Story: The Devil Inside of Me

Three part story

Word Count: 5,205

Arthur stood up, examining the pentagram made of blood across the floor critically, everything was in order though, after days of research and getting all the materials together, he was ready to summon a powerful demon from the depths of hell to do his bidding and- A door slammed open much more loudly than one would probably think possible, "Hey Artie, what'cha doing?" Maybe one day Arthur could find a way to control Alfred.

"Alfred!" Arthur snapped, turning to glare at the boy, "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me when I'm down here?"

Alfred laughed, putting his hands on his hips in his typical 'hero pose'. "Oh you're doing this 'magic' shit again."

"Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it isn't real, you wanker! Now get out!"

"Come on, this always goes the same way - it fails and then you go around sulking for like a week, snapping at like everybody."

"I do not." Arthur huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the annoyance in the room. "Now get out, you are interrupting something very important!"

"Come on Artie, just leave this weird hoodoo stuff alone and let's do something!" The younger blond's voice hit a higher note than usual, making his voice all the more grating, lips forming into a pout that only a child would try to pull off.

"Alfred. Get out, I don't care if you're bored, go bug somebody else with your utter nonsense!"

Blue eyes widened a bit and became teary, but anybody who had ever met Alfred F. Jones knew he was a master of crocodile tears to try and get what he wanted. Arthur was one who had had to learn to resist such looks. Turning to look back at the bloody circle - glad that the place was lit only by candle light so the idiotic blond couldn't see and question it - he easily avoided the look. "Please Artie? I at least want to talk to you! Please? It's important!"

"The world doesn't revolve around you Alfred, and you should stop acting like it does. I don't know how many times I've told you not to interrupt me while I'm down here but I suggest you get it into that thick head of yours."

Arthur could hear the loud, angry huff that Alfred gave coupled with the word, "Jerk!" Before the door was slammed back shut. Sighing heavily, he suppose that had been a little cruel, but he knew he had to be blunt, verging on insulting in order to get through to the blond, he really did have a thick, stubborn head on his shoulders.

Still, he would possibly have to apologize later for it, but for now, he had a demon to summon.

"Ah… I totally forgot about the time difference. It's probably like three in the morning there or something, right? Well ah… call me back when you get this Kiku!" Alfred hung up the phone, huffing slightly. Matthew had shooed him away too, so deeply embedded in studying for his exams, which Alfred didn't mind as much, graduating was important and all. Alfred was a year ahead of him, so he'd already graduated, though he was still there because room and boarding was a lot of money. He was planning on signing up for college soon too.

Sighing heavily, Alfred ran a hand through his hair, hanging his head a bit and looking at the dark red of the couch he was sitting on. Lifting his head back up, he threw his cell phone onto the table. "Now what?" He muttered to himself quietly. Then he heard some sort of voice, looking up a bit he saw something black and smoky and looking way too much like a ghost. "Holy shit!" Alfred leapt up, tripping over something in his blind panic, falling to the floor. Scrambling across the floor away from it before he tried to stand up, but he stopped as he knelt on the floor, staring up at it, because it was talking to him, saying something. It made him calm down enough to not be panicking, that it could actually communicate with him and was doing so instead of ripping him to shreds or something. He didn't move since he was focusing on what it was saying and it actually took up almost his entire concentration.

Arthur ran into the room, seeing the demon – in non-corporeal form floating in the air, inky black worming its way through the air. It shouldn't have been able to leave the pentagram, then again Arthur wasn't expecting to summon such a powerful demon, he had never seen one whose form was so very pitch black. It would be a very dangerous creature to handle, and far beyond the pentagram's capability to hold, the one he drew anyway.

It was right in front of Alfred, the blond staring at it with wide eyes, though his face didn't show the fear it should have, "Alfred, get back!" The idiot didn't believe in anything magic or supernatural, which meant he was all the more in danger. The blond didn't even move a muscle to show that he had heard or noticed Arthur's presence or words. The demon must have had him entranced. Arthur cursed and flipped the pages in the book before he started speaking the reverse spell that would send the demon straight back to hell where it belonged.

The black wisps of the things presence moved, probably sensing the magic at work. The house started shaking as if in a violent earthquake, but Arthur didn't stop the words flowing from his mouth that would end this nightmare before it ever really truly began. Before he was even halfway through it however, the smoke that showed where the demon was, moved, seeming to reach out and attach itself onto Alfred's eyes and slightly parted mouth, moving into the entranced blond.

"No!" The house stopped shaking as Arthur abandoned the now useless spell as Alfred finally moved, only to fall limb onto the carpet, narrowly missing hitting his head against the corner of the end table by the recliner. Several minutes of dead silence filled the house where nothing moved before Arthur walked slowly to the other, kneeling beside him and touching the others head. There was still no sign of movement and Arthur let out a quiet sigh, putting the book down beside him and looking over Alfred. Tears had streamed down Alfred's face to his chin, but then again, being possessed probably wasn't a pleasant experience.

He probably didn't have much time before he came to, and Arthur doubted that it would be Alfred in control of the body before him. Wrapping his arms around the others torso, Arthur tried to stand up. He let out a grunt, the boy was much too heavy for his own good. Suddenly hands grabbed Arthur's shoulders and he was flung over the previously unconscious body into the end table that happened to hit him square in the jaw, causing a blunt pain across his entire face.

Trying to ignore it, he turned over once he hit the floor, backing up a bit from where the demon possessing Alfred stood up straight with a small insincere smile, blue eyes seeming to be more in depth, with more color that shone very brightly and unnaturally. "Arthur is it? It is very rude to try and kick me out, you invited me in after all." A sudden force hit Arthur, propelling him through the air and forcing him to collide painfully with the wall, knocking a couple hanging pictures off of it. There was the cracking sound as bones protested the sudden impact.

Arthur blinked the sudden blackness out of his eyes, looking at Alfred from where he was still stuck against the wall, struggling against the invisible force holding him, though it did him no good. The demon leaned over and picked up the book Arthur had been using, looking over it with some interest before looking around a moment and going to the closet near the front door, opening it and pulling on Alfred's bomber jacket before slipping into a pair of shoes.

Once he'd done that the demon looked back at Arthur and smiled, "Goodbye Artie." Arthur's vision suddenly went black and he wasn't conscious when his body connected to the floor.

Matthew came down the stairs a couple seconds after the front door shut, drawn by the racket. Seeing Arthur knocked unconscious on the floor with shattered glass of picture frames around him, he hurried over to the other, checking Arthur to make sure he wasn't bleeding or hurt too badly, and that he was - in fact - alive. Looking around the living room, Matthew noticed nothing was stolen and beside the pictures the only thing amiss was the end table that had been knocked over.

Listening silently, he quickly determined in the stillness that nobody else was present in the house, however that caused just about as much panic as it helped. Pulling out his cell phone and calling 9-1-1 Matthew couldn't help the haunting question that flitted through his head: Where was Alfred?

"I'm really starting to get worried about Alfred…" Matthew muttered quietly, looking down the hallway as if he would see Arthur standing there instead of resting in his bed. It wouldn't be the first time since they'd gotten home. Apparently he had a concussion as well as his back being out of alignment, not a permanent issue, it would be healed soon, but it hurt the older whenever he tried walking.

"What happened Matthew?" Matthew's attention focused back on Francis, letting go of the bottom lip he was chewing on and bringing the white stuffed polar bear closer to him. He still remembered when Alfred bought it for him, it had been after a fight and Alfred had pushed him into the mud, they had been wrestling in it and neither had known there was barbed wire hidden until then. Matthew still had the scar where it had dug into his back even if it had been when he was a child.

Alfred had been grounded of course, but Matthew knew that his own guilt made the punishment almost useless and he constantly apologized for months after that, despite his short attention span. And one day Alfred brought home this bear, apparently he had been able to sneak out and buy it. He had been grounded even longer and lost one of his own favorite toys because of that, which made it all the more endearing. In times like this, it was the closest he could get to his brother.

"I-I don't know. I heard Arthur yell at first and didn't think anything of it… then I heard a crash and I was startled but I thought it was an accident until I heard a second one. So… I started heading downstairs and I heard the front door open and close. And when I got to the living room well… Arthur was unconscious and nobody else was in the house. Nothing was taken and Alfred's still gone…" Matthew looked towards the front door, half expecting Alfred to just walk in, goofy grin on his face with an explanation to where he'd been and apologizing several times.

"Do you think perhaps Alfred and Arthur were fighting?" Francis asked, though this time Matthew's eyes stayed locked on the door.

"No… Alfred wouldn't do that. I know they yell at each other a lot and sometimes it gets a bit heated… but they've never… Alfred wouldn't hurt Arthur."

"It would explain why he is not coming back. He is the type of person who would blame himself for such a thing." Matthew shook his head silently, turning his head to look into his lap, glad his hair was long to hide his face. "Matthew, it has been a week and you have not heard from him, clearly something is happening."

"Perhaps he was kidnapped."

"In his own house Matthew? Most kidnappers do not break into houses to steal somebody of Alfred's strength."

"I-I know it sounds stupid, but I know Alfred wouldn't just hurt Arthur. And e-even if he did, he wouldn't just leave. He would make sure Arthur got to a hospital and he would stay by Arthur's side to beg for forgiveness… you know how he is."

"Yes I do, but don't you think it is likely that he left as well?"

"N-No! I don't think he did." Matthew looked up a bit, not looking at Francis but the little device on the table that was recording this conversation. He was honestly glad for it, he couldn't speak to strangers at all, it was almost a physical incapability, so this was the only way he could answer the police's questions, which Francis was clearly trying his best to ask them. He raised his eyes a bit, trying to ignore it was there, and it was easier to do then if it was a person standing in the room, but the thought that people would listen to it later made him a little anxious. "I know him… he wouldn't have just run off… please Francis, we need to find him."

Francis smiled, nodding. "The police are trying their best to locate Alfred, do not worry Matthew, they will find him." The older rested his hand on Matthew's shoulder for comfort. Matthew looked up enough to give a soft smile.

"I wouldn't count on it." An agitated voice drew both their attention to Arthur who was standing in the hallway, hand resting on the wall that was clearly supporting most his weight.

"Arthur! What are you doing up? You should be resting." Francis said, standing up at once to go towards Arthur.

Arthur swatted Francis' helpful hands away, "Lay off! I'm not just going to sit around, I'm doing much better so don't bloody fucking start!" Francis backed off a bit and Arthur was able to make it over to the couch without straining his back. "The police won't help lad," Arthur started, looking at Matthew, "A demon got into him and a nasty one at that."

"That's just the concussion talking." Francis sighed heavily.

"It's not! I didn't even bang my head into anything! That bloody demon probably did something!" Arthur took a breath, shooting Francis another glare before looking back at Matthew. "It's got ahold of Alfred and is using his body to move around undetected, but if it doesn't want to be found it's not going to be."

"Arthur…" Francis started, and by the tone Matthew could tell that he was about to go into the ever popular speech about how magic and fairies don't exist, but he stopped a moment and Matthew could see the gears turning in his head before he smiled softly and started again, "And did this demon possessing Alfred attack you?"

"Of course it did! Why wouldn't it? I tried to get rid of it! But I was too slow, it took Alfred."

"Alfred attacked you?" Matthew voiced softly, feeling his stomach turn a bit.

Arthur looked at him and his eyes softened a bit, perhaps some part of him understanding the severity of it. "The demon inside him did, yes. I doubt Alfred truly had any control of his body." Matthew looked down, unable to argue with Francis anymore with Arthur's confession. He had been wrong… Alfred really had hurt Arthur. Then… why did he leave? Was he really so angry that he would do all this?

Arthur wasn't done though, "Don't worry, demons are vain things. It'll probably come back to mess with us, it wants to corrupt as many people as possible so I've been thinking and it will probably come back and make its move during the meeting he was supposed to attend with the Chinese diplomat, it's a while away but they can be patient, I'm sure that's what it will try for. Alfred didn't say much about it, so it was probably something big, after all. We'll need to find a way in so we can exorcise the demon from him and then banish it."

"Arthur, don't be saying such things! Matthew has been through enough already."

"That's true, but he has to be on guard in case Alfred comes back!" Francis sighed, putting his head in his hand, looking exasperated.

"I-It's alright." Matthew smiled, looking at Arthur, "Thank you for… warning me. How is your back? Do you have the brace on still?" He didn't want them to start fighting, not with what was going on.

"Yes, I'm wearing it." Arthur huffed, rolling his eyes, "But it could have been so much worse. The demon probably wanted to get rid of the book."

"Book?" Matthew questioned quietly.

"Alfred stole a book?" Francis questioned, not sounding convinced that was the truth in the slightest.

"The demon stole the book! It had all sorts of spells for how to summon different demons from hell and how to get rid of them as well!"

Francis shook his head, clearly giving up on the idea of Arthur making any sense when it came to what happened that day. While his concussion was gone the doctors said that he would most likely be unable to recall the details of what happened when he got his concussion. The police also explained that concussion victims couldn't testify in a court of law. Matthew understood why, seeing Arthur talk like this, it was disheartening. "Come on Matthew, I'll take you to school. You're going to be late."

Matthew nodded, standing up slowly and going to retrieve his bag waiting by the front door. Alfred would usually take him. For now Francis was taking some time off work to help Arthur, who was on medical leave for the time being so he had a ride. But after the end of this week he would need to try and take the buses. Giving his bear one last squeeze, burying his head in its fur, Matthew then put it down. He'd hate to leave it, it almost physically hurt, it was the only thing that he had left of Alfred without having to enter his brother's room, a silent promise that the other would come back soon, so he hated to leave it, but he couldn't take it to school, there would be too many questioning or mocking looks.

Still, begrudgingly he got ready for school, dreading the finals he knew he would be taking that day. It was just another added stress that he didn't need.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" The albino smirked, looking over at the stiff backed blond sitting next to him.

A single, curt nod was given. "It might be that there is something behind this whole 'demon' thing. It could be that he found out that Alfred was going to do something very serious harm."

"Plus one concussion and denial of being a close family member, and boom! His mind comes up with his sweet little brother is just being possessed by a demon, and he fabricates a story around that."

Ludwig sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This wouldn't hold up in court."

"That doesn't matter, we just got to stop whatever's happening. You heard bushy-brows, Alfred's planning on doing something to that Chinese diplomat. We got a place and time, we've just got to go there, protect the dude there and if all this is true and Alfred's like some sort of terrorist, we got him before he's done anything. If only we could get our hands on this 'demon' book, I bet you anything it's got all his plans and the layouts and everything!" Ludwig grunted in agreement to Gilbert's theory.

"It would be a good idea to watch the meeting place that day just to be on the safe side. But that is almost a year away, we should be able to catch him before then and find out what happened in that house and if he really is a terrorist. I honestly do not think that a simple breaking and entering case will turn into a possible terrorist case."

"What? That sounds scary!" Ludwig looked over to see Feliciano leaning through the door, both hands holding onto the doorframe, scared face turning quickly into a smile, "What are you guys doing?"

"Just discussing a case." Gilbert shrugged, "Nothing particularly exciting, other than a possible teenage terrorist."

"Oh, how terrible! Well, I hope you guys get him! And maybe then he could get help and wouldn't have to be a terrorist anymore!" It was amazing how hopeful Feliciano stayed even with all his years working as a secretary in the Federal Agent building. He never really saw anything, but he heard almost everything that happened. The brunette's smile grew brighter and he moved forward to wrap his arms around Ludwig's neck from behind the chair the blond was sitting in. "Lud, Gil! We should all go out sometime tonight! You guys aren't working right? I want to go and eat some good pasta! There's this one restaurant that has really good Italian! Even Lovino likes it and said that it was good! Well, he said it wasn't half bad, but that means that it's great coming from him, and I agree, they have really good pasta and pizza and-"

"Feli, please don't hug me while we're supposed to be working." Ludwig sighed, trying to pull the enthusiastic brunette off of him as Gilbert chuckled with that strange laugh of his. Feliciano whined a bit, but eventually Ludwig got him to let go of him.

"I am working!" The other pouted a bit, taking a seat next to Ludwig and leaning into the other's arm. The strict blond sighed in exasperation, but the lines that seemed to be ingrained into his forehead smoothed and even his shoulders relaxed.

He didn't bother pushing Feliciano away, or make any attempt to discourage the touch. Gilbert looked at them with a knowing smirk before he asked, "So, you want the room or what?"

Ludwig shot him a glare, but Feliciano smiled, moving off of Ludwig's shoulder to look at him, "Oh no, of course not! When I said I was working I meant I had something to tell you too! Well see, I got the call and then I told the boss and then he told me that it might be related to your case, though I guess if that was true that would be pretty bad, but-"

"What happened?" Ludwig questioned, cutting through the rambling that could have gone on for several minutes if allowed.

"There was a murder, I have the address, wait I wrote it down because it's really hard to remember that sort of stuff." Feliciano searched all his jeans pockets, some twice before he pulled out a small slip of torn paper and handed it to Ludwig, who took it, looking at the address and blocking out Feliciano's explanation as he read it, but there was something under it.

"Blond, blue eyed caucasian, few inches under six foot, brown bomber jacket, prescription glasses, around eighteen… at three o'ten… Feli, what is this?" Ludwig questioned, looking over at the brunette.

"Hm? There was a witness who saw him leave the crime scene about half an hour before the body was discovered… he was the last person in the room that anybody knows, why? Do you know him?"

Ludwig's lips formed into a straight line and it was Gilbert who answered, sounding as if the breath was knocked out of him, "That's the kid we're looking for." The older put a hand to his head, rubbing his hand against his forehead, "Getting way too fucking old for this shit, I'm telling you."

He couldn't help but feel along the inside of the pockets of this brown bomber jacket, doing so calmed this body in a way that was obviously trained through doing it several times. It was soothing though, and that's what this body needed at the moment, comfort. Memories had previously provided that this was a sentimental item, reason he had taken it in the first place, he wouldn't begrudge a soul something dear to them. He wasn't cruel to his hosts, like many others usually were.

"What's your name anyway?" For example, he wasn't opposed to talking, and this body's occupant had been oh so compliant. Then again, he himself had felt a connection with the blond the moment he saw the boy walk into the basement as he waited for that idiot to summon him. It hadn't been a strong connection, though he had no idea what the human felt about that - had it felt anything at all? Still, he found he actually liked this human – for the moment.

"That is not something I will easily divulge, little one." He answered back, hearing the whine echo in his thoughts.

"But you can read every thought I have! Bastard, so unfair."

"You lack control, it is something that takes much practice and control."

There was silence for a while as he continued walking. He had managed to get into a taxi and get to a different part of town where he had found a nice place to burn the book that had summoned him. "Can you fly?"

Chuckling to himself, he ignored the strange look he got from a passerby. "You humans and your obsession with flight. Yes, I can. Though it would hurt your body very greatly for me to free them, but I would only have to do it once."

"Okay, that's cool, I dunno if I want that, I'll think on it."

"Fufu, you are so cute when you think you have a choice!"

"Shut up! You fucking bastard! This is still my body! … Why won't you tell me your name?"

"When a demon gives a human a name it is giving that human power to vanquish them more easily. I am not keen on leaving soon."

"Come on, you know how I feel already!" The raw powerful emotion hit the demon as it was thought of. This human felt things so powerfully, most he possessed only held few emotions that were powerful, but Alfred seemed to feel all things with such raw, blinding honesty. The only human who came close was one who a scientist said was sick and had started playing with their mind. That had been a long time ago, when asylums were little more than sadistic play houses.

With Alfred's knowledge he could see that things were better. He wondered for a moment if Alfred had the same thing – this bi-polar illness, but quickly determined no, it was far different. There was no lie behind the feeling, no lurking secret. Perhaps that's what made Alfred's emotions so much more powerful, they were just purely what he was feeling, rage would be rage, and sorrow would be sorrow. It was refreshing. It was still quite stunning after the boring years of hell, so much so that he slowed his walking until he was standing still in the middle of the sidewalk.

Looking up at the sun he let out a soft airy sigh, just basking in the others emotion. Closing his eyes against the rays that would damage human eyes, he looked back in front of him and continued walking, letting himself wonder for a moment what such a pure soul as the one he was residing with would taste like.

He could touch Alfred's soul with his own of course, he couldn't contaminate it with a touch though, which was also very refreshing. Of course, just like all human's there was a more monstrous part of Alfred, but it was so insignificant compared to the rest that he honestly was – for lack of a better word – impressed… if not intrigued. It was nice touching too, it was the only way to feel like he could directly touch this human, and Alfred's reactions were always so funny.

Smiling he reached out and wrapped himself around the soul. He could tell that if Alfred was in control of his body that it would have jumped. "Holy fucking shiiii- don't do that! You startled me! Eh, man that feels really weird!" Chuckling under his breath, he didn't pull away, feeling Alfred's form just seemed to let him hold it for a bit. A wild soul it was too, it felt almost like something forbidden to try and hold it, even to him.

"Vanya."

"What?"

"My name, you asked it. I gave it to you. It is Vanya. But you may call me Ivan as well."

"Vanya, okay cool, cause I can't keep calling you bastard… well okay, I'll probably still do that."

"Just do not tell anybody else my name. It is sacred."

"Wow really? Well then… thanks I guess. Kind of heavy man. So um… where are we going anyway?"

Ivan smiled, looking back up at the setting sun before along the buildings he was passing. "One body was not enough to sustain me. We're still hunting." He could feel Alfred's discomfort and unwanted rising and he ran his hands along the warm pockets of the jacket to calm the other down, even if it was only slightly.

"J-Just remember what I fucking told you!" Ivan wrapped his form tighter around Alfred, but that proved to be a mistake when it started trying to break free. Too tight. Letting go almost completely Ivan just nodded.

"I will not forget. I like your taste, little American. I will not go back on what I said."

"Good… cause if you do, I will stop you."

"You can try." There was a huff that echoed through their connection in response. Ivan could just imagine the pout on the others face, like when he had been in the summoning room. It had been so adorable. If only he could see it, but sadly that would be one pleasure he was denied of with such a close connection. "Do not be so upset, I only need one more for rest of the week."

"The rest of the week?!" Ivan laughed at the others shock and horror, not breaking his stride. Yes, he liked his host, the human was funny.