THE WALK TO THE VENUE IS QUIET, THE ONLY NOISE BEING THE RAIN HITTING THE CONCRETE. Maisie walks silently in front of Johnny for the entire time, forcing herself to sing lyrics in her head over and over. She used to do this when she was a kid, to try and drown out her parent's voices as they argued.

Maisie keeps her head down as she walks into the venue, her fist white as she holds onto the strap of her bag. Johnny walks slightly behind her, like he can shield her from the enemies.

They manage to get to the hallway that their locker room is in when a voice calls out, "May!"

Immediately, she stops. Her first instinct should be to run. She's almost in safe territory but she can't move. Her feet are planted into the floor.

Johnny whirls around. He hasn't ever seen Maisie's dad, but he doesn't have to have seen a picture to know the 2 brunettes in front of him are related. Maisie has his eyes and his nose. He smiles and a shiver goes down Johnny's spine. She smiles like him too.

"Could I talk to you for a second?"

Maisie shakes her head manically, looking at Johnny. He can see the genuine horror in her face at the idea of going near him.

Johnny steps forward, "No."

Andrew laughs, taking another step forward. Maisie feels sick looking at him. He looks different from the last time she saw him. He looks... happier. He has more colour in his face, his hair is freshly cut, beard expertly trimmed. He looks like he's lost some weight. He probably eats healthy now, cuts out the beer from his diet in favour of something lighter. He's in a grey suit. No tie or pocket square like normal. His dress shirt looks freshly pressed and his suit is perfectly tailored.

Maisie stands across from him, the only thing the pair having in common apart from looks being their name. Maisie is in black joggers and Axel's hoodie. Her hair is unruly over her shoulders, her running shoes covered in mud. She looks pale, cold and broken. Her hands are shaking. His are perfectly still.

"Can I not have a word with my daughter?" Andrew speaks with a smile, looking at Johnny. Andrew is decently tall but Johnny is taller. Andrew loves karate but can't do any of it, Johnny is a 4th degree black belt. Maisie knows who will walk away unharmed if things turn sour.

"You lost the right to call her your daughter 4 years ago."

"Maisie, he's being ridiculous." Andrew calls out to her, looking away from Johnny who stands protectively beside her. "I'd really like to speak with you. I miss you."

"No." She laughs bitterly. "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

Maisie turns to walk away but Andrew reaches for her, grabbing her by the wrist. In an instant, he's on the floor, holding his hand up to his now bleeding nose. Johnny stands over top of him, his hand still in a fist as he looks down at the man who is laughing. Maisie reaches forward, pulling Johnny back by the edge of his jacket.

It takes a second but Andrew stands up, still laughing. "Glad to know my daughter has been in good company."

His nose is bleeding heavily, the blood dripping down his perfect white shirt. Maisie thinks that describes the Cade family well.

"Down the hall I have 9 black belts who would be happy to help me get the message across. Leave her alone." Johnny practically spits the words, "She's the captain of a team of fighters who would destroy you. If you come near her again, you won't be going home with just a broken nose."

As soon as he's done talking, Johnny turns around, putting his hand on Maisie's shoulder, leading her down the hall to their locker room. Andrew calls out after her but she doesn't turn around. She just leans into Johnny, whispering thank you.

———

Maisie, Kenny and Devon are the last of Miyagi-Do still in the locker room before the next challenge. Maisie sits on the floor, her legs drawn to her chest as Devon braids her hair into 2 dutch braids. She could've done it herself but the girl offered and Maisie would never say no to her. Kenny sits on one of the nearby benches, choosing to stay with the 2 girls who have no problem with him being there.

The 2 younger teens recount the events of that morning to Maisie who listens intently. Kenny's arrival, Robby's absence from the boys room, Devon being the person behind the Shittening. Kenny shares a funny story about his flight before Devon recounts the conversation she had with another fighter the night before. Maisie doesn't miss the look that sparks in Kenny's eyes.

She is actively trying to lift her mood. They're facing elimination today again and if they don't win their fights, it's done. Maisie doesn't want it to be done quite yet. She still has a point to prove to her dad and Silver. That she can't be played around with. She's not a pawn, she's not their entertainment. She's not their punching bag anymore.

"Your grandparents will be here soon, by the way." Devon says softly, tying off Maisie's second braid.

Maisie turns to look at her in surprise, "Who called them?"

"Sensei Larusso." She replies, "He thought you might want their support."

She stays quiet as Devon ties on her captain's headband. Her first instinct is to block them out, tell them to turn around and go home because she's fine. But she's really not fine. And a hug from her grandparents would really help right now. "Do you know when they'll be here?"

"Couple hours." Devon shrugs, "He said around 9."

Before Maisie can respond, there's a soft knock at the door. They all look up to see Tory standing there hesitantly. Maisie's face softens, "Hi."

"Hi." She says back softly, "Can I walk you to the mat?"

A tiny smile forms on Maisie's lips as she glances at Kenny and Devon, "My babysitters, am I allowed to go?"

Both of them laugh, Kenny giving her a thumbs up. Devon nods, "We'll meet you guys there."

At those words, Maisie stands up, following Tory out of the room. Instantly, Tory links their hands as they slowly make their way down the hallway, "My offer to kill him still stands."

A soft giggle leaves Maisie's mouth as she squeezes her best friend's hand, "I'd settle for him being in a different city. Both of them."

"I could put their bodies on a train or someth—"

"Tory!" Maisie laughs, "It's okay. I'm okay."

Tory stops walking, turning her head to look at Maisie. "No you aren't."

Maisie presses her lips together tightly before shrugging, tears brimming in her eyes, "Nothing I can do about it."

The blonde stays silent as she scans Maisie's face. That's when Maisie sees it. Immediately, all anxiety and anger drop from her body. "What's wrong?"

Tory looks shocked. "What?"

"There's something wrong." Maisie replies, "Was it Kim or Kwon 'cause I swea—"

"Robby." Tory blurts out.

Maisie sends her a confused look, "I thought you guys made up... Devon told me she thought he stayed with you last night."

Tory's eyes gloss over as she bites her lip, "I can't... I don't want to make this about me. I need to be there for you—"

"Tell me what happened." Maisie says firmly, "I want to help you while you help me."

She looks conflicted for a second, her eyes flashing a million emotions. Maisie watches as Tory blinks away the tears, standing up straight, "I'll tell you but I really don't want to talk about it. Not yet. I just... need to say it. So it's real."

Maisie nods instantly, "Okay."

"Robby... he— he stayed with Zara last night." Tory chokes out, "I saw him leaving her room. She kissed him and he just... let her."

An unexplainable sense of anger crosses over Maisie's face, "Are you serious? What a piece of crap. Tor, I'm so sorry. I'm sure there's room on the train for his body too."

Tory can't stop the surprised laugh that slips past her lips as she puts her arm around Maisie's shoulder, continuing their walk. She sighs loudly, "Our lives suck."

"They do." Maisie replies softly, "But, we've got each other. Men may be cheating, lying losers but at least we aren't."

The blonde chuckles again, looking at Maisie out of the corner of her eye. "What did Axel lie about?"

Her eyes widen but she plays it off with a forced confused expression, "Huh?"

"You said 'cheating, lying losers'. You weren't talking about Silver or your dad."

"You don't know that." Maisie mumbles.

"I don't," Tory says slowly, "But your reaction told me all I needed to know."

Maisie huffs, stopping them again a few metres from the doors. "He knew about my dad. Before, he was asking me questions about my dad and if I lived with him and stuff. And I told him everything about Silver last night and he just stayed... quiet. I'm just– I guess I just feel like I was used. And... that I fell for Silver's tricks again."

"Maze—"

Tory gets cut off by the doors opening, Kreese stopping in front of the 2 girls. For a second, he sees their expressions, and his face softens. Maisie doesn't feel as uncomfortable in his presence as she did on the first day. They have a bigger, common enemy now.

"We're starting." He says before walking back towards the competition, shutting the doors behind him.

Before Tory can say anything, Maisie turns to her with a soft smile, "My grandparents will be here tonight."

The tension in Tory's shoulders drop. "Really?"

Maisie nods, taking a step towards the doors. She opens one, the pair immediately hit with noise. "9 o'clock."

"Text me when they get here." Tory says, leading Maisie into the dark room. "I want to say hi."

"Of course."

They stop at the edge of the mat where they have to separate. Maisie squeezes her hand while Tory looks her dead in the eye, "Neither of them can hurt you here. You've got too many people in your corner now."

Maisie smiles, "I love you."

"I love you." Tory nods firmly before letting go of her best friend's hand, walking to join her team.

Maisie immediately heads towards Miyagi-Do, not wanting to be left alone for longer than 5 seconds. She finds her spot between Miguel and Sam. Miguel throws his arm over her shoulders, shaking her slightly in reassurance as Sam takes her hand, squeezing it tightly. Hawk stops in front of her, glaring at something over her head.

"Where are they standing?" She asks quietly, not looking away from Hawk who blocks her from looking around the room.

"At the back," He responds, "Behind you, against the wall."

"Does my dad have blood on his shirt?"

Sam glances back before shaking her head, "No. Why?"

Maisie sighs, "Johnny punched him."

Hawk and Miguel both laugh at her words, Sam running a hand down her face.

"What about... Axel?" Maisie mumbles, like she's embarrassed of her words.

Miguel looks around the room, before quickly dropping his head, "He's staring... well glaring. At me, specifically."

Sam and Hawk both chuckle at his tone while Maisie resists the urge to look at him. She knows the second she does, she'll give in. But she's angry and she needs to be angry for a while. She thinks she deserves that.

From across the room, Axel gets kicked from his thoughts of self hatred when Zara elbows him in the side, "Don't let Wolf catch you staring."

Axel doesn't look away from Maisie. She's surrounded by her teammates, all of their attention on her. Miguel's jaw is clenched as his eyes dart around the room, looking between Maisie and Silver and Andrew. Her friend Sam is re-tying her black belt while Hawk jumps side-to-side in front of her, keeping her attention on him as he rambles about something. He watches as Devon walks over, taking Miguel's spot beside Maisie, the boy going to talk to their senseis about something. Devon pushes up on her toes, looping her arms around Maisie's shoulders, swaying them softly. Axel wishes that was him. He wishes he was the one comforting her, his arms around her.

Upon realizing that he never said anything back to Zara, he just huffs, "I don't care."

Zara shrugs, "You did what you had to do."

"I shouldn't have done it!" Axel snaps, his voice low and full of regret. Finally turning away from Maisie, he turns towards his teammate, "I shouldn't have lied. If I could go back, I'd take whatever Wolf and Silver were threatening over tricking her the way I did."

"When did it switch?" Zara asks, realizing that for once, Axel needs to talk about it, "When did it stop being an assignment and turn into something personal?"

"The aquarium." He responds.

Zara laughs, "You mean the first time you talked to her?"

"I couldn't... the look on her face. I hurt her. And I was not going to insert myself into her life just to walk out again... just to hurt her for Silver's enjoyment."

She stays silent as she looks at him, slightly baffled at his words. She had only heard of Maisie once before Silver's arrival. The first time, she found a wallet on the floor of the dojo. She opened it to see whose it was and immediately saw the picture. Curiosity got the better of her, making her take it out to look at it closer. There was writing on the back in fancy old-person cursive. Maisie and Axel, Croatia, July 2019.

For repayment of returning his wallet to him, Zara said Axel had to tell her who that was, and why he looked so incredibly whipped in the photo. Axel reluctantly told her that she was his best friend from London. Zara responded saying he didn't have friends, and asking how she hadn't heard of her before. Axel huffed, telling her that they didn't talk anymore. With a face full of amusement, Zara asked him what he did to mess it up. Axel didn't respond to her. That was the closest to breaking down that Zara has ever seen him.

Axel takes a breath, "After that, I wasn't going to talk to her again. I was going to leave her alone. But the reason I gave in is because I wanted her to yell at me, tell me that she hates me."

"So you could move on?" Zara fills in the blanks.

"I doubt I'll ever move on. Especially now." Both of them are surprised at his honesty, "She forgave me. And I was selfish and I let her. The reason Silver and Andrew are actually here, at the competition, is because I told them I wasn't going to start ignoring her and that I wasn't letting her go again. They would've waited until we won before coming here. But if I wasn't going to distract Maisie for them, then they had to do it themselves."

Zara looks up at Axel, watching as the walls he spent 4 years building collapse. "If you were honest with her about it, do you think she would've forgiven you?"

He crosses his arms as he fights to look physically unaffected. Axel nods slowly. "But I wasn't honest."

The girl looks over at Miyagi-Do. Maisie now stands in between two of her senseis. The whole group is looking at the guy with the mohawk who talks animatedly to his team, using his hands to motion around the room. Everyone is laughing or rolling their eyes at his words except for Maisie. The edges of her lips are quirked up but her eyes give her away. She's glancing at her father and Silver while playing with the end of her belt out of nerves.

Zara sighs before turning back to Axel, "I wasn't going to say anything because... Well, I don't care. But I saw you guys on the beach last night. That wasn't nothing. Give her time. She forgave you for ditching her for 4 years... maybe she'll get over this too."

Axel huffs, "You aren't helping."

"And both of you are unfocused." Wolf's voice from behind them cuts them from their conversation.

Zara turns around immediately but Axel has to take a second before facing his sensei. When he finally turns around, Wolf grabs him by the collar of his gi, "Forget about her now. Or you will regret it later."

Axel doesn't flinch. He doesn't even have it in him to be scared. Nothing Wolf can do to him will hurt more than the realization that Maisie refuses to look at him. Nothing will hurt him more than the pure disappointment and anger he has at himself for holding his secrets to his chest after she poured hers out for him to see.

"You hear me, Kovačević?"

"Yes, sensei." He grunts out.

Just as he says that, Gunther starts talking through the mic. Axel feels his chest ache as he turns to face the stage.

"Top 8 dojos, welcome to our final group event."

Maisie takes her position beside Robby, making sure the boy sees the glare she sends him. He can only sigh, knowing she must've put it together.

"Over the course of the tournament, you have each proven yourselves worthy of your place atop the leaderboard."

The girl bites the inside of her cheek as she finally gives in, glancing at Axel who stands a few groups away. He's already looking at her, the familiar look of desperation in his eyes. Maisie looks away immediately.

"And after today, only the best of the best will gain entry into our tournament of champions."

Maisie's head drops slightly. She forgot that if they get through this, it's all up to her. The entire team's hope of winning the Sekai Taikai is resting on her and Robby's shoulders. Neither of them are necessarily in the best state right now.

As if sensing her anxiety, Miguel places his hand on Maisie's shoulder, squeezing it before letting his arm drop to his side. Maisie turns to see both him and Sam looking at her with reassuring looks. She forces a smile.

"Now, here are the rules for this round. Each team will face 3 opponents, determined by random draw, in an all-dojo tag team competition! 2 fighters inside the ring. One from each dojo at a time. The other 12 fighters remain outside, waiting to be tagged in by their teammate. Fighting will be continuous. No stoppages, no time outs. So use your teammates wisely. The first dojo to score 3 points wins the match."

Maisie looks over at Robby, briefly putting aside her hatred, to silently ask him what he thinks of the challenge. He gives her a weak nod. ... Fucks sake.

"By the end of today, your captains will either be fighting in the tournament of champions or be eliminated, watching from the sidelines."

Maisie swears she hears Johnny mutter something along the lines of 'dramatic ass bitch' but she ignores it, looking at Gunther who smiles at the watching fighters.

"May the best dojos win."

———

Maisie holds her head high as she takes her spot outside of the ring. It's taking everything in her to stay unaffected by the amount of eyes on her. She hasn't once looked at Silver or her dad but she knows they're watching her. She knows Silver is going to dissect every movement in this fight.

Demetri starts as their first fighter in their match against Furia De Pantera. Her hands are linked behind her head in stress before the fight even starts.

As they bow, Maisie catches Kenny's eyes. He looks ready. She nods at him firmly, an action which he returns.

The second the fight starts, Demetri attacks. Maisie watches as Diego, his opponent, dodges all his attacks by side-stepping. Demetri and Diego exchange kicks for a few seconds. Maisie thinks he's holding his own well enough but Hawk disagrees, "Demetri, tag me in!"

"No! I got it!" Demetri shouts back.

Hawk calls out to him again. Maisie is about to tell him to be quiet but Demetri's focus is too far gone. Diego sends a tornado kick directly into his face. Maisie watches as Demetri collapses to the ground right in front of her. "Point!"

Maisie sticks out her hand for him, glancing up when she hears a familiar whistle. Before she can find Silver in the crowd, Demetri's hand slaps hers. She steps into the ring immediately but Silver is still whistling from across the room. It's piercing her focus, his words invading her brain.

( "An ego is the most dangerous thing a person can possess." )

"Aw, taping out?" The words leave her mouth before she can even think about it. Diego is backing up towards his female captain, but once he hears Maisie's challenge, he stops. "Scared?"

( "Tired equals sloppy." )

"Of you?" He says back.

Diego attacks first, charging at Maisie. Her Miyagi-Do training takes over as she blocks his punches and jabs. Maisie drops to sweep his leg at the same time he turns to deliver a roundhouse kick. She manages to send him to the mat but he jumps up before she can deliver a point. When he attacks, Maisie can see the fatigue in his movements. It's working.

She goes to punch his face but he catches her fist, attempting to twist her arm. She leans into it before landing a kick on his knee. He drops to his knee, swinging at her stomach in a cheap shot but she blocks it with her knee. Quickly, she takes a step back before kicking him dead in the shoulder. He falls back onto the mat, his legs twisted under his body. He tries to kick himself up but Maisie is faster, landing her heel firmly on his stomach. "Point! 1-1!"

Instantly, Maisie runs to Hawk, tagging him in. He moves quickly, striking first against the opponent who the captain tagged in. His first kick gets brutally blocked, sending him off balance. Hawk tries to land 4 separate attacks but all of them are blocked, the opposing basically body-checking him, making Hawk stumble back.

Maisie watches as they both try to catch each other off guard but she can tell Hawk is slowing down. His opponent is large and strong but slow. Kenny needs to go in.

"Hawk! Tag me in!" Kenny shouts.

Hawk hesitates. Maisie sees Demetri silently shouting at Hawk to not tag in Kenny. What the hell are they doing?

"Eli! Tag in Kenny now!" She shouts, watching as he continues to look around frantically.

"What are you doing?" Robby yells, "Tag Kenny!"

Despite the demands from both of his captains, Hawk bolts, running to tag in an unprepared Robby. Maisie's hands find the top of her head as Robby stumbles into the ring, just to be swept off his feet, their opponent scoring another point.

The Pantera runs to tag in one of his teammates as Robby pulls himself off the floor. Before he can find a fighting stance, she kicks him in the side, sending him spinning. Robby blocks some of her attacks as he runs for Miguel, just for his hand to be kicked away right before it tags him in. With speed, the fighter twists and punches Robby in the stomach, earning the winning point.

"Point! Winner!"

"Team Pantera with an impressive victory. Miyagi-Do's loss puts them on the verge of elimination after their first match."

Maisie looks at her team with confusion, why the hell didn't Hawk tag in Kenny?

"Eli! Why didn't you tag in Kenny when you had the chance?" Miguel asks in anger as the group of fighters walk towards each other, away from their celebrating opponents.

"He just got here. You expect us to trust him?"

Maisie looks genuinely baffled, "Are you serious?"

"Trust me to what?" Kenny snaps, "Not get my ass kicked like you and Demetri?"

"Like you'd do any better against Spanish Hawk!" Demetri exclaims as he storms forward, "You completely disappeared after the Shittening. And you coincidentally come back at the same time as Silver? You really want to tag in this mole?"

Maisie scoffs loudly, having the same amount of anger present as Kenny as he pushes himself closer to Demetri, "Are you serious? I fly all the way here to help us win, and you won't even give me a chance? Everybody laughed at me in the woods, but somehow, I'm the bad guy, right?"

"See!" Hawk looks at Maisie and Robby who stand in shock as the argument grows, "He's still pissed. It makes sense he'd want revenge."

Kenny turns towards Hawk, fire in his eyes. He opens his mouth to continue arguing but Maisie's voice cuts them off, "All of you just need to shut the fuck up!"

Instantly, they fall silent. Basically the entire arena can hear her words but only Miyagi-Do and Axel— who was watching the fight from afar— stops to hear what she's going to say next. This is beyond out of character. Maisie doesn't swear, she doesn't yell, she doesn't fight. She sucks it up. But all sense of composure is lost and she cannot stand watching her team argue like children.

"You're all forgetting that Kenny dropped everything, got on a plane, flew 10 hours just to come here for one event! 2 minutes of fighting! And you're all treating him like shit!"

Maisie can see the horror in her team's eyes at her outburst. How she speaks with such intense anger and annoyance makes them all tell she's not just mad at Hawk not tagging in Kenny.

"But— I mean, that's not new for you guys. I remember when I came to Miyagi-Do. You guys didn't even bother to ignore me, you were just plain rude. You laughed at me, judged me, hurt me. And I didn't say anything because I was so fucking desperate to be liked by you that I dismissed the way you treated me!"

She pauses to take a breath but not one of them dare to cut her off.

"Every single one of us has Cobra Kai in our blood. We all learned how to fight using it and we have all used it in this tournament. There is no escaping our past. Kenny made mistakes, I made mistakes, all of you have made mistakes. He's here to help us. And right now I trust him more than any of you because he's the only one using his fucking brain! We have 45 minutes until our next fight," Maisie pauses, looking directly at Demetri and Hawk when she says her next words, "Pull yourselves the fuck together."

With that, Maisie turns on her heel and walks off, heading towards the locker room. She's beyond overwhelmed and just needs a minute of silence. Was she harsh? Yeah. Should she have taken it out on her team? No. But her anger is pounding in her ears and there is someone stepping on her lungs. She can't breathe.

Maisie walks to the locker room with her head down, guilt gnawing at her insides. She throws herself onto one of the benches, her head in her hands as she takes deep breaths. Her leg is bouncing as her hands shake whilst pushing her hair out of her face.

"Maisie the Merciful. So lovely to see you."

Her entire body freezes at Silver's voice. She's trapped.

———

AUTHOR'S NOTE—

guys remember... magic plane goes fast

i fear the next chapter may cause a few deaths in the comments :)

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!