I awoke the next morning in much better condition than yesterday, and without any bruises too. Everything was just as quiet as I packed my things and ate the rest of my food for that morning.

"Helloooooo..?" I whispered to the ...house, and walked closer to catch a better view. Rust covered much, but there was shiny iron hidden. I shouldered my pack into my other shoulder and walked around to the...back? I have no idea anymore. There's a front door, like the kind you would see anywhere else, but it was connected to the house and stuck out.

"Ah," I sighed. "YOLO." I grasped the handle of the adoor, and turned the knob.

Polished wood floors unkept, papers crammed where they could fit onto one large table in such a small room. I stepped further inside while grimacing at the monster of a sink. Um, is the water supposed to be purple?

"Yeesh." I commented at the mice scurrying by with their meals. Curtains and chairs were lined with a century of dust, and dust bunnies made families on the horribly kept floor.

Oh god. OCD NIGHTMARE.

I decided to turn my attention to the open fireplace where a low fire burned into hot white coals. I shrugged off my overcoat, and placed it delicately on a chair before taking a heavy log in my hands and tossing it onto the fire. Ah. Much better. It was kinda getting cold, but as I warmed up, I began to make at least a small path through the mess to the stairs, bathroom, and around the hearth. All the papers; I began to sift through while placing the ones that seemed to have the same topic together.

I have no idea what an- EW! FROG LEGS IN A FRIGGIN STEW!?!?

"I'm gonna be sick." I groaned before giving up on the cleaning and sitting down in the chair. The fire crackled under my bored gaze? And for a second, I could swear a head of fire moved this way and that behind the log. I looked a bit closer yet the fire moved away from my presence.

"I must be going crazy." I murmured to myself and placed my arm over my eyes as I tried to calm myself. It had been a long month. And still no way of returning home.

"Really? How?"

"Well, not only did I enter a different flipping world, but I'm sitting in a impossible house of an impossible wizard, and now I believe I saw the fire moved like a head." I murmured.

"Yeesh. Sorry about the bad time."

"Than-"

......wait.

I snapped my head up, and there was the fire; with orange flames for eyes as well as a crease of yellow for a mouth. I stared at it for awhile, my emotions locked. The fire thing shook its head as the log underneath its arm crackled.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FU@&!?!? SATAN!?" I yelled/asked as I toppled out of my chair. I screamed Satan a couple of more times edited coming to the conclusion that this was NOT him at all. The fire let a puff of smoke escape its mouth angrily as he looked at me.

"Human! I am Calcifer! The Mighty Fire Demon!" He announced after a moment of pause. "And what business do you have with Howl?" I blinked; and stood up from the floor as I explained my predicament. Oh great, let's tell about what happened the last month to a freaking fire! I know I'm a bit crazy, but I don't wanna go to a mental institute. Though, I had to admit that his patience was outstandingly great as I told my tale. He nodded his head, like a regular human, and clung to the log as if it were his precious.

"Well then, it seems you met Howl's greatest enemy." Calcifer concluded while munching on some burnt jerky I had given him.

"What do you mean? Salazar?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Kimbley Salazar was a noble wizard to begin with; worked as the king's advisor over in Calun across the mountains. He started to think, "Why take orders when you can give em'?" So he started with taking out his competition first. Howl's never been the same since.." The end of the explanation ended as if there were more; like, 'since someone died' or something along those lines.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I murmured my condolences.

"After that, I fell into a really deep sleep." Calcifer scratched his head thoughtfully. "Don't know how I woke up!" Oh. That's nice. Really helpful since there's a big hole in the story since you were asleep this WHOLE TIME. I sighed and looked out at the dark forest now.

"Wow, it's already night." I marveled as only Calcifer and another candle were the only source of light I had. He pointed at my guitar by my side.

"That guitar," he asked, "do you play?" I nodded at the question. I picked it up out of its case and began to strum a quiet song. In fact, the song was Passenger, Let Her Go. And we sat this way for the longest time; only stopping when more logs were needed to keep Calcifer strong and happy.

"It must be lonely, some nights here." I began as we were half asleep, "wasn't anyone here to comfort you when Howl wasn't around?"

"Well, there was one woman." Calcifer yawned, and great bellows of smoke rose into the air from his mouth. "But it was very long ago." I ended the song on my guitar and say it down quietly next to the shack of a bed underneath the staircase.

"What was her name?"

"...Sophie. Sophie Hatter." The room seemed colder at the mention of her name; as if all the happiness had left the world. Damn, now I'm making Harry Potter references to this $hit. I looked back into the yellow eyes of the fire demon, and felt sadness. "But she died very long ago, yet she still haunts his dreams.

"I'm sorry that she died."

"Not your fault, my lady." He instantly chirped. Talk about mood swings.

"Oh, and the name's Amelia Starr. None of this 'my lady' crap." I replied with a grin; causing one to spread into his own face.

"Well then, Amelia, welcome to Howl's Moving Castle."

~*~

The dial next to the strange house's door changed to blue. And Michael came quietly through the door with a sleepy town behind him as he closed the door to it. He turned back to look at his untidy, sturdy home to find it somewhat cleaner than when he had left. He was about to cry out, when Calcifer came rising from the white charcoals of the fire.

"Sh. We have a guest." Calcifer shushed the boy before pointing a wiry arm towards the dusty old bed under the staircase. Michael could only make out one distinct feature that was not hidden in blankets.

Fiery, curly, red hair.

~*~

It was midnight when the true resident of the house returned home; an old guitar (no doubt on its last strings) in his hand. Howl gave no notice of his entrance; simply entered his strange teleporting door whose dial landed on black as he opened the wooden door. Everything was quiet; the moon shine a midnight blue hue in through the only window neat the dining table which was stacked high with spells and parchment as well as quills whose tips were too gunky to be of further use.

He first thing his eyes laid on was Calcifer; still awake and staring dreamily at the staircase.

"Evening, Calcifer." Howl finally greeted his friend. "Feeling any better?" The fire demon turned on his log toward the voice, and grinned an orange grin.

"Yes, much." He replied with enthusiasm the wizard had never seen. "We have a visitor." Howl was now shocked as he strode forward and pulled back the curtains just underneath the rickety old staircase to see red.

Hair spreading across the pillow, and it reminded him of Calcifer when he worked to move the house. He did not smile; nor did he frown at her presence. Amelia stirred on the bed for a moment, before pulling her arms close to her torso and falling still. Except for the strong yet soft movement as she breathed.

"Don't wake her, Howl. Please don't throw her out either. She's been through enough tonight; so let her sleep." Calcifer never begged, yet this sounded much like it. He knew wether or not Howl agreed with him, he didn't move the castle. Yet Howl had turned into a man with no heart when Spohie Hatter had died; leaving him cold on the inside.

"I'd never imagine to disturb her while she sleeps." Howl mumbled tiredly before tossing his coat onto Amelia's chair and quietly tiptoeing upstairs.

_____________________________
Heyyy everyone. I'm back from vacation and ready to get back to writing! I've got big plans to finish this story, but I don't think it'll be as long. Probably 21 or 23 chapters. I don't know.

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~ Saturnthehero