❝ let's see if you kick me like that again. ❞
THE NEXT DAY, Ayane went back to her house.
She had to get the rest of her things, despite how badly she did not want to go back to that place.
Amanda would be coming with her, thankfully. Otherwise Ayane might try to commit arson.
Ayane drew in a breath before knocking on the door, exchanging a look with Mrs. LaRusso. Amanda smiled comfortingly.
At once, Liana answered the door. She gave Ayane a look of disdain. "Yes?"
"Ayane needs to get the rest of her things," Amanda explained curtly, looking Liana up and down. "That won't be a problem, will it?"
Ayane raised her eyebrows slightly, looking between Amanda and Liana.
After a moment, Liana stepped aside to allow them in.
Ayane did not speak a word to her. She went upstairs and began to pack her clothes in boxes with Amanda's help.
Once she had everything of any value to her, Ayane looked to Amanda and said, "Okay. I'm ready."
Amanda nodded, then glanced over at the wall of trophies.
"What about those?" she asked, gesturing to the cases.
Ayane turned her head to the wall, staring at it with disgust.
"I don't want them. She can burn them for all I care."
The girl looked back to Amanda with a shrug, picking up a box and walking out of the bedroom.
After they got all of the boxes in the car, Amanda went back inside to talk to Liana.
Ayane, unfortunately, needed to talk to her too.
So she reluctantly went back inside, finding the two women in Ennis' office.
They looked up as she walked in. Ayane's face remained emotionless.
"Where is he?" Ayane finally asked, standing in the doorway.
"Van Nuys," Liana replied quietly, not meeting Ayane's eyes. "There's a court hearing on the 28th."
Ayane sighed, tapping her foot. "Do I have to be there?"
"It'd be ideal."
She almost laughed. "I'm sure it would," Ayane replied, turning and walking out.
Ayane sat in the car while she waited for Amanda. Her mother had not even given her a belated 'happy birthday'.
As they were driving back to the LaRusso's, Ayane blurted, "Can I go see my dad?"
Amanda looked over at her. "Oh- um, if you really want to. Then yeah, I'll-I'll take you."
Ayane nodded curtly. "Thank you. Can we go this afternoon?"
"Sure."
Sam helped the other two take Ayane's stuff up to her room, her new one. She was beginning to like it more than the other one already.
"Hey," Sam said when Amanda left the room, "what you did last night... I don't think you did anything wrong."
Ayane snorted. "Yeah, well. I shouldn't have done it, though, really. It's just- there's something I really hate about Cobra Kai."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "What about Miguel?"
"No, not him," Ayane explained, crossing her arms. "Not when he's not with Cobra Kai, anyway. When it's just the two of us, we're fine."
She shrugged, looking up at Sam. "I just wish there wasn't this stupid rivalry."
Sam nodded in understanding. "Yeah, me too. I mean, Aisha was my best friend but now... I just don't know."
Ayane breathed out a sigh, shaking her head.
"I don't know. I just hope that it ends eventually."
. . . .
AMANDA AND AYANE PULLED INTO the parking lot of Van Nuys Corrections Department.
"I called ahead," Amanda explained as she shut off the engine, "so they're expecting us."
She turned to Ayane, her expression soft.
"Ayane, you absolutely don't have to go if you're not sure. We can go get ice cream instead."
Ayane laughed, smiling. "No, I'm fine. I'll be fine."
They got out, walking inside. A police officer escorted Ayane to the phone booths, though Amanda could not go any further with her.
Ayane was shown to a partition, and she sat down to wait for Ennis.
A few moments later, the door on the other side of the glass opened, and he walked out. Ayane shifted in her seat, taking a deep breath.
Ennis sat down in the chair across from her. He was wearing the orange jumpsuit, which Ayane just found somewhat bizarre.
She picked up the phone on her side, Ennis picking up the phone on his side.
Neither of them said anything for a long time.
"Cool outfit," Ayane finally said without thinking.
Ennis glared at her, so Ayane continued.
"Yeah, so... I'm here. Surprise."
"I can see that," Ennis replied with no emotion in his voice. He didn't look like he wanted to be there.
Ayane leaned back in the chair, tapping her foot.
"Since neither of us seem to want to be here, I'll get right to the point," Ayane explained. "What do you know about a man named Kreese? He's old, blond hair, scary. Does karate."
Ennis stared for a moment until he finally gave a response.
"I assume you're talking about John Kreese."
"I guess."
Ennis sat back. "I met Kreese during the Vietnam War. I was a field medic at the time, and that's how we became friends. It's been years since we've talked. I thought he was dead. So why do you ask?"
Ayane tightened her grip on the phone, staring hard at Ennis.
"Did you know he's alive? And involved with Cobra Kai?"
"Cobra Kai... yes. I've heard him mention the name. So you've met him, then."
Ayane bounced her knee, remaining stoic. "Yeah. He said he remembered me. Any idea what he's talking about?"
Ennis sighed slowly, reluctant. Ayane could see his hesitation.
"Kreese visited us in Chicago when... your brother was born."
Ayane visibly tensed up, her heart dropping to her stomach. For a moment, Ayane had to wait and see if she heard him right. Ennis and Liana both forbade Ayane from ever mentioning her brother.
Her dead brother.
"That would've made me what- three?"
Ennis nodded. "He told me I should enlist you to do martial arts. Taekwondo, karate, something. I took his advice, and I started teaching you."
Ayane didn't want to be apart of this conversation anymore. She was still jarred from Ennis having mentioned her brother.
"That's all I needed to know," Ayane quickly said. "So I'm going to go now."
Before Ennis could reply, Ayane slammed the phone in its hook and stood, walking away as quickly as she should.
Ayane looked down at her hands. They were trembling.
Was John Kreese the reason behind Ennis' obsession with martial arts? Was he the reason Ayane's life was completely in shambles?
Amanda was waiting for Ayane when she got back, but Ayane walked straight to the car. Frowning, Amanda quickly followed.
"Did everything go okay?" Amanda asked, starting up the car.
Ayane nodded dismissively, buckling her seatbelt. "As good as anything like that could have possibly gone."
When they got back to the LaRusso's, Ayane went around back to find Sam and Robby doing their usual training.
"Hey," they both greeted.
Ayane tilted her head upwards. "Hi," she replied, setting her water bottle down.
"Still no students, huh?" Ayane said, looking around at the barren place.
Sam frowned. "Not really. A few came by, but you weren't here so they left. Looks like you're our source of popularity."
Ayane squinted, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm not a sensei so I don't know what they'd be expecting from me."
She approached the punching bag where Robby was standing, saying, "You mind?"
He shrugged, stepping away from the bag.
Ayane stretched her arms and put a couple of punches in. She was still very worked up over her conversation with Ennis.
She punched harder, pausing for a moment and turning to the other two.
"What if we staged a fight? Or what if we took on a bunch of the Cobra Kais-"
"No," Robby and Sam both said.
Ayane rolled her eyes. "Why not? It's not like we can't do it."
"Because we'll be in huge trouble," Sam replied, "did you forget that part?"
Ayane clenched her jaw, turning back to the punching bag and punching again.
Just then, Mr. LaRusso came around back.
"Hey guys!"
Ayane stopped the punching bag, looking over.
"How would you all like to go on a ride with me?"
Robby and Sam were all for it, but Ayane wasn't exactly in the mood. She wanted to punch all of her frustration away.
"Can I take a rain check?" she asked, smiling a little.
Daniel shrugged. "That's fine. You're missing out, though."
Ayane laughed a little, watching them all leave.
Meanwhile, she went back to the punching bag. It helped her focus and clear her head when she hit things.
But Ayane kept thinking about Kreese. He was no good, and she could see that from miles away.
Amanda and Anthony had gone out for ice cream. Ayane paced the kitchen for a few minutes.
Then, she left the LaRusso's for a run.
Ayane ran down the block, and before she realized it, she was at Reseda Boulevard. The strip was right across the road, and she knew from Miguel that Cobra Kai was currently having a class.
She fought with herself, conflicted. Ayane didn't need to go in there. She didn't need to, and she knew it.
But Kreese was in there.
Ayane paced on the corner for a few more minutes, then walked over to the strip.
She got to the door and pulled it open with some hesitation.
Immediately all of the students were glaring at her. Ayane actually felt a bit nervous.
Johnny walked out of his office, his expression quickly turning to anger.
"Get out. Now."
Ayane glanced over at Miguel, who stared back at her with wide eyes. She seemed to have a death wish.
"I just came to make amends, alright?" Ayane held her hands up in surrender.
Johnny glared at her. From behind him, Kreese appeared in the office doorway. He stood there, watching with curiosity.
"Mr. Lawrence," Ayane drew in a breath, "I want to apologize for my actions last night. I acted on my anger and it will never happen again."
The students were all watching her. Some of them had bruises, which were her doing. Ayane looked up at Johnny, turning her head apprehensively.
"It takes balls to come into another dojo and apologize. Apology accepted. Now go."
Ayane sighed with some relief, turning to face the students.
"Sorry everyone," she offered, smiling with a small shrug.
She was suddenly startled to see Kreese standing beside her, speaking.
"This girl should not have to be apologizing to you all because you couldn't put up a fair fight against her. That's a class act on her part, but that's weak on yours! You all should be the ones apologizing. For being disappointments."
Ayane looked up at Kreese, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
He looked back at her. "You're a hell of a fighter. But you know that, don't you?"
She was at a loss for words.
"Um-"
"I'll take her on."
Ayane turned her head, finding the person who spoke up. The students moved out of the way, revealing a teenage girl in regular clothes. She crossed her arms, smiling at Ayane but not in a friendly way.
"I'll pass today, thanks," Ayane smiled curtly, starting for the door.
"What, are you scared?"
Inhaling, Ayane turned on her heel and looked the girl in her eyes.
"I'm doing you a favor."
The girl still pushed her, though. "Are you afraid I'm too unpredictable for you? I saw you at the Valley Fest last night. You rely too much on your kicks and not enough on your strikes."
Ayane scoffed a little, licking her lips.
"You think so?"
"I saw you," the girl replied in a challenging voice. "So you up for it or not?"
Ayane looked around the room, seeing everyone giving her expectant looks. She turned her head to Johnny.
"This isn't my dojo. Maybe come find me later and we can see if you're still up for that challenge."
Ayane glanced at Miguel, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Wait," Johnny said, crossing his arms. Ayane turned back to him.
"I wanna see what Little Miss Hotshot here can do."
Ayane raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm not your student. You can't make me-"
"QUIET!"
Ayane glared, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. That anger problem was returning again.
"You both seem like you'd be an interesting match. Get on the mat."
As tempted as Ayane was to leave, she didn't like to shy away from challenges. Everyone in the room knew that.
Ayane kicked off her shoes, walking over to the side where Miguel stood.
"Ayane, you don't have to listen to him-"
"Shut up," she replied, turning away from him.
The girl faced Ayane, dropping her arms to her sides. Johnny came around to signal the match.
Ayane gave the girl a hard look. "You can still back down, you know."
Without warning, the girl came forward and kicked Ayane back. Some of the students began buzzing.
Miguel wanted to step in. He had not told her this, but Ayane acted like an entirely different person when she was angry. She was threatening, and Miguel didn't like it. It wasn't her.
Ayane smiled a little. "Let's see if you kick me like that again."
The girl came at Ayane once more but Ayane saw her practically moving in slow motion. She side stepped the kick, ducked, then straightened up and kneed the girl in the back.
Giving the girl a chance to turn around, Ayane came closer to strike her in the stomach. The girl doubled over for a moment.
"Still think I don't use my strikes enough?"
The girl tilted her head up, then suddenly tackled Ayane from the midsection. Standing up, the girl smiled down at Ayane.
"No, but you're still too cocky."
Ayane could feel the angry energy coming off of her in waves. She pushed her hands behind her head, bringing her legs up to kick the girl back.
The girl fell flat on her ass with a groan while Ayane stood, advancing on her.
"Finish her," Kreese said. Ayane looked up at him, frowning.
He looked back at her expectantly.
Ayane turned her head, looking down at the girl. She could have kicked her teeth in at this very moment.
Instead, Ayane reached out and offered a hand to her.
The girl hesitated with a look of irritation, but took it and allowed Ayane to help her up.
"I don't think we've formally met," Ayane said. "I'm Ayane."
The girl looked like she wanted to be pissed, but she finally smiled a little.
"Tory. With a Y."
NOTES!
y'all think they're gonna be besties??? haha just wait
also about ayane's dead brother,, well- we'll get more into that