Thanks to , Eternal Nexus Warrior and AquaEclipse for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 6
"Who would do something like this?" Scotland demanded.
He, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland were gathered in England's kitchen, still in shock about their brother being murdered. And the fact that it was the permanent kind of death made them all nervous.
"I don't know," Wales said. "Do you think it might have been another nation?"
"But who would hate Arthur enough to do… that?" North asked.
"Well, there are still a few nations with a grudge against him," Ireland said. "It might have been one of them."
Before anyone else could say anything, Scotland's phone gave a shrill cry, alerting him to a message. He picked up the phone and frowned.
"It's from France," he said. "He called an urgent world meeting in Paris the day after tomorrow."
"Any idea what it's about?" Ireland asked.
"No idea. But something tells me that it can't be good."
…
Alaska was pacing nervously. She didn't like the uncertainty that she was feeling. The fear.
She could sense it, and she knew that the others could sense it too. The United States of America was no more. And Maryland and Virginia had reported that both America and DC had been killed, and they also said that the bodies were mutilated.
Alaska was so far from the others. She was the last to hear of something like this. And if whatever – or whoever – had killed America and DC were after the rest of them, then Alaska was in a vulnerable position. She was isolated from the rest, and even if her lands offered protection, there was a chance that it wouldn't be enough.
All of the states were becoming independent – they could all feel it. And that thought scared Alaska. Her instincts told her that she didn't want to be an independent nation, not while they were unsure about what was going on.
She had a choice to make, and she only hoped that it was the right one.
…
"Does it still hurt?" Damjan asked, running his hand over Canada's formerly-injured skin.
"No, not really," Canada said, smiling. "Vlad is good at this kind of thing."
"I'm glad," Damjan said, leaning up to kiss Canada. "If she had succeeded…"
Canada closed his hand around the other's, feeling similar. If someone had hurt his lover the same way he had been hurt…
His phone ringing dragged him from those thoughts, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw who was calling.
"Alaska?" he questioned.
Damjan waited patiently as Canada spoke on the phone, wondering what the American state could want with him. Then again, she might have just been calling to hear if Canada knew about what was happening to America.
"Are you sure?" Canada asked, his face betraying his surprise. "Well… Okay. Yeah, I wouldn't mind. And I think you're right. I think you should head to somewhere you know is safe. Perhaps you should go to Quebec… Alright then."
Canada hung up the phone, a puzzled expression on his face.
"What is it?" Damjan asked. "What did she want?"
"She… she asked me if she could be Canadian," Canada said.
Damjan stared at him.
"Huh?"
"Yeah," Canada said. "She says that they're all gaining independence. The United States aren't united anymore. And she's worried. Her instincts are telling her that it would be a bad idea to be independent."
"Well… If they're going after nations, then that state has good instincts. Or, should I call her a province now?"
"I just need to call Olivier to warn him about the situation. He'll know what to do."
Damjan chuckled.
"I wish I had a region that I could use as a secretary," he said.
And he wondered, not for the first time, what did happen to his regions.
…
"That stupid France!" Haiti exclaimed, staring at the message on his phone. "Why would he give this on such a short notice?"
He was not impressed with the notification of a world meeting, especially if it took place in France. That meant that he needed to get on a plane immediately if he wanted to make good time.
He grumbled as he started packing his bag, and he cursed as the phone rang. He was about to cuss out the person on the other end, until he saw who it was. He frowned, but calmed down and answered.
"Oui?" he prompted.
He listened to the voice on the other end, and his eyes widened in shock.
…
China looked down at his phone as he read the summons for an emergency meeting in Paris. He wanted to ignore it – after all, what would France want? – but realised that it would be a good opportunity to alert everyone of Japan's death.
"Yao?" Macau asked. "Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not," China said. "I learned that my brother was murdered using one of the most barbaric methods among nations. Who would do it? And who else knows about that method?"
Macau bit his lip.
"I don't know," he said. "But I think there's a lot going on that we don't know."
"Well, I intend to get to the bottom of it," China huffed.
…
"So, France called for an emergency meeting," Italy said, smiling as he read the message. "Do you think he found out about England or Germany?"
"He pesters England, so it's only a matter of time that he finds out," Romano said. "And he should be able to sense something wrong with his neighbour."
"Shall we go?"
"I thought we're laying low?"
"…True. But it might be a good opportunity to see if we can identify any of our new playmates."
"…We can't go. Doesn't mean that our fratelli can't go. And we've got the others there as well. And in the meantime… well, we have five prisoners to transfer."
Italy chuckled.
"That's going to be fun," he said.
…
The leader pursed his lips as he read the message that France had sent. Judging by the fact that Romania, Canada and Damjan had received the same message, it was safe to say that every nation received this email.
Prussia had told him that he was going to Berlin with France and Spain, so it was easy to imagine the reason for the summons. France always was a bit impulsive, especially when he was emotional. But learning of the death of his neighbour would surely upset a nation.
"What are we going to do?" Romania asked.
"We'll go as usual," the leader said. "We'll tell the Africans to go as well, though the new territories need to be made aware of a few rules."
"I don't want Matthew to go," Damjan said.
"But…" Canada started.
"Mexico will be there, and so will her allies. I don't… I don't want them to get the chance to finish what they started."
"Damjan has a point," Romania said, glancing towards the leader.
"They now know of us, as we know of them," the leader said. "We know of six definite members, and we have two that we suspect. We need to be careful of who we trust. And they should be wary of us as well."
"We also don't know how they will react to the Africans," Canada said. "They need to be careful as well."
The leader nodded, already pulling out his cell phone.
…
Mozambique listened closely to what the leader had to say, and nodded her head as she listened. Finally, she sighed.
"I understand," she said. "And I'll make sure the others understand as well. All of them."
She disconnected the call, before she went to tell the others.
…
"Okay, this looks tasty," Liberia said.
The others had returned from the beach, and were pleased to see that dinner was provided. Kenya and Sierra were standing there, looking proud.
"What are you waiting for?" Sierra asked. "Dig in."
They didn't need to be told twice, and they all took their seats, getting as much of the delicious-looking food as possible. For the moment, they didn't care that the nations that forced them into signing a contract pledging their allegiance to their cause were among them. After the long day, and the double betrayal, they were tired and hungry.
When the general excitement had died down and everyone was eating in peace, White cleared her throat.
"I don't know how many of you noticed that we had a summons," she said.
"Summons?" Namibia asked. "You mean, from your leader?"
"No, a world meeting. An emergency. France sent an email, and it looks like he sent it to every nation. He's not one of us."
"Then… do you have any idea what he wants?" CAR asked.
"Yes. He discovered Germany's body."
The room fell silent, the picture still in mind.
"So, what are your intentions?" Tunisia asked. "Are you going to keep us from the meeting?"
"On the contrary," White said. "We'll all be leaving in two hours."
"It will cause suspicion if almost an entire continent is absent," Mozambique said. "So, you'll be going, but there are rules for you to follow. You can't speak about what you've learned about us, and it's also recommended you stay quiet about Egypt's group. The contracts prevent you from speaking about it, but just in case…"
"It's not just about our plans getting out," Black said. "It's also for your safety. At the moment, you don't know who you can trust. We've identified six members of Egypt's group, and we suspect two others."
"And how do we know that we can trust you?" Congo demanded.
"We're not the ones that bombed an innocent nation's capital," Angola said. "And then it also happened to be a child nation."
"I can't argue with that," Zimbabwe said.
"How is Nkau?" Botswana asked, directing the question to Black.
"He's stable, for the moment," Black said. "He's been coughing a bit of blood, but most of the problems lie with his heart."
"Also, if you find any of your capitals bombed, come to us immediately," Morocco said. "If a nation's capital receives damage like that, then the nation can be killed."
There was a wave of alarm that swept through the room.
"Are you serious?" Chad demanded.
"Unfortunately," White said. "And because of his fragile state, Lesotho is staying here. Jeng, I trust you to look after him."
The majority of the nations were confused, until North Korea nodded his head.
"We also need you to systematically cut off all ties with nations not in this room," Black said. "As we said, we don't know who you can trust. And from what we've seen them being capable of, your safety comes first."
"I… I heard something horrifying," Kenya said. "That… America was… was cannibalised."
"That's what Canada reported," White said. "And he isn't in the habit of lying. Not to us."
There was a chatter as everyone discussed this. They had seen first-hand the callousness that Egypt possessed, and the possibility of their cruelty extending to new heights only made them worried.
"Everyone needs to be careful," Mozambique said. "We don't know what they're planning, and we don't know the full extent of their cruelty."
…
The three South Americans were together on the private plane. They had been together when they received the summons to a world meeting, and thought that it would be better to go together.
They were all looking forward to seeing their lovers again. To make sure that they were fine.
While two of them chatted with each other, the third absentmindedly rubbed his chest, where a thin scar was concealed. He had been warned of the fact that their enemies indulged in the same thing that the one who gave him the scar had.
He knew of at least one person to avoid.
He couldn't wait to pull his lover into his arms. He couldn't wait to kiss her until she saw stars. And he couldn't wait to see her, just to be sure that she was really alright.
And he knew that it was the same for the other two.
…
Bulgaria was a bit disappointed. He had called Romania to ask if the other wanted to go to Paris together for the sudden meeting, but Romania had denied his request. It was a pity. So now, Bulgaria had to go alone.
It was annoying, but if Romania couldn't go with him, then it couldn't be helped. But he couldn't help but wonder why Romania had turned down his request.
…
"A world meeting," Austria huffed, packing his bag. "Honestly, what is he thinking, calling a meeting on such short notice?"
"I don't know," Hungary said, helping him with his bag. "But he'd better have a good reason, or I'm borrowing China's wok. I don't think my frying pan will be enough."
Austria shook his head, a small smile curling his lips. He truly was fond of Hungary, and was astonished how she could be so strong. He didn't know what he would do without her.
…
Spain sat down next to France, a cup of coffee in each hand. He held out one hand to France, who took the cup and cradled it in his own hands.
"How's Gil?" France asked.
"He's locked himself in the basement," Spain said. "I don't blame him. His little brother is dead. If Miguel were to die… I don't know how I would be able to stand it."
"Who would do such a thing?" France asked. "It can't be a human, so it must be a nation."
"I don't know, amigo. But it's scary. To think that another nation would do such a thing. I mean… not even during the World Wars did I see someone kill another nation so cruelly. And the country isn't even under attack."
"Except for all those accidents. It's just like Rome told us. If a nation dies without someone to take over, and outside the normal means, then a tenth of the population dies. I never thought that I would see it for myself."
Spain bit his lip, before hesitantly wrapping his arm around France. The other leaned into the hug, and Spain had to stop himself from planting a light kiss on the other's head.
No, they weren't there yet, no matter how much Spain longed to be.
He could understand France's fear. His neighbour had been killed, and France was unaware until now. It could just as easily have been him. And it could have been Spain.
The thought made him shudder. He hoped that there wouldn't be another incident like this.
…
Prussia was pacing in the basement, trying to calm his nerves. He had heard about the news from the leader and from Lithuania. But, actually seeing his brother like that…
"Gil…"
Prussia turned to the window, which he had left open for Lithuania to crawl through.
"Toris," Prussia muttered.
Lithuania came over towards Prussia and wrapped him in a hug. Prussia nuzzled into Lithuania's neck, savouring the scent of his beloved.
"I am so sorry about what happened," Lithuania whispered.
Prussia squeezed him tighter.
"All of my brothers…" Prussia said. "Why?"
"Well, there's still Austria," Lithuania said.
Prussia scoffed.
"The two of us haven't seen each other as brothers in a long time," he said. "And when we tell everyone what happened to Lud… I know that he's somehow going to make it my fault."
Lithuania placed a tender kiss on his cheek.
"Everything will be alright," Lithuania said. "We'll find the one responsible."
"We already know who did it," Prussia said.
"We know the group. I'm talking about the individual. The one that personally robbed you of your little brother."
Prussia pulled back, seeing Lithuania smile tenderly at him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he hugged Lithuania again.
"Do you want me to stay the night?" Lithuania asked.
"Ja, bitte," Prussia said.
"Do you want me to take your mind off things?"
Prussia shook his head.
"I just need to hold you," Prussia said. "I just want to make sure that I haven't lost everyone precious to me."
"You haven't lost me," Lithuania whispered. "And you never will. If anything, I should be afraid of losing you. I've been afraid of that for decades."
Prussia felt a jolt in his heart. That was right. Ever since he was dissolved, he knew that he was living on borrowed time. And when they were both in Russia's house, Lithuania's expression would show it often. He knew that there was a good chance that Prussia would cease to exist. It was only through the efforts of their allies that he was still alive.
But now, with Germany gone, Prussia could feel the power returning to him. The land he had lost, and more. But he hadn't wanted to regain anything if it meant losing his brother. Like the others.
Prussia guided the two of them to the bed, and he and Lithuania laid in each other's arms. The door was locked, so neither France nor Spain would be able to surprise them. For a few precious hours, the two could only be with each other.
…
Italy and Romano were in the office, discussing what they were going to do. The others could afford to wait until the next afternoon or evening before going to Paris for the meeting. And in the meantime, the two leaders could busy themselves with taking care of the prisoners.
Luckily, one of their allies had a little place in a remote region of one of his territories. Not many would venture there, and all things considered, their prisoners wouldn't last long if they were to try to escape.
The two would leave first thing in the morning, taking their cargo with them. A few of the others would be accompanying them to the private airfield to make sure that none of the five prisoners tried to escape. Seborga would also be accompanying them.
"It's annoying that we have to do this," Romano said.
"That just means it's going to be more fun for us," Italy said, smirking.
