╰┈➤ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬! ๋࣭ ⭑⚝
✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
⭑.ᐟ ˊˎ- In the aftermath of her mother's death, Tory Nichols finds herself at rock bottom, struggling to care for her younger brother and keep her life together...
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꩜ .ᐟ
𝐓𝐡𝐞 week of the tournament was closing in fast, and the atmosphere around the Cobra Kai dojo was electric. Tory was pushing herself harder than ever, determined to prove her worth not just to Kreese but to herself. Yuko, on the other hand, was caught in an emotional whirlwind—between her father's expectations, her growing attachment to Tory, and her strange, unspoken feelings about the people she'd met, especially Hawk.
Tory had been quieter than usual, her focus razor-sharp during training sessions. Yuko had spent most of her time watching from the sidelines, cheering for Tory and the others. Despite her aversion to violence, Yuko found herself drawn to the passion and grit in the fights. Still, it left her uneasy.
One evening, after another grueling training session, Tory stormed out of the dojo. Yuko, who had been sitting in the corner sketching designs in her notebook, quickly gathered her things and followed.
"Tory!" she called, jogging to catch up. "What's wrong?"
Tory spun around, her face flushed with frustration. "What's wrong? Everything, Yuko. Kreese keeps pushing me, making me feel like if I don't win, I'm nothing. And then there's my mom... I can't get her voice out of my head, telling me to be strong for Brandon. I'm trying, but I feel like I'm drowning."
Yuko frowned, stepping closer. "You're not nothing, Tory. And you don't have to carry all of this alone. You have me, you have Brandon, and..." She hesitated. "And maybe you don't want to hear it, but you even have some of the people on the other side who care about you."
Tory let out a bitter laugh. "You mean people like Sam? Spare me."
Yuko sighed, her patience tested. "You're angry, I get it. But holding onto that anger isn't helping you. Maybe—"
"Maybe what?" Tory snapped. "I should just forget everything Sam's done to me? To my family? To my friends? No, Yuko. You don't understand what it's like to fight for everything, to have people look down on you just because of where you're from."
Yuko felt a flash of anger but swallowed it down. She reached out, placing a hand on Tory's shoulder. "You're right. I don't know what it's like to be you. But I know what it's like to have people expect you to be something you're not, to live up to some impossible standard. I'm trying to help, Tory, not make things worse."
Tory pulled away, shaking her head. "I don't need your help, Yuko. I've got this on my own."
Before Yuko could respond, Tory turned and walked off. Yuko stood there, stunned and hurt, before finally heading in the opposite direction.
ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ
That night, Yuko sat in her room, staring at her phone. Her father's words from the previous week echoed in her mind: "We cannot afford distractions or scandal."
