The Karate Kid 🥋 (Daniel LaRusso)

ch.5

Daniel and I were walking to Mr Miyagi's house. "He's teaching me new moves today, I'm so excited," he said merrily. I laughed at how adorable he was. Anything to do with Mr Miyagi, Daniel's face lit up with a glint in his eyes. When we arrived, Mr Miyagi was sitting on the grass in a weird position. He was breathing in deeply and exhaling. We watched for a few minutes before he finally opened one eye. "Ah Daniel-San, Riley-San" he greeted with a nod to which I gave back.

Neither of them was wanting to waste time so they got straight into it. I took a seat nearby on the grass and studied Daniel as he was taught new karate moves. He was so concentrated and his determination to learn was super admirable to me. 

Mr Miyiagi and Daniel practised karate for about an hour and then they finished up with a breathing exercise which they let me join in. Not long after, Mr Miyagi began making lunch. "I be back soon," he said holding up a bucket and a fishing rod before he left us alone. 

"Can I ask you something?" I spoke up. He looked at me curiously and nodded. "How long do you want to fake date for?" I asked. I didn't really want to ask in case he said anytime soon but it was a question that needed to be addressed. "Honestly I haven't thought about that, we're in the moment living" he replied thoughtfully before he convinced me to learn some moves.

He stood up and held out his hand which I used to pull myself up. "Stand like this" he began, showing me a stance. He put his hands on my shoulders and put me in position. After a failed few attempts, I still wasn't getting it. "I suck at this" I groaned. "Come here," he said. He pulled me close and stood behind me. I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck and his presence made me nervous. He used his hands and body to control my moves as he taught me.

Daniel was so close to me I was surprised he didn't hear my internal screaming. At the end of it, he turned to face me, his face inches from mine. I really felt a connection and I was unsure if he felt the same. Though before we could find out, Mr Miyagi returned with a bucket full of fish. "I done well," he said proudly which made us laugh. 

---

We stayed with him for most of the day and left when it began getting dark. As we were strolling down the long winding roads, three boys we'd never seen before came up to us. "What do we have here?" One taunted. I grabbed Daniel's hand a proceeded to walk around them but they followed and blocked our path. "What valuables do you have?" The second boy asked. "My left foot, now move" I snapped. The third boy laughed and pushed my shoulder back.

In reaction, I suddenly punched him in his face. That prompted them to attack Daniel. I yelled at them to stop but nobody was listening to me. The boy I had punched jumped back up and pinned my arms behind my back, twisting them hard. I watched helplessly as they continued to hurt Daniel. But to their surprise, he began performing karate which evidently the group of boys lacked in and Daniel overpowered the other two before they ran off in the opposite direction. 

The remaining boy tightened his grip which made me whimper. "I'm not gonna tell you again, let her go," Daniel raised his voice. When the boy didn't comply, Daniel swiftly knocked him out before grabbing my hand and we ran through a few blocks, slowing down when we were close to home. "Are you okay?" He asked, rubbing my arm. "Yeah thank you, I'm sorry I put you in that position by punching him" I answered. "Well one of us had to do it," he laughed.

Then he pulled me in for a tight hug. As my head rested against his chest, I listened to his racing heartbeat. "Come on, let's get you home for the night," he said sweetly. I lived ten minutes from his house but he walked me home anyway. When we reached my front door, I pulled out my keys but I could feel his eyes on me. "What an adventure that was huh" he commented. "I would call it the karate troubles" I joked. "Well whatever you call it, I'm glad it was me and you," he said.

Then out of nowhere, he kissed my forehead. "Goodnight Riley," he said with a smile. "Goodnight Daniel," I smiled back and then I watched him wander off into the night.