SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN MONTHS! D:

And…I do have an important announcement to make.

As you've probably noticed, I'm not all that hyped about the 'Taking Chances' project anymore. I know a few people read it, but…it's really not enough to build inspiration from.

So, temporarily, I WILL be dropping Cenchax's story. :( I'm sorry, but like I said, lack of motivation, and…it's an old concept. I'm kinda tired of it.

HOWEVER. That being said, I DID finished 'At Least He Tried' before I started posting it~ So I'm finishing up this story! :D Don't worry about that.

Oh, god, we left off on a cliff hanger in JANUARY! X_X Sorry, guys. I'm going to try to post the rest of these today.

And I could complain about this story. So much. It's really dated. X_X But, I'm better than that. :) I'll keep my mouth shut in the comments.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Square Enix owns them. Either that or Disney owns them.

I do not own 'Vampires Suck' either. Though that movie is hysterical.

However, I do own 'At Least He Tried', and the 'Taking Chances' Series.

I also own Chance. Any of the mentioned cannot be used without my permission.

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Chapter 9: Safari

"You're kidding. You never have gone to the Pride Lands EVER?" Roxas asked, eyes huge, swallowing a mouthful of spaghetti. Once his mouth was clear again, he continued to stare at the boy across from him. "That's ALL?"

Ducking his head, he focused on the color of his New York steak, blushing lightly. "I-I've always been curious about the place, and…And I remember how much fun it was to go to Ancient China…We don't have to go, dude!" he added, looking Roxas in the eye again. "We just went for a hike, dude! Maybe we should do something you want! Sides, isn't your ankle still sore?"

Letting out a snort, Roxas focused on his fork, twirling another bite of pasta. "You're not getting out of it that easily…Vexen said it just needed to be iced, and it feel fine today!" Lifting his fork and pointing at Chance, he added, "I told you, whatever you wanted! This weekend is YOUR weekend. We're eating dinner, going to the Pride Lands, and seeing 'Vampires Suck', or, so help me, I'll put myself in a corner for the rest of the day!" Pausing, he took a quick look around, in a disapproving fashion. Turning back to Chance, he muttered, "You could've picked a more expensive place…I said ANYWHERE, Cheesecake Factory, Rainforest Café, the moon…And you just picked a Ninety-Nine's," he finished skeptically. Chance ducked his head again.

"I-I didn't want you wasting all your money…!" He took his time chewing his food, as though unwilling to speak of the matter. Gulping down another bite, he muttered, "You don't really have a set job yet, it's not right for me to be spending you're mo—!"

"Chance, I work in Twilight Town every summer, every weekend, every time I get five seconds away from everything else!" Roxas insisted. "I've got more than I know what to do with!"

"No, you—!"

"You don't get to decide that!" Roxas grumbled, smirking at the boy. "If I want to spoil you…" he added, reaching out his hand to bop Chance on the nose with his pointer finger. "I'm going to, one way or another!"

Chance snorted, taking another bite. "I feel bad…"

"Chance, for the five hundredth time, DON'T. If I want to do this, IT'S FINE. Just enjoy the day!" Roxas sighed, smiling amicably at Chance. He managed a sheepish smile back, turning back to his food. Roxas frowned, feeling a slight sting come up in his chest. Was Chance really that uncomfortable around him? Still? He stood up, and slowly walked over to the opposite side of the booth. Chance took no notice of him until he realized the teen was sliding in next to him. Chance whipped around, almost choking on his steak as he swallowed a huge chunk. The words formed in his mouth, but seeing the sincere, even hurt look Roxas was giving him, he kept silent.

"Chance…You know you can feel comfortable around me, right?" Roxas asked, in a small but strong voice. Chance opened his mouth to speak, only to fall silent again as Roxas added, "You don't have to keep feeling so guilty, you don't have to hold back, you don't have to hide…" Looking down, Roxas muttered, "You can feel comfortable around me. Say what you want. Do what you want. Ask anything from me…" He leaned himself on top of Chance, keeping himself propped up with his arm, crossing Chance's side. "If we just started making out right now, for the whole restaurant to see…I wouldn't care…"

"Roxas, not here…!" Chance hissed, his mocha-eye huge. Roxas shook his head.

"I don't care. We could do it here. I wouldn't care if anyone else was looking. I only care about what you think…" He pulled away, sighing, "And you shouldn't care, either. Chance, I…" He faltered for a second. He had been making such a huge deal about it. About how they had to be in private and had to be alone together. He had repeated the words in his head so many times, and had tried to say it so many times. He had told himself that Chance HAD to know.

So, what was stopping him?

They weren't alone, this wasn't the least bit romantic, and…Honestly, Roxas wasn't fully ready to let Chance know exactly how he felt yet. But he could at least say something on the matter…

He braced himself and then muttered, "I've come to…to really care about you…And I know you love me too…So, you don't need to hold back or hide." Chance stared at Roxas for a few moments, during which Roxas sat there panicking, wondering if Chance would react at all. He could've slapped himself for not saying it. Why were those three words so hard to say?

Just as Roxas began to wonder whether or not he should've gone more into detail about his feelings, his thoughts were cut off by a pair of lips on top of his own. Chance pulled away, his eye half-closed, but filled with so much more emotion, Roxas felt like his heart jumped out of his ribcage.

"I do love you, Roxas…And if you think I should…" he murmured. "I'll try…" He was still blushing, a light fuchsia, but it was a start. Roxas smiled, then returned to his seat, staring at Chance as they ate, barely looking down to make sure if his fork was heading for his mouth. He had always hoped for a larger reaction from Chance; one of those fairy tale moments where he revealed how he felt and Chance was suddenly magically better.

However, they hadn't even been dating for a full month. Maybe it was too much for him to ask of Chance. Though the suicidal had always been able to run to him, he had never had anything like this before. Neither had Roxas. It was a huge step for him to rise up and admit his feelings, let alone the extent of them. They had so much time together to spend where he could tell Chance exactly what he felt. Besides, the multi-colored-haired teen needed to learn to relax more around his boyfriend.

As he pushed another fork of pasta in his mouth, he forced the thoughts away, concluding that he's done all he could for now. Slow. Slow. Slow.

…Except for one thing.

"So, what's today's goal?" Roxas purred, batting his eyes at Chance, testing the boy. Though the blush crossed his face again, Chance kept his head up, smiling at Roxas.

"To have a good time, not to feel bad…And…to…Let loose?" Chance asked hesitantly. Roxas shrugged.

"Eh, I guess that works, too…" Chance cocked his head to one side, confused.

"What did you have in mind?"

The Devil's smile flashed briefly across his face, but disappeared before Chance could fully process it. Roxas looked away, muttering, "Oh, nothing. Just a little testing boundaries…"

Chance was beginning to feel uncomfortable, if only because of Roxas's over-the-top innocence…

Well, it was nice of him to say those things…

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I guess I could try relaxing a little more…The Gummi ship was waiting for them at home, though the commotion inside of it confused both of them.

"What the…?" Roxas padded forward, a befuddled expression on his face. Chance was a pace or so behind him, trying to look into the windows, only to see nothing but the light blue shade. Roxas pressed the button, opening the door. Axel, Sora, Demyx, Zexion, and Xion stood inside, chatting with one another. Sora looked over, eyes brightening as he made eye contact with his brother.

"Hey, look, they're here!" He trotted over and gave his brother a hug.

"Um, what are you guys doing here…?" Roxas asked, leaning away from his brother.

"We're here to join you on a Guy's Day Out!" Demyx exclaimed brightly. Xion gave a small cough. Demyx glanced at her, realization crossing his face as the two made eye-contact. Looking back at Roxas, he added, "And one girl…"Zexion rolled his eyes, muttering, "Knew it…" under his breath.

"We're not on a 'Guys Day Out', dudes…" Chance muttered, using the hand-quote sign for the three words. "We were on a date…" His stomach flipped in protest, but he forced himself to relax. It was the least he could do for Roxas's efforts.

Axel palmed his face. "I told you, Demyx…!" Zexion muttered irritably. "See, this is why no one listens to you…!"

"Aw, I was so hyped…!" Sora sighed, slumping his shoulders. He began to trudge off the ship with closed eyes, a disappointed expression on his face. "Come on, guys, let's go…" The other four followed suit, slowly and almost grudgingly. Zexion seemed unaffected, but he rarely was. Chance stared after them, apologetic. He looked back at Roxas, a pleading light in his eyes. Roxas looked at him, a hard expression on his face. When Chance kept staring, Roxas crossed his arms, the hardened expression remaining set. The stare-off didn't last long before Roxas groaned, throwing his hands up in the air and muttering, "Oh, for the love of…!" He let out an exasperated breath, muttering, "Fine, but we go to the movies ALONE."

Chance jumped, mood brightened. He took Roxas's hands in his face and gave the boy an Eskimo Kiss. "YAY!" Roxas pulled back dazed for a second. Shaking it off, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Stop looking so miserable and just get on the ship!"

Axel and Zexion turned around slowly in surprise, but the other three wasted no time whirling on their heels and bounding for the ship. "SHOTGUN!" The two brunettes shouted at the same time, pushing and shoving each other out of the way to get to the seat. Xion shook her head, giggling as she followed. Axel and Zexion walked calmly over to the ship, only for Axel to break away and jump into the scuffle on the ship. Roxas sighed.

"Why do get myself into these things?" he muttered, putting his head in his hand.

"Because our friends are probably all insane…" Chance chuckled, fist-bumping Zexion before the slate-haired teen walked into the ship, keeping his distance from the mass of flailing limbs near the shotgun seat.

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"Alright, so what's the plan?" Sora asked, crouching down in front of Roxas, a playful expression on his kitten-like face.

"That's for Chance to decide…" The blonde turned back to the ship, sighing. The mocha-eyed teen was still standing inside, staring in fascination at the scenery, a wide grin on his face. Sighing, he snickered, "He's still admiring the place…"

"It IS pretty impressive…!" Sora pointed out, raising a paw to point at the group of multi-colored lions nearby.

"True…" Roxas turned around, gazing at his friends. All but Chance were sitting outside of the ship, waiting for the teen. All of them had changed into safari animals. Roxas, Sora, Xion, Zexion, and Axel were all lions, while Demyx was the lone cheetah.

Sora had grown from a cub to an adolescent lion, but otherwise had remained the same. Roxas kept part of his golden locks, his coat a slightly darker shade, with his paws, muzzle, underbelly, and tail tip a light gray. The tuff at the edge of his tail was golden as his hair. Zexion kept his hair, his own pelt a lighter shade of gray-blue, with dark grey markings. Xion was a shade of stone gray, keeping her hair as well, with white points, underbelly, and muzzle. Axel was a tad peculiar; he had a full mane, but it was a mane of his disorderly red spikes rather than the average mane, and cut off a bit short. He kept his eye tattoos, his pelt maroon, with white paws, muzzle, and underbelly. Usually, he lit the tip of his tail on fire, but with Chance around, he thought better to. Demyx was sandy yellow rather than golden, his mullet remaining on his head.

"Come on, Chance!" Xion called, turning around to him. "We're going to waste time if you keep staring out at the savannah!"

"Yeah, don't you wanna explore?" Demyx called out, sending the teen a cat-like smile. Chance turned back at the group, eyes bright.

"Coming!" He bounded down the steps, transforming in mid-step. Gracefully, he went down from two feet, to four paws, managing fine for only his second transformation. His pelt was the color of charcoal, only a tone or so lighter than his pitch black hair. However, the red tips and bright blue swirls stuck out even more, his eye still covered by hair. His underbelly, muzzle, and paws were dark shades of gray. Like Axel, he had a full mane, maintaining the basic shape of his hair.

"Looking good, Chance!" Xion purred, padding over to him. He beamed at her, and then dashed off, to the watering hole nearby. He looked down into the water and let out a yowl.

"OLY SHIT I'M A LION DUDE!" He spun in a circle, chasing his own tail in excitement.

"I thought you had seen yourself as a lion before!" Sora snickered, lifting a paw to his face to hide his laughter.

"That was different! This is…This is…" He froze, stumbling over his paws. He looked himself over, craning his neck over his back, lifting his paws and balancing as he looked himself over. His eyes grew huge. "Wait, am I NAKED?"
Demyx fell over laughing, accompanied by Xion, Sora, and Axel. Zexion lifted a paw to his face, shaking his head. "Oh, Chance…" Roxas rolled his eyes, smiling at Chance's naivety.

"When was the last time you saw lions wearing clothing on the savannah?" Roxas asked sarcastically. He trotted over to Chance and brushed up against him, purring. "Just chill out!"

Chance didn't answer, staring intently into the distance. He seemed to be process in the information. He ducked away from Roxas and sat on his haunches, staring out across the water. Roxas gazed at him, trying to read the larger cat's thoughts. Chance looked so serious and thoughtful…Did he not want to be here anymore? Was it because Roxas had brushed against him? An uneasy pit began to settle in his stomach, his frown expressing his nerve.

Everyone else was rising to their feet, padding over to Chance in confusion. Without warning, Chance bunched up his haunches, crouched back, and sprang forward, exclaiming, "First one to the tree…GO!" Fast as his heavy-set build could take him, he was bolting across the savannah, eyes fixed on a distant tree. Roxas grinned, then sprang after him. The thudding of paws behind him warned him of his friend. He faltered for a few steps, his right hind leg still a little weak, but with such a prospect in front of him, how could he possibly stop? He powered through it, till there wasn't even a slight limp in his stride.

He managed to catch up to Chance, only for the teen to suddenly double his pace, baffling Roxas to a skidding half. Sora slammed into him, falling flat on their muzzles. He groaned, rubbing his ear. "Ow…!"

"Why'd you stop?" Sora asked. Roxas sighed, staring after his boyfriend, staring at the muscles rippling under his coat as he ran, his fur glowing in the savannah's heat, eyes aglow with the challenge…He slumped, falling on his chest, sighing in a trance-like state.

"He's just amazing like that…" Roxas murmured. Sora smirked, jabbing a paw into Roxas's shoulder.

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"So, by now, we're waist-deep in string cheese, and the machine won't stop…!" Demyx continued, Xion and Axel nodding in agreement. "All of a sudden, the school's superintendent comes in…!"

As he chattered away, Roxas felt himself drifting off, letting out a yawn. It might've been the shade the group was laying in. It may that his ankle was acting up, causing him an aching, dull throb. Maybe it was that he was tired from running all over Africa in a single afternoon.

Or maybe it was that he was curled up right beside Chance's warm pelt, feeling his tongue rasp against his ear as the two listened to their friend's tales. Chance may not understand Roxas's whole feelings, but he seemed to finally grasp that, if he wanted to express his affections to Roxas, Roxas was more than willing to accept them, and give equal in return.

"Having fun?" Roxas managed to open his eyes to see his cousin giving him an amused look over her shoulder. Chance paused in mid-lick, staring at the girl. Roxas snorted.

"You're just jealous because Demyx isn't curled up with you…" Roxas challenged playfully, twining his tail with Chance's. The lioness gasped, turning her head away in embarrassment.

"Am not!" she snapped.

"Am not what, Xi-Xi?" the brunette asked, cocking his head to the side. Xion sat up, turning away from him.

"N-Nothing, Demyx!" she stuttered nervously, glaring at Roxas. Roxas chuckled, Chance closing his eye again to continue licking Roxas's ears. Roxas let out a purr, closing his eyes affectionately. Chance's body felt so relaxed next to his…This is all I wanted…

"So, what next?" Sora asked. Zexion lifted his head and looked over at Chance, everyone else copying the gray lion's movements. Chance lifted his head, tongue retreating back onto his mouth. Roxas was about to make a sound of disappointment when Chance put a paw around Roxas, pulling him close.

"We gotta run…Got stuff to do…" Chance explained. "You guys take the Gummi Ship. See ya back at the house!"

"Wait, how are you guys—?" Xion started, but was cut off as a blinding flash of light filled the area. Roxas squinted his eyes shut, burying his head into Chance's pelt. Slowly, he felt himself morph, legs growing underneath him, fur retracting, clothing falling over his shoulder, hips, and the rest of his body. When the bright light subdued, he opened his eyes into slits.

Chance had his arms wrapped around him, head buried in his hair, having turned human again. The two were in an abandoned alleyway in a town Roxas recognized but couldn't quite name. Chance pulled away, smiling.

"That was possibly the most fun I've had in a really long time, dude…!" Chance exclaimed. Roxas smiled.

"I'm glad you had a good time!"

"Ten minute walk to the theatre…Can your ankle take it?" he asked gently, eyes traveling down Roxas's right leg to his foot. Roxas nodded, smiling.

"I forgot you could teleport…" Roxas took Chance's hand as the two proceeded to walk. "You're too much…!" he crooned. Chance laughed in response, cheeks touching up slightly.

"I try!"

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The movie was, of course, hysterical. Chance couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire film, having far too much fun poking fun at the horrid series. Roxas himself felt his sides splitting as the movie progressed, making the connections to the book and the movie, which made it even more hysterical, he felt.

"Jacob…" Chance muttered, still snickering. "Is the BEST…!"

"CAT!" Roxas shouted, pretending to dash off after the invisible cat. Chance laugh, kneeling over as he tried to gain control of his breathing. Roxas chuckled to himself.

"Let's head back home and chill for a bit!" he suggested.

A bus-ride later, they were back at the house. Chance trotted to his bedroom, opened the door, and proceeded through it, sighing as he fell back on his bed. Roxas followed him, closing the door behind him. He smirked to himself, eyes glittering.

He had told himself to take things slow with Chance. He would admit his feelings gradually, until by January next year, Chance knew that everything he felt for Roxas, Roxas felt for him. He couldn't just expect Chance to completely change overnight.

However, there was one thing that they had done before that Roxas was dying to try again.

"Man, I'm tired…" Chance muttered. Roxas sauntered over to the bed and sat on the edge, looking back at Chance with an unreadable expression. One thing was for certain. It looked pretty sneaky.

"I'm not…" he murmured in a humming tone. Chance sat up, looking at Roxas in surprise.

"You're not?"

Roxas crawled over the bed and lay next to Chance. "Not yet." He leaned in and gave Chance a small kiss on the lips. Chance pulled away a few seconds later, in surprise.

"Yet?"

Roxas smirked at Chance again. He rolled over and supported himself, hovering over Chance. The boy stared at him, eye wide.

"Roxas? Roxas, what—?" He was cut off as Roxas pressed himself against Chance, lips digging into Chance's lips. The teen underneath him moaned in protest at first, but as always, he melted into Roxas's kiss. Roxas gripped the sides of the bed, tempted to grab Chance' hair and pull on it. He pulled away and gave Chance a second to breath, only to dive back in, still unable to satisfy his need for Chance's tempting lips. His heart rate shot up, to the point where he could hear its beating clearly. He heard a second tone under his own heart's beat. Chance's own racing heart.

He waited a few more moments, pulling away from Chance again, taking a few breathes before leaning back in. Chance met him halfway, deepening the kiss further. Roxas slowly wormed his mouth open and brushed his tongue against Chance's lips, hesitantly, but determined. Chance let out a gasp, opening his mouth just wide enough for Roxas to tentatively slip his tongue in. Slowly, he licked the inside of Chance's mouth, groaning as the flavors seeped into his own. He gripped onto Chance's hair, bracing his knees around the boy's hips.

He pulled away a second later, panting heavily. Chance lay underneath him, his breathing haggard, blushing heavily, but his eye closed in a seduced state. The teen opened his eye into a slit, then grabbed onto Roxas's collar and pulled him back in. Roxas let out another moan of joy. Chance allowed Roxas to explore his mouth further, only to shove Roxas's tongue aside with his own, stretching into Roxas's mouth. The blonde let out a long groan as he felt Chance's tongue massage the inside of his mouth, passing his tongue over Chance's, hearing the other boy moan loudly…

He couldn't believe this. Chance wasn't only letting him get away with this. He was actually doing it, too. Roxas felt as though all of his senses on the boy beneath him, as though he were the only thing in the world that could ever occupy Roxas's attention and affection ever again.

If Chance was this willing…

He pulled away and tried to get the words out. "I…I…" He fell back onto Chance's lips, losing himself. He honestly couldn't help himself. The teenager was like a drug to him right now, and feeding his addiction came first on the list. Chance moaned underneath him. Roxas pulled away, slower to lean back in this time, realizing, despite his previous words, his body was drooping with exhaustion. If he tried to prop himself up any longer, he'd fall on top of Chance.

He finally managed to pry himself away from the boy, feeling dizzy. "I'm tired now…" he muttered, giggling lightly. Chance wriggled underneath Roxas to sit up, chuckling.

"Get yourself to bed, Roxy…" he murmured affectionaltey, ruffling the boy's hair. Roxas turned his head, squinting his eyes as he smiling down at Chance. He seemed slightly off-set by the prior events, but at least he wasn't jumping away or stuttering.

"See you tomorrow…" Roxas muttered.

"See ya, dude…" Chance murmured in response, falling back into a trance-like state. Roxas turned and walked out the door. He had no idea how Chance felt at the moment; how suicidal he still was, how much he cared about Roxas, how happy he was…

But Roxas had never felt his heart get any lighter in his life.

It was only after he got to his room that he realized that he never told Chance that he loved him.

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Sexy make-out times, love that just can't be confessed, lions…

It's kinda funny how I spoil people the same way Roxas does...~

Lot going on now~ XD

Next part, hopefully up soon! Like...within the hour! XD

~Cat's Eye