The sun was shining brightly the next morning. It was warm, sunny… but Mia couldn't enjoy that at first, as sleeping in one of the living room armchairs wasn't very comfortable. For a moment, as she tried to adjust her eyes to the bright morning light, she wondered if she had imagined the night before. However, once she could see, she discovered that it wasn't.
There, lying in a bunch on the living room floor were four cozy, tiny ronins. They were all huddled together for warmth, and were sharing the few blankets they could carry down. Cye was resting on Kento's tummy, Rowen was curled against Cye's side, lying on his front, and his legs were on Sage's lap as Kento's head took over his shoulder. It really was a cute sight! Though, what was even cuter was a tiny Ryo curled on her lap, sucking his thumb not-so-silently as he slept.
Taking in the sight, she had to sigh. Somehow, the boys had turned into kids again, and if she knew one thing, it was that kids could be a handful! If they were so rowdy as young adults, they would most certainly be a handful as children! She only hoped they were potty trained. Then, almost on cue, Rowen started stirring. Mia moved Ryo to the couch and turned to Rowen when he started pulling on her pant leg.
"Mia…?"
"Yes, Rowen?"
"I need go bathroom…"
"Okay…"
Little Rowen held out his hand and Mia held out hers, but Rowen could only hold onto two of her fingers since his hands were so small. Slowly, Mia led the boy to the bathroom and stopped at the door, fearing the question she now had to ask.
"U-um… Rowen? Do you… need any help?"
"Mm-mm."
She was relieved. Rowen smiled at her and left to go into the bathroom. Not knowing what else to do, Mia waited right outside, thinking. She didn't get too far into her thoughts, though, as she heard a thunk on the floor and wailing. Fearing the worse, she dashed back to the living room to find Cye patting Ryo's back. The others were awake, also, but seemed less concerned with the crying boy. Kento was lying on his back again, moving his arms and legs, mumbling about food, and Sage was trying to sit cross-legged. It was funny… his legs just weren't bending the right way, and so he kept falling over.
Resisting the urge to chuckle at Sage, Mia knelt down and moved the crying Ryo onto her lap. When she started petting his head and that soft mop of hair, the boy almost instantly calmed. The room was quiet for a moment, and she tried to find the right words to ask the group.
"…Boys?"
All except Ryo looked up at her.
"Do you… know who I am?"
Sage nodded and answered first.
"Mia Koji. Age 19."
"Right. Thank goodness you haven't forgotten me!"
"Yeah. The problem is… I'm supposed to be Sage Date, age 18… not age 7!"
"I 'gree! Somethin is up!"
Mia nodded. The boys were well aware, also, that things were not as they should be.
"So… what do you think happened?"
"Well… This has got to be a spell! I heard some odd chanting before I woke up little, but I didn't recognize the voice!"
"Me, neither! I hope we wont remain like this FOREVER, though! A spell like this should be temporary!"
"We can only hope, Cye…"
Then, the flushing of the toilet could be heard, and Rowen stepped back into the living room, smiling as if he just ate the last cookie in the cookie jar and didn't share it. He patted his tummy and grinned.
"All better!"
Everyone went silent for a minute.
"Well, it seems as though Rowen is adjusting…"
"Yeah…"
"Mm? What?"
"What do you mean, what?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
"What, 'huh'?"
Ten minutes passed before the boys got tired of asking those questions. There was no point to what they were talking about, but it was something only little kids could get away with. 3 when the pointless conversation was over, the boys were left a bit tired. So cute… When Mia came back into the living room, Sage looked like he was meditating, Rowen was picking his nose, Cye was looking at a book, trying to read it, Ryo was sucking his thumb, and Kento was lying on his back, groaning.
"Food… so hungy… hungy, hungy, hungy!"
His stomach growled, and quite comically, the others' followed. Mia had to contain her laughing as she walked in with good news.
"I thought you would be hungry… so I made breakfast for you!"
At the sounds of food, Kento rolled off his back and ran as best he could with young, tired legs, into the dining room. Rowen followed him just as quickly, but Sage got up slowly and politely. However, Cye threw Mia a somewhat sad look and puffed up his face in a pout.
"You cook'd without me?"
"Awww… don't worry, Cye! I'll let you help me cook lunch, okay?"
Cye thought about it for a minute, and then nodded his head smiling as he followed the trail to the kitchen. That's when Mia's glance settled on Ryo in contemplation. Ryo was staring off into space, still with his thumb in his mouth. Ever since the night before, Ryo hadn't been nearly as talkative as the others, which showed a difference in how he lived as a kid compared to the rest.
Ryo had only told Mia a little about his youth, and it seemed to be a somewhat lonely one. His father was mostly away on trips, and poor Ryo was often left all on his own. Only White Blaze was his companion, which explained why the little Ryo didn't speak much. Mia smiled softly down at the boy and knelt beside him. He turned towards her, his big, bright tiger blue eyes stared at her sweetly. She could not hold back a smile. There he was, the young man she had fallen for, stuck in another space of time. He was such a cute kid, though. Noticing the voices of the others in the next room, and the growling of his own stomach, he took his fingers out of his mouth and lifted his arms up. Boy, did he like to be picked up! 3 Mia complied and they left for the dining room.
--
Even as a child, Kento was a force to be reckoned with when it came to eating. He had finished his serving and was asking for more the instant Mia came into the room with Ryo. She smiled and set the other boy down in his chair before fetching another plateful for Kento. Upon her return, most of the other boys had also finished, and a conversation was going on.
"What if this is not just a temporary deal? We could be forced to grow up all over again!"
"What? NOOOO! Then Mia will be way OLD by the time I'm old enough to go out!"
"Will you stop thinking about that for one minute? How could your hormones be so active at this age?"
"Shut up, Sagey-poo!"
"!! W-what did you just call me?!"
"You heard me!"
"I dare you to say it again!"
"Sagey-poo! Sagey-poo!"
"GRRRR!"
"Hey, now!" Cye chimed in. "We don't have time to fight! We have ta find a solutions! Now, I still stan by my theery that this is only temprary! We just have ta wait it out!"
Nobody else said anything. It was true, since they had no leads to go on, they could only hope it would wear off. Sage sighed and finished.
"No Halloween, then."
That's when Kento nearly choked on his food. He stood up on his chair, outraged.
"That's unacceptable! There is no way I'm missing out on my favorite holiday!"
"Neither am I!" Agreed Rowen.
"I'm sorry, you two…" Ryo sympathized, "But we don't seem to have any other choice! I mean, we can't go out like this!"
"No, no, no! You don't get it! This is PERFECT!"
"Wot do you mean, Kento?"
"Easy! We'd normally never get the chance to go back and experience Halloween as kids, but now we can! And do you know what that means?"
"MORE CANDY!!" 3 3
Sometimes, Rowen could have a one-track mind. Though Kento had a good idea, Ryo had to bring up the costume problem. There was no way the costumes they made would fit them, and so they had nothing to wear, and it was already Halloween. That's when Mia spoke up.
"I'll take you to the mall for new costumes, then!"
That brought the spirits up past the roof. After breakfast, they would get their just deserts: a second chance at something grand!
