The first day of training after joining the dojos, was a disaster.
It was clear that the Senseis had not planned it at all. Arguments arose all the time, people got hurt, Chris puked in Sensei LaRusso's boat and Hawk ended up kicking a foot through a Japanese sliding door.
Not that he wasn't tense already, but that particular incident made Sensei LaRusso pretty pissed - which, in turn, made Hawk feel like crap. He had wanted to make a good first impression, but now—
Well, he was well on the way of fucking things up, as usual.
And It wasn't just that kick through the sliding door. It was the way no one talked to him, the way the Miyagi Do's looked at him as if they fucking hated his guts. Had it not been for Demetri, Miguel - and miraculously Sam too - the rest of them probably would have kicked him out of here.
Hawk tried not to care, but it was impossible. The rejection hurt and he had no idea how to make everyone realize he wasn't that guy anymore, that he was trying so hard to leave all that behind. To change. And if he couldn't do that here—
No, I have no other place to go to. I have to make this work. I fucking have to, whatever it takes.
That thought was heavy, but what weighed on his chest even more, was the absence of Sky.
When he had dreamt about leaving Cobra Kai, that dream had always included her. In his hopes, she had always been there, in whatever new dojo he would join. She had been there, training with him, a wild smile on her pretty face as they sparred, her hair flying through the air in a thick, flaming braid, her laughter happy and carefree, like it had once been.
The fact that she hadn't shown up today was killing him.
Even if he knew that she had suffered a concussion, and probably couldn't train for a while Hawk had hoped Sky would still come, if not to spar, at least to see how things were going. He knew her well enough to know that she must be thrilled about the fact that the dojos had joined forces.
So why wasn't she here?
Was it because she didn't want anything to do with him?
Would she quit karate now that they were both Eagle Fang and had to train together?
That thought made Hawk feel miserable. He didn't want to be the reason for Sky to stop doing what she loved. If only she'd hear him out… He would tell her she didn't have to worry about anything, that he would give her all the space she needed. This was her dojo, and he was the new guy here, the intruder. He would respect that and keep his distance if that was the way she wanted it.
When they finally called off that day, it was getting late already. The Senseis left without another word to each other, both looking tense and annoyed and most of the kids did the same as they were too exhausted to do much more. They wandered off, one by one until only Sam, Miguel, Demetri, and Hawk were left, standing in the parking lot in a small group, discussing the disastrous afternoon.
"I have never seen such a complete lack of cooperation. Did they seriously not plan this at all?" Demetri asked, frustrated, watching how Johnny's taillights disappeared down the road.
"Clearly not," Sam replied with a frown. "I don't know how we're going to make this work. Today was a disaster."
"It was only the first day. I'm sure It'll get easier as we all get used to each other's styles." Miguel glanced at Sam with what was probably supposed to be an encouraging smile, but he couldn't hide the worry in his voice.
"I certainly hope so," Demetri muttered. "If things go on like this, there won't be anything for Cobra Kai to beat as we all will have murdered each other way before the All Valley."
No one said anything to that, and a short, depressing silence fell on them. Hawk pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweats and cleared his throat, trying to find the courage to join this conversation. It was one thing to talk to Demetri when they were in the safe space of his room, just the two of them - but to start talking with Miguel again, and Sam—
It was so fucking hard. They had all the reason to hate him, Sam especially. Hawk knew he needed to apologize to her, for everything he had done, but for now— There was only one thing in his mind, and that was the one he had to ask first.
"Has— has anyone heard from Sky? I thought she'd be here."
The others exchanged awkward glances that revealed they all knew something he didn't. It felt like a slap on the face - one that he had seen coming but hadn't been able to block.
"What?" His glance moved from Demetri to Sam. "What is it? Is she okay?"
Sam hesitated as if she wasn't sure if she should reply and a frown fell on her face.
"She called this morning, to let me know she wasn't coming," Sam said after a short silence. "Apparently, there were some complications and they are keeping her in the hospital for a couple of days more."
Hawk felt like his heart stopped beating as a cold fear gripped his chest. "What kind of complications?"
"I'm not sure. She wouldn't say more." Sam looked worried, she turned her eyes down, to her fingers that were fidgeting with the car keys. "I hope it's nothing serious."
"Well, call her again. Or her Dad." Hawk's words came out sharp and hasty. "Isn't it like the visiting hour now? Can we— maybe we can go see her?"
Fear and hope were ripping his chest apart. Sure, the day before Sky had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him - but maybe if they all went? She wouldn't kick out her friends, he was sure of it, and if he was with them— maybe she'd let him in too? And then they could talk, he would apologize to her, and—
But Demetri interrupted that thought, sounding even more awkward than usual. "That's probably not… the best idea, Eli."
"Why not? I just want to see that she's okay."
"You know why. She said she didn't want to see you—"
"So I can't visit her in the hospital with my friends, but Cody can get a fake ID and sneak into the rehab to take advantage of her and we're all okay with that?"
"Whoa, I'm not touching this discussion with a ten-foot pole," noted Miguel, making Hawk immediately regret the angry burst that had just left his lips.
He swallowed the further comments he wanted to make and turned his eyes down to the dry, yellow ground.
He knew he was being stupid, childish even, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't just the fact that Sky was hurting and he couldn't be there to help her. It was the thought of Sky and Cody together that was eating at him, hurting him in a primitive way, like a nagging hunger or a constant pain that was impossible to ignore. Rationally thinking he knew that Sky was free to see anyone she wanted to, and free to deny Hawk from ever talking to her again. He knew it was only fair after what he had done, but still, it was a knife to his heart. He couldn't deny the sickening jealousy that overtook his whole being whenever the thought of those two together entered his mind.
"Just give her some time," Demetri said, suddenly sounding tired. "You're not doing any good by forcing her to see you if she doesn't want to."
"It's not about that," Hawk muttered and stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. "I just– I'm worried."
"We are all worried. You weren't even there— I had to watch how Tory hit her in the head—" Sam stopped mid-sentence, her face had gone pale and her lips were trembling. "I feel horrible for what happened to her. It's the second time Sky has gotten hurt trying to help me. I can't stop thinking it's my fault."
"Sam, it's not your fault." Miguel said gently, taking Sam's hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "Cobra Kai did this to Sky, not you."
A sudden emotion clenched Hawk's chest at Miguel's words. He was right, it was Cobra Kai who had hurt Sky - and Hawk had been Cobra Kai until yesterday. So whose fault was it that Sky was in the hospital? Certainly not Sam's.
"He's right," Hawk spoke, and everyone's eyes turned to him. His voice sounded silent and raspy in his ears, and he had to clear his throat to be able to go on. "Sky wanted to help you because she thinks the world of you. You shouldn't blame yourself. You did nothing wrong."
Sam looked surprised, which - again - made Hawk feel like crap. It sucked that people were so used to him being an asshole that any small words of kindness he said were hard to believe.
"And I'm sorry I ever was a part of it—" he continued before he could lose courage. "I'm sorry that I attacked you, Demetri, and Robby at the mall. I'm sorry that I trashed the dojo and stole the medal of honor—" He had to pause, to take a deep breath, the memories the medal caused still hurt like a knife in the gut. "And I'm sorry about yesterday too, that I broke into your house with the Cobras. That was a shitty thing to do, and I should have told them so. I— I should have quit Cobra Kai before any of that happened, but I didn't— so it's my fault. It's my fault that people got hurt."
Hawk turned his eyes down and swallowed hard. His hands in the pockets of his sweats were trembling. Was there anything as unnerving in this world as the silence that follows an apology? They could tell him to leave, they could tell him what he had done could never be fixed, that he would never be forgiven—
"It's okay," Sam said, and Hawk's glance shot up. Something had softened in Sam's dark blue eyes, and there was kindness there, mercy that Hawk knew he didn't deserve. "I mean— Like dad always says, Cobra Kai can mess with your head. I'm glad you did the right thing in the end."
An emotion got stuck in Hawk's throat. He found no words, so he simply looked down and nodded.
"What happened to Sky wasn't Sam's fault," Miguel said. "But it wasn't your fault either. It's Tory and Kyler's—"
Hawk frowned, he looked at Miguel, as a cold lump of fear formed in his gut taking away the short relief he had felt.
"What do you mean?" He rasped. "What about Kyler?"
When Hawk parked his bike in front of Kyler's house 15 minutes later, the emotion in his gut had turned from ice into a burning rage.
He didn't give a shit about some deal the senseis had made with Kreese, about not fighting before the tournament. This wasn't a fight. This wasn't about the dojos. This was personal, and he wasn't going to leave before Kyler paid for what he had done.
Kyler had crossed a line.
Yeah, Sky was technically Eagle Fang - but she had been injured and defenseless, and anyone should have realized that, even that demented dick head Kyler Park. To think that anyone was evil enough to hit a defenseless girl—
That thought made Hawk sick to his stomach. He felt like he could throw up.
But that wasn't even the worst of it. Miguel had told him what Kyler had done. How Miguel had pushed him off Sky, while his hand had been under her skirt—
That was it. Hawk would rip Kyler apart. He wouldn't stop before Kyler's insides were outside of his body in a pile of bloody pulp—
He yanked off his helmet, and left the bike on the driveway, next to a car he didn't recognize. It wasn't Kyler's that much he knew, and briefly, he hoped it wasn't Kyler's Dad's or someone else of his family, but—
But no. He remembered Kyler telling the Cobras that his family was away, that he had the whole house to himself for a couple of days before Christmas. The Cobras had whooped and laughed, they had been planning to have a party or a gathering here, to have some beer, to watch a movie.
Hawk hoped that wasn't happening today. He was prepared to kill Kyler, but it would be a lot harder if he would have to fight his way through all the Cobras to do so. Not that he wouldn't if he had to. If it came to that, he would fucking rip them all apart.
With a couple of fast strides, he reached the front door and hit the doorbell so hard it let out a broken, high-pitched yelp before the regular note.
No one came. The door remained shut.
"Kyler!" Hawk called, tasting the steel of rage in his voice. "Open the fucking door!"
He hit the doorbell a couple of times more, then tried the handle - just to realize that the door was open.
He heard the sounds of the fight as soon as he stepped inside - the low grunts, the sounds of a fist meeting flesh, the clattering of things that fell to the floor, glass breaking. Someone was spitting out curses.
Adrenaline shot through Hawk's system as he rushed through the ground floor, following the noises.
The fight was in the kitchen. Hawk stopped in the doorway in front of the sight that knocked the air off his lungs. Someone had gotten here first.
It was Cody, and he was beating the crap out of Kyler.