❛ You give me a show and expect me not to watch? ❜

The next morning, Miguel tried to let Ayane sleep in.

He slipped out of bed as quietly as he could, but the girl stirred at once. She groaned a little, opening her eyes to see Miguel looking down at her.

"What are you staring at, stalker?" Ayane asked in a sleepy voice, Miguel unable to help but smile.

"A pretty girl in my bed," he replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I think I'm gonna go on a run."

She reached out for his hand before he could walk away, Miguel turning back around.

"I'll come with," Ayane replied, yawning.

Miguel laughed softly. "You can go back to sleep, Ayane. I don't mind."

Truthfully, Ayane did kind of want to sleep in. After the disturbance the night before, she deserved it.

She sighed a little, grabbing the pillow and holding it tightly. "Mmkay. I'll see you in a bit."

He smiled once more, leaving his bedroom.

Ayane felt like she had shut her eyes for five minutes before her phone was buzzing, blindly reaching for it on the nightstand.

"Hello?" she answered, not even checking to see who was calling.

"Ayane, it's Sam."

Ayane blinked, running a hand through her hair as she slightly sat up. "Uh... hey Sam. What's up?"

"Hey. I know this is totally random, but I need your help. Desperately."

"What's wrong?" Ayane questioned, frowning.

"It's Silver, again. Last night, he beat up my dad pretty badly. We found out that he paid off Stingray to lie about Kreese assaulting him, and it was actually Silver that did it. My dad's trying to quit karate altogether, but me and my mom, Johnny and Chozen are trying to convince him otherwise."

Ayane went quiet for a moment as she took this all in, raising her eyebrows.

"Um... wow. Holy shit. Uh– okay. What exactly do you need me for?" Ayane finally replied.

"Well... I have an idea. I got Robby on board, and we've already talked to the other Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students. But, the one we need on board the most if you, Ayane. You're done with Cobra Kai, right?"

Ayane took a breath, pulling her lips in. Sam was wanting Ayane to come back to Miyagi-Do.

The girl hesitated on the line, not knowing what to say for a moment. Ayane did not want to get involved with all of this again. She had just managed to get out, and it had not been easy.

"Sam, I-I don't know. Um... I've been thinking about taking a break from karate."

Sam went quiet on the other end, unsure of what to say. "Really? I never thought I'd hear those words from you, of all people."

Ayane laughed a little, placing a hand to her head. "I just– I think I might be better off without it for a little while, you know?"

The words felt weird to even say, but Ayane felt that this was the right thing to do. After everything she had been put through because of karate, Ayane needed the break.

"It's okay, Ayane. I've considered taking a break myself. But... I realized that it's always gonna be a part of me. The lessons I've learned can be used for more than just karate. It's taught me how to be a fighter in more ways than one."

Ayane swallowed, unsure if this was Sam's way of trying to convince her to change her mind. She made a fair point, but Ayane just couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I've been fighting my whole life. I don't wanna keep having to fight."

There was more silence for a moment. "That's okay. I support your decision. Do what's best for you."

"Thank you," Ayane replied, wiping away a single tear from her face. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah. See you, Ayane."

Sam hung up at once, Ayane dropping her phone on the bed and bringing her hands through her hair. She sat there, wondering if she was making the right decision.

Who was she, really, without karate?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

     When Miguel returned from his run, Ayane filled him in on everything Sam had told her.

"Yeah... Robby texted me earlier about something like that," Miguel noted, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna go back to Miyagi-Do, then? Or– Eagle Fang?"

Miguel raised his shoulders. "I mean... yeah. I've been wanting to do karate so badly since the dojo shut down. I feel like I'm going crazy without it."

She laughed through her nose, glancing down. Miguel eyed her warily.

"What did you tell Sam you wanted to do?" he asked timidly.

Ayane bit her nail, bringing her hand down at once. "Uh... I told her that I-I think I want a break from karate. And I do think that's what I want."

Miguel seemed saddened by her answer, trying ti mask his disappointment. He had desperately been hoping that she might agree, and that they could be on the same team again.

"That's okay. If that's your decision, then I'll stand behind it. I want what's best for you."

Ayane smiled weakly, trying not to cry. Lately she felt like all she wanted to do was cry. Ayane had not been taking her meds, as she was scared to have more nightmares while on them. But the withdrawals were definitely there.

Miguel went to get a shower, Ayane going to his bedroom and pulling out her bookbag. She rummaged inside, grabbing her medications. One was Prozac, an antidepressant, and the other was lithium, a mood stabilizer.

She held them both in her hand, sitting down on the bed. Ayane knew she probably needed to take them, but she did not want to. She was afraid of Miguel finding out that she was off her meds, knowing he would urge her to take them.

Ayane heard the bathroom door open, quickly putting the medications away and tossing her bookbag aside. Miguel entered the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

Eyeing him up and down, Miguel noticed and slightly smirked.

"Eyes up here, Miss Cain," he snapped his fingers, Ayane rolling her eyes as she glanced away.

"You give me a show and expect me not to watch?" Ayane flirted casually, Miguel chuckling softly.

"Maybe you can get another show later," he replied, pulling his clothes on. "I have to go to Miyagi-Do."

Ayane looked back over at Miguel, her smile fading a little. "Well, I don't wanna hold you up."

Miguel noticed her expression, approaching her and sitting down beside her.

"You okay?" he asked, looking over at her.

Ayane nodded. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Miguel slightly frowned, dismissing it at once.

"I'm just making sure. Gotta look out for my girl," he grinned, throwing an arm around her.

Ayane laughed softly, shaking her head. "I'll be okay, Mig. Get over to Miyagi-Do. I'll be here when you get back."

Miguel smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Alright. I'll see you later. Hey, maybe we can go on a date tonight."

Ayane returned his smile, placing her hands on either side of her.

"Sure. Date night, it is."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

     Ayane should not have been left alone to her thoughts.

After Miguel left, it was just her in the apartment. She did not really have anything to do to occupy her time, so Ayane eventually just began pacing Miguel's bedroom.

She kept thinking back to Jae. Ayane took the opportunity away by her own choice, potentially causing her to never see her brother again. Ayane felt selfish, choosing herself over Jae staying.

Ayane's chest ached, her breaths beginning to shorten. The girl held her chest, wondering what this feeling was.

There was so much guilt and shame pent up inside of her, to go along with her anger. Ayane felt like there was a weight on her chest, finally sitting down on Miguel's bed.

Then, tears began to fall. Ayane felt as if she were struggling to breathe, her heart pounding out of her chest. The girl let tears run down her face, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She wanted to call Miguel, but she did not even know what she would say to him. She had no idea what was wrong with her.

Ayane did not realize that she was having a panic attack for the first time in her life.

She eventually sunk down off of the bed and onto the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest as she silently sobbed. Ayane felt uncontrollably scared.

No decision she made felt like the right one. No matter what she picked, she was always going to be disappointing someone.

Ayane felt like she had brought it upon herself.

Rocking back and forth a little, Ayane buried her face into her knees, her breathing shallow. Her ears were ringing, likely from not getting enough oxygen.

Looking over at her backpack, Ayane remembered her pills. Maybe if she took them then she would calm down.

Ayane did not want to take them, though, hating the way they made her feel. She felt like a shell of a person when medicated, but she was beginning to feel even worse without them.

There were a million thoughts spiraling in her brain, each one of them blaming herself for the state she was in now.

She was never going to see her brother again. Her fault. She had disappointed all her friends by not coming back to Miyagi-Do. Her fault. She had lied to Miguel about numerous things, keeping secrets from him. Her fault.

It was all her fault.

Ayane, still visibly distressed, got up grabbed her backpack, gathering her things from Miguel's bedroom. She grabbed her car keys, heading out of the apartment but having no idea where she was going.

As she headed for her car, someone pulled in. It was dark out, the lights shining on her.

Miguel and Johnny hopped out of Johnny's van, Miguel approaching Ayane as Johnny went inside his apartment.

As he did, he saw her red, puffy, tear-streaked face and his expression immediately became alarmed.

"Ayane, what's wrong?"

He tried to go forward and grab her shoulders, but Ayane stepped away.

"No, please don't."

Miguel held up his hands, wondering what in the hell happened while he was gone. She had her backpack on her shoulder, seeming as if she were going somewhere.

"Ayane... did something happen? I–"

"Miguel, please just–" Ayane stopped, not knowing what to say. She wanted to be left alone.

The girl averted Miguel's gaze, taking heavy breaths.

"I-I need a break, Miguel."

His face contorted with confusion, lost. "What– like, a break from karate?"

Ayane met his eyes, not responding. Miguel shook his head a little.

"...A break from me?"

Her chin trembled, breaking away from his eyes. Ayane wiped her nose with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I'm not good for you, Miguel. I-I bring destruction everywhere I go. And you... you've been affected by my actions far too much."

His face displayed shock, confusion, and hurt. Miguel could not even begin to wrap his head around what she was saying.

"Ayane... what are you saying?"

She bit her lip, another tear falling down her cheek. "I'm saying that we need a break, Miguel. I-I'm not doing good right now, and I... I don't really know why. I don't know myself, who I am."

Miguel's heart began to ache, fighting back tears. This all seemed to come out of nowhere. Had Ayane not really been as fine as she had let on?

"Ayane, I can help you–"

"I don't want you to have to help me all the time, Miguel," she said with some exasperation. "You– you have sacrificed so much for me. I feel like I'm just gonna hurt you."

Miguel did not know what to say, only trying not to cry. His mouth hung open, no words coming out.

Ayane's chin trembled, wringing her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Miguel. For everything. But I need this, for my own sake. I have to figure out who I am."

She gave him one last prolonged look, drawing in a shaky breath. Ayane headed to her car, Miguel's eyes following her in utter shock.

Ayane got in her car, starting it up and driving away. Miguel had no idea where she was going, but he hoped to God it was not the Cain residence.

Miguel choked out a sob as she drove away, feeling numb. Had he done something wrong? He did not understand what was going on.

Ayane, meanwhile, cried even harder as she drove. She went from Reseda to Encino Hills, pulling into a familiar driveway.

The girl gathered her things and tried to gather her composure, making her way to the front door. She rang the doorbell, waiting.

At once, Amanda LaRusso answered. She immediately noticed the look of distress on Ayane, ushering her inside.

"Um... could I– could I stay with you guys for the night?"

Notes.
double update just so i could stab you guys in the heart

DON'T HATE ME okay, this is obviously not the end of ayane and miguel. but ayane is going through it more than ever before rn, and she's overwhelmed with everything

so anyway, who cried 😍 i crewed

now... time for ayane's villain arc?? 🤔 jk!! maybe. idk yet. i'll decide by tomorrow

ayane and miguel headcanons?