The sun had set. Late September warm light was done and October chill had crept in. Soldier Game, braving the night, had set out, backpacks and thermoses, to track the trail left...Eli's jaw throbbed. The shivers would start there. Tighter grip on the flashlight, speed up to be closer to Umi and Maki. Too close, Umi screamed and jumped back, batting at the air over her head.

"What happened?" Eli screeched.

"Nico." Maki hissed, as she pulled at something, her voice grim, her flashlight shining on the thing in her palm. She held a small doll, dark blue black hair, empty eyes.

"Of course, Nico. She never forgets anything" Umi groaned. "This isn't going to be fun, is it."

"Not for us." Maki sighed, as music, a slightly out of tune piano playing Bach, started to filter through the trees.

"I need a drink." Eli sat, grabbing the thermos, pouring out dark liquid with a shaky hand, but screaming and spitting it out as it touched her lips. "That's not hot chocolate."

Maki took the mug with a smile, "That's because my wife packed the food, not yours. And I love cider."

"I need a drink." Eli sat, grabbing the thermos, pouring out dark liquid with a shaky hand, but screaming and spitting it out as it touched her lips. "That's not hot chocolate."

Maki took the mug with a smile, "That's because my wife packed the food, not yours. And I love cider."

"Stay alert." Umi ordered, her eyes still on the forest. She'd switched her flashlight to the red bulb, "We don't know what we're walking into."

Eli rifled through her backpack, finally finding a chocolate bar, "Just give me a minute."

"C'mon, Umi. This is a joke. We don't have to worry. Eli gets a little scared…"

"Hey!" Eli grumped through a mouthful of chocolate.

Maki continued, pouring herself more cider. "We find where they've camped, have a laugh, kiss and make up, see what our children have carved into their pumpkins."

Umi was creeping ahead, testing out the path cautiously. "Nico's taunts and texts seemed more...devious than other years."

Eli swallowed her chocolate, "What did you do, Maki?"

"Everything is fine between me and Nico-chan." Maki sounded shrill.

A howling wind noise started intensifying and the music picked up a chorus of howls.

"Sure it is." Eli zipped up her jacket. "Hey, Umi, are you liquid proofed?"

"Why?"

"Just a feeling."

"This is ridiculous." Maki bulled ahead, swinging her backpack over her shoulder, strides confident until she tripped her way through a pile of leaves, twisting as she stumbled down the path. Suddenly orange flickering eyes lit in the gaps between the trees, so many Maki couldn't immediately count them. She'd barely registered that they were carved pumpkins when they started to foam, fluorescent green fizzing as it seeped out and spread from both sides. Then there was a rustle a few steps ahead, and a huge pop, Eli screamed, and Maki heard things speeding through the air. And before she could figure out what was happening, Umi had tackled her from behind, and Maki was face down in a fluffy pile of sticky sweet soda foam.

Umi held them both down until she was sure there was not going to be another explosion.

"I think she left." Umi whispered.

"She?"

"Someone had to dump the Mentos." Umi had managed to avoid a facefull of the foam Maki was scraping off her cheeks. "What did you do to annoy Nico this time?"

###

"Mom! Wait!" 8 year old Dia was rushing as fast as she could, while trying to be quiet and keep up with Nico, who was nearly hopping with glee, giggling, as fellow 8 year old Tora danced along next to Nico, having inherited some of her mother, Hoshizora Rin's speed.

"Don't drop the camera, bun." Nico stage whispered.

"I won't." Dia's indignant tone carried.

Nico figured they'd gotten far enough away from the trail that they could slow down. She didn't want to be near Umi's deadly aim when there were pumpkin guts close at hand. She crouched down, pulling Tora in and waiting for Dia.

"That was so cool." Tora spun, arms in the air, "Let's do some more. Auntie Maki looked so silly." Tora dove at the ground like Maki falling into the pumpkin foam.

Nico glanced at her watch, "I promised your moms I'd get you back to camp. It's time for roasted sweet potatoes."

"Those are Ruby's favorite." Dia announced as she pulled Tora up.

"Nico knows."

"I can lead us back. It's that way." Dia flung out an arm, in a direction Nico realized was the opposite of the camp thanks to trail signs she'd left. Dia wasn't the best with directions. She'd gotten lost in Tokyo's train station recently.

"C'mon this way, Dia."

"What about Mama? Won't she be lost?"

"Nico has a few more tricks. But we need to get you back to camp."

"I'll take them." A low growly voice boomed out of the trees near Dia and Tora, as hands grabbed their shoulders, Tora jumped and grabbed Nico, Dia running behind her mother.

Nico squeaked and jumped, "NOZOMI!"

Nozomi laughed, hugging Tora, while Nico turned to embrace a shaking Dia. "Can't let you have all the fun this camping trip, Nico-chi."

"Just get them back to camp, okay." Nico knelt next to her daughter, taking the camera, "Give Ruby a kiss for me, bun."

"Okay, Mom."

"Nico loves you." A hug and Nico watched two little miracles follow Nozomi back to where the rest of ?￢ﾀﾙs was having a more fireside adventure.

###

Maki had gotten most of the pumpkin off. Umi was searching for traps and Eli was searching for a reason.

"So, you don't remember, Nico, your wife, a walking neon sign of emotions, being annoyed at you. Spent any nights on the couch recently?"

In this light, it was hard to read Maki's face for a blush.

"Maki?"

"Not recently, all right," Maki kicked through pumpkins, further soaking her boots. "For some reason, Nico got upset a couple of months ago when I mentioned Ruby was growing up and we were slowing down. I thought we were past that."

"What EXACTLY did you say?" Eli knew part of why Nico was a walking neon sign was that Maki was sometimes impervious to hints or clues.

Maki rubbed the back of her neck. "Nico was maturing. And being a mother was a good look on her."

"You said Nico was maturing?"

"An obvious lie." Umi deadpanned as she returned to the group.

"It was romantic."

Eli shook her head.

"It was supposed to be."

"Okay, the trail seems clear ahead." Umi prompted, as the conversation lulled, "We let Maki take the lead…"

"Why?" Maki whined.

Eli and Umi glared in response.

Maki sighed, "Right."

"And we proceed as if we have everything under control, no matter what happens." Umi decided. The rest of Soldier Game nodded their agreement.

Three flashlights, three friends, three sets of boots stepping bravely forward. The illusion of confidence lasted until Eli's flashlight flickered out, followed by Umi's, then Maki's. There was almost solid darkness blanketing everything, wind creaking whistling warnings, and Eli suddenly had Umi in a bear hug from behind.

"I am not carrying you." Umi grunted.

"Or holding your hand." Maki snarled.

"NOZOMI!"

###

Tora was back. Hanayo relaxed. Nozomi had brought her back to the campsite, along with Dia, who was stacking a s'more, sitting next to a sleepy Ruby. The Kurosawa née Yazawa-Nishikino family had been camping over much of the world, and the American camp staple, s'mores, was one of the girls' favorite treats. Now, Hanayo only had to worry about Rin, who had just taken Eli and Nozomi's oldest twin, 10 year old Vik, into the woods to meet Nico for some more mischief.

"It was so cool, Mom." Tora was bouncing, too revved up, but Nico-time was a shot of adrenaline, "We dropped the Mentos, there was fizzing and WHOOOSH." Tora spun, "Goop everywhere, Auntie Maki looked so silly, sliding" Tora went to leap, but Hanayo caught her, reflexes honed from decades of keeping up with Rin.

"Auntie Hanayo." Dia was in front of Hanayo, frowning.

"Yes, Dia-chan?"

"When are my parents coming back? Ruby's tired."

Ah, Hanayo had planned for this. "You both are going to sleep with Tora and Rin and me, tonight."

"Oh cool! PILLOWFIGHT!" Tora grabbed a stick and some marshmallows, "Make me a s'more first, Dia-bolical."

Dia hesitated, staring at Hanayo. "Ruby might get scared."

"We'll make sure she doesn't, right Dia-chan." Hanayo soothed, "I know some good stories."

"Ruby likes stories."

A worried Teddy threw open the tent flap where she and Kaito and Kotori were playing Animal Crossing. "Mommy, Aunt Nico's new video message is about Mom's flashlight dying. She sounds mean"

Nozomi growled and grabbed her phone, texting, "NICO-CHI? No flashlight?"

A quick answer.

N: Have a plan. Stand down. Don't text me.

Kotori, her hand on her 5 year old son Kaito's shoulder, followed Teddy out. "Is there a problem?"

"Just Nico."

Kotori giggled, "Good. Umi needs some inspiration."

Smiling, Hanayo shook her head, surprised by how even now, surrounded by their children, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the woods, sometimes, just sometimes, it still felt like those sunny afternoons in the Idol Research Club.

###

Screw it, Maki thought, once she was near the main house, it was going to be a bath. A long, hot bath. Alone. Soda mixed with pumpkin guts was -no surprise - disgustingly sticky and if Nico, the person responsible for this, thought Maki was planning to get anywhere near her any time soon, she could think some more. Maki was going to be alone, in a flannel bathrobe, watching cartoons, eating leftover lasagna as soon as she could.

"Maki." Umi hissed in her ear.

"What?" Maki snapped.

"This is your property. What's the quickest way to camp? Staying on the trail is only making us targets."

Maki was pretty sure there was a small clearing coming up, one they'd often used to camp when it was only family. From there, it would be easy to plot a path to the house.

Light flickered ahead. Eli suddenly sped up, pushing between Umi and Maki. Umi grabbed for her and missed, hissing, "It's a trap."

"Don't care." was Eli's reply as she rushed by.

Umi grunted, "We need to be more careful."

"Yeah, Nico-chan's tricky."

Umi snorted, "Devious, diabolical, duplicitous. These are all more precise choices."

Maki ignored Umi, grabbing a stick to prod the ground in front of them.

"HE…" Eli started to shout and then there was no voice.

Umi and Maki glanced at each other, hearing dragging noises, watching the light flicker ahead of them, shadows of movement obvious as the path narrowed, trees leaning in with a prickly tease, before they stepped in to the clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, on a slight hill, stood a tilting scarecrow, leering face carved out of a pale gourd, spotlight illuminating Eli's coat draped over its shoulders.

A/N: Thanks to the IdolFanfic Heaven Discord server for an October full of prompts. I'll be posting these in 5-7 days chunks so enjoy. If you want a link to the server, PM me.

The children are the same as in my Idol Protection Program AU, although Eli and Nozomi's twins are only two years older, not five.