𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎. empathy is a bone killer

HUMANS ARE INDEED BORN FOR LOVE. BUT AT BIRTH, WE are not yet fully loving. Infants' brains are the most malleable ― and vulnerable, that they will ever be outside the womb. The gifts of our biology are a potential, not a guarantee. As with so many other human potentials present at birth, empathy and love require specific experiences to develop.

Just as Mozart could never have become a musical genius if his father hadn't provided lessons and instruments ― and Michael Jordan would not have become the superb athlete he has been without access to hoops, balls, and courts ― babies don't learn to care and connect without specific early experiences.

Changes in the timing, nature, and pattern of these experiences would influence how relational capabilities emerge in an individual. These changes even help determine which of our genes will be activated and which will never reveal their potential ― for good or for ill.

Learning a new technique after perfecting another was more complicated than it looked. Having to pretend she didn't have ❨ as much ❩ martial arts experience was even harder. Not only was her new team not as fine as hers; some of their moves undermined the spirit of those who remained. Cobra Kai was good, but not better than her, she came to that conclusion.

She wasn't going to lose any fight against any of them, she won the fight of her life weeks ago, in comparison, this team felt like it was only good enough for a third-place bronze medal.

Her frustration turned into anger when her fellow teammates laughed at a kid named Kenny, who sought help after being the victim of bullying.

She sat morosely as they continued, Kenny looking down at his feet embarrassed. "What's so funny?" Jieun said warily, "that was you not too long ago."

Tory cleared her throat, trying to find something ― anything, to say to her friend.

They hadn't spoken since she joined Cobra Kai, mostly because it didn't make sense; Jieun wasn't interested in joining dojos. She liked soccer, ❨ it was hard not to notice the pleading gaze she gave at her old team whenever school ended and she was forced to train for karate instead. Tory understood, after all, her goal was to become captain. ❩ she liked shopping, and she liked hanging out with her or Yasmine and Moon. She didn't care enough about joining dojos.

She knew her for what felt like years now and she knew how she coped with difficult things, she avoided them. Actually, the only time Jieun checked in with her was via text, but only through her usual nonsense teasing and banter. It was driving her nuts. She wanted to rip out her hair and scream, beyond frustrated at the yawning gap in their communication.

Tory couldn't tell her via text what was on her mind. The subject matter's too sensitive, the context too bizarre. This was a face-to-face conversation. The problem was if Tory were to interrogate her... she hoped she'd hold out if it ever came to that. But Jieun, unfortunately, was a great topic changer, without the others even noticing.

So she hadn't asked, hadn't said a word.

And neither had Jieun.

Kreese met Jieun's gaze. There was nothing kind in it. But he said, "and what do you suggest they do?"

"Show a little empathy." She heaved.

She couldn't claim to have been bullied, well, not up until recently. And definitely not like the ones in books, but she knew the feeling of watching powerful kids rip a vulnerable one apart and not knowing how to blunt their power.

Now that she was on the other end of the stick she could see the patterns begin to assert themselves on her like the ones among some of her peers. Maybe it was her cowardice that made her want to figure out how to help other kids do better or just Kenny.

Empathy was a highlighter of intelligence, for it required creative perspective taking and creativity is intelligence.

"Empathy and compassion are for the weak." His voice had its usual stern, mocking tone. "In nature, the strongest survive, those who can't die off. That's the way things should be. We have too much compassion for secondary people and that makes us weak."

"God, you're not training a bunch of army soldiers, we're kids learning karate." The students held their breath, waiting. After a tortured moment, Jieun began to speak again, "besides, none of us lack empathy. You may choose not to recognize your empathy, but it's still there." Her voice was firm, and she ignored the scared glances Kenny and the others gave.

Kreese had seen the slight deadness in her eyes, along with the wrath and exhaustion and sorrow. He'd seen her go over the edge when she first was 'recruited' and was chosen to fight Kyler. And he didn't doubt for one heartbeat that she could snap again.

There was such a glittering darkness in her, an endless rift straight through her core. Her father's death had shattered her. What he had done, his role in that death had shattered her. Kreese knew that. He just prayed that she could piece herself back together again. Because a broken, unpredictable kid was one thing. But a kid who knew martial arts...

"Class dismissed," he said, "Jiji, come with me." Bracing his forearms on his desk he began again, "tell me what's wrong."

Jieun had been staring at nothing, again. For a heartbeat, the weight of everything pressed so heavily upon her that she opened up her mouth. "The case is closed." She let out an unnerving shrug, "they won't tell me anything." Kreese picked up his water, swirling it inside, waiting for her to continue. "It's been pretty hellish, trying to get them to tell me anything, like this wound that's incredibly intense and painful," she told him. "Talking about it makes some of that creep back ― that vulnerable, weak feeling like there's something wrong with me. I have my whole life experience to tell me that's not actually true, so I know that now, but those feelings are still there. I can still tap into them."

"The police can be like that." Jieun scoffed, ", especially to kids, they don't just give out information like that to just anyone ― even family." She again shrugged, "I may know a few people, but it won't come without a price."

She rolled her eyes and waved a hand in front of her face before dragging it through her hair, "how do I know to trust you?" With a low chuckle from her, Kreese was dancing a dangerous line, and he had no clue.

It's true, Kreese had given no reasoning to not be trusted, in fact, he helped with Tory, helped with Robby. Jieun was playing the long game, she had no reason. "A dog's fate... follow its master." He began, "the same dog can live in luxury if it lucks out with a good master, or it can die on the street." He put a hand on his chest, "it's a dog's death."

She kept her face blank as Kreese gave her a curt nod. "You have a lot of potential here, I give you the information you want, and you stay. Do we have a deal?"

She had never spent much time with Kreese, nor wanted to, but everything was going smoothly. So, she agreed.

"IF YOU PUT THE 'S' AT THE END of 'knife,' you can make 'slut' going down. Fifteen points, not bad." Jieun said, motioning her arm to the scrabble blocks.

"Hey! No cheating!" Miguel yelled, giving her a wave and a stern questioning look.

She laughed, and slid onto the deck where Eli and he sat on in the Miyagi-Do dojo. "oh, c'mon, I'm just helping him."

Miguel rested his forearms and gave a lazy smile, "the plural for 'knife' is 'knives,' genius. No such word as 'knifes.'"

"Oh, no? Well, then what does Tony do to Bernardo in West Side Story?" A dramatic pause,  "I'll tell you what, he knifes him."

He let out a dramatic gasp, "well, aren't you a plot spoiler."

Eli ignored both of them and reached for the letter 's,' before cheering and telling another Miyagi-Do student to add fifteen points to his total. "I like her here," Eli said, jerking his chin toward the girl. "So, when are you joining?"

A low laugh, "Um, I'm not sure." She said, taking in her surroundings.

Miyagi-Do was gorgeous. The stone with Japanese engraving was clearly the jewel of the dojo. The way Daniel LaRusso decorated it one would be drinking in the aromas of the late summer blooms, soothed by the bridge and small waterfall between the two ponds, it was a delicate skin of the home.

Some of the bark of the trees had a sort of creeping mildew and the leaves were curled in a slightly unhealthy way. It bore apples of sorts, some even with a pink blush, but they all bore deep brown spots.

"Well, I hope it's before the tournament." His eyes narrowed and gave Jieun a sly grin. "How's Cobra Kai treating you?"

"You'll be disappointed to learn, not too bad." She said.

Miguel and Eli knew of her plan, actually, mostly Miguel but Eli had no problem with the girl. ❨ which was a surprise to many, considering his past actions. ❩

Eli moved another block, "maybe it's better you don't join, yet. Y'know because of..."

Miguel clenched his fists under the small table that held the game. Jieun and Sam had still not reconciled their differences, with good reason, don't get him wrong. He was no stranger to holding a grudge. What was going on inside her was difficult, from the way she behaved it was still a painful topic.

But there were times when one must protect the self, protect one's own heart and soul if the damage from a friend is too much. She'd rather find friends who'll love and treat her well than rekindle a friendship with someone whose words almost broke her into pieces.

Jieun chatted in her animated way about her life and petty grievances while Miguel showed concern, and empathy, and drop in helpful suggestions. But no sooner after Eli's words did she change track and she began to fidget and her eyes keep flicking to her phone. Already her attention span was gone and they might as well be talking to the wall.

Miguel's flow died in his throat as he watched her face sag into boredom, then in the second that the air was empty she started talking again.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Sam peered at them, standing.

"Sam," Daniel started, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "we welcome anyone."

"Welcome?" She crossed her arms, gaining a few confused looks. "She's in Cobra Kai, she's obviously a spy." She rambled.

"It's not like that," Miguel started, to which Sam replied with a scoff, "plus, there's not really much to spy about, we're just training." Sam glared.

"It's fine, I was just leaving. Have someone to meet." She assured them. She was thankful to Miguel for standing up for her against his girlfriend. They had bonded so quickly and strongly that Sam felt more than a little odd seeing her boyfriend defend her ex-friend. And she'd be lying if she said that Miguel's presence without Jieun felt a little different from when he was with her.

It had Sam a tad bit off balance.

"And for the record, I'm not a spy." Jieun faced the girl, "and, yeah, maybe I never forgave you for being a complete bitch to me after my father died..." she let out a silent laugh, her tone changing. "Because you broke my fucking heart." She looked at her with an unreadable expression, continuing with a loud enough for the other students to hear. "And maybe I've done a lot of fucked up things in my life, but I've never lied to you. Ever."

Silence fell, taut as a bowstring after she left. "Trouble between you two?" Johnny asked, taking a swig of his beer. "Is that the mouse girl you talk about?" He turned to Miguel, who closed his eyes and sighed, nodding. "Tictac's got some spunk, huh?"

JIEUN SIGHED IN RELIEF AT THE blissful quiet, Robby had dragged her to Kenny's home, which she had no problem with as she was on the front for the boy. She also didn't mind the trip if it meant getting away from the annoying Cobra Kai students.

She closed her eyes, and as she was falling asleep, she found herself picturing a cabin in the woods, at the foot of some snowy mountain. A fire roaring, some kind of stew bubbling in the pot over it. She's sitting in a worn armchair, listening to that soothing crack and pop of firewood as it caught and burst into flames.

Breathing deeply, she smelled woodsmoke and evergreens, herbs in the stew, and that damp mustiness of a cabin. But then a new scent punctured it all. Roses. Citrus. Sunscreen.

Robby.

"It's your turn." She groaned, swinging her legs back and forth, her face in disbelief. "Don't get too excited," he laughed.

"I don't even know how to begin." She stares at him as he hummed to himself, taking her seat. Jieun's eye twitched, he was either ignoring her, or he couldn't hear past his infuriating humming of a song she couldn't quite make out. "Swayze," she snapped.

He glanced her way. "What?"

"What am I supposed to teach him?"

He shrugged. "Anything,"

All at once, she made her way to the boy, giving encouraging words and feedback.

Teaching Kenny was different than when she taught Tory, for one Tory at least knew the basics, and two Kenny was absolutely terrified to get close to the girl.

"Listen, you have to come at me to really learn anything." She said slowly. "Okay? Hit me," Kenny hesitantly nodded, as she patted his shoulder. "Avoid the face."

He finally raised his arms so that they were in front of his face. His thoughts were not of his stance or of his surroundings, but of the coming battle, and he methodically reviewed the strategy he would employ to gain victory. Her fast movements broke his concentration.

With a frown Jieun sighed, glancing at her shoes before another voice spoke up. "I think it's better if we show you."

"I've seen plenty of movies to know what a fight is supposed to look like." Kenny pressed his lips in a fine line, "I just... can't throw the first punch."

"The movies are fake, by seeing how we move you can replicate it, it'll be easier for us and you." He says lightly. "Let us show you." It took a second but Kenny finally nodded.

After what seemed an interminable wait, the two teens faced each other and bowed. Robby's heartbeat quickened, he never faced Jieun before, not like this. Her bow toward him was far more gracious than the one he gave her. And his legs and arms started to tingle as she took a step back. His calves tightened as he readied himself to spring.

The fight started with furious exchanges. They shared a similar aggressive style of fighting. And if they were in a match then Jieun scored first with a reverse punch; he equalized shortly after with a spin kick that drove the air out of her. She quickly recovered her breath and scored again with another punch to the body; he did likewise.

He changed stance and fought with his right foot forward, his hands constantly moving. She attacked, and another punch landed on his body, high up near his shoulder, but it was still adjudged to have scored. He tried to press home his advantage and attacked with a high kick.

She sidestepped and he had moved out of reach by the time she threw a counterattack that brushed his jacket. She bounced around on the balls of her feet, still moving her hands in a threatening way, but she made no attempt to attack. She was playing for time; he moved forward, throwing punches to her head and body. She swayed and parried. His foot sweep swept her front leg away and had her tumbling to the grass but he failed to follow with a clean scoring technique.

Which she took to her advantage, as she managed to do her own foot sweep.

Her insides felt as though they had collapsed with the weight of his body on top of hers. Her breath left her in one long pained hiss as he moved his arms to the area beside both sides of her face to hold him up.

"You moron," She mumbled.

He can hear her. He can hear her voice and it's liquid gold in his ears. It's a soft, low purr. Her eyes look like a jungle cat's in the hearth's glow, butterscotch, and amber as the sunlight danced in her irises. Her hair's wild. It looked how he pictured it might after she's been in bed, tumbling around.

Robby reached down and tenderly brushes a strand of hair from her face.

He grinned, a real grin, soft and crooked not that fake shit he showed to the world. It felt intimate and personal and so impossibly lovely that she wanted to wrap her hands around that smile and slip it inside her pocket.

They stared into each other's eyes. She couldn't understand why she felt the way she did so suddenly toward the boy, and it made her want to hurl.

Her lips were a breath away, her eyes locked with his. He inched closer, closer ―

A cough makes him jerk away. Scrambling, the two move a foot away from each other, Kenny looked at them apologetic. "Was that also a part of the lesson?" He stifled a laugh as Robby made his way toward the boy to mess with him, Jieun a blushing mess.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

giggles

i keep forgetting that this is s4 and just when im about to write something where robby and jiji act cute im 'like wait a minute isnt this too soon?' girl u are on s4 they needed to get together like yesterday T^T

anyways theyre cute i just like torturing yall c:

much love,