Thanks to Anon-chan, Miss Akiyata, Dragonfire78 and BloodLily16 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 11: Explaining

It is the duty of players to explain to non-players how the game works.

Even if they themselves have no idea.

…

The two Canadians stared at the blonde girl lying unconscious on the couch. They had moved her, not thinking it wise that she remain on the cold floor. Matt also didn't want to test this South Africa's temper. He was already afraid of one, and he didn't want a reason to fear the other.

"I think it's best that I leave," Matt said.

"What?" Matthew asked incredulously. "You would leave me to explain on my own?"

"Hey, you could always convince her that she was imagining it."

"I don't think that's going to work."

"It's worth a try."

They looked back at the other Nation, and the time to think of a plan was over.

Her eyes were open.

…

The eight of them remained. Greenland had already left, but they decided that they would wait a little longer before they called Canada again.

"Like," Poland suddenly said, "is this really the kind of thing to, like, ask over the phone?"

The others looked thoughtful.

"You might be right," France sighed. "But, unfortunately, I can't remember where he lives."

"Like Greenland said," England said, "second largest landmass."

"But we need to ask him," Scotland sighed.

"Arthur," Ireland suddenly said, "when is that Commonwealth meeting?"

England looked thoughtful.

"About a week or so," he said. "Why are you…?" His eyes widened. "Of course. Canada is a member of my Commonwealth."

"Then that would be a great opportunity to ask him," Wales said.

"So, we wait for another week?" Lithuania asked.

"It would appear so," Romania said.

They said nothing after that, but they would occasionally glance in Romania's direction. They were all thinking the same thing.

What could happen in a week?

…

"They're confusing," Oliver said, pouting. "First, they want information as soon as possible. Then, they're willing to wait a week."

"I know," Sigurd said. "Can't they just make up their minds?"

"It doesn't matter," Marius sighed. "Soon, we will have full access to the deepest corners of their minds. Their subconscious. The most brutal place to strike."

"And that makes things all the more delicious," Felic said. "Now, come on. I really want to teach that blondie a little lesson."

The magic trio had drawn a magic circle, and it was glowing in a red light. Locks of hair were provided for the centre, making sure to involve the other five as well. They couldn't get hair of their intended victims, but they had made sure that beneath each lock of the others' hair, a shard of mirror would act as a connection to their targets. In the case of Romania, England and Norway, they each had a mirror shard in their hands.

They will ensure that they could play the game to the best capacity.

…

South Africa was sipping on a mug of hot cocoa. She had refused to drink the tea and coffee. She kept a wary eye on both Canadas, noting that they seemed to be at a loss to explain what was going on. She had demanded that they explained, and she will make sure that they do.

She still couldn't grasp the fact that there were two Canadas. She knew they could not be twins, and she knew that they were not dual representatives. And she knew that one Canada was the one that belonged, while the other had no part in their affairs.

She also noticed that for some reason, the angry-looking Canadian chose to stand as far away from her as possible.

"I've been driving from America to Canada all through the night," she said, growing tired of the silence. "I haven't slept at all. And now I'm seeing two Canadas. I demand an explanation from the both of you."

It was the stranger that sighed.

"First," he said, "call him Matthew, and me Matt. We're the same person, but at the same time, not. We're each other's reflections."

She nodded her head in slight understanding, demanding to know more.

"A few months ago, I started to see Matt in the mirrors," Matthew explained. "Yesterday was the first time he managed to come through to our world."

"My world is like a mirror image of yours," Matt explained. "Most of the Nations in my world are insane. The others are mostly violent. But the point is, our personalities are, in a nutshell, the opposite of yours."

She nodded.

"So tell me," she said. "Why do you keep your distance from me?"

Matt snorted.

"Because your counterpart is one of the only Nations I'm actually scared of," he said. "She's cold and calculating, and it's impossible to determine when she's in a bad mood. When you make her angry, then she will give you her full attention when it comes to punishment. And she could get pretty creative. She puts her animals to good use, among other things."

"Wait," she said. "Did you say that she gives full attention when she's in a bad mood?"

"Yeah."

"That's the opposite of what I do," she mused. "Whenever I see another Nation when I'm in a bad mood, then I get flashbacks of certain events involving said Nation. In order to stop myself from beating said Nation to a pulp, I actively ignore them."

The two Canadians were silent.

"What do you mean, 'actively ignore'?" Matt finally asked.

"I mean, I will purposely act as though they're not there," she said. "Kind of like how the rest of the world treats Matthew."

"Wait a second!" Matt snarled. "You do that on purpose?!"

"I can't forget about Matthew," she said. "Remember, a South African can hold onto a grudge for a long time. And Canada's involvement in the Second Boer War kind of brings up bad memories."

"My first official overseas war," Matthew said. "Um, you still remember the reason for my involvement?"

"Of course. And I don't appreciate being considered 'backwards'. And thanks to my bosses' decisions during Apartheid, it has become like that, and it's even worse than before."

Matt gave Matthew a confused look, and Anika took note of that. And Matthew noticed that South Africa noticed.

"Our histories aren't exactly the same," he explained. "I don't think your counterpart would have a reason to hate him."

"Other than me being a Northern Nation," Matt said.

"What does that have to do with anything, asides from the fact that you guys tend to be arrogant jerks?" she asked.

"The Cold War in Matt's world is between North and South," Matthew explained. "It's still ongoing."

"And the South has the upper hand," Matt said. "They have weapons and magic that the North can't ever get."

"What about the magic trio? They're North," South Africa asked.

"Yeah, but they have the power of the lands. Alida likes to use her land as an example."

"Alida?"

"The South Africa of my world."

"Okay. Now, Matt, what are you doing here?"

"Checking on him. I can see him whenever I look in a mirror, or any reflective surface. It's hard not to notice that he's upset."

"You said that our histories aren't intertwined. Name a difference, asides from the Cold War."

"Tell me, were you raised by Portugal?" Matt asked.

Anika snorted.

"No," she said. "He was afraid the first time he saw my land. Called me the Cape of Storms. And thanks to a misunderstanding with my people, and a bit of a rainy day, he told all of Europe that I wasn't a place worth going to. No, I was raised by Netherlands."

"There's a difference. From what I know, our Portugal saw the land as having a lot of potential, and immediately decided that he would claim that land as his own. He found Alida, and he then took her in. But, seeing as he's not exactly the most stable of Nations… Anyway, that happened in 1488…"

"That was the time that Portugal found me," she said. "But he wanted no part of me."

"Netherlands took over in 1652."

"That was the year that Netherlands colonised me. Wait, so the main difference is the fact that while I was unwanted, she was sought after?"

And it was around that time that she was born. Was it possible that because the other South Africa became a colony at that point in time, she was born as well? That would explain why she had felt so alone, all that time…

Well, she had her mother, and her siblings, even if they didn't want to spend a lot of time with her.

"Tell me more," she demanded. "Like anything that I could use against England."

…

Arthur shuddered. For some reason, he felt as though someone was looking for something to use against him.

…

Oliver frowned. He felt as though someone was about to divulge information about him that could be used by an enemy. An enemy that he did not yet know about. But one that had an obvious grudge against him.

…

Greenland sighed, pulling out her phone. Her connection with Denmark gave her a fortunate advantage with the Nation that she wanted to call. Something else as well, but it didn't call for that. She just hoped that the other was in a good mood. Luckily, the time zones made it acceptable to call the other at this time.

"Come on," she whispered.

"This is South Africa," the voicemail said. "I'm not available right now. I am either trying to help Zimbabwe with his cold, trying to help another African with something, being forced to a bar by Ireland, Denmark or Russia, or I'm otherwise occupied. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you."

She groaned, but smiled at the part about Denmark. Having a drinking age of eighteen, the South African was constantly bothered by the Dane, as well as others. Oh well, she could just call again later. Greenland knew other Nations that would be able to help her gather information.

…

There was one final flash, the light the colour of blood. And when it faded, the magic trio were smirking.

"It's done," Romania said. "Now, whenever they're asleep, we will be able to gain access to their dreams. See all the worst points in time. Play with them where they couldn't escape."

"Excellent," Poland said. "You did well."

Romania nodded, before he frowned.

"When I went inside Vlad's dream," Marius said, "I saw something that I didn't expect from someone like him. He was in a forest full of impaled corpses. And then I found out that it was his doing. And the pride he felt…"

"Seems we underestimated them just a tiny bit," Tolys said.

"But the mentalities then and now are very different. For one, he would never do it again, whereas I would like to give it a try."

"By all means, go for it," Felic said. "Just keep it to the humans."

"Oh, I plan to."

"I wonder, does Artie have a history like that?" Oliver asked.

"Only one way to find out," Sigurd giggled.

…

Ireland pulled out his phone. He needed a drink, and he didn't want to have one with his brothers. It tended to get too messy. So he searched his contacts for someone that he could drink with, only to be disappointed by the sound of voicemail.

"Just my luck," he muttered.

He then called another number, and was pleased to hear the other Nation pick up.

"Hello Namibia," Ireland greeted. "Tell me, where's South Africa?"

"She had business to take care of in America," the female Nation said. She knew why Ireland called. "But I'll tell her that you called. Something tells me that she would be more than happy to have a drink with you."

"Do I really drag her out drinking that often?"

"She knows how to brew her own beer. You and Denmark enjoy using that to your advantage."

"Well, thanks anyway."

He sighed, hanging up the phone. He had hoped to go out drinking with the lovely blonde, but he failed. South Africa does know her alcohol, and she also made decent whiskey. And, if he had to, he'd rather get wine from her than from France. She wasn't as flirtatious as the French Nation, and she didn't insinuate anything.

…

"Alida has a lot of fertile ground," Matt said, "but she doesn't plant a lot, except for food. That's the only thing that she grows. No other plant can be seen anywhere."

"Major difference," Anika muttered. "I pride myself for my floral kingdom. What about the Namaqualand flowers?"

"The… what?"

She groaned, disappointed. The Namaqualand helped her earn the place as having the richest floral kingdom. She seriously needed a chance to chat with her counterpart.

"She also has one of the strongest militaries in our world," Matt said, and Anika instantly perked up. "She's one of the few Nations that can inspire loyalty, without fear. Her people are loyal, and her allies are loyal. Although I have my doubts about Zimbabwe. He's known for fleeing at the first sight of trouble, and betraying his allies."

"Mine just annoys me with that cold of his," Anika muttered. "Second weakest economy in the world, and he's my neighbour."

"Where do you rank?"

"I'm a rising power."

"She's also the fifteenth most populated Nation."

Her eyes widened.

"Fifteenth? But, I'm twenty fifth!"

"She's one of the few Nations that doesn't kill her people for fun," Matt said. "And a lot of the humans prefer to move to her land. Her population is around a hundred million."

Her jaw dropped. That was almost twice the number of people that she had.

"What about you?" she asked.

"My population is the thirty eighth highest in the world. And normally, the ones I kill are poachers. For some reason, Alida doesn't have that problem. Probably because she trained her animals to kill on sight whenever someone with weapons of any kind are too close. And only the Nations know that."

"I see," she said. "Who are her friends? Does she have any?"

"The Southern Powers. India and Brazil."

She smiled, happy to know that there was a similarity.

"Any wars?" she asked.

"Asides from the Cold War?" Matt enquired. "Let's see. She was involved in Brazil's War of Independence, India's takeover of Israel, and then there was the war with England that lasted about three days. All of the wars she participated in ended in victory for her and her allies. Oh yeah, let's not forget the War with Netherlands to get her independence, the war with Russia, the war with Italy…"

"Okay!" she said, just a little irked that her counterpart was so successful.

"Do you understand why she scares me?" Matt asked.

"I have an idea. Now, what can I use against England?"

Matt's expression darkened.

"He's cannibalistic," he said. "He likes to bake people into his cupcakes. And if he doesn't have someone on hand, then he poisons the cupcakes."

"As though Arthur doesn't do something similar with his scones," Matthew muttered.

"The difference is, Oliver knows how to cook. He's actually pretty good, if he doesn't slip in something nasty. And he's too damn cheerful all the time. And whenever he gets together with Norway and Romania, then you know that it's time to hide."

She nodded her head, making herself comfortable. She wanted to know more, and she was about to.

…

She shook her head, trying to decipher the image she had seen.

For a brief moment, she found herself in a living room. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable, and it was bright. She rested on something soft, but she didn't mind.

She also saw two figures that looked identical to each other. One she knew for a fact was Canada, the other she wasn't so sure of.

But if Canada obtained allies, then she needed to know about it. She needed to know who the Nation is, for he was a Nation, and she needed to know how much of a threat the Nation was. She needed to know the connection.

She picked up the phone that she rarely used. It was reserved for a select few Nations, and she didn't need the discovery to be made. The phone was used so that her Northern spies could reach her.

She was still searching for any spies among the Southern Nations, without much success. Either there are no spies, or they are just so good with hiding their tracks.

"I have a little job for you," she said into the phone.

…

"One more thing, before you go," Lukas said, looking at England and Romania. "There's something I need you to look at."

The other two shared a glance before they followed their friend towards his secret library.

"Look at this," Lukas said, showing them a certain passage in a book.

"'Protect the original'?" England enquired.

"Does this have anything to do with what we're dealing with?" Romania asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Norway said. "But, don't you guys get a strange feeling from those words?"

"Now that you mention it," England said. "Yes, I do. It seems as though there should be more."

"So, who's the original?" Romania asked. "And the original what?"

"That's what we need to find out," Lukas said.

…

She had received the orders, and she would follow them through. She had to be stealthy, otherwise things might be disastrous if they found out.

She had short white hair that stood up at the ends. Her eyes were green, just like her name. She wore a plain black skiing outfit, and she had several scars across her face that almost looked like claw marks. Her torso was also covered with the scars, as well as both her arms.

But she was good at what she did. She was an excellent spy, and a ruthless fighter. And right now, she had a new target. She didn't know why she had to spy on him, but she would follow the orders nonetheless.

For even though she was a Northern Nation, it was the South that had her complete loyalty.

OK, so South Africa takes a childish approach when she's angry, but that's because a lot of the battles from the Boers' end were guerrilla tactics, and the Zulus liked to use numbers. She takes after the Boers, and due to the name 'Cape of Storms', she has a stormy temper. She knows that she can't take on another Nation directly, so she ignores them until she's calmed down.

As for why Greenland called her, it will be explained in Chapter 14.

The part about South Africa brewing her own beer is a reference to the sjebeens, which are places where one can have a drink in a township, kind of like a bar. It is common for beer to be there, and other than the standard beer that is sent there, it is also sometimes brewed by the woman that owns the sjebeen, known as the Sjebeen Queen.

South Africa has formal relations with Denmark, Ireland and Russia, and I think they would like to pull her to a bar. Namibia is South Africa's next door neighbour, and was once annexed by South Africa. And as I've mentioned before, they're sisters, so it makes sense that Ireland called her to hear about South Africa.

I've also got a poll on my profile that would help me determine which canon characters you would like to see. I didn't involve the Axis or the Allies (they are bound to play a role eventually). I also didn't add the characters that I already got that would play a role, like Moldova, and I've also started adding Bulgaria. As for non-canon characters, leave a review. I've also got a poll to see if anyone would want to read about the history of South Africa. Since I have South African history this semester, writing it would be a good idea to help me study.