Thanks to Mx Akiyata, CloudCarnivore, madders10, Icefrost12 and an anon for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 66: Getting Closer to Red
The Bishop is almost ready to be taken.
Shall we move for the next Pawn?
…
After determining that Sigurd really didn't know about Emil, the Nordics huffed. Lukas turned to Vlad.
"Do you need some help?" the Norwegian asked.
"Don't worry about it," Vlad said. "Go and help your brother."
"He's going to need it," Sigurd giggled.
Lukas then turned to her counterpart, and in a moment of inspiration, punched her in the nose.
"Come on," Gabriel sighed. "I think I can get you to Tobias's house."
Lukas then climbed off her counterpart, who immediately grabbed her bleeding nose.
Meanwhile, Oliver sat to the side, nibbling on a cupcake.
…
Ivan and Natalia had gone ahead, following the sound of the screams.
Natalia readied her knives when they spotted a figure approaching, and they both stared in surprise.
The other also stared in surprise, before she smiled warmly.
"You must be the other me," she said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Natasha."
Ivan and Natalia simply stared in surprise, before turning to each other.
"It's official," Natalia said. "This world is completely insane."
The other cocked her head, before another scream echoed throughout the building.
"Forget this," Ivan said, smiling dangerously. "Where is Bulgaria?"
"In the dungeon," Natasha said. "The door is one floor down, just past the library. I think Viktor is standing in front of the door, waiting for his turn. Either he is, or Irina is. They make turns with the torture."
Ivan went towards the nearest stairs. Natalia stalked closer to her counterpart.
"Aren't you going to fight me?" Natalia asked.
"I'm a spy, not a fighter," Natasha said. "I leave that to my older sestra and brat. Even Papa made sure that I never had to fight."
Natalia glared one last time, before she spun around, following her brother.
…
With almost all of the other Nations gone, Luciano realised something important.
She was bored.
She considered paying her counterpart a little visit, but she would need to wait for a siesta. And hopefully, Feliciano would actually be worth playing with.
Of course, remembering the last time she had paid Feliciano a visit, she tossed the idea aside.
Well, Lovino had been fun…
…
"So," Yong Soo said, "what did I miss?"
"Not much," Lovino muttered. "Iceland's been kidnapped. New Zealand became one of those… things. And most of the former members of the British Empire are drinking their stress away."
Upon hearing this, Anika set the bottle aside, trying to act nonchalant.
"How's Hyung?" Yong Soo asked.
"We didn't check," Anika said.
Yong Soo shrugged, before he pulled Jeng Soo along to meet his brother.
"Could you perhaps direct me towards Venezuela?" Lobsang asked Anika.
"Which one?" she asked.
"The one from our world."
Anika nodded, standing up and grabbing the bottle along the way. Omar followed the two of them.
And Chio and Yul decided to lounge around the room.
…
When Viktor spotted the figure approaching, he quickly opened the door.
"Irina, we have company," he called out, before closing the door, facing his counterpart. "I didn't expect you to come so soon. Or at all."
He then spotted a familiar face behind him, and narrowed his eyes.
The steely look in her eyes revealed everything. If his Belarus was as gentle as a lamb, then this one was as ferocious as a lion.
He would allow Irina to take care of her.
…
Irina had heard her brother's warning, but Dimitri was in too much pain to take note of it.
She had cut off a piece of his lung, and she held the spongy organ in her hand.
"I'm sure England would like this," she said, putting it in a fridge they kept in the dungeon, next to a few… other objects. "Now, it would seem I have other business to take care of. Don't worry. We'll be back soon."
She left Dimitri there, and she ignored how he appeared to be on the brink of passing out.
…
"Hyung!" Yong Soo called out the moment he saw his brother.
The North Korean had more cuts and bruises than he had before, and he was avoiding Yong Soo's eyes.
"What happened to you?" Yong Soo asked.
"I met Hyo," Hyung Soo said.
Both Yong Soo and Jeng Soo exchanged horrified looks.
"What did he want?" Jeng Soo asked.
"He wanted to find the two of you," Hyung Soo said. "Jeng, he said he wanted to find and break you. Because you're two halves of the same country."
The other two were silent for a moment.
"He's going to come for me soon," Jeng Soo said. "He's persistent, underhanded, and extremely cruel. He can't kill me or anything, since we're the same Nation, but he…"
Jeng Soo collapsed against the wall, and Yong Soo immediately moved to help him up.
"He'll make sure that I never see the light of day again," Jeng Soo whispered. "I can't go through that again. Last time, it lasted two hundred years. I can't go back."
His eyes were far away, and the other two Koreans immediately moved to his side, but he didn't seem to notice them.
He was locked in whatever memories he was going through, remembering the past horrors.
…
Irina sidled up next to her brother, staring at her brother and sister's counterparts.
"So," Irina said, "you're Katyusha's siblings. Obviously, that little idiot is the odd one out."
"You mean how Natasha is?" Natalia snapped.
Both Viktor and Irina's fists clenched.
"That reminds me," Ivan said, smile in place and aura radiating. "We still need to repay you for hurting our sestra."
"I'll take care of this suka," Natalia said. "You take care of him."
"I like that idea."
Viktor and Irina readied themselves for what was about to happen. Viktor readied his shovel and Ivan readied his pipe, while Irina held up the bloody knife that she had used on Dimitri, and Natalia readied her own knives.
Of course, when Ivan and Natalia saw the bloody knife, along with her bloody hands, the two grew more incensed.
…
"You weren't kidding," Lukas said.
Gabriel had used the power that most of the Nations in his world possessed and teleported near the edge of Tobias's property. And it was freezing.
"I told you so," Gabriel said. "We're not sure what caused it to happen, but Denmark's always been cold. It's as though the Ice Age never disappeared from here."
"I can believe that," Mathias said, hugging his axe close as he tried to get warm.
"S-s-so," Tino stuttered. "A-a-a-are w-w-we g-g-going i-i-inside?"
"Ja," Lukas said. "The sooner we get Emil, the sooner we can get out of here."
…
Emil had fallen asleep, but Feliks was still wide awake, providing him with warmth.
She wasn't sure how they would escape, but she would find a way.
She whipped her head up when she heard the sound of footsteps, and widened her eyes when she saw someone that looked like her that wasn't Felic.
"You know, this is unnecessary," the other said, and Feliks noticed the male voice. "If you agree to come with me, I can take you both to safety."
Feliks hugged Emil tighter.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she whispered. "You have horns."
"True. But Felic doesn't, and how many times has she hurt you? I've been around since before this all started, but I didn't lay a finger on you."
She knew that this was too suspicious, but she was a little distracted by the cold. It was nearly impossible to focus on anything else.
"Do you want me to prove that you can trust me?" the other asked.
Feliks nodded her head, and a moment later, a steaming cup of hot cocoa was presented to her.
"Drink up," the other said.
…
Dimitri was completely unaware of the battle that was raging on the upper floor. The only thing he could focus on was the pain.
He sensed a presence in front of him, and looked up to see the same demonic entity as before.
"I can make the pain go away," the thing whispered. "Just open your mind, and let me in. I promise, everything will be over, and you would never have to suffer like this again."
The creature's words were laced with promises, and the Bulgarian instinctively knew them to be true.
And that was why he nodded his consent.
The creature leaned forward, and to the Balkan's surprise, kissed him.
But the moment those lips touched his, agony coursed through his body, and he started screaming from the pain.
"Of course," the creature said once it had pulled away, "you would just have to suffer for a short time more."
Dimitri thrashed in pain, and he didn't notice as his wounds healed, and he was oblivious to the fact that his bonds broke.
All he could focus on was the pure agony.
…
Lobsang saw the latest painting that Ferdinand was working on, and sighed in disappointment.
Once again, they were too late to save someone, and they were doomed to become a Red.
He would need to work with the Venezuelan to figure out what they intended to do with the Reds. And while he had lost sight of the Deathplayers a few hundred years ago, the Venezuelan had everything they were responsible for on canvas.
He would just need to figure it out.
…
When it was getting rather late, Matt sighed, and decided to intervene in their little argument.
"I hate to interrupt you," he said, loud enough for the American and Mexican to hear him, "but it's almost lunchtime. Rosa, could you please make something to eat?"
"Why don't you make it yourself?" she snapped.
"Because frankly, my cooking is worse than Arthur's," Matt said. "And I don't really trust anything the burger king would make."
Alfred sulked a little, and Rosa sighed.
"You can't be that bad," she said.
"Not even Kumakaze wants to eat my food," Matt said. "He prefers to find month-old road kill before he would even consider my food."
Alfred winced, and Rosa sighed.
"Fine, I'm going," she said. "How long are you going to be busy with border control, anyway?"
"I'm just making sure one last time, just in case Allen decides to pay me a visit again," Matt said. "I'm also making sure Camille's island is secure. I think, after lunch, we'll be ready to go back to your world."
…
Camille allowed Francis to play with her hair. The tender displays of affection that Francis would give her made her feel warm inside.
She may have been skittish around the French Nation before, but it had grown better. She no longer flinched around the older Nation, but she still didn't like certain places, such as her wrists, to be touched. Francois had often broken her wrists, and the subconscious fear was still there.
It helped that Francis was currently a woman. She could pretend that she had a mother. One that loved her and cared for her.
That was all that she had ever wanted. Someone to care.
…
Vlad had used her magic to tie the other world's magic trio up, and she was rifling through the books that the others were searching through.
Nicolai sat to the side, completely pale and drenched in sweat. His breaths were pained, and every now and again he would clench his eyes in pain.
"You're obviously missing a few screws," Vlad said, glancing over towards her counterpart.
Marius narrowed her eyes.
"And yet, more Nations in my world take me seriously than the Nations in your world take you," Marius said.
Vlad narrowed her eyes.
"At least my brother doesn't hate me," Vlad said.
"You act as though I should care. As soon as possible, Moldova will suffer as well. And I don't care which one."
Vlad could feel her hands start to tremble in rage, but Nicolai grabbed onto them.
"Don't let her rile you up," he said. "It's just a form of mental torture, and you wouldn't want to give her the satisfaction."
Vlad sighed, before nodding her head. Nicolai smiled, before the smile disappeared, his eyes wide.
That was the warning they received before Nicolai started screaming in pain once again, worse than before. And they could hear Dimitri screaming as well.
…
Australia was lying on his bed, absentmindedly throwing a cricket ball up and down.
He couldn't help but think about Fletcher, and the pure look of insanity in his eyes. And Fletcher had attacked him with every intention of killing him.
That was what scared him. They were brothers and rivals, but apparently, that didn't mean much to the Nation that had been turned into a Red.
He wanted to help the New Zealander, but they had the problem of not knowing where to find him. And then there were the Deathplayers to deal with, and then there's the fact that Fletcher had attacked him without hesitation.
He sighed, deciding to find Anika. She seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the Deathplayers. Perhaps she could offer an answer.
…
James groaned as he opened his eyes. He didn't know where he was, only that he was in pain, and his body was weak.
He turned his head to the side, and he frowned in confusion when he saw Bruce sitting there.
"You're awake," the Australian said. "I was worried."
"What happened?" the New Zealander asked.
Bruce was hesitant, and James knew that something was seriously wrong.
"What is it?" James asked, growing worried.
"It's your connection with your counterpart," Bruce said. "It's been completely severed, and with it, your connection to your land."
James frowned in confusion.
"Then why can I see what Fletcher sees?" James asked.
"But, I thought…"
"He's not a Nation anymore. He's something else. Something that would have been better hidden away from everything. He's not the only one. I see India there, and… Is that Lithuania? They're in a cave of sorts. The floor is completely covered with bone. And… They're about to get a fourth."
Bruce stared at him in horror, before he stood from his chair.
"I'm going to tell Alida about this," he said. "Oh, and there's something else you might find interesting. One of the Micro Nations from the other world is called Jimmy."
James cocked his head to the side, intrigued by that revelation. Perhaps, when he was feeling better, he could have a little chat with that Micro Nation.
…
The four stopped their fight the moment they heard Dimitri screaming from below.
"What did you do now?" Ivan demanded.
"I have no idea what he's screaming about," Irina said, a little confused. "I just cut out part of his lung and chained him up again."
"You what?!"
"Brat," Natalia said, her eyes wide, "you don't think…? I mean, it's the same that happened to New Zealand."
Ivan's eyes widened as well, and the two fair-haired siblings abandoned their battle, leaving the dark-haired siblings bewildered.
…
Tobias, Aleksi and Axel were immediately on guard when the Dane's door was kicked down by five familiar faces. One of them more familiar than the rest.
"Lookie who's here," Tobias sneered. "If it isn't the little traitor himself."
"Shut it," Mathias snapped. "Where's Emil?"
"Somewhere," Axel shrugged.
Mathias was about to attack with his axe, but he was stopped by Berwald.
"I think we should change partners," Berwald said.
"What? Why?"
"Because you in berserker is similar to what he is normally, right? But he hasn't fought me yet. We can't afford you making a mistake. We've already got Emil to worry about."
Mathias reluctantly nodded, and Tobias chuckled.
"I actually like that idea," Tobias said. "What do you think, Ax?"
Axel smirked, and the blond Nordics shuddered because it was unusual to see such an expression on the Swede's face.
"I wouldn't mind," Axel said.
"Lukas, Gabriel," Tino said, "go find Emil. We'll handle these guys."
"Are you sure about it?" Aleksi asked.
"You know," Tino said, "last time we met, you saw me when I'm not angry. Now, you've messed with my family. Things are going to be different."
…
"This is going to be a long day," Lobsang sighed.
So far, he only managed to figure out that the Deathplayers had cast a spell on Matthew a long time ago to make others forget about his existence. It was the cause for the Canadian's loneliness, and out of desperation, he had cast a spell.
"The King was chosen a long time ago," Ferdinand said.
"If you're going to play a game of chess," Lobsang said, "then you need to know which piece is the most important from the beginning. Even if you need to find out about the rest of the pieces, the king is always the most important."
He would need to see Wales. The sooner they undid the spell placed on the Canadian, the better.
…
Lukas and Gabriel were searching throughout the Dane's home, looking for a room that he would use to imprison the Icelandic Nation. Gabriel explained that Tobias didn't have a dungeon, since not even he would dare to go down there in this cold.
While they were searching, they ran into someone that they didn't expect.
"Poland?" Gabriel asked.
The Pol blinked in confusion, before she smirked.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Felic said. "Did you come to save your counterpart?"
"Go and find Emil," Lukas ordered. "I'll take care of her."
…
Feliks handed the cup back to the Deathplayer, who took it without a word.
"There will always be Nations ready to hurt you," the Deathplayer said. "Even those you call friends. But we would never hurt you. You're not like any of the other Nations. You're special."
Feliks looked towards the sleeping Nation in her arms.
"They have come to rescue him," the other continued. "None of them even knows you're here."
Feliks remained silent, not knowing what to say. It was the first counterpart to show her any kindness. And from the looks of things, Feliks wouldn't be getting grief for cross dressing.
"I'll leave you be, for now," the other said. "But remember: they didn't come for you."
As the other disappeared, Feliks could hear the sound of a battle starting.
The part where the Deathplayer kisses Dimitri is a form of torture. Cruelty disguised as kindness. From something so tender and gentle came something that would doom them all.
And I had wanted Feliks to turn into a Red around the time when the Nordics saved them, but it will basically be drawn out, with most of Feliks's torment being what she inflicted on herself.