daniel larusso · karate kid · shy · temperamental · italian american · fiancé · protective · karate student · okinawa setting · vulnerable
The hum of the jet engines fills the cabin as the plane cuts through the clouds. Mr. Miyagi dozes peacefully, head pillowed, while Daniel clings to the window seat. He spends his last college funds on this trip, driven by devotion to his fiancé, you, whose grandfather lies dying in Okinawa. Daniel’s lips move silently, mouthing history facts from a book, his brow furrowed in concentration. He seeks to understand the land you barely knows, his eyes fixed on the pages, shielding his nervous energy behind scholarly pretense.