Reckless

I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 21

Vivi smiled brightly as she saw Rin enter the building as Sesshoumaru and Sara accompanied her. She wiped a tear away noticing the effects of a child loved and taken care of. It was exactly what she'd worked so hard for Rin to experience for the rest of her life. When she'd taken her to stay with Sesshoumaru and Sara like so many of the other children, she looked as if a dark cloud hung over her, a product of too much life to handle too soon. Rin's hair swung in a pony tail from the bounce in her step, a few loose strands tucked neatly behind her ears, a summer dress that matched her youthfulness, the orange on her nails reflecting her demeanor. Rin looked younger and her short stature could have made anyone second guess her age.

Rin hugged Vivi feeling more grounded and steady now. Sesshoumaru and Sara had left it unknown before they left the house where they were going or what was happening. The only thing she knew was that Sara had woken her up, laid out a new dress and said that today was going to be special.

The judge relaxed back into her chair, shaking her head in satisfactory disbelief. She'd had enough juveniles come through to find the ones who made it out of the system surprising especially when she'd nearly written Rin off.

"So, you're back in front of me again but this time you're not in trouble. I'm glad to see you found a family and a familiar one at that."

The judge acknowledged Sesshoumaru and Sara

"I suspect you two know what you're getting yourselves into?"

Sesshoumaru smirked as Sara nodded.

"We've already been through it all."

"Well everything is pretty simple from here."

Rin looked between Sesshoumaru and Sara as the judge raveled off a formal statement that she'd tuned out. She'd heard the statement before with some of the families but with most of them she never made it to this point. This was what made them officially a family. There were no questions left in the air. The word foster no longer belonged in her name. Instead she was now a Takahashi. She had a new family to claim.

…. …

The midnight air was pleasant as Sara stepped onto the balcony. The quiet left her happier than she'd been in a while. She and Sesshoumaru knew once Rin was in their lives there was no way that they could ever look back. Rin was officially theirs and tomorrow she would get to meet the rest of the family. She looked down at the locket in her hand. It was the present she and Sesshoumaru had picked out for her. One side held a picture of the family she'd been born into and lost and the other side was theirs. They wanted her to know that they would never try to replace her birth parents but they were here for her now. Returning to their room she placed the locket on their dresser. She kissed Sesshoumaru as he slept. They'd just been up talking about their future as a family. Her smile only grew as she reminded herself of their conversation. Sesshoumaru's hopes for Rin had no limit. He truly loved her as if she'd been his from the moment she entered the world. She walked the hall stopping for a moment to check on Rin. To her surprise she was up. Her desk light providing just enough illumination to show that she was drawing.

Rin startled as Sara knocked lightly.

"You're up late."

"I know I'm supposed to be asleep but sometimes I can't so..."

"That's okay."

Rin pulled the pad to her as Sara sat on her bed. She was a bit relieved that she hadn't pushed for her to try and sleep. Sesshoumaru and Sara's families were coming tomorrow and she was too nervous to lay down on the thought of their arrival.

"What were you drawing?"

Rin looked down at the drawing, smiling as she looked back up at Sara and turned it to let her see. Sara was both astonished and intrigued by the drawing. She hadn't realized that Rin had become so good at it. It had to be Sesshoumaru's influence, her watching him drawing so often that she'd inadvertently picked up the craft. The lines in the drawing were soft, flowing and so realistic. The drawing was of Sesshoumaru and herself from when they were children. There she stood around the age of seven smiling ear to ear and beaming with pride with a missing front tooth as she held it in the palm of her hand and Sesshoumaru was giving her the side eye, jealous that she'd lost the tooth first.

"Where did you see this?"

Rin leaned over and pulled her desk drawer open and handed the picture to Sara

"One night when I couldn't sleep I found a box where you and dad kept a lot of old photos. It seemed like the oldest picture and the only one of the two of you as kids. I didn't know you knew each other that long."

"We did know each other as kids but we grew apart until later on when we were finished with college. Our dads were both city council members and friends so we'd get together every once in a while and grill out or go out on the lake. That's actually where this picture was taken. I remember that day."

Sara started to giggle.

"Sesshoumaru was so mad about that tooth that his mom made him stand next to me to take the picture. I teased him the rest of the day." She laughed out loud.

Rin laughed along with her imagining the event take place. Sara collected the box of the old pictures and dusted off the lid. Rin looked on as Sara went through many of the pictures pointing out family members on both sides or coming across more pictures of she and Sesshoumaru when they were dating of which she always had a cute or funny back story that kept them giggling through much of the night.

"You two seem so perfect."

"Hardly. We have our tough times too. Aside from the picture of us as kids you can imagine neither of us were taking pictures together when we were disagreeing or having an argument."

"I never hear you two argue."

Sara blushed a bit, "Well technically we've been trying to be good about not doing that in front of you."

"It's okay, it won't bother me. I'm not a little kid. It would just make you two seem more real."

"We'll have to…keep that in mind."

"Who's this?"

Sara looked at the picture as Rin pointed out the little girl sticking her tongue out at the camera as she hid behind Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru's little sister Anari"

"Oh. He told me what happened to her."

"Yeah, those two were inseparable."

Rin studied the picture a little longer before gaining the courage to ask Sara her next question.

"Am I anything like Anari? Will I remind dad's family too much of her?"

"You and Anari have some things in common but you're quite different in your own way. Their family has had time to get over Anari. Of course they'll never forget her because she'll always be in their heart but there's certainly more space there to welcome a new family member."

"Good." Rin yawned as Sara placed the last picture back into the box."

"Get some rest. I'm sure both families will be excited to meet you."

…

Rin bit at her lip nervously as she saw the first car pull into the driveway. She watched a woman step out, she looked like the older version of Sara and she was joined by a gentleman who looked to be Sara's father. She could hear Sara welcome them downstairs. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion but all she could think about was how she didn't want to make a bad impression. Her heart began to race the way it had when she'd gone to see Yura in the hospital. She tried to think about what Sara told her to do but the breaths weren't helping this time. At least she'd been reassured that Yura was okay but no one would be able to assure that the families would like her. She looked to the window again as a few others continued to arrive. She could easily divide those of Sesshoumaru's family from Sara's. The chatter coming from downstairs grew to an uncomfortable volume at times as one of the gentlemen laughed deeply at something one of the others said. Women's voices sang against each other and the footsteps of running children was discernible. Rin sat on her bed focusing on the picture on her desk, not really seeing it but hearing the voices coming from downstairs.

Sesshoumaru embraced his mother the most nervous of her reaction to Rin. Aside from himself, she'd taken Anari's death the hardest and he was sure that she still had days where the grief surfaced leaving her moody.

"You never cease to surprise me."

"Mother?"

"I didn't expect you to change your mind about having children."

"Things change."

She nodded

"Where is the young lady anyway?"

Sesshoumaru scanned the room in effort to find Rin. Among the number of family members coming in, he hadn't realized Rin hadn't come down.

"She's probably still in her room. Just make yourself comfortable."

Rin pushed the flats on and off her feet nervously before she felt a kiss on the top of her head. Opening her eyes, she smiled as Sesshoumaru presented his arm to her.

"You ready?"

Rin nodded as she hooked her arm in his more confident now that he was there.

"Don't worry they don't bite but if they do then I'll bite them back."

Rin let the nerves fade slowly as Sesshoumaru introduced her to his mother, father and brother but she was initially a little confused by the woman he'd introduced as a friend to the family who he considered another mom but she soon understood the connection without Sesshoumaru having to really explain it. She'd been through enough families to know exactly what had happened and Anari and Sesshoumaru's large age gap meant that his parents had gotten back together. Despite their dynamic, the family seemed at ease with each other. Although she wouldn't have favorites, Rin decided that Sesshoumaru's father was the most outgoing of the bunch making her laugh and feel more comfortable. Sara joined them as she introduced her parents and her sisters who also had children of their own. Two of the girls were around her age and they were quick to welcome her. To her relief both of the families seemed completely normal. Rin wasn't sure if Sesshoumaru and Sara had told them about her past but maybe that was the way that they wanted it. They didn't have to know about the period in her life that she knew she would never go back to. As she looked around the room she realized that she was home. No family could ever replace the one that she was born into but this one would do just fine.

The house was now quiet again as Rin opened the locket that Sesshoumaru and Sara had given her during the dinner that evening. She made her way out into the garden where the flowers that she'd planted with Sara were now full and thriving with the summer. The deepened holes were filled in without a hint of their existence. The dusk dark kept a few of the fire flies busy as she joined Sesshoumaru on the step to enjoy the peacefulness of the evening.

"Mom says she's not sure whether or not you just like the moon at night or you're just waiting for it to give you some special powers."

Sesshoumaru laughed

"Well, a dad can dream right? Besides, I think one of those dreams already came true."

Rin smiled as she nodded and looked to the sky with him.

"Did you enjoy the afternoon?"

"Yeah. Your dad's hilarious by the way and your brother seems a lot like him. Your mom's a little more reserved but she was nice too and she was a lot more relaxed after dinner. I guess it was the wine. You have a lot of the same qualities as your mom but you're calmer than both your parents and your brother."

Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow as he tried to beat back a smirk at how observant Rin was especially of his mother. "You got all of that from just today?"

"Kind of. You get to learn people pretty quickly when you've been through a lot of families."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. You're a part of this family now. You'll never have to question that."

"I know."

"You're sure?"

"Every time you and mom didn't give up on me I knew. I kept waiting for you to say you were done when I stole the jewelry again. I was sure you would take the principle's side when I'd been accused of stealing but you didn't. I thought you and Sara would surely give up on me when you found out about the drugs and instead you gave me another chance. And then...Yura...I was afraid for her life but I was so afraid I would never get to see you and Sara again and now the rest of the family. I know I don't have to worry anymore. I'm safe and I have a family again. That's all I ever wanted."

Sesshoumaru smiled placing his arm around her as she hugged him. His reluctance to bring a child in his life was gone and Rin's presence added a greater purpose. Sara was happier now that their lives seemed complete and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Welcome home Rin. Welcome home."

A/N: I apologize for the long wait for the end but never the less I hope you enjoyed it. Peace, love and happiness. :)