sharkinfestedwaters

"I want to swim with you." is what first comes to mind when Rin thinks of Haru. The look of absolute fear on the boy's face comes to mind next. Rin can't make sense of the incident from the mistletoe error, and he knows asking Haru about it would get him nowhere. So he's left to wonder, and, more importantly, try to coax Haru out of whatever mindset he's gotten himself in to. Drowning would be traumatic, he's sure, but Rin is all about pushing his friends, especially Haru, outside of their comfort zones. Until now, this has been met with a fair degree of success, but the panic on Haru's face when he fell into the pool has Rin hesitating. Still, racing Haru is like nothing else Rin could experience, so his patience and hesitation are wearing thin.

Where has Makoto been? How has he been doing? Rin doesn't know, and it bothers him more than any of his other friends' absences. Rin knows that Haru has been spending a lot of time with Sousuke, for whatever reason, and this leaves Makoto alone with whatever the system would inflict on him. He's happy to see the two of them united, but Rin is unconvinced that Makoto didn't suffer something in those months. He absolutely intends to badger Makoto about it, and will be steadfast in insisting that Makoto take care of and consider himself. Haru is important, yes, but Makoto is important too. To Haru, and to Rin.

At first, Rin hated to see Sousuke here. His friend's arrival was a sign that none of them had reached their dreams. It was a long shot, to hope that Sousuke found himself chasing and reaching a dream, but that optimism had always been with Rin. Since their initial meeting, however, Rin has come to rely on Sousuke for a lot. There is a semblance of normalcy between them, with how often they contact one another. It is a bit odd to see Sousuke and Haru getting along so well, but Rin appreciates that and isn't about to question it. However, Rin is never sure what Sousuke is thinking. Sousuke has done a lot to lift Rin up during their time in the system, but Rin isn't sure he's done the same. He wants to pry, but he's also afraid of the answers he must find. So, unfortunately, most of their interactions are laced with a bittersweet anticipated sadness.

Rin is incredibly, unyieldingly concerned about his sister's capacity to make good decisions. He doesn't know what happened, but somehow between his death and her death, she short-circuited when it came to judgement of character. He has no idea why she's dating Tetora, or how she could even find him attractive. Still, he wanted to respect her feelings, so he didn't interfere. When she died, however, Rin became far more proactive about the situation. Not that he took it directly to Gou - but it's on his mind and he intends to bring it up at some point. He absolutely believes that she will get hurt again, and is nervous with anticipation. This makes him a bit grumpier than usual when he's around her, but all in all drives him to contact her more frequently.

Nagisa has always been a bit of a headache for Rin. In a good way. Typically, Rin is the impulsive friend, but Nagisa completely overwhelms him in that category. Still, Rin is a fairly impulsive person, so when Nagisa suggests something he can't turn a blind eye, and is typically dragged along. Rin feels like he hasn't seen enough of Nagisa, and will typically jump into whatever conversation he's having. To berate him, but also because he misses him. Nagisa has come up with some pretty outlandish ideas regarding the system, but they've all made Rin think. He hasn't come to any conclusions because of it, but he appreciates the boy's imagination all the same.

In life, Rin knew he owed Rei far more than he could ever give him. It set the precedent for their relationship to be relatively calm, compared to how Rin's temper typically would flare up with his other close friends. He does his best to be considerate and thoughtful of Rei's situation and feelings. Here, Rin feels like he hasn't seen enough of Rei, and it worries him. Still, since they were never as close as Rei was with everyone else, Rin feels out of place reaching out to him. So he simply waits for any opportunity he can find to respond to one of Rei's messages, and is constantly on the lookout for him.

Rin is at best uncomfortable around Takakage. While he knows that the man has the general populace's best interest in mind, he finds Takakage's emotional detachment almost disturbing. Rin is completely unfamiliar to a world in which calculating and killing are common, much less required, and he has not been able to mentally bridge the culture/historical gap. He would go to Takakage for help again, but only in a desperate situation. Rin would much rather avoid him, as he does not ever favor emotionless decisions.

Tetora is a source of grief for Rin. Somehow, Tetora is dating Rin's sister, and Rin was never warm to the idea. Then, when Gou died as a result of the relationship (in Rin's eyes), Rin became nothing but scared of the boy. He wanted to help his sister, but was faced for the first time with his own powerlessness. So the fear he feels revolving around Tetora reaches beyond simple worry for his personal safety. He doesn't know Tetora also killed Sousuke. Rin's valentine's date was with Tetora, and over the course of the day Tetora told Rin about himself. It was all very far fetched, so far as Rin was concerned, and he's not sure if he can believe it or not. Generally, he's very bristly around Tetora and wants nothing to do with him. Rin does feel a pang of sympathy for him, but he regards that as a stupid thing to think.

With Add, Rin feels like a babysitter. He's exasperated with Add's neurotic nature coupled with his apparent inability to keep things clean. Rin does not feel like the incident of their meeting was or will be a one time occurrence. Add has a strange attitude, Rin will admit, but it's less off-putting and more simply confusing, since he seemed normal enough upon their first encounter. Rin did not see the broadcast torture, so he trusts Add as much, or just a little more, than he'd trust other's that he's met here. Despite feeling a bit exhausted after every encounter with Add, Rin would like to get to know him better.

Rin can tell that this girl has a strong spirit, and he likes to see it. In a way, she reminds him of his sister. So while he's trying to do the best he can for everyone in the system, he has a little bit of additional fondness for Taiwan. Her optimism is somehow incredibly infectious, and he welcomes how he finds himself echoing her tenacity and positive attitude.

When Rin was feeling useless, he found himself uplifted by cheering Jennifer up upon her arrival to the system. He doesn't know her well, and doesn't intend on prying, but her willingness to help and to face the future with optimism resonated with him. The optimistic viewpoint is one that Rin typically also carries, though he's struggled with it after his death. Seeing it so purely in another encouraged him, as well, and helped him move forward.

For the first time since his death, Rin inspired someone. It wasn't in swimming, but the words Germany said to him still meant a great deal to the boy. He isn't necessarily at ease with Germany, but he is eager for more opportunities to talk and possibly even work together. Rin appreciates that Germany seems organized and focused on the well-being of everyone, and so he will be sure to involve himself in any of Germany's affairs that he thinks he can be helpful with.

Ryoji's suggestion of deleting the entire system left a bad taste in Rin's mouth. Beyond wondering if that's even possible, Rin is finding himself increasingly at ease in monad with his friends. So the concept of destroying the system, meaning complete death, is a fear Rin didn't know he had until his conversation with Ryoji. He'll be cautious with the other boy in the future, both in an attempt to refrain from further uncomfortable conversation and to avoid upsetting him, just in case he actually could do some damage to the system.

York proposed order on the network, and Rin was eager to jump in and voice his support. He's not sure what he can do to help, but he want to trust York and follow his lead in an attempt to protect the people who can't protect himself - even though Rin is fairly certain he's one of those people. Since he's feeling fairly powerless, he will probably go along with anything York suggests. The only thing Rin will be stubborn about is making sure everyone is actively protected. Somehow.

Rin hadn't felt the excitement of a race since his death until Kise came along. The challenge was accepted before Rin could think, and soon he was thrilled to experience the adrenaline he'd missed. Kise showed Rin that he could enjoy swimming in this place. For it, Rin considers Kise an incredibly important friend and wants to get to know him better. He knows he can't repay the favor of relighting a flame in full, but Rin is ready to help Kise wherever he can.

Aomine's passion and spirit and love of his sport is absolutely enthralling for Rin. He can see how much talent the boy has, and how much dedication to basketball possesses him. It could be called seeing himself in another, but frankly Rin envies Aomine's focus and energy. In that regard, he may seem shy around the boy, but their temperaments are likely to cause friction and, in the end, an easier atmosphere between them. Probably.

Rin truly does hope he gets the chance to help Kenny swim. He doesn't know much about the kid, since their only interaction has been online, but anyone who shows interest in Rin's sport will find their way to his good side very easily. Rin does think that Kenny is perhaps a bit jittery, though given what Rin has gone through in monad and what he's heard of other's going through, he does not assume Kenny's caution is unfounded.

Although he's only met Raine online, Rin has a very good impression of her. She's one of the few reasonable people he's met, and for that he's very appreciative. Raine speaks to Rin encouraging thought and caution without sounding condescending, so his temper isn't riled up if she proposes a counterpoint to whatever he's thinking. All in all, his relationship with her is positive and he would enjoy hearing from her again.

Minako and Rin met under the influence, but he does remember her as a cheerful and optimistic girl who was eager to make friends. In his drunken state, Rin was much more agreeable to becoming fast friends with someone. He may be pricklier in future interactions, but he wouldn't intentionally avoid or push her away.

Rin doesn't know much about the Psiioniic, since he's only talked to him drunk and online. Since their conversation was brief, he probably doesn't really remember much about him. In his drunken state, Rin encouraged the Psiioniic to go to and appreciate his friends. Even when sober, it's an earnest desire he has for everyone, the Psiioniic included. He would give the same advice again, if the Psiioniic seemed troubled.

Rin has only spoken to Madoka drunk and on the network, and would probably be embarrassed to see her after speaking so freely and sentimentally. Rin wouldn't avoid Madoka, since his impression of her is one of a girl who values her friends - so someone who will be happy. If he could do anything to help her with that, he would be willing.

Louise put Rin off in their initial meeting, and they haven't spoken since. For the most part, he finds her childish nature nostalgic, even though it annoyed him when he encountered it. He wonders how responsible she's capable of being.