A/N: ((((( = a Memory's beginning and end

Brother Bear, I let you down

You trusted me, believed in me, and I let you down

Of all the things I hid from you I cannot hide the shame

And I pray someone, something will come and take away the pain

Denmark sat in his rocking chair by a blazing fire, staring at the flames with emotionless eyes. Empty beer mugs lay scattered across the dirt floor, indicating that he had been drinking for quite some time. He was the only one home. Norway wasn't due back for a while, he'd had to take care of some business with the locals, and Denmark felt so alone. He couldn't get his mind off of him. Denmark closed his eyes tightly and tried to get the memory of Sweden's tear stained face out of his head, but he couldn't. His screams of pain...terror...anger...

"NO!" Denmark screamed, getting up out of the chair and punching the wall. The wooden shack shuddered under the force of the blow as Denmark remained in place, his eyes wide and his breath coming out in pants.

"St-stay away from me!" Sweden said fearfully, holding his sword out in front of him as Denmark drew closer. He began to shake as the smirking nation knocked the weapon out of his hands with ease, leaving him defenseless. Denmark's usually merry eyes blazed crimson with an unquenched thirst for blood. Sweden whimpered and scrambled backwards, falling into the snow. Denmark laughed and grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him up in the air so his feet dangled above the ground. Sweden gasped for air and clawed at the hand choking him.

"You may have beaten me in our last war little brother, but you cannot beat a champion twice," Denmark said. Tears welled up in Sweden's eyes and he started to shake, feeling light-headed from the lack of oxygen. His consciousness began to fade and he fought desperately to stay awake. There was still one more thing he needed to say.

"M-Mattie" - Denmark winced at the old nickname - "W-Why...? Why are you d-doing this?" Sweden choked out. Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went limp. Denmark blinked in surprise at the question and his grip on the unconscious viking's throat loosened, causing Sweden to fall out of his grip and lay limp on the snow. His crimson eyes slowly faded back to their deep blue and he stared at the slumped figure in horror. Denmark fell to his knees and gingerly lifted up Sweden's head, observing the dark bruise beginning to form on his neck. Swallowing hard, Denmark rested his head back in the snow and got to his feet, turning and slowly walking away. "Told you I'd win this time Suu," he said softly, fighting back tears.

Denmark released a scream of anguish and sank to the ground, clutching the sides of his head. He didn't want to remember. He didn't want to be haunted with these memories. Denmark wanted things to be the way they were, before Sweden and Finland left him. Heck, before they'd ever met Finland...

"Storebror Danmark, storebror Norge, wait for me," Sweden said, shouldering his hunting bag and running to join the two older nations. Denmark grinned and ruffled the boys hair, his eyes sparkling. Sweden smiled a little at his oldest brother before falling in between them. Norway patted his shoulder affectionately before saying, "I knew you'd decide to come eventually." Sweden nodded. Although he tried not to spend to much time with his brothers, he could never resist a good hunting trip with them.

"Where are we going this time?" Norway asked Denmark. Denmark smirked a little and put a finger to his lips, winking. "It's a surprise. We'll be there soon, so don't worry about a long wait," he said cheerfully. He was very excited about this trip, he'd picked a very special place. Sweden glanced uneasily at Denmark, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I promise. You'll like it!" Denmark said. Sweden shrugged indifferently, still unsure. "You trust me, right?" Sweden blinked, and Denmark could tell the question surprised him. He nodded. "Of course. I'd trust you with anything."

"Then there's nothing to be afraid of! We'll have a good hunt, don't worry!" Denmark slung his arms around Sweden and Norway's shoulders. "You guys can trust me with anything. You know that, right?" Sweden let the faintest of smiles grace his lips.

"Right."

Denmark laughed bitterly. Oh, even then he'd been such a fool. Trust was such a loose word, and he had certainly worn it out over the years. Maybe there had been a point in time where his brothers would have been able to trust him. But now? Trusting him would be suicide. He had once taken pride in his honesty and trustworthiness, but those things were long gone. And he was oh so ashamed because of it.