Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 117

Spain woke up with a huge smile on his face, and he even offered to help with breakfast. China was still a bit out of commission, at least as far as Hong Kong and the others were concerned. The fact that China had kept everyone in the surrounding tents awake only confirmed to everyone that he needed to get more rest, much to his dismay. But his heart and lungs had suffered from the attacks on his cities, especially Beijing, so it was to be expected, and something like this wouldn't be easy to recover from. Saudi Arabia was still a bit feeble, despite the damage he sustained being far less than what China experienced, so they had more reason to convince China that he should remain in bed.

The reason why Spain was so cheerful that morning was because France was saved, and if all went well, then he would be seeing France that same day. He would be able to hold him again. He would be able to help France deal with the trauma he doubtlessly suffered from.

Of course, some of the former French colonies were also eager to see France, but Spain had a feeling that some of them were more interested in scolding him for making them all worry, and Spain was tempted to join them as well.

He looked up when Vietnam approached him, looking as though she hadn't slept much. He cocked his head to the side before checking to make sure the sausages weren't burning.

"What's up?" Spain asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

"Not 'bothering', exactly," Vietnam sighed. "But I am concerned about something. You said that they managed to get France back. But are you sure that… he's alright?"

"What do you mean? If you're still worried about Alvora…"

"I don't think that group would be stupid enough to hurt France, considering your brother's the leader, and they would know how you feel about him. I'm just worried about France being, you know, not France."

It took Spain a moment to understand what exactly she was saying. She was worried that France had been subjected to the same brainwashing that Taiwan had been subjected to, and since she was pretty close to the younger girl, Spain could tell that it was bothering her.

"I don't know," Spain admitted. "But I get the feeling they were too busy torturing him. So, I think it's mostly just the torture he needs to recover from." Spain scowled at the thought of all the things France had gone through. "Believe me, I will do my best to help him recover."

"I know you will," Vietnam said. "I just hope they haven't messed with his mind."

"…Si. Me too."

Botswana entered the ship's kitchen, where Yemen was already working on coffee. It was still early, so it was a bit surprising to see him up. But then again, based on Yemen's arched eyebrow, it was surprising to see Botswana up as well.

"Shouldn't you still be sleeping?" Yemen asked.

"I can't," Botswana said, wincing at the sound of his voice.

Romania had been kind enough to undo Jamaica's spell. Unfortunately, it still had some effect on his larynx, and he tried to limit the words he spoke until he was sure that it was better.

"Would you like a pen and paper?" Yemen asked, to which Botswana nodded.

Botswana waited for Yemen to return while thinking about his night. First, he had to help Malaysia and the others figure out if Singapore was still in the same place, but when Botswana realised that she was in the same place where Jamaica was, he kept his distance. He did not want another encounter. Next, he had to help Morocco track down Black, only to find that he was somewhere in Egypt that he couldn't pinpoint with the Requiem nations. And then he had to help Angola determine whether or not Ecuador was still in the same place. He was relieved to see that he was no longer anywhere near Jamaica, but instead somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

He had to use his astral projection a lot, and in two of those cases… He promised himself that he would remain single so he could avoid worrying someone when something happened to him.

And now he had the unpleasant job of relaying the information to the other nations. For that, he would need to have some coffee. Preferably with a strong shot of alcohol included.

Yemen returned with the pen and paper, and the Middle Eastern nation crossed his arms.

"So, why can't you sleep?" Yemen asked.

Botswana wrote down 'astral projection', along with the names of the nations that asked him to do so. Yemen raised an eyebrow.

"So, what are the results?" he asked.

Botswana wrote all of that down again, and Yemen winced when he read it.

"Did you tell them yet?" Yemen asked.

Botswana shook his head, before pointing to the coffee filter. Yemen nodded his head in understanding, before he went to make a cup for Botswana. The Southern African proceeded to write something else down, and when Yemen returned he read it. Botswana wanted to know why the other nation was awake.

"I had a nightmare," Yemen explained. "Something really weird. I can't even remember most of it anymore."

Botswana winced, but as long as it was an ordinary nightmare, he supposed that it was alright. Unless there was a hint that Jamaica had a role to play in it. Then he would be worried.

When Sweden woke up, he had no idea where he was. The only reason why he didn't immediately start panicking was because he was in a comfortable bed, a far cry from the mattress he had been sleeping on in Denmark's dungeon. He tried to think back on what happened before he died, but things were a blur.

The only thing he could really latch onto was the arrival of Finland's allies.

So, did that mean that they were with Finland's allies? And what about Norway and Iceland? And what about that micronation?

He hated being unsure, so he got out of the bed, relieved to see that he wasn't shackled or anything. He also noticed that the windows weren't barred, and the door wasn't locked. The fact that he wasn't restrained like a prisoner already helped him relax a bit.

He froze when one of the other doors opened. Prussia stepped out, pausing when he saw Sweden.

"You're awake," Prussia said.

It disturbed Sweden to hear the other speaking in such a morose tone. In fact, Prussia almost looked dead inside. Sweden swallowed, trying to think of a good question to ask that could help him with his confusion.

"What happened yesterday?" Sweden asked.

Prussia winced, and if possible, he grew even more depressed.

"The person I love died," Prussia muttered.

Sweden's eyes widened, recalling how Prussia was with Lithuania. So…

"I… I'm sorry," Sweden stammered.

"Well, at least both Switzerland and Denmark paid," Prussia said. "By the way, bathroom's here, if you want it."

Sweden nodded, though it wasn't immediately important.

"Where's Norway and Iceland?" Sweden asked.

"In their own rooms," Prussia said, vaguely gesturing around. "They'll probably be up soon. In the meantime, I can lead you to the kitchen. Get some coffee."

The idea of coffee sounded nice. And it would definitely make sure that he would see Norway soon enough. And after being dead for quite a while, getting caffeine would certainly be a great help. He followed Prussia, smiling when he saw that there was already coffee being brewed. However, he was surprised to see Poland sitting there with a mug cradled in his hands. Poland didn't look like his usual self. He looked as though he hadn't slept in a few weeks.

"Hey," Poland greeted, eyeing Sweden. "Good to see you're awake."

Sweden nodded in greeting, wondering what was going through Poland's mind. As he was fixing his cup of coffee, Prussia sidled up next to him.

"Feliks is in the same boat as me," Prussia whispered. "He and Tino were together."

Sweden froze when he heard that. He slowly turned to regard Poland, understanding the look in his eyes now. Poland was watching him, and it was clear that he knew what Prussia had told him.

"I… I'm sorry," Sweden said. "How… how long were you two…?"

"Like, over a century," Poland sighed. "And I hope you totally realise how much I hate the fact that you called him your 'wife'."

Sweden winced. Thinking about it now, it might have been a bit overdone.

"Just so you know, I wouldn't have if I knew he was with someone," Sweden said. "I just… I guess I… When the two of us left the Kalmar Union, I was afraid of going alone. And… I guess I started calling him that as a way to keep him with me."

Poland huffed.

"Like, you could have just told him," he said. "Like, he wouldn't have left you alone if he knew that you were afraid of that."

Sweden grimaced, before nodding.

"Ja, I suppose you're right," he said. He turned his attention to Prussia. "So, I'm assuming we had a victory otherwise."

"If you're talking about what happened at Denmark, ja," Prussia said. "Some of our other campaigns didn't go so well. Well, New Zealand's capital is destroyed, and so is Eritrea's. Somalia and Ethiopia's capitals are going to be attacked today, but the biggest problem is Egypt. At this point, destroying his capital isn't going to do much, so the best we can do is get a few of our allies there. But at least two of our members were captured and… Well, we have no idea what happened to Timor."

"Is he missing or something?"

"Nein, nothing like that. It's more like… He's been cursed by something and we have no idea what it might be. He's been spitting out blood until late last night. And we can't say it's Requiem, because some of their members were affected too."

"Like, I think they know something," Poland insisted.

"But getting a confirmation out of them is going to be tricky," Sweden said. "If they have some new weapon, then they're not going to tell us about it."

Sweden realised what exactly he said too late. He included himself as part of their group. He didn't know if Prussia or Poland understood the implication, or thought about it as being more than he said. But that got him to start thinking.

They were fighting against Denmark's allies. He didn't know much about what had happened in this new war, but he knew that Denmark had his royal family executed. He completely disorganised Sweden's country. He wanted to help his country get back to the way it was as best as he could, but he also wanted revenge for what they did. And he wanted to prevent other nations from suffering the same fate.

Perhaps, just to be safe, he would first have to observe them and decide if it would be best for him to join their cause, and if they could be trusted. He also had to thank them for helping them get rid of Denmark. He also needed to thank the micronation for helping them get free. Christiana, right?

Before anything else, he would need to discuss the matter with Norway. Since the other Nordic was in the same boat as him, he would be able to think along the same lines that Sweden was, and the two of them could decide what was best for them.

Angola pocketed her phone. She'd asked Botswana to give her any details he could with Ecuador, and he had delivered. And now she would have to use the information.

She went up to Afghanistan, who was checking to make sure that Djibouti was alright. Luckily, the worst was over, and they wouldn't be using Djibouti's access to the other nations' lands to hurt them.

"I think you guys can handle it from here," she told Afghanistan.

"Huh?" Afghanistan questioned. "Where are you going?"

"I asked Sammy about Garcia. He's all alone in enemy territory. I'm going to him."

Afghanistan and Djibouti both frowned.

"So… are you going to help him or something?" Afghanistan asked.

"I can't rescue him," Angola sighed. "It's part of the vow. He will experience a great deal of pain if he tries to break the vow. No, Sammy told me that he's completely alone. No one from Requiem is with him. I could… I could at least keep him company."

Afghanistan's frown deepened.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said.

"I hope so too," Angola said. "But unless Peru dies, Garcia can never be free, and I don't think he would like it if his brother died. And I would rather be a prisoner with him than be without him."

Afghanistan shook her head.

"I don't know whether or not I respect your devotion," she said. "But I'll tell the others, if you want to. And I'll tell Portugal."

"And I'm sure he's going to chew me out for that," Angola remarked. "Thank you."

She turned around, removing a pocketknife. She made a small cut on her thumb, frowning when she heard a strange buzzing in her ears. She shook her head and focused.

"Rodauce," she whispered.

It wasn't the first time that she used this spell, but there was something different about it now. She felt dizzier than normal, and the sensation in her stomach was even stranger. She fell to her knees, and it took her a moment to realise that she was straddling someone and that her hands were positioned on either side of a very surprised Ecuador's head.

"Angela?!" he exclaimed.

Instead of celebrating her victory, Angola pushed herself to her feet, before she could do something that would make Ecuador do something he rarely did: get angry.

"Bathroom," Angola gasped.

Ecuador must have seen that it was an emergency, because he also jumped to his feet and started to lead her away, towards what appeared to be a regular bathroom. Angola felt the bile rise a few times, and she had to try her best not to gag. Gagging would make things worse. They barely managed to arrive at the bathroom before her gag reflex decided that it would no longer be denied. She managed to reach the toilet just in time.

She could feel Ecuador rub soothing circles on her back, and she was glad to have him. The thought of losing him… No, that wouldn't happen. She was with him. That was what mattered. When it was all over, she went to the sink to rinse her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Ecuador asked.

"Sim," Angola gasped. "I just… I was a bit… I don't know what happened. The spell never made us feel this sick."

"I know. I guess I should just be glad you didn't throw up on me. Now, Angela, explain what you're doing here."

Angola smiled as she cupped his cheek.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I came to be with you. And before you lecture me about how dangerous this would be, it's part of the vow: No harm is to come to me."

Ecuador's eyes widened, before his face softened. He pulled Angola into a gentle hug.

"Idiot," he muttered. "And now we're both trapped here."

"But we're together," Angola said. "Anyway, are we completely alone?"

"Si. We're also in the middle of the ocean – literally – so we can't go anywhere. They left food here, and they're going to come back in a week. Or… a week after they brought me here."

"You were only captured yesterday. So we have about six days before they'd come back. And that would be enough time to get to know this place, and find out where all the hiding places would be."

Ecuador smiled, before the smile fell and he shook his head.

"This is still risky," he said.

"Would you rather be here on your own? How long before you go crazy?"

"…Fair enough. But how long before we get tired of each other? There's not much to do here."

Angola smiled, before pecking him on the tip of the nose. She almost chuckled when she saw him scrunch up his nose, and she knew that he was barely resisting the urge to scratch.

"Are you saying that you would get bored with me?" she asked. "Because I would never get bored with you. But if you're really worried about cabin fever, I can just use the spell to get something else to keep ourselves busy."

"After what just happened, I don't know if I want to risk it," Ecuador sighed. "But I would never get bored with you either."

They laced their fingers together, and Ecuador brought their hands up. Angola smiled as Ecuador started to kiss each of her fingers, before he exhaled and pulled her closer.

"I'm actually very happy you're here," he whispered. "I was so scared that I would never be able to see you again."

She hugged him tightly.

"I was scared of that too," she said. "I was scared that they would torture you. I was scared that… they would try to brainwash you."

The moment was ruined by the familiar sound of Angola's phone. Well, at least they knew that they could contact the outside world. She pulled it out with a frown, before flinching when she saw Portugal's name.

"…Angela, who knows that you're here?" Ecuador asked.

"Afghanistan and Djibouti," she admitted. She answered the phone. "Ola, Miguel."

"…Angela, do you mind explaining what you're doing?" Portugal's voice asked from the other end, and she could tell that he was trying to hold back some emotion.

"If Vlad was in this situation, what would you have done?" she demanded.

"That's… Things are complicated."

"How?!"

"…We found out that the potion works. Vlad's just going to verify one last time, but a goddess designated to protecting pregnant women confirmed it."

Angola's eyes widened. Could that be why she was so sick after using the spell?