Sam's speech seemed to work, or at least long enough to get everyone to sit down. Cherish sat amongst everyone while Miguel and Sam stood before everyone as the head of each dojo.
"Do not know how to say this any plainer." Sam speaks to everyone slowly losing her patience "Eagle Fang and Miyagi-do have to work together."
"Even if we wanted to team up, it'd never work. I was in Cobra Kai. Their style mixes with ours like..." Chris trails off trying to think of the best word to describe his two experiences
"Oil and vinegar?" Nathaniel offers with a puzzled look
"No, not salad dressing." Chris immediately replies making Cherish wish she can look into their minds to see what was running through it "I would say like British Bulldogs and the Heart Foundation."
At the end of the sofa Mitch leans in to look over at his ex-best friend, "They were friends, dipshit"
"Not at WrestleMania 3, penis breath" Chris immediately retorts
"Okay, you can't call me penis breath. Only they can call me penis breath," Mitch points to those a part of Eagle Fang
"Why are you okay with anyone calling you penises breath?" Chris brings up a fair point
"You know what? Screw this. Come on, let's go," Mitch stands up and Bert follows ready to go
Cherish was ready to stand up and tell them to sit down but Demetri beats her to it, "Hey pussies!"
The exclamation makes the Eagle Fang boys stop and turn to Demetri, "This is exactly what those assholes at cobra Kai want. since you were one of 'em, you're an assholes too. So are you. So was I. Well, at least I wanted to be one."
Cherish couldn't help but let her head tilt at the boy's inspirational speech and the direction he was headlining in, but was very intrigued.
"But now Cobra Kai is the worst collection of assholes in the Valley, run by the king of all assholes. So, if by merging with eagle fang... weird name, by the way. can keep us all from getting shit on anymore, then we'd all be assholes not to do it. I'm sorry for all the assholes I usually take pride in my grandiloquence, but... it's an emotional time now..." Demetri finishes off his speech which works because Mitch and Bert walk over sit on the couch. Once they're seated Demetri turns to their leaders "Where do we start?"
While it was her idea to get the two dojos to talk out their differences, Miguel and Sam were both the hearts of the two dojos meaning they were meant to lead the meeting. Cherish was proud, the two groups of people before her were more mature than the two Sensei's and for that it brought a smile to her face. Even if in mending both dojo's differences meant talking about little disputes like choosing the best training snacks.
Demetri being the one to say the grand speech and have the need to take notes for their meeting he stood between the two leaders notebook and pen in hand, "We're all in agreement that our new combined dojo should train at Miyagi-do. deadlocked on new name, gi design, post-training snacks, and sensei dispute resolution protocol. Okay, not good, but still, it's a start."
Interrupting their meeting was a cat meowing making everyone turn to the kitchen window where the sound was coming from.
"Aw, I think your cat wants to come in." Bert stands up heading over to the locked double doors "Here, Kitty Kitty."
"You have a cat?" Cherish asks in disgust not being a fan of them hence her house is filled with dogs and she thought Sam would have the same mindset
Equally confused Miguel asks, "I didn't know you had a cat"
Just as confused as those asking the question and hearing the cat meow Sam replies with certainty, "We don't"
With the silence of everyone watching the door they weren't expecting the small boy to come crashing through the window. The teens all stands up and walk over to the boy on the ground with cuts on his face from the glass
"Bert, what happened?" Miguel quickly asks knowing that couldn't have been an accident
Doing his best to look up at the group without glasses on Bert replies, "No cat"
Hawk enters through the double doors with Kyler and other Cobra Kai members. Kyler hadn't bothered Miguel much after the cafeteria fight, but now in being in Cobra Kai and getting back on his high horse Kyler was ready for another fight. Miguel on the other hand wasn't, sure he had trained hard to get back on his feet but he hadn't trained or at least Johnny wasn't exerting him as to not wanting to cause the kid any back problems by trying to do something complicated as a roundhouse kick.
Kyler held a smirk staring right at Miguel, "It's payback time, Rhea"
Miguel and Nathaniel help Bert on to his feet as the combined dojo walk backwards as a group none of them in the mood to fight. Yet with a fight seeking them out it was inevitable and that became clear when the front door was kicked in, Tory standing at the other end, "Heard you were throwing a party. Hope you don't mind if you crash."
"Tory, you don't have to do this," Miguel tries to plead but him and Cherish holding hands didn't help their case in her eyes
"It's too late. This ends tonight!" Tory exclaims before shouting her new motto "No Mercy!"
Then all hell broke loose, Cobra Kai members sought out a member of Eagle Fang or Miyagi-Do. Meaning it was time for Cherish to put her new karate lessons to good use, because defense was the best offense.
Kyler was ready to go straight to fighting Miguel but without realizing what she was doing Cherish had moved in front of him. The ex raises his arm to punch making Cherish just as quickly block it and for the two to start fighting. Every step forward the taller boy would make Cherish would take one step backwards. She could feel the bruises forming on her forearms as she takes a look around to notice they were no longer by the dining table but rather by the walkway where on one side there was glass windows.
Kyler kept taunting Cherish with calling her bitch and questioning where the macho protector had gone. The one thing that made her faulter was when Kyler says he was going to put Miguel back in a wheelchair
That faulter allowed for Kyler to punch the girl and for her to be too late to block it. Cherish was punched in between her stomach and chest making her lungs spasm and make it hard to breathe. In catching her breathe Cherish doesn't spot the young boy being thrown in her direction making her fall to the floor at the impact
As Cherish laid on the ground clutching her stomach in pain she looked around at the chaos. She tried defense, because she really thought that's what was right, but it wasn't her style. Or at least it wasn't playing to her strengths and in that moment, she needed to use everything she knew to protect herself and her new friends.
"You have to get up," Hayley tells a nine-year-old Cherish
Laying on the leaf-covered ground the young girl held her arm, "But that hurt!"
"I know blossom, and every blow will hurt which is why I'm teaching you to protect yourself," Hayley reminds the girl before squatting down to be at a better eye level "But you have to remember I'm also teaching you to get up every time you fall. Just take your time and when you're ready we'll go again"
"Okay..." Cherish sighs standing up while still holding her arm and shakes it off being able to feel a bruise form "I'm ready"
Cherish standing up still holding on to her stomach but it was so quickly how someone from Cobra Kai found her ready to continue a fight. They run over to her and once close to get a punch they raise their arms making Cherish move to block them away with her arms. Not missing a beat she kicks the boy in the chest making him stumble backward she runs over to him not really thinking of what to do next.
The next move Cherish did was placing her leg between the boy's making him do a wide stance ready to reach down and pick her left leg to make her lose her balance. Cherish doesn't let it get to that point so while the boy does grab her leg she raises her other one above his head and rest on the back of his neck created pressure. With her hands on his back Cherish moves her legs and arms to create pressure and make the boy flip to the ground. The boy lying flat on his back and Cherish sitting on the ground she quickly stands up in shock
Hayley had called that move the black widow, a move Cherish had seen her do one day and wanted to learn it right away. The only thing was Cherish had only perfected the move a handful of times in practice, she'd never used the move on a person who wasn't her aunt
Looking around Cherish didn't know where to start but at the sight of some boy in a yellow windbreaker throwing Bert and Nathaniel into the LaRusso Christmas tree seemed like the place to start. Just like he had been holding the younger boys Cherish grabs the back of his jacket and the boy slips out of his unzipped jacket. Not caring for it Cherish throws it on the couch which some kid quickly gets thrown into, but she was focused on the person in front of her. Now facing her the boy lunges at Cherish making them both fall to the ground and wanting him off her Cherish pushes him off her with her arms and legs before hitting him in his torso.
Off in the distance Sam and Tory finally stand face to face making the brunette start to breathe heavily while backing away from the blonde. A boy tries to intervene by punching Tory, but she just kicks him away giving Sam the chance to run away all while Miguel was being repeatedly punched by Kyler.
"Come on, Rhea. Come on. We're not done yet," Kyler taunts Miguel as he walks back into the kitchen
Miguel raises his fists to punch the bully but he blocks every single one. Kyler was able to grab Miguel's arm and flip him onto the floor making the teenager cheer and pulling Hawk into a quick high five, "Hell yeah! Hell yeah! These suckers never had a chance, baby! Get it! Come on, Rhea!"
No one being there for him to hit gave Hawk the time to stand and look around the house at Cobra Kai members hitting people he once called friends. Hawk saw one of his dojo members kick Demetri in the stomach and twist his arm behind his back before looking over at Hawk with a smile, "Hey. Yo, Hawk. Free shot!"
Cherish having broken a photo frame by slamming a boy's face into it turns around to see Demetri be punched while being immobile. Cherish was ready to go and help the boy but within two blinks one of the boys standing nearby gets kicked aside while the one holding Demetri's arm gets flipped onto a glass table. Cherish couldn't hear the conversation between the ex-best friends but there being no punches raised she let it be
While it was nice to catch a breather and look around Cherish couldn't revel in it because she couldn't see Sam or Tory anywhere in the fight meaning she was the only girl and that wasn't right. At the two reunited best friends standing in the midst of boys laying in pain she walks over to them only to have some teen boy get in her way making her pull at his punching arm and once his face was close to hers she headbutts him, turns him around and kicks him.
Wiping the kid's broken nose blood off her forehead Cherish closes the gap between her and the friends asking, "Have you seen Sam?"
"No," The boys simply answer
"What about Tory?" Cherish follows up needing to know if Sam was okay or not
"I think I know where they went," Miguel walks up to them with a bloody face making Cherish focus on that
Walking over to him she pouts, "Ohh, Mig your face"
"You don't look too bad yourself," Miguel replies as he moves her hair out of the way to see the broken skin at the side of her face
Demetri coughs to interrupt the couple's moment, "Um Sam and Tory"
"Lead the way," Cherish tells Miguel
The four teens run to the dojo Mr. LaRusso had in the back of the house only to spot Tory against a wall with her fist raised as Sam pointed a bo staff at the blonde. At the sight, Miguel shouts, "Guys, stop!"
"Tory, the fight's over" Hawk stresses but the girl still had her fists raised
"It's not over. This will never be over, LaRusso. You hear me?" Tory states as the fight between the two girls were no longer about Miguel, hell it may have never been about Miguel, he was just the easy excuse as to why there was anger between the two
"You know where to find me," Sam confidently answers making Tory let her hands fall to her side as he walks toward the teens
"Traitors!" Tory glares at Hawk and Miguel for having turned their back on Cobra Kai but she specifically threatens the red-haired boy "You better watch your back!"
Tory was ready to walk away but Demetri steps in front of her to say, "He won't have to. He's got friends watching it for him"
Tory gives the response an eye roll before exiting making Cherish congratulate Demetri with an encouraging thumbs up
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
Amanda and Daniel LaRusso arrived home from the Christmas party they'd attended only to find their house trash and teens – along them their daughter – bruised and bleeding. With the explanation of what had happened those who were the most hurt were driven to get help, while Daniel with anger in his veins drives off to a strip mall.
Cherish, Miguel and Sam didn't bother to clean their wounds only took off after the adult as he was headed towards Cobra Kai, ready to blame the dojo's sensei for what occurred at his home.
The three teens run down the pavement towards the dojo only to see Daniel in a fighting stance by a broken glass window and Kreese kneeling before him. Running around the corner Sam shouts, "Dad!"
The teens stop running once they had a clear view of Johnny stepping over the glass on the ground to stand by Daniel. Both men looked like they'd just fought but not each other rather the man kneeling before them
"You keep your Cobra Kai's away from our kids!" Daniel exclaims out of breath not about to land the final blow
Kreese slowly stands up the blood from his nose dripping down to his mouth replies, "It's a free country"
"Not for you." Johnny speaks up having the same idea as Daniel after having heard the news of what his old dojo had done "Cobra Kai's got to go. For good"
Kreese looks at both adults who were once rivals but suddenly agreeing on something and suggests, "Why don't we settle this the old-fashioned way? Tournament. If we lose...I go. If you lose..."
"We won't lose," Johnny says with certainty catching Daniel's eyes who agreed on accepting the tournament. Being able to overhear everything the three teens walk over to their sensei's, the couple walking hand in hand no bruised knuckles getting in the way of them being close
While Miguel walks over to stand by Johnny and Sam goes to stand by her dad, Cherish stands in the middle, as that's where she was in the moment. Stuck between two teaching styles and one being closer to her heart because of the history she wasn't about to let go and side with one sensei
"You okay, Sensei?" Miguel asks Johnny who nods reassuringly
Robby walks towards the broken window and wearing a white gi stands by Kreese, the father seeing that his son looked physically unharmed couldn't help but say his name, "Robby"
"Get out of here," Robby tells Daniel before turning to look at his dad "All of you"
To make it clear that Robby was with Cobra Kai Kreese places a hand on the kids shoulder, "Come on, son"
"Real Anakin moment right there," Cherish whispers but in the silent night everyone was able to hear as they watch the two walk into the dojo.
Cherish couldn't say she was disappointed in Robby for joining Cobra Kai, but it being the first time she'd seen him since the fight at the school it really felt like the last time she saw him was at the roller rink and he was teaching her how to roller skate. Cherish couldn't put the pieces together as to how that boy decided that joining Cobra Kai or rather how trusting Kreese was the right life choice.
"Come on let go," Miguel places a hand over her shoulder and kisses her hair as it was their turn to turn and leave to follow their sensei's
At the intimate moment, Cherish couldn't help but look at him, "Ew, did you just get your blood on my hair?"
With injuries and newfound partnership of dojos that the kids didn't have to force the senseis into any semblance of family, dinner was long forgotten.
State of Grace is officially part 2, ive only published the cast chapter but definitely save it to your library