Chapter 1: Facing The Mirror

Michael Jackson once sung that if you want to make the world a better place, then you have to start with the man in the mirror…or some kind of bullshit like that. The sad reality was that Johnny found himself this evening starring directly into a mirror as he heard the bell ring and exited the office of his dojo. The smell of Coors' Banquet on his breath, and the trials of the experience he dealt with watching his son make him proud, while falling to his apprentice; a student who fought with the same intensity and passion the inexperienced master taught him to war with. The 52 year old found the himself now seeing the results of his conduct, and it was starring right back at him, a 75 year old man who once tried to kill him for questioning his teaching.

"You've brought us back." The voice calls in joy as if he was a part of the restoration effort. "We've risen again!" The man speaks as though he is a part of Johnny's future as much he was the past. Johnny is torn in this moment as he looks upon John Kreese, an ancient violent karate master whose vicious ways and mentality were as much a part of Lawrence's strengths as they were his failures. The drunk master just wants to run right up and sock the old sack of bones deep in the jaw, but he is held back. It isn't nostalgia, or some sort of longing to embrace the only positive father figure he felt he ever had, despite his incredible flaws. No! Johnny is held back by the haunting reality in his mind that he has become Kreese. The thought plays back in his head, the moment where Hawk on his own blind attacked Robby. Where Diaz intentionally fought to take Robby by exploiting his weaknesses with mercy.

"Shit!" Johnny says starring at his old master. The man falls to his knees then leans back against the wall as the old man moves to the center of the dojo floor and continues to puff his cigar as he takes in the studio. Johnny isn't noticing this right now, all Johnny can see is is the actions of Hawk and Diaz, they were so similar to the ones Tommy and himself pulled all the way back in 1984. Except, Kreese had to push them to do their actions. Lawrence trained his students to be so merciless, that they behaved violently absent direct instruction.

"You always were my star pupil kid." The ash-filled words of the old man scare Johnny and cause him to start hyperventilating. "You've made me proud." Johnny sees his vision beginning to close in from the mental pain he feels in this moment of utter disgust. The comments Kreese is giving are doing nothing but hurling a metaphorical pile of guilt ridden crap atop Lawrence's head. "Now let's talk about our students and my cut."

This was it. Johnny saw red in this moment and chose to follow the first rule. He rose to his feet and gave a stern message to the ancient disgraced teacher. "You have 5 seconds to walk away for good."

"Johnny, its me." Kreese put his arms in the air and waved to the man who was standing with his fists clenched ready to strike.

"You're everything that is wrong with the world and my life." Johnny was having a hard time expressing his feelings in the moment. He had not seen this man in 34 years and had no clue what to tell him.

"Please. Honey. I'm the only thing that's good in your life." Kreese laughed as he spoke to Johnny as if he was still a young boy. "Why else did you choose the name 'Cobra Kai' for your dojo name." Johnny's shoulders dropped at the comment. He felt some disgust but was sick at the thought that somehow he wanted, no dreamed to be just like this man, who was for all intents and purposes, his father.

"So about my cut of the business Johnny boy." Kreese prodded further.

Johnny snapped out of his confusion, and rage filled his heart. "I will never submit to you again!" The rage in his soul, the rage of the last 34 years unresolved, and the confliction in his heart watching his son fight for a man who was his rival, and the actions of his students doing as trained. The moment consumed Lawrence. He popped his knuckles like done in every major kung fu movie before someone gets their ass kicked. Kreese heard the pop and reached into his jacket, dropping his cigar from his hand. Johnny moved in hard with a violent grunt as he shoved his hand deep into Kreese's trachea. The blow sent him thundering back and Kreese began to chock as Johnny's thrust had completely smashed his windpipe. After a few seconds of wallowing and moaning the old man fell to his knees and then his back. With each moment of suffering the tightness of Johnny's knuckles weakened and the ferocity in his eyes waned as he saw once more that the Cobra Kai way was not only all he knew but that it consumed him.

This wasn't some fight for honor, this wasn't some even match for the karate master. This was Johnny attacking an old man over a grudge he held long ago. "Oh God!" Johnny thought as he snapped back to reality and realized that his old master was dying on the floor, by his own hand, in his own dojo. "What have I done?" Johnny raced forward to Kreese's side trying to figure out what he could do to save the old man. Even though he had his issues with him, he did not want him dead.

"BAM!"

Everything seemed dull and quiet for a brief moment. As Johnny had moved to help the suffocating old man to try and keep him from dying. Kreese pulled a gun from his jacket and shot Johnny in the chest. Johnny paused as he looked forward to his old master for a moment. He was paused like a statue in a museum; unable to move, unable to think. His gaze for blank. Eventually he felt a pain in his chest. First he put his hands around his waist and then he slowly looked down to see what this man whom he would have done anything for 34 years ago, a man he trusted and saw as a father to him, had done. Kreese dropped the gun hard after firing that sole shot, he began laughing despite his consciousness closing in. Johnny dropped and fell backwards as the old man took his last huffs on that dojo floor having shot his best pupil.

Blood was pooling hard below Johnny, he was not scared in this moment, he was not in pain. All he could think about were his students not getting to learn a better lesson, and his son. "Robby!" Johnny turned over onto his stomach and began crawling toward his phone on his table in the office. His body moved automatically as he pulled himself along the matted floor. His mind was on his son Robby, and how proud he was of him that day. Honestly, he was not scared of dying for how it would affect Robby, but because Johnny would not be able to see what a man he had and will grow into. In his heart Johnny had beef with LaRusso, but in seeing how he treated his kid and was a father to him that Johnny never was, and not just a father like the old man dead on the floor was to young Johnny, but a father like Miyagi was to young Daniel. A good father.

"Robby!" Johnny had made it to the table he reached up with all his might, gasping as the wound was beginning to lay hard claim to his abilities.

"RING! RING!" The phone began vibrating and just by luck, it vibrated into his bloody sweaty hand. Johnny fell onto his face as he answered.

"HELP! Pleaasssee!" Johnny called out while panting and coughing up blood. "I'm on the floor of my dojo….Cobra Kai!" He kept on coughing hogging the line. "Send…..send an ambulance." Johnny, pale from the gunshot passed out on his face.

"Sensei?" the voice on the other end of the line called. "Sensei!"

_Author Note_

yes the show is freaking awesome and i love how the morals and lessons are present in the series with a real chance to actually have a flushed out cast. I hope to do this with this work as i have that goose bump you get when really really inspired. I'll most likely have short scenes and keep chapters in the scope of the scenes. hope you enjoy.