"Huh? Where am I?"
You woke up and looked around to see a group of strangely familiar men standing in a dull, gray void. Very familiar men. It's as if they were the characters from the show you watch. 'Are they really the G8 group? From Hetalia? But they look so…different.'
You peered at them with wide opened eyes and a gape mouth. They weren't the Hetalia characters you thought you knew. Or at least, didn't look completely like them.
They had no faces.
"You know, it's impolite to stare," said North Italy, sounding surprisingly impatient unlike his usual carefree, happy-go-lucky self. All the other countries nodded in agreement. You blinked in surprise and quickly closed your mouth. But right once you did, a realization hit you.
"Hey." You called. "How can you talk?"
"What do you mean?" North Italy replied with a question.
"Well…I mean. It's just…" You stuttered out rambling words, careful not to offend them.
"Oh. I see." He sighed in remorse, tilting his head down. He looked as if he was actually looking at the ground even though he lacked his golden eyes.
"…I'm sorry. But, still…I can't see how it could be possible."
"Actually, only I can talk. The others…they can't. Unless they had their faces back."
"Back?" North Italy tilted his head back up.
"We were cursed."
Your mouth gaped again in surprise. Cursed?
"We can't explain the details. All we know was that it was out of hatred and jealousy."
You bit your lip in pity and sympathy. Your eyes traveled down to the floor, wishing you could help them.
"I wish there was something I could do." You finally said.
All the other countries turned heads toward each other even though they couldn't see. Some were nodding, others were tilting their heads in question. And some looked as if they didn't know what to do. Then all at once, they turned toward North Italy.
"Well…" North Italy murmured. "Maybe there is something you could do."
You looked at the place where his face should which just looked like a blank, light-tan slate. Your head nodded as if to say 'Yes, go on.'
"Come here."
You hesitated. Even though you know who they are, you never seen someone without a face before much less approach one.
"It's alright. We won't hurt you." North Italy comforted you as if he knew and understood what you were thinking. And he did. Who wouldn't feel slightly afraid if they saw someone without a face? You understood that they are not willing to hurt you. They just wanted your help. Once you regained your courage, you complied. You stepped forth until you were about two feet in front of the group.
"May I see your hand?" North Italy asked, holding out his. You reached out yours and placed it on his, knowing he couldn't see. He gently yet firmly curled his fingers around your palm and pulled it up to his blank 'face'. Once your fingers came in contact, you gasped and tried to pull away in panic. But North Italy wouldn't let go. He kept your hand in place.
"It's okay. It's okay." He repeated trying to comfort you. "Everything will be alright. There's no need to be afraid."
You forced yourself to calm down, finding it very difficult. You were able to calm down but, your fingers kept trembling. Worried that he thought you were still frightened, you ran your fingers across where his eyes should be.
"Better?" North Italy asked.
"Yeah, thanks."
He nodded and let go of your hand to reach to your face.
"Excuse me? May I see your hand? I'm having a bit of difficulty here."
You reached your other hand and gently grabbed his.
"I need to feel your face, too." He inquired.
You implied by pulling his hand to your face, flinching at the contact but quickly calmed down. Then another realization hit you.
"Hey. If you can't see, then how were you able to tell that I was staring?"
North Italy tilted his head up slightly then back down.
"Well, I sort of felt your gaze. We all did."
"And how did you know I was here?"
"We didn't know how we knew you were here. We just did. It's as if you know you're alive even though no one told you."
You nodded in understanding and ran your fingers across his head, feeling nothing but a soft, smooth plate. Once you were done understanding that that's all there is left of him, you removed your hand and placed it on his shoulder. But his hands never left your face. He ran them up and down feeling every detail, getting a perfect image of you.
"Excuse me?" North Italy asked. "Can you tell me more about you? Such as the color of your hair, perhaps?"
"Uh, it's (h/c)." You replied. "My eyes are (e/c) and my skin is (skin color)."
"You're beautiful, amore." You blushed at his sudden compliment.
"It's alright. There is no need to be shy." He chuckled. You widen your eyes then suddenly realized he could have felt the heat from your face. Once he got the picture of your complexion, he moved his hands to cup your cheeks.
"Can you move your forehead closer?" He asked. You nodded and inched closer till you were three to five inches away from him. He moved closer as well until his forehead touched yours.
"Are you alright with this?" He whispered. "It's the only way to make this work but, we can stop. If we continue, then there's no going back."
"It's alright." You replied. "I really want to help you all. I can't just leave you guys like this." He nodded and held still. You can barely hear him breathe.
"Then, can you close your eyes for a few minutes? Until I move again?" North Italy asked. You nodded in reply and closed your eyes. After a few minutes, he moved away from you.
"Alright. Now you can open them."
You opened your eyes slowly and saw North Italy's face. You looked around and saw the others had their faces back, too. North Italy smiled and backed away a few inches.
"Thank you. Without you, we would never be the same again." Everyone else nodded and murmured their thanks, relief dripping from their tones because they are able to hear their voice again. You nodded, feeling happy you were able to help them.
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." You replied modestly. Everyone's smile grew bigger. But they didn't seem to be happy. Their smiles seem a bit sad and some of them had tears brimming from their eyes.
"Hm? Hey, what's wrong? You guys seem so… sad." You asked. Everyone's smile started to fade away into a frown. Some started to brew new tears while others already had them streaming down. North Italy looked down, sighed then looked back up again.
"You may have heard this phrase before. For every major gain, there is a major loss." North Italy mumbled solemnly. You tilted your head to the head to the side and pressed your fingers against your lips in question. But once your fingers came in contact, you froze.
…
"North Italy? What happened to my face?"