❝ apparently the whole neighborhood thinks i'm a runaway. ❞

"I HAVE TO GO BACK IN THERE," Ayane sniffled, shaking her head.

Miguel quickly frowned. "Are you crazy? Ayane, what-"

"I need clothes, Mig. Clothes, toothbrush, phone charger- I-" Her voice broke again, Ayane holding her hand over her face.

Miguel thought for a moment. "O-Okay, well how about we do this. How about," he sighed reluctantly, "we go to the LaRusso's."

Ayane looked up. She drew in a breath, then shook her head.

"No. I'll be right back."

Before he could stop her, Ayane walked straight up to the door and walked inside.

Ennis quickly came out of his office. "I told you that you are no longer welcome here-"

"I'm not staying, asshole," Ayane replied as she walked up the stairs without a glance in his direction. She was simply going to get her things and go.

Ayane packed a bag, grabbing everything important to her which honestly wasn't much. She paused, looking at the pink stuffed dragon on her bed. Ayane smiled to herself and grabbed it, placing it in her bag.

Once she got everything she needed, Ayane walked right back out without another word. Ennis and Liana both watched her, but didn't say a word.

"Let's go," Ayane muttered to Miguel, not stopping.

He picked up his bike and followed after her. They passed by the LaRusso's and Ayane considered stopping, but she didn't want to involve them. There was no telling what would happen if Ayane told Daniel and Amanda the situation.

Ayane was extremely quiet as they walked along, but Miguel tried to break the silence and distract her. She simply nodded her head along, but Ayane couldn't bring herself to say anything.

They got to Miguel's apartment at once, finding Johnny outside with a Coors Banquet in his hand.

"What's wrong with you, kid?" He asked, nodding to Ayane. Johnny could tell that she had been crying.

"Nothing," she replied defensively, averting his eyes.

Johnny frowned. He was slightly inebriated, both teenagers could tell.

"You're not crying over losing the tournament, are you?"

Ayane halfheartedly smiled. "Yeah, you wish," she retorted, turning her head to Miguel.

At once they went inside his house. Carmen and Miguel's grandmother were both preparing dinner, but quickly knew something was wrong when Miguel and Ayane walked in.

. . . .

"YOU POOR THING," Carmen said after Ayane finished explaining, pushing the girl's hair behind her ear.

"I didn't know Ennis was such a horrible man," she sighed, shaking her head.

Ayane nodded curtly but did not reply, staring at the floor.

"You can, of course, stay here," Carmen said with a consoling smile. "As long as you need to."

Ayane looked back up at once, feeling guilty. She hated to be a burden on anyone.

"Thank you," she muttered, drawing in a shaky breath.

Miguel's grandmother made Ayane eat something, though she was really not in the mood to do anything. She felt numb, not even capable of forming a coherent thought.

She sat on Miguel's bed, staring at the ground for a long time. Miguel sat beside her, trying to think of something to get Ayane's mind off everything.

"Hey," he finally said with a sudden idea, "do you wanna watch a movie?"

Ayane tilted her head up, looking over at Miguel.

"What kind of movie?"

Miguel smiled slowly, reaching down and pulling out his laptop.

"Whatever you want to watch. Don't tell anyone this, but I kind of know how to hack."

Ayane laughed softly, raising her eyebrows. "Really? I knew you weren't all innocent."

He wrinkled his nose, shifting to make room for Ayane beside him. She scooted over, rubbing her puffy eyes.

"So... what do you want to watch?"

She thought for a moment, looking over at him and smiling at once.

"How about... X-Men?"

Miguel nodded. "Alright. Which one?"

"Your pick," she shrugged. Ayane noticed a familiar stuffed unicorn between the two of them, picking it up.

"You know, we never named this little guy," Ayane remarked, turning her head to Miguel.

He shook his head, tapping his chin comically. "Hmm... I don't know. What do you think?"

Ayane held up the little unicorn, making a serious face at it.

"Professor Sparkles."

Miguel began to laugh, nodding at once.

"Professor? He must be a very intelligent unicorn."

Ayane nodded back with a serious face. "Of course. I mean- look at him. This guy has professional written all over him."

"Professor Sparkles," Miguel laughed again. "Has a nice ring to it."

He turned on the movie, but Ayane did not make it very far before falling asleep against his shoulder.

Smiling softly, Miguel took the blanket and gently pulled it over her, shutting his laptop and trying to go to sleep himself.

Miguel was the first awake, this time.

He turned his head, finding Ayane with her head on his chest and still fast asleep. She was snoring lightly, which Miguel found rather adorable.

The boy tried to slip out of the bed without waking her, but Ayane was unfortunately a light sleeper.

She stirred at once as Miguel grimaced, looking down at her. Ayane rubbed her eyes, sitting up with a yawn.

"Hey," Ayane said in mid-yawn, flattening her disheveled hair.

"Hi," Miguel replied softly. "Sleep well?"

Ayane smiled after a moment. "Honestly... the best sleep I've ever had in my life."

He laughed softly, scratching the back of his head. "You fell asleep during the movie, so I just let you- stay here."

"Thanks," she replied, reaching over to grab her phone off of Miguel's nightstand.

Immediately, Ayane frowned. Miguel could quickly tell something was wrong, but he did not ask right away.

"Something wrong?" He finally asked, apprehensive.

Ayane stared at her phone screen with a frown. "I-I don't know. I have a phone call from Mrs. LaRusso."

She got out of Miguel's bed, dialing back Amanda and pacing the room nervously.

"Amanda?" Ayane said at once. "Yes, it's Ayane."

Miguel frowned as he watched Ayane pace back and forth nervously, biting her thumbnail.

"Oh- so you heard," Ayane's voice faltered for a moment, as if she were about to cry. "Um- yeah. I'm fine, Mrs. LaRusso. I'm okay, really."

She went quiet for a moment, and Miguel could just barely hear Amanda's voice on the other line.

Ayane looked up at Miguel, then quickly glanced back down.

"O-Okay. I'll come over. Yes ma'am. Alright- bye."

She hung up, holding her hand to her forehead as she turned to Miguel.

"Apparently the whole neighborhood thinks I'm a runaway," Ayane informed him, shaking her head.

"What- why? How do they know?"

"I don't know," Ayane replied, chewing her thumbnail so hard that her cuticle began to bleed. She pulled her finger away, staring at the drop of blood on her thumb for a moment.

Looking back up, she continued, "Anyway, the LaRusso's want me to come over to their place."

Miguel drew in a breath. As much as he hated it, that would have been best for Ayane. He would have loved for her to have stayed with him, but it wouldn't have worked out in the long run.

"I guess- I guess I'm gonna go over there," Ayane finally broke the silence, shrugging dismally.

He nodded after a moment. "Yeah. That's probably best."

Miguel hesitated, then continued, "Ayane, I'm sorry this ever happened to you. I shouldn't have dragged you out of your house yesterday. I just- I'm sorry."

Ayane laughed a second later. "Miguel, you didn't drag me. I went with you because I'm sick of my parents' shit. Honestly, I-I feel the happiest I've ever felt now that I'm away from them. And with you."

She smiled genuinely, inhaling through her nose. Miguel smiled too, pulling Ayane into a tight embrace.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said in a quiet voice.

Ayane rested her chin on his shoulder, grinning uncontrollably. "What- even better than karate?"

Miguel chuckled, pulling away with his hands on her waist.

"Even better than karate."

. . . .

AYANE LEFT MIGUEL'S APARTMENT at around noon, though she made Miguel stay.

As much as they seemed inseparable, Ayane was afraid that the reason Amanda called her over was because her parents had said something.

So Ayane walked up to the door, walking right in as she had done many times before.

Ayane walked into the living room, and that's where she found them. Not just the LaRusso's, but her parents as well.

She inhaled sharply, sending a brief look to Ennis and Liana.

Daniel and Amanda were sitting on one couch and her parents, the other. Ayane stood closest to the LaRusso's, thankfully.

"Well," she finally said, "I'm here. Still alive."

Ayane glared at her parents. "Why are you here?"

Daniel spoke first. "Um, Ayane- your parents told us that you- you ran off last night. With a boy?"

She could have flipped the coffee table. Ayane turned onto her parents quickly, laughing with exasperation.

"I ran away? That's what you told them?"

Ayane looked back over at the LaRusso's. "I didn't run away. I was kicked out."

Amanda and Daniel both frowned, shaking their heads.

Before either could say anything, Ennis stood. Ayane instinctively stepped away, which suddenly told the LaRusso's everything they needed to know.

Ennis cleared his throat. "Ayane, we contacted the LaRusso's because we knew you'd show up here. And we've made a decision."

Ayane could not even look at him, the lying, disgusting man.

"What's your decision?" She finally replied, crossing her arms.

"We're moving back to Chicago."

"Are you fucking insane?" Ayane quickly snapped, shaking her head in disbelief. "No! No. I'm not going."

Amanda stood, approaching Ayane and trying to console her.

"Ayane, sweetie, I know it's-"

"No, you don't know!" Her voice trembled, stepping away from Amanda. She was fighting to keep herself from crying again. Ayane was sick of crying.

She drew in a breath. "You don't understand. The shit that I've been put through with them," Ayane's eyes welled with tears, looking to the LaRusso's.

"I'm not trying to have some pity party, but I'm not going to sit here and let them lie through their teeth. I was kicked out last night. I went and stayed at my boyfriend's because I didn't know where else to go. And if you want proof, you can ask his mom. I was fucking sobbing because I was so scared, scared of- of them. The night of the All Valley-"

"Ayane," Ennis interrupted, but she kept going.

"The night of the All Valley Tournament, when I lost. He destroyed my trophy," she jabbed her finger at Ennis but still refused to look at him. "Not that the trophy really matters to me, but- who the fuck does that to their own kid?"

Daniel frowned, looking at Ennis with an unsure expression. Daniel had sudden flashbacks of a similar scene that happened some thirty years ago.

Ayane wasn't lying; he and Amanda could both tell. She wouldn't lie about something this serious.

"Ayane, come on," Ennis demanded firmly, grabbing her by the wrist. "We're going home-"

"No!" She snatched her arm back, stepping away from him and closer to Mrs. LaRusso. "I'm not going anywhere with either of you. I-I will take this to a goddamn courtroom before I go back to Chicago."

Liana stood, approaching Ennis. He was visibly pissed, but Ayane was glad. She wanted the LaRusso's to see the real him.

For a second time, Ennis angrily attempted to reach out and grab Ayane, but this time Daniel stepped in.

"I think you need to back away," Daniel said firmly, standing in front of Ayane.

"She's my daughter," Ennis replied, "not yours."

Amanda held onto Ayane. "And clearly she doesn't want to be with either of you. There must be good reason behind that. You both need to leave."

Ennis' fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. A part of Ayane wanted him to do something, just so she could kick his ass.

"I'm not leaving without Ayane," he replied, clenching his jaw and looking to the girl. "This is your last chance. Let's. Go."

"Fuck you."

Ennis lost it. He shoved Daniel aside and drew his hand back, striking Ayane across the face.

She was not fully aware of what happened next. Mr. LaRusso apprehended Ennis whilst Amanda called the police. Ayane sat there on the couch with a bruised cheek, staring at the ground numbly.

It wasn't until the police arrived, putting her own father in handcuffs, that Ayane realized what happened. She watched them pull away, then realized at once that Liana was still there. She had been extremely quiet the entire time.

Ayane exchanged a look with her, but Liana simply shook her head.

"I don't care what you do," Liana shook her head again.

"I know," Ayane replied, biting her inner cheek. "I know you never really loved me."

Liana stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, but she didn't reply. She simply just left.

"Mrs. Cain," Amanda called, going outside after her.

Ayane stood in the doorway and watched, unsure of what exactly to feel. She felt a lot of different things.

Five minutes later, Amanda returned. Liana got in the car and left without another word.

Ayane looked up at Amanda, swallowing. Mrs. LaRusso gave her a sympathetic smile, pushing the strands of hair from Ayane's face.

"You don't have to worry about going back to them," Amanda finally said.

Ayane frowned, shaking her head. "So what's gonna happen to me, then? Am I going to foster care or something?"

Amanda shook her head at once, drawing in a breath.

"Actually, I was thinking... if it's okay with you, of course. You can live with us."

NOTES!
this chapter had no business being so wild BRUH 😭😭

anyway y'all got ur wish 😌 (it was my wish too but anyway) maybe ayane can be happy again!