Have a Heart
Author's Notes: Friends, Fans, and fellow readers and writers. You may not know me, you may not have read anything I've written before. You may have, and you may know me… And you may not have heard the good news- let me tell you- Hiroyuki Takei is going to be able to finish his glorious story!
Disclaimer: A crossover between Howl's Moving Castle (A novel by Diana Wynne Jones, also the movie by Hoyao Miyazaki) and Shaman King.
A tribute to Hiroyuki Takei
Creator of Shaman King
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A comet flew by.
The night sky lit up as it passed, illuminating the sky like day. It wasn't an ordinary comet. The comet was a signal, like a flag or a green light. A signal that started a tournament. A Tournament that would decide the ruler of everything, the King of the World- And the World that came after.
The official start of the Shaman King Tournament.
A girl, a young fair lass with cruel calculating eyes, looked up the starry night sky...it was too late. She didn't have a partner...everything, every stupid training task was pointless, every journey into hell and back, every ritual spirit summoning, and still- nothing. Pointless. Not a single spirit allowed through the slits of her parent's approval. Spirits strong enough to fight with tended to stay away from Spirit Binders- with their wicked jars and tags, but still...it woulda been nice to have a shot, to be a contender.
With a sigh, the girl jerked open the window, leaning her head out so she could see it better. The dazzling comet that mocked her. 'I shoulda been a boy,' Was her thought, as she watched the comet fly by, boys could do everything, defy their parents, get spirits, find their own calling in the world, 'Everything woulda been easier...'
And so she watched glumly as comet shot by, trying to remember its name. Maybe it was irony that she couldn't at the moment.
Its tail waved kindlessly down at her as its endless sparkles danced in the sky...Danced. Like grand courtly people in a magnificent black ball. They danced closer and closer to the earth; it was as though they were licking the plum trees in the orchard.
The closest dancing sparkle hit the tallest of the plum trees. It lit the leaves lit up with flames, painting the night sky hues of orange, yellow, and red. So foreign to the night.
This was the last thing she needed! That accursed comet! Thrice accused! Without bothering to close the window, she raced out of her room, and thundered down the winding steps in her all too flammable home. With nothing but pale nightgown on, she raced outside into the night air. Though, one could not help but notice that the night smells delicious, that night increases all smells. Even the fire as it torched her rooftop smelled delicious.
'Why did I run out here?' She pondered to herself. There was nothing she could do, no phone to call the Fire department, and even if she did, they wouldn't come in time. Think, think! But she thought, and she thought, and no easy solution came, and she though on this and wondered, truly, if it had to do with being blond.
Seeing no other way, she inhaled deeply, running down the cobblestone path that twisted like a stony snake though the thicket of plum trees. Each one now seemed to have a fiery cosmic dancer on its branches.
And the thing about plum trees as that they were all too keen on sharing.
She covered her head as she ran, chards and embers flying thick in the whirlwind of black smoke. After what seemed like an eternal yard, an infernal yard- one where smoke filled her lungs, and stung her eyes, she came to the well. All around her the greedy fire gobbled up her allowance for the rest of her life...the endless greedy fire. The sparkles fell faster and thicker. Mercifully, the starfire had spared the wooden pail. She, breathing hard, paused only a moment to be thankful, before getting to work.
She leaned over and grabbed the pail when something big and whooshing came right down upon her back. Had she been listening for such a thing, maybe she would have been able to get out of the way- but what weres were what weres.
The great big fiery half of a severed plum tree came down on her back, sending a wave of ungodly unimaginable unwriteable pain through her, and as an added bonus, she went though the wall of the well, as the weak rock wall tumbled under the weight. And she fell into the darkness, with the bucket in her hand. The fiery star dancers must have decided to chase her down, as one thudded into the bucket, just then...
What happened next? She was sure she fell to her death, blacked out from the smoke, and mangled by the fall. But she couldn't tell you for sure, as she passed out about then...
Her eyelids burned slightly, translucent over her eyes. The sunlight drippled down from above, penetrating the dark murk of the deep well. The girl woke up blearily, trying to remember why she was so sore.
That's right...
She rubbed her eyes, covered in soot and dried blood, her own dried blood. Fell down the well, hit by a tree...and the fire. A thought ran over and over in her head after connecting the dots from her slowly waking memory, and the thought was; 'Why am I still alive?'
She was hunched down at the bottom of the well, up to her waist in water, dirty bloody sooty water. Slowly, as quick movements were more painful then the slow ones, she ran a hand though her blood coved hair. Must've hit her head, she reasoned, slowly trying to get up when a small voice reached her ears.
"Hey," It said to her, a male voice, no more then a whimper, "Can you hear me?" She could, and she looked around wildly for where the voice was coming from. There was a good chance it was all just coming from her head, but she pushed that notion out of her mind.
"Hey, hey you," The voice said a little louder, "Down here..."
The girl lowered her gaze...was the water talking to her? The floor of the well? The rocks? The dirt, blood, or soot? No, the source of the voice was the bucket, or rather, what was in the bucket. A little star dancer, all blue and dark, holding on to what life it had in this dark dungeon of death.
"Theeere you go," He encouraged; though she had the faint inkling that he thought she was a bit draft. He bore no visible mouth, but when he spoke a wiggly mouth appeared, it waved and wiggled like one would expect a fire's mouth to be, not really matching his words. And two perfectly round eyes, that stared up at her pleadingly, "You've gotta help me."
"Why should I?" The girl managed to said, moving sorely to grab the bucket's handle. As she pulled it towards her the little flame yelled a variety of whoas, calming down only when she cupped her hand around his little flame body. He burned. Not much, but if she didn't already have a seething concussion to deal with, she woulda dropped him, "I can't even help myself."
Those words held a double meaning, one that would be lost to this poor little flame. She looked up momentarily, pondering how she'd ever get out of this well, when the flame spoke again, bringing her attention back to him.
"Can you believe it? That comet just knocked me out of the sky- right out!" He bounced a little, hovering weakly above the palm of her tender filthy hands, he was too weak to flicker or roar like a good fire should, "C'mon, have a heart...I'm dying here."
Those last words indeed twisted at the girl's heart-strings. It really wasn't his fault...how would she feel if she was knocked out of her home, only to be sent plummeting down to earth to burn things and die? That'd be awful! She brought her cup hands closer, so she could look the little flame in the eye.
"How am I gunna help you?" She asked, a little meaner then she intended to, "We're trapped in a well..." She glanced up, holding back the words 'your fault' in her head, those would come later. There was no sport in making a dying person feel guilty.
"I can help," He said, rather meekly, but the girl replied with a snort. Him? Help? He couldn't even light a candle let allow help her out of this well. But the little flame seemed to guess what she was thinking, as his simple eyes grew angry.
"Yes I can help!" His blue flames sparkled, a spark no greater then one from a lighter, hardly impressive to say the least, "I'm a powerful fire demon!"
The girl let out a breathless laugh, wincing, her ribs seemed awfully tight around her lungs all the sudden, "An all-powerful fire demon, huh?" She sounded skeptical, "Well then, what's your name, O mighty one?"
"Calcifer," He replied, folding tiny little flame arms and turning his metaphorical back on her, "Listen, if you're not gunna help, just drown me. I don't need to take this, I'm-"
"Yes, yes, a powerful fire demon," She ignored his pouting, bringing him so close now that her uneven breath caused fiery waves in him. Her cruel eyes were wide with curiosity, eyes like star-points, a look that Calcifer knew too well, "Like Lucifer with a Cal in front?"
"No, like Calcifer with a Lu in front," Even her voice sounded greedy at this point, making the tiny demon felt just a little uncomfortable, which was strange, since he was a demon. He played a perfect sinatra with her emotions and mind, until she did exactly what he wanted her to do, but now that she was, he didn't feel so great...What was that emotion, the one only weak wishy washy demons get?
"How are you goin' to help me?" She stood up now, instantly regretting it. Dark spots played hide an' seek which each other in her eyes, praying to God that she wouldn't pass out, because if she did, both her and Calcifer would be taking a long wet nap.
"Give me something of yours," He whispered, unable to shake that disgusting emotion from his core, "Gimme your heart- I think I need your heart."
Her heart...? Calcifer could see the resolve slipping off her face, he could almost feel her hands letting go of him. He lashed his tiny flame arms out, holding on to each thumb, just in case, "You won't die, hearts don't really work like that. Think about it, I'll be bound to you. I can do whatever you want, now-"
"Wait," The girl said, though there wasn't much wait left as Calcifer grew dimmer by the moment, and the girl grew weaker, "What's in it for you, demon?"
"I get to live..." Was his weak reply. The girl gave a twitchy smile. Yes, he deserved to live! After all, who would let something as cute and caring as Calcifer die? Maybe when he fell from the sky, he tried to save her? Yes, that even sounded logical.
"Alright," She said so firmly that Calcifer nearly jumped for joy, of course, that would ruin everything he had just done here in this well, I mean, he was weak, and he was dying, but he was clever, and he was craft, "But on one condition."
Oh, man, here we go, here comes those witchy deals. It was always someone who knew that laws of magic, wasn't it? He couldn't get like a sheep farmer, or something? Calcifer let out a sound of aggravation, "What?! Anything! It's a deal already! Just-do-it!"
A thin smile played on the girl's face, "Come Calcifer, you and I," She brought him to her lips, "Eat my heart so you won't die!" And with that, she swallowed him. The girl shut her eyes, expecting a world of pain, but none came. He went down easy...And slowly, she felt a warmth run through her.
Flames erupted around her, forming a fiery scuba suit, only with flames, and not form fitting flames but ones that whipped wildly out. And like a puppet, Califer took control of her body, moving her up the mossy slimy well wall like a human gecko. It was easy, this super-human feat! Her breath came out easily, her legs and arms moved up the wall of the well easily too! This was easy! She felt so light and...powerful! Was this what being Calcifer felt like, or was this the feeling of not having a heart? Before she could ponder this more, they reached the top of the well. The sun so bright she closed her eyes a bit to shield them. Once she brought her arms over top of the well she began to cough. Calcifer forced his way up out of her, leaving a stinging tingly mouthwash sensation in his wake.
With a flop, he hit the grass, his bottom half heavy with heart.
"What a heart!" He exclaimed, his fiery face briefly demonic. His fire now as bright as the sun, it crackled bright orange and red, and as large as any roaring fire one would cook chestnuts on. That icky feeling he was feeling evaporated as soon as he swallowed her heart. What was the feeling again...? Guilt?
She should of said thank you, but instead she just smiled down at him, before looking up at the destruction his fellow fire demons had done. With a sigh, she said "I am so grounded."