I didn't have many injuries after the fight at the mall. However, I did have a couple bruises on my legs and torso. My karate skills aren't at Robby and Sam's level, but with the hard work I plan to do, I should be there soon.
I showed up back at my house later that day. The sky was already dark. I had dinner with the LaRusso's and Robby.
Mr. LaRusso told me how proud he was of me. His words of encouragement made a warm feeling develop within me. I was proud of myself too. I mean, it was my first ever karate fight, and we won.
Robby barely paid me any attention at dinner, though. I'm not sure why. I didn't bring it up.
Now I walked up to my house, unlocking the door and going inside. My mom was sitting on the couch watching a movie. She waved to me when I walked in, blowing me a sweet kiss. I blew her one back, before walking up the stairs and towards my room.
Just before I reached my room, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into a different one, quickly shutting the door. It was Jaxon.
I looked at him like he was crazy. "What the hell was that for?" I asked him, rubbing my arm. He shook his head. "No, you can't curse at me now little sister," he told me, getting his phone out. I watched him in confusion.
He pressed a couple things, before holding his phone up to me so I could see the screen. I was not expecting to see a video of myself. He had a video from the fight at the mall today.
"You were there?" I asked him, my eyes wide.
"No, I didn't have to be. This video has spread all over the Valley. It's gone Valley Viral..."
I raised my eyebrows at his words, before looking at how many views and likes the video had. It was a lot. Jaxon stared at me, waiting for me to explain.
"Jaxon, please don't tell mom," I begged, putting my hands together in front of my chest.
"Maybe explain to me what you're doing fighting in this video, then I'll think about whether to tell her or not," he responded. I sighed, dropping my hands back down.
I explained it all to him. Well, mostly. I told him about Miyagi-Do, the Valley Fest showcase, the chores, the fighting... All while he watched with an unrecognizable expression on his face. When I finished explaining, I waited for him to react—yell, laugh, do something.
Eventually, after a long pause, a wide grin grew on his face. "That sounds awesome!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me. I was confused, but accepted the hug. He pulled away and looked at mr again. "My little sister is a total badass!"
A smile grew on my face. "So you're not gonna tell mom?" I asked. Jaxon grimaced, tilting his head. "Well, no," he answered, "but I think you should tell her. You know, just in case anything bad ever happens. I definitely think you should tell dad too. He would love to hear it."
I laughed, "You're right, you're right."
"I know I am. I never doubted it," he said, shaking his head like it was something obvious. Then he put his hands on my shoulders. "Listen, Y/n. Be careful. This new ability you have can be used for both good and bad. Which leads me to remind you..." he paused, while I waited for him to continue, "'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
I laughed, not at all expecting him to say that. "All right, Uncle Ben. I'll remember." I smiled. Jaxon smiled back, "Good, now get out of here. No one ever invited you in." He opened the door and pushed me back out of the room he was staying in.
"But you literally pulled me in-"
He shut the door in my face. I sighed. In college, but still acts like a ten-year-old, I thought.
« THIRD-PERSON POV »
After she was shut out by her brother, Y/n walked over to her room and went in, shutting the door behind her.
Meanwhile, at the LaRusso house, Robby laid in his bed, one hand under his head and one hand resting on his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling.
Robby had moved in with the LaRusso's a short while ago, after his mother missed some bills. She left to go to Cabo for a week, but hasn't returned yet and it's been longer than a week.
The LaRusso's graciously opened their home to him and made him a room in the small dojo they had in their backyard. Robby was truly thankful for them.
But right now, his mind swirled with thoughts. He was plagued with the same memories as Y/n. Robby was filled with a feeling of guilt and the need to protect the people he cares about. Y/n would call this a blessing in a curse.
Robby sat up in his bed, unable to lay there any longer. He pushed the hair out of his face before standing up and walking towards the door. He left his room and went into the LaRusso house. He thought maybe some water would help him relax enough to fall asleep.
On his way to the kitchen he noticed Sam in the living room. Robby walked over to her. She was sitting in front of the fireplace with a metal stick in her hand.
"Still up too, huh?" Robby asked her.
"Too much adrenaline," Sam answered.
Robby took a seat next to her with a chuckle. "Do you want a s'more?" Sam asked. Robby smiled. "I'd never say no to free marshmallows," he said. Sam took her marshmallow off the stick before handing the stick to Robby.
As she put her s'more together, Robby noticed something. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you making a s'more with a peanut butter cup?"
Sam smiled and nodded her head, "I call them 'Sam-mores.' I'm kind of a genius."
While they spoke, Robby didn't realize that his marshmallow was on fire, but when he did, he pulled it out of the fire place quickly, ready to blow it out. He took a deep breath and blew... but so did Sam.
They looked at one another. They were closer than they thought. The atmosphere in the room had changed drastically. Robby looked into her eyes, while Sam's looked between Robby's eyes and his lips.
They both felt was was about to happen. But little did they know, that this wouldn't work out. They both have people in their lives that they don't want to give up.
But it was like instinct. They slowly, slowly leaned closer. Sam was ready, but... something held Robby back.
He looked down at the ground at the last second, sitting up straight. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. Sam looked to the ground too, unsure of what to say. "No, it's ok," she spoke.
"No, I mean... you gotta understand," Robby started. "I've been in a bad situation for a long time. And now finally, something good's happening, and... I can't mess it up. Not that you'd be messing it up, but you're not..."
This wasn't all about his living situation... It was about someone else.
"I understand," Sam said quietly, glancing up at him. Robby looked straight forward. The two put more distance between themselves. The silence was loud.
"Well, this just got awkward," Sam said.
"Yep," Robby replied, exhaling slowly.
✰ ✩ ✰
« Y/N'S POV »
The next day, Sam, Robby, Mr. LaRusso, and I all showed up to the dojo at the same time, ready to train. But we all could see instantly, that something wasn't right.
The Miyagi-Do sign outside had a huge, red X spray painted over it. Mr. LaRusso walked over and ran his fingers over it to see if it was dry. He got his answer when none of the paint stuck to his fingers.
We walked through the front gates, everything seemingly normal. It wasn't until we opened the doors of the dojo, that we realized the severity of the situation.
The inside of the dojo was trashed. There was glass everywhere, things were thrown across the room, everything was tore off the walls. The doors that lead into the back yard were thrown off their hinges, some of them hanging on my a thread.
This place had become something of a safe space for me since I've been here. My heart hurt at the sight. I can't even imagine what Mr. LaRusso was feeling right now. We all looked around in silence.
I walked through the dojo and into the back yard, which was trashed even worse. Rocks were pushed over, the pond was left a mess, toilet paper hung from all the trees, bonsai trees were kicked over and broken, spray paint marked the decks and punching bag.
I took a shaky breath out as my eyes observed all the destruction. I walked back into the dojo, where Mr. LaRusso was holding up a frame. He shook his head. "They even took Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor."
I felt even worse. "Who would even do this kind of thing?" I asked.
"I could take a guess..." Robby responded quietly.
Then, Sam called her dad from the front of the dojo. We all looked in the direction of her voice, before following it.
Sam looked in horror at Mr. LaRusso's yellow Ford outside. We walked over and knew exactly what she was looking at. The words 'Cobra Kai NEVER DIES' were spray painted onto the side of the car.
Mr. LaRusso put one of his hands on the car, his chest shaking as he took a breath in. I looked at him, waiting to see what he would do. I was at a loss, for both words and actions.
Suddenly, his face turned angry. He stormed forward, before opening the door and getting inside the car.
"Mr. LaRusso?"
"Dad, where are you going?" Sam asked.
Mr. LaRusso didn't respond. Rather, he started the car and drove away. We all watched as he left, completely confused and hurt. When he disappeared from sight, Robby, Sam, and I all stood there in silence.
Eventually, Robby turned towards me. "I need to talk to you about something," he said, gently grabbing my arm and guiding me to a private spot. I looked between him and his hand, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What?" I asked when we finally stopped and he let go of my arm. Maybe he wanted to clear the air between us. It's what I wanted, but I didn't think this was the time to do it.
"Listen to me, ok?" Robby looked into my eyes, making sure I was listening. "I don't think you should be here."
I shook my head slightly. "What do you mean?" I asked him. He sighed. "I thought about it and... I don't want you here. At the dojo. Involved in all of this."
I chuckled, hoping it was all a joke, "Are you serious?"
Robby looked at me firmly.
"No. Robby, I'm not just gonna leave," I told him.
"Look around, Y/n. We are in the middle of some kind of karate war. I don't want this to derail your life. You have big plans and dreams and I don't want you to miss them. This is not the place for you."
"I'm not leaving," I repeated. "I chose to be here. This has become one of my plans and dreams now. I'm not backing down—especially not to those dickheads. I thought you wanted me here too. I thought you needed my help."
"I'm trying to help you, Y/n. I'm trying to save you."
"I appreciate it, Robby, but I don't need your saving. I'm strong right now, and I'm only getting stronger. No matter what you say or do, I'm not leaving." I walked past him and away from the situation. Robby stood in place and sighed, running his hand through his hair.
I walked straight to the back yard and started pulling down toilet paper from the trees.
This is my home now.
And I'm staying to protect and defend it to be best if my abilities.
No matter what other people say about it.
THEN
"When I was a kid, I really wanted to be..." Robby paused, looking at me as I waited for him to continue, "a mattress tester."
Laughter bursted out of me. I never, ever would've thought to hear those words come out of tough Mr. Robby Keene's mouth. I kept laughing, unable to get any words out. Robby was grinning.
"Hey, wait, let me explain before you keep laughing," Robby said, but to no avail. "Just imagine it. Your whole work day consists of relaxing on mattresses and giving your review on them. You could sleep all day if you wanted to!"
My laughter slowly died down. "Shit, you have a point," I admitted, wiping a tear from my eye as the last of my laughs escaped my lips. "That does sound pretty nice."
"See?!" Robby raised his hand halfway towards me while he raised on eyebrow. "Alright, your turn. What did you want to be?"
I smiled faintly as I thought for myself. Although, I didn't really need to think. I already knew.
"I wanted to be an architect. I still do."
Robby tilted his head to the side, encouraging an explanation. "When I was younger, I loved to play princess. My whole family would play too; my brother would be the prince, my mom the queen, and my dad the King who was off fighting for peace in other kingdoms," I explained to Robby, while he listened intently.
"One of my favorite parts about it was imagining the castle—the design, the size. I don't know... I just loved it. Soon it developed into drawing designs for other kingdoms. Then it moved to creating houses and stores. Now I want to create something that people can find joy in being around... Something that stands for freedom or family. Something where people can find common ground. Something where everyone belongs. I guess you could call it a dream of mine."
When I finished explaining, Robby sat quietly looking at me. I waited for him to say something, a slight feeling of embarrassment filling my stomach at the thought that I probably over-shared.
"That was deep," Robby finally spoke. I chuckled and looked downwards, "sorry..."
"No, don't apologize," Robby said quickly. "Never apologize for your passions; especially something as meaningful as that. I think being an architect suits you. You could totally do it, and do it well."
I felt the feeling of embarrassment turn into a soft warmness; it was something wholesome. I felt motivated—ready to grab my sketch book and create exactly what I had just explained to him. I could almost picture the whole thing in my head.
"Thank you, Robby," I spoke.
"Anytime, Y/n."
My first name never sounded so sweet.