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Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 133

Botswana jumped awake when he heard his phone. He quickly grabbed the device and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hello?" he prompted, before yawning.

"Hey Sammy," Canada said. "Sorry to bother you. Is now a good time to ask your help with something?"

Botswana knew what Canada wanted to ask. He wanted to know if Botswana would be willing to use his astral projection.

"Who do you need me to find?" he asked.

"Herzegovina," Canada replied. "She's not in my country, and since Requiem already has Bosnia…"

"I see. I'll see what I can do. But if she's anywhere near Jamaica, I'm withdrawing."

He could still remember what happened when he encountered Jamaica, and how scared he was. He also remembered how Jamaica had been able to steal his voice. He wasn't too keen to run into him again.

"I understand," Canada said. "Sorry to bother you, and thank you for trying."

"You can thank me after I find something," Botswana said. "I'll call you later."

He hung up and lay back down on the bed. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to let go. He smiled when he looked down at his body, before he frowned. Now came the tricky part.

Herzegovina wasn't a nation that Botswana knew well, so he would have to track her through her own country. And that meant that he would have to try to get there first. He tried to remember the last time they had a meeting in the area. Botswana felt tired as soon as he arrived, but he knew that it was only the start. He focused on the energy of the land and tried to find the souls, or rather the nations that represented the people. He could find two threads, both of them going towards the same direction.

That bode both well and not. He could confirm that the two of them were in the same location, or at least the same direction. Botswana took a deep breath, even though his body currently did not need to breathe. He allowed the threads to lead him to their owners, worried that he would run into someone like Jamaica again.

He found Bosnia and Herzegovina lying side by side. Bosnia appeared to be content, with his arm wrapped tightly around Herzegovina's waist. Herzegovina, while asleep, appeared to only be so due to exhaustion and wasn't too happy about the situation. Botswana could also detect the fear that came from Herzegovina, while there was something not quite right with Bosnia. He almost felt like the minds of Algeria, Sudan and Nigeria. He didn't know if Bosnia could be fixed.

Still, he needed more information. He focused on Herzegovina and allowed himself to be swallowed by her mind. He also summoned her consciousness to meet him in a place where they could talk. It was imperative that she was aware that he was truly there.

They were in a courtyard at dusk. Herzegovina looked around frantically, before she turned to face him. She jumped when she saw Botswana.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm Botswana," he explained. "I'm with Alvora."

She relaxed after hearing that. Botswana gestured towards a stone table in the courtyard, and the two of them sat across each other. Botswana admired the scenery for a moment.

"This place holds significance for you," he said.

It was both an observation and a question. Her mind brought them here as a safe space, so it was important to her in some way. He also allowed her to elaborate if she wanted to in the hopes that it would comfort her in some way.

"You're right," she said. "After I was first born, this was where I lived. I would always come here to enjoy the sunset." She sighed. "So, what happens now?"

"Now I need you to tell me anything you can," Botswana said. "Who else is here? Where exactly are you? Did they tell you what they want with you?"

Herzegovina looked towards the sunset, a grimace on her face.

"They brought me here because of Bosnia," she explained. "Because something went… wrong with him. He's unstable. And he kept wanting me. Slovenia made it clear that I'm only here because of Bosnia, and that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt me if I acted out. They leave me alone most of the time, and other than Slovenia and Bosnia, I've only seen Hungary and Belarus. I think Bulgaria is here too." She looked imploringly at Botswana. "If you come to rescue me, you need to bring Bosnia too. He… I don't want to leave him alone with them. They made him that way."

"I understand," Botswana said. "I'll be sure to pass on the message. So, can you tell me where you are?"

"Somewhere in Slovenia, but I'm not sure where. I don't recognise the house."

"That's fine. I'll see if I can find the exact location." He'd been hoping to have a narrower search, but he supposed that this would have to do. He hesitated, before he took her hand. "I promise, we'll do our best to get the both of you out."

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. He could tell that she was afraid. She just needed to hang on until they could rescue them.

"I have to go now," he said. "I promise, I'll come back as soon as I can."

Her face told him that she was reluctant to let him go, but eventually she released his hand. He reluctantly pulled away, allowing her consciousness to withdraw into her mind.

Botswana stood over the sleeping Bosnia and Herzegovina again. This time, he noticed that Bosnia's hold on her was possessive. He shuddered, before closing his eyes and focusing on the location. He would need either coordinates or an exact address. Luckily he had an excellent memory during astral voyages.

…

Spain had pulled Guatemala aside and told her about the regions. She appeared sceptical at first, but soon nodded along.

"I agree that you shouldn't go alone," she said. "But… are you sure of your sources?"

Spain had told her that he'd accidentally gone beyond the boundaries of the wards, and that his dead regions had spoken to him. It wasn't a complete lie, but he still felt guilty because of the deception.

"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't lie to me," Spain said. "Or, at the very least, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't try to set a trap for me."

"Okay…" Guatemala said. "So, out of all the people you could have asked, why ask me?"

"Because there's a possibility that we might have to fight. And I know how much of a demon you can be when it comes to that. And if someone like Mexico is around, I want someone that knows how she works."

Guatemala cocked her head to the side, and after seemingly thinking about it for a moment, nodded her head eagerly.

"Okay," she chirped. "I'll help you. So, when are you going?"

"I'll just have to check with Norway, but I think about ten minutes," Spain said.

They'd already had breakfast, and the sooner he went, the sooner he was sure that it was finished. He also did the mental calculations and knew that Europe would still be asleep. If they worked swiftly, they would be in and out without Malta being aware of the intrusion.

He could still remember the threats that the regions had issued. He would not be punished. He'd left one thing out when he told France about it. They were threatening his former colonies. Those that didn't want to see him dead, like Guatemala. And he didn't want to tell her about that either. He didn't want her to feel as though she was being forced.

Spain hated himself for not investigating the disappearances as they occurred. Perhaps none of them would be dead. Perhaps they wouldn't be angry. And perhaps Requiem wouldn't be so dangerous.

…

Canada checked his phone. He saw what appeared to be coordinates along with a few other general notes and smiled. He would need to remember to get something for Botswana to thank him for all the times he helped like this.

"Did Sammy find anything?" Serbia asked.

"Oui," Canada said. "He sent us coordinates. He also says that Herzegovina asked that we save both of them, but warns us that Bosnia isn't exactly very stable."

"That's because we left him with them for too long!" Croatia snapped.

"Just let it go," Montenegro sighed. "We know where they are. Do we have a plan of attack?"

"Not until we learn more about the location," Serbia said. "Did Sammy tell you anything more?"

"He said it seemed to be in a metropolitan area, so it's not isolated," Canada replied. "But he said the place seemed huge. A manor, perhaps. He also said that Belarus and Hungary are there."

"That's not good. Even when pretending, those two were forces to be reckoned with. And Belarus has magic, right?"

Canada nodded.

"She's a fortune teller and can see ghosts," he said. "That's the basics, if I remember correctly. And after what happened with Jamaica, he'd probably be careful around Belarus."

"Right," Serbia agreed. "Still, the fact that he managed to find out who's there is already a great help. And we already know that Slovenia would be there, and Bulgaria most likely. Anyway, let's check out the coordinates first."

Canada handed over the phone, and as Serbia left the room, Canada could hear him saying how much he loved the twenty-first century. He turned his attention to the rest of the Yugoslavians.

"I know it's going to be hard," he said, "but I think you should all try to get some rest. I'm assuming you want to join us for the rescue?"

"Of course!" Croatia snapped.

"…Thought so. Go rest. These rescues aren't usually easy. So it would be a good idea to have as much energy as possible."

Croatia pursed his lips, before sighing and nodding. Macedonia looked relieved to see that he was willing to go along with what Canada said without argument. The three slowly left, probably to go to their rooms. Canada sighed, trying to figure out what he was going to do now while Serbia did some research. He felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Kosovo.

"Are you going on another mission?" Kosovo asked.

"Soon," Canada replied.

Kosovo nodded his head, a frown on his face.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Slovenia," Canada answered. "We're going to rescue Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Kosovo pursed his lips.

"Make sure that Damjan doesn't do anything stupid," Kosovo said. "He might get angry at Slovenia. And Slovenia might try to hurt Damjan. Actually, I think that he definitely would. So look out for him."

"Of course I will," Canada said. "I'm not going to let Damjan out of my sight."

Slovenia had already hurt Serbia, and he wasn't going to allow it to happen again. The vision of Lithuania and Prussia came to mind, and he also felt guilty that he wouldn't be devoting more time to funeral preparations, even though he'd already done quite a bit. However, if they managed to do this soon enough, then it wouldn't be a problem. And that reminded him that he would need to inform Portugal of what they were planning.

…

"This is it?" Spain asked.

"I used your essence to reach out to your regions," Norway said. "And this is where it led me."

"…It's a dump," Guatemala stated.

"I'm not going to argue with that."

The building in front of them was indeed in a sorry state. It was a small shack with windows broken and the roof caving in. Moss had started to grow on the wood. The door was non-existent. Not only did it look dangerous, but anyone who saw it wouldn't entertain the thought of there being anything valuable for one second.

Norway stared at the building for a moment longer before he went ahead. The other two didn't stop him, curious to see what he was planning. He went into the building and stopped.

"There's a trapdoor in here," Norway announced.

"Hopefully they're down there," Spain said, following after Norway.

The three stared down at the rungs leading downwards a few seconds later. Norway used magic to summon a ball of light, providing some illumination. Though the bottom was still shrouded in shadow.

"So, who's going first?" Norway asked.

"I will," Spain said. He was glad he decided not to bring his axe. That would not have worked.

Going down was difficult. Norway had to dispose of the light in order to climb as well. Spain started to feel his arms growing tired and wondered when they would reach the end. He wasn't quite prepared for when it came, though.

"Ouch!" Spain exclaimed. He'd stepped a bit too harshly. "Found the bottom!"

Spain moved away as the others called out their own affirmatives. He heard something. He moved deeper into the room he found himself in, fumbling around for a light. He managed to find a switch and flipped it on, and his blood simultaneously boiled and froze.

The room was large, but the cages along one of the walls were small. Far too small for the children curled up inside them. The children didn't look as though they were older than ten. There were tables in the centre of the room stained with a brown liquid, but Spain instinctively knew that at one point in time the liquid had been red. There was another table against the wall opposite the cages with tools that Spain didn't want to look at.

There were more than four figures in the cages, but he could tell that a few of them were dead. Three that he could see were either sleeping or unconscious, but one of them was awake and staring at him.

"Maya!" Spain exclaimed.

Valencia simply stared at him, as though she wasn't completely ready to believe that he was truly there. Spain rushed towards the cage and picked at the lock.

"Is there a key here?" he asked.

Valencia was still for a moment before she pointed towards the opposite wall where all those tools were. Spain shuddered, before he made his way towards the table. He felt himself growing nauseous as he thought about the possibility that these were used on his younger siblings. He searched around, wincing when he cut himself on something sharp. He cried out in relief when he finally found the key. He returned to the cages where Norway was examining them.

"There's a spell on the locks," Norway explained. "It's designed to prevent lockpicking."

Spain handed the key to Norway, and Norway unlocked Valencia's cage. She hesitated when it opened, before she slowly got out. Spain caught her as she lost her balance. Her legs were most likely incapable of carrying her weight.

"I've got you," he soothed.

She stared at him with wide eyes, before wrapping her arms around him. He felt her shaking, and his heart fractured a bit when he felt her sob. It might have taken a long time, but he had finally found her.

Norway was unlocking the other cages, trying to wake up the children inside. Andalusia's eyes darted around until she found Spain, and with a shriek she launched herself out of the cage, stumbling as her legs failed to support her. Spain quickly wrapped her in his arms as she started to cry as well, hugging tightly. He held onto the two girls, offering the comfort that they obviously hadn't had for a long time.

Guatemala was staring at the room, an unreadable expression on her face. Spain suspected that she was just as horrified as he was, and was starting to absorb how dangerous Requiem truly was.

"I think we have a problem here," Norway said.

Spain turned to Norway and paled. Murcia was still breathing, but he wasn't waking up, and his breaths were raspy and shallow.

"He slept long time," Andalusia whispered.

Spain gently lowered the two girls to the ground before lifting Murcia into his arms. The boy was far too light, and Spain was worried for his general health. How long had they been down here? And how long ago had one of Requiem's nations come by?

Cantabria at least woke up, though she didn't seem to be fully aware of her surroundings. Guatemala picked her up into her arms.

"…The rest are all dead," Norway said. "I'm sorry, Spain."

He nodded, eyes falling on one of the regions that he'd seen that morning. Did Requiem leave them there to die?

"…I don't think we'll be able to get them up there," Norway said, looking at Andalusia and Valencia. "I'll see if I can teleport us out. But there's definitely something magical here. Some sort of barrier."

"Please," Spain said. "Just… let them get out of here."

…

Portugal jumped awake. He turned towards the infernal device and answered it. Romania groaned beside him and buried his face in Portugal's back.

"Ola?" he said, hoping that the other person could get to the point fast.

"Sorry to bother you," Canada said. "Requiem somehow took Herzegovina, and the other Yugoslavians want to rescue her and Bosnia too."

"And what about Toris?"

"…I already prepared the site. I also arranged for a coffin. We already asked Sammy for the location. It's somewhere in Slovenia."

"…Alright. There's still time. Just be careful. I'm assuming that you want someone to take you to Slovenia?"

"…That is one thing we're missing, yes."

Romania groaned behind Portugal, and Portugal couldn't help but smile.

"I'll ask Agewe if he'd be willing to help," Portugal said. "That's going to have to wait at least an hour or two. Too early."

"R-right!" Canada exclaimed. "Sorry! It's just… Damjan's looking on the internet for the location. We might need to do this quickly if we want to avoid a confrontation with Slovenia and the others."

"I know that it's important, but I highly doubt that you'd be able to go in and out without a confrontation. I'll see if I can reach Agewe now. And I'll see if Gilbert and Feliks would be willing to go too."

"Thank you."

Romania was not happy when Portugal climbed out of the bed, going towards Prussia's room. He had a feeling that the two nations would love a chance to go against Requiem and potentially get some sort of revenge.