A/N: I wanted to make a lighter Daughtry songfic about Arrietty to make up for my Open Up Your Eyes songfic, but I had to wait for a WHOLE FREAKING YEAR TO WRITE IT! I'M SO SLOW I MAKE TURTLES AND SNAILS SEEM LIKE HIGH-OCTANE RACECARS!

*ahem* Pardon my rant, but I don't like slow progress.

Anyways, I don't own Arrietty or any of Daughtry's songs. Please don't take this down, other people do it, it's not against the law as long as I say that I don't own it! By that logic, there shouldn't be any fanfiction at all!

Arrietty – September

It had been two months since she left her old home, but to her, it would always feel like it had just happened yesterday. She was born and grew up in that house, and never imagined leaving it, even for a minute, in all of her short life. But that hope was dashed on that one fateful night, the one night that she would remember for the rest of her life as the worst night of her life.

For as long as the young Borrower Arrietty could remember, her parents had trained her to the best of their abilities to avoid the human beans at all costs, even if it meant never leaving the house. But her restless spirit prevented her from staying put, and it would cost her very dearly. Her incredibly dangerous voyage to the garden's enormous bay tree resulted in the beginning of the end of everything that she had ever come to know.

As it turned out, her mother's instincts were right on the money. She had let her guard down, and she was seen not once, but twice in the same day by the same human bean. She thought him as just a sickly young boy who had come to stay the weekend, nothing more. But he turned out to be much, much more than that. She had hoped that the first time was a fluke, but there was no mistaking the second time. And the fact that her fears about the first time had been confirmed by the boy himself only served as the reasons to make her even more afraid.

But it had all come out all right in the end. The sinister maid, Haru, had kidnapped her mother, and the boy, Sho, helped save her. Even after he had learned of their existence, nearly destroyed their home, and almost convinced Arrietty that the Borrowers were nearing extinction, he had more than made up for his mistakes with what he did. He had not only prevented Haru from finding Arrietty's family, but destroyed all traces that they had been in his home at all, thus making Haru look like a crazy old fool, still trying to prove the existence of 'little people.'

She could still remember the moment as vivid as if she had just experienced it. The vibrant colors of the garden's flowers, the gray gravelly surface of the stone upon she stood, and the towering being that sat in front of her. He was a mountain in a white shirt, dark blue hair lightly flying about his pale face, and his dark brown eyes wide with awe and wonder at the being that stood before him. His mouth was open in a look of surprise, but then two words flew from his lips that she would remember for the rest of her life:

"You're beautiful."

Those words, along with his actions, had puzzled her greatly. Earlier that day, when she had told him her name, she heard him call it "a beautiful name." Everything about this boy went totally contrary to everything that her parents had taught her when she was growing up. She was always told that all beans were deadly and vicious. But this boy was everything they said that beans weren't. She thought that he was slow, gentle, and, even kind. He had begged for her not to be afraid of him when he first saw her, saying that he just wanted to talk. She even dropped the item her father had borrowed, completely ruining her first borrowing in one fell swoop. But he had given it back to her then next morning, as an act of pure kindness.

That next day was also what had totally changed her opinion of the boy. She learned that while she had the loving family that she had always known, he had not known such a luxury. Apparently, his father was never around, and his mother rarely paid him any attention at all. She could not even imagine her parents doing that to her, much less to anyone else, bean or Borrower. When she was about to reveal herself to him, believing his promise that he would not hurt her, an enormous crow dived at her, trying to make a meal of her. But almost as quickly as it had come, Sho had come to her rescue, scooping her up in his hand (which was both frightening and exciting to her) before the maid showed up to take care of the crow. But even after the boy had saved her life, she still ran away from him before he could see her. Half of her felt that it was the right thing to do, while the other half felt absolutely horrible for abandoning him after what he had just done for her.

In the end, Arrietty's family had to move away. Their home had been revealed, and they had to leave before the human beans could catch them. Arrietty felt horrible for forcing her family to move away from their once beautiful home, but she felt even worse for having to leave Sho. She thought that he was the strong one because he was bigger than her, but he was actually very weak from the day he was born. He had a sickness that she could never have even imagined: his heart was frail from the day it was made. Yet in spite of death staring at him in the face all his life, he said that he wanted nothing more than to protect Arrietty. And, in a way, he did. He saved her from the crow, from Haru, and from her fear.

The cat, Niya, were able to reunite the two, if only for a moment. Niya had found the spot at the gazebo where Arrietty and her family were resting, and she had gone back to lead Sho there. As she helped her parents put their things into Spiller's teapot, she heard his voice calling to her. She then ran up the fence where he was, and bade him farewell and wished him good luck in his operation. He had given her a sugar cube for the move, and she had not only given him her hairpin for the memories, she had also given him the courage to face his operation with a high head. That's what touched her heart as she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She softly touched his outstretched index finger, thanking him for protecting her, and she wished for him to have the best life ever. Before she left, the tears flew as she heard him speak these words just softly enough for her to hear.

"You're a part of me now and forever. I won't forget you… ever."

As she dwelled on her memories of Sho, she opened her eyes to look at her new home. It was very far away from the cottage, all the way in the heart of the city. Fortunately for them, it was in an unused sewer system that was very clean, and housed many other Borrowers. She had become friends with all of them, and they had become friends with her. They all looked out for each other, and they were safe from any and all human beans.

One day, as she was patrolling with her old friend Spiller, she heard some human beans walking by, and they both hid behind a garbage can. When they caught a glimpse of one of the beans, Arrietty gasped in surprise. It was a boy a year or so younger than her, with a mop of dark blue hair, deep brown eyes, and a radiant smile on his face.

"Sho," she gasped, breathless.

She knew, in that instant, that he not only survived his operation, but was finally able to have a great life. The other beans next to him were a tall man in loose fitting clothes and with Sho's hair, and the other was a woman, shorter than the man but taller than Sho, with long blond hair and gentle blue eyes. Believing that these beans were his parents, Arrietty smiled. He truly was having, as she had hoped, the best life ever.

Wanting to let him know that she was alright, she looked at Spiller, and he nodded knowingly. He then pulled out a small thin pencil from his cloak and took a stray piece of paper on the ground, and handed both items to Arrietty. She then proceeded to write a letter to Sho, telling him all that she had experienced since the move, and letting him know that she was still out there. Once she had finished, she folded the letter, and Spiller took a piece of tape from his belt on sealed it. She then left Spiller to follow Sho to his house while she returned to her own home. When her parents saw her again, she was wearing a smile that was just as radiant as Sho's was.

"Is everything okay, honey?" her mother, Homily, asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen you smile like that in ages," her father, Pod, added.

"Oh, I'm more than okay," the Borrower girl sighed happily. "I'm just perfect."

Sho went to his room, following a long day out with his parents. This was something he never imagined having in his life: both of his parents came together as soon as they heard the news that he was going to be okay. His father apologized for running away from them, and his mother welcomed him back into the family. They had been doing so many things together in those short two months after the operation that Sho felt that it was truly the best two months of his life.

If there was more of a special time for him, it was because of the special friend that he made not too long ago. She helped him see past his bleak predicament and look at the future with courage and hope. He wondered where she was and how she was, but he knew that it was none of his business. She and he were of two completely different races.

As he sat down on his bed, he noticed a small letter on his desk, labeled "to Sho, from a friend."

"What's this?" he asked himself, and then opened the letter.

"Dear Sho,

I'm writing this to tell you how much I miss you and how thankful I am for all that you've done for me and my family. We're living happily in the city, but I won't tell you where. Mama would be so scared and Papa would be furious! Anyway, we're all safe and surrounded by many other Borrowers, so please don't worry about me. I saw you earlier today, and my heart soared with joy at seeing you again. I had to let you know that I was okay, so I sent Spiller this message, which was written by me. I wish I could write, 'hope to see you soon,' but I'm not sure if we will.

But I do hope to see you again, and I miss you.

Please don't tell anyone about me or show this to anyone.

Love, Arrietty."

Sho's heart was now the one that soared with joy. He had read a letter from the girl who saved not only his physical heart, but his emotional heart as well. She was the light of hope that led him through the darkness of his doubt and fear. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small silver chain that hung around his neck, which held her hairclip on it. He clutched it softly, and sighed happily. He then looked out the window, savoring the knowledge that Arrietty was safe and okay, and that she missed him as much as he missed her.

"Thank you, Arrietty," he said to himself. "You've given me more than anyone has ever given me before. I owe you more than I could ever repay. I haven't forgotten you, and I never will."

With that, he dashed off a letter to Arrietty, writing it as small as he possibly could, sealed it in an oak-leaf-sized envelope addressed to her, and threw it into the wind. He had no clue if she would find it, but he had hope that she would find it. For him, it was like putting a message in a bottle and then throwing it out to sea. Perhaps Spiller would find it and bring it to her.

As Spiller made his rounds that evening, he noticed what looked like a stray piece of paper in a hole in a tree. When he looked closer, he saw that it was a letter with the word "Arrietty" on it. Knitting his eyebrows, he took the letter and went home. Upon returning, he went to Arrietty's new home, and knocked on her door.

"Hi Spiller," she said as she opened the door. "We just finished having dinner, you want some tea?"

Spiller shook his head and then gave her the letter.

"What's this?" She looked at the letter with confusion.

"Open it alone," he replied, and left without another word.

When she went to her room, she shut the door and opened the letter. When she finished reading it, tears of joy welled up in her eyes and she fell back on her bed, crying and laughing at the same time. After a few minutes, she sighed peacefully and fell asleep.

"Dear Arrietty,

I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the letter and all that you've given me. Those two people you saw me with were my parents, and they've been with me since the operation was successful two months ago. I was released from the hospital within three weeks, and the three of us have been doing things together ever since.

I miss you too, but I know that somehow, someday, we'll see each other again. Call me crazy, but I do believe it.

Think of me until then,

Yours forever, Sho."

END

A/N: Now this has a lot nicer ending than my other songfic, don't you think?

UPDATE 9-17-2013: OKAY, I HAVE HAD IT WITH CRITICS UNITED! I won't do anything by lashing out at them, so I'm planing to have that rule abolished! Anyone who's with me, drop a comment!

Otherwise, imagine the lyrics where they were or look on my deviantART page for the full versions.

-JeremyX signing off!