Thanks to claire and Lovesbugsalot for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 104: Egg Hunt

Now that we know the eggs are important, we can start figuring out why.

And the only way to do that is to get one of them.

…

Alistair was waiting anxiously for the others to finish. He needed to tell Ricardo about what had happened with the Deathplayer.

He couldn't believe that he had fallen for the Deathplayer's trick so easily. But to be fair, he hadn't actually said anything. He had only narrowed his eyes.

He had forgotten that the Deathplayers were veterans when it came to games. Especially when the games were played against Nations. He should have figured that they would try to read their opponents. Even the smallest hint could ruin everything.

One couldn't blame him. Hopefully.

He sighed in relief when he saw three eggs appearing on the beds, and he knew that it was almost finished. So he waited, and waited.

And frowned when he saw three more eggs appear.

He waited for a while longer, and as one, the four other Nations woke up.

"It worked," Ricardo said. "That's a relief. Imagine if those eggs had appeared with your counterparts. The Deathplayers would have gotten their hands on them."

"Yeah, about that," Alistair said. "We've got a problem."

Ricardo turned to him and narrowed his eyes, prompting him to explain further. Alistair sighed.

"A Deathplayer came, and…" Alistair started to explain. "I'm sorry. He got it out of me."

"What does he know?" Ricardo asked.

"That the eggs are important. I didn't tell him why, but… I think he knows that it's important in our plan to stop them."

"But they don't know why they're important, or what our plans are?" Ricardo asked.

"No."

Ricardo sighed, looking towards the new eggs.

"Our first priority should be to protect these eggs," Ricardo said. "We'll get the others, and we'll focus on hatching them once we're sure they're safe."

"And if they aren't?" Alejandro asked.

"Then we've got a problem. They might try to destroy the eggs, or speed up their plans to get the last three Reds. And once they have all the Reds… They'll start killing us."

…

"Siembamba, mamma se kindjie. Siembamba, mamma se kindjie. Draai sy nek om, gooi hom in die sloot. Trap op sy kop dan is hy dood."

Anika had started singing to her egg, and Jett and Alida were watching her with disturbed expressions, and even Matthew had a worried expression on his face.

"I fail to see how that is a lullaby," Alida said.

Anika smiled, continuing to sing.

"I think you need to stop hanging out with Russia," Jett said.

Anika rolled her eyes, and she continued with the song. She only stopped when Alistair and Ricardo arrived, looking just a little wide-eyed, and carrying a pillowcase with eggs.

"What's wrong?" Alida asked.

"We need to move a little faster," Ricardo said. "And we need to protect the eggs. The Deathplayers know they're important."

Bruce and Alida exchanged a glance, and they turned to their counterparts. Matt also kept his eyes on Matthew.

"We're also going to need to keep you guys safe," Alida said. "The Deathplayers might also decide that now would be a good time to kidnap you."

…

Oliver, Tolys and James were watching the Deathplayers warily. They knew that the Deathplayers were suspicious of them for seemingly falling asleep so often, and they didn't want to cause any trouble.

So when the three of them felt a tug on their consciousness they panicked a little, and shared a nervous glance.

"We can't all go," Tolys whispered. "The Deathplayers are already suspicious enough as it is."

"I agree," James said. "Perhaps it'll be wiser if only one of us goes at the moment."

"I'll go," Oliver said. "I'll tell the others that it's a bit dangerous for us at the moment."

"Alright," Tolys said. "And we'll see what the Deathplayers intend to do."

…

The first round of hide-and-seek was over, and they were about to start another. Andrew and Lucy seemed intrigued by the game, and wanted to continue playing.

But that wouldn't be the case.

"You've done well, my puppets," a voice said.

Lucy and Andrew turned to see someone that looked a lot like Australia, and they took a nervous step back when they realised that it was a Deathplayer. Their counterparts, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked, looking towards Jack, and his eyes widened when he saw the blank expression.

"You're about to join our puppet show," the Australia Deathplayer said, smirking at the two Micro Nations.

…

Peter watched as Ferdinand carried an egg, his blank blue eyes trained on the Venezuelan. His masters wanted an egg in order to find out what was so special about them. They wanted to know how the Nations intended to use them.

They knew that Lobsang and Ferdinand were involved in what was happening, and so observing the two might also provide answers. Ferdinand especially could provide answers easily.

All that was required was that they wait.

…

Hans and John were outside of the room where Marius and Sigurd were. The door was closed, and they could hear muffled voices. But they couldn't just open the door in an effort to hear what was being said. It was a little too suspicious.

And the only reason why they were trying to eavesdrop in the first place was because Emil had been asked to fetch Lobsang, and they needed to know what they were planning.

That was the job given to them by the Deathplayers.

…

"We'll only go through with it once we've spoken to Oliver," Sigurd said.

Lobsang sighed, looking towards the Nordics, who looked a little annoyed with the Norwegian and Romanian's stubbornness. Though he figured that he couldn't blame them. There was still a lot of insecurity and uncertainty regarding their plan.

"Understandable," Lobsang said. "If you don't mind accompanying me now, I can take you to our inner world which we use as a base of operations. And I'll see if I can pull England in, at the very least."

"Then let's get this over with," Marius said.

…

Alida, Bruce and Matt were examining this new world that they had been brought to. It was smaller than they had expected, but still impressive.

Mahesh, Nicolai, Felic and Andrei were also there, and when Mahesh saw Alida he smiled, walking up to her. Alida looked surprised to see him, but accepted the hug he gave her.

"Did the other three eggs end up with you?" Mahesh asked, turning to Ricardo.

"Sim," Ricardo said. "But the Deathplayers know that they're important now."

"Oh dear," a voice said. "Then we need to be careful."

They turned to see that Oliver had arrived, and Bruce narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked. "And where's Jimmy?"

"The Deathplayers are suspicious of us," Oliver explained. "We can't afford for all of us to come here at the same time. Now, why did you call us?"

"We're going to need to create the eggs of your counterparts," Ricardo explained. "Since we can't really get to them, we're going to rely on you. We've already tested it out with France, Spain and Prussia, and their counterparts' eggs arrived safely with us."

"But there's still the issue of being in the Deathplayers' den," Oliver said. "We need to find a way to bypass it."

"Agreed. Care to start the experiment?"

…

Manuella and Rebecca entered Alida's house, a little annoyed with their sister for sending them on this errand, of all errands. Their arms were full with their shopping bags, and the humans seemed to find their situation a little amusing.

The two Southern Africans rushed towards the living room where the Nations from the other world decided to spend their time. And it was one Nation in particular that they needed to see.

Miguel started when the bags were deposited next to him, and he looked up at the two annoyed female Nations with a look of perplexed curiosity.

"Baby supplies," Manuella explained. "I hope you realise how annoying it was to buy all this stuff."

Miguel blushed, but he smiled at the women.

"Obrigada," he said. "I'll admit that the thought hadn't crossed my mind."

"Then I'm assuming that you didn't need to change his diaper yet," Rebecca said.

Miguel fidgeted nervously, and the other Nations in the room snickered at the Portuguese's uncomfortable expression. Even the baby started to giggle.

"Unless there's anything else, we'll be leaving now," Manuella said.

"Why don't you join us?" Anika asked. "I mean, there are a lot of Nations in this house, but none of them seem to want to join us."

Manuella and Rebecca exchanged a glance.

"No offence," Rebecca said, "but we're still a little suspicious. I mean, you're new, and some of you are Northern Nations, and…"

"You've got a lot of bad blood with our counterparts," Miguel sighed. He looked at Manuella. "I imagine that there's especially bad blood between you and Marco."

"That's an understatement," Manuella said. "I suppose some of the others will come, as soon as they're comfortable with you. Until then, enjoy solitude."

…

When Sigurd and Marius arrived, they had taken Oliver aside in order to talk about what was happening. And Bruce's first comment when the others arrived was that this world was starting to feel a little cramped.

"Are you really okay with all of this?" Marius asked Oliver.

The Englishman sighed, before he turned to look at Bruce. After a moment he turned back to his friends.

"It doesn't matter how we feel about it," Oliver said. "Brazil told me about what Alistair had been told. That the Deathplayers will keep doing this over and over. And I think we all know that they will never stop. At the very least, this is going to delay their plans for a few centuries. Hopefully, since they would need to start their planning all over again, and they would need to target new Nations. And they're not even going to use the same game. They're going to have to redesign the entire game."

"That makes all of this pretty pointless then," Sigurd sighed.

"I've seen the Deathplayers' reactions when things didn't go their way," Oliver said. "It is worth it, trust me. Even if this is only going to be temporary, it's worth it to stop them."

The other two exchanged a glance before sighing.

"I'm still not sure about turning into a baby," Marius said.

"Neither am I," Oliver admitted. "But our eggs are thankfully in the hands of the South. While they are our enemies, they're also not as cruel as the Nations in our half of the world. That's probably one thing that counts in our favour."

"I think you're right," Sigurd said. "And to think we thought that made them weak. But it might just help us when we're helpless."

"When did you become the sensible one?" Marius asked, looking at Oliver with a small smile on his face.

Oliver pouted, and Sigurd burst into laughter. Oliver smiled, and soon he was laughing as well.

"We've managed to get them to agree to wait until they have all the eggs before they go through with it," Oliver said. "You know, I can't really afford to keep coming here. The Deathplayers are suspicious."

Sigurd's eyes widened.

"Are you saying that this might be the last time we see you?" Sigurd asked.

Oliver nodded his head, closing his eyes.

"In this life, perhaps," Marius said. "But we'll see each other again when all of this is over."

The other two gave small smiles, before they embraced each other in a group hug. The other Nations merely watched this display, knowing that they weren't likely to see Northern Nations acting like this again.

…

Khemet was on her way to the living room when she noticed someone spying nearby. It wasn't another Nation. Well, not in the technical sense.

She approached him, pretending that she didn't see him, at least until she was right in front of him. She then proceeded to pin him against the wall, her arm against his throat. His cloaking spell wore off, revealing the Spain Deathplayer.

"You're not welcome here," she snarled.

He smirked down at her.

"And you don't belong here," he said. "Now, how did you see me?"

"Are you kidding? You forget that I spent centuries as a ghost as well."

"Right. It's easy to forget that you're technically one of us. A dead Nation."

"I'm not one of you. I cared about my people, and I loved another Nation. My son."

"Which one?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Both of them," she said. "But Eshe and Enehy each had her own. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm keeping an eye on our game pieces. The Rook, the King and the Queen."

"There's more than that," she said. "You're not going closer. Why?"

"Because the Queen has a tendency to see us when no one else can. And until we're taking her, she should be unaware of our presence."

"She's played your game before, hasn't she? But why are you so focused on her?"

"She knows more about us than she realises. She was the one that sealed us away, but we managed to erase her memory of how. And then there's the fact that a part of us is still sealed in her land."

"Why exactly are you telling me this?"

"Because as much as you want to deny it, you're one of us. And we don't keep secrets from each other.

"I am not one of you," she hissed.

"Are you sure? Because you're a Nation that died, replaced by someone else. And you do realise that that body you're in is only temporary, don't you? You don't belong in the physical plane. You probably only have a few days left."

"You don't belong here either," she said. "And unlike you, I can accept that fact. Now, leave."

He stared at her for a few moments, before he smirked.

"I wonder how Gupta or Omar will react when they learn that you're going to disappear again," he said. "When you simply leave them. I imagine that Omar especially will be devastated. After all, look at what happened to him not long after you died the first time. He'll have to live with the fear that something like that might happen again, simply because mommy is no longer there to protect him. Who do you think will hurt him this time?"

"No one," she said, her eyes narrowed. "I will not allow it."

"A little hard to do that if you're a ghost."

"I have ways and means, and I will not let any harm befall either of my sons. You can be sure about that."

The Deathplayer smirked, and her face twisted in a snarl.

"You're toying with me," she said. "Why?"

"Think of it as punishment for interrupting my spying. But tell me, do you think you can protect your sons while you're still here?"

"You wouldn't."

"We would. Unless, of course, you tell us what you're planning. Specifically, we want to know the purpose of the eggs. And the birds."

"There is no way I'm telling you," she said. "It's going to be more satisfying to see you lose your own game. And you're going to regret telling me so much."

He chuckled darkly.

"We'll see about it," he said. "But you will definitely regret something, Ancient Egypt."

And the Deathplayer was gone.

"Right," she muttered. "I have a niece whose memory I need to jog."

…

Andrei sighed, looking around at the other Nations. Nicolai sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?" Nicolai asked.

"I have a problem with this whole arrangement," the Moldovan explained. "When I'm a baby, who's going to take care of me? You're the only one I trust, and, well…"

Nicolai sighed.

"I understand," he said. "I've been worried about that as well. I'm the punching bag of Europe, remember? There isn't anyone that would take care of me."

"Maybe not in Europe," Alida said, walking closer. She had overheard their conversation. "But I know that Namibia wouldn't mind."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Namibia has a soft spot for you. I actually think she might like you, and not platonically. Trust me, she wouldn't mind."

Nicolai blinked in surprise, his cheeks tinged with pink. Andrei turned to Alida.

"And what about me?" he asked.

"Would you mind if Switzerland took care of you?" Alida asked. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking care of a younger Nation that isn't a psychopath."

"I think he's going to want payment," Andrei said.

"Leave that to me. I know how to deal with him."

…

The Nations had created a makeshift nest for the eggs and birds out of sheets and blankets. They were essentially protecting them, along with the potential Reds. They figured that it was easier to have them all in the same room.

But of course Matthew, Jett and Anika held their own eggs in their arms. They could feel that the eggs, or rather the occupants of the eggs, were a part of them, and they instinctively wanted to be close to them.

Matthew was the first that felt his egg moving, and he jumped when that happened. Anika and Jett looked at him with confusion, before they felt their own eggs moving.

"I… I think it's hatching," Matthew said.

This of course caught the attention of the other Nations, and they moved closer to see what was happening. Even the baby seemed to be curious about seeing this.

As one, the three eggs hatched, and everyone let out cries of relief.

"We're one step closer," Matthew whispered.

"But we've got another problem," Patrick said.

The Irish brothers had left for a little while, and were standing at the doorway with worried expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Jett asked.

"We did as you asked," Patrick said. "You know, check the reflection to see in which world our counterparts are. Since Michael is in our world, Seamus has a reflection here. Or rather, he can see Michael. I can't see Finn."

"Then they're in this world," Miguel said.

The two brothers shook their heads.

"We were curious, so we went back to our own world," Seamus said. "I don't have a reflection there, and neither does Pat."

"But, how's that possible?" Will asked.

"It either means that they're somehow in both worlds," Patrick said, "or neither world."

Siembamba is an Afrikaans lullaby/nursery rhyme. Its origins are debatable, but the general consensus is that it has to do with the Boer War. There's a version that is definitely to do with the concentration camps. The version you'll find on Youtube is a lullaby version, and only the first stanza is a little… Well, it's the part that was in this chapter. The reason why Alida and Jett were disturbed is because of this: Siembamba, mama's little child. Siembamba, mama's little child. Wring his neck and throw him in a ditch. Step on his head then he is dead. This song happens to be on the list of the top 50 Afrikaans songs of all time. And if you want to add creepiness to something, you tend to use this song. And Jett could understand enough of the Afrikaans because a lot of Afrikaans emigrants prefer to go to Australia, not to mention the Dutch influence. Canada has a smaller amount of Afrikaans speakers, so Matthew could only understand a little, namely the significant words.

And to the people who live in the northern hemisphere: you have no idea how jealous I am at the moment. South Africa is facing its worst possible heatwave ever recorded. The cold tap water is a few degrees above lukewarm, and the only way to drink cold water is if it's infused with ice. Not even refrigerated is cold enough. And then I have the misfortune of being a South African that can't handle heat. I can handle cold just fine – 2 degrees and I'm wearing short sleeves and not feeling a thing (that's the coldest recorded I've been exposed to in my comfort zone). But heat is something that I don't enjoy. And I live inland, so no beaches, and I don't have a pool, nor do I have any friends in my hometown with a pool. And the area I live in isn't known for heat – it's known for its unpredictability when it comes to weather. And the earliest we can expect some rain is tomorrow.