Thanks to Mx Akiyata, madders10, stormpix and yeet333 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 86: Support Group

The Nations weren't too happy that they all had to stay in one large group, but knew that it needed to be done. There were only five potential Reds left, and no one wanted to know what would happen when all of the Reds were gathered.

Emil had already recounted what had happened with Lukas in the library, after he and Gabriel had been found frozen to their seats. They had been suffering from hypothermia, and Rosa had thought of a clever way to heat them up.

She had given them a dish containing four types of chilli and four types of chilli sauce, and it included half a bottle of tabasco and a crushed jalapeno. Their eyes had started watering even before they started to eat it, and any Nation nearby felt the same. This had been during lunch time.

The only one that didn't seem bothered by the spicy food was Mahesh, who even asked if he could also have a plate. Roberto had commented that it was a lot like Raj, and had fallen silent.

The Brazilian had yet to tell anyone about his encounter with Raj, and he was afraid that he would be the next target. He didn't know that Jett had had a similar encounter with Fletcher, and they both remained close to Anika and Matthew.

The Micro Nations kept Alexandru company, though Andrei tried to keep his distance from them, since they were a little boisterous for his tastes.

There were a few Nations that had other things to do, so they didn't accompany the others in the large living room, much to their satisfaction.

…

Gupta was with Michael and Yong Soo. The three of them were trying to find a way for the chips to work, even if soul magic was involved. They were also trying to find a way to ensure that the chips wouldn't be overwhelmed by too much magic.

"This is hopeless," Yong Soo sighed. "Can't we think of another idea?"

"I would really like to help my brother," Michael said, keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him. "Even if a large part of this is his fault. I don't want to know what the Deathplayers are planning to do to him after they've finished with all the Reds. I don't… We almost lost Oliver once. I don't think I could handle it if we did lose him."

The Egyptian and South Korean exchanged a glance, before looking back towards the Irishman.

"Do you mind telling us what happened?" Gupta asked.

Michael stared at him for a moment before he sighed.

"We were still young, and Mother was still around," Michael explained. "She was teaching us magic, and then Oliver wandered off. We only noticed he was gone when he started screaming. When we found him, he was bleeding and there were gashes all over. It wasn't an animal that did that, but something far worse. We never found out what did that. I've never been so scared before, or since. Oliver couldn't even speak for months, and it took him years to smile again. He should always have a smile on his face."

"I think I understand," Yong Soo sighed. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to Hyung, Yao or Kiku. Or any of my family, for that matter."

"Then how do you think I feel?" Gupta asked. "My Southern cousins were hurt by the Deathplayers, and I only found out about it centuries later. And now a few of them were hurt again, and Anika's been marked as one of their Reds. My family's hurting, and I know they're good at hiding it, but I can see that they're scared. We Africans… we always have a smile, because we want to stand strong. We have to stand strong. But there are those that I haven't seen smile in a while."

Yong Soo snickered, and Gupta glared.

"I'm sorry," the Korean said. "It's just… I don't think I've ever seen you smile. You're even more serious than Hyung is."

Michael looked thoughtful, before turning to Gupta.

"How did the others defeat the Deathplayers the first time?" he asked.

"They said they used what could be considered necromancy," Gupta said. "But it turned out to be too dangerous, and the cost was high."

"But they're still around?"

"Yes, the ones that were involved are still around."

"I think you should have a word with Madagascar. She also has the magic touch, and there's no reason to involve South Africa unless necessary."

…

Anika's eyes started to twitch, and her breaths were starting to get heavy. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked towards the one who the hand belonged to, seeing Jett looking at her with concerned eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She shook her head, and her eyes sought out her sister. Jana was speaking to Ludwig, and Anika moved over so that she was sitting next to the Namibian.

Jana paused in her conversation with Ludwig to look questioningly at Anika, who merely answered by leaning against her and breathing deeply. Jana seemed to get the message, for her arm wrapped around the South African.

"Could you give us a moment?" Jana asked.

Anika didn't listen to Ludwig's reply, though she did listen when Jana started to sing a familiar song, Kinders van die wind.

Anika relaxed and let the words soothe her, trying to allow the stress to melt away.

…

Jett watched as Anika moved away, and he sighed. Something was wrong, but naturally he didn't know what it was. He looked over towards Roberto, and the Brazilian seemed to have a better idea of what was going on.

Anika was kind of like Jett's sister, just like Fletcher was his brother. His sister kept something from him, and his brother was lost to him.

He looked over towards Matthew, another brother, and moved over to sit with the Canadian. Matthew seemed startled at first before he smiled, and Jett understood. Matthew had gone on for too long being invisible and he wasn't used to the attention he was getting.

"How you doing?" Jett asked.

"I'm worried," Matthew admitted. "Our family is falling apart. Arthur and Fletcher are gone, and so is Francis. I'm just… which one of us is next?"

Jett could feel his throat constrict.

"I have a feeling it's me," he admitted.

Matthew looked at him, shocked and horrified.

"W-why would you say that?" Matthew asked.

"After Arthur and the others came, Fletcher came to see me," Jett admitted. "I knew that he was toying with me, but… a part of him seemed to really want me to come with them. They've already sent Fletch to see me. How long before they send him to take me?"

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"You've seen how paranoid everyone is. The security is tighter than ever. I don't want it to get tighter. I'm stifled enough as it is."

"You're used to being free," Matthew whispered. "And now you're a caged bird."

Jett chuckled.

"I wouldn't say I'm a bird," Jett said. "But yeah, you kind of see the point."

"Do you think they're completely lost to us?" Matthew asked.

"No. You heard about what happened with Iceland and his brother. There's still a part of them that can be reached, but the Deathplayers probably won't let them get close to us again before they're ready to kill."

"And when will they be ready to kill?"

"I… I don't know. I really don't know."

…

Alistair found himself having to run to the nearest bathroom in order to empty the contents of his stomach. Bearsden was apparently the latest target of the Beasts, and the effect it was having on him was making him nauseous.

Whoever made up the rules that determined how Nations reacted to their lands being attacked could go take a flying leap.

…

Matt had gone to the library to get him and Matthew at least something to entertain themselves while Matthew was being watched carefully. Matthew had given him a list of Canadian authors, and Matt was searching to see if there were any of them in the British siblings' library. As it turned out, there were.

Matt took as many books as possible, some for Matthew to read, and some for himself. He had to admit that he was curious, and wanted to see what types of things Canadians in Matthew's world would write.

It would at least be something to occupy their minds.

…

Roberto sighed when he looked over towards Anika. He knew exactly what was going on with her. On one hand, he was a little upset that she didn't go to him, but on the other hand he didn't really know what to do to help her.

He closed his eyes, and he wondered if he could get another vision, or if the Deathplayers were still keeping him out.

His breathing slowed as he entered a meditative trance.

…

The younger Nations were taken to another room where they could play without bothering the other Nations. Katyusha, Will, Lili, Rosa and Sadiq were watching them. Rosa and Sadiq were there mostly to keep them from starting a fight with Alfred or Heracles, respectively.

Alexandru looked at the older Nations with a wide smile, before the smile dimmed slightly. He really missed his older brother. He wanted Vlad back.

The closest he could get was Marius, but Marius was not his brother. Marius had hurt Vlad and Andrei enough. Marius could never be his brother.

He also missed Dimitri, and while Nicolai was nice, it just wasn't the same. He just wanted the older Nations back.

He wanted to feel safe again, and even though the Micro Nations were keeping him busy by playing with him, he knew that they were mostly doing it to distract him. He wasn't stupid or naïve. He knew that the Deathplayers wanted him, though he wasn't completely sure why. What could a child like him offer to them? It just didn't make any sense.

He also knew that they would hurt him in order to get him to join them. The same way Dimitri had been hurt, and how Vlad had probably been hurt as well. And as it was, the only older Nation that Alexandru could ask for reassurances and comfort that he was close to was Ivan, and the Russian wasn't always the best source of comfort.

But Alexandru would keep the smile on his face, so that no one would see that he was scared and sad. Because who was left if he were to cry?

…

Roberto was surprised to see that he was able to reach the chessboard again, but that surprise quickly faded to be replaced by horror.

The chessboard was larger in order to accommodate more pieces. And he saw those pieces move on their own.

The black and white pieces were on one side of the board, while grey and red were on the other side. And the red pieces were moving around.

One of the white knights was isolated from the others, and the red pieces moved to take that piece first. It couldn't even be classified as 'taken'. More like destroyed.

The white pieces then started to move simultaneously. They looked as though they were scattering. But the red pieces took them, one by one, until only the king was left. And then he was destroyed as well.

The red pieces then moved on to black, destroying them one by one as well, until once again, only the king was left. And soon that piece was gone as well.

And that was when the grey pieces moved, and to Roberto's horror, none of the pieces were destroyed. They merged. Until sixteen dark red pieces remained.

His attention was drawn to the other side of the board, where figures were placed. There were so many, and they each looked like statues of Nations that he knew. Eight beast-like creatures were there, and they were attacking the figures, and after each attack a crack would appear.

The dark red pieces moved over towards the figures, destroying them as well. Roberto watched in horror as a knight piece destroyed the figure that looked like Miguel.

He tensed when he felt someone grab him from behind, and a voice that sounded like his own whispered in his ear.

"Do you know how the game is played, little Knight?" the voice taunted. "Do you think that you could warn the other Nations before the fate that you saw for yourself comes to pass?"

Roberto could feel the tears falling, and his voice failed him. He continued to watch as the figures were destroyed until there was nothing left. Neither Black nor White remained.

…

Miguel kept an eye on Roberto the whole time. He saw as the other closed his eyes and his breathing steadied, and at first assumed that he was asleep. But then he noticed as the Brazilian started to get paler and paler.

Next he noticed as the other's breathing became erratic, almost frightened. He thought that the other was having a nightmare and went to wake him up. When the Brazilian still didn't awaken, he knew that he wasn't sleeping, but having a vision. A horrible vision.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do, he hovered close, just in case. When he saw the other's hands start to tremble, he knew that he had to get Roberto out of that vision before things got too serious.

"Filho," Miguel whispered, holding the other tightly. "Please, wake up. If you're thinking of watching that for the sake of helping us, it's not worth it. You're hurting yourself. Please, wake up."

Roberto gasped, but he wasn't waking up like Miguel was hoping he would. Instead, his body started to convulse. It got progressively worse, and Miguel realised that whatever Roberto was seeing, it was causing him to have a seizure.

"Roberto, wake up!" Miguel shouted, attracting the attention of the other Nations.

"You need to get away!" Ludwig shouted. "Put him on the ground, and everyone back away. Put a pillow or something under his head."

The Nations did as ordered, and they watched helplessly as the Brazilian convulsed. This lasted for several minutes until Roberto finally stilled, falling limp.

Miguel, with tears rolling down his cheeks, went to the younger Nation and scooped him into his arms. The other Nations stood aside as the Portuguese placed his former colony on a couch.

"What just happened?" Sofia asked, looking imploringly at Miguel.

"He was having a vision," Miguel explained, gritting his teeth. "And whatever he saw caused this to happen."

"There's only one thing he'd be having a vision of at this point in time," Gabriel said.

He didn't have to say it, because it was on everyone's minds.

The Deathplayers.

…

Bruce had been watching what was happening with his counterpart and he sighed. He had overheard what Jett had said to Matthew, and he saw what had happened with Roberto.

He turned away from the mirror, and he wondered when Jett spoke to Fletcher, or rather, when Fletcher spoke to Jett. It must have been while he wasn't looking.

He would need to speak to Ricardo about what just happened with his counterpart. It was definitely concerning, and he needed to see if Ricardo was affected in the same way Roberto was.

He couldn't believe that he was missing the good old days when North and South hated each other and the threat of a World War was on the horizon. He missed the Cold War. At least then, they knew the enemies well and knew what they wanted. This new threat was something unfamiliar to the Nations, and it was clear that it was the same on both sides of the mirror.

He needed to know what's going to happen, and he needed to know how he could stop it.

…

Gupta had gone to retrieve Miora, and she was listening to the Irishman's request. She sighed when she realised what they wanted.

"Calling on the spirits of the dead is tricky business," she said. "And it's risky. It took the non-magic Nations ages to recover."

"But there are more magical Nations here this time," Michael pointed out. "And besides, I don't think it's a good idea to ask the help of human spirits."

"What then?"

"We're going to see if we can ask the help of former Nations. The Ancients."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Obviously you don't know how some of the Ancients were," Yong Soo said.

"If they're anything like our Ancients, then all the more reason to get their help," Michael said.

"And on that note, what about your Ancients?" Gupta asked. "If they were really that bad."

"We just need to keep them from killing each other. Again. But I think it'll be fine."

"Okay, even if we do agree to that, do you have any idea how much preparation we'll need?" Miora asked. "That's going to take a lot of magic. Magic that even a bunch of Nations combined wouldn't be able to manage."

"We can still try," Michael said.

…

The Deathplayers stood in a circle, the Reds sleeping once again, except for Lukas. He was sitting in front of the Norway Deathplayer, who was stroking his hair like he was some sort of pet. Lukas seemed out of it, and it was obvious that he hadn't quite recovered from the encounter with his former brother.

"We need to move forwards," the England Deathplayer said.

"Patience," the Brazil Deathplayer said. "Things are already in motion. Little Roberto is unconscious after his vision. And he's shaken up after seeing what we intend to do with the Nations. It's enough to push him over the edge, when the time comes."

"We would still need to get past the other Nations," the Canada Deathplayer said.

"When the time is right, an opportunity will present itself," the New Zealand Deathplayer said. "We just need to be patient for a little while longer."

And sitting a fair distance away, Tolys heard the words and he shuddered.

Remember the friend I mentioned last chapter? He's unable to taste anything spicy, and he told me about a dish that he prepares with four types of chillies, four types of chilly sauces, half a bottle of tabasco and a crushed jalapeno. That's what Rosa made for the two Icelands. He said that a guy sitting four tables away could feel the spiciness and it made his eyes water. Interestingly, in Afrikaans when we refer to something spicy, we say it burns.