Thanks to madders10, Mx Akiyata and an anon for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 76: The Mirror Game

Finally, the Pieces know the rules.

But it is already too late.

…

Gilbert sighed, laying back down into the bed, next to her two best friends. Her eyes widened slightly when Francis threw her arm around her, snuggling closer. She looked over towards her friends, seeing Antonio sprawled on her back, Francis basically hugging her and still asleep.

Gilbert smiled, snuggling closer to the Frenchwoman, and closed her eyes. One thing about Francis, she could make a person feel as though they were wanted. As though there was someone that cared for them.

As expected of the Country of Love.

…

Arthur woke in a cold sweat, and it took her a moment to relax. She looked to her two brothers, sleeping peacefully on either side of her.

On one hand, she was glad that she didn't wake them, but on the other, she was disappointed that they didn't notice how upset she was.

She tried to recall the dream, and she remembered a certain phrase that echoed.

I'm no longer a child… Nor your little brother.

Alfred didn't realise it, but what he said that day hurt her more than he realised. Afterwards, she had grown more possessive of her colonies. She realised that she didn't treat them like she should have. She wasn't a parent, she was an oppressor. It was probably because of Alfred that she didn't want to get close to any of the others. She had spoiled him, and he had thrown it all in her face.

She supposed that it was understandable that her other former colonies didn't see her as much as a parent. It was because she wasn't much of a parent. The one time she had doted on a colony, and he decided to leave it all behind.

She had failed as a brother and parent. Even Alistair, Will, Patrick and Seamus didn't like her. They might love her, but they didn't like her. The humiliation she had suffered when she was younger, the bullying, the cruel jokes… those were proof of that.

Sure, they were with her ever since this started, but they wouldn't spend any time with her otherwise. She couldn't even get them to come to her house for a holiday, or even her birthday.

Even this house, the place where they had to be together every now and again, was built so that they didn't need to interact with each other.

Arthur felt something wet on her hand, and realised that she was crying and that a teardrop had fallen. She wiped her cheeks and tried to dry her eyes, but it wouldn't stop, and Arthur carefully stood up, making sure that she didn't disturb her brothers, especially Will. The Welshman was not fun to be around if he was rudely awoken – the dragon liked his sleep.

She went towards the nearest bathroom, and she allowed the dam to break. She didn't want her sobs or shaking to wake her brothers, but now there was nothing that stopped her.

…

Oliver read the page for what felt the hundredth time. She needed to memorise every single detail. There was no denying that that was what the Deathplayers were doing with them.

Two versions of the same person, different and similar. Mirrors of each other. Different pasts, but the same future.

The moment they had met, their lives had become intertwined. They had been involved in the same things, just from two different perspectives.

The players choose the game, and they select the number of pieces necessary. And once the pieces are all together, the game could officially begin.

She remembered that the Deathplayer had said something about Vlad, and by extension Marius, being a pawn. It was obvious that they were playing chess.

The players will focus on the gentler and brighter counterparts. They will corrupt them, until dark becomes light.

That part always made Oliver shudder. Sure, Arthur was grouchier than her, but her counterpart was also saner, and was more focused. The thought of having that change made her feel afraid.

The players will also become like the pieces, creating three sides.

The Deathplayer resembled Romania, and Oliver knew that there was most likely a Deathplayer that looked like her and Arthur. They had already met the South Africa, Bulgaria, India and New Zealand as well.

With corruption, a fourth side is created, and four will become three. And then, three will become two.

Oliver didn't know what it meant, but she felt that something bad was going to happen.

And then, two will become one.

That part truly scared her.

Of course, she still needed to find out what the purpose was of the beasts. But she had at least some luck with finding something, and that was enough that she felt that she deserved something to eat. Like cupcakes.

Unfortunately, she couldn't add any special ingredients (she wasn't allowed to do that), but she could add some extra sugar.

Yes, extra sugar would be good.

…

The draconian was pacing around. The seven beasts were outside of the manor, and each of them was restless.

"We need to get the last one," the lupine said.

"But how?" the leonine said. "Those Nations are paranoid. They won't allow any of them to be alone."

"But what if they weren't alone?" the avian asked. "We can simply wait until our target is alone with one of the Pieces. We'll make the Piece watch as we torture their friend. And then we can also help the smaller ones with their part of the game."

"We're being too kind, aren't we?" the squid-like creature teased.

"I don't see why we couldn't be," the scorpion-like creature said. "We're playing the same game, on the same side, after all."

"But we need to be together before we can really play our part," the serpentine said. "We will wait, and when the time is right, we will have our final Player join the game. And we could also capture the next Piece."

…

Tolys rubbed his eyes, feeling completely frustrated. Normally, sleep wouldn't be such a necessity for him, but with his body being so weak at the moment, he would need it.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of sleeping while in such a dangerous situation and location. Even though Toris and the others seemed content to sleep. What made it disturbing was the fact that they didn't sleep like humans. They seemed more like… animals. Wolves, or possibly hyenas.

Tolys shuddered, turning his attention to the others. They didn't give names, and when he asked, they would ignore him. It unnerved him further, seeing the faces but unable to give them names. Faces like those that he knew, but not even the Nations of his own world were that… evil.

There wasn't another word that described them, and that was what made Tolys nervous. Every now and again, he could hear them speaking, and whatever they were saying only scared him. He wasn't used to that feeling.

He had to admit that he couldn't escape, and he would need to rely on the other Nations to rescue him. Not the ones from his world, obviously, but the Nations from the other world would save him when they tried to save Toris. They weren't as cruel as the Nations from his world, and they wouldn't leave him with them.

Right?

…

Lukas opened her eyes, and she smiled softly when she saw Emil sleeping next to her.

Mathias had wanted to sleep with them as well, but Lukas had effectively kicked him out, and Emil had backed the Norwegian's decision. So now Mathias was rooming with Berwald and Tino, much to the Swede's displeasure.

Lukas sighed, thinking back to her dream. It was about the attacks a few years ago, the bombing of Oslo and the massacre of Utøya, and how useless she felt during it. It was very similar to how she now felt.

Someone wanted to hurt her, to hurt them, and she didn't know how to stop it. There was an attack coming, but they didn't know when it would come, or who it would target next. And she had no idea what the aftermath would be this time.

She knew that she would be targeted soon, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't be strong enough to defend herself against their enemies. She hoped that the others would be strong enough to stop their enemies before it was hopelessly too late.

She climbed out of bed, going towards the window. She saw nothing but darkness outside, and she sighed once again, her breath fogging the window.

She absently wondered how the others would react when she was claimed by the Deathplayers, and she knew that Mathias would be too stubborn to let her go.

But what of the others? What of Emil?

She looked over towards her younger brother again and sighed. She walked back to the bed and softly stroked his hair, placing a small kiss on his temple.

"Jeg elsker deg, lillebror," Lukas whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't be a better brother to you."

She knew that it was inevitable that the Deathplayers would claim her. She just hoped she'd have enough time to make peace with everyone and herself first before that happened.

…

Vlad woke and smiled, the two Moldovans cuddled next to her. And Nikolai was also on the bed with them. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but they managed. It was a lot warmer that way as well.

She tried to think of whatever it was she had been dreaming about, but found that she couldn't remember it. All she knew was that it had left her cheeks wet with tears.

She sighed, pulling the two Moldovas closer to her and closing her eyes. She supposed that it wasn't that important anyway.

…

Oliver had continued searching, hoping to find a mention of the beasts, but there was none. If only she knew what to search for…

Her eyes widened, and she grinned as an idea came to mind. She went back to the page about the Mirror Game, and searched the text until she could find something specific. Something that connected them…

It was a vague reference, but she had found it.

Pain can unleash the animal, and humanity is lost when the animal inside is released.

She hadn't thought of it before, but when she read that part again, she was reminded of the first time they had to do with those beasts. The one that came out of Will… It was after they had tortured the Welshman. At first she had thought it referred to the Reds, what with the others saying that they had little to no humanity left, but it didn't.

Now, if only she could find something else that went with the animal…

She searched around, the phrase 'Protect the original' catching her attention every time, and made a mental note to check on that one later. But for now, she would need to see if she could find something regarding the animals.

She paused when she found something about a 'gender-bender', and scanned it for a moment. She scowled when she realised that it was only something meant to allow someone to think differently, for those that sought change…

She froze, thinking back to the Romania Deathplayer that had visited them. It was a he, though both Marius and Vlad had been she's. And Lithuania and Poland had returned back to their original forms when their counterparts had become Reds.

Think differently…

So she did. Her first thought was that she could use some chocolate, but also something salty. Chocolate and popcorn…

She shook her head of the thought, and tried to think of something else.

She noticed that she was a little more temperamental. And, now that she thought about it, both she and Sigurd were quieter, while Marius was a little friendlier. Luciano's temper had also become a little more profound. And Francois…

She just realised that Francois had been a little more emotional, and hadn't once picked up a cigarette since becoming a woman. The wine, yes, but not a cigarette.

'Is it possible…?' she wondered.

Different yet the same.

There must be a reason why the Deathplayers resembled the male forms and not the female, and why the counterparts of the ones that became Reds returned to their original forms. And if they returned, then it could only be assumed that the Reds had returned as well.

They had turned into females because it was the other side's way of fighting back. To repay them for everything they had done to them thus far. It was simply another move in the game.

"Let's see," Oliver muttered, sticking her tongue out in thought. "In chess, white moves first. The other side is supposed to be white, and we're black. Okay. Their first move… Canada using that spell. And then the effects spreading. Our move… Hurting them. Their move… Turn us into women. Our move… Torturing Will which released the first beast. Their move… What was their next move?"

"They teamed up with the South," a voice said, and Oliver yelped before turning around, seeing a differently-coloured male version of her and Arthur. "They also protected their Northern borders. Your move… You started torturing them and making them become Reds."

"So it's their move next," Oliver said.

"You forgot about us," the other said. "Our move… When they're at their lowest, give them an offer they can't refuse."

"And what then?" Oliver asked. "What will happen when you yell 'check'? What needs to happen?"

"Black has withdrawn. The game is between White and Red."

"But black and white are together now, so shouldn't we be grey? And you ignored my question!"

"Perhaps. Are you familiar with the myth 'Servenlong'?"

"Of course. It's from my own land. It's about a man that becomes a snake after his army lost a battle and the only survivor was himself. He became enraged, and first attacked his enemies, before turning his attention to his own people, until there was nothing left. But what does that have to do with anything?"

The other smirked, before disappearing. Oliver huffed in annoyance, before going back to the book.

Servenlong…

She would need to ask Arthur if she knew that legend. Actually…

She left the library, ignoring Fiji, who was supposed to keep an eye on her. The other followed, but she had a direct course for the bathroom.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Oh, hush," Oliver said. "I'll only be a minute. I just need to ask Arthur about something."

When she turned to the mirror, she saw Arthur sleeping between Will and Alistair and smiled, placing her hand against the mirror and going through…

…

Matt had been keeping an eye on Matthew, who was sharing a bed with Jett. He wanted to make sure that they were safe, and that there was no need for them to worry.

He jumped when his phone rang, and he hastily dug it out of his pockets, leaving the room before it could wake the two sleeping Nations.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"It's England," the other person, Fiji, said. "She went through to the other world. I can't see what she's doing right now."

Matt swore, before hanging up, running towards the room where Arthur would be.

…

Arthur awoke to a sudden weight on her lower abdomen, and clearly the sudden presence of the source of the weight woke the other two.

"Hi Artie!"

As though the other's voice wouldn't have done it anyway.

"Oliver, what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Arthur snapped.

"You know, you should work on your language," the other remarked. "But anyway, I was going through this old book that said something about a Mirror Game, which is a lot like what we're going through. Then I tried to see what else I can find out, and then the Deathplayer that looks like us came, and he asked me if I know about Servenlong, and I said of course, and when I asked him about it, he just disappeared. So rude. And…"

Arthur and her brothers merely stared at the other woman, trying to figure out what she was saying.

"…So I was thinking that you're so much more focused than me, and…"

"Could you please just shut up for a moment?" Arthur asked. "Now, what is this all about, and please, speak slower."

Oliver pouted.

"You're not very patient, are you?" she asked. "Anyway, I was reading this book when I found a page about the Mirror Game. It's almost exactly like what we're going through."

"Great, you found something," Arthur said sarcastically. "Shouldn't you tell the South Africa on your side?"

"I did, but I wanted to find out more," Oliver said. "Oh, and also, apparently us becoming women is supposed to make us think differently."

"Get to the point."

Before Oliver could say anything else, the door slammed open, and Matt was standing there.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled, glaring at Oliver.

"It's rude to interrupt, you know," Oliver said. "Anyway, Poland and Lithuania returned to being men after Toris and Feliks were taken, right? And our Deathplayers are still men."

"What are you on about?" Arthur asked.

"There has to be a reason for that, right?"

Arthur rubbed her temples.

"Why did you come all this way to tell me that?" she asked.

"Because you're more focused than me," Oliver said. "Also, I realised that you guys turning us into women was just another move on their chessboard."

"Finally, something that looks like a logical thought," Arthur groaned.

"Yeah. I mean, after you turned us into women," Oliver said looking at Will, "we came through to punish you, remember? And that unleashed the first beast. Also, in the text about the Mirror Game, they say that if the animal is unleashed, humanity will die. At first I thought it was just a wild side, but…"

"The beasts are supposed to help the Deathplayers with that," Arthur said, realisation hitting her. "What else?"

"Um, well, the Deathplayer that looks like us came and asked me if I know Servenlong."

"Isn't that your apocalypse legend?" Matt asked.

"Why didn't you say that before?" Arthur snapped.

"Everyone has a different legend, and I didn't think about it," Oliver said, shrugging. "Turns into a snake and…" Oliver stopped, and it looked as though a light bulb turned on inside her head. "Raj's blood was like a snake."

"What else? I don't know that legend."

"Huh, different myths. Anyway, it's about a guy that turns into a snake and kills his enemies, then his own people, and then everyone that's left."

"And the Deathplayer said that?" Matt asked.

"Yep."

"I think we need to ask anyone we know about any apocalypse stories," Alistair said. "What's yours, Matt?"

"A guy who lost all hope and decides that since he has no reason to hope anymore, why should the rest of the world," Matt said. "He destroys the people's hopes, and they eventually all end up killing themselves."

"I'll ask anyone if we can look into our apocalypse legends," Oliver said. "We've been looking for anything relating to the Deathplayers. Maybe our legends hold the key."

"No," Arthur said. "I think you need to dig deeper. You'll need to find any forgotten legends."

Oliver and Matt's legends are my own invention. They have different legends, but because their humans were more practical than we were, they didn't spend as much time with them, and their own legends are merely an afterthought. And it's possible for one of their humans to go their entire lives without hearing a single reference to one of those legends.