Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 131

"Dammit!"

Iceland rubbed his face, glaring at the wall. He wasn't really angry at the wall, he was just mad at himself. He'd lost himself again, and if it wasn't for the wall, he would have slipped farther and farther away.

Well, at least it didn't seem as though he'd broken his nose. That was some relief.

"Are you okay?"

Iceland turned around to see Andorra, his earphones still in his ears, though he did remove one of them. He wondered how much he heard.

"How do you avoid slipping away?" Iceland sighed.

"Music helps," Andorra said. "And I suggest you don't go out alone. Why don't you join me in the garden? The fresh air might help you relax and might clear your mind."

Iceland ran his hand through his hair. It didn't seem as though he had a better idea. And he could certainly see the merit of getting some fresh air. And so he accepted Andorra's invitation.

"So, if the fresh air doesn't work, what do you suggest then?" Iceland asked.

"How good are you at crossword puzzles?" Andorra asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's just a suspicion, but I think the reason why you lose focus so easily is because you spent about two weeks not using your brain. I know what it's like to be like that. You don't even get to think. And there's no memory of it, right?"

"…No. I don't remember anything while I was… like that."

Andorra nodded. He wasn't surprised.

"The mind needs to be stimulated," he said. "Czechia says she does these 'brain training' exercises every day. Can't hurt to try them."

Iceland shrugged. He was probably right.

The next thing Iceland knew, a hand was on his wrist. He looked questioningly at Andorra.

"You zoned out again," Andorra explained. "And you almost walked into the wall again."

Iceland's attention snapped upwards. He was very close to the wall again. He'd passed by the stairs, and he shuddered to think what would have happened if he zoned out when he was supposed to go down the stairs.

"…I really hate Denmark right now," Iceland said.

…

Lebanon had decided to start cleaning Egypt's house a little. Dust had gathered, and with nothing better to do, she might as well do something useful. And honestly, she tended to get a bit nervous when she was in a messy environment.

She jumped in surprise and let out a brief scream when someone suddenly appeared in the living room. And the other person appeared startled as well.

"W-who are you?" Lebanon questioned, looking around for a weapon. She needed something better than a feather duster.

The stranger blinked in surprise before he leaned against the wall. He looked as though he was fighting off a dizzy spell. Lebanon didn't know what to do. Her eyes flitted to the entrance, where a few of the other nations came running. Israel blinked when he saw the new arrival.

"Will?" he asked, approaching the other nation. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the other said. "I just… I had to drop Vlad off at that one base of Requiem's. It's underwater, and there's some kind of enchantment around it. It took more out of me than I thought."

Lebanon still didn't know who this man was, but she started to relax a little. The familiarity with which Israel approached him seemed to indicate that he was an ally, and the use of the name 'Vlad', whom Lebanon knew referred to Romania, told her that this was a nation from Alvora.

In her defence, not all the nations knew each other. Politics, trade and geography could cause certain pairs of nations to interact very rarely with each other. For example, before all of this mess with Requiem and Alvora began, she never even spoke to half of the African nations (that she could recall, anyway). And just a few days ago, she was laughing and joking with them.

"Sorry for startling you," the new arrival said, startling Lebanon. "I guess we haven't met yet. You're Lebanon, right? I'm Wales."

Her eyes widened in recognition and realisation.

"You're the one that's with North Korea," she said.

Wales smiled, before turning towards Israel. He opened his mouth, but Israel seemed to already know what Wales was about to say.

"Jeng's still on his way," Israel said. "So you might as well help us. We're going through Egypt's office to see if we can find anything useful."

"Alright," Wales said. "Could I at least just have some tea first? As I said, the magic I used was quite draining."

"Of course. I think Egypt's got some. Why don't you go sit down?"

Wales nodded gratefully before walking to the nearest piece of furniture. Lebanon watched him, still feeling embarrassed by her reaction. Israel turned towards Lebanon and smiled.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed," Israel said. "It can be startling when someone suddenly teleports in front of you."

She felt her face heat up, but accepted the opening that Israel offered her. And most of the other nations had already trailed off to other parts when they realised that there was no danger. With the entire drama resolved, Lebanon sighed and returned to the dusting.

"…There's someone on your mind," Wales said.

Lebanon stopped before whipping her head around.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"…Sorry," Wales said. "Some of my magic is based on empathy. It's usually not that strong beyond a stronger sense of regular empathy, except when I'm tired, like now. Then some things just tend to stand out. And right now, your soul is screaming to me. It's hard to ignore. So, who's on your mind? It's someone that confuses you, and for some reason you're afraid, but not of the person."

Lebanon stared at Wales, before she groaned. She set the duster down and sat down across from him.

"…Tunisia confessed to loving me a few days ago," she explained. "And I don't know how to respond to that."

"I see," he said. "So, what's the problem with him?"

"There's not a problem. I just… I don't think I return his feelings, and I don't want to hurt him."

"There's a keyword there: think. You don't know if you return his feelings." Wales smiled. "Tell you what: why don't you try giving him a chance? Spend some more time with him in a romantic context. And be honest with him. Let him know that you're not sure if you return his feelings, but that you're willing to give him a chance to see if there could be a future between you."

Lebanon was quiet as she pondered his words. She supposed that it was sound advice. And considering Wales was together with North Korea, she suspected that he had a lot of wisdom in this regard. And even though they established that North Korea wasn't as bad as they'd thought, that still didn't mean that he was a social butterfly.

"I guess I could do that," she said. "Thank you."

Israel returned with the tea, and Wales gratefully accepted it.

"Sorry, but that's all I could find," Israel apologised.

"It's fine," Wales said. "I'm not too picky."

Lebanon smiled before she returned to the cleaning. After one conversation, she found that she could like Wales. He just seemed like a very likeable person.

…

"Are you okay?" Australia asked.

Hutt River jumped, dropping the fork. The sound of metal meeting porcelain echoed through the room. All eyes turned to him, and he turned his attention to his food. Australia was almost finished, while Hutt River had barely touched his dinner.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"Are you sure?" Australia asked. "Because you've barely touched your dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. And yes, I noticed."

Hutt River kept staring at the plate. He couldn't look at Australia. He couldn't let the nation see his fear.

"I'm fine," he repeated. "I'm just… Not very hungry today." He stood up. "I'm going to my room. Excuse me."

He tried not to run until he was out of the room. He breathed in time with his footfalls, trying to calm himself. He needed to get away from the others before they could see the guilt on his face. He didn't want any of them to know that he was working for Requiem, no matter how unwilling it was. And even if they wanted to help him, he didn't want them to get hurt.

He slammed the door shut and leaned against it. He slowly slid down, before burying his head in his knees. He didn't think that this would affect him so badly. And his mind kept going back to what he'd done that morning. The information he'd given them… What happened? Did they hurt someone there, and did he make it easier for them to do so?

He jumped when he heard a vibration. His cell phone had a loud and blaring alert tone. Which meant…

Hutt River swallowed thickly before crawling towards the bed. The phone that Seborga gave him was under the pillow, and as he suspected, there was a message for him.

Go to Brazil's capital. Give as many details as you can. Look especially at the law enforcement and any military presence.

His breath hitched. He didn't know much about what nations did when they attacked another nation, but he suspected that what they ordered him to do now was in preparation for such an attack. And while he didn't know Brazil and wasn't entirely sure which side he was on, he hated the fact that he would be complicit in such a thing. So it was with great self-hatred that he sent an affirmative reply.

He should probably wait for the others to sleep. In the meantime, perhaps he should do a bit of research on Brazil. He didn't want to go in unprepared.

…

Macedonia frowned, walking into Herzegovina's room. Due to the nightmares the other nation had been having since being separated from Bosnia, it was decided that it would be better for Herzegovina to get her own room. If her nightmares were bad enough, she could go to Macedonia or Montenegro for comfort, but Herzegovina's pride rarely allowed that.

But she hadn't seen the other woman at all that morning, and she wasn't in her room. Macedonia was a bit suspicious about the fact that Herzegovina's bed wasn't made. Herzegovina tended to be slightly rigid in this regard. Unless she was in the bathroom…

That was probably it. There were several bathrooms in the house, and Macedonia wasn't about to go to each bathroom to see if Herzegovina happened to be there. Shaking her head, Macedonia decided to see if she could get any of the others to join her at the cinema. She needed to get out of the house and she wanted a new form of entertainment. And she suspected that there were others that felt the same.

…

Herzegovina lay still in the bed, Bosnia's arm wrapped around her. She thought he was asleep, but she couldn't be sure. The moment she tried to move, he would cling to her and tell her not to go anywhere, and she was forced to settle down again. But now she really had to get up. She tried to get up, only for Bosnia to do the same thing that he'd done before.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Herzegovina said. "Please."

Bosnia looked annoyed, before he released her. She gratefully stood up, wincing when she realised how sore her legs were. She turned around when Bosnia stood up as well. He smiled, and she already knew that he was going to follow her.

"W-which way is the bathroom?" she asked.

He pointed to her left, and she quickly rushed out of the room. She could hear Bosnia following her, as predicted. But when they arrived at the actual bathroom there was a complication.

"You can't follow me in!" she yelled, pushing him away, or trying to.

"Come on, Lejla," Bosnia whined. "I don't want to let go of you."

"There are some places where a line has to be drawn!"

She managed to place enough distance between them for her to slam the door shut. She silently thanked Slovenia for having a key in the lock, which she quickly used. She jumped when Bosnia actually tried to open the door.

Once she was sure that Bosnia wouldn't break down the door, she enjoyed the few short minutes of privacy. Once she opened the door again, she found Hungary and Belarus outside, and it looked as though Hungary was scolding Bosnia.

"I don't care how much you missed her," Hungary fumed, "you can't follow her into the bathroom!"

Bosnia looked as though he wasn't really listening to her. His eyes lit up when he spotted Herzegovina. Hungary noticed this before grabbing his ear.

"Oh no," she said. "You're not getting out of this that easily. I'm not through with you yet."

Herzegovina watched as Hungary dragged Bosnia away. Belarus stayed behind, pinching the bridge of her nose as though she had a headache. She huffed before lowering her hand, turning her sharp gaze to Herzegovina. The brunette froze while Belarus examined her head to toe.

"You'll need to get some new clothes soon," she said. "I'll bring you some. In the meantime I'll let you borrow some of mine."

"Thank you," Herzegovina exhaled.

She was just thankful that the pyjamas she'd gotten for the Canadian weather wasn't too light, otherwise she would have felt even more uncomfortable.

As she followed Belarus back to her room, one question came to mind.

"Um, why is there a key in the bathroom door if you… if you have p-prisoners here?" she asked. "I-I mean… didn't you think…?"

"That you would try to hide inside while trying to look for an escape or a weapon?" Belarus suggested. "It crossed our minds. However, the alternative is unacceptable."

"Alternative?"

"The men in this house don't always think to knock when Liz or I are in the bathroom. Bosnia especially was bad while he was still under the lobotomy's effects. Slovenia didn't think it was necessary until Liz and I threatened to turn him into a eunuch if he didn't give us a means to keep everyone out. He still has a spare key, so don't even think of trying anything."

Herzegovina nodded. She was deep in enemy territory, and the only person that wasn't exactly an enemy was currently extremely unstable. She was too afraid to see what would happen if she angered them in some way. Also, Belarus was showing her some strange form of kindness, and she wasn't going to refuse it. She didn't know how likely any other acts of kindness would be in this place.

…

"Ugh, finally!"

Tunisia smiled as he shut off the car. To say that Morocco had been frustrated would be an understatement. The rash she was developing did her patience no favours, and she admitted to sensing Black at the back of her mind the whole time but still had no idea where to go to look for him. And during the last two hours of their trip, Tunisia longed for nothing more than to arrive at their destination.

After stretching a bit, the two siblings made their way to the front door. They only had to wait a little while before the door opened. Tunisia felt his chest flutter when he locked eyes with Lebanon. And her bright smile was better than any oasis.

"Good to see you made it safely," she said. "Entrez. Everyone's scattered, seeing if they can find some incriminating information. Imane, are you alright?"

"Side-effects," Morocco muttered, reaching out to her cheek. "I need a nap."

"Isn't it still a bit too soon for your hormones to take control?" Tunisia teased.

"Shut it."

"Hormones?" Lebanon questioned.

"She and a few other ladies decided to use some magic and now she's pregnant," Tunisia explained. "And combined with Black being gone, the side-effects of the magic potion and the long travel, she's a bit cranky."

Morocco glared at him before stalking off. In all honesty, he was only teasing her because he didn't want to think about seeing Algeria again. And the hatred with which she had looked at him.

"I'm actually glad you're here, Asim," Lebanon explained. "I wanted to talk to you."

There was a trapeze artist in his stomach swinging about. What could she want to discuss with him? Unless… Did she think about his confession a few days ago? Had she made up her mind?

Lebanon led him towards the kitchen, where it seemed they were guaranteed some privacy. He avoided looking at her eyes, focusing instead on her lips.

"…To be honest, I don't know how I feel about you," she confessed. "I like you as a friend, but… I've never thought about anything more."

The trapeze artist missed. Down, down he fell. Tunisia could already feel the ice in his veins as he realised that Lebanon was about to turn him down.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

He could feel his heart breaking. However, Lebanon's raised hand stopped him from continuing.

"Like I said, I don't know how I feel about it, and I never put much thought into it," she continued. "But… that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give you a chance. We could… See if it works. Go on a few dates or something."

As it turned out, there was a safety net. The trapeze artist was already climbing back up, not about to surrender. Tunisia's face brightened.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"I am," Lebanon replied, her own smile blooming.

…

Spain gasped, a pain in his head forcing him awake. Unbidden, he rose to his feet and went to the entrance of the tent. He could feel his panic growing, and hoped that France would remain asleep.

There would be no interruptions, England's voice whispered from within his mind. We have work to do.