Disclaimer: Howl's Moving Castle (and all characters, logos, rights, etc.) belong to Dianna Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki.
Note: For those who haven't read the book, Michael IS Markl, I just prefer the name better. He's still a child, I just used the book's name.
She pulled out the basket from the small brown counter, counting the eggs and bacon slices. His eyes watched her, following her every step, noticing all the smallest details. Despite her contradictory opinions, he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he disliked the fact that she thought so lowly of herself. Then again, that was a part of who she was, and he supposed that she'd be different otherwise. And that would not be to his liking.
He never thought he could feel this way about anyone or anything, and apparently his thoughts were proven wrong. It took him a while to understand it, but once he did, he was completely honest with The Wizard Howl. Both of them knew that the hatter and a demon could never work, and even if they could, she had fallen for the Wizard. So all was well in that respect.
Calcifer tried to stop loving her. He'd leave for days on end to get away from her and see if that would help ease his pain, but his feelings would only grow. Reminding himself that she was Howl's and no one else's only set him in a depressing kind of mood, and it worried Sophie to see him in such a state.
When he slept, he had dreams – dreams of what it'd be like to be human, to be able to have a chance at winning the hatter's heart, to hold her hand and sweep her off her feet. Yet these were just dreams, impossibilities of reality, and she hadn't had a clue.
His favorite memory was of the kiss she gave him before she broke the contract. His small black eyes met her brown ones, and he felt Howl's heart flutter a bit, though he knew part of it was himself, too. The fire demon turned an unusual shade of pink as her lips met his, her prayer for him coming true. He didn't have to come back, but he missed them – no, he missed her. Sure, Michael and Howl were two of his good friends, and Heen and Grandma Witch were interesting to have around, but she was his reason for coming back.
One day Sophie was cleaning house, and everyone else was gone – Howl had gone to see the king, Michael and Heen were running around outside, and Grandma had taken a stroll to the market. She was making ready to clean the ashes and noticed her demon friend's sad, far-off expression.
"Calcifer, what's the matter?" she asked, laying the broom down and sitting in the stool facing her demon friend.
"Nothing's the matter!" he replied, "What on earth would make you think that's something's the matter?!"
The way she tilted her head as she mused on a response, the fear and worry in her eyes, made him sad. "Well," she said uncertainly, "You just seem to be less energetic than you used to be, and there's some tension between you and Howl. Have you two gotten into another contract or something? Every time I try to ask Howl, he changes the subject."
Calcifer's eyes widened. She had noticed – what was he supposed to do? Tell her the truth? "I can't do that," he muttered. "That'd ruin everything."
"Can't do what?"
The fire demon jumped when he realized that he'd been heard. "Oh, I was just thinking out loud is all."
Sophie gave him a wondering look before rising from her place in front of the hearth. "I've got to finish cleaning. Whenever you're ready to talk, you know where to find me." She picked up the broom and began to sweep.
"I'll be back, Sophie," he called. "I'm just going for a flight through Kingsbury and the Wastes."
"All right. I'll set up some logs for when you get back," she smiled as he flew out the window. "I will get it out of him," she muttered, "You can count on that."