Whatever Sky had been expecting that night, it sure hadn't been a fist in the face.

But then again - maybe it shouldn't have surprised her, considering that what she had thought would be a chill Christmas party, had turned out to be a gathering of two rivaling dojos instead.

Sky had been so wrapped up in her thoughts (Had she indeed agreed to date Cody? Was this the best decision she had ever made, or the worst mistake?) that she only realized what was happening when she parked the car in front of the LaRusso house, and followed Miguel to the front door.

"I really would have wanted a beer," she muttered as they stepped in.

Miguel gave her an apologetic gaze and a quick smile. "Who cares about beer when you can have world peace?"

Sky's momentary disappointment over the fact that there was not going to be beer or a Christmas party, soon diminished as Sam and Miguel explained what the gathering was all about. It did take a bit longer to convince the rest of the Eagle Fangs and Miyagi Do's, though, but finally, it was Demetri and his heated speech that included more "assholes" than Sky had ever heard him say, that did the trick.

They really were going to join forces. If that wasn't a Christmas miracle, Sky sure as Hell didn't know what was.

She kept smiling like an idiot throughout the conversation that followed, and let the others argue about stupid details. She didn't give a rat's ass about the name of the dojo, its location, or what kind of snacks they ate - the only thing that mattered to her was that she still got to train with Johnny.

"It's not too late to get some beer," she noted, leaning her elbows on the dining table, noticing an exhausted pause in the conversation. Everyone seemed tired and tense - which Sky found a bit funny since they were creating something amazing together. One would have thought people would have been a bit more jolly. "You know, the Romans never would have managed to build Rome had they not been drunk on wine 24/7."

"This is difficult enough without us being drunk and stupid—" Sam sighed. "We still haven't agreed on almost anything."

"Maybe we'd argue less if we drank more?" Sky arched a brow.

"Now you sound like Johnny," replied Sam, but with a smile.

"That's not a bad thing, is it? Besides, you're gonna have to train with him now too - and so is your Dad."

Sam gave Miguel a rather worried glance.

"That's a good point," Miguel said. "How are we going to convince those two to work together?"

That conversation was cut short, as a rather loud meow coming from outside caught their attention.

Bert, visibly delighted by this interruption, stood up and swiftly walked to the door to let the cat in - only to be thrown in through the window in the next heartbeat, making shattered glass, pots and pans fly all over the floor.

Sky stood up so fast she knocked down her chair. She had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling that made her gut knit into a tight ball of anxiety—

"No cat," Bert managed, searching for his glasses on the floor, as the Cobras broke into the house turning it into a war zone.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Sky's heart fell to her feet as she saw the boy with the sharp, blood-red mohawk. There was Hawk walking into the kitchen with Kyler and some other Cobras, and for the shortest moment Sky's gaze locked with Hawk's. His eyes widened as if he was surprised to see her here— but the moment was gone as Tory broke in through the other door and the fight was on.

"Run, Sky!" cried Sam, glancing at her over her shoulder, her dark hair flying around her pale, wide-eyed face - and for once in her life Sky did as she was told. She turned on her heels and ran.

She hadn't done karate since last summer - the couple of days she'd been in Eagle Fang couldn't change the fact that she was all but defenseless. Out of shape, out of practice, with a bad leg, and a weak arm, and brain damage - Sky knew she stood no chance in a fight. The only thing she could do was try to get out and call Dad, or Mr. LaRusso, or Johnny—

"Not so fast, bitch!" came a snarl Sky would have recognized anywhere, and someone grabbed her by the hair, slamming her face against the wall. "It's payback time for traitor sluts."

Kyler.

Tasting the cold steel of panic on her lips, Sky tried to swirl around, to punch Kyler, but her pathetic attempt was easily blocked. Kyler laughed as he yanked her around and there it was, the fist in the face that Sky truly hadn't been expecting when she had left home in her happy Christmas mood. The sharp impact made her back slam against the wall next to an expensive painting that fell to the floor, the frame shattering to pieces.

The taste of blood filled her mouth. Iron, copper, and salt mixed with something almost sweet.

Her vision blurred at the edges and the floor went unsteady under her feet. Had Kyler not been gripping the front of her shirt, Sky would have dropped. Short, flickering thoughts flashed through her mind - Matt slapping her face, laughing, Matt pushing her down the stairs—

Sky blinked a couple of times and the face in front of her came into focus. It wasn't Matt - it was Kyler. His smirking face was close to hers, and there was nothing Sky could do as he grabbed her throat, pushing her against the wall with force. He used his whole body to block her weak attempts of trying to break free, to fight back - he was so much taller, so much stronger, and suddenly Sky wasn't tasting only blood but tears too.

"Awww, what's wrong, slut?" Kyler chuckled. "I thought you liked it rough."

"Let me go—" Sky whined, but barely anything came out as Kyler's fingers were squeezing her windpipe.

"Don't be like that. I know you want it. Girls like you always do."

He laughed, his fast breathing fell on her face, and then his hand was under her skirt, feeling her thigh, trying to pull down her panties. Sky whined and squirmed, tried to claw at Kyler's face, tried to kick him in the balls, but her leg was weak, he was so much stronger and the panic took her breath away - or maybe it wasn't the panic, maybe it was the fact that he was choking her and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe—

"Let her go, you asshole!"

A fist connected with Kyler's face, and his grip on Sky's throat tore off. Sky drew in a deep, ragged breath, sobs breaking through her chest as Miguel punched Kyler again, making blood spurt out of Kyler's nose.

"Miggy—" Sky whimpered, gasping for air.

"Run!" Miguel yelled at her. "Get out of here!"

She froze on her feet for a heartbeat, just staring at Miguel with her heart in her throat, the beat so fast it was choking her. Miguel had blood on his orange T-shirt, his eyes were huge, his face twisted with shock and rage as he met Kyler's gaze, bringing up his fists.

"Payback time, Rhea," Kyler snarled before he attacked.

Sky knew she should have tried to help. She knew she should have done something, anything. Miguel wasn't in much better shape than she was - he'd been in a wheelchair two months ago. But the taste of blood that was still on her tongue was feeding the panic and the fear in her veins and suddenly the only thing she could think about was Cody.

He had been so happy when she had said she would go out with him. Their date tomorrow. the bookstore, and the milkshakes. She would have worn a pretty skirt, he would have held her hand when they walked through the mall. She wanted to go on that date, she wanted it so badly she could almost taste it.

She could not die here tonight. Not like this, not without telling Cody that—

"Sky, go!" Miguel's voice forced her into action.

She turned and fled, leaving Miguel, who was getting punched in the gut by Kyler, rushed mindlessly through the hallways where fighting was going on all around her. She barely escaped Rickenberger, who tried to grab her, as she ran past him in the small atrium, but it was pointless, her head was spinning, she couldn't remember where the door was, no matter that she had been here a thousand times. This wasn't Sam's home anymore - this was a full-on war zone, unfamiliar territory, and she wouldn't make it out of here alive—

She almost ran into Hawk in the living room. He was kicking and hitting his opponent, then smashing a glass vase onto the boy's head, and the kid went down, fell heavily on the floor as Hawk kept yelling at him.

Sky's heart broke into a million pieces. The red-mohawked boy was a stranger, she was scared of him, of his anger, of his violence. Would he hit her next? Would it be her bleeding to death on these floor tiles?

Hawk looked up, his throat bobbed at the sight of her, his face twisted as he saw the way she was looking at him.

"Sky, wait—!"

He reached a hand to grab her, but in panic, Sky staggered back, away from the darkness she saw in his eyes, from the way his chest was rising with short, ragged breaths. Wiping the blood and the tears that were dripping down her face and blurring her vision, Sky rushed away from him. Someone next to her was kicked into the Christmas tree and it fell, the decorations and the gifts flew all over the floor.

Sky found herself back in the kitchen - just in time to see Sam running away through the back door. For a heartbeat or so she froze on her feet in front of that sight. Sam - running away in panic? But then it all became clear as she noticed Tory, fighting her way through the room, throwing some guy against the wall, then kicking Chris in the gut, murder in her eyes as she clenched her fists and went after Sam.

The open door was right there, in front of Sky. She only had to walk out of it and run, to get help, but—

Sam.

A moment of clarity hit Sky, suddenly making everything clear. She knew Sam still had panic attacks about Tory, about the school fight. Sam wouldn't be able to defend herself. Tory would rip her apart, she would fucking kill her. That realization hit Sky harder than a fist in the face. She had been a fucking crappy friend to Sam all this fall and she knew it. She had done nothing to help Sam with her fears and her panic attacks, always too wrapped up in her own, stupid issues, but Sam had been there for her every step of the way. Sam had been there to help her after her suicide attempt, and after the school fight. Sam had supported her always, even when Sky surely hadn't deserved such support, such friendship. Sam had forgiven her for all the lies, the drugs, the stupid shit she had done, because that's what friends do.

And maybe Sky didn't know how to be a good friend, she didn't know how to stop lying and keeping secrets, she didn't know how to be there for someone else, to listen, to support, to be nice. But she knew how to die for a friend, and Fucking Hell, if that was the only thing she could do, she would fucking do it.

Wiping her bleeding nose in the sleeve of her Christmas sweater, Sky drew in a shaky breath and went after Tory.