Talk about getting inside someone's head.

Warning: Angst, violence, demonic forces, an exorcism, Spamano, religious stuff.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA. I have fun manipulating their characters, though

The Weight of Fear

"Agramon?" Gilbert muttered in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It's a demon name," Lovino told him, recalling his studies on demonology in the Vatican centuries ago. "A very powerful one. The demon possessing the tea freak is named Agramon. It will better help us attack it directly…"

"Uh, don't you mean you?" Alfred corrected and Lovino glared at him. He put up his hands in defense. "Hey, dude, I may be a hero and all, but I don't do demons… or ghosts, but demons especially. Anyway, just make sure you get rid of it, 'kay, man?" He subconsciously rubbed the spot on his neck where Arthur had bitten him and shivered.

Lovino turned back to Agramon, who was laughing and moving toward him. "I am a greater demon of Hell. I sit at the feet of my master, the Horned One," He flashed Alfred a lopsided grin. "Old Scratch (1)."

Alfred stiffened as he felt the bite on his neck sting.

The demon then directed his sinister gaze to Lovino. "You cannot dispatch me so easily. I have lived for as long as man has walked the earth and I know every of his faults. And now that I have a warlock as a host, I am more powerful than perhaps I have ever been. Do your worst, though you and I know full well I will prevail. Fear always does."

Lovino lowered his eyes, unable to look into the demon's own, swallowing dryly as he fingered the thin pages of the Bible in his hand, his heart pounding. Suddenly, he heard fast feet approaching, and he looked up to see Agramon rushing toward him. Lovino gave a yelp and stumbled back before remembering what rested against his chest. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the cross that was linked to a chain around his neck and brandished it at Agramon. The demon gave a hiss and backed away, but it continued to pace a few feet away like a tiger in a cage—too close for comfort.

Agramon growled and tried to launch a magical attack at Lovino, but every time he summoned the power to do so, Ivan disrupted his concentration with a sharp jab of his mind. Lovino watched them strain as they dueled mentally with each other, and Ivan managed to say through clenched teeth, "Do it!"

Lovino looked down at the tabbed page and took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He needed to be calm for this, for the victim, or else everything and anything could go wrong. That had been one of his first lessons. Yet he had not performed an exorcism in a while and not nearly with such high stakes.

He pressed the cross to his lips. Toni, keep me strong. He remembered when he had gotten the cross around his neck. As a child, Antonio had given it to him as a gift. "Always remember," the Spaniard had told him. "in even the most troubling of times, He will help you. Don't take this off, Lovino, ever, for me."

And he never had.

He then concentrated on reading the words on the page in front of him. He looked down, focusing all of his being on this, trusting Ivan (like he had never trusted him before) to keep him safe while he was reading the rites.

Then he began, the Latin rattling off his tongue in a smooth, unwavering tone. "O God, creator and defender of the human race, look upon this Your servant, whom You did make in Your own image and call to share in Your glory…. Hear, holy Father, the cry of the Church suppliant: let not Your child be possessed by the father of lies…"

Agramon's eyes widened and he shook his head, as if trying to rid his ears of annoying mosquitoes. He continued to hold his own, however, against Ivan.

He continued, "… let not Your servant, whom Christ has redeemed by His blood, to be held in the captivity of the demon Agramon; let not a temple of Your Spirit be inhabited by the unclean spirit. Hear, O merciful God, the prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose Son, dying upon the Cross, crushed the head of the serpent of old and entrusted all men to His mother as sons…"

At his name, Agramon gave an inhuman screech and clapped his hands to his ears. "I will not let you expel me with the name of the Prince of Lies, son of the False God. I will not!" He gave a grunt as Ivan managed to get a good blow in, but he quickly pressed back, making Ivan stagger a bit.

Lovino fought to keep himself composed, but he was losing it. Agramon was staggering ever closer to him, and he longed to take his eyes off the page to see where he was. But then a comforting warmth came over him followed by the scent of freshly-sliced tomatoes. Lovino didn't flinch or stiffen when he felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind. Lips brushed his ear.

"Keep going,"

It was Toni.

Lovino breathed in his scent and felt braver, more powerful. He continued on, Agramon jerking and writhing where he stood, shrieking with every mention of Christ or God or his own name. And then he came to the part he had been dreading since the beginning:

"God of freedom and grace, break the bonds of iniquity. Hear, O God, lover of man's salvation, free this servant from every alien power…"

His hands were beginning to shake; one gripping his cross in a vicelike manner, and the other holding the Holy Book. This was where he had to encounter the demon, force it from Arthur's mind. He took a deep breath and willed his limbs to stillness. He let his spirit detach from him, extend toward the mess that was Arthur. He soon arrived at the barriers, Arthur's as well as Ivan's presence detectable.

"I adjure you, Agramon, enemy of man's salvation, acknowledge the justice and goodness of God the Father, who by just judgment has damned your pride and envy: depart from this servant of God, whom the Lord has made in His own image, adorned with His gifts, and has mercifully adopted as His child."

At this, Agramon cackled, his voice booming in the recesses of Arthur's mind. "He is no son of God. He has taken up God's work, manipulated nature. He is more demon than holy man. You cannot free him who chooses to meddle with the dark forces, the powers of Hell."

Despite this, Agramon's barriers wavered just enough for Lovino to slip through. Ivan kept up his attacks in order to divert the demon's attention away from the invading Italian.

It was very dark in Arthur's mind whereas it would be alight with thought if he wasn't possessed. Lovino could feel the pressure of Agramon's compressing force as he tried to keep Arthur contained. But Lovino could still feel Arthur's presence, and he let that be his guide through the deep recesses of his mind.

Then, Lovino saw light, and he ran toward it, stopping when he saw someone sitting in the center of it.

"Arthur?"

The Briton raised his head, pale and a little worse for wear. "Lovino?"

Agramon's voice boomed then. "He is mine. Why save what is already half dead?" The black tendrils holding Arthur captive tightened around him. Lovino watched in horror as the tentacles flashed a glowing red, electricity sparking from them, and Arthur gasped, slumping lower as his strength was sapped from him.

Lovino still felt Antonio holding him despite being inside Arthur's head. He drew from him strength and light and love that the demon would never know. He grabbed his cross and held it out to Arthur as he walked closer. His footprints left smoking trails behind him, and Agramon hissed in pain.

"I adjure Satan, source of your succor, Prince of this world, acknowledge the power and strength of Jesus Christ, who conquered you in the desert, overcame you in the garden, despoiled you on the Cross, and rising from the tomb, transferred your victims to the kingdom of light."

The tendrils quivered as he neared them. He extended his cross and touched it to the binding limbs. "Be gone!"

The tentacles screamed and retreated, an angry red mark smoking where Lovino had touched one with the cross. Arthur dropped to the ground, naked and weak.

Lovino quickly stooped to pick him up, and nearly dropped him. He was completely limp.

"Get up, dammit."

Arthur groaned and managed to get his feet under him. His limbs were shaky, and he looked extremely pale. "L-Lovino, I'm going to—"

Lovino barely caught him, and the hand holding his cross touched Arthur's skin. The Briton jerked in his arms and screamed. The smell of burned flesh reached Lovino's nostrils, and he looked down to see that the cross had left a bright red mark on Arthur's shoulder. He let Arthur lean against him as he removed it.

Arthur looked up at him with glazed eyes. He looked half dead. "I can't touch it…"

"I know, dammit," Lovino said and wrapped an arm around the Briton. "Work with me a little, uh?"

Arthur started to move his feet, though slowly, as they ambled along in the dark. Lovino was looking for the fissure in the barriers of Arthur's mind where he had entered, but he soon found that it had closed up.

He knows.

Agramon's form manifested out of smoke before them, taking up the from of a large, hooded snake. "You cannot save him with the cross, ignorant mortal. He is of the Black Blood. His soul belongs to Hell."

Lovino scowled. "I can't save him with it, but I can certainly hurt you with it, bastard!" He held out the cross, and the giant snake hissed before evaporating in a puff of yellow smoke. It drifted toward them, making their throats itch and their lungs struggled for air.

Lovino coughed and led Arthur out of the choking cloud. It was so vast that he was sure Antonio had been responsible for guiding them out. He could practically feel his former lover's hand on his shoulder.

When he could speak again, Lovino continued, "I adjure you, Agramon, deceiver of the human race, acknowledge the Spirit of truth and grace, who repels your snares and confounds your lies: depart from this creature of God, whom He has signed by the heavenly seal; withdraw from this man, Arthur, whom God has made a holy temple by a spiritual unction."

A piercing shriek tore through the recesses of Arthur's mind. Lovino and Arthur cried out, covering their ears. Everything began to shake.

"He is not holy, false exorcist. God damned him when he turned his back on him to join my Master's legion of black sorcerers. There is no saving him. He is already mine!"

A wall of flame erupted, ripping toward them with lightning speed. Arthur was too weak to scream, and with every flicker of fire he felt his body drift more and more into the void—the very place he had been when Agramon had found him. If he passed out now, the pain and endless fatigue would end for him. But so would his life.

I died once. Arthur thought defiantly. I'm sure as hell not dying again.

Lovino pulled Arthur with him to the barriers of his mind once again. He banged against them, trying desperately to find a way out. He turned around and saw that the flames were a few feet away, the heat enough to melt his eyeballs if he looked too long.

And then there was a booming shout, a single spoken word that was unfamiliar to even Arthur but what sounded very old and filled with magical energy. As they watched, a long crack bulleted down the wall. At another word, it split inward, and Lovino and Arthur had to duck to avoid blasts of magic.

"Run through," Ivan's voice drifted to them on the other side. "I'll hold him off. Go!"

Ivan sensed the two rush through the barriers, and Agramon pursued them, but the Russian didn't let him get far. Enchanted vines shot up from the depths of Arthur's mind and wrapped around the demon's consciousness, tugging it back. The thing screeched and launched a vicious attack at him, but Arthur had escaped Agramon's clutches and he could not draw strength from him anymore. The mortal world was no place for a demon—that was why they lived and thrived beneath the earth. Without a soul to occupy (as they had none of their own), they could not survive on the surface. Agramon was very powerful, yes, but he was only powerful if he had a vessel through which to implement his energy.

Ivan knew when to let up when he saw Arthur's visage change. His face became pallid and his eyes returned to their normal hue. He staggered and fell to his knees. Alfred rushed forward to help, but Francis held him back. The older man had seen exorcisms. Many. And this one was not over.

Lovino came back to himself and he was trembling considerably. He thought he would surely die in the flames, and if he had his soul would have been trapped forever. He fumbled, nearly dropping the Bible, and then he felt Antonio's warm breath on his neck.

"Almost there, Lovi. Keep going. Don't stop."

Lovino took a deep breath and said, "Leave, therefore, Agramon, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." He walked toward Arthur, who was grunting and straining, shifting between Agramon's unholy growls and his own exhausted voice. When Arthur saw Lovino's feet, he looked up, eyes wide, expecting.

"Do it, Lovino. He's coming."

At this, Lovino hastily took his cross and dug the sharp end into his arm. He grunted and blood welled out of the scar. He dabbed his finger in it and dotted Arthur's forehead with the blood.

"Take this blood of the holy, a servant and vessel of God, and let you be gone from this man whose body you have so harshly occupied." Lovino dabbed both Arthur's eyelids, then his lips with his blood. "Be gone!"

Arthur's eyes were closed in concentration, his face twisted with the battle he was currently fighting inside his own head. Inside, he and Agramon chased each other in circles, his mind so dark and foggy with magic that they could not see each other. But they certainly could hear. The fog crackled with magical energy as they neared, closer and closer…

And then Arthur opened his eyes.

The pupils were slit like a cat's.

Lovino took a couple steps back as Agramon took over. The demon was too weak to move, but the Italian could feel the barriers of his own mind being breached. He hurried to say the last rites. The words came out in a rush.

"Leave through the faith and the prayer of the Church; leave through the sign of the holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen."

Agramon was thrown onto his back by some unseen force, writhing and screeching on the ground. Arthur's limbs twisted in every grotesque manner, and Feliciano was crying harder than ever.

"No!"

Arthur's mental shout was so loud, everyone could hear it on the air. A moment later, Arthur regained control and sat up, trembling as he tried to pry Agramon from his mind. Finally, he expelled the demon from his head, but it wasn't finished yet. Demons rarely went down so easily. Lovino watched with horror as he saw what looked to be a hand slide across Arthur's cheek just under the skin.

"No!" Arthur shouted again, and finally decided to use whatever little strength he had left to expel the creature from his mind. It was just enough to do so, and Agramon immediately launched himself toward the closest mind: Lovino's.

With his energy already so drained from the exorcism, Lovino knew he would not be able to fight Agramon off. All he could do was stand there and stare as he felt energy rushing toward him.

Ivan yelled something in Old Slavic and snapped his fingers. Sparks shot toward Agramon and lit up his invisible body with prominent volts of violet energy. The demon screamed and writhed in the air for a moment before being taken by force back into the fiery realm from whence he came. And they all stood there, panting, trembling, waking from a nightmare.

No one moved until Arthur collapsed face-first into the dirt.

No translations

References:

(1) 'Old Scratch' was another name for the Devil in colonial New England. Basically pulled this term from "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, who in turn had pulled the story from the German legend of Faust. Writers tend to borrow a lot.

A Word From the Writer: Goddammit, another "Did England live or not?" cliffhanger. Annoying, I know. But I have to build suspense! Anyway, I don't know Latin nor was I willing to translate, so let's pretend the italics are spoken in Latin. Besides, you understand more this way. I'm not a particularly religious person, so I really just looked up some random exorcism rites online. Forget where I got them... sorry. I like using demons, though. They're fun to work with and since no one has ever really seen any, there can be many speculations to how they might look, act, and sound. Agramon is a demon of fear, if you didn't glean that from the text, and, boy, was he fun to write! I just like supernatural stuff, what can I say? On another note, I couldn't really find any words in Old Slavic, so imagine what they might sound like if Russia were saying them. And... Spain! I just love bringing him back up, just to fuck with Romano's head.

Another thing... ERG, my mind is full of FLOOF. Next weekend. NEXT WEEKEND, I will be going on the campus tour. NEXT WEEKEND DEFINITELY UNLESS THE WORLD BLOWS UP OR SHIT GOES DOWN IN MY LIFE. LOL, it's a wonder I can even keep up with this plot. So, next Sunday I will be posting.

And if you were wondering if I didn't have anywhere to go on Saturday why I didn't post on Saturday, I couldn't, because I kinda got my account frozen. Well, folks, the admins finally caught up with me and managed to take five of my fics down. Now, I'm not surprised nor am I especially disappointed. They are finished and had been up for a while-longer than I had ever hoped. That and I have included links in my profile to my Ao3 account where the explicit fics have their places and their warnings. So... yeah, I has sad, but Imma keep writing and posting. And I will definitely post NEXT SUNDAY. DEFINITELY. X3