Arrietty 5 Years Later II Chapter 8

"Idiot," Liam's voice rang out in perfect Japanese from the kitchen as Tina and Arrietty approached. The two women heard a snicker.
"Good…now…try MORON," Spiller's voice came next.
"Mor..on?" Liam questioned.
"Yes!  Moron!" Spiller said happily and the two girls tried to figure out just what was going on.
"Moron," Liam repeated back clearly.
"Now he's a tough one," Spiller said.  "Complete and total moron."
"Complete and total…"
"SPILLER!" Sho's voice rang out loudly.  "Cut that out!"
Arrietty heard Spiller snicker from up on the table.  
"What?" he asked innocently.  "I'm teaching him words."
"But you're pointing at me," Sho growled.  "Don't teach him to call me that!"
This caused Spiller to break out into laughter.  "I'm teaching him the truth!"
"He's not a child!  Don't listen to him Liam.  Where is Tina?" Sho asked and began looking around on the floor.  He easily spotted Arrietty and Tina standing there with huge smiles on their faces.  "Oh gods, not you too.  You didn't hear what he was doing did you?  Make him stop." Sho said playfully but Arrietty shrugged.
"I don't control Spiller," she laughed.
"And Liam is only trying to learn new words," Tina said with a smirk.  "I can't control that either."
Sho rolled his eyes and crouched down.  "Some help you ladies are," he laughed and lowered his hand palm up for the two of them.  As the two of them climbed on, he remembered a point where Arrietty would have barely fit in his hand.  And now, he could hold two, three, or maybe even four borrowers with ease.  He had grown up.  Smiling down at the two of them he tried to soften his face as he stood up again, allowing gravity to pull the girls closer into the crevice of his palm.  "I hope you guys are hungry."
"I know I am," Tina said with another grin and quickly hopped off the table and ran towards Liam.  She spoke something to him, which caused him to laugh in turn and roll his eyes.
"What are you guys saying?" Arrietty couldn't help asking as Sho raised her up to his shoulder so she could stay close to him.
"I don't think you want to know," Tina laughed.
"What is it?" Arrietty asked.
"It's not about you two," Tiny snickered.  "It's about them," she waved towards Sho and Spiller.
"WHATABOUTUS?" the two blurted out at the same time which caused everyone else to burst out laughing.
"Stupid bean!" Spiller grumbled.  "Now everyone's laughing at us!"
Sho smiled.  "Well it's not my fault.  He turned to look at Liam and Tina again.  "Seriously though…what did he say?"
"He says that you two are like brothers."
Arrietty burst out laughing.
"Oh gods!" she laughed out loud.  "That is too funny!  Did you hear that Spiller?"
He turned to glare at the two of them.  "Yeah I heard it!  And it's not true!"
Sho shrugged.  It didn't really bother him, he was really coming to like Spiller despite the fact that he vowed for the same women that he did.  Gathering up the plates, he set down a plate for Liam that could be shared with Tina and a plate for himself and Arrietty.  After sitting down he gave Spiller a strange look.  "Uh…do you want your own plate?" he asked.
"It wouldn't really make sense to eat off one of those things would it?" Spiller grumbled.  "I don't mind sharing."
Arrietty looked surprised.  "Really, Spiller?  I'm sure it's not a problem."
"I said I'm good.  And I am."  He marched up to Sho's plate and easily took a piece of food that was smaller and sat in the center of the table.  "But if you don't mind. I think it's time to get serious."
"What a surprise," Tina scoffed.  "Tough guy wants to get down to business."
Spiller shot her a look that could have melted ice but tried to remain focused.  "That woman is coming tomorrow," he said to her instead.  
Tina nodded.  "Haru?  Yes.  As I explained, there is something in this house that Haru is after.  A document that will prove this house to be hers."
"But Aunt Sadako left me this house," Sho calmly explained.  "It was in her will. It's mind."
"If Haru is working this hard…there must be something in the papers that will disprove that.  She's been living in this home since before you were alive.  And I'm not trying to scare anyone, but it seems if push comes to shove, your mother may step in."
"She doesn't control me," Sho said but kind of worried.  If his mother did step in and demand that Sho give the woman 'her' house…what would happen then?  He wasn't a child, but he still didn't like the idea of standing up to his mother about something so large.  She had left and that showed that she still respected him slightly.  "But it's not only my house," he said quietly and looked towards Arrietty who was now sitting near the edge of the plate, calmly eating a piece of bread.  "This was her childhood home."
"And in what human court would an argument like that work?" Tina quipped.  
"I suppose you are right.  But still…what am I supposed to do?  If I turn her away, than she will more than likely bring my mother back into this.  Oh…or my father."
"Your dad?" Arrietty asked.  "Maybe he could help us.  Your mother certainly seemed scared of him when you brought him up."
"That's because he's scary," Sho frowned.  "You think I'm a big human?  Meet my father.  My size comes from him.  Considering how short my mother is, I'm actually relieved that I'm only a few inches shorter than him."
"What is your dad?  Some kind of monster bean?" Spiller grumbled.
"Stop saying 'bean'!" Tina shouted at him.  "You have no idea how annoying that gets."
"Just be quiet," Spiller muttered.  "Just go on about the paper."
Tina nodded.  "So yes.  This area…despite what you house borrowers are being told, is filled with others.  We all live in different houses and we kind of all keep together.  Some interact…some don't," she stared at Spiller and then Arrietty.
"Well how was I supposed to know?  My father always made it sound like there weren't any of us left," Arrietty defended herself.
"He believes in the old ways I suppose.  A borrower is born alone, lives alone, finds a loved one if possible, but in the end…dies alone.  It makes it easier to stay hidden from the human world…but it certainly doesn't help with feelings of aloneness.  And believe it or not, there are borrowers that are more than well aware that they can interact," she trailed off and looked at Spiller specifically, "and simply choose not to."
"Shut up," Spiller grunted and stood up to get some more food off of Sho's plate.  "So if Haru gets the paper…"
"It may prove to be a problem.  Don't get me wrong, there are humans around here that are more than well aware of existence…but Haru is a little different.  She doesn't see this as a chance to keep a secret, but to spread one.  She has lived in this area long enough to probably realize that Arrietty's family aren't the only borrowers around here.  By living in this house…all she needs to do is find one of us…capture one of us…heck…even take a picture of one of us and then floorboards will be flying up in this entire neighborhood.  And I don't know about you guys…but I really don't want to leave."  She looked up at Liam with a sad look and quickly explained what she had told them.  
The look on his face almost broke Arrietty's heart.
"He doesn't want you to leave either…I take it?" she dared to ask.
"We've been friends for a few years now…he's used to me."
Liam blurted something out and Tina smiled.  "He's more than that," she said quietly.  "I don't want to leave him.  He's my best friend."
"We have to find that paper," Sho said.  "I'll set the thing on fire and it will be like it never happened.  She can search the entire house then for all I care.  All she'll find is a dollhouse."
"I'll probably have to go with you guys," Arrietty said and looked towards Tina and Liam.  "It probably won't be a good idea for me to be in the house while Haru is here."
"Agreed," Tina said.  She looked at Spiller.  "And you?  What will you do?"
"I'm not scared of some old bat bea…I mean human.  I'll stay here just to make sure that he (he motioned towards Sho) doesn't betray us."
"Betray you??" Sho spat out.  "Are you kidding?  After all of this you really think that I would do something like that?"
"Humans can't be completely trusted," Spiller shrugged off.
"You really are unbelievable," Sho mumbled.
"Yeah Spiller," Arrietty couldn't help speaking up to him sharply.  "You can't actually believe that do you?"
"Of course I don't believe it," Spiller grunted back.  "But I'll still stay here…okay?  Just so he's not alone."  He took a bite of his pea again and lowered his eyes as the rest of them fell silent.  Did he really just say that?
Arrietty smiled up at Sho.  "That's nice Spiller."
He shrugged.  "Whichever."
Tina decided to let Spiller have his moment of kindness.  He really did care about Arrietty and Sho.  It was almost comical that he refused to let anyone see it, though.  "Dinner was really good you guys," she tried to say instead.  "I had no idea that men could cook," she chuckled and said something to Liam.  His face turned bright red and she smiled at the rest of them.  "Did he actually help, Sho?"
"He was there," Sho offered with a smirk.  "I'd like to say that I did most of the work though."
Tina laughed and told this to Liam and he looked at Sho with a huge grin.
"What is it?" Sho challenged him.
"Idiot!" he said loudly and started laughing which even caused Spiller to spit out his food.
"Excellent!" Spiller said with a smile once he caught his breath and gave Liam a thumb's up sign.  "Such wonderful pronunciation!"
"Very funny," Sho laughed. He turned to Tina.  "Do you have any ideas where this paper may be?"
She shook her head.  "I really don't.  I really only heard through the grapevine that it was something she wanted.  You know…you three are quite the talk of the underground."
"Us three?" Arrietty asked.
"A human and two borrower friends that don't interact with other borrowers?  Yes, on paper you three are very rare and very interesting.  You must be something quite special, Sho."
"He is," Arrietty said softly.
"He's not," Spiller said much more clearly.
"I'm really not," Sho said.  
"Well regardless, I think we should at least look a couple places for that paper.  There are a lot of us hoping that it is never found."
Sho gathered up the plates and set them in the sink.  "Any ideas, Arrietty?  Have you seen anything like that?"
She shook her head.  "I haven't.  But with the five of us…we can split up and look different places."
"Say…Arrietty?" Tina asked and ran towards her, gently pulling her arm.  "Didn't you say you wanted to know how Liam and I became friends?"
"Well…yes," Arrietty said slowly.  "But I think we should focus…"
"You really can't look, talk and listen at the same time?  What are happening to you old-fashioned lately?"
Arrietty felt her face turn red.  "I'm not old-fashioned!  I just think we should…"
"Do you not want to know?" she asked playfully, finally letting her age show.  "Besides, even if the five of us don't find it tonight, do you think that Haru COULD in a short amount of time?  She's coming alone isn't she?"
Sho nodded.  "She better.  I'm not letting anyone else into my house if I don't have to."
"See?" Tina said.  
"Well…I suppose it won't hurt to fill the silence," she mumbled and looked towards Sho.
"Don't look so worried Arrietty," he said gently and lowered his chin to the table.  "We'll find it.  And if we don't…than I doubt that she will either."
"Great!" Tina exclaimed and clapped her hands.  "Come on!  Let's go."
"And how do you suppose you are getting off the table?" Spiller said to her with a devious grin.  "Flying?  Is that what you new-fashioned borrowers can do now?  Fly?"
"Shut it!" Tina said and playfully smacked him in the back of the head.
"Hey now!" he shouted out to her.  "Watch it.  Liam?" he called out to the bean who then leaned forward.
"Hmmm?" he asked.
Spiller pointed at Tina.  "Rude."
Liam laughed.  "No rude.  Cute."
Spiller palmed his face.  "Oh brother."
"Well I can check the office," Sho said, it will be easier for me to check through all the papers.  "Spiller, why don't you…"
"Why don't you just leave me to do my own thing?" Spiller grunted.  "I don't need to be told how to search a house."
Sho laughed.  "Fine then.  Uh…Liam…you can check the rest of the first floor…Tina can you relay this to him?"
She nodded.
"Check inside books, shelves, closets, anywhere he thinks…he can check.  Just make sure that he puts everything back.  I don't mind a sloppy place for a little while."
Tina laughed and passed the message on to Liam who immediately pulled away from the table and stood up.  Leaning forward he kissed Tina on the side of the face before leaving the kitchen.  "Bye," he said shortly.
"And you two," Sho pondered and rubbed his chin in thought.  "Arrietty, you can show Tina some good places to look okay?"
"Got it," Arrietty said.  "Let's all meet back here in a few hours okay?"
"Okay," Sho agreed.  "Have fun with your stories…but not too much fun okay?" he laughed and gently touched Arrietty's hair with his index finger.  She relaxed under his caress.
"Sounds good," Arrietty said.  "Can we get a lift first though?"
Sho chuckled and held out his hand, "Of course.  Spiller, do you want to come with me?" he asked.
Spiller watched as Sho set the two girls down on the floor and felt Sho focus on him again.  
"I suppose two sets of eyes are better than one gigantic useless set," he muttered.  "Shoulder."
Sho lowered himself so Spiller could climb on.  "You could just admit that you like hanging out with me," he dared to joke with him.
"Quiet."
The two started making their way up the stairs and into the office when a buzzing sound came from Sho's pant pocket.
"What's that?" Spiller asked as Sho paused on the stairs and fished into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.  "It's my phone," he looked at the caller ID.  "And it's my dad."