Finally! I know people have been waiting for me, but my OCD would not allow me to post something without there being ten chapters in reserve. Which is a good thing, because I had to rewrite five times before I can be satisfied.

Also, a few warnings. I'm not going to go with the typical fanon interpretations of the 2P's, except perhaps for the more popular ones. I like to do things my way. I also have a tendency to focus on characters that don't get a lot of attention in either canon or fanon. There will also be a few OCs, both 1P and 2P. And in the story itself, I won't be referring to '1P' or '2P'. And no, there won't be any pairings. If you want to accept that I'm hinting at something, then it's up to your own interpretation.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 1: Distorted Reflection

The board has been set.

Who shall move first?

Tradition dictates that White moves first.

...And then, the game begins.

…

He blinked in surprise, before he smirked.

Felic Łukasiewicz, also known as Poland, had been sipping a glass of wine, courtesy of the Frenchman sitting beside him, when he saw an unusual reflection in the wineglass. He always drank whatever alcohol was available before a meeting, but he never got drunk. He didn't indulge enough for him to become drunk, but just enough for the others to become more tolerable.

The reflection had shoulder-length blond hair, while Felic's hair was black. The other also had green eyes, full of fire, while Felic's eyes were a pale blue and resembled ice. He couldn't see the rest of the reflection, but he was almost sure that the clothes would be different as well. Felic wore a dark blue dress shirt with black slacks and black shoes. A few months ago, Romano had managed to get everyone to dress properly for meetings, much to the chagrin of many Nations. Felic was one of the few that managed to get away with wearing his usual attire.

He heard the Frenchman beside him hum, and he looked to see the other looking at his wineglass thoughtfully.

"Strange reflection?" Poland asked, smirking playfully.

France looked at him with a calculating look before he nodded his head.

"I think I read something in one of Romania's books," Poland continued. "I think we might be glimpsing a mirror world."

"And why would it matter?" France asked, bored.

Felic looked at the Frenchman. He wore his usual wine red suit, but it was a bit unkempt and fitted loosely. Romano had tried to get the Frenchman to look more decent, but he didn't care. He had stubble, as though he hadn't shaved in days, and there were dark rings under his blue-grey eyes. His blond hair was a mess, and there seemed to be a few tangles in the dirty blond waves. Under normal circumstances there would be a cigarette in his mouth, but Veneziano had insured that no one smoked in the meetings.

"Well, think about the possibility," Poland said. "If we could speak to them, or even go over to their world… Just think about how they can be tortured, verbally and physically."

France looked at him, a bored look in his eyes.

"No thanks," Francois said.

"Not even as part of a game?"

Now, the Frenchman looked intrigued.

"As in, one of your games?" France asked.

Poland smirked, knowing he had him. His games were well known, and he had a reputation as a master of games. He has broken several Nations. France was on the receiving end of one of his games, and was still wary. But, while being on the receiving end was something that everyone feared, being a participant… A rare occurrence, but something that they all enjoyed. There was always a victim.

"I'll think about it," Francois said.

"Excellent, and I will have a word with Romania," Poland said.

He wanted to play with the one reflected in the mirror. He wanted to snuff out the fire in the other's eyes. After all, it has been so long since he played a game that he actually enjoyed. What was the use of playing with something that was bent, twisted, snapped or broken?

…

After the meeting, they all proceeded to return to their hotel rooms. Poland lingered behind, hoping to speak to Romania, since he was the most comfortable with that particular member of the magic trio, considering they were practically neighbours. And Poland might have also asked a few times in the past for a few magical favours. Such as getting a sparkly rainbow unicorn, or being turned into a girl for a few hours, or turning himself completely pink…

Yeah, there were a few ridiculous requests in the past.

He looked into the small mirror he always carried around with him, and, sure enough, his reflection was distorted, and it wasn't looking at him. It looked like he was speaking with someone that looked remarkably like France, only very unkempt. Feliks looked over his shoulder, and France was nowhere near him.

Yes, he needed to ask Romania about the strange reflection.

Then there was the other reflection he saw. Whose was it again? Poland thought hard, but he just could not remember who the Nation was. He couldn't remember the name, or even the face. But, how was that possible?

Perhaps France would know. He now had to speak to two Nations. But first, he had to find them.

…

As soon as the meeting was finished, Poland sought out Romania. It didn't take too long to find said Nation. He was with England and Norway, which was very convenient for the dark-haired man.

England had light blond hair with a pinkish tint. Thanks to Romano, he had to wear a normal blue suit which was a few shades darker than his eyes. He usually had a cheerful expression on his face.

Norway had pure white hair and lively blue eyes. He was also forced to wear a suit, but his was dark green, several shades darker than his preferred outfit. He was very cheerful and outgoing, and he and England were often found causing mischief together.

Romania, on the other hand, completely contradicted the other two. He wore his usual attire, which was also a suit, but instead of a suit one would find for meetings, this suit was made of the finest black silk that one would expect at a party. His black hair reached just beyond his shoulders and was tied back in a low ponytail, except for the front, which framed his pale face, and it made his red eyes stand out more. Unlike the other two, who were cheerful and loved to cause mischief, he was sombre and serious. He kept the trio balanced. And he protected the other two. No matter how much the other two angered the other Nations, once they sought out Romania's protection, no one was willing to cross them.

Friendships were rare among them, but the magic trio were definitely friends, and no one was willing to take on all three of them at the same time.

Poland checked in the glass again, just to be sure, and he saw the blonde reflection, looking around desperately for something or someone. It didn't matter much, anyway. He just needed to know that it was there.

He smirked and approached the trio. Once they saw him, they were immediately on guard. Romania had been on the receiving end of one of Poland's games, once. Now, he craved the taste of blood.

That was another thing about the magic trio. They had cannibalistic tendencies. Romania enjoyed the taste of blood, Norway the taste of skin, and England preferred grinding up the organs and using them as an ingredient in his cupcakes. The magic trio are the only ones that can eat it, though.

"What is it, Polonia?" Romania immediately demanded.

Poland's smirk widened.

"I'd like to know something," Poland said. "What are the odds of seeing a mirror world?"

Romania's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Come with me to the bathroom and you will see," Poland said.

The important thing to know when dealing with the magic trio was that they were quite curious. Arouse their curiosity, and you gain their undivided attention. And cooperation.

…

Poland couldn't find Romania or France, and had given up looking through the conference building. He really hoped to find them before they returned to the hotel. He had no idea where either of them were staying, and he couldn't really ask around. He hated speaking to strangers, unless he really had to.

As he exited the building, he couldn't suppress the shudder that raced down his spine. He couldn't help but feel that someone was watching him.

He was startled when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around, but when he saw that there wasn't someone behind him he looked down, where a familiar face was looking up at him. He recognised him as Moldova, Romania's younger brother.

"Hey," Poland said, smiling softly.

He didn't know Moldova too well, but he didn't feel too uncomfortable. After all, he was still a little kid.

"Hello, mister Poland," Moldova greeted. "Did you see my big brother anywhere?"

"Nie," Poland said. Seeing the other's eyes begin to tear up, he immediately felt bad. "But, I think he's, like, back at the hotel. You don't know which room he's staying in, like, do you?"

Moldova sniffled and nodded.

"Come on, Moldova," Poland said, taking the younger's hand. "Like, I need to find Romania too. I totally need to have a chat with him."

"About what?"

"Like, I don't know yet, but I totally need to see him. Something's been bugging me, and I totally need to ask him about it."

"You're not going to ask him to turn you into a girl again, are you?"

"Nie… Not this time."

…

Poland dragged the magic trio towards a bathroom that he knew no one would be occupying at the moment. Firstly, because it was a distance away from the meeting room, and secondly, because most of the Nations would have returned to their hotel rooms to get rid of the formal clothes they were forced to wear.

As soon as they entered, they saw that the image in the mirror shifted, and the blond version of Poland came into view. The magic trio immediately paused, surprised by what they saw. Poland smirked, seeing that he didn't have to explain too much.

"Polonia," Romania said. "How…?"

"Don't know," Poland said, shrugging. "Just looked in a wineglass, saw my reflection was blond, decided to ask you three about this."

They saw the blond Poland exiting the building that looked quite bright. They were surprised to see that the street the other stepped onto was very busy. He was also ignored by the humans. It was as though they didn't even know that he was a Nation. Or didn't care.

"I think we need to check our books," Romania said, staring at the other Poland.

They saw a young child tug on the other Poland's shirt. They saw the exchange between the two. And they only started to feel more and more curious, until…

"Wait a minute," Romania said. "That child is Moldova?"

"I thought you hate each other?" Norway said.

"We do," Romania said, before his eyes widened. "Mirrors show everything in reverse, right? Well then, maybe everything there is the opposite from here."

"Probably," Poland said. "Anyway, just think how much fun it would be to play with them."

"Wait a minute," England said. "Playing with them? As in, one of your games?"

"Tak. All we need to do is figure out how to get there. And then, we can play. Personally, I'd like to extinguish the fire in the other's eyes."

"I wonder," Romania said, "would my counterpart be upset if I hurt his little brother? That way, I can torture my little brother too. It would be a win-win situation."

"Ooh," Norway said. "I wonder, how would they taste? Would they taste like us, or someone different?"

England and Romania looked contemplative, while Poland merely looked disgusted.

"That is seriously gross," Poland said. "But, do what you want. If you manage to break them, then by all means, go ahead. Just don't ask me to be a part of that."

"Don't worry," Romania said, smirking, his red eyes lighting up with the familiar sadistic gleam. "If we manage to cross over, then we have a whole new world of Nations to torture. And the possibilities of what we can do to them are endless. How long before they break, anyway?"

"Hopefully long," Poland said. "Wouldn't want them to break too soon, would we?"

…

As soon as Canada arrived at his room, he was immediately met with a red-violet gaze. The truth was, he merely saw the mirror. No one could enter their hotel rooms without immediately looking at the dresser with the mirror. They were startled a few times, but they had gotten used to it. And, since it was the last night, it didn't matter for much longer.

But for Matthew, it was different. For the last six months he had seen an alternate version of himself, Matt, with red-violet eyes, while Matthew's was blue-violet. He had formed a friendship with the one on the other side of the mirror. They did have a lot in common, being Canada and all. But the differences were also important to note, and the differences were what caused Matthew to avoid mirrors for a while. But they had made peace with the differences, and now were friends.

Matt smirked when he saw his quieter counterpart.

"About time you showed up," he said. "I've been waiting for a while now."

"You could have changed," Matthew said, laughing slightly.

The other was still wearing the black suit he was forced to wear at meetings.

"Yeah, well," Matt said, "I didn't want you to walk in on me while I got changed."

"You mean, like what you did to me a few times?" Matthew teased.

"Maybe... Not my fault, though."

Matthew chuckled before he made himself comfortable on the seat in front of the dresser. Matt had already done the same thing, and they prepared themselves for a long chat.

For, in reality, they were each other's only friends.

…

Matthew had to step out for a while to get something to eat. Matt was grateful, since that gave him the opportunity to get out of the monkey suit. He shrugged on the Mountie uniform he usually wore. He couldn't understand what Romano's problem was with his uniform. A lot of the other Nations wore their uniforms, and they were allowed to wear their uniforms at meetings.

No matter how much time passed, they were still uncomfortable getting changed in front of the other. Even though they would basically be getting dressed in front of themselves, it still felt awkward. They preferred to respect each other's privacy, and it was also a reassurance for both of them. Matthew was shy, whereas Matt was just uncomfortable. He had scars all over his body that he wasn't in the mood to explain to Matthew.

It was funny. A few months ago, when they first started to see each other through the mirrors, Matt wasn't too thrilled. He would yell and curse at Matthew and he would break any mirrors. He hated the look in the other's eyes. They were unfamiliar to him. The first few weeks, Matthew was terrified of him.

Then, one day, when Matt looked in a mirror, Matthew wasn't looking back at him. But he was still there. It took a few minutes of Matthew not responding for Matt to realise that he was seeing the other's life. He would never admit it, but he was curious, and so allowed himself to watch Matthew for a while.

The first thing Matt noticed was that he was kind to animals. Matt was also kind to animals (one of his best kept secrets), and most of his victims were poachers, who dared to harm his wildlife. So, Matthew managed to get his respect in that regard.

The second thing Matt noticed was that Matthew's people adored him. They didn't seem to know about Matthew being a Nation, or didn't care about it, and treated him the same they treated everyone else. At first, Matt was a little upset, having grown up believing that humans are inferior to Nations, and that they should fear you. But, after watching and seeing that there were no attempts on Matthew's life, he grudgingly admitted that it seemed nice. He at least was respected, just in a different way, and for different reasons.

The last thing Matt noticed was the thing that managed to win his respect. He had assumed that Matthew was feeble and meek. That all changed once he saw the gentle Canadian play hockey. He didn't think that the other was capable of that level of aggression. It also made him excited. For the first time, he saw an opponent that would prove a challenge at his favourite sport. And that was the first time he had a desire to go to the other's world.

As time wore on, he no longer broke the mirrors, and he no longer chased the other away. He still wasn't exactly friendly, but it was still better than the way he used to treat Matthew. They started to learn more about each other. And Matt finally realised what the look in Matthew's eyes were. The emotions behind the blue-violet orbs were compassion, kindness, and gentleness. There was also sorrow and loneliness, but Matt couldn't understand how those emotions managed to invade the purple orbs. Surely, one such as Matthew was well-liked in a world that seemed infinitesimally brighter than Matt's?

He was wrong.

When there was a world meeting in Matthew's world that didn't coincide with Matt's, the other decided to see how his counterpart interacted with the other Nations in his world.

Never before had he experienced so much rage.

Matthew remained unseen and unheard, despite his best efforts, and Matt could tell that he was trying. And, when they did see him, it was to either ask who he was, a question so often repeated, or to mistake him for America. How could anyone mistake a Canadian for an American?!

That was the second time he experienced a desire to go to that world. So that he could teach the others a lesson in what happens if you ignore a Canadian.

Matt experienced sympathy for the first time when he saw a tear roll down Matthew's cheek during the meeting. No one else saw the tear.

At first, Matt thought that he was growing soft, that he was losing his touch. That thought was quickly dismissed at the next meeting. He still felt the same aggression towards the other Nations, if not more. He felt angry that Matthew was subjected to such emotional neglect, and if he couldn't take out the anger on the Nations of Matthew's world, then he would enjoy taking it out on the Nations in his world.

It was later, when he interrogated Matthew about how they could interact with each other, that he learned the truth. It was a spell that Matthew cast. Now, Matt may not know too much about magic, but he knew that one had to have the magic touch. Something that Matt didn't have. The only other way was if one was truly desperate for the outcome. And once Matt heard which spell was used, he could feel what was left of his heart clench.

A friend that knows your other side.

…

When Romania opened the door to his hotel room, he was surprised to see Poland standing there, Moldova beside him.

"Big brother!" Moldova called out, leaping onto his brother, who wrapped his arms around him.

Romania grunted in surprise from the force suddenly leaping at him. He looked over to Poland.

"He asked you to help him find me, didn't he?" Romania asked, rubbing his brother's shoulders fondly.

"It was totally no problem," Poland replied. "I was actually, like, looking for you as well."

Romania narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"It's not another sparkly pink unicorn, is it?"

"Nie. It's totally serious. You're, like, the only member of the magic trio that I feel totally comfortable enough with."

Romania frowned in confusion, before he looked down at Moldova.

"Could you give us some privacy?" he asked gently. "I'll find you when we're finished."

Moldova nodded his head before returning to his own room. Romania then turned to Poland.

"Alright," Romania said. "What is it?"

Poland took a deep breath.

"I need to know what's on the other side of a mirror."

When I thought about 2P Poland, I didn't want to take the macho approach many others take. So instead, I took Poland's impulsive personality, his inability to think things through, and his unfortunate habit of being taken advantage of, and I flipped it. So now, 2P Poland sees everything as a game and plans strategies, and the other Nations are merely pieces in the game for him to use.

Romania's 2P is supposed to be your basic Dracula stereotype.