Thanks to Canadafan, madders10 and Lovesbugsalot for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 98: Hide and Seek

They are planning something.

But what?

They are thorough in protecting their secrets.

No matter. We will learn the truth. We always do.

…

The Brazil Deathplayer growled in annoyance. He was standing in the mirror room that the two Brazilians and the Portuguese occupied. And he couldn't get near them.

He had tried to get them, seeing the perfect opportunity to grab Roberto, but there was some sort of force field surrounding the trio, preventing him from getting close enough. He couldn't even teleport near them.

And he was also unable to locate them on a psychic level. Somehow, they had managed to find a way to bar the Deathplayers from their psychic realm.

Smart.

It would seem as though they had no other option but to watch and wait.

…

"Now, can you tell us what this is all about?"

Ricardo, Mahesh, Felic and Nicolai all exchanged a glance before looking towards Feniksa, who was calmly standing to the side.

"We figured out that my counterpart somehow managed to make another branch for our soul," Felic explained. "The result being the one standing in front of us. So we figured that everyone involved could make another branch in their soul. A branch the Deathplayers don't know about and can't use."

"I wouldn't say that," Feniksa said. "They might be able to use me, in a few hundred years."

"The point is that we need the old souls that are targeted and used by the Deathplayers to be reborn," Mahesh said. "Like a phoenix. Give them something that didn't exist before. A variable they haven't taken into account. Even the best laid plans can fall apart because of one unknown."

"Tak," Felic said. "Trust me, I've played a lot of games with Nations before. A lot of games with clever tricks that involve a lot of precise details."

"But what exactly are you suggesting?" Miguel asked.

"A game of scavenger hunt," Ricardo said. "Followed by some hide-and-seek, and then tag. First, we split the soul into a third counterpart. Then we hide the one they want, and then we transfer the status of a Nation from the Reds to the third counterpart."

"And how do we do that?" Roberto asked. "I mean, didn't Egypt say that soul magic is tricky?"

"Feliks and I were in Feliks's dream when the pigeon was born," Felic said. "I think we can do something to our souls on a psychic level."

"And what happens with the Reds, when we make a new side to their souls?" Miguel asked.

It was silent for a moment, before Lobsang sighed.

"There's no other choice," the Tibetan said. "The Reds will have to die."

…

Khemet looked over to Omar and Gupta, smiling softly.

"Are the two of you ready?" she asked.

The two nodded, and the three of them walked closer to the mirror.

…

"What do you mean?" Miguel asked, thoughts drifting to his brother and his old friend.

"It would only be temporary," Mahesh said. "Hopefully. Nations can't die, not easily. That's kind of how my suicide tactics in wars usually work. Half of the time they actually are suicides, but because very few Nations in my world actually attempt suicide, they don't realise it. And I make sure my opponent's loss is larger than mine."

"So that's how you manage it," Felic said. "You found a loophole."

"Moving on," Mahesh said. "We're going with the concept of a phoenix being in an endless cycle of life and death. We just need to get the Reds out of the way and find a way for the Nations to be restored to their former selves."

"That might not be so easy," Feniksa said. "There's no way the Nations will be restored to their former selves after everything that's happened. A complete rebirth is in order."

"And how do we do that?" Roberto asked.

"Feliks used a subconscious defence mechanism that caused the pigeon to be born," Felic said. "Basically, we're going to see if we can trigger it for you as well, and then we'll go on to the others."

"And if it doesn't work?" Miguel asked.

"Then we'll keep trying until it does work," Ricardo said. "We're treating this as a game, same way as the Deathplayers. They don't know the rules, and they don't know the players. And if there's one thing I've learned from psychic trips, it's that it's more bearable to do things like this if you can make it something fun in a childlike way."

"Games," Roberto said, nodding his head. "So, how do we start?"

…

James was annoyed, to say the least. While the screaming had stopped, since all the Nations that were being tortured fell unconscious, it was Oliver that was annoying him by crying into his chest, and the New Zealander was forced to comfort a Nation that had brought him grief as a child.

Tolys was also not happy with this arrangement. Mainly because he was trapped between the two, and so Oliver was leaning over him to get to James, after they all determined that there was no way that Tolys would be able, or willing, to offer any comfort to the Englishman.

James looked over towards Tolys, who looked right back at him. They silently agreed that they were in for a long while.

…

"We need to create a physical body for the new split in the souls," Feniksa said. "Like me. They also can't be obvious, at least not on the physical plane."

"The Deathplayers might catch on to what we're doing," Ricardo said. "In the physical plane you're a phoenix. I think we should make everyone's a phoenix."

"The symbolism behind it all," Mahesh said. "I agree. I feel more comfortable with a phoenix. A creature that is guaranteed rebirth. Reassuring, to say the least."

"Won't they get suspicious with all the phoenixes around?" Miguel asked.

"We're a little hard to identify as phoenixes when we're still young," Feniksa said. "They won't realise it until later."

"In which case they're going to start targeting the phoenixes," Ricardo said. "So we'd need to move fast. We're going to need to create a new version of each of the Nations involved."

"I'm not happy with this," Miguel said, eying Roberto.

"If this stops the Deathplayers, I'm willing to do whatever it takes," Roberto said firmly. "So, I'm assuming you're going to try it with me first."

"That's right," Felic said. He looked towards Feniksa. "Since I'm dead, I'm going to need a replacement as well."

"We're all getting one," Ricardo said. "Just in case. We're going to start completely fresh."

"So it's not just Roberto's life you're putting on the line," Miguel said, looking at Ricardo. "You're sacrificing your own as well."

"Of course."

Miguel nodded, and only when it alleviated did the group notice that there had been tension surrounding the Portuguese-speaking Nations.

"How are we going to make it official?" Lobsang asked, looking at Feniksa.

"You'd need to take us to our Nation's capital," Feniksa said. "When that happens, we become the Nation."

"I just realise we have a problem," Felic said. "Some of us don't have physical bodies anymore. If I remember correctly, the pigeon was with Feliks as an egg. He woke up with it. So now…"

"What will happen to the egg?" Nicolai finished for him.

"That is a dilemma," Ricardo sighed. "And what happens to the ones that should be with the Reds?"

"We take them," Roberto said. "We find some way to take them, without losing track of who it was. How's that work?"

"It's going to be tricky, but possible," Feniksa said.

"Alright," Roberto said. "So, how do we make a phoenix?"

"We set things up for that purpose," Ricardo said. "That's why the mirrors are here. Just stand in front of one, and the process should come easily."

Roberto nodded, before he moved to stand in front of one of the mirrors. Nothing happened, at least for a while, but then suddenly Roberto's reflection seemed to morph. His hair was still short and messy, but now the hair was black, and the reflection wore a white shirt with black shorts, remaining barefoot.

"Now you just need to go back," Feniksa said. "You should have an egg ready."

"It's that simple?" Miguel asked.

"Well, we had a lot of work done on this realm," Ricardo said. "So yeah, it should be that easy."

"What if the Deathplayers take notice of the egg?" Roberto asked.

"I think they have noticed me," Feniksa said. "They probably don't know the significance, though. And it might throw them off track if you give the eggs to someone else to look after. Throw them off the trail."

"It would need to be someone we trust," Ricardo said, glancing at Miguel. "You would look after Roberto's, correct?"

"Sim," Miguel said. "Why would you even need to ask such a thing?"

"Just checking. Now, I think we need to make sure that it worked. Wait for us here."

…

Roberto felt himself slowly returning to his body. It felt different from his usual trips, but not unpleasant. In a way, it felt more comfortable having other people there.

He became aware of a weight in his lap, and he opened his eyes to see what it was. They widened when he saw the egg nestled comfortably on his lap, and he knew that it worked.

He released Miguel and Ricardo's hands to caress the egg, feeling the warmth emanating from inside. He wondered if that was how his soul felt, and if that was the case, then he was in awe.

"Did it work?" Miguel asked, looking a little foggy.

Roberto smiled and nodded his head, still caressing the egg on his lap.

"Great," Ricardo said. "Now how do we get it to hatch? How long is it going to take?"

Roberto paused, not having thought about it. How long would it take? And what if something went wrong?

Ricardo looked up at the phoenix perched on top of his head.

"We should have asked you while we had the chance," Ricardo said.

…

Francois looked up when the door opened. Alejandro and Gilen were still busy with their books, and they seemed intent on ignoring whoever came through the door.

He should have followed their lead when he saw who did come through the door.

Matthew smiled shyly, while Matt scowled as he followed after his counterpart. They were followed by Alistair and finally Manuella behind them.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Francois asked.

The other two were still intent on ignoring the new arrivals.

"We were just thinking about keeping you company," Matthew said. "I figured that you'd be lonely."

"I have these two for company," Francois said, gesturing to Alejandro and Gilen. "I think I'm good."

"I feel bad about you guys being isolated," Matthew said. "And… the Deathplayers have captured Oliver and James. We think the Deathplayers are taking you for safekeeping."

"And you're intending to act as an extra level of security for us," Alejandro said, deciding to forgo all pretence of ignoring them. "You, who happen to be a target for the Deathplayers, even more than we are?"

Matthew averted his eyes.

"Look, this is Matthew's idea," Matt said. "I personally wouldn't bother with you. Be thankful that he would even spare a thought for you."

"I'm honoured," Francois said, rolling his eyes.

"You know we could always follow Ireland's example and just kill you," Alistair said.

Both Francois and Alejandro glared at the Scotsman, and Matthew sighed.

"I'm sorry we wasted your time," Matthew said, making a move to leave the room. "I just thought you could use some company. With only the three of you here, it could grate on your nerves."

"Thanks," Alejandro said, "but we'll manage. Now go."

Matthew smiled sadly and left the room. Matt and Alistair followed, but Manuella stayed behind.

"If it were up to us," Manuella said, "we would be following Ireland's example."

"Aw, but chica," Alejandro said with a hint of scorn, "that would contradict your Southern beliefs."

She narrowed her eyes before following behind the other three.

"What did he hope to achieve?" Alejandro asked.

"He was warning us," Francois said. "He knew that the Southern Nations wouldn't warn us that the Deathplayers are collecting us, so he warned us himself."

Alejandro looked at him oddly, before turning to Gilen.

"Have you been listening or is that book really that interesting?" Alejandro asked.

Gilen didn't respond, and the Spaniard sighed, picking up his own book once again.

…

The rest of the group was watching TV when Ricardo's group joined them. Miguel immediately went towards Will.

"Do you know how to help a phoenix egg hatch?" Miguel asked.

Will frowned, looking towards the two Brazilians. One had a bird perched on top of his head (looking very similar to Gilbert), while the other had a large egg in his arms. It was Roberto that everyone turned their focus on.

"How did you get another egg?" Will asked.

"And why?" Seamus asked.

"We'll explain later," Ricardo sighed. "And we figured that we could give this bird a few friends."

"'A few'?" Patrick asked. "And what do you mean with 'a few'?"

"You'll see," Ricardo said. "Now, phoenix care?"

Will looked at him for a moment before turning his attention to Roberto.

"The one that has the closest affinity with the phoenix should keep it close to their heart," Will said. "The alternative is that you place it in a fire. It's a little difficult to determine how long before the egg will hatch."

"An estimate?" Miguel asked.

"As I said, hard to say," Will said. "A phoenix egg can take anywhere between three hours and three years. It all depends on the egg and how dire the need is for it to hatch. They're symbols of good fortune. Considering how we really need it, it should hatch soon."

"That's all we needed to know," Ricardo said. "Now, we have to get back to work."

The three Portuguese-speaking Nations left, leaving the Anglophones alone.

"Something funny's going on," Jett said.

"As long as they don't cause trouble," Bruce said, "they can do whatever they want. I trust Brazil."

"You referred to him by his Nation?" Anika asked.

"We're not that close. We only recently became allies."

"I see," Patrick said. "It works the same in our world."

…

Ricardo and the others returned to the mirror room.

"Okay, so I just need to hold this little guy close to me," Roberto said. "What do we do next?"

"Not here," Ricardo said. "Let's go back to our playing field."

The other two nodded, and they sat in a circle again, this time without their hands being connected. It was easier this time to go to their psychic world, and soon they found themselves standing in the circle with the others again.

"Did it work?" Felic asked.

Roberto nodded, panicking for a moment when he saw that the egg wasn't with him, before sighing in relief when he saw the other figure in the mirror.

"Good," Mahesh said. "What's the next step?"

"We're going to see if we can do the same for you guys," Ricardo said. "I think we've already established that we're making one for each counterpart."

"Agreed," Feniksa said, looking at Felic.

"Do you want me to make mine?" Felic asked.

"That's the plan," Feniksa said.

"And what'll happen to me when this is over?" Felic asked. "I don't exactly have a body to go back to."

"You're a spirit," Miguel said. "You will still exist in some form, and you'll be able to travel between different planes, though not a lot of people will be able to interact with you."

"And it won't really matter until someone takes my twin to your Warsaw," Feniksa said. "Until then, you're still the Nation."

"Good to know," Felic said.

"Why do we have to do this for everyone?" Miguel asked, looking at Roberto. "I mean, if we can mess up the Deathplayers' game…"

"We have no guarantee that they won't become Reds," Mahesh said. "After all, despite your best efforts, Nations have still been captured as Reds. We can expect the worst."

"'Hoping for the best but expecting the worst'," Roberto said, nodding his head. "Alright. And what about the Nations that are already Reds? How are we going to get their souls' counterparts?"

"You don't need both sides," Feniksa said. "Since you share one soul. You just need to think about your counterparts for their side to be created."

"So, I just need to think about an annoying crossdresser?" Felic asked.

"I already am Feliks's other counterpart, so that won't be necessary."

Felic smirked, before turning to one of the mirrors. He stared at it intently for a moment, before the reflection changed, the reflection's cold blue eyes being replaced by the emerald fires that were Feliks's eyes.

"Now we just need to make sure that the egg ended up near us," Ricardo said. "Let's hope for the best."

…

The Brazil Deathplayer, along with the Australia and Canada Deathplayers, were once again in the mirror room where the Portuguese-speaking Nations were. The Canada Deathplayer tried to touch Roberto, only to be repelled by something.

"See what I mean?" the Brazil Deathplayer asked. "They're up to something, and somehow they've learned how to keep us out."

"This isn't good," the Australia Deathplayer said, before his eyes drifted to the phoenix perched on Ricardo's head. "What's with the bird, anyway?"

"Feliks managed to accidentally create one," the Brazil Deathplayer said. "Some sort of symbolism."

"Little Roberto has another one's egg in his arms," the Canada Deathplayer observed.

The other two came closer to Roberto to see that it was indeed true.

"I don't know what's going on," the Brazil Deathplayer said, "but I intend to find out. For now, this should be our priority. Just in case."

"Should we let our two puppets rest?" the Australia Deathplayer asked.

"No. We need to be prepared for any opportunity. Let them remain standing."

I know, the last chapter hyped the game up and then it's pretty disappointing. To be honest, I wasn't sure which game to use. Just think of it as Ricardo making everyone curious. Remember, I don't plan ahead.