 ( chapter forty nine )
ENEMIES MADE OF STONE.

Sam suddenly attacked Tory, throwing her backwards as Syd jumped out of the way, not wanting to get another broken bone from the LaRusso girl. "Fight! Fight!" A boy screamed, bringing attention to the girls. "Shit." Syd frowned. "Can we please just talk?" She tried, really not wanting the mob of teens to join in on the conversation.

Sam just shoved Tory again, answering Syds question. "Sam!" Tory gasped, not fighting back. "You knew all along that Silver cheated at the All Valley and you did nothing?" Sam screamed, shoving Tory again. "You don't know what it's like in there, what I've— we've had to deal with." Tory replied, sending Syd a look. Syd just frowned, watching again.

Sam yelled out, throwing another punch that Tory blocked. She shot her attention to Syd. "And what? You knew this whole time and just let me feel guilty for what happened at the All Valley?" Syds eyes widened and Tory shook her head. "She didn't know. I told her tonight, no one else knew. If you're gonna be pissed, be pissed at me."

"Oh, don't worry." Sam shot back, kicking Tory into the dumpster behind her. "I am." Syd ran to Tory, checking on the girl as she stared at Sam. "Stop!" Sam just attacked again, Syd quickly dodging the attack as Sam's foot landed right between where the girls had been on the dumpster. "My entire family has suffered because of you!" Sam yelled, going at Tory again.

Suddenly Miguel, Robby, and Eli were between the girls, each grabbing one of them as they looked between the three confused. "No! Sam, that's enough!" Miguel snapped. "She's been working with Kreese this whole time." Sam yelled, pointing at Tory. Tory had told the girl how she was working with Sensei Kreese to take Sensei Silver down as well as all the details surrounding it, something Syd found out at the same time Sam did.

"What?" Robby questioned, staring at Tory. "Syd?" Eli questioned, looking at the girl sadly. He now wondered how long she knew about this and never told him. Syd just looked around, feeling like everything was happening too fast. "I— I didn't know." She breathed out, meeting the boys eyes.

"Why did you only come forward now? Huh? Because you're a coward." Sam spat, staring at Tory. "Screw you, LaRusso. I knew this was a mistake." Tory frowned, walking by Syd and grabbing her hand, pulling the brunette off with her as Sam ran the other way.

"Tory." Robby frowned, hoping the girl would come back. "Sam." Miguel tried. "Syd." Eli spoke, reaching toward the girl. Syd just looked back at the three boys, sadly staring at them before turning around and walking off with Tory.

Tory was right, this was a mistake.

———————

Syd stood in Cobra Kai between Tory and Kenny, conditioning as Sensei Silver and Sensei Kim stood before them all. She had never felt so uncomfortable in the dojo, feeling like everyone was against her now after she'd disappeared the night before. "Nichols. McKinley." Sensei Kim spoke, stopping both girls. "Double time." She spat.

Syd did as told, speeding up her movements as Tory did the same. Sensei Kim obviously didn't believe their reasoning for not being at the fight, and now they were paying for it.

Syd kept going, only stopping when Robby walked into the dojo. She frowned, making eye contact with the boy before looking away. She was already in enough hot water, she didn't need the Senseis thinking she put Robby up to this too.

"Mr. Keene. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sensei Silver wondered, staring at the boy angrily. "I came here to apologize." Robby responded, facing the class. "I let you down. Turned my back on you. I didn't understand at the time, but I realize now I was wrong. I shouldn't have just left. I should have taken you all with me. Everything you're taught here is bullshit. There is pain in this dojo and it's built upon fear, because this man is not your Sensei, he is your enemy. But it's not too late for you. You're not past the point of no return. And I promise, there's still another way."

Sensei Silver just started slowly clapping, staring at the boy. "Bold move, Mr. Keene. Bold move. We've heard you out. Now it's my turn to speak. Joon-bee stance!" Everyone did as told. "Right leg back, kia!" Everyone listened again. "Forward strike, side kick, kia!" They all followed, listening to every word the man said.

Syd could feel herself falling back into her usual ways, mind ready to listen to everything Sensei Silver said and more. She held back, forcing herself to remember what she wanted as she stared forward. She may have been doing as told now, but she wanted to make sure she wouldn't do the same later. It was safe to listen now, but once it was safe to go against Silver that's when she'd strike.

"There's a difference between being heard and being listened to. They heard you. But they listen to me. Now... if you don't mind, we've got some training to do. If Mr. Keene or any of his friends step foot in this dojo again, what will you show them?" Sensei Silver asked, looking out to the class. "No mercy, sir!" The class responded, Syd sending Robby a sorry look before facing front again.

She watched as Robby and Tory made eye contact, the boy nodding slightly. He wanted to get his friends out of there and now knew they wanted it too, it was just about striking at the right time.

"All right. Back to it." Sensei Silver decided, watching as Robby left.

Later toward the end of class Syd found herself running laps around the mat, just waiting for it to end. "Come on, let's go, let's go. All right. That's enough. Attention. Bow. Dismissed." Sensei Silver decided, answering all of Syds wishes. She just hoped to get out quick.

"Except you, Nichols. McKinley you too." Sensei Silver added, staring at the two. Syd frowned, now really knowing they didn't believe her reasoning for leaving. "I need you both to stay a little longer." Sensei Silver continued, moving back as Tory and Syd walked to Sensei Kim.

Syd watched nervously as two other Senseis brought out two of the human punching dummy's, only the padding wasn't there anymore and there was just two bodies made of pure stone. Syd looked at Tory nervously, not understanding what was happening. They couldn't expect them to hit that thing, they'd break a bone.

"What is this?" Tory wondered, voicing Syds thoughts. "This is your enemy. Destroy it." Sensei Kim responded, demandingly looking between the two. Syd watched Tory moved toward the head of the stone, squeezing it lightly to test her theory. "It's solid stone." Tory spoke, sending Sensei Silver a nervous look.

Syd didn't understand why they were doing this to them. Yeah they left the fight, but the Senseis had no reason to believe it wasn't for a good reason. This sort of punishment just seemed inhumane.

Sensei Silver just stared at the girls angrily, not speaking. "I'll break my hand." Tory frowned, looking back at Sensei Kim. "It will heal in time for the tournament." Sensei Kim shrugged. Syd turned to Sensei Silver, panicked as she watched him avoid her gaze. "Why? Why after everything you saw after the All Valley?"

He once again didn't speak, just looking at the girl and glaring. "This is crazy. We're going home." Tory decided, grabbing Syds hand before moving for both of the girls to leave. Syds frown deepened as the girls instantly got blocked in by their other Senseis, showing them that they had no way out of this situation.

Syd was beginning to panic, feeling trapped. This wasn't the Cobra Kai she'd stayed for, one where they hurt their own students to prove a point. She'd stayed because she believed in them, but that belief was quickly wavering.

"You will go home when the lesson is over." Sensei Kim replied. Tory let Syds hand go, figuring it couldn't be that hard as she moved before one of the stone figures. Syd frowned, nervously doing the same. She didn't want to do this, she didn't want to break another bone after just healing the first time. With any luck she could just focus hard enough and punch through, they wouldn't try and hurt their two best fighters, she hoped.

Syd watched as Tory aimed, slamming her fist into the stone before gasping, grabbing her hand in pain. Syd jumped, watching and seeing the stone didn't even crack. "Not hard enough. To break it, you must use all your power. McKinley, go." Sensei Kim demanded.

Syd bit her lip, taking in a deep breath as she shakily held her fist up, focusing on the plate before her and punching it as hard as she could. Syd let out a gasp, grabbing her fist as it ached in pain while the stone didn't crack. She winced, looking back at Sensei Kim, almost begging to stop. "Harder." Sensei Kim spoke.

Tory looked forward again, yelling out as she punched again. Nothing. "Are you even trying?" Sensei Kim wondered. Syd screamed out, tearfully looking at her target and punching forward, ignoring the pain as she punched multiple times before she couldn't anymore. She let out another yell, this time for her hand as it throbbed in pain. "You are weak." Sensei Kim spat.

Tory tried Syds tactic, punching the stone until she couldn't anymore. Tory bent over herself, groaning in pain. "Something is holding you back." Sensei Kim decided, looking between the two. "I— I can't do it." Tory gasped. "Me neither." Syd groaned, mind overcome by the sensation of the pain. She couldn't break another bone, not so soon after the first. She couldn't go through that pain again.

"It's the boys, isn't it?" Sensei Kim wondered, scoffing as both girls looked at her instantly. "You both act strong, but inside you're soft."

"That's not true!" Tory yelled, glaring at the woman. "Your feelings have made you weak." Sensei Kim continued. "No!" Tory frowned. "It's not true." Syd added, shaking her head. "You care more about these boys than your own dojo!" Sensei Kim shouted.

Syd shut her eyes tight, feeling all the frustration, pain, and anger from the past few weeks build up within her. She left the boy she loved for this dojo, just to be told she was more loyal to Eli than Cobra Kai. She felt like screaming, she felt like punching something. "I broke up with him because of this dojo, you bitch!" Tory yelled, taking the words right out of Syds mouth. "Fuck you!" Syd yelled, finally allowing herself to feel what she'd been putting down.

Syd kept her eyes shut, screaming as she punched forward at the same time Tory did. Syd screamed as her fist went through the stone, smashing it. She felt every nerve on her hand scream, her hand never hurting more. Syd screamed out as she fell to the ground, holding onto her wrist.

She didn't even need to look to know Tory had done the same thing, Sensei Kim getting the power out of them, but Syd wondered if the cost was worth the reward. "That must have been a hard decision. For both of you. But you made the right choice. Let's hope you keep making them." Sensei Silver finally spoke, looking between the two girls mirroring each other's pain on the mat.

Syd wanted to scream, she wanted to kick and punch and yell until nothing hurt anymore. But she couldn't even think, mind overcome with the pain. "Lesson over." Sensei Kim spoke, walking away with the rest of the Senseis. Syd cried out, holding her shaking hand.

"Are you okay?" Tory questioned slowly through her own pain. "No. Are you?" Syd replied, finally looking up at her friend. "Not at all." Tory frowned. She stood slowly at that, using her good hand to help Syd up. "Come on, let's go back to my place and fix this up." Tory decided, the girls holding onto each other for dear life. Syd breathed through the pain, doing everything she could to ignore it as she used one hand to drive the girls to Torys.

Once there, they immediately went inside and Syd quickly noticed the hospital bed in a room someone was lying in. She didn't think it was the time to ask, leaving it be as Tory grabbed ice, handing one pack to Syd before sitting on the couch beside her. "I— I can't believe they had us do that." Syd frowned, looking at Tory. "I know... I don't know how much longer I can stay there." Tory replied, her own frown on her face.

Syd just closed her eyes tight, breathing out light sobs as she tried to exhale through the pain. She could move her fingers, letting her know that it wasn't broken, but she didn't think her hand would be okay for a bit. "Here. To clean it." Tory spoke, handing Syd a wet towel and cream to keep the wound from getting infected. She then put a wrap between the two, cleaning her own wound before wrapping her wrist.

Syd cleaned her hand, wincing as pain shot through her body. She ignored it as she applied the cream, hoping it would help the wound. "Okay, okay." Syd spoke lowly to herself, hyping herself up as she took the wrap when Tory was finished, wrapping her hand slowly as she forced herself to keep going.

"That place... used to feel like home. And now, I don't know how I'll ever step inside again without wanting to scream. I feel like my safe place has been ripped away from me." Syd admitted, feeling tears fall down her face. Tory frowned, pulling her friend into a hug. "I know how you feel. I mean— at least you can go home and be with your family."

Syd just broke down at that, shocking Tory. "What is it?" Tory wondered. "I— I've been lying to you. I told you my mom was alive and my dad was around, but... uh, I lied." Syd exposed. "What?" Tory spoke, shocked. She didn't understand how Syd had kept it a secret for so long, or why.

"I, uh, I lost my mom when I was 5. She died a bit after Oliver was born and I basically lost my dad too because he started going on month long business trips almost immediately. He, uh, goes away for a while and then comes back when I'm asleep before leaving again. Every time I actually see him it, uh, doesn't end well... but I think he's coming back with a new girlfriend and kid. He didn't even try before replacing me." Syd explained. She didn't know why she said it, but it felt good to tell someone she trusted. She hated hiding things and lying, so telling Tory felt like a weight was lifted.

Tory frowned. "Syd— I'm so sorry. W—Why didn't you tell me?" Syd sighed, shaking her head. "The only ones who knew were Eli and Sensei Kreese. They, uh, caught me with a black eye and I ended up telling them it was from my dad. I don't really like people knowing my business, so I usually just tend to let people think whatever they want about my home life. It's safer for me to take care of Oliver if no one is peaking around to check if there's an adult, so... but I guess now if my dad really does stay I'll have that to worry about instead."

"I get that." Tory nodded. "My mom's pretty sick, so I mostly take care of my brother too. I've got this aunt who just likes to get our disability checks, so when I'm 18 I'm pretty sure I'll have to fight her to keep my brother, or whenever my mom dies. Sorry, uh, basically I get it."

Syd just pulled Tory close, hugging the girl. Tory hugged back instantly, both girls being mindful of their wrists. "I'm so sorry." Syd spoke. "That must've been really hard and I think you're doing a great job."

Tory just hugged Syd tighter, thankful for the girl. She'd never had a best friend before, or anyone she trusted enough to share her life to her age. It was really special for her.

A sudden knock caused the two to break apart, looking at each other nervously. They didn't know who it could be, minds going to Sensei Silver and Kim ready to teach them another bone breaking lesson. Tory stood slowly, walking a bit quicker as there was another knock on the door.

She opened it, revealing Sam standing before her. "What are you doing here?" Tory wondered, Syd standing quickly to stand by the girl as she looked at Sam. The last time they saw Sam she wasn't exactly willing to listen, so she was weary of any nearby dumpsters.

"I... oh my god! What happened?" Sam gasped, looking at both of the girls wrapped hands. "Don't pretend like you care." Tory replied, shaking her head lightly. Syd frowned, eyes meeting Sams before the other girl looked away. "Look, I don't wanna be here. But if you're having problems with Cobra Kai, I'd be willing to listen."

Tory nodded slightly, moving out of the doorway to let Sam in. Syd just frowned, giving Sam a look before moving to sit beside Tory. She grabbed her ice pack again, placing it back on her knuckles with a wince.

Syd noticed the way Sam looked around, watching as the other girl saw all the empty takeout boxes and the hospital bed. She only looked away when Sam faced the two again, looking at Tory. "I wanted to win the All Valley more than anything. After our match when they handed me that trophy... that was the best moment of my life. But then I saw Silver and that ref, and it just killed me. I felt like a fraud. And I wanted to get back at Silver so bad. And that's why I listened to Kreese, but then I just got caught up in more lies. And now my life is a living hell." Tory explained, looking down sadly as she held the ice to her hand.

"I didn't know what you were going through. Either of you. But now that I do... maybe we can help each other. I tried to talk to Stingray. He basically admitted it was Silver who assaulted him in the old dojo. But he's too afraid to go to the police." Sam explained. Syd frowned, not knowing that Sensei Silver was the one who almost killed Raymond. "What the fuck." She muttered, frowning. After tonight she was afraid of him and what he could do, but that sent it over the edge.

"I knew Silver was involved, but... I had no idea he did it with his own hands." Tory admitted. "Problem is we can't prove it." Sam frowned. "Well, if it happened at the old dojo, maybe we can." Tory realized, thinking back to the cameras that were in the dojo. Syd nodded, smiling at the blonde. "You're right. Everything should be there."

Sam smiled, looking between the two. With any luck, they could take Silver down that night.

AUTHORS NOTE!
one more chapter of season 5 😱 it'll definitely be a long one lol

I always feel bad about inserting my oc into big moments in my books for some reason cause I feel like I'm taking away from the other characters, but I've decided to ignore that cause it's my book and it's what I wanna do lol so I just need to allow myself to do whatever. it's an oc in the show for a reason, I gotta remember they exist for me and can go into any plotline I want cause it's my book lolz

^^^ mini rant targeted at myself cause I get mad at myself for this so often for no reason