{Now}
Driving through the all too familiar streets of Reseda, felt like I was transported back to my teenage years. Everything was just as it was the day I had left, but in so many ways, it wasn't at all. Apart of me wanted to run for the hills once more and hoped that I never looked back. But the other part of me, said no. I couldn't let my past scare me away. Not anymore. But not once, did I ever think I would find my way back to the South Seas. Where my real journey began all those years ago.

"Well holy shit. You're still standing huh?" I exited my car with a little smile of remembrance on my face, flashes of Mr. Miyagi going through my mind. He taught me so much over the course of my teenage years. I felt like I was losing so much. But he kept me focused enough to keep going.

"Hi! Are you the new lady moving in next to us?" I was startled from my daydream upon the beaming smile and voice of a teenage boy, eager to get answers on the new person in town.

"I am! My name is Nancy neighbor." We shook hands, before he suddenly went to work on grabbing my things that I didn't even have time to protest about, hauling them off while I followed closely behind.

"My names Miguel. We've lived here for a while. It's not bad. You'll like it." I smiled a little, looking towards the top floor of apartments as we passed them by, remembering yet again things from the past. Daniel LaRusso and I were neighbors once he moved here from New Jersey, and I from Florida. And we quickly become the best of friends because we were both the new kid in town. But it wasn't always that simple.

"Yeah, I used to live here when I was a teen back in the 80s. It hasn't changed all that much." We reached my apartment as I opened the door, noting how clean it actually looked on the inside. Miguel kindly set the two box's he had picked up down in the living room, sending me a smile.

"That's crazy! So are you back for personal reasons? I mean! I shouldn't be asking that huh?" I laughed from his enthusiasm, already liking this random kid I just met mere minutes ago.

"I am actually. I just wanted to get back to my old roots. Start over and be free. Ya know?" He nodded with a little smile, when he noticed from the corner of his eye that one of my Karategi's was sticking out from the top box he sat down. My uniforms from back in the day still fit believe it or not. Karate was exactly the type of training I always needed. Not to harm. But to protect. I learned from the best.

"You do Karate?! No way! I'm actually trying to talk our neighbor across from us into teaching me. But he's..... different." I grinned a little, taking the Karategi from the box and letting him get a closer look, noting how excited he truly was over Karate.

"Well, maybe I can convince him. One Karate enthusiast to another." He beamed once again from glee, before suddenly hugging me like I had just told him the answers to the universe.

"You're the best! I'm so glad you're our neighbor." We pulled apart with a little chuckle leaving my mouth, before he left my apartment so I could get some stuff unpacked. Thankfully, I didn't travel with a ton of items. I couldn't believe I actually came back to begin with. I finally got to working on the box full of my Karate items, seeing numerous framed pictures from the past I hadn't actually thought about in so long. Or simply overlooked the photos. The top one, was of Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, and I from the first time we trained together. It was..... unbelievable how amazing of a teacher he was. And he actually cared. But the next photo, seemed to freeze me in time from the blonde haired, blue eyed smiling boy looking back at me with his arm wrapped firmly around my waist. Johnny Lawrence. Cobra Kai's finest. And our biggest competition. John Kreese, his oh so 'amazing' sensei, made our lives a living hell. And at first, Johnny and I weren't on the best of terms. But we eventually found something we didn't expect.

"You blue eyed devil." I smiled a little from the memories, knowing I hadn't seen him since we were at least 23. Things didn't end all that well. But we both looked so badass in our gear, so I decided to go ahead and display all the photos anyhow. And that's when it happened. Gazing out my slightly open window into the parking lot, was the exact person I was just gazing upon from all those years ago. I thought I was simply losing my mind. But I know that face from anywhere.

"Johnny?" I had quickly flung my door open before he disappeared to wherever he was headed, unable to say another word from the shock of it all. In his hand was Coors Banquet Beer, something that hasn't change at all. But even Johnny looked fixated on the notion that I was standing here. It was like a dream. Almost not real at all. But all too real for me to handle.

"Nance...? No way. Look at you!" We met halfway in the lot with little smiles on our faces, not really knowing what to say. But I was actually happy to see him. He was the first guy I ever loved. And if I'm being honest, the only.

"You look amazing Johnny. Really. You live here also? Small world." He chuckled a little, knowing how the tables have clearly turned. He's an Encino boy in Reseda. And he used to give me grief about living here.

"Small world it is huh?" We just stared at one another for the longest time, before Miguel came running from behind me, seeming surprised to see us talking.

"You two know each other? Great! Then you can definitely talk him into teaching me." I grinned a little in humor, seeing the grumpy as usual look on Johnny's face that hasn't changed as well. He just wanted to be left in peace with his Coors. Because like I, he hasn't practiced in a long time. Moving back to Reseda has really proven to be interesting. That's for sure.