Title: Hearts Aflame

Rating: K+

Summary: When he meets a mouse in a darkened alley, that empty spot in his chest burns a little. What could that mean?

AN: Again, set solidly in the movie-verse, only pulling a few deeper insights out of the book.

Howl stepped quietly into a quiet alley, away from the bustle of the town's May Day celebration. He glanced over his shoulder, cursing his luck. How had the Witch of the Waste managed to find him here when he worked so hard at not being found? Ah well, he seemed to have eluded her slugs, if only for a moment.

He moved quickly, anxious to put as much space between himself and his pursuers as possible. So intent was he on escape that he almost walked right into someone else's trap.

Looking over his shoulder again, he assured himself that he had time to stop and watch the interesting tableau unfold. A young girl appeared to be looking for a specific building, judging from the way she was studying the paper she held in her hands. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, so she nearly walked into the tall, blond soldier standing right in front of her.

"Hey, looks like a little mouse lost its way," the soldier said, leaning into her a little as he spoke. Howl laughed silently at the soldier's ploy, recognizing it as one he had used before.

This girl wasn't one to fall for it though. "Oh. No. I'm not lost," she said, sounding sure of that if not of anything else.

Howl could tell the exact moment she realized there were two soldiers. She shrank back a bit farther, clearly wishing she could be anywhere but there. From the shadows, Howl willed her to have a little pluck. She'd need it to get away from these two.

The first soldier spoke again. "This little mouse looks thirsty. We should take her for a cup of tea."

The girl looked down, and Howl felt alarm for the first time. Had he misjudged her? Was she too meek to take care of two overly friendly soldiers? "No thanks," she said quietly, a hint of a tremor in her voice. "My sister is expecting me."

The second soldier bent down to look her in the eye. She looked up at him, her discomfort written on her face. "Pretty cute for a mouse," he said.

The blond soldier spoke again. "How old are you anyway?" he asked. "Do you live around here?"

Their casual attitude stirred Howl's anger. Every action, every word this girl had spoken made it clear she was not interested in the attentions of two soldiers in the mood for merry-making. Deep in his chest, an empty hollow burned a little and he wanted to jump in and take care of her, but he forced himself to wait. Maybe she'd be able to take care of herself, maybe he wouldn't have to risk his neck for her.

As if she'd sensed his faith in her, the girl took a step back and looked at them angrily. "Leave me alone!" she demanded, her voice firm and steady.

The soldiers looked at each other and laughed a little, making Howl's anger burn a little brighter. "You see?" the first one said. "Your mustache scares all the girls."

His friend's response moved Howl into action. "So? I think she's even cuter when she's scared." He knew then that rather than being put off by her fear, it was spurring them on.

Stepping forward, he lightly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, feeling the burning in his chest again as he did so. "There you are sweetheart," he said smoothly, hoping she'd have the wits to go along with him. "Sorry I'm late; I was looking for you everywhere."

The two soldiers glared at him. "Hey! We're busy here!" the blond told him, getting indignant.

"Were you really?" he asked, now using the silky tone that would have made most men cringe in fear. "It looked to me like the two of you were just leaving." With a few easy hand movements, he had the soldiers on their way, marching back down the alley.

Once they were gone, he could focus on the girl he held. She watched them go, uncertainty on her face, and he knew that she was wondering if her new situation would be any better than the previous one.

He was not a gentle man by nature, but something, some deeper instinct told him to handle her carefully, not with the same cavalier attitude he used on most women. "Don't hold it against them; they're actually not all that bad," he said, feeling gratified when she looked up at him with a little less fear in her eyes. "Where to? I'll be your escort this evening."

He kept his gaze warm and friendly, hoping she'd see he wished her no harm. "Oh. I'm… I'm just going to the bakery," she said, still a bit timid but without fear.

Before they could start off, Howl felt a pricking on the back of his neck. He knew immediately that he'd spent too much time watching his mouse and the two soldiers, though he could not regret rescuing her from their attentions. However, it had given the witch's henchmen time to find him.

Leaning into her, he spoke softly in her ear. "Don't get alarmed, but I'm being followed. Act normal."

He offered her his arm, which she took unhesitatingly, and they set off. For a short while, he wondered if they'd evaded the slugs again, but then he heard the squelching noise as they oozed out of the walls and he felt their immediate presence behind him. "Sorry," he said under his breath. "Looks like you're involved." She gasped and clutched his arm more tightly, and the smoldering feeling in his chest burst into flame.

The witch's henchmen were arriving in droves now, and he knew he had to get her away from there. "This way!" he ordered, pulling her down a side alley. The slugs followed, and more of them appeared in front of them, blocking their path. He felt the panic in the girl by his side, and the burning gave way to a dull ache. There was no way out but up. "Hold on!" he told her, grabbing her tightly by the waist and easily soaring into the air.

Once they were above the rooftops of the town below, he took her gently by the hand. "Now, straighten your legs and start walking," he encouraged her, smiling when she followed his directions, uncertainly at first and then with more confidence.

They walked a bit, letting her get used to the sensation. When he felt her hand loosen its grip on his, he knew she had it. "See? Not so hard, is it?" he asked rhetorically as he moved in the direction of the bakery.

She smiled a bit, even laughing softly, and he felt admiration for her surge up inside him. "You are a natural," he told her quietly, delighting in the pleasure he felt rushing off of her.

A few minutes later, he landed lightly on the railing of the bakery's balcony, and he let her drop softly to the solid floor. "I'll make sure to draw them off, but wait a bit before you head back outside," he cautioned her. It suddenly came home to him that he had given the witch a new target in her war against him.

Sensing none of his apprehension, she simply gazed up at him as if he'd hung the moon, and the feeling his chest roared to life again. "Okay," she said, easily agreeing to what he'd said.

He couldn't help but return the look before pushing off to float gently down the ground. "That's my girl!" he said, not caring for a moment who could hear.

Once he touched the ground, he reached out with his magic to see where the witch's henchmen were. In his mind's eye, he could see them sliding back into her care, and he felt another pang of unease at the information he'd just given away. Pushing it aside, he headed back to the castle. The fearless girl he'd just left at the bakery could surely handle anything, even the Witch of the Waste. Besides, the witch wanted him, not a young girl.

He let himself into his home, unaware for the moment how far off base he was. His only thought was to warm himself by the fire, but Calcifer had other ideas.

"What was that all about?" the fire demon asked, almost harshly, while Howl pulled a chair up to the hearth.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely clueless.

The fire demon flared in annoyance. "I felt something happen Howl; what was it?"

"Cacifer, I don't know what you're talking about. More clues, please."

"Oh, don't give me that. Your heart, Howl! It was… it was doing something strange. What happened out there?"

Then Howl remembered the burning sensation he'd felt while holding the girl. Of course Calcifer would know about that, he realized ruefully. And with some surprise, he knew he didn't want to explain her to his friend just yet. "Ah, that…" he said, using his best slither-out voice. "That was nothing, Calcifer."

The fire demon sputtered in a way Howl knew signified a snort. "If it was nothing, your heart wouldn't have been skipping and racing like a school child on a Saturday afternoon. Come on Howl, tell Calcifer everything."

Howl raised an eyebrow. "Playing the gossiping woman, Calcifer? I'd have thought that was beneath you."

"Nothing is beneath me when it comes to your heart. You know why I'm interested in that."

Howl's mood sobered. His friend was as tied to the health of his heart as he was. Thanks to the contract they'd entered, if Howl's heart failed, they would both die. "I'm sorry old friend, I almost forgot," he apologized. "I met a girl, that's all."

Calcifer laughed and the fire sparked. "You met a girl? You're always meeting girls, Howl Jenkins."

Under his friend's knowing eye, Howl squirmed a little. His previous experiences with girls were nothing like what had happened this afternoon, and he knew it. Convincing Calcifer of that might be more difficult though.

"This was different," he insisted. "She was different."

"Whoa! She was different? What do you mean?"

"She was… and I… I… felt something when I met her, Calcifer."

"Well I know that, I felt it too. Do you think maybe…"

The question was unasked, but Howl knew what it was anyway. They'd been searching for a way to break their contract for a long time now, and nothing they'd tried had worked. Several attempts had nearly killed them both.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "Maybe… if I ever see her again… and if she'd trust me once she realized I was Horrible Howl who eats the hearts of young girls."

"Only because you don't have one of your own," the fire demon retorted, playing into the legend they'd built up to keep people away from the castle. "So does this paragon have a name?" he asked.

Howl frowned, realizing for the first time that he'd failed to get her name. "I'm sure she does… and next time I see it, I'll be sure to ask her for it."

"Oh, that does us a lot of good. Are you just going to roam the countryside, staring at every girl until you find one that makes your heart burn?"

"I'll know her when I see her," Howl said stubbornly.

Wanting to end the conversation before Calcifer could make anymore snide remarks, he stood up. "Heat some water for my bath, Calcifer," he ordered as he climbed the stairs.

"It's always the same thing," Calcifer muttered. "Heat some water! Move the castle! It's not like I was already doing something else!" he hollered up the stairs, knowing his comment would be ignored. With another grumbled, he directed his energy toward the water, at the same time wondering how they were going to find this girl who might be their last chance.

Disclaimer: Howl's Moving Castle belongs to many people—Diana Wynne Jones, Studio Ghibli, Disney/Pixar—none of whom are me. Any dialogue you recognize comes directly out of the movie. Any dialogue you don't recognize is mine.