Introduced species are often very obvious. Goats, pigs, and Himalayan raspberries are all good examples of introduced species on tropical islands.
However, some introduced species can be very small. Impossible to see, in fact, although their effects can be very large. Axel and Roxas had no way of knowing that the village on the island was abandoned due to such a species.
Malaria isn't native to pacific islands, but it can be found there at times.
Three weeks later.
"Oh the moon was full and the color of blood the night the pirates came to the vampire club… the leader was tall and snide and slim, he looked like a gay Captain Morgan. Oh well he recognized a vampire from his school, he did something that was most uncool. He said hey everybody see the fool in the cape? His name is Bernie Weinstein and he's in the eighth grade!" Roxas sang to himself, loudly and completely out of tune as he scraped the meat out of a coconut with a sharp rock. He'd managed to make tools for himself to match Axel's knife, after a fashion, and was in a very good mood this morning.
"If you can't hit the notes can you at least scare them going by?" Axel asked waspishly, and Roxas paused. Normally the redhead would just be joking, but that tone was anything but friendly.
"What's your problem Axel?" Roxas asked irritably, turning to look at the older boy. Then his blue eyes sharpened in concern as he saw how pale Axel was and the sweat on his face. "Axel? What is the problem?" Roxas quickly stood as Axel leaned against a tree and shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself.
"I think I've got whatever bug you picked up, Roxy." Axel said tiredly and Roxas didn't bother to correct him. The nickname wasn't too bad when it was Axel saying it and it wasn't important compared to the redhead getting sick, anyway. Roxas had picked up a low grade fever but had recovered from it fairly quickly, in less than three days. Axel already looked worse and when Roxas touched his forehead, he was a bit alarmed by the heat radiating from him.
"You've definitely got a fever. Here, lie down and drink some water." Roxas grabbed his own canteen, hesitating before tearing a strip off his shirt and wetting it with water, laying it on Axel's forehead as the redhead lay down in the sand. Axel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a wan smile.
"Thanks Roxas." He murmured softly, reaching up and touching the cloth on his forehead. It felt good there, although the water was only lukewarm. Vaguely he wished they had ice, but that was as hopeless as wishing for the naked maidens. A painful headache was starting to build and he closed his eyes again, taking another drink from the coconut.
Roxas picked up the spear and decided to try his luck at fishing. He wasn't as good at it as Axel, really, but he'd learned quite a bit from the redhead. Soon he had a small fish, and that was all they needed really. The goliath grouper had been overkill. Even stuffing themselves, they'd just barely finished it before it went rotten. The same for the goat, although the hide they had gotten out of that had made it worth it. Roxas easily gutted and scaled it and soon had the fish toasting over the coals. He looked up, startled, as he heard the awful sound of someone being very sick. "Axel?" The redhead stumbled out of the bushes, sweating heavily and looking very pale as he slumped back down.
"Don't worry about it Roxas, I'll be fine." He said, his voice hoarse, and Roxas bit his lip before going back to the fish. He didn't believe Axel was fine but there wasn't much he could do about it, and maybe the redhead would be able to keep down some fish. He hoped. When the fish was done he brought it over but Axel just shook his head, refusing the food.
"You need to eat, Axel." Roxas said soothingly, putting a hand on the redhead's forehead and frowning at the heat there. "At least drink something." Axel nodded, taking the coconut and drinking some more.
By the time they walked back to the shelter in the woods, Axel's fever seemed to be going down a little but Roxas didn't trust it. The redhead was still peevish and was complaining about being in pain. Just muttering, really, but Roxas didn't think he was exaggerating.
"Just lie down, Axel. I'll take care of everything." Roxas promised, and he did. He lit the fire with the brand, building it up and fetching water and making food for them both as Axel fell into a fitful doze. Roxas felt vaguely surprised at how efficiently he'd managed everything, and it felt… good. It felt very good to know that he didn't need Axel anymore, that he could take care of himself.
But that didn't mean he didn't want Axel. Roxas hesitated, then curled up beside the older boy, wincing at how sweaty he felt. Axel still had a low grade fever and was muttering in his sleep, tossing and turning. Whatever Axel had, though, he'd probably already caught it. So there wasn't too much danger that the redhead could infect him.
Things took an alarming turn the next day at the beach. Roxas was grilling a fish for breakfast when Axel began shivering.
"So cold…" Roxas looked up and was alarmed again by how pale the redhead was. Axel was sick, seriously sick, and it showed. Putting aside the fish he went to check on the older boy's temperature and swallowed. Axel felt hotter than he had the last day.
"You're hot, Axel." Roxas carefully wet down a cloth and put it on his forehead. Axel whimpered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Axel? Axel!" The redhead suddenly convulsed, almost hitting him. "Axel!" Roxas bit his lip and tried to make the older boy comfortable as he spasmed. He'd actually done a report once on epilepsy, so he knew better than to put anything in Axel's mouth. Despite myths to the contrary, he knew it was impossible for someone having convulsions to swallow their tongue. As soon as the fit was over, he turned Axel onto his left side, and just in time as Axel retched and vomited. Wincing, Roxas used several leaves to clean off the groaning redhead.
"Want to die…" Roxas gripped Axel tightly, shaking his head.
"You're not going to die." He said soothingly, and the older boy coughed, looking up at him with bright green eyes that were more than a little bloodshot.
"I know, I want to…" That would have worried Roxas a bit more, but he could remember plenty of times he'd been sick and wishing exactly the same thing. Utter, absolute misery would do that. He gently petted damp red spikes as Axel let his head fall back, closing his eyes. Roxas dampened another cloth and set it on his forehead, wishing there was more he could do.
As the days wore on, Axel's condition only got worse. Roxas found that he had to help the redhead with everything and while it was alarming, it was also a huge confidence boost. He'd felt completely out of place at first, thrown into a situation that was utterly outside his comfort zone, but that was finally changing. At the moment he was the one in charge and Roxas didn't think the feeling would go away even when Axel was well again. If Axel got well again. Roxas refused to think about the redhead dying, but the thought occurred to Axel.
"Roxas." Axel's voice was rasping as the blonde tried to make him drink some more water. Axel couldn't keep down any food, not for long, but he needed the water. Roxas swallowed as he saw the look in Axel's suffering green eyes. He looked pathetic, dark circles under his eyes and far too thin. He'd lost a disturbing amount of weight in the past couple days. "Am I going to die?"
"You're not going to die." Roxas said firmly, setting down the coconut and putting his arms around the redhead. He was a bit startled when Axel rested his cheek on his shoulder, and the blonde felt hot tears on his skin. He stroked the bright red hair again, reflecting that he was doing a lot of that lately. But Axel desperately needed the comfort.
"Hurts so much." Axel muttered, sniffing, and Roxas nodded. The older boy was suffering headaches and joint pains as well as the fever and nausea. "I feel like I could die." Roxas winced and cuddled him close, ignoring the heat rising from him.
"Just try to drink, Axel. You need the water." Axel weakly sipped the water as Roxas held it up for him. Roxas held him until he finally fell into a fitful doze and then he winces as the wind blew and a few fat droplets of water found their way into the shelter. "Not now…" But he couldn't stop the tropical squall from hitting the island. Roxas curled up around the redhead, blue eyes worried as he tried to shield Axel from the worst of the storm. Axel was shivering and muttering in his sleep, and Roxas blushed a little as he realized the redhead was saying his name. Roxas wondered what fever dream he was having… but he could hardly ask. Axel probably wouldn't even remember the next day.
The next day, Axel seemed to be feeling better despite the rain. His fever felt lower when Roxas touched his forehead, and he managed to accept a bit of coconut and keep it down as well as walk to the beach and talk a bit. Although Roxas could have done without that last part.
"Chicken soup." Axel mused to himself. "Tea with lots of honey in it. Those wonderful little badenburg cakes my mother made, the ones filled with apricot jam and coated in marzipan-"
"Axel, if you keep talking about the foods you want to have, I'm going to bean you with the ones we DO have." Roxas lifted a coconut threateningly and Axel laughed, pushing back tousled red hair. He was starting to look like he desperately needed a haircut. "Have I ever told you, you talk too much?" Roxas was sure he had but it seemed like a point worth revisiting. Axel grinned, green eyes tired but lively.
"You might have mentioned that a time or two." Axel leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes for a moment. "I feel weak as a kitten but so much better. You're right, I talk too much. My memory also stinks, I have to write down everything in my blackberry or I forget to put my pants on in the morning." Roxas had to suppress a treacherous image of Axel pantsless. Then he giggled at the thought of Axel turning up at a wedding photo shoot sans pants. That would probably go down really well with the bride.
"I'm glad you're feeling better." He murmured and met bright green eyes, feeling a spark of heat between them. But no matter what, nothing was going to happen between them today. Even if Axel had been totally willing he was still feeling far too ill to even consider it, Roxas was sure.
"So am I. I'll never doubt you again." Axel promised and Roxas snorted, shaking his head with a grin.
"Lies. Here, have some coconut." Axel munched on the sweet nut meat, smiling as Roxas easily gutted a fish, scaled it and put it out over the fire. The blonde was looking really good. Axel just watched him for a while… his shirt was badly torn now, revealing more than it hid, and he could see that Roxas had put on muscle and was looking nicely tanned. Axel had to swallow his coconut a bit hastily as Roxas pulled the fish out of the fire and nibbled on it. He looked so cute, his blonde hair bleached even blonder by the sun, rosebud lips parted as he nipped the hot fish.
Gah! Axel looked down, embarrassed. The kid was only fourteen! Still…
"You know, you're different." He suddenly said, and Roxas looked over, a bit puzzled. Different?
"How so?" He knew he'd put on muscle and had learned a lot about wilderness survival and karate. He would have been enjoying the stay on the island if they hadn't been marooned… and if it hadn't been for Axel's life threatening illness. That had been frightening. Axel shrugged and smiled, a little embarrassed.
"Oh, just, you seem older now." Axel wasn't sure why but the blonde seemed more mature than he had when they first met. Roxas just stared at him a moment, then slowly grinned.
"Like, oh, sixteen?" He said teasingly and the redhead choked, then laughed.
"I wish you were!" Although Axel was beginning to wonder how much it mattered. It had been over a month and no one had found them. Did it really matter how old Roxas was? Axel was unhappily sure that he really could have died, that fever and sickness had been intense. Next time he might not be so lucky, did he want to waste this chance? Shoving aside the thought, Axel stood shakily, and walked down the beach. He felt so weak and had to come back quickly, sitting down heavily near the fire. Roxas looked at him in concern as he picked up the coconut and took a drink.
"Just weak." Axel reassured him and Roxas looked relieved. "The headache's gone and I feel like the fever's broken." It was going to take days for him to get better but he was sure he was on the mend. Axel glanced around the beach, just enjoying the white sand, the gloriously blue sky and the brilliant sun. If only they'd had a resort with proper food and medical care, he'd have been content to stay here forever. It was like Hawaii, only far more pristine and without the annoying tourists. "D'you think someone will find us, Roxy?" Axel suddenly felt a surge of homesickness. He wanted a camera in his hands, eggs for breakfast and no worries about life threatening diseases and injuries. If one of them got an infected cut what would they do here? Besides die? Axel blinked and looked up as he felt Roxas' hand on his arm and met beautiful blue eyes.
"I'm sure they will, Axel. And if they don't, we'll look out for each other." Axel nodded. Roxas had looked out for him and he'd survived. Hopefully, their luck would continue to be good. There was no real reason they couldn't live here safely forever, if it came to that.
"Yeah, we'll look out for each other." That made him feel good. When they'd first met maybe Axel wouldn't have trusted Roxas to do that, but he certainly trusted the blonde now.
It was a good feeling.