Disclaimer: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle or Inuyasha. I Also don't own the song 1000 Words.
As the Sky Falls
Chapter 1
firefox369
I know that you're hiding things...
...using gentle words to shelter me.
A soft wind blew threw the trees, rustling them lightly. A herd of elk grazed in the grass a few paces away, heads lowered and ears rotating back and forth. The ruby red sky, courtesy of the fading sun, dyed everything crimson. Even the rays that showed between the leaves held a bloody hue to them. The elk suddenly raised their heads in alarm and stampeded into the protection of the nearby trees. A large shadow fell over the land the elk had just recently escaped, covering everything in darkness. The thing stumbled awkwardly, pipes poking out at random spots and spewing forth clouds of smoke and gas. It groaned loudly with it's movements, the sound of the creaky joints deafening to even the worst ears. Metal clattered against metal, gears and pulleys creaking and moaning as they were strained.
Then, just as quickly as it came, it passed, and everything was as it had been. The elk gradually exited their hiding spot and continued to feed on the sweet grass beneath their hooves. However, the large machine stopped about half a mile away before spinning around and turning toward the direction it had come from. This time, it moved more vigorously, the spindley legs racing almost frantically across the ground. The elk were once again forced to run, but they did not return when the metal structure suddenly lowered itself.
Clack!
A door opened from the back of the contraption and out stepped a blonde-haired man, a light robe wrapped around his shoulders. His blue eyes blinked as they adjusted to the sudden change of light, and he rose a hand to block some of the sun to ease the pain his irises were suffering.
"Where are you going, Master Howl?" a child shouted from within, auburn hair swaying as he climbed on top of the railing, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"Don't leave the house, Markle" the blonde-haired man replied, smiling softly beneath his long, golden bangs, "I shall return shortly."
"Did you sense something?"
Bang! The door slammed shut and the young man moved cautiously toward the trees, gazing wearily within as if expecting some sort of trap to be sprung upon him. He was a well-known magician, after all, so it would not surprise him if someone had truly wished to capture him. A valuable asset to the country he resided in, and a feared enemy for his adversaries is he so chose, that was what he was. His ears picked up heavy breathing and he stepped deeper into the forest to find the source. The noise sounded pained, as if the owner of it was in agony. And that was when he saw it. That was when he saw the faint trail of blood leading him deeper and deeper into the trees, farther through the undergrowth, until he reached a clearing; in the clearing was a girl.
"Who are you?" the girl hissed between her clenched teeth when he stepped into a ray of light and was able to see her clearly. Long, raven hair flowed down her back in gentle waves that reached her waist. Her bangs were not long, but long enough to cover her eyes when her head was lowered. Her body was petite, with porcelain skin from what he could see from under her shredded clothing. Her dress was strange for the area, reminding the magician of a nightgown he had once seen on display at a local market. It was quite revealing, but had a majestic quality to it nonetheless.
"I came to help you."
"I don't need your help" she bit out, and he saw her hand clench her side so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Blood dripped between her fingers, leaving small, crimson rivulets in their wake. It seemed that the injury was worse than he had anticipated.
"Move your hand" he commanded softly, walking over to her and kneeling beside her. Glancing up, he was surprised to see deep, hazel eyes staring straight into his own. The defiance within them was overwhelming, but the pain seemed to flicker above the stubbornness. After a few moments of internal debate, the girl complied and removed her bloodied hand from the wound. A sharp hiss escaped her clenched teeth when the male's larger hand gently carressed it. Her eyes blazed with agony and she tried to move away from him, but the shifting stretched the injury and caused her more pain.
The man regarded her carefully, deciding how he would go about fixing the large cut. It was deep, and quite lethal if an infection decided to contaminate it. Luckily, the running blood kept any possibility of that away for the moment.
"Come, I'll bring you to my castle" he suggested as he stood. The girl watched him nervously. Could she trust him? However, before she could state any of her thoughts, he waved his hand. The girl was lifted into the air, her clothing billowing slightly, and she hovered beside the man.
"Magician" she whispered thoughtfully, though it sounded more like a low growl of hatred because of her gritted teeth. He gave a simple smile, seemingly not taking any notice of the single word she had said. "What is your name?"
This caused the blonde man to blink, and he gazed at her from beneath his golden locks.
"Howl, and you are?"
"Kagome."
They stepped out of the forest and Kagome took notice of the strange, misshaped structure in front of them.
"This is your castle?" she asked skeptically and Howl nodded excitedly, hurrying over to the door and opening it. With another wave of his hand, the ebony-haired female drifted into the home and was placed on a wooden chair.
"Master, you've returned!" a child exclaimed, racing down the stairs against the wall farthest from the door. He peeked through the wooden bars, staring at the girl with an unhidden look of excitement. "Who's she?"
"This is Kagome, Markle. She'll be staying with us until she 's healed. I expect you to treat her well." His gaze then turned to the flickering flames in the fireplace next to the seat Kagome was occupied. "Heat some water for me, would you Calcifer?" Two eyes blinked in the center of the flickering fire, followed by an annoyed groan.
"Do you want me to go out?" the fire moaned and Kagome's eyes narrowed, her hand glowing a light lavender. "Hey, hey! Don't you try to kill me, now!" Feeling the spike of energy, Howl decided to intervene before any irreparable damage was dealt. Calcifer, however, guickly ducked behind a piece of wood. He could feel that something was wrong with the girl. Something big, and the claws on her fingers were a sure sign of it.
"Now, now, Kagome. Calcifer is a friend, you don't need to harm him."
"He's a youkai" was all she said, the lavender aura disappearing from her hand. Howl smiled and patted her shoulder before moving off to do whatever he had been doing previously. The fire watched worriedly as the talon-like nails disappeared as well.
"There we go."
"What's a yukay?" Markle asked, bounding down the last few steps and picking up a kettle that had been buried beneath a pile of papers, books, and crumbs.
"A youkai is the word for a demon in the other world."
Markle's eyes widened in amazement, the kettle dropping from his hands and clatteringpainfully against the stone floor. "Are you from hell?" he gasped.
Kagome's eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Iie." Unluckily for her, her rejection just so happened to sound like a 'yeah' to the boy, and he raced to her side with wide, pleading eyes.
"Wow! What's it like? Are there lots of demons? Is it really as fiery as people say? Did you get to see the devil?"
"Markle, she said 'no;" Howl interrupted, chuckling slightly, "now get the water ready, her injuries need to be taken care of."
"Yes Master" the red-headed child grumbled, scurrying off to pick up the kettle from the place where it was abandoned on the ground and fill it with water. Kagome, in turn, slowly turned her head to stare at Howl's profile from behind. Sensing her gaze, the magician acknowledged her with a soft "Yes?"
"You know about the other world?" she questioned and Howl nodded, knowing she could see the gesture. "Do you know how I might be able to get back?"
Markle raced past her and placed the kettle on top of the fire named Calcifer, who gave a sputtering cough before bursting blue and obeying Howl's commands.
"Sorry, I'm afraid I don't. I'm not an expert at that type of magic."
"Oh."
"I can help you find someone who might be able to help you, though."
At this, Kagome visibly brightened and she turned to face Howl with an expression of hope and pleading. She would have collapsed onto all fours and bowed if it wouldn't exacerbate her injury even further. Howl laughed lightly at her reaction, spinning around to reveal some sort of pulp in a small mixing bowl. He gracefully moved to her side and knelt next to her, the cloak around his shoulders billowing gently in his wake.
"What is that?" Kagome asked nervously, staring at the pukish-colored mush.
"Medicine, it will prevent the wound from becoming infected, and it will also help to stop the bleeding" he replied, reaching for the shredded remains of Kagome's clothing.
"It smells horrible."
"But it does what it's meant to do quite well."
"I'm sure" she grumbled, allowing the man to rip her dress a little further so he could reach the slashes more easily.
"Is the water heated, Markle?" he questioned as he got up and walked back to the messy table he had been at before.
"Almost!" the child chirped, rolling back and forth on the heels of his shoes. "What are you doing now, Master Howl?"
"Go get the bandages from bathroom, please" Howl stated simply and Markle pouted, but obeyed. His curiosity would be quenched soon, everyone knew that. After the child had raced up the stairs, Howl once again turned around to face Kagome. He leaned against the table with a sigh and Kagome knew that he had noticed something about her.
"You're not a normal human, Kagome, I can tell. Would you mind telling me what you are?"
"I'm not quite sure what you're talking about" she answered.
"You know very well what I speak of. I need to know. I can't have a spy residing in my home, now, can I?"
"I'm not a spy."
"Then what are you?"
"A priestess."
"Not the average one, I'm assuming" he commented and Kagome slumped against the back of the wooden chair, not wanting to crane her neck to see him anymore.
"Where I come from, all priestesses have my abilities."
"You mean in the other world."
"Y-"
"Here you go!" Markle called as he clomped down the stairs and handed Howl the bandages.
"Thank you Markle. Get the water ready for me, would you?"
"Yessir!"
Markle hurried over to the pot of water that was now screaming on top of Calcifer's flames and poured the water in to a large bowl.
"So what happened while I was upstars?" he suddenly questioned when he plopped the bowl onto the table near Kagome, some of the hot liquid sloshing over the edges of the bowl and splashing onto the ground. Although he was a child, the tense atmosphere did not go unnoticed by him.
"Nothing, Markle" Kagome replied, "Your master just wanted to get to know me a little bit better."
"Oh. Are you going to stay here?" the boy inquired innocently, bright eyes gazing at Kagome expectantly.
"Ano..." she murmured and Markle visibly drooped.
"No...?" he repeated and Kagome shook her head.
"No, no!"
"You're not staying?"
Kagome scratched her head, trying to think of a way to explain the differences in their languages but Howl, much to her relief, beat her to it.
"Ano is like 'Um,' Markle."
"Oh. So are you staying?"
"A-ano..." Kagome stuttered.
"Only until her wounds heal."
"Yes!" Markle exclaimed, punching the air with glee. "Don't you worry Kagome, I'll take good care of you here!"
"We'll take good care of her" Howl corrected, "you're not ready for that much responsibility quite yet."
Markle pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest and Kagome smiled, reminiscing about a time when her life was much the same as theirs, and missing it greatly.
Her gaze darkened slightly, not going unnoticed by Howl, who watched as her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened.
She would find a way home, even if it was the last thing she ever did.
To Be Continued...