Chapter Forty-Nine: Counting Losses
"So the story goes: Owner of a lonely heart, owner of a lonely heart (is) much better than an owner of a broken heart."
~Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes~
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Revised: September 7, 2022
Warnings: abuse, addiction, anxiety, biphobia/homophobia, depression, domestic violence, slight eating disorder, langubage, panic attacks, sexual harassment/assault/abuse, violence, and other mature themes
Surprise-ish update, I guess. I posted early because I'm sleepy whoops. Okay, enjoy.
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Zion's POV
The car ride is silent. Both of us seem at a loss of what to say. Or maybe the problem is that there's so much to say and we don't know how to.
I know I want to tell Hawk that I still have feelings for him, but I know I also have feelings for Robby. The question is: Who's the best for me?
And that answer I don't have. All I know is one will end up heartbroken.
I park on the street and turn to Hawk, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Let's make Miyagi-Do pay."
I get out of the car, ready to fight. I know Tory will go for Samantha, so my target is Demetri. I still hate him for all he's said and done: slut-shaming me on more than one occasion, snitching on me for the black eye, among many other things.
Something I can never forgive, though, is him saying my dad did a bad job raising me. Because I know my dad taught me how to be strong and prepared me for after he passed. And I am strong. Besides, someone has to stand up for the only person who raised me.
I'm away from Janice and I'm a great fighter. I have to admit it's all because of Sensei Kreese and Cobra Kai. I'm learning things for the real world, for survival, to better myself. And of course my life doesn't look at all like what I wanted it to, but I can get revenge and do more than get even. I can win this once and for all.
If Johnny Lawrence - the horrible father, the one who is teaching Miguel the wrong lessons - wants to side with Daniel LaRusso - Sam's snobby father, the sensei of Miyagi-Do - then I'll just have to work that much harder to take the dojos down. And I will.
We meet up with the other Cobras outside in the driveway.
"Elijah, Rickenberger, Z, and I will go in through the other door. You guys go in that way," Tory delegates.
I notice the other Cobras look hesitant and speak up. "We're striking first. Now we just need to strike hard and show no mercy. This alliance snuck up on all of us. If we don't fight now, we'll just have our asses handed to us later. This is the time for us to show what Cobra Kai can really do. Do any of you have a problem with that?"
They collectively shake their heads and I see Hawk smirking at me in admiration for stepping up. I try to hide my blush as he looks at me like that and turn to Tory. She smiles at me, glad I'm here.
"Let's go," she says and the two boys follow us around the house. I share a smirk with Rickenberger, both of us excited for revenge. We stand outside the door and I wait for Tory's cue for us to barge in. She grabs a bobby-pin and picks the lock.
I stare in surprise and she smirks at me, "You got my back?"
"I've got your back," I nod and our eyes connect. This is real trust. Thank god I have her.
Suddenly, we hear a loud crash and yell come from inside. Is that our cue?
"Now!" Tory says and I front kick the door open.
Tory and I walk in. I take in the environment. Of course it's fancy inside, too. Right in front of us, Sam and Miguel spin around in shock. I see Demetri and the other Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students huddling together away from our fellow Cobras.
We walk closer, moving around the sofa. Tory has an evil glare on her face; I don't blame her. I'm just as mad at Samantha for hurting Tory and Robby. And the hatred she has for Sam is just about matched with mine for Demetri.
"Heard you were throwing a party," Tory says.
"Hope you don't mind if we crash," I smirk and make eye contact with Demetri who nervously shifts.
"Tory, Z, you don't have to do this," Miguel grabs my attention with a pleading tone.
I look at him and my stare softens. I don't want to hurt him.
"It's too late. This ends tonight," Tory speaks up and brings me back to reality.
"Now that we've shed our weakness, it's time to show our strength."
"NO MERCY!" Tory yells into the house and we all move forward, assuming our fighting positions.
I rush towards Demetri when a Miyagi-Do student crosses my path: Little Red. All right.
I throw a punch and connect with his jaw before he can react. He stumbles back. He's much shorter than me and weaker, especially in comparison to his brother.
I throw a kick and he tries to block it, so I land and swing my other foot around, kicking him in the head and sending him down. That was way too easy.
I look around for Demetri or anybody else I can take down.
Assface approaches me and I smirk, "I haven't missed you one bit."
"Ready for me to take you down?" he asks.
I laugh dryly. "Like you could."
He gets into a fighting stance as I strike first and front kick him. He falls back and throws a punch, to which I grab his wrist and twist it. There are no rules in this fight.
He groans in pain as I hold onto it and bend it the wrong way. He freaks out, "Stop, stop, come on. Please."
That's when I pull it even further and it pops in all the wrong places. He screams in anguish and I let go, pushing him back. "No mercy."
He's down. I'm pretty sure I broke his wrist.
He was dead weight, anyway. And I always hated how he took Hawk's side and made me feel bad about myself when I didn't even do anything wrong.
I guess in this fight some people would see what I'm doing as bad. I see it as me asserting my dominance, having it be known that my enemies can't hurt me anymore. It feels good.
My eyes land on Demetri fighting Elijah and a few others. I make my way over there, ready to fight with him one-on-one, fair and square. I don't have a hurt ankle anymore and I will prove to Demetri he can't mess with me. Nobody can save him now.
I stop on my way over there when I see Joey losing to Samantha. Maybe a little detour couldn't hurt.
I come behind her and kick her back and she stumbles forward. Her head snaps my way and I smirk when her eyes widen.
"Show me what you've got, princess," I say in amusement.
She advances toward me and throws a punch. I kick and block her as I try to find her weakness. I have to admit there aren't many weak spots... except for her offense. I should've known.
I let her make the first moves. Her aggression is high but her control over the moves is lower. All that Miyagi-Do shit about self-defense won't help her in the real world; it's a lesson I've learned in these past few months.
She roundhouse kicks and I duck. She stumbles back to regain balance and that's when I incorporate my flexibility and versatility into my moves. I run at her and bulldoze her back, flipping my body over her shoulder and pulling her down to the ground.
"That's for cheating on Robby."
She grunts as her back hits the polished hardwood, "That was an accident!" She groans in pain and tries to stand up. It's amusing to see her so weak.
"So, was it also an 'accident' that you got back together with Miguel right after?" I argue.
"Like you didn't cheat on Hawk to try to take him from me," Samantha stands up angrily.
Rage floods through my veins when she says this. It's a dig at me to get under my skin, but I have to admit it's working. I've dealt with girls like her before and I'm so done-
"I've been waiting for this, LaRusso," a voice comes behind me.
I turn to see Tory walking beside me and Sam's face goes pale in a panic; she's terrified of Tory.
Tory takes a step forward and Sam mirrors her, stepping backwards. Sam's eyes are locked on Tory's figure as she advances forward. I'm forgotten because within the next second, Sam is running out of the dining room and to the backyard or something. Tory continues following her at a slower pace, relishing in the fear she's caused.
I follow Tory and she turns back to me, "She's mine now."
"No, I don't want you to go alone," I say. I remember all too well what happened at the school when I let Robby and Miguel go off without me.
"We both can prove ourselves tonight. We'll win," she reminds me and glances over at my initial target: Demetri.
"Are you sure?" I ask, hating to leave her to fight by herself.
Tory nods with a smirk and walks towards the door to follow Samantha. I know Tory won't show her mercy.
I turn now to see Elijah and Rickenberger playing around with Demetri. He throws a punch and they easily duck before sending a forceful blow his way. Demetri groans in pain and I walk over there, cracking my knuckles to get ready for this.
"Come on, Rhea!" a voice snaps me out of concentration and I turn to see Kyler fighting Miguel.
Just like when I first came here. It was Miguel and I against bullies like Kyler. And now he's a Cobra beating up my... well, my ex best friend.
But I'm better than Kyler. I have a strong reason to be here and be fighting. Hawk is also fighting alongside Kyler and the other Cobras. I look to Demetri, remembering when our group was always bullied. But hating Kyler doesn't mean I like Demetri. In fact, I despise both of them.
I need to prove to all of the misogynistic, entitled men of the world that they can't touch me anymore. Because I trusted Adam. I was hesitant to strike back. I froze. I let my guard down and it led to one of the worst moments of my life.
When he touched me.
When he got pleasure out of trying to rape me.
When he manipulated me just like everyone else in this goddamn world.
But I refuse to let it happen again.
And that's why I will never stop fighting.
I turn back to Kyler fighting Miguel. He'll have to learn the hard way. I did. Nobody was there for me in the heat of the moment. I only had myself and that's how it will stay.
I walk over to Demetri and the other guys, "This one's mine."
The boys look at me with a smirk and step away, leaving me and Demetri to fight.
"Not again," he says in a panic and tries to run. I catch up to him easily and grab his shoulder, spinning him around. My ankle isn't hurt this time.
"You said at Moon's party karma would come for me," I smirk and he backs away slowly as I move toward him, my goal being to trap him between me and the wall. "But here's yours."
I throw a side kick and it slams him into the wall. He grunts as it shakes behind him just like it had with Walker in the dojo. I have the power to take back my life today and I will.
"Zion," Demetri uses my first name and I inhale sharply. "Please, think about what you're doing."
I hate being called by that name by anyone besides Robby or Jess. I hate Demetri using it. If this is his way of reasoning with me, he can forget it. I know exactly what I'm doing; I don't give a fuck about the repercussions.
I swing at him and he blocks it. I'm ready with my next move, throttling his stick-like body into the wall. He has height on me, but I've taken on taller than him and won. And sure, he's grown muscle, but so have I.
He groans again as the back of his head hits the wall. He pushes me off of him and kicks my knee. It doesn't do much. I spin kick him and he falls back towards the kitchen on his butt. He scrambles to get away from me as I walk slowly, ready for my revenge.
"You don't have to do this!" Demetri shrieks as he stands up.
"We need a new champion. Someone with no fear and no mercy."
"Even if I didn't have to, I would," I assure him.
I send a twist kick his way and he runs towards the dining room table, trying to get away from me.
"Come on, Demetri. Fight me," I smirk and throw a punch. He blocks it and sends one back at me.
I block it, grip his arm, spin him around, and slam him onto the table. He screeches in pain.
I hold his arm out, ready to twist it the wrong way and break it again. And I won't stop there.
"Maybe you were right," I hold onto his arm. "I do use violence as a coping mechanism."
He grunts in pain as I slowly twist it, almost... enjoying his pain. Is this who I am now?
"But only because I have reasons that you will never understand. And now you're going to pay for what you did, for what you said."
Suddenly, a pair of hands grab my waist and yank me away from Demetri. They catch me so off-guard that I release my grip on him and push the mystery person back, ready to fight.
"Z, stop," Hawk stands in front of me. I widen my eyes in shock and realize I'm shaking with adrenaline.
"Stop?" I repeat and he nods.
"Demetri isn't the enemy," Hawk says and I try to wrap my mind around what he's saying.
"What do you mean? Miyagi-Do, Eagle Fang, they're our enemies," I say.
"No. Look at what's going on around us," Hawk says and I look around to see the fighting still going on, with a few people down. "This has gone too far."
"It's not over until we win," I argue.
"This isn't you, Z. Sensei Kreese is in your head," Hawk tells me. "We're all pawns in his game. He doesn't care about us."
"I'm a third party looking out for her well-being," Sensei Kreese steps closer to Adam.
"You don't know anything about Sensei Kreese if you think he doesn't care," I say and do everything I can not to get emotional. Hawk looks at me in confusion. "You're wrong about that."
"I don't want to have to fight you, Z. We can finish the fight tonight like you said," Hawk tells me with sincerity in his eyes. He really believes this. Kindness is weakness.
"Not like this," I shake my head.
I turn to Demetri who is watching between both of us and gripping his arm in pain; I must have done some damage.
"So, this is how it is? You're going back to him and leaving me?" I ask Hawk.
"You can come with me. You can be good and stop the fighting now. It's gotten out of hand," he tells me.
"I should've known I couldn't trust you again," I mutter to myself and Hawk's face falls.
I get into a fighting position towards Demetri. Hawk moves between me and the nerdy, dark haired boy. My heart sinks to my stomach. But this is how it is.
I throw a kick at Hawk and he blocks it, pushing me back, "Stop."
I can tell he doesn't want to fight or hurt me. And I don't want to, either. I just want to win again, to feel the power, to have the dominance, to prove I'm more than just an object. I'm a champion.
Hawk turns away and walks over to Demetri, "Look, man. I'm sorry. For all of it." It makes me sick to see him going back to Demetri. "Do you wanna help me win this thing?"
"Yeah," Demetri smiles happily and they do a handshake. I feel my blood boiling with betrayal and can quite literally hear my heart breaking.
These past twenty-four hours I thought Hawk and I had a chance of getting back together. Then some things came in and started to mess that up and now here we are. We don't see eye-to-eye like we always used to.
Elijah runs over to fight Hawk, seeing this new team up happening. Hawk ducks as Joey runs over to take out Demetri. Hawk front kicks Joey back as Elijah gets up. Demetri kicks Elijah and I stare in shock that his confidence is high again.
I need to get in this fight, even if it means going up against Hawk.
I go for Demetri, but he comes at me first and kicks my stomach. I bend over in shock as the duo switch places and Hawk moves in front of me. He hesitates and doesn't come after me, instead handling the rest of the guys with Demetri.
I run over and sweep Demetri's legs, sending him to the ground. Hawk runs over and helps him up.
I punch Demetri's jaw and Hawk pulls me back by the elbow. I stand in shock a moment and before I can react, Hawk and Demetri nod at each other.
They both do a twist kick to my stomach, sending me flying back onto a glass table that shatters around me.
"Oww," I groan softly to myself as the glass cuts my skin all over, mainly on my arms.
I glance up weakly at the boys, wondering if it's worth it to get up again. I'm outnumbered and I'm not mentally prepared to fight Hawk.
I remember Robby telling me to fight smart before I came here. That's exactly what I'm going to do. I didn't think with my head during the school fight; it was all rage and I nearly lost. My sensei taught me well and I will abide by his teachings.
"How's your karma looking now?" Demetri asks as I lay on the ground.
Hawk's eyes meet mine with disappointment. I match it and raise him my anger. I'm angry at him for betraying the dojo, for betraying me.
But I stay down. Because this is only one battle. Defeat does not exist.
I close my eyes and roll on my side weakly, a new plan forming in my mind.
"Z, listen, I'm really-" Hawk speaks up and I shake my head.
"No. Just leave me," I say in a soft voice. I groan and let my body relax a little, signaling to Hawk to walk away.
After a moment, I hear his footsteps move away from me with Demetri and their shadows disappear. I'm left alone with a nauseous feeling about what just happened.
Another minute passes and I sit up, perfectly fine physically, despite the stinging in my arms from the glass. I need to find Tory and get out of here before the cops arrive. Judging by how many Cobras are down, I know at least one Miyagi-Do student has probably picked up a phone and made the call.
I walk by Rickenberger, Kyler, and Elijah on the floor either unconscious or in pain. Damnit. This didn't go the way I wanted at all.
I rush out of the house to follow where I saw Sam go. Tory surely fought her and I know I can't leave her here. I have her back and she has mine.
I make it outside and then see a door open on the other end of the lawn. I rush over there, hoping Tory won.
"Tory, I-"
I walk in and see Demetri, Hawk, and Miguel staring at Tory as Sam holds her back with a bow staff. I can only assume she didn't win. Damnit.
They all turn to me as Tory speaks up, "It's not over. This will never be over, LaRusso. You hear me?" At least she isn't leaving, too.
"You know where to find me," Sam threatens back and Tory looks to the three boys in confusion. I frown as she realizes Hawk turned, too.
She puts her fists down and walks over to them, "Traitors." She looks directly at Hawk, "You better watch your back." I don't know how to feel about that, but I know he did choose the wrong side.
"He won't have to," Demetri speaks up as Tory moves closer to me. "He's got friends watching it for him." It makes me sick that they're friends again.
Tory's face shows betrayal as she walks towards the door. We both know if we were to fight now we'd be severely outnumbered. I don't move.
"Z, you coming?" Tory asks over her shoulder as I stand frozen, looking at my ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend.
It all could be easy. I could go over to their side and have both of them back.
But I would betray my morals and I hate everyone else they're working with. I would abandon Tory. And I don't want another sensei if it isn't Sensei Kreese. I know Tory and Sensei care about me and they show it.
"Z," Miguel speaks up, "Cobra Kai has corrupted you. This isn't who you are. Join us instead."
I look at Miguel sadly and realize there's blood all over his face. Kyler did that; still, Miguel won. I frown, knowing what I'll do. It's the right thing for him. I need to let Miguel go.
Hawk let me go. Hawk and I don't fit together like we used to. People grow apart. And the worst part is, I got so mad at Hawk at the end of the summer for being childish. But I feel even worse now because I see he has evolved...
He's just leaving me behind.
Well, that's not entirely true. I've changed, too. I've grown. But at this point there's no hope for us. Not matter how we feel about each other, this is how it is. I should recognize and accept this.
Miguel looks at me for a reply, hoping I'll turn to their side. It isn't that easy. Life isn't easy. My dad tried to teach me that before he passed, but I never truly understood until this year - until everything came crashing down. If I want to be the best I can be, it means leaving them behind. It'll kill me inside, but I have to do this.
"I... I grieved you," I say to Miguel and he looks at me in shock and confusion. "You were in a coma for two weeks. It felt like a lifetime to me. Nobody reached out, nobody was there, nobody cared. I was alone."
Demetri and Sam look at each other, surprised at how open I'm being about this. They already all saw me breakdown at the high school, so how is this any different? Hawk and Miguel stare in shock, trying to understand and figure out how to respond.
I lost Miguel once. I can't lose him again.
The world doesn't care about my life story. It's weak versus strong. Winners against losers.
I glare towards Demetri and Samantha, "We will never see eye-to-eye. We will never be on the same side. I've trusted the wrong people too many times. I'm not making those mistakes again."
The two Miyagi-Do students look to my ex best friend and ex boyfriend for their response, but it's silent as my words sink in.
We're going our separate ways. For good.
"Cobra Kai may have lost this battle..." I look around at everyone coldly, "but we will win the war."
The atmosphere of the room is tense as Miguel looks down. Hawk turns away and I can see he's hurt, too. But hope for us is dead.
I turn away and walk out the door of their home dojo. I assume Tory is going to follow me out as I pass by her. The cold December air whips by me as I make it outside and a shiver runs up my spine.
I refuse to show emotion, to hand my heart to someone unworthy again. It's like Janice said. I get attached too easily. I wish I had never loved at all because the pain is unbearable when you lose someone. But now I'm locking up my heart and refuse to let anybody in. I'm alone and I have to accept this.
I make it to the street and turn over my shoulder to see Tory walking behind me. I slow down as she makes it down to where I am at the bottom of the hill. We stare at each other in silence a moment, having no clue what to say.
"You need a ride?" I offer as usual.
"I've got one," she shakes her head. "I can't believe we lost again."
I nod glumly. It's false hope to say anything comforting now.
"I'm going to get home... I need to check on Mom," she says softly and I see tears threatening in her eyes.
"I should get back, too," I nod and try to find something to say to comfort her, but anything positive is just an empty promise. Nothing good has come from tonight.
I feel the bad thoughts wanting to crash down on me like a tsunami wave. I'm about to drown and I don't even care because I have nothing left.
Tory walks away after a moment of silence, leaving me feeling empty. My heart is empty. We made a spontaneous decision and it completely backfired. I failed. I lost.
I get into my car and drive to the freeway.
I'm a loser. I'm alone. I'm worthless.
All I have left is the dojo, but even my determination to fight and win is gone. I have nothing pushing me forward. My anger has faded into sadness and numbness; I don't know if I'll ever feel normal again. I don't know if I want to.
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I pull into the dojo parking lot only to see it's a mess. The windows are shattered and glass is everywhere.
I jump out of my car, worried about Sensei Kreese. I wonder what happened here. I need him to be okay; I can't lose him like I lost my dad.
I get on the sidewalk and look down the way to see a man in a white shirt standing in front of Sensei Kreese, hitting him and disabling him. My sensei falls back with a groan of pain when the man kicks his leg. The man then gets into a fighting position while Sensei is down, helpless.
I watch in fear, wondering what I can do to help. This is really bad. The man looks ready to kill him. I need to help. I can't watch something like this happen again.
I rush over in an instant, "NO!" I use all my bodyweight to bodyslam the man in the white shirt away from Sensei Kreese.
He's much bigger, but my force is enough to move him to the side and push him off the curb.
We stare at each other in shock and I realize who it is: Mr. Daniel LaRusso himself.
I've never seen him in person up close before. I hate him with a burning passion only based on everything I've heard about him.
"Zion!" a voice exclaims breathlessly. I turn around and see Johnny Lawrence standing there.
I look at my sensei on the ground. Of course they were both involved in this.
"What did you do?!" I exclaim and turn back to Daniel LaRusso in a fighting position.
I've trained for this. I can take him down. I have to try.
"He's a sociopath," Daniel LaRusso echoes what his wife said.
"You don't understand. You can't trust him," Johnny continues from behind me.
I look at my defenseless sensei on the ground and then back to Johnny, "No, it's you I can't trust."
Johnny sighs in defeat and shares a look with Daniel; I'm worried about what will happen next.
"Dad!" a voice screams. We all turn to see Sam and Miguel running up. They stop halfway down and look between the four of us in shock.
Daniel backs up and Johnny steps next to him, leaving me to stand on the right side of my sensei and help him up. I give him a look of concern; his face is bloody. He just nods in gratitude for helping him up.
"You keep your Cobra Kais away from our kids," Daniel says angrily.
"It's a free country," Sensei Kreese states as I stand beside him.
"Not for you. Cobra Kai's gotta go," Johnny speaks up. "For good."
I look at my sensei, wondering what he'll say. I know he won't give into these two. He can't.
"Why don't we settle this the old-fashioned way?" he suggests. "Tournament."
The two men exchange a look wearily.
"If we lose... I go."
I stare at him in shock. I can't lose this; it's all I have.
"If you lose..."
"We won't lose," Johnny assures the older man.
Sam and Miguel walk over and join their senseis. I avoid Miguel's gaze. "You okay, Sensei?" Miguel checks in with Johnny and I feel my skin crawl. How can he go back to this man after what he's done? How is it so easy for all of them to leave me? How is it so simple for them to choose the wrong side?
Johnny nods and we all stare at each other tensely. I share a glare with Daniel as his eyes dart between me and his daughter; my reputation precedes me. It makes me feel powerful that they're intimidated even after everything that happened tonight.
"Robby," Johnny speaks up and looks to the other side of Sensei Kreese. My head snaps that way and I gasp when I see him standing there with a huge gash on his head.
"Oh my God. Are you okay?" I ask softly in concern. He turns to me for a split second and it's then that I notice he's wearing a Cobra Kai gi... Does this mean...?
He steps closer to Sensei Kreese and turns to glare at the others, "Get out of here." He looks at Johnny, pissed. I've never seen such a cold hatred in his stare before. "All of you."
Miguel and Sam stare at Robby while Johnny and Daniel sigh in defeat, not knowing how to respond. I wish they would just leave us alone.
It's silent a moment. I still can't bring myself to look at Miguel. Samantha's eyes are on me and I smirk a little at how intimidated she is. I have to act brave on the outside and never let them see my weaknesses, even if I feel like I'm about to collapse. I can't let anybody in.
"Come on, children," Sensei Kreese says and puts his hand on my shoulder. I look over to see he's done the same with Robby, ready to take us in.
Sensei Kreese opens the door and the bell rings as we walk inside.
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Miguel's POV
"We're all in agreement that our new, combined dojo should train at Miyagi-Do," Demetri holds up a list as we plan. "But we're deadlocked on a new name, gi design, post-training snacks, and sensei dispute resolution protocol."
I sigh and wonder how this will work. It has to.
"Okay, not good, but still, it's a start," Demetri declares.
Our attention directs to a meowing outside and I stare in confusion. Even Sam is looking towards the door in confusion.
"Aw, I think your cat wants to come in. Here, kitty, kitty," Bert stands up and walks out.
"I didn't know you had a cat," I turn to Sam.
"We don't," she responds. At this point, I'm even more confused.
Then, the window breaks loudly and we see Bert being thrown through it.
"Bert! What happened?" I ask, wondering who could have done this.
"No cat," he groans.
The door creaks open and I see Hawk walk in. Followed by Kyler. Oh no. All of Cobra Kai is here.
Flashbacks run through my mind as I remember everything Kyler did before I learned karate. I'm in no condition to fight. I wonder how Hawk could be so heartless to bring him here?
"It's payback time, 'Rhea," Kyler smirks.
And I wonder where Z and Tory are? But, I help Bert up and back away. There has to be some way to prevent this.
They step towards us, "Let's go."
And then, a loud thud is heard behind us and the door flies open to reveal Z, Tory, Rickenberger, and another Cobra.
They advance towards us, effectively surrounding our group; our numbers are much less. I see Z and Tory glaring daggers through Sam and Demetri. Uh oh.
"Heard you were throwing a party," Tory speaks up with an evil tone in her voice.
"Hope you don't mind if we crash," Z lets out a light laugh and I see Demetri tremble from beside me.
"Tory, Z, you don't have to do this," I try to reason with them. Z should stop because she knows me. Maybe if she sees that none of us are truly the enemy then she'll understand.
I see her expression soften for a second as she looks at me; I can tell she doesn't entirely want to do this.
"It's too late. This ends tonight," Tory responds and I realize that she's the one leading all of this. "NO MERCY!"
Kyler immediately rushes towards me and the chaos ensues. I try to get to Z or Hawk, but instead he pushes me aside and I kick his way. He blocks it easily. I'm definitely not prepared to do any of this yet.
He punches my face and then my stomach; I'm rusty. I fall to the ground in pain.
"You call that a kick? Come on!" Kyler taunts me. It's obvious he wants this fight and he wants me to feel the pain.
I try again, but he grabs my leg and throttles me onto a couch and table, fucking up my back. I can't take much of this at all.
I glance to the side and see Demetri taking down a lot of guys and doing well with defense. Good.
Kyler tries to punch me again and I dodge it and stumble back onto my feet. I look past him and get distracted when I see Z going after Sam.
She needs to understand that Sam doesn't mean a lot of what she says. Has Sam treated Z unfairly? From what I can tell, yes, but it doesn't need to come down to this. They're fighting over Robby and that doesn't matter in the end. I don't want them hurt.
I continue fighting Kyler as I try to make my way over to them, but its no use. A light goes out and I take advantage of Kyler's distraction and throw a plant at him.
Kyler takes me and throttles me against the wall, pounding on my stomach. There's only so much I can take as I feel the blood rushing up into my mouth.
"That's for cheating on Robby," is what I hear through the grunts and shrieks filling the house.
"That was an accident!"
"So, was it also an 'accident' that you got back together with Miguel right after?"
"Like you didn't cheat on Hawk to try to take him from me," Sam counters and I feel myself deflate as Kyler uses me as a punching bag. I need to get back on top.
"Come on, 'Rhea! Come on. We're not done yet."
I use my training, knowing that I've been at this longer than Kyler. The more I fight, the more it comes back to me and I find my strength.
Until, Kyler flips me onto the ground. Fuck.
"Hell yeah! Hell yeah. These suckers never had a chance, baby!" I look up to see him shaking hands with Hawk.
I groan on the ground, almost wanting to cry. What are they even trying to prove?
"Get it! Come on, 'Rhea."
Kyler slams me into the wall. He continuously goes for the soft organs. He's trying to do damage.
What has Cobra Kai become? Is this what Z and Hawk really are now? Is this how Tory wants to be? Kreese is insane and it's terrifying.
I blink and then see Hawk and Demetri have teamed up. I don't know how or what happened with them, but they're kicking ass. It's giving me hope.
I remember everything Sensei Lawrence has said to me. I remember him believing in me. I'm better than just a guy who was in a coma. I'm not going to roll over for them.
I can do this.
I push Kyler back, block his punch, and do a cartwheel over him. I did it-
I'm kicked backwards really hard and the wind is knocked out of me. Not this time.
I stand up as Kyler taunts me, "Come on! Come on!"
I'm the underdog and Kyler is the one with too much confidence. I've got this. I can do this.
I do a roundhouse and then a back thrust kick, surprising even myself. Then, I twist myself to grab his waist and do another flip, keeping him in my grip, and throttling him to the ground this time. And then, I punch him and he blacks out.
"Thanks for the motivation," I say smugly.
Sometimes, I understand Cobra Kai and using it for the real world. I had to use no mercy at this point in time, but the concept of starting shit to this extent is too far.
I turn around to see Hawk and Demetri. I smile, but stop when I see Z on the ground and bleeding.
"No. Just leave me," her voice is weak and still hostile.
I see Hawk's face fall as he and Demetri walk towards me. It breaks my heart to see her down there. I guess she didn't change.
"What is she...?" I ask them.
Hawk just shakes his head glumly.
"We've got to find Sam," Demetri points out and we run out of the building to find her and Tory.
We rush to the home dojo, "Guys stop!"
Sam has Tory cornered, but Tory seems like she still wants to fight.
"Tory, the fight's over," Hawk tells her.
"Tory, I-"
We all turn to see Z enter the dojo as she tenses and backs away. Nobody was expecting this.
"It's not over. This will never be over, LaRusso. You hear me?" Tory says angrily.
"You know where to find me," Sam glares back.
The atmosphere is tense as Tory's eyes dart between all of us.
"Traitors," she steps over to us and then turns to Hawk. "You better watch your back."
"He won't have to," Demetri stops her before she leaves. "He's got friends watching it for him."
I smirk at the binary brothers being back together, but feel upset when I see Tory pass a perplexed Z at the door.
"Z, you coming?"
Z doesn't respond for a moment as she tries to grasp everything. It makes me wonder how badly she got hurt, just by the blood running down her arms.
"Z," I finally have time to reason with her, "Cobra Kai has corrupted you. This isn't who you are. Join us instead."
She takes another second. I can tell this is killing her. Please, please let her choose the right path.
"I... I grieved you," she steps toward me, her voice breaking slightly.
What does that even mean? I'm alive.
"You were in a coma for two weeks. It felt like a lifetime to me. Nobody reached out, nobody was there, nobody cared. I was alone."
Oh. Now I... understand? I don't know. This is news to me, but it explains why she doesn't trust anyone. She doesn't even trust me anymore.
I don't even know how to respond to that. I look at Hawk and he stares at her like she ripped out his heart... again?
"We will never see eye-to-eye. We will never be on the same side," she looks at the Miyagi-Do students. "I've trusted the wrong people too many times. I'm not making those mistakes again."
Sam and Demetri look to me for a response, but I'm silent as I try to understand. Who did she trust the wrong way? Who hurt her that much?
"Cobra Kai may have lost this battle... but we will win the war."
I look down, knowing that argument may only lead to another fight right now. How am I supposed to fight for her if she won't even listen to reason?
She walks out with Tory assertively. She doesn't even seem to regret what she's just done. She threw everything away.
"This place is a mess." Demetri is the first to speak up.
"What did she mean when she said she's 'trusted the wrong people too many times?'" I turn to Hawk. I can't get it out of my head.
"I don't know. She was really mad at Johnny," Hawk says. "I know she doesn't totally trust me, even though we were making a bit of progress the other night. Well, until Robby came back."
"'Came back?'" Sam asks in shock.
"What are you talking about?" I ask him.
"Robby's at Cobra Kai," Hawk sighs in defeat.
"No, no, he wouldn't do that," Demetri says in disbelief.
"He would. He hates me enough to go to Kreese. He didn't even apologize for what he did," I say, recalling the night he found me and Sam at Miyagi-Do.
"I'm not even surprised," Hawk shakes his head.
"No, Robby... Robby was good," Sam says.
"He can't be a cobra," Demetri says.
"Z seems pretty happy about it," Hawk frowns before walking out of the dojo. I can tell he wants to cry.
Z is with Robby again?
"I don't even know how to... My parents... Robby..." Sam seems like she's still trying to process the damage of tonight.
"I'm going to go check on... check on Eli," Demetri says before walking out, too.
I walk towards the door, also, but Sam calls after me, "Miguel?"
"Yeah?" I ask. She looks so hurt right now.
"Not that I'm hung up on Robby or anything, but do you... do you think he cheated on me?" Sam asks softly. "I mean, you were friends with Zion."
"Z wouldn't cheat," I say confidently. "I don't know Robby, but Z would not cheat."
"O-Okay," Sam doesn't seem convinced.
"Come on, let's see what we can clean up," I hold out my hand and she walks over to grab it.
⭒⭒⭒
I stay at home with an ice pack my mom gives me. She's absolutely terrified and torn apart. I didn't mean to hurt her again. It's to the point where we can't even control the fights anymore. It's terrifying.
There's a knock on the door and I hear Sensei, "Carmen, I... What's wrong?"
She opens the door to reveal me and I see the pure anger in him, but it's not at me. It's at Kreese and I know this is even worse than before.
"What happened?"
⭒⭒⭒
Sam parks at the dojo and we hop out, trying to find everyone. We can't let this go down without us.
"Dad!" Sam screams.
We stop running when we see Z and Kreese in front of Mr. LaRusso and Sensei Lawrence. Z helps Kreese up and I hang my head; he's brainwashed her.
"You keep your Cobra Kais away from our kids," Mr. LaRusso says angrily.
"It's a free country," Kreese states.
"Not for you. Cobra Kai's gotta go. For good," Sensei counters.
I wish it were that easy.
"Why don't we settle this the old-fashioned way? Tournament." I don't trust this. "If we lose... I go. If you lose..."
"We won't lose," Sensei says confidently.
Sam and I move over to our senseis as I try to get Z to look at me.
"You okay, Sensei?" I ask in concern.
Sensei nods and we all stare at each other tensely. How am I supposed to ever get through to Z? I never want to stop fighting for her to come back to me. She was such a big part of my life. She was like family.
"Robby," Sensei snaps me out of my thoughts as his son emerges with a large cut on his head.
"Oh my God. Are you okay?" I hear Z ask in genuine concern when she sees him. How much more of this can I take?
"Get out of here," he looks at us with the angriest stare I've ever seen. He looks at his dad and I know some shit went down. "All of you."
Does he not feel badly for anything he did to me? I was in a coma, for fuck's sake. I couldn't even walk. Z can't possibly trust him over us.
"Come on, children," Kreese takes them and pulls them into the dojo.
I stare in utter shock at what just happened. There's no way.
⭒⭒⭒
The next day, I stand outside Miyagi-Do with Hawk, Sensei, and a few others. We're teaming up. It's official.
"Hey, are you okay after last night... and after everything with Z?" I turn to Hawk who has seemed pretty off all day.
"I just don't want to accept that she's gone. I mean, she didn't cheat on me, right? I feel like my whole sense of reality has been twisted since Keene got back. Sensei Kreese was different, she was different, all the other Cobras loved him. I can't wrap my head around the changes. I'm glad to be back with you guys, I swear, but I don't get it," Hawk sighs.
He's anxious. He's still similar to the pre-mohawk days. It's kind of nice to know.
"No, she didn't cheat," I answer for the second time in twelve hours. "She was torn apart by the breakup and when you didn't believe her. We both told you over and over-"
"I'm a fucking idiot. I left her with Keene," Hawks says angrily.
"She chose that," I remind him. "But, we'll get her back. And hopefully Tory."
"Tory is far gone," he argues.
"There's hope," I tell him.
"Kreese is relentless, dude. He's taking advantage of her trauma to manipulate her. He manipulated me with my former bullies and with you falling off that railing," Hawk tells me. "He's not out of tricks yet. There's no way."
"Do we know anything about her mom? Doesn't she care about any of this?" I ask Hawk, but he can't respond.
"Are we ready?" Sensei interrupts us with a smirk.
"Yes, sensei," we respond excitedly.
I'll talk to Hawk more later.
I walk in with the others to the Miyagi-Do dojo with a smile. Sam is here, Demetri is here, Chris is here, Hawk is here, everyone is here.
Well... not those who chose to stay behind.
But, there's hope. My mom has hope. She always does and I need to stand by that, but I also need to be logical. Cobra Kai is a whole other monster now.
Then, Sensei Lawrence walks in. He stands opposite of Mr. LaRusso and all of us bow to them.
Then, they turn to each other. They bow to one another and then turn to us. I smile proudly at this team up.
"You ready?"
"Let's begin!"
⭒⭒⭒
A/N: One. More. Chapter.
...until I add bonus content while we wait for season 4 to be released:)
I feel really bad for Zion because the world around her has caused her perspective to become very screwed up.
Wait until you see the drama I have in store for next season. I know it isn't officially released, but I have some exciting ideas hehe.
I have bonus content ideas, so let me know what you think:
A) Prequel to Cobra Kai deserving the summer before Zion moved. This will have Zobby content, her dad, Janice, Jess, her friend group, and more. I will definitely be posting this one and it will be a few chapters long.
B) Elion smut dating back to just after The First Time chapter because I know I can't leave the Eli Moskowitz lovers without content (It's me, I'm an Eli Moskowitz lover hehe).
So, yeah. After the next chapter, my updating schedule may become bit less frequent because of exams and how hard it is to write a prequel; I'm super excited for this bonus content era and I hope you guys are, too.
Oh, and of course get excited for the last chapter of season 3.