~I'm sooo freakin' sorry I haven't been on here in over a year...No excuses are going to be put up on here. Credit to helping me coming up with the title 'Smoke and Mirrors' goes to my school friend. I don't own Hetalia, but wished I did cuz...who wouldn't? Enjoy!

Smoke and Mirrors

Ch. 1: Farewell Sestor; Set Sails

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"A-are you sure you want to do this sestor? What if you get caught by one of them?" Seran's quiet voice rang from behind her sister nervously.

"Oh come now, Seran. I am not going to be caught so easily. Especially," the speaking brunette admired herself in front of her body mirror. She tried a wicked looking grin. "Oooh I love this look," she murmured.

"Brezan?"

Said brunette blinked before shifting her blue gaze back onto the blonde's reflection. "Eh? Eh-yee." Brezan ran her fingers through her ponytail. "Yee Seran, especially him. Who knows how he'll react if he found out. But," Brezan spun around so she was facing her younger sister. "I think I know of a way to disguise myself." At this Brezan reached into her coat pocket. She drew out a black eyepatch, wrapping the patch over her right eye.

Seran rolled her eyes at the "disguise", but none the less nodded as she handed her sister's new captain's hat. It was a black semi-large hat with gold trimming identical to her coat along with a red feather draping in the back. "I see now. But, I-I'm still worried about you doing this."

Brezan held her hat in both hands as she smiled at the blonde, "Oh iddeh being paranoid sestor. Look, if I'm in trouble, I'll have my crew to look after me. So coe," Brezan laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Naw worrying."

Seran still looked unsure. She gazed into the aqua blue of her sibling's eyes as Brezan gazed back into Seran's aqua green. Soon the blonde nodded with a smile, "Ok I'll try."

Brezan squeezed her sister's shoulder, "Frit." Brezan walked over to her window where she could see her new vessel beyond the treetops.

"I'll be outside waiting."

Brezan heard Seran leave with the shut of her bedroom door. The brunette sighed as she pulled on a pair of black lacy fingerless gloves. Brezan slowly hummed a tune she learned recently from her crewmen.

The humming brunette walked back over to her mirror one last time. Brezan stared at her reflection. There stood a brand new nation. A nation that was to go out to sea like her ex-caretaker. Brezan smirked as she continued humming. She had a white shirt with a large deep blue coat with gold trimming. The nation had white pants along with knee length black boots. The brunette tightened her ponytail as she glanced at the sword at her waist. After that she stared closely at her left eye. Their bangs hung over opposite eyes. Seran's covered her right eye while the brunette's covered the left. Unlike Brezan's ponytail that went down to her shoulder blades, Seran's hung over her shoulder but still the same length.

"Frit," Brezan grinned at her bang's mirrored counterpart. She couldn't see her hidden eye, it was covered well. Even with both eyes covered, the young nation could still see well, just blinded by the eye patch. Brezan was glad she had worn the eye patch for a number of weeks in advance to get her eyesight adjusted.

Brezan placed her hat upon her head as she looked over to her bedside table. Next to her oil lamp was a small painting. Brezan stepped over to it and picked it up. It had both sisters and empire, playing together when they were younger. This painting wasn't like a child's painting but an actual artist's handiwork.

The nation smiled fondly at the memory of her and her sister being colonies. 'I wonder what will happen once he finds out?' With a slight laugh the nation put the picture back on the wooden table before heading out.

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Outside Seran was waiting for Brezan to come out. It was still early out as the sun was still climbing over the horizon. There was a pawing sound beside the blonde. Seran looked at the bay horse as it pawed at the earth impatiently. The nation patted the bay's neck, "Easy now, you'll get your breakfast soon. Both of you." Seran turned toward the gray dapple on the opposite side of her.

Seran felt a warm breeze blow around her and the horses as she scanned the surrounding area. The blonde could see a few townsfolk going along their daily business in the early morning hours. Seran sighed as she leaned on her bay. The young nation wanted Brezan to stay out of worry if not go with her sister. But as fate would have it, she was too scared to go with Brezan and pirate the seas like their ex-caretaker. Though both Seran and Brezan knew that if she were to come along, the blonde wouldn't be participating in raiding and other piracy activities but to be the cook. Seran let a light chuckle escape her lips as she thought of the difference in her cooking skills compared to her sister's. Far better she has to admit.

The nation then thought of how much Brezan and herself have grown after becoming nations. She knew that they were still relatively smaller than many other nations in the world. And in comparison to humans, they were the physical size of short teenagers.

Seran was quickly brought out of her train of thought, making her stand straight when she heard the front door open. She looked up as the two horses perked up from the other nation now closing the said door.

Brezan locked her door and tossed Seran her keys who caught them with ease, in exchange for the gray dapple's reins. Both nations mounted their rides and began moving into a smooth trot. Brezan watched the trees slide by as they moved closer to their destination. The blonde riding next to her could easily see that her sister wasn't too keen on leaving her behind.

All too soon the sibling nations began smelling the salty air. Brezan was the first to slow her horse to a walk as they rounded a tree. Once rounded Brezan stared at the sea worthy ship, the two stopped their horses once beside Brezan's private dock.

The ship before them was a twenty-eight gunned frigate with cream colored sails, ready to be used in the journeys to come. Seran gazed up at the ship, seeing its name painted in elegant crimson letters. "The Bloody Lullaby," the blonde mumbled to herself. She moved her gaze to her sister as Brezan was already off her horse. The brunette had her hand on the gray's neck, seemingly wanting to stay put and not set sail. But the blonde knew better.

"Cap'n!" The girls looked up simultaneously to a man at the railing of the ship. "She's ready to sail, sir!"

Seran turned her attention back on the blue clad nation silently standing, gripping her horse's mane nervously. The blonde frowned at this. Seran moved the bay closer to the gray and snatched the reins, immediately making both horses bolt forward a few yards.

This action startled Brezan. She stumbled but regained her footing. She looked up surprised at her sibling. Seran sat on her bay, still frowning. The nation held up a gun and tossed it over to Brezan.

Said nation caught the gun dumbfounded. Brezan stared at the weapon. A moment later four pairs of hooves thundered by. But the nation felt time freeze up. She could hear three words muffled by the horses' feet. The brunette's hat casted a shadow, masking her already covered blue eyes. The red feather in her hat bristled in the wake as it slowly settled back down. Time sped up as there was nothing beside the now lone nation but echoing hoof beats and dust.

There was a large group of men, the crew, all looking down at their captain. They couldn't see the teen's face at all. The man from before glanced around at the crew. He could hear murmuring, all about the teen below them.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe a fight?"

"It looked like it. But wasn't that the Cap's sibling?"

"Me thinks so."

"Aye, me too."

Before anymore could be said, the men noticed the girl was walking aboard the vessel. They watched silently as she made her way to the opposite side of the ship. The brunette had her gun tucked under the belt she had on. The men stared at her as she stopped at the railing. She placed both hands on the wood as she leaned on them, head drooping.

No one spoke or moved. Only waited for something to happen. They didn't have to wait long as Brezan's shoulders shook up and down. One would think she was crying, sobbing even, but that idea was dashed away instantly as the nation turned around, head still lowered.

Brezan sat on the railing and raised her left leg up, placing her booted foot on the wooden rail. Her right leg stretched out as if she was purposely exposing herself for the crew of men. If the men were eyeing her up and down, she didn't make any notion that she knew what they might be thinking.

Brezan rested her arms on her knees, letting them dangle in front of her. The nation let out a huff of air. The brunette shook her head before stopping to scratch her right temple. The men heard an annoyed groan coming from their captain.

Finally, Brezan took off her eye patch before rubbing her eyes. "Aggh, sestor's sooo annoying," she sounded like an irritated little child. "She thinks I need ney, hah!" Brezan said looking toward the crew.

The men could now see an eager grin and eye.

Brezan stood up, "We'll show her, eh men?" Brezan grinned wider as her crew began nodding with as much eager grins and smirks. "We'll rob, we'll loot, we'll pillage and we'll take what we want, when we want!" The men began to climb up the ropes and untying the creamy sails. The large blankets quickly fell into line like solders ready to march forth. Brezan felt a wicked, excited smirk arise onto her lips as she watched her crew move the 'Lullaby out from her private dock.

"Let's show her what we can do, eh men?" The whole crew shouted in agreement. "Then let us be gone of this place!" Brezan commanded as if she had been doing this for years.

As The Bloody Lullaby began her swim, Brezan remembered her sister. Sweet, shy Seran. The nation smiled as she looked down at her eye patch. She remembered how her sister streaked past her. Even not having to look back at the blonde, she knew how she looked. The blonde nation in a light green dress in knee high brown boots, riding on the galloping bay horse, taking it and the gray dapple to a good breakfast made up of oats and grain with hay.

The man from earlier walked up to the thinking teenager, "Cap'n, if I may ask, I've heard that your sestor doesn't usually act like she did. The same with you acted earlier, sir."

Brezan snorted but thought carefully in wording her response to her human first mate, "Well we're very close siblings Mr. Krant. There's at times when either of us are put in a certain situation that we can, in a way, switch personalities. Like you saw us earlier, I was suddenly acting nervous and shy to go and leave my home and sestor. So my sestor took up the reins, so to speak, and took charge of the situation. It's just a way to protect and help one another, Mr. Krant." Brezan finished explaining.

The man nodded, "I see. Well it's good to see you two weren't having a fight."

The brunette smiled at the man, "We rarely get into fights."

Her first mate nodded before getting back to work. Brezan sighed as she looked back out to the deepening waters ahead.

'Frit ney, Brezan,' Seran's words echoed in her head.

'Just take care of home, Seran,' the departed nation thought.

Translation:

Sestor = Sister

Yee = Yes

Iddeh = Stop

Coe = please

Naw = No

Frit ney = Good Luck

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