"No. Mornings are ungodly, it's so unfair that you have that amount of energy when you're barely waking up," I concluded, and crossed my arms thoughtfully. I'd always thought that Rin was rather hard to rouse out of sleep in the morning, since he practiced so much. "Maybe it's because sharks never sleep, or they die, so they're pretty much 100% energy all the time."

"Oh, ha, ha," He said, and got out fruits and vegetables for his morning routine. My morning routine was similar, but I'd have set my lunch out the night before. Damn, he had such graceful mornings. He could move at his own pace, he didn't leave himself only enough time to pee, eat, get dressed, and then go to uni, he just went about it at his own pace. "You're only saying that because you are so attached to your pillow in the morning."

He's seen me in the morning. One of our things were that we had to be the first face we'd see in the morning, as well as the last at night. It was comforting, to know that I had him to come home to. The hurdle for me was him seeing me in the morning, without any make-up on, sluggish and sometimes hardly the woman he saw right now. Right now, it was dinner time for me, and it was breakfast time for him. His day at Tokyo University began at nine in the morning, with him going to morning swim practice with his team, and then he went to class.

Mine began as every college student's did. First, I ate. Then, I took care of my hygiene—putting deodorant on, brushing my teeth, doing my hair(which I put the minimal amount of effort into, either putting it half up, putting a few braids in it since I'd styled it when I got out of the shower), and getting dressed. Then, I spent about a few minutes putting make-up on. Usually just foundation, concealer, eyeliner, a little eye shadow, and lipstick. And all the while, Rin got to witness my transformation from the Gollum to a badass motherfucker ready to get shit done.

Rin was naturally beautiful and hella fine as soon as he rolled out of bed, the bastard.

I smiled at him as he began to put his breakfast in the toaster, and gather fruits and vegetables ready for the shake he drank. He put this protein powder in, and he assured me it tasted good, but rolled my eyes. If it looks like it powder that you put on a baby's ass to stop it from getting a rash, then there was no way in hell that I'd consume it. "Your arms look hot." I said, wishing I was there to kiss him, so I could roll over in my sleep and be in his arms. His strong arms, that earlier this summer, held me tight against him.

I visited to scope out the college programs there, and I used two months out of my Temporary Visitor's Visa. Luckily, I found a marine biology program that I could understand, and I was back home packing my things and preparing for starting classes in the spring. I'd be staying in his apartment, and I already secured a job near the university.

He smiled, and his upper lip curled in this secretive way I saw when he was about to kiss me. If we were in person. My stomach tensed as the butterflies flooded my system, and I couldn't help but saying these words, I really couldn't help it. "I love you."

"Mou, aishiteru, Retasu-Chan," He was calling me what I usually ate, lettuce. He called me what I usually ate, much like I called him Hammerhead, Nursey, Bruce, Brucie, Jaws, Biter, Gilly, and other things shark related.

Whenever he said he loved me, it just felt like he was holding me again. Like I was home. His voice is like home to me. I've fallen asleep to that voice, I've woken up to that voice, I've cried with that voice, I've moaned with that voice. That voice, that boy, that Rin. And those arms... those arms were where I felt the happiest. I've laughed in those arms, I've reached my peak in those arms, I've slept in those arms. Those arms were home

"I booked my flight for next month, on the sixteenth." Rin told me to keep him updated on my move, and I did. He wanted to know where I'd be staying, what major I was going for. He said he was going to help me find a place as well as a job, so I could be independent. It wasn't that I didn't love him enough to live with him, no. It was just that I needed to be fully independent, and so I could fully enter adulthood with ease. I set up my college classes so I could ease my way in, taking one class this semester. I'd be staying with Rin for six months while I adjusted to paying bills, going to class, and working. I always had a plan. My backup plans had plans. Having plans made me feel safe, and steady.

That didn't mean I wasn't practically shittin' kittens. Oh, was I nervous. I loved my mother, and my family, and I didn't know how I'd make friends in Japan like I made friends in America. I had to worry about culturally fitting in, and not being a typical gaijin, or foreigner. I'm vegan, by necessity, how the hell was I going to eat? I am on prescription medication for anxiety, attention deficit, and mild depression. I was currently in recovery, how the hell was I going to handle stress and not relapse? What could I do about my therapist, who I needed? Would he be able to do Skype appointments? My psychiatrist could. When would I get free time to make these appointments?

There was a lot I had to worry about. "Oi, daijoubu. It'll be fine." He was frowning at my brooding, and I'd missed his response.

Ugh, crap. "I'm sorry, it's just… so, so much to do." A familiar tense wedged between my shoulder blades, and I knew that I didn't wanna carry this into his morning.

"No, don't be sorry. If it's stressing you out, you can come to me, alright?" I don't even know how he did this, where he turned a question into an undeniable demand. It sounded like it came from someone who had authority over me, not someone who held my heart in his hands.

Still, this smile of mine couldn't help but spread, and the love that he communicated without actually being here, only looking intently into a screen at a girl thousands of miles from him couldn't help but permeate into the tense muscles of my shoulders, and eased them into a lax slump. I am convinced he was magic, and that every fiber and tissue in his body was constructed by sorcery or some divine being. People like him didn't exist. Not the ones that had a future they're striving towards, a successful plan for the future, even. They didn't usually come with the full package. But he did, and I have no idea where I found this fantastic bowl of shark-lovin'.

Oh. Oh yeah. That's right. In the deep blue sea.