Death Day

Corrin knitted his brow. "Death Day? Is that dangerous?"

"Nuh-uh!" Elise said, jumping up and down, her face bursting with energy. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of Death Day! I certainly have, and it sounds super fun!"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Let's pretend I haven't. Can you tell me what it is?"

"It's a Hoshidan festival where you knock on people's doors and then beg them for candy. They call it 'Candy Begging!'" She tilted her head. "Didn't you get the invitation? Queen Hinoka is having a Death Day-themed get together to try and fix the relations between Hoshido, Nohr...and, uh, Izana's gonna be there! Basically, it's a giant party where you dress up and eat candies. Sounds fun, right?"

"Err…" Corrin frowned. "I get a lot of mail, Elise. Maybe I…" He paused. "…y-you know…?"

Elise's face turned deadpan. "You threw it out, didn't you?"

He shuffled his feet.

"Well, that's okay! I guess I'll just have to tell you all about it. Kaze taught me, and I'll teach you!" She began walking towards her room, before she suddenly halted. "Oh, and we're going candy begging after the party, so make sure to grab a pillowcase!"

"Can't I just grab one later?"

Elise shook her head. "Nope! All the festivities are in Hoshido!"

"But today was my day off!" Corrin crossed his arms. "I was going to go fishing!"

"And you still can fish! You're just fishing for candy! 'Candy begging', remember?'"

"But I-" He paused, tentative. "We're not going to be really begging. It's just a game… Right?"

"Here, let me show you how!" She quirked her head and her eyes widened. Holding out her hands, she shaped them into a makeshift bowl. "P-please, sir?" she whimpered. "M-may I have some candy?"

Corrin frowned. "That seems awfully manipulative.'"

"Apparently, that's what Death Day is about. If you'd read the note, you would have known this, Corrin!"

"That doesn't sound quite right, but I'm in no position to dispute it." Corrin shook his head. "Say, when is Death Day, anyways?"

"Oh, later this evening."

"WHAT?" he yelped.

"Grab your pillowcase, Corrin! We're going to have fun tonight!"

"Wait, Elise! Don't just run off! We need to discuss-" He exhaled quickly. "Annnnd she's gone. I just hope we're not flying on pegasus again… Wyvern is so much smoother."

Corrin's pegasus landed with a thump. "That WAS bumpy!" he complained, hopping off and rubbing his rear. A lone pair of fuzzy cat ears sat atop his head, acting as a makeshift costume.

"Lighten up, Corrin!" Elise said, dismounting a pegasus of her own. "Unless you're planning on being a grumpy prince for Death Day!"

Dressed as a living cinnamon roll, her dress was brown with white stripes. Her face and hair were colored vanilla white. A brilliant grin topped the whole ensemble off.

"I still don't understand that bit," Corrin said. "Why do we dress up again?"

Leo groaned, getting off his mount. Dressed as the famous literary character Willioma, his beige hat, black cape, and purple boots guaranteed absolutely no one would recognize who he was unless he explicitly told them. "We went over this already, Corrin. Don't you ever learn?"

"Leo, I'm sorry… But could you recap for me?"

"Of course we will!" Camilla said before Leo could get a word in. "Right after we get into the castle. I'm starving!"

Wearing a witch outfit, her bounteous curves hugged the fabric. Her bust, stomach, and arms were contained in a black leather top that was tied off with purple ribbons. Red leggings fit snugly on her calves, ending in hard red high-heels. A black cape with a red interior hung around her neck, trailing behind her. Cherry red lipstick and heavy eyeshadow lay on her face, pressing her features into the forefront.

Two guards dressed in Hoshidan garb stood in front of Castle Shirasagi's entrance, their lances crossed. They eyed the royals wearily. "Halt, strangers! Do you have identification?"

"Hi!" Elise waved, bounding right up to them. "We're the Nohrian royals! We're here to see Queen Hinoka, Prince Corrin's sister!"

They didn't waver, their lances just as crossed as ever. "We're going to need some identification."

"We're here for the Death Day event!"

"Listen, kid, if we let in every group of Nohrian royal costumers into the castle, we wouldn't be very good guards," one explained. "Though I will admire your commitment to the role."

"Agreed," the other guard said. "Your costumes are incredible! How'd you get your hair Elise-styled?"

"And your Brynhildr looks so real! Like it could butcher me where I stand! What'd you do, paint an ordinary tome?"

"First off, I'm dressed as Willioma from the 'Mystery of the Insignia' series."

"Who?" both guards asked.

Leo's eyes flamed. "And secondly," he said through gritted teeth, "if you dare mock Brynhildr again, I'll show you what it can do!"

"Ooh! Yeah, yeah!" Guard One clapped his hands. "Show us! Does it light up or somethin'?"

Camilla put a hand on her brother's shaking shoulder. "Let me handle this." Sauntering up to the guards, her hips swayed to and fro. "How's this for identification?" she asked, winking and trailing a finger down each of the guards' faces. To their credit, they didn't even blink.

"Please do not touch our faces, madam, as in-character as it may be. We'll need some form of identification if you'd like to proceed."

"Damn," Camilla said, her face mystified. "Queen Hinoka has her dogs trained well."

"I'd prefer if you did not call us dogs in front of our faces, madam. We're trained professionals."

"Sweetheart, if I had the desire to, I could tear the two of you in half right now. Do not challenge me."

Guard Two shifted. "I don't care if you're in-character or not. Any threat must be taken completely seriously." He shook his head. "We WILL dispatch the automations if you continue."

"Those tiny dolls? I'll gladly take care of them for you."

"Camilla!" Corrin whispered, his eyes growing wider. "This party is supposed to repair the Hoshido-Nohr relations, not blow it to smithereens! It's not like we were on good terms with them as is. Don't make it worse. The automations can't be cheap."

"They're not," Leo affirmed. "Dreadfully expensive, actually."

"Wow!" Guard One whistled. "Even their Corrin is in-character! And he looks as unintelligent as the real deal, too!"

Corrin frowned. "Wait, what?"

Camilla huffed. "Fine, I'll back off. But only because you asked, Corrin." She walked away from the guards hesitantly, giving them the evil eye all the while.

"So if I had asked, you wouldn't have done anything?" Leo inquired.

She eyed the guards, giving them a once-over. "Leo," she whispered, ignoring his prior question, "now you try seducing them. I think they might be into men. They seemed pretty interested in our outfits."

"What?" Leo blanched, taking a step back. "I'm not seducing anybody! Why don't you have Corrin do it?"

"Leo, dear," Camilla said, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Corrin, while adorable, doesn't have the necessary assets to pull off a proper seduction."

Corrin frowned. "Are you saying that I'm unattractive?"

She ignored that, too. "Just go for it! It's not like Xander's here. You're the second-best thing we have."

"I'm the second best?" Leo asked, frowning. "I like to think that I'm quite attractive."

"Well, of course you are, sweetie. But have you seen how many suitors Xander has? Yours, while many, aren't in the hundreds."

"I hardly think four suitors counts as 'many,'" Corrin muttered under his breath.

"That's because he's king, Camilla! He has more power than I!"

"Should we do something?" Elise asked hesitantly. "You know they're not going to let up."

Corrin sighed. "I suppose I should. Stand back, Elise.'"

Without any warning, the ground shook, light pooling around Corrin as he transformed into a colossal dragon. "Enough!" he cried, stomping his hand-hooves on the ground. "Stop fighting!"

"Whoa," both guards said, their eyes wide. "That's amazing! How did you do that?"

"Because I'm the real Corrin, I can turn into a dragon!" he replied, his voice distorted by his dragon form.

Guard Two let out a low whistle. "Where the hell did you buy a costume like that? I know that Anna certainly doesn't sell it!"

Corrin turned. "Are you kidding me? It's not a costume, you dunce! I'm really a-" He paused. "Hold on. Did you say Anna?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. She's been walking around and selling Death Day merch." He shrugged. "There are some really nice costumes, but they're out of our price range. Guard income and all."

"Not to mention we already have costumes," the second guard clarified.

The first guard elbowed him and the second one shut up rather quickly.

Corrin shifted back into human form, the light pooling around him once more.

"Costumes?" Leo asked, eyeing them. "You don't look like you're wearing anything to me."

"Well," Guard One said, grinning, "that's because we're going as each other!"

"But your outfits are identical!"

"Not quite." Guard Two pointed to his name badge. "See that? It says that my name is Nobu. I'm really Jin!"

"And I'm really Nobu, but my name tag says Jin! Pretty clever, eh?"

"I take back what I said about them being well-trained," Camilla muttered. "These are possibly the dumbest guards this side of the border."

Suddenly, Anna approached from the side of the castle. A cart filled with masks, horns, and various other Death Day eccentricities trailed behind her. "Hi!" she greeted, grinning and hefting the cart. "I love your Nohrian royal costumes! They're so realistic!"

Corrin's eyes met hers, and he ran up to her, wrapping his arms around her neck. Their lips meeting, they stayed in each other's embrace for a few tender moments.

"How have you been?" Corrin asked, staring into her maroon eyes.

"I made tons of money," Anna replied softly, her finger trailing his cheek. "But that's not important, cutie. What do you say we take this to a back room?"

"Anna!" Corrin chided. "My siblings are here!" He paused, whispering in her ear: "We'll do it later."

"Get a room already!" one of the guards hollered.

"I keep trying!" Corrin replied. "But someone won't let us inside the castle!"

Anna looked between the him and the guards. "Let me handle this." She pointed a finger. "Jin? Nobu? This guy is with me."

"Why didn't you just say so?" They uncrossed their lances, revealing the wooden door. "Oh, and here are your Death Day goodie bags!" They handed a few parcels to Corrin and waved him in.

"What about the others?" he asked, noting how they had once again crossed their lances. "My siblings?"

"Oh…" Anna paused. "I guess they can come in, too. As long as they're not in the same bedroom as us."

"I'm sure there are enough rooms for us each to have our own."

"Well, you and I are sharing," she purred, making a claw with her hand and swiping at his cat ears.

He snickered. "You're feisty! Let's get to our room quickly."

"This would be cute if it wasn't my baby brother," Leo mumbled, pushing past a guard. "Let's just find the food and then give these two their privacy."

"Sounds good!" Elise chirped. "I'm hungry!"

"So am I," Camilla chimed in. "Oh, and guards? Be a dear and take care of our mounts, will you?"

"Madam, with all due respect, that's not our-"

"Please do it!" Anna called out.

"We'll take care of your horses and dragon," the guards announced. Elise skipped in, and the doors slammed to a close.

"She touched me, Jin!" Guard One whispered. "Anna touched me!"

"You wish, man! She only grabbed your bag."

"No, no! Our fingers briefly made contact! Gods, just wait until Rintaro hears about this! He'll be so jealous!"

"Man, you don't have a shot with her. She's way out of your league."

"Speaking of out of our league…" His eyes traveled to the three pegasi and wyvern idling in front of them. "Did we just agree to house an undead dragon and three flying horses?"

Guard Two blinked. "Well, crud."

"How did you do that?" Corrin asked after they'd entered the castle halls. "That was incredible, Anna!"

Anna beamed. "A marketer never reveals her secrets!"

"I thought that was a magician," said Elise.

She waved the concern away. "Details, details…"

"Corrin!" Hinoka said, her arms open wide. An Oni mask hung around her neck, her plain red robes making it stand out and practically glow. The quality was astounding. Detailed, thin lines ran around the edges of the mask eye sockets. It had a large mouth with protruding fangs, and two large, black horns on its top, further clarifying the "demon" motif, as if there was any doubt.

She rushed him, embracing him tightly. The mask's rather hard horns jutted into his ribs, crushing him. "I'm so glad you could make it, Corrin!"

"You're…squeezing…too…hard," he wheezed. She let go quickly, and he sighed in relief.

"Guess I'm feeling competitive today," she admitted sheepishly. Her eyes briefly lingered on Camilla's witch outfit before she grabbed Leo's waist, squeezing him into an even tighter hug. He moaned, clawing and trying to get out.

"Oh, I see what's going on here," Camilla said, grinning. "You're jealous!"

"I am not!" Hinoka said, clamping down harder on poor Leo. "Why would I…be…JEALOUS…of Corrin choosing to stay with…YOU?"

"Queen…Hinoka…" Leo wheezed, his face rapidly turning red.

"Hinoka, stop!" Corrin cried, rapidly moving to separate the terror from Leo. The message received, she stopped hugging him and brushed her robes off. "Sorry. I suppose I got carried away there. Again."

"I'll say…" Leo mumbled.

"I saw your costume and got slightly jealous," she admitted, nodding to Camilla. "I can see you worked really hard on it. It looks quite beautiful on you, Princess Camilla."

"Just 'Camilla' is fine. And thank you! I stitched it myself." She stepped to the side, placing a hand on her hip and flaunting her cape.

Hinoka smiled, turning to the rest of the group. "Would you like the tour? I don't think I've shown you around yet."

"Do you have anything to eat?" Elise asked, striding forward. "I'm pretty hungry."

"Of course! On your first left, you'll find the catering, which was coincidentally provided by Anna and her sisters here."

Anna beamed. "We're always glad to help, Queen Hinoka!"

Everyone waited.

"…well?" Leo finally asked. "Aren't you going to say 'for a price'?"

"Nope! I'm always willing to help out Hinoka! She's great!"

"How disrespectful. Referring to the queen without her title…"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Anna?" Corrin mumbled.

Anna put a finger on her chin, grinning slyly. "Now, when you say Anna…"

"He means his wife," Camilla interjected.

"I can answer my own questions, Camilla."

"Sure you can, sweetie."

Anna paused. "She's probably in the kitchen, working on the rest of the food. Did you want me to grab her for you?"

Corrin nodded. "Yeah, that would be gr-" He paused. "Wait, you're not my wife?"

"Nope!" Anna said, a smile on her face. "Never met you before in your life."

"Then why the heck did you kiss me?"

She shrugged. "What would you do if a cute guy came up to you and started kissing you?"

A fierce red blush appeared on Corrin's face. "Well, um, I guess I'd… Wait, I'm married! I'd shove him off!"

"And I am not," Anna said, showing off her free ring finger. "Now, do you want me to find your wife or not?"

"I suppose," he grumbled.

With fervor, Anna ran down the hall, into the door on her right. "Oi! Anna!"

"Which one?" a dozen harmonious identical voices replied.

"Uh… Any of you married to a man with white hair?"

"I am!" two voices sung out. A pause. "Can you be more specific?"

"Um... White hair, red eyes. Has an awkward air about him?"

"That's mine, then!" Another Anna ran out of the room, her ponytail bouncing. Smiling, she wrapped him up in a big hug. Corrin's lips moved forwards. He hesitated. "Anna, this might sound like a strange request, but… Can I see your ring finger?"

"Sure!" She lifted her hand, the diamond ring clearly sticking out. "I didn't lose it, in case you were wondering."

"I didn't think you did. Forget I even asked."

She shrugged. "Okay."

"I'm so happy to see you again!" Corrin said, wearing a dopey grin. He embraced her tightly, planting kisses on her cheek. "Have you been well?"

"Well, the Outrealm time rates aren't all that consistent, so I've only been gone about a week my time. How long was I gone from your perspective?"

Corrin sighed. "Two months."

Anna whistled. "Wow, didn't expect it to be that bad. Sorry, love! I'll try to be faster next time." She winked. "On the bright side, I'm younger than you now. Hah!"

"That just means I have more authority over you."

She giggled, rolling her eyes and pinching his cheeks. "You're still just as adorable as ever! He thinks he's the boss of this dynamic duo!"

"I'll say," Camilla said. "Anna, darling, is the food ready?"

Anna nodded. "The appetizers are!

A blur zoomed past her, and within a moment Elise could be seen near the door. "Come on, Camilla! Food! There's food!"

Leo shook his head. "Elise, calm down. You're a princess, you have to be-"

"Give it a rest, Leo," Camilla said, now by Elise's side. "I know that you're starving, too. Your tummy was rumbling!"

"I'm a grown, man, Camilla. I have a 'stomach', not a 'tummy'. And secondly-" Before he finished, a low rumbling could be heard.

"Your tummy seems to object. Come now, Leo. That food won't eat itself!"

Begrudgingly, Leo obliged, before he halted. "Corrin, are you coming too?"

Corrin shook his head. "That pegasus did a number on me and my tummy. I think I'll stay with my wife."

"Suit yourself." Leo shrugged, closing the door.

"So…" the ring-less Anna looked between her duplicate and Corrin. "You two are married?"

"Happily," Corrin said.

"Damn," she replied. She smiled politely. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. Enjoy your rapacious lovemaking, sis!"

"Hey!" Corrin cried, his cheeks growing red. "You can't just say that to people!"

"I can if it's my sister!" she replied, her voice fading out.

Corrin shook his head, his eyes venturing to his wife. "You know, you're just as beautiful as you were two months ago."

"Didn't stop you from smacking lips with my sister, did it?"

"What?" Corrin's face burned. "How did you-?"

"Gods, your face!" Anna laughed loudly, grabbing his shoulder for support as she clutched her stomach. "You're easier to read than a book, sweetie. I find it endearing, don't worry. I'm not leaving you or anything."

"You're not mad?" he asked, puzzled.

"Of course not! It's a mistake anyone would've made." Anna pursed her lips. "Honestly, sometimes even I have trouble telling my sisters apart. Maybe I should start wearing those silly ears you're sporting. You know, instead of my trademark hairband."

"Silly ears?" He touched his head. "Oh! You mean my costume!"

"That's your costume?" Anna asked. "You're going to Death Day as…a kitten?"

"Cat!" Corrin insisted. "I'm going as a cat."

"Riiight…" Anna looked him over, her eyes exploring his body. "And where's the tail?"

Corrin grinned. "Oh, well I was thinking I could shift-"

"No." Anna shook her head. "You're not using your dragon tail. That's cheating."

"Cheating? By who's rule?"

"The judges." Pulling out a flyer, Anna began to recite. "No potentially destructive transformation magic may be utilized in your costume. This includes, but is not limited to the following: Wolfskin, dragon and kitsune transformations, elemental tomes such as fire and lightning spells, and levitation spells or objects. Any other non-dangerous magics are allowed for costume use, within reason."

"Judges? For what?"

"Wait," Anna rolled up the flyer, "you don't know about the costume contest?"

"I guess I do now." Corrin frowned. "What's the prize?"

"Fifteen-thousand gold."

"Whoa." His eyes widened. "That's a lot of money."

Anna shrugged. "It's for the entertainment of rich nobles from around the world. It kind of has to be."

Corrin toyed with his fuzzy ears. "And I'm assuming you wanted to enter this contest to win the money?"

"Yep."

"And I'm also assuming that my cute little ears aren't going to cut it?"

"Right again, except for the part where you said that they're cute."

"And I know you have a costume picked out for me."

"You bet Naga's knockers I do!" Anna grabbed his hand, pulling. "It might take a while to prepare, so we need to prep as soon as possible."

"They're cute…" He pouted, following her reluctantly down a twisted hall.

"Come on, Anna!" he moaned. "I need to use my arms later! Stop pulling so hard!"

"Don't be such a baby!" she said, suddenly stopping to a halt. Corrin, however, was flung outwards and banged into a wall.

"That'll leave a mark," he moaned, rubbing his head. "Like I said: be gentle!"

"Shh!" Anna said, putting a hand up. "Do you hear that?"

"The pounding in my head?" Corrin muttered, rubbing the injured spot. "Why'd you stop here, anyway? This is…" Corrin stood up and squinted at the sign on the nearby door. "Ophelia's room? What are we doing here?"

"No, no! Those footsteps! Almost like someone is… Ah-ha!" Grinning smugly, Anna appeared to be clutching at the air. "Caught you!"

"Curses!" said a breathy voice. Corrin looked around, noting that no one was actually nearby. "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling shopkeeper and your dumb dragon!"

"Who said that?" Corrin asked. "Are you a ghost?"

"I WOULD be if someone would let me get my costume!" the voice shouted. Anna's hand began to tilt left and right, as if someone were struggling against it.

"Not unless you do me a teeeeensy favor!" Anna said. "It's just a small spell. I'm sure it's nothing the great sorceress Ophelia can't handle."

Corrin tilted his head. "Why's Ophelia invisible?"

"I was killed, and my spirit cursed to wander these halls for eternity!" she cried.

"Really?"

"I don't think so," Anna said, shaking her head. Her hand kept swinging back and forth. "She seems pretty alive to me. She's thrashing around pretty har - Ow!" She smacked the air, and a red mark appeared on her hand. "No biting! I'm not letting go!"

The invisible captor huffed. "Ugh! Fine. I had Father hex me as part of my costume. I was about to retrieve the final part of it before you oh-so-rudely grabbed ahold of me."

"I'll let you down if you do me the faaaaa-vor!" Anna sang giddily. "It's for the party."

Anna's hand stopped jerking around as its victim sagged. "You'll release me if I swear on my honor to do so?"

"Yep!" Anna nodded. "Trust me, it won't take more than a minute and won't cost a thing."

"Fine. I promise to fulfill any one of your favors, as long as it is reasonable."

Anna opened her hand, and Corrin heard a thump. There was a slight pitter-patter of feet as the nearby door to Anna's room quickly opened and then slammed shut.

It opened once more, however, this time a sheet ghost stood at its entrance, waving its stubby little ghost hands. Corrin looked at it curiously. "A sheet ghost? You're using an invisibility spell to dress up as…a sheet ghost?"

Ophelia nodded. "Come in, come in! Welcome to your DOOM!" she cackled.

Her temporary residence was rather simple. A small bed lay in one corner, while a closet accompanied by a full-body mirror stood in the other. Plain brown drapes were on either side of the window, letting light in.

Ophelia stood in the room's center, still wearing the ghastly bedsheet. "'Tis be I, the ghost of Ophelia Dusk!" she cried, waving her arms to convey exactly how spooky she was. (The answer, Corrin decided, was not very.) "What yearning do you have, Prince Corrin and Princess Anna?"

Anna put her hands on her hips, rocking back and forth. She put on her best saleswoman smile. "Ophelia, as you may or may not know, I'm just a smidge competitive when the prize is money." She paused. "I saw that little stunt you pulled off with Soleil. With the body-switching and whatnot."

Ophelia's eyes widened. "How did you know that we switched bodies?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Anna said condescendingly, placing a hand on Ophelia's shoulder, "everyone does. Your flirtatious friend bragged about it to her father, who told it to Selena. From there, it was only a matter of time until everyone within a fifty-mile radius knew. Including me."

She clenched her teeth. "What do you want, villain?"

"I want you to switch Corrin's body and mine!" Anna said perkily, putting a hand on her hip.

Corrin's eyes widened. "Switch our bodies? Why would you want to do that?"

"For our costumes, silly!" Anna punched Corrin lightly. He raised an eyebrow. "I've sold out of all the REALLY good costumes, and what better costume than wearing your spouse? It'll be funny!" She paused. "Also, we'll win a lot of gold. That part's important, too. The most important part, to be precise." She nodded. "VERY important."

"I'm not sure if…" Corrin trailed off. "Wait, that's your brilliant idea? To switch our bodies?"

"Unless you have a better one."

"Hm… What if we just switch clothes, like those guards did? It's basically the same thing, right?"

Anna shook her head in disapproval. "That's not going to win any points with the judges, unfortunately. To win, we have to something bold, brash, and somewhat insane. Have you seen Oboro's costume?" She whistled. "Hand-stitched."

"So was Camilla's…" Corrin shook his head. "Let's say we go through with this. How will anyone know that we switched? Won't they only be costumes from our perspective?"

"Not if we have these!" She whipped out two square pieces of parchment, one labeled with 'Anna', the other 'Corrin'.

Corrin sighed. "Can't we just wear the wrong nametags and pretend we switched bodies? I'm not sure if I particularly want to do this."

Anna glared at him. "Corrin. What's the spirit of Death Day about?"

"Elise told me it was about begging for candy from strangers," he said slowly, "but I'm not sure if I believe her. Camilla was going to tell me, but then she got distracted by the promise of appetizers."

"Death Day is a festive day to celebrate the death of those we've loved. The story goes that the spirits of the dead come back to the world of the living to party with the dead on this most sacred of days…or something." She shrugged. "It's more of a celebration of life, if anything. It'd dishonor their spirits if we lied on this most sacred of days."

Corrin's face turned deadpan. "You think I'd do a terrible job at impersonating you."

"Oh, you'd be absolutely atrocious," Anna replied. "Honestly, sweetie, I wouldn't trust you as the tree in a play."

"I'm glad to have such a supportive spouse," he mumbled.

"You'd better be! It's not all daisies and roses putting up with you, either." She giggled. "Oh, and if we're going to be switching bodies, after the party I want to…" She finished the rest of her sentence in hushed whispers. Ophelia cocked her head, curious as to what they were saying.

Whatever it was, it left Corrin's face beet red. "L-let's just get this over with," he said quickly.

Anna pointed at Ophelia. "Fire it up, baby! Give me some of that spell sugar!"

Ophelia tapped the side of her spell book, visibly displeased. "Alas, I do not have the fated requirements."

Anna frowned. "What don't you have? This isn't Hoshidan science; it's sorcery!"

"What do you think I mean?" Ophelia asked, annoyed. "The body switching spell requires Nohrian basil. We're in Hoshido. Can you what fated plant doesn't grow in Hoshido?"

Anna's face fell. "What kind of backwater professional doesn't carry her equipment with her? It's just some herb. Can't be all that heavy."

"Firstly," Ophelia huffed, "it is a magically significant herb. And I do carry herbs abroad. Useful ones. How would I use a body switching spell in ordinary life?"

"Oh, and like an invisibility spell is practical?" Anna said, gesturing to Ophelia's person. "How is THAT useful in daily life?"

"It is incredibly! I help Father make his flashy entrances! For instance, last night I waved Father's cape for him because there was no wind."

"That explains that," Corrin mumbled. "I knew his cape wasn't really cursed."

"Invisibility still sounds useless," Anna said, crossing her arms. "Do you have any other spells we could use as a costume?"

Corrin shifted his feet. "Why can't I just wear the cat-"

"Shut it," Anna commanded, and he did so.

Ophelia held up a finger. "One moment, please." She pranced off to the side and began to dig through a golden-colored briefcase.

Corrin gawked at where Ophelia's legs should have been. "I get it!" he exclaimed after a moment's pause. "You made yourself invisible so no one would see your legs, as if you were really a floating bedsheet!"

"Yes. Very astute, as always," Ophelia replied, dusting off the spell book she'd pulled out of the cabinet. She began flipping through it, scanning for key words.

"Thank you." Corrin puffed out his chest.

"I'll let him have this one," Anna muttered quietly.

"Ah-ha!" Ophelia suddenly cried out. "'Appearance-altering spells.'" She looked up at Corrin and Anna, a tentative frown on her face. "Very few of these are well within my limits. I am still only a level three sorceress, after all. Most of these afflictions require the caster to be level seven."

Anna arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Ophelia began to flick through its pages. "The first hex allows me to change the colors of your hair to anything in the rainbow…temporarily, of course. All of these spells are temporary." She looked up. "I wish to stress that part. The hex will not extend past when I say it will."

"Boring," Anna replied, waving her hand. "Changing hair colors is so last generation. Got anything more interesting?"

"I have an idea!" Corrin said. "What about something that gives us animal parts, like cat ears? It'd be fine if it wasn't part of my costume, right?"

Ophelia hummed, eyeing the contents of the tome. "There is one that will give you animal-esque features."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "What's the catch?"

"It turns you into a Kitsune."

"That sounds like it'd be offensive to the Kitsune," Corrin muttered, retracting his tail into his body. "We can't have that."

"I don't think there are any living kitsune to care," Anna pointed out. "But it is against the contest rules."

Ophelia pursed her lips. "I suppose there is only one appearance-altering spell left that I could cast."

Anna tapped her chin. "Well? Don't keep us waiting, dear."

Ophelia sighed. "This one is less of a hex, and more of a…temporary curse, if you will. I wouldn't recommend it."

"Sounds fancy!" Anna said. "What does it do?"

"It transforms you into the spitting image of anyone you desire…for a limited amount of time. I would not wish to transform you permanently!" Ophelia said, laughing perhaps a tad too loudly.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Corrin said. "In fact, it sounds kind of fun!"

"That sounds too good to be true," Anna said, her eyes narrowing. She jabbed Corrin in the ribs. "There's a catch coming," she whispered.

"However!" Ophelia said, raising her hands dramatically. "Fate decrees that there is a catch!"

Anna pumped her fist. "Called it."

"It only transforms you into the deceased," Ophelia finished. "You also need a garment of clothing that they wore in life. Only then can my mysterious magic transform you two into the living undead!"

"Oh, that's easy! I've got just the thing!" Anna said, running out of the room quickly, leaving her spouse dizzy in her wake.

"She always does this," Corrin affirmed, nodding slightly. "She'll be back in a few seconds. Promise."

"I've got them!" Anna said, hefting two large crowns into the room, both sporting the symbol of Hoshido on their back. "Do the thing, Ophelia!"

Ophelia crossed her arms. "What are those?"

Anna shrugged. "Some old king and queen's hairpieces. Hoshidan crowns, I guess? Look, the point is that they're from dead people, so they'll work."

Corrin frowned. "Where did you get them?"

"Hinoka's room. They were in a locked glass case." She winked, placing a finger on her chin. "It's not locked anymore!"

Corrin's eyes widened. "Did you just steal the Hoshidan royal crowns?"

"Nope!" She haphazardly set one of the crowns on Corrin's hair. "Because it's not stealing if we put them back before anyone sees." Aligning her own crown on her head, she motioned to Ophelia. "Come on, come on! Hinoka will be back any moment!"

Ophelia hesitated, shifting. "My conscience is leery about this. Can you predict who you will transform into?"

"Just do it!" Corrin said quickly. "I don't want to get on her bad side!"

"Hinoka's or mine?" Anna inquired, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Corrin frantically waved his hands. "Either! Come on, Ophelia!"

"Fine, fine!" Ophelia said, weaving her hands around in a figure eight. "Welches louta omen… Wear the spirits of the dead!"

Without warning, black haze filled the room, covering it instantly and completely. Coughing and hacking, Corrin shut his eyes, desperately struggling not to breathe in the thick fumes. Within a few moments, however, the mist seemed to dissipate. Before he could open his eyes, a high-pitched shriek was let out.

"Anna!" Corrin shouted. His eyes shot open and he rushed to where he'd heard the voice. Taking a few steps back, he gawked at the impossible sight before him; gazing into the mirror was none other than his very-dead mother, Queen Mikoto.

"C-Corrin?" Mikoto asked, turning away from the full-length mirror. "Is that you?"

She glared at him, a fiery passion in her eyes that he'd never seen before. Probably because he was about to pass out from shock, Corrin realized, as his knees begin to give out. He collapsed, his head landing on the plush carpet below.

"Corrin? Corrin!" Her eyes widened. "Ophelia, quick! Get Sakura or Elise in-"

"Ungh…"

Warm. He felt…warm. Cozy, too. Like a soft presence was beneath him, cuddling his head. It was nice, he decided, and started snuggling deeper into the warmth.

"Corrin," a gentle – yet, oddly familiar - voice cooed, stroking his hair. "Come now, you have to wake up. The Death Day party will be starting soon."

"Not right now, mother," he replied, turning over. "Five more minutes."

Strange. His voice sounded funny. Almost…familiar. Breathier. Gentler. More…feminine?

"We can't miss the party," the voice said softly, chuckling. They laid a gentle hand on his face, their fingernails rubbing circles on his cheek. "You're so marketable," they cooed.

Marketable? Only one person called him that.

"Anna!" Corrin shot up instantly, opening his eyes. Looking around, he could see that he was lying in a king-sized bed. A display case with two hairpieces sat at the rear end of the room. They must have been placed back after the spell, he realized. He could recall fainting, right after meeting his…

No, that couldn't be right. His mother was dead!

"Anna?" Corrin cried. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, blackness overloaded his senses again. This wasn't the same type he'd experienced while fading out of consciousness, however. No, this was artificial night, caused by someone's wandering hands.

"Now," the voice from before said, "I don't want you to pass out again, so I'm covering your eyes. I'll release them if you promise not to lose consciousness."

"Why don't you tell me why I lost consciousness in the first place, so I can be prepared again?" he asked, noting the apparent femininity of his voice. Okay, that WAS weird. He was supposed to be a Hoshidan prince. Why did he sound like a princess?

"So," the stranger's voice replied slowly, "do you remember how Ophelia cast a spell on us?"

"I remember her casting a spell on my wife and I," he replied frowning. "You don't sound like Anna."

The one covering his eyes shifted uncomfortably. "That's just it. I don't look like Anna, either."

"If you say so." Corrin inhaled. "I think I'm ready to look. Can you remove your hand?"

"Don't freak out," the stranger pleaded. "I may look like Mikoto, but I'm not."

She released her hand, and Corrin could see once more. He could see the warm, soft object that he had been lying on prior was, well…

"Mother!" Corrin cried, scrambling backwards. A flurry of questions ran through his mind, cascading everywhere. How was she here? Was she truly alive? Was she an evil ghost that had come back to take vengeance upon him?

What sputtered out of his mouth, however, was not one of those questions. "W-Why was I lying on your chest?" Corrin stammered. "You're my mother!"

Mikoto sat upwards and rolled her eyes. "I told you not to freak out. Your listening skills could use some work, dear. Am I going to have to lecture you on listening to customers again?"

Corrin's eyes widened. "No… Anna?"

"Yep!" she replied, grinning smugly. "In your mother's flesh! Guess I picked out the wrong crown."

Corrin's eyes traveled along her whole person. She certainly sounded like Mikoto, and sure as hell looked like her. "How…?" he asked, frowning intensely. "This is impossible!"

Anna put a hand on her hip. "Ophelia's curse! I just told you this."

"But-"

"Gods, what do I have to do to convince you?" Pausing, her eyes narrowed, and her smile widened, quickly breaking out into a full-blown grin. "Oh, I know. This'll be good." Leaning forward quickly, her lips crashed against his.

"Mmmmph!" he squealed. He frantically crawled backwards, breaking out of the kiss as soon as humanly possible. "Okay, okay! I believe you!" he cried, dry heaving on the mattress. "J-just don't kiss me again!" He paused, an intense frown developing on his face. "Gods, my voice does sound incredibly weird. Anna, why does my voice sound weird?"

Anna leaned backwards, crossing her arms. "Your voice? Try your whole figure, love." She nodded to a full-body mirror in the room's rear, and Corrin jumped at it, his long, lithe legs moving gracefully as he ran.

Two large golden pupils greeted him in the mirror. Long strands of colorful blue hair ran down to his feet. A white skirt wrapped around his agile legs.

"Azura!" Corrin cried, reaching out to the mirror. "You're back, but…why are you inside a mirror?"

The Azura in the mirror did the same, reaching out with the opposite hand of his and speaking the same exact words. Eyes widening, he noticed the reflection's did, too.

With a start, he realized that the Azura in the mirror wasn't mimicking him; he was the reflection.

"I'm…Azura?" he asked numbly. Slowly, his gaze lowered, and he began to examine himself. His left leg wore a golden band around it, and his right was dressed in white stocking. Yep, his body was definitely Azura's, he noted gloomily. That must be why everything seemed taller, and why his hair had seemed heavier. And that wasn't even mentioning his chest, which had its own set of unfamiliar bits and…bobs.

"What the hell?" Corrin cried out, backing away from the mirror and falling against the floor. "I was supposed to be a Hoshidan king!"

"And I wasn't supposed to be your mother, but look at me now," Anna said, shrugging. She got out of the bed and offered Corrin a hand, to which he grumpily accepted. "Why is that, anyway?"

"Your headpiece must have been Mother's," he surmised, standing up slowly. "That doesn't explain why I'm Azura, though. She never wore any type of headpiece in…" He paused, taking a moment to swallow. "I-in life."

"Hm." Anna tapped her chin. The gesture looked quite peculiar when it was Mikoto's arm and chin she was using. "Did you have anything of Azura's on your person?"

Corrin shook his head. "I only had my wallet and some change."

"Well, what do you keep in your wallet?"

"My identification, some gold, and Azura's pendant that she gave to me before she-" He hesitated, frowning. "Oh."

"That would do it." Anna nodded. "Residual magic, deep personal connection to the wearer, she wore it all the time… That's the cause, all right. The spell reacted to the pendant instead of the crown. These things work from the bottom up. Honestly, you're lucky you didn't turn into a freaky Hoshidan King/Azura hybrid."

"How'd you know all that?" he asked, awestruck.

"Sweetie, I'm in sales. Level one magical studies class is required to graduate Outrealm school with a business degree."

"Oh," he mumbled, sitting down on one edge of the bed. "Well, I guess you learn something new every day, huh?" Placing his hands atop his silky blue hair, he groaned, noting how he hated that even such a pitiful noise sounded melodious now. "What are we going to do? You can't exactly walk around like that; it'd be in poor taste."

"So?" Anna asked. "And wearing the skin of another dead person wouldn't be?"

Corrin frowned. "I suppose. Wait… Then why would you want to have us wear dead people in the first place?"

"I thought it'd be fun?" she offered weakly.

He glared. "You didn't plan this far ahead, did you?"

"I didn't plan on this at all! I was banking on the body switching thing!"

"Which you didn't plan for, either."

She shrugged. "Hey, I've been busy."

"I hate this," Corrin moaned. "I hate this so much."

Anna joined him on the bed, placing an arm around his shoulder. "Wow, Azura's skin is soft," she noted, giving it a squeeze. Corrin moaned, burying his face in his hands. "Sweetie, I think we should still attend the party. What's the worst that could happen?"

His head snapped up. "The worst that could happen? Anna, we'd be walking into a party dressed as the hosts' dead parent and mysteriously-disappearing adopted sister! That's one of the rudest things we could possibly do!"

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, fiddling with a small boxed contraption in her hands. "How do I set this thing up again…? Ah-ha! Gotcha!" She pointed the contraption at Corrin. "Smile for the Snapshot Tome, dear!"

"Anna?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

She scoffed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Making money, duh! What else?"

He stared blankly. "How are you going to make money off of pictures of Azura?"

"I won't make a thing if you're like that!" Anna waved her hand. "Come on. Off with the clothes, sweetheart. Momma wants to make some blue sexy princess cheddar!" She paused, contemplating. "Hey, do you think you can find it in you to do twelve different poses? We could make a pin-up calendar!"

"WHAT?" Corrin cried. "I'm not taking my clothes off!"

"Don't be such a baby!" Anna said, waving her hand dismissively. "We're naked around each other all the time!"

Corrin wavered. "Yeah, but that's…different! I usually don't look exactly like Azura!"

"And that's why now's better than later! It's not like she'll be offended. She's dead; she can't be! And besides, they're not your clothes, so you shouldn't be wearing them in the first place!"

"Anna, I am not taking these clothes off. Even if you paid me."

"Which I would never."

His frown lessened considerably as he comprehended what she'd said. "Anna," he said quietly, "why do you think that Azura's dead?"

"You heard what Ophelia said. The spell…only works on dead people." Her gaze softened, and she gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'm…I'm sorry, dear."

He sighed, looking down. "I guess I already knew in my heart that she was gone. I just didn't have any proof of it." He shook his head, grinning sadly and looking his hands over. "But look at me now. I suppose I am the proof."

"A very attractive proof," Anna said softly, her hands crawling up to the nape of his neck. "Now, what do you say you make just one saucy pose, lowering your top juuuuuust enough to show off a bit of-"

"ANNA!"

"Killjoy," she muttered. She began to undo her gloves, starting with the right.

Corrin glared at her. She started removing her shoulder pads. "You know," he started, "if I were any other man-"

"As of a few hours ago, you aren't," Anna mumbled, fiddling with the hairpiece. "But do go on."

"…I'd assume you were trying to take your clothes off, and you were going to ask me to take a revealing snapshot of you. And since you currently look like the late Hoshidan queen, who I may also remind you is my mother, that would be incredibly inappropriate, and also very, very immoral. But as your husband, I trust you, and am sure you're definitely not doing such a thing. Right?"

Hands on her metal belt, Anna halted in place. "No!" she said quickly. "I would never do something like that! I was, just, er…" She held the belt up. "Examining this belt! What a beauty! Say, do you know if our clothes will stay transformed if they're off our person when the curse wears off? Because I think this would be worth-"

Mikoto's regal, high-end armor didn't protect her from the intensity of Corrin's glare.

"What about a normal, clothed picture?" she tried, her voice wavering. "No cleavage, not even a funky pose! Just a normal, regal-"

"ANNA!"

"Fine, fine. I'll stop. Couldn't hurt a girl to try." She began re-dressing herself, but not before lolling her tongue out. Rolling his eyes, he still couldn't help fight an emerging smile.

"Do you have any ideas how to fix this?" he asked, crossing his arms and pointedly ignoring the bra underneath them.

"Nope," Anna replied, putting a hand through the glove. "Oh. Wrong hand." After fixing it, she continued. "The obvious solution would be to just remove the spell."

"And I'm going to guess that it's not that easy."

"It never is!" she replied cheerily. "Remember when Ophelia said it was a curse? Well, care to venture a guess what the main difference between curses and your run-of-the-mill spells are?"

"You can't remove curses," he murmured.

"Bingo! Oh, and hold tight," Anna said, fixing the final shoulder pad. "I do have one idea."

"Is it a good one?"

"You'll see!" Anna cried, quickly running out of the room.

Corrin lay on the bed, his arms lying flat. "I should have insisted on the dragon thing," he muttered, sighing. In his current position, he could see the steady rise and fall of his chest. "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this…"

"Here!" Anna shouted, slamming the door. She threw a cloth bag at him, which landed on his lap. Corrin held it quizzically.

"What's with the bag?" he asked.

"Our faces," Anna explained matter-of-factly. "We wear the bags to hide our faces."

Corrin shook his head. "That's a terrible idea."

"What do you suggest, then, if you're an expert?"

"Well…" He frowned. "I have one idea."

"Hit me."

A knock interrupted their thoughts. "Corrin? Anna? Are you in here? Elise wanted to know if you had your costumes on yet! The Death Day party is going to start any minute now!"

"Sakura," Corrin moaned, running his hands over his face. "Just my rotten luck. Anna, how good is your Anna impersonation?"

Anna stared. "Can you repeat that in a language I understand?"

"Try and ward Sakura off, but make it sound like your own voice!"

"Got it." She nodded. "SAKURA, WE'RE FINE!" she yelled, trying to pitch her voice up dramatically. "PLEASE LEAVE US ALONE!"

"Mother?!" Sakura screeched. "Is that you?"

"NOPE! ANNA HERE, WITH THE NEW ANNA INC. PRODUCT YOU'LL LOVE TO BUY!"

"Mother, it is you! I'd recognize your voice anywhere!" The knob turned quickly and Corrin shut his eyes, wincing.

But nobody entered.

He opened his eyes, whispering, "I think we're in the clear, Anna! She's not strong enough to break the door down."

"H-hold on, Mother!" Sakura shouted. "I'll get Hinoka to break the door down!"

Anna raised an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

Crash.

"No, not through the window!" Corrin shouted. "We're on the third floor; we'll die!"

"What about the fire escape?" Anna asked. "They have to have one of those here!"

Bang.

"What's a fire escape?"

"Dammit! That's another Outrealm!"

"Anna, we're going to be on fire if we don't do something rash!"

"Got it!" She started vehemently stripping her armor off.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Something rash! If Sakura sees her mother naked, she'll be so traumatized that she'll HAVE to leave us alone!"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, neither does trying to hide under the bed!"

Corrin crawled deeper below the bed, tucking his entire person inside. "Yes, it does! If she comes in here, she won't see-"

BOOM.

"Hah!" Hinoka declared, the door falling to the ground. Sakura stood beside her, dressed in a kitsune outfit. A pair of fox ears stood on the top of her head and an orange, fluffy tail jutted out from behind her.

"Now, let's see what was really in this room…" Hinoka said, a cocky grin on her face. Her smile dipped as soon as her eyes spotted Mikoto. "Mother?!"

Anna stood nearby the bed, her face panicked. "Queen Hinoka, it's not what you think!"

"Oh, Mother!" Hinoka cried, sprinting and tackling Anna to the ground in a bear hug. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed into Anna's shoulder. "Oh, gods…Mother!"

"I-is it really you?" Sakura cried, hesitantly stepping forward. "Mother? B-but I saw you…"

Gently brushing Hinoka off, 'Mikoto' stood up, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura looked upwards, her eyes wide. "I'm…not who you think I am, Sakura. I'm actually-"

"Just a ghost!" someone interrupted. "You're an undead shell of your living self!"

"Azura?" Sakura asked, frowning. "I-I heard Azura!"

"Er, yes!" 'Azura' replied, crawling out from underneath the bed. "I have also come back, Sakura, to relieve your sorrows and, er…spend the Death Day festivities with you?"

"Azura!" Sakura cried, latching onto Azura and weeping. "I-I've missed you much!"

"Wait," Hinoka said, her face cautious. "If Azura is with Mother…" Her voice lowered to a whisper as she continued, "does that mean she died?"

Slowly but surely, Azura nodded. "I wish it were not the case. I'm…so sorry, Hinoka."

"T-that's okay!" Sakura said, her tears soaking through Azura's dress. "I-I'm just glad you could join us for Death Day." She smiled politely, glancing at Hinoka.

"Always one for the positives," Azura mumbled.

"I never could have imagined the Death Day legends were true," Hinoka said, her eyes still focused on an uncomfortable Mikoto. "The unnaturally dead joining the living, in harmonious union…"

Grabbing her mother's hand, Hinoka moved towards the door. "Come on, Mother! Let's go to the festivities! Oh, Corrin will be so happy to see you, even if just for a day!"

Azura's eyes widened.

"Oh! And y-you, too, Azura!" Sakura said, her smile wide. "We can all say our goodbyes! Oh, and you can both meet Anna!"

"Anna?" Azura asked, feigning ignorance. "Who's that?"

"Corrin's wife!" Sakura explained. "S-she gave me free candy earlier!"

"What? You're joking!" Mikoto placed a hand on Sakura's back. "Anna would never give something away for free, right?"

Sakura looked up. "You know Anna?"

"One of her many sisters!" Mikoto nodded. "Us dead aren't as ignorant as you might think. We watch over the living, guarding you from harm."

"How can you protect us if you're dead?" Hinoka asked, her face quizzical.

"Magic!" Azura interrupted. "We use magic!"

"W-what kind of magic?" Sakura asked.

Azura hesitated, speaking the first thing that came to mind. "Invisibility magic?"

Hinoka frowned. "Aren't ghosts normally invisible?"

"Not always!" Mikoto quickly said. "And besides, it's super useful! For instance, we can snoop on otherwise private places and obtain information you lot would never normally know."

Sakura frowned slightly. "But how would you tell us?"

Mikoto sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just…just listen to what mommy says, dear. It's useful, okay?"

"But…"

"Sakura, do you want to know a secret I overheard the other night?" Mikoto asked, grinning softly. "It's about you!"

"M-me?" Sakura asked shyly.

"Uh-huh! I heard that Prince Leo has a big crush on a certain red-haired Hoshidan princess!"

Sakura suddenly turned away, her face hidden. "O-oh," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sakura?" Azura asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, she turned around before realizing her mistake, her blushing smile now evident. "I-I have to go!" she shouted, running off.

Hinoka sighed. "I suppose I'll go get her. Mother, Azura…you know your way around. I'd love to talk more, but I guess I'll have to save it for later." With that, she wandered off.

'Azura' stared. "She's going to be so heartbroken when she realizes you made it up."

'Mikoto' shook her head. "Actually, he does like her."

"Really?"

She nodded. "While you were unconscious, I sneaked through the halls, trying to grab my snapshot tome from my luggage. I saw him and Sakura in the catering room. He thought he was being subtle sneaking those sly glances at her, but us Annas don't miss someone eyeing something!" She paused, contemplative. "Or, in this case, someone."

"You know," Corrin slowly started, "I think that curse may have been a blessing in disguise."

"How so?"

"Just look at Sakura. She's chattier and happier than ever. Hinoka, too, seems to be letting loose more, if only for tonight." He smiled softly. "She's been working so hard as queen… She never has any time to herself."

"Corrin, are you suggesting we keep up the act for the entire Death Day, partying with them as your dead mother and sister?"

He nodded. "It would make them so happy."

Anna smiled. "I'd love to."

Corrin beamed. "Thank you."

"I had so much fun tonight," Sakura said quietly, resting her head on Azura, her breathing slow and labored. "T-thank you for visiting us one last time, sister." She lifted her head up and gazed at Mikoto. "T-thank you, too, Mother. I…I love you both so much." She snuggled deeper into Azura as she stroked her hair. Sakura's breathing began to slow, and she drifted into slumber.

Hinoka stood near, her eyes wet from tears. "I suppose this is it, then."

Azura nodded. "I suppose so. Hinoka, I know we may have not always been the closest of family, but I always did love you."

Hinoka nodded wordlessly, pulling Azura in for a hug.

"Hinoka," Mikoto said, her tone soft and her eyes gentle. "My daughter."

"Mother…" Hinoka latched tightly onto Mikoto, sobbing into her chest. "Why did you have to leave us so soon? We weren't ready…" She pulled up, her eyes glistening. "I wasn't ready."

Mikoto whispered softly, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry, my daughter. I truly am." She sighed. "I'm not sure what I can say to ease your sorrows while remaining honest. I certainly can't say I'll see you again in this life, or that I'll be able to help you rule." She tilted Hinoka's chin up. "What I can promise is that you have a fantastic life ahead of you. Your rule will be prosperous, and your subjects happy. And always know that I'm watching over you, every step of the way."

Planting a kiss on Hinoka's forehead, Mikoto stood up, gently lifting an exhausted Sakura and laying her on a nearby bed. She kissed the young princess, as did Azura.

"I love you," Azura whispered, tucking a stray red hair out of the way. "Goodbye, sister." Her blue hair began fading, the hour of dawn fast approaching. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Mikoto said, her dress slowly fading away at the trim. "Have wonderful lives, both of you."

Hinoka nodded wordlessly. "This night felt like a dream. Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Azura. I love you both."

Their task completed, both of them whisked away, fleeing into the halls. Even as their cursed appearances faded, they knew that the memories created today would remain seared in Hinoka's and Sakura's minds forever. And that, Corrin decided, made his very first Death Day quite a momentous occasion indeed.

Author's Notes:

So, um... This was supposed to be a comedy.

I was going to enter it into a fanfiction contest. (The prompt was 'Halloween'.) Unfortunately, it hit the word limit and I didn't finish it in time.

The kicker? I was the one who made the contest.

Oops.

As far as the fic itself goes, this was my first attempt at writing something semi-serious and, well…it kind of sucks, if I'm quite honest, but I think it's pretty tolerable for a first attempt. The tone shift might be kind of jarring, but…eh.

The original idea was that Corrin and Soleil switch bodies and she does antics as Corrin, but then I realized: A. I'm already milking that dry in The Mechanist's Secret Power, and B. I'd have to do something with a heterosexually-married Soleil, which, like, defeats 90% of the character. It's like writing a story about cookie monster who's on a diet and can only eat broccoli, longingly watching his non-dieting friends eating M&M cookies at the next table over.

I changed Soleil to Anna, and then changed the concept to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-styled "costumes come to life" bit. (I'm sure it's older than Buffy, probably, but…whatever.)

Then the story got sad, and then I started writing the author's notes, and then I don't know what happened. Special thanks to deventio7 for reading the (atrocious, quite frankly) preliminary draft and giving me feedback!

Please, leave feedback, good or bad! Let me know how I can improve, especially writing things like sadness and angst and…emotions.

P.S. Oh, and technically, it's still Halloween where I am! 11 AM! Hah! Still made it in time for Halloween/Día de Muertos!

🎃🎃🎃