A/N: A new week a new update! (More or less me being sick all week and celebrating my birthday). Anyway I'll just answer some reviews since my brain is stumped on what to say.

Grimalkin - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Sorry if some things are confusing, I always stress about characterising everyone correctly and often flop at at least one character. But I'll keep working on it though, so future chapters are better than previous ones. Seriously though thanks for reviewing! Constructive criticism and such is always welcome :)

Matt2620 - Glad you found the story funny and everything's not too bad. Bizarre and quirky happen to be my best teammates! UwU. But thank you for the kind review. I hope the work stays up to standard.

Till next time,

D.L.D

"No I'm fine," Diane spoke, her voice cheery as she gazed at the stars above her.

She had found a hill not too far from the fire, a nice place to clear her head and look at the stars. Thoughts and fuzzy memories of her childhood had begun to blur with reality, creating an odd mixture of the past and present. In these she often saw a person she knew as Harlequin. Their face was often blurred beyond recognition but she could remember feeling safe and content with him. Sorta like with King.

"Are you sure?" For once King didn't sound flustered or embarrassed. Instead concern had filled his voice as he lay beside the brunette, sneaking peeks as she looked at the stars. Her violet eyes seemed to glow in the silvery light.

"Well yeah," Diane laughed slightly. "I was a bit pissed that no-one took my side with Ban, but that wasn't really why I went off."

A small silence settled between them. One stared at the stars, violet eyes focused on the lights of the dark sky; the other looked at her wondering where her went wrong with her. How he managed to mess up the way they worked before. But the answer to that was obvious. When he'd wiped her memories of him. All those fun and comfy memories. Those unforgettable times he'd had with her gone - Well for her not him. So he was alone, solitary on knowing of their experiences.

And now King was here: A child again, confused and loathing himself for being so stupid. So reckless.

After all that one decision changed his fate forever. Well his fate with Diane anyway...

"King?" He was snapped back to reality by the sound of her voice.

Diane nervously twirled her pigtails with her fingers. "Can I tell you a secret? But it has to be kept between us ok?"

"O-of course!" He reddened, his words full of sincerity as he regarded the brunette. If it was what he thought it was, then he'd definitely be elated. "I won't tell anyone I promise."

"Ok...but don't think I'm crazy or anything," Diane spoke her voice lowering. "...I'm pretty sure that I know you from before the Sins. From before we all grouped together."

King remained silent, his body tensing as he heard her words. His mind had gone blank, his eyes wide and expression masking guilt.

"I don't know why but I keep getting odd memories that I thought never existed, but did," She continued to talk, her mind reeling as she recalled the distant memories. They were like fireflies, bright and enchanting yet small and hard to catch. "They're still a little fuzzy, but I know that the other person in them has to be you."

"I know being kids again is weird and maybe I'm just imagining things," Diane laughed slightly, before smiling softly again. "But for some reason I feel safe around you..."

A small yawn escaped her lips as the giantess rested her head on King's shoulder. Her eyes began to droop and her tone grew sleepy. "So, don't leave me alone until I figure this out. Ok Harlequin?"

And like that she fell asleep. The memories had melded into reality, her sleepiness taking over reasoning and logic. Diane's mind had shut off from what she'd just said and how it affected the boy beside her. Instead it focused on sleep and being near the person who made her feel safe and warm like in her memories.

King, however, still lay beside her, a slight dust of rest covering his face. His mind was racing at a thousand miles per second and it was panicking and flustering over what would happen once she figured it out. Once all the pieces fell into place. He should be upset, maybe even pissed, that he was a kid again but somehow King couldn't help but feel elated. Gifted. He'd just been given another chance - to do what he doesn't know, but he knows it's a new chance and that's all that matters.

King smiles, a genuine smile, as his mind begins to calm.

"I won't," The fairy spoke softly into the night as he closed his eyes and for once allowed himself to drift.

"Well that was boring," Hawk sniffed as he, Meliodas, Elizabeth and Gowther entered the Boar Hat. The group had followed the fairy and giant hoping to make them realise what the other felt, but they had fallen asleep before any of them could act. "I thought we were getting them together, not watching them fall asleep."

"I'm guessing you're talking about King and Diane," Merlin smiled as she spotted the group, a book resting in the crook of her arm. Once again she was obsessing over breaking this spell, hoping that she could find some sort of solution before facing Vivian. After all her final apprentice was dangerously obsessed with Gilthunder and would do anything to assure his safety as well as his undying love for her. So encountering her would be dangerous in their new forms.

The mage sat at the counter, looking as if she'd been amused a few moments ago. "I was wondering why they weren't with you."

"Hey Merlin, still looking for a solution?" Meliodas raise a brow and she nodded, before wondering where before the Sin she had been chasing was. "Where's Ban?"

"Recovering," Merlin answered simply. The ravenette then gestured to the counter. "Escanor's keeping him away from the ale for me."

"Oh come on let me just have one mug!" Ban's voice called as if on cue from somewhere unseen.

"No, Miss Merlin instructed me not to do so," Escanor's voice joined his, more skittish and obedient than Ban's raucous outburst. "Plus it's bad for your current state. Please reconsider."

"Screw my current state, I'll heal anyway," Ban continued, this time followed by grunting and jumping sounds. "Just let me have one damn drink!"

"No."

An on slew of curses and slurs, too vulgar to have been known by any child, left the Fox Sin's mouth as he continued to try and get to the bar's ale supply. Judging by how antsy Ban was growing, it wouldn't be long before he injured Escanor.

"Someone should go help him..." Elizabeth spoke, her expression concerned as clattering sounds filled the room.

"On it," Meliodas took his leave, knowing he was the only one who could probably stop Ban aside from Merlin. But Merlin would probably go to extreme resorts or leave it as a result for one of her experiments. The latter seemed the most likely as she had caused the situation by assigning Escanor to watch Ban in the first place. However who could blame her? Merlin was clearly frustrated and bored playing nursemaid and searching for a seemingly impossible cure; this was probably the only fun she could get right now.

"Why is Ban so angry?" Gowther frowned as he took a seat at a table. "Is it perhaps because Merlin most likely clobbered him? Or that he can't satisfy his known dependency on ale?"

"Probably both?" Elizabeth answered uncertainly as she took a seat near the mage, preferring her company to the analytical stare of Gowther. He was way too quiet and observant for the princess and it unnerved her a lot more as a child.

"Definitely both," Merlin chuckled as more clattering followed.

Then came cheering and yelling, followed by fast paced footsteps. Soon Escanor came running out, his face blanche as he emerged. He instantly ran up to Merlin, his expression fearful yet urgent as the crashing and thudding continues. If anyone had a guess of what was happening, both were probably fighting. Question was if it was one of their usual playful squabbles or something else. Then there was the matter of who would go to stop them.

"Ms Merlin they're fighting," He shook the girl.

"Well, we all could've guessed that," Hawk muttered before frowning. He then exhaled sharply. "You two bastards better not be destroying the only thing we have to make decent food!"

The clattering continued, this time joined by chuckling and a few words too quiet for anyone to make out.

"I'll be upstairs," Gowther, being smart, took his leave, small book and glasses in tow as he disappeared from the room. This left Elizabeth, Merlin, Hawk and Escanor to figure out what to do next.

"We should really stop them..." Elizabeth breathed as she clasped her hands together. She was hoping no-one was injured and that they hadn't caused too much damage, however with Ban and Meliodas damage was one thing that was assured.

"Alright," Merlin sighed as she marched into the kitchen.

Elizabeth and Escanor trailed behind her, both like ducklings following their mother. The ginger seemed to do it more happily than the princess, who simply followed to make sure everyone was ok. Although she was dreading the scene they would find, Elizabeth followed allowing her newfound closeness to the ground to distract her. After all the world appears different from the perspective of a child. It's more giant, fun in a way. A different experience from her usual view.

"What is wrong with you both?" Merlin sighed as she ran a hand down her face. In that moment she seemed to expel all of the power a mother had, including the authority and disappointment. Surprising as she was still a child. "It hasn't even been one day and I have to act like a mother to you all. I'm most surprised at you Captain, Ban is usually immature but you can usually stop yourself from being so silly."

Both boys froze, caught red handed. Eggs were in their hands, flour already spread everywhere like freshly sprinkled snow. All sorts of things were all over the kitchen and it only left the others to wonder how a food fight could lead to such noise and commotion.

"He started it," Ban dropped his handful of eggs all of them dropping onto the floor. The shells, whites and yolks all mixed on the floor spreading in a slow drizzle.

"Well that was a waste of food..." Hawk frowned, but nevertheless the pig began to eat it off the ground. "You're lucky...I'm not...picky."

"Thank you Hawk," Merlin smiled at the animal before turning to the boys.

Meliodas was still there, a sheepish grin on his face as he calculated a way to get Merlin out of starting on him. Ban on the other hand had been working on sneaking off, only to be caught in the last second by the mage. She frowned as she spotted the crafty child inches away from back door.

"Oh no you don't!" She grabbed the Fox Sin by the back of his shirt. He kicked and flailed in her grasp, but Merlin simply yawned as she held him back before turning to Meliodas. The blonde was now talking to Elizabeth, saying that she knows he wouldn't start any trouble. Odd for both Ban and him to act so childlike.

Then in an instant both had stopped. Ban stopped kicking and Meliodas blinked, looking confused and not continuing what he had been saying. Like a switch had been flipped on them both.

"What just happened?" Meliodas raised a brow as he looked around the room, "It looks like someone had a kitchen war."

"Yeah, and why are there eggs on the floor?" Ban scratched his chin in thought as he looked at the raw eggs Hawk had yet to eat.

"You don't remember?" Elizabeth looked at both boys and they shook their heads. "You just dropped them when Merlin caught you red handed."

"Why did you two have eggs?" Escanor asked.

"I don't know a food fight?" Meliodas stated the fact as if it were obvious. Judging by the state of the room it was.

"Well I don't care, you're both on punishment," Merlin frowned as she summoned cleaning supplies and thrust them into both boys' directions. "Clean up this mess and then you head to bed. Today has been way too long."

"Awww."

"Oh come on it was only a food fight."

Merlin ignored their groans of protest and left the room, her mind going over what had just happened. Clearly the spell was doing more than making them appear like children: they were beginning to act like them. It was evident from the little 'adventures' and episodes everyone had been having throughout the day. But that wasn't what was concerning the mage, the issue was how much of a liability it was. After all, who would they be able to stop if they were all a group of parentless minors?