Summary: What has Nico done with Eli? And what else lies waiting for Maki and Umi?

Umi examined the ground where the path opened, her keychain flashlight still working, "Definitely more sets of feet than just Eli and Nico, one of them smaller."

"So one of the children?"

Umi shrugged, "It doesn't look like anyone got dragged off so Eli must have gone...willingly?"

Maki was only half listening to Umi. The music had been gone for awhile now, but now a more insistent, probably artificial, wind noise started to rise.

"Something's going to happen." Maki hissed.

"Sprint across or move along the trees?"

"If that's a portable lantern, we should grab it. And I'm going to head for the house. I think it's that way." Maki pointed to the right.

"So would that be a predictable choice?"

Maki huffed, "Probably."

Umi unbelted her hatchet.

"This isn't war."

Umi's face, in the LED bright of the keychain flashlight, was Honoka choosing bread serious, "you know Nico better than I do, what do you think is going to happen?"

Maki deflated, "Yeah, you might have to cut us out of netting."

"Is everything between you two a duel?"

"Maybe." Unexpectedly, Maki grinned, "Nico never backs down, never stops pushing. It's always an adventure."

"She could decide to call it a night and I would be thrilled."

Maki chuckled, "Won't happen."

"Whose side are you on?"

Maki sprinted for the lantern but as she grabbed it, a howl started, one voice joined by another then another. Maki headed for what she thought was the path to the house but before she took more than two steps, the scarecrow started to move. Umi saw it grab her by the throat.

"Maki!"

It seemed like an hour, but it was probably only nine seconds before Umi moved, sprinting to where Maki was struggling and cursing. As Umi was realizing Maki was in no real danger, Maki threw the camping lantern away, and the scarecrow was dragged forward by the wires attaching it, just far enough that Umi's legs were entangled as she approached. Umi pitched toward Maki, twisting so the hatchet threatened no one. Maki grumped, skipping to the side.

"Keep that away from me. Nico forgot you're always armed."

"I am always prepared." Umi sheathed her hatchet again.

Maki kicked the scarecrow, then decided to stomp on it for more catharsis.

"That's Eli's jacket."

"I don't care."

The howls were picking up, and music was back.

"Really, Nico, can't you come up with anything other than Bach?" Maki shouted into the night.

"It is a classic horror mood."

Maki rolled her eyes, "She could have at least thrown in Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre. Or something modern." Another shout into the night. "It's not like she doesn't know death metal exists."

The sounds started changing, a shift from organ to a screech of metal crashing in a guitar riff.

"Thank you!" Maki shouted.

"Let's not help the people attempting to terrify us." Umi was taking cautious steps toward the tree line as branches shook menacingly. Suddenly, a spotlight glared directly in their eyes, and after it dimmed, black spots swimming in their vision, howls and guitars speeding up, gritty voices grinding out indecipherable lyrics, at least three songs shoved into a sonic blender, with that cacophony as a backdrop, the shifting shadows ahead turned animal. And started to growl.

###

When Eli saw the light, it triggered a rushing need to get closer. She couldn't see anything ahead of her, barely felt anything as she pushed between Maki and Umi, her feet speeding her through the cloying darkness, even though part of her mind was screaming "That's how the flame gets the moth," it was not screaming loud enough to silence the terror of DARK.

As soon as there were no tree branches for Eli to thrash through, she felt hands pulling her to the side.

"HE…" She yelled but a grimy, sweaty hand clamped over her mouth and two people wrestled her forward. A child stood, shadowed by the camping lantern that was her current obsession, one of the twins.

Eli relaxed slightly when she heard Vik's bright voice whispering "We're saving you, Mom."

Nico and Rin had Eli in a fairly tight grip, Nico hissing, "You say anything or run, I kill the light."

Vik was smiling up at Eli, in a gray hoodie with adorable wolf ears. Rin and Nico were also wearing them.

"I'm going to sit," Eli whispered softly, her legs too shaky to do anything.

Nico sighed, but nodded. "Gimme your shirt?"

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Vik stood next to Eli, blue eyes wide, "Are Auntie Umi and Maki scared? Dia said her Mama was so grumpy about the pumpkin guts. How come we never have fun like this?"

Because Nozomi doesn't enjoy terrifying me when small children are awake, Eli answered in her head, but she hugged Vik, "Every family has their own traditions."

"This is so cool." Vik was literally bouncing, spinning around the tilting pole while Nico was attaching wires to the scarecrow, while Vik was putting their ballet warm up exercises to good use. "Auntie Nico is the best."

Eli shook her head, amused, happy that a Vik she was getting too used to seeing sullen and withdrawn was giving every sign they were having a great time. For that, she would forgive Nico many things.

Vik handed Eli a gray hoodie, "Help us howl, Mom."

Eli thought about the DARK and then she looked at the brilliant smile on her child's face. This was a crossroad and she knew which path to pick.

"Your mother always says I'd look cute with a tail."

###

Maki and Umi backed up, instinctively.

"You know that's probably just Nico and Rin, right?" Umi hissed.

"My feet won't move forward."

The shadows pushed closer, the forest was moving forward as metal guitar strings shrieked 'til they shredded and clanks and chalkboard scratches answered growls. It was amazingly effective,

Umi recovered first. Which Maki only realized when she backed into something solid.

"Nico doesn't scare me." Umi stated, with zero conviction.

"Liar."

And then three running, hunched 'creatures' rushed toward them, circling them, growling, laughing, unrecognizable, faces smeared with dark makeup. Umi braced herself, Maki went for the treeline, but the middle 'creature', rolled in front, so Maki stumbled forward over them, grabbing at them but only pulling off their hoodie.

Someone pulled Maki up and as she turned, she screamed at a looming HUGE inflatable glow in the dark skeleton bobbing behind Umi. Throwing the hoodie in frustration at Umi, Maki leaned over, hands on knees to catch her breath. "Dammit, Nico."

And then Umi said something unexpected. "I apologize."

"For what?"

"This is not solely your fault."

Umi got weirdly formal at the strangest times. Maki raised her head and waited for the full explanation as Umi examined the hoodie.

"Nico is not working alone. Kotori made these. I recognize them."

"So what did you do?" Maki snapped.

"Nothing."

Silence. Bordering on angry silence. Maki never liked teasing. Umi sighed.

"Kotori might have remembered that after the Halloween Hell Cruise, I wrote Aizuwakamatsu no Yurei."

Her award winning play. Maki knew Umi hadn't been writing. So Kotori was worried. Ha. Everyone has interfering wives. And the Halloween Hell Cruise had been a Nico Nightmare. Maki shuddered at the memory.

"So if my wife is devious and diabolical, what's yours?"

"Crafty." Umi said proudly. "And caring."

Maki stomped into the darkness, muttering something that rhymed with "tripped."

Umi stood, watching the bobbing, grinning, glowing skeleton. Then she reached into a pocket, pulled out her clasp knife, opened the blade, and punctured Mx. Bones with one swift motion. Air escaped with a whispering scream. Umi nodded her head, satisfied.

"Hey, that looked fun." Maki grumped.

"Maybe you shouldn't have stomped off."

"Show off."

Umi grinned.

"So how many more of these do you think Nico has planned?"

Maki shrugged, "She still seems to have infinite energy."

"So not maturing?"

"Ha ha."

"You're enjoying this."

"Aren't you? It's" Maki paused, "invigorating." Maki and the lantern did a circle of the clearing, to check for clues, "Why'd you stop writing?"

"Exhausted. Kaito is a fine, intelligent child, but it's exhausting."

"I know." Maki shot a glare back at Umi, "And Dia's picked up some very judgy habits from a certain babysitter."

"Your daughter's manners are impeccable. She's nothing like Nico."

"You're wrong there." Maki pulled on a wire but it didn't seem to connect to anything. "'S funny, when I was younger I would have imagined me at a fancy black tie Halloween charity event with my supportive spouse who did most of the childcare while I lived at the hospital and then I met Nico and here we are."

Umi considered that, "What else do you do when you fall in love with a brilliant, hard working career woman who wants a family and for you to keep being yourself? Support them like they support you."

"Yeah." Maki got to spend every day with music and people she loved. Because of Muse. And Nico. Other generations of Nishikinos had paintings, portraits stiff in oil to hang on walls, but for her family, it was a quick watercolor sketch Hanayo had made while Maki and Nico were having an impromptu concert with their daughters. It was Maki's favorite piece of art, quick, lively, bright, made with love.

Maki found another wire and pulled. Netting crashed down around her, leaves scraping her cheeks. Nico wasn't done yet.

A/N: Hey.