"Stand up, Orion." A blunt voice echoed, and Orion grumbled under his breath. He looked ahead of him at the silver-haired man.
His master, Haku. He was a tall man with tan skin, golden eyes, and long silver hair tied into a ponytail that reached his mid-back. He wore silver armor, almost like a Samurai, and held a long Odachi in one hand.
Orion looked up at him, using his own sword to prop himself up. He stood up, shakily, his legs threatening to give out underneath him. But he managed to get back to his feet.
"Hm, don't tell me that's all you have." Haku taunted, glaring down at his student. This was enough to fire Orion up.
"Shut the hell up, old man!" He roared, swinging his sword at his master. Haku, however, effortlessly parried the attack, sending Orion falling to the ground. This also had the added effect of forcing Orion to literally eat the dirt below him, to which he quickly spit out.
"I would advise not falling with your mouth open. Unless, of course, you enjoy how soil tastes." Haku taunted. "Though even more than that, I would recommend not getting knocked to the ground by a single parry to begin with-"
Orion quickly spun around, slamming his sword into Haku. But the Samurai easily blocked with his own blade, not even budging an inch.
"Using your opponents monologing against them to catch them off guard? It seems even you can learn something." Haku mused before slamming a kick into his pupil's side. "But you should know by now that I am always on my guard."
Orion cursed under his breath as he fell to the ground, his messy red hair falling into his onyx-colored eyes. Orion was a tall young man, around 6'2". His outfit consisted of a white undershirt covered by a black jacket and cargo pants.
He stood up again, glaring at his master. "Trust me, I'm aware."
He lowered his stance, readying himself to continue, something that Haku accepted. Both men got into their stances, ready to end this match. Orion's Buster Sword vs Haku's Odachi.
The wind blew through the meadow, rustling both men's hair. The two were silent, totally still, almost like a pair of statues. Until finally, Orion left forward, cleaving through the air down toward his master. Haku replied in kind, swinging forward the blunt side of his Odachi.
Both men cut through the air, their blades meeting. And they followed through with their attacks. Slashing past one another, both men stood, until after a moment.
Orion fell to one knee, gasping for breath. Haku's blade having collided with his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Haku, meanwhile, was mostly unscathed, with only a few strands of his silver hair and a small cut on his cheek resulting from Orion's attack.
He swung his blade into the air, and he sheathed his odachi.
"That was the first time you have ever even cut a hair on my head." He pointed out, turning toward his student. "You have grown."
Orion grunted. "I don't feel like it."
How could he? He still lost after all. In the five years he had been training with Haku, this was the closest he had ever gotten to winning. And all he had done was cut his master's cheek.
"Five years ago, you couldn't even hold a sword. And now, you've dealt a blow to one of the strongest Huntsmen alive." Haku pointed out. "This is no small feat. Not many people could accomplish that. You should be proud. You have grown."
Orion grumbled in annoyance as he stood up, strapping his massage sword to his back.
"Yeah, whatever..." He muttered, trailing off with an annoyed look. Haku smiled at this.
"A good warrior is always angry after a defeat. But they also grow following that loss. Do try to keep that in mind as you attend your classes at Beacon." Haku spoke, knowing exactly what to say to break his pupil from his depressive state.
"H-Huh!?"
"You pass. You may enroll." Haku informed him. Orion's expression shifted from annoyed, to surprised, to pure radiant excitement.
Shooting his arms upward and pumping his fist. "Hell yeah!" He roared, pure glee radiating from him as he fell backward onto the ground.
He laughed loudly, laying back on the grass, staring up at the cloudy sky. Haku sighed as he stared down at his student.
"Honestly, how on earth are you 17?" Haku muttered under his breath, but he still couldn't fight back the smile growing on his face.
Finally. Finally! He had finally earned his master's permission! He couldn't fight back the sheer amount of joy building up inside of him. And now, he finally had a chance to show off what he could do, and finally have a chance to do something.
Things were finally looking up!
"So, you're ready to go?" Haku asked, standing at the edge of the train platform with his student. "You didn't forget anything, did you? I'm not traveling all the way after you to deliver anything, no matter how much you whine."
Orion glared at his master. "Yes old man, I have everything. Now try not to miss me too much, and maybe I'll even write every now and again.
Haku rolled his eyes, earning a small smirk from Orion. As mush as he would never admit it, he was gonna miss his Master. He was sure they would still see each other, Haku was one of the top Huntsmen in Vale, maybe even the entire world. He often worked with other Huntsmen, and made himself an active presence in the world.
If he studied at Beacon, then Haku would find his way there eventually. Hopefully, by the time they met again, Orion would be strong enough to do a lot more than leave a small cut on his cheek. In fact, Orion knew that he would be strong enough. He knew that he had to be.
He never had a chance to be a normal kid. His was abandoned on the doorstep of a church at birth. He never even had a mom or dad. He had only met Haku by pure chance when he tried to rob the Samurai as a boy. But rather than scolding Orion and getting him into trouble, the taller man had taken him in, and guided him.
He taught him how to use a sword, how to be a man, and how to finally make something of himself.
He had saved Orion's life. Nothing he did would ever be able to repay that.
"Hey, old man. Thanks for everything." Orion stated, his voice completely serious.
Haku nodded. "I'll see you around, kid."
Orion nodded.
It was finally time to move forward with his dream.