you are the best thing i need.

Rin sat in his dorm, repeatedly locking and unlocking his phone as he watched the time drag by on it. Waiting for Kimi to arrive was almost torture, finally seeing her face in person again, after all this time apart.

He checked the clock again. Not even a minute had passed. He sighed.

His leg jiggled impatiently, nervous energy shaking him down to his core. Rin didn't know why he was so nervous, so impatient, it was just Kimi. He dragged a hand through his hair and got up, grabbing his swim bag. He was already wearing his leg skins, but then when wasn't he? And he left his dorm room, heading for the beach only a few hundred metres away. Swimming should pass the time and burn off some of his energy, the extra training wouldn't hurt either, he could push against the waves and tide as he swam.

(...Okay, I have no idea how this got longer than usual for me, but here it is!)

Kimi had never traveled before, not like this. And not for such a long stay, either. But, as she got off the plane, she tried to concentrate on doing the basics: getting her luggage, getting a ride, and going to the university where Rin was supposed to be waiting.

She hadn't slept on the plane. She probably should have, she thought idly as she waited for her luggage to come through the baggage claim. It would have probably made it easier to concentrate. Then again, maybe it wouldn't have, because all she could really think about was seeing her best friend again. He'll probably cry, she thought idly, an amused smile, Emotional shark boy that he is, it really wouldn't surprise me. By the time the thought had passed, she caught sight of her baggage and quickly grabbed it before she went to call for a taxi.

It took a while longer than she expected and, when she looked at her phone, she was a little upset that she was running late. It would be okay, though, she hoped. At least she was getting closer to the university, closer to Rin. Her eyes glanced out the window and she could see the ocean waves as the taxi passed and, before long, the university came into view. Thanking the driver, she got out after paying and wasn't sure whether she should visit Rin first or go get her dorm key.

Well, it wasn't much of a choice. She knew where Rin's room was, from his very detailed description when she first mentioned that she'd be transferring, and she found the building easily, though it took a few flights of stairs to come to the room. Pausing, she hesitated, worried that he may be upset with her tardiness. He's definitely going to cry, she thought with a whine before she knocked.

Rin was fidgeting restlessly. He'd gotten back in time for Kimi's arrival, and she hadn't shown up yet. He had his phone in his hands again, checking the time and checking for a message from Kimi. Rin debated messaging her, but he'd feel ridiculous if she showed up as soon as he pressed send.

Eventually a knock on the door startled him from his worrying, so badly he almost dropped his phone.

He got up, yanking the door open and taking a moment to check it really was Kimi before throwing his arms around her.

"You're late," he scolded.

(Sorry, I was having a noise-making contest with my niece. She won.)

Kimi froze, momentarily stunned by the warmth of Rin's hug. It wasn't the first time they'd hugged, far from it. But it was the first time she'd received a hug from him in a few months - and the first time she'd received one while she was somewhat aware of how much Rin meant to her.

It took her a moment or two to recover and she returned his hug. "Well, I arrived in Australia on time. It was the getting here part that made me late, since it took a bit longer to get a ride than I expected," she explained.

But, then, she noticed the faint smell of seawater and, upon pressing her face to his shirt, she could tell it was coming off him. It wasn't strongly noticeable, so he'd either gone earlier or he'd showered since.

"You visited the ocean without me, shark boy?"

"Well I had to do something whilst waiting for you," Rin said, pulling away with an eyeroll. "Plus, I'm surrounded by beaches, can you blame me?"

He paused, eyeing her luggage and looking back up at her.

"You didn't find your room first?" he asked with a small frown.

Blinking, Kimi followed Rin's gaze to her own luggage. With a small, short laugh, she rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. "Well, I was running late and I didn't want to make you wait too much longer," she explained before she paused in her explanation with a small frown.

There were other reasons, too, like how much she had missed her best friend and how much she had wanted to see him again. Was there a point in saying any of that, though, when he might think far into it and realize what she really meant?

Shaking her head to rid the thoughts, she grinned. "Besides, I missed my best friend too much to not visit him first before I head to my own room."

Rin grinned at her last comment, ducking his head a little. He picked up Kimi's bag and caught Kimi round her wrist, tugging them both into his room.

"I'm glad you did," he admitted, setting Kimi's bags down, keeping his hand on her arm.

He looked at Kimi for a long moment, eyes searching her face for any minor changes he might have missed over the past couple of months they were apart. The smile on his face didn't waver and Rin's eyes grew bright as tears of happiness pricked at the corners.

"I missed you too," he said eventually, drawing Kimi back in, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. "I really- it's not been the same, not seeing you every day."

Kimi knew there were going to be tears. She just knew it. But, she hadn't been expecting to be drawn back into his arms and she hadn't anticipated his words. Her body relaxed after a moment and she wrapped her arms around him as she returned his hug.

"I know what you mean," she admitted after a moment. Sure, she could spend time with the others on occasion, but she was always hyper-aware of the fact that Rin wasn't with them. "It's been really weird lately without you around. Guess the group didn't have the shark boy quality anymore."

She pressed her face to his shirt, then. "Or the crybaby quality," she teased. "I knew you were going to cry. I should have made a bet Gou or Nagisa about it." Because they were the only ones likely to indulge the bet, since Rei probably wouldn't find it amusing. Plus, Haruka and Makoto were off at college. They visited on occasion, but even that wasn't the same.

Rin pulled back a little, grinning down at her and laughing softly despite her teasing. He hadn't moved far, forehead close to hers, almost touching but not quite.

"Should have known it wouldn't be long before you started bullying me," he told her. "I guess I even missed that."

His eyes were still wet, but only a few tears had escaped. He brushed them away impatiently, setting his hand back on Kimi's waist.

"It really is good to see you," he told her softly.

"Of course. That's my special quality, after all," Kimi hummed out, though it took her a moment to get the words out. It was difficult to concentrate with Rin so close. Did he even realize how close he was? She doubted it; she probably only realized it because of her own discovery of her feelings during Rin's absence.

After all, they'd probably been close like this tons of times before, but it was only really becoming noticeable to her now. She really should have paid attention to all of this before, back in Japan. Would it have made a difference, though?

Forcing her thoughts away, she offered a small smile and nodded. "It's really good to see you, too," she told him quietly, "Feels like it's been forever since I've seen shark teeth."

"Mean," Rin murmured, but there was no heat in his words.

He bought a hand up to brush Kimi's hair from her face, fingers lingering as he tucked it back behind her ear. His eyes flickered between hers and her lips, cheeks colouring at the thoughts flying through his mind.

It occurred to him briefly that he should be feeling nervous, perhaps, or even a little scared. He had no idea how Kimi would react, no idea of what she'd say or do. Regardless, he felt calm as he cupped Kimi's jaw, guiding her face into a slight tilt.

He pressed his lips to hers gently, his arm secure round her waist as he held her close. It felt natural, like they'd done this a thousand times before, but despite his want to continue he pulled away after a few scant seconds, realising Kimi may not feel the same.

For a moment, Kimi's eyes widened as she processed the feeling of Rin's lips on hers, her cheeks darkening horribly. Idly, she wondered if this was a dream or if this was real. Had she fallen asleep on the plane and now she was dreaming about something so different from the usual times that they had been around each other in the past?

But, it felt way to real for that. There was no way she could vividly imagine the feeling of Rin's lips or the warmth of being this close to him.

And, just when she was beginning to accept that and ease into the kiss herself, he was pulling away. Her eyes narrowed up at him for a moment before she pouted. "That was too short," she told him.

Instead of giving him a chance to respond, though, she leaned back up, tugging him down by the collar of his shirt because of the height issue, and pressed her lips to his, her eyes closing over.

Rin grinned, relaxing into the kiss and humming out an apology.

He kissed Kimi for several long moments, working his fingers gently into her hair, stroking it back. The feeling of amazement and surprise eased into joy and after several long minutes he pulled away, smiling.

"Welcome to Australia," Rin grinned. "The weather is warm, the ocean is ten minutes away, and I'm pretty sure I love you."

Kimi breathed out a quiet laugh, cheeks still warm and eyes still closed, though she eventually opened them to look at him. "That was some welcome," she told him quietly, quirking a brow. "Have you been planning it ever since I told you about the transfer or was it just an in the moment thing?"

She grinned, though, and let her hand release his shirt, though it only wrapped around his neck instead, her other arm doing the same. "But, I'm pretty sure I love you, too, Rin."

"In the moment," Rin admitted, dipping in to peck Kimi's lips quickly, now that he could. "I think if it had been planned you would have been able to tell, it would have all gone wrong."

His grin softened to a smile and he shrugged a shoulder.

"Having you here, it just felt... like everything clicked into place. Like when you realise the flaw in your stroke and everything becomes smoother, better, and you get into the pool lane and you know you can race better than you ever have... Just because that one thing makes sense now."

Kimi's smile softened at the comparison, part of her amused by it but it made sense and, ultimately, it was sweet and she understood that much. "If you're going to compare this to your swimming for races, you better make sure not to lose any," she joked lightly but nodded nonetheless.

"It felt really weird not having you around, you know? I'm serious when I say that the Rin component was missing, but it was more than that. Everything felt really empty and it took me a while to figure out why. So, you know, I kind of had to come here to fix that emptiness."

Since when was she so sincere and cheesy? She almost made a face at her own words, but saying it came with relief, too. It was like a weight had been lifted, like an ocean storm had ended and calmed and she wasn't drowning under the crashing waves anymore.

Rin scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Losing?" he asked with a grin, "what's that?"

His grin stayed fond as Kimi continued to speak, and he nodded along.

"I know, I know what you mean. And you just... You're here now, I can barely believe it and-"

Rin's expression dropped and he steppedal back from Kimi, eyes wide.

"And you came all the way here from Australia and the first thing I do is grab you, which is not right at all, oh god. If Kou saw me right now... do you want a drink? Anything to eat? The journey is pretty tiring..."

Kimi couldn't help but to laugh quietly at his behavior and she shook her head slightly.

"Actually, the first thing you did was hug me," she corrected, "Not grab. And, either way, I'm not complaining about how this reunion has gone so far." She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug and smiled up at him.

"So, calm down before you cry again. I ate plenty to keep me busy on the plane. I drank plenty, too." Because she had been nervous about how all of this would go. She was glad it was okay, though.

Gesturing to her bags, she added, "The only other thing that I really need to do is find my room."

(Soz, my laptop has NOT been conntecting to the net until now, longer replies are a pain on my phone)

"Well..." Rin smiled a little and shrugged. "I guess that's okay then? We- Did you want to go find your room now?"

He glanced at her bags, then back to Kimi. He didn't want her to go, as such, but he supposed the sooner she was settled in her own room the more comfortable she would be.