Thanks to Dragonfire78, lunaofthebloodysand, Miss Akiyata, Gort and OutTheRulez for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 7: Spicing up the Game

Black is ready to play, but White still hesitates.

But something has happened that would cause White to play.

That is what we wanted.

…

He didn't like it that his discovery had gone on the news. He didn't mind that his people knew about what had happened, or that it was so close to his own home. But something like this was huge, and so, it had been announced to the entire world.

And now, it was lunch, and he was making pancakes for himself, Kumajiro, and Matt. The larger Canadian insisted that he stayed to offer assistance to the smaller counterpart. And Matthew didn't mind. The animals were still slightly warm, so they hadn't been killed too long ago. And there was a slight possibility that the perpetrator was still in the area. Honestly, Matthew didn't want to be alone at the moment.

"Man, that smells good," Matt said. "I haven't had decent pancakes in a long time."

"I'm glad you think it smells nice," Matthew said. "You know, this is the first time in a long time that I'm making pancakes for someone else other than me and Kumajiro. Well, there's Alfred every now and again, but usually it's when I've already made for myself."

Matt scowled.

"Let me guess," he said. "You never make enough, and he interrupts just when you want to start eating."

Matthew paused, before he sighed, nodding his head. He figured Matt might have seen it happen a few times.

"You need to be as assertive as you are aggressive in the hockey rink," Matt said. "By the way, I still want to play a game."

Matthew smiled. Yes, a one-on-one game against him sounded nice. It would be nice to play against someone that would actually put up a fight.

"I'd like that," Matthew said, making sure that there were three plates heaped with pancakes.

As he placed the plates on the table, along with three bottles of maple syrup, it was as though it was a cue, and two Canadians and a bear proceeded to drench the pancakes in maple syrup.

"Awesome," Matt said after he had swallowed his first bite. "Not a lot of Nations in my world know how to cook, and those that do… Let's just say, you don't want to eat what they make. I'm glad I've developed a resistance against poison. The other popular ingredient, on the other hand…"

Matthew swallowed, not liking where it was going.

"And eating with Allen isn't really worthwhile," Matt continued.

Matthew frowned. He knew that the two North Americans weren't the best of friends, but they at least tolerated each other better than most other Nations. But he didn't know why eating with the America of that world would be a problem. And seeing his look, Matt laughed.

"Al's a vegan," he explained. "It's a little hard to eat something if your company keeps lecturing you about something you like to eat, and can actually cook. At least I like my steak any way."

Matthew tried to imagine Alfred as a vegan, and knew that the other wouldn't be able to survive without his precious hamburgers.

…

Allen frowned. He had hoped to have a little 'fun' with Matt, but the other wasn't there. And he was currently being faced with a very large, very angry black bear.

Allen was dark-skinned, and had dark brown, almost black hair with an annoying cowlick that he couldn't get rid of. He had pink-red eyes hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses. He wore a black tee-shirt underneath a dark brown bomber jacket and black jeans with black boots.

Allen knew that Kumakazi only went into the large black bear at home when Matt wasn't there, or he was asleep. That bear was the number one reason why no one dared to try to hurt Matt when he was asleep, especially when he brought his pet along.

"If he gets back," Allen said to the bear, "then tell him I was here."

The bear grunted, and Allen knew that it was a confirmation. So, without another word, he turned and returned to his car, where he immediately turned the ignition on.

He knew the difference between sleeping protection and away protection. The fact that the bear had met him near the door was reason enough to know that the Canadian wasn't home. For if he was asleep, the bear would only be sticking around the other's room, and not leave his side.

Checking the driveway, he saw the other's truck was still parked there. And that acted as a confirmation that the other hadn't left Canada. However, as the second largest landmass, there were far too many places for him to be.

…

Norway sighed, putting another book away. No information whatsoever, but for some strange reason, a specific, random sentence seemed to gnaw at his mind.

Protect the original.

He searched for the book that he read it from, searching through the pages until he saw the sentence that seemed to jump out. He should have seen it as important before, especially regarding the feeling he got at that time.

His eyes found the top of the passage, and he started to read.

There are many things that remain a mystery. But occasionally, these mysteries are discovered. In cases such as these, then one thing is important. Protect the original. For the one that originally discovered the mystery will be targeted by forces related to the mystery, and forces related to those forces. Danger will follow them, and balance will be threatened. For mysteries are meant to remain mysteries. The price will be paid, one way or another.

Norway frowned in thought. When he had skimmed through it before, he had figured that it was just something random. Now that he thought about it, it might be relevant to the current situation. After all, the world behind the mirrors was a mystery. A mystery that the magic trio was trying to solve. And Poland said that he had seen another, strange reflection. Poland was the one that notified them, but he was not the first to discover it. But then, why weren't they notified another time?

Unless, of course, the one that discovered it was responsible. If that was the case, then they needed to find any Nation with the magic touch and discover the spell that they used. It would have been easier if they knew who Poland saw in the mirror.

A thought occurred to Norway. Poland said that the memory eluded him. But what if they refreshed his memory? What if he remembered if he saw the Nation again?

They couldn't wait for another world meeting, so he went with the next best thing. Unfortunately, that meant speaking to one of his former colonies, and a Nation currently controlled by Denmark. He just hoped she would agree.

He also hoped she wouldn't ask too much questions, and if she does, she would believe the answers he gave.

Luckily, the other Nordics were still asleep.

…

"We seem to be having a little problem," Oliver said, pouting.

Poland sighed.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"They seem to be avoiding mirrors," England said. "It's going to be a little hard for us to play with them if they're avoiding us."

"He's right," Spain said. "What do you propose we do?"

"Well," Romania said, "I used to do it a lot to the 'rulers' of my enemies. I would torture them in their sleep. Their dreams."

"Do you think it could work?" Norway asked.

"It might," Poland said. "From what I could tell, they actually sleep every night."

"I'll search for the spell, then," Romania said. "It should be fun."

"Hang on," England said. "The others had some interesting information. Apparently, this all started when their Poland and France saw someone else in the mirror. They can't remember who it is, but…"

"That probably means that there's someone else involved," Norway finished.

"Someone that might know more about the whole situation," Romania said. "Including how to get there."

Poland arched an intrigued eyebrow, the thought sparking new possibilities.

"Try to work on the dream spell first," Poland said. "And then, we'll see if we can find out if anyone else is involved. Until then, see what you can do with your playmates. Now, I think it's time for everyone to get out of my house."

…

"Why do you have all these books?" Prussia groaned.

"Partly for research, partly for the spells," England said.

"Do any of these spells actually work?" Spain asked.

"Aye," Scotland said. "But for a spell to work, you need to have the magic touch. And not a lot of Nations have that."

"I know of Russia and Belarus," England said. "Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, Greenland, Madagascar, Portugal, Peru, Jamaica and Egypt. Any others are a mystery."

"The magic trio have the strongest magic touch," Wales said. "We also have the magic touch, but our magical ability has been toned down."

"Why?" France asked.

Wales's gaze fell to England, who avoided his brother's gaze.

"Long story."

"Um, Artie," Ireland said. "I think we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" England asked.

"When was the last time you performed a spell from this book?"

England looked over towards the tome that Ireland held in his hand and frowned.

"I've never used a spell from that book," England said, coming closer.

"That's not what the trace says," Ireland said. "There's a spell that was used a few months ago."

England snatched the book and paled.

"'A friend that knows your other side'," he read. "Any spell regarding 'other side' often means mirror. Is it possible that…?"

England's hand started to glow green, and once the glow faded, he was looking really pale.

"What is it?" Northern Ireland asked.

"This spell has been used," he said. "But it wasn't me. Someone managed to get into my library. But how?"

"Can you trace it?" Scotland asked.

"No," England said. "The magical trace that's surrounding the page suggests that whoever used the spell was a Nation, but he or she didn't have the magic touch."

"But I thought you said…" Prussia said.

"There is one exception to the rule," Wales said. "If whoever uses the spell is truly desperate for the results, then the spell would work, whether or not they have the magic touch."

"And judging from which spell was used," Ireland said, "then it had to be a really lonely Nation."

"And it went unnoticed for months," England whispered.

"Then that Nation must be isolated, if the effects went unnoticed for this long," Northern Ireland said.

"Can you think of anyone that could have used the spell?" Scotland asked. "Someone that came for a visit and stumbled on the book?"

England frowned in thought. He was mostly visited by France, America, his brothers, Australia, New Zealand, India, and…

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. There was someone else that visited him, but he couldn't remember. Whenever he tried to think of a name, or try to recall the face, it slipped farther and farther away.

Remembering the feeling France described, he could only come to one conclusion: that the Nation that visited him and the one France saw were one and the same. He tried to think back for several years, but the memory was always foggy, as though something didn't want him to remember.

"Our mystery Nation," England sighed. "It's possible that the isolation isn't the Nation's choice. I can't remember any details either, but there's a foggy figure in my memory. I think there might have been a spell used to make others forget about him."

"Which would result in desperation," Wales said.

At that moment, England's phone started to ring.

…

Romania disconnected the call, stepping back into the library. He was partially pleased, and partially annoyed, to notice that Poland and Lithuania had fallen asleep.

Norway did provide a good idea, trying to see if Poland or France would be able to remember the mystery Nation if they were provided a picture. They were actually quite lucky that Greenland had a certain gift when it came to information. Being able to gain information on any and all Nations, including a photo of each Nation.

'Why hadn't we thought of this sooner?' Romania thought.

England had also found something useful. One of his spells had been used by someone other than him. By someone that didn't have the magic touch. By someone truly desperate. And that whoever their mystery Nation was, he was affected by something that made him easily forgotten, and his desperation was driven by loneliness.

He knew that there was little he could do at the moment, so it might be a good idea to check the news. See what was happening with the rest of the world.

He turned on the TV to an international news station. He actually wanted to see Nations going through normal problems. He wanted to remember that normalcy still existed.

So far, the biggest piece of news was the slaughter of dozens of animals in a forest in Canada, dangerously close to the personification's house.

Romania frowned, trying to recall where he heard the name 'Canada' before. He tried to recall any memories, but it seemed to avoid him. He frowned in thought, and then grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. He wrote down 'Canada' on the page, making a mental note to have them look at the Nation's photo first.

He suddenly felt that he wasn't alone. That he was being watched. He stood from the couch he sat on, eyes searching. He could see nothing. But that did not mean that there was nothing there.

He felt the temperature drop, and he started to get a bad feeling. He let out a startled yelp when he was suddenly pushed back, colliding against the wall. He felt his feet several centimetres off the ground, and something similar to a hand around his throat. He struggled and gasped for air, without much success.

"You have no idea what you're messing with, boy," a voice whispered. A voice that had no human quality. "After all, you Nations have been around since civilization began. But what came before civilization? You think you know all the mysteries of the world, since you know the whole world. But we do not allow you to know of us. There are secrets of the land that not even you Nations may know."

By now, Romania was having difficulty breathing. As his vision faded to black, he was sure that he could see a vague outline. An outline that looked like a human with soulless black eyes.

…

Matt sighed. He knew that, at some point, he would have to return home. Back to a violent, messed up world. If he could, he would rather stay. But he knew that if he stayed, then there would be a possibility that one of the Nations in his world would decide that his land was theirs for the taking.

And then there's the fact that Kumakazi was alone at home. He had no idea what sort of damage the bear might do with his impromptu leaving.

"Are you sure you need to go?" Matthew asked.

"I don't want to," Matt said. "But I have no choice, if I want to make sure my home stays safe from the others."

"Are you sure that you can go back?"

Matt gave a small smile.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"I guess," Matthew said. "And, next time, it's my turn to go to your world."

Matt could feel the panic coming along. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't want Matthew to be exposed to anything from his world.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Matt said. "You know how dangerous everyone in my world is."

Matthew sighed, but nodded his head. He knew full well about the Nations in Matt's world.

…

Poland awoke with a start.

He noticed that Lithuania was nearby, using several books as pillows. Poland was doing the same.

And Romania was missing.

He frowned in confusion before he heard the sound of voices speaking. He made his way to the living room, where he noticed that the TV was on, but Romania wasn't on the couch.

Poland's eyes swept across the room until he found a figure slumped against the wall, clearly unconscious.

Poland rushed over to him, and saw that he seemed to be having trouble breathing. Following what little common sense he had, he opened up the other's shirt colour to make it easier to breathe, and he jumped back in surprise.

On Romania's neck, bruises were starting to form.

Romania didn't collapse, as Poland originally thought.

He was attacked.

…

Now, more than ever, Canada felt lonely.

Matt had already left, and he understood perfectly well why. Matt was afraid that his version of Canada would also be in trouble, and so it was understandable that Matt had to leave, if only to provide a physical presence to keep the country intact. And to make sure that the other Nations didn't use his home as a nuclear test site, or went to get to the natural resources, or hunt his animals for food, or enslaved his people (that was technically his job).

Matthew was fascinated by the procedure of Matt going through the mirror. It was like slowly making your way through water. Matthew had felt the glass himself, and he was actually very pleased to see that he couldn't feel glass, but an almost liquid sensation.

But Matt had told him not to go to his world, and Matthew knew perfectly well what the reason was. It still didn't ease the pain.

But he was very glad that his counterpart seemed to like his pancakes. It always made him happy when people liked his pancakes, even though it hardly ever happened. And for his best friend, his dark twin, to like it, probably made things all the more worthwhile.

There was a frantic knocking on the door. Canada sighed, figuring that it had to do with his discovery that morning.

But, when he opened the door, he did not expect who he saw.

"Never fear, 'cause the hero is here!"