A visit in the Night
HowlxSophie
Um… A one shot, I think…
Sophie stood on the castle's balcony. Calcifer wasn't moving it, but there was still a ferocious wind on the waste.
Howl had just been showing her the garden when the war-planes came. And Howl followed them, leaving Sophie with Markl and the Witch. She put the 'family' to sleep, ignoring Markl's mild excuses for staying up because he needed to learn a spell and he won't be able to fall asleep with that in mind, but Sophie didn't realise that she couldn't sleep herself until she threw herself into her bed. So after half an hour of turning under the covers she went out onto the balcony to take some fresh air.
She had her pink nightgown on and it flapped rapidly in the wind. Her hair, which was tied in a plait also flapped against her back, a little higher than her waist, but she didn't notice this because she was used for it to flap there, even thought it had been several times shorter in the past few weeks. Her hands, which were now as soft as lavender, gripped the railing and her light blue shone like the stars in the night sky, filled once again with youth. She failed to notice all of this because she was lost in her own thoughts. She was worried for Howl.
The horizon flickered with blood-red light, but it wasn't the dawn or the sunset. It was fire. And somehow Sophie's heart froze when it suddenly appeared and died almost instantly. She thought she saw a black speck in the heart of the explosion. Of course it was nonce, even Howl's eyes, the eyes of a hawk, couldn't distinguish anything that far away. But perhaps it was not her eyes, but her heart. Because she had seen correctly.
Howl spun in the fire of the battle, ripping up war-planes and fighting off the other wizard-beasts. His blood was on fire, burning with rage and hate and hunger for revenge. He flew through the sky just to cool himself down, fearing that his blood would burn him form the inside and launched into attack again. But in these few seconds he felt the fire leave him a wreck. He felt that his strength was failing him and that if he didn't leave now there was a chance that he never would. He flew away only to see the wizards chase after him. He pushed the fire out of his veins and into his muscles, urging them to bring him to his home. During his flight he understood, that even though found Sophie, his curse was still upon him. He nearly started thinking like a beast at one point, tearing through the metal. But with one last look back he flew up and opened a portal to the castle's door.
Sophie heard the door click downstairs. This too was impossible, but then again, true. She rushed down the stairs too see Howl walking into the Castle half falling on the stairs, chocking and coughing, clinging to the banister. He hauled himself onto the floor and fell, looking at Calcifer.
"Whoa! Didn't you over do it this time?" the demon asked, slightly concerned but not feeling sorry for Howl. Sophie came down the stairs just as Howl tried to push himself off the floor and onto his feet.
"Howl!" she cried, concern and love and a blend of many other feelings rushing through her body at one instant. Howl looked up to see Sophie rush to him and help him get up. He vaguely remembered being put down on the chair in front of Calcifer.
"Sophie!" Calcifer cried out. "You look so young! How on earth did you manage to break the spell?" but Sophie took no notice of the fire demon. She was sitting beside Howl on her knees, holding one of his hands in her.
"Howl, please! How can I help you?" she pleaded.
"Just-" Howl gulped and took a breath of air, "knowing you're beside me, safe and sound drives the pain away substantially." He winced and cried out as his feathers started to disappear. Sophie almost flung herself onto him with worry, but merely hugged his arm tighter to her heart. A tear escaped her eyes as he winced again. It slid down her cheek and onto Howl's hand.
Feeling this he immediately jumped from the chair and joined Sophie on the floor clutching her hand this time. His feathers had gone completely and he looked his normal self again.
"Sophie, don't cry! I beg of you. It hurts me twice, no! ten times more to know that you are saddened in my presence."
"Howl!" she sobbed as tears fell freely from her eyes. Howl put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and laid his head on her one. He was feeling better already. He pulled her up to see her face.
"I must go!" he said coughing again.
"Please Howl! Don't!" She ran in front of him, blocking the way. "Let's run, hide! You don't have to fight, this isn't your war!"
"Sophie! I've been a coward for far too long. I must go!" He gasped for air again and pushed the woman he loved aside and almost ran out the door, turning into his bird-form.
Sophie looked at the closed door. Her breath was shattered, but she was still her young self. She stood for a minute longer and then slowly left for her bed. Calcifer tried to grab her attention from his place on the hearth.
"Sophie! What the hell did that mean? You know he could bloody kill himself out there! And then I'll die and so will the castle! Hello? Sophie? SOPHIE?"
Sophie took a few deep breaths of fresh air out on the balcony and went to her bedroom. She laid herself on the bed and tried to go to sleep. But then she just dug her face into the pillow and cried her eyes out and soon fell asleep. She would wake up the next morning and think that that night was just a dream…
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