╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter forty-five
but at what cost?

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

trigger warning: talks of death, throw up

"I HEARD AISHA got into UC Santa Cruz," Sam revealed. "Have you heard anything from Stanford?"

It was the first practice after choosing who would be going to the Sekai Tekai. Alyssa stood in a circle with Sam, Miguel, Eli, and Demetri as she stretched. She had proved herself to Sensei Barnes and made the team, although she wasn't sure how captainship would go. In all honesty, she thought either Sam or Tory would be a lot better than her for captains, but she was still in the fight. No matter what happened, she would still be going to Barcelona — without Eli, which still made her upset.

"No," Miguel answered. "I've been checking my emails, like, every day, but nothing."

"Hey, don't stress, it'll come," Eli reassured him. "I mean, Demetri hasn't heard from MIT yet, so . . ."

"Yeah, I did," Demetri then stated. "I got in."

"What?" Eli and Miguel chorused, standing up straight in shock from their stretches.

Alyssa's head whipped over to him, her eyes wide. "No fucking way." She then launched herself at him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight as he scrambled to hold onto her with a laugh. "Oh my God, Dem, that's incredible. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Ally," Demetri said, letting her go. "Well, yeah. Why are you all so surprised? I worked my ass off and earned that spot. That would be like LeBron James getting turned down by the Lakers."

"Congratulations, Demetri," Sam told him. "It's a really hard school to get into."

"Yeah, it certainly is." His eyes then slid over to Eli. "Especially when you don't apply. Right, Eli?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes — understandable why he wasn't letting this go, but still. "Demetri."

Eli gave him a look. "Real subtle."

Demetri shrugged. "Hey, man, I'm just saying, you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take."

Sam nodded to Alyssa. "Heard anything from UCLA?"

Alyssa shook her head. "Nothing yet. But I did get into San Diego State and UC Berkeley, which are also hard to get into. They're great options, but . . ."

"Not UCLA." Sam squeezed her shoulder. "I'm proud of you, anyways."

She gave Sam a small smile. "Thank you. Means the world coming from you."

"Nursing, still?" Miguel asked.

"Yep," Alyssa replied, her smile widening. "I want to be just like my mom. She's helped people her entire lives, and I want to do the same."

"All right, circle up," Sensei LaRusso called from the house. Instantly, they all moved to crowd around the small porch. "The Sekai Taikai needs our final roster in three days. And now that we know who's going, it's time for us to name our male and female captains. The captains are not just the leaders of the team. They're the ones that will be fighting in the finals if we can make it that far."

"Plus, they get to fight on live TV," Sensei Lawrence added. "Who knows what comes after that? Wheaties boxes, chop-socky flips, ZZ Top videos. Sky's the limit."

"You'll all get the glory if we win, but yes, the captains will be in the spotlight. They need to represent the best that Miyagi-Do has to offer. And Sensei Lawrence and I want to assure you that the decision will be completely unbiased."

"That's right. In two days, Sam, Fairy Princess, and Tory will face each other for the female captain spot, and Robby and Miguel will fight for male captain."

"We all know you fought plenty of times before, but now that we're on the same side, this is still the best way for us to see who's progressed the most," Sensei LaRusso told them.

"All right, enough talking," Sensei Lawrence voiced. "It's time to train." He pointed at Alyssa, Sam, Tory, Miguel, and Robby. "You four, get inside. I'm gonna whip your butts into shape."

Alyssa blinked. She glanced back, locking eyes with Eli for a moment. He shrugged and sent her a thumbs-up, mouthing good luck. Alyssa smiled slightly at him before climbing up into the house to join the others.

"Ah, here we go again," Sam commented, elbowing Alyssa's side. "Last time we fought for All Valley champ, this time we're fighting for captainship."

"I know," Alyssa replied. "It's crazy. I genuinely never thought that I would ever get here. I mean, if you told Alyssa two years ago that she would be able to represent a dojo in a worldwide karate championship, she would've laughed in your face." She then gave Sam a tiny grin. "No matter what happens, I'm just glad we're going together. But . . . getting captain would be cool."

Sam glanced up at her, seeing how her eyes lit up in excitement when talking about captainship. Now, it was no surprise to anyone that Alyssa was incredibly selfless. She always did everything to make sure other people feel better. Sam had been on the receiving end of that for their entire friendship, including when Alyssa insisted she wanted Sam to fight for them to be in the Sekai Taikai.

But if Alyssa was the one who got them into the Sekai Taikai, then . . . maybe it was Sam's turn to step back and let Alyssa shine, because that's all she ever wanted for her.

Sensei Lawrence then came inside. He taught them a new kata, which was . . . entirely different from what Alyssa was used to, but then again, he wasn't Sensei LaRusso.

"Big circle," Sensei Lawrence stated, and each of them did a big circle with their right arm. "Big circle." They then did a big circle with their left arm. "Breathe in." They brought their hands into them. "Breathe out." They pushed their hands outwards. "Elbow to the face." They stuck their elbow out. "Punch to the throat." They punched their fist out. "Lift his ass up." They lifted up their hands. "And dump him." They mimicked dropping a person. "Kick to the stomach." They kicked. "Block his attack. Grab his nuts. Twist, twist, twist."

Afterwards, he instructed them to sit down. They all sat down on the mat while Sensei Lawrence tugged a large trunk with an old TV on it over to them. Alyssa shared a confused look with Miguel, who merely shrugged, like this was completely normal.

"Breathe and clear your minds. Focus. Open your eyes."

Alyssa watched the screen. It was of an old movie, where a shirtless guy was slinging a bo staff around effortlessly. She tilted her head at it. Well, she could do that, but it was still impressive.

"Watch closely. Watch closely. Here comes the good part right here. Right here. Hell yeah." The movie went on for a little longer until they reached a fighting part. "Alex Grady is the character he's playing. Lost his shoulder in the first movie. In the second movie, it's miraculously healed. If you believe in yourselves, you could be like Eric Roberts, too."

After their kata session, Sensei Lawrence brought them back outside. He took them to the balance board, which was where they usually trained to find teamwork and, well, balance. Yet Alyssa wasn't so sure that was what Sensei Lawrence was going to do.

"The key to Miyagi-Do is balance. You gotta stay on your feet, no matter what life throws at you."

He took a sip of his Coors Banquet beer before launching it into a power tool. Instantly, beer bottles began flying out. Miguel, Robby, and Tory all went before Alyssa got up. She waded through the pond water and got up on the balance board. Alyssa blocked all of the ones he threw while keeping her balance, the beer bottles floating in the pond. The only one who managed to fall was Sam, and Alyssa sighed as she watched her best friend cough from the water.

"Mr. Miyagi fought for America. You're gonna have to do the same. Foreign kids don't speak English, but they do speak karate. So you're gonna have to kick higher and harder than ever before."

He set up the training dummies with shirts that had different countries' flags on them. Each of the others went before Alyssa stepped up. She stared at the flag of the Soviet Union in complete and utter confusion before lifting up her leg and kicking, completely knocking the dummy over. Tory even kicked a dummy with the Canadian flag and a beanie so hard she knocked the fence over.

So, yeah. Untraditional training day. Alyssa didn't really feel that prepared afterwards, but . . . whatever. It would all come down to the actual fight, anyways.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"AGAIN."

THE MIYAGI-DO backyard was dark, lit up by nothing but the lights on the sparring deck. It was the night before the fight for captainship, and Alyssa was practically jumping out of her skin, the adrenaline buzzing her body. Sam had invited her to train with her and Miguel with Sensei LaRusso, but Alyssa had politely declined. Not that she didn't want to train with them, but . . . she just thought she could do better by herself.

Well, when she meant by herself, she meant with Eli. Naturally. Besides, he was one of the best fighters she knew.

It wasn't unusual to see the two training together. Some nights, when things just got a little too much in their brains, they would come here and just spar it out. They would do fist-on-fist or weapons (usually bo staffs) on the sparring deck, practice their balance on the balance board (which they totally mastered, by the way), or work out inside. And, like Alyssa said earlier . . . usually there would be some kisses involved.

Okay, it was a shirtless Eli more often than not, mostly with his hair down, and they were practicing in a dark backyard. Sue her.

Tonight wasn't much different. Alyssa had paced around Eli's house, her mind worried sick, until he declared that she get her nervous energy out through fighting. He had taken them on his motorcycle all the way to the dojo — Eli in no shirt and sweats with his blue locks of hair flopping against his face, and Alyssa in leggings and a t-shirt. Don't Blame Me echoed from Alyssa's speaker, mixing with their sounds of fighting.

She jumped up and down a couple times, amping herself up as she shook her hands out. Alyssa then settled herself back down, raising her fists up as her eyes narrowed in concentration. Eli waited for her to strike first, which she did. She threw a punch, which he blocked. Alyssa jumped up and kicked, but Eli moved out of the way. She swung her arm back and punched again, and again, and again, all of which Eli blocked. Alyssa threw her leg out and kicked, but Eli caught onto it, tugging her into him. Once she was practically up against him, he punched her gently in the stomach.

Tension between them crackled in the air. Alyssa breathed heavily, staring into his blue eyes, which were slightly dark. She then let her leg down, her fists falling along with it.

"That was good," Eli said, clearly moving past whatever just happened. "Let's take a small break." He pushed some of his hair back. "You're a good fighter, Lys."

Alyssa lifted up her shirt a bit, wiping the sweat off of her face, trying to ignore the way Eli's eyes went down to her stomach. "Thanks." She wandered over to the steps and sat down, Eli sitting down right next to her so their shoulders were pressing into each other's. "Maybe so, but . . . am I good enough to beat Sam and Tory?"

"Absolutely."

She rolled her eyes — fondly, of course. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not," Eli countered. "You're an insane fighter. I mean, you should see yourself. You're kicking my ass."

"You've won every single round we've done tonight."

"I mean, maybe, but you've held you're own. There's no way you're not dominating this competition."

Alyssa absentmindedly twisted her friendship bracelet around her wrist. "You mean it?"

"For sure," Eli responded. "It's not always easy fighting your friends. Trust me, I know. But if you've made it this far, you can go even further." He moved his face a little closer to hers. "You've got this, baby."

She smiled and reached up, placing a hand on his cheek and scrunching up her nose slightly at how he practically melted into her hand. "Every hit will be for you."

He scrunched his nose up back at her. "It better be."

Eli then leaned forwards and closed the distance between them. Alyssa indulged in the kiss for a moment before pulling back. She then put her head on his shoulder, and he rested his cheek on top of it. Eli put an arm around her shoulders, tugging her in close. And somehow, in no the slightly chilly air, underneath the stars and the lights of the sparring deck while wrapped up in her boyfriend, Alyssa felt a sense of home.

"I wish you were going," Alyssa admitted quietly.

"I know," Eli responded. "Me too. But . . ." He reached over with his other hand and touched the hawk charm on her necklace. "I'll be with you, wherever you go."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

JUDGEMENT DAY.

NOW, Alyssa was making it sound like it was the end of the world. It wasn't — it was just the day that they would be fighting for captainship of the Sekai Taikai. Yet she was more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life, even more than the All Valley or that fight to actually get into the Sekai taikai. She stood next to Sam, shaking out her trembling hands.

"Hair's tight," Sam began, reaching back and tightening the half-up half-down Alyssa had put her hair in. "Chin's up." She put her hand underneath Alyssa's chin and lifted it up. "Okay, you're all set."

Exactly what Alyssa had done to Sam back at the All Valley. Alyssa felt her heart warm. God, she loved Sam. She had the biggest heart out of anybody Alyssa had ever met. Sam gave her a nod before moving upwards to stand by her dad. Meanwhile, Alyssa slightly moved back to stand next to Eli.

"Miguel, Robby, you're up first," Sensei LaRusso stated.

The two of them stepped up onto the sparring deck and bowed to Sensei LaRusso. They then went to their own sides of the sparring deck.

"All right, first to three points wins. Face each other, bow." They bowed to each other. "Fighting positions. Ready? Fight."

Both of them hesitated. Robby put out his fist the tiniest bit, but Miguel moved back. He then punched, which Miguel blocked. He continued blocking all of Robby's advances and spun around and kicked, which Robby dodged. Miguel then bent down and swept Robby's legs out from underneath him and punched him in the center when he was down.

"Point, Diaz." Both boys got back up and went to their respective sides. "One point, Diaz. Zero points, Keene. Ready? Fight."

Neither of them moved for a second. Robby spun around and kicked, and Miguel dodged all of Robby's other advances before bending down and kicking high. He kicked Robby in the chest, making him fly in the air and fall to the ground.

"Point, Diaz. Two points. One more, and he wins. That's two points to a zero."

Robby's eyes then caught on something in the distance. Alyssa's eyebrows knit in confusion, and she turned to see what it was. Her expression then softened into one of understanding when she saw Tory walk in, who was late to the fight. However, once Tory got closer, concern instantly filled Alyssa's insides. Tory looked . . . shell-shocked. Her hair was unruly, she seemed pale, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Something wasn't right.

Seeing Tory must've kicked Robby into high gear. He stood up, pushing his hair back with newfound determination flashing across his features.

"Ready?" Sensei LaRusso asked. "Fight."

They circled each other. Robby blocked all of Miguel's punches and kicks, not even blinking. He then launched himself into an incredible flip — which Alyssa wanted to learn — to avoid Miguel sweeping his legs again. They fought for a moment longer before Robby punched Miguel in the chest.

"Point, Keene. Two to one. Ready? Fight."

Miguel launched himself up into a flying kick, which Robby dodged. He kept going at Robby, but Robby dodged and blocked all of them. Eventually, Robby also did a flying kick, which hit Miguel right in the face.

"Point, Keene. All right. Two to two. Next point wins. Ready? Fight."

Robby, once again, rejected all of Miguel's advances. They both fought well with all of their punches and kicks, but in the end, Robby caught one of Miguel's kicks and completely flipped him over. Before Miguel could recover, he rushed up and punched Miguel in the chest, securing the point.

"Point, winner."

Alyssa glanced in between the two as they shared a fist-bump. Obviously, she was sad for Miguel. She knew how much he wanted to win, because something like the Sekai Taikai could help him with Stanford. On the other hand, she was extremely happy for Robby. After a lot of losses, he deserved a win.

Sensei LaRusso lifted up Robby's arm. "Your male captain, Robby Keene."

"You did great, honey," Alyssa reassured Miguel as he stepped down from the sparring deck. "I'm proud of you."

"Liu, Nichols," Sensei Lawrence called.

Alyssa froze for a second, raising her hand as her eyebrows knit in confusion. "Wait. I thought I was fighting Sam first, and then whoever won would fight Tory?"

"I'm not fighting at all," Sam admitted. "I stepped down."

Her head whipped over to Sam. "You did what? Are you fucking insane?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe." She then looked over at Alyssa. "Come on, don't look at me like that. You deserve one of the spots. I'm not going to hold that back from you."

"But, Sam—"

"No buts. Ally, I have had my moments to shine way more than you have. Besides, you're the one who got us into the Sekai Taikai. You should be the one to potentially represent us there." Sam gave her a small smile, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I want it to be you."

Alyssa's eyes trailed across her face. She could see the seriousness in Sam's eyes. Sam totally deserved to fight, too, but now she was stepping aside for Alyssa. Alyssa honestly wanted to scream at her best friend to tell her she was being dumb, but when Samantha LaRusso set her mind on something, it was hard to change it. She knew Sam wouldn't budge, especially when it came to something like this.

She smiled back at Sam before reaching out, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."

Sam hugged her back even tighter. "I love you more. And you don't have to."

Alyssa pulled back away from her before reaching up and unclasping her usual necklace from around her neck, holding it out to Eli. "Hold onto this for me, will you?"

Eli took it from her. "Of course." He then leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Good luck. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Alyssa then let out a deep breathe. She could do this. Alyssa stepped forwards and up onto the sparring deck, along with Tory — who still didn't look any better.

"All right, bow to me," Sensei Lawrence ordered, and they did. "Bow to each other."

Alyssa stepped up to Tory, holding out her fist to her. "Good luck, Nichols. Let's fucking get it."

The smile instantly slipped off her face. Tory was staring at her, a sense of fire behind her eyes — one that was extremely familiar. Her eyes then trailed down to the fist Alyssa had out, and her expression turned pained, almost like she was about to cry. Nevertheless, Tory bumped her fist with Alyssa's.

Alyssa took a step back to her side of the deck. She locked eyes with Eli in the crowd. Instantly, he rapped his knuckles twice on his chest, right over his heart. Alyssa smiled at him and repeated the motion.

"Fighting positions," Sensei Lawrence voiced, and Alyssa planted her feet firmly on the ground, raising her fists. "Ready? Fight."

Tory yelled out and ran up at Alyssa with alarming speed, kicking out her leg. Alyssa moved out of the way and ducked underneath Tory's punch. She blocked both of Tory's kicks before jumping up and kicking herself. Tory blocked that, and Alyssa pushed away her foot when she kicked. Alyssa then bent down low to the ground and swept her leg, causing Tory to fall. She punched her in the middle of her chest.

"Point, Liu."

Eli clapped. "Let's go, Lys!"

She breathed a little heavy, going back to her side. Tory hit the ground in frustration and got up as well.

"Fighting positions," Sensei Lawrence said. "Ready?"

However, before he could say fight, Tory already advanced. She came in absolutely swinging. Alyssa blinked in shock for a moment before blocking everything. She punched twice, which Tory easily blocked. However, as Tory kicked, and kicked, and kicked, Alyssa couldn't keep up, and her foot made contact with Alyssa's chin.

"Point, Nichols."

She had already gotten the point. Alyssa thought it was safe, but she was wrong. As she went to walk back, Tory turned herself around and kicked Alyssa right in the stomach. She lost her breath for a moment and stumbled a couple of steps backwards as her hand clutched onto her stomach. Alyssa straightened up, staring at Tory in surprise. Her uneasiness didn't settle when she saw the malice on Tory's face.

"Hey, Ref," Sensei LaRusso cut in. "That's a little overkill. That should be no point."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm handling it," Sensei Lawrence replied.

Alyssa brushed it off. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"Ally," Sam protested.

"I'm okay. Really."

Sensei Lawrence pointed at Tory. "Listen, that's a warning. Next one's a deduction. It's one to one. Fighting positions. Ready? Fight."

Alyssa's eyes narrowed in concentration. Tory faked an advance, but Alyssa stood her ground. They circled each other for a moment before Tory came forwards with a punch. Alyssa blocked every one she sent her way before grabbing Tory's arms, spinning her around. She then blocked a knee and another punch before lifting up her leg, kicking Tory right in the stomach.

"Point, Liu. Two to one. Fighting positions."

She watched as Tory jumped up and down, amping herself up. Alyssa had no idea why Tory was acting like this. She had sparred with her before, and it never compared to this. Something was definitely wrong.

"Ready? Fight."

Tory spun herself around and kicked, but Alyssa lifted up her leg and blocked it with a kick of her own. Alyssa blocked a punch and swung her arm, but Tory ducked underneath it. Tory launched herself into the air with a flying kick, but Alyssa jumped backwards, throwing herself into a back handspring step-out (she wasn't lying when she said once Moon taught her how to do a cartwheel it would be over for everyone.) She landed back on her feet, her fists raised. Alyssa continued to block Tory's punches and took a step back when Tory threw herself into a flip as well. She swept her leg, but Alyssa quickly lifted her foot up to avoid it.

Alyssa threw her own punches, which Tory blocked easily, until Tory grabbed onto her shoulder and pushed her backwards, raising her fist above her head with a complete snarl on her face. Alyssa's eyes widened. This was it. Tory Nichols was literally going to kill her on this sparring deck in the Miyagi-Do backyard, and Alyssa couldn't even find it in herself to fight back. Yet the reason why she couldn't fight back wasn't because she was afraid, she just didn't understand why Tory was so aggressive all of the sudden. She braced herself for impact, but . . .

It never came. Sensei LaRusso instantly stepped in, catching Tory's punch in his hand. Tory let go of the tight grip she had on Alyssa's shoulder. Alyssa took a step back, rolling her shoulder as her skin ached.

"The fight's over," Sensei LaRusso told her.

Tory shook his hand off of her. "That's not fair. That could've been a point."

"What the hell are you doing, man?" Sensei Lawrence demanded. "I'm the ref. I'll decide when the fight's over."

"I'll explain, okay?" Sensei LaRusso said, taking Sensei Lawrence's shoulder and bringing him to the side. "I promise."

"Wait, don't stop the fight, please," Tory said.

Sensei LaRusso lowered his voice. "We can't do it right now. Not in front of everybody."

"I'm okay," Alyssa promised. "Really, Sensei LaRusso. I'm fine."

"No, Ally. It's not that. It's not that. Come on. Please, girls. Come on, off the deck. Let's go."

"Don't tell them what to do," Sensei Lawrence argued as they took their sides of the deck. "I'm their Sensei, too."

"Well, then, end the fight," Sensei LaRusso instructed.

"Why?"

"Because my mother died!" Tory screamed.

Everything seemed to freeze. Alyssa's fists lowered, and she stared at Tory. Her heart instantly broke for the girl. Now, she wasn't always the biggest fan of Tory, but her life had been really hard. Watching as tears filled Tory's eyes . . . Alyssa somehow knew this was Tory's final straw.

"Tory," Sensei LaRusso began gently. "I'm . . . I'm so sorry for your loss, but we can't continue this fight. This is not the time."

"Yes, it is," Tory insisted. "Yes, it is. I have to fight now."

"Tory," Alyssa said as softly as she could. "We can continue the fight, but . . . I think we should stop for a second, okay? Let's just think this through."

"Sensei Lawrence, some help here, please," Sensei LaRusso voiced.

He shook his head. "It's not up to us. If Nichols wants to fight, then she should fight."

"Johnny. Listen, we'll find another way to appoint the captain."

"Find a way?" Tory repeated. "No. No! You do not understand. None of you understand! My mom, she would've wanted this." Tears started to spill down her cheeks, and she walked up to the edge of the deck, staring down at Mrs. LaRusso. "If I don't fight . . . I have to do this. I have to do this for her. I have to fight."

Robby stepped up on the deck. "Tory, let's — let's just take a second and just—"

"No, Robby, no."

"Just breathe."

Mrs. LaRusso stepped up closer to Tory. "Tory, I know what you're feeling, okay? But I also know that you're not in the right headspace to decide."

Tory shook her hands off of her. "No, you just don't want me to beat your honorary daughter."

Mrs. LaRusso shook her head. "No."

"Because when push comes to shove, you're gonna choose her and Sam over me."

"No, it's not that, Tory," Sensei LaRusso protested.

"Hey, we're not taking sides," Mrs. LaRusso agreed.

"You sure about that?" Sensei Lawrence argued.

"Johnny," Sensei LaRusso scolded.

"You want this fight to be over?" Tory asked. "Fine. It's over."

"Tory, wait—" Alyssa started to say.

"No!" Tory yelled, pointing at Alyssa accusingly with such hatred in her eyes. "No, you don't get to say anything when your mother killed her!"

Alyssa stumbled back in shock, her eyes widening. "W-What?"

"She was watching over my mom! She should've known something was wrong! She should've saved her! She should've!"

An absolute punch to the stomach. Selena Liu was a nurse, something that Alyssa always admired about her mom. She was choosing the same career because of her, after all. Her mother had never given her specifics of who she treated at the hospital for confidentiality — besides Miguel when he was in his coma, of course, but that was different. Yet learning that her mom had watched over Tory's, only to not see something that eventually killed her . . . Alyssa didn't know what to think.

I want to be just like my mom.

People died. That was just the reality of it. But nurses were supposed to help people. Alyssa knew her mom probably did everything she could, but . . . this was personal, now. Tory was taking out her anger on Alyssa because of her parent. And right now, Alyssa couldn't blame her.

That comment from Tory hung in the air. Alyssa's chest started to tighten, and she felt her mind start to spin out of control. She could practically hear her heartbeat in her ears, and it was childish, but all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cover her ears so she wouldn't hear it anymore. It was like she didn't have a grip on reality anymore. Tory then turned on her heel and walked down the sparring deck, pushing through the crowd.

"Tory, where are you going?" Robby questioned.

"I'm done!" she replied.

They all watched her go, nothing but sad expressions and stunned silence. Alyssa wanted to go after her, but one, she was sure Tory didn't want anything to do with her, and two, her feet felt like lead. No matter how hard she tried to move, she was just stuck, trapped in her own panic. She shouldn't be feeling like this — after all, Tory's mom just died, and Alyssa didn't deserve to feel like she was sinking underwater. But hearing her mom being accused of killing another person was enough to send her spiraling.

Alyssa put a hand to her stomach, trying her absolute best to resist the overwhelming urge to be sick. "Oh my—" Her hand trailed up to her chest, like it would make it less tight and make it easier to breathe. "I—"

Eli was in front of her in a split second, not wasting any time once he saw her panic. "Hey." His voice was as gentle as possible, and he took her face in his hands. "It's okay. You're okay."

Alyssa shook her head, her eyes squeezing shut. "No, no—"

He brushed a stray piece of hair from her face. "Come on. Come back to me. Breathe, baby."

"I — I can't." She swore she felt like she was going to fall over, and she reached out, gripping the fabric of his gi so tight her knuckles turned white.  "I don't . . ."

"Lys." His thumbs ran back and forth on her cheeks, completely grounding her. "Open your eyes, Lys. Come on."

Even though she didn't want to, she did. Eli was standing in front of her, his blue eyes swimming in concern as he held onto her shaking figure. Alyssa really wanted nothing more than the Earth to open up and swallow her whole, because holy shit. She now understood why Tory went so aggressive on her.

"It's not you," Eli promised. "You didn't do anything."

"Eli," she whimpered.

Her eyes trailed back to the entire dojo over his shoulder. Everybody was staring at her — besides the Sensei's, who were marching over to the house. Alyssa's breathing picked up. She couldn't do this. Alyssa pushed Eli's hands off of her, as much as she didn't want to, and stumbled down the sparring deck. She picked up her pace, hearing the shouts of Miguel, Sam, Demetri, and Eli behind her. Alyssa didn't stop until she reached the very front of the house. She didn't care about the dirt on her feet, or anything.

As she slowed to a stop, she was going to be sick. No, like, actually — that overwhelming urge had gotten to the point where she couldn't resist it anymore. So she turned herself around to the nearest bush to her and emptied all of her stomach's contents into it. From how little she had eaten that day, it was practically nothing, which really only made her feel worse.

"Hey, you're okay," Eli's voice reassured her, his one hand gathering her hair back while the other rubbed her back softly. "Let it out. It's okay."

There was no more. Alyssa coughed, feeling absolutely miserable — physically and emotionally. Eli led her over to the steps of the house and helped her sit down. She put her hands on either side of her head and just sat there, trying to calm her churning stomach and racing mind. The only thing that really helped with that was Eli continuing to rub her back and whisper things to her.

"I . . ." Alyssa trailed off. "I can't believe it."

"I know," Eli agreed. "I can't imagine how Tory's doing." He then looked at her seriously. "But how are you doing?"

"It's my fault."

"Lys—"

"Tory's out of Miyagi-Do," Alyssa said blankly. "And I might've not done it, but all of this rests on my shoulders."

"Lys, come on—" Eli continued.

"You saw the way she looked at me. She . . . she hated me. Maybe I should've just let her continue to fight me."

"Alyssa," Eli stated, and she froze. He never called her that — it's how she knew he was serious. "If that fight continued, you could've gotten seriously hurt. She was on a rampage. It was for the best." He then leaned forwards and kissed her forehead. "None of us are going to blame you, so don't you dare blame yourself."

Once Alyssa had calmed down some, with a lot of help from Eli, she went back to the others. Alyssa still felt sick and was still sweaty and shaky, but she had to go back. She slowed to a stop next to Miguel, who placed a hand on her arm in question. Alyssa gave him a tiny smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, before looking back to the Sensei's on the sparring deck.

"Training for the Sekai Taikai has been hard on all of us," Sensei LaRusso said. "But now training is over. And while most of you won't be going to Barcelona, we know you'll be there with us in spirit."

"Since Tory won't be going with us, we've decided Hawk will take her spot," Sensei Lawrence revealed.

Alyssa instantly got a wide smile on her face, despite the whirlwind of emotions she had just experienced. Relief instantly spread throughout her body as she watched up and join Demetri's side. At least now he would be going, and they would be fighting together. It honestly felt a little easier to breathe now, but not by much. Alyssa still felt horrible for Tory.

"You seven will be fighting for Miyagi-Do," Sensei LaRusso instructed. "It will be the toughest challenge you've faced yet. And to win, we're all gonna need to be there for each other."

"All of us," Sensei Lawrence added. "As a team."

"Captains, step forward."

Alyssa felt Sam pat her on the back, and she grinned slightly to herself. She stepped forwards, along with Robby. The two shared a glance, and Robby elbowed her side gently, acknowledging her success. She nudged him back.

"Chris, bring up the official Sekai Tekai captain headbands," Sensei Lawrence ordered.

As the Sensei's stepped down onto the grass, Chris brought up the box the Sekai Taikai had sent them. Sensei LaRusso opened the box, revealing two white headbands with a black circle in the middle and back rectangles on either side of it. Each Sensei took a headband. Sensei Lawrence tied the headband around Robby's head first.

Alyssa felt a sense of home as Sensei LaRusso stepped towards her. He might've not been her first Sensei, but he taught her everything she knew. And Tory was right — it was no secret that the LaRusso's saw Alyssa as an honorary daughter, given how close she was with Sam. A sense of serenity spread throughout Alyssa's body as he gently placed the headband on her forehead, even though she believed that she didn't deserve it at all. Yet, before he could tie it, he suddenly stopped, a look of realization flashing across his face.

She frowned. "Sensei LaRusso? What's the matter?"

He said nothing. Sensei LaRusso snapped himself out of it, tying the headband around Alyssa's head as fast as he could before rushing off. She watched him sprint into the house, hopelessly confused. The others clapped for her and Robby, just as confused as she was.

Eli then came into her line of vision, his voice quiet. "Now, we'll fight together. I'm so proud of you."

He lifted his hands up, holding either side of her necklace. Eli reached back, underneath her hair, and clasped the necklace around her. Instantly, the hawk and A charms rested comfortably on her neck, just like always. Somehow, it meant more to her that he did that than Sensei LaRusso putting the headband on her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder as she pressed up onto her toes to get as close to him as possible. Eli instantly put his arms around her waist and tugged her in closer, hugging her tight. He turned his head for a moment and placed a kiss right on her temple. Alyssa shut her eyes, and as she took a sigh of relief, his presence started to calm her down.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

BARCELONA WAS BEAUTIFUL.

Alyssa's guilt ate away at her to the point where she couldn't even look her own mother in the eye. Even Jackson had asked her what the hell was wrong with her. Maybe it wasn't entirely Selena's fault, but Tory's screams haunted her mind, and everything from that had made her quit Miyagi-Do. Alyssa couldn't just let that go.

It probably didn't help that Demetri and Eli still weren't talking to each other much. Sitting in between them on a twelve-hour flight hadn't been the best experience with all the awkwardness. Nevertheless, they got to Barcelona safe and sound, which was an incredible city. There were so many things to see, so many things to do. Yet, the day they had all been waiting for had finally come — the Sekai Taikai.

Alyssa, clad in her white Miyagi-Do gi and her hair tied back into a braided ponytail, looked up at the Sekai Taikai building in wonder. She led the back with Robby by their Sensei's, but she comforting presences of everyone behind her was enough to calm her nerves. They took their spot next to the mat, and Alyssa kept watching as everyone from their respective dojos. It was all soo cool, and she couldn't believe she was here.

But then the worst of the worst happened.

A dojo, clad in all black, entered the room. Alyssa strained her neck to see, but once her eyes set on their logo, her heart instantly dropped all the way to her stomach. A sense of dread and horror filled her insides. That snake logo had haunted her for months on end, and right when she thought it was over, it came back.

Cobra Kai.

They took their spots by the mat. Instantly, Alyssa's eyes locked on one of the boys', and he smirked at her. She shifted uncomfortably for a moment before straightening up. No. She wouldn't show weakness. They had taken down Cobra Kai once before — they could do it again.

Kim Da-Eun, the Sensei who had worked with Silver and caused Tory all that pain, walked out with . . . John Kreese. Alyssa's whole body froze as she stared at him. He had been the one that poisoned Eli's mind and caused him to be literally psychotic. Last she had heard, Kreese had escaped prison and was on the run from the police. Yet now, she didn't understand how he was at a whole international competition.

Then, out of the shadows, came none other than Tory. Alyssa's eyes widened, and her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the blonde. For weeks, she had tried to reach out to Tory to speak to her, but no answer. Yet now, she was here, back in Cobra Kai. The only place she could run to. Alyssa glanced over at Robby quickly, her heart breaking at the betrayal written all over his face.

"No fucking way," Alyssa let out.

It wasn't over. It was far from over. This was the beginning, and Alyssa wasn't exactly sure how it was all going to go.

•─•°•❀•°•─•

. . . well!

thanks for the cliffhanger, netflix :) I really appreciate it :)

anyways, I will see y'all in november for part two! yippee!

but I hoped you like MY plot twist hehehe I'm a genius

not the 6700+ word chapter AGAIN jesus christ I have too much to say I fear

now I need y'all to hear me out . . . maybe it wasn't totally realistic for sam to step down like that but 1. she would do ANYTHING for alyssa and I mean ANYTHING and 2. I didn't feel like writing a fight scene between her and sam bc I got lazy so fucking sue me I'm rewriting the script

to hold you over, I made a playlist of songs that follow along with alyssa & eli's story in chronological order that you can listen to and cry over as we wait for november :D

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1jddmCvviLigdVnQGCE2q8?si=grb4OlgiSEWLIGu_p38Okw&pi=u-LjdMireYSJKQ
*I also have my spotify in my carrd!*

if you end up listening to it, let me know what you think and / or what the song you think on the playlist is the most them coded <3

(okay also I did not mean to make the playlist like 13 hours. that's so my bad. there's just too many songs that they relate to)