Thanks to Miss Akiyata, i3ara-chan, Dragonfire78 and BloodLily16 for reviewing.

I also need to clear something up. The blackmail isn't the representation of the North-South Cold War, but just a figure of speech to emphasise that if one reveals what they have, so would the other. I also didn't realise the irony myself, though. In the 1p world, Greenland uses the things the IBSA trio had gathered as materials for her archives involving all the Nations, and in the 2p world, Greenland is a spy for the Southern Powers.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 15: New Player

Occasionally, a new player has to be added to the game.

That means that the game is growing.

…

Matt froze.

In front of him stood none other than Alida, and she had been waiting for him. That never meant something good.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I heard you have a new friend," she said. "He has the same curl as you, his hair hangs loose, and his hair is a lighter shade of blond than yours. His eyes are also more of a blue violet, as opposed to your red violet. Ring a bell?"

Matt kept his face calm, but inside he was panicking. She had described Matthew perfectly, and he knew that his choices were limited.

"So I managed to befriend a human, big deal," Matt said. "How'd you find out, anyway?"

"I think you know that I know that he was no human," she said, her voice going colder. "And I know that you have access to a mirror world. What I want to know is how you managed it, and how to gain access myself."

He took a step back, eyes narrowed.

"I had nothing to do with it," he said. "And you're crazy if you…"

"Don't play games with me," she said. "How long has that been happening?"

He sighed. He knew that he could not lie to her. She was extremely good at figuring someone out.

"A few months ago," he said. "He was lonely, but he had no idea what the spell would do. I only managed to go there a few days ago. Actually, I met your counterpart yesterday."

She didn't allow herself to be distracted easily, under normal circumstances. But this managed to pique her attention.

"Really?" she said. "Let me guess, she has blond hair."

He blinked in surprise.

"How did you…?"

"A brief glimpse in a mirror," she responded. "Wait, you said yesterday. Were you in a living room, warm and bright?"

"Yeah, how did you…?"

"Never mind that. Now, what's she like?"

"She has a temper, but will ignore anyone when she's in a bad mood, seeing as she's a guerrilla fighter, and doesn't stand much of a chance with direct conflict. She's also extremely moody. And she has a grudge against England, that much is certain. She's also a little upset with the fact that the only plants you have are for food. She mentioned something about flowers. Matthew explained to me that they're flowers that grow in the middle of a desert region at a specific time of the year. And apparently it's an entire oasis, not just one or two random flowers."

"Matthew?"

"Our counterparts have different human names. Yours is Anika."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"I would like to meet her," she said. "How can I go about that?"

He looked at her, contemplating about whether or not to fulfil that wish.

"I don't think I will do that," he said. "You're a Southern Nation, I'm a Northern Nation. I have no reason to help you do that."

She sighed, her eyes growing colder.

"In case you forgot, I'm stronger than you," she said. "Now, you're going to teach me, otherwise…"

He hated the choice that he was about to make, but he didn't see any other option. She was stronger than him, and she was far more creative.

"In about a week, there would be a meeting of the Commonwealth of Nations, in their world," he said. "Both Canada and South Africa are members. I can see them, and I think if we're looking in the same mirror, you'd be able to see them too. They'd be in the same room together. I've actually seen a few Commonwealth meetings, and she always makes them interesting."

She nodded her head, apparently satisfied with his answer.

"Alright then," she said. "Now, you're going to tell me everything you know of that world."

…

Matthew sighed.

He felt sorry for Matt, being cornered the way he was by South Africa like that. He didn't resent him for telling her about his world. Perhaps, if only to help, he should be there to help smooth things over.

And so, for the first time, he pressed his hand to the mirror, and felt the somewhat liquid sensation that he would be passing through.

…

India massaged his temples, fighting the oncoming headache. As usual, he was the only sober one at their gathering. And the others were becoming very interesting, to say the least.

Normally, Russia was scary, and tended to be violent when drunk. However, that often differed with the company. Whenever BRICS came together, and Russia got drunk, he'd be his usual, cheerful self, without the creepiness. China was no longer wary about Russia, and also tended to be just a little rude. He liked to think himself mature, but he proved far from it when drunk. Brazil would become very chatty, and sometimes tended to sing. Actually, he had a nice voice, even when drunk. And South Africa actually proved friendly, without any lingering grudges.

That was actually how India managed to win her forgiveness for his involvement in the Boer War. She was seventeen at the time, and it was by accident that she had found England's liquor supply. He was the only one with her at the Brit's house at that point in time, and had to put up with her while she was drunk. It was while she was drunk that he managed to win her trust, and that he managed to win her forgiveness. That was also how they managed to become friends.

But there was one thing about a drunk South Africa that still worried India. She would use a piece of her magic touch that she wouldn't normally be able to use. Proof that she deserved the name, Cape of Storms. It was through that power that Vanderdecken would usually make his appearance, in the few times that she was angry while drunk. There was a theory that she would be able to do it while she wasn't drunk, but they didn't want to test that. That was the true reason that she usually ignored others when angered. The effects it had on her were catastrophic, and it made them all worried.

Of course, it was nearly impossible to get her angry when drunk, which is one of the reasons why they liked drinking with her. In fact, it was probably only India and Brazil that knew about that, and possibly her neighbours.

India didn't want to see her go through that, and as the only sober one at that point in time, he felt that it was his duty to make sure that nothing happened to make her that angry.

Brazil also had the magic touch, and he also had a lapse in control when he was drunk. He would be able to see things that happened in other points in time, be they past or future, and he had no way to control it. India just had to make sure that Brazil didn't make any physical contact with anyone, other than India and South Africa. For some reason, he couldn't see anything from their pasts and futures. And naturally, what he usually saw was disastrous, and it managed to cut into his soul.

India felt that it was his duty to protect his two best friends. He probably had to share that knowledge with Russia or China, but for now, it was his duty.

There were other times when this would happen, usually when they were extremely tired, or when something happened to their countries. They had little to no control, out of no fault of their own.

And India will stay as a guard to them. He cannot allow his two best friends to suffer from something that was passed down since birth.

Of course, he never let them know that he saw it as a duty. It could prove disastrous for all of them.

…

Norway yawned.

Romania was taking long, and they were getting tired. They knew that getting tired under those circumstances was a bad idea, but they couldn't help it.

The two Irelands had gone to brew some coffee, and until they returned, they would have to endure.

"How's it going, Vlad?" England asked.

"It's going to take a while," Romania said. "I haven't seen it in a while, and I might have forgotten where it was, exactly."

"We're starting to get tired," Norway said. "So hurry it up. I don't want to go through that again."

His eyes fell to his wrists, which were bandaged. It hurt whenever he moved them, so he tried to keep still as much as possible.

"Come on," Prussia said. "The awesome me would like to sleep awesomely again, without having to worry about that arschloch when I close my eyes. Actually, I think I would like to teach him a lesson."

"Remember," France said, rubbing his neck, "you were dissolved, he wasn't. He's physically stronger than you."

Prussia grumbled, but said nothing more on the subject.

Norway sighed, checking his phone. He was almost sure that Denmark would have called him by now, but the Dane was extremely quiet. He hoped that things were going well for the other Nordics.

…

"Sweden!"

Sweden sighed at the two whiny voices, and Iceland groaned. The Nordics, sans Norway, were gathered in Sweden's home, and unfortunately, two Micronations were also there.

Sealand and Ladonia had spent a lot of time trying to get Sweden's attention away from the others, and occasionally Finland's. It was almost as though they were deliberately trying to get between the Nordics. Of course, Denmark found all of this extremely amusing.

But they didn't try to make contact with Norway. They knew that he was busy with the rest of the magic trio, and they didn't want to get the three of them angry. It had happened a few times, and they didn't want to suffer the consequences again.

They did, however, have to stop Denmark a few times, who had too much fun messing with Norway under normal circumstances for his own good.

Sweden watched as the two Micronations came up to them, and Sweden had seen those looks enough times on Denmark's face to know that they wanted something, and they would employ any tactic they could to get what they wanted.

"What is it?" Sweden asked.

Their smiles widened, and the other Nordics felt a shudder go down their spines.

This is why they needed Norway. His blank face had a way of discouraging the Micro's.

"We were wondering if the others could come," Sealand said.

"Seeing that you have your friends with you," Ladonia finished.

"No!" Iceland said, knowing what they meant. And he knew that when the Micronations got together, bad things happened to any nearby Nations.

"That's up to Sweden to decide," Ladonia said. "Come on. Please."

Sweden looked at them, his intense stare not doing anything to discourage them. They had gotten too used to it, and were not intimidated anymore.

"We'll see," Sweden said.

"Aw," Sealand said. "Come on."

"If you can clean your rooms, we'll talk again," Sweden said.

The two Micronations shared a glance, knowing that they wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise at this point. That was usually Sweden's trump card: their rooms. And at this point, they couldn't really protest further. Their rooms were truly a mess. And they knew very well that when they cleaned their rooms when Sweden said, he would keep his word.

They sighed, before they made a swift exit. Either they would make other arrangements, or they would do as Sweden asked.

"Wow, Swe," Finland said. "You handled that well. I'm impressed."

"Thank you," Iceland said. "I seriously wouldn't want to deal with a bunch of Micro's right now."

"Come on," Denmark said. "It would be fun."

"NO!" the other Nordics said.

…

Switzerland stood outside the living room, back against the wall.

Liechtenstein was having tea with Seborga, of all people. Switzerland was torn at this event.

On one hand, Seborga was a Micronation, too weak to do anything to hurt his sister. He also might have been a womaniser, but he didn't go too far. He definitely wasn't France.

On the other hand, Seborga was related to Italy, who had a nasty habit of streaking through his country. He didn't like it, and he wasn't too keen on one of the Vargas brothers near his little sister.

Which is why he's standing outside the living room, just in case Seborga does anything funny.

…

"Alright, finished," Ireland sighed.

Patrick looked over towards Seamus. They had specifically made Irish coffee, with just a little less whiskey than normal. They needed to keep their wits about, but they also needed the extra strength.

"Great," Northern Ireland said. "Now, let's…"

He was interrupted when an invisible force knocked him back, as well as the tray he held. He screamed as some of the hot liquid landed on him.

He heard Ireland's concerned call, before he was also pushed aside, screaming in pain as well.

He watched as Ireland was lifted against the wall, struggling against an invisible force. His eyes widened when five puncture wounds appeared on his twin's right shoulder. Seamus screamed in agony.

Patrick moved to help his brother, but something held him back. Something strong.

He flinched when he felt cold breath against his ear.

Watch.

Another five puncture wounds appeared on the other shoulder, and another agonised scream was ripped from the southern twin.

And all Patrick could do was watch.

…

When they heard the first scream, they immediately abandoned their search to go to the cause of it all. Their worry increased when they heard a second scream.

When they arrived in the kitchen, they were frozen in shock. Ireland was suspended against a wall, blood flowing down his front, and Northern Ireland was on the floor, struggling against something invisible.

And every Nation with the magic touch was surprised to see that they couldn't see what was attacking.

"Don't just stand there!" Northern Ireland snapped. "Do something!"

That snapped them out of their trance, and they immediately went to help, but they were knocked back as well.

Ireland screamed one more time as what appeared to be claws raked across his face, before he was dropped.

In an instant, Northern Ireland was upon him, checking his wounds and asking whether he was alright while apologising for not being able to help.

The others stood and made their way over to the twins, assuming that whatever it was, it was no longer there.

The Kirkland brothers embraced the other two, and the rest stood aside. The Kirklands, as well as Romania and Norway, were terrified.

For once, it was a threat that they couldn't see.

…

Oliver frowned.

He had seen the ending of what had happened to Ireland through the mirror, but he couldn't understand it. He was unable to see what had happened. That in itself should not have been possible. He had one of the strongest magic touches in their world, and he couldn't see.

Well, he had to wait for Arthur to go to sleep before he could do anything else. So he might as well do some research on this.

…

Alida was startled when another Canadian emerged out of nowhere. One look confirmed that it was him that she saw in the strange vision.

"Matthew!" Matt exclaimed. "What did I tell you about coming here?"

"Sorry," the other, Matthew, said. "But it looked like you needed my help."

She didn't expect his voice to be so quiet. It was definitely different from Matt's own, loud, voice.

She also noticed a change in Matt. His very demeanour seemed protective. This wasn't something she often saw, so it came as a surprise.

Then it was the fact that it was Canada.

She tuned out their conversation and focussed on Matthew's appearance. They looked similar, but oh so different. His eyes were a bluer shade of violet, while Matt's were more red. He also wore glasses. Then there were the eyes. They were filled with emotions that she did not recognise, but that only made her more curious.

She focussed on the conversation again, catching the end of it.

"You're not leaving this house," Matt said. "And you," he said, turning to her, "are not going to hurt him."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I'm too curious to hurt him. Matthew, was it?"

The other nodded, looking a little apprehensive. She smiled.

"I wonder what my counterpart is like," she whispered.

"Well," Matthew said, withdrawing a wallet, "I can show you what she looks like."

The other two looked at him oddly.

"You carry a picture of her wherever you go?" Matt asked.

"During the time of the British Empire," Matthew said, "we were like siblings. The same applies to New Zealand and Australia. Newfoundland and Ireland as well, but Newfoundland became a part of me, and we haven't seen him since, and Ireland kind of started distancing himself."

"I see," she said. She looked at the picture, and she immediately noticed the blonde version of herself, with Matthew, and alternative versions of Australia and New Zealand. "Anything else you can tell me about her?"

"Yeah, don't give her a gun."

"Why?"

"She's a pretty good sniper. One of the best."

…

Bulgaria frowned when he looked into the mirror.

For some reason, he was seeing a brown-haired version of himself, and he was with someone that kind of looked like Moldova.

Nicolai had blond hair and blood red eyes. He wore an elegant black suit, but there were a few splatters of blood on the suit. He also wore black shoes, shined to perfection. His skin was deathly pale, and he had a scar on his left cheek.

He knew that there was nothing natural about what he was seeing, but there was no way he would ask Romania if he knew anything.

That was how he had gotten the scar.

Vanderdecken is the captain of the Flying Dutchman.

It's really a theory that the Nations with the magic touch will have a harder time controlling it when they're drunk, but they need to get drunk to release tension. England, Norway and Romania, being the strongest, wouldn't really have an issue with it, but the others might. The UK brothers lost some of their magic, and nothing's stopping them from getting drunk. It would help. Then they'll also be able to perform some simple spells.

The familial bond between Canada and the others is a reference to the Statute of Westminster. The UK decided that those dominions were the most important, and they became the first members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Ireland is no longer a member, and for a while, neither was South Africa (that while being Apartheid).