Chapter three is finally up!

Complications

"Ugh, I hate going to school!" Chocolat groaned as she stood up. She couldn't truly believe she was no longer in the magical world; the sensation spread sparkles around her spine. She was so excited she didn't even mind that the only person who really new her here was the annoying Vanilla. She yawned and smiled. Finally, drifting out of the dreamy mist, she realised that she had only thirty minutes to get ready for the big start. She was racking her brains in order to find some nice- looking accessories that would go well with the pitifully unoriginal clothes she was obliged to put. Robin had told her these were the sort of clothes everyone had to wear when going to school in this world, but it didn't change the fact that she 'highly disliked' them, as her personal tutor would have said.

She still felt quite uncomfortable when she walked through the streets next to the blond girl and their sensei. She felt people were looking at them awkwardly, and it grew worse the nearer the school they were, even though, they saw more and more students wearing similar clothes near them. As they entered the grounds, Robin headed to the main entrance where a middle-aged lady was waiting for them.

"Good morning sir. Are these the new students?" The woman asked, although it seemed she was far from thinking about the girls. She seemed exited, and Chocolat couldn't quite understand her happiness. At least, not until she saw that Vanilla looked through her peek-a-boo glasses. She put her two fingers so her right eye would be between them and saw a pink heart glowing for her mentor from a woman who has never probably seen him.

"Watch and learn." The Rockin' Robin himself (only now she seemed to remember he was a big star in that world) said as he started the summoning.

Extase Tentation! He started. Your heart… come to me! In a matter of seconds the pink, glowing gem disappeared in Robin's ring he wore on his right index. Whoa. Chocolat thought. That was amazing. He summoned it like this and he gets those from all his fans! The teacher stood there for a second, confused and concentrated on the girls.

"Now… Vanilla Ice and Chocolat Kato, is that right?" There was nothing of particularly enthusiastic in her voice anymore. It was pure formal.

"When you take their hearts, their strong emotions will be subdued." Robin whispered so only the two witches could hear him. He added then, in a clear voice. "I will be leaving you now, I have many things to do today, I leave you girls in good hands. Goodbye miss." And he went away, his pace slow, but steady.

The teacher stared a moment into nothingness and seemed to be thinking about it. When she looked back at them, she finally seemed back to normal.

"I'm the school's supervisor. If you happen to have any problem, don't feel ashamed; come to me so I can help you. Now, the year has started a week ago, so there are a few things you will need to catch upon. You have been put in the same class at your uncle's wish, although you have to know we're doing an exception here, and if we see that you disturb your classmates by chattering during periods, we'll be obliged to tear you apart. I hope this is clear." She looked at them with icy cold eyes. The two girls nodded in unison. "Very well. Here is the classroom. You stay here until your teacher comes. Welcome to the Moegi Gakuen Private School." She added as she went away.

"She sure is strict." Chocolat said against her will. She felt Vanilla's eyes turn to look at the ceiling. "Ok, ok. I just tried to be nice." Chocolat shrugged. That girl was becoming harder to understand every second. They waited in silence for a minute or two before the teacher arrived. She was much younger than the supervisor, and seemed much of a nicer person.

"Good morning girls, I'm your new form teacher (homeroom teacher for the American). Come on in, we shall introduce you, shall we?" The two girls listened and entered the class. As soon as the teacher appeared everyone stopped talking and stood up. The teacher made the story short and asked the two of them to say something about themselves.

"I can go first." Chocolat said. She had been practicing this for a while ago. The little speech was going to be the decisive one. She was going to take some pink hearts from the start, or she had no right to be called Chocolat Meilleure. She took a deep breath and started.

"Hi, I'm Chocolat Kato, and I transferred here from-" she almost forgot how the country was supposed to be called. "the United Kingdom! I'm thirteen and though I'm a girl I'm still going to kick your butts if you'll make the mistake to think yourself cooler than me!" She smirked evilly, putting up her peek-a-boo glasses.

To her complete surprise, not a single heart shone. The boys looked more freaked out than impressed. She couldn't understand what was it that she has done wrong. She went aside, looking at how her rival was going to handle the situation. She knew Vanilla was bad at talking to new people, but after what had happened just seconds ago, Chocolat would swear everything was possible.

"Um… hello?" Vanilla seemed uneasy. "I, also transferred here along with my cousin, Chocolat. I- ugh. There's nothing there to talk about me." She finished, completely calm, but Chocolat was able to sense her feelings, just as she was sure Vanilla was reading hers. The blond girl was disappointed in herself. There were things unspoken in her speech, and she was profoundly unhappy with herself. None of the girls were surprised when they saw no hearts glowing, but at least people looked at Vanilla. Chocolat had left them speechless, and many seemed to turn their eyes as she looked at them. She couldn't understand it one bit. Why did Robin asked for us to share a class? Does she really need to see my failure?

Chocolat has never been used to being left out. She has always been in the centre of attention. As kids, the magical folk was hugely impressed by bold, sometimes even rude, people. As they grew older, they were starting to get a little more serious and what was beginning to matter where other traits, but as a thirteen years old girl, Chocolat was still living like any person from her world would. She felt herself so distant from that new place, she couldn't concentrate on class, and during the next four hours she didn't do much. She was taking notes, but there was nothing interesting in what they were doing. She was disappointed in this world. She was disappointed that the council had voted changing the rules of the contest. It would have been so much easier if they were doing it before. At least her temperament would have been of a use. The kids in elementary school they passed earlier were running around and laughing. Compared to them the older students were deadly quiet.

It was during the lunchtime that Chocolat faced the reality of her situation. She hadn't talked to Vanilla and she wasn't planning on doing it. She went over to a group of girls from their class and sat down next to them.

"Hi!" She said, trying not to show her uneasiness. "I'm-"

"Chocolat Kato. We know, it was hard to ignore you this morning." A girl with light brown hair and glasses said.

"Yeah… this place is so much different from where I came from…" Chocolat tried her best to remain calm. These girls were too quiet for the magical girl. She needed some action. "Anyway… hey, is there any particular guy you like?"

That question seemed to put them off guard. Chocolat smirked, they were yet going to learn how to live in her surroundings.

"Um… that's a rather intimate question, don't you think?" A girl that sat in front of the glasses-girl said. She had pretty dark hair, and was wearing a ponytail. The brunette, being the third and last of the group seemed as if she wanted to say something, but the glasses-girl changed subjects.

"My name's Nanako. That's Momoko, and that's Natsume. You said the other girl… Vanilla is your cousin, right? She looks a little… lonely, doesn't she?"

Only then Chocolat remembered that Vanilla was supposedly her relative. She turned towards the table Nanako was looking at. Vanilla was sitting there, alone. I can't feel sorry for her. She realised with horror. It's horrible, but true.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She whispered. The girls looked at her, clearly curious. Luckily for her, in that moment Taji, a nice-looking tanned boy from their class appeared near their table. He was alone.

"Hey, look Momoko, that's Taji, he's all alone for once. Make a run for it!" Nanako whispered, excited. The other girl smiled slightly and nudged her lightly. "Come on." She whispered.

Chocolat understood what was going on as fast as she looked through her peek-a-boo glasses. She said nothing though; she was intelligent enough to see that whatever she did wasn't going to help the girl in anyway. In the magical world everyone said what they felt. There was no shame in that, no need of hiding the feelings. She saw that the human world wasn't fully the same, and decided to look how a human girl would handle a boy she wanted to like her. Momoko stood up and went to fetch 'something' from a service table (Chocolat called it this way), just as Taji was looking for something in the sausages' plate. Chocolat saw as she 'accidentaly' touched his hand with the tips of her thingers, trembling slightly from the excitement, while trying to get something. Her face was a tomato red and when he looked at her, her eyes gleamed for a second with happiness. She would have said something, if Taji's best friend, Jun, but called by everyone Mimura (his last name), hadn't interrupted the moment.

"Why so excited Momomo?" He laughed and pushed his friend towards the girl. The two stumbled, almost fell. "Well, go on Momomo, fight for your love, show us how much you like him!" Some other people started cheering with the blond. Chocolat watched in terror how the faint pink heart of Momoko trembled with sadness. She couldn't allow someone like that boy ruin the girl's feelings, no matter what.

"Hey, you! Stop this at once!" She yelled as she stood up. Her feelings were getting the best of her and she knew she was going to regret this. Nonetheless, she started the incantation. It didn't matter she had no wand. She wasn't letting him ruin Momoko's love.

Sugar Sugar Rune! Choco rune! She felt a gust of wind cross the room, Vanilla scream something about stopping, but she didn't care. She continued. The indescribably horrifying guard dog of hell!... I summon you!

The moment she said the last words, she knew something has gone wrong. In front of Mimura stood a puppy, a rather cute one, who didn't look one bit scary. She felt anger and frustration assemble together and cried out.

"Anyway, just leave her, or else… I'll kick your ass!" She felt anger sweep away as fast as she saw their horrified faces.

"Ok, ok. Gee, what's wrong with you…"

"Told you to stop Meilleure, but you didn't listen." She heard Vanilla say. She was going to talk back to her, but felt hopeless. She decided to let it go and quit the room. She couldn't believe it. She wasn't expecting this. She never thought that mortals would be scared of her. It was just too much for the young girl.

"Hey, Kato! I must talk to you!" She turned back, seeing the boy from her class, Akira. He was looking straight at her.

"What do you want?" She said, as she looked through her glasses, desperate. The surprise of seeing a heart was more than astounding. She almost forgot how to summon it, after all that happened that morning. She pulled him out of the canteen and looked him in the eye.

Sugar Sugar Rune! Choco Rune! Your heart is… picked up! Akira's eyes went wide for a second and he looked as if he forgot what he was supposed to do. Chocolat looked no longer at him. She was admiring her very first heart. She really liked it, it was honey-yellow and shone like a little star.

"Hey, what's that!?" She realised with horror that the crystal was being pulled out of her hands and reach.

"Give it back!"

"First you'll need to answer my question." The Akira guy was almost screaming.

"Well, what is it, I don't have time for games!"

"Are you an alien?" Chocolat was expecting anything, but not this. "I saw you the other night, you, your cousin and that 'uncle' of yours! The question took her off guard. Akira had to see them the night they arrived to Earth. She was not going to answer him, not this time.

"Oh, you stupid. Give. It. Back!" And she lounged herself at him. He fell to the ground, but the heart was carried away onto the stairs. She ran to get it, but someone was faster. An older boy with platinum blond hair and blue eyes was standing in front of her.

"It is beautiful, like the morning sun… don't you think?" He looked at her with the heart in his palm. "Is it yours?"

She wasn't able to move The heart I've got must not be taken. A tiny voice inseide of her was saying.

"Your face is all red!" Akira whispered. She forgot about his existence by that time. But it was thanks to him that she finally was able to move again.

"Yes it is, so give it back right now!" She went forward to take it from him. She wasn't prepared for what awaited her. He willingly put his hand in her reach so she could take the little crystal. For a second, she touched his skin, and backed away, alarmed by the way his fingers were freezing. She finally took it, making sure not to touch that terribly cold person.

"How rude. I took it, so I could give it to you. When somebody helps you, you should say 'thank you'." He looked at her, and Chocolat felt his gaze pierce through her.

"Thank you." She whispered, more annoyed than grateful. Only then did he walk away, leaving the girl alone to her thoughts.

"What a prat! I can't believe it!" She felt a sudden fury overwhelm her, after the shock has gone.

"Wow Kato, you're really bad at handling boys." Akira laughed. Chocolat had enough of this guy.

"You-"

"-Bye Kato! See ya tomorrow!"

"Ugh. What a day…" Chocolat grunted. It was almost time for class and she went to the classroom. She sat in the back, so she wouldn't be disturbed by anyone. To her surprise, Momoko came in not much later than her and sat next to her.

"What you did was very brave, thank you." She started.

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk." Chocolat said. She just wanted to be left alone.

"What happened?"

"That's none of your business."

"I get it… You know, because you're different, it doesn't mean everyone will hate you, you know? People will come around somehow. Don't worry."

"You think so?"

"I know, Chocolat." Chocolat smiled. Momoko helped her more than she would have guessed. She was going to say something, but the bell rang and a mass of people went in, followed by the teacher.

It was a good afternoon that she had spent. She saw Vanilla sitting all alone, and she thought that after all, she wasn't the only one having problems mending in with the others, that actually she was in the leading position. She looked at her pendant, now back to it's 'camouflage' form, and couldn't stop thinking about the very first heart she got. She was thinking about it even later, when in the evening they were waiting for Robin to come.

It was Robin who ruined her mood in the end.

"Oh, that is the yellow heart. The piss heart." Vanilla giggled. "It's worth five ecru. In other words, nothing. The orange hearts, the puppy love, means three hundred, pink, a thousand and a red one, five thousand ecru. There are some others you will encounter, but these are the essentials. I wasn't expecting more if truth be told, but well, it's only the beginning. You can go now."

All this for nothing? How dare he speak like this!? So rude… was all Chocolat felt when she went to her room. She saw Vanilla waiting for her, but passed her without looking.

It was a dark place. The cat never felt wholly secure in that mansion. It saw it's master come and purred with happiness. He was the only one here who cared.

"Cernunnos…" He sounded different than usually, but the cat was not caring. "I met a girl today… I'm not sure what to think of her… but she won't be that much of a problem… I won't be beaten."

He stopped. Cernunnos felt someone coming. Two women. It knew who they were. It hid away from them whenever it could. Today its only refuge were the shadows.

"Kyla, Domino… I didn't know you were back." He said.

"Well, we are. And we think that the mission will not be as easy as we might have thought at first."

"The girls' guardian is Centurion himself. Now known as Rockin' Robin… brother".

A deep howl has been heard in the distance

Phew… finally done.

As you see I copied a lot of events in this chapter, but I did make several changes that are going to be important in the future.