Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 5

Malaysia had thankfully fallen asleep again, and the others were beginning to get plates for the pasta when someone knocked on the door again. Indonesia went to answer it, while Singapore's eyes went over towards Malaysia. It didn't seem as though he was disturbed by the unexpected guest.

"Germany," Indonesia said. "What's up?"

"I heard from France about what happened," Germany said. "Is everything alright now?"

"He managed to fall asleep. I'll admit, it was pretty scary. I've never seen anything like that before."

"You need to notify me of all symptoms. I understand that you have a very difficult task. Anyway, there is another reason why I'm here. I managed to find another room for you, with six beds."

"Thank goodness!" Philippines said. "I was starting to wonder what we're going to do when it's time to sleep."

"We'd most likely be sleeping in shifts anyway, in case something happens," Thailand said. "But I think the larger room is a good idea. Thank you."

"You realise that this means we're going to have to wake him up again, right?" Singapore asked.

"Singa, you can do it," Thailand sang. "After all, you're his brother. And he responds better if you speak Malay with him."

Singapore scowled, but he could see the logic in it. Germany handed the key over to Indonesia, and they moved to gather their things. Singapore turned to Malaysia and swallowed thickly, hoping that he wouldn't have another episode like earlier.

"Mal," Singapore called out, his voice as quiet as possible. "Wake up."

He started stroking Malaysia's cheek. He hoped that a gentler approach when waking him would prove to be a better idea. Perhaps, if Malaysia wasn't startled, he wouldn't react in the same way as earlier.

"Mal," Singapore tried again, and Malaysia groaned as his face scrunched up. He opened his eyes and looked up at Singapore. They still didn't look clear, but they were better than earlier.

"Singa…?" Malaysia croaked. "What time is it?"

"It's about five-thirty," Singapore said. He was relieved to see that Malaysia was a little more lucid than earlier. "How are you feeling?"

Malaysia licked his lips.

"Thirsty," he rasped.

Singapore had expected that, and there was already a glass of water ready for Malaysia. He helped Malaysia sit up before he handed the glass over to him. He smiled when he saw Malaysia taking small sips.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to wake you," Singapore said. "But Germany managed to find us a bigger room. We're going to switch to that room."

"Do we have to?" Malaysia whined.

"There isn't enough space for all of us, so… yeah. We kind of have to. You don't have to get dressed or anything. But we need to get going."

Malaysia just lay there for a few seconds before he threw the covers off of him with a huff. He pouted as he looked up at Singapore, who couldn't help but smile at the petulant display.

"If you can act like a petulant child, then I'm assuming you feel better," Singapore said.

Malaysia cocked his head to the side before he shook his head. Singapore deflated a little when he saw the motion.

"Not really," Malaysia said. "I'm just not as hot as before, but my mind still feels fuzzy and I feel nauseous. But… I don't need to puke right now."

"That's at least good to hear," Singapore said. "Come on. Everyone else is already ready."

Malaysia swayed in the bed for a moment before he stood. His hand immediately reached for Singapore's shoulder, and he supported his brother.

"Feel dizzy," Malaysia muttered.

"I thought that's what this was," Singapore said. "You can lean on me, and tell me if something's wrong, okay?"

Malaysia nodded, but didn't say anything. He finished the water, and then they were ready to go.

"Fortunately, it seems like the room is on this floor," Indonesia said. "We don't have to walk too far."

"That's good," Singapore sighed, before he glanced over towards Malaysia. He was still radiating heat, but at least it was better than it had been earlier.

Germany was waiting outside, and Indonesia handed over the key to the room they just left. Germany glanced towards it and pocketed it.

"I'll inform the staff to do a thorough decontamination of this room," Germany said. "I'll also tell them that they may want to burn all the bedsheets. Just in case."

"Feels… excessive," Malaysia mumbled.

"If you have any idea what is going on in your country, you wouldn't think so."

"Huh? What's going on?"

Malaysia looked around, and the others all avoided eye-contact. Germany sighed and shook his head.

"The number of patients is already in the hundreds," he explained. "And among them are your king and Prime Minister. The death toll is also steadily climbing, and it looks like it's the same thing causing it."

"What?" Malaysia demanded, eyes wide. "I-I need to…"

"You need to rest and recover," Singapore said. "Remember, your health can influence your people, and the other way around. If you can get your health better, then maybe everyone else in your country would get better too."

Malaysia still looked unsure, and it also looked as though he wanted to cry. Singapore could understand the frustration with not being able to help, and also feeling sick in general.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Malaysia asked.

"We didn't want to worry you," Thailand said. "Stress can make you feel even worse, and we're trying to get you to feel better."

"Let's just go to the new room," Indonesia said, "before everyone else starts to call us a health hazard."

Singapore nodded, and allowed Indonesia to lead the way. He noticed that no one else was out. Perhaps Germany had informed everyone that they would be changing rooms, and had warned them to stay away.

"Singa…" Malaysia said. "I don't feel so good."

Singapore looked over towards Malaysia and saw the way his face twisted. His gaze snapped back to the others in front.

"We need to hurry!" Singapore urged. "Mal looks like he's about to puke."

"We're almost there," Indonesia muttered, and he thankfully started walking faster.

Malaysia shuddered, before he suddenly pulled away. Singapore cried out in shock as Malaysia started pounding on the closest door, and as soon as it opened, he pushed past the occupant and ran inside. A few seconds later, the sound of retching could be heard.

"I'm so sorry," Singapore said, helping Japan to his feet.

"It's no problem," Japan said, before he turned towards the bathroom. "Has this been happening a lot?"

"Unfortunately. Well, it's better than what happened earlier."

"Oh? What happened?"

"He was delirious. He couldn't even recognise us. And it sounded as though he had a nightmare. He called me a monster."

Japan blinked, before a light frown crossed his face.

"That is certainly strange," he said. "And worrying. But otherwise?"

"I have no idea if he's getting better or worse," Singapore sighed. "And it's really starting to scare me. And we still have no idea what it is."

The two of them turned towards the inside of the hotel room when they heard the sound of a toilet flushing. Soon afterwards, Malaysia came out and froze when he saw Singapore and Japan at the door.

"Are you feeling better now?" Singapore asked.

Malaysia nodded, before he scurried over towards them. He made himself as small as possible as he passed Japan, before he clung to Singapore's arm.

"Sorry," Malaysia muttered.

"It's understandable," Japan said. "And at least you didn't throw up on the floor. I don't think Germany or the hotel staff would have been happy with that."

Malaysia shrank closer to Singapore.

"Anyway, sorry again, Japan," Singapore said. "I-I think you may want a shower. You know, just in case?"

"Ah, of course," Japan said, his eyes widening. "Thank you for the advice. But, tell me… Have you been having any symptoms?"

"No…" Singapore said, cocking his head to the side. "Not really. Still, better safe than sorry."

Japan nodded again, before he closed the door. Singapore guided Malaysia over to the others, who had been waiting patiently.

"Let's get going," Philippines said.

The new room proved to be a lot larger than the previous room. There were six beds, though only five of them would be used, with a much larger kitchen and probably a larger bathroom as well. Singapore was still gawking as Malaysia made his way to the closest bed.

"Hold up," Philippines said. "Don't you want to have the bed closest to the bathroom? You know, just in case?"

Malaysia blinked before he nodded.

"Good idea," he said, before going to the bed in question. "Goodnight."

"We're probably going to eat dinner now," Thailand said. "Do you want something?"

Malaysia shook his head while slipping under the covers.

"I'm tired, and I'm not hungry," Malaysia said. "I just want to sleep."

"Alright then," Singapore said. "I'll get you some water. And I think we should also get you an energy drink or something."

Malaysia hummed, before he snuggled into the sheets. Singapore suspected that he wasn't going to get any other response anytime soon. Still, he placed a glass of water on the bedside table.

"I think you should follow the advice you gave Japan," Indonesia said. "Go take a shower, Singa. You've been helping Mal the most of all. You can use the time to relax a bit."

"Are you sure?" Singapore asked.

"Yep," Thailand said. "You can take a shower, and then we'll have dinner. Or the other way around. Just don't lock the door, in case Mal needs to rush to the toilet."

"Alright, if you guys are sure."

Singapore glanced towards Malaysia, who seemed to already be asleep. He hoped they could find the true cause for this disease soon, so they could treat Malaysia properly. And he hoped that Malaysia felt better very soon. It was heart-breaking to see Malaysia like that.

Despite the problems between them, they were still brothers, and Singapore didn't like to see Malaysia suffer. It was its own kind of torture.

…

Philippines was scrolling through the Malaysian news yet again. It was depressing, but he wanted to know what was going on in his friend's country. He didn't know if it was the country that was reflecting the nation, or if the nation was reflecting the country. Either way, this was like nothing he'd ever seen before, and it scared him.

"Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas are under lockdown," Philippines announced. "No one is allowed to leave their houses unless absolutely necessary, or if they're an essential worker. The CDC had also started investigating the food and water supplies. No idea how long that's going to take."

"I'm just glad they're not sitting on their asses," Indonesia said. "But the way this is happening… I mean, I don't think we've had something like this spread so quickly. This is less than twenty-four hours!"

"Or maybe it's not," Thailand said. "For all we know, this could have been incubating and infecting more people for a while. And if this is a completely new thing…"

"We should just be careful that speculation doesn't turn into conspiracy," Philippines said. "Do you think France and the others would agree to test us, just in case?"

"I think they have to. This is affecting a nation, and his country is suffering too. We don't want another global pandemic on our hands. Once they understand a bit more about this, I'm sure they're going to ask to test us, in case we have it too, and to keep it from spreading."

"…I think I found something else just now. Give me a second while I read this."

Philippines's eyes scanned the newest article, and the more he read, the more he frowned. Something about this felt off. The other two were silent, allowing him to concentrate, and probably also worried about the expression on Philippines's face. Finally, he leaned back and shook his head.

"It's strange," he said. "Pretty much everyone in Kuala Lumpur seems to be affected in some way. They've also gone to the friends and family of the patients outside of Kuala Lumpur, who all seem fine. The patients in question went to Kuala Lumpur for some reason or another, and some of the patients with the mildest symptoms were there weeks ago. They actually sent out a PSA that anyone who'd been to Kuala Lumpur recently and who have strange symptoms should see a doctor immediately."

"So, it's mostly localised?" Indonesia asked. "That's really suspicious. Almost as though…"

"Something in Kuala Lumpur itself is causing the sickness," Thailand finished. "And Mal spends most of his time there."

"…They're checking out the food and water," Philippines repeated. "Maybe they can find something there. But they're really cracking down on it. I mean… I guess, because there are so many patients in such a short time… and a lot of people dead. This is a disaster."

"Yeah. So, how long do you think it's going to be before they figure something out? It better not be a week, and it definitely shouldn't be months."

"If it continues the same way it's doing now, then if at least one month passes, there might not even be a population in Kuala Lumpur. And if it spreads…"

They were interrupted when someone knocked on the door. They had face masks now, and Thailand donned his.

"That must be the food," he said. They had ordered something to go along with the pasta that Italy gave them. "I'll go get that, and one of you should tell Singa."

Indonesia stood and headed to the bathroom. Philippines continued to scroll through the Malaysian news. A new article popped up, and he went to read it. He skimmed it for a moment before he put his phone aside.

"His Prime Minister is dead now," he announced. "I'm worried about what's going to happen to the country now."

"We're going to talk to our bosses," Indonesia said, turning to him. "And we're going to convince them to provide aid."

Philippines glanced over towards Malaysia. He was both pale and flushed, and the sweat made it appear as though he had just come out of the shower. Malaysia was curled up into a tight ball, and when Philippines reached out to stroke his hair, he whimpered. Philippines had always thought that Malaysia looked a bit like a kitten. It had never been as true as it was at that moment, but there was also a bit of puppy there now.

"We're going to make sure that they help," Philippines said. "By whatever means necessary."

Thailand returned with the room service cart.

"They didn't want to take any chances," Thailand said. "So, they gave us more food than necessary. I think they know which room to avoid now."

"Rude," Indonesia said. "But strangely, much appreciated."

"And if Mal's hungry, there's still the soup that Italy brought."

"Great. I'm curious about it too."

"No," Philippines said. "If that's all that Mal can safely eat, then we need to make sure that he has as much as possible."

They were checking all of the plates to determine what each would be eating, noting that there were other meals and even side dishes that they definitely hadn't ordered. Singapore chose that moment to come out of the bathroom.

"Did anything happen?" Singapore asked.

"Mal's Prime Minister is dead," Philippines said. "We were just discussing asking our bosses to send some aid."

Singapore paused, before he started looking around the room.

"That can wait," Thailand said. "For now, we need to eat. Mal isn't the only one that needs strength. We've got to keep ourselves healthy too."

Singapore froze, before he nodded. He obediently sat down.

"You're right," he whispered. "I just… How are we going to convince them?"

"Well, we can first appeal to their empathy," Indonesia said. "And if that doesn't work, I'm pretty sure that we can resort to blackmail. And if that doesn't work… Outright threats are also an option."

"That's so wrong," Philippines sighed. "But it might be necessary."

"Unfortunately. So, whose bright idea was it to leave humans in charge of the world again?"

"If necessary, we can see if there's a way to communicate with the spirits of the ancient nations and see if one of them was the cause for all of this."

"…Let's focus on the present," Singapore said. "Should we wake Mal?"

"Let him sleep for a while longer," Thailand said. "He needs his rest, and if he wakes up naturally, we can ask him if he's hungry."

Singapore's eyes flitted over towards his brother, and Philippines could only imagine the pain that he was feeling. He didn't have any siblings, unless he counted Spain's other former colonies. He wondered what it would feel like for one of them to be in a situation like the one they found themselves in now.

…It would be painful for everyone involved.

…

He struggled against the people that held his arms as they dragged him through the hallways. He could hear other people – prisoners like him – crying and screaming. He could only imagine what they were going to do to him this time.

They brought him into a room, and they quickly strapped him to a chair. He struggled against the leather, but then the door opened. He froze before someone ruffled his hair. It was as though the contact burned him.

"It's nice to see you again, Malaysia," his captor said. "So then, shall we continue where we left off last time?"

He swallowed as the other person came into view. This man… This monster…

Malaysia's eyes snapped open as he gasped. A dream. It was just a dream.

No… It was a memory. One that he had repressed a long time ago. And as he realised that, more details returned to him.

"Mal," a familiar voice said. "How are you feeling?"

He didn't answer. He jumped out of bed and he ran to the door. He only vaguely recognised that it was a bathroom. It wasn't his destination, but it would work. He went to the toilet and immediately started to empty the contents of his stomach, not that there was much in the first place.

This didn't feel like the sickness from earlier. It was something completely different. Was it the memory?

He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't fight back. He was too busy being sick. But eventually, the other person swore.

"Call France, Turkey or Switzerland," the person said loudly.

There was a pause as Malaysia tried to regain his breath. He tasted something else that didn't taste like bile. And when he looked into the toilet bowl, he understood that there was something seriously wrong.

He had started to vomit blood.

I've vomited blood three times. One time was as a by-product of having my wisdom teeth removed, while the other two times were at the end of long and violent vomit sessions. I think something tore or something. But it's not a pleasant experience.