Chapter One: A New Way.

...

"Parole call! Dutcherson!"

A loud buzzer erupted in the prison when a certain cell door slid open. A bald middle aged man stepped out of, instantly clad in handcuffs by guards, and hurried off to the board.

"Er...Eugene Dutcherson?"

"That's me." Dutch replied in his orange jumpsuit.

"Eugene Dutcherson..." the parole chairman continued, "Do you feel like prison life has rehabilitated you?"

Dutch chuckled from his seat, "Rehabilitated? I've sat in my cell wondering why the world didn't accept assholes like me since day one of highschool. You wondering if one day in my cell I magically woke up as a sunshine and rainbows type of guy? You think people change because some time has passed? Because they want to avoid the consequences? I could spend another seventy years in here and still not change."

There was some silence in the room before Dutch shook his head, "Until I got a letter last week. An old friend of mine died...more like a brother. And god, I love him. I've missed my brothers from Cobra Kai...more than anything else outside of this place. Jimmy, Bobby, Johnny, and Tommy. I'd give anything and do anything to see them again. Wherever they are, even if they've changed. I want to see them."

Dutch looked up from the ground right into the chairman's eyes, "I used to think that if the world was shitty to you that you should be shitty back. Prison didn't teach me to change to that. Being in prison and missing Tommy's death did. And I'll never make that mistake again if it stops me from seeing my brothers again. But to be honest, as badly as I want to see them, it's bullshit anyway. The world's gone mediocre, polarized, tribal, and PC...so if you want me to see my friends again or not, doesn't really matter to me all that much."

"Because frankly, I don't give a damn."

The chairman looked to the other members of the parole board, before stamping 'Approved' on Dutch's case.

...

Dutch walked out of the prison surprised out of his mind, "J-Johnny?"

"Hey Dutch, how's it going?"

"Heeyyy!" Dutch went in to hug his brother, "Holy shit man I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Me too, why'd you lose the hair?" Johnny asked.

Dutch waved a hand, "Forget the hair let's drive."

"Damn," Dutch saw Johnny's Cobra-Mobile, "What in god's name is this?"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

As they drove past trees Dutch asked a question, "So where've you been all this time? What happened?"

"My er, kid, Robby. He put a student of mine the hospital."

"Student?" Dutch raised his eyebrows as Johnny drove, "Johnny you didn't-"

"I did. Big mistake." Johnny said, "Now Kreese's taken over my dojo, my students...my son's on the run from the cops for fear of manslaughter, in case the kid dies. Name's Miguel, great kid..."

Dutch frowned, "What's wrong man?"

"I." Johnny sniffled, "I fucked up man. Badly."

"How?"

"There was this one night where these asswipes pushed Miguel on the roof of my car. I got involved, reopened Cobra Kai, and wouldn't you know it, the kid is in the hospital with a broken neck."

Dutch leaned back in his seat, "Shiiit."

Johnny pulled into the cemetery and Johnny lead Dutch to Tommy's grave.

"He's, he's really dead huh?"

Johnny nodded sorrowfully as Dutch knelt and put a hand on Tommy's grave, "I feel awful, I know there was nothing I could've done but-"

"You just had no other options." Johnny nodded, "Yeah, I know how that feels."

"So." Dutch stood up, "As much as I wouldn't want my parole officer finding out, let's round up the boys and beat Kreese to the pulp." He patted Johnny's shoulder as he walked toward the car, "Come on man."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

Johnny sighed, "He has the kids with him. I'm sure he's smart enough to make sure we can't get to him."

"But he won't know we're coming, we can-"

"Dutch. I'm done fighting for a while."

"What the hell happened to you?" Dutch shook his head in disbelief, "How could you be like this?"

Johnny sniffled again, "Everything man, it broke me. My kid could go to jail, maybe even for life. Kreese took away all I had left. The only student I thought I had that was loyal to me is in the hospital, maybe dying. My life's fucked Dutch...I'm fucked." Johnny sniffled again as he placed his face in his hands.

Dutch slapped Johnny in front of Tommy's grave.

"Hey man what the hell!" Johnny yelled through his tears.

"Wh-What is this bullshit?" He imitated a sobbing Johnny, " 'I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!' What's the matter with you!? Wanna know how to fix this!? You can act like a man! Do you ever back down from a fight?"

"N-No." Johnny mumbled.

"Do you ever accept defeat!?" Dutch started sounding like Kreese.

"N-No." Johnny said, wiping aside his tears.

"Do you ever stop fighting!?"

"No!" Johnny yelled back.

"We can win Johnny..." Dutch started nodding slowly to encourage his broken friend, "I just got outta the slammer for fifteen years John, and I'm more hopeful than you? Look at yourself!...this, this is not the Johnny Lawrence I know." Dutch grabbed Johnny's face and growled, "Put yourself together man. Or I swear to god I'll beat your ass."

Johnny stayed silent for a second, before laughing at his brother, "You haven't changed since high school."

Dutch laughed and pushed Johnny away, "Okay look, you're weak."

"You seriou-"

"If you weren't, why didn't you beat Kreese's ass when he took the dojo?"

"The kids stopped me, I wasn't gonna fight them."

Dutch tilted his head, "Then you gotta find the right time. And you gotta be ready."

"What do you mean?" Johnny wondered.

"We're heading out to Denver together, gotta buddy of mine who runs a great boxing gym. We're not coming back out until I'm sure you're damn ready. And it sure as shit isn't now."

"I could take you."

Dutch motioned toward himself, showing off the incredible tone he built after years in jail.

"Right...wait, couldn't you beat up Kreese for me?"

"Not my fight. You might be my boy, but it's your dojo you're fighting for remember?"

Johnny remembered something, "Fair point. Denver...why Denver?"

"It's where the gym moved man. Might be cold, but it's a damn nice place to train."

Johnny started nodding, "Okay Dutch. Let's go back."

As they drove again toward Denver, Johnny started laughing on their drive, "We went out to a bar on bikes like old times, fuck, you would've loved it man. We went camping, drinking, there were hot babes. A bar fight! Tommy went out with one last ride with us, and I really think you missed out."

"I would've given anything to have been there. What was the last thing he told you man?"

Johnny smiled, "That I still had time."

"Time for what?"

"To find the right babe." Johnny remembered the place they were heading toward, and what would lay at the end.

He had a new purpose. Set everything right, no matter what it took.

...