Kindness

Yuki's concern for Rin.

When they were children and Yuki was being locked away by Akito, Hatsuharu and Rin would sneak in for visits. Yuki thinks back to that time and how he didn't understand why Rin came with Haru to visit him; she never spoke to him and when she suddenly rose to say she's had enough, the two of them would leave. It isn't until much later where he realises that Rin's sudden desire to leave was a signal that someone was coming... Yuki wasn't allowed visitors and they'd be in trouble if they were caught.

Before Rin makes her official appearance, Yuki periodically checks up on Hatsuharu, asking him if he has had any positive progress with her after she breaks up with him while in the hospital.

The next time Yuki actually sees Rin for himself is at the Sohma summer villa during summer holidays. He's walking alone in the wooded area nearby and thinks that he sees her weakly making her way toward the villa. When he goes to investigate, he finds her collapsed and transformed in front of Tohru. When she transforms back and they are alone, Yuki tells her that she should be resting and asks if she came to see "someone." Rin angrily grabs Yuki by the collar and tells him to shut up and threatens to kill him if he tells anyone she'd been there. Yuki says that he believes she's not capable of it. Rin calls him Akito's "boy-toy" and angrily storms off. Yuki's just shocked that she can be completely naked and still throw out insults like it's nothing. xD

Yuki later sees Rin on his way home from school, closer to Shigure's home. He runs after her and asks what she's doing there and if she really broke up with Haru. Rin doesn't answer and Yuki goes on to say that she's always protected Haru... is she protecting him from something now? Rin coldly says that Yuki's stupid and says she doesn't remember anything from that far back... and even if she did tell him what her current plans were, there's nothing he could do about it. She then asks Yuki if he knows why he's allowed to live at Shigure's and tells him it's because Haru begged Shigure to allow it so that Yuki could be free. She then gets quite furious and tells Yuki to go back to his carefree life and leave her alone.

While Rin is ill at Shigure's home, Yuki checks up on her and finds that she hasn't eaten. Rin tells Yuki she'll kill him if he calls Haru and Yuki says he won't, but takes the opportunity to kindly tell her that Haru still loves her very much. Later, when Rin is arguing with Tohru, Yuki comes down to see what the commotion is about and sees Rin crying in Tohru's arms. It's at that point that he realises that he and Rin are alike in the sense that they have both come to view Tohru as a motherly figure.

When Yuki hears that Rin has been hospitalised through graduation, he looks for Haru to see if he knows anything about it. Haru is happy to hear that Rin has found a friend in Tohru but doesn't know anything about her supposed hospitalisation. Haru tells Yuki he'll let him know if he finds anything out. When Rin is recovered from her confinement, Yuki goes with Haru and Tohru to see how she's doing. He seems genuinely concerned about what Akito has done to her.

Analysis

My opinion on their relationship.

I love that Yuki is able to see that he's not so different than Rin in that they both missed out on having a mother figure in their lives. They never had someone who was there for them to hug and feel loved. They never had a shoulder to cry on and still feel accepted. When they meet Tohru, they become overwhelmed by her kind nature and grow to see her as the mother they never had. Yuki seems very happy to have found something that he has in common with Rin, and that he is able to understand her a bit more.

I wonder what Yuki would think if he learned that Rin also suffered from Akito's abuse. While Akito never really abused Yuki until the last new year banquet (she hit Yuki over the head with a vase), she certainly subjected him to a lot of emotional trauma. Yuki was also confined for a very, very long time so I think he can understand a little of what Rin went through.

On a more adorable note, it seems that Rin gets a bit jealous whenever Haru expresses his love for Yuki. xD Haru clearly loves Rin more than anyone else and his claims of affection for Yuki are usually said in jest but it still ends up making Rin grumpy and envious. It's really cute to see her fume. XD