Koko's Misadventures; Part 1:Prelude, Chapter 1

This part covers the beginning of the first part of a larger Fic to come It revolves around Koko's life before she meets Zofis, when she finally meets him, what happens after, and what fate she endures after,which will lead into the next part (The real story after the Prelude). It's not canon within the official Zatch Bell Verse and doesn't follow a lot of what happened then, but I'm going to try to fit as many loose ends as I can. It will use a lot of characters from other fictions as well as some OC characters from mine. Please enjoy.

Oh, and I don't own Zatch Bell or anything.

Koko was coming home from another long day at 'work.' She'd just helped organized some old ladies attic and did quite a lot of cleaning, much of what was not in the agreement. She'd worked for 6 hours at what she told was 5 euros an hour. She only ended up getting 20 euros, the greedy lady. She pretended to be so sweet upon asking Koko, but took advantage of her when the time to work and pay came around, bickering the entire time. Of course she could take advantage of her, as everybody in the village could. Koko was among the poorest in the village, not the poorest but among them. But she tried so hard to make a future for herself, and that was what made her so easy to abuse. Most of the rest of the slums couldn't be bothered with trying to get themselves out of their misery, with the economy the way it was they didn't care.

Not Koko. Koko had lived that way for 10 years, and she didn't intend to stay that way. Ever since the incident then with her parents, after the divorce, she'd lived with her step-sister,step-mother, and step-grandfather in a small house struggling to get by. The rest of her family barely worked, and lived off what little money Koko made. And yet, she would survive. Through their abuse, through the villages hardship, and through everything the world put her through, she would continue trying to find her happiness.

Where was that happiness? Where did it lie? With the college she was trying to get into? Would she be happy then? She couldn't even imagine what she would do once she got there, or passed it. Should couldn't think about that, she had to live for the now. And she wasn't alone, she had help. Sherry. The girl she'd saved 8 years ago, she'd grew up to befriend. At least, she thought they were friends. Somethings had, happened since then that she'd brushed under the rug. She couldn't declare Sherry her only hope, but she knew she could depend on her at any time. She was there for her when she needed to be and gave her money and her friendship. And her pity. Sherry gave her pity. Oh how she hated that pity.. And how she...

*Gurgle...*

Koko heard her stomach making improper noises, the only possible reason being that Koko hadn't eaten anything all day. She had a piece of bread in the morning, and with the hours spent to and back to the job she'd accepted, it'd been nearly 8 hours since she'd eaten.

Koko: "Hmm... I'm hungry. Lets see... I made about 20 Euros today, and about 50 over the past 2 days. So that makes 70. But I need to make at least 120 by the end of the week to pay the rent another week with our landowner coming at us, annoying old Tom. Not to mention mothers annoying cigarette habits, taking money that she doesn't earn and what not.

Gah... I'm hunnnnnnnnnnngry. I'm hungry I'm hungry I'm hungry! "

She pouted frantically, and then proceeded to look around to see if there was a quick solution to her problem. And like a key fitting into a lock, she found one.

There was the apple vendor that she'd known to be there for the past 6 years. She'd known the Adalrich family since then, they were nice people. They were more wealthy then herself and her family, but she knew they equally struggled to keep their 3 daughters and 1 son happy. She'd even worked with them and helped them out when they were sick, but when she lived in a small village like that it was to be expected.

Koko: "Dang it.. I can't spend a cent until the rent is paid. Oh well.. I guess later mabee I can..."

*Gurgleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...*

Her stomach making itself known even louder, she looked again, and decided to make a choice. She took a breath, and then went with it.

She slowly walked towards his stand and whistled, with him busy selling he didn't even notice her.

When she was not even more then a few yards away from the stand, she heard the sound she was hoping for, and tapped her leg out just a bit. And as she planned, a bicycle came by and came to a steering crash after hitting her toe, and road on passed her and the stand. It hurt her a bit, but she'd taken worse beatings from her mother years back, so it was nothing. Nothing compared to the pain she went through, 4 years ago back then...

With the bike nearly crashing, the entire stand shook and apples went raining upon the ground. As old stumbled to pick up what he dropped, Koko kicked an apple forward and then pointed it out for him a tip.

Koko: "Missed one, over there."

She pointed under the stand, indicating the location of the apple she'd just kicked.

Mr. Adalrich: "Oh, why thank you Koko. You're a real saint."

Koko: "Sure thing, hehehe."

The old friend of hers looked under the stand and turned his back for a few seconds, struggling to reach it.

Mr. Adalrich: "That biker should have watched where he was going, and he just ran off after without even apologizing."

Koko:"How rude of him." She said, bending down quickly and grabbing an apple.

Mr. Adalrich:"Well, at least there are still good people like you around in this village, Koko."

Koko: "Well I try." She remarked, while stuffing a certain apple in her coat.
*And fail of course..* She pondered.

"Well, I have to go, have a good day Mr. Adalrich, and watch out for bikers!"

Mr. Adalrich:"Oh I will, and you take care yourself!" Finally getting up from underneath the stand.

*Oh believe me, I take care of myself plenty*, these words being remarked as she passed away from him beyond sight, slowly pulling the apple from under her coat.

She was happy with the success, everything had went as planned. Even if the bike hasn't gone by, she would have had her way anyway. She'd lived long enough in poverty to pull these kind of strings, she was a rather adept theif, a master at her craft. Or so she thought.
She reached to take the apple into her mouth and take a bite, when...

Luke:"Hey, I SAW THAT! Ha-ha, you must think you're one SNEAKY GIRL HUH?"
Giore:"Nice one, and if we weren't as good thieves ourselves we wouldn't have caught it."

Koko: "Shi-
Hya fellows."

She knew the two before even turning around to confront them. Those 2, the delinquents of her town, that had often caused her much misery all around.

Luke:"Well I'll tell you what, hand over the apple, and I'll only give you a minor bruise or two, and mabee only on the arm. After all, who would want to punch a girl?"

Koko thought about it for a second. The three had known her interestingly, better then most of the town. And better than Sherry for that matter. The sweet girl persona she always put up, she wouldn't waste it on these 2 chumps.

Koko:"Sure. But this one was on the floor, so let me just warm it up for you." She scraped it against her tongue, making repeated movements against it, knowing it would insult them.

Luke: "Why YOU LITTLE BIT-"

*OMMFF-*

He leaned over, feeling the pain of being kicked in the groin. The other one would have responded quickly, had he not been on the floor as well, her quick reactions allowing her to trip him equally fast before he could do a thing, and run off rather far.

Koko: "Hahahha, suckers, don't know what- Whoa!"

She tripped, despite making a clear get-away, let her guard down and tripped over a leg that came out of an alley. Looking up from herself on the floor,she saw Brandon, the toughest of the 3 punks, and usually seen as the leader when he bothered to be around them.

Koko: "Umm.. hehe. I can wipe if clean if you really want it."

Brandon:"Save it, peasant girl." Before she could even get up, he kicked her chest tossing her into the wall. The rest soon followed after getting up again,pinning her up against brick and side-walk. They continued for about 10 seconds, until Koko looked up and saw a familiar face coming in from an all too familiar limo. She nearly cheered. And then she died inside.

Brandon: "It's Sherry Belmont, the millionaires daughter!"
The 3 quickly scrambled at the sight of her.

Sherry: "Are you ok, Koko?"
Koko" "Yeah, they just pushed me around a little."
Sherry" "Why?
Koko: "They said I stole. From the fruit vendor."
Sherry: "Those liars!"
Koko: "No, It's ok! I'm used to it."
Koko: "I've been judged by everybody in this town my whole life. I'll never be good enough in their eyes." *Or yours, for that matter* She lamented.
"I'd rather spend my time working hard and studying for school."

Sherry put her hands on Koko's arms,sending a shiver down her spine and a feeling she hated.

Sherry: "As long as we're together, I won't let anything happen to you!"
Koko: "Thank you, Sherry."

Sherry, shortly brushed herself off, and the two nodding at each other, went off. Sherry drove away in her limousine, and Koko stayed where she'd been on her knees, as with most of her life. Mixed feelings boiling inside her, she wanted to scream, to pout. She wanted to completely break. But she didn't.

She got herself up and shrugged forward. She was saved. By Sherry, of course. Again. She slowly slumped, head down, thinking about the events that just unfolded. Yet again. After that time 4 years ago, after that rift between them...

She took her head in disgust, and despite herself decided to forget about it rather than have her head lead astray back into those memories..

Another hour had passed. It was dark now, and she finally had reached her home. Or at least that's what she was suppose to call it. The place she would spend the night, that night and the night after and after, until she escaped this place. And she would have to face the same people she loved...and hated. She opened the door.. and instantly dodged an incoming kick.

Hannibal: Hyyyyya! I've got you THIS TIME KOKO!

Koko quickly dodged another kick, catching the raven haired girl this time.

Koko:Not this time Hannibal. Not in the mood. She immediately tossed her aside, into a wall in which Hannibal brushed off. Hannibal

Hannibal, her younger step-sister which she'd cared for and watched over for over 10 years now, simply got up and made a smug expression. Koko Stared back, before going forward.

Diana, the person she hated got up. Koko stopped, and gave her the money she'd earned for the day, and kept going. She barely got 3 steps in, when a scream broke out.

Diana: "HOLD ON. What the hell do you think you are, you little sly bitch."

Koko turned around, staring at the fair-haired lady, Diana. Her step-mother in her late 30s, as of 10 years ago. The lady that had tormented and abused her so all these years. The lady that she was still living under, or rather who was living under her as a pathetic leech.

Diana: "You were suppose to earn 30 euros today. I only see 20. So where, perhaps, would be the other 10. Did you think you just go spending our money whenever yoy want"

Koko: *Your Money...*

Koko clenched her fist, and then held it in and responded.

Koko: "I only earned 20 today. I was suppose to earn 30. But I earned 20. So to bad." She attempted to walk forward without further confrontation, but with no avail.

Diana: "TO BAD? HAHAHA, that's funny. You're a comic genius Koko, a real genius. That's why you've gotten into a college now right! But oh wait, YOU HAVEN'T! You STUPID BITCH, JUST ADMIT IT! YOU'RE NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING! YOUR END UP WORTHLESS AND ALONE, AND THEN YOU'LL LEAVE, JUST LIKE THAT GOD DAMN FATHER OF YO-"

Koko, not having it, immediately grabbed her cruel abuser by the collar, and screamed in an equally raged voice, no longer held back;

Koko: "Listen to me, LISTEN TO ME. Don't you EVER TALK ABOUT MY FATHER, You'll never be HALF THE PARENT HE EVER WAS!" She then pushed her against the wall. The opposed so enraged, got up again and rammed herself at Koko, only to be stopped by a simple palm, and pushed back again.
Koko walked up the small stairs, and quickly slammed the door behind her before she took anymore of what her step mother could have dished out. She threw her school supplies and work papers her desk, not caring to organize them. Head down, she jumped onto her bed.

She coiled up on her bed, in a deep rooted fetal position. No more noise from her step mother, no more noise from her employers, from the abusive towns people. She hated it. Hated hated hated, although she'd never admit it, she couldn't stop the sadness from pouring through her heart and overwhelming her feelings.

So she cried. And cried some more. And shook. And screamed.
And cried again.

She wept herself to sleep. To the dark sleep where she could hopefully escape from the world she hated. To that one day, where she could escape it for real.

/End Chapter 1

Me:Well, that's it for the 1st chapter fans! This was really to build up a background for the kind of setting we start in. I promise more will happen in the next few chapters, much more!
Koko:Umm, hi person.
Me: Oh, hi Koko. What do you want, heh?
Koko: I want to ask some questions. About this fanfiction.
Me:Oh sure, ask away.
Koko:Alright. To start, how come if I was fast enough to trip all of those guys, I couldn't avoid getting beaten up and stuff. Do I know kung-fu or something?
Me: Um.. you were tripped. And then they beat you.
Koko: Wel-
Me: NEXT QUESTION.
Koko: Alright. I don't remember having a step-mother, or step-sister. Or being that angsty in the anime?
Me: It's fan-fiction. Different continuance, well actually almost different story altogether on what it focus on.
Koko. Umm, alright. But it gets better for me right?
Me: Umm, mabee, after some stuff happens.
Koko: Do I still get mind-controlled and all evil and stuff later?
Me: Possibly.. yeah, you do.
Koko: Poop :/.
Zofis: Hi person.
Me: Oh, hey Zofis.
Zofis: Don't you 'Hey' me. I wasn't in this chapter!
Me: Oh yeah, you. I promise, you'll be in the next one. I just really wanted to focus on Koko here.
Zofis: I better be.
Das:What about me?
Me:I'm right here.
Das: No, I mean me, Das.
Me:Wait a second, go away Das :o! You're not suppose to enter this fic for like, at least another 5 or 6 chapters. Or mabee 3 or 4 or something, but still, leave!
Das: Hehe, I'll be waiting...
Sherry: Hold up. In this this chapter, did Koko say that she hated m-
Me: While, that's all the time for this chapters post-intermission, cya!
Sherry: This is wack ...
Me:dodododedede dum...

Sooo, what do you guys think? Too edgy? Too different? I really wanted to give a different perspective and spin on things, so I turned this around on a very minor character, who will be the main character among others. Oh, and Sherry won't really be one of them, sorry ^'-^. Please tell me how you feel, criticism FTW!

Also, a little overly obvious code:
"" = quotes, indicates speaking
** = Inner monologue within the characters heads