Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 71

"Finally," Spain sighed. "We're in Madrid."

"It's about time," China huffed. "So, do you know where he is?"

Spain was silent for a moment, his eyes closed.

"Si," he said, turning to France. "Go to the Catedral de la Almudena."

France nodded his head, his lips pursing together. Both Spain and France understood what it could mean. If it was a trap set by Requiem, then there would be a lot of collateral damage. It was a popular tourist destination, and if they decided to attack…

They could only hope that Requiem had other things to do.

…

White was in the kitchen, slowly eating brunch while a few of the others explained what had happened during her state of unconsciousness. She could feel a headache coming, and she wasn't sure which factor was causing it. Or perhaps all of the factors were responsible.

"So, you're saying that Imane smothered Themba because him temporarily dying at her hand is the only way to get him to see again?" she repeated.

"Unfortunately," Khoisan sighed.

"…What else should I know about?"

"Sammy's an official member now, and he's helping Gilbert and the others out right now," Mozambique explained. "And…"

"Wait…" White said, frowning. "Hold on."

She could recognise the buzzing, and she sighed as she removed her phone, dialling one of the humans she'd left in charge of her country. A descendant of a Malay slave and a Dutch farmer, she could still remember when the woman begged her to make sure her baby had a good future. And the descendants, being among the only humans that Alvora could trust with anything.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"It's Soweto," the man sighed. "They refuse to pay the electric bills, and are upset at all the loadshedding."

"Then tell them that they're no longer getting loadshedding. If they don't want to pay, then they don't deserve a single minute of electricity. They owe more than everyone else combined. It's time they accepted that the ANC is no longer in control, and they're not getting special treatment. And if they continue to insist… I think it would be time to remind them about what their nations can do."

Khoisan frowned disapprovingly at her, but she didn't care. She was sick and tired of these humans that thought that she was their slave. It was the other way around. They lived because she and Black allowed them to live, and if they continued to expect that they could get anything without earning it, then they would have nothing.

"And what about the other municipalities?" the human asked.

"Have them do their job for once and tell them to check the records," she instructed. "Any household that's more than three months overdue will have their power cut off until their debt is three months or lower. And if the municipalities refuse to cooperate, tell them I have a bunch of schoolchildren in mind that could do their job."

Mozambique snorted, and Angola started to rifle through the cabinets.

"And if they decide to riot?" the man asked.

"Then I will personally deal with them," she said. "Themba and I have allowed them to destroy us long enough. It's time they learned that we're the ones that decide their fate. Actually… Tell Christian to call me. I have something to discuss with him."

"Of course," he said. "I'll tell him immediately."

She hung up, before drinking the painkiller that Angola had found for her. Just as she finished, her phone rang again.

"Christian, I think it's time to fix the problems the ANC caused," she said. "Starting with the death penalty. It's time to bring it back. And then we also need to restore corporal punishment at the schools."

…

Poland was the first to spot them, across the square. It was thankfully tourist season for Spain, so it wasn't too unusual to see many people of different nationalities being there at the moment. But still, some people could not be missed, especially if you knew who they were.

He felt his heart stop when he saw just how many of them had come along.

Romania and Finland noticed them as well, and they kept their eyes on their enemies. Several of Requiem's members were watching them as well, while some were scanning the crowds. Neither side made a move, and Poland knew why: they were all waiting for Spain's arrival.

Poland's eyes trailed to Hungary, and he could feel his heart clench. He wasn't particularly happy when he learned that she was a member of Requiem. To be honest, he was devastated. She had always been so nice to him, and he'd even considered inviting her to join Alvora, but now…

He wondered if it would have made a difference. He had no idea when she could have joined Requiem. Would he have gotten to her in time, or would he have revealed Alvora to Requiem by telling her? And if Romania wasn't nearby to do damage control…

He also realised that she was like a mother-figure to Italy. If Italy was following his grandfather's wishes, then it would mean that Requiem had existed long before he went to live with Austria. Before he met Hungary. And, if she was really someone that Italy liked, then could it have been in that period that he recruited her?

This uncertainty made him feel nauseous. He still wanted to think of Hungary as his friend, but how could he face her now? She was part of a group that had actively hurt members of his own group. His friends.

As luck would have it, Hungary's attention shifted to him, and their eyes locked. He actually felt a surge of fear when he saw her smile sweetly at him. It wasn't a mocking smile, or a smirk, or something that promised pain and suffering. It looked like the warm smiles she would often give him when she was consoling him in a moment of weakness. When he couldn't get in touch with a fellow Alvora nation, or when he was feeling guilty over what he was allowing his humans to do to his allies, or the hurt he felt when another Alvoran had to allow their humans to do something to affect his people, and thus him.

Prussia was probably the biggest culprit, and Poland would admit, he didn't like being alone in a room with Prussia. And he knew that Prussia felt awkward around him too. As much as possible, they tried to have other nations with them. Lithuania playing the middleman was what eventually caused Prussia and Lithuania to become a couple, though it might have seemed impossible, given their history.

But he reminded himself that it would all be worth it in the end. Once Alvora was finished, there would be no more wars. No reason to pretend to hate each other. No reason to allow their allies to suffer because of what the humans wanted. No reason to fight each other.

Poland reached out to take Finland's hand, who squeezed his in return. He was nervous too, his eyes locked on Denmark, who was staring at Finland with a cold, blank look. It would be awkward for all of them.

"Spain's close," Romania said in a low voice. "Wait until they make their move. Be ready."

"Got it," Finland said.

"Like, understood," Poland said.

…

Tibet had opted for open-eyed meditation. He wanted to calm his mind, especially after the nightmare, and he wanted to see what was happening around him.

Bangladesh had moved to sit beside him, but Tibet could see that there was something missing in those eyes. Something had happened to Bangladesh's mind.

Tibet tried not to jump when one of the nations – Serbia, as he was told – screamed as he jolted awake. He was the first to wake so violently. Even after he realised what was going on around him, he was still trembling as he searched through his pockets.

"Damjan," Prussia said. "Are you okay?"

"I-I just n-need t-to…" he stammered, before he pressed his phone against his ear.

Tibet watched Serbia intently.

"Matthew!" Serbia cried out. "Are you okay?"

Tibet could almost imagine that the person on the other end of the line was saying something along the lines of 'I should be asking you that'. He could see Serbia visibly relax, and he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face.

"I'm sorry," Serbia said. "We… We managed to get Gilbert and Raj out, but… Requiem did something to us. They messed with our minds. I thought…"

Tibet thought about the nightmares, and what Serbia must have thought. He thought that his lover was in danger.

"I'll explain everything later," Serbia said. He looked around. "I have no idea how long it would be, but… At least I know you're safe."

Tibet was happy to see that Serbia was more worried about his lover, but that also brought about another fear. What exactly did Serbia see?

Tibet looked around at the other nations. India and Israel were sitting close to each other, unable to touch. He found that to be a particularly cruel torture from Requiem. And then Lithuania and Prussia were sitting huddled against each other, as though they were afraid to lose the other. Lithuania especially had that fear. Sierra Leone had Malaysia's head in her lap, and she was worriedly waiting for him to wake up.

There were still quite a few of them that needed to wake up, and Tibet was worried, the longer things went on, that they might be too late with one of them. That one of them succumbed to Requiem's influence.

He looked towards India, who looked as though he was desperate to fall asleep again. Israel's hand was close to India's on the ground. They were so desperate for that contact, but neither wanted to hurt the other.

If anyone deserved to be called evil, Tibet was sure that it was the nations of Requiem.

…

"Here," Spain said, as France parked the car.

He could feel it. Madrid was nearby. And knowing that, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Would Madrid really have all of his predecessor's memories? Would he know who Spain was? And what would he look like? Would he look just like the old Madrid, or would he look different?

These thoughts plagued Spain's mind as he led the way to Almudena. He only snapped out of them when he realised that they had arrived, and that Madrid was there.

…And it was tourist season.

Spain winced when he saw all the people. Normally, nations loved it when tourists came. But not when they had something important to accomplish.

"How are we going to find him?" Ukraine asked, looking over the crowd.

Spain tried to focus on his connection to the capital region, and his eyes trailed to the left. He started walking closer, and he could sense the others following after him. There was a particularly dense crowd, most of them holding cameras. A tourist group. And at the very back, sneaking a wallet back into the back pocket of one of the distracted men, was a child he could sense the connection from.

He didn't know what he expected from the new Madrid, except for one thing. Since the previous Madrid was male, he assumed the new one would be too. But that was not the case.

Slipping the stolen money into her own pocket, she started slinking away. Spain followed after her, and he called out the human name of the previous Madrid.

"Cande!"

Candelario. That was the human name of the former Madrid. But he always insisted on the name being shortened. Which was why, if she shared his memories, she would recognise the name spoken in his voice.

Sure enough, the child froze when she heard his voice. She recognised it. She whipped around, and her eyes widened when she saw him.

"España…" she whispered.

She clearly resembled a younger Spain, just in female form. She couldn't have been physically older than eight, and Spain didn't even know her true age. Her hair was a bit ratty, but an attempt had been made to make it at least look less so. Her clothes were faded, and they had a few holes, if one bothered to look for them. But the most striking feature, at least to Spain, were her eyes.

The former Madrid also had the same dark, soulful blue eyes. They resembled the night sky, and that was all the proof that he needed that she was the one he was looking for.

It only lasted a moment, before Madrid decided to run away. Spain half-expected it, so he was already prepared to run, and he managed to catch her within seconds. She tried to struggle, but he wrapped his arms around her. Only with their bodies pressed so close together could he feel how bony she was.

"No!" she whined. "L-let go."

"Madrid," he said. "Why didn't you come to me before? How long have you been living like this?"

She shook her head, but he noticed that she wasn't screaming or anything. That was good, for him at least.

Then a realisation dawned on him. It would certainly explain why she wanted to keep her distance.

"I know about Requiem," he said. "And I know what happened to Candelario."

She tensed, and then she went limp. Spain pulled her closer, turning her to face him. Tears were brimming in those dark blue eyes.

"They… They would h-hurt you," she whimpered. "They're monsters."

"I know," he said. "But that's no reason for you to live on the streets. You should have come to me. We could have figured something out."

He could sense the other nations behind him, but they kept their distance, respectful of the moment between nation and capital region.

"I didn't… want you to be in danger," she said. "They do bad things to people that find out about them."

"Well, it's too late for all of that now," Spain said. "Most of the world knows about them now. And someone else has been keeping them busy."

She cocked her head to the side, and Spain smiled fondly at her.

"Why don't we go now?" he asked. "I promise, I'll keep you safe."

Before she could answer, there was an explosion of sound. The first sound was an actual explosion, and of all the places that it could have been, it had to be the cathedral nearby. Spain felt the intense pain at having an important landmark erupt in flames. He could hear the panicked screams of the humans around them, but it was the scream of the girl in his arms that scared him. This was her land too. She felt the same pain he felt. But considering how small she was, she probably felt it even worse than he did.

"Zut!" France swore. "The cathedral…!"

"We've got bigger problems!" China exclaimed.

As much as Spain resented hearing that an explosion in the capital wasn't the main concern, he had to admit, China had a point. There was only one reason why it would happen there and then.

Requiem.

Cautiously, he stood up, holding Madrid in his arms. He could feel her trembling as he turned around to see the nine nations approaching. He swallowed thickly. There were so many of them. Even though this turned out to be a trap, there shouldn't have been this many of them.

His eyes focused on the two figures in the centre. Two nations that he used to like. They were related to him, in a way, and to know that they would hurt him like this filled him with another type of hurt.

"It's about damn time," Romano said. "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

The humans were scrambling away, clearing the vicinity. That thankfully meant less collateral damage, but the damage had already been done.

The others readied themselves for battle, though they were sorely outnumbered. As it was, only one of them wouldn't have to deal with two opponents, and Spain wasn't entirely sure if he could fight. Not to mention, he had to prioritise getting Madrid to safety.

He could hear running footsteps, but that in itself wasn't too unusual, all things considered. But they were getting closer to them, and Spain decided to risk breaking eye-contact to see who was coming towards them. And his jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

"That's enough!" Romania shouted, before he, Poland and Finland positioned themselves with Spain's group.

"What?!" China exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

"I called them," France explained. "Just in case."

Spain was happy to know that France, at the very least, trusted Alvora. It didn't make him feel like such a traitor now for letting them take Andorra without consulting the rest.

The Requiem nations didn't seem to be surprised to see the Alvorans, and Spain wondered idly how long the two groups had been waiting. How much time did they allow themselves to prepare?

Judging by Requiem's numbers, a lot. He counted the nations again, and the odds were a little better, though still not in their favour.

Nine against eight.

…

Sao Tomé stumbled into the kitchen, feeling incredibly nauseous. He'd been feeling like that for a while, actually. He noticed that a few of the others were there as well, but he decided to focus on getting some water first.

"Tiago?" White called out. "Are you okay?"

He idly nodded, and he tried to smile, but a sharp pain in his left ear made him pause. Asides from the fact that there was a ringing in his ear… he was pretty sure that the pain came from his inner ear.

None of the other nations seemed to think he was alright, and Angola walked up to him. She placed her hand against his forehead, and her eyes widened.

"Tiago, you're icy!" she announced.

He didn't feel clammy or anything. Angola turned to White.

"Do you have a thermometer or something?" she asked.

"Not here," White muttered. "I can go get one."

"Hurry. This isn't natural."

The first scene featuring White is partly a complaint about what's happening in South Africa right now. 'Loadshedding' is most likely the most hated word in South Africa. I think even 'Apartheid' is more popular than loadshedding. Basically, we have scheduled blackouts. Not only is it inconvenient, it is literally ruining the economy. My local supermarket, which is a blossoming chain with three huge stores in three different towns, spends R23 000 (about 1 546 USD) on generators per hour. They can't afford not to use the generators, as there are a lot of items that need to be refrigerated. And for smaller places and households that can't afford generators… And then there's Soweto, who owes more than everyone else, but they don't get loadshedding because 'Oh, a lot of Apartheid heroes come from Soweto, let's give them special treatment!' Nice to see their fight for equality wasn't in vain.

To get an idea of how bad the loadshedding is, google 'loadshedding schedule 2020', go for the first result from Eskom. There you'll find an example schedule, along with an explanation of how to read it.

And I know it's a controversial and unpopular opinion, but this country really needs the death penalty. People aren't afraid of repercussions. The worst thing is, what, prison? People might try to lie and cheat and bribe their way out, but in the end, it doesn't really scare them. Same for corporal punishment at schools (I'm not referring to beating them – when I was at school, we were terrified of getting slapped with a wooden spoon on the palm of our hands). Kids respond better to pain when they know they did something wrong. It's how you condition them. And if they know their punishment will involve pain, they tend to think twice. Now… There was recently a story about three teachers that were attacked by students. One of the teachers was hospitalised for two days. And when I was working at a primary school, the kids weren't allowed to take scissors out of class because they actually stabbed each other with them on the playground. The same with combs. But no. Human rights are much more important than helping create a respectful society. And human rights are also much more important than human lives. And yeah, some of you might argue that there are countries doing just fine without the death penalty and corporal punishment, but unfortunately, this isn't one of those countries. And until someone here grows a backbone and decides that what the people need is more important than what they want, we're stuck with all of this. I'm not saying it's the best solution, or the only one, but that it is a solution. Because honestly, are you telling me that a guy who's been raping his daughter since she was ten can only have fifteen years of jailtime, and when he comes out he's free to rape again? Or what about the guy that recently kidnapped, raped, murdered and burned the corpse of a fifteen-year-old girl? Are you saying that after a few years in jail, he can go back to living his life? Or what about the guy that raped a three-day-old baby? Do we really need people like these in our society? In the 2018/2019 statistics, 58 people were murdered per day. Does this look like a country that fears repercussions?