The better the girl got the more restless the Stealth Assassin grew. Here, in the house in the swamp, was absolutely nothing for him to do. The girl occupied herself with various things but he got more bored from day to day. He had to do something or he would go crazy.

The girl was sitting in front of the house and the Assassin sat down next to her. She turned her face towards him and he gave her a short kiss. Her smile told him that she had aimed for that. She took his hand and traced tiny circles on his skin with her thumb.

"I want to go into town today." Rikimaru said. He watched the girl closely but she just looked at him, as relaxed as before. So he continued. "I want to get a few things and check my mail. Do you think you can be alone for a few hours? I'll definitely be back before nightfall."

In complete contrast to her reaction the last time he wanted to leave her, she now smiled at him. "Of course I can be alone. It's absolutely okay for you to do things beside sit around the house all day."

The Assassin blinked, a little astonished about her readiness to let him go. But maybe the last time had simply been too soon. Or it had been because of the purpose behind it. She seemed to know what he was thinking, which was astonishing as well because as an assassin he had learned to mask his feelings. "It wasn't because you wanted to leave me that I was afraid. It was because it was your mission for vengeance during which the undead took me. It felt too much like a repetition of that time. You leaving to take revenge."

That made things easier. After another kiss the Assassin ported into the inn. He had received many letters and was half of the day occupied with sorting them. The ones he wanted to answer he took with him because he could do that as well in the swamp. Then he went into town to get a few things. The most important was a device he had heard of, which could be used to call someone no matter where he was. He wanted to give his girl one so she would be able to reach him every time, everywhere. Because though she had been fine when he had left her, the Assassin felt not particularly good with her being alone. If he didn't know any better he would say he was afraid of something happening to her again. So he would get her such a device and she would be able to call him in case of an emergency.

Rikimaru didn't get the device but was able to place an order for it. He hurried to get everything else he wanted to be able to return to his girl as fast as possible. The way back would take him longer because he didn't have anything to port directly into the swamp. He would have to think about a solution for that as well because even when Jayne had the device and called him it would take him way too long to reach her. But first things first.

The sun began to set when the Assassin ran through the swamp, knowing exactly where to put his feet and therefore able to go fast. He didn't hear anything as he drew nearer and though it wasn't abnormal, since the girl hadn't sang a single song since her rescue, Rikimaru's heart started to beat faster in fear.

When he turned the corner of the house and saw her, relief flooded him. He stood there for a moment, still invisible, and just looked at her, enjoying the sight of her. He turned visible and the girl whirled around, smiling when she saw him. In that moment he knew he belonged to her, body and soul, because he had never been happier than in that moment, when he came home from a day in town and his girl smiled at him. He had never known what love was but it hit him that this had to be it.

He kissed her and she melted against him, sighing softly and looping her arms around his neck, her body pressing close. She was soft and warm and she felt unbelievably good in his arms. Rikimaru deepened the kiss, feeling strangely vulnerable at this moment, certain that the girl must see how he felt, feel how he felt, and not sure if he should like it or not. No one ever knew what he felt, as it should be with an assassin, but the girl had already been able to before, so why should it be any different now. But she didn't say anything and nothing in her posture and behaviour suggested anything when they separated and he looked down at her.

Only seconds before he had been afraid of her seeing his feelings for her, but now he was a little disappointed that she hadn't. He almost said it but he stopped himself before he could open his mouth. He told himself that it was to protect her and he didn't tell her because it might be too much for her after her slavery. But in truth he was afraid. She might not feel the same and then he would stand there, having said words he had never said to anyone else, feeling like an idiot.

And so, when she asked if everything was all right, he simply told her what he had done in town, while they went into the house he told her about the device he wanted to get for her. It would be there the next day and he wanted to get it then.

"That's okay." The girl stirred in a pot with some stew she had made. "I was only a little afraid alone. I'm sure it will get better every time."

Rikimaru was glad that she got along without him being there the whole time. He watched her. She looked better, she had gained weight, she didn't look haunted and afraid all the time anymore and her whole attitude had changed. She was becoming her former self again more and more. The only thing that visually remained was her short hair. It was growing but it was still a tousled mass of brown strands most times. It looks good on her, the Assassin thought. The long hair had been too brave and too ordinary, this hairstyle now, though it wasn't intended, made her look like the always cheerful girl she had been and was becoming again.

Sitting at the table, the Stealth Assassin looked through the letters he had brought and began to answer them. There was one from the Bounty Hunter, in which he asked if everything was well. And though he and the Hunter had never been very close he smiled at the short letter. Gondar had always been curious but Rikimaru was sure there was some real concern for the girl's wellbeing after their rescue mission.

"Is this your native language?" The girl stood next to him and was looking at the sheet of paper.

"Yes, it is."

She shook her head. "I don't understand it. When did you learn my language?"

"After you left the first letter for me. I went to someone who translated it for me but since I didn't want others to know what you wrote I decided to learn it."

"You learned it for me?" The girl sounded astonished. Rikimaru shrugged.

"Yeah."

Smiling she sat down. "Do you have another pen for me? And a piece of paper?"

Rikimaru gave her both. She didn't ask anything else and so he kept writing. But when he saw her with the pen in her hand he was reminded of the quill, ink and paper he had given her once, a thought struck him: he hadn't gotten her anything from town today. It was the first time since he had known her that he didn't have a present for her. She didn't seem to mind, but the Assassin thought it kind of thoughtless of himself. Especially since here in the swamp was even less to do than in her house in the forest and he could have easily bought her something to pass some time.

Since he wanted to go into town the next day anyway he would get her something, then. A book maybe, and paper and a new quill.

Depending on how good she felt with him gone from time to time, and depending on how the device worked, he could start working again. He wouldn't do jobs that would take him away more than one day at a time but he could do smaller jobs. Or ones where he could head back every evening. But first he had to test the device because otherwise he wouldn't feel good leaving his girl alone.