Author's Note: Sorry for not publishing in so long! I really didn't know what to write, but I finally came up with something for Christmas! Thank you for your patience, and please enjoy it!

I don't own Sugar Sugar Rune or any of the characters (except Mint)!

"A Christmas party?"

"Yeah!" Chocolat nodded vigorously.

"But...Mayu-chan and the others will be with their families for Christmas this year..." Vanilla said uncertainly.

"So we'll invite all our friends from the Magical World! We can even get Robin to attend!"

Vanilla's face visibly brightened at this suggestion. Sure, she didn't have many friends in the Magical World due to her being kept in the palace most of the time, but a Christmas party with Magical World residents would definitely be fun.

"That's a great idea, Chocolat-chan!" she replied, clapping her hands together.

Just then, Blanca and Duke poofed in. Duke began bouncing on Chocolat's bed while Blanca put her nose in the air haughtily. "Since when does Chocolat ever have any great ideas-chu?"

"Blanca, Chocolat just suggested that we throw a Christmas party for our friends in the Magical World!" Vanilla told her. The mouse slowly turned to look at Vanilla.

"Even Blanca can't resist something like that-kero," Duke commented, still bouncing. Blanca composed herself before turning to glare at the frog. "Well-chu, even if this is a somewhat...good idea-chu, Chocolat should just step aside and let Vanilla-chama handle the planning-chu. Really-chu, after that horrifying party during the examination-chu...If Vanilla-chama hadn't helped-chu..."

Chocolat gritted her teeth. "Stupid rat, chu, chu, chu-ing away...Why don't you just get back to the sewers where you belong?"

"Sewers-chu!" Blanca shrieked. "You ought to learn some manners-chu, you insolent-"

"Blanca," Vanilla quickly cut in. "Since we're inviting people from the Magical World this time, I think we should let her plan, don't you?"

Blanca made a face. "Fine-chu, but Vanilla-chama has to plan with her-chu."

The blonde witch nodded, happy with the compromise. Then she tilted her head. "There's only a week left before Christmas, Chocolat-chan. Is there enough time?"

"No worries!" Chocolat replied, waving her worries off easily. "Now, about the activities…"

They chatted late into the night about the party before finally going to sleep, thoughts of an exciting Christmas filling their dreams.

The next morning, the two witches woke up to another of Saule and Houx's amazing breakfast. As Chocolat stuffed her mouth with deliciously sweet pancake, she said, "Oh, Hoo, Sol! I woss finking oh hafing uh Creesmes patty,"

Saule replied, "Great! Now can you finish the food in your mouth and repeat that?"

Chocolat rolled her eyes and swallowed. "I was thinking of having a Christmas party."

"She wants to invite people from the Magical World!" Vanilla added.

Houx and Saule's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea, Chocolat!" Houx said, Saule nodding in agreement. "I know," she replied smugly. Finishing off the rest of her pancake, she grabbed a mini doughnut and popped it into her mouth before saying, "Uhl bee ot wih piye fo du ress oh du de,"

"What?" Vanilla, Houx and Saule said simultaneously.

Chocolat let out a sigh - as much as one can sigh with a mouth full of doughnut - and swallowed. "I'LL BE OUT WITH PIERRE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!" she shouted.

"Ohh," the other three replied.

Giving them another eye roll, she grabbed the bag and jacket hanging off her chair and ran out of the house. "Have fun, Chocolat-chan!" Vanilla called after her.

They continued to eat in silence. Just then, Houx spoke up. "Hey, Vanilla, want to go ice-skating with me this evening?" he said, albeit a little shyly. Vanilla met his smile with an equally shy one. "I'd love to,"

Yeah, sure, just leave me at home alone, Saule thought. But he wasn't really mad at them. How could he, when they were clearly so happy together?

It made him wish he had someone.

But Chocolat had already chosen Pierre, and...and…

A pair of forest green eyes - not as vivid as Chocolat's, but stunning all the same - popped into his mind, and he quickly pushed the thought away. He loved Chocolat.

Chocolat spotted Pierre waiting for her at the water fountain and raced up to him. "Ohayou, Pierre!" she grinned. Pierre's worried expression settled into a smile when he saw her. "Ohayou, Chocolat," he said.

"Come on, there's a new café I want to show you!" she turned around, but he grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. A tinge of red crept up her cheeks, but she hid it, walking towards the café and not looking at him. He smiled at this.

At the café, they took ages to decide what to choose, and in the end decided to get two waffles and a slice of cake with two cups of tea. "Didn't you just eat breakfast?" Pierre teased and she pouted. "I can eat however much I want!"

Then she remembered. "Oh, Pierre! I got an idea last night! Vanilla and I are going to throw a Christmas party and invite our friends from the Magical World! Won't that be fun?"

Pierre's smile faltered. "Chocolat...I won't be around to celebrate Christmas with you." She stared at him, shell-shocked.

"What? Why?" she demanded. He ran his hand through his hair, frowning. It was a strange action to see on the usually confident Pierre. "Queen Candy summoned me to the Magical World to discuss relations between the remaining Ogres and Le Royaume...She's very busy, so there's no other day…"

"When?" Chocolat asked quietly.

"The council meeting will be for two days; Christmas Eve and Christmas.."

Chocolat felt a heavy weight drop in her heart. It was so disappointing! She had been looking forward to Christmas with Pierre, and it was just so...so...frustrating!

But she couldn't blame Queen Candy. The queen was just doing her duties and being responsible. It wasn't her fault. Besides, Pierre also had to make sacrifices; it was his Christmas that was being taken away after all.

Still, she couldn't prevent the sinking feeling that plagued her now.

When their food arrived, they ate quietly with the exception of a few murmurs here and there. The food was truly delicious, but Chocolat couldn't bring herself to enjoy it fully. She tried to console herself.

At least they could still have the party. Yes, even if Pierre wasn't around, she would still have tons of fun with her other friends, including Vanilla, Houx and Saule! Christmas would still be great!

She sighed. Christmas without Pierre. Just...great.

The evening couldn't come fast enough for Vanilla. She dressed warmly, slipping on a purple jacket. Giving her reflection one last glance, she exited her bedroom to find Houx already waiting for her.

"Hey," Houx smiled, taking her hand in his. "Ready to go?"

She beamed at him, nodding.

When they reached the rink, they found that it was already filled with other couples and families. They decided to just take it easy and skate slowly, since there really wasn't much space to skate anyways. They didn't mind, as long as they were together.

The witch and her Chevalier skated side by side, hand in hand. Vanilla had felt cold when they first stepped into the rink, but Houx had grabbed her hand. Slowly, the warmth of his slender hand seeped into hers, filling her up with a warm and happy feeling. She was content to just be there with him, pleasantly connected by their hands. Vanilla had never felt anything like this with other boys before.

Giving him a sideways glance, she could see that he felt the same way. He had a pleased look on his face, and when violet eyes met brown, a slow smile spread across both their faces.

They continued gazing into each other's eyes as they glided across the ice, not caring for their surroundings, just happy to be with each other.

Saule lounged on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He was so bored. Chocolat was out with Pierre, and Houx and Vanilla were ice-skating. He was left alone at home.

...He was so, so bored.

The black haired Chevalier let loose a sigh and closed his eyes, deciding to just take a nap until someone came home. He was just drifting off to sleep when…

BANG.

Saule jumped up. Swiveling around, he saw Chocolat standing in the doorway, having apparently swung the door open so hard it hit the wall with a loud crash. She stomped in and headed straight for her room, not saying a word to Saule.

What's up with her? he thought, confused. Stepping quietly to her room, he knocked on the door. "Chocolat, can I come in?" he called. A few seconds of silence passed before a mutter came in reply, "Come in."

He opened the door to see her on her bed, frowning and scowling. Leaning against the doorway, he tried for a cheeky grin. "What's wrong, was Pierre checking out some other girls? If he was, you just tell me and I'll go teach him a lesson!"

Chocolat shook her head and remained silent. Saule's grin faded and he just stood there awkwardly.

The two of them just stayed quiet.

Until…

She exploded.

"How could he just leave me alone for Christmas?! I'm his girlfriend! What kind of guy leaves his girlfriend alone for Christmas?"

Oh.

Saule scratched his head, not sure how to deal with the situation. Fortunately, he was saved by the ringing of his phone - or so he thought - and he whipped out the small black flip phone. Caller ID told him it was Houx. Flipping it open, he pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Houx, aren't you supposed to be on your date?" he said, emphasizing more on the word than he had intended to.

"Saule! Is Chocolat back yet?"

The black-haired boy glanced at the pouting girl on the bed. "Yeah."

"Bring her to the hospital!"

"Hospital? Why?"

"Vanilla's injured."

The orange haired witch flew - figuratively, of course - past the nurses, not caring that she wasn't supposed to run in the hospital. Throwing open the steel doors, she cried out, "Vanilla!"

A female doctor with black hair sat at the table, Houx directly opposite her. Behind them, Vanilla laid on a bed, her purple eyes wide as the doctor spoke. When Chocolat burst in, all three of them looked up at her.

"Doctor! How is she?" Chocolat immediately asked. Reflected in the doctor's brown eyes was clear exasperation. For a moment, she looked as if she was about to reprimand Chocolat, probably for running and talking loudly in the hospital, but she let it go.

"The two of them weren't concentrating when ice-skating and crashed into the wall. The boy got away with just a couple of scratches, but she has a sprained ankle," she replied instead. Houx bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Vanilla! I should have protected you!" he shook his head.

Chocolat moved to stand behind Houx, too anxious to sit. Now she could read the name tag on the doctor's white coat. Ito-sensei.

Ito-sensei continued, "I'd say it's a grade two sprain. That means her ligament has been partially torn. She won't have to stay in the hospital, but she'll need to move as little as possible for at least three weeks. And even after that, she must refrain from any strenuous activity for a couple more weeks."

"Three weeks?" Chocolat gaped. "Oh, Vanilla…"

Vanilla glanced up at her best friend. She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, Chocolat-chan. The party…"

"Party?" Ito-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely not. Didn't I just say you'll need to move as little as possible? I'm sure having a party will just have you attempting to be up and about, planning this and that. No. I strongly discourage you from having a party.

"Sorry, Chocolat-chan," Vanilla repeated.

Chocolat rolled her eyes. "Seriously? This is not the time to be worrying about that!" Deep down though, her heart sank. So much for a fun and exciting Christmas…

But Vanilla came first, obviously. She could have the party next year, and the year after that. She firmly convinced herself with that, but she couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment that rose up. She mentally scolded herself. Stop it, Chocolat. Vanilla is more important.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she spoke again. "The party's not that important. You need to rest!"

Vanilla attempted a small smile. She knew how much her best friend had wanted to have that party. "Thank you, Chocolat-chan."

Sure enough, Vanilla stayed in bed all day. Christmas came soon enough, and Chocolat was the first one - naturally - to get up and bound to Vanilla's door.

Knocking quickly on the door, she bounced on her feet before Vanilla called out, "Come in…"

Chocolat opened the door to a half-asleep Vanilla. It was clear that she had just woken up, but Chocolat seemed oblivious to that fact.

"Good morning, Vanilla!" she grinned. "Merry Christmas!"

Vanilla's face visibly brightened when she remembered it was Christmas, though her violet eyes retained some of their sleepiness. Nevertheless, she perked up enough to reply cheerfully, "Good morning, Chocolat-chan! Merry Christmas!"

Houx and Saule were the next to enter Vanilla's room, woken up by Chocolat's pounding footsteps down the hallway.

"Good morning, Chocolat, Vanilla! Merry Christmas!" they said in unison, their mouths wide open in grins.

"Merry Christmas, Houx, Saule!" Chocolat and Vanilla replied together. Their unison was so perfect that one might think they had planned it.

Houx swept Vanilla up in his arms, making her giggle slightly. Together, they headed downstairs, where Houx gently placed Vanilla on the soft couch.

Houx and Saule snapped their fingers simultaneously, and a tall pine tree appeared in the corner, fully adorned by twinkling Christmas lights and sparkling ornaments of various shapes and colours. Ivy and boughs of holly popped into existence, entwined together and strung along the corners where the walls and ceiling met. Pots of bright, beautiful poinsettias were placed outside the house. Identical wreaths appeared on both sides of the front door, completing the ensemble.

"It looks really nice!" Vanilla clapped her hands together lightly. "Yeah, great job, guys!" Chocolat added, flashing them a thumbs-up.

The rest of the day was spent baking cookies under Vanilla's supervision and instructions, playing in the snow while Vanilla watched, watching Christmas movies on the couch and so on. It was slightly disappointing for Vanilla to be unable to join in, but she had fun just spending time with her good friends.

As the sun began to set, the four of them began to open their presents, chattering loudly about what each other got.

"A magic hairbrush! Thanks, Vanilla!"

"Hey, Chocolat, thanks for the sweaters!"

"Chocolat, this necklace is for you-kero~"

"Thanks, Duke! Wow, a frog-shaped pendant..."

"Blanca, thank you for the makeup set!"

"No problem-chu, Vanilla-chama! I just hope that Vanilla-chama can become even cuter and cuter-chu! And really, Vanilla-chama was too good to me...A month's worth of coupons at the cheese shop-chu!"

"Blanca, stop chu-chu-chu-ing or I swear I'll really send you to the sewers, you stupid rat!"

"Brat! You call me a rat again-chu, and I'll...I'll…"

"Saule-kun, thank you for the book!"

"Yo, Houx, thanks for the game! I got you the same thing, though…"

The excitement went on into the night, when finally, they went upstairs to bed an hour before 12.

Vanilla was carried back up to her room by Houx, and he gently set her onto her bed. "Thanks, Houx-kun," Vanilla smiled up at him.

He smiled back at her, then said, "Vanilla, just, uh, hold on for awhile. I'm going to go get something," She nodded and he left the room, only to return a minute later with something behind his back. His expression was slightly nervous as he approached Vanilla.

With a shy smile, he slowly brought out the bouquet of flowers he had been hiding.

Vanilla gasped at the sight of the colourful flowers. "Oh, Houx-kun! This is lovely!" As the Chevalier passed her the bouquet, he began to explain, "I know I already got you a present, but I figured another gift couldn't hurt."

"Thank you so much, Houx-kun," the blonde witch breathed in the fragrance of the flowers.

They sat in silence for awhile before Houx spoke again. "They all have a special meaning, you know…"

"The green orchids are for you to have good fortune and be happy."

"The white lilies represent the beautiful kindness of yours that I love."

"The purple tulips represent your inner elegance. Even though you may be clumsy outside, your spirit is like a true princess."

"The yellow daisies represent your radiance and soft gentleness."

"And the red roses…" Vanilla looked up at him.

"The red roses show just how much I love you."

As he said this, he bent down. Cupping her face softly, he leaned in to her kiss her.

She closed her eyes, and raised her head to him.

As their lips met, Vanilla and Houx knew they'd never forget that moment.

Saule was lounging in his bed, fidgeting. He felt...incomplete, somehow. He knew why, of course, but the very reason irritated him.

The small box on the desk seemed to taunt him in all its shimmering glory. The light green wrapping paper glittered, begging him to pick it up. He glared at it.

A few seconds passed, the box making no response to his death glare. Finally, he jumped up. Picking it up, he opened the window and flew out into the night sky.

He seemed to fly aimlessly, though his heart knew where to take him. He had already memorized the address, after asking for it last month "just in case he ever needed it" - even if that did make him seem a bit stalker-ish.

Within minutes, he landed on an apartment balcony. The moment he touched the ground, the glass doors slid open.

"Where were you?" Mint demanded. "I was waiting for hours!"

Saule's jaw dropped, though he was unsure whether that was due to the fact she seemed to be expecting him or the way the moonlight shone softly on her light brown hair...or the way her forest green eyes sparkled with the stars…

He was getting off track.

"You were waiting for me?" he managed to say.

"Well, yes," the girl replied, calming down. Her features softened into a slight smirk. "I thought you'd never come."

"Uh…" Saule fidgeted nervously. Did she not care that he had just landed on her balcony? Wait, had she seen him fly? But she hadn't say anything about it... His thoughts were too befuddled for him to think properly.

While he had been lost in his thoughts, Mint withdrew into her bedroom and came back out with soft fabric in her hands. Without waiting for any response, she wrapped the crimson cloth around his neck. Taking a step back, she nodded in approval.

"A scarf?" Saule said in surprise. "It's cashmere. I knitted it myself," she replied, this time a bit shyly. "How is it?"

He took the end of the scarf into his hands. It wasn't perfect, but it was so soft. A faint scent of mint wafted to his nose. He never knew mint could smell so intoxicating. "It's great," he said in a daze. "Thank you." The red scarf clashed with his clothes, but he didn't particularly care at that moment.

She smiled at him, before looking at the small box in his hands expectantly.

Noticing, he handed her the box. "This is for you," he said as casually as possible.

She took the box, their fingers brushing together for an instant. In that instant, all Saule could see was the girl in front of him, and nothing else. Mint opened the box to find a bracelet, beautiful curlicues of silver intertwined. She let out a soft gasp. "It's really beautiful, Saule-kun,"

"Really? It was just something I saw and thought you'd like," he muttered offhandedly. Truthfully, he had spent a whole day combing through stores, but she didn't need to know that. "Thank you so much," she said happily. "Can you please help me wear it?"

He was slightly surprised, but he tried not to show it as he took the bracelet from her. She moved closer so as to make it easier for him. They made eye contact, and saw their breaths in the night air mix.

Both green and blue eyes broke contact quickly, deciding to focus instead on the bracelet. She was quieter than usual, Saule noticed. But he didn't comment on it. He lifted the bracelet to her right wrist and made to latch it close.

Just as before, his fingers touched her skin and everything else in the world seemed to disappear. Her skin was warmer compared to his, probably because he had been flying in the winter sky. Their eyes met again. Mint's green eyes were wide, but he wasn't sure why. They froze there for a second, as if they just wanted to stay like that. Their breaths caught, green met blue, and cold skin turned warm. The moment passed, and Saule quickly latched the bracelet before taking a step back.

Mint let out a nervous laugh. "Um…" Her cheeks were tinged red. Was she feeling cold?

A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again. "Merry Christmas, Saule-kun." "Uh, yeah, Merry Christmas." he answered.

Without warning, she stepped forward and hugged him.

Saule was completely taken aback. Why was she hugging him? Was it a gesture of friendship? Was it just to thank him for the bracelet? Or did she...like him?

He didn't move. After a few seconds, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. None of them said anything, and the discomfort gradually settled into contentment. He didn't want to think about what their current relationship was, what her motives were, what she felt for him, what he felt for her. He didn't want to think about anything else.

Saule was just happy to be there with her, their arms around each other. Regaining his courage, he buried his face in her soft hair. As he breathed in the minty scent, he heard Mint let out a soft sigh, as if she felt what he was feeling too.

He never wanted that moment to end, and neither did she.

Chocolat was in her room lounging on her bed when he popped in.

"Ah!" she yelled, sitting upright.

Pierre chuckled. "Hello, Chocolat. That's a nice way to greet someone."

"Pierre! I...You...That was rude!" she screamed. The blond boy raised his hands in defense. "Sorry, sorry...I just thought it'd be a nice surprise…"

"I...I...It is nice to see you, but…" Chocolat stammered. "I thought you had a meeting!" "I managed to get away for awhile, and thought I'd come to see you. I only have a few minutes, though. I was worried you wouldn't be awake." he replied.

"Also," he added, retrieving a small box from his coat pocket. "I wanted to give you your Christmas presents. Merry Christmas, Chocolat," He handed her the box, smiling.

She took the box, her mouth wide open in a grin. She still couldn't believe Pierre was here! She felt a bit embarrassed at her messy room, but...Pierre was here to celebrate Christmas with her!

Opening the box, she found a silver necklace with a heart-shaped locket. Clicking open the locket, she smiled to see a picture of her and Pierre together. "It's perfect, Pierre," she said. "Thank you! Merry Christmas!"

She quickly jumped up and began to rummage in her drawer. "I got something for you earlier...Hold on, it's here somewhere...Ah!"

Turning, she gave an eager smile. "Close your eyes!" she said. Obliging, Pierre closed his eyes, furrowing his brows in curiosity. He felt her put something on his head...a headband?

She then led him to her mirror, saying, "Alright, open your eyes!"

He opened his eyes. On his head was a pair of fake cat ears, matching the colour of his hand. He heard a click and turned to see that Chocolat had taken a picture of him. Him, the Ogre Prince with cat ears!

"You look so cute!" she laughed. His cheeks turned a deep shade of red. He lunged for the phone. "Why, you!"

She dodged, still laughing. He laughed with her, her happiness flooding over him. He finally caught her wrist, and the laughter slowly died down. They stared into each other's eyes, their smiles so joyful just because they were with each other.

"Oh, right, I did say "presents". I have something else for you." he smiled. Chocolat finally realized that he had one hand behind his back the whole time. Wow, I'm really unobservant, aren't I? she thought ruefully.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.

He brought his hand to the front, and in its gentle grip was a rose, light brown in colour and coated with what seemed to be white powder that glimmered softly under the light.

Chocolat stared at the rose in amazement, taking it from him. "Wow!"

"It's a rose made purely out of chocolate. I thought it might suit you. I managed to create a special frost that would preserve it for eternity. The frost adds a nice touch too," Pierre explained.

"It's really beautiful. Thank you so much, Pierre!" she hugged him. As she moved back, they grinned at each other for awhile. Their hearts felt light, their eyes warm with sincere affection for each other.

"Don't you have a meeting to get back to?" she asked, albeit reluctantly. He responded with an uncharacteristic smirk. "I'm sure they can wait." Then he leaned in and kissed her.

The sudden kiss surprised and delighted Chocolat, who was so happy she felt like she had wings at that moment. She'd been really down at the thought of not being with Pierre for their first Christmas, and this was just...There were no words to fully describe how she felt. She was just so...happy.

They stopped kissing, smiling at each other again. Then they moved, and their lips met one more time.

The meeting could wait.

Author's Note: Well, I hope all of you who read that enjoyed it! Please leave a review so that I can know what you thought about it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and Merry Christmas to everyone! Bye!