❛ Sacrifices are meant to be made for family. ❜

     Walking into Cobra Kai, Ayane immediately looked around for her brother.

She did not see him, frowning to herself as she did not hesitate to approach Silver.

"Hey," Ayane grabbed his attention while he was in conversation with Sensei Kim. "Where is he?"

Silver turned, a look of surprise on his face at her sudden interruption. Kim did not seem to take too kindly to it, finding the girl disrespectful.

"Hello, Miss Cain," Silver greeted, clasping his hands in front of him. "You mean Kwon? He just got in a couple hours ago. He's in the locker room changing."

Ayane looked between Terry and Kim, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Silver's only problem with Ayane now was that she had no respect for the dojo she was in. He was going to have to fix that, somehow.

She walked off to the locker rooms to get changed into her gi, walking back out at the same time as someone leaving the boy's locker room.

Immediately, Ayane's face lit up. "Jae," she called over, a smile on her face.

The boy stopped walking, glaring over at her. Ayane's smile fell, confused.

After a moment, he just kept walking.

Ayane shook her head a little, following after him and catching him by the arm.

"Jae-Sung," she said, pulling him back. He turned on her with an icy stare, snatching his arm away.

"You left me, Ayane. You are a traitor," Jae spat.

Ayane's heart began to sink, trying to explain herself. "I-I came back for you, though. That's why I'm here, in Cobra Kai. For you."

Kwon was unmoved by her words, taking a step closer to Ayane as he peered down at her.

"Traitor," he spoke in Korean, giving her one last look before walking away.

Silver and Kim took note of this exchange, giving looks to one another. This was not good. If they wanted to keep Ayane, then she and Kwon would need to be on good terms.

"I'll talk some sense into him," Kim said, folding her arms behind her back. "We won't lose the Cain girl again."

Silver was not smiling for once. "Good. They're both going to be our champions."

He called class into session just then, Ayane being put into a group with the other girls. Led by Sensei Kim, they began to warmup.

As they were doing so, a group of people entered the dojo, all dressed in suits. Ayane paused, turning to see who they were.

"Distinguished members of the Sekai Taikai," Terry welcomed them. "I thank you for gracing us with your presence."

Ayane made a face, wondering why that name sounded so familiar. It hit her, just then, recognizing them. The Sekai Taikai was a worldwide karate competition, possibly the most famous karate tournament there was.

"Sensei Silver, I'm Gunther Braun. I speak for the Sekai Taikai," the man in the front introduced himself. "As you know, our admission process is quite rigorous. Despite your overtures, we cannot guarantee admission."

"Understood," Silver nodded. "But I assure you, Cobra Kai is worthy of entry."

He turned, beginning to show them around the place. "As you can see, our dojo is state of the art. And our senseis are second to none."

The students had cleared the mat for one of their senseis, allowing him to show off. Ayane looked over to Jae, the boy completely ignoring her.

"Very impressive," Gunther spoke, "but there are many impressive dojos in the world."

"Which is why it's a shame more people haven't heard of them," Silver quickly replied, Ayane wondering what he was scheming.

"But that's where we can help each other out," Silver pointed. "Corporate sponsorships, broadcast rights. I have the resources and the connections to make the Sekai Taikai a household name all across America. It's a huge market. One you've never been able to tap. Until now. Karate gave my life structure, function, purpose. And it's doing the same for my students."

He gestured to the kids as they all were instructed to perform roundhouse kicks, Ayane following suit as she listened to their conversation, and the absolute bullshit that Silver was spewing. He would do anything to get his way.

"I only want to spread its lessons further," Silver continued. "Give every kid the chance to learn and grow through karate. Just like I did."

Ayane rolled her eyes, performing a jab punch.

"Thank you for your generosity, but this review is entirely about the quality of your students," Gunther replied.

"That won't be a problem. Our dojo is the best in the Valley," Silver assured.

"That's not true," a familiar voice suddenly speaking up, Ayane whipping around toward the entrance.

In walked Daniel, Johnny, Amanda and Chozen. Ayane's eyes widened, as they did not know that she had joined Cobra Kai again. She had been keeping it under wraps, but now it was all unraveling.

Johnny was the first to notice her, immediately frowning.

"And who are you?" Gunther asked, the Sekai Taikai officials turning to him.

"I'm Sensei Daniel LaRusso, two time All-Valley champion."

Johnny spoke, "Sensei Johnny Lawrence. Also two time champion."

"Chozen Toguchi. Master sensei," Chozen introduced, bowing curtly.

Then, beside him, Amanda said, "Amanda LaRusso. Karate adjacent."

Ayane couldn't help but to smile at Amanda, but the woman looked over at her just then with a deep frown on her face. Ayane glanced away, staring at the ground.

"Cobra Kai isn't the only dojo in the Valley," Daniel informed the group.

"Oh, so you represent another dojo?"

"Not just any dojo," Johnny replied, "We have champions from the past two All-Valleys."

Gunther turned to Silver, raising an eyebrow. "You led us to believe that your dojo had all the titles."

Silver's face had fallen, realizing he had gotten caught up in a lie.

"Honesty isn't exactly Cobra Kai's strong suit," Daniel responded. "Our dojo is truly unique. We've combined our different styles to train our students into the best fighters I've ever seen. And they deserve a shot at your tournament, just as much as Cobra Kai."

Ayane raised her eyebrows, not expecting this. Both dojos wanting to compete in the Sekai Taikai? The karate war certainly was not ending anytime soon.

Gunther turned to one of his colleagues at once, saying something to him in Japanese.

Another man spoke up in Korean, Ayane picking up on what he was saying.

"Combing styles is unorthodox, but I am curious."

Silver laughed with an undertone of nervousness. "My apologies for this inappropriate, yet entertaining, disruption. But may I remind our guests that they haven't travelled all this way to consider anyone but the very best."

"No, we have not," Gunther replied. "But now that we are here, we'll determine that for ourselves. We will see what your dojo has to offer. And yours," he looked over to Daniel, Johnny, Chozen and Amanda.

Ayane pulled her lips in, running a hand through her hair. Silver exchanged a look with Sensei Kim, his face going from worry to something else.

"We expect a comprehensive exhibition of your training methods and your students' abilities," Gunther explained. "And then we will see if either dojo is worthy of the Sekai Taikai."

"Thank you, very much," Daniel replied. "You won't be disappointed."

Silver held out his hands, smiling but clearly pissed off. "Well, as they say, the more the merrier."

He faced the four adults, clasping his hands.

"May the best dojo win."

"We will," Johnny took a step forward. "And when we do, I'm gonna shove that ponytail straight up your ass."

Ayane glanced down, hiding her smirk.

They all left at once, Ayane knowing they were all now in it deep. Their training was about to get ten rimes more rigorous.

Ayane drew in a deep breath, smoothing out her gi.

She knew that there was going to be a lot of pressure put on her.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Once practice was over, Ayane returned to the LaRusso's with a lot of anxiety.

She knew they were going to say something about seeing her at Cobra Kai today. And Ayane did not even know where to begin explaining.

Entering the house, she was greeted by Daniel and Amanda sitting in the living room. Ayane halted she saw them, feeling like she was in trouble.

"Ayane," Daniel smiled, "do you mind having a seat for a second? Amanda and I wanted to talk about some stuff with you."

She swallowed thickly, finally nodding and walking around to take a seat in one of the living room chairs.

"I think I already know what this is about," Ayane started before either could speak, "and I can explain."

Daniel raised a hand. "You don't have to explain, Ayane. Miguel and Robby told us why you decided to go back to Cobra Kai. Amanda and I... we just want to try and give you some guidance, is all."

Ayane looked between them, knitting her brows. "Guidance? About what?"

Daniel pulled his lips in, giving her a timid smile. "Ayane, I was manipulated by Terry Silver once. I– I even joined Cobra Kai because of him."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised by this.

"He's gonna do whatever it takes to get you in that dojo, Ayane. And I know you're doing it because you think it's the only way you'll get to see your brother, but... you're spreading yourself too thin. You are sacrificing your mental health for your brother."

Ayane drew in a breath, dropping her head as Daniel said this. He was right, she knew it, but Ayane did not want to attest to that.

Amanda cut in, just then. "Ayane, honey, we want what's best for you. And anyone can see how unhappy you are forcing yourself to be in Cobra Kai. You said it yourself that you even wanted to take a break from karate. I know the situation with your brother but it's going to take a toll on you, Ayane."

She inhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Jae– he is the only real family I have. My parents couldn't care less about me, and I just found out that he's alive after fourteen years of thinking otherwise. I– sacrifices are meant to be made for family."

Amanda frowned a little, trying to get Ayane to understand their point of view. "I get that. But there comes a point where you're sacrificing too much, and all the people in your life who care about you can see that this isn't good for you."

The girl's chin trembled, Ayane running her hands back over her hair. She knew that Amanda and Daniel were right, but Ayane could not bear the thought of losing her brother all over again. Though, he seemed to want nothing to do with her at the moment.

"We don't want to pressure you, Ayane," Daniel finally spoke as Ayane failed to say anything. "We're just offering advice. Ultimately it's your life, and your decision."

She stood up at that, inhaling sharply. "I-I think I'm gonna go on a walk. Clear my head."

Ayane abruptly left at that, leaving Daniel and Amanda confused. The girl walked out the patio doors, hugging herself as she continued walking. Before she knew it, Ayane ended up at Miyagi-Do.

She entered the dojo, looking around with a small huff. Ayane really missed being here, as much as she tried to ignore it. She was really trying to convince herself that she could make the best out of Cobra Kai, and maybe even enjoy it with some of her friends being there.

But the people Ayane cared about most were all here.

Ayane took in the sight of Miyagi-Do, eventually beginning to smile. It was a beautiful place, and some of her best memories were here. The beginning of her time in the Valley, training with Daniel, all of her sparring sessions with Miguel. Her smile fell at the thought of Miguel, closing her eyes briefly.

She drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Ayane repeated that a few times, still keeping her eyes close. Then, with her hands flat against each other, she pointed them upwards, then out in front of her. She was performing kata.

After repeating the movements for a moment, Ayane slowly opened her eyes.

As she did, she jumped a little, startled.

Standing in front of her, a few yards away, was Miguel.

Ayane's eyes widened slightly, Miguel stepping toward her before she could say or do anything.

"Ayane, before you go anywhere," he held out a hand, approaching her as if she were a wounded animal. "Please just give me a minute to talk. Please."

She inhaled shakily, taken aback by his appearance.

"How did you find me?" Ayane asked quietly, looking up at Miguel. She had not seen his face in what felt like centuries.

Miguel shoved his hands in his pockets, giving a small shrug. "I, uh, I was actually coming here to do some training. I got bored."

Ayane's eyes flitted up to his briefly, not saying anything in response.

Miguel wrung his hands nervously, continuing, "Ayane... I am so sorry for what you're going through. For everything that you've gone through. I-I know that sometimes I might not have always checked up on you, but–"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Miguel," Ayane interjected, shaking her head. "This wasn't because of anything you did. It was because I knew that I was going to make a choice that may have hurt our relationship far more than if I just went ahead and did it."

He tried to meet her eyes, but Ayane looked away. "You wanted to go back to Cobra Kai. For your brother."

She nodded. "I know that almost the entire time we've been together, we've been in separate dojos, but this time it was my choice. And I knew that choice was gonna hurt you, Miguel. You can't pretend that it wouldn't. I'm just– I'm trying to do what's best for the both of us."

"Ayane, you are what's best for me," Miguel replied without hesitation, taking a step closer to the girl.

Ayane backed away a little, finally meeting Miguel's eyes with a deep frown. "But I'm not good for you, Miguel. I'm leading you down a path of destruction, slowly but surely. I-I need to get my own life together before I involve you in it."

Miguel's expression saddened, searching her eyes. He did not know how to get her to see that he was going to choose her no matter what happened.

"Ayane..."

"I'm right, Miguel," she nodded a little, tears forming in her eyes. "But I know that Cobra Kai isn't good for me."

He raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was saying.

"What– what do you mean?"

Ayane folded her arms, wiping a tear away from her cheek as she sniffled.

"I think you and I should just be friends, for now. But, uh... I'm going to come back to Miyagi-Do."

Notes.
ayane 🤝 switching dojos every season

i'm so sorry but i think this plotline is going to fit the best, especially with how season 6 ended (we all know) and it's what's best for ayane. she knows where home is!!

anyway, her and miguel are gonna be broken up for the dramaaa 🤑 sorry guys ily and things are gonna get worse before they get better. meaning that the party scene is coming up

favorite friendship with ayane rn?