So sorry for the uploading madness ... I've tried so hard to just make it work, but FF is screwing up EVERYTHING!

I tried to upload a simple oneshot and it disappeared, another just wouldn't show up -_- now this? THIS is the real chapter six ... I'm so SO sorry for confusion ... i wrote to FF but they haven't answered or fixed the problem or anything...

Problem has been fixed. Thank goodness ~

I went geocaching (?) today! my cousin took me and my sister to look for little treasures~! that is the most fun ever! XD you guys should try it too! these capsules are everywhere!

Kismet

Chapter Six: Trouble

When he awoke, Antonio was already gone. Lovino groaned and curled up under the warm blankets, not really wanting to get up out of them. Sun filtered through the window and he could hear the waves splashing against the side of the ship.

"Ugh! Damn it …" he sat up and looked around, but he couldn't tell when the bastard had left. Lovino climbed out of the warm bed and onto the cold floor, which sent a shiver down his back as he crossed the small cabin. In his bag, he found some clothing that he quickly changed into and then the boy made his way onto the deck.

Men shuffled around doing jobs that seemed to make sailing easier for everyone, so Lovino maneuvered around them and stopped at the side of the ship. He had no idea what the nautical term for this side was, so he just peered over the edge.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Lovino looked up to see Antonio standing beside him with a piece of bread in his hands, "want some?" he offered part of the piece to Lovino. Lovino nodded and broke a chunk off and popped it into his mouth.

"Thanks …" he looked back into the water and was shocked to see a face looking back. One that looked familiar, "Lo?" the woman called. The woman with long dark hair smiled, "And the prince that took you, too? Fancy seeing you two out here on the ocean!"

"Who?" Lovino looked at her. He'd long forgotten the woman's name … and what was she doing in the middle of the ocean?

"Oh it's you! You're the one who gave Lovi to me~! Mei, right?" Antonio laughed. She smiled, "Yeah, that's me! I see Lovi(?) got better!"

"It's Lovino … and yeah … I'm fine." Lovino smiled, "Thanks to you, of course~" he winked. She blushed and smiled, "You charmer you! And at such a young age!"

Another person popped up beside her, "Mei, what are you do-"

"Oh! Xiang! Look, it's the boy we helped!" the man looked up at Lovino and nodded, "I can see that. He seems to be faring well. But GēGē wants us to head home now. Apparently, Kiku swam away from home again and Im Yong Soo followed him. GēGē needs us to help him find them."

Mei sighed, "I see … well it was nice seeing you again Lovino and your majesty!" she jumped out of the water slightly and sunk under flipping her sparkling pink and white tail.

"She was a mermaid!" Lovino gasped. That was the first (second, if you count the day she saved him) time he'd ever seen a real one.

"Yeah~ aren't they lovely~?" Antonio smiled, finishing off the last of his bread, "Come on, let's go find something else to do~!"

Lovino nodded and followed him.

A week passed and Lovino found that being in the middle of nowhere ocean was rather boring. He'd taken to sketching on paper to ease his boredom, but it only worked for so long. Antonio became increasingly busy with learning how to sail from the captain and didn't need Lovino to be there.

Lovino growled in anger for the third time in the passed hour. He'd used up the few sheets of paper Antonio had given him and there was nothing left to do!

He rose from the bed and stomped into the open air and looked around. Something was off. Why was everyone running around and yelling about tying things down. The sky looked perfect and blue and there were no clouds for miles and miles, so it couldn't possibly be a storm. Of course … the waters were extremely choppy and rough.

"What's going on?" He asked, however everyone was too busy running around to answer him.

"Lovino! Get back in the room!" Antonio ran up and grabbed Lovino's shoulder, "It's too dangerous out here for you!"

Lovino slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me, bastard," he glared, "And I'm not some little kid! Why the hell are you out here then, if it's so dangerous?"

The Prince frowned, "Because I can handle myself! Go back to the room and don't come back out until I come get you!" Lovino shook his head, "No!"

"Lovino I swear-" he was cut short by a sudden torrent of water flooding the deck, "Shit! Just go!" he shoved Lovino towards the door. The Vargas boy wanted to yell back but the sight before him stunned him. A huge creature was rising from the ocean causing the water to rain down on them. The huge snake like thing turned its gaze down on the scattering men who were trying to pull out weapons to fight the creature.

Lovino stumbled back in fear and then froze as its eyes met his. The thing hissed and its tail shot out of the water behind them and whipped across the deck. Antonio tackled Lovino, keeping him from getting hit by the tail, "Just go, please, Lovi! I don't want to see you get hurt! Just go!"

The boy nodded but as he stood to run to the room the ship began tilting and he lost footing. Antonio yelled out and grabbed Lovino's arm, but both tumbled into the water below. The prince fought to rise to the surface, but his second concern was finding Lovino in the large waves. He could hear shouting from above as the crew fought the serpent.

His head shot from side to side and he finally spotted Lovino splashing and trying to stay at the surface.

Lovino choked, trying to keep his head up, but it was pointless. He'd never learned to swim. Another wave pushed him beneath the surface and he closed his eyes. There was no more fighting. He was done for. Maybe if he'd been less stubborn and actually listened to Antonio, he might not be here right now.

He felt something grab his arm and pull him to the surface, but it was useless. Another wave crashed down on them and sent Lovino into darkness.

The first thing he noticed upon awakening was the sand beneath his face and hands. The sounds of waves hitting a beach surrounded him and he could hear it passing through the trees. Lovino sat up and gripped his head, trying to stop the throbbing and began looking around at his surroundings.

There was nothing but beach expanding on either side of him, ocean before him and thick trees behind him. Where was Antonio? He felt fear grip his heart. What if he was all alone on the land? What if Antonio was dead? It would be Lovino's fault for not listening to him sooner or just staying in the room.

Tears pricked at his eyes and he brought his knees to his chest. Hell, maybe things would have been better if he'd just stayed at the castle. He could have hidden under the bed the entire time.

He rubbed at his eyes furiously and stood up. Getting upset now wasn't going to help him and neither would sitting around. His feet carried him down the expansive sand, but it seemed to lead him no where. Lovino closed his eyes and wished to just be back at the castle … or back where his brother was. The Vargas thought of Feliciano everyday and missed him terribly. Ever since the younger Vargas was born, they'd never been apart. Now it had been two years since he'd been separated from his brother. How was Feliciano? Was he eating enough? Was he even still with Elizaveta or had the cold hearted bastard sold him too?

So many questions, not enough answers and now that Antonio was missing and possibly dead, would he ever see his brother or hear from him again?

He sighed and headed into the trees. His stomach was pained and begging for something to fill it and even he knew that you weren't supposed to drink sea water. Luckily, Lovino was able to find some fruit to stuff into his face. He ate it greedily and wiped the sticky juices from his face. Now that his belly was better, he needed to focus on finding civilization or Antonio. Lovino's stomach twisted thinking about the older boy being dead. He quickly shook the thought from his head and continued walking through the trees, careful to not trip.

The sun began setting in the distance and Lovino shivered lightly, feeling the onset of the chill air. He needed shelter and soon.

A snapped branch caused him to turn and come face to face with a tall thin creature. Long, broken gossamer wings were sprouted from behind its blue-grey skin. It had long golden hair, but it was matted up and dirty with leaves and twigs. The thing's eyes were pure white and foamy drool oozed from its mouth.

Lovino took a step back, but the thing jumped forward and pinned him to the ground. The foamed saliva dripped onto Lovino's cheek and tears fell. Dying in the water seemed better than this. The creature's tongue slid across Lovino's cheek and hissed in delight. The boy's eyes shut tight but instead of pain and suffering, the thing was removed from his body. He opened his eyes and saw the thing crash into a tree. Antonio glared at it, holding his axe up.

"Antonio!" Lovino shouted.

"Stay back, Lovino. I've got this under control." His once warm eyes were cold and sharp. Antonio turned away from Lovino to face the creature which was rising from the ground. Lovino nodded and ducked behind the tree and watched the battle before him unfold.

The thing lunged at Antonio, but the prince sidestepped and swung the axe, cutting the thing across the side. Its blood spilled onto the ground, but it didn't stop trying to swipe at the prince. Its claws dug into his shoulder and he winced.

"Antonio!" The thing turned to face Lovino. It rushed forward but stopped dead in its tracks. Blood splattered over everything, including Lovino's face and shoulder. It fell in two parts to the ground in a sickening thud.

Antonio stood behind it, his axe swung to the side, blood dripping from the blade. There was blood on his face as well and a terrifying blood lust smile. The smile faded and Antonio dropped the bloody weapon to the ground. He stumbled forward, "Lovi~? Come here~"

Too afraid to say no, the Illonian ran over to Antonio, "W-what?"

The prince smiled and wrapped his arms around Lovino tightly, "I'm so glad you're safe! And you called me by my name~!"

Lovino blushed and pushed him away, "I'm fine, bastard … and don't get used to it!"

Antonio chuckled and picked up his fallen blade, "I know … come on … it's getting cold out. Let's find some cave or something, okay?"

The Vargas nodded and the two made their way through the trees. A short while later, they found a small rock structure that would serve the purpose they needed, "I don't know where we are or what else lives out here … so I can't really start a fire … sorry …" he sat down and wrapped his arms around himself. Lovino scowled. At least he was wearing a coat. Lovino was wearing a thin and torn shirt.

He leaned against the stone wall and also wrapped his arms around his middle. It didn't really help him, as his body began to shiver violently. Antonio's arm draped over Lovino's shoulders, dropping his coat onto him and then he pulled the younger to himself and smiled, "Stay warm, okay Lovi~"

Lovino stopped shivering and a light blush spread across his cheeks. His eyes slipped closed and he leaned against the prince and let out a contented sigh. He was soon fast asleep.

He jolted awake some time later. The moon was still high over the area and Antonio was sitting on the edge of the cave like shelter. His moon lit face looked to the sky with worry. Lovino frowned and shivered lightly, pulling the Sverran's coat tightly around his shoulders. The scent of sea water and faint tomatoes hit the Illonian and he smiled lightly. A blush spread across his cheeks and he shook his head, crawling over to the prince, "Why aren't you asleep, bastard?"

Antonio turned to him and smiled, "Just … thinking. What are you doing awake, Lovi~?" he reached over and poked his cheek.

Lovino rolled his eyes, "I just woke up. That's all …" he muttered, switching from Illonian to Sverran, Antonio's native tongue. He closed his eyes and leaned back slightly. Antonio looked at him in surprised, but a warm smiled graced his lips, "I see you have learned Sverran after all ..."

"Shut up ..." the Illonian boy whispered.

A chill breeze blew and Lovino frowned frowned, "I'm going back to sleep, axe bastard." He stood up and dropped the coat on the lightly shivering prince, "Stay warm."

Antonio looked at him and smiled warmly. Lovino plopped onto the ground and let out a sigh, curling into a small ball and trying to find sleep again. His mind wandered aimlessly, thinking about how they were going to survive. The prince obviously knew how to fend for himself, but how well would he fare when protecting two? He was only fifteen, and while he was now considered a man, he was still young!

Lovino shivered and frowned. He wasn't about to let either of them get killed … but … what choice did they have. This place got cold at night and there was one coat. They couldn't risk a fire because it could call more of those creatures around. And what about food? Was there enough on this could be island for the both of them? And about that … would they ever be able to get off or would this place become their home until they died?

Tears spilled over his cheeks and he began silently sobbing. He'd never see his brother again. Feliciano would grow up never knowing what happened to Lovino.

It was frightening to think they would be stuck on the island forever. Antonio laid down next to him and pulled the coat over them both and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and pulled him close, "We'll stay warmer this way …" he explained.

Lovino nodded and closed his eyes, trying to stop his heart from thumping so loudly in his ears and hoping his reddened cheeks were not visible in the dark.

His mind became still, losing all previous thoughts of doom and sadness, and he fell into a comfortable sleep.

Antonio looked down at his sleeping servant and smiled. He had taken a liking to the boy from the moment Xiang and Mei had found him and while they sometimes fought, he was glad because the boy treated him like an equal. Lovino had never feared what he would do to him, nor did he refer to him by title unless in front of others.

He wanted the Illonian to serve him forever if possible, which is just one reason he needed to make sure they got home.

TBC

I hope you enjoyed this~

~Lady Pyrien