Back again! This time uploading from a couch in Orlando. Throwback to chapter 4 where I was uploading from the bathroom of a hotel in Orlando. Moving up in the world :')

ANYWAY I hope everyone's happy to read this! Thank you every review, but especially the one who spurred me to update. It turns out, I did find time to update this summer!

Enjoy!

At the same time, Lovino sat in his scalding castle; alone except for the sounds of magma moving deep within the earth. What was he to do without his gloves to fiddle with? He was bored. He wanted his books.

So much for his freedom. For once in his life, he could go out and do anything he wanted with no one to stopping him. But lo and behold, now that he could, he had nothing to do. He sighed. How pathetic. Maybe he could try and sculpt things out of obsidian.

First the eyes. Dark and mysterious, black and cold. Then the hair- darker than the blackest night. Lovino got so wrapped up in his creation that he didn't even notice the passage of time. When he drew his hands away, steaming and dripping molten lava, there was a man staring into nothing.

Now for the cincher. Lovino didn't know if it was even possible, but he wanted to try. Putting his hand on his obsidian creation's chest, Lovino poured fire from his heart. His hands tingled, his fingers burned, but the result was a sudden chill that Lovino had never felt. It lasted for the briefest of seconds before his own fire regenerated himself.

Lovino waited for something to happen. For the man to move, perhaps? But nothing did. He was so stupid for being hopeful.

"This is bullshit," Lovino justified to himself, walking away. "Now there really is nothing to do." He ignored the lonely tinges in his heart. Maybe he could see how deep his volcano went.

What Lovino didn't notice as he walked away, was the obsidian man slowly opening his flickering dark eyes to observe the world for the first time.

[=]

Feliciano had never seen so many mosquitoes in his entire life. It was a like a horrible swarm. Clearly his two men were unequipped to deal with the environment as well, because both were swatting violently at the air, cursing.

"Stupid bugs…that is MY blood, not yours!" Gilbert said with a scowl. He was using his sword to slice mosquitoes instead of cutting through the underbrush, though the majority of his hacking only hit the empty air. "Die! Die!"

Next to his brother, Ludwig was looking worse for the wear. His face was flushed and he was breathing hard. Feliciano opened his mouth to ask, but before he could make a sound, Ludwig collapsed.

"Lud?" Gilbert swore, dropping his sword to the ground and kneeling over his brother. "Yo, Ludwig, wake up. You ok?"

Something akin to words wheeze past Ludwig's lips, but he seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Is he ok?" Feliciano asked frantically. "Ludwig?"

"Go get me some water from my pack" Gilbert ordered. "We need to cool him down"

Half their water supply was enough to bring him too, but it was clear Ludwig was still overheating. Feliciano worried his lip as he watched Gilbert tend to his brother. "It's the suit" Feliciano finally said, "I think it's too hot for this weather"

"Why didn't you say so?" Gilbert demanded, already stripping his jacket off and ignoring the mosquitos that began to swarm him. "Here, help me undress him"

Feliciano hesitated. Undress him? The first thing Ludwig ever said to him was to keep his clothes on! "Um…"

"Come on!"

Feliciano spurred at the yell, stripping Ludwig's sweaty pants off as fast as he could. It was hard, mainly because the sweat made the fabric stick to his legs, but eventually the both of them got Ludwig stripped down to his underwear.

The two knelt apprehensively over him. Feliciano felt his face turn red, but he attributed it to the heat. Nothing to do with the all but naked man lying before him. He fanned his face, trying to pass off his redness as the heat around him.

Ludwig's breathing evened. "Oh thank god" Gilbert said, standing up. "He's alive. I'm going to get more water. There's bound to be a stream around here somewhere. Feliciano, watch him, would ya?" Feliciano could only nod as Gilbert left him standing over Ludwig, fanning the empty air.

The silence of the forest was only broken by Ludwig's steady breathing. Green vines reached down from the trees, reaching out as if to touch them. The jungle was known to be deadly, Feliciano suddenly remembered.

"Ugh… my head head" Ludwig moaned and Feliciano snapped out of his reserve.

"You're alive! I told you your clothes were too hot, silly"

Ludwig struggled to sit up. "In my defense, it was winter not even twenty four hours ago." He seemed to realize however, that he could suddenly feel a cool breeze. "...Where are my clothes?"

Feliciano laughed awkwardly. "Uh, your brother and I took them off. He's getting water and I'm here to protect you!"

"Protect me? From what? Public decency?"

"That, and lions and tigers and bears."

"As if" Ludwig said. "There's nothing of the sort on the island. The real thing we need to worry about is leopards"

Feliciano smiled. "We have a leopard! His name is Seymour. His head hangs above the mantel in the great hall."

The blond laughed, and Feliciano looked up. "These aren't the kind of leopards to be stuffed. I've had to deal with one once. It almost had me if my brother didn't step in. They're deadly and vicious, hiding in trees… awaiting their next victim-"

A scream cut him off. It was loud and piercing, chilling every bone and resounding in the jungle.

It seems, a leopard had heeded his words.

Ludwig dropped his playful tone as the scream set in. "What was that?" Feliciano asked, fear creeping into his voice. "Ludwig-"

"Shhh!" Ludwig snapped. "I need to hear." He looked around, assessing the situation. They had no cover, he had no clothes to protect him. His machete lay unused about three feet away however. If he could just reach out…

Above them, branches rustled and a low growl emanated from the suddenly to the left, as if taunting them with their deaths.

Ludwig inched his hand closer to the machete as quickly as he dared, avoiding the leaves that littered the ground. Behind him, Feliciano clutched his shoulders as if his crumpled form could protect them at all. But as Ludwig's hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade, the bushes spewed leaves as a dull colored creature sprang out.

Feliciano screamed as Ludwig swung madly.

A rabbit blinked up at them both, point of the blade was only inches away from the cuddly bunny that had since frozen in its tracks.

Feliciano sprung out from behind, besotted by the creature. 'Ludwig don't hurt it! It's so cute!"

Ludwig felt his face go red for the hundredth time that day. "A rabbit? What on earth" He frowned softly as the rabbit darted back into the bushes on the right side. "What kind of bunny would make the sound?"

A soft growl answered him. Ludwig slowly lifted his head up as a few leaves fell softly from above. The leopard seemed to smile as it pounced

It was a blur of Feliciano's screaming and the clash of the machete against fur. But no matter how ferociously Ludwig fought, he could do nothing to deter the leopard. Blood dripped onto the jungle floor.

"Get behind me!" Ludwig yelled, and Feliciano all but leapt to comply. Together they backed up, trying to put distance between them and the leopard. But there wasn't enough space. There wasn't enough to stop the creature.

Feliciano closed his eyes. Ludwig brandished his sword. The leopard sprang towards them.

Slash

The sound of metal against flesh rang throughout the jungle. Feliciano opened his eyes dumbly to see the leopard race away in the trees, cradling its new wound.

"Ha, take that you stupid cat!" Feliciano cried, as he stuck his tongue out at the fleeing animal. "Ludwig! You did it! You did it! We're alive!" Feliciano hugged him from behind, burying his face into his back.

"It wasn't me" Ludwig said quietly.

"What? Of course it was! Who else would it be?"

"Him"

Feliciano looked up. Beyond Ludwig, in the low light of the trees stood a man he had never seen before. His dark brown eyes were framed by short black hair. His clothes were delicately embroidered with patterns of flames. He looked as if he had been crafted by hand. And when he spoke, all fell hush. "Hello, my name is Honda Kiku. But you may call me Kiku. I understand you were in a bit of a trouble?"

[=]

Meanwhile, Antonio was walking the castle courtyard, offering water from the buckets he had lifted on his shoulders. Guests had shed as much layers as they could, and Antonio was no exception. His shoulders burned without a shirt to protect him, but he was used to the beating sun.

"There's not enough water to keep handing out freely." Francis said, approaching him. "There was hardly enough to extinguish the fires."

Antonio frowned. "We can't just not offer anything. And what about the horses? They must be thirsty too!"

Francis rolled his eyes. "People first, Antoine. Horses second."

As if to contour his words, the great doors of the courtyard bursted open, and Feliciano's horse skittered into the courtyard.

Antonio dropped the buckets he had been carrying, spilling precious water in his haste. "What's going on? Where's Feliciano?"

"He must have been thrown!" A servant called. "His supplies are still in the bags"

Stablehands attempted to calm the wild horse, but he was having none of it. The steed bucked wildly, standing on its hindlegs. Antonio raced towards them, grabbing the reigns.

"Woah there! Woah!" Slowly, but calmly, he brought the horse under control. "It's alright…" He whispered, stroking it's mane. "Where's your rider, el caballo?"

A frantic buck was the only response.

Without thought of his assigned duties, Antonio lifted himself up onto the horse's back. He felt in control on the saddle. "I'm going after the prince." He announced, much to Francis' dismay.

"You can't leave! Now who's in charge?" Francis yelled.

"You can be, Francis. Will anyone join me?"

A few royal guards mounted their own horses. One handed Antonio an extra weapon. "We only have axes on hand." He said, but Antonio accepted it gratefully.

Away from the gathering crowd, Arthur Kirkland frowned. "The prince is gone too now. Alfred, Ivan. Join the search party. And if you see the king… give him my… regards."

Alfred smiled. "Sure thing, Artie!" Before pounding the small man on the back. "I'm always in for this kinda thing"

"Do NOT call me Artie!" Arthur yelled. "It's ARTHUR! This is not a hard concept!"

But he was already out of earshot. And just like that, the second search party was off.

El caballo= horse

Next time on Scorched: The axis quartet move along, Lovino meets the man of his dreams -again-, and more! Drama, humor, and more shirtless scenes. Stay tuned!