Sophie smiled faintly as the door flung open, adverting her eyes despite herself, still embarrassed at the ways in which she was being spoiled. It was a warm emotion, however, one that swelled in her breast, joy that she repressed in her modesty.

Howl rushed forward, dumping a pink and white striped box proudly on the table before her. She noticed he was panting, his cheeks flushed, and her smile widened.

"Back so soon!" she exclaimed shyly, standing to open it. She untied the string crossed over it, and opened the box to reveal no less than six steaming, golden pastries striped with icing. She rolled her eyes, pulling one out and handing it to her husband.

"We can't possibly eat this much," she said under her breath, the hint of scolding almost smothered by the cheerfulness in her voice.

Howl shrugged, biting deep into his pastry. Sophie watched, distracted, as he licked a smear of red filling from the corner of his mouth, holding her own still in her hands.

"I always get really hungry after I drink," he answered offhandedly, taking another bite.

Sophie's eyes widened, and she blushed deeply, taking her time as she sat down in her chair, smoothing her skirts under her, before taking a ginger bite of her breakfast.

I wish we could just forget about that, her mind whispered desperately, and she suddenly felt so overwhelmed with shame and revulsion that she became rigid, chewing the warm strawberries slowly, unable to taste their sweetness.

Howl seemed not to notice any of this, and having already pushed away his half-eaten pastry, leaned back in his chair and watched her with a smile.

"I've been thinking about what we should do for our honeymoon," he announced, and Sophie swallowed hurriedly, nodding, her eyes widening in dazed surprise.

"I thought we would just spend time together," she spoke, horrified at this new possibility. She was comfortable, warm and safe, in the castle, but venturing out with Howl for a honeymoon adventure seemed more than she could handle, especially considering the mysterious emotions that had been burdening her lately.

"We will," Howl assured her, his smile stretching to a length Sophie found a little frightening. "But we can't just sit around here! We need to do something fun."

Sophie took this moment to look desperately at Calcifer, as if begging him to intervene. He flared up, still annoyed with Howl for their morning bicker; and, shimmering orange, interrupted.

"And what kind of fun would that be?" he hissed. "Do you need Sophie to wash some clothes? Dust? Iron? Clean my chimney?"

Howl looked at him sideways from his position in the chair, barely moving his head, his blue eyes narrowed to slits. Sophie couldn't help but smile secretly at this; this particular expression on him, reserved mostly for Calcifer, was so unconvincing, it was ridiculous.

"I appreciate Sophie for far more than her cleaning abilities," he stated darkly.

"You adore her hair," Calcifer crackled, narrowing his glowing-coal eyes in much the same way, rolling them in tumbling flames. "Yes, yes, we know."

"There's much more to Sophie than that!" he exclaimed, turning his head now to face him, his blue hair falling around his eyes with the fast movement.

"Oh, really," the fire demon hissed. "And what would those qualities be?"

"She's very brave," Howl announced passionately. "And sensible, and gentle."

"How sad," he answered, his flames flickering mockingly. "That's your best tribute?"

"And smart," he added, his narrowed blue eyes smoldering cobalt now.

"Absolutely," Calcifer cackled, raising a flaming eyebrow. "And therein lies the mystery of how you tricked her into marrying you!"

"I was going to give you a leftover pastry," Howl nearly shouted, "But I've decided otherwise! And don't be surprised if your wood is a little damp tonight!"

Sophie coughed loudly, standing. The rustle of her skirts made the two both stop, turning to her with almost compulsive attention.

"So, then," she asked, "What was it you were saying, Howl? About our honeymoon?"

Her husband smiled almost wickedly, turning triumphantly to Calcifer and giving him a quick dirty look before returning his full attention to his wife, approaching her with excitement in his eyes.

"Yes," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it in his own. "I have our day all planned. I wanted us to do something you've never tried, Sophie – something we could do together, and have fun doing!"

"Here it comes," the fire demon called sarcastically from the grate.

"Oh," said Howl mischievously, "And you're welcome to join us, Calcifer, my friend."

"What is it we're doing?" Sophie asked softly, anxiety and curiosity stirring in her mind.

"Sailing," he smiled widely, ignoring the string of improper language suddenly flowing from the hearth.

"Sailing! Sailing on the water?" the demon was shrieking in disgust. "Howl, you selfish – you mean – in the ocean! You planned this just to get rid of me, didn't you?"

Sophie sent him a sympathetic smile, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"I'll tell you all about it tonight, Calcifer," she assured him, pathetic as it sounded.

He only swore in a puff of ash as Howl fetched her hat, handing it to her with a smile that made her heart melt inside her chest. She felt meek, frightened, even, of this idea, but greatly outweighing her anxiety was her want to be swept up in it, pulled along by Howl with his every step.

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As it turned out, Howl had rented a small sailboat for the day and, to complete his plan, had assembled a large lunch he had packed away in a picnic basket. He stood holding it proudly as Sophie looked over the docked boat, running her hands along its smooth, white sides.

"I can almost say it's cute," she said, turning to smile at Howl, who swung himself over into the boat, and, having quickly stowed the basket, reached his hand across the divide to his wife. She took it gratefully, jumping onto the boat with a click of her boots against the polished wood.

He drew her in close, their noses nearly brushing each other's own before he closed his eyes and kissed her tenderly on her forehead. She smiled again, her cheeks flushed, her hair flowing out from beneath her hat in the warm sea air, and didn't stop until Howl had directed her to the center of the small deck, bidding her to sit down and relax.

She did, smoothing out her skirts before her and watching as Howl untied the rope linking the sailboat to the dock, then took the wheel. He waved his hand briefly in the air, and suddenly, a huge gust of wind swept over them, dragging them out to sea as he calmly turned the wheel this way and that.

Sophie laughed, holding her hat to her head. Leave it to Howl to use his magic even for something as trivial as this! She watched, leaning back comfortably on the dock, as the village of Porthaven disappeared behind them, becoming only a small gathering of colored buildings and tiny, swaying ships on the shoreline; and then turned her attention to the white, billowy clouds, the lapping blue waters, and most of all, Howl.

He was wickedly attractive in the wind, the warm sea air billowing out his loose tunic wildly and playing through his hair so that when he turned back to give her a smile so brilliant and confident and pure she could hardly believe it human, she felt it to be a fantasy made only for her. The scene was so alluring, in fact, that when he finally stopped the boat in the middle of the sea and returned to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and enveloped him in a firm, lasting hug that surprised even her.

With her cheek pressed into his neck, Sophie could hear his laughter, and she smiled as she pulled away, watching him fetch the basket and spread out the food before her. She felt incredibly at peace as she nestled close to him for their lunch, unable to recall the shame and sadness that had lingered in the castle.

Sophie was just pushing aside a half-eaten piece of pie when Howl stretched, then turned to her with a mischievous smile.

"So," he began eagerly, "What would you like to do now?"

Sophie blinked, dumbstruck.

"What's there to do in the middle of the ocean?" she asked meekly, confusion and anxiety fused in her voice.

Howl's smile only brightened, and he reached out, taking the brim of her hand in his hand and pulling it off her head, freeing her long waves of silver hair to wave wildly in the wind.

"We can go swimming," he whispered to her, jumping up.

Sophie had opened her mouth and was about to protest this idea, but was silenced as she watched him fluidly pull his tunic over his head. His lithe body was almost white in the sunlight, and her breathe caught in her throat, obliterating all rational thought.

This fantasy just keeps getting better and better, she thought to herself, dazed.

Howl kicked off his shoes, then knelt down in front of her, playfully undoing the button that held her dress together at her throat.

"Go on," he said in a low, secretive voice, though Sophie knew they were the only persons on the sea for some distance. "Take off your dress."

She gasped softly, her breath stilled again, though this time, more than rationality left her – her mind was wiped clean of any thought whatsoever, and even though she felt dizzy enough to faint, she felt alongside it a growing eagerness she was not consciously aware of, one that pushed her forward from inside despite her hesitation.

She searched for words, and when all that came from her lips was another shuttering gasp, Howl reached out, sliding her foot forward. She swallowed hard, trying to relax as she watched him begin to remove her boot, button by button, making slow progress down to her ankle.

She was breathing hard by the time he slid it off her foot, and without a single thought, drawn by a force she could neither explain nor resist, she reached her hand to her neck, releasing the second button of her dress.

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A cliffhanger? Maybe, but I just couldn't resist.

You know what to do, loves.