First of all, I would like to say that I am Brazilian, but since most of the stories on this site are in English, I will try to do my best to write in that language as well. If you notice any grammatical errors, please forgive me, I'm doing the best I can. Hope you like it.
WARNING: This story contains explicit physical abuse of a child. If you don't feel comfortable with this topic, please don't read!
Tory arrived at his home like an overwhelming tornado. A few minutes ago, she was in Miyagi Do's backyard and now she was sitting on the floor of her apartment in Reseda: Alone. She thought that at some point someone would come after her, but she was wrong. Nobody came. Not even Robby. A part of her even understood Robby. Tory wasn't the type to share her problems.
''You got a new job? Where?''
''It's none of your business.''
That was Tory's response when Robby tried to find out more about her life. So in their next conversation, he already knew perfectly well how to act.
''I just had a shitty day.''
''I'd ask, but it's none of my business.''
These memories would even make Tory smile if today wasn't the worst day of her life.
There were many things to assimilate. Her mother was supposedly getting better and now she was dead. She and Sam fight for the title of dojo captain. Sensei Larusso interrupting the fight. Sensei Lawrence wanting her to fight. Sensei Larusso and Sensei Lawrence arguing in front of her and Tory realizing that Sensei Kreese's words weren't that absurd after all. There was so much shit going on that it felt like her head was going to explode. So all Tory could do was get out of there as quickly as possible.
So she couldn't feel angry at Robby for not coming after her. He was one of the few who she understood from the beginning how Tory worked. Robby knew that sometimes Tory preferred to solve her problems alone rather than venting to others. He also never pressured her to say anything and always respected her time to open up. That was one of the things Tory really liked about him. Ironically, all Tory wanted now was for him to not respect her time. Damn it. She just wanted a damn hug. Why was it so hard for idiot Keene to do this? God, Tory didn't want to think about him right now. She already had a lot of shit to deal with.
And the truth is, life has never been easy for Tory Nichols.
When she was 8 years old, her father left them when he discovered that her mother was expecting another child. Not that that was a big problem. He was a huge idiot. Being without him was better for Tory, for his mother and for his little brother who was on the way. Unfortunately, being a single mother was not a very simple task. Grace worked day and night to put food on the table for Tory and Brandon, and yet the world found a way to kick their ass again. Tory remembers very well the devastating look on her mother's face when she told her she had been fired for bringing leftover food for her and Brandon to eat. She was just 12 years old at the time.
Still, her mother always tried her best to keep Tory and Brandon healthy. That is until Tory turned 13. That's when Grace started to get sick. Kidney problems. That's what the doctors said. As her mother could no longer work, she ended up getting a disability pension. However, this was not enough to pay all the bills and the expensive medicines her mother used. So at 14, Tory started working. She was still a child, but from an early age she learned to have responsibilities. She took care of her mother, her little brother, put food on the table and paid all the bills. For five years, she lived like this. Five years that the doctor said was "a gift". Idiots. After all, all Tory could think was that she tried her best for them, but now that her mother was dead and she doesn't know if she'll be able to keep custody of Brandon, she really doesn't know if everything she did for them was enough.
''Life dealt us a bad hand, but we can change that, 'Cause we're fighters now.''
The words that her mother had said to her right after her father left home wouldn't leave her head, because now she would have to fight more than ever. Aunt Kandace's leech was going to show up as soon as she found out Tory's mother passed away. She was going to try to take custody of Brandon just to guarantee the disability pension that Grace Nichols left and Tory was going to end up without her little brother too.
Life had no mercy. Not with her.
Speaking of her aunt, Tory had goosebumps just thinking about that bitch of hers with Brandon's custody. His little brother was only 9 years old. He still didn't know how to take care of himself and he certainly wouldn't know how to protect himself from Aunt Kandace. Tory remembers when Aunt Kandace spent a year with them, right after her mother got sick. It was probably one of the worst years of her life. She was 13 and Brandon was 4. Aunt Kandace took all of her mother's disability pension money and spent practically all of it on herself. She even bought her sister's medicine to cover it up, but she spent everything else on drinks and who knows what. Tory even had to beg her neighbor to get Brandon some milk. As for her, she could only eat the neighbors' leftovers that they threw in the trash. She doesn't even know how she and Brandon managed to survive this year, when they only ate once a day. The worst part is that if she dared to complain to Aunt Kandace about it, all she would get was a slap on the mouth or sometimes even a beating.
Flashback - 5 years ago:
Brandon and Tory hadn't eaten anything since the day before. They had gone more than 24 hours without putting anything in their mouths. If there was someone to stay with Brandon, Tory would even go out on the street to get them something to eat, but she knew she couldn't. She was alone with Brandon. Her mother was admitted to the hospital due to her worsening kidney problems and her Aunt Kandace hadn't been home for two days. Her 4-year-old little brother was crying from hunger and all Tory could do to comfort him was rock him in her arms and whisper words of comfort.
''Aunt Kandace will be here soon, B.'' - Tory looked at him, trying to believe her own words.
The little boy just cried loudly in response and Tory did her best to stay strong and not show how worried she was in front of him. Tory rocked him for a few more minutes, until Brandon ended up falling asleep. He was exhausted. Tory sighed, placing him in one of the bedrooms and going back to the kitchen to get a glass of water, while she listened to her belly growl with hunger.
''Shit!'' - She cursed, not really knowing what to do, until the sound of a key opening the door caught her attention. - ''Aunt Kandace?'' - Tory turned around, only to see her aunt walking through the door. - ''Where the hell were you?'' - She snorted, complaining about her delay.
''I don't owe you any satisfaction, brat.'' - Aunt Kandace mocked, sitting on the sofa.
''Of course you should.'' - Tory replied, looking at her. - ''Especially when you're the one taking all the money from mom's disability pension.'' - She remembered and Aunt Kandace got up from the couch immediately, heading towards her. - ''Brandon was crying from hunger and you...'' - Tory was about to say that she disappeared for a whole day, when she felt a slap on her mouth.
''Look at how you talk to me.'' - Aunt Kandace scolded her, pointing her finger in her face. - ''I'm your aunt and I don't owe you any satisfaction.'' - She stated, looking at her niece.
''That's what you think.'' - Tory looked at her and Aunt Kandace raised her hand ready to hit her again. - ''Do you really think I'm afraid of you?'' - The girl faced her, unable to contain her impulsive temper. - ''You're nothing but a fucking drunk!" - Tory spat, feeling another slap on her mouth. This time, even harder.
''Aren't you afraid of me?'' - Aunt Kandace laughed, as she watched Tory caress the place where she had been slapped. - ''So I think you better start having, girl.'' - She threatened, starting to unbuckle the belt of her jeans.
''What are you...'' - Tory was about to ask what the hell she was doing, when she felt a strong strap on her leg. - ''Are you crazy?'' - She asked, but the aunt just ignored her, continuing to beat her niece with the belt. - ''Stop it, you bitch.'' - Tory asked, feeling cornered in the corner of the kitchen.
''What did you call me?'' - Aunt Kandace stopped hitting for a moment, grabbing Tory's arm with one hand and throwing her on the couch. - ''I'll teach you to respect your elders, you rude girl!'' - She snorted, going back to attacking Tory with the damn belt.
Tory even wanted to fight back, but the truth is that she didn't have the strength. She was only 13 years old, hadn't eaten anything for over 24 hours, was underweight due to lack of adequate nutrition and didn't play any sport at the time. So all she could do was stand still as she felt Aunt Kandace lower the belt down her back and down her legs. Tory doesn't even know how long Aunt Kandace spanked her. What she does know is that her body was sore for a week after that.
She never told her mother what happened. Tory didn't want to worry Grace Nichols with that kind of problem. Therefore, she tried to avoid provoking Aunt Kandace after that event. She knew that if she pushed things too far, all she would end up getting was a big beating. Still, there were times when Aunt Kandace would hit her just because her day was shit. She had found a way to take out her problems on Tory. Obviously she only did this when Tory's mother was in the hospital. In front of Grace, Aunt Kandace pretended to be a saint. Big son of a bitch she was. At least Aunt Kandace never touched Brandon. When he cried too much and his mother wasn't home, Tory would just take his brother for walks to avoid him becoming a target for Kandace. It worked, because if Tory could protect Brandon from Aunt Kandace, she would. Without even thinking twice.
Fortunately, right before Tory turned 14, Aunt Kandace ended up getting into some legal trouble and ended up having to run out of town for a while. For the young 13-year-old girl this was a tremendous relief, even though she now had to take on household responsibilities.
End of Flashback.
Because of this, Tory started practicing Kick Boxing when he turned 14. She figured that if Aunt Kandace ever came back to live with them, she would probably be able to protect herself and Brandon too. No one was ever going to touch her again and make her defenseless like Kandace did. Nobody.
But there was also her father.
''You think your daddy's just gonna show up out of the blue?''
That's what your Aunt Kandace said when she visited her for the last time. Well, she really didn't think he would show up one day, but the truth is that she couldn't say. Tory hasn't seen her father in over ten years. Honestly, she even thinks it was better that way. Even though she was only 7 years old at the time, Tory remembers well the day she saw her father attacking her mother.
Flashback - 10 years ago:
Tory was huddled in a corner of her room as she heard the loud screams coming from the living room. Her father and mother were fighting again. Like any curious child, Tory couldn't help but overhear what they were discussing.
"Grace, I need more money!" - Her father screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Dutch, I already told you I can't give you more." - She heard her mother respond.
"You don't understand, Grace!" -Tory heard her father lament. - "I NEED!" - He shouted, even louder than before.
"I'm very sorry." - Was her mother's response, before little Tory heard a banging noise coming from the living room.
At the same moment, Tory ran towards the living room, only to find her mother leaning against the wall and her father with both hands around her throat, looking like one of those monsters that appeared in the cartoons she watched every morning.
''Dutch...'' - Tory heard her mother call her father's name with a look of fear and that was when Grace Nichols realized who was in the living room, witnessing the aggression that she tried so hard to hide. - ''Tory, go back to the room.'' - She asked when she saw a 7-year-old Tory looking impressed at the scene.
''Listen to mom, Tory.'' - Her father ordered, without even looking at her.
''Only if you let Mom go!" - Tory replied, mustering all the courage a 7-year-old could have.
''What's wrong with this girl?'' - Dutch snorted to himself, pressing even harder on Grace's throat.
''Tory, obey...'' - Grace was about to ask Tory to leave the living room again, when she realized what her little girl had just done.
7-year-old Tory Nichols had just kicked his father in the leg. She was small and Grace could bet that the kick hadn't even hurt, but the act was so surprising that at the same moment, Dutch let go of his wife and turned to face the little girl who had committed such an act.
''Did you just kick your father?'' - Dutch asked with a look that scared Grace.
''Please, Dutch, don't touch her.'' - Grace begged, ready to jump in front of Tory if he tried to do something.
But what he did next was even more surprising than the kick Tory gave him. Dutch laughed. He laughed so hard he looked like he was going to get sick. Dutch even sat down on the couch to continue laughing. He laughed maniacally for a minute or two and neither Tory nor Grace knew what would come next.
''Good girl.'' - Was all he ended up saying, as soon as he stopped laughing. - "And Grace...'' - Dutch looked at her, getting up from the couch. - ''Get the money." - He ordered, passing by Tory and ruffling the girl's hair, before leaving the house and leaving mother and daughter alone.
Grace sighed in relief and remained silent for a few minutes, when she felt Tory's small hand poking the hem of her pants.
''What's wrong, my love?'' - Grace looked at her, trying to hide the tears that insisted on falling.
''I'm sorry for not staying in the room, mom.'' - Tory apologized with a guilty pout.
''Oh darling, you don't need to apologize for anything.'' - Grace stated, taking Tory on her lap and sitting on the sofa with her.
''If I don't need to apologize, why are you crying?'' - Tory asked, still thinking that the reasons for her mother's tears were her fault.
''Sometimes mommy gets sad.'' - Grace replied, wanting to spare Tory certain details.
She was still too young to understand the problems she and Dutch faced.
''Is it because of daddy?'' - Tory guessed, smartly, when she noticed the marks of her father's fingers on her mother's throat.
''Yes, sweetie.'' - Grace couldn't lie, when she felt Tory touch the marks Dutch had left.
''I don't understand why daddy was hurting you.'' - Tory confessed and all Grace wanted was for her little girl to never witness that scene. - ''Is he evil?'' - She asked, feeling confused.
''Your dad is not bad, sweetheart.'' - Grace was quick to respond. - ''But he has problems and sometimes he can be complicated.'' - She tried to explain in a way that the 7-year-old girl could understand and Tory just nodded, not wanting to disagree with her mother at that moment.
Grace knew it wasn't the best explanation in the world, but there really wasn't much she could say. She couldn't say that Dutch was addicted to drugs and that due to abstinence he became more aggressive than normal. He was always hot-headed, it's true, and when they started dating he even told her that he was once part of a karate dojo, but before the drugs he had never attacked her. However, in recent years, Dutch became addicted to cocaine and that's when things started to go wrong. The cocaine combined with his temper was a very destructive combination and even though Grace tried to protect Tory from this side of Dutch, sometimes it seemed impossible, especially in the last few months.
Things between Dutch and Grace didn't get better after that night. In fact, they only got worse. And in the middle of it all, Grace discovered that she was pregnant with his baby again. But this time, she knew exactly what she had to do. She couldn't let another child grow up around Dutch, considering the unpredictable and violent state he was in. So one night, she took courage and told him to leave. Dutch even tried to resist, leaving a mark on her arm along the way, but when Grace threatened to call the police, he finally decided to go.
''Tell Tory I'm sorry.'' - He asked, turning to leave. - ''You know what?'' - Dutch stopped, looking at Grace one last time. - ''Don't say anything.'' - He shrugged, walking out the door and disappearing once and for all.
Tory never knew that it was her mother who asked her father to leave. The version she knew was that Dutch left when she found out his mother was pregnant with Brandon. Not that it made any difference. She never missed her father and the memories she had of him weren't exactly the best memories in the world. Deep down, she knew that the best thing that could have happened to her was that she grew up with just her mother and Brandon.
End of Flashback.
The point is that her mother's death and the fear of losing custody of Brandon was almost causing Tory to go into a mental breakdown. As if it wasn't horrible enough that she lost the person she loved most in the world, she could still lose her little brother. If only he would stay with someone who would take good care of him... But unfortunately, that wasn't a possibility. Tory knew that Brandon wouldn't be safe with his father if he ever returned, much less with his Aunt Kandace. She only wanted the best for him and currently she couldn't even give him that. Brandon was just a kid and he deserved better.
"Hey Tory, will I ever be a great scientist?" - That's what he had asked her, just a few days ago.
"You can be anything you want, buddy." - Tory promised, smiling at him and pulling him into a tight hug.
Having Brandon safe in her arms now seemed like such a distant memory and now all that was left was the uncertainty of whether she would stay with him. It's obvious that Tory wouldn't give up without a fight and she would certainly do everything in her power to gain custody of him, but unfortunately she had just gotten out of parole. She had also only recently turned 18 and didn't even have an unstable job. Everything was against her.
"A judge is gonna take one look at you and laugh you straight outta court."
Those were the words of your Aunt Kandace last year. The worst part is that the bitch was right. She had no chance of winning a custody battle. Not now.
The only chance for her to win this guard battle is if she won Sekai Takai as captain. The dojo could have up to 6 fighters, but only the captains who could fight in a possible final. In fact, everyone knew that only captains got the glory and the best sponsors. If she wanted to get enough money to hire a good lawyer and fight for custody of Brandon being number 2 was not an option.
Either she was the captain or she couldn't be anything.
That's why, in the midst of her grief, she managed to gather the strength to appear at Miyagi Do and compete for the captain's spot against Sam. She wasn't well. Tory had cried all night, hadn't slept a single minute and she didn't even remember the last thing she put in her mouth, but still, she knew she needed to fight. She tried to fight. She wanted to fight for her mother and Brandon, but Sensei Larusso wouldn't let her. He didn't understand her or he was just trying to protect his little girl. Tory doesn't know why she let herself be fooled for so long. She would never be the priority in Miyagi Do. How could she be? Samantha Larusso was practically Mr. Miyagi's granddaughter, so she would always be number 1 in that dojo. No matter what she did, if they had to choose someone, it would always be Samantha. In that sensei Kreese was right.
The Sensei Kreese... They had a long history together. The two had to deal with a sick mother and Sensei Kreese always seemed to understand her needs. For many, he was a villain. But the truth is, he was never the villain in her story. When she was having trouble with her rent, he took care of it. At All Valley, he went against Silver Sensei and let Tory fight the way she wanted. It's true that she felt betrayed when Sensei Kreese discarded her in prison, but in their last meeting, he assured her that he only wanted to protect her. If Tory stops to think about it, his explanation even made sense. Plus, Kreese always treated her like number 1.
"I am your Sensei, and you are my champion."
That's what he said on their last date.
And as much as Tory no longer trusted him blindly, she also couldn't help but feel touched that Sensei Kreese had come looking for her. He was on the run and yet he took the risk to come after her. Whether for the right reasons or not, Sensei Kreese believed in her. He truly believed she could be a champion.
What did she have to lose, anyway? She was willing to fight for Sensei Lawrence and Sensei Larusso and represent Miyagi Do, but when she needed their support, they just turned their backs on her. As most people have done at one time.
"You and I are the only ones who can trust each other."
It was something Sensei Kreese had told her when she came to visit him in prison. Yeah, maybe that was true. She had no one else. Not even Robby was here. All she had now was the promise of being a champion.
And she couldn't be the Sekai Takai champion just as a supporting part of the team. She needed to be the champion of Sekai Takai and be the captain to have the opportunity to fight in the final and appear on TV. She needed to get sponsors and make money. So she can fight for custody of Brandon.
Fuck this. If she couldn't be the captain of Miyagi Do, she could still be the captain of Cobra Kai.
Isn't that what they called her? The Queen Cobra.
And the truth is that with everything she was going through, it no longer mattered what was considered right or wrong. She needed to take care of herself and stop caring about what others thought. She needed to take care of Brandon and she would do whatever it took to do that.
Therefore, Tory Nichols only had one choice to make: Return to Cobra Kai, return to Kreese and lead the dojo in search of the Sekai Takai title.
It was her only option. It was her only choice.
By her mom. By Brandon. For her.
After more than years without writing anything, I had a burst of inspiration last Saturday and ended up writing these 4k words in honor of Tory Nichols' character. I saw Cobra Kai episode 6x05 last week and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I just started writing and here's the result.
This is the first time I've written about Cobra Kai and Tory, so if I didn't portray her in a way that was completely faithful to her character, I apologize in advance. But the truth is that watching Tory's character in seasons 2 and 3, I always thought that her mother's illness wasn't the only reason she acted the way she did. Tory literally broke into a home while on parole. This is crazy if we stop to think about it. Tory Nichols was an extremely aggressive character and I know this is a typical trait of children who have been physically abused at some point in their lives. Therefore, I thought I should portray this here.
About Dutch being her father: I saw an edit of theirs on Tik Tok with this theory and I just had to put it here in the story. Dutch and Tory are very similar. If the writers wanted to, they really could be father and daughter. Being Cobra Kai might be in her blood after all.
Anyway... I hope you like this story and if possible, tell me what you think. Thanks! Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx