{1984}
I ran and ran for what felt like miles behind the guys in close contact with Daniel, panicking to no end on trying to stop Johnny from absolutely killing him. I was scared out of my mind for Daniel, for me, for what would happen. A good night quickly turned into a show of horrors that there was no way of coming back from. Why couldn't you just leave it alone Daniel?!

"Johnny!!!!! Leave him alone!!!!" They just kept running with me in tow. But before long, I managed to get ahead of them all with the protests of Johnny and Justin ringing out behind me to stop. Like a clear threat that I would be in the line of fire if I didn't. But that's precisely what I wanted. Thank goodness I took track back at my old school, otherwise I could never outrun these bags of bones.

"Daniel!!!! Come on I'll give you a lift!!!" We took off running side by side, seeing the look of regret in his eyes once he noticed I was soaking wet as well, but we had no time to make either one of us feel bad for our choices. We had to run for our lives. Especially for Daniel's.

"I'm so sorry Nance!! I didn't mean to do that to you, I swear!" I shook my head in protest, slowing down once we reached a gate leading to the apartments to help throw him over to safety. But the guys were close behind, seeing the gleam of rage in Johnny's eyes, even in the darkness of the night.

"Hurry!!" I leaned down quickly to give him a jump start over the fence, but immediately got a kick to the side to send me to my stomach on the hard ground, practically knocking the wind out of me on impact. My hazy vision revealed Bobby as the source of the kick, enraged to say the least from the sight of Daniel falling hard to the ground in the process.

"Why do you keep helping him?! He's a piece of useless waste!" I went to stand as quickly as I could, but immediately found myself back on the ground with a foot held to my back to keep me from moving, doing everything I could to jerk away from the weight I found myself under.

"Get off of me jerkoff!" With all my force, I whirled around to have Tommy who was now helping Bobby, tumble to the side before I kicked the back of Tommy's legs to send him face first into the ground, just as Johnny got Bobby away from me before he could do anything else rash with a clear look of warning to leave me alone. He barely glanced at me before hauling Daniel off the ground and with rage filled eyes, shook him around like a rag doll.

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone huh?! Well now you're going to pay....." His fist connected with Daniel's stomach as a scream erupted from me in panic, seeing nothing but red from the anger coursing through my veins. More kicks erupted from Johnny to Daniel, connecting with his face and legs to cause even more damage. I Immediately sprung into action with my screams never halting, kicking and hitting them one by one as hard and fast as possible.

"Johnny, man he's had enough!!! Just leave him alone." Suddenly, Bobby was feeling charitable with the pain they were causing Daniel and wanted to stop, surprising me more than anything. But I didn't care. I couldn't risk them hurting Daniel further.

"I'll decide when he's had enough man!" I shoved Johnny away from the line of fire of Daniel, beckoning him to fight me with all he's got. I'm not going down without a strong fight.

"No mercy! Show them no mercy Johnny!" Johnny eyed me with rage of his own, trying to shove me to the side to get to Daniel, but I wouldn't budge. Just as I tripped him up, Mr. Miyagi came from out of nowhere and went to battle, fighting for the honor he's always teaching us. Only defend. And that's exactly what I intend to do. While Mr. Miyagi flipped and kicked Justin and Tommy away, I went to work on Bobby and Jimmy with my own moves to knock them off guard, sending them to the ground in a heap. I turned my attention to Johnny with pierced eyes and a clearly bruised cheek from the harsh tumble I took to the ground, shaking my head in anger at him. Disappointment. Hurt. I know he's pissed off about the whole water thing. I get it. But this..... this is too much.

"Why can't you just give up Johnny?! Why do you think this is okay?! It's not!!!" My screams erupted into the night, knowing Daniel was the one that sprayed the water all over us. I get that. But this is a bit much for some soaked clothes. But to him, he's taking it all as a personal attack to his dojo. To the teachings his sensei taught him and the others. The wrong teachings. The brutal ones. No mercy.

"Nancy-san, it's okay. Daniel-san is coming with me. He safe." I couldn't let go of the fighting stance I found myself in, seeing the same exact look in Johnny's piercing blue eyes. It was too much. All of this is too much. I watched Mr. Miyagi haul a knocked out Daniel over his shoulder to his maintenance/personal room, the rage within me never wavering.

"I've had enough of these barbaric attacks! It's down right ridiculous to keep this up, all to honor your dojo. Well newsflash, your sensei is a pompous asshole who has no clue what he's doing in the art of karate!!!!" I flung my blooded headband off my head and to the ground, huffing from the fast beat of my heart. Johnny stared at me, completely speechless from how angry I actually was. He clearly didn't understand the meaning of family like I do. As far as I'm concerned, Daniel is my family. He always will be. And they just keep crossing that line that I threaten them not to.

"Nance!" I sped off towards the now unlocked gate leading to my apartment with Johnny in tow, hearing his ragged breath in my ears the closer he got.

"No Johnny! I'm done. I'm done with all of this. I like you. Hell, I may even love your ass! But this? Is just way out of hand." I kept walking towards the stairs, leading right up to my apartment with the grimace still clear on my face. I could just punch a wall right now and I would probably feel nothing from just how numb I truly am.

"Nancy come on......" I froze from the sudden change of voice, turning as soon as we reached my door to see Johnny eyeing me in a way he never has.

"I won't apologize for what I just did. And for your information, my sensei knows what he's doing. Karate is meant to be brutal, rough, hard, fast. Not for child's play like you seem to think." He boxed me in between my door and his chest, staring down at me with such a look, it could kill.

"Back up Johnny....." He seemed to move closer If that was even possible, knowing what he was doing to me and seeming to get off on it. Asshole.... why am I so weak when it comes to Johnny Lawrence? His eye was bruising from a kick that Mr. Miyagi had connected to him in the process of taking down the others, showing right through his now messed up paint. So much for Halloween.

"Or what?" I shoved him away harshly, pissed all to hell. But all I could do, was cry. I slowly fell to the ground with my tears rolling freely into the night air, landing on the chilled ground below.

"I love you..... I love you and I hate it! I hate it so damn much.... because I know I shouldn't. You just had to worm your way into my heart out of nowhere. I want to despise you!!! But...... but I can't." He slowly sat down in front of my now shaking body, taking me into his arms with my tears falling on his shoulder, not wanting to leave the grasp of his arms now around me and everything that happened mere seconds ago, seemingly forgotten.

"I love you too Nance. Even if I'm not supposed to. I do. And we both clearly don't know what to do about it." I went lax in his arms, feeling that same sensation I always do when I find myself here. Like I'm home.