Disclaimer: I suppose I should slip one of these in here huh? Well then, since I do not currently possess the rights to Kingdom Hearts or anything else that might pop up in future writing, I think it can be safely concluded that I own nothing.

However, the two didn't even get the chance to try to run. It seemed as if their fates had been sealed the minute they opened the door and just stood there, giving Vexen time to notice and process their presence and its meaning. This was over all too soon though as he immediately snapped his fingers and motioned for them to come closer, usual sour scowl back in place.

"Well don't just stand there, get in here!" the science teacher snarled. "Sit!" He pointed to the chairs across the table in the front opposite of where Cloud and Leon were sitting. Demyx obeyed looking cowed and just slightly terrified (a big improvement from last year when just an ice cold glance from the Professor could send him scurrying to go hide somewhere safer). Zexion frowned slightly but followed after, not liking being ordered around but also not caring enough to make a fuss.

Vexen laboriously dragged over a stool and climbed up on it in order to see over his desk and face the two of them. Clearing his throat, he gestured to not just the room-now a mess-at large but to the children, himself included, and started explaining as best as he could. "As you can see, due to Axel and Riku's foolishness we've been de-aged somehow. From the looks of things, only our bodies have reverted to their current childlike state but only for the moment. As far as I can tell there may be other possible side effects that will manifest themselves later but that will warrant further observation. To prevent this though, I must start researching a cure right away. In the meantime, look after your friends." Vexen turned to escape, white lab coat dragging behind him.

He was prevented from doing so by Zexion speaking. Sadly, Zexion was one of Vexen's few favorite students and so could not be ignored nor brushed off with his usual icy glare. "Professor, I understand that they," he waved vaguely in the direction of the children, "need supervision but you can't possibly believe that we would be a good choice to supervise-" He was cut off by a childish whine.

"Shut up already~ Can't you just do it? I'm begging you here so just listen kaaay?" Vexen stomped his foot childishly looking like he was about to throw a tantrum. Then he blinked. And stared like the four in front of him. Demyx stared. Zexion stared. Leon and Cloud stared although they had been staring ever since they entered their current shocked state of mind. And Vexen was, for once, speechless. Until he started talking again that is.

"Ahem. Well, apparently that outburst counts as a side effect. It seems that although I've retained my adult mind, I'm still inclined to express myself in a childish way."
"So what you're saying is," Demyx began cautiously.

"Sometimes you, along with the rest of those children from hell over there will randomly start acting the age they look and won't be able to help it?" Zexion finished, eyeing Vexen from behind his curtain of hair.

Vexen nodded in affirmation. "And with that, see ya!" He stuck out his tongue and zoomed away in the rough direction of the parking lot where teachers kept their cars.

Demyx sighed. "I guess we're stuck looking after them until Mr. Vexen finds a way to reverse the effects…I just hope he actually looks."

"Really?" Zexion questioned. "I'm more concerned about what will happen if he attempts to drive in that state."

"Not really. I think we have enough to worry about here for now. What should we do with them?" Demyx looked over at he children. Cloud and Leon hadn't really moved, although their expressions were a bit more natural now but both older teens felt the need to check on the other four. Sora seemed to have succeeded in pulling Roxas away from his temper tantrum and the two were now happily chatting away. Sora occasionally sent worried glances at Riku, who was trying to stop Axel from doing anything stupid in order to regain his friend's attention.

This was when Demyx felt he should step in. Sighing in a much-put-upon manner, Zexion paused and rolled his eyes heavenwards before following. "God-I don't necessarily believe in you but if you give me enough patience to deal with this, I'll reconsider. I'd even be fine with you striking me down right now actually. As long as something that does not classify in the category of worst fucking day ever happens quickly."

Roxas was not happy. At all. Not only had he been coerced into coming in to one of Vexen's after school lessons to improve his grade by Sora of all people but then Axel just had to go and screw with the damn chemicals…needless to say, today was not a good day. In fact, today was shaping up to be the most miserable day ever. What sane person after all, would enjoy shrinking down to the size of a four year old? He was short enough as it was! And just as he'd been scolding Axel for his stupidity (which knew no bounds but even this whole scenario was pretty out there) Sora had to interfere.

Roxas didn't understand Sora and Riku's need to play peacekeepers between him and Axel. Sure, he ended up yelling at the redhead a lot but he was never seriously mad at him. The two should be able to tell just by watching Axel. Even when Roxas was shouting loudly enough for the rest of the school to hear, Axel kept that same infuriating grin on his face. Axel was surprisingly skilled when it came to telling when Roxas was serious or not and, if he kept grinning, there was nothing to worry about. Between the two of them, yelling and teasing was a form of affection much like cavity-inducing sweet moments were for Sora and Riku. Those two, along with the rest of the general population, had yet to understand this.

Roxas was eventually pulled from his admonishment of his friend into conversing with Sora, chattering away with the brunette more than usual, for no apparent reason. This was interrupted by Demyx coming over. But Demyx was…well tall was one word for it. Looking up at him, Roxas was once again reminded of the height issue. Before shrinking he hadn't been that much shorter than Demyx but now Roxas had to crane his neck just to see Zexion, dammit! The one person he'd been the same height as!

"Why is he glaring at us?" Demyx whispered to Zexion. The boy shrugged and bent down so as to be somewhere closer to eye level with Roxas.

"Why are you glaring at him?"

Roxas shrugged and adopted his usual sarcastic tone. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I heard you calling us children from hell or maybe I think Vexen is insane for entrusting our wellbeing to Demyx of all people or maybe it's because I'm unable to murder one of the imbeciles who is responsible for my current height!" Here he inserted a glare in Axel's direction which did nothing to deter the redhead from waving enthusiastically back.

At this Zexion sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he straightened up. "Well we can't exactly do anything about your height but I do apologize for saying you came from hell. Clearly, you are one of the more mentally endowed among your group of friends and thus can be trusted to keep a more level head." At this Roxas nodded proudly. "As for Demyx, well I'm more or less certain I can keep him from doing anything too life threatening to you. Although there might have to be some sort of sacrifice somewhere along the way." Zexion warned, ignoring Demyx's squawk of indignation.

Roxas thought about this but just shrugged in the end. "I'm fine with that. We have some expendables right over there." He pointed to where Riku was restraining Axel from running over to them and inquiring as to what they were talking about.

Surveying the room, Zexion decided that they could probably leave it in its current state and instead turned to the toddlers in front of him. Cloud and Leon had somehow migrated to sitting in front of the table Sora and Roxas were standing in front of with Riku and Axel off to the left. Turning to his companion, they started to discuss the situation. Following Zexion's orders, Demyx turned to the six children and raised his voice to gain their attention. "So, it looks like you guys got shrunk huh?" He laughed. "Sucks for you but too bad. Just blame Riku and Axel. Anyway, Mr. Vexen says that he's going to go research something to reverse this so until then, you can stay at my house."

"Won't your parents mind?" Sora asked. Demyx shook his head and grinned.

"They're not home right now. My dad's on a business trip and took my mom with him so they could combine it into some sort of vacation at the same time. Little old me got to stay home."

Riku nodded his understanding. "Alright, will Zexion be staying too? I heard Vexen tell you both to watch us. And by the way, don't group me together with this idiot." He elbowed Axel rather roughly in the ribs. "It was all him when the explosion happened."

Demyx nodded affably before turning away to snicker quietly at Axel's look of betrayal. "How could you Riku? Shoving all of this on me, you were just as responsible! I swear Roxas, he helped me!" the redhead cried, trying to stop Roxas from getting mad at him again.

Sora and Riku convened in an attempt to prevent bloodshed but it was Zexion who put an end to further chaos. "Shut up!" he snapped, in a manner Vexen would have been proud of. "We're leaving. Now." He motioned to the door.

But as the rest made to follow him, a problem quickly became apparent. "Um…Zexion?" Sora called out. When he gained the teen's attention he quickly gestured to himself and the rest of his friends. "It's kind of hard to move around like this." Indeed it was, for although the once-teenagers had shrunk considerably, their clothes had not. This six of them were swamped.

"Now how did we not notice that before?" Demyx muttered.

"I'm sure the fact that our friends have reverted to the bodies of their elementary school years was more than enough to distract us from their clothes." Zexion guessed.

In the end, as Zexion carried Roxas and Demyx carried Sora and Riku (Cloud and Leon were able to manage well enough since they hadn't shrunk as much as the rest and Axel was tall enough to move too) to Demyx's car, it was decided that Demyx would drop the rest of them off at his house before going out shopping for new clothes. Everyone more or less gave some indication of agreement and so, there was no more argument.

It was only after Zexion was locked in a house alone with six children that he realized just how trying an experience this could actually turn out to be. When the crash resounded through the air from the kitchen Zexion could only roll his eyes up.

It was as much a gesture of exasperation at his own stupidity as a plea for mercy from the heavens.

AN: If you've noticed that this has changed since the last time you've read it then at least you know you're not crazy! So good for you. Because it has changed. Whatever it said before, I don't remember. I just hope it wasn't anything important. But besides that, I do know that I have to thank wonderful people for either reviewing this or adding it to their favorites/alerts list. That's probably all. Probably.