Thanks to ZadArchie, TheLobster and AquaEclipse for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 10

After failing to find either Italy brother yet again, the four of them set off, after having a quick lunch. They knew that Italy wouldn't mind. Or, at least Spain and France didn't think so.

Portugal and Prussia were starting to have their doubts.

While France had been preparing lunch, Portugal had skimmed through a few more files, and he grabbed several others to read later. But now, they suspected that Italy was a member of Requiem.

They didn't know if Romano was involved as well, considering that they hadn't included their own brothers in Alvora. The two of them had considered it at some point, but after seeing Spain as a Conquistador and Germany as a Nazi, they knew that their brothers were too vulnerable mentally to be a part of their group.

Portugal had placed the files recovered from Italy in his briefcase, which he had brought for the meeting. He and Prussia would wait until later before they examined the files, specifically to see what Requiem had in mind for their allies and other friends.

Dominican Republic found himself on a plane with the other Caribbean nations. The only exception was Puerto Rico, who wasn't an official nation and thus not invited to the meeting. However, he had been called and informed that they would all be going to Jamaica's place. For the time being, they felt that it would be wise to stay together.

He looked around at the others, and most of them were sleeping, but he frowned when he saw Haiti busy with something. It looked like clay.

On that note, Haiti's been quiet ever since the meeting. Actually, he was quiet even before the meeting. Considering how infuriating Haiti tended to be, especially towards DR, it was a bit disconcerting.

Not to mention, DR had actually gone searching for Haiti at the latter's room, but he wasn't there. Considering the lateness of the hour when DR had gone looking, it was more than a bit fishy.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Haiti was hiding something, and he didn't like it.

Bhutan awoke with a start. He had dozed off on the flight, but apparently he had had a nightmare.

"You okay?" Nepal asked.

Bhutan looked over towards the other nation, seeing him watching him worriedly.

"I'm fine," Bhutan said, smiling. "Just a bad dream, I guess."

Nepal stared at him for a moment, before shrugging and closing his eyes. Bhutan wasn't sure if he was sleeping or meditating.

Bhutan leaned back in his chair, his breathing having eased a bit. He tried to think of what his dream was, but his skin started to prickle. And he grew more worried.

He had a limited amount of precognitive ability, mostly manifesting through dreams. He also knew that Laos had prophetic dreams, but he could at least remember everything in detail. Bhutan only had a few sensory clues.

Like now… His attempts to think back on the dream made his skin react. And he was familiar with this particular sensation.

Fire. He had experienced a fire in his dream. But, did it mean a place being burned, or that he would be burned?

He remembered what the South Africans had said about being bombed. Did it mean that more nations would suffer the same fate?

He shuddered, before looking over to the others. The thought of any of them being attacked… No, he didn't want to think about it.

Lesotho was curled on his side, fast asleep. He mumbled when someone shook his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see North Korea.

"Sorry to bother you," North said. "Themba called to tell me that they're coming back from France. He also wants to know if you would rather stay here or go back to your own country."

Lesotho frowned. On the one hand, he would prefer to be back at his own home. On the other, he was afraid of being attacked again, where he was alone. Vulnerable. At least the others took care of him when he was hurt.

"I think I'll stay for a while," Lesotho muttered.

North looked surprised, but he nodded his head and brought his phone back to his ear. Lesotho closed his eyes and snuggled into the bed.

A week ago he wouldn't have thought that he'd grow to like North Korea. The other wasn't as intimidating as he first appeared. He was rather withdrawn, but overall nice.

Either way, he knew that he couldn't trust everything that he had believed. North was right. Looking at the surface was misleading.

Bahrain opened the front door, and once he was near his couch, he collapsed onto it. He didn't like travelling too much. Especially if it involved a world meeting. The meaningless gatherings of nations that led nowhere.

However, he supposed that this time, it could be forgiven. The revelations were very important. A capital city being attacked, nations being killed and others turning up missing. And the whole world was paranoid. And with good reason. The thought of another nation being behind this…

Sure, they didn't always get along, and they had a bit of a brutal history. But even during wars, no one hated each other that much. No one would kill a fellow nation in cold blood.

Or, that's what he thought.

He knew that all that he could do for the time being was to wait for anything else to happen, and he hated it. He didn't really like feeling helpless. And that's what waiting around made him feel.

Unless he actually had an idea, prompting him to take an active role, there was nothing that he could do. This was just depressing.

Mexico, along with most of the South Americans of the group, were on their way to a certain ally's house. They couldn't go back to the main base in Vatican, not with Spain and the others going through the country in search of the nations, so they needed to get to another location.

Not that they were complaining. They knew that something fun was going to happen.

They knew from their conversations with Alvora that an alliance between their two groups was impossible. Not that they were really hoping for one in the first place. They didn't really want to share the spoils of the coming war with anyone else.

Then again, Mexico suspected that it would be the case ever since learning that Canada was a member of the group. If there had been the slightest hope, then he would have said something as soon as she revealed himself. Instead, he had kept quiet about it.

She still wondered how he managed to escape from her. Oh well. They would find out soon enough.

She felt arms encircle her waist, and she looked at the other woman snuggling up to her.

"What's on your mind?" Argentina asked.

"Well, Italy and Romano shouldn't have wasted their breath on the order that we should see if we can make friends with them," Mexico said. "If there was a chance, then Canada would have said something when I confronted him."

"I guess you're right."

"Would have been nice to think about that earlier," Venezuela scoffed. "Though, I have to say, Colombia didn't look comfortable at all about our eating habits. But it's more than disgust. I think there's a personal reason."

"And if there is one," Chile said, "then we're going to exploit it."

Mexico chuckled.

"I think tearing them apart will be more entertaining than bathing the rest of the world in red," she said.

Alvora's African and South American members were returning to the Durban base. Considering the amount of damage control that the two South Africans had to do, it was understandable. Morocco and Angola were fine with handling the situation from a distance. It also helped to have everyone in one location.

The South Americans mostly went along to be with their lovers, but there was more to it. Colombia was uncomfortable with the idea of running into Venezuela again, and he was the only one that she was sure of. If there were more… Not to mention, the thought of their neighbours being cannibals made them sick to their stomachs. They were also nervous for their other neighbours, who were innocent to this madness.

They also needed to get the other Africans to sever all ties, but it would be best to do that slowly. They didn't want the rest of the world to know exactly what was going on. Not yet, anyway.

For now, they needed to focus on getting the rest of the continent under control. They might have signed the contracts, but there was still much to do.

Still, there was some good news.

Kenya, Ghana and Benin – the three African nations that knew about their activities despite not being part of their group – decided to officially join them. They felt just as uncomfortable by the callousness displayed by Egypt's group, and decided that, should a war break out, it would be best to be with strong allies.

"It's strange that Serbia didn't want to come," Croatia said. "I mean, isn't he usually the one trying to get us all together?"

Slovenia shrugged. He, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina were in the same car, while the others were in their own cars. They were heading to Slovenia's house, where they felt that it would be best to have everyone together. With the exception of Serbia. Even Bulgaria was joining them.

Slovenia couldn't help but feel suspicious of Serbia. Everyone was in a panic, worried about the fact that several nations were dead. And Serbia insisted on being on his own. He didn't even take Kosovo with him, and considering how strict he was with Kosovo, it was extremely unusual.

Out of all the times for Serbia to act out of character, why now? Was he involved in some way?

Canada was watching the news when there was a sound like clinking glass, accompanied by a faint flash of light. He turned to see that Romania had apparently used his magic to teleport into the room, and he wasn't alone.

Canada grinned when he saw his lover, and he stood from the chair to wrap him in a hug.

"Damjan, I'm glad you're back," Canada said.

Serbia smiled as he returned the hug, kissing Canada's cheek. Romania cleared his throat, and they turned to regard the other nations.

"Sorry," Canada said.

Poland simply rolled his eyes. Someone else, however, went to hug Canada.

"I heard you got hurt," Moldova said. "Are you okay?"

Canada smiled as he patted Moldova's head. The child had joined their group a few decades ago, and they felt it refreshing to have a child in their midst.

"Hey Alex," Canada said, before turning back to Serbia. "Novak isn't with you?"

Serbia shook his head.

"The other Balkans thought it best to stick together," Serbia said. "Novak went with them to keep an eye on them."

Canada nodded his head in understanding. Kosovo might have been young, but he was more than capable. The real reason why Serbia kept a close eye on Kosovo was because he was still young and inexperienced. And Serbia still had much to teach him.

For the most part, they allowed the humans to do whatever they wanted. Occasionally, they would step in when they didn't approve, or use the situation to their advantage. But more often than not, they would go behind their governments' backs. Which was how Moldova made it a habit of spending the weekends with his brother, unless Romania had other business to deal with.

Canada looked over the others.

"So, how did the meeting go?" he asked.

"Well, in short, everyone knows that Germany, England and Japan are dead," Romania said. "China volunteered to go look for America, while Russia volunteered to check on you. Everyone is paranoid about the whole thing."

"Like, I don't blame them," Poland said. "We totally don't know everyone involved with them. Like, imagine if it turned out Bulgaria was a member."

Romania winced.

"That would be unpleasant," he said. "I rather like him."

"Oh, and France and Spain decided to look for the Italy brothers, and dragged Gilbert and Miguel with them," Serbia said.

"Good," Canada sighed in relief. "They should be able to protect him."

"Like, I'm more concerned about when France and Spain will get together," Poland said. "Like, it's totally obvious that they're into each other."

"Obvious or not, it's not that simple," Romania said. "The two of them are still bound by their politics. Not to mention, they have history together. It's a bit harder for them to let bygones be bygones."

Canada smiled. Seeing his friends like this made the past few days seem like a distant nightmare. However…

"What happens now?" Canada asked.

Everyone was silent, and the light-hearted atmosphere from earlier disappeared.

"Everyone's paranoid," Serbia said. "This hasn't happened before. And the possibility was raised that the deaths were caused by nations. China happened to mention that the method used to kill Japan was specifically a method for nations. No one even knows who to blame."

"Like, we know who to blame," Poland said.

"But we can't expose them," Romania said. "Doing so would risk exposing ourselves. Even though we're not guilty of murder, we did deceive the world."

"The ends justify the means," Canada said. "In the end, our efforts will be best for all nations."

"If only we can get everyone else to see things our way," Serbia sighed. "I managed to see a few of the Africans, and they're still mistrustful."

"Like, I can't blame them," Poland said. "So, is there something to eat?"

"I baked some cookies," Canada said, before looking towards Romania. "I hope you don't mind. I was starting to feel restless."

Romania gave a small smile.

"Of course not," he said. "And I don't think Feliks minds either."

As Romania had said, as soon as he heard that there were cookies, Poland was out of the room like a bat out of hell.

"I don't see how this will help," Iceland said as he opened the front door.

It was Denmark's idea to get as far away as possible from Germany, where the nation had been killed. Considering the fact that Denmark was Germany's neighbour, the others couldn't blame him.

"This is far enough away," Denmark said.

Iceland sighed, before leading the way inside. The other Nordics scattered, having their own rooms in Iceland's house. They had their own rooms in everyone's houses.

Iceland shook his head, before massaging his temple. Already he could feel a headache forming, and they hadn't even been here for an hour.

Armenia felt her eyebrow twitch as she listened to Azerbaijan and Georgia arguing. And to think, it was Georgia who suggested that the three of them stay together.

Knowing that the two of them would argue (or at the very least bicker), Armenia had volunteered to drive. And she was finding it incredibly difficult not to stop the car and strangle the two of them. Then perhaps she could have some peace and quiet.

She actually found herself missing the days of the Soviet Union. At least then, the two of them had refrained from arguing as much as possible out of fear of upsetting Russia.

Israel massaged his temples, staring at the nation across from him. The nation that he had to ask to remain behind to allow him to explain the situation.

Oman calmly sipped his coffee, occasionally stealing glances to the nation sitting next to Israel. Israel had wanted to spend some extra time with his lover, and since he had remained behind, it was the perfect time, especially since most of the others were already gone.

"I take it you know about what's going on?" Oman asked.

"That's right," Israel said.

"And are you responsible?"

"No," Israel's lover said. "There was another group."

"Really? What are the odds of there being two secret groups among the nations?"

"How many secret societies are there among the humans?"

Oman paused, before he shrugged.

"Probably true," he said, before his posture relaxed. "What is this about?"

"We thought it best to warn you of the danger," Israel said. "And to ask you again if you'd be willing to join."

Oman had been approached a long time ago, but he turned them down. Still, he didn't have a problem with their ideals, other than the fact that they were ideals, and so had kept their existence a secret.

"I don't think I want to join," Oman said. "…How dangerous are the others?"

"We've confirmed that at least two of them are cannibals," Israel's lover said.

Oman choked on his coffee. The other two couldn't help the small smiles that played on their lips. Although Oman tried to act dignified, he didn't exactly have the grace.

"Please tell me that's just an exaggeration," Oman said. "Like the Europeans during the Age of Discovery?"

"Unfortunately, no," Israel said. "For one thing, we had a North and South American confirm it."

Oman shuddered.

"And… I heard about…" he started.

"He's a bit nervous," Israel's lover interrupted, knowing where Oman's train of thought was leading him. "And he's not letting Anika out of his sight."

"I don't blame him," Israel said. "After what almost happened to him…"

Oman shuddered again.

"…I'll think about it," he said at last. "Just… Tell me who to look out for."

"I suggest you don't trust anyone," Israel said. "But, if you want names… Mexico, Venezuela, Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea, Libya, Ethiopia, and we suspect Switzerland and South Korea."

"Switzerland?" Oman repeated. "He would break his rule of neutrality?"

"If it even existed in the first place," Israel's lover said. "For all we know, it could have been a farce. Like Apartheid."

Oman swallowed thickly, before nodding his head.

"I'll be careful," he said. "And… I suggest you are too. Because I have a feeling that a conflict between your groups would be coming soon."

"Let's hope you're wrong," Israel said.