Archive of Our Own ^beta

"You look happy there," he says, sliding a drink over to Daniel LaRusso. He's never quite understood why humans enjoy alcohol so much, but it does seem to work when loosening them up. 

"Happier times," Daniel sighs, and he smiles at the picture of Daniel's younger self with an arm wrapped around Nariyoshi Miyagi. Now there had been a great warrior for the light indeed. 

"Is that a friend of yours?" 

"Best friend I ever had." 

"Are you visiting him while you are in town?" he asks, continuing to play his part. 

"I wish. I'm afraid he's no longer with us," Daniel says quietly. 

He smiles. He wants to tell the troubled man in front of him that what is loved, lives, and that no one is truly dead until the ripples they cause in the world finally fade away--until the clock they wound up runs down, until the wine they made has finished its ferment, until the crop they plant has been planted. That the span of someone’s life is only the core of their existence. 
But he doesn't say any of that, simply reminding the young man that just because someone is gone, does not mean they cannot still speak to someone who loved them. 

He walks off, making sure that that precise moment is when a tourist advertisement for Okinawa plays on a nearby screen. He's always loved the human saying about how a single pebble can cause an avalanche. 
And over many thousands of years, he has gotten very, very proficient at placing the pebble just so. 

By sending Daniel LaRusso to Tomi Village, an avalanche of goodness will be unleashed.

Daniel will find the balance he needs to lead his students on the right path. 

Kumiko, with perhaps just a little nudging, will help bring old friends back together, and serve as a confidant for him in a troubled time, passing on some last words of love from Nariyoshi. 

Yuna will have the opportunity to repay a life debt, and save Daniel's business. 

Chozen will teach Daniel some vitally needed lessons about the art he's dedicated his life to. He, too, will repay a life debt, and bring an end--one way or another--to the rivalry between Tory Nichols and his "cousin's" daughter. 

Under his tutelage, two formerly splintered dojos will come together and learn the power of unity. 

Johnny Lawrence, troubled but brave, will take more steps firmly away from his dark past. 

And should John Kreese and Terry Silver turn away from the opportunity to repent...well, there will be a counter ready for them, just in case. In just about every timeline, Chozen Toguchi will continue to battle for the side of light for many years to come, though even he does not yet understand the depth of the conflict. 

Uriel smiles and slips away quietly, unnoticed by anyone in the busy terminal. He has many more pebbles to place, after all.