Thanks to stormpix, Mx Akiyata, madders10, Ariaprincess and KathAmbrosius67 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 92: Joiners

The past betrayal is unknown.

And a future betrayal is imminent.

…

"What!" Ludwig yelled. "Are you serious?!"

It was dinnertime, and everyone who had been outside enjoying the game had been informed of the fact that Alexandru had been taken by the Deathplayers. Those that had been inside the house looked down under the German's glare.

"How did it happen?" Ludwig demanded. She turned to Lovino. "I thought you were watching them."

Lovino glared at the German, though there was something else in his eyes. Something that none of them could figure out, had they noticed.

"I was out for a few minutes because the Micros were hungry," Lovino said. "And honestly, how many of you are going to trust those kids to make food?"

"He's got a point," Alistair said, looking towards Peter. "There's no way I'm trusting any of them in our kitchen."

"Amigo, have you ever tasted your cooking?" Miguel asked, a teasing smile on his face.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

"He's got a point," Jett murmured, and pretty much every one of the former British colonies nodded their heads in agreement.

"I really don't know what happened," Marcello said, looking confused. "I feel like… there's a gap in my memory. I think I remember seeing a few Deathplayers, but… I'm not sure."

"Ditto," Sheila said. "And when I asked Lucy if she saw what happened, she told me that she couldn't see me in the mirror at times."

Lovino kept his eyes focused on his food, toying with it.

"Only four left," Rosa said, looking towards Matthew.

"We need to get a solution, and fast," Alistair said.

Gupta and Miora exchanged a glance, and they both nodded their heads. The two excused themselves and left the room, Michael following behind them.

"What are they up to?" Will mused.

"Forget it," Alistair said. "I think we should look into our old wards. You know, the ones we used to keep bad spirits away?"

"Agreed," Patrick said. "Anything to get the Deathplayers off our case, at least long enough for us to find a way to get Art and the others back."

"And until then we're going to be under heavy surveillance," Jett sighed, looking unimpressed. "I really hate those bastards."

"Agreed," most of the other Nations said.

…

Ricardo had made his way to the spirit world again, seeking out one of Alida's Micro Nations, Hout Bay.

And he found her.

She was quite pretty, in a way. She looked to be no older than fourteen, maybe fifteen. Her black hair was cut short, with her bangs in her brown eyes. She wasn't as pale as Alida, but she wasn't exactly a healthy pallor. She wore a blue shirt with black jean shorts. She was reading a book, curled up on an armchair.

She looked up, as though sensing him, and Ricardo figured that he should probably get going. He was also curious to see if she had a counterpart.

He allowed the image to fade, and soon another took its place, similar, yet different.

He was surprised to see the other Hout Bay. At first he wasn't sure if it even was her, but the face and the stature were the same.

This Hout Bay had tanned skin, as though she spent a lot of time in the sun. Her long blond hair was tied back in a braid, though her bangs were still in her blue eyes. She wore a pale blue see-through shirt with a darker blue shirt underneath it and jean shorts. She was also curled up on a chair, eating her dinner.

Ricardo was shocked to see two counterparts look so different, but then figured that they hadn't had a chance to see all the Nations and their counterparts yet. There might be others that contrasted even more.

If this Hout Bay sensed him, she didn't show any signs of reacting. Ricardo figured that he might as well leave. He didn't want Alida to think that he was causing damage to her Micro Nation.

…

Gupta, Miora and Michael had returned to the room that they had annexed for themselves. It was nightfall, and everything was ready.

"Hopefully they won't be too mad at us," Miora said.

"If it helps, then they won't be," Michael said.

And the three magical Nations proceeded to cast their spell, hoping that they would be successful.

…

Nigeria gasped, clutching his throat. He could feel it constricting, and he reached out to his country, finding the cause of the problem.

Mauritius saw what was happening, and the island approached the other.

"Are you alright, Abeo?" Maurice asked.

"It's Uyo," Abeo said. "The Beasts…"

He suddenly screamed, and the other nearby Nations rushed towards him. Blood was dripping from his right shoulder, and he whimpered in pain.

"What's happening?" Michelle asked, concerned.

"The Deathplayers decided to give him his old wound back," Maurice said, eyes wide in realisation.

"We need to get that wound closed," Farai said. "It's the only way to stop the bleeding."

"I wonder," Jana said, "why didn't they do the same to Michelle when the Beasts attacked her country?"

"Because I'm an island," Michelle said, smiling sadly. "It won't take a lot of effort to completely destroy me. Abeo is a lot stronger than I am, and so they want to weaken him more than I am."

Maurice nodded, understanding it perfectly. The Beasts were chipping away at them, going at random, preventing the Nations from taking precautions. They didn't know who would be next, and there was no guarantee that you would be safe after they've already gone to visit your place. They had already proven with Michelle that they had no problem with attacking a Nation twice.

A few of the Europeans took the distressed Nigerian out of the room, going towards a bathroom, where it would be easier to tend to the wound, and easier to clean afterwards.

…

Alida had been waiting for Ricardo. She had alerted Chané about the fact that Ricardo would try to psychically reach out for her. The Micro Nation had admitted to feeling something a while ago, and Alida wanted to hear Ricardo's results.

The fact that Hout Bay had said that she was unharmed was keeping her ally out of a lion's belly.

She straightened when she saw his demeanour change, and knew that he had returned to his body. She stood, walking over towards him as he opened his eyes, taking a moment to recover.

"Well?" she prompted.

"The two Hout Bays are as different appearance wise as the sun and the moon," Ricardo explained. "Yours has short black hair and brown eyes, and she definitely needs a tan, whereas Anika's has long blond hair and blue eyes, and she looks like she spends most of her time in the sun."

"So, you could reach her?"

"Sim. But I didn't delve into her mind. I figured I would be pushing my luck."

She nodded, glad he understood. All Nations were protective of their Micro Nations. They would know if a Micro was hurt, and the Nations didn't want their enemies to use that opportunity.

If it weren't for the truce, she would probably retrieve Italy's Micro Nation that was currently in the other world.

"Who are you going to target next?" Alida asked.

Ricardo sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I was thinking of doing one of the potential Reds," Ricardo said. "But their counterparts are you, me, Australia, Canada and Moldova."

"Not Moldova," Alida said. "Not anymore."

He looked at her, not understanding at first, but then his eyes widened in realisation.

"Don't tell me…" he said.

"Moldova has joined the ranks of the Reds," Alida sighed. "The Micro Nations were with them, but neither Wy nor Hutt River could tell me what happened, saying their reflections cut out. Their counterparts also can't remember what happened."

"That sucks. And it's difficult, now, seeing as the next potentials' counterparts are either here or with them."

"Then focus on our counterparts," Alida said. "Try to reach inside each of their minds in turn. They should be together at the moment. Try to get to them. And then…"

"And then I'll see if I can reach the Reds. I'll be back in a moment. I'm suddenly extremely hungry and thirsty."

"Take your time," she said, her voice soft. "You'll need the energy to go into four people's minds."

…

The four potential Reds were sitting in a corner together, away from the others. The fact that they lost Alexandru scared them, and they knew that it was only a matter of time before one of them was next.

"It's going to be me," Jett sighed. "Fletch already came to see me. To taunt me."

"No," Roberto said, looking down. "I think it's going to be me." He looked shyly towards Anika. "Raj paid me a visit as well."

Anika and Matthew exchanged a glance, and Anika frowned, looking towards the other two.

"None of us will be joining them," Anika said. "And do you know why?"

Roberto and Jett slowly shook their heads.

"Because none of us are joiners, and we aren't hensoppers," she said. "We're bittereinders, and if they think they can get to us, they're mistaken."

"They already got everyone else," Jett said. "How can you be sure that we'd be able to hold on?"

"Because we will find a way," Anika growled. "They revel in breaking the spirit of their prey. If we stand strong, then they won't be able to get a grip on us. I've played their games before. I know what I'm talking about."

"Why can't we use the same method you used before?" Matthew asked.

Anika looked down, fidgeting nervously.

"It took a lot out of us," she said. "And it allowed other Nations – the Europeans – to claim us and take advantage of us. We had to take a blood oath to never do something like that again. It's too much."

"The wound they gave you," Roberto said, "what was it? Where was it?"

She looked nervously between her three friends before she sighed, turning around. She lifted her shirt, revealing two types of scars on her back. The first was a large cut that spread from underneath her ribcage to the opposing hip. The other was a burn wound, completely surrounding the first scar. What disturbed the three males was the fact that the burn scar was younger than the cut.

"What did they do to you?" Roberto whispered.

"The cut is what they did to me," Anika explained. "The burn was Scorched Earth."

"Wait," Matthew said, "I thought you recovered from all of those wounds."

"It's only this one, and I think it's because it was in the location of the Deathplayers' scar. It was gone before the Boer War, but after the war it came back."

"I remember you were angry and scared when you came to live with us," Jett said. "I remember that Arthur was so guilty afterwards. That fear… Was it…?"

"I was worried that the Deathplayers would be coming back," Anika explained. "I was right, but I was about a hundred years off."

"It doesn't matter," Roberto said, reaching out to the scar.

She flinched when he touched it, but didn't respond otherwise. He carefully ran his fingers over the old wound.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Nee," she whispered. "I don't feel it at all. It's weird. I know that logically it should hurt like hell, but it doesn't. The only time it really hurts is if I try to use my magic. Well, a strong magic, and if I'm not angry. So I can't help us with the former method, even if I wanted to."

"I think you need to get that thing looked at," Jett said, and Anika pulled down her shirt. "I think they planned this. They're making sure you can't use the previous method, and they could make it hurt like hell the moment they want to capture you."

"You may be right," Anika said. "But I still refuse to be a joiner. And I want to hear you three say it."

"I won't be a joiner," Jett said.

"I refuse," Matthew said.

"Um, can someone explain what a joiner is?" Roberto asked, looking sheepish.

"Traitor," Anika said. "Joiner means 'traitor'."

"And… those other words you said earlier?"

"Hensopper comes from 'hands up'. Think of the Italies during the World Wars."

"Oh. People that surrendered."

"Ja. And bittereinders are those that fight to the bitter end."

"I see. Then I refuse to be a joiner, or a hensopper. I think we should make a pact. Whoever surrenders first gets to have their ass kicked by the others. Sim?"

"Yeah," Jett said.

"Oui," Matthew said.

"Ja," Anika said.

…

The three magical Nations stared at the figure in front of them, thinking that they were both successful and unsuccessful.

It was Ancient Egypt, but she wasn't the same that Gupta remembered. She had amber eyes, and her black hair was longer. She didn't have the headdress that she used to wear, but she did have the pale blue dress, along with many golden bracelets and anklets.

Khemet smiled, eyes on Gupta.

"Even though you're a woman now, I can tell that you're Gupta," she said. "Eshe's son."

"Are you Omar's mother?" Gupta asked.

"Yes. And no. I'm yours as well. After death, the two sides merge into one. So I'm Eshe and Enehy."

"I've heard that the Axis and Allies have all seen Rome. Feliciano never mentioned whether his grandfather looked different or not."

Khemet's eyes darkened when Rome was mentioned, but she quickly shook it off.

"Before the Deathplayers, whenever one of us wanted to visit, we would assume the form and personality of the one whose world we're visiting," Khemet said. "But now, we appear to you in our, should I say, true form. The two have become one. And unfortunately, that's what the Deathplayers have in mind."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

"You already know that the two counterparts share a soul, correct?"

"Oui," Miora said, looking nervous.

"They're corrupting one half of the soul, and with each new Red, they are slowly killing the first half. Once the process is complete, they're going to literally kill the second counterpart, allowing the two to merge. They already have one body, so they won't need a second. And then, when that process is complete, they will merge with their victims. The Reds at this point can still be reached, and even when they start merging with their counterparts, it should be possible to appeal to them. But once they merge with the Deathplayers, it's game over."

…

Lovino looked guiltily towards the Micro Nations. Francesco was still not going near any woman, so they were in a room to themselves.

But he could still remember the Deathplayer's threat. They would kill Marcello if he told the other Nations about the Micro Nations having been controlled, in order to get to Moldova. And that had bothered him, at first.

Why would they make the threat if they already got what they wanted through the Micro Nations? It shouldn't matter if the truth was revealed or not. But then Lovino remembered the part about strings and control bars, and the Micros were referred to as marionettes. That was when Lovino realised that the Deathplayers still had control over the Micros.

Their eyes were clear, so the puppets were on the shelf. For now. But one wrong move from Lovino, and they could pick any of them up from the shelf and Marcello would be the one to suffer for it. And Lovino couldn't let that happen.

But why would they still need their puppets? It didn't make much sense to the Italian.

At least, until Lovino's eyes fell on Hutt River. The Australian Micro Nation. The Micro Nation of a potential Red.

And that's when Lovino realised what the Deathplayers were planning.

There were two Australian Micro Nations, and depending on how close Anika and Matthew were to Jett, the two could get to them as well. Play with their insecurities. Push them over the edge. Lovino had the mafia. He knew the strategy of playing people very well. It might have taken him a while to realise it, but once he did, he had an idea of how twisted the Deathplayers were.

Or at least, he thought he did. He didn't expect them to control the Micros. It was a low that he hadn't expected.

But now Lovino was at a crossroads. If he told the other Nations about what the Deathplayers were up to, he'd be betraying his brother. But if he allowed them to continue without warning anyone, he'd be betraying the rest of the world, even if it meant possibly saving his brother's life.

No matter how Lovino looked at it, he would be a traitor.

…

"Is there a way we can stop them?" Miora asked.

Khemet sighed, looking to the side. She then looked towards Gupta, and the Egyptian knew that she had an answer, but that it wasn't good.

"There is one thing that you could do, but I don't think you're going to like it," she said. "Although, it might depend on your opinions. One flaw of the Deathplayers is that they need to follow their method, step by step. Remove one step, and you can completely disrupt their game. Possibly let them lose control over the Reds. But it's going to require an act of treason."

"How bad is it?" Michael asked, looking nervous.

"First, tell me. Do you know what the Beasts, the Major Players, are meant to do?"

"Aren't they chipping away at us?" Gupta asked.

"Yes, but they also serve another purpose. They are meant to act as possible replacements, should their game be threatened. By which I mean, if one of their pieces can no longer be used."

"Where are you going with this?" Michael asked, eyes wide.

"There are eight Beasts. Eight reserves for eight pieces. Both sides. You would need to get nine out of the game. You would need to kill nine different Nations."

I recently did an essay involving joiners, and ever since I thought of a scene where Anika was giving one of the others a pep talk by saying that none of them are joiners or hensoppers. I had Anika explain it in the text so that I don't have to use an AN explaining. Matthew and Jett recognise the concept because Canada and Australia were involved in the Boer War, to which those words are attributed. Joiner means you joined the enemy.

I also had Lovino thinking about the threat from the Deathplayer, and about how he's a traitor to the other Nations by trying to keep his little brother safe. And Ancient Egypt explains that they would be betraying their fellow Nations by killing the ones that they would need to keep safe. So the entire concept of treason is dominant in this chapter.

Khemet refers to Ancient Egypt as a nation. Eshe is a name that I found on the internet used for her. And Enehy is a name from Pharaoh from Impression Games. One of my favourites, actually.

And of course, the dead know how to play the Deathplayers' game.