Hello, and welcome, my fellow authors and readers! I recently saw Epic back in late May of this year, and I really enjoyed it! When I watched The Secret World of Arrietty, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between the two movies. For example, Nod and the Leafmen are tiny people, just like Arrietty and her family, so I thought that it would be very interesting to write a crossover with them, and a part of me wanted to make this into a multi-chapter fanfic, but I knew that I couldn't, because I'm already writing a total of about five multi-chapter stories, so anyway, I hope that all of you will like it! Please know in advance that this fanfic will be split in two parts, and the second part's going to be about Nod, M.K., Shawn and Arrietty all going out on a 'double date' together, which I do plan to write and have posted before the one-year anniversary of Epic's theatrical release date (May 24) arrives in 2014.

The First Part

It had only been just a few weeks since M.K.'s adventure in Moonhaven, but she still could remember all of the events from that whole experience fresh in her mind. From flying a hummingbird and enjoying an enthralling deer ride through the forest to teaming up with her father to defeat the evil Boggans from destroying the forest, a few great things happened. The relationship between M.K. and her father, Bomba, wasn't so strained anymore and in fact, had become much stronger, with the two of them doing research on the Leafmen's world together. M.K. had also began a relationship with a rookie warrior named Nod, and there wasn't a problem when it came to communication, because M.K. had her father's equipment to thank for taking care of that issue.

Whenever they spent time together, M.K. always made sure to be extra careful, as she didn't want to stay true to the title of a Stomper and accidentally squash Nod to death. They've done a lot of fun things over the past couple of weeks, such as read wonderful stories, and talk about what's been happening in each other's lives. Occasionally, M.K. would wish that Nod was the same size as she was, so that way, he could be able to discover her own world, just like she did with his world. Although, as much as she's been thinking about it a lot lately, M.K. never did bring this up when she hung out with Nod, since she didn't want for him to be upset. M.K. was currently in her bedroom, trying to drown out her thoughts about the size issue with her iPod, and obviously, she couldn't hear her father knocking on her door.

"Hey, M.K.!" Bomba shouted, as he opened up her room with one hand, while using the other to keep knocking on the door a little longer. "There's a phone call for you!"

Luckily, his daughter had managed to hear his voice through her earphones, so she quickly got them out and turned off her ipod before responding. "Really, from who?"

"It's a boy, and I think he said that his name was...Shawn." Bomba said, "He also told me that he had something really important to talk about with you. Is he your boyfriend, M.K.?" He asked.

"What?" M.K. replied in a surprised tone, although she was expecting to hear that question. "No, Dad, he isn't, and I haven't actually talked to him for a few months now." She added, while getting out of her bed.

Before Bomba could ask M.K. any more questions, she had already left her room and went down the stairs to pick up the phone, she instantly wondered if Shawn was calling her all the way from Japan. M.K. had first met Shawn back when she was a lot younger, and her mother was still alive, but Shawn never did become her boyfriend, because M.K. wasn't interested in him as anything more than just a friend. It's not like M.K. didn't like Shawn, it's just that M.K.'s never been able to keep up a relationship for more than five months before she moved away, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind her along the way.

M.K. had never met Shawn's parents, nor did he ever meet hers either, but M.K. did know that Shawn was the son of one of her dad's friends, although she had never known if it was Shawn's mother or father. She believed that friendship had ended either because of her dad's obsession with the Leafmen, which probably must have begun to grow at the time, or something else that had nothing to do with the Leafmen at all. Whenever the two hung out together, they always enjoyed each other's company, from bonding over a love of reading fantasy novels, like beautiful fairy tales and awe-inspiring adventures, to relaxing at the local park.

M.K didn't expect that Shawn would be moving away anytime soon, but she was sad to realize that it was happening when Shawn called her to say that he was going to live in Japan so that he could spend time with family. She wanted to know exactly why did he have to move, and Shawn told her it was because he had a problem with his heart, and it was so bad that he needed to have surgery, or else, he wouldn't get better anytime soon. M.K. suddenly felt guilty and believed that it was her fault why Shawn's health had gotten much worse, but Shawn told her that it wasn't her fault at all, and she shouldn't blame herself for the problems with his heath.

Although Shawn said that he was scared the operation wouldn't be very successful, the boy also said that he was glad to have had a friend like M.K., and finally, he was going to miss her so much while he was away in Japan. From the way that he sounded, it seemed like Shawn didn't believe that there was even a good chance that having surgery would work for him, and he was sure that his death was going to be coming a lot sooner than he thought. Before the conversation between them was over, M.K. told Shawn that he shouldn't give his hopes up so quickly, and she truly believed that a miracle could happen, and maybe someday, they would get a chance to see each other again. Shawn thanked M.K. for her kind words and then said goodbye, before hanging up the phone altogether, and ever since then, M.K. had held hope that Shawn would get better, he'd come back and find her, so that they could hang out.

"Hello, Shawn, are you still there?" M.K. asked, and she knew that he wouldn't be upset for having to wait a while before he heard her voice, because M.K. has also known that Shawn was always patient when it came to her.

"Yes, I'm here, M.K., and it's so good to hear your voice again. It's been so long since we last talked! I'm sure that a lot of things have happened in your life while I was away, so please, I want to know everything!" Shawn answered.

M.K. immediately took a moment to think of whether or not she should tell Shawn about the Leafmen, but wondered if Shawn would actually believe her, or think that she became just plain crazy and made up her own friends to hang out with.

"Well, Shawn, to be honest, there isn't that much to tell, but after my Mom passed away, I moved from the city to live with my Dad, who you should know is a scientist, and he's been doing a lot of research on something he loves." M.K. explained.

"I'm sorry about your mother, M.K., and I know that she meant a lot to you," Shawn said, and a few seconds passed before he spoke again. "So your father is an scientist? That's great, so what has he been doing research on?" He asked.

"Shawn, you're probably going to think that it's quite silly, but I'll tell you anyway," M.K. replied, and she took a deep breath before talking. "My Dad has been doing research on little people, and I can explain it if you want me to. . ." She offered.

"Okay, I'd like to hear all about it," Shawn replied, and so he simply let M.K. tell him everything that she'd experienced from moving in with her father, to the battle she had with the Leafmen to protect the forest of Moonhaven against the Boggans.

After M.K. was finally finished, she gave Shawn about half a minute to take it all in, while taking a few more deep breaths before talking to him again. "Shawn, I swear that I didn't make all of this up in my head, and it's the truth." M.K. claimed.

"Don't worry, M.K., I believe you, and I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who got to spend time with little people, so would you like to hear about my own adventure?" Shawn asked, while having an excited tone in his voice.

"Of course, Shawn, please tell me," M.K. answered, as she let Shawn tell her about all of the things that he'd experienced from the flight that he took to arrive in Japan to the emotional farewell that he had with the Borrower named Arrietty.

"Who would've thought that both of us would have an amazing adventure while we were away from each other, but I think that yours was much better than mine because you got to be shrunk down to their size." Shawn said, enviously.

"I don't think that my adventure with the Leafmen is far from over, Shawn, because I became my Dad's assistant, and thanks to his equipment, we still keep regular contact with them, as well as continue the research of their world." M.K. replied.

"Wow, M.K, you're so lucky, but in my case, if it hadn't been for Arrietty, then I never would've gotten hope to live through the operation, not that you weren't helpful, because I still appreciate everything that you've said to me." Shawn said.

"I'm glad to hear that, and thanks to my time spent with the Leafmen, I'm now become much more open-minded and confident, and what's more, is that one of the Leafmen became my boyfriend, and he makes me really happy." M.K. responded.

"I won't bother to ask anything because I don't think that your personal life of any of my business, but it's good to know that you're happy, and even though I didn't see Arrietty for a while after she left, but eventually, she did come back." Shawn revealed.

"So what happened next? Did she and her family stay with you this time, or did they have to leave again, and I'm sorry if I'm being a little too nosy." M.K. said, although she still was very curious to know what happened to the Borrowers.

"They're now staying with me, but even though my parents live in the house, Arrietty and her family are very careful with making sure that they don't ever get caught, but it's not much of a problem, since my parents are usually out working." Shawn explained.

"So I guess your parents don't believe that little people even exist, and that's sad, because I'm sure that if they did believe in their existence and got to know them better like you did, then they'd realize that little people aren't so bad." M.K. said.

"My mother used to believe that they did exist when she was younger, but eventually, she decided to give up hope that she would see them someday, and she had to move on in her life, but I don't think that she would believe me if I told her about them." Shawn replied.

"I'm sorry, Shawn, that's too bad, but I'm positive that if you were to bring Arrietty and her parents over here to meet me and Bomba, then we'd probably end up having a great time, but it would be much better if they were the same size like us." M.K. suggested.

"Yes, it would. . .but wait a minute, M.K., how did you manage to get shrunk down to the size of the Leafmen, and then come back to your normal size?" Shawn asked curiously.

"The previous queen of the forest had recently chosen an heir to the throne, but since she wasn't able to protect it, she breathed all of her energy into it, so when I caught it in my hands, that's how I got shrunk, it was all thanks to the queen's magic." M.K. explained.

"If the new queen can use her magic to shrink people like us down to the size of Arrietty and her family, as well as the Leafmen, then would it be possible for her to use her magic to have them grow to our size, even if it's only for a few hours?" Shawn questioned.

"I'm not really sure about that, Shawn, because the new queen is quite young, and it would be hard for her, but I think that in order to find out, I'll need to get my boyfriend to ask her if she can do that, and I'll get back to you, but what's your phone number?" M.K. asked.

She made sure to get a pen and pad when Shawn told her what his number was, and M.K. wrote it down before saying goodbye to him and hanging up the phone, so after M.K. put the phone back in its' system, she went over to the computer and sat down in the chair. M.K. was hoping to hear a beep noise go off about three times and then see an image of Nod come up on the screen, but it didn't happen, so just when she decided not to wait anymore, put on a helmet, and go out into the forest to look for him, an image appeared.

"Oh, M.K., is this a bad time," Nod assumed, as he saw his girlfriend start to leave the room before looking back. "I mean, were you just about to leave and go somewhere?" He asked, with a hint of sadness.

"I was actually going to go out right now so that I can find you, but since you're here on the screen, I guess there's no need to do that, so anyway, how's Leafmen training been going for you?" M.K. asked.

It's been pretty great so far, and Ronin keeps saying if it stays that way, then I might take over his place as General, and my dad would be very proud of me, if he were still alive to see me." Nod answered.

"I'm sure that he would be, Nod, and I'm sorry to change the subject so quickly, but there was something that I wanted to talk to you about, and it's kind of important." M.K. said, before taking a deep breath.

"Wait. . .you're not breaking up with me, are you?" Nod asked, now having a worried look on his face. "I know that I've been busy with training and all, but. . ." He began, but stopped when M.K. held up her hands.

"No, I don't want to us to break up, Nod, and I don't have a problem with the training, because I know it's something that really matters to you, so there's nothing that you have to worry about." M.K. replied.

"That's such a relief, so anyway, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about that's so important?" Nod asked, and he was now feeling a lot more happy and cheerful.

"A while ago, I got a call from a friend of mine," M.K. said, and then she went on to tell her boyfriend what she and Shawn had talked about over the phone earlier.

"So let me get this straight, your friend met a 'borrower' and her family while staying at his mother's childhood home, and now you want me to ask the queen if she can turn me and this 'borrower' into Stompers so that you and I, along with this 'borrower' and Shawn, can go on a double date?" Nod questioned.

"First of all, the borrower's name is Arrietty, and it's been quite a long time since me and Shawn hung out together, so it would be great for us to see each other again." M.K. explained, with excitement in her voice.

"Are you sure that the reason you want to me to go through with this is because you really think we'd all have a great time, and not because you have feelings for Mr. Shawn?" Nod asked, while sounding suspicious.

"No, of course not, and Nod, the reason why I want to see him isn't just because he's truly a very nice guy, but he had a problem with his heart, and if he didn't have surgery, then he would've been. . ." M.K. tried to finish, but didn't want to.

That's when Nod immediately understood what his girlfriend was talking about, since his father had passed away, and her mother was gone, so he knew it could've been so hard on M.K. if she lost another person that she cared about.

"I'm sorry, M.K., I didn't know, so if you say that Shawn's a good guy, and the four of us would all get along, then I believe you, but I don't think that I'll get a chance to talk to the queen, much less see her, since I'm still a Leafman in training." Nod said.

"Maybe you could go find Ronin, tell him what I told you, and ask if he can convince the queen to use her magic on you and Arritetty so that you'll be the same size as me and Shawn?" M.K. suggested, while hoping it was a good idea.

"I guess that it's worth a shot, and you don't have to be sitting in that chair while I'm gone the whole time, but I promise to come back as soon as possible." Nod answered.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll just keep myself busy in this house by playing with my dog, talking with my dad, and thinking of what you, me, Shawn, and Arrietty could do together on our double date." M.K. said.

"Wow, all of that does sound like a lot of fun, M.K., and let's just hope that you don't start to get even the slightest bit bored and beg for me to come back on your screen." Nod replied, obviously saying it with sarcasm.

"Shut up, now would you please go to the forest and find Ronin before it becomes dark outside, and it will be too late for the four of us to hang out together?" M.K. asked.

"It was great to see you too, babe." Nod responded, while giving a wink before walking away from the screen, and after that happened, the computer had turned itself off.

M.K.'s cheeks blushed a light shade of pink from the nickname that Nod used for her, and then she immediately put that memory aside in her head to decide on which of her own three ideas that she should do first. Obviously, it was important for M.K. to come up with activities that her and Nod, as well as Shawn and Arrietty would enjoy, so that the double date didn't end up as a disaster. She already knew Shawn loved to read, whether he was indoors or outside, but Nod would probably find it boring to have himself sitting down and reading from out of a book. So that was a no for going to a bookstore or the local library, then M.K. thought a museum would be fun, since Nod and Arrietty would get to know about lots of world history.

However, people didn't really go to a museum during the night, and it wouldn't be the right setting for a date with Nod, especially when he'll be a Stomper for the first time. Just when M.K. thought that she'll never think of a place that's perfect, the right idea had finally come to her, they could all go out to dinner at a restaurant and see a movie. The girl was positive that there must be a restaurant somewhere in town with food they would enjoy, and a movie which had a great mix of action, humor, and romance in it. With the part of deciding what to do for the date was certainly over, the only other thing that M.K. had to do now was search through the internet for the best places to go.

While Nod was flying through the forest on his hummingbird, he couldn't help but think about what Shawn and Arrietty would be like when, or if he got to meet both of them. Nod didn't believe that he had anything to worry about with Shawn, since M.K. did tell him that he was very nice, and spent his time keeping Arrietty safe while he was abroad. Speaking of Arrietty, the rookie Leafman was sure that he would get along very well with her, considering that they were both adventurous, spunky, and quite rebellious too. The only things that Nod was feeling uneasy about is becoming the same size as his girlfriend and also having the chance to experience her world for the first time in his life.

Even though he was going to be in it for only one night, like just a few hours, the thought of leaving behind his home and his friends gave a feeling that Nod didn't like at all. Although it did make him feel a little better to know that he would still have M.K.'s help to guide him through her world, and it wouldn't hurt to get assistance from Shawn too. Since he was born and grew up in M.K.'s world, it meant that it was also his world as well, and he knew just as much about it as M.K. did, so that wouldn't be a big problem. However, Nod wondered of what Ronin would think once he told him everything, and if he'll be okay with letting Nod go out into a world neither of them knew much about.

Their relationship had certainly become a lot stronger ever since their battle against Mandrake a few weeks ago, and the two of them came out of it changed for the better. Ronin had learned to be a lot less uptight and remember that Nod's still a teenager, while Nod realized it was important to make his father proud by being a Leafman soldier. Ever since Nod's father had passed away, Ronin became more like a surrogate father to Nod as the years went by, and eventually grew to love Nod as if he were his own son. Not that Ronin would ever really admit it, though, since he didn't want to come off as being mushy, and Nod would probably end up laughing and teasing him about it anyway.

If Ronin did give Nod his permission to spend time with M.K. in her world for only a few hours, there was yet another issue that had to be taken care of as soon as possible. Would the new queen of Moonhaven actually be willing to take a moment out of her time to use her magic on Nod and Arrietty to become the same size as M.K. and Shawn? She definitely had other duties to attend herself to, such as healing the parts of the forest that Mandrake had destroyed, and that always must take a lot of effort from her. While it's been just a few weeks since the battle, Moonhaven had been turning out to almost look just the way it was before it got attacked by an entire army of Boggans.

It was likely that the new queen might use her powers if there happened to be a special occasion, whether it was someone's birthday or any other kind of celebration. Nod's birthday wasn't coming for another few months, M.K's wasn't even close either and unfortunately, he didn't know when the birthdays of Shawn and Arrietty were. Celebrating the defeat of Mandrake and the Boggans wouldn't be a reason good enough, considering that Moonhaven had already thrown a big party for that purpose. Even though Nod was making a lot of great effort in Leafmen training, it still wasn't enough for him to secure any of the ranks, not even the lowest one being Private.

The ranks higher than that one in Leafmen soldiery were Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, with Ronin holding the position of the highest rank which was General. Maybe if Nod finally did get to earn one of those ranks, then it would've made sense to go right ahead and honor that achievement, but not when he didn't have a rank. Just as the boy had begun to believe that he'll never come up with a logical reason for him and M.K. to spend time together in her world, something came to his mind. He remembered M.K. telling him in their conversation from earlier today that Shawn probably would've died if he didn't have something called 'surgery' to heal his heart.

If Shawn had been able to talk to M.K. recently, then it meant that the 'surgery' he had was a success, and he could live out the rest of his life with a heart that's healthy. So basically, Shawn's health could be the perfect reason to celebrate, and of course, him and M.K. wouldn't go through on that without having Nod and Arrietty with them. With that all being thought out, Nod made a quick fist pump in the air for actually managing to go through each of those options, before picking out to be the right choice. By the time that Nod finally made it back to the city of the Jinn, he started wondering of where he could find Ronin, at least, if the General hadn't been waiting for him.

Nod didn't want to spend so much of his time in Moonhaven seaching for Ronin, and keep M.K. waiting for him to return, which would result in losing time in the process. Suddenly, an idea had popped up in Nod's mind that it's possible Ronin would now be training rookies in the ways of archery, swordsmanship, and hand to hand combat. There was no other place for those exercises than the Leafmen training base, and so Nod flew as fast as he could on his hummingbird to get over there and find Ronin. While on his way there, Nod remembered that his father used to take him to the base when he was just a kid, and Ronin did the same thing after Nod's father passed away.

Despite full well knowing that being at the base was going to give him strong emotions, even if he was there for a few minutes, Nod knew it wasn't the right time for that. Once he finally arrived at the base, Nod decided that he wasn't want to make himself look very desperate by calling out for Ronin, so he searched around for him instead. Luckily for Nod, it didn't take such a long time to find the General, who happened to be giving a lesson for a group of rookie soldiers, and it seemed like it was almost over.

". . .and when you're out there in the forest, don't ever let your guard down or have any fear control you, because that's not what Leafmen do." Ronin instructed firmly.

"Yes, sir!" The group of Leafmen trainees shouted in unison, before they all separated to do more practice on each of the skills that they were required to accomplish.

When the General turned around to see Nod standing close by, he could immediately tell from the teen's face that he had something quite important to discuss with him.

"Nod! What's wrong?" Ronin asked, as he quickly rushed over to come in front of the young man, but he soon calmed down right when Nod held up both of his hands.

"Don't worry, Ronin, there's nothing to worry about," Nod answered, before bringing his hands back down. "I wanted to talk to you, but I understand if you're busy. . ."

"No, it's alright, Nod, because I actually just finished a lesson, so anyway, you have my attention now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Ronin asked.

"I think that you should prepare myself, Ronin, because there's a lot of stuff that I'm about to tell you, and I promise that every part of it is the truth." Nod replied.

"Well then, I only wish that I had a chair right now," Ronin said as he took a step to prepare himself for everything that Nod was going to be telling him right away.

The General calmly listened to Nod and he didn't interrupt him once, as the teenager told him about M.K.'s friend, Shawn, their history, and the 'double date' idea.

"So, Ronin, while I'm not expecting you to say 'yes', even though that would be great, I'll completely understand if you say 'no', but what you do think?" Nod asked.

When Ronin didn't respond right away, Nod knew that Ronin was only taking some time to process all of what he already heard from Nod, who stood by patiently. Nod recalled that he used to throw a lot of tantrums when he was a young kid, like the time his father didn't take him to see the fireflies because he had a bedtime. Having a bad temper definitely wasn't going to help Nod in this situation, as it would only show Ronin that he hasn't grown up or matured at all through the years. It's not like the end of the forest would be happening if Ronin said 'no', because Nod and M.K. could always hang out with Shawn and Arrietty for some other night. If M.K. didn't want to spend time with Nod after hearing about Ronin's answer, then Nod would be okay with that, and not try to push her into changing her mind.

"Okay, Nod, while I can tell you seem very serious about joining M.K. in her world for a few hours, I'd like to tell you a story before I make my decision." Ronin said.

Although he gave a nod of his head to show Ronin that he understood and wanted to hear it, Nod really felt like rolling his eyes and letting out a grown in annoyance. Nod was hoping that Ronin's story wouldn't have to take all day, and it wasn't going to include yet another speech about being responsible and looking out for others.

"When me and Tara were your age, we used to go sky diving, which I still consider an extremely dangerous trust game that could have gotten us killed." Ronin added.

Right after he heard the General say that, Nod remembered Ronin telling him this story when he was about thirteen, and it was a story that he actually enjoyed to hear. However, that same story had been told when Tara was still alive and she was the Queen of the forest, so Ronin usually didn't tell a story unless Tara convinced him. That's when Nod realized that it had to be so difficult for Ronin to talk about Tara, much less mention her name, without him becoming silent for a long period of time.

"It would go like this, we'd take our birds and one of us would fly up high into the sky, above the trees, then fall backwards for the other one to catch." Ronin explained.

Nod was almost going to interrupt Ronin and say that he didn't have to go ahead with telling the story, but then, he decided not to be rude and let Ronin tell it anyway. With that decision now being easily resolved, Nod stood through a truly epic retelling of the day that Tara and Ronin had chose to sky dive together while out in the rain. The whole activity started out as exciting and pretty successful for the two of them, that is until Ronin slipped from Tara's hold and then he took quite a hard tumble. Luckily, some trees had broken part of his fall along the way, and Tara was able to get to him before any kind of major injuries could be made for the young Leafman.

Either way, Ronin had ended up deeply bruised and battered, so they spent most of that day, as well as part of the night being huddled under a mushroom for shelter. This activity happened long before Tara had become Queen, and Nod's father hadn't seen her and Ronin all day, so naturally, he thought that they were both in trouble. A search party was sent out for them, and eventually, the soon-to-be Queen and her friend, along with their hummingbirds, were found and brought back to Moonhaven.

"First of all, Nod, I'd like to say that I appreciate you listening to me, and I'm sure you're wondering what's the point of telling you that story, so I'll tell you." Ronin said. "Even though I considered most, if not all of Tara's ideas to be risky and reckless, I did have a lot of fun, and to this day, I really have no regrets with doing any of them. There was always one thing I learned from each experience, and the lesson was that I'll never get to know what something's like unless I made myself go through with it. So anyway, I've given plenty of thought about M.K's idea of you, and the friend of M.K's long term friend, to become her size so that you can be able to explore her world. With the knowledge that M.K. will not only be at your side for the whole time, but also make sure to bring you back to Moonhaven safely, my answer happens to be yes."

It was only a few seconds that passed until Nod's eyes had widened while his mouth dropped at the same time, since obviously, he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Wait a minute, Ronin, so you'll actually be okay with me spending time in a world that I don't really know much about, because I'd like to be sure that you are." Nod said.

"Yes, Nod, I'm okay with it, but you'll still need to get permission from the Queen herself too, or else, you won't get a chance to be with M.K. in her world." Ronin reminded.

"Well, in that case, what are we waiting for," Nod asked, before running over to his hummingbird. "It's the afternoon right now, so I doubt that she's in her bed sleeping!"

Ronin rolled his eyes at Nod's sarcasm before walking to his own hummingbird, got himself on top of it, then took off into the forest, with Nod being not so far behind him. The General quickly slowed down his hummingbird's flying, so that him and Nod were now side by side, and they could be able to have a conversation with each other.

"Listen, Nod, you should remember that the Queen has a mother, and she'll be very hesitant with letting her daughter use such strong powers twice." Ronin advised.

"Okay, then maybe you should do most of the talking with her, since you're both adults, and I'll talk with the Queen, because she's sure to understand." Nod replied.

"Understand what exactly?" Ronin asked, then tried to predict what Nod's answer was going to be for that question in his mind, but he couldn't come up with anything.

"How it feels to want to be with someone, but there's certain things keeping you apart, considering the Queen probably must have a crush on someone." Nod answered.

"So despite the fact she's practically still a kid, you think that there's a boy in Moonhaven that she likes, and that's how she'll understand your situation?" Ronin guessed.

"Yes, I hope so, but if you have a better idea in mind, then I'd love to hear it right now, because it won't be that long until we're at the Queen's home." Nod suggested.

"My idea is for you to keep a straight face, and not look or even sound desperate when you're talking, or the Queen won't bother to use her powers at all." Ronin advised.

Nod was about to deny being desperate when he realized that his heart was beating rapidly, so he took a few deep breaths in hoping that his heartbeat would slow down. When the young teenager was finished, he looked over to see Ronin giving a smirk that clearly said 'wow, I didn't even have to bother telling you how to calm yourself'. Seeing that smirk had gotten Nod a little upset, and he was going to tell Ronin to 'shut up', but he knew Ronin didn't say anything and it would've been mean-spirited. He believed that it would be better to just thank Ronin for his advice, instead of saying something that could result in their relationship becoming strained once again.

"Thanks, Ronin, and to be honest, I'm not desperate, just really nervous, because this is actually the first time that I went to the Queen for a personal favor." Nod said.

"You're not going to do it on your own, because I'll be right by your side, in case you ever have a problem with saying the appropriate words to her." Ronin responded.

"I'm sure that I won't have any sort of problem, Ronin, so you don't need to worry, but still, it's good to know that I'll have your back when we get there." Nod replied.

Ronin just grinned and gave a 'nod' of his head before he turned to see that him and Nod have finally arrived at their destination, which was the Queen's home.

"Well, we're here, so are you ready?" Ronin asked, and even though he knew that Nod probably didn't want to hear that question, he just couldn't help himself.

"Of course, I'm ready, if I can handle a Boggan invasion, then I don't think that talking to the Queen will be so hard for me, but thanks for asking." Nod answered.

The General could tell that the young Leafman had a lot of confidence just from his voice, so Ronin was hoping that Nod wouldn't lose it in the next few minutes. Both of them safely landed their hummingbirds before dismounting and hopping off to the ground, then they walked towards the leafy entrance as it opened up. Each of the twenty-four soldiers guarding the entrance stayed where they stood, with none of them saying a word as Nod and Ronin went through the entrance.

"Hey, Nod, you should just know that if the Queen decides to use her magic, then it's probably going to be a while before she does it again." Ronin mentioned.

"Yes, Ronin, I know that it can't always get to happen for every time that me and M.K. want to hang out together without being different sizes." Nod responded.

"Right, and I'm sure it's not hard for you, considering you've spent the past couple of weeks not being the same size as her when you're together." Ronin said.

"It hasn't been too hard for us, because me and M.K. understand perfectly that we come from a world that's completely different from each other's." Nod replied.

There were a few times during those weeks when Nod felt like asking M.K. to stay with him in Moonhaven, but then he'd think it would be like him betraying her. He recalled that M.K. was thrown into his world, without her consent, a world she knew nothing about growing up, and always kept asking to be sent back home. It wouldn't have been her choice to stay in a place that's not the same from what she knows, where she has no roots, far away from anything she's ever known. M.K. would be forced to abandon any plans she had for her future, any dreams she wished to accomplish, while struggling to understand a world that isn't hers.

To have someone who's already spent their entire life adjusting to the rules and cultures of one world, only to do it all over again in another just wouldn't be right. Maybe after M.K. has learned a lot more about the Jinn cultures, and her relationship with Nod was strong enough, then she would consider staying in Moonhaven. Nod's train of thoughts came to a stop when him and Ronin approached a lovely, shaded grove, which was the exact same grove that Tara used to spend her time. As the two men came closer to the opening, they could manage to hear the Queen and her mother having a conversation, which didn't sound like a happy one.

"Mom, do you think that she's proud of me?" Queen Mari asked, with sadness in her voice. "It's only been a few weeks, but I can't help but feel unsure of myself."

Her mother, who went by the name of Viola, bent down to meet her daughter's level, and she used a hand to wipe away the tears about to come down her face.

"Oh, honey, I know she is, and there was no mistake for her to choose you and I'm also sure that she would be proud of you as I am right now." Viola answered.

"Thanks, Mom, it feels good to hear that, but still, I don't want to let her down, and it's not because she was a great Queen, but my hero too." Queen Mari said.

"She was mine too." Viola replied, as she came forward and hugged her daughter tightly, while both of them did their best not to let any tears out of their eyes.

"I hope that we aren't interrupting anything, are we?" Ronin asked, as him and Nod walked closer to reveal their presence to the young Queen and her mother.

"No, sir," Viola answered, before she and her daughter both stepped away from each other to face the General. "We actually finished a talk with one another."

"Good, because I have a certain leafman recruit here who needs the Queen's help." Ronin said, while gesturing to Nod, who took a few steps past the General.

"What seems to be the problem?" Queen Mari asked, and that's when Nod saw his chance to explain M.K.'s idea of being her size so he could explore her world.

After he was finished, Nod gave the Queen and her mother a minute to take it all in, and as each second went by, he waited patiently until they spoke up again.

"Let me get this straight, you want my daughter to use her magic on you and a friend of M.K.'s friend, so you can go on a 'double date' in her world?" Viola asked.

"I know that it does sound. . .selfish, especially with all the damage that Mandrake and his Boggans caused to the forest only a few weeks ago." Nod responded.

"I don't think it's selfish, Nod, and even though it did take a while, Moonhaven looks a lot like it did before the Boggans attacked the city." Queen Mari mentioned.

"Your Majesty, Nod isn't asking for much, just for you to use your magic two times, once to change the size of both him and the friend of MK's friend, and another time to bring them back to normal." Ronin clarified.

"Even though M.K.'s expecting an answer right away, I do promise that neither me or her will be upset if you happen to say 'no', Your Majesty, so what do you think?" Nod questioned, while still remaining curious.

"Just please give me some time to discuss it with my mom, and then I'll get back to you," Queen Mari notified, before she turned around to face her mother, but looked back to face Nod and Ronin again. "I won't be that long, so you can stay here."

The two men nodded, then walked over to the grove's opening in order to give extra space and privacy for the Queen and her mother to have their conversation.

"She's going to say 'no'," Nod said, while glacing at the pair of women. "I know the Queen's going to say 'no', either that or she'll be convinced to say 'no' by her mother, and then M.K. will be disappointed that I won't get to explore her world." He added.

"Would you relax, Nod, from what I've heard, the Queen and her mother didn't even sound angry when you told them about M.K.'s idea, so it won't be the end of the forest if they say 'no', because at least they were able to give it consideration." Ronin replied.

"Okay, Ronin, you're right, but still, it's good to know that they heard me out and are taking time to think about it, and I don't know if I've said this already, but I'd like to thank you for giving me your permission, it really does mean a lot to me." Nod responded.

"Hey, young man, there's no need to get mushy with me, but your welcome, and even though I'll be completely undermining what I just said, but. . ." Ronin trailed off before coming forward to give Nod a hug, and Nod didn't bother with holding back or pushing Ronin away.

"Excuse me, but are we now the ones who are interrupting something?" Viola asked, which caused the men to let go of each other, and turn to look towards the Queen and her mother with an awkward expression, but quickly changed the looks on their faces.

"No, ladies, we actually just finished a conversation ourselves," Ronin claimed, despite believing that both of the women were thinking otherwise. "So, Your Majesty, have you made a decision on Nod's request, or do you need more time to think about it?" He asked.

"More time isn't necessary because I've come to a decision," Queen Mari announced, and upon hearing that, Ronin and Nod immediately moved themselves closer to the Queen, but not too closer to make her uncomfortable, but enough so they could hear what she says.

"I'd be happy to use my magic for you, Nod, but still, you must remember that I can't always do it every time that you and M.K. want to spend time together, because I've learned that using my magic takes a lot of energy from me, do you understand?" Queen Mari asked.

"Yes, I do, Your Majesty, and I swear that you won't regret going through with this, and now I just have to get back to M.K. and tell her that she can tell her friend to bring his friend over to her house, so I can pick her up and bring her here to you." Nod answered.

Both him and Ronin gave a respectful bow to the Queen before making their way out of the grove, and walked back to their hummingbirds, which were loyal at all times when it came to waiting for their riders, who properly mounted the hummingbirds before taking off.

"Do you need me to come with you, because if not, then I could just head back to the training base, because to be honest, there isn't anything I can think of that will help you out at this point." Ronin said, while trying his best not to sound too harsh.

"It's okay, Ronin, you've given me all the help that I needed, so thanks once again, and I'm sure that there's a lot more of recruits waiting to be trained over at the base, so I'll probably not see you until late tonight, or it depends on when you go to bed." Nod assumed.

"That's good to know, but before I leave, even though I'm positive that M.K. will keep a close eye on you for the whole time, can you at least promise me that you won't get into any trouble in M.K.'s world, since you know it's not the same as our own." Ronin responded.

"I promise," Nod said, with a reassuring smile, and upon hearing those words, Ronin flew off to the training base, while Nod kept flying towards the camera that would show himself to M.K., who he couldn't wait to tell the good news that he now had with him.

M.K. had obviously managed to keep herself busy with all the time that she had to herself after Nod talked to her earlier today, and she did so by setting out a plan of their double date with Shawn and Arrietty. First, she would introduce them and Nod to her father, because M.K. was sure that he'd want to meet and know more about them personally, but it would still be kept short, since the four teenagers plan to go out into the city. After that, they would head off to a restaurant, where all the food had cheap prices, but they would not order too much, considering that it was going to be a dinner of four, which Shawn and M.K. would clearly be paying for. Once their dinner was finished, they'd go to the movie theater that wasn't actually so far from the restaurant M.K. had chosen for them, and because it was 'Toonie Tuesday', prices for movie tickets would be much cheaper.

Nod and Arrietty had certainly never seen a movie in their life, so M.K. didn't know what kind of genre they would most enjoy, so she thought it was best for whatever movie they saw to have a mix of genres to satisfy everyone. Later, they would all go back to M.K.'s house and it's there that they'll say goodbye to each other, before Nod and Arrietty returned to their original sizes with the help of Moonhaven's new queen using her magic on both of them. M.K. didn't have to worry about what Arrietty would be wearing for tonight, since Shawn told her in their talk over the phone earlier that Arrietty had a pale yellow dress, which she did try to keep clean most of the time. It was Nod's wardrobe that M.K. was really concerned about, because when he's not wearing his Leafmen armor, you'll usually find him in a simple, scruffy white tunic, brown trousers and boots actually made out of leaves.

Before the four of them all went off to the restaurant together, they'd probably have to stop by a store for M.K. to buy proper clothing for Nod, just in case that he wouldn't be accepted into the restaurant with his usual outfit. For the next time M.K. talked with Nod from the computer again, she'd have to remind him to leave his sword behind in Moonhaven, because she knew it belonged to his late father, so she didn't want him to lose it in her world. Suddenly, M.K. heard a familiar beep noise go off about three times and she rushed to the computer to find an image of Nod still wearing his Leafmen armor, and before Nod could speak, M.K. had already started talking.

"Great, you're back! So what did the Queen say, is she going to use her magic, or did she turn you down? Hold on, I'm sure that I'll get answers for these questions if I let you talk, so how did it go with the Queen?" M.K. asked.

"It went awesome," Nod replied, with a happy tone in his voice. "With Ronin's help, I was able to convince the Queen, but she reminded me that I can't always come to her if I want to be the exact same size as you." Nod added.

"Don't worry, Nod, I completely understand, and before I forget, I've made up a plan of how our double date will go," M.K. responded, before telling her boyfriend everything that she had thought of before he appeared on her computer.

"Sounds great, M.K., so now, I just have to go back to Ronin and give him both my sword and armor, since I know that he'll keep them safe while I'm gone, and you can call Shawn and tell him to bring Arrietty over while I do that." Nod said.

"I'll get right on it." M.K. answered, before giving a smile to Nod and it wasn't until he had flown away on his hummingbird that she got up from her chair, took the note with Shawn's number off from the desk, and walked over to the phone.

To Be Continued. . .