Rin Nameko was only five years old when her family was taken from her tragically during a burglary. She was moved from foster home to foster home until finally at the age of twelve she just couldn't take it anymore and she ran away. She was sleeping on a park bench when a girl with jet black hair found her while she was walking her dog.
"Hey girl...are you alive?" the girl said while nudging Rin.
Rin grumbled and only shuffled slightly against the cold, hard, wood of the bench. Rin had finally realized that she wasn't dreaming and that someone was speaking to her. She slowly opened her eyes to see a girl with jet black hair and piercing green and blue eyes staring at her.
"What's your name?" The girl asked with interest in her eyes.
After a few short moments of having an awkward staring contest with this mysterious girl Rin finally spoke.
"My name is Rin Nameko. What's your name?" she asked while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I'm Kenzi Lee. If you don't mind me asking... why are you sleeping on a park bench?" confusion rising inside of her, she anxiously waited for an answer.
At that moment Rin busted into tears. Kenzi was so shocked and scared that she didn't know what to do. After getting over her shock Kenzi sat next to Rin and held her while she cried her eyes out. When Rin was finished she sniffed and apologized repeatedly for getting tear stains on Kenzi's navy blue shirt. Kenzi laughed.
"No worries Rin. Do you have anywhere to go?"
With a sniff Rin shook her head no and wiped her eyes.
"I'm an orphan."
Kenzi frowned and felt bad for Rin. Suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. Without any sign of hesitation Kenzi said to Rin,
"Well there's plenty of space at my house, and my parents wouldn't mind having another girl around." she said with a thoughtful look on her pale face.
Rin's face automatically brightened up with the brightest smile she could muster. It was as if she was glowing. Kenzi laughed as she stood.
"Well, let's go then. It's getting dark and knowing my parents they're going to have a cow if I don't come back soon.'
Rin giggled at the thought of someone literally having a cow.
They walked in a rather comfortable silence, taking in the sunset that was just ahead of them. When they arrived at the Lee residence, Rin was beyond mesmerized by what she saw. The house was bigger than any of the foster homes she had ever lived in. It was even bigger than the house she used to live in as a child. The simply thought of her childhood home caused a sudden wave of sadness to wash over Rin. Kenzi looked over to Rin noticing the change in her mood.
"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked her newfound friend.
Rin said nothing, but shook her head and gave Kenzi a reassuring smile.
"If you're worried about my parents and what they might say, don't be. They're really cool about everything and will more than likely accept you." Kenzi said flashing a big grin towards Rin.
Rin started to feel a little better and decided to ignore the sadness she was feeling and focus on her new friend and meeting her parents. The two girls entered the house and were welcome by the smell of pizza.
"I'm back!"
As Rin admired the décor of the foyer, she didn't seem to notice the boy approaching her and Kenzi with a bitten slice of pizza in his hand.
"Hey Kenz. Who's the girl?" he said with a mouthful of pizza.
"You could swallow before you speak, you know?" Kenzi said in annoyance as she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah yeah whatever. So who is this?" he asked again as he finished off the rest of his pizza slice.
"This is Rin. She's my new friend." She said smiling at Rin. "Where's mom and dad?" Kenzi asked as she let her dog of his leash and watched him go dashing down the hall.
"They're in the kitchen." He said and then turned on his heel to go back in the direction he came.
"That's my brother Lelouch. He's a jerk, but I'll make sure he doesn't bother you. Come on, let's get some pizza and introduce you to my parents. I'm starved!"
Kenzi headed in the same direction that her brother headed with Rin not too far behind her. Rin began to feel anxious about meeting Kenzi's parents. A million thoughts kept running through her head.
'What if they don't like me?'
'What will they say about me being an orphan?'
'Will they look down on me?'
Rin placed a hand on her developing chest in an attempt to calm her ever racing heartbeat. As they entered into the kitchen Rin saw two adults who were lovingly joking around by the open pizza boxes. From the looks of it they were having a mini food fight. Rin's heart dropped. The sight of them reminded her of how her parents would always joke around. The sounds of their laughter resonated in her ears. She closed her eyes momentarily, having the image of their laughing faces play in her head. She was quickly brought back to reality when she heard her name. Her eyes snapped open to see a confused look on Kenzi's face.
"You ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine I was just remembering something." Rin said with a soft smile.
"Oh ok. These are my parents. Mom, dad this is Rin. She's my new friend that I met today while walking Koda." Kenzi began to fidget and her colorful socks suddenly became a very interest sight. "I was wondering…..well…..if it would be ok if she stayed with us for a while."
There was a devastating long pause. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop from 5 miles away….or so it seemed. Rin felt so awkward and seemed to crack under pressure seeing as how all eyes were on them.
"Of course she can honey."
"WHAT?!"
Lelouch came rushing into the kitchen with wide eyes. "Mom you can't be serious! Another girl in the house? Why can't she stay at HER own house, with HER own family?!"
Kenzi shot him a glare and threw a slice of pizza at him. "Rin is an orphan you butthole! She doesn't have anywhere else to go! I swear you can be so inconsiderate sometimes."
There was silence in the room after Kenzi's outburst concerning Rin's current situation. When Rin finally looked away from Kenzi, she saw that both of Kenzi's parents looked at hurt with pitiful eyes. Kenzi's mother walked over to Rin and hugged her tightly.
"Rin dear you can stay as long as you want." She smiled saying "Do not ever hesitate to ask us of anything. We will always be here if you need us."
Rin looked at Mrs. Lee and then to Mr. Lee and saw that the same loving expression that was on his wife's face was also on his. She then looked to Kenzi and saw that her new friend was jumping up and down from excitement. A feeling suddenly washed over Rin as she continued to look at the three people who seemed to accept her so willingly. It was a feeling she hadn't felt since before her parent's death. She felt loved. It brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away as to not worry those around her. She smiled and gave her thanks to who she hoped would be her new family.
"Well I'm going to take Rin upstairs and show her where she'll be sleeping." Kenzi took Rin's hand and raced upstairs. She led her through a hall and passed many doors until they came to a stop at a burgundy colored door.
Kenzi laughed. "Well go on and open the door."
Rin looked confused for a second, but reached for the sliver door knob and gently pushed open the door. Kenzi gave her a soft nudge to urge her to venture further into the room instead of just standing in the door way. The room was bigger than any of the rooms she had to share at the many foster homes she stayed at. The walls were painted a deep blue that reminded Rin of the ocean. The carpet was pure white and felt amazingly soft under Rin's toes. There were four windows directly across from the door, and in the middle of those four windows were two glass doors that led to a balcony that over looked the backyard and its beautiful garden. The bed was queen sized, decorated in white and blue coverings, sheets, and pillows. There was a bathroom on the other half of the room and a walk in closet not too far off.
The fact that Rin had a room of her own that was bigger than any room she had ever stayed in wasn't what brought tears to her eyes. It was the fact that all of this was happening in such a short amount of time, and it wasn't a dream. It was real. So very real. A part of her still couldn't believe that all of this could be happening to her. Her tears now ran freely down her face as her shoulders shook.
"What's wrong Rin?! Is something wrong with the room?" Kenzi led Rin to the bed and sat her down. "Wait here." She disappeared through a door and returned seconds later with tissue in her hand. Giving Rin the tissue she hugged her as her friend continued to cry her eyes out.
"I'm sorry for crying so much. It's just that….well it's hard to believe that something like this could be happening to me. And so fast too! For the past few years it seems as though I have just had a string of bad luck."
"Rin, if you don't mind me asking….how did you become an orphan?"
There was a long silence.
"When I was five, three men broke into our house in the middle of the night….
Flashback
A loud bang was heard causing five year old Rin to wake up from her peaceful sleep. Not sure as to what was happening, she tip toed her way to her bedroom door and cracked it to see what the noise was. When she saw nothing down the dimly lit hallway, she made her way to the top of the staircase to see three big scary men had just broken into her home. She proceeded to back away into the darkness of the hallway. As she turned to make a run for her parent's room, she bumped into a dark figure. Rin had to fight the urge to scream when she saw it was only her older brother. He held a single finger to his mouth signaling her to stay quiet. The silently made their way to their parent's room. Luckily they were already awake.
"Stay here and call the police while I handle this." ordered Rin's father. Giving his wife a stern look, he left the room and closed the door. Rin's mother immediately locked the door once he left and called the authorities. She hung up the phone and gave her children a reassuring smile.
"Alright children, there's nothing to worry about-"
"What do you mean there's nothing to worry about?! What if something happens to father!?" Rin's brother exclaimed, worry and anger clear in his voice.
His mother glared at him. "Hush Sato! Lower your voice now! Do you want whoever it is to find us up here?" She said in an angry whisper. She gave her son a soft smile. "Your father will be fine. Soon this will all be over and we will go on as we normally would."
She looked over to Rin, who had not said a word but you could see her fright and worry in her big chocolate eyes. She walked over to Rin and held her close.
"Rin your father is going to be just fine." Her voice soothing and loving.
"But Mama those men were so big and scary. What if they hurt Papa?" Rin balled her hands into tiny fist as she tried to hold back her tears that were ready to be set free.
"Oh my sweet Rin. There's nothing to worry about dear, nothing at-"
BANG!
A gun shot was fired and at the moment it felt like time itself had stopped. Rin's mother had stopped her loving words. Her eyes held fear in them.
"Sato, you and Rin stay in this closet and do not come out until me or your father come back to get you. Do you understand?"
Sato didn't answer. He looked as if he was caught in a terrible trance of some sort.
"Sato!"
He was brought out of it and looked at his mother's fearful eyes.
"Stay in this closet and do not come out! Do you understand?" Rin's mother repeated.
"Yes mother…I understand."
She held her children once more and kissed them both.
"I love you both so much. Stay here. I'll be back." She hurried them into the closet and rushed out of the room to where she was sure her husband lay dead.
What felt like hours but were only a short few minutes passed as Sato and Rin sat in the dark closet. They would often here glass break and muffled voices.
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots went off. They rang through both Rin and Sato's ears. Rin whimpered and cried in her brother's arms. She was afraid that both of her parents had died at that moment. Only the worst could be thought at that moment. What if they were next? What if those men knew that she and her brother were in the closet and they were coming for them next?
"Rin."
Rin looked to her older brother with watery eyes.
"Y-yes big brother?" she choked out.
"I know that mom told us to stay here…and I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But I need to go help them."
"No! You can't go! What if something happens to you? Mama said to wait here Sato." Rin began to cry again. "She said to wait here." She said through her sobs.
Sato held his baby sister in his arms tighter than he ever has before. He knew that there was a chance that tonight might be his last night alive, but he had to help his parents. It was stupid, but he had to go help them.
"I love you little Rin. I know sometimes I'm not the greatest big brother in the world and at times I may pick on you and call you names…..but I love you more than anything in the world and I could never ask for a better baby sister than you. I'm sorry if your big brother was a meanie and made you think that he didn't love you, just know that no matter what…..You will always be in my heart. I love you." He wiped her chubby cheeks of her tears and kissed her forehead.
Before Rin could even say anything he was out of the door. Rin didn't know how long she had cried, she didn't know how long she stayed in that closet, all she remembered afterwards was a police officer opening the door to the closet and looking at her with sad eyes. The officer carried her out of the house and tried to hide her eyes from the bloody scene, but Rin had somehow managed to see it anyways. As the officer brought her out of her front door and into the cool fall air, flashing lights from ambulances and police cars could be seen. The body bags that held her family could be seen. Rin had no doubt in her mind that that was her family. After the funeral, since no other family could be found that could take care of Rin, she was bounced from foster her to foster home. Sadly that became her life until she turned twelve.
Flashback Ends
Kenzi sniffed trying her very best to not cry, but Rin's life was just so sad she couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her blue-green eyes. After wiping her eyes Kenzi jumped up with a sudden burst of energy and looked at Rin with a serious and determined look.
"Rin I am now going to make it my job to make you feel welcomed here. You will be a valued member of this family. From this day forward I proclaim you my sister and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it!" Kenzi exclaimed feeling quite proud of herself.
Rin busted out into a laughing fit at Kenzi. She seemed so determined to make Rin feel like she was a part of this family. To make her a member of this family, and honestly Rin couldn't be happier with that. She stood and hugged Kenzi. Kenzi was shocked at the sudden motion, but did not hesitate to hug Rin back.
"Kenzi, there are some things that we should talk to your parents about though." Rin said as she released from the hug.
"What's that?" She asked confused thinking that that already discussed everything they needed to discuss with her parents.
"Well….I kind of ran away from my foster home, and I'm not sure if they will be looking for me or not." She blushed a little and played with a strand of her hair as she looked at the ground.
"Oh ok, that's no big deal. Let's go tell them now then."
They made their way downstairs and found Mr. and Mrs. Lee watching a movie together. When they noticed the two girls standing at the entrance of the family room they paused their movie.
"Something wrong girls?" Mr. Lee asked.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I had ran away from my foster home and I'm not sure if they would be looking for me or not." Rin explained to them focusing on playing with her fingers, to embarrassed to look them in the eyes.
"Well Rin," Mrs. Lee said while exchanging a look with her husband, "Me and Takuma were talking it over. It seems that Kenzi really loves having you around and even though it's only been a little while we both seem to enjoy your presence here. Basically what I'm trying to say is –"
"We would like to adopt you Rin, if you would allow us to." Takuma said beating his wife to the punch.
"Hey! I was going to say that Takums!" She exclaimed as she pouted.
Takuma laughed "Well I'm sorry Kazu, but you were taking so long to tell her that it was becoming a frustrating process to have to deal with."
Kazu threw a pillow at her laughing husband's face and turned to the two girls who looked mildly confused.
"Well what do you say Rin, would you like to be a part of this family?"
Rin was speechless to say the least but she knew that Kazu couldn't read her mind so she figured a worded answer would be better than silence.
"I would love to be a part of your family Mrs. Lee!" Rin exclaimed with the brightest smile.
"Yippee!" Kazu jumped up and down on the couch cushions, and then jumped over the back of the couch and ran to hug Rin.
"Oh darling don't be shy feel free to call us Mom and Dad! We are so happy to have you as our unofficial official new daughter."
"Of course we will have to get you enrolled in school and take you shopping and get those adoption papers signed, but for right now how about you and Kenzi eat some pizza and catch some sleep. We can worry about all of that in the morning." Takuma said while giving Rin a hug and smile of his own.
"Thank you so much." Was the only thing that Rin could say. She was so happy she didn't even know what to do. She soon found herself in the kitchen with Kenzi eating pizza to their hearts desire. They talked all night about how much fun it would be to have a sister, school, shopping, and any other topic that came to mind.
It was starting to get late and both of the girls were exhausted from the day's activities. They decided to head to bed. As Rin lay in her bed, she imagined all the great things that could come of her being in this new family and with that she drifted to sleep thinking of her new family.
