𝐒𝐈𝐗. 𝖳𝖠𝖪𝖤 𝖠 𝖱𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳

The dojo was filled with tension, the air thick with the usual sense of competition. Johnny Lawrence stood by the door, arms crossed, surveying his students. But today wasn’t just another lesson in kicking ass. Today was different. Today, the lesson was about letting go of grudges.

Lilu stood off to the side, arms folded, eyeing the dojo. She had been a part of Cobra Kai for a while now, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about Johnny’s approach. He wasn’t what she had expected, but maybe that was what made him interesting. Beside her, Tory was chatting with a few other students, but there was something more in the way her eyes lingered on Lilu, a silent understanding between them that wasn’t there before.

"Lilu!" Johnny barked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You're up. Show me how you handle your grudges."

Lilu hesitated, then nodded, stepping onto the mat. She had a lot of grudges to deal with, but this wasn’t about proving anything. It was about letting things go, right?

She squared off with another student, a new face in the dojo. His name was Liam Hayes. He was tall, with short-cropped dark hair, and wore the same Cobra Kai gi as the rest of them. But there was something about him that was different, something that made Lilu wary. He had the demeanor of someone who had seen far too much and didn’t let things go easily. His eyes were hardened, and she could tell right away that he wasn’t going to be easy to defeat.

"Ready to spar?" Lilu asked, trying to mask her nerves with her usual confidence.

Liam gave her a tight nod. "Ready when you are."

They began to circle each other, and Lilu noticed the tension in his movements. There was something not quite right about the way he fought, a quickness to his strikes that was almost too practiced, too aggressive.

"Come on, Lilu! Don't hold back!" Johnny shouted from the sidelines.

She took a breath and launched herself at Liam, blocking his first strike and pushing him back. He responded with a fierce kick, knocking her off balance. She stumbled but quickly regained her footing, this time going on the offensive. She needed to stay sharp, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Liam was holding something back. He wasn’t fighting like a normal Cobra Kai student.

"What's wrong, Hayes?" she taunted, trying to get under his skin. "Afraid to go full force?"

Liam’s eyes flashed. "You wouldn’t understand," he muttered, throwing a series of punches.

Lilu dodged them and countered with a swift jab to his stomach. He flinched but didn’t react. Instead, he grabbed her wrist, twisting it, and forcing her into a painful lock.

"Let go!" she hissed, trying to twist out of his grip. "What the hell are you—"

Before she could finish, a voice interrupted. "Enough!" Johnny’s voice rang out, authoritative. "Liam, what the hell was that?"

Liam released her with a muttered curse, stepping back. He looked like he was about to say something but hesitated.

Johnny approached, his eyes sharp. "You’re not in the military anymore, Hayes. This isn’t a battlefield. You don’t get to bring that shit here."

Liam’s jaw tightened, and he turned away, refusing to meet Johnny's gaze. "Sorry, sensei," he muttered.

Lilu stood up, rubbing her wrist, still trying to process what just happened. There was something wrong with Liam, something Johnny hadn’t addressed yet. She could feel it. He wasn’t just some military guy who had joined Cobra Kai; there was a deeper darkness to him.

Tory, who had been watching the sparring session from the sidelines, walked up to Lilu. Her expression was a mix of concern and curiosity.

"You good?" Tory asked, her voice low.

Lilu gave her a tight smile. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just... he’s different, you know?"

Tory nodded, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Liam. "I can tell. He’s got a weird vibe."

The tension in the dojo thickened as Kreese walked in, his presence sending a chill through the room. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his voice as cold as ice.

Johnny’s face hardened. "Just a little... lesson in control. Nothing we can’t handle."

Kreese didn’t seem convinced, but he said nothing more. Instead, he turned his attention to the students, including Liam. "You all need to learn that there are no excuses in Cobra Kai," he said, his voice laced with venom. "If you want to be a warrior, you need to leave everything behind—your grudges, your past, your emotions. It's the only way to survive."

Liam seemed to bristle at Kreese’s words, but Lilu couldn’t tell if he was angry or if the words just didn’t reach him. He stood there, silent, eyes focused on the floor.

After a long, uncomfortable pause, Kreese turned to leave, his boots clicking against the floor with each step.

Johnny ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Alright, that’s enough for today. Go home, cool off, or whatever. But I want everyone back here tomorrow, ready to work."

As the students started to file out, Lilu couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was coming. Liam wasn’t the type to just blend into Cobra Kai. He was hiding something, something that might just change everything.

Tory caught up with her as they left the dojo together. "So, what do you think?" she asked, looking at Lilu, her tone serious.

Lilu hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at the door. "I don’t know. But something’s not right with him. I feel it."

Tory studied her for a moment before nodding. "I know. I trust you, Lilu. Just... keep an eye on him."

As they walked down the street, the setting sun cast long shadows on the pavement, but Lilu couldn’t shake the sense that something darker was looming over them. And Liam Hayes was at the center of it.

---

The next day, the dojo was busier than ever. Johnny had drilled the importance of commitment into his students, and it was clear that Cobra Kai was taking its place at the top. But something about yesterday’s sparring match with Liam kept eating at Lilu. Her instincts told her that there was more to him than the new recruit's tough exterior. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something darker was brewing, something connected to his military past that wasn’t just about his fighting style.

Tory walked into the dojo with her usual swagger, her eyes scanning the room. Lilu met her gaze, a silent understanding passing between them. Neither of them was naïve enough to think that the tension from yesterday was over. In fact, Lilu felt like it was only the beginning.

“Everything alright?” Tory asked as she sidled up to Lilu, leaning casually against the wall.

Lilu turned her attention to the front of the room, where Johnny was laying out new drills. “I’m just not sure about Liam,” she confessed, her voice low. “He’s not like the rest of us. Something’s off.”

Tory raised an eyebrow. “You think he’s a spy or something?”

Lilu shook her head. “No. I don’t think it’s that. But there’s something in the way he holds himself. Like he’s... waiting for something. Or someone.”

Before Tory could respond, Johnny’s voice rang out, calling them all to attention. The students gathered around, and Johnny began outlining the day’s lesson.

“Today, we’re going to work on control,” Johnny said, eyes scanning his students. “No more playing around. We’ve got a fight coming up, and I want every one of you sharp, focused, and ready for anything.”

Lilu tuned out Johnny’s instructions, her thoughts drifting back to Liam. She could see him standing off to the side, his jaw clenched, his eyes fixed on the ground. It was like he was trying to disappear into the shadows.

Just then, Kreese walked in, his presence immediately commanding the room. “No time for hesitation,” he barked. “No time for fear. In Cobra Kai, you strike first and strike hard. Understand?”

The students nodded, the tension in the air palpable. Lilu glanced at Liam, noticing that he seemed almost... distant. He wasn’t reacting to Kreese the way the others were. He wasn’t scared; he was just... waiting.

The lesson began, and as the students paired off to practice their moves, Lilu found herself paired with Tory. The two of them worked well together, their chemistry on the mat undeniable. But Lilu couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to keep an eye on Liam. Every time he moved, every time he sparred with someone else, it was like he was holding back, only giving them enough to keep things from escalating too far.

After a while, Johnny called for a break, and the students scattered around the dojo, grabbing water and catching their breath. Lilu moved to the corner, stretching her legs, when she felt a presence next to her.

“Lilu.”

She didn’t need to look up to know it was Liam. His voice was low, almost too soft, like he didn’t want anyone to hear him.

She glanced up, giving him a tight smile. “Hey. What’s up?”

Liam hesitated, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “Can we talk? Just... for a minute?”

Lilu raised an eyebrow, confused but curious. “Sure.”

Liam led her to a quieter corner of the dojo, away from the others. His eyes were intense, as though he was measuring her, trying to figure out if he could trust her.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said quietly. “About me. You think I’m hiding something.”

Lilu crossed her arms, not backing down. “I don’t think; I know. You’ve got a... I don’t know, a vibe. Like you’re not really here. Like you’re waiting for something.”

Liam exhaled slowly, his eyes darkening as if he was reliving something painful. “It’s not what you think,” he murmured. “I’m not waiting for anything. It’s just... hard to let go of who I used to be. Hard to let go of what I used to do.”

Lilu studied him carefully. “You’ve been through some stuff, haven’t you?”

He nodded, his jaw tightening. “I’ve seen things... things that... well, you wouldn’t understand.”

Lilu tilted her head, her voice softer now. “You don’t know that. You might be surprised.”

Liam’s gaze flickered to hers, and for a moment, there was a vulnerability in his eyes that he quickly masked. “Maybe. But not everything can be fixed by karate.”

Before Lilu could respond, they were interrupted by Johnny’s shout from the center of the dojo.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Get back to it!”

Liam shot Lilu a quick, almost apologetic glance before turning to join the others. Lilu watched him go, her thoughts swirling. She didn’t know what it was about Liam, but there was something deeper to his story, something he wasn’t ready to share yet.

Tory came up behind her, an eyebrow raised. “What was that about?”

Lilu shook her head. “I don’t know yet. But I’m going to find out.”