"I'm actually the one who's going to die."

Shawn. The human bean who very much wants to be Arrietty's friend, The human bean she's been trying to push away.

"I 've always had heart problems, I have an operation coming up, but it probably won't help"

He's accepting his fate. as if he's given up. Although she barely knows him, the thought saddens Arrietty.

Then...

"That's why I just wanted to protect you, but since you have to move I guess I made things worse. I'm sorry."

When he said those words to her, something changed. she knew for a fact he wasn't going to hurt her or her family.

She could trust him.

And that made the fact that she was moving all the more harder to bear.

"I wish I didn't have to." Arrietty said "Maybe I can still Convince my parents not to…"

Arrietty's hope was quickly squashed, when Shawn's Aunt kidnapped Arrietty's mother. With Shawn's help she was able to rescue her mother, but them staying now was out of the question. Shawn found Arrietty by the river creek the night before her and her family departed.

"When is your operation? she asked.

"Tomorrow"

Arrietty gave Shawn her hair clip, something for him to remember her by. But instead of taking it, he said three words.

"Come with me."

Arrietty looked up at him confused. "What?"

"After my operation, I'm going home. I plan on taking the doll house. My mother made it, when she was young, hoping one day borrowers would live in it. That could be you and your family." Shawn turned to his left and looked at Spiller, an indian borrower who was eavesdropping on their conversation. "He can come too."

Spiller's eyes grow wide as he realized he's been caught. Arrietty glared at Spiller for eavesdropping on their conversation, then looked back up at Shawn. "But...Your heart. You said your operation wouldn't help."

"I believe it will. My heart is strong, Now that you're in it."

Arrietty looked at him and smiled.

Shawn smiled back. "I'm going to survive this, and I'm going home. You should come with me."

That's exactly what they did. Her mother was all for it. Her father was a little harder to convince, especially since he did not like the idea of them living in a dollhouse. but when he met Shawn and he explained that it was made for them and that it wasn't a dollhouse, but a house for borrowers, Pod realized he was sincere, and he agreed to go.

As hoped, the operation was a success. After, Shawn had to stay in the hospital for a few days to recover. During those days The borrowers moved into the dollhouse and Sadako took care of them, making sure Shawn's aunt, Haru would never find out, which wasn't hard. Haru locked herself in her room and sulked for days because Arrietty's mother escaped and everyone still thought she was insane.

After a few days had passed, Shawn was released and Him and the borrowers headed to Shawns home,

Which was soon to be theirs too.

Three years have passed since Arrietty, her family, and Spiller moved in with Shawn and his mother. The house was put in shawn's room. At first Shawn's mother was in awe that there really was little people, then she became ecstatic and treated them as kindly as Shawn had. The borrowers were in the wonderful mansion-like dollhouse in the house of human beans who cared about them as if they were family. Her and Shawn talked every day. They were best friends, Despite the size difference. And as the years passed Arrietty and Spiller became closer and before they realized it, they fell in love. Everything was perfect.

Until Shawn's heart problems came back.

He became weaker, quieter, his voice more raspy. The way he was when he and Arrietty first met.

"I'm fine Arrietty." He said to her one day "This happens every now and then, you know that. Don't worry, I'll get better."

Then he got even worse.

Every few minutes Shawn would clutch his chest and wince in pain. His breathing became erratic at times. After awhile He started feeling numb in different parts of his body and eventually started passing out from lack of blood circulation.

His heart couldn't beat fast enough anymore.

Soon he forced to be in bed 24/7. The doctors didn't know if there was anything they could do anymore. Arrietty would visit him in bed every day, sometimes Spiller would go with her.

"How are you feeling?" Arrietty asked Shawn as she and Spiller sat on the nightstand next to his bed.

"Tired, but i'm alright."

"Are you numb anywhere? Light headed?"

"Not at this moment, but enough about me, How are you two?"

"we're fine." Arrietty said

Spiller nodded. "Arrietty and Spiller worried about you."

Shawn smiled. Ever since Spiller and Arrietty became a couple, Shawn and Spiller have become as close as brothers.

"You guys don't need to be worried, everything will be okay." Shawn shifts to his side and faces them, he winces as he does so. "So...Are you guys thinking about tying the knot anytime soon?"

Both Arrietty and Spiller's faces turn bright red. Arrietty clears her throat "Shawn...I-I'm only seventeen"

"And here in Japan you could've gotten married at Sixteen."

Arrietty looks at Spiller, who's staring intently at his hands, his face still red as a tomato.

Shawn hoarsely laughs. "I'm just messing with you guys, but I am glad you guys are happy together." He slowly lays his hand palm facing up on the end table.

Arrietty gently touches his pointer finger. it's cold, deoxygenated. She can tell by just touching his finger how weak he's getting. Tears start falling from her eyes.

"Don't cry Arrietty." Shawn starts struggling to breathe. "I want you...to be...happy."

The next day Arrietty grabbed a muffin her mother was making for breakfast and headed out the front door of the doll house to go and talk to shawn.

But when she opened her door she saw Shawn laying in his bed with his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, but she knew, she knew he wasn't.

His face was pale, his eyes sunken in. His lips were slightly parted. and what Arrietty noticed most of all: his chest wasn't moving.

Arrietty dropped her muffin on the ground and put her hand over her mouth. tears started pouring down her face as sobs began to escape her lips.

Spiller hears Arrietty and walks out of the dollhouse to her. "Etty? What's wrong?" Then Spiller looks up and sees Shawn, His heart clenches and his throat tightens up. He can't speak so he justs wraps his arms around Arrietty. Arrietty grabs Spillers arms tightly, pulling them closer to her, as her sobs get louder. Spiller buries his face in the crook of her neck, hiding the tears that rarely flow from his eyes. For they both knew,

Shawn was gone.

The funeral was held the next day. Arrietty and her family couldn't attend, because human beans would have noticed them easily. While Shawn's mom was at the funeral, Arrietty went over to Shawns bed and laid down on his pillow. She laid there for hours, until her mother called her.

"Arrietty! You should come inside soon. Shawn's mother will probably be hosting guests tonight, we don't want you being seen."

"Coming mother…" Arrietty rolled off the pillow, as she did so, she felt something hard under the edge of the pillow. she crawled under it and found a box and a piece of paper. she grabbed them and crawled out from under the pillow. she opened the box. Inside was a sugar cube tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. It brought back memories of the days when they first met. a sob escaped her lips and she held the sugar cube to her chest. then she looked at the large piece of paper. It was a note in Shawns handwriting; it was addressed to her. Arriettys eyes watered as she read it.

Arrietty,

We both know by now I don't have much time left. I can feel my heart fading even as I write this. So before I go I wanted to say thank you. If it wasn't for you I would have died a long time ago, when I had that operation. What I said all those years ago, about my heart being strong because you're in it; it's true. Even now my heart is still strong because of you. It's strong because now I'm facing this head on. Back at the old house all those years ago when I told you I was dying, I wasn't accepting it, I was giving up. But not this time. I'm not giving up till my final breath, because of you. What's in the box is something for you to remember me by. You are my best friend Arrietty. Please don't let my death affect you too much, I want you to live a good life in the mansion with Spiller and your family. I want you to be happy Arrietty. Please be happy,

for me.

-Shawn.

Arrietty was happy. She was happy for the times they shared and the memories they had. She would cherish those memories of her best friend, A human bean, for the rest of her life.