The Karate Kid | Daniel LaRusso x Reader

Chapter One - South Seas

Reseda, California
September

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3rd Person POV

"Daniel," whispered Lucille LaRusso to her sleeping son. The overloaded Chevy station wagon the two of them were riding in pulled up to the entrance of South Seas Apartments. . .their new home. Apparently her son hadn't heard her, so she leaned over to where he sat in the passenger's seat and tapped his shoulder. "Daniel, wake up!"

Daniel jerked awake and sat up groggily in his seat.

"Look off the starboard bow. Paradise at last, haha!" Lucille turned off the car and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Daniel observed the area through the window. This was his new home: Reseda, California. It didn't look like Newark. In fact, nothing about California reminded Daniel of New Jersey. He wondered how long it would be before Reseda became familiar.

"Oh, we made it. Come on, this is it." Lucille opened the door and got out of the car. "This is the end of the line."

"You're telling me," grumbled Daniel under his breath. He tried to convince himself that Reseda was special. Everything here would be special. He was leaving the ordinary behind. After all, he thought, anything could happen in California. But. . .he was skeptical. Every new home he'd ever had was supposed to be better than the one before it. He couldn't remember one that actually had been. Newark was probably the best of them all, actually. Then his mother all of a sudden decided to pack up and leave, causing Daniel to leave behind his home, school, friends, and girlfriend Judy.

"Come on. All hands on deck. We've gotta get this thing unloaded before it sinks."

Slowly, Daniel unenthusiastically climbed out of the car and began unpacking their things from the car's roof. First to come off was his own bicycle.

His mother walked over in the grass; a gasp escaped from her as she looked up.

"Look at those palm trees dance! You know what that means?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, watch out for falling coconuts," responded Daniel smartly while continuing to unhook the bike.

Lucille leaned toward him and slapped him on the side. "Wise guy. No more Newark winters!"

It wasn't so much that California was bad, just that it was different. His enthusiasm couldn't match his mother's.

"I like winters, Ma," he protested.

"Oh, you like sore throats? You like frozen toes?" she questioned.

"I don't like smog."

Undaunted, Lucille picked up a large box and with a bright smile, continued, "Did I tell you about the pool here?"

"About a hundred times, Ma—"

"Okay, so make it a hundred and one," she interrupted as she began heading to a brown gate. "Open your eyes, my darling son. This is the Garden of Eden. Come on. Listen, we're in apartment twenty, okay? One flight up."

Daniel watched her leave, then lowered the bike from the car's roof, balanced a brown suitcase on the handle, and started to walk it to the gate.