WITH THE Sekai Taikai back on, Jack knew he had to sit down and talk to Rory about what had gone down. The Brewer family had gina the entire month without saying some to Rory and would hope that she would say something about it, but here Jack and Rory sat as he tried to figure out some way ease into the conversation.

Jack exhaled heavily, rubbing a hand over his face as he studied Rory across the table. He had rehearsed this conversation in his head a dozen times, but now that they were actually here, words failed him. He wasn't the best at these kinds of talks, and Rory—she was even worse at them. She had always been independent, tough to crack, carrying her weight and everyone else's without complaint.

But he wasn't blind. He had seen the way she avoided certain conversations, how she brushed off any mention of what happened at the Sekai Taikai, how she threw herself into training like it could somehow erase what she had seen.

He knew that approach because it was something he would've done.

Jack sighed, leaning forward. "You haven't really talked about what happened."

Rory scoffed lightly, shaking her head. "What's there to talk about?" she muttered, keeping her gaze fixed on the table. "I didn't even know him."

Jack studied her, noting the tightness in her jaw, the way her shoulders tensed at the mere mention of it. "That doesn't mean it didn't affect you."

Rory exhaled sharply, rubbing her fingers over her temples. "I don't know, okay?" Her voice was quiet but strained. "It's not like I was close to him, but... seeing it happen. Seeing someone just... go like that." She swallowed, shaking her head. "It was different. It wasn't a fight, it wasn't a tournament—it was real."

Jack nodded slowly, letting her words settle between them. "It's not something you can just shake off."

"I know that," she said quickly. "I know. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. I keep replaying it in my head like I'm supposed to understand something, but it just—" She let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "It just happened. And then we all had to keep moving."

Jack's chest tightened at her words. She was young, but she had already seen so much. Too much. "You don't have to have all the answers, Rory. But ignoring it isn't gonna make it any easier."

Rory looked down at her mug, her fingers tightening around it. "I just don't want to make it about me," she admitted. "People who actually knew him—they lost someone they cared about. I was just there."

Jack sighed, rubbing his hands together. "That doesn't mean it didn't affect you. You don't have to justify why it messed you up. You saw something no one should have to see."

Rory swallowed hard, her throat tightening. "I just don't know how to stop thinking about it."

"You won't. Not for a while," Jack admitted. "But it helps to talk about it. To let yourself feel it."

She looked up at him, her lips pressing together. "I don't really know how to do that."

Jack gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Then don't do it alone."

Jack watched as Rory's fingers fidgeted slightly, her walls still up, but not as solid as they had been before. He knew this was a start, even if it was small.

Without thinking too much about it, he stood up and walked around the table. For a second, Rory just looked up at him, confused, before he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Then, after a beat, he pulled her into a hug.

It wasn't rushed or forced. It was steady, warm, the kind of embrace that let her know she didn't have to say anything else if she didn't want to. That she didn't have to carry everything on her own.

For a moment, Rory hesitated—then, slowly, she melted into it. Her arms wrapped around him, her fingers gripping onto the fabric of his shirt just a little tighter than usual.

Jack felt her exhale, felt the way her shoulders finally dropped just a bit. He rested his chin on top of her head and gave her a firm squeeze before murmuring, "You don't have to figure it all out today, kid."

Rory swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know."

And maybe, for now, that was enough.

    THE DAY drew on and Rory found herself at Miyagi-Do. She knew it was a "boys only" training day, but apparently she was desperately needed because of some dumb machine that Eli and Demetri had made to calculate Robby's score against Axel.

She stepped into the small shack, closing the doors behind her as she saw Robby pacing back and forth.

She licked her lips, sighing to herself as she stepped closer. "You know, Eli and Demetri had me test the headset earlier this week and let me tell you" she chuckled, stepping towards him. "it's pretty realistic."

"Yeah." Robby muttered.

Rory raised her brows at his flat response. Her hands clasped behind her back. "What happened?"

Robby let out a sharp breath through his nose, finally stopping in his tracks. He ran a hand through his hair. "It's just this whole thing. Everyone keeps acting like I have some kind of shot against Axel. I have a four percent chance and it keeps getting lower."

Rory softly chuckled. "You're gonna let some AI machine that Demetri and Eli made tell you what you can and can't do?" She sighed. "We don't know what's going to happen out there or what everyone's learned the month."

"I'm being realistic, Rory."

"You're psyching yourself out." Rory paused. "Time and time again you and I do this thing where we feel like we can't... Robby, you've been through so much. So much more than kids our age and you came out of that a better person."

Robby exhaled, his shoulders dropping slightly as her words sank in.

"I'm proud of you win or lose... or even if you don't want to do it anymore." She reassured. "You've gotten this far because of who you are and who you've become." She reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Don't psych yourself now especially over a machine." She softly smiled.

For a long moment, he didn't say anything. He just looked at her, his grip tightening around her hand as the frustration in his expression softened into something else—something warmer.

Then, without thinking, he pulled her in, his lips pressing against hers in a slow kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Robby exhaled against her lips, his forehead resting against hers.

"Okay." He murmured.

Rory smiled, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Okay. Go finish your guys only training day, okay? Call me later?"

As Rory turned Robby called out to her once more, she turned, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Are you okay?"

Rory exhaled softly before giving him a small smile. "I will be."

Robby gently nodded, returning her small smile before following behind her. She waved goodbye to the boys and made her way out of the dojo. She had gotten very far before her phone rang.

She furrowed her brows, raising the phone to her ear. "Sensei?"

His speech was quick, she couldn't really understand a word he was saying.

"What... Whe- Where are you?" She raised her brows slightly as the words slipped through his lips. She quickly turned and made her way back into the dojo.

Demetri, with the roll of his eyes, stopped the simulation. "I don't know what you said to him or what you did but he was doing great while you were gone and—"

"Carmen's having the baby."

— lucy has something to say !!

this was so hard for me to write im sorry guys :( i didn't know how to end it :( i just didn't :( but i posted so i think thats something :)

bye :))))