❝ don't try to be soft because i'm me. ❞

MIGUEL GRABBED HAWK AS SOON as he walked back over, shoving him hard.

"Why the fuck did you kick her, man?" He spat angrily, pushing Hawk again.

Johnny quickly noticed, pulling Miguel away before things got worse. Hawk wiped away the blood on his nose, glaring at Miguel.

"No mercy, right? That goes for your girlfriend, too. Oh wait, is she even your girlfriend anymore?"

Miguel stepped forward again, but Johnny restrained him.

"Hawk, go to the damn locker room. Fix your face."

He glanced at Miguel once more, then walked off. Johnny finally let Miguel go when Hawk was out of sight, facing him.

"Look at me," Johnny said, "look at me. Focus. I told you it was going to come down to this, alright? Now you have to tell me: are you ready to fight her or not?"

Miguel clenched his jaw, tapping his foot with irritation. No, of course he wasn't ready. He would never be ready.

He didn't answer, but deflected. "I have to fight Robby Keene first. Then we'll see."

That was the person Miguel was saving all his anger for. He knew what moves he could and couldn't do without getting disqualified, and he was saving them all for Robby.

They were down to the quarterfinals. Miguel was fighting Robby, and Ayane was fighting some guy from Pasadena.

Before the next matches, they were given a ten minute break. Ayane and Daniel were spending all of it in the locker room.

"Ayane, I need to know if your back is hurt," he said with a serious tone. "I can't let you continue and risk hurting yourself-"

"I'm fine," she replied through gritted teeth, pacing the locker room. Just then, Ennis walked in.

Ayane frowned. "What are you doing back here? I thought you weren't allowed-"

"I'm a doctor. They let me come. Now sit down."

She huffed, doing as he said. The pain had not subsided, but Ayane was doing her best to ignore it. Ennis touched her back in different spots, asking where it hurt.

"I'm okay," Ayane continued rather hopelessly. "Really, I am. I can fight."

Ennis and Daniel exchanged a look, fatherly looks of annoyance.

"I'm going to get the medic to do a wrap around your chest. That should stabilize you, at least to the end. But I'm warning you right now," Ennis said, with a dangerously serious tone. "If you kick too high or too fast, you can very easily end up back in the hospital."

Ayane pushed her hair back, tightening the braid she had it in. "Understood."

The medic came in and did a gauze wrap around her chest, giving her a tightening feeling in her back. She considered herself lucky enough that Ennis was still letting her compete, but Ayane supposed it was just because he wanted to see her win just as much as her.

The ten minutes were up. Ayane reappeared in the big room, hearing deafening applause for her. She had not even had this much praise for her taekwondo competitions.

Miguel and Robby were facing off first, she realized. Ayane sat beside Mr. LaRusso, preparing herself. She had no idea what was going to happen, as they were both insanely good.

Ayane bounced her legs rapidly, watching them bow. She did not know who to root for. Obviously she wanted to be on Miguel's side, but he was just acting like such an asshole. So she remained silent, trying to mask any emotions she had while they fought.

Robby got the first point, which Ayane could see bothered Miguel a lot. He was back on his feet quickly, however, and prepared to strike first. He came at Robby with an aerial forward kick, sending Robby to the ground with a lot of murmurs from the crowd.

Ayane bounced her knee harder.

Robby grappled Miguel's attempt at a throw, kicking his leg from under him and knocking Miguel to the ground. Miguel quickly shot up, striking Robby in his rib cage.

"Foul!" The referee called. "No point!"

Ayane shook her head, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

The match was excruciating. And finally, it came down to a tie. Two points on both sides.

"I can't watch," she muttered, straightening up and glancing away. She was praying, praying that it wasn't going to be Miguel.

"Point, Diaz!"

Her heart sank.

Robby walked off the mat at once, disappearing into the locker room area. Ayane looked up at Daniel, hesitating. "You should go check on him," she said quietly.

Mr. LaRusso looked down, frowning. "What? He's not hurt-"

"No, not on the outside. But he obviously chose to compete for someone's sake. Other than his own."

Daniel glanced over at the locker rooms.

"We've got twenty minutes before the match starts. It's okay."

Ayane smiled, watching Mr. LaRusso stand up at once and walk to the locker rooms. Then, turning her head, she jumped back.

Startled, Ayane looked up to see Miguel standing in front of her.

"Can we talk?"

Her mouth suddenly went dry. Ayane stood up, facing Miguel. "Oh- I uh, um- yeah. Yeah, sure."

Miguel was not smiling, but she followed him to the side where there weren't a lot of people. Ayane looked up at him, nervously smiling.

"Ayane... I've been a jerk. Obviously. I-I let my jealousy get the best of me and I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Especially, for not helping you when you asked me to. I can see now that I was wrong. You're doing pretty damn good."

For the first time in weeks, Ayane laughed genuinely. She broke out into a grin, looking up at Miguel. Her smiled faltered at once, Ayane sighing.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied, shocking words coming from her. "I know- I know that you were only making those decisions because you care about me. And- I care about you too. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here today."

Miguel frowned, shaking his head a little. "Wh-What do you mean?"

Ayane hesitated, toying with her sleeve. "Uh, well... I wasn't going to let you forfeit. I know how much karate means to you. It means more to you than it does to me."

He nodded with understanding, glancing down.

"What about the winning part, though?"

Ayane grew quiet. Miguel looked back up, smiling softly. "I know who cares more about winning this out of the two us. I know what it means to you."

Over the past few weeks, Miguel finally came to understand that Ayane wanted to win for Ennis, not for herself.

She pursed her lips, then replied, "Yeah, well... you better give me a fair fight though."

Miguel raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean!" She replied with a short smile. "Don't try to be soft because I'm me. And don't you dare try to go easy on me because I'm a girl."

He nodded seriously, then smiled. "Fair fight. I promise."

"Oh," he added, "I'm sorry for what Hawk did. I guess Demetri was right. He has turned into an asshole."

Ayane got annoyed thinking about Hawk, but nodded. She had won the match, so she didn't care anymore.

"Everyone's been telling me that Cobra Kai is no good," she said, glancing up at Miguel. "That it turns you into something you're not. I just- I hope that's not true."

Ayane placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment, then walked away.

Miguel stood there, conflicted. He didn't think he was turning bad.

As Mr. LaRusso returned to help her prepare, Ayane had her mind in a million different places. She had almost forgotten she had to fight the Pasadena kid. He was obviously really good, but he was trying too hard to be a showoff.

The twenty minutes were up, and both Ayane and the kid stepped onto the mat. There was a lot of cheering, but Ayane drowned them out.

The kid was fast, but Ayane was faster. Her entire fighting style revolved around her speed, which is what made her such a threat. The guy focused more on offense than defense, which gave Ayane an easy path to a win. He scored one point on her, but that was all.

"Winner, Cain!"

The crowd erupted with cheers and applause, Ayane looking out at them with surprise. They were all rooting for her.

She returned to the bench beside Daniel, taking deep breaths to calm herself. They had a lot of time before the final match, and Ayane was not going to waste her energy.

A lot of people were coming up to her, wishing her luck. Ayane told them all thank you, because she sure as hell was going to need it. Miguel was the only person she felt defenseless against.

"Hi Ayane!"

Glancing up, Ayane's face turned to a glare as she saw Moon standing in front of her. She didn't like the girl, obviously because Moon was besties with Yasmine.

"I wanted to wish you luck," Moon said with a sweet smile, surprising Ayane. "And I wanted to tell you that I think you're a badass. Do it for women!"

Ayane smiled slowly, amused by Moon. She kind of regretted never taking a chance on the girl.

"Women," Ayane nodded. "Definitely. Thanks."

Moon nodded, going back to sit with Demetri.

Ayane checked the time on her phone. Ten more minutes. She looked across the room at Miguel, who was sitting next to Johnny and staring at the ground. She couldn't tell if was nervous or focused.

"Ayane."

The girl looked over, seeing Sam take a seat beside her.

"Are you nervous?" She asked, offering a smile.

Ayane shrugged. "Yeah... probably for the wrong reasons, though."

Sam nodded in understanding. The two had talked some, and Sam was up to date with the situation on Miguel.

"Well- I'm rooting for you. Not because I have anything against Miguel, but I really don't like Cobra Kai."

They both laughed, Ayane shaking her head. "It seems like a lot of people aren't fans of them. Anyway, no worries. I'm going to do the best I can."

Sam smiled, then looked past Ayane and said, "Oh, hi Robby."

Ayane turned her head, seeing Robby standing there. He had a stoic look on his face.

"Hi," he replied, sitting on the other side of Ayane. "Look, I want you to win. I want you to crush him, okay?"

Ayane raised her eyebrows, exchanging a look with Robby.

"Okay...? I don't think I'll be crushing anyone, but yeah. Sure."

Robby frowned. "Aren't you still pissed at Miguel?"

Ayane smiled thinly. "Ah, well... it's complicated. We've talked things over, so- we'll see what happens."

Robby huffed, shaking his head.

"Come on, Ayane. Don't let your feelings get in the way of winning."

She frowned. "Okay, I won't. You act like I'm going to take it easy on him."

"Well, are you?"

Ayane rolled her eyes. "No, dumbass. Miguel is no different to me than any other opponent."

That was a lie. Ayane was a nervous wreck.

The next thing she knew, it was time for the match to begin. She and Miguel both stepped on the mat, making steady eye contact. They smiled at each other, but it was more so an apologetic smile. Because one of them was going to come out as the winner, and one wasn't.

"Face me, bow," the referee said.

They bowed.

"Face each other, bow."

They turned to each other, maintaining eye contact as they bowed. The tension could be felt through the entire room.

Her hands were sweating uncontrollably as she got into fighting position. Ayane closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a deep breath. She tried to imagine herself at the apartments in Reseda, just the two of them sparring casually and having fun.

Opening her eyes, the referee said, "Ready..."

Ayane did not look at Miguel's eyes. She had to concentrate.

"Fight!"

She and Miguel circled the mat for a moment, Miguel visibly hesitant. Ayane was taught not to strike first though, so she waited.

Finally, Miguel put forward a back kick, though it looked extremely slow for him. Ayane easily blocked, turning Miguel over onto the ground.

She met his eyes, shaking her head. He was not keeping his word.

"Fair fight, Miguel," she said through gritted teeth. "You promised."

Ayane did not help him up, stepping back and getting ready.

"Ready, fight!"

Miguel sped up this time, trying to treat Ayane with indifference. It was hard for him, as he was trying to win and at the same time not hurt her.

Ayane, on the other hand, was completely ruthless. It was only one fight, after all. There would be many more after this one.

Miguel came up from behind her and pulled a move that she had been expecting, so Ayane easily slithered out of his grip and kicked backwards at his shin, flipping Miguel onto the ground.

"Time out!" Johnny shouted, gesturing Miguel over. Ayane glanced at Miguel briefly, shaking her head.

"That's one of the best moves I've ever seen," Daniel remarked, shaking his head in disbelief. "The kid hasn't even scored on you. You've definitely got this in the bag."

Meanwhile, Johnny had different words for Miguel. He grabbed him by the folds of his gi, staring into Miguel's eyes with a death glare.

"No. Mercy. Do you want to win this thing or not?"

"Yes, sensei," Miguel replied weakly, inhaling.

"That's not good enough. Look at me, right now. You're not giving it your all because you're afraid of damaging your relationship with her, right? Well I can tell you right now that she doesn't give a shit. She's doing whatever it takes to win and you should, too. No mercy!"

Johnny let Miguel go, pushing him back onto the mat.

Ayane turned, facing Miguel as she stepped on the mat herself. She noticed a change in his expression, how it had gone from reluctant to ruthless.

"Two points, Cain! Zero points, Diaz!"

She readied herself once more, planting her feet.

"Ready, fight!"

Ayane was not prepared for what happened next. Miguel threw a hard kick to her side, knocking Ayane to the ground.

"One point, Diaz!"

She drew in a breath, wincing at the pain in her side. But Ayane got back up, somewhat smiling.

It was a fair fight, now.

"Fight!"

Ayane broke the first rule of Miyagi-Do. She struck first. It threw Miguel off guard for a moment, but he retaliated with a block and jab punch to her shoulder.

"Two points, Diaz!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, clenching her jaw. Ayane turned for a moment, confused as Mr. LaRusso called a time out.

Ayane walked over, frowning. "What's wrong?" She asked, confused.

"You broke the rule. The only rule. And you didn't get the point."

She glanced down. "I'm sorry," Ayane apologized, "I got ahead of myself."

Daniel's expression softened. "It's alright. Look, I know what he's gonna do next. He'll try to grapple from behind, throw, and strike."

"How do you know?"

He smiled. "Trust me. It's a sneaking suspicion."

Ayane shrugged, dismissing it.

"Okay, got it."

She returned to the mat when time was up, pacing a little. Ayane turned her head briefly, trying to find Ennis in the crowd. She saw him watching intently, serious as ever.

Turning back, she got into fighting position, Miguel doing the same. For a moment, Ayane was afraid of the look in his eyes. It was not a good one.

"Ready? Fight!"

Just like a dream, Miguel's move unfolded right before her as Daniel predicted. Ayane was prepared, and she did a move she had never done before. Miguel grabbed her from behind and Ayane somehow flipped over him, amazed as Miguel was on the ground.

She could do it now; strike him, get the point and win. But Ayane hesitated. She looked up into the crowd, finding her dad. Ennis was standing up. He nodded at her.

Ayane looked back down at Miguel, and everyone began to wonder what she was waiting on.

When she didn't strike him, Miguel took advantage and flipped Ayane over with her outstretched right arm. He hit her in the stomach, though very gently.

Ayane stared up at him, beginning to smile.

Miguel had won.

NOTES!
LMAO WERE Y'ALL EXPECTING THAT?? slsjdjdks i'm sorry if y'all didn't like the outcome,, but just remember that there are reasons behind her decision ;)

that's a wrap on season one!! i'm honestly so geeked like i can not beLIEVE that this book has 15k reads. that's crazy, thank you guys so much. i'm already planning out season two and it is going to be WILD. i love you guys sm!! <3