Sophie's POV:

I was so sick of his attitude. His constant mood swings, his being tired and then all excited to be around me and Markl and Calcifer. What was wrong with him? I replay the moment in my head. "I don't see a point in living if I can't be beautiful." He said, what made him think that would ever be an okay thing to say? To someone who was cursed by the witch of the waste and turned into someone way older then I am un-cursed.

I look back at the moving Castle hearing what seems like shrieks from Calcifer. Sure I had grown to love them all, but how… how can I live with people who acted like they were five, with the exclusion of Markl, who mostly acted older then Howl. I looked down at my hands unwrinkled and almost young. I sighed as the tears poured down my face as I continued away from the castle. I'm so sorry guys; I just can't live with Howl anymore.

"Sophie! Howls in trouble! We need you, please don't go!" Markl came running towards me, and stopped when he was about a foot away from me. He looked at me with huge blue eyes. His voice running through my veins, Howls in trouble. My subconscious was finally starting to get to me, how could I be selfish and be more like him? Could I stand to go back in there knowing that I love Howl and suffer as a cleaning lady as he goes off for hours on end with the possibility of never returning home, to Markl, to Cal, to me? "Sophie?" he looked up at me and I looked down at him, tears forming in his eyes. "You're, you're so young." I looked down at my hands, they had staid young, and I looked at Markl with the same big eyes he was mirroring at me.

"I'm… young?" I heard my voice, accent strong and my voice sounded young. "Oh Markl!" I grabbed him into my arms as he jumped willingly. He cried into my shoulder and I cried into his hair, gripping his body closely towards me. The ground shook waking me and Markl up from this imaginary world we had put ourselves in, a world of complete bliss, even if it was just for a moment, we looked at the castle in unison, it was falling down right in front of our eyes. "Markl. RUN!" I screamed, the sound of my own voice scaring me a little as I screamed.

We darted for the castle door running as fast as we could, Markl had made it toward the door and I waved him inside, I would make it there as soon as I could catch my breath. I looked up and there it was, I knew I wouldn't make it back to the castle, I knew there was no chance of me telling Howl how I felt, before I knew it there was a large piece of the castle on my back slamming me into the ground. All I feel was the moist ground of the wastes and the feeling of all hope being lost.

Howls POV:

Sure, I guess you could say I was over reacting by calling dark spirits, and almost drowning Calcifer with green goo, but hey, my hairs pretty damn important to me. Markl thankfully had gotten to me in time and saved Calcifer from the goo running around screaming something about Sophie and young. I was too far out to fully understand; all I remember was the Sophie wasn't there to help me when I needed her the most. I thought I had finally gotten to know her, finally realizing who she was, who I could be with her, who I wanted to be with her, but this changes everything.

I've been lying in bed for the past few hours regaining my strength from my long call to the dark spirits, and I was finally ready to go out in flight again. I looked around my room, forgetting the castle was mostly destroyed due to Calcifer almost dying, and me almost with him. I slowly got up out of bed, a little sore but nothing bad. I walked through my bedroom towards the door when the gem on my loose string turned a dark black. Something was wrong. I sprinted down the stairs to find Markl curled in a ball crying on the floor and Calcifer not laughing at the fact that he might have said something, not bragging that he made Markl cry, but he too had the solemn face of sadness on his fire demon face.

"Why the long faces guys?" I looked around the room looking for Sophie, hoping she had come back when I was resting. I walked down the stairs and opened the curtain to where she slept, she wasn't there, she wouldn't be ever again I guess. Markl looked over to me his eyes red from crying and Calcifer turning his back on me. "Markl, Cal is there something your not telling me?" I walked over to the two taking a seat in my chair that rested in front of Cal.

"Master Howl… Sophie." I cringed at her name, the open wound sore from her leaving in such a hurry. I held up my hand, signalizing him to stop, I could hear no more about her. "But you don't understand!" he screamed at me and I shook my head.

"I don't understand? She's the reason I threw the fit, I told her what not to do and she did it anyway, I can't live with someone who disobeys me! Not to mention she wasn't there to come back and help me, she didn't bother to say goodbye obviously and she didn't care too. I don't want to hear anymore of Sophie, she's gone, for good." I never yelled, never really raised my voice, especially at Markl, but he had asked for it.

He stood his ground, walking over to me and pointing his finger in my chest I looked at him taken aback. "Master Howl, I don't mean disrespect," he started off his voice very low. "I just… God I hate you! You're the reason Sophie's missing! We were running back to help you yesterday and I ran ahead into the room to help you and she told me she'd be right there, and she's not back. She loved us Howl, she wouldn't have just left us! Are you crazy? I know you're mad I know you haven't the heart to hold this in, but Master Howl, she's out there somewhere in the wreckage and she needs your help."

"How? I don't want to. I want to see her suffer, as she can't break her spell. I want to see her suffer just as I do everyday." Markl looked like he was going to slap me in the face, and maybe I did need it.

"Howl, she broke her curse, when we separated she was young, her beauty so bright. Howl listen to yourself, we both know that she was never around just to clean." I looked at him his heart beating so loud I could hear it. Maybe, it was just a wizard thing though.

"I have to get her." I stated. There was no other option for me anymore, she was it for me, once this war was over I'd tell her, tell her that she means the world to me and I would do anything for her just like she's done for me.

I ran out the door almost wanting to turn into my bird form, but knowing that if she were under wreckage I would never see her. I walked kicking wreckage up, lifting random things looking for any signs of Sophie. I searched for hours, going north, south, east, and finally west looking for her. Markl came out once or twice and Cal wishing he could help look for her. It was my job though, I was the reason she was gone from us for now.

"Howl?" Markl came up close behind me tugging on my shirt, tears running down his face.

"Yes?" I replied to tired and upset to pull together more of a sentence.

"What… What if we're to late?" I could tell he immediately regretted what he said as he cringed at his own words. I just looked at Markl, knowing he was right. What if we were to late? How could I live with myself? How could I go on with life knowing that I killed the one girl that could ever love me for me?

"Don't worry Markl, we're not." I said confidently, but he looked right through me, and I could tell he knew I was lying. He embraced me, for the first time since I took the kid on as an apprentice, but this unlike then was a hug that I much needed. I wrapped my arms around his little frame, dropping onto my knees as he buried his head in the crook of my shoulder. I looked behind him and I saw it, it had to be her! I ran to it leaving Markl there shocked at my sudden movements but his eyes followed me. Silver was sticking out of the wreckage and I could have sworn it moved a little. "SOPHIE!" I screamed, no response. I lifted my fingers and concentrated on the debris on top of her and lifted it up, to see that there was no Sophie, simply silver fabric left from her bed sheets that she had left out to dry.

I dropped to my knees my hands in my hair once again crying my eyes out. Not daring to call the spirits again, I just needed to cry. I sat there for what felt like forever when I heard my name. I looked around Markl had gone inside long ago, leaving me to cry.

"Howl…" it said so weakly that it could have been a figment of my imagination, or the Witch of the Waste.

"Hello?" I called out my voice not sounding like my own due to crying so hard.

"Howl." It said and I so scared to move kneeled there paralyzed. "Help Howl." It sounded like a command, for someone to help me, but I knew whom it was, I just needed to find her.

"Sophie! Where are you?" I screamed running frantically around in circles listening and waiting for her to talk again.

"Your close Howl…" her voice dropped again, but I wasn't quick enough. "I'm so close Howl; just let me die…" her voice fading off and I ran around even more frantically calling Markl out to help me. We ran around for what seemed like hours but could only have been minutes. "Oww." It said and I looked to the ground, her hand. I had stepped on her hand.

"MARKL! Over here!" I screamed waving toward myself for him to come here. I raised my two fingers trying to lift the debris but found it to heavy for my weak self. Markl looked at me and I shook my head. "We need to do this together. On three." He looked at me and nodded.

"Anything for Sophie." He said and I smiled and looked at him smiling.

"Anything for Sophie indeed." I smiled at him as we lifted our left hands in unison. "One, two, three!" before my eyes laid Sophie, my silver haired Sophie. My young silver haired Sophie withering in pain.

"Howl, let me die…you can't save me this time. You can't always win Howl, you have to learn to loose too, and I'm sorry it has to be me. I just want you to know… that I love you so much more then I ever thought I could. I don't regret loving you Howl, I never will. I'm sorry." I grasped her hand as I carefully lifted her up and brought her to my heart. My fire demon. I brought her into my house and laid her on the floor when Markl put down a blanket underneath her. I tried for hours to fix her, to mend her, to help her, only causing her more pain. When the wounds were semi healed her breathing steadied and me and Markl brought her up to my room.

"What now Master Howl?" Markl asked me. I looked at him and patted his back.

"We've done all we can, it's her that has to fight through it all to come back to us. Go down and tell Calcifer to start warm water for your bath, I'm going to sit here with her for awhile." He nodded and headed towards the door, when he reached it he looked back at Sophie and ran to her kissing her on the cheek and whispering something into her hair. He walked out of the room without saying anything else.