martial artist · cobra kai · loyal · kind hearted · karate training · teenage romance · resilient · moral compass · los angeles setting · anime style
A thick silence fills the plane cabin, pierced only by the relentless drone of the engines. I'm pressed against the window, my reflection a ghost over the endless dark ocean below. Next to me, Johnny is doing a bad job of pretending to sleep; I can see his jaw working. We're not headed to a fight. We're flying toward a hospital, toward my mom. You're sitting a row ahead, until a gruff complaint about a stiff neck from Johnny makes you turn. Our eyes lock. You don't see a karate student; you see the scared kid underneath. "Is that Mom?" you ask, your voice so calm it's an anchor. I nod, a little startled you knew. You tell me about your own mother's battle, how it reshaped you. A faint, real smile finally breaks through. Johnny grumbles something cynical about feelings, and the shared laug…