RORY HAD never been to a baby shower, but she got the gist of them. They were meant to be a happy occasion full of life, to celebrate a new one coming into the world, and whatever big (or small) gender reveal they wanted.

Rory had always seen videos of over-the-top videos of what baby showers could entail, but luckily for her, the LaRusso's had decided to keep things a little more tame for the baby shower of Johnny and Miguel's mother, Carmen.

Robby hadn't talked about the pairing much, but he didn't hate it. Carmen was kind and though Robby had caused a major injury to her son, she forgave him.

It was an interesting dynamic and Rory, if asked, wouldn't have seen it coming. But hey, to each their own, and if they were both seeing their relationship in a happy and healthy light, who was Rory to judge?

Regardless, the LaRusso's as mentioned before, were kindly holding the baby shower for the baby and would be having it at their place for a small group of close ones to gather around for the celebration.

The Brewer family arrived early and came bearing gifts for the newborn for which Carmen would greatly express her appreciation later on.

"So, how was hanging out with Tory?" Sam asked.

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't bad-"

"But?"

Rory smiled. "But it wasn't the worst. It's not like she's my best friend, but we're civil and we plan on working together for the sake of ourselves and Miyagi-Do."

Sam smiled.

She and Rory weren't close, but they bonded over shared trauma, which, by the way, was an insane thing to say no matter the circumstances. Yeah, Rory and Sam had matching scars (both healing well, but still visible), but it wasn't something they talked too heavily about. Rory wasn't ready for that and she didn't know when she would be.

"That's good." Sam continued. "We all have... stuff to talk about, but at least we're taking the steps in the right direction." She smiled. "This will all be worth it when we get to the Sekai Taikai."

Rory nodded. "Doesn't all of this scare you a little?"

"The Sekai Taikai, being friends with Tory, or having a million people watching your every move and not knowing if you're going to win or lose?"

Rory furrowed her brows. "All of it. Mainly the last thing."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, but are you used to all the lights and cameras and stuff?"

Rory was used to the limelight without trying to be in it. Her mother was the one who held the fame and the fortune of the Brewer name now that she and Jack weren't in high school anymore. They were both pretty well-known (practically famous) in their own right. Jack with karate and Layla with the modeling, but because Rory didn't ask, gloat, or spread around that she was a "nepo" baby, some people failed to realize that she was on the same level as her parents.

Yeah, she'd been in a magazine here and there and had been interviewed a couple of times, but being famous in any capacity wasn't for Rory. It was more so for Belle who actually liked the modeling and acting that she was so lucky to have gifted to her.

The Brewer's knew they were lucky, but they didn't brag about it out loud. That's why people liked them. That's why they were they were all so universally liked. They were known as the family who kept themselves grounded and out of controversy... if they paid their way out of it.

That wasn't here nor there. This was about how Rory would be showing off her skills for more eyes than she could count. She was nervous, excited, and all the other emotions that she could think of.

The Sekai Taikai would and could change lives.

This would be Rory's chance to prove that she wasn't just half a Brewer and half a Beasley.

When she made her presence known at the Sekai Taikai, she would be known as Rory Brewer and that's that.

"All of that stuff was more Belle's thing than mine." Rory answered. "I rather just... not do any of that. I don't know how my mom does it."

Sam nodded, but it wasn't a nod of understanding. It was more of a nod "I can see where you're coming from". Sam, as of now, didn't really know how living in the limelight worked, but if Rory didn't like it, Sam would believe what the girl said.

Before their conversation could continue, the sound of something popping or exploding sounded from the living room.

The two girls, along with the other patrons, turned and saw Johnny making his way through the kitchen covered in a pink substance.

It was a girl.

Rory looked over at Robby and gave him a small smile. Rory loved her sister, she would do anything for her sister and the same could be said vice versa.

She knew that Miguel and Robby would be doing the same.

"Where's Daniel?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, yeah, uh..." Johnny muttered.

Soon, Daniel entered the kitchen, completely covered in the pink substance as he held the box in his hands.

"I told him not to move." Johnny smiled.

"I'm too old for this shit."

This girl would be loved by all. they all knew that. It was kind of crazy how life led them all this way. Especially if you looked back on how everything led them up to this exact moment.

But things change. People change. And this girl would never have to know about the "family feud" that brought them all together.

     A FEW days everyone had been at the dojo. Johnny had ushered Tory and Rory to practice sparring, but it wasn't quite what he envisioned. He knew the two of them were some of the best students in the dojo, if he could (and he possibly had), he would bet a thousand dollars right then and there that the two of them, both together and separately could take down anyone of his choosing. He knew they were great, so why was practice not giving him what he'd expected?

Johnny stood with his arms crossed as Jack made his way across the blinding green grass.

"What's up with them?" Johnny asked.

Jack looked over. "They just became friends. I can't imagine how hard it is for two people who didn't get along to just "pretend" to spar with each other." Jack turned his head. "But you should."

Johnny furrowed his brows, but he knew what Jack was talking about.

Johnny from 20 years ago would have never seen himself being acquainted with Daniel LaRusso let alone running a dojo with him.

Soon, Devon approached the two of them.

"Senseis, I get that Miyagi-Do is about avoiding conflict, but if they're not gonna go hard during training, how are they gonna lead us to victory at the tournament?" She asked.

"They're not." Johnny said. "They're gonna get their asses kicked."

Jack held crossed arms over his chest. "You're a girl dad now. You want to fix this? Fix this in a way you think a girl dad would."

Johnny sighed. "What you would do?"

"Every girl is different." Jack answered. "My wife would probably shove them into a room, lock the door, and wouldn't let them out until they hashed it out. Rory, Tory, Sam, and Devon, are vastly different. All girls are different. That's the first thing you need to understand before thinking you're a girl Dad." Jack pointed. "You figure out the next step."

Johnny nodded before looking over at Devon. "Lee. Call your dad. Tell him you're having people over tonight."

     LATER THAT night, Tory and Rory found themselves walking to Devon's house with small duffle bags slung over their shoulders. Jack had kindly dropped them off before speeding off and prayed that this idea from Johnny worked.

"Does Devon have a home dojo?" Tory asked.

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think she would've mentioned it in passing." She sighed. "Either way, Sam suggested wearing waterproof shoes. Something about being thrown in a creek... or quicksand."

The two girls didn't even have to knock on the front door before it swung open and Devon stood on the other side with a bright smile on her face.

"You made it." She smiled. "We're in the basement."

Devon stepped to the side to allow them inside and quickly led them down into the basement. She disappeared just as quickly and before them, Johnny stood with his arms stretched in the air.

"Welcome to Miyagi-Do After Dark." He smiled.

Rory furrowed her brows before simply shaking her head.

"Miyagi-Do Nights?"

"That might be worse." Rory muttered.

"Dark Nights?"

"Wait." Tory spoke. "Is this a slumber party?"

Rory hadn't been to a sleepover in forever... unless you counted the nights that either she and Belle slept in each other's room after watching a movie, but regardless of that, Rory hadn't been to a sleepover since leaving Seaford, even then, she didn't stay at many people's house. She was a homebody compared to Belle, who didn't hesitate to leave the house wherever she could.

Soon, Devon returned with a box full of nail polishes.

"I've never had one before." Devon smiled. "I didn't know what color nail polish you guys like, so I just got them all."

Johnny nodded. "Since you two are friends now, we can have a girls' night."

"So why are you here?" Rory asked.

"I'm a girl dad now." He smiled. "I brought cookies and tampons and everything. Come on inside. Grab a sleeping bag. the Mr. T one's mine."

The two girls didn't even nod as they went to sit their things down. But, Rory could tell that Devon was excited to have people over for the first time and Rory wouldn't ruin that by acting like Johnny being here wasn't weird.

But it was really hard to hide that when Johnny was seemingly trying to mess up their night. From the ear flicks when they were doing face masks, to the Ouija board. It all seemed to be targeted at Rory and Tory and they didn't find an ounce of peace until the pillow fight.

After that, the two girls sat on the couch in the basement. They would occasionally glance over when they wanted to show each other, but soon, Tory's phone screen would show that Robby had been calling her.

It was strange, but Rory didn't question it.

But she would furrow her brows at the sight of a text message from Robby coming from Tory's phone.

Reading something along the lines of: "Hey, finally to ready to leave that "nepo" girl. Let me know when you want a piece of me. Call me.". It was a strange way of getting broken up with if Tory and Rory were stupid... but they weren't and stood to their feet to make their way over to Johnny and Devon.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" He asked.

"What's behind your back?" Rory asked.

Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "My hands. Nothing. Just my hands."

Rory began spam texting Robby's number and Tory rapidly calling it.

"Oh, wow, multiple lines." Johnny chuckled. "I didn't know you were such a social butterfly, Lee."

"You're catfishing us." Tory argued.

"I don't know what that is, but catfish is gross."

Rory rolled her eyes. "You've been messing with us all night. Now you want us to fight?"

"We just wanted to help you get your edge back so things can go back to the way they used to be." Devon said.

"You think things were better when we hated each other's guts?" Tory asked.

"No." Johnny said quickly. "Maybe just south of that, like a really strong dislike."

Rory crossed her arms. "This isn't very Miyagi-Do of you."

Johnny sighed. "Look, we're inside with pillows, chocolates, and air conditioning. This is so Miyagi-Do. I want you to hate each other but in a friendly way."

Rory licked her lips, rolling her eyes. "I'm calling an Uber." She sighed, looking over at Devon. "When you want to have a real sleepover, call me."

Devon sent her a somber smile before grabbing her things and following Tory outside, the blonde girl also calling an Uber.

The two of them stood in an awkward silence before mentioning their Uber being five minutes away. Rory rocked back and forth on her heels before chuckling to herself.

"It's kind of funny that he'd think we'd fall for that." She smiled. "I mean, you probably would've if it was me and Miguel."

The joke was harmless, at least, Rory thought it was. Especially since Tory made a joke about fighting Rory at the arcade not that long ago, but the joke didn't seem to land well with Tory.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

Rory looked over, her small smile slightly falling. "You know, like, when you thought I knew about Miguel and Sam in the backyard of the party? It was... over a year ago I think."

"So, it's funny now?" Tory asked.

"I don't see why it isn't?" Rory argued. "Especially since you pulled all that shit after. Shit I didn't get to see it because you knocked my ass out before anything happened."

Tory rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, here it comes." She scoffed. "Little Miss Perfect Brewer."

"You attacked me at school and the LaRusso's unprovoked." Rory barked. "I had been nothing but a friend to you since I met you. I didn't know about Miguel and Sam and if I did I would've told you. I was already in a bad spot and now I have a scar to prove it. I wanted to be your friend. I was your friend. You took that away, not me."

Tory sighed. "You're... right. I was... distrustful, and I should've trusted you. I've always had a hard time making friends and when I finally got one I pushed them away. Things went too far. It was my fault. I can't believe I did that to you."

"It's crazy to say that's not the worst thing that happened at the time." Rory said. "I'm sorry if I ever made it seem like you couldn't trust me. I never wanted it to be that way between us."

Tory finally looked up, her eyes now red from the tears falling from her eyes.

"We're good now." Rory softly smiled. "I promise."

Tory nodded. "I really am sorry."

Rory softly chuckled. "Me too."

Tory stepped forward, locking her arms around the girl as they hugged. Rory could tell that she was genuinely sorry and this was the first time that she heard the words "I'm sorry" slip through her lips.

And though the memory would still be there, that didn't mean that either of them had to remember it.

So they wouldn't. They would focus on the now.

     THE NEXT day, sparring between Rory and Tory went swimmingly. They made up, of course, but their sparring looked strong and Johnny had gotten his wish at the end.

"Hey, everybody. Gather 'round!" Eli called. "The announcement just came out. All right. Who's ready to find out where we're going for the Sekai Taikai?"

The group of students and their Senseis all gathered around and Eli pressed play on the tablet and the man from the video began to speak.

"Congratulations on your admission to the Sekai Taikai. We're excited to finally announce the host city for this year's competition. Martial arts has always had a rich history in the East. And the Sekai Taikai has held many tournaments throughout Asia. But in recent years, European teams have shaken up the competitive landscape, bringing a whole new style to the event. Within the region, there's one nation that has continued to stand tall amongst the pack for its growth and dominance in both junior and senior competitions. It gives me great pleasure to announce this year's Sekai Taikai will be held in Barcelona, Spain."

Cheers from around the dojo grew and hugs flew from each corner.

"As you prepare for your journey, we'll also present the rules of registration." The announcer continued. "We intend to test your dojo's quality, not quantity, and each dojo must select seven fighters to compete."

"Wait, seven?" Hawk questioned.

The video continued. "These seven fighters will participate in team events, with one boy and one girl serving as captains to enter into the individual competitions, which will be televised around the world. We wish a hearty bona sort to all the competitors, and we look forward to seeing you in Barcelona."

"What exactly does that mean?" Robby asked as the video ended.

"It means we don't all get to go." Miguel answered.

Great... Exciting... and just when everyone was getting along.

— lucy has something to say !!

hopefully i can get this story up every thursday :)

i saw a tiktok about how johnny does karate for the kids and daniel does it to keep mr. miyagi's legacy alive and it kind of changed everything for me

anyway my poor baby rory... yall remember when jack said she had that ugly ass scar on her face? why would he say that (don't blame me)

okay but fr i need you guys to pick one person from this group okay:

milton

kim

jerry

okay have fun with that.

bye :))))