Dedicated to @SkyRimSlyntrix for their fantastic suggestions and kind support

Author's Note: This story takes place only days after the season five finale of Cobra Kai.

Hope you all enjoy!

"You didn't have to come over, you know. Especially with the Sekai Takai coming up and all," commented Tory as she reached down to pick up one of the many empty soda cans lying on her living room floor, flinching as the cold metal touched her bandaged hand.

"It's okay, I wanna help," reassured Sam, smiling at her ex-rival as she placed a freshly washed dish onto one of the upper kitchen shelves.

It was a common occurrence for the Nichols household to be littered with trash, especially old take-out containers (Tory had barely ever gotten a homemade meal in her life) and unpaid bills, but things had only become worse since Terry Silver's takeover of the Cobra Kai dojo. All of the students had been forced to train from sunrise to sundown, without the slightest promise of a break. The only glimmer of hope in their lives was the success that winning the world-wide tournament would bring success which mattered very little to a struggling teen like Tory. Senseis Silver and Da-Eun even went as far as to make her punch through solid stone, all because they thought she was untrustworthy.

"I broke up with him because of this dojo, you (expletive)!" Tory's own words still echoed within her head, pounding against the front of her skull twice as hard as saying the words had felt.

I meant every word of it, though.

On top of all of the stress in the dojo, she still had to come home everyday and take care of her eight year-old brother and bedridden mother who was only getting worse as the days went by.

Tory really hated to admit when she was worried (it's a clear sign of weakness),but she'd never felt more vulnerable than she did then.

Sensei Kreese was the one person who I thought could be trusted, but he turned out to be a liar, just like everyone else who's said that they care about me.

But after Tory decided to tell her rival, Samantha LaRusso, the truth about what really happened during the tournament, everything changed.

Not only were the two teenagers (along with Sam's fellow students) able to expose Silver's secrets, but they also formed an unlikely friendship with one another. Something neither girl ever would've expected after everything that happened between them, especially the school brawl.

LaRusso isn't actually an awful person, just had a few bad moments. I guess we have that in common.

"Well, thanks, anyway," nodded Tory back, a small smile escaping onto her face, too.

The apartment was nearly spotless by the time the girls finished, every crevice cleaned of its sticky and or smelly substance. Tory could've sworn she even felt a rat race past her feet while they were throwing out the endless stack of empty pizza boxes.

There's more than one reason why I don't invite anyone over to this place...

"Well, that was..." started Sam as she dropped down onto the couch, her pink sneakers hitting against the carpeted ground with a soft thud.

"Hard?" finished Tory, panting fiercely as she gulped down the last few sips of her coca cola.

The bubbling sensation blasted down her throat like a rushing river, cooling her exhausted muscles.

"Yeah, pretty much," laughed Sam, her loose brunette pony-tail bouncing against her back energetically.

It felt nice to get to have some fun with one of her friends for once, without having to break some rule to impress them.

"How's your dad doing? I heard Silver hurt him pretty badly?" asked Tory, dropping down onto the couch next to her ex-rival, her legs crossed on top of one another, comfortably.

"Better than you'd expect for someone who got so hurt. But luckily he always finds a way to bounce back quickly," smiled Sam, thankfully.

Tory had never seen someone talk about their parents with as much admiration as Sam did when she spoke about her father and his dojo.

I'm glad at least one of us can have a father who cares about them.

"Honestly, I should be asking how you're doing, though. Especially after everything that Sensei Da-Eun put you through," stated Sam gently, her eyes holding focus on Tory's bandaged hand.

"I've taken worse," shrugged Tory, her injured hand instinctively shifting under her leg, uncomfortably.

She felt like an injured animal standing in the open, waiting for the first predator to pounce upon its weakened prey.

This whole friendship thing is going to take some getting used to.

"Even if you have that doesn't mean you can't still be hurting right now, trust me," encouraged Sam, kindly.

Sam knew what it felt like to have scars, Tory only wished those scars hadn't been caused by her own anger.

That day is a mistake none of us can undo.

"I know, I just don't like talking about my feelings," admitted Tory, plainly.

The phrase sugarcoating did not exist in Tory's vocabulary, nor would she ever use it.

"Me neither, but my dad always makes me do it," joked Sam, playfully.

"Yeah, I can definitely see him doing that," remarked Tory, barely being able to stifle a laugh.

She wasn't really sure why, but having a basic conversation with Sam was so much more fun than hanging out with all the other Cobras, apart from Robby, of course.

Glad we at least found some kind of common ground because I did miss seeing that smug face of his...

As the girls continued to drink their sodas, Tory noticed Sam's gaze fall upon her mother's bedroom where the sick older woman lay. A ventilator had been recently installed by the doctors to stabilize her lungs, for now. Every night Tory laid in her bed, listening intently for her mother's loud breaths, hoping that they'd still be there the next morning.

"She's a really good person, you know," whispered Tory over Sam's shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't mean to be intrusive or anything," reassured Sam, suddenly shaking herself out of her trance before turning her attention back to her friend.

"No, I get it. People always say how strong she must be to just keep going, but they don't even know the half of it," explained Tory, her right hand clenching angrily.

"I know what you mean. Most people think that the pain goes away once your injuries heal, but some injuries never heal. And the ones that do leave scars that stay with you forever," stated Sam, understandingly.

For the first time since she'd met her, Tory felt that they were seeing each other clearly. That both girls weren't judging one another by their appearance or wealth, but by who they were.

Two messed teenagers who still had a long way to go.

But maybe that's not such a bad thing, after all.

"But those moments of pain are what give us the strength to keep fighting for something better," added Tory, half-smiling.

Sam smiled back at her friend, her hand resting gently on top of hers.

Maybe it was a good thing I lost the tournament. Otherwise, I might not be where I am today.