Chapter 6

A/N: This is surprisingly long, I did not realize until I was done. Anyways, new update! Yay! So early! But I hope it is as great as how quick my update was... Let's go! I never actually reply to people's reviews because I thought that no one would like to hear me blabber about stuff but I decide to try this out. So if you guys would like to hear my replies on every chapter, then I will. But if most of you guys don't like it then I'll stop.

TheLunaGoddess: You'll find out more about her throughout the story and thanks for enjoying Howl and Rose's interaction.

Allanna Stone: It's one of my favorite line as well. And yay, I am alive!

Lady Kaiki, UltimateOne & Sheridan111000:Thank you very much, you two!

LeafeonLover & SanuraBey: I'm sorry that I took too long but I hope I'll update more chapters quicker now

Chocolate AND Marshmallow: To answer your question, actually Rose met Howl when he was a kid in chapter two. I hope this clears at least some of your confusion

Disclaimer: Howl's Moving Castle not mine.

Chapter 6

I woke up to the sound of gushing water. I looked to see Sophie awake as well and was tying her hair into a braid. "Is Howl back?" She asked.

"Yes and he's wasting my hot water again." Calcifer complained. He shoved firewood into his mouth.

"Do you hear that? Sounds like a waterfall." A voice in my head commented.

"Could you not talk so suddenly?" I thought. She soon started criticizing about every single thing in the castle. Ever since I properly met her, she's been making comments out of nowhere. I really should give her a name but what should I call her? Since she's going to be in my mind for who knows how long, it's better to give her a name. "Can I call you Akari? It means brightness. "

She kept quiet for a while. "Sounds nice." She said. She stopped talking.

I went to the cupboard for some food. I cringed at the amount of food I saw. "We need to buy some more food." I said as I ate some bread.

Sophie took a look at all the food we had and called Markl."What's wrong, Sophie?" The boy asked as he came down.

"Put on your cloak, we're going out to buy food." I said as Sophie puts on her hat.

"Why?" Markl puts on his cloak. I passed Sophie her cane and Markl pulled up his hood.

"See you later, Calcifer." I called out.

"Yeah, okay." He muttered.

I opened the door and let Sophie and Markl go out first. "I don't know why we're doing this. Master Howl hardly eats anything." The redhead complained.

"Too bad." Sophie replied to him.

An old man greeted us as he passed by and we greeted back. I closed the door.

"You're the only one who have money. And besides a boy like you needs to eat properly to be healthy." I explained. I ruffled his head, causing the hood to fall off.

"Stop that! You're ruining my disguise." He said and pulled the hood back on. I laughed.

As we walked on our way to the stalls, I listen to Sophie talk about the ocean. "It always looks like that." Markl said in confusion.

"Its just old people talk. They always become sentimental over things easily." I explained. Sophie elbowed me in the ribs. I just laughed.

We reached to a stall where Sophie actually filled the basket with potatoes. "I think that's enough potatoes." I said with a nervous smile. Markl grunted and claimed he hated potatoes.

"Pay up." Sophie said. "Thanks, have a nice day."

"Thank you. Come again." The vendor replied. Markl paid him and I took the basket. We then followed Sophie to the next stall.

"All our fish come fresh this morning." The vendor said proudly. Markl complained once again as Sophie looked at the fishes.

Suddenly people ran by, talking about a sinking battleship. The vender quickly closed the stall to get a better look of the scene. Smoke filled the sky while men quickly jump into the waters and swam to the rescue boats. Because my dad was a soldier, I knew the effects of war. People die while some survive. There were a lot of cases where soldiers experienced trauma from war and come back home different. "More paranoid." My dad once said. I can't imagine what the men had experienced. Especially in a world filled with magic where danger is doubled.

"Come on, Sophie, Rose, let's get a better look." Markl said with curiosity. He went to take a step closer but I held him back. It was never shown if anyone died from the attack but I can't help but worry.

Sophie took a step back, fearfully. "No, I've seen all I can take. Let's go home." She said. She suddenly froze and stared at her left. I followed her gaze and just like in the movie, the witch's henchman was there. With its top hat and glossy purple coat, it would've been mistaken as part of high-class if it weren't for its obsidian black skin and a mask instead of eyes. Though unusual and freakish, it somehow didn't catch any attention from the townspeople. It stood taller than everyone and peered over the crowd in search of someone. "The witch's henchmen are here." She whispered.

"What?" Markl exclaimed before looking around in panic.

"Don't move." I said and had my hands on his shoulders to calm him down.

"Quiet down. They're only a few feet away." Sophie told him. We tensed up and watch the henchman. Sophie pulled the side of her hat to hide her face and I gazed at the ground. I could feel my heart beat raise as it look around like an eagle. I gripped on Markl's cloak tighter. After a while, it slinked away.

"He's gone." Sophie said as she let go of her head, I sighed in relief. "I don't understand why no one else seem to notice him."

"The witch probably put some kind of a spell." I answered. I suddenly heard something and looked up. An airship flew by and dropped three bombs into the water. Screams of panic contrast to the sounds of explosion caused a ringing sound in my ears.

People pointed at the plane when they saw it. Yelling out words that overlapped one another.

"Look up there, Sophie, Rose, Its the enemy's airship." Markl pointed at the plane as his hood fell off.

Papers flew out of the plane as everyone started running around. Before I knew it, Sophie ran off. "Soph!" I called out but she didn't hear me.

"What's wrong with her?" Akari asked in confusion. I didn't answer; instead I grabbed Markl's hand and ran after her. The basket was heavy so it slowed me down for a bit.

"Sophie, wait up, Sophie." Markl exclaimed as he did his best to catch up. I grunted as people bumped into me in a panic. I held on to Markl's hand tighter and glanced at him to see if he's okay.

"Don't let go of my hand, Markl." I said loudly amongst the noise. Unlike in the movie, it was more crowded as people shoved past me. In the moment, a panicked lady, who judging by her clothes was from high-class, managed to hit me. Her expensive ring grazed against my skin, leaving a small cut on my cheek.

We finally reached the castle. Sophie opened the door and rushed in. Markl and I went in as well. I placed the basket down as Markl closed the door.

"Sophie, are you okay?" Markl asked in concern as he noticed her breathing heavily.

I went to support her arm. "Let me help you." I offered. "You can't run like that. Remember, you're an old lady now." I helped her up the stairs. Her other hand held onto the rail and I held her cane.

"I just need a glass of water." Sophie said.

"I'll get it." Markl volunteered. He carried the basket and went to the sink.

Calcifer gave a questioning look. "Enemy airship." I said to answer his thought. I helped Sophie to sit down. I touched my cheek and felt blood but only a little bit. I wiped it with my sleeve.

Suddenly we heard screaming from upstairs. Great… I was already getting a headache from what had happened. I heard the bathroom door bang open as Howl sobbed and bumped into the wall. He stopped midway of the staircase wearing nothing but a loose towel. I looked down to the ground to compose myself.

"Really? Is this really the time to be fangirling?" Akari asked, her tone patronizing me.

Finally calm, I looked to see Howl yelling at Sophie. "Sophie! You sabotaged me!" He yelled and ran down. "Look!" He shoved his head in her face. "Look what you've done to my hair. Look!"

"What a pretty color." She commented with a smile, obviously not understanding what he's trying to say.

"It's almost the same shade as Markl's." I added, siding with Sophie whilst trying to calm the wizard down.

"It's hideous! You completely ruined my magic potions in the bathroom." He yelled and pulled harder at his hair.

"Is he saying that Markl's hair is hideous?" Akira quipped. I mentally shushed her.

Sophie stepped back, confused before smiling. "I just organized things, Howl, nothing's ruined." She stated.

"Wrong! Wrong!" He said before clutching his face. "I specifically ordered you not to get carried away!" Tears filled his eyes.

He took a sorrowful breath. "And now I'm repulsive…" He sat onto the chair. He bended over, his hands covered his face as his head rests on his knees. "I can't live like this." He sobbed.

I kneeled down. "Cheer up, Howl." I said softly. He kept sobbing.

Sophie carefully took a step forward. "Come on, it's not that bad." Slowly the color turned black. I smiled at this. He looked just like when he was a kid. I couldn't help but remember seeing a little boy running in panic from an angry father.

"You should look at it now. This shade is even better." Sophie encouraged.

I nodded even though he couldn't see. "It's true. You look better now." I agreed.

"I give up. I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful." He muttered. I quickly stood up when the room started to shake. The room turned dark with Calcifer being the only source of light. The shadows started to change and morph on their own.

"Howl, cut it out. Howl, no, stop it. Howl." Calcifer warned as he started to shrink in fear.

"He's calling the spirits of darkness, I saw him do this once before when a girl dumped him." Markl explained to us.

"Not even surprised…" I said.

Sophie reached out to the depressed man. "Now, Howl, you're all right. We'll just dye your hair back again. Okay?" She rest her hand on his bare shoulders only to pull away when slime started to coat him. Slime trailed from her fingers as she backed away in fear.

"Fine! So you think you've got it bad? I've never once been beautiful my entire life!" She yelled. She spun around and ran to the door.

"Soph!" I called out.

"I've had enough of this place." She cried as she rushed out in to the Waste and into the rain.

"Wait!" I exclaimed and followed after but I was held back. I turned to see Markl holding onto my sleeve. He looked panicked.

"Rose, what about Master Howl?" He asked. I looked back at Howl and saw him staring at me. He looked lost which made my heart clenched. I took a step forward but hesitated.

I looked at Markl. My thoughts were jumbled up. I want to help Howl but… Sophie's the only one that can help him. "Let me get Sophie first." I said. I glanced to see Howl look away.

"I'll come back." I said to everyone and went out the castle. Rain soaked me to the bone as I ran. I saw Sophie and she looked a bit younger. She was no longer hunched over and stood straight. Turnip head was next to her and held an umbrella to protect her from the rain.

"Sophie!" I called out. She turned to look at me and widened her eyes when I hugged her.

"Rose?" She asked.

"Sophie, remember when we first met. I was all alone and then you came." I said. "You were the most beautiful person I've met. Outside and inside. Don't let anyone say otherwise."

"Thank you, Rose." She said softly and returned the hug. "I'm sorry for acting like that."

"It's okay." I pulled away. "Let's go help Howl." I turned to see Markl running towards us.

"Sophie, Rose, get back inside Howl's in trouble." He exclaimed before dragging us by the hand. We went inside to see that Howl had his head lying on the hearth and was getting slime everywhere. Calcifer pleaded for help as he desperately moves away from the slime

"Such drama." Sophie said. I glanced to see a small smile on her face and smiled with her.

"Is he dead?" Markl asked with worry.

"No, he's fine. He's just throwing a tantrum. Come on, give me a hand." Sophie said. We both rolled up out sleeves and went to grab the chair.

"Okay." Markl said and helped as well. We pushed the chair to the stairs, almost slipping from the slime. I rested Howl's arm over my shoulder, which Sophie did as well. Markl rushed past us to the bathroom as we dragged Howl up the stairs.

"Get the hot water running." Sophie called out.

"Right."

"Come on, Howl, you can still walk?" Sophie said. I soon felt the towel around his hips loosen. I quickly held onto it so it won't fall off. As much as, I don't want to change anything in the plot, this is the one thing I will change on purpose. I do not want to drag him while he's butt-naked. We helped him into the bathroom.

"Get him cleaned up, Markl." Sophie said.

"I will." Markl answered. I closed the door and looked at the trail of slime.

"Now I have to mop again." Sophie sighed.

I nudged her. "I'll help." I beamed which made her smile.

After we had cleaned the slime, Markl called for me.

"Rose."

I turned to see Markl coming down the stairs. "Um… Master Howl wants to speak with you." He said.

What? I looked to see Sophie who shrugged and Calcifer who was as confused as I am.

"Okay…" I answered and went up the stairs.

"What does that narcissist want?" Akari asked in confusion.

'I don't know.' I answered. I reached the door and stared at it nervously. I knocked the door gently. "It's Rose." I said and opened the door. I breathed out in awe. His room was filled with unique ornaments. It was beautiful and obviously magical. I closed the door.

"Like a kid's bedroom…" Akari muttered. I looked to see Howl resting peacefully in his bed with his eyes closed. I smiled at the sight of two stuffed animals on his bed. A purple, pink striped donkey and a blue spotted cow with green ears. I touched the donkey and shook it slightly. There was no sound. I did the same to the cow toy. I heard a soft jingling sound.

"Rose…" I heard Howl call. I quickly put the toys down.

I sat down on the chair next to him. "Did you need something, Howl? I asked.

He slowly shook his head. "No… I just wanted your company." He answered.

I blinked twice and slowly nodded. I looked at his appearance. "You look just like when you were a boy." I mused.

He sighed. "Then you must think I'm childish…" He said. I panicked. Did I just insult him?!

"What? No!" I exclaimed. "You're mature now and… very handsome!" I suddenly regret what I said.

"Nice…" Akari said sarcastically which increased my embarrassment.

Howl opened his eyes and smiled at me. "You think I'm handsome?" He teased.

I playfully glared at him. "You just want me to say that, don't you?" I asked. He laughed. I smiled as I watched him. He glanced at me and quickly sat up. His eyes filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Your cheek…" He muttered.

"Oh…" I almost forgot about that. I touched my cheek and could definitely feel the cut. "An enemy airship scared the townspeople so amongst the panic, someone hit me. It's just a small scratch."

The wizard focused on my cheek. "Stay still." He placed his hand against my cheek. His thumb grazed against the scratch. I felt a cooling sensation on my cheek. He smiled. "There… all gone." He said and hesitantly pulled his hand away.

I touched my cheek and could no longer feel the scratch. "Wow…" Magic will never fail to surprise me.

"Calcifer, told me about your 'situation'." Howl said.

I tensed up a bit. "What did he tell you?" I asked.

"That a creature decided to live in your heart." He answered. He was serious. There was no sign of that usual charming playboy.

Should I tell him about Akari? I don't even know what's going on so I knew it would be better to tell Howl about this.

"Actually, I sort of, managed to get to talk with her." I answered.

I watched Howl as he thought through this. "Tell me more about this." Howl said.

"Well, I named her 'Akari' since she didn't have a name and somehow she got stuck. Which means she can basically sense everything I do…" I explained.

"Is she here now?" Howl asked to which I nodded. "Does she have any idea on what's happening?"

"No… She's just as clueless as I am." I said. Speaking about her, she was strangely quiet throughout the conversation.

"From the sound of it, it was caused by a powerful magic." Howl said. "I have heard of this spell. Putting a person's conscience into another being or object."

"Conscience?" I asked.

"Well, the full spell is to transfer the person's soul but with Akari's case, she's nothing more but a conscience. It seems that her own body is in a deep sleep."

A deep sleep… but where is Akari's body?

"Do you think I'm cursed?" I asked all of a sudden.

He looked at me, confused. "You look pretty fine to me. And it isn't actually a curse. Just a protection spell for Akari but somehow you got involved."

I sighed. This was never going to work. "It's just… Why am I here?"

"What are you talking about?" Howl asked.

"What I mean is, that's not the only problem. I have this feeling that something bad will happen because of me just being here. Maybe I'm not supposed to be here. Maybe if I stayed at the hat shop or better yet never met Sophie, things might have been better." I lied a bit. I know I'm not supposed to be in this story.

"You really don't remember…" Howl muttered. I blinked in confusion at what he said. He smiled at me. "Does it really matter whether what's good or bad. To me, I think it's good that you're here. I'm glad that you're here. "

I smiled sadly. You're only saying that because I'm in the story. He lay back down again and closed his eyes. That's when I heard the door knocking.

A/N: More on Akira's story in this chapter. So many words... Wow! I hope you guys enjoy! I was really glad to know people were actually still waiting for this fanfic. I really thought everyone gave up on it. Please favorite, follow and review! See you guys next time!