RORY SAT on the freshly cut grass of the dojo, stretching as others chatted from her side. Since she made the cut for the Sekai Taikai, she'd been focused on practicing, college, and getting to Barcelona.

There were certain categories that Rory wouldn't be worried about, such as bo staff, but her mind was solely on this female captain spot. She wanted this more than anything and she knew she'd be able to do it. She had the strength, integrity, and stamina to be the Miyagi-Do captain.

She, of course, knew that favoritism could be in play with Mr. LaRusso and Sam and Johnny with Miguel and Robby. Her father had been in and out of Miyagi-Do since they made the Sekai Taikai. He didn't want anyone to think he was doing Rory any favors by being there and because he wasn't an original "Cobra Kai" member, he decided to step away from the dojo until further notice.

Rory was thankful. She already had problems making new friends because of her parents. She didn't want anyone at Miyagi-Do to think she was better than anyone because of her background and she definitely didn't want people to think she was being favored over the others.

She didn't want to think too heavily about it anymore, it might just kill her if she did.

She was thankful that Robby approached her with his arm outstretched to her. She grabbed it with a soft smile and he pulled the girl to her feet easily.

"Excited?" He asked.

"More like panicked."

Robby nodded. This was a little different from before. He'd always come second in the majority of the things; the All-Valley, Miguel. It was a lot, especially since his father had been right there for every single moment. He understood where Rory was coming from. They wanted this captain's position just like the others and fighting for it would be the only way of getting it.

"My dad got tickets for, like, half of my family to see me in Barcelona." Rory continued. "If I'm captain" Rory paused, suppressing her smile as she looked at Robby. "I just... this would be huge for me. Colleges will see this, recruiters, God, the world." She smiled. "That last part might be a stretch, but still, this big, for the both of us."

Robby smiled. He didn't think he had seen her happier, like, ever. Plus, she was right. This was a huge deal for both of them. Captain or not, people all over the world would be looking at them. They would be seen every step they took at the Sekai Takai. Every punch, every misstep, every single move would be documented and that was the scary part. Failing would be worse.

"Have you heard from Brown yet?" Robby asked.

"Uh, no, but I'm too worried." She answered. "I would love to get into Brown, no doubt, but getting into any of the schools I applied to would be great." Rory sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "I think I'm more worried about this than college at the moment, which... is crazy because college can change everything about me... but so could this."

At times, Robby didn't know how to reply to Rory. The two of them grew up very differently. One in a loving home with a picket fence, the other stealing just to get by. Robby knew from a young age that he wasn't getting into college because of who he used to be. College was never a worry for him.

"You're gonna do great things Rory even without college."

Rory looked over at him with a pouty smile and gently raised her hand to squeeze his cheeks. "You'll be the death of me, Robert Swayze."

Robby's cheeks flushed as Rory's hand touched his face. Before he knew it, Rory leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a soft, gentle kiss.

As they pulled away from each other, Robby grinned at Rory. "I think I'll survive." He said with a chuckle.

Soon, Daniel and Johnny stepped out of the small house that sat on the dojo. They would call the students forward to begin practice.

Daniel faced the group. "The Sekai Taikai needs our final roster in three days. And now that we know who's going, it's time for us to name our male and female captains. The captains are not just the leaders of the team. They're the ones that will be fighting in the finals if we can make it that far." He explained.

"Plus, they get to fight on live TV." Johnny smiled. "Who knows what comes after that? Wheaties boxes, chop-socky flicks, ZZ Top videos. Sky's the limit."

"You'll all get the glory if we win," Daniel reassured. "but, yes, the captains will be in the spotlight. They need to represent the best that Miyagi-Do has to offer. And Sensei Lawrence and I want to assure you that the decision will be completely unbiased."

Johnny nodded. "That's right. In two days, Sam, Tory, and Rory will compete for the female captain spot, Robby and Miguel will fight for male captain."

"We all know you fought plenty of times before, but now that we're on the same side, this is still the best way for us to see who's progressed the most." Daniel said.

Johnny sighed. "All right, enough talking. It's time to train." He pointed towards the five. "You five, get inside. I'm gonna whip your butts into shape."

After, what they would all later call, light training, they were now standing on the small deck that sat in the koi pond. Sam, Tory, Robby, and Miguel had all gone by this point and the last one to go was Rory.

Johnny stood further away from the pond with several empty beer bottles and a pitching machine. The goal was to either dodge or better yet, catch the beer bottle.

It had been pretty unsuccessful thus far. They had all managed to dodge them, almost getting hit the process wouldn't be talked about. Sam had fallen into the murky water and hoped that the same wouldn't happen to her.

Well, she got her wish.

She had been able to dodge most of the bottles as she maneuvered across the small wooden deck, but unfortunately, Johnny had been loading faster than her reflexes because as soon as she was able to turn, the bottle hit her directly in the face.

"Shit." Johnny muttered and struggled to turn the machine back.

Robby was quick to lunge forward but stopped when Rory stopped wobbling on the deck.

"I'm ready."

Johnny furrowed his brows. "We're gonna stop kid-"

She slowly removed her hand from her face. It hurt like a bitch and it would for the upcoming days, but she was determined to keep going, no matter what. She wanted this captain spot and if this didn't show it, she would kill Johnny Lawerence for chucking beer bottles at her.

And she continued like nothing had happened to her, but my God, she felt it afterward.

Nightfall had come and Robby and Rory had gotten changed. They waved goodbye to the other and made their way over to Rory's car.

"Are you sure you'll be okay to drive?" Robby asked.

Rory chuckled softly. "I should be fine."

Robby softly smiled and gently cupped Rory's cheeks. He tilted her head back to examine her face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Robby asked concern etched on his face.

Rory smiled at him reassuringly, she raised her hands and rested them on his wrist. "I'm fine, Robby. It's just a little bruise."

He examined her face for a moment longer before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I worry about you." He murmured against her skin a small chuckle escaping him.

"I know." She whispered back.

They stayed like that for a few moments longer before pulling away from each other with reluctant smiles on their faces. As Rory got into the driver's seat and started the car, Robby leaned down to give her one last kiss goodbye - this time on the lips.

"Drive safe." He said softly.

Rory nodded and began driving home, but that didn't mean that the training for the day ended. As soon as she got home, she pushed her father out the door and towards the backyard to help train her further. They knew what this captain's spot could do for the girl. She needed this. She wanted this.

     THE DAY finally came.

Each of them had worked hard. Some more than others. They needed this. Some more than others.

Rory teetered back and forth on her feet as she shook her hands. This was everything to her.

"Stop moving."

Rory rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. Her mother had been licking her hair back for the tenth time today. A big deal to Rory meant it was a big deal for everyone else in the Brewer household.

Jack, unfortunately, couldn't make it to the final cuts... but maybe Rory would be thankful that he wasn't there.

Layla grabbed the hair tie that Rory had been holding and secured her hair tightly. She felt like a child with her mother doing her hair, something she hadn't done since prom, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Layla softly sighed and turned Rory around, the girl facing her mother.

"You got this." Layla smiled. "Where is she?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. Besides, it's Sam and Tory first and I go against whoever wins."

Layla nodded. "Wanna talk to him?"

Rory turned, seeing Johnny stepping away from Robby.

She turned back around, giving her a small smile and making her way to him.

But first, she stopped in front of Miguel.

"Good luck, Miguel." She smiled.

The boy nodded, adjusting his stance to look at her properly.

The two weren't that close. Shocking because they hung around the same crowd since he moved. Things changed after the events at school, but nonetheless, they weren't too close, but Miguel knew that her intentions were pure, she'd always been kind to everyone no matter the circumstances.

"Thanks, you too."

Rory gave him a small smile before making her way over to Robby.

"Are you ready?" Rory asked.

"As ready as I can be." Robby muttered.

"I believe in you." Rory smiled. "You got this."

Daniel made his way onto the sparring deck. "Miguel, Robby, you're up first."

Rory gave Robby one last smile and watched as he and Miguel made their way onto the deck.

"First to three points wins." Daniel said. "Face each other. Bow. Fighting positions. Ready?" Daniel paused, his eyes bouncing between both of the boys. He drew his hand back quickly. "Fight."

The fight started slow, but Robby threw his hand out first, but not far enough to hit Miguel. The fight would continue, each of them blocking the other's attacks. Miguel would dive towards the ground, swiping his leg to knock Robby down, and with a swift raise of the hand, Miguel was able to score a point against Robby.

"Point, Diaz." Daniel called. Each of the boys let out a heavy breath as Robby stood to his feet and back to his side of the sparring deck. "One point, Diaz. Zero points, Keene. Ready?" Daniel asked. "Fight."

Robby threw out a couple of kicks toward Miguel, but he dodged every single one. It wasn't looking good for Robby as Miguel raised his leg, kicking the boy to the ground. Another point for Miguel.

"Point, Diaz. Two points. One more, and he wins. That's two points to zero."

Robby heavily sighed. He was growing frustrated. He wanted this. He needed this. His future wasn't like Miguel's. No matter what happened, Miguel had a future to live for, something to fight for. This was Robby's only chance to prove that he could be something more than what his past defined him as.

He glanced over at Rory, the girl giving him a soft smile and a gentle nod. With that, Robby ran his fingers through his hair and began to stand in his fighting position.

Rory sighed, feeling a small presence by her side. She turned slightly and saw Tory now standing by her. The blonde girl's eyes were bloodshot and dry tears stained her face. Her hair was in a messy, low ponytail and she held a very stone-cold look on her face.

Rory rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

Tory only nodded. "Just ready to fight."

The fight between Miguel and Robby began and something seemed to shift. The two of them would block each other's shots, but by the time the final round came along, the boys sat at a time. This final match would determine the male captain of the Sekai Taikai.

The final fight began, each of them fighting harder than the last round, but as Miguel kicked his leg in the air, Robby caught it, flipping the other over onto his back. Miguel had no time to try and stand to his feet as Robby slid down, throwing his final point at his chest.

"Point. Winner."

Rory clasped her hands together in excitement. Yeah, she felt bad for Miguel, there was truly a "loser" here. There was nothing that could make this moment any better for the person who would lose that captain's spot. No matter how lightly you put it, there would be a loss here.

Daniel gave Miguel a light pat on the back. He turned to face his students as he raised Robby's arm in the air. "Your male captain. Robby Keene."

Robby left the sparring deck first, a wide smile on his face as he approached Rory.

The girl was quick to wrap her arms around him, Robby stumbled backward slightly but caught the girl by her waist to hug her back. This was something that both of them wanted and if Rory got the female captain's spot she knew she would stop talking about it. She wanted this.

Tory, however, needed this.

She, along with Sam made their way onto the sparring deck where Johnny stood. He would be the ref for this round, citing that it was only fair and would not show any bias for either party.

Their fight would soon begin, but this wasn't the same as Robby and Miguel's fight. Tory let out a shout as the two of them began sparring, they were lighter on their feet and moved faster than the two boys, but in the end, Sam was able to strike Tory in the chest, giving Sam the point.

The two of them returned to their fighting positions and the sound round began before Johnny could call for it. They blocked each other's punches, but with the back of her arm, Tory was able to strike Sam, giving her the point, but she didn't stop. Tory raised her legs, striking Sam again.

Daniel called. "Hey, Ref. That's a little overkill. That should be no point."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm handling it." Johnny muttered.

"I'm... I'm fine. I'm fine." Sam reassured.

"Listen, that's a warning. Next one's a deduction." Johnny told the girl. "It's one to one. Fighting positions. Ready? Fight."

Tory would buck Sam's way, but the brunette was able to strike Tory.

"Point, LaRusso. Two to one."

They stood in their fighting positions once more and the fight would begin. Each punch would be blocked and every sidekick dodged. It wasn't until Tory drew her fist back with one hand and pushing Sam back with the other that Daniel stepped onto the sparring deck, catching Tory's hand before the punch was thrown.

"The fight's over." He said.

Tory pushed him away. "That's not fair. That could have been a point."

"What the hell?" Johnny asked, approaching the two. "I'm the ref. I'll decide when the fight's over."

"I'll explain. I promise."

"Don't stop the fight. Please." Tory begged.

"I'm fine, Dad. Really." Sam reassured.

"No, Sam. It's not that. It's not that. Come on. Please, girls. Off the deck. Let's go."

"Don't tell them what to do. I'm their sensei too." Johnny argued.

"Well, then, end the fight."

"Why?"

"Because my mother died!" Tory shouted.

The air around them grew thick, almost hard to swallow as the group listened to Tory's cries. She wanted to fight. She needed to fight. She needed this more than anything and Daniel wouldn't allow her to fight for what she needed.

"You want this fight to be over?" Tory cried. "Fine. It's over."

She marched off the sparring deck and out of the dojo. No one chased after her... Someone should've gone after her. To comfort her, to let her know that her feelings were valid and that person could've been Rory, but she seemed to be frozen in place.

She never thought about losing her parents. A thought like that shouldn't have crossed any of their minds, but now, it was the only thing on her mind. Rory wouldn't be the person she was without her parents. She wouldn't be here without her parents. She needed them and losing them would kill her. She couldn't imagine what Tory was going through, but it was clear that everything that had unfolded in from of her had changed something.

"Rory!"

The girl looked up from the ground, both Daniel and Johnny looking in her direction. They were visibly angry, not at Tory, but at each other, but they needed to get this final fight going before they could discuss what happened.

"You're up." Daniel muttered.

Rory made her way onto the sparring deck. She didn't say a word as she looked between Johnny and Sam. She couldn't think straight at the moment. She couldn't fathom fighting after that. Her confidence was nowhere to be seen as Johnny shouted for the two of them to fight.

Rory looked up with shaky hands as Sam approached her. She was able to block some of the punches and leg kicks that Sam threw her way, but as soon as Rory raised her leg, Sam grabbed it. She was able to knock Rory down and strike a punch towards her chest.

"Point LaRusso."

Rory rolled over, standing on her feet. She felt her breathe was shaky. She could think straight. She had felt like this before and that's when she found out that Tory had been at the party before they made it.

Layla stepped towards the sparring deck, calling Rory's name as gently as she could.

The girl closed her eyes before looking over at her mother, her eyes watering as she saw her.

Layla was there. She was here.

Layla sighed, looking over at Johnny. "She's done."

"You've got to be kidding me." Johnny muttered.

Arguing with a man who'd missed half of his child's life was in the playing cards for Layla as she grabbed Rory's hand. She helped her daughter off stage as Rory began to cry.

Once off stage and away from prying eyes, Layla ran her hands up and down Rory's arms, trying to get her back into her normal breathing pattern. This wasn't new to her. Belle had them every so often.

"I'm right here." Layla softly spoke. "And your dad is a phone call away. We aren't going anywhere."

Layla could repeat the lines over and over again, but it could never be true. Her parents, no matter how hard she wished, couldn't be here forever. She knew that. Layla knew that, but they could only bring her comfort at this moment.

That's all she needed.

    THERE WAS a soft knock on Rory's bedroom door.

The creaking sound was enough for her to turn her head and see Robby stepping inside.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She muttered.

Robby nodded, watching Rory turn, resting her head against her pillow.

He glanced around the room to see that she had been packed and ready for Barcelona.

She was still going, of course, but she wasn't the captain. Sam, by default, had been crowned captain of the team alongside Robby. And in return, Eli would be taking Tory's place for the Seikai Taikai.

Rory wasn't embarrassed by what went down. She was more so disappointed. She had panic attacks before, some more severe than others, but she thought she could push this one down as the fight went on, but as soon as she stepped on that sparring deck, she felt like the world had crashed down in front of her.

She wanted that captain's spot more than anything. That's all she wanted.

Robby sighed. "Can I stay?"

Rory looked over her shoulder and gave him a gentle nod.

He let out a soft breath and joined the girl on her bed. He wrapped his arms around her as she turned, her face now close to his chest.

And she would have the comfort until they boarded the plane to Barcelona.

And it was beautiful. The lights, the people, and the food were all beautiful, but there was no time to bask in that. Everyone's mind would be on the Sekai Taikai until it drew to a close.

Rory stood next to Eli as they piled into the building where the event would take place. It was glorious. All of it.

Rory was still upset with herself for not pulling through with the fight, but she managed to take that guilt and anger and bring it out for this event.

She soon felt a gentle nudge against her shoulder and looked over at Eli who gestured towards the entrance.

She looked over with knit brows and saw another group make their way into the building. They had worn black gi's with Cobra Kai printed on the back.

How? Why?

The why was easier to answer than the how.

With Cobra Kai came John Kreese and Kim Da-Eun.

With John Kreese came Tory Nichols.

They were right... all of them, they were all fucking right.

Cobra Kai never dies.

— lucy has something to say !!

"i love writing!!!" write a fight scene. "oh... they both punched and died"

i took karate lessons twice when i was younger and quit both times... i could've been on this show dog...

when i was watching the episode for this i was going vivibly insane ??? what do you mean miguel kicked robby and robby spun in the air causing miguel to get the point

anyway... CAN TORY BE HAPPY DAMN WHAT DO YOU ME HER MOTHER DIED??????

it's over until... november ???

anyway i'm posting a miguel fic TOMORROW so

okay bye until november :(

bye :))))

the smileys after the pictures is sick actually im so sorry