you're the best around - (daniel larusso x oc)

ch.26

"Yeah, I'll be quick. Just close your eyes or something." [Scarlette says as she stands off to the side, grabbing her gi to quickly change]

"Ok." [Daniel nods swiftly, closing his eyes. The sound of the gi's fabric wrestling echoes through the locker room. Scarlette changes quickly- tying her miyagi-do gi for the first time in a while. She exhales afterwards as she looks at herself in the mirror]

"Still fits." [She says, looking at herself in the mirror.She smiles- looking back on when she fought in her first All Valley tournament, wearing this gi. It was a little big on her at the time, but she had always been more comfortable in slightly oversized clothes. She looks back at Daniel expecting a reaction, but she had forgotten that Daniel closed his eyes for her to dress] "Oh, you can open them now." [She says turning to Daniel with her hand on her hip. He opens his eyes and smiles]

"You look great." [He says, standing back up and grabbing his gi. He thought about the first time he had met Scarlette, stunning as she always had been. He smiles as he stands back up from the bench and walks over to his fellow karate student]

"I'm surprised you didn't peak when I was changing."

"Of course I didn't peak." [He says, waving his hand in denial- although he was tempted to. He had respected Scarlette too much to do that, whether she might like it if he did or not. Scarlette ties her headband under her reddish brown voluminous locks. She looks back up at Daniel] "Your turn now." [She says closing her eyes and taking a seat. Daniel nods as he changes into his gi. After a few minutes, Scarlette began to get confused- she heard the rustling of Daniel's gi for a while but wondered how he was still not dressed yet] "Daniel? Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Yeah I'm just having a little trouble with this tie-thingy." [He says as he ties the gi the wrong way, realises it, then unties it again. Scarlette opens her eyes and stands up]

"Let me help." [She says as she walks over to him, grabbing the tie and the top of the gi] "Just watch." [She narrates as she ties it to perfection, Daniel feels slightly nervous in this position- so close to Scarlette. He watches as Scarlette completes the tie and looks back up at him awaiting his response or comment. He had been in a daze whilst she was helping him dress, butterflies in his stomach and all. Daniel snaps back into reality]

"Well, I guess you did have something to teach me." [He says smiling humorously, Scarlette laughs]

"I guess so." [She smiles] "Do you need me to tie the belt too?" [She looks back up at him somewhat kindly with a tilt of her head. Daniel bites his lip but he can't but smile]

"Do you want to?" [Daniel chuckles with a smirk. Butterflies still in his stomach and heart beating fast even though he'd been dating Scarlette for a while]

"Hell yeah." [She smirks back as she puts her arms around Daniel to tie the black belt. Daniel exhales harshly, trying to relax through this rush, although he enjoyed the nerves in a way. He's tense due to the tournament and how much he liked his girlfriend, Scarlette can tell] "Relax, Daniel-San." [She says mimicking their sensei- making Daniel laugh and becoming more relaxed]

"Yes sensei!" [Daniel says mimicking the obedience of a Cobra Kai student, making Scarlette laugh too. She bites her lip and shakes her head slightly, she likes him a lot too. Suddenly footsteps approach them- four footsteps to be exact. It was none other than Dutch, Bobby, Tommy, and Johnny]

"Well if it isn't our good friends Daniel and Scarlette! What's the matter ,Larusso? Need your girlfriend to dress ya?" [Dutch says laughing, the others join the laugh. Scarlette rolls her eyes and tries to ignore them, although they had already made eye contact quickly. She continues to tie the belt on Daniel and stay focused]

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." [Scarlette whispers to Daniel as she finishes typing Daniel's black belt, he nods with the same expression as her]

"What do we have here?" [Dutch circles them to see Scarlette with her arms crossed, trying not to look at them] "Found a team to fit in with another pussy?" [He continues to taunt without getting a word from his prey] "Hey, I'm talkin' to you!" [Dutch pushes Scarlette in fake frustration. Scarlette is now done with ignoring things as she balances back and finally acknowledges 'the enemy']

"We aren't pussies! And Daniel's gonna kick your ass, just wait!" [Scarlette yells to not only Bobby but all of the Cobra Kais. Her determination fuels her energy as she readies her fighting stance]

"C'mon let's go! Make a move!" [Dutch yells back, with his karate stance as well. Daniel pulls Scarlette away from the Cobra Kais calmly- she allows it but still stares down the Cobra Kais angrily. Daniel would usually say something but was too focused on the tournament and his and his girlfriend's safety at this moment to risk escalating the situation]

"Save it for the ring!" [One of the workers for the arena yells, catching the student's drama- The Cobra Kais back away laughing as Dutch continues to threaten the Miyagi-Dos. He slowly walks up to Daniel]

"Points or no points, you're dead meat." [He says intimidatingly as he backs away, pointing at Daniel. Eventually the Cobra Kais all leave, laughing. Scarlette shakes her head, crossing her arms again]

"I can't wait to kick his ass all over the mat." [She says with fire in her eyes, Daniel chuckles and smiles as he rubs her back- he thought it was cute how determined/competitive his girlfriend always is]

"Lets get outta here." [He says as they head out of the locker rooms. The arena was full of people from the Hills, Reseda, and pretty much everybody in the Valley. Daniel's mom waves with a great smile on her face]

"Go Daniel Larusso!" [Lucille Larusso yells loudly- catching Daniel's attention. Daniel laughs as this is slightly embarrassing but charming. Scarlette chuckles at Daniel's mother then catches her eye on her rival. She stares down Johnny, fire in her eyes. And the old veteran, John Kreese, had his hands on his collar with his faded cobra tattoo exposed as usual. Scarlette was determined to win tonight, more than she'd been any other year. Daniel notices her intensity

"Hey, just focus on balance, ok? Remember what Mr. Miyagi taught us." [He says, rubbing her back. She nods- still with ambition and determination on her face but more relaxed]

"Ok." [She says quietly as they make their way to Mr. Miyagi. The man looked calm and collected as usual, he greeted his students with a small bow. The students bow back]

"How it go?"

"Fine. We encountered some annoyances on the way though." [Scarlette says, glancing back over at the Cobra Kais- they jogged around the mats chanting their dojo name. Scarlette used to love these activities in Cobra Kai- they were very badass in her mind. She really could so how they are intimidating rituals now, a smart tactic but something that her now sensei does not believe in]

"Ai.. I see." [Mr. Miyagi says as the sports announcer takes the mats and introduces the dojos. Eventually, the tournament had begun and the first matchup was Daniel against some kid from a dojo called Yatai Dojo]

"Good luck, Daniel." [Scarlette says as her boyfriend is set off to the mats. Daniel nods to Scarlette and takes a deep breath before the match begins, Johnny and other Cobra Kais watch in the distance. At first the 16 year old from New Jersey was hesitant on the first couple of points, he wasn't used to a tournament setting and a ruleset. He stumbles, losing his balance on the second point that he'd lost against the opponent] "Focus, karate kid!" [Scarlette encourages as Daniel slowly steps back onto the mat, suddenly Daniel earns the first point with a kick- the crowd cheers, especially Scarlette] "Go Daniel!" [She yells clapping and cheering. Daniel smiles widely at the audience and his fellow students and sensei- it felt so good to win in something for him. And it was only the first of many- Daniel wins the next point and match with a chop] "Go Daniel! You're the best!" [Scarlette continues to cheer with a smile, she was so proud of him not just as a girlfriend or friend, but as a karate student. Daniel steps of the mats, hugging Scarlette tightly]

"It's not as hard as I thought it'd be.." [Daniel says with as smile, still hugging his girlfriend and looking into her eyes very contently]

"No, you're just better than you thought." [She says, breaking the hug and begging to watch the other matches. Daniel nods swiftly and happily again and can't help but kiss her on the cheek and scurry off to watch another match. She smiles looking back at him with slightly red face]