A/N: This is a one-shot for my story, Cursed Dane. You don't have to read that one before this, but it would be advisable, so you don't get confused.

Also, this is set 300 years before the main plotline of Cursed Dane. It's the first transformation Denmark goes through, so it's just after the whole incident in the basement.

Human names are used, but they are actually nations, by the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Pain.

That was all he could feel. Not a little sting of a needle, or a little burn of indigestion, but an agonising pain ripping through his body.

All he wanted to do was go to the kitchen and get a drink. Was that so hard?

But now Mathias desperately wished that he just hadn't moved at all – but that was implying that moving around was the cause of this pain.

Glancing round, the Dane desperately looked for something that could relieve him of his pain, but alas, he found nothing.

I wonder if this is anything to do with that damn monster that attacked Lukas, he thought as he took a sharp breath as the pain increased. It was as if his body was…changing in an extremely painful way.

However, he had not time to dwell on these thoughts as another strong wave of pain racked his body, and almost brought him to his knees. No, I've been through worse. I won't fall. Besides, I wouldn't want to worry Lukas.

Panting as he attempted to block out as much of the pain as he could, Mathias shakily took a step forward, partially satisfied with the fact that he could still walk, at least. It would be a totally different matter if he couldn't even stand.

Maybe I need some fresh air, he thought to himself. Perhaps that will clear this horrid pain. Well, I know this for sure: things will no doubt go downhill from here.

It had been a fairly peaceful evening, with just Mathias and Lukas in the house. They'd been in the front room, sitting by the fire and drinking hot drinks to keep warm. After all, it wasn't exactly the warmest climate in Scandinavia. Mathias had got up and told Lukas that he was going to get a drink, thus going into the kitchen. And now the Dane was in agony.

He staggered to the kitchen door, swiftly opening it and stumbling through like a drunk man. Lukas glanced up as he walked in.

"Mathias? What's the matter?" The Norwegian asked, tilting his head to the side, concern etched onto his face. It wasn't often that Lukas showed emotions, preferring to hide them away, but when he was alone with Mathias, the Dane often saw his more…emotional side.

"I'm uh…going out for a waLK!" His voice rose slightly at the end as he had to grit his teeth and clench his jaw to stop from crying out at the pain. It was then that he noticed that he appeared to be growing claws out of his fingernails. What's happening to me?! I need to get out of this house now. He thought as he continued walking, picking up the pace slightly as well.

"Are…are you sure? You don't sound go-"

"Just fine, Lukas!" Mathias replied, having just passed the Norwegian on the couch and now making a beeline for the front door.

But Lukas didn't believe him. "Ma-"

"Drop it! I'm fine, alright?! Please, just drop it." The Dane opened the door, and took a deep breath, before stepping out into the cold, windy night, noticing how bright the moon was in the dark sky.

Lukas frowned, but decided to follow Mathias' plea. He'll come back. He always does. Sighing, Lukas glanced at his still steaming mug of coffee, before taking a sip.

About twenty metres into the forest, Mathias lost his footing and stumbled, before falling to the ground as he felt the bones in his leg change painfully, with loud cracks and pops. Stifling a cry of pain, he winced as he felt his canines become long and sharp, cutting into his bottom lip.

After a few agonising minutes, the Dane felt the pain ease off, and held a hand up to rub his head, confused as to what the hell just happened to him. Except, when he went to rub the top of his head, he discovered furry objects sticking out of his fur – wait, what?

Blinking twice with a blank expression, Mathias felt the objects on his head, and discovered that they were ears, much like a dog's. Strange, he thought.

It was at that moment that Mathias felt a strong, inhuman presence lurking inside of him. Feeling uncomfortable, he closed his eyes, and immediately saw a giant, wavering soul-like creature in his mind's eye. Gasping, he snapped his eyes open, and in a split second, the monster inside of him consumed him, and Mathias was no longer in control of his own body, however…different it may look.

He heard an inhuman voice hiss in his head, "Silly man. Your confusion, fear and panic overwhelmed you. Now I'm in control!"

The Dane saw his body move on its own, clawing trees and attacking surrounding wildlife. Suddenly, his head tipped back and a loud howl tore through the night air.

Lukas glanced up, frowning, at the sight of birds flying out and away from the forest. Standing up, he curiously – but cautiously – headed towards the window, and stared out – just as a mighty howl startled him half to death.

Narrowing his eyes, the Norwegian tried to think of the animal that could have caused such a ruckus, before he gasped slightly. Mathias is still out there! He thought. What if that strange animal's got him? I can't just sit here. I have to go help.

Determined, Lukas grabbed his coat, pulled his winter boots on, and headed out into the night.

It didn't take him long to reach the treeline, but by then, he was starting to have doubts. This isn't safe. At all. I mean, Mathias is tough, right? He's been through more battles and wars than I can count; there's no way he'll be felled by some sort of wild animal. It was probably just a lone wolf. I don't think I should be going out here, in the middle of night, looking for a potentially dangerous animal in a dark forest-

Lukas pulled up short, looming trees interrupting his thoughts. The branches seemed like long, gnarly fingers, and the leaves swayed in the wind. The constant creaking of the trees, accompanied by what sounded like snarling, creeped him out, and made him feel as if the forest were alive. Which, technically speaking, it was, what with the animals and plants. However, apart from the sound of the wind, the creaking of the trees and the snarling, it was eerily silent, which wasn't always a good sign. It only made him more paranoid that he was going to encounter something scary.

"I should have brought a lantern." Lukas muttered to himself, not liking how loud he sounded, even though his voice was barely above a whisper.

He was about to turn back and get a lantern (it was either a lantern or a candle, but the flame of a candle would be easily blown out in the wind, thus choosing a lantern would be the better option) when another howl rang through the trees. It sounded nearby, and piqued the Norwegian's curiosity almost unwillingly.

It didn't take him long before he reached a large clearing, with a shadowy figure in the middle. It almost looked like the trees were giving it a wide berth…as if it was dangerous. Glancing round, Lukas' breath caught in his throat as he saw claw marks scattered across the trees and the ground, and even a couple of dead animals lying on the floor.

Horrified, he stifled a cry, but a noise still came out. It was only a whimper, but it was still unnervingly loud in the almost silent forest. And of course, the figure in the middle heard it.

Snapping its head up, Lukas could see two pointy ears atop its head, and its eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Snarling, it began approaching the Norwegian, who was staring at it, taking slow steps backwards. It stopped suddenly, when it was only about ten metres from Lukas, and stared at him curiously. He instantly knew that it wasn't an animal found…anywhere usually. It wasn't human, that was for sure, and it seemed to stand on two legs – very unlike a dog or a hoofed animal. A bear? But bears have round ears, not pointy ones. In fact, its ears resembled that of a dog's or a cat's.

The Norwegian furrowed his eyebrows as he suddenly got a strange sense of familiarity towards it. It kind of felt like Mathias…shaking his head, he cleared the thought. This creature? Mathias? How ridiculous! There's no way that Mathias is this…thing – what even is it?

Without warning, the creature charged at Lukas, causing him to shriek, turn tail, and run away from the clearing, the creature hot on his heels. Unfortunately, it quickly closed the distance between them, and leapt at Lukas, effectively knocking him to the ground with its paws thudding into his back.

Slightly winded, he coughed and tried to get up, but the creature was upon him in seconds, flipping him onto his back and pinning him down with both front paws. Such long claws, Lukas thought with slight admiration, they can easily tear into me. And that's definitely black fur. Good for sinking into the shadows at night, I guess.

He then stared at the face that was gradually reaching his. Just as he thought, it had two large, pointy ears on top of its head, and piercing blue eyes. In fact, it's face looked a lot like a wolf of sorts. A…werewolf? No, it can't be. They're only legends. Only myths. Only rumours. They do not exist. They can't, right?

Swallowing nervously, he frantically tried to break free of the creature's grip – to no avail, though. It prepared to bite him, and the Norwegian noticed that its grip weakened slightly as it put its strength mostly into its jaws rather than its paws. Seeing his chance, Lukas wriggled rapidly, and actually succeeded in escaping its grip.

He didn't give himself chance to catch his breath as he ran as fast as he could away from the creature, and was disappointed to hear its angry roar, and its thunderous footsteps. Where can I go? The forest isn't safe, but I don't want to lead it to the house. Damn, where can I go?!

Panting slightly, Lukas frowned as he suddenly realised there was a lack of trees around him, and his blood turned to ice as he realised that he had exited the forest, and his feet were heading to his house against his will. Guess I have no choice now but to barricade myself inside, he thought as he reached the front door, and without hesitation, rushed in. Turning quickly on his heel, Lukas slammed the door shut and slid the lock across, before grabbing the nearest chair and pushing it against the door for good measure.

Exhausted, the Norwegian slid down the wall next to the door, trying to collect his thoughts. Okay, so I know this much; that was some sort of werewolf-like creature. A monster, basically. There's a monster in the forest outside my house. Great. It definitely can't be a werewolf, though. I mean, it's not even full-moon – unless it's a special type of werewolf. Then again, what would any type of werewolf want in that forest?

Suddenly, he remembered why he'd gone outside to start with. Mathias! My God, I completely forgot about him! He glanced out the window as best as he could from the floor. I hope he's okay.

He jumped as a loud scraping sound was heard on the other side of the door. And now the monster's caught up. What do I do? Fight it? Or barricade myself in? Dammit, which one's better?! He sighed. Mathias would know what to do.

Then Lukas glanced up, determination blazing in his eyes. But Mathias isn't here. It's just me. And I need to make my choice.

He hummed thoughtfully, eyebrows furrowing. Let's see…it's got strength on its side, and those fangs and claws can certainly be good weapons…but I have speed, and I'm sure there's a good weapon lying round here somewhere. However, that's only if I want to fight it. On the other hand, if I barricade myself in, it will eventually barge its way in. Not to mention the fact that I may sound confident now, but when it comes round to fighting that thing, I'll probably be terrified.

An idea struck him then, and he smiled. Why can't I choose both? I'll barricade myself in for as long as possible, and then when it breaks in, I'll fight it! Perfect!

Suddenly, the creature let loose a loud howl, and Lukas felt something warm trickle down his cheek. Frowning, he reached a hand up to touch his cheek, and felt a strange wetness. Thinking it might be blood, he lowered his hand down to eye-level, and was shocked to see no blood, but instead water. No, not water. A tear? But that would imply that I'm crying. Why am I crying?

The warm trickling down both of his cheeks, the stinging in his eyes, accompanied with the struggle to take deep breaths, confused Lukas greatly. But when the scratching continued at a faster pace, it all clicked into place.

He was scared.

In fact, he was so scared that he was crying.

Of course, he thought bitterly, I may seem confident, but I still need a shoulder to cry on. I still need to someone to protect me. He scoffed. I'm so weak. And because I'm so weak, that thing out there is going to kill me, and Mathias will find my dead body when he returns.

Once he'd got that little bit of rage out of his system, Lukas stood up, furiously wiping the tears away, and headed towards the furniture, to move it towards the door.

However, his vision was blurred with tears that would not stop falling, and his strength seemed to have left him. There was no way he could move anything like this. His breath came in shaky gasps, and his nose began to feel slightly runny, causing him to sniff. As he realised what was happening to him, he laughed hollowly. Of course. I'm a mess. I'm crying so much that I'll need someone to calm me down.

Lukas could no longer bear it, and he fell to his knees, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling, and with tears still freely flowing from his eyes, he screamed at the top of his lungs with so much raw emotion that he would usually conceal as much as possible, "MAAAAATHIAAAAAS!"

But no Dane came. No Dane came running towards him, holding him close, telling him it's okay, asking him what's wrong. Nothing like that. Mathias was gone. And Lukas had no idea where.

It was at that moment, when Lukas was completely unprepared, that the creature smashed through the door, ripping a gaping hole into it, before shoulder-barging the damaged door, effectively sending it swinging open, nearly sending it off its hinges.

The monster then proceeded to grab the chair by the top of its back, and swing it at the wall, smashing it to pieces. With nothing now between it and Lukas – its prey – it began walking towards him, still on two legs.

Of course, the Norwegian was in no state to fight it, and ran around to the other side of the couch. At least there was one object between them. However, it wasn't much to stop a monster like that from getting to its desired prey. Lukas could almost smell the killer intent coming off of it in waves.

I can't fight this thing! I'm gonna die tonight. Can nations die from this? From a weird monster-thing killing them? Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything. His eyes widened. Wait! The basement! I can hide down there! Surely I can find a good hiding spot, and I won't turn the lights on, so hopefully it won't think to look down there! But can I lose it long enough to get down there?

As a plan formed in his head, the creature charged round the couch, heading straight for Lukas, who quickly dodged and took off, heading towards the front door. It changed direction and chased him, but just before Lukas was about to exit the house, he jumped, hitting the doorframe with one foot, while the other one slammed into the wall above the doorframe. He pushed off the wall, gracefully arcing over the creature as it ran out the door, not realising that he had disappeared as it had been so quick.

Once he landed, he ran away from the front door, just as it was slowing to a halt and looking round with a confused expression. Swiftly, Lukas reached the basement door, and flung it open, before lunging inside and slamming it shut.

Just to be safe, he slid the lock across, before descending the short flight of stairs to the pitch-black basement.

The rest of the night crawled by, with Lukas flinching at every creak of the floorboards above him, thinking that the monster was going to find him - and was going to kill him.

However, the sound of something falling to the ground caught Lukas' attention, and he crawled out of the small space behind two barrels (his hiding place) to check for any more noise. The only thing he heard was scuffling about, as if something were writhing on the floor.

Curiously, the Norwegian silently padded towards the stairs, and began ascending them, noting how the scuffling had now stopped, and was replaced with silence.

Unlocking the door, he opened it and gingerly stepped it, half-expecting the monster to leap out at him. Luckily, no monster was there. But Lukas would have probably preferred it if it was the monster.

Standing in the middle of the room, looking confused, was none other than Mathias. And when Lukas exited the basement, tears slowly dripping down from his eyes, the Dane glanced up and locked eyes with him.

There were different emotions in their eyes, though. One's were filled with confusion, fear, sadness, and shock. The other's were filled with sadness, confusion, and anger.

Mathias quick-walked towards him, a frown etched onto his face. "What's the matter, Lukas? Why are you crying?" He tried to put a hand on the Norwegian's shoulder, who shook it off angrily.

"You weren't there for me. When I needed you most, you weren't there for me." Lukas stopped crying, and his face hardened, as if a mask had suddenly appeared. Mathias frowned, and looked into the smaller man's eyes, but saw no emotion. They were blank, as if he were staring at a dead man's eyes.

"What happened last night? I don't remember. And what do you mean 'I wasn't there for you'?"

Lukas made no reply, just stared at him with those suddenly cold, dead eyes.

"Lu…kas…?"

"We should get going. There's a lot of damage to fix."

"Uh…okay…" The Dane furrowed his brows. I know he doesn't like to show emotion much, but I've never seen his eyes look so…dead. He thought with concern.

I've lost my trust in Mathias because I was so scared last night, and I needed protecting, and I was vulnerable, and oh god, I thought I was going to die¸ nation or not, and Mathias wasn't there to comfort me, to protect me, to keep me safe, and to assure me that I wasn't going to die.

I can't seem to remember what happened last night. All I know is that whatever it was, made Lukas cry. I made a promise to both him and myself fifty years ago that I would never make him cry again. He seemed to blame me for what happened last night. Perhaps it was my fault. If that's the case, then I broke my promise. I'm sorry, Lukas. I'm so sorry, for making you cry.

I can't let him know about what happened last night. I mean, even I didn't understand what that monster was, and I know more about magical…things than Mathias. I'll keep it a secret from him.

I don't really understand what happened, but I bet it has something to do with that monster that bit me last month. If that's the case, then I don't think it'll be a good idea to tell Lukas about it. He doesn't seem to remember that incident, anyway. I'll keep it a secret from him.

That one little secret that each of them kept from the other seemed small at the start, but was actually going to slowly drive a rift between them. Everyone knows that close friends don't keep secrets from each other. But sometimes…you just have to break that rule, thinking about the other person's safety, when in actual fact, it leaves them in the dark, and makes matters much worse in the future.

Mathias' deepest, darkest secret was kept from Lukas.

Lukas' deepest, darkest secret was kept from Mathias.

And so the wall between them begins to build, until the day when they must tell each other – all because they didn't confide in each other at the start of it all.

However, to the present day, even though Mathias told his 'family' his secret, Lukas never did tell his, and he continues to hide it.

Mathias' secret was that he had been turned into a werewolf. A monster.

Lukas' secret was that he'd been attacked by a werewolf. A monster.

And because only one was ever told, the connection was never made.

And Lukas never suspected a thing between the two secrets, when he should have.

But the world won't stop for one person. Time continues on; and so does Mathias' and Lukas' lives…up until the day they die.

A/N: This is a bit longer than expected. You know, this was the first idea I got for a one-shot for Cursed Dane – and it was thanks to my wonderful commenters who gave me the inspiration. Thank you~

I hope you guys enjoyed this. It took me forever to plan out and write, y'know?

Bye~