Short Stories

Regressed

Summary: Nikei has a secret he's kept from his partners, and now Hajime, Emma, and Iroha have to tell them about it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setsuka and Mikado knew something was up when Hajime, Emma, and Iroha started acting weird.

It wasn't anything major, pre say. They were sneaking glances at themselves and Nikei, whispering among themselves. They seemed nervous.

What about, that was anyone's guess.

The only reason Setsuka and Mikado could come up with that could explain VOID's weird behavior was that they had both started dating Nikei, who was part of their group, and they cared a lot for, therefore it made sense they would be worried when he got into a relationship.

But they had known each other for a while now, and it was glaringly obvious that Setsuka and Mikado would never hurt Nikei.

So what were they concerned about?

The question lingered through their heads during the day, and only intensified when they were both approached by Emma, asking them to come to VOID's 'hideout' later that day.

So now Mikado and Setsuka had arrived and pushed open the door. "Hey, guys!"

"Oh good, you both made it!" Emma said, a bit relieved. She, along with Iroha and Hajime, were waiting there. They seemed a bit restless.

"Of course we made it!" Setsuka said, a bit confused. "Now what's up? You guys have been acting weird for the past few days!"

"It's been worrying us for a while." Mikado added. "What's going on?"

Emma, Hajime, and Iroha exchanged glances, clearly silently debating about how to tell Setsuka and Hajime about whatever they needed to tell them.

"Have you two noticed anything..." Hajime stopped, searching for the right words, "Off about Nikei?"

Setsuka and Mikado glanced at him quizzically. "No, why? Is something wrong?" Mikado asked, starting to get concerned.

"Not exactly..." Iroha muttered, glancing down at her sketchpad. "Has Nikei done anything that could compare him to a child recently?"

That question confused Mikado and Setsuka even more. "What? No, we haven't. Why would you ask that?" Setsuka asked.

Hajime, Emma, and Iroha shared another glance.

Finally, Emma spoke up. "Have either of you two heard of age regression before?"

Setsuka nodded. "Yeah, it's a condition when the brain goes into a younger mindset to cope with something, usually trauma. Why?"

Mikado listened intently during Setsuka's explanation, and Hajime began rummaging through his bag for something.

"Well, you see..." Iroha said, then trailed off, obviously unsure about how to put her thoughts into words.

"Nikei is an age regressor." Emma finished it for her.

Setsuka and Mikado stared at her, then each other. "What do you mean by that?" Mikado asked, confused.

"Nikei goes into the mindset of a child, usually 2-5 years old, whenever he needs to cope with his trauma." Emma explained. "So during that time, he'll behave like a child would: talking more simply, crawling, playing with stuff, things like that."

"We'd always have to take care of him back when we were living in the warehouse." Iroha said. "It was difficult, since Nikei's adventurous when he's regressed, and a warehouse isn't the best place for children."