His feathered hands grasped hers. "Stay here." He said softly.

Sophie was tired of it. Howl always kept her in the dark. He never told her anything important. It hurt her to know that she was so unreliable that he could not tell her his secrets when she trusted him with all of hers.

"Sophie." She heard a voice say. It was him. She greeted him with a nod. "When can I leave this dark place and go back home to the castle?" she asked. The loving look in his blue eyes was replaced by a look of anxiety.

"We've talked about this Sophie." He said. "The castle is too dangerous right now. The war is still raging on." He then noticed the flustered look on her face. "This isn't about going back home, is it?" he asked. "What is it?"

Sophie was angry now. "Why do you never tell me what's happening?" she questioned. "You don't tell me your problems." She said softly "You don't tell me why, but you bring me to this dark place where I'm…." A tear slipped down her face. "all alone."

Howl's eyes widened at the sight of Sophie crying. Was he so ignorant that he couldn't see his Sophie was hurt?

"I'm sorry, Sophie." He knelt down to where she was sitting. "I'm a selfish man." He spoke from his heart. "I'm a heartless monster who took you away from your family and left you in the darkness. But Sophie-" he laced his fingers through hers "I want you to know that I will always belong to you. I'm a horrible man who might always keep you in the dark," he kissed her knuckles "because that's where I am."

Both of them were shocked when they heard a thumping noise. Howl suddenly clutched his chest. Sophie couldn't contain her emotion. He had gotten his heart. Howl looked up at her with eyes full of happiness, relief, fear, and….love. So she decided to stay in the dark. If it would keep him from being anxious, then she was willing to. She put her arms around Howl's neck and buried her face into his chest. "I'll stay." Howl couldn't contain his happiness. He put his hands on either sides of Sophie's face and kissed her. His heart beat so fast that he thought it would burst. "Thank you, Sophie."