Thanks to EverythingMath, madders10 and Miss Akiyata for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 54: Broken Song

White is suspicious of Black.

Black gives them every reason to be.

They are so focused on each other that they don't even see the third party.

…

Roderich stood, and subconsciously backed up a little.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The Prussia-lookalike chuckled, before he focused his gaze on Roderich again.

"You heard about what I am at the last meeting," the Prussian said. "Surely, you didn't forget everything that was discussed."

Of course Roderich didn't forget. The memories still lingered in his head.

Much had happened at the meeting, but he wondered what it could be that the man in front of him was referring to.

"I'll give you a hint," the Prussian said. "The only ones that knew about us were the Africans."

At this, Roderich's eyes widened.

"You're a Deathplayer," the Austrian said.

"Exactly," the lookalike said, smirking widely.

Roderich realised that through all of this, the Deathplayer didn't stop playing the violin. It was somewhat creepy.

He wanted to move away, but suddenly something pushed him, and he landed with his hands on the keys of the piano, causing a horrible sound to echo through the room. Before he could recover, the hinged lid that protected the keys when not in use was slammed closed, right on top of his fingers.

Roderich cried out in pain before he stumbled back, his fingers throbbing from the pain.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he instantly paled again.

"We're only getting started," a voice whispered.

…

Yao could feel his frustration growing.

He had hoped that Roberto would be able to use his magic touch to try to figure out what the Deathplayers wanted with Kasem, only for Roberto to also be attacked by the Deathplayers.

He decided to find Macau for the time being. Finding Kan would be a good way to help out, especially since he didn't really know what else to do.

…

"This ought to work," Alistair said.

He had taken Ferdinand to a large, unfurnished room. The Venezuelan looked around, before he nodded in approval.

"All the pictures can come in this room," Ferdinand said. "And then…"

Ferdinand started to twitch, before he hugged himself. Alistair saw this and raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" Alistair asked.

"Players are at it again," Ferdinand said.

"What are they doing?" Alistair demanded.

Ferdinand rocked himself back and forth, and Alistair sighed.

"Is there something you need?" Alistair asked.

"Empty canvas and paint," Ferdinand said.

"I'll see if I can find something."

…

Francis was doing as she was told, keeping an eye on Matthew and not allowing him to fade from her thoughts.

Matthew liked the attention. Having been neglected and forgotten for so long, he enjoyed the feeling of someone, particularly his papa (or was it now mama?), being so doting towards him.

"I wonder, mon petit," Francis suddenly said. "What would you look like if you were une femme?"

Matthew felt his eyes widen. Suddenly, attention wasn't such a good thing.

"I'm sure you would look adorable," Francis continued. "I wonder if there's a way we can find out. Without having you transform into une femme, though."

Matthew sighed in relief at that part, but yelped when Francis started dragging him away, towards another part of the large mansion.

…

While Matt was still taking care of rallying his troops, Rosa had gone to the kitchen. She didn't trust her northern neighbour to cook, since he almost always ate take-out, and apparently, according to Matt's black bear, the Canadian was also unable to cook.

So it fell to her. She would have to make do with what little Matt had in his home. She was a little upset that she didn't have any spices with her, but it couldn't be helped, unless she managed to go to the grocery store, but apparently that wasn't recommended.

"Yo, make something good for once," Alfred told her, before he laughed his obnoxious laugh and she felt her blood boil.

And that was the reason why she wanted her spices.

…

"Like, no more sweets," Feliks said, staring at what remained.

"I'm actually surprised you managed to eat this much," Toris said, looking at the plates that were now empty. "I wonder if Wales managed to succeed. I mean, he is heavier than you."

"Like, after all of this, that is totally up for debate."

…

Kyo returned to find Raj no longer under the effects of the hallucinogens, but still curled up against the wall.

She smirked, before she stepped forward.

Raj at first gave her a dead look before his eyes widened.

"That's right," Kyo said. "This is the first time you see me like this. The last two times I came to visit you, you were either unconscious or not in your right mind."

"What do you hope to prove?" Raj asked.

She crouched down in front of him, and he flinched when she lifted her hand, only to calmly stroke his cheek.

"Having you here is causing our India so much pain," Kyo explained. "He's really worried about you, and it's driving him crazy that he can't see you."

"How do you know that?" Raj asked.

Kyo brought up her cell phone, showing the number of messages she had received from Mahesh.

"But I wonder if he actually cares about you," she said, "or if he's just worried because you're his own counterpart. Maybe, if he didn't think that he could use you against us, he would have wanted to torture you himself."

"No," Raj said. "He wouldn't torture me."

"Are you so sure? After all, he isn't above using suicidal tactics to win a war. He might have no problem inflicting pain on you, since he can do it to himself so easily."

Kyo saw Raj's fist clench and she smirked, knowing that she had won this round.

She calmly stood and left the Indian once again.

This was extremely fun. And if the Southern Powers managed to find a way to save Raj, they would only find a cracked and broken Nation.

…

"No!" Roderich screamed.

His wrists were bound with extra violin string, and there was another string bound around his neck, occasionally tightened.

Whoever or whatever was behind him had opted for breaking his fingers one by one. And once the fingers were done, the hand itself came next.

And all the while, the Deathplayer that looked like Prussia was playing the violin, as smooth as Roderich himself would.

He was being tortured to the sound of a violin.

He didn't know what they stood to gain, and he was sure that he didn't want to find out. Unfortunately for him, there was a good chance that he would find out.

And he wouldn't like it.

…

Ricardo had decided to search for the Micro Nations. Since they were already there, they might as well retrieve the ones that would be acting as spies on their recon mission before they saved Raj.

Ricardo knew that Mahesh wasn't taking the situation very well, and he understood perfectly.

Seeing Roberto like that was putting him on edge as well.

He wondered how it had happened. How did they come to care for their counterparts?

The answer, he thought, was simple.

Their counterparts represented a part of themselves that they didn't usually see, and they wanted to do everything in their power in order to protect it.

…

Raj kept his gaze low. He didn't want to believe that Mahesh would hurt him if he didn't see him as useful.

But there were whispered words that made him question if he was truly cared for by anyone that he had ever called 'friend'.

A shadow moved at the edge of his vision, and Raj slowly lifted his head, only to come face-to-face with the Deathplayer that resembled him once again.

"My, so glum, little Knight," the Deathplayer said.

"I don't know why you're calling me that," Raj said, looking away.

"It's part of our game. You are the piece that fulfils the role of the White Knight."

"And who are the other pieces?"

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that question."

Raj said nothing, and the Deathplayer chuckled.

"You know, I can get you out of here," the Deathplayer said.

Raj looked up, a spark of hope igniting inside him.

"However," the Deathplayer continued, "I want you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Raj asked, his voice a mix between hope and suspicion.

The Deathplayer presented him with a beautifully carved dagger.

"I want you to plunge this into your heart," the Deathplayer said.

Raj shrank back against the wall, shaking his head in horror.

"No," he whispered. "I can't. I won't."

The Deathplayer chuckled, putting the dagger away.

"It would seem you're not ready yet," the Deathplayer said, turning away. "You are still too White. But soon, you'll be ready for your White armour to be stained Red."

Raj shuddered, a vision of him clad in bloody red armour coming to mind, and he seriously hoped that he would be able to escape his prison soon.

…

Roderich screamed as claws were raked over his chest and abdomen. His eyes were clenched tight, partly out of fear, partly out of pain, and partly so that he didn't have to look at his attacker.

He had caught a glimpse. It wasn't anything close to what could be called human. It actually looked draconian.

"Allow me," a new voice said, and Roderich snapped his eyes open.

And they instantly widened.

It was another creature, and this one looked like some sort of serpent.

As the draconian released him, the serpent wrapped its coils around him.

And Roderich screamed when the creature started to squeeze.

…

Ricardo almost smiled when he saw the Micro Nations playing with Camille and the two Moldovas. It was something that he rarely, if ever, saw.

Innocence.

But the moment when Camille and Andrei caught sight of him they stopped, assuming respectful positions. The Micro Nations and Alexandru saw this and also stared towards him.

"I believe Roberto or Anika told you what you have to do," he said, addressing the Micro Nations.

They nodded, and he turned, gesturing for them to follow him. But when Camille, Andrei and Alexandru attempted to follow, Ricardo stopped them.

"There is no need for the three of you to come," Ricardo said. He turned to Seborga. "One of the conditions that we agreed to in order to make use of your services is that you don't come along. You are still injured, and Italy's house is the last place where you should be."

The Italian Micro Nation looked surprised, but nodded his head nonetheless.

It was almost time to see how good the Micro Nations were at spying.

…

She couldn't join the rest of the North, since she wasn't the best at torture. Actually, she was far too sweet to hurt anyone. That's what her elder siblings were for.

What she did to prove her loyalty, however, was spying. She had tried to break through to the Southern Hemisphere, trying to spy on those Nations. But every time, they had intercepted her.

Which meant that she was restricted to the North.

Luckily, her brother had mentioned that there were traitors among the Northern Nations, and she had decided to spy on those lands.

She was just outside the borders of one of them when she realised exactly what they were doing. She had to inform the rest of the North.

…

Will looked up when Francis burst into the room, dragging a flustered Matthew. He was actually happy for the interruption. It wasn't easy eating so many sweet foods.

"What's up?" Will asked.

"I'd like to know if there is a way to find out what someone would look like as a femme without actually turning them into one," Francis said.

Will blinked, before he thought about it.

"I think there's a mirror somewhere in this house that shows you whatever you want to see," Will said. "I think seeing yourself as a woman would apply."

Francis squealed, and Matthew groaned.

"Where is it?" Francis asked excitedly.

Will blinked, trying very hard to think.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I think the last to see it was either Ali or Artie."

"Alright then," Francis said, dragging Matthew out again. "I'll go find Angleterre and Écosse."

"Oh, wait, Matthew!" Will called out, and the two stopped. "I actually found the spell that should be able to cure that invisibility of yours."

Matthew's face lit up, but before he could say anything, Francis dragged him out again.

Will chuckled, before he grimaced, looking back at the pile of sweets.

There had to be another way.

…

Viktor sighed, stepping into the room. He had just received an upsetting phone call, and he needed to tell the Northern Powers about this new development.

As expected, all three of them were in the room, discussing ways to torture their prisoner. It was Italy that noticed him first.

"Russia, what is it?" Italy asked.

"I just received a call from Belarus," Viktor said. "Apparently, Bulgaria is closing off his borders."

"WHAT?" all three demanded.

They all knew what this meant. Since Bulgaria was roped into the Northern half, his land and resources automatically belonged to them. But if he's closing his borders, that was no longer the case. And the only way to regain that land was to conquer it.

"Are any of the other traitors closing off their borders?" Germany asked.

"I don't know," Viktor said. "According to Belarus, they had only just started. But they're still ahead."

"We need to check with the other traitors," Japan said. "I will speak to South Korea about the actions of his twin. Someone needs to talk to America, Romania, France and the Nordics."

"And then we'll need to get back what should be ours," Italy said.

Russia knew that they were upset that they had overlooked the traitors' lands. The next few days should be really interesting.

…

Raj looked up when the door opened again. He seriously hoped that he wouldn't be hurt again.

When he saw the three Nations that stood at the door, he knew that it was a hope in vain.

"Hello, India," Oliver giggled, stepping forward. "We would like your help with something."

Raj's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We'd like your help making cupcakes."

At first he was confused, but then he saw the needles in Marius's hands. Those weren't needles for injection. Those were needles used to draw blood.

He tried to move away, in spite of his injuries, but they were too fast. Oliver and Sigurd pinned him to the ground, maintaining a tight grip on his arm.

He screamed as he felt the needle being plunged into his skin at a wrong angle and place. The needle was wiggled around, until Marius seemed to be satisfied. But it didn't last too long. The needle was painfully removed and a new one was inserted.

There were four needles in all, but by the time they were finished, Raj's arm felt sore. At one point, the needles had struck a nerve or two.

"Thank you for your help," Oliver giggled, as she and Sigurd stood.

He didn't look up as the three left the room, but once the door had closed, he sat up and looked at his arm.

There was a small cut, but he knew that it went deeper than he could see. And there was already a large bruise appearing around the cut. If he looked closer, he would be able to see the entry points of the needles.

The thought of his blood being used as an ingredient for cupcakes made him feel completely disgusted, and he curled up once again.

…

Roderich's face was twisted in pain as he felt the coils tighten around him. He could feel the strain in his bound arms, and the string dug into his wrists. His elbows really started to hurt as well.

He hissed when he felt one of his arms break, and after that, strain was placed on his chest.

This seemed to spur the creature on, as the coils tightened even more, and Roderich screamed as he heard a crack coming from his chest. One of his ribs was most likely broken.

He didn't see as something left his body, but after the sound of one of his ribs possibly breaking Roderich couldn't take any more and he passed out.

…

Alistair watched as Ferdinand busied himself with the canvas. The Venezuelan moved fast, and the Scotsman wondered if any of the other artistic Nations could move like that.

He watched in a sort of awe as an avian creature became clear on the canvas. As soon as Ferdinand finished the eyes, Alistair felt a shudder race down his spine.

He wasn't sure if it was thanks to Ferdinand's skill, or if the creature brought with it a bad omen.

He looked around at the other paintings in the room. He saw Arthur in several of them, in several positions. His arms folded on top of what appeared to be a chess piece. A pawn, to be exact. Arthur dressed in white armour. Arthur standing across from Oliver, who was wearing black armour.

There was another where Arthur, Vlad and Lukas were sitting side-by-side, cuts on their faces and looking up at figures that cast a shadow over them.

Alistair frowned at that one. Now that he thought about it, that was almost exactly what they looked like when they returned after being captured by the other side.

Alistair then caught sight of a painting that looked like Will, sitting in the middle of a curled up and injured dragon. There were bloody tears going down his cheeks.

He then looked further, and saw Seamus after he was attacked by the Deathplayers, back when they were still invisible.

Alistair realised, with horror, that these paintings tracked everything that had happened to them. But he was told that the paintings were only supposed to be the Deathplayers' actions.

He then caught sight of a painting that depicted Matthew, sitting on the ground with a book in his lap. Standing behind the Canadian was a shadowy figure. It was right next to a painting of Matthew as a child, his upper body clearly visible but the lower body almost becoming transparent.

Alistair then realised that the Deathplayers were behind everything, including Matthew's invisibility, from the start. Matthew's invisibility brought loneliness, loneliness brought desperation, and the desperation led to a spell being cast.

Nothing that had happened, not even with their counterparts, had been coincidence.