyes carefully observing Daniel.
---
Daniel examined his opponent as well. A sword-and-shield user, with interesting mechanics within them. He didn't know what they did, but perhaps this would give him a better fight than he thought. Best to make sure first, though. He charged at Shiro directly, then moved to Shiro's right side with a spin, the side without his shield, and began to barrage ferociously at him, piercing and slashing with a lot of speed.
---
He was expecting Danny to charge, there was something in Shiro's initial impression of him that told him so. As Danny barreled straight at him, he presented his large shield towards him, wondering if there wasn't more to this Hunter than just direct-charges. As he closed the distance, Danny shifted at the last second and spun to Shiro's sword-arm side, the right. So, it was a feint, he partially expected it. Bringing up his sword, he blocked the first few strikes before reorienting his body to present his shield. Standing there, Shiro took Danny's following barrage, quickly absorbing his blows and carefully taking note of his battle style. Direct charges, feints, and rapid strikes. Though, wielding a sword in one hand only allows you so much power and speed as Shiro knew too well. He seemed to deal damage up close, just as Shiro does.

Withstanding his attacks for a brief moment, Shiro had enough and crouched behind his shield. Thrusting his shield forward with his body weight behind it to give it more force, he attempted to cut Daniel's barrage short with the sudden counter. After thrusting, he lifted and swung his shield-arm, going for a solid stunning smack across Daniel's face. 
---
Daniel continued the barrage for a few seconds, but was too into the moment to notice the sudden change in Shiro's position until it was almost too late. By then, Shiro had moved in to perform a shield bash, a move that a lot of shield users used. Daniel jumped back, but was a bit slow on the reaction and got a glancing blow for his troubles. Still, that glancing blow carried some weight to it, staggering Daniel for a bit. To regain some distance, he continued moving backward, while expecting some sort of counterattack.
---
He got him, if only with a glancing blow. But ultimately he got what he wanted, he ended Daniel's flurry of attacks. Looking down at his sword arm, he realized he had taken a few hits but his Aura had protected him thankfully. Turning his eyes back to Daniel as he backed away, he would be in trouble if he kept focusing on his sword-arm side. He wasn't too skilled with blocking with his sword, not that Danny would know. But if he was a quick learner, Shiro would find himself at a disadvantage.

In his mind, Shiro wanted to bide his time, circling Daniel to see if he had more to offer than just straight charges. But, they were on the clock and were being graded on their performance. Shiro surely wouldn't get too great of a mark if all he did was block and walk circles around Daniel. So, he had to act. They only had a few minutes to show their skill, after all.

With a low rumbling in his chest, Shiro bared his fangs at Daniel and decided it was his turn to go on the offensive. Exploding forward towards Danny, he punched outward with the bladed edge of his Shield aiming towards his head. If he was right, Daniel would either back away or duck low. After his initial Shield Punch, he raised his sword and went for a few quick slashes at Daniel's chest.
---
Daniel's expectations were correct, but that was after a moment's recovery from Shiro looking at his sword arm, which gave him enough time to get back in position. Some sort of shield punch was coming his way, and apparently the shield edge was sharp. Daniel made a snap decision and ducked under the blow, but he also charged at Shiro with his shoulder. Unfortunately for Shiro, he raised his sword for an attack, so Daniel didn't have to worry about his sword arm getting in the way.
---
He was sloppy, making simple mistakes. At first, he was right, Daniel ducked underneath his shield. But, when he had raised his sword, Daniel took the opportunity to shoulder rush him. He was too close to evade the attack, and thusly caught a shoulder in the center of his chest knocking the wind from his lungs. As he stumbled a step back, Shiro shook his head and quickly recovered.

Closing the slight distance between them, Shiro raised his shield as if going for another Shield Bash but instead punched straight downwards with it to act as a wall between the two of them. Detaching the shield from his arm he hid behind his shield for a brief second before shooting out from behind it. With both hands on his blade, he swung with increased strength and speed at Daniel's center. After his brief assault, he stomped his foot at his shield and freed it from the ground, with a flourish, he grabbed his shield from midair and went for Daniel's throat with his shield's bladed edge.

Time to up the flair a little.
---
Daniel grinned as he scored a direct hit on Shiro, knocking the wind out of him. However, his recovery was slow, as Shiro managed to get back on his feet faster and rush at him with what seemed to be another shield bash. However, instead of the expected blow, he slammed the shield into the ground. Daniel stepped backward, wary for what was to come, but curious to see what would come. 

The answer came in the form of a strong slash at Daniel's center. Jumping to the side to avoid the blow, he rolled on the ground for a quick recovery, but Shiro made a second attack, using his shield for another attack. Rolling on the ground again so the shield smashed into the ground again, Daniel finally got back up onto his feet and jumped backward. Daniel grinned in excitement. [color=f26522][b]"Not bad, Tiger Boy, not bad at all,"[/b][/color] he said. [color=f26522][b]"It seems I underestimated you."[/b][/color] He then drew his longsword and continued, [color=f26522][b]"I guess it wouldn't hurt fighting with a bit more strength. Not for me, at any rate." [/b][/color]

He then set his blades ablaze, the light casting a glow that made Daniel's expression appear almost maniacal. He then swung his short sword at Shiro, shooting a fireball at him, and charged behind it, resuming his earlier barrage, this time by swinging downward with his longsword, delivering a lot of strength into it.
---
After his failed attack, Shiro stood there as Daniel got onto his feet, grinning. He commended Shiro for his attacks, finally drawing his other sword and setting them ablaze. Curiously, he wondered how Daniel did so. Was that his weapons' design or something else? Possibly his Semblance? Well, if it was time to get serious, Shiro couldn't be any happier.

Smiling in return to Daniel's grin, he pulled two shotshells (2/5) from his belt and pushed them into the empty chamber on the spine of his sword. As he loaded his sword, he offered his own words in response. [b]"Glad to see you're finally removing the kiddie gloves. I have to admit, I was a little insulted when you offered to fight with a handicap. I'm honored to see that I can force you to fight seriously. You'll learn I'm not one to be underestimated."[/b]

As he spoke, his sword loudly clicked, chambering the loaded ammunition and locking into place. Shiro brought up his shield as Daniel swung, but he wasn't expecting a burning fireball to be launched at him. Steeling himself, he prepared to take the full force of the fireball attack. With a wide-arcing swing, he knocked the fireball aside. Reflecting it off of the face of his shield. Already knowing Daniel to be a trickster of sorts with a preference for direct attacks, he was ready for him. Spinning, he reoriented his shield in front of him and pushed forward. Attempting to ram his body weight and shield directly into Daniel for a staggering attack.

[b]"That trick won't work on me!"[/b] he shouted at Daniel, a snarl in his voice.
---
Daniel was expecting his fireball to be negated somehow, but he was not expecting another shield bash in retaliation. His own sword swing lessened the force of the shield somewhat, but it was minimal. Daniel took a strong blow with the shield, staggering him backward. However, he managed to recover more quickly than last time, placing a firm foot on the ground and swinging his short sword again, firing another fireball at him. This time, though, Daniel took a step forward and jumped over Shiro immediately after he launched the fireball, landing behind him, then swinging his longsword backward with a spin, going for his shield side.
---
Nailing him with his shield, Shiro watched as Daniel quickly recovered. It irked him, just a little. It showed Daniel could quickly adapt and learn. Shiro would have to change things up. As Daniel fired off another fireball at him, Shiro's eyes tracked his jump over the fireball. Smirking, Shiro lunged off to the side. He wasn't just good at blocking after all, he knew how to evade. If it was lined up correctly, he expected the fireball to slam right into Daniel. But, tired of giving his opponent brief chances, which he wouldn't do in actual combat, he wasn't going to wait for that to happen.

With a mechanical click a hidden trigger snapped out into the knuckle bow of his sword. Cocking the sword behind him, Shiro went for a wide-arcing swing of his blade. Squeezing the trigger mid-swing, blue flames exploded from the spine of the sword and blasted Shiro forward for a powerful overhead sword slash at Daniel. [LINE DRIVE]
---
Daniel noticed that Shiro moved out of the way rather than take the fireball again. Disappointing, but the fireball was definitely faster than Daniel right now, so it zoomed out of the way long after Daniel landed. The blow from his longsword was blocked, which was also disappointing. The next attack from Shiro, though, proved to be quite interesting. A mechanism revealed its secret for the first time, which created a much stronger blow than normal. Daniel brought up his swords in a cross formation to block the blow, which forced Daniel down to one knee, but he managed to stop the blow. It was very powerful, though, and he doubted he could keep doing that for very long. Time to go back on the offensive.

[color=f26522][b]"My turn again,"[/b][/color] Daniel said, and swung his blades upward, forcing Shiro's blade upward as well. Using the momentum, Daniel swung his longsword down again. This time, though, he used his longsword's function. Unlike his short sword, which fired a fireball, his longsword fired his flames like a flamethrower, the flames shooting forward to burn whatever was in front of him. He then continued to swing his longsword at Shiro, shooting the flames wherever the sword pointed. He also alternated between his two swords, firing both his fireball along with his flamethrower.
---
His eyes went wide as Daniel was able to defend against his attack. His sword being thrown up, his shield to his side, Shiro was completely exposed. As Daniel swung his longsword, Shiro's body was enveloped in a fountain of flame. The Tiger Faunus snarled loudly from the licking flames, Shiro staggered back and shut his eyes. Shaking his head, he punched his shield into the ground and hid behind it as his Aura doused the flames on his body. As he defended himself,  the area around him was bombarded by more gouts of flame and explosive fireballs.

Gritting his teeth against the flames, he regained his composure from the attack as black stripes marked his face and the upper part of his arms where his gloves didn't cover them. Coughing from the scorched air which the flames consumed, he remained behind his shield as he looked over his burned and ashen clothing.

Anger and rage burned within his chest, he didn't very much appreciate that. He didn't much appreciate that at all. As Daniel continued his flaming barrage, Shiro behind the safety of his shield, he stripped four more shotshells off of his ammunition belt (24/30) and shoved them into the chamber of his sword. He couldn't remain behind his shield forever though, the metal was becoming hot. Soon, he wouldn't be able to wield his shield.

Think, he had to think. He fucked up big time. He had made too many missteps already. Any more and he'd surely get a bad mark. His peers and fellow Hunters were also watching. He had to prove to them that he deserved his rightful spot here at Beacon. Daniel was currently attacking, how well could he defend while doing so? He blocked one of Shiro's Line Drives, but with (5) total shells loaded now, could he withstand that?

Maybe the best way to fight aggression and fire was with a higher level of aggression and stronger fire. One big fire, enough to snuff out the smaller flames. He hated showing his hand though, but maybe it was necessary. His sword making a series of mechanical clicks, he figured [i]"Fuck it."[/i]

His eyes burned and watered from the dry air, but he mustered up as much courage as he could. Freeing his shield, he charged straight at Daniel. Deflecting the fireballs and blasts of fire as best he could while on the run, he then threw his shield at Danny's face. A move that Shiro rarely used, if ever. Grabbing onto his sword with both hands, he roared loudly at Daniel and squeezed the trigger for a closer ranged Line Drive strike. But, he didn't end it there. Twisting his body, he swung for Daniel's sides. Four more times he would swing, squeezing the trigger of his sword each time causing Shiro to continuously slam into Daniel with his blade. Chamber of his sword empty, he kicked off of the ground and flipped over Daniel to regain control of his shield. To end his combo, he brought up his shield and attempted to ram Daniel. To lift him onto the face of his shield and drive him straight into the wall.
---
Daniel had taken the offensive. He barraged his opponent continuously and forced him into a corner. That was the good news. The bad news was something that Daniel forgot, and it was that when anything is backed into a corner, it will be at its most dangerous. As Daniel attacked, he noticed his breath getting a little ragged as a result of his flames burning up the oxygen. Due to his Semblance, he was pretty much immune to his flames, but he was not so immune to the effects. He continued the assault, though, knowing that it would still give him an edge. 

Or so he thought. Shiro was desperate enough to actually throw his shield at him, which forced Daniel to stop the assault and dodge the projectile. Shiro then roared as he began using his sword mechanism to create his powerful sword swings. Daniel jumped back repeatedly to avoid the blows, which was getting increasingly difficult to do. The last blow was a little too close to dodge, so Daniel used his short sword to deflect it. Fortunately, he was able to keep Shiro's blade away. Unfortunately, the force of the blow ripped his short sword out of his hand. 

As Daniel gripped his longsword with both hands, Shiro then flipped over Daniel and regained possession of his shield, which he then used to try to force him back against the wall. Daniel braced himself for the blow, and was forced back, his feet dragging against the floor as he was being pushed. The distance between Daniel and the wall was closing, and it was only a matter of time before they connected. At the last moment, Daniel twisted his body to move out of the way of Shiro's shield as it slammed against the wall. Daniel then yelled as he raised his sword with one hand and swung downward in a diagonal strike at Shiro. 
---
With a loud clang, Shiro's shield made contact with the wall, sparks flying from the wall scratching at his shield's face. Snapping his head to Daniel, he sheathed his sword into the shield and saw as he telegraphed a downward diagonal strike, lifting up his shield, he smacked at the attack in an attempt to knock the attack away. If he was lucky he could disarm Daniel of his second sword. Following through with his motion, he grabbed at his sheathed blade and answered Daniel's yell with a thunderous roar of his own.

His shield and sword rapidly clicked as his shield reloaded a full magazine (5) of shotshells into his sword. Drawing, he aimed for Daniel's arm with his first swing, squeezing the trigger to blast him with another Line Drive meant to damage one of his sword arms. Spinning, he fired another Line Drive at Daniel's other arm. With the remaining three shots, he swung them at Danny's chest, dancing around him. Refusing to end it there, he lifted both his shield and sword and rapidly jabbed at Danny with his shield's pointed end and the sharp point of his sword after expending all ammunition in both the shield and sword.
---
Daniel had been hoping to get a hit on Shiro with his blade, but it turned to be unsuccessful as his blow was blocked. Fortunately, he still had a grip on his sword, so it was something. Unfortunately, he heard a series of clicks, and Daniel recognized it as the mechanism that was responsible for creating those powerful strikes. Daniel took hold of his blade with both hands, one on his hilt and one on the blade, as the first strike came in. Daniel steeled his arms and stepped backwards as the blades connected, the force threatening to wrench his blade away. The next blows were equally devastating, but the last blow was the one that tore his blade away from Daniel's. 
 
Daniel may have lost his weapons, but he was not about to go down without one last fight. As Shiro used his sword and shield to barrage, Daniel was about to use his fists to make a barrage of his own. However, an invisible force stopped both of them before they could continue the fight. 
---
[color=92278f][b]"The five minute time limit has expired."[/b][/color]  The unruffled voice of Ms. Goodwitch echoed across the arena walls from her perch on the edge of the bleachers.  [color=92278f][b]"In accordance with the rules, the combatant with the lowest aura reading officially wins...good work, Mr. Kuhaku."[/b][/color]  Despite her compliment, there was little warmth in her tone--it was just sparring, after all.

Daniel was disappointed that they got interrupted, but the fight proved to be very challenging. He didn't care about that lowest Aura rule, though; anyone who followed that just let himself become a punching bag to Daniel. He looked at Shiro and said, [color=f26522][b]"We'll settle this another day."[/b][/color] He then raised his fist for a fist bump. Whether or not Shiro returned it, Daniel would then go off to retrieve his swords and leave the arena for the next participants. 
---
His blows were stopped, frozen in the air by an invisible force. Blinking, Ms. Goodwitch announced the end of the fight. Had five minutes passed by so quickly? Lowering his weapons, he sheathed his sword into his shield and slung his weapons onto his back. Scratching the back of his head, his face brightened as Daniel promised to settle their fight another day and presented his fist for him to bump.

Smiling, he returned the fist bump and nodded as his stripes faded away and his eyes changed back to their golden hazel color. [b]"Another day then."[/b] As Daniel walked away, he laughed. Ah, well. He hoped he performed well enough in the eyes of the faculty. Looking himself over, Daniel had done the most damage, though near the end Shiro managed to disarm his opponent. Thankfully, he had extra sets of clothing. He would just have to shower and change again before the next class.

Looking around the arena, he hoped the catch the eye of his teammates. Wait, did she say that he WON? Blinking, he spun around to stare at Ms. Goodwitch, his voice caught in his throat.
[b]"Uh..wh-..."[/b] he stuttered. 
[color=92278f][b]"Kuhaku Shiro, would you mind vacating the arena for the next match...?"[/b][/color]
Whoops, his face reddened and he scratched the back of his head. Smiling nervously, he made his way to the edge of the arena to hop out. As he walked, his eye caught notice of a few Fox faunus ladies in the crowd. He stopped just shy of the edge of the arena, a blank expression on his face as he stared at them.
[color=92278f][b]"Mr. Kuhaku..."[/b][/color] Came the voice again, sharper this time.
[b]"Oh, r-right. S-sorry!"[/b] with a swift leap, he rejoined his fellow students in the audience and took his seat. Sighing, he calmed his breathing and stretched. He would definitely be sore later. He coughed and picked at his scorched clothing, looking at them with a frown on his face.

[b]"I won? But...how?"[/b] he quietly muttered to himself. To him, Daniel did the most damage. It didn't make sense but the faculty must've had their reasons. Somehow, the victory felt a little hollow. He wondered how Daniel would take the news as he didn't seem to really react at all. Maybe he didn't care, it was just a sparring match after all. It wasn't anything super serious. Some other time for sure, Shiro would meet with Daniel again and finish their sparring match. He hoped that maybe they would even become friends.

[This was a collaborative effort between myself and Scarifar. As a disclaimer of sorts, the perspective constantly shifts between Daniel and Shiro. My apologies for any confusion this may create for readers.]

[/hider]