Thanks to ScandinavianTrash, FeetInTheAir and madders10 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 106: Voices of Old

We've found what they are doing.

Now we must stop them.

Before it is too late.

…

Miguel returned to the group, holding the baby in his arms. The baby had calmed and was asleep, clutching Miguel's shirt in his tiny hand. Miguel smiled at the adorable gesture, but he was worried now.

The Deathplayer had said that the baby had none of Roberto's memories. That essentially, the last trace of Roberto had disappeared. He didn't know how the Deathplayer could know that, but…

He shuddered. He had a Deathplayer after his skin, and it wasn't because of things that he did. It was circumstantial. He wasn't the one that interfered in the Deathplayer's 'games', but he got the blame because the Deathplayer was playing with him.

And he wondered what the Deathplayer meant by his statement of knowing the perfect punishment for Miguel. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

When he returned to the group, he saw that things were pretty much the same. Everyone was keeping their gazes on Anika, who hadn't moved at all.

"How long is this going to take?" Alistair asked.

"Don't know," Jett said. "But I've seen Annie do this a few times. And, um, this isn't the correct way of summoning her ancestors. I guess this is just a way that doesn't require anything extra."

"What 'extra'?" Alida asked.

"You don't want to know."

Miguel sighed, knowing that he had to be the bearer of bad news.

"The Deathplayers know what the eggs do now," Miguel said.

Everyone turned to him.

"What?!" Alistair asked. "How?"

"One of them saw Roberto and managed to figure it out," Miguel said. "I'm not completely sure how, but he could figure it out."

"Kak," Alida said. "We need to move fast."

"There are two more eggs left," Matt said, "and the others still need to hatch."

"But if there's any interference…"

"Calm yourself," Anika said, opening her eyes. Her voice was different and her eyes blank. "If you worry, they will move faster."

Everyone stared at her for a moment.

"Anika?" Alida asked.

"No," she said. "We are only using the child's body. We have no name."

"You're the ancestors?"

"Yes. Those from the period since the Sun's land first had humans until the time that the Moon's land had the first humans. Our people couldn't be considered humans by your people. But we still had people."

"What's that part about the sun and moon?" Jett asked.

"They're referring to Anika as the sun and Alida as the moon," Matthew said. "It actually makes sense."

Alida glared at him lightly. Khemet was the next to speak.

"Do you know how to seal the Deathplayers?" she asked.

"Of course we do," Anika said. "The oldest Deathplayer is our junior. The first that had two counterparts where neither is a No-man's land. We have been trying to keep her in line, but she has learned to dance away from us. There was another, far younger, but this one has gone through hell before he returned as a Beast."

"I almost forgot about them," Patrick said. "We're going to need to deal with them as well."

"If you want to seal the Beasts," Anika continued, "you will need to seal them within the Nations they had been residing in."

Everyone turned to Will, who paled. Gupta also looked upset.

"Are you crazy?" Gupta asked. "I am not having that thing in my body again."

"Do you want to defeat them or not?" Anika asked.

Gupta shrank back, thoughs he didn't look happy at all.

"We don't even know about everyone," Alistair said.

"The Dragon in Wales," Anika said. "The Scorpion in Egypt. The Wolf in Italy Romano. The Lion in Luxembourg. The Squid in Latvia. The Bird in Austria. The Snake in Thailand. And the Bear in Sweden."

Everyone stared for a moment.

"Okay…" Alistair said. "And how do we seal them?"

Neither Will nor Gupta looked forward to the explanation.

"They will need to return to the place where they had been attacked in order to free the Beasts," Anika explained. "And they will need to think about the corresponding Beast. Draw them in."

"Not liking this," Will muttered.

"And the other Deathplayers?" Khemet asked.

"For them, you will need to go to a place that has a lot of old connections," Anika said. "And something connected with death. The caves in what they call 'the Cradle of Humankind' are a good example. One of the Deathplayers even met her end there."

"A place connected with death," Alida muttered. "I have a place just like that. It's around five thousand years old."

"What is it?" Ghupta asked, though Omar seemed to nod knowingly.

"Vredefort. There's a mass grave there."

"But, Vredefort…" Jett started.

"Different histories, remember?" Matthew interrupted.

"To seal them," Anika continued, "you need to surrender something of yourself. Something precious. Something that is unique to you. This child sacrificed her memories of this knowledge, as well as the ability to have a united people."

"That explains why Anika's people are always divided, no matter what she tries," Jett said. "Anything else?"

"Think of the Deathplayers when you try to seal them," Anika said, before closing her eyes.

Anika slumped, and Omar grabbed her before she could fall off the chair. It was then they noticed just how pale the blonde South African was, and her skin felt hot to the touch.

"I think she's finished," Seamus said as he helped Omar carry Anika to the loveseat.

"Now what?" Jett asked.

"We wait for Ricardo and Bruce to return with the last two eggs," Alida said. "And while we wait for them to hatch, we'll seal the Deathplayers."

"Something tells me that something's going to happen until then," Will said.

…

Oliver and James were observing the unconscious Tolys. The Deathplayers were restless, and they needed to make sure that nothing interrupted them at the moment.

They sighed in relief when Tolys opened his eyes, and James was about to do the same when one of the Deathplayers grabbed him and hauled him up.

"Good news," the Brazil Deathplayer said. "I've managed to find out what those eggs are."

The other Deathplayers came closer, and Oliver, Tolys and James panicked.

"What eggs?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, I think you know," the Deathplayer said. "You see, I went to check in on little Ricardo and Bruce, since they were in that room again. And that's when I saw one of those eggs appearing again. I did some probing and found that it bears a similar aura as Tolys and Toris, which means that you three know what's going on. Which also explains why you keep 'falling asleep.'"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tolys said.

"Shush," the Lithuania Deathplayer said. "And what do they intend to do with them?"

"Replace themselves," the Brazil Deathplayer said. "They're making new versions of the Nations they represent by splitting their souls."

James was struggling. He knew that he needed to get there immediately. He still had to help create Fletcher's egg.

"You're right," the New Zealand Deathplayer said. "I can sense it now. Pieces of their souls are missing. Including a small part that resonates with Arthur and Toris. But Fletcher's isn't missing."

"You're next," the Brazil Deathplayer said, looking at James.

James shuddered, and the Deathplayer started to haul him away.

"We'll keep an eye on you," the Brazil Deathplayer said. "At least until someone destroys the rest of those eggs and the birds."

"Got it," the Australia Deathplayer said. "We should probably get our last three Reds as well."

"The time for being methodical has passed," the Canada Deathplayer said. "It's time to finish this."

…

Ricardo and Bruce were waiting for James, Bruce getting more worried by the second.

Tolys had agreed to start while they were taking the eggs back, but the Lithuanian had left and the New Zealander had still not taken his place. Bruce couldn't help but feel that something bad had happened.

They looked up when Mahesh returned, looking wide-eyed and worried.

"The Deathplayers found out what's happening," Mahesh said. "You need to warn the others. The eggs are in danger, and so are the last three. They decided to ignore their own rules."

Ricardo and Bruce shared a glance, and the two left as soon as possible.

…

The Reds had heard the conversation between the Deathplayers, but they didn't react. They simply stared at Oliver and Tolys, their minds not really focusing. They just knew that their existence was in danger, but the Deathplayers had put a stop to it. They hadn't forgotten what happened to Roberto.

The Deathplayers were unaware of it, but the intricate web that they had spun around the Reds had torn. So there were brief moments when the Nations inside of them came out. They couldn't reclaim their bodies, but they were aware and coherent enough. The Nations inside had a small opening which they could use to slip through.

All of the Deathplayers had left, obviously thinking that everything would be fine with the Reds there. And the Reds weren't in a particularly violent mood, so they didn't have to worry about them taking things far at the moment.

Fletcher blinked, and he started to move closer to the prisoners. The other Reds saw this and knew what he was doing, but they didn't stop him. The absence of the Deathplayers affected them in many different ways.

It was slow moving, the Nation and the Red fighting for control, though they gave no outward hint. Finally Fletcher came to a stop in front of Oliver and Tolys, who were watching him with a hesitant curiosity.

"How… do you… go… there?" Fletcher bit out.

Oliver and Tolys exchanged a look.

"Go where?" Tolys asked.

"Please," Fletcher said. "When they're… not here… Please… Don't have… much time."

"It's really you, isn't it?" Oliver asked.

Fletcher nodded slowly.

"We needed to be guided there," Tolys said. "But I think we can guide you there."

Fletcher nodded.

"You just need to go to sleep, basically," Oliver said. "We'll guide you the rest of the way."

"Thank… you," Fletcher said, before going back towards his previous place.

It would be far less suspicious if the Deathplayers returned and he was there.

"We'll… help," Arthur said, and the others nodded.

The Reds lay down in a huddle, as they did so often. This was to ensure that the Deathplayers wouldn't be suspicious.

The Nations inside the Reds had an opportunity to do something, and they would surely do it.

…

"Things aren't looking up for us," Alida said as they tried to sort the eggs.

Ricardo and Bruce had told them about what Mahesh had said, and they realised that they had to hurry. They were sorting the eggs by world, and the three Egyptians were casting tracking spells on Matthew, Anika (who had woken up but was still a little pale) and Jett.

"Just when we think we have a chance…" Bruce muttered before he sighed.

"Murphy's law," Alistair said. "What can go wrong will, especially when you really don't need anything to go wrong."

"That's reassuring," Alida said, rolling her eyes.

They could kind of sense which eggs belonged to which world. It helped that they had a sense of the different feelings around different Nations. It would help them when they needed to get the eggs – and the birds that came from the eggs – to the capitals.

"We need a backup plan," Alistair said. "Extra security. I mean, this house is filled with Nations. So can't we just…?"

"Yes," Alida interrupted. "It's a good idea. About time everyone pulls their weight around here."

"That's going to be a little tricky," a voice interrupted.

Everyone whipped their heads to the door, where no less than ten Deathplayers were standing.

"We've come to collect our last three Pieces," the Canada Deathplayer said.

"And destroy those eggs," the England Deathplayer said.

The birds that had already hatched were squawking like crazy, and Roberto had started crying. Bruce and Ricardo gathered the rest of the eggs and birds into pillow cases, while the UK brothers were moving in front of their former colonies.

"You're going to have to get through us," Alistair said.

The Australia Deathplayer chuckled.

"At least try to give us a challenge," he said, before he raised his hand, and then swatted it.

The British Nations were sent flying against the walls, and the others stared at the sight.

"There has to be a way to buy some time," Alida muttered.

"There is," Khemet said, moving until she was standing in front of them. "I've snuck a mirror under the armchair, just in case. Move!"

They nodded, and the Deathplayers snarled before they lunged. Khemet raised a barrier, but everyone could see that she was strained by the presence of the Deathplayers.

Omar pulled out the mirror that had been hidden, and they allowed Matthew, Jett and Anika through first. Miguel came afterwards, carrying baby Roberto, and following them were Bruce and Ricardo with the rest of the eggs and birds.

But before anyone else could follow the barrier broke, and Khemet was thrown backwards.

"After them!" the Canada Deathplayer shouted, and most of the other Deathplayers disappeared.

The Deathplayers that remained advanced on the Nations.

"What are you going to do now?" Alistair asked. "Your targets are all safely in the other world."

"Actually," the Spain Deathplayer said, "I believe I promised someone a little punishment."

"No!" Khemet shouted, trying to get to her feet.

The Spain Deathplayer smirked, before he appeared in front of Gupta, grabbing the Egyptian's throat.

"Omar's already lost his voice," the Deathplayer said. "Time to lose yours."

The rest of the Deathplayers held the rest of the Nations back as Gupta screamed.

…

Fletcher found himself in a strange place. He was more aware, and he had perfect control of himself in this world.

Oliver guided him to where Mahesh was.

The Indian was surprised to see the New Zealander, and forced himself to his feet.

"What happened?" Mahesh asked.

"The Deathplayers don't have as much control as they think they do," Fletcher said. "I… I heard about what you're doing, and that you still need a part of me to get this to work. I want to help."

"Are you sure? You know, this could result in you pretty much dying."

"I know. But anything would be better than being a Red."

Mahesh nodded in understanding.

"Of course. All you would need to do is stand in front of the mirror. Once something in your reflection changes, you know that it is done."

Fletcher nodded, moving towards one of the mirrors.

…

The group landed where Ferdinand was painting, the egg at his feet. Luis jumped in surprise.

"What happened?" Ferdinand asked, picking up the egg.

"Deathplayers," Ricardo said. "We need to get them and the eggs to safety."

Ferdinand nodded, though they all jumped when several Deathplayers appeared.

"You're not going anywhere," the South Africa Deathplayer said.

"Run!" Bruce said, as the group scattered, several being chased by the Deathplayers.

Ferdinand hid his egg away as the Prussia Deathplayer advanced on him.

"Give me that overgrown omelette ingredient," the Deathplayer said.

"Leave him alone!" Luis shouted as he jumped on the Deathplayer's back.

The Deathplayer growled before throwing Luis off him, sending the other towards the wall. The Venezuelan hit his head, causing him to black out.

"Don't hurt him!" Ferdinand shouted.

The Deathplayer lunged for Ferdinand, and as he reached him the egg glowed, knocking the Deathplayer back. When the glow faded, a bird was in its place, and the Deathplayer was gone.

Ferdinand blinked in surprise, before looking down at the bird.

"Looks like you guys are looking out for us, huh?" Ferdinand asked.

…

Fortunately for the Nations, it was lunchtime, and so everyone was in the large dining room when they burst in, looking a little exhausted.

"I think we lost them," Bruce panted.

"What is going on here?" Ludwig asked, standing from her seat. "I thought you were supposed to be in the other world."

"We were," Miguel said. "But we ran into a little Deathplayer trouble."

"Aw, look at the baby," Feliciano said, jumping up from her seat. "Whose is it?"

Miguel chuckled, holding the baby close.

"This is Roberto," Miguel said. "This is the solution we came up with."

Everyone was silent as they processed that information.

"Wait a minute," Lovino said. "Are you saying that all the bastards meant to be Reds… will be babies?"

"Pretty much," Jett said. "Hey, Germany, you wouldn't mind taking care of a baby Prussia, would you?"

Ludwig's eyes widened, and Lovino burst out laughing.

"The Potato Bastard as a mommy?!" Lovino exclaimed. "This I've got to see."

"Keep laughing," Miguel said. "But you're going to help me with Antonio."

Lovino stopped laughing and looked as though he was having an attack, which earned a few snickers from the other Nations.

Ferdinand burst into the room, carrying a bird in his arms.

"This little guy hatched," Ferdinand said. "Are all the other eggs accounted for?"

"Some have hatched, some haven't," Ricardo said. "And we're still waiting for the egg of this world's New Zealand."

As he spoke, an egg appeared in a flash on the table. Everyone stared at it in amazement.

"H-how?" Ricardo asked.

It was then that the rest of the eggs started to react, and every Nation stared as the eggs started to hatch. Soon, the room had thirty one birds.

"Well, this certainly makes things easier," Bruce said.

"Great, the eggs hatched," Ludwig said. "Now what?"

"Now we need to take each of these birds to their respective Nation's capital," Ricardo said.

"And how the hell are we supposed to know which is which?" Lovino asked.

"Trust me, you'll know," Miguel said. He picked up one of the chicks. "See? This one's Antonio."

Lovino merely stared when the bird was handed to him.

"Um, I just realised something," Jett said, looking around. "Where're Matthew and Anika?"