Thanks to FerayEs and AquaEclipse for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 104
"So, let me get this straight," China said. "Four nations are pregnant? I thought it was supposed to be impossible."
"Normally, it is," Xia clarified. "The four of them must have done something to bypass those rules. This is, without a doubt, the greatest violation against the laws of nations ever committed. But what the effects will be, we have no idea. Not even they know how to react to that."
"Should we put a stop to it? I mean, what if they take advantage of that?"
While he didn't exactly enjoy the idea of attacking unborn babies, if it was something they had to do to restore the peace of the world, then he would have to do it.
"At the moment, no one can do anything about it," Zhili said. "Any attempt to approach the mothers with malicious intent will send you flying. No, something decided to protect them, but what exactly it is, we have no idea. It's in a completely different domain."
"So in other words, the mothers can't be hurt, and by extension, neither can the babies," China said. "Who are they?"
"I believe their names are South Africa, Morocco, Angola and Sierra Leone," Xia replied.
"All of them are Alvora nations," China muttered. "Only those four?"
"Yes, only them. It's only been a few days, so they themselves are unaware of their conditions."
Which meant at least four nations were untouchable for the next nine months. During that time, they would have to pay close attention to everything that was happening, and if there were signs that they were planning to use the children in some way, then they would have to make a plan with them.
"So there's nothing much we can do about them," China said. "Still, this is… surprising. So… what else?"
"You'll need to warn the nations with you to be aware of nations that you know to be dead," Xia replied. "There are very, very few who will treat you with anything remotely resembling amity. Or at the very least, few have the intention of treating you kindly. They blame Requiem for their fates, and they blame other nations for being unable to prevent their fates. Those that managed to survive are also in danger."
"Basically, the only ones that you can trust are the ones that died of natural causes," Zhili said. "Or as natural as is possible for a nation."
"But it all goes back to Requiem," China sighed. "If we manage to destroy them, do you think it would be better?"
"Hard to say," Xia said. "They might back off if all of them are dead, but they might still want to reclaim what they feel should be theirs. And we have no idea what would happen to a nation killed by one of them."
China could only imagine. What would happen to nations that were killed by dead nations?
…
"This is probably the easiest job," Yemen remarked.
Botswana nodded in agreement. He was accompanying Yemen and Oman on their invasion course from the Red Sea. It would still be a few hours until it was their turn, but at least they didn't have to worry about using some sort of complicated nation magic.
Botswana was in the middle of a stretch when his phone started to ring. He frowned in confusion when he noticed that it was Portugal calling him. Could it be that they had already managed to rescue France?
"Hello?" he greeted.
"Sammy, I'm sorry to bother you, but we need help," Portugal stated. "Garcia was captured by Requiem."
Botswana and the other new members had gotten into the habit of calling the Alvora nations by their human names, though there were still many who they weren't close enough to and who they needed to learn the names of. But Ecuador was someone who Botswana had somewhat grown close to due to being Angola's lover. He could only imagine what her reaction would be when she heard about what happened to Ecuador.
"You want me to track him down, right?" Botswana asked.
"If you can," Portugal replied. "But it's gotten a bit more complicated than that. There are traces of a Blood Vow."
"And that means…?"
"It means he made some sort of deal with Peru, and if he violates the terms of the deal, then he'll be in an incredible amount of pain. If possible, I want you to see if you can find out what exactly is involved in the deal and report back to me, alright?"
"I'll try, though I can't guarantee anything if he's awake."
"I understand. At the very least, you'll be able to tell us where he is so that we can rescue him if possible."
"Of course. There's still time before it's our turn, so I'll get to work right away."
Yemen watched him as Botswana stood from his post. The Middle Eastern nation narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Don't tell me someone's been captured again," Yemen said.
"Garcia," Botswana replied. "I'll go see if I can find him."
"I'm starting to wonder why they didn't recruit you sooner," Oman commented. "You do a lot for Alvora."
"Not enough," Botswana muttered.
Botswana didn't think that he would ever be able to do enough for Alvora. Even before all of this, he had been one of the luckier African nations, but he still had his problems. And he'd thought of many ways in which he could help his fellow Africans, and that was also limited for many reasons. When Alvora came, he originally only signed up because he was worried about being invaded. The South Africans in particular were closest to him, and he knew that if they got really serious, then they would be a force to be reckoned with. But the more time he spent around Alvora, the more he noticed the positive changes, and the general camaraderie. It was rare these days to see any of his fellow Africans with a stressed expression on their faces, current invasion notwithstanding. And Alvora's nations were to thank for that, and the fact that they used humans for many of the changes definitely helped. It was refreshing to see humans in power that didn't have their own agendas in mind.
He'd actually spoken to his new president chosen by Alvora, and found him to be a pleasant individual. He was also surprised to learn that the man was descended from many of the Bangwaketse children that had been taken away during the Mfecane. His ancestors were lucky that White had been able to extract them. Apparently this happened before Black became a member.
He learned that in many cases, the humans that were entrusted by Alvora to restore a nation to an appropriate level were descendants of victims of war or persecution. If not for Alvora's interference, those ancestors would have faced slavery, exile or death. And so the descendants were also grateful to Alvora, because if not for them, they wouldn't have existed.
One didn't always realise the scope of violence until one was forced to face the reality of the matter.
He was grateful for all the things Alvora had done, for him and for the others. So he felt that whatever he did, it wouldn't be enough. But if he could play a part in rescuing captive nations, then he would gladly help.
…
Ecuador had been taken to a room that was surprisingly comfortable, if not a bit drab. They told him that he would be moved soon, and he had a feeling he knew why. Alvora had a habit of finding prisoners, and this was obviously an important base for them. Possibly the main one. They didn't want Alvora to come to this place in particular.
He was surprised that they didn't interrogate him yet, but knew that it would come eventually. Until then, there wasn't much to do.
He yawned as he felt the stress of the preparations for the invasions and the rescue catch up to him. As long as the others were alright, he supposed that he could rest for a while. With one more thought about Angola in his mind, he curled up and went to sleep.
…
Jamaica drummed his fingers in annoyance as San Marino continued to check on everything going on with the invasions. It was a good move, he had to admit. They were all a bit shorthanded, and the fact that they didn't know where the next strike would come from made them all a bit paranoid. They did manage to acquire information that there were armies waiting along the borders of the African nations, but they also noticed that not everyone went forward when the borders were crossed.
The only thing they could really be sure of was that the next wave always came the next hour.
Whoever organised all of this, Jamaica had to respect. He wondered if it was possible to persuade that nation to join Requiem. If not, then they would definitely be punished for all of this.
It didn't help the general atmosphere that they now knew that Denmark and Switzerland were dead. Jamaica had used his magic to check on matters, pleased that his magic allowed him to go about his business undetected, because Canada was also still there.
He would admit, finding out that Canada was an enemy had stung a bit, and also made him a bit worried.
There was nothing much for him to do now, especially with San Marino so distracted. He supposed he could attempt to interrogate Ecuador, but without Peru's consent, there was little to be done. If he was asleep, perhaps…
That reminded him, he should probably go help Greenland with Kiribati. The girl was kept sedated to avoid what happened with Belize, and it was hard to track her progress. Jamaica should be able to help with that, and hopefully it wasn't as disastrous as his attempt to help with Belize.
He didn't know what it was, but he highly doubted that it was Belize's own mind that conjured all of that. He and the other magical nations would have to do a bit of research at some point.
Perhaps they were a bit premature. They were supposed to be prepared for everything, but because they neglected to consider one thing, all of this was going slower than intended. They didn't have many conquests under their belts, but Alvora certainly did. They would have to fix that soon.
San Marino sighed, and Jamaica stopped his drumming. The European turned to him and arched an eyebrow.
"Are you bored?" he asked ironically.
Jamaica grinned.
"Just a little bit," he said. "Why, am I annoying you?"
"Quite a bit," San Marino replied.
"Well, how are you going to stop me?"
"I slipped Ecuador a bit of a sedative. He should be asleep by now. Why don't you entertain yourself? Peru wouldn't have to know, as long as you don't hurt him."
Jamaica grinned.
"That sounds like a fine idea," he said.
…
Botswana was pleased to see that Ecuador was, in fact, asleep. That made things easier. He focused on the South American, and soon he found himself in a field, where Ecuador and Angola were sitting together under a tree, chatting amiably.
Oh, this would be hard.
"Garcia," Botswana called out.
The dream shattered, and Ecuador and Botswana were alone. The South American turned to him with a blank expression. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"I suppose I should have expected this sooner or later," he said. "Just wish it wasn't so soon. This is the closest I'll get to seeing Angela for… for a while."
"Miguel suspects that you may have made a deal," Botswana said. "Well?"
"…He's not wrong. A Blood Vow. Requiem had instructions to capture one of us. They don't care much about Regina, so they wouldn't have a problem with torturing her. Roberto would have been a total wreck, seeing as the nations surrounding us were almost all cannibals, and he had a bad experience with the process. And can you imagine how bad it would have been if they captured Miguel or Vlad?"
Botswana grimaced. Romania was a powerful magic user, and considering Requiem had a fondness for brainwashing, he could imagine what might happen. And if the leader was taken… That might have been a victory for them.
"So, you sacrificed yourself for the others?" Botswana asked.
That didn't surprise him, to be honest. Their loyalty was one of the things that drew Botswana to become more than just a protectorate.
"Pretty much," Ecuador said. "The terms of the deal were that the others could leave for safety, and that Angela is unharmed. They also can't hurt me without Peru's permission. And in return, I go with them willingly and don't try to escape. That means that I can't even allow myself to be rescued."
Botswana flinched when he heard that.
"Angela's not going to be very happy about that," he remarked.
"I know," Ecuador sighed. "But can you at least tell her that I won't stop thinking about her? That I won't stop waiting for when the two of us can be together again?"
Botswana nodded.
"Of course," he said.
"Well, well. That explains so much."
The two jumped. There wasn't supposed to be a third presence here. A moment later, chains burst out of the ground and wrapped around the two of them. They both struggled against their bonds before the intruder made himself known.
Botswana knew that Jamaica was adept at dream magic, and it was a stronger version of Botswana's own. That made the current situation a lot more frightening.
"So, astral projection," Jamaica said, focusing on Botswana. "That would explain how Alvora has a tendency to find our bases. So, they decided to use you to track down their missing friends. And what do you get in return?"
"I get to thank the nations that improved my country, as well as the countries of my fellow Africans," Botswana spat.
Jamaica looked surprised for a moment before he burst into laughter.
"That's surprising!" he exclaimed. "But I guess, at the same time, it isn't. You always were someone that cared more about other people than for yourself. A pity no one really appreciated you before. You were basically Africa's Canada."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Botswana stated. "If one considers how prosperous and peaceful Canada's people are."
Jamaica appeared to be a bit taken aback, and his eyes narrowed.
"You've definitely grown more of a spine," Jamaica said. "Makes me wonder what you would have been like if we'd managed to recruit you as well."
Botswana swallowed nervously. They'd learned well enough that Requiem used 'recruit' as a euphemism for 'brainwash'.
"Now, what to do with you?" Jamaica taunted. "I can't just let you leave here. Then again, I can't keep you inside Ecuador's head the whole time. Oh, and those chains are designed to keep you from fleeing."
Botswana knew that. He could sense the magic behind it. And that made the situation more terrifying. He couldn't escape, and he was confronted with an enemy that had similar, though stronger, magic.
"Oh, I know what I can do with you!" Jamaica exclaimed after a while, a decidedly evil look on his face. "And it's going to be so much fun."
"I get the feeling that you and I have different definitions of 'fun'," Botswana remarked.
"No, stop it!" Ecuador exclaimed. "If you want something, we'll give it to you, just don't hurt him!"
"And what can you give under these circumstances?" Jamaica taunted, cocking his head to the side with an amused smile on his face.
"…Information. If there's something you want to know, I'll tell you without hesitation, just let him go."
Jamaica turned to Botswana again, smirk still in place.
"It would seem that they consider you to be quite valuable," he said. "Alright, fine. This invasion of yours… pretty clever, in my opinion. Who is the strategist that decided on these tactics?"
Ecuador and Botswana exchanged a look. If Ecuador was serious about telling him without hesitation…
"White South Africa," he sighed.
"Really?" Jamaica asked. "Then again, there are similarities between these tactics and guerrilla warfare. Alright then, a deal's a deal, I suppose."
The chains disappeared, but before Botswana could do anything, Jamaica grabbed him by his throat.
"The next time I see you near our territory I will not be so lenient," he hissed. "And I'll be keeping a close eye on the astral realm from now on."
There was a burning sensation where Jamaica's hand touched Botswana, and a moment later Jamaica pushed him away, effectively expelling him from Ecuador's mind.
Botswana gasped as he woke up in his own body. He could still feel a prickling sensation on his throat, but that didn't matter at the moment.
He managed to learn that, indeed, Ecuador had made a deal with Requiem, and he knew why. That was what mattered. There was still the matter of him not being allowed to escape, and he did not want to be in Angola's vicinity when she found out. But at least they weren't allowed to hurt him without Peru's permission.
So now they had to hope that Peru didn't give his permission.
First things first, he needed to call Portugal to let him know about the situation with Ecuador. He waited for a few seconds with the phone pressed against his ear.
"Sammy, did you have any luck?" Portugal asked as soon as he answered the phone.
Botswana opened his mouth to reply, except no sound would come out. He continued to try, but he couldn't even get a squeak out.
"Hello?" Portugal prompted.
Botswana's hands went up to his throat. He immediately knew what had happened. That tingling sensation he'd felt when Jamaica grabbed his throat. It all made sense now.
Just as Egypt stole Black's sight, so did Jamaica steal Botswana's voice.
Botswana is the least corrupt African nation, and even over here in South Africa, we don't hear much from them. So, at least for Southern Africa, he's a lot like Canada.
