"Welcome to St. Aerith's Academy of Excellence and Prosperity! My name is Sora Strife, and I've been tasked with showing you around!" Sora beamed.
Roxas inwardly groaned. "You're awfully chipper, huh? Anyway, the name is Ro-".
"-xas Iwamoto. Age: 16. Likes: Skating, video games and writing. Dislikes: Disorganization, needless violence and... secondhand smoke." Sora finished, his once excited demeanor dropping like a dime, shifting to seriousness.
Roxas stood flabbergasted, his mouth slightly agape. "H-How did.." he began.
"Don't be too surprised." Sora interrupted. "In fact, you're lucky that I was your assigned guide. If it were anyone outside of my circle of friends, you'd be done for." He then stated, unfazed by the pointed look Roxas gave him.
"It's better that you make friends as soon as possible if you plan on surviving here." Sora forewarned. "The circle I'm apart of is the only one without any ulterior motives." He then finished.
"Wait wait wait!" Roxas croaked out before Sora could continue. "'Lucky'? 'Done for'? 'Survive'? What are you talking about!?" He asked, confusion evident in his voice.
Sora simply chuckled. "It'll be a hell of a lot easier to show you, rather than just tell you." He invited, a sly smile gracing his features.
Sora walked off, silently beckoning Roxas to follow.
'Guess I don't have a choice in the matter' Roxas thought to himself, tailing his oddball of a guide.
The two boys made their way to the academy entrance. Roxas slowed his pace slightly, taking in the scenery itself that surrounded them.
The school building had a very modern look to it, despite being on an island in the middle of the ocean.
Most of the structure was made of large glass windows and steel beams. It gave off the appearance of an upscale mall or resort.
"You done sightseeing?" Sora called over his shoulder. Roxas shook his head, bringing him back to reality.
"Sorry, was just taking everything in." He apologized.
"No worries, she is a beaut though." Sora responded, brushing off Roxas' admiration with ease. "It's unfortunate of what takes place behind these fancy windows and walls" Sora murmed to himself.
Walking through the front entrance, Sora led Roxas down a long corridor. Large wooden double doors situated at the far end of the hall. As the two boys made their way down the corridor, conversations could soon be overheard.
"This, is the Central Hall" Sora announced, opening the double doors to reveal a large auditorium-esque room. The layout split the hall into three sections. Not only by topography, but also by the groups of students within the room.
"What's with the tri-segregation?" Roxas asked. It was obvious that these were the "circles" Sora may have been referring to before, but the question of "why?" remained in Roxas' mind.
"I'm glad you asked!" Sora chirped, his apparent chipper attitude having returned. "These are the three factions that, ultimately, control the school. " Sora began.
He pointed to the far right off the room, starting with the first group. "These guys are apart of the Bianchi Faction. Although, none are related by blood, save for the top dogs." Sora stated. "The leader of this group is Larxene Bianchi: Heiress to the Bianchi Crime Family based out of the Mediterranean. A temperamental girl who rules with an iron fist. One wrong move or slip up with her, and you'll wind up in a ditch somewhere. The Bianchi Family controls the Culinary Arts, and Orchestra clubs." Sora finished.
"Crime family? So, the mob, basically?" Roxas asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Pretty much, yeah." Sora replied, confirming Roxas' assumption.
Continuing, Sora pointed to the center group of students. "You can call these guys the Triads. Led by Zhuge Isa, but everyone calls him 'Saïx'. He's heir to a conglomerate of organized crime deep within the east." Sora informed. "I advise you to stay away from him. The scar on his face conveys his own struggle for power and he has very little tolerance for almost anything." He finished.
"Rumor has it, his cousin, Zhuge Xion, was the original successor. But, because she's a girl, her seat was stripped. Societies within the heart of the east are frightening" A soft voice said, surprising Roxas.
"Hey Nami! How's it hangin'?" Sora greeted. Turning to his left, Roxas was met with deep blue eyes; a twinkle shining within them. She had blonde hair and wore the school's uniform with pride.
"Couldn't stand being around Larxene any longer" she responded to Sora's greeting, then continued. "Otherwise, all is well." She turned back towards Roxas, smiling lightly. "You must be Roxas. My name is Naminé Bianchi" she introduced, holding out her hand. Roxas took it, firmly shaking it.
"Uh, y-yeah. That's me. Roxas Iwamoto". He replied, stuttering in the process.
"Welcome. Really glad we were able to get ahold of you first." She stated, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Although, it is ultimately your choice, we hope you decide to stick with us."
"Ah, yes. Thanks for reminding me, Nami." Sora spoke up. He pointed to the final section of the room, and the smallest of the three groups. "Last but not least, these fine individuals are what you would call the 'Yakuza'. Their leader prefers they be referred to as 'Kibou', instead.
"'Hope', eh?* Roxas commented, smiling to himself. "I take it, you're apart of this group, huh?"
"Aye." Sora confirmed, returning Roxas' smile with a toothy grin of his own. "Led by my best friend, Riku Fujikawa, with help from his sister Kairi Fujikawa."
Roxas took in the group of students; they all gave off an air of friendliness. Compared to how thuggish and hardened the students from the other two groups appeared, these guys looked like saints.
"Riku is the heir to the crime syndicate present within the Far East. His goal is to actually pull away from the criminal scene, run the syndicate as a legitimate business." Naminé stated, breaking her own silence. "He treats everyone that's associated with his faction equally and with respect."
"For someone who's supposedly a part of a rival faction, you sure do know a lot about the guy and his ambitions." Roxas stated, eyeing the blonde girl in the process.
"Well, it's no secret. Everyone knows it's what he's striving for." She giggled in response. "Besides, I'm best friends with Kairi, and while my own sister dislikes who I associate with, I dislike how she runs our faction.
Naminé smirked. "Someone at the top, being friends with 'the enemy', causes a tiny bit of distrust to exist among her troops which makes things harder for her overall."
A chuckle came from behind the trio, causing the three to turn in it's direction. "Still not getting along, huh? Will things ever change?"
Upon turning towards the new voice, Roxas was met with silver hair and blue-green eyes. The tall boy of moderate build stuck out his hand towards the skater.
"The name's Riku, welcome to St. Aerith's."