A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner. I was having trouble figuring out what this chapter was about. Well, I bet you've ignored every word I said, and have already begun reading the story. Okay then.

I own: Hannah, the Studio Ghibli movies, Figaro, the big poodle with the big bone, and, that's about it... Hey! It's slowly growing! I'm gonna be a millionaire!

Ch. 12 Privacy Read Aloud

Markl awoke, sweat dripping down his forehead. As he was about to get up, a pounding headache entered, and strength left. His arms hurt, just for trying to get up. He looked around his room, waiting for his strength to return, when he noticed his blankets were on top of him.

' What the heck did I dream last night?' he thought.

All he knew was, every night, he had the same dream, or nightmare, and his blankets were always on the floor.

He laid in his bed for a few minutes, looking at his light blue ceiling. Becoming inpatient, he rolled off the bed, and landed on the floor, pain, somewhat flowing in his back.

Laying on the hard wood floor cooled his face, and gave him the strength to stand up. His headache worsened, but he was happy. Today, he had the strength in his heart to give Hannah the note he wrote.

Sophie was kind, and she wouldn't look into his personal belongings. Plus, she had good hiding places for notes; in her diary.

' I chose the right person to keep my note hidden.' Markl thought, knowing he had done something right, that included Hannah.

He was still sweaty, so he decided to take off his pajama shirt. The breeze felt nice on his chest, and it gave him even more courage.

XXX

Howl was reading the newspaper, hiding his smug face, as Sophie worked, getting everyone's breakfast ready. Calcifer had nothing to hide his face, but luckily, Sophie was way to busy to notice.

Markl walked down the stairs, giving everyone a nice "good morning" welcome. Heim ignored him, and went back to bed. Howl and Calcifer froze.

' He never wakes up this early,' Howl thought,' Hopefully he won't notice...'

' Why does he do this when we've done something!' Calcifer thought, angry as could be.

Ignoring the two "ice cubes", Markl walked to Sophie, trying to talk with her.

"Sophie, you know that... "thing"... I gave you? Well I'm ready to have it back..."

"Markl, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait. I'm a little busy." Sophie said, rushing around the kitchen.

Markl understood, but he wanted to have it now before he lost his confidence. He knew where Sophie put it, so he walked to the green armchair and reached for her diary.

Howl peeked over the newspaper, watching Markl, as his heart pounded madly. Calcifer tried to make excuses in his head as the tip of his flames sparked in panic.

Calmly opening the diary, he turned the pages one by one, ignoring the writing. He knew girls didn't like their privacy invaded, but he wasn't actually reading it.

Howl's face began to turn a light shade of green, and felt sick to his stomach. Calcifer closed his eyes, picturing how mad Sophie would be, face all red and swelled up.

Sophie finished making their meals, and began to deliver them, when she seen Markl fingering through her diary.

"Markl... what are you doing?" Sophie asked, getting ready to pounce on him.

"I'm just trying to find my note- I mean - thing. Don't worry, I'm not reading it." Markl said, unaware of Sophie's facial expression.

"It's in the back," She said, a little calmer. She knew Markl wouldn't read a woman's diary. He respected their privacy.

"Oh, okay,"

Markl flipped to the back, expecting to find his note. All there was was blank pages.

Howl and Calcifer felt their life stopping sharply, as they looked at Markl's face. Sophie looked at Markl, then at the two "adults", wondering if there was a cold spreading, when she finally realized what was going on.

"Howl, honey. Did you by any chance see Markl's note, addressed to Hannah?" She could feel his guilt, bubbling inside him, but he wouldn't let it free.

"How about you Calcifer?" She knew he couldn't resist her puppy dog eyes, and got the truth, nothing but the truth, to spill out.

Calcifer bit his lower lip as he looked at Markl, getting ready to cry," It's Howl's fault! He's the one that read your diary, took the note and gave it to Hannah!" He knew that he was going to get double hard working duty tonight.

"What!" Both Markl and Sophie exclaimed.

"Um... sweetie... I didn't actually give the note to Hannah, I-"

"No excuses! You are not getting breakfast! You invaded my privacy! You even hurt Markl!" Sophie was enraged.

"But I didn't mean to, I-"

"No buts! You and Calcifer are going to get a bunch of work to do around here, and get it all done TODAY!"

No one argued with Sophie after that. She meant what she meant, and that was that. Markl on the other hand, felt like crap, and ran to his room.

"Look what you did Howl! Does it make you happy to upset a child!"

"Hey! Don't forget to blame Calcifer!"

Calcifer definitely felt guilty, and no yelling had to uncover it. Howl could run away, but he had to stay where he was at all times.

XXX

Hannah awoke, feeling a little warm, but not sickly warm. She got up, her new nightgown flowing behind her, and slipped on her fuzzy pink slippers. She was beginning to get tired of the pink, but didn't want to admit it.

She opened her door, and felt a wave of screams enter. She ran downstairs, hoping every thing was alright.

Seeing Hannah run down the stairs, interrupted Sophie's argument with Howl.

"Are you okay Hannah?" Sophie asked, her mad facial expression wiped away.

"Oh Sophie! You upset a child! How do you feel about that!" Howl exclaimed, realizing he had said the wrong thing.

"Howl! Do you understand that I wasn't the only one upsetting Hannah! If you hadn't read my diary, none of this would have happened!"

"Well, maybe you should leave your diary someplace hidden!" Howl exclaimed again, realizing, once more, that he said the wrong thing.

"HE READ YOUR DIARY!" Hannah interrupted, screaming over everyone else's screams.

Everyone had forgotten about the girl on the stairs, and directed their gaze on her.

"Yes he did... Now, Howl. Since I placed my diary in the "wrong spot", I will forgive you. But you had no right to read Markl's personal thoughts. You need to apologize." Sophie said, calm, cool, and collected.

She had a feeling that he would go into one of his "phases", but was surprised that all he did was whine.

"Sophie, do I have to?"

"Yes Howl! You have to."

"Okay, I'm confused." Everyone looked at Hannah, when Sophie began to explain the story of Howl and Calcifer breaking into her private thoughts and Markl's private feelings.

XXX

When Sophie was done, Hannah had grabbed Howl's breakfast and dug in.

"Howl... that was... a very mean thing... to do... Sophie, this breakfast is good!" Hannah said between bites.

Howl only looked at his breakfast, being devoured by a six year old.

"Sophie, are you sure I can't have anything for breakfast?" he asked.

"Well. Lets see... you can have prune juice with plain oatmeal... Is that what you want?"

"Um... never mind."

"Howl, you need to go up there and say sorry." Hannah said, now finished with her hearty breakfast.

"Hannah, you're friends with Markl, right?" Howl said, brewing up a plan in his head.

"Yea... Why?"

"Well, since you two listen to each other, then you should say sorry for me."

"Howl! Stop asking people to do stuff for you!" Sophie exclaimed, getting angry all over again.

"Sophie, I think it's a good idea. I can say sorry for him." Hannah said. She did want to go upstairs and say sorry, even though she didn't do it.

"Well, no one's stopping you." Calcifer said, regretting he said that.

XXX

Markl laid on his bed, crying silently. He wanted no one to know his true confessions, and he especially didn't want Howl to know. With the big mouth he had, he would tell the whole world.

' What's done is done, I guess,' Markl thought, getting ready to go back downstairs. Just as he reached for the door handle, there was a knock.

"Who is it?" Markl said, getting teary eyed all over again.

"It's.. it's Hannah"

Markl opened the door, and saw Hannah's eyes beginning to water.

"What do you want?" Markl said harshly. She probably read the note already.

"I'm here to give this back to you." She held out her hands, holding the note,"I didn't read it if you-"

"But I want you to." interrupted Markl. Now he felt like a major fool.

"Oh. Um... okay."

Without asking, she walked into his room and sat on his bed. Markl felt a little better, knowing that he said he wanted her to read it.

It took a little bit for her to read it. She hadn't quite mastered reading yet. Markl sat next to her, looking at his feet swinging back and forth.

Once she was finished, she looked up at him, and realized his shirt wasn't on. (It wasn't on all morning if you forgot) She became shy all of a sudden, and stuttered when she talked.

"T-that was v-very n-nice Markl." She could feel her cheeks get a bright pink.

"Oh, um, really?" He began to feel it too.

"Yea! You're a good writer, and you're a good friend, but I don't thi-"

Markl went a little over the top. He leaned in, and quickly kissed her, interrupting her sentence. It was no ordinary kiss on the cheek either. He went for the big boom, and kissed her on the lips.

Panicking a little, he ran out of the room, downstairs, where Sophie was lecturing Howl and Calcifer about keeping their noses in their own businesses.

XXX

Hannah sat on the bed, her face plastered the way it was during the two second kiss. She had butterflies in her stomach, and they wouldn't leave her alone. She kinda liked that feeling. She could feel her heart lift, and a smile growing. She never felt this happy before.

A/N: Awww! More than "little fluffies" in there! I hope all of you got the butterflies like I did. I don't know why though. Well, if you have ideas for chapters, just ask me, and I'll take it into consideration. Well, now all ya have to do is Review! Go on! Do it!