❝ what is this? west side story? ❞

―

KIM CHAE-RIN STARED OUT THE PRIVATE JET'S WINDOW.

As she removed her headphones from her head and placed them on her neck, she turned to her mother. She looked down at her phone, having not looked at Chae-Rin once the entire trip—a trip that Chae didn't even want to be going on. But she had no choice but to accompany her mother.

If Chae had it her way, she would have spent the entire summer locked away in her room with nothing but music to keep her company. That was never an option, not as long as she was the top student at her mother's dojo and especially not now. Through the promise that the karate teachings of her great-grandfather that Chae had spent her entire life learning, her mother had been set on taking Terry Silver up on his offer to come to America.

If there was one thing that her mother wanted more than to have a daughter to live up to the family name, it was the glory of knowing that her grandfather's teachings would be able to get the rightful credit they deserve.

Chae sighed as the private jet finally landed. She wanted to roll her eyes when she looked out the window and saw a red carpet rolled down on the ground. It all seemed a little too extravagant for her own personal liking, but she figured that's exactly what this Terry Silver man—whoever he was—wanted. Between the private jet and the red carpet, he had to make the Valley look more promising than it truly was.

Chae waited until her mother had and the sensei's that she had recruited to step off the jet before she stood up. She grabbed her backpack from the seat next to her and slung one of the straps around her shoulder. Chae slowly exited the jet, staring down at her feet as she descended the steps.

She stood next to her mother, looking at the man in front of her. He wore a black suit, and his silver hair was slicked back into a ponytail.

"You must be exhausted from your trip," he gestured to the limousine a few feet behind him. "There are refreshments in the limo."

Chae looked in the direction of the limo. Her lip curled up in disgust and she tried to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother nodded at the other senseis, giving them the order to go to the limo. Chae continued to stand by her side.

"Limousines and private planes?" her mother, Kim Da-Eun asked. "This sort of extravagance might impress your former shareholders, but it doesn't hold sway for me."

Silver took off her sunglasses and stepped closer. "That attitude is exactly why I wanted you to teach at my dojos. I need you to see which of my students are ready to take the next step. I'm offering you full autonomy to test my students your way. Just one of the many perks you'll have as my business partner in Cobra Kai."

"Your offer is very tempting, but I did not get on the plane for money," Da-Eun replied.

Silver stepped even closer. "50% is just a number. What I'm offering you is legacy. Your grandfather didn't teach American soldiers the Way of the Fist just to use on the battlefield. We have to share his style with the world."

"And you think your American students are up to the task?" Da-Eun questioned.

"I do," Silver nodded.

"We shall see," Da-Eun responded before she began walking away.

Chae stood in place, watching her mother leave and get in the limo before she turned her head and looked at the silver-haired man in front of her. He turned around and stared back at her.

"And you must be Chae-Rin."

She nodded her head in response as she folded her arms against her chest.

"Welcome to the Valley, Chae-Rin," Silver spoke as he stare down at her. "I'm sure your mother caught you up to speed. Are you ready to become Cobra Kai's top student and prepare for your first mission?"

Chae furrowed her eyebrows at him. "My first mission? What more is there for me to do than to show your students how it's done?"

That's what her mother had told her when she first told Chae of the last minute trip.

"Why don't we talk more about this in the limo?" Silver asked her, stepping out of the way and motioning his hand towards the limousine.

Chae nodded her and walked to the limo her mother had gotten inside head even though that was the last thing she wanted to do. As much as she didn't want to be in the Valley away from her own bed, the fear of her mother that she harbored deep inside triumphed over all other things. And she would do anything to gain her acceptance and approval.

Chae took a seat next to her mother, holding her backpack in her lap. Silver entered, taking a seat across from them. The door was closed behind him, and his attention was focused upon Chae. She stared back at him, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

"Chae-Rin," Silver addressed her, his hands folded in his lap. "I'm sure your mother filled you on the plan during your trip here."

"She told me I'd be the example to follow," Chae responded, glancing at her mother. "But going on secret missions? No, she didn't mention that."

Silver and Da-Erin shared a look. Chae glanced back and forth between them, her confusion growing even more when her mother gave Silver an approving nod.

Silver turned back to Chae, gaining her attention as he spoke. "You, Chae-Rin, are the final piece to the puzzle. You're our secret weapon."

"And what exactly does that mean?" Chae asked. "What, am I supposed to infiltrate the enemy and pose as your little spy or something?"

A smile slowly tugged at Silver's lips. "Well, well, don't you catch on quickly? That is exactly what you'll be doing and lucky for you, I overheard my students talking about their plans for today. Chances are our enemies will be there too."

Chae was not impressed. "Okay? First of all, it's kind of weird how you're referring to literal teenagers as your enemy. Your students, sure. But yours?"

She didn't give Silver the chance to respond before she continued speaking. "And second, what gives you the idea that these so called enemies will be there? Third, what do you want me to do? Follow them around and make sure your rival dojos don't start drama?"

Silver chuckled, glancing at Da-Eun. "Quite the little spitfire, isn't she?"

Chae snapped her fingers, causing Silver to turn to look at her. "Yeah, hi. The little spitfire is over here. Answer my questions."

"I don't want you to follow them around per se," Silver replied, leaning forward. "I want you to make yourself known. Make no mentions of your ties to Cobra Kai but get in their heads. Because make no mistake, although Cobra Kai won the tournament, Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang will find their way back."

"And let me guess..." Chae mimicked his posture, leaning forward and staring directly at him, "...when they find their way back, you want to see the looks on their faces when they realize I'm in Cobra Kai?"

"Exactly," Silver responded, sitting back against the seat.

Chae leaned back, glancing at her mother. She stared back at her as if she were waiting for Chae to agree to the plan. Chae gulped and faced Silver.

"Well, then, tell me what I need to know," Chae crossed her arms. "You don't expect me to go into this without knowing anything about these people, do you?"

"Of course not," Silver smirked.

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Achara laid back on a lounge chair at Splasharama Water Adventure. She sat next to Moon. An empty chair separated Achara from Sam; the space being saved for Miguel. Yasmine occupied the seat next to Moon on the right.

The sound of water splashing and kids screaming filled Achara's ears. She looked away from the kids in front of her getting soaked by the bucket above them. Her eyes were immediately met with the wide-eyed stare of Sam's little brother, Anthony. Achara reached closer to Sam and nudged her in the arm with her hand, causing the girl to look up from the book she was reading. Achara pointed in Anthony's direction.

Sam gave her brother a disgusted look. "Ew. Anthony, could you not stare at my friends?"

"No, no, no, I wasn't, um, uh, staring," Anthony panicked, stammering over his words.

He continued to stand in front of them, giving them an awkward smile before he walked away. Achara turned to Moon and the two girls shared a giggle.

"He's starting high school in the fall, right?" Yasmine asked Sam, pointing in Anthony's direction. "Let's torture him. Tell him later I asked if he's been working out."

Moon giggled again. Achara smiled as she shook her head, letting out a small chuckle.

"Ew. You guys are so gross, and I want no part of this," Sam shook her head before looking back down at her book.

"So, Achara, how are things we Miguel going?" Moon asked, getting her attention. "Has it been the epic summer romance you've hoped it would be?"

Achara nodded her head, smiling. "Actually, it's been great. Uh...it's actually been a lot better without all of the karate drama in the way."

Moon smiled back at her. Achara turned her head to the side, looking at Sam who quickly looked away from her and stared down at her book. Achara let out a small sigh as she looked away from Sam. She stared down at the water across from her.

"Hey, Chara!"

Achara looked up, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Miguel walking towards her with Decha and Eli by his side.

When Miguel reached her, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. As she watched him take a seat in the empty chair next to her, she couldn't help but notice the look on Sam's face. Achara gulped and then quickly turned her focus back to Miguel.

Eli took empty the seat on the end next to Yasmine. Moon stood up and moved seats, allowing Decha to sit next to Achara. The only problem was that he would be sitting next to Yasmine. He stared down at the chair and then at Yasmine.

Yasmine rolled her eyes. "Would you just sit down? I'm not going to bite you."

Decha raised an eyebrow at her before he slowly sat down in the chair, turning his head towards Yasmine.

"So, how are things?" Yasmine asked.

Decha gave her a confused look. "Uh, fine? How are things with you?"

"Okay," Yasmine replied.

An awkward silence followed, as the two of them both looked away.

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Demetri," Yasmine said suddenly, causing Decha to look back at her. "I hope you two can work things out."

"Oh, um...thank you," Decha responded.

Yasmine just nodded her head in agreement as she slid her sunglasses down from her head and onto her eyes.

"So, what's the deal with Cobra Kai over there?" Decha nodded his head toward the other side of the water park. "We just about got our heads cut off just from walking past them."

Achara sighed, titling her head to look at him. "That's their side and this is our side. Why or how this started, I have no idea."

"That's stupid," Decha scoffed. "What is this? West Side Story? Did we seriously Sharks versus Jets a water park?"

Achara nodded her head. "Yeah, pretty much."

Decha sighed and leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when he saw Tory running up to Robby.

"What's going on with them?" Decha nodded in their direction.

"I guess they're a thing now," Achara replied. "I know that they got close when Robby was in Cobra Kai and that he was there for her. I guess they decided to try dating."

Decha raised an eyebrow at her. "And you're cool with that? Your ex-girlfriend and your best friend?"

Achara shrugged her shoulders. "Actually, I am. Things might not have worked out for me and Tory, but I'm happy that she has Robby. They understand each other and I think that's what they both need."

"You're so much better than me," Yasmine spoke. "I'd be absolutely livid if I was in your situation."

"It's whatever," Achara shrugged. "I'm planning on trying to patch things up with Robby. I just haven't had the chance."

"Come on, guys! Let me go!"

The group turned their heads, looking at the cause of the commotion. Achara rolled her eyes when she saw Cobra Kai messing with Anthony, throwing swim tubes over his head.

"Oh, God damn," Eli cursed, sitting up from his chair.

Kenny kicked Anthony into the pool, causing him to land with a splash. Eli stood up and marched over to Cobra Kai. Decha followed after him. Eli going to confront them by himself wasn't a good idea.

"What the hell was that?" Eli asked once they stood in front of Kenny and Kyler.

"That's none of your business," Kyler responded.

"Yeah, well I'm making it my business," Eli pushed Kyler backwards.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, Kyler, Kyler," Kenny stepped towards them. "Maybe he needs another haircut to remember who he's talking to."

"You really wanna take on the champ, kid?" Eli asked.

"Dude, you're only the champ because Diaz got hurt," Kenny replied.

Decha rolled his eyes. "Would you two just shut up? Listen, leave Anthony alone, okay? I know you've got issues with him, but lay off at least for today, yeah?"

"Let me think..." Kenny responded as he turned to look at him. "Nah. I think I'm good. Just 'cause you beat Robby in the semis, doesn't mean you're hot shit."

"Yeah?" Decha asked, stepping closer to him. "I earned my spot in the finals, but you? Robby got lucky when he had to fight you. It was a guaranteed victory."

Hawk nodded his head in agreement. "It really wasn't much of a fight."

"Aw, come on now," Kyler egged Kenny on. "You really gonna take that from them? From Lip and Hurly?"

Decha let out a laugh. "Wow, really? Hurly? I get nauseous at the tournament and runs off the mat, and suddenly my nickname is Hurly? You've really got to do better with these nicknames, Loverboy."

"Lover what now?" Kyler questioned.

Decha crossed his arms, staring directly at Kyler. "You heard me. Everyone knows you're in love with me. Why don't you just admit it already?"

They stepped closer to each other. Kyler had his fist clenched at his side as if he were preparing to hit him. Kenny and Eli were slowly getting closer to each other.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Tory approached them, pushing Kenny and Eli apart. "Back off."

Decha felt his arm being pulled. He turned away from Kyler to see Achara standing next to him, tugging on his arm to pull him away from Kyler.

"Decha, stop," Achara spoke, shaking her head. "It's not worth it."

"Stay out of this," Eli told Tory.

"What's the matter?" Kenny asked. "You scared I'm right? Champ."

"Hey, enough," Tory warned him before turning to look at Eli and Decha. "Unless you wanna get your ass kicked, I suggest you stay on your side of the park. Away from us. All of you."

"Hey, yo, champ!" a little boy called out.

Eli turned to look at him, his face softening as he watched the boy flex his muscles before he turned back to look at Tory.

"All right," Eli agreed. "You guys stay on your side, we don't have a problem. We have better rides on our side anyway."

Eli turned and started to walk away. Decha continued to stare at Kyler, clenching his jaw tightly. Achara shared a quick glance with Tory before she started pulling Kyler away.

"Decha, come on," Achara said, having to drag him away. "It's not worth it."

When they were back at the lounge chairs, Decha pulled his arm out of Achara's grasp. He took a seat back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Hey," Miguel stood in front of Achara. "You want to go on some of the rides with me? Maybe we can brave the lazy river?"

Achara smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah. Definitely."

Miguel smiled back at her, grabbing ahold of her hand. Miguel stared to walk, pulling Achara with him. As they walked away from their friends, Achara looked over her shoulder. She was met with Sam's eyes staring back at her before she looked away, continuing to read her book.

Achara let out a sigh as she turned her head around. She took in a deep breath before exhaling, causing Miguel to stop walking.

"Everything okay?" Miguel asked, worry in his voice. "You're not having a panic attack, are you? Do we need to find somewhere quiet?"

Achara shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm not having a panic attack."

"Okay," Miguel nodded. "Let me know if anything starts to get overwhelming, okay?"

"I will," Achara assured him. "Now, come on. We've got a lazy river to float in."

They started walking together, their hands intertwined.

────────────

The sound of splashing water filled Chae-Rin's ears. She glanced around, seeing children with their parents in the pool. Teenagers splashing around in the water. She had never been to a water park. Was this what kids her age did during the summer?

Chae walked around the pool, her flip-flops smacking against her heels. She glanced down, bringing at her swimsuit. Before he went to the charity auction, Silver had given Chae money to buy herself a swimsuit to wear. She had never worn a swimsuit in her entire life, and she didn't like how exposed it made her feel even with the coverup on.

Suddenly, Chae found herself bumping into someone. The top of her head collided with the chest of a boy. She glanced up, her eyes settling on a lotus tattoo.

"Shit, sorry," the boy spoke. "Are you okay?"

Chae nodded her head as she looked up to meet his eyes with her own. All it took was one look at his face for Chae to know exactly who she had bumped into. Silver had made sure to give her the rundown on every single person she may bump into.

Standing in front of her was Eli Moskowitz also known as Hawk. Miyagi-Do student and All Valley Champion, former student of Cobra Kai when it was under the management of Johnny Lawrence and John Kreese. Also a former student of Eagle Fang, run by Johnny Lawrence.

"I'm fine. You?" Chae played it cool. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Eli shrugged. "It's all good. Are you new around here? I've never seen you around before."

"Yeah," Chae nodded. "My mom and I just moved here. She thought coming to the water park would help me meet some people."

Eli smirked at her. "I guess she was right."

Chae faked a smile. "Yeah. Guess so."

"I'm Eli, by the way," Eli introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Chae reached for his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'm Chae-Rin, but you can call me Chae."

Eli gave her a toothy grin. "It's nice to meet you, Chae."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Chae responded.

At the sound of yelling, Chae turned her head to see a group of teenagers arguing with each other.

"Are you kidding me with this bullshit again?" Eli said as he started storming off in the direction of his friends.

Chae followed after him, not knowing what else to do. She stopped when she stood in front of Eli's friends, most of whom she recognized. There was Miguel Diaz—former champion. Samantha LaRusso—the runner up in the girls division. Achara and Decha Thirasawat—one a champion who used to be in Cobra Kai but had been playing them all for fools and the other her twin brother, who lost to Eli in the finals.

"And there's Keene," Eli's voice tore Chae away from her thoughts. "I thought you said he wasn't in Cobra Kai anymore."

"It's what sensei told me," Miguel responded.

"Come on," Eli told him, starting to walk over to the fight.

Achara and Decha stood up as well, following after them, not paying Chae any mind as they passed her.

...

Achara and Decha ran to where the fight was starting to break out, trying to get the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students to calm down. The overlapping chatter only seemed to get louder. Kyler pushed Decha forward, causing him to lose his balance. He turned to look at him, his eyes filled with anger and annoyance.

The sound of a whistle blew, causing them to turn their heads to face the lifeguard. "Stop it. All of you or you're getting kicked out."

"Okay, clearly we can't coexist in peace, so let's find a solution," Miguel suggested.

"Well, we can't fight. We'll get kicked out," Mitch chimed in. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"We need to go," Robby told Tory.

"No," Tory replied quickly.

"How about a race?" Bert suggested.

He looked up at the big blue water slide behind them. Their eyes all followed, staring up at it as they tried to shield their eyes from the sun.

Eli stepped forward. "Yeah, I'll go."

"So will I," Tory said, looking directly at him.

"Whoever wins gets the park," Tory announced.

"Deal," Eli responded. "But you won't win."

They all dispersed at Tory and Eli made their way to the water slide. Achara crossed her arms and sighed. She turned to look at Robby who stood next to her.

"This is never going to end, is it?" Achara asked him.

Robby shook his head. "No. I don't think so."

Together, they walked towards the entrance of the ride. Kenny was passing Tory and Eli a tube.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," Robby said.

Achara nodded her head before going to stand with the others. She didn't care about who won, thinking that the entire thing was immature and a colossal waste of time. Judging by the look on Decha's face, he was thinking the exact same thing.

Cheers erupted from the others as Tory and Eli raced down the water slide. Tory was the first to emerge from the slide, splashing into the water and claiming victory. Cobra Kai started to cheer and clap.

As Tory let out a celebratory holler, Eli came down the waterslide with a deflated tube.

"What the hell? You guys cheated," he said as he held the tube in the air. "There was a hole in my tube!"

"Losers! Losers!" Cobra Kai chanted as Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang chanted, "Cheaters! Cheaters!"

Eli stepped out of the water, heading straight for Kenny. "Hey dipshit, I know this was you."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Kenny asked, challenging him.

"I'm not gonna strike first if that's what you think," Eli responded. "You don't have the balls to anyway."

Kenny turned as if he was going to walk away, but then immediately turned and swung his fist in Eli's direction. Eli managed to lean backwards and avoid the path of Kenny's fist.

Achara and Decha both started to try and get in the middle of it to stop them, but Eli wouldn't let it go.

"Is that all you got?" Eli provoked him.

Kenny got into fighting position. Achara and Decha quickly stepped out of the way as Kenny started sending punches Eli's way. Eli blocked his fists. He managed to grab one of Kenny's arms, only to be struck across the cheek. Eli threw Kenny's arm down and stared at him.

Kenny raised his leg in the air, making an attempt to kick Eli. But he grabbed Kenny's leg and twisted it before hitting him in the back of the knee. Kenny yelped in pain as Robby rushed to Kenny's defense, pushing Eli into the pool behind him.

"Hey!" Miguel ran over, trying to shove Robby into the pool.

Robby managed to catch his balance before he fell, turning to face Miguel.

"Watch yourself," Miguel warned him.

"You wanna go?" Robby asked.

Achara stepped forward, placing her hands on their chest and pushing them both back. "Stop. Both of you."

The lifeguard blew his whistle, running toward them. "Hey. Everybody get out and leave the park immediately. I mean it. Everybody out. Now."

The crowd began to mutter in disappointment. Achara sighed as she rolled her eyes and walked over to her chair to grab her belongings. She exited the park with Decha by her side.

"Unbelievable," Achara spoke as she walked to the car. "The drama just never ends."

Decha nodded his head.

"Don't nod your head," Achara snapped at him. "You were a part of that mess. Provoking Kyler and Kenny certainly didn't help."

Decha sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Achara shook her head at him. "It's whatever. Get in the car. It's time to talk to Mae and Pa."

Decha gulped. "About the..."

"Yes," Achara replied. "About the drinking."

Decha inhaled a sharp breath, staring out the window the entire drive home.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

CHAE'S NAME PRONOUNCIATION:
- CHAE is pronounced as CHAY.
- RIN is pronounced the same as WREN.

just released i never included how to pronounce her name so there you go. :)

okay i know that kim da-eun doesn't arrive until episode 6, but i really wanted chae and eli to meet at the water park so i sped it up a little bit.

i planned for chae to be a character introduced in season 5 since the very beginning of planning for aod and originally, the plan was for her to just be the new girl who grew up learning karate and training to become a karate master & being pressured by her mother that would stir up some drama and nothing else...

but thanks to ShawnTanWaiKit for giving me the idea to put chae with eli/hawk. i was just going to have him get back together with moon, but when i saw a comment that they left i really liked the idea of putting her with hawk.

can't wait to bring her story to life. :)

alternative chapter title: decha and kyler at it again...