[A/N]: Thank you for coming across my story. If you like it or want more, please let me know. I hope you enjoy it! Reviews, favorites, or follows come in handy for inspiration. :)

Moving Back In

"And, at the end of the day,

I cry,"

"Thank you everybody!" The lead singer of the band fist pumped, the crowd's applause sounded throughout the dark club as the band ran off the stage.

"I can't believe they liked that," Mayu stopped checking her guitar strings to stare at the mini-TV mounted to the wall in the backroom. She was sitting in a small dressing room, hardly big enough for four people. She figured it was a makeshift closet because a club this shabby and worn out would never be able to afford anything elaborate for their band competition.

Mayu checked her watch again, wondering where her band mates where. They would be going on after the next band. She tried to call on her cellphone, but there were no answers from the other four members. She was starting to get worried, wondering if they might have had an accident or something. They would never miss a competition. She was starting to lose hope at watching the door when they finally came waltzing in.

"Where have you guys been? I was getting worried. We're up next," Mayu smiled at them, but they didn't return her excitement. "What's wrong?"

Toya, the drummer, stepped up first; the others backing up to let him talk. He shoved his hands in his pockets nervously. His steel grey eyes looked everywhere, but Mayu.

"Mayu…I don't know how to say this so I'll just come out with it…but, you're out the band," He played with his lip piercing, a nervous habit of his.

"Haha, guys, this is no time to joke," Mayu chuckled and then, frowned when they didn't shout "Gotcha!"

"It's not a joke, Mayu!" Tenchi nearly yelled, catching everybody in the room off guard. Toya happily took a step back into the shadows when Tenchi walked up the plate. "We know all about you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mayu was more than confused at this point. Tenchi shook her head and scoffed, the tiny braids throughout her hair shaking wildly.

"So, you're going to pay dumb? Ms. Mayu Honda, daughter of millionaire Saito Honda!" Tenchi threw her hands up. Mayu grimaced at the title. She wasn't lost as to why they were pissed now. She felt her heart clench in her chest as she tried to find the words to explain why she kept everything a secret.

"Guys, look-"

"No, we don't want to hear it! We're stuck here in the Land of the Broke and Poor, trying to get a record deal, scrapping hard for cash to repair our instruments, pay rent, and pay for competition fees and you could have been helping us all along!" Tenchi pushed her and Mayu went back, catching herself against the tiny desk in the room. "Did you think it was funny pretending to be a street urchin? Laughing at us while we took pity on you?"

"Tenchi, it wasn't like that!" Mayu tried to explain herself. She looked to the rest of her friends, hoping they would back her up. "Toya, Zane, Asuka, you know I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Mayu," Asuka spoke up, her long black hair shielding her face. Mayu looked to her hopefully. "…I want you to move out of my apartment. I brought your stuff already."

"What? And, go where?" Mayu looked at her incredulous as she pointed to the duffel bag Asuka had dragged in.

"Back home to your mansion. We don't need you slumming around here," Tenchi sneered at Mayu. "You're not one of us."

"So, because I'm not poor, I can't play music? I can't be in a band? What kind of logic is that?" Mayu tried to reason with them again. "I'm the one who helped you guys come together. I'm the one who even gave you a name around here."

"So, now you're saying we need you? That we're shit without you?" Tenchi glared at her.

"That's not it," Mayu wanted to scream, but she prided herself on keeping her cool. Tenchi looked like she wanted to say something else when a knock came to the door before it opened. A stagehand with a clipboard stuck his head in.

"Royal Flush, you're on," He said, wanting them to follow him out.

"You're not playing with us," Tenchi took the duffel bag and shoved it into Mayu's hands. They all gave her one last glance before walking out the door. It closed softly behind them, leaving Mayu with only the sound of the crowd coming from the TV.

"Fine! If that's the way they want it," Mayu wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled. She shifted the duffel bag as she grabbed her instrument and walked out of the theater. People in the hall watched her curiously as she held her head down to avoid their glances. She walked outside into the dark city. The party crowd was still going strong and crowding the streets of downtown.

Mayu ignored it all and picked a direction to walk in. She didn't know where she was going. Asuka had kicked her out and she didn't have anywhere else to go. She walked for hours on end, her stomach growling fiercely. She finally wondered into a park and took a seat on a bench. She had learned early on that it was one of the safer parks to venture into at night. She took her duffel bag and sat it at one end before lying down on the bench, her head resting on her bag. She had her guitar clutched tightly in her hands. The wooden bench was uncomfortable, but it was the best she had at the time.

"I'll just go solo I guess," She murmured to herself, picking hairpins out of her dyed red hair. It was pinned up in her signature Mohawk; a long style with choppy layers that stopped in between her shoulder blades. She didn't get a chance to completely take her hair down when a flash of lightening flickered through the trees with the sound of thunder rumbling after it. Mayu closed her eyes and grimaced as the ice cold beads of rain came tumbling down on her. "Why me!?" She yelled, standing up and grabbing her bag and guitar; running off for cover.

She stood under a restaurant's canopy, wishing she had some cash to go inside and eat. The shop owner had been adamant about shelter only for customers. She offered to wash dishes, but he said he had enough employees. Mayu didn't know what to do next. Then, she did the last thing wanted to do. She called home.

oOo

"Oh my baby, you're finally back!" Mayu struggled as her mother, Kaede Honda, crushed her in a bear hug.

"Mom, stop!" She complained. "You're going to ruin your dress. You know you hate that." Her mother immediately backed up, but didn't take her hands off Mayu. A servant brought a towel in and Kaede started to dry her daughter off like she was a drenched puppy fresh out the rain.

"I can't believe your hair is still this awful color," Her mother griped and complained over her appearance. That's when Mayu took a better look at her mother's own clothing. She was dressed in a ball gown, her hair done up, with her best jewelry. Then, Mayu thought about how she had been rushed upstairs from the backdoor when she first arrived.

"You're having a party," She pointed out. Kaede stopped drying her daughter off and sighed.

"Yes, it's for Miyu. I can't really go into all the details right now, but it's really important for your father and I didn't want to stress him out so he doesn't know you're home right now and I would appreciate it if you stayed in your room," She looked at her daughter pleadingly. Mayu shrugged and starting stripping out of her wet clothes.

"I got it. Stay in my room and don't make a sound. No different than usual," She responded without a single bit of malice. She wasn't in the mood to play Rebel Daughter Crashes the Party. Her mother looked like she wanted to comment, but let it go. She was just happy to have her daughter home.

"I'll have somebody bring you up some food," Kaede swallowed and walked to the door. "I am really happy that you are home." She smiled and left.

Mayu heaved a hefty sigh and changed into her night clothes. She was surprised to see that her room was still the same. She thought all the band posters would have been snatched down and her trashy clothes, as her father called them, would have been burned or something. The room had not been cleaned. Some part of her felt happiness in that fact.

After eating her meal, she climbed under the comforter and closed her eyes. She was instantly asleep. She only opened her eyes later that night when she felt somebody shift under her covers. She opened a grassy green eye and saw a matching one looking back at her. The girl next to her mirrored her almost perfectly. The only difference was that her light brown hair wasn't dyed red like Mayu's.

"I missed you," Miyu whispered in the dark as if somebody would really hear them in such a large mansion.

"Go to sleep Mimi," Mayu smiled slightly and closed her eyes again. She felt Miyu snuggle deep into the covers, knowing she would be drifting off soon.