It had been a year, but Viola still felt like she could scream until her voice gave out, or pull her hair out from the frustration and grief.

That day marked one year since Clara Kreese had died. Her death felt like it had drained all the color from the world, turning everything dull and lifeless.

Viola stood by, watching as the vibrant hues of her once bright life dimmed into endless shades of gray. The picture-perfect life she had known was torn apart, leaving her to stand in solitude amidst the wreckage.

If someone had told her a year and a half ago that this would be her life now, she would have laughed right in their face without a second thought. It would have seemed impossible, absurd even, to imagine her world falling apart like this.

But Viola's world had fallen apart, leaving her feeling lost and empty. The loneliness stuck to her like a shadow, always there, no matter where she went.

But what hurt more than the loneliness were the small changes she didn't even notice at first. Smiling, something that used to feel so easy, now felt fake and forced, like a flower trying to bloom in dry, cracked soil.

Her mom had been her only constant, the only family she could trust. Her father? Viola didn't even know the man. Clara never talked about him, and Viola never asked. She had always figured he had left them, and the one thing she refused to do was force herself into someone's life who didn't want her there.

She had no idea she had any other family. A grandfather, of all people. But he wasn't the warm, kind grandfather most people might imagine. No, he felt more like a storm rolling in out of nowhere ━ dark, heavy, and impossible to avoid. He appeared uninvited, disrupting her life just when she had started living with Daniel LaRusso.

Daniel liked to say that Viola's mom was the first person to really befriend him when he moved here. Clara trusted Daniel with her whole heart, and Daniel felt the same way about her. That's why, when Clara found out she was sick, he was the first person she turned to. She knew he was the one person who would love and care for her daughter when she no longer could.

They argued about it all the time. Clara had decided to stop treatment, convinced it wasn't helping, and had already started planning where her daughter would go and who would take care of her.

Viola couldn't accept it.

She begged her mom to keep trying, to give herself another chance. But Clara refused. She was in pain, exhausted, and ready to go. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of making sure Viola's future was secure before she left.

The 11th of December marked the day Clara Kreese left this world, but it also marked the day something in Viola changed forever. Her mom was gone, her presence now reduced to a grave, while Viola stayed behind, alive but feeling lost, as if a part of her had been taken away too.

That was the moment when John Kreese sunk his claws into her life. He turned his granddaughter to his way of thinking, instilling in her the belief that mercy was for the weak and that survival meant showing no kindness.

Think about it. Life had been unrelenting, harsh, and merciless to her mom. Viola couldn't help but wonder ━ why should she show mercy to anyone when the world had done the opposite?

Viola put all her trust in her grandfather, and that decision marked the start of her downfall.

But he was the only person she felt she could rely on, possibly because he was the last family member she had left. To her, he wasn't just her grandfather. He was a living, breathing reminder of her mom, the closest connection she would ever have to her again.

She liked to believe that John Kreese was the only one who could really understand her grief. After all, she was Clara's baby, but it was easy to forget that Clara had once been someone's baby too.

His baby.

Viola could only guess what went through his mind. Imagine not speaking to someone for over thirty years. Then, out of the blue, their name comes up ━ not for a reunion or a conversation, but because they're gone. That's how he heard about Clara. After all that time, it was too late to fix anything.

She pitied him, but only because she didn't know what her mother had endured under his control. Viola's sadness clouded her judgment, making her overlook the most obvious truth: no good man would drive his daughter to flee to the other side of the world.

She didn't see it coming until it happened. Kreese did the same thing to her that he had done to her mom. He used her, broke her trust, and left her feeling betrayed. Only then did she finally understand why her mom had run so far away from him.

Gray clouds stretched across the sky, and the air was thick with the smell of wet earth. Kneeling on the damp grass, Viola's hands trembled as she held a bouquet of pink tulips. She gently placed the bouquet at the base of the gravestone, fixing each stem until everything looked neat. Her mom had always cared about the little details, and Viola wanted to make sure this was just as perfect.

Her fingers lingered on the carved letters of her mother's name, tracing each curve and line. A faint, sad smile played on her lips as the memories wrapped around her heart. Then her smile faded. She heard it ━ a soft crunch of grass, like a footstep, coming from behind.

Her heart jumped, and she froze in place. Her fingers lingered just above the carved letters as the crunch of footsteps grew clearer, closer.

She swallowed hard, her mind racing. Slowly, her hand crept toward the grave candle she had set beside the flowers. It was heavy and solid, the only thing she could think to use as a weapon.

The sound stopped, and the air felt strange. A shadow fell across her.

With a deep breath, she spun around, swinging the candle with all her strength. The world blurred for a moment as her arm moved, but the candle missed, slicing through the air and hitting nothing.

He ducked back just in time, avoiding the blow. Viola didn't stop. She twisted her body, bringing up her leg to kick him. Her foot shot toward his stomach, but his hand lashed out and grabbed her ankle.

Viola's heart skipped, and her breath hitched when she looked up to see her grandfather right in front of her.

"Glad to see you're still training." He commented, his face lit with a smirk.

Viola let out a disbelieving scoff, then acted fast, yanking her leg free from his hold in one sharp motion. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The grave candle hit the marble headstone with a loud, hollow sound as she placed it down. When she looked up at him, her brown eyes were blazing with frustration and disbelief. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of, you know." Kreese's answer earned him a narrow-eyed look from his granddaughter, her skepticism obvious. "I thought I'd stop by and see my granddaughter. Are you doing okay?"

"Now you care? Where was this before?" Viola's tone turned cold as she snapped at him. "I gave everything I had to go back for you, and you repaid me by leaving me and Tory to deal with Silver and his psycho-bitch sidekick alone."

"You have every right to be angry. But I could not involve you in my plan to . . . liberate myself." Kreese said in a collected tone. Viola's eyebrows shot up, her face making it clear she thought he was completely out of touch. "I know it seemed cold. But I was only trying to protect you. And now that I'm out, we have an opportunity to dominate━"

Viola stopped him mid-sentence, her patience gone, unwilling to listen to anything else. "What we? Let's get one thing straight: there is no we."

His eyes shifted, the change subtle but noticeable. He stared at the brown bag lying next to Viola's shoes. A piece of white material stuck out, and on its surface was a logo he recognized instantly ━ Miyagi-Do's gi.

"Oh, I see now." Viola glanced down at her feet, her attention drawn to the bag where her karate gi peeked out. She looked back at him again. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day you'd stand with the enemy."

"Some of these people are my friends." The brunette pointed out.

"Darling, don't be naive." Kreese told her. "They'll invite you in, but you'll never belong there. When push comes to shove, they'll always figure out a reason to keep you second fiddle to LaRusso's kid."

She let out a fake scoff, trying to act like his words didn't bother her. But deep down, they did. "Get your ass back to your retirement home," she snapped at him, her voice sharp. "I'm not about to snitch on you to the cops, but if my senseis get to you first, they won't think twice about it."

He hesitated, her words clearly landing harder than he expected. The silence stretched for a beat before he moved closer. Viola stood her ground, tilting her chin up and locking her eyes on his. "I am your sensei, and you are my champion."

"Champion or not, I'm not yours and never will be." Viola spoke confidently. She leaned down, grabbed her bag, and quickly brushed off the dirt and leaves. Once it was clean, she slung it over her shoulder, turned on her heel, and walked away.

She didn't need to turn around to know her grandfather hadn't moved. His sharp gaze burned into her back as she walked through the cemetery gate.

𑁤 | author's note:
"get your ass back to your retirement home" LMAOOO you know damn well clara was in that grave, dying for a second time from laughter 💀

guys mark my words!! chapter 1: tears. chapter 2: heartbreak. chapter 3: kwonviola content (maybe hehehe)