Here's Belarus. Does not own Hetalia.
Natalya placed her soft lips on her sister's cheek. She felt so fragile to touch. As if even a single kiss could break her. She used to be so proud and strong, a full face and a voluptuous figure. Now, she was the ghost of a woman she once was. Her beautiful face now bared an empty and hollow expression as she stared off into space.
"Sister, I'm leaving now."
Nothing. Not that she was expecting her to say anything. She would barely speak anymore to anyone.
Walking away from her sister left an uneasy feeling in her stomach and a huge lump in her throat.
Exiting the room, she turned to a maid standing at the doorway, "Take care of her," she spoke as she put on her riding gloves, "Don't leave her out of your sight."
"Yes ma'am."
She rode through the dense forest and snowfall with ease. She had been on this route so many times, she didn't have to look where she was going. It was all too clear. She could even see her destination in the horizon. She made her horse go faster, bringing it up to a racing speed. Not once was she worried about running into a tree.
She did not use a saddle. It felt natural to ride like that. She was sure the horse felt far more comfortable without it too. The horse was a black stallion, a regal creature. Strong-willed and had somewhat of a wild streak. Befitting the 'Iron Lady' of the Braginsky family.
As she approached the wrought iron gates of the castle, she brought her horse into a steady canter, gradually into a trot and ultimately to a halt.
The gates slowly opened to welcome her in though she felt like a stranger inside those walls. No matter how many times she'd been there.
Once arriving at the grand doors of the castle she got off and allowed the stableman to take it away. It was the one they usually provided to her so she had her utmost confidence in his abilities. Sure she wasn't their favourite person but she was an honoured guest and an important ally. It didn't matter how much they disliked her or her family, no one wanted to make an enemy of the Braginskys. Of course they would have to put their best staff at her service. These people were conniving and thieving and probably planning her assassination behind her back but to her face, they would fall at her feet if she asked them to.
"Welcome milady." a steward had opened the door for her. She had never seen him before -
He's new, she thought.
-and did not take her hand.
And young. Rookie mistake.
"Gentlemen."
All eyes were on her as she entered the room. There was pause, a brief one though it may be, as if everyone present had stopped breathing momentarily. She knew it was either fear. Or perhaps it was awe. For she was a breathtaking sight. Light almost platinum blonde hair, rosy lips, a fair complexion and cheeks slightly flushed from the cold and the most mesmerizing blue eyes. She had the beauty of an Ice Queen.
When the spell finally broke, Toris Laurinaitis, the owner of the estate was the one who offered her her seat at the poker table, between him and Arthur Kirkland, head of Kirkland & co, the leading crime syndicate in the UK and the British Commenwealths.
"Ah, nice of you to join us Natalya. Cigar?" he said offering her the smoking stick he pulled out from his mouth.
And she took it giving him a half smirk. She was not proud of it but she had done worse and far more indecent things with this man than merely sharing a cigar.
"At a girl. I bet you 80k."
"That's weak. My hand is strong, I raise 300." She said as she placed her chips.
Others at the table had opted to fold. These included Vash Zwingli, head of the infamous family of asassins, Matthias Kohler of the Nordic Brotherhood, Sadiq Adnan leader of the Ottoman Inc and of course Laurinaitis, her family's secret underling. Though there was no sign of Bonnefoy, there was a new face at the table, a young Chinese man with an expressionless face.
By the end of that round, she had won. And she also won the next round and the next round and the next. The men were getting rowdier. All the alcohol and tobacco was getting to their heads.
Well most of them were.
The young Chinese man, seemed relatively unfazed by it all. He seemed to be able to take his alcohol well. Though she hadn't actually been paying much attention to him to know how much he had consumed or whether he had drank at all.
Then Arthur spoke, face reddened from one too many drinks, "Eh N-nat-tt, how's-s-s t-that brah-ter ove yours doin'? E' asn't been a'ound for a-while…" British accent slurring.
"YEE-AAAAH! WHERE'S HE GONE?" Kohler shouted as he proceeded to put an arm around the Swiss next to him.
Vash Zwingli though slightly tipsy, did not allow himself to be touched by the Dane. He shoved him off and he fell on the floor, unconscious. No one bothered to pick him up or wake him.
"Actually, he's left for China. Gone to visit Yao Wang to see the damages they suffered from the attack."
"Attack?"
"You don't know? That Honda Kiku turned out to be a traitor. Stabbed him from behind. Got him with a katana. They say he's on his death bed."
The room was eerily quiet. The Chinese man stiffened. It was not obvious but she could sense his shock.
It was Kirkland who broke the silence.
"Bloody Hell."
Bloody Hell indeed. The possible death of Yao Wang and the betrayal of Honda was a major blow to the Asian mafia. It could even spell its destruction.
"There seems to be a back-stabbing streak going on here. First Feliks," Sadiq began, Natalya hissed at the mention of that name, "Now this."
"Yes, perhaps we should all be careful. Honda was one of Yao's most trusted men. He was a brother to him. We should be wary from now on. It could only be a matter of time until this strikes one of us." Vash said in a grave tone.
Arthur's reddened face paled visibly. He fidgeted in his seat before saying, "I think that's enough for one night. Let's go Kaoru."
The Chinese man gave a nod of understanding and proceeded to follow him out. So he was one of Kirkland's.
Odd, Natalya thought to herself.