So... I'm going to try this again, I guess it wasn't that interesting at first, hopefully this version will be better... if not feel free to tell me!

I own nothing!

When she was born, she didn't expect to live as long as she has. In fact, it wasn't uncommon to die a quick and savage in the environment she came into the world in, and had it not been for those around her, she very well could have died before she had a chance to really live. Nations died almost as quickly as they appeared around her, but she was different it seemed, protected by the very Gods it… by the start of the common area she would begin to realize that being different was what made everyone, even Nations, human and special, and she's nothing if not special. This is the story of Esmeralda Esperanza de la Rosa Hidalgo Villa and her brother Emiliano Martin de la Rosa Morelos Zapata names laced with love, blood, pain, and pride... Or as most of the world knows them as, Norte e Sur, the North and South representations of Mexico.

Although most only know Sur. It's a long and complicated story about how her brother came to be known in Europe as she stayed in the America's… mostly it's that bustard Espanola's fault… actually it's all his fault that kidnapping oppressing little…

RIGHT so an explanation on how she and her brother came be caught up in the "Old World's" stupid expiation and survived.

Part One: The Beginning of the End; Enter the Pinche Españo

She doesn't remember much about her life before her brother was born, the early 1400s are a bit iffy, a blur of blood lust, death and overall confusion; but she does remember what her Nantli (mother) Xochiquetzal. It's hard to forget someone so important to you after all.

As nations, most don't have mothers, but she and her xocoyotzin icniuhtli (youngest brother) Tenochtitlan (though she usually just called him icniuhtli …. And it defiantly had nothing to do with the fact that he hatted it when she did it…) where lucky enough to live almost a full century enjoying just being a family… and then the temamauhti (terrible) Caztiltecatl came…. The Spaniards… the bastards with their guns, and their demands. With their greed and sicknesses that ate at the very soul of the land… slowly killing or changing everything her Nantli had fought so hard and long to build and keep safe.

It started slowly, like most sicknesses, you don't realize what's happening. She remembers her Nantli started to get headaches every so often around the beginning of the 1500s. Tahtli (father/dad), the city-state known as Texcoco, would try to sooth her pain with cacao atl and atolli (drinks) spiked with chilies and medicine the Tepahtian (healer) would make, but she would just smile her smile, the one that most mothers have that could make anything bad good again, and say it was nothing. She should have known it wasn't nothing, it's almost never nothing when it comes to women, a trick she herself would soon learn. It was early in 1517 that she herself confronted the Caztiltecatl for the first time, not knowing what a big impact that lone conversation on the blood soaked beach would have on her life from that point forward.

The morning before that fateful batter found her in the market with her icniuhtli, running and playing with the other kids who had come to the Tlatelolco market at the center of her brother's floating city. As instructed by Gods that had come before her, the capital had been built where the people found the sacred eagle devouring a snake… they just so happened to find it when it was sitting on a cactus… that grew on a rock… in the middle of a lake… not that this stopped her people from building the city anyway. And it was a wonderful city, with the palace and temples at its epicenter reaching high into the heavens, bridges to connect the larger parts of the city together and canals to help mover around the goods sold at the market. A market her icniuhtli never failed to inform her was the biggest and most important market in all the surrounding empires, connecting the Norte to the Sur and bringing people from all around together to buy and sell their goods. He would constantly brag about how without his market, the empire would have crumbled long ago…at least to her, he didn't dare say that sort of thing in front of their Tahtli lest he give the boy a good smack and lecture about how the only thing that kept his so called market and there for their empire and them alive was the people.

She herself was the representation of the early Chichinecha, the original group of nomadic tribes that first formed the Aztec Empire. However, when they had taken power from the Tula the previous ruling empire, Xochiquetzal had been allowed to stay as acting ruling representation as her role of Goddess made her untouchable. Not that Chichinecha minded, she was still very young when the war was won, and all that death had been hard for her, luckily her Nantli and Tahtli fell in love with her and she with them almost at first site. And so her Nantli and Tahtli became the Aztec Empire together and the surrounding territories and she was known as Cihuacóatl, (though most people just called her Miztan or "Wild Cat") the very spirit of the land and creator of its people as both of her parents said that neither of them could have been without her. Tenochtitlan was born early in the 15th century, about a century after she herself came into existence, but much like with her parents, she loved her icniuhtli from the moment her eyes met his deep in the cuachtla (woods) just outside where the city was being built where she had first seen him and since then they had been inseparable.

It was no different on that bright February day as they ran under and around people in the market, one of the bigger plots of land that had been built on the lake, weaving their way towards the center of the square in their race, competing more with each other than the other children who had fallen behind long ago. As nations, even young ones, they had more speed than those around them so it was a bit unfair to expect mortals to keep up with them, even the adult ones. The sun was shining down onto the market, even in late winter shining off of the gold and turquoise bands that differentiated Miztan and her icniuhtli from the rest of society around them, the silent barrier that kept even the friendliest of children from getting too close to them. Miztan was use to this by now, or at least less affected by it than Icniuhtli was, as he would still sometimes cry at the treatment of isolation they were given usually prompting endless teasing from his sister to get his mind off of it and on chasing her around the temples.

Although much older, both she and her brother looked about the same age, eight or nine, which was at times a pain, but at others very convenient… like when running away from a vender who's tomatl she had just dumped onto the floor in her hasty jump over them to get to the square first, prompting the man to shout profanities not at her but at her parents. The thing about moving so fast and looking like a kid, most didn't recognized her unless they tried and she got away with much more for being "young" than being a "god" any day as the priests in the temples where not afraid to report her actions to her Tahtli or Gods forbid her Nantli.

She called an apology behind her as she quickened her paste laughing easily as her skirt shifted back down as she landed from her jump, not bothering to help out in picking the mess up as Icniuhtli was hot on her tail, picking up his paste as he watched her stumble, his long dark hair flying freely behind him. This made her eyes narrow as she turned forward again even as she grinned like the cat she was so often compared to. She had to keep her winning streak less her icniuhtli forget who was older, and by definition better at everything; (a stance she would continue to hold well into the modern age about all her younger brothers... even her hamburger guzzling ones…) She didn't know why, but of late her brother had been getting less and less cute and there for more and more annoying as the years continued to pass. She blamed those stupid men in the temples who were coming over from Caobana (Cuba) with their silly new ideas of a male dominate society only. She loved her Tahtli and Icniuhtli but without Nantli and her, they would be utterly lost she thought shaking her head, freeing more of her hair from its braids as she ran faster.

With a final burst of energy and a triumphed yell, Miztan ran into the fountain in the middle of the shopping district to stop herself and catch her breath feeling the stones beneath her tremble from the force hoping that it wouldn't collapse under her, keeping the city afloat was hard enough without her destroying things along the way. People around her turned to look at her yell, but seeing that it was just one of their young gods catching sight of her gold band, they went back to what they had been doing, secure in the fact that if the young gods had time to play so freely, then the rumors coming from outside the empire could not be as true as most outside the city believed. She felt more than heard her brother catch up, landing much softer than she had and sinking to his knees agents the stones supporting her with a sigh resting his head agents the stone before turning and leaning his back agents it, his head in his hands, his long hair falling strait around him. After a few seconds of catching her breath she grinned ever wider, her eyes sparkling as she turned to him, falling down next to him as he rested his head in his hands.

"Don't say it Hueltichtli (sister), just don't…." using a name he only used when he was being serious… or annoyed as he was now, his voice was muffled by his hands as he refused to look at the grin he knew was on his sister's face. He knew what was coming…he had been so close to winning this time… but of course she had to jump. She wasn't known to most as Miztan for nothing…. Stupid cat… with your stupid long jumps and balance…. He was so sure he had her when she's stumbled going around the little girl who had been in her way and knocked over that tomatl stand, but noooo, she just had to keep her balance. He had caught up to her though, so that was something… but that also meant that if she hadn't had that accident, he wouldn't have even been close. The very thought made him groan again.

"Oh come on Icniuhtli, don't be like that!" she said bumping his shoulder with her own as he continued to groan into his hands. The market around them was full of colors and sounds that they both loved to drown in, feeling the very breath of the earth around them in the wind and the feeling of life that surrounded them made her smile as the rest of the kids finally made it to the fountain. It seemed like they were counting whoever of them got there first as the winners of the race, not she or her brother. She sighed but couldn't blame them, it wasn't quite fair to make a mortal race a God, even a child one. Icniuhtli finally looked up from his hands, not at his sister, but to the sky, trying not to dread what was to come simply enjoying the sounds that surrounded them. The children laughing in their play, the adults bickering and trying to get the best price for their wares.

Miztan simply smiled and continued to look around them, knowing what her brother was doing, stalling. As there weren't too many kids who played with them in the first place, Icniuhtli had come up with a way too keep whatever they played interesting. Every time one of them won, they would do a favor for the other. It started as a way for him to get things out of his sister, but he soon found that given that goal, she would become almost unstoppable. He had his fair share of wins under his tlaquemitl (belt), but she was far too ahead on the favors for his liking. And because they swore every favor on the Gods, he couldn't very well deny her. Not that he would anyway, he was a proud God himself, he couldn't afford to let something as small as his pride get in the way of his honor.

He finally slid his eyes towards his sister, who was absently watching the people around them silently as he contemplated his doom, seemingly relaxed and unthreatening as she watched the world around them, but he knew better. Too many times he and other warriors had fallen for her innocent act of relaxation and absent smile. He and many of their enemies had learned that the more relaxed she seemed, the more ready to strike she was. Although they seemed children, they had both been taught to fight and defend and expand their empire, both had over the many years earned many bands of valor that they wore honorably when the occasion called for it.

Right now however both she and he were in simple out door cotton wear, his loincloth was plain white with only a little color around the ends rather than the red one he wore around the palace and temples, although it did still have the Jaguar that represented his regiment of warriors that adorned all of his clothing. Similarly, his's sister's simple skirt and shirt held color only on the edges and in the Eagle that flew on her back. They had left their head dresses and other gold jewels back home to try and blend in better. Although now that he though on it, the emblems of the armies they respectively ran may be one of the reasons the children wouldn't play with them, maybe he could get a loincloth without it…nah, it's an awesome design… I'll keep it. He sighed and ran a hand threw his wavy dark brown hair and met his sisters odd and striking purple/blue eyes with his brown and green waiting for her to tell him what he had to do.

Miztan smiled as she pulled her long light brown hair over one shoulder to braid it again, as it had been ruined by the race so she had undone it when she had first sat down next to her brother enjoying waiting for him to face his doom on his own rather than pester him about it. She was enjoying watching the market on such a busy day too, ease dropping on different conversations to learn more about the places she had not been allowed to go in recent years and how they had changed. When the Empire was younger, she and her brother had had free rage of it and the surrounding tribes, being the most powerful and well trained from an early age to fight off any would be attackers, but as more and more light skinned strangers landed on the different Islands around them, Nantli had insisted that they stay in the city and only go as far as the woods on its edge without a full escort. It wasn't her idea of fun as that usually meant that they were off to find more sacrifices for the temples, but she was not one to question her Nantli, it never ended well anyway…

She was about to say something when suddenly, they both felt a sharp pain, she in her chest and he in his head. Just as the pain began to fade, Icniuhtli saw a palace guard running towards them just as Miztan saw a vision of tall lighter skinned man with brown hair much like her own and green eyes set foot on a beach she knew was in their city of Yucatan, and as he turned to look towards the city, she felt as if their eyes met through the vision sending a chill down her spine as he slowly smiled at her. "Temamauhti…Tecuani…." (Terrible wild beast) she whispered as the vison ended and a chill was sent down her spine at the sight of the raw destructive hunger in the man's eyes.

Her brother was looking at her with wide eyes, noting both her expression and the emotions that bounced around her as the guard finally reached them panting as he leaned over, supporting his weight on his thighs with his hands "You're…. needed….at… the palace…. young Gods…."

Icniuhtli nodded to the guard before looking towards his sister again seeing her eyes shine with unshed tears. "Come Mizton, Nantli and Tahtli need of us, let us go." He said softly, slowly taking his sisters hands gently and guiding them to their feet as she seemed to come out of whatever trance she was in.

"Nantli…" was the last thing she gasped before turning and bolting towards the palace, dragging her brother behind her as her half braided hair undid itself flying freely and wildly in the wind, leaving the poor guard to catch up when he could. She didn't know what her vision had meant, but she knew for sure was that it was true and happening at that moment, and something needed to be done, now, lest that horrid feeling she had in the center of her chest grew worst. Her brother spared her a side glace as they raced home, hopping that the feeling he was getting off of his sister where not as bad as they seemed to be, and that everything at home was ok.

Meanwhile on the beautiful and calm beaches of Yucatan, Conquistador Francisco Hernandez Cordoba was contemplating the types of different spices he would find in this lands wild woods as his men unloaded from and secured the small boats from their ships to the beach, next to him Antonio Fernández Carriedo, the personification of Spain, was trying to contain his excitement. He couldn't wait to get yet another cute little colony to add to his growing collection, and if that little girl he had seen when he first step on the beach was anything to go buy, this land would wield just as cute of a colony as all the others. He couldn't wait…