Okay. So Rinoa wasn't precious to him until she was almost gone. How precious is life to most people until it's gone? How many people honestly live their lives to the fullest that they possibly can? Many people who have near death experiences have sudden personality changes because they realize that they weren't living life, they were dealing with it.

This is true of many things. You don't know how much you love something until it's gone. To me, his care seemed to be that of a friend at the beginning of the third disc. He realized just how much of a friend Rinoa was to him, and I think that this is what allowed him to later realize his love for her.