Thanks to madders10, Cookie4002 and Ariaprincess for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 100: Inquisition

We need to find out what they're doing.

I don't like this.

The lack of knowledge to their actions is disturbing.

…

James's eyes snapped open, and he saw several of the Deathplayers eyeing him suspiciously. He gulped, and he checked to see if he could find an egg.

He sighed in relief when he didn't notice one, until he moved his hand to the side, and he tensed when he felt the smooth shell. He gulped, looking down, and sure enough, there it was.

He moved it so that it was out of the Deathplayers' sight, and he turned his attention to Oliver, who was watching him intently. James nodded, confirming that there was in fact an egg with them, and then James nudged the egg behind Tolys's back, who moved forward just enough to give the egg room.

Oliver and James focused, and soon they couldn't feel the egg anymore.

"Let's go back," James whispered. "I hope it reached its destination."

…

Miguel had been waiting a few minutes. He had immediately seen that there wasn't a new egg, and had waited for the others to transport it.

He smiled when it appeared in the centre of the room, and he pulled it closer. It wasn't as warm as Roberto's, but warmer than Felic's.

"Now what is the significance of the eggs, I wonder?"

Miguel tensed when he heard the voice, and he slowly turned to look behind him, seeing the Deathplayer standing there and glaring at him.

"I-it's n-nothing," Miguel stuttered. "J-just a p-pet."

The Brazil Deathplayer sneered, before lunging at Miguel. Miguel closed his eyes, but opened them when the Deathplayer made a sound of frustration. He cracked an eye open to see some sort of force field protecting him from the Deathplayer.

The Deathplayer intensified his glare, and Miguel swallowed nervously.

"You can expect a visit from us later," the Deathplayer said, before it disappeared.

Miguel was panting, still terrified from what just happened, and he hugged the egg close to him.

They needed to work fast.

…

Everyone was worried about Miguel, wondering what was taking the Portuguese so long. Oliver, James and Tolys had already returned, saying that they had sent the egg to Miguel.

He should have returned already.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Roberto said.

But before anyone else could say anything, Miguel appeared, looking a little panicked.

"Miguel!" Roberto exclaimed, rushing towards the older Nation. "What happened?"

"Deathplayer," Miguel gasped. "He was waiting. They don't know what's going on, and have no idea what the eggs are, or what they're for. He tried to attack me, but there was some sort of force field…"

"Sim," Ricardo said. "I made sure to include that for when we're here. Didn't want our bodies to be attacked."

"There's more," Gupta said, scrutinising the Portuguese.

"It's nothing," Miguel said.

"Which Deathplayer was it?" Roberto asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yours," Miguel said.

Everyone understood why Miguel looked shaken now.

"Did you get the egg?" Oliver asked.

"Sim," Miguel said.

"We're going to make the last two now," Mahesh said, looking at Oliver and Tolys. "And then we can resume in the morning." He turned to the Portuguese-speakers and the Egyptians. "You six would need your rest."

"I think you're right," Ricardo said. "This is pretty taxing."

Tolys and Oliver didn't say anything as they went towards a mirror each, standing in front and waiting for the change to come.

Miguel looked around and raised an eyebrow.

"Does this place seem… bigger?" he asked.

"Sim," Roberto said. "We've been working on it a little."

They watched as Oliver's reflection changed hair colour, becoming Arthur's blond, and Tolys's reflection's hair changed to a lighter shade of brown.

"We'll send the eggs immediately," James said. "And be careful with them."

"Of course," Ricardo said. "It's our last hope to stop the Deathplayers."

"For now," Miguel said. "There's always hope. We just need to look for it."

…

Alida was in her kitchen, feeling irked. The oven was on its highest setting, and when she checked inside, she saw that there was a rather large egg. She didn't know who was responsible, but they would need to come back sometime, and she was going to confront them about it.

She looked up when Ricardo, Roberto and Miguel entered the kitchen, and she was annoyed when she saw more of those eggs.

Ricardo seemed to sense her annoyance, and he gestured to the other two to step back.

"Wat de hel are you doing?" she asked, her voice cold.

"We need to get these eggs to hatch," Ricardo said. "Please, amiga, this is important. And since you don't have a fireplace…"

"What is going on?" Alida demanded.

"I'll explain tomorrow. We're still testing, but if it works…"

"Wat dan?"

"I can't tell you. Not where they could hear."

She knew who he was referring to, and she sighed.

"You will pay my electric bill," she said.

"I realise," Ricardo said. "But this is important."

"You better have a good plan," she said, glancing at the other two. "Be careful. It's hot."

…

Bruce and Matt watched over the Nations from the other world. Exhaustion had won out, and they were all sleeping in different positions around the room.

Anika was curled up on an armchair, resembling a ball more than anything else. Her blond hair fanned out, almost resembling a blanket. Jett and Matthew were on a couch, cuddling with each other. Alistair was on the loveseat, snoring lightly, and Will was on the ground next to him, lying spread-eagled. The Ireland twins were also cuddling with each other, lying under the table.

"Do you think we should wake them and point them to a bed?" Bruce asked.

"Nah," Matt said. "It's actually reassuring, seeing them asleep like this. Reminds me that we can let down our guard every now and again."

"Not in our world," Bruce scoffed. "Don't they realise that?"

"Apparently, some Nations in their world don't like being woken up," Matt said. "Hungary sleeps with her frying pan under her pillow, Denmark keeps an axe under his bed, and some Nations will outright punch you. Yet another reason not to try to wake them up."

The two lapsed into an awkward silence, not having spent any amount of time in each other's company, alone, especially on civilised terms.

"Who do you think will be next?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know," Matt said. "I hope no one's next."

"We'll need to make sure that we take good care of them, if that's what we want."

"Yeah. You know, I never actually thought I'd take care of anyone."

"It's not the North's style."

"Keep in mind that France abused me about as much as the other Europeans abused any of you in the South."

"America doesn't seem bothered."

"Allen's a masochist. He likes the pain. None of the Europeans could hurt him in a way that he didn't like. Only Mexico knows how to do it, and that's the only time you'll see America scared."

"What's their relationship, anyway?"

"I think that you can guess."

Bruce nodded his head. Yes, he could guess.

"What are we going to do now?" Bruce asked. "I don't see the two of us simply talking until they wake up."

"And we can't leave them alone," Matt said. "And TV is out of the question. I don't think they'd appreciate it."

"True. So what can we do…?"

They were silent for a few moments, before sighing simultaneously.

"Next person that walks past," Matt said, "we're going to ask them for something quiet to do. And it better not be a book."

"What, you can't stand it?"

"There are other things that I'd rather do."

…

Ferdinand was working on a painting, as he had done the entire time. He could channel his consciousness to several locations, so it wasn't too difficult to paint while in the mental world.

He just needed to make sure that he didn't paint their world.

"It would seem that they haven't caught on yet," Lobsang said.

The Tibetan stayed close to the Venezuelan, making sure that he was alright.

"Yep," Ferdinand said. "It drives them mad, not knowing what's going on."

"And we know perfectly well what's happening on both sides," Lobsang said. "What do you think will happen when this is all over?"

"Deathplayers won't rest," Ferdinand said. "They'll work on another game, and next time they'll make sure that there are no holes."

"If only there was a way to stop them permanently," Lobsang sighed.

"We can't kill the dead. We can trap their spirits somewhere, but they will always find a way back."

"I hate the fact that you're right."

…

Miguel swallowed nervously, looking around nervously. He was on a very small island, so small that he could see the entire island from where he was standing. Rain was pounding him, the wind was howling, and lightning flashed overhead, followed by deafening thunder. The waves rose high, and he knew that a single one could wash over the entire island. And he knew that there wasn't any shelter.

"This is a dream," he muttered. "This has to be a dream."

"You're right," a familiar voice said, whispering in his ear. "But that doesn't mean that it can't hurt you."

Miguel gasped, jumping away. He turned around to see who it was that had spoken. And he paled when he saw the other.

"I told you that you can expect a visit from me," the Deathplayer said. "Now, what is it that you're doing?"

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Miguel said.

He gasped when he could feel water at his ankles, and he looked down to see that the island was being flooded. Or was it sinking?

"You know what I'm talking about," the Deathplayer said. "Now, what has little Ricardo got planned? Something about defeating us?"

"It's nothing," Miguel said. "Nothing."

He could feel the water rising, and he looked down nervously. No way to escape.

"I can do this all night," the Deathplayer said. "Now, tell me."

"Não," Miguel said. "I'm not giving you that advantage."

He gasped when the Deathplayer suddenly had his hand wrapped around his throat.

"You're making me lose my patience," the Deathplayer said. "What are you planning, and what are those eggs?"

"They aren't creatures to fight you," Miguel said. "We know enough to know that it wouldn't work."

"The thought crossed my mind. But I knew you don't have enough information about us. Now, what are they?"

"They're pets," Miguel said. "Magical pets. We're hoping to let more Nations develop the magic touch. Magic is dying, and we need to give it new life."

Miguel let out a choked sound when the Deathplayer lifted him by his throat, glaring at him.

"You're lying," he said. "Now, tell me the truth!"

"Não," Miguel said. "And your threat is empty. You can't kill me."

"No. But I can hurt you. Really, really bad. And what would happen to little Roberto when he hears that his father figure was hurt because he wouldn't tell me what they were up to? It might push him into the right mental state for us to claim him as a Red."

Miguel's eyes widened, and he chuckled.

"He won't feel guilty," Miguel said. "It's not because of him. It's not his plan. And I wouldn't be protecting him."

The Deathplayer snarled, before he threw Miguel to the side. He landed facedown, and he found out that the water level had risen, covering his entire head. He tried to get up, but the Deathplayer pressed down on his head with his foot, making the Portuguese splutter as he tried to get air.

After a while the foot was removed, and Miguel was pulled up by his ponytail, making him scream in pain.

"We can go on like this all night," the Deathplayer reminded him. "Now, make this easy for yourself."

"It drives you crazy, not knowing what's going on," Miguel said. "It doesn't feel so fun being on the other side, does it? I will tell you nothing."

The Deathplayer snarled, before pushing his head under the water again.

…

Miguel, Ricardo and Roberto were sleeping in a double bed, with Roberto between the other two, hugging his egg to his chest.

He was woken by movement, and he groggily opened his eyes to see Miguel thrashing. He sat up to see the other better.

"Miguel?" he whispered. He started shaking him. "Wake up. It's just a dream."

Miguel didn't wake up, but he started coughing, and that's when Roberto noticed the scent of seawater, and in the darkness he could see Miguel coughing up something.

He could feel himself waking up more, and he brought his hand up to Miguel's nose, trying to see if he was breathing. When he wasn't coughing, he simply wasn't breathing. As though…

"Miguel," Roberto said, a little louder, shaking the other roughly. "You need to wake up. Now!"

"What's going on?" Ricardo asked, having been woken by Roberto's actions.

"I think he's being attacked in his dream," Roberto said.

"It could be…"

"He's not breathing!"

Ricardo turned on a lamp, and the two saw as Miguel coughed, and it looked as though he was indeed coughing up seawater.

"Não," Ricardo said. "The Deathplayers. I'm sure of it."

"They must be punishing him or something," Roberto said. "We need to wake him up."

In their panic, neither of them noticed as the egg started to move, and they also didn't hear the small cracking sounds. A bird covered in down stuck its head out of the egg, seeing its counterparts in a frantic state, and knowing why.

The bird waddled its way to the unconscious figure, before trying to climb onto his chest. The Brazilians took note of the bird and stopped, watching it curiously.

"What is it…?" Ricardo asked, before the phoenix was covered in a soft light.

When the light faded, Miguel's eyes snapped open, and he let out a gasping breath, as though he had been drowning and was trying to get fresh air in his lungs.

Roberto pulled the phoenix away, noting that it seemed to have grown a little.

"What happened?" Ricardo asked.

"Deathplayer," Miguel gasped. "Wanted to… know… what we're… doing."

"Did you tell him?"

"Não. I told him that I wouldn't. Even told him a few lies. He got mad and tried to drown me."

"They're mad," Roberto said nervously.

"Bom," Ricardo said. "Let them have a taste of their own medicine."

…

Bruce sighed, reading a book, while Matt had earphones in his ears, eyes closed as he listened to the music.

Angola was more than happy to help, and she had actually cooed at the sleeping Nations, saying how adorable they looked. Both Bruce and Matt were a little disturbed by her words, and were even a little concerned when she took photos of the sleeping Nations, licking her lips when she focused on the cuddling Nations.

Matt had commented that she reminded him of the other world's Hungary, and Bruce made a mental note to ask about that later.

But while Bruce was reading he heard a grunt, and he looked up just in time to see Alistair rolling off the couch, landing on Will and waking the Welshman in the process.

"What the…" Will said, before he actually growled.

Bruce winced when Will punched Alistair in the stomach, waking him up.

"What the hell was that for?" Alistair yelled.

"Waking me up," Will said.

Bruce blinked, seeing that Will looked murderous, and the look in his eyes somehow reminded him of a dragon. Matt removed one of the earphones, eyebrow arched when he noticed the situation.

One of the Irelands moaned, and the two arguing brothers noticed where they were, and saw that there were other Nations still sleeping. They grunted, before Alistair got back on the loveseat while Will went to the armchair where Anika was sleeping, laying down on the floor there.

"How are they still asleep?" Bruce asked.

"Have you seen one of their meetings?" Matt asked.

"One, yeah."

"Well, according to Matthew, that's one of the best places for some Nations to go to sleep, especially with jet lag. So they're used to it."

"How can they get away with sleeping at meetings?"

"Simple. If certain Nations are asleep, the meeting goes smoother, so Germany, who's in charge, allows it, unless that Nation is supposed to deliver a presentation. Matthew said that it's one advantage of his invisibility."

"You've really gotten to know them all, haven't you?"

"I've been able to contact Matthew for months before this started. So yeah. I got to know pretty much all of them really well."

"I see. Now, tell me about the other world's Hungary."

…

The Brazil Deathplayer had returned to the cave, looking absolutely livid. The other Deathplayers noticed it, but chose not to comment.

"Could we perhaps wake them?" the Brazil Deathplayer asked, gesturing to their prisoners. "I'd like to see the Reds rip them apart."

"Who do you really want to hurt?" the England Deathplayer asked.

"Miguel. I was trying to get information about what they've been up to, but he's stubborn. Not even the thought of Roberto being pushed to become a Red was enough of a motivation."

"Then perhaps we shouldn't try to get the information out of Miguel," the Spain Deathplayer said. "We'll focus on Roberto. And once he's a Red, he'll tell us what they were scheming."

"That sounds like a plan," the France Deathplayer said, and the Brazil Deathplayer smirked.

…

The Portuguese-speaking Nations were quiet, as Miguel was recovering from his attack and Roberto was playing with the phoenix. Roberto eventually sighed, before turning his attention to Miguel.

"Paizinho, can I ask a favour?" Roberto asked.

Miguel looked completely off-guard by the name, before he shook his head and smiled.

"Sure," he said. "What is it, filho?"

"If the Deathplayers start gunning for me, I want you to take this little guy to Brasília. I want to pass on my status as Nation before I become a Red."

"But, filho…"

"Promise me. Let me die as a Nation instead of letting me live even a minute as a Red. And I might tell them about what we're doing. So… please?"

Miguel was silent for a moment, and Ricardo was also watching him intently. Finally, Miguel sighed.

"Alright."

When growing up, I always heard my mother referring to her mother as 'maizinha', which is why the male form, 'paizinho', is the one I used instead of any other translation for father. Personal reason.

And 2PAngola shares a few traits with 1PHungary. I just felt that the 2Ps had to have someone similar, especially regarding the sleeping arrangements.

The title of this chapter refers to the Inquisition, as you've guessed. It wasn't just Spain that had one – Portugal did too. And considering what's happening, I think the title's appropriate.