Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 135

Slovenia was busy cooking breakfast, making a separate dish for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He needed to keep Bosnia happy, and he knew that Bosnia wanted to keep Herzegovina happy, in his own warped view, at least. And Bosnia would think that giving Herzegovina her favourite food was a way to make her happy.

Slovenia couldn't help but think that Bosnia's mind was similar to that of a child at the moment. A child that could easily throw a tantrum if he didn't get what he wanted. Their task now was to mould Bosnia's mind to still be dangerous, but to at least have the semblance of sanity, and to be able to think at least somewhat rationally. He also needed to focus less on Herzegovina, but now that she was there, his obsession with knowing where she was could lessen.

He looked up when someone else shuffled into the kitchen. It wasn't too surprising to see Belarus up and about so early in the morning, but there was something about the look on her face that unsettled him. She was frowning, her eyes darting around as though she was looking for something.

"Morning," he greeted. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," she replied. "Something feels wrong. I think… something's going to happen today. And… Tell me, do you smell blood too?"

Slovenia frowned, sniffing the air, before shaking his head. If Belarus had the scent of blood as part of a premonition, then he understood that it was important for them to be cautious. And if it was going to happen today…

"Is it Alvora?" he asked.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But… it's definitely something important happening today. I think, just to be safe…"

"We're going to have to prepare for a battle," he said. "Wake the others. Breakfast would have to wait."

Belarus rarely got a premonition that made her feel strongly about something, but when she did get it, it was never wrong. They would have to prepare for a difficult day.

…

"So, this is the place?" Scotland whispered.

"I can definitely sense nations in there," Serbia replied. "And I think one of them is Slovenia. He has a stronger signal, which would make sense if this were his land."

They were positioned in the backyard of a large multi-storeyed house. They could see movement through the windows, but they were too far away to see who was moving around, and they were also hidden behind trees and shrubs to prevent anyone from seeing them. Scotland turned to Haiti.

"You know, I'm impressed you managed to get us here," he said. "I didn't think you had that much magic."

"There's a lot you still don't know," Haiti said. "Such as Will teaching me a thing or two."

"Like, you can talk shop later," Poland scolded. "We need to get in, get Bosnia and Herzegovina, and get out."

"But if we can get the Requiem nations while they're still off-guard, that's a bonus," Prussia pointed out.

"It's scary when the two obsessed with vengeance are the voices or reason," Serbia sighed. "So, are we going to try the backdoor?"

"I don't think it's wise," Haiti said. "Wooden house, wooden door, and it looks a bit on the old side. I don't want to risk making too much noise."

"So, does that mean we're going to try a window?" Croatia asked.

"Looks that way," Serbia said. "I'll go first and see if it's safe. I'll signal you, and then I want Agewe to come first."

"Good luck," Macedonia whispered.

Serbia gave her a quick smile before he darted towards the closest window. He waited for a moment before he peered inside, seeing that it was some sort of study. He signalled to the group and Haiti followed after him, crouching down beside the window as well.

"Can you tell if there's an alarm?" Serbia whispered.

"No alarms," Haiti said, holding out his hand. The hand had a faint glow to it. "But the window itself is locked. I just need to… there."

The two of them slipped their fingers under the window and pushed it upwards. Serbia turned towards the others and signalled them to wait, before he climbed through the window. He paused before tiptoeing to the door, hearing movement further inside the house but nothing nearby. He signalled to Haiti that it was safe, who then signalled to the others to come. Serbia remained silent as he listened to the hushed voices of the other nations before turning his attention to the ceiling. Someone was moving around on the upper floor.

"Now what?" Croatia whispered as soon as he was inside.

"We need to think where they would keep either Bosnia or Herzegovina," Serbia whispered. "The basement is an option, but they might also be in one of the bedrooms, which I suspect is on the floor above us. I think we should split up in three groups: One to check the basement, the second to check this floor, and the third to check upstairs."

"Makes sense," Prussia whispered. "But if you don't mind, I'd like Feliks and I to be in a fourth group. We can keep them busy."

Serbia vehemently shook his head.

"If conflict is unavoidable, you have every right to engage," Serbia said. "But I don't want you two to do anything reckless."

"How about another suggestion?" Haiti said. "Hungary and Belarus are here. Decide which one you each are going to keep busy."

The two exchanged a look before they started to frantically whisper to one another. Serbia was relieved to see that they were seriously considering the suggestion of focusing on one enemy instead of going on a rampage and possibly getting themselves killed.

"So, how are the teams going to work?" Scotland asked.

"Serbia and Croatia are not allowed in the same team," Montenegro stated.

"Good idea," Serbia said, glancing towards Croatia. "I think… Scotland, you go with Macedonia. Agewe, you go with Croatia. Montenegro, you're with me. I think Scotland and Macedonia should try to find the basement. Croatia and Agewe, look around on this floor. The rest of us will look upstairs. Feliks, Gilbert, that means you're coming with us. I think there's a better chance to run into Belarus and Hungary up there."

The two nodded, and after one more look outside the room, Serbia signalled for them to leave. Croatia and Haiti remained behind, as Haiti had already started to rifle through the desk. Information was an asset, and Serbia could find no fault in wanting to gather more about their enemies.

…

Herzegovina snapped awake when she heard a commotion outside her room. She could hear rushed whispering, and though she couldn't make out the words, she could understand the tone. It was worried and angry, and eventually she heard Slovenia cursing. Despite not knowing what was going on, she smiled. Anything that could upset her captors was a good thing.

She frowned when the door shut and locked. Well, she was surprised that it had been left unlocked in the first place, but she quickly realised that they didn't consider it possible for her to escape without alerting Bosnia, so apparently they didn't bother to add that extra measure. But now they were locking the door. Something was going on.

She remembered that conversation she had with Botswana. Was it more than a dream? Did Serbia and the others really intend to rescue her? Just the thought of it made her smile, before she looked towards the still-sleeping Bosnia. They needed to get him away from Slovenia and the others. There was no telling what Slovenia intended to do with him, but with the state he was in, it could never be good.

…

"Dammit!" Slovenia growled, punching the wall.

Ever since Belarus warned him that something was going to happen, he heightened his awareness to ensure that he would know when another nation entered his land. And not only did he sense them, but he sensed that they were in the same building.

He should have set up an alarm system, but he had too much confidence in his control over his humans to keep them away from this place. Other than that, this was a place that only his fellow members of Requiem knew about. No one was supposed to suspect that this was a base.

Not only that, but he could sense one nation in particular: Serbia. One of the nations he hated most. And one that he still needed to repay for that night when they were all outed.

"Calm down," Ireland scolded. "Getting angry now is going to lead to mistakes."

The ginger-haired nation created some sort of orb with his magic, and they could see the people invading Slovenia's house. Slovenia frowned, moving closer. He didn't like the fact that they were in his office.

"We need to think where they would keep either Bosnia or Herzegovina," Serbia whispered. "The basement is an option, but they might also be in one of the bedrooms, which I suspect is on the floor above us. I think we should split up in three groups: One to check the basement, the second to check this floor, and the third to check upstairs."

"Divide and conquer?" Belarus asked. "That won't work if we ambush one particular group. They're throwing away the advantage of numbers."

"Not quite," Hungary said. "They're on a rescue mission, which means they want to focus on stealth. And smaller groups are stealthier than a large one."

They continued to listen to their enemies' plans. Slovenia scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"It would seem they have a personal vendetta against you ladies," Slovenia said. "Now, are we going to give them what they want, or are we going to be spiteful?"

"I think I'd like to take either of them on," Hungary said. "A bit of catching up to do, plus I want to know how Feliks is doing after watching his lover die and being unable to process it."

"And I think it would be fun," Belarus said.

"So, does that mean we're going to engage?" Bulgaria asked.

"Looks that way," Slovenia said. He looked up towards Ireland. "I believe you'd like to take care of your brother?"

Ireland smirked and nodded.

"We have some unfinished business to take care of," he stated.

"And Serbia is mine," Slovenia said, before turning to Bulgaria. "If you don't mind, could you take care of Croatia and Haiti?"

"Process of elimination," Bulgaria said. "Besides, I think we have an opportunity there. Why else would they insist that Serbia and Croatia shouldn't be on a team?"

Slovenia grinned.

"Then use whatever means necessary to take advantage of the situation," he said. "Of course, that might mean getting Haiti out of the picture early."

"I have no problem with that," Bulgaria said.

"There's a second stairway hidden behind the statue of the rider," Slovenia said. "Ireland, Bulgaria, use that to sneak down. Ladies, if you wouldn't mind waiting near the stairs? And I'll be stationed outside Bosnia and Herzegovina's room."

It was an annoyance, but there was no way that Slovenia was going to allow their enemies to claim any sort of victory. He checked his gun to ensure that it was loaded with regular bullets. He didn't want to accidentally permanently kill Macedonia. And there were other ways for him to kill Serbia.

…

Prussia hated going up the stairs. While he didn't mind it too much if one of them creaked under their weight and alerted their enemies, he hated the waste of energy they really were. If they ran into one of their enemies, then they would still be a little tired from the stairs, and they wouldn't be in an ideal condition to fight. And he wanted all the energy he had to deal with their enemies.

And when they reached the top of the stairs, Prussia's worst fear was realised: Belarus and Hungary were waiting for them, and he was already a bit out of breath from the climb. Poland stepped up beside him and growled at the sight of the two female nations.

They were waiting for them.

"You know, it's rude to just walk into someone else's home," Hungary taunted.

"Didn't stop you from kidnapping Herzegovina," Poland snapped.

"How'd you know we'd be coming up the stairs?" Serbia asked.

"Other than it's obvious?" Hungary scoffed. "Ireland has a neat little way to spy on any intruders. So then, you wanted to take on Nat and I?"

Prussia and Poland drew their swords. It was decided that Prussia would be dealing with Hungary while Poland had Belarus to take care of. He could hear Macedonia and Serbia behind them, ready to dart past as soon as they had an opening. Beyond Hungary and Belarus, Prussia could see the outline of someone. That someone was guarding Bosnia and Herzegovina. So they needed to focus on getting that person away from the door.

Hungary and Belarus drew their own swords, and Prussia knew that Slovenia was going to have to do some redecorating, if they survived. But Prussia and Poland knew the means to kill nations, and they weren't going to hold back.

Belarus was the first to lunge, and that was when the battle commenced.

…

"What exactly are you looking for?" Croatia asked. "Shouldn't we try to find Bosnia and Herzegovina?"

"I don't think they're on this floor," Haiti said as he grabbed a key from one of the desk drawers. "They're either in the basement or on the floor above. So we're going to look for something else: information."

"And what kind of information are you looking for?"

"Anything that could prove useful. Come on. There's a bookshelf there. See if you can find something that doesn't look like it belongs."

Croatia hated taking orders from anyone, which was why he had a tense relationship with Serbia. And he didn't know how he felt about taking orders from this island nation, but he supposed that he could see a method to the madness. They were in enemy territory, and any information they could gather might be useful in the future. And so Croatia turned towards the bookshelf and started to scan the shelves.

The books had titles in a combination of different languages. Croatia didn't understand Cyrillic so well, but he could recognise it. He was surprised to see a book in Serbian. There were also books in Italian and Latin, which was also strange to him. But there was only one book written in Serbian, and so he grabbed that one.

He jumped when the wall rumbled, and he was soon staring into a dark tunnel. Croatia stood motionless for a moment before he groaned.

"A secret tunnel behind the bookshelf?" Croatia scoffed. "Seriously? That's so cliché, it's not even funny."

"Well, maybe it's because it's cliché that it's the ideal thing to have," Haiti said, walking closer. "Good job. The key doesn't fit the filing cabinet, so maybe there's something in there that does match the key."

Croatia only stared inside the tunnel, still feeling as though this was ridiculous.

"I better not wake up to find that this is all a dream," Croatia groaned.

"Reality is stranger than fiction," Haiti said, summoning a glowing ball in his hand. "You coming?"

Croatia just stood there for a while longer before sighing and following after Haiti. He wondered if the hidden door would close behind them. A few seconds later, he got his answer. Still didn't stop him from jumping in surprise.

Inside, Croatia could see another office, one that was far more comfortable. And there was another filing cabinet. Haiti managed to find a light switch and flicked it on. He went towards the filing cabinet and saw that the key he found earlier fit.

"Why do you think he has a second office like this?" Croatia asked.

"I don't know Slovenia that well, so I couldn't say," Haiti said. "But take it from me, if this place was hidden like this, then it's for a good reason. There's something here that Slovenia didn't want anyone to see."

Haiti removed a folder from the filing cabinet before he settled down at the desk. Croatia turned his attention back to the room at large, wondering just what exactly Slovenia was doing there. Unfamiliar words spoken in Haiti's voice caused him to turn back to the island nation. His hands were shaking as a look of outrage settled onto his face.

"What is it?" Croatia asked.

"Plans," Haiti growled. "Strategies. And the dates… These are for the Yugoslav Wars."

Croatia rushed in behind Haiti, peering over his shoulder. His blood ran cold as he realised what these were. Every battle, every massacre, and even every argument between the nations… Slovenia planned it all. Every single life lost… Slovenia planned it! And Croatia…

He'd hated the wrong nation all this time.

Their heads snapped up when the secret door opened. Croatia's eyes widened as he waited with baited breath. If it was Slovenia, then he would demand to know about this file, but it wasn't Slovenia. It was Bulgaria.

"You're not supposed to be here," Bulgaria said, his eyes narrowed. "Slovenia's not going to be happy."

"Fuck that!" Croatia snarled. "Did you know about this? Did you know that Slovenia planned the Yugoslav Wars?!"

Bulgaria burst into laughter, only infuriating Croatia more.

"Did I know about this?" Bulgaria repeated. "Haven't you figured it out? Has no one explained it to you?" His grin widened. "Alvora allowed everything to happen, while Requiem made it happen. We planned almost every single conflict we were involved in. And the Yugoslav Wars served their purpose. So, explain why no one thinks you should be teamed up with Serbia."

"You already knew we were here," Haiti said. "And you know Damjan is here too."

"Oh, I know more than that," Bulgaria said. "I know that Slovenia's going to have a lot of fun destroying Serbia."

So, Croatia not being too familiar with Cyrillic is based on my own experience of trying to learn Croatian. I managed to make some progress (I can only understand a few words since it's been a long time since I looked at it), and I didn't see any Cyrillic, but when I glanced at Serbian, the Cyrillic was there immediately. So, my understanding is that Croatian prefers the Latin script while Serbian uses both Latin and Cyrillic.

And, considering the similarities of the languages, how Croatia could have known the book was Serbian: he recognised the author, and it was the only Serbian author he recognised.