Thanks to ForgottenAngerCourter, Miss Akiyata, Gort and Kodamnation for reviewing.

There's an OC in this chapter, that isn't a 2P.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 2: Familiar Strangers

Has all the pieces been assembled?

Not yet. There are still those that need to become a part of the game.

We shall wait for all the pieces before we begin to play.

…

Romania blinked in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Romania asked.

Poland sighed.

"Like, when I checked my mirror before the meeting," Poland began, "I saw a totally out of whack reflection. Can't remember whose reflection. France saw it too. And then, I saw my own reflection, but it, like, wasn't me. It almost looked like me, but it wasn't me. I know for a fact my hair isn't black, and my eyes aren't blue."

Romania frowned, before something in the back clicked into place. His eyes widened marginally.

"We need to get the other two," Romania said, rushing past Poland before locking his door. He pulled out his phone, typing a text. "If what I think is happening is happening, then we need to get going."

…

Poland frowned.

After he had shown the magic trio his discovery, they had departed to their rooms. They were lucky that their hotel was in the building next to the conference centre. Poland had watched his reflection guide the Moldova of that world to a hotel which was a fair distance away.

The more he saw, the more he hated his counterpart. He seemed to be very friendly with the child, something Felic would never be. And the child was very cheerful as well, and was full of energy. He hated the Moldovan as well, but figured that it would be best to allow Romania to do with him what he will.

And once he saw the other Romania, he couldn't understand it. The two brothers looked remarkably like each other, with one being an older version of the other. He also noticed that while Moldova had a pair of fangs, Romania only had one. What did that signify?

When he saw the two brothers' interaction, he could already imagine Marius's reaction when he saw this. He and his brother hated each other.

His curiosity was piqued when he saw the other Romania's reaction. It would seem that he knew something, and he really wanted to find out what the magic trio on the other side knew.

But, looking at the other Romania, he had to admit that the theory of them being opposites was completely plausible.

…

Marius frowned, looking at the mirror.

Ever since seeing what Felic so dearly wanted them to see, he wanted to see it himself. He wanted to see what his own reflection looked like. He wanted to see the differences as well.

But all he saw was the normal reflection. Dark hair, red eyes, and pale skin. He waited, and waited, and he was getting really tired. Just as he decided to find the other two, feeling the familiar craving, the mirror started to blur. He was curious, and finally, his patience was rewarded.

His counterpart looked a lot like Moldova. When he saw the interaction, he was filled with rage and disgust. He never wanted to see his brother treat him that way. And he was even more disgusted when he saw that the two of them greatly resembled each other.

But he wondered, what purpose did those fangs serve? They were odd, and why did Moldova have two while the other Romania had one?

He was interested, however, when the other mentioned getting the other two. Did that mean that they were going to see the other members of the magic trio? He was immediately interested, and he would never admit, curious. What were his friends' counterparts like? How different could they possibly be?

He grinned, an absolutely evil grin. He pulled out his cell phone, preparing to invite the other two to watch. If they wanted to play with the Nations of the other world, then they would have to know what they were going up against.

…

France was staring at the mirror, where he saw what appeared to be his reflection, but it wasn't. It looked like he was watching a scene from a movie or something, with the mirror acting as a screen.

The reflection was extremely unkempt. Francis shuddered at this. He was drinking wine, a cigarette in his mouth. He did not savour the wine, like Francis usually did. Instead, he was downing glass after glass, eventually foregoing the glass and drinking straight out of the bottle. Something that Francis would never do.

Wine was meant to be treasured, to be savoured. Not downed like some cheap whiskey, or rum, or…

He jumped when he heard a knock on the door. He whirled around, not seeing the reflection's eyes shift, as though to regard him. He opened the door to see Antonio and Gilbert standing there.

"Ola, amigo," Spain said. "Want to join us?"

"Since it's the last night of this unawesome meeting we decided to celebrate by going out drinking," Prussia said.

France smirked. He always enjoyed drinking with his friends, even though they usually ended up having to do a lot of explaining or paying for damage they caused.

"Oui, mes amis," France said. "Let us go."

And France never saw the change in the reflection.

…

Francois frowned.

As soon as he entered his room, and came within sights of the mirror, he had seen his reflection. There was an arrogant glint in the other's eyes, and something else that he couldn't pinpoint. Something that he despised.

When he saw that his reflection acted as though he could see him as well, Francois did the thing that was first nature to him when around someone else.

Absolutely nothing.

He noticed that the other seemed a little put off when he took note of his appearance. He also saw a glimmer of disgust when he lit his cigarette. When he took out the wine, there was almost relief in the other's appearance.

Until he saw how Francois drank his wine.

He seemed to be tortured when he saw the wine being drunk in such a way. A few times, he mentioned that wine was meant to be treasured. The rich flavour should be savoured. The beautiful art that is wine should be thoroughly analysed.

And when he started to drink straight out of the bottle, it looked as though the other was about to have a stroke.

Of course, Francois completely ignored him. But he did keep an eye on what he was doing. He was thankful for his poker face. He would never let on how much he enjoyed seeing the other's reactions.

He scrutinised the other when he turned to answer the door. He was a little surprised when Prussia and Spain came, and the trio referred to each other as 'friends'. He was also slightly disgusted with how happy the three of them looked.

The three of them didn't hate each other. Alejandro and Gilen weren't on his list of people he detested, but they weren't friends. They merely tolerated each other better than most of the others.

He was surprised when he noticed that he seemed to follow the other France, but none of them reacted, and most of the focus was on his counterpart, whom he learned was named Francis.

And so, keeping in mind that Poland wanted to involve him in his newest game, Francois simply sat back and watched as the three went to the pub. He also took note of everything the other two did.

After all, the more he knew of that world, the better.

He may not appear it most of the time, but those that knew him well knew that he was one of the cruellest Nations of the world. After all, he once took care of both Italians.

…

Romania had sent a text that he wanted to meet. England huffed in annoyance. And just when he was about to go to the pub. His Slavic friend had better have a good reason for this.

Romania had told him to meet him in the small coffee shop in the hotel. There weren't a lot of people there, as most people would rather go explore the city than go to the coffee shop in the hotel they were staying in.

The world meeting had taken place in America. Said Nation had offered that they all stayed at his house, but they had declined, saying that they would rather stay at a hotel that was closer to the conference centre. The meeting had taken place for the last five days, with their last meeting finished for the month. There would be a few meetings here and there, namely with the G8. England wasn't looking forward to it too much. And then he had a Commonwealth meeting as well, and that one sounded even less welcoming, especially if he had to consider the southern hemisphere.

Even after the Cold War ended, tensions between East and West were always a little high. But very few Nations in the northern hemisphere realised that the southern Nations weren't too fond of them. England, having to deal with several of them at his Commonwealth meetings, knew this all too well. There was a slight division between the few Commonwealth Nations in the north and the many in the south.

Just then, England noticed that three of said Nations entered the coffee shop as well. Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. And it would seem that they had discarded their suits and settled for their usual attire.

Out of the three, South Africa was the only female of the group. Her Dutch ancestry clearly shone through, but if you look close enough you would see just the faintest traces of German and French. These features were slightly masked due to her time in the African sun, making her skin a little darker than it was. She had waist-length golden hair that reminded England of the shrubbery that made up her inland. Her eyes were a different story. At first glance, they appeared green, resembling her coastal climate, but upon closer inspection one would see that the outer edges of her irises were an ocean blue, similar to the waters that bordered her land on three sides, and around the pupil it almost looked like a brown flower, which he knew represented both the arid climate of the Karoo and the Namaqualand flowers. She wore a dark green tee-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. She wore what appeared to be black ballet shoes that she would insist are called pumps. He also noticed that she had a woven brown anklet on her right leg.

He would never admit it, but he was slightly wary of the African Nation. The first reason was because she tended to suffer from severe mood swings, making her very unpredictable. The second reason was because she could hold onto a grudge for a long time. And the third reason was because of the BRICS group.

In other words, she was friends with Russia and was one of the few countries that weren't afraid of him.

Once his three former colonies saw him they smiled, going towards his table.

"Are you waiting for someone, rooinek?" South Africa asked.

The three male Nations gave her a slight glare. England sighed.

"Yes, in fact," England said. "I'm waiting for Romania. He said it was urgent."

"Then Norway's probably coming as well," New Zealand said.

The three of them were among the only Nations that actually believed in magic, since all three of them had the magic touch as well, though he wasn't sure to what extent.

"What exactly are you three doing in a coffee shop?" England asked. "Somehow, I can't imagine you three frequenting a place such as this, especially together."

"We would go to the pub," Australia said, "but we're not 'legal drinking age' here."

All three of them resembled nineteen year olds.

"Besides," South Africa said, "there's nothing wrong with a little boeretroos, seeing as they don't have proper tea here."

"There is nothing wrong with Earl Grey," England said.

"You know I only drink rooibos."

England sighed. One of the habits South Africa had was to throw in random Afrikaans words. She also enjoyed taking the 'proudly South African' approach.

Meanwhile, a waitress had arrived to take the three southern Nations' orders. It was during that time that Norway made his appearance as well.

"G'day, mate," Australia greeted.

Norway merely nodded in greeting before turning to England.

"Romania told you to come here too?" he asked.

"That's right," England said. "I'm just catching up with these three."

"'These three'?" South Africa repeated, her voice growing cold.

England suddenly realised his mistake and went on to rectify it.

"Lukas, are you familiar with Jett, Fletcher and Anika?"

Norway looked at the three and nodded. He especially kept an eye on the South African, and England knew that he could pick up on her tone as well.

"Tino spoke about you a few times," Lukas said, eyes on the blonde girl. "Matthias also mentioned you. Said you knew how to host a World Cup."

The coldness in her demeanour disappeared, to be replaced by a pleased expression.

All four men were relieved, seeing as the danger was averted. For now.

South African's phone suddenly rang, and she answered. She spoke in one of her native languages, so none of the others could follow. But England assumed that she was speaking to one of her neighbours, or at least another African. Once she hung up, she sighed in frustration.

"I need to go," she said. "Lesotho wants me for something."

"What about your coffee?" Australia asked.

She placed money on the table and smiled at Norway.

"Looks like either you or Romania get mahala coffee," she said, before she made a swift exit.

"Her neighbours seriously need to learn to let her be," New Zealand sighed. "They keep asking her for favours or other things. The only time we really get to talk to each other uninterrupted is when we're playing against each other."

A little while later, their drinks arrived, with Norway commenting on the strong coffee the southern Nation had ordered. And it wasn't long after that that Romania arrived, dragging Poland along behind him.

"Well then, mates," Australia said, "I guess we'll leave you be. See you at the Commonwealth meeting then."

England nodded when the two departed, going to another table and allowing the four Europeans to speak privately.

…

"Alright," Norway said, "Why did you want to see us?"

"And why did you bring Poland?" England asked.

"Tell them what you told me," Romania said calmly.

Poland took a deep breath and started to explain the strange reflections. When he finished, Norway and England were silent in thought. Norway took a sip of the coffee before his face scrunched up.

"How can that girl drink her coffee so strong?" Norway asked.

"Who?" Romania asked.

"South Africa," England explained. "She ordered before she had to go. She gave it to Norway for free. Even paid for it."

"Yeah," Norway said. "What does 'mahala' mean, anyway?"

"It means to get something for nothing," England said. "It's Sotho, I think. And let me taste that."

England took a sip of the coffee before he handed it to Romania, scrunching his face. Romania soon did the same.

"The scary thing is," England said, "it's weaker than the coffee she makes."

"Why are you so obsessed with the coffee?!" Poland huffed. "Like, do you know anything about the whacked out reflections or not?"

England frowned in thought.

"Could you perhaps show us?" England asked.

Poland took out his small mirror. The three members of the magic trio crowded around him, looking into the mirror.

The reflection was the same as it always was.

"What?" Poland said. "I know what I saw! Like, why's it happening?"

"Maybe it only shows one person at a time?" Norway suggested.

Norway could see that Poland was unnerved by this, as well as just being around them. Romania and England nodded, and the three members stepped away from the reflection, but just enough to still be able to see Poland's reflection.

Instantly, the reflection morphed and blue eyes, pale skin and black hair greeted them. The members of the magic trio gasped, never imagining that they would see such a cold look in Poland's eyes, all while the other was smirking.

"Put it away," England whispered, and Poland was only too happy to oblige.

"Well?" Poland asked.

"I'll call my brothers," England said. "Tell them to meet me at my house. I'll need their help to check through my books."

"And I think I can get Iceland or Finland to help me," Norway said.

"Poland," Romania said, "think you and Lithuania would be able to help?"

"Like, anything to get rid of that creepy reflection," Poland responded. "Any idea what it might be?"

"I think," England said, "we might be glimpsing into another world. I think that was a darker version of Poland. An evil version."

…

"So, that's the magic trio from that world, huh?" Felic said, drinking a bottle of vodka. "They seem serious." He frowned, recalling a certain piece of conversation. And remembered who else he saw. "So, it looks like they're friendly with the south. They have to be for South Africa to give Norway coffee. And the other two looked like Australia and New Zealand. Might want to keep an eye on them."

…

Sigurd yawned.

Norway and England were watching the events unfold in Romania's room. They were now wearing their usual attire.

England wore a long sleeved pink shirt, a purple vest over it, and a bright blue bowtie. Norway wore a lime green sailor's outfit with a purple ascot.

"Okay," Oliver said. "We've seen our alternate versions. I think we might have fun."

"Da," Marius said. "You know, I think I'll find a human. I'm quite thirsty."

"Ooh," Oliver said, smirking, "will the two of you help me make cupcakes?"

The other two smirked.

"Of course."

Yes, I've added a South Africa OC. My country is almost never mentioned, anywhere.

Rooinek is an Afrikaans term that literally translates to 'redneck'. It refers to anyone whose first (and often only) language is English, which is why England, New Zealand and Australia glared at her for saying it.

BRICS is the group of Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa. I'll be adding Brazil as well, along with other nations. I'll also be adding their 2P's. Creating OCs and their opposite halfs.

Rooibos is a herb that grows in South Africa that is most commonly used for tea. Most South Africans refuse to drink any other tea. Boeretroos (farmer's comfort) is coffee. To be specific, moerkoffie, which is really strong. It's basically filter coffee.

Denmark and Finland have good international relations with South Africa. I'll be basing a lot of the relationships with the OCs on the Wikipedia entry for international relations with that country.

Lesotho is a landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa, which means that their survival depends on South Africa's political, military and economic situation. It also means that, should someone attack them, they'd have to get through South Africa first.

It's kind of a headcanon of mine that the southern countries resent the northern countries for calling all the shots. And getting all the attention. I mean, how many southern countries have been introduced in canon? Just look at the Hetalia map and you'll see what I mean. The headcanon developed further when I had to consider the 2Ps. And I checked. There actually is a north-south divide, but it's completely different than what I have in store.

As for the part that says Francois raised the two Italians, I'll explain it in another chapter.