Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 120

Pakistan and Palestine were sitting together outside the base. Egypt had explained that there was a glamour on this place, making it impossible for anyone to see the huge complex that combined ancient and modern, at least until they were in the range of the place. It would not be funny if a vehicle were to drive straight into the complex.

Like the ones that had passed by the previous day.

Pakistan could recognise military vehicles anywhere, and after confirming with Egypt, they knew that there were nations there. But the nations didn't find them, and the gods protecting the place didn't have to smite anyone. Still, it was close. Pakistan had asked about the boundaries of the glamour and had sat down right next to the invisible line. He had felt a breeze as some of the vehicles passed.

Now, though, they just wanted to get away from the tense atmosphere inside the base. Eritrea was still freaking out over Libya, and any time someone came too close he would snap at them. It didn't help that his own land was being attacked in addition to the worry. Ethiopia and Somalia were also not in a friendly mood due to the attacks they suffered as well, and Ethiopia was still a bit resentful of all the electrical jolts he had gotten the previous day. The others were disappointed that they didn't get a chance to have fun with their enemies, but everyone was also concerned. After all, Eritrea wasn't the only one that worried about Libya. And whenever someone got particularly close to a certain room, they were all reminded of the fact that something beyond their knowledge or control was going on.

Asides from all of that, Pakistan knew that Palestine was feeling just as overwhelmed as he was. Yes, they'd both experienced war before, but nothing like this. Nothing that required them to completely ignore their nation duties in order to focus on their own plans and desires. Pakistan didn't even have to say one single word to his military. If they needed to use his army, then the humans would follow their command without question. It was nice, but strange.

They also didn't share the same bonds as the others. They had been involved for far longer, and were comrades in this great and terrible secret. And to Pakistan's disgust, even the 'new recruits' – the nations that had been brainwashed – were programmed to see the other members of Requiem as old friends.

To be honest, it disturbed Pakistan a bit. If Requiem wanted to, they could have lured any nation to the Washroom, and they could have proceeded to reprogram every single nation to be a loyal member of Requiem. In fact, how did he know that they didn't attempt that in the past? How many of Requiem's nations were actually there of their own free will? And, should he ever express too many doubts about their methods, was there a chance that they might have locked him in one of those rooms as well?

It was that question, above all else, that made him uncomfortable with the other nations of Requiem. The only one he could really connect to was Palestine, and he suspected that she had the same concerns as well.

It was strange. The two hadn't spent a lot of time together before they both joined Requiem. Most of their interactions had only been a few pleasantries. Now, though, they were almost always together. They were united by common circumstances. But even now, they were mostly silent, instead just enjoying each other's company.

Pakistan had also noticed Greenland watching them contemplatively, and considering the situation between Myanmar and Algeria… If she even thought about sending them to one of the rooms in order to make them an official couple or something, then Pakistan would defect. He didn't know where he'd go – he doubted either Alvora or the others would welcome him – but he was not going to allow anyone to reprogram his mind. Perhaps he could join Sri Lanka… Last he heard, Sri Lanka and Maldives were isolated from everyone else. He wondered if Requiem had a plan for those two, but figured that since the two of them were on their own, and since there were bigger problems to deal with, the two weren't considered worth their time.

His thoughts then drifted over towards his family. Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan… He knew that they probably knew by now, and they must have been so disappointed in him. He knew that they had all broken off their official relations, and if they were to meet again, he was sure that they would react to him with fear. He wouldn't let it bother him. He promised it wouldn't. But would it?

He wanted them to understand that his end goal was to improve all of their lives. He didn't want them to hate him, and he hoped that they would come to accept his choices. And no, he would not allow Greenland anywhere near them. He would convince them the proper way.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kugelmugel asked. "I mean, Scotland told us that we shouldn't go anywhere because it might not be safe."

"Come on," Sealand said. "We're nations! We can handle anything!"

In Kugelmugel's mind, he could see Austria just lying there, the dried blood spreading out from him, and just the sense of emptiness he felt when he looked at him. He knew instinctively that Austria was no more, and he could feel his own situation changing.

He didn't know if it was good or bad.

He also didn't think that it was a good idea for them to be there, to be honest. They were in the small bit of land that Ladonia called his own. It was rare for them to actually go there, especially if it was raining. Ladonia could go a fair distance away from his laptop, but if it rained he was in trouble.

Sealand cupped his hands around his mouth, and Kugelmugel knew what he was going to do a second before he did it.

"Hey, Ladonia!" Sealand called out. "We came to see you!"

They waited as Sealand's voice echoed, but there wasn't a single reaction. Not even a frustrated curse. Kugelmugel frowned, before he headed over to the driftwood structure while Sealand tried calling again.

It was on the other side of the structure that Kugelmugel felt a scream rip from his throat. He could do nothing but stare as he heard Sealand coming closer, yelling out to him and demanding to know what happened. The moment Sealand stopped next to him, though, a scream was ripped from his own throat.

They wished that the smashed laptop was the worst they could find. There was a small body lying next to it, and the head was missing. Kugelmugel still recognised the clothes, and he knew that Sealand did too. And that made this even worse.

Ladonia was dead. Murdered. And Kugelmugel and Sealand had lost a friend. But still, who would murder a micronation? Who would kill a child like this?

The fear built in Kugelmugel again. He could almost imagine Ladonia's killer coming up behind them and killing them too. But nothing could be heard except for the sound of crashing waves. No footsteps.

"W-we should get out of here," Kugelmugel stammered. "Before… before something happens to us too."

Sealand only stared at what was once their friend, but eventually he slowly nodded his head.

"W-we should check in with Seborga," Sealand said. "H-he would know what to do."

Kugelmugel could only nod. In their group of friends, Seborga was the oldest, and also had the most experience in the group. He might have an idea about what to do regarding… this.

"This is ridiculous," China huffed.

"Have you healed?" Taiwan demanded, her arms crossed and eyebrow arched.

China glared at her, before averting his eyes. He hadn't. His capital was nuked. And he knew what it would mean for him. If he was attacked and received a fatal injury, then there was a chance that he could die. Permanently.

He wondered if his siblings knew about that. It would certainly explain why they were fussing over him in his current condition. Either that, or they were giving him a taste of his own medicine. Knowing them, they weren't above doing so.

"Thought so," Taiwan said. "Chio said you'd be very vulnerable like this, and if anyone wanted to, they could kill you right now and you wouldn't be able to wake up. Ever. And… We don't…"

China flinched. So, they did know.

"You know, I think that's the closest you've ever come to saying 'I love you'," China joked.

Taiwan glared at him, her face turning an interesting shade of red. China smiled for a brief moment before the smile fell.

"I'm well aware of my current predicament," China said. "But I still need fresh air. And unless you think that someone in the camp wants to kill me, I think I'll be safe."

"Well, you never know," Taiwan said lamely.

"Mei, we both know that out of everyone in this camp, you're one of the people who have the most to gain from my death. Not to mention the fact that you're one of Requiem's sleepers. And still, I trust you."

Taiwan flinched at the blunt statement. She hesitated for a moment longer before she sighed and nodded her head.

"I guess some fresh air would be good," she said. "But the moment it looks like you're about to collapse, I'm bringing you back inside and you don't move for the rest of the day. Deal?"

China sighed, but a light smile tugged at his lips. He nodded his head.

"Deal," he agreed.

Seborga was on his way back to his bedroom, a cup of coffee in one hand and other hand in his hair. His brothers were stressed, and by extension, so was he. Alvora was a proper headache, and he was trying to think of a way to help his brothers to deal with this headache. Sadly, though, no solution was forthcoming.

He yelped as something jerked him, forcing him to spill the coffee all over himself. He felt arms encircle his waist, and before he could look down to see who they belonged to, he heard a familiar voice.

"Marcello!"

Seborga felt his patience plummet as his annoyance skyrocketed. Great. Just what he needed. Sealand was desperate for attention. Which meant that he needed to pretend to be the perfect big brother figure the other micronations saw him as, because he couldn't harm him because the UK brothers might get on their case, and considering the UK was Ireland's baby, Seborga didn't think it would be appreciated if he hurt Sealand and upset the others.

It took him longer than it should have to realise that, first of all, there was a second pair of arms circling his waist, and second, the arms were shaking. When he looked down, he saw both Sealand and Kugelmugel, crying and terrified.

"H-hey, what's going on?" he asked. The confusion was genuine.

"W-we went to L-Ladonia and…" Sealand stammered. "H-he's dead! A-and his head's gone! His head's gone!"

Seborga stared blankly for a moment. Right, he had forgotten that Denmark had ordered Christiana to kill Ladonia, but as far as he knew, Christiana had to take Ladonia's body to be beheaded by Denmark. Did Denmark order Christiana to dump the corpse in Ladonia's territory, or did Denmark do it himself?

And then, the gears in his head started turning. He started to think of a way to use the current situation to their advantage, and he had to hide a smirk as he got an idea. Instead, he pulled the younger two gently away from him and knelt down.

"Listen, there's something you need to know," he said. "The world is at war now. There's this evil organisation, Alvora, that's going around killing people. I guess we now know that they're killing micronations too."

"What?" Sealand asked. "So… A-are they the ones who k-killed England?"

"And Austria?" Kugelmugel piped up.

"Si," Seborga said, nodding his head. "They're pure evil. They want to kill as many people as possible, and those they don't kill, they want to make slaves. I don't think… Scotland and the others know about this. They could attack at any moment. You need to warn them, or they'll kill you all."

The younger two shakily nodded their heads before disappearing. Seborga straightened, finally allowing that smirk to spread across his face.

"Damn," a voice interrupted his victory. "Sometimes I forget how good you are."

Seborga whipped around to see Romano, a pleased grin on his face. Seborga smiled.

For most of the Requiem nations, micronations were considered nuisances. They were a sign that they didn't have full control over their humans, and they would either be forced to submit to Requiem's will, such as Christiana, Elleore, Filettino, Glacier Republic, Tavolara and Whangamomona, or completely destroyed, such as Aramoana, Fredonia, Icaria, Sbarre and Rose Island. Seborga was unique in the sense that he was not only a willing participant in Requiem's plans, but eager. It surprised his brothers at first, but once they got used to the idea, Seborga proved to be a valuable asset. Among other things, he could convince a few other micronations to complain about their nations, providing quite a bit of information for Requiem.

"I just hope that Ireland can use this to his advantage," Seborga said. "We'll need more magic on our side."

"Agreed," Romano huffed. "We're going to discuss our next course of action. You coming?"

Seborga nodded his head and followed after his brother.

Norway approached Portugal while everyone was clearing the dishes away after lunch. Knowing what the blond European would most likely wish to discuss, Portugal waited for a moment.

"So, I thought about what you asked," Norway said. "And while I would like to fight against Requiem, I see your point about protecting the others. And I guess protecting potential targets would be a good way to fight against them."

Portugal beamed.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "If I give you the general location, could I ask you to take France along too?"

Norway glanced over towards the other blond, who was staring into space. He'd only had one or two bites of his lunch, partially because Norway suspected he was still injured, and partially because Norway knew that France had a late breakfast. He nodded his head.

"I don't see any problem with that," he said. "I can go now, unless there's anything else?"

"Wouldn't you like to pack some clothes first?" Portugal asked. "And I think that France would like some new clothes too."

"…That might be a good idea."

"We're going to have to punish Alvora for their latest scheme," Italy said. "So then, any suggestions?"

The other nations were silent for a moment. Peru huffed.

"We have Black South Africa," he said. "Can't we use him in some way?"

"Not until we have Libya back," Egypt said. "He's our best means of getting to him. Until then, we shouldn't risk anything. And besides, we shouldn't hurt him too much. We might need his abilities at some point."

"Good point," Italy sighed. "He would have to be careful. His power can be very useful, and we already have an advantage over Alvora simply by denying them that power."

"To be fair, I don't think they've used that power, considering Botswana was the one they used to find Ecuador, and you'd think Angola would have demanded that from Black," Jamaica added.

"He's very inexperienced, and I might have scared him from considering that possibility," Egypt said. "So Alvora hasn't had a chance to use him properly yet."

"Let's forget about Black for the moment," Romano said. "And Ecuador's out too. But I think we should see about White South Africa. After all, she is the one responsible for all the invasions yesterday."

New Zealand narrowed his eyes and grumbled.

"That being said, her current… predicament makes it hard for us to attack her," Italy said. "And we don't know if attacking their land will have any effect on her. Which is why we're going to attack someone else who's precious to her." He turned his attention to Korea. "You said it was Brazil, right?"

Korea nodded and smirked.

"He's definitely the father of the baby," he said.

"Not to mention, he's one of Portugal's former colonies," Romano said. "And if I remember correctly, Portugal was extremely protective of Brazil."

"Well, he was a bit of a cry baby when he was little," Mexico smirked.

"Then it's settled," Italy said. "It might take a few days, but we will launch our first true attack on Brazil, and we will not stop until every major city has surrendered or crumbled."

Wales stumbled into the kitchen, seeing his brothers already there with some sort of takeout. Scotland glanced towards him and arched his eyebrow.

"You've been asleep a long time," he said. "Does it have anything to do with you and Pat going to the pub without me?"

Wales glanced towards Ireland and shook his head.

"It's not a hangover," he said. "I had some work to do and only managed to finish at three."

"You're seriously doing work?" Northern Ireland asked.

"It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil if you want to call yourself a nation. By the way, where are the little ones?"

As though on cue, Sealand and Kugelmugel popped into the kitchen – quite literally, actually. Wales jumped in surprise, and it was only a few seconds later that he realised that the two of them were panicky and in tears.

"What's going on?" Scotland asked.

"We… We went to see L-Ladonia, but he was…" Sealand stammered. "And then Seborga… And… There's this huge war going on! And there's an evil organisation behind it all! They killed England!"

"And Austria!" Kugelmugel added.

Wales felt himself go cold, and he turned to look at Ireland. The other appeared surprised as well, but Wales knew his brother well enough to know that the gears were turning in his head.

This was not good.

I actually used Google Maps to get a good idea of what Ladonia looks like. Not bad. I also used Wikipedia's list of micronations to get the names, so if there are any other micronations that would fall under Requiem's territory, I apologise for not adding them.