A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the late update. So to make up for everything, here's a double update! Wait, am I late? I'm kinda new to this whole fanfic thing if you haven't noticed already but I do read a good share of stories by other authors and trust me, they take a LOT longer to update. Take Feral Pheonix's "Shadowed Heart" (one of the awesomest fanfics I've EVER read) for example. It was a story that was deleted for some reason and has been recently been reposted. When I last checked, it had 22 chapters. If the chapters were already comepleted, how come it only has 10 right now? Any good author would save a copy of each chapter in case something happens later. My guess is that Feral's holding out for reviews, something that wouldn't work for me however. glares at people

Anyways, I will now cease my rambling and get on with the story. Please read and review.

First Impressions Are Everything

It would have been a lie if someone said Vik had a relaxing weekend. For once in his life, Vik was glad there was school on Monday. Being a student was easy, all you had to do was pay attention in class and do your homework. Being a teacher was even easier. It didn't matter if your students pass, even if they fail you still get paid. Being a parent was a different story. To be a parent, you must work hard each and every day. If your child fails, then you have failed them. It is extremely hard to be a parent and that was exactly what he had been for the past 3 days. During the weekend, Vik grabbed every educational book he could find in the house and started to bring Saria up to speed with her age's required education. Most of the things like basic math, reading and writing Saria already knew. How she did was still a mystery but it knocked off a couple years worth of teaching. Even so, the girl was still behind.

Luckily, Saria was a fast learner. She managed to grasp the concepts of Algebra and Geometry early, clearing through a whole semester's worth of cramming in a few short hours. She seemed to have no problem with grammar already, since she managed to understand his dad's lectures. He wasn't able to get around to teaching her Social Studies and History, since the rest of the weekend was spent learning Science. It was hard work, it was worth the effort.

"Wake up, Saria!" He said as he threw on a pair of black cargo pants. "You don't want to be late for your first day of school." Vik immediately felt like throwing up after saying that sentence. He sounded way too much like his mother.

Saria rubbed her eyes sleepily. "But I can only remember 20 elements..."

"I never told you to memorize them. Most kids just memorize the first 13 and write the rest on the back of their hands." He dug through his clothes pile and selected a hooded T-shirt that smelled less than a week old. "Just hurry up and get dressed." He said through the cotton fabric as he blindly felt his way out of the room. "I'll meet you downstairs."

As soon as he finished pulling down hist shirt, he slung his bag over his shoulder and bolted down the stairs. "Why are you in such a rush?" His mother asked when he ran into the kitchen. She and his father were seated at the table, enjoying a cup of herbal tea.

"There's something I have to do before class." He said, grabbing two containers of cup ramen. He filled a thermos with boiling water and shoved a donut in his mouth before charging out the door. "See you later!" He murmured through the donut.

Saria was already waiting for him outside, dressed in a red leather jacket and yellow T-shirt. A plaid skirt covered a pair of blue gym shorts, because in spite of Vik's arduous searching, he had failed to find any underwear. He made a mental note to buy her some as soon as possible, though he was not looking forward to it. In the mean time, the gym shorts worked great. They were the kind that covered only about a third of your thighs so no one could tell she was wearing them. "Wow. I didn't know you could dress yourself. I'm impressed." He laughed, dodging out of the way as Saria swung her book bag at his face. "Hey, can't you take a joke?"

Saria stuck out her tongue. "It's bad enough I have to live with you." She said, grabbing one of the ramen cups from Vik's hands. "But having to go to the same school as you? That's just too much. I haven't gotten a single minute of privacy since I arrived here."

"Three days and you're already complaining. Am I that hard to live with?" Vik thought out loud. She expressed her answer with a loathing glare, which could immediately be interpreted as an obvious 'yes'. "No wonder my sister moved out." He continued. "On the matter of your privacy, however, I'm not so sure. You've gone without human contact for a good portion of your life. I thought you would be bored with being alone by now." He opened the thermos and poured the boiling water into Saria's noodles before adding it to his own. "Come on. The school's only a couple blocks from here but you gotta start walking."

---

Vik and Saria stood outside the front gates, slowly sipping the last of the soup mix from the ramen. "Where is he?" Asked the girl with much difficulty, since she managed to burn her tongue four times.

"I don't know. He said he'd swing by early...ah, there he is now!" Vik waved down the distant figure of a moogle. Seconds later, Kili trudged up to the pair, grumpy for obvious reasons. During the weekdays he spent at his mom's house, his grandmother always insisted that he dressed formally for school. Every day, the moogle showed up in a clean white shirt, brown pants, suspenders, and a polka-dot bow tie. Catching him in this state was rare though, since Kili always brought a fresh change of clothes. All he had to do was remember to change back before he went home and he would be fine. "My, you're looking sharp today." Said Saria, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Don't you start, kupo!" Fumed Kili. "Let's just get this over with so I can change." Vik and Saria nodded in agreement, both trying their best to take the moogle seriously. They crushed their ramen cups and threw them in the trash before walking through the gates of their school.

---

After twenty minutes of waiting patiently outside of the main office, the door finally opened and his secretary escorted them in. "The principal will be with you in just a moment." She said to them, "He's just finishing up with a meeting." Not long after she said that, a man in a blue business suit walked out of the principal's office. "Send them in." Called a hoarse voice.

"It's about time. Look, it's nearly 8, kupo. I better change." The moogle shoved the papers into Vik's hands. "That's everything, including the school application. Good luck." And with that, the moogle turned around and headed for the nearest bathroom.

Grasping Saria by the shoulders, he led her into the prinicpal's office and helped her take a seat on an armchair. "Good morning Mr. Principal." Vik said, bowing slightly before taking a seat himself.

"Well, if it isn't Vik. How long has it been since we last met."

"Last week, sir." Vik said, trying his best not to sound proud.

"Ah yes. The little event we had with the snakes and the fireworks. But we're not here for that now, are we? What was it you came here for."

"Well, my cousin here..." He pointed to Saria, "Just moved here from overseas. She doesn't know anybody yet and her parents feel it would be safer for her if she attended the same school as me."

"Did you fill out the applications?" Vik wordlessly handed the stack of papers over to him. "Well, everything seems to be in order. But who's Nicholas Acheron?"

"Um...friend of the family, I guess." Vik smiled painfully, hoping he would buy it.

"You know, I normally wouldn't let a student in this late in the year." The principal said, scratching his chin. "We have less than a month left before summer. Why don't you bring her back next year..."

"Please, sir!" Interrupted Saria. Both Vik and the principal gave her surprised looks. "I've been studying hard all year in my home country. I was near the top of my classes for three straight semesters and I would have made it a clean fourth but my mother announced we were moving. Please, I don't want to be held back! Not after all I've done."

"Wow." Vik thought, "She's not half bad. That's twice as believable than anything I can come up with."

The principal was on the verge of tears. Even Saria felt like rolling her eyes at the man's over-trusting judgment. Though nothing was done, the man seemed to sense their thoughts and immediately straightened up. "Alright...Saria." He said, reading her name off the application, "As I said before, I don't normally do this. But I'm going to enroll you in Mrs. Shatyr's division. If she feels you are ready to move on at the end of the semester, I'll see you next year as a sophomore."

"Thank you, sir." Vik and Saria said in unison. After receiving a locker assignment and uniform slip, the two of them thanked the principal once again and left the room. "Well, that wasn't as hard as you made it sound." Saria said as soon as they were out of the man's earshot.

"I'm just glad it's over." Vik said as he threw open his own locker and shoved his books in. "And you shouldn't worry much about Mrs. Shatyr. Her policy is, 'If you get more than half of it right, you deserve an A'. Enjoy it while it lasts, she won't be so naive forever."

---

Although there was over 10 minutes before homeroom, the halls were usually deserted by this time. For unknown reasons, there was no morning bell to signal the start of the school day. The rule was be in your homeroom by 8 o' clock. If anyone was caught in the halls after this time, they were forced to stay after school for punishment, which usually included mopping and sweeping. Because of this, Cyril Academy Private School had the cleanest floors out of all the schools in Ivalice.

Sure enough, room 211 was packed with students when Vik and Saria finally arrived. And like usual, there was a substantial amount of chattering going on. Vik walked up to the teacher and whispered something into her ear. After receiving a small nod, he walked down the middle aisle and took a seat at his desk. "Hurry up and find a seat." The teacher said in Saria's direction. Nodding timidly, Saria tried to find the next available seat that was as far away from Vik as possible. Unfortunately for her, the seat she did choose was in the front row, a bad move when trying to survive high school life.

At the time, Vik could have cared less about Saria. He was too busy listening to the early morning gossip. News of the outbreak had, without a doubt, reached the ears of even the youngest of minds. The students who attended the trip (only the first and fourth periods of Ms. Matteya's science class went) were now the centers of attention and the stories Vik had heard from them on the bus had drastically changed.

"They came thiiiis close!" Said a girl, holding her thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart.

"Here's where they hit me." Said a Nu Mou, showing off the bruise he got when he fell off his bike.

"One of the monsters ate it, kupo." Said a moogle when the teacher asked where his school ID was. Vik's lungs nearly burst as he tried to subdue his laughter. Not one of them knew the true story. "Hypocrites." He muttered to himself as he stared out the window at the school clock, counting the minutes before first period started.

With a tap of a ruler, the entire class fell silent and turned their attention to the front of the room. Their teacher, Mrs. Shatyr, gave them a well-rehearsed smile. "Good morning, class! I trust you all had a good weekend."

"Yes, maam." Chimed the students. Mrs. Shatyr was Ms. Matteya's half sister and her polar opposite. Where her sister was sunny and cheerful, she was dark and grim. While her sister taught science, she taught literature. And even though both of them started teaching careers at the same time, they refused to speak to each other in the halls. The students weren't sure what happened between them, but were smart enough not to mention the sister's name while the other was in the same room.

"A new student is joining our class today. Please give her your full attention." The teacher then turned her stare to Saria. After a couple seconds, she realized the girl didn't take the hint. "What are you waiting for?" She said sternly, "Stand up! Introduce yourself!"

The tone of her voice could have made anyone get up. Saria didn't stand a chance. "Um...hello." She said, rising to her feet and turning to face her classmates, "My name's Saria Fellcrest. I'm Vik's cousin from overseas. Pleased to make your acquaintance." With that being said, Saria immediately took a seat, thankful she could not see the class's reactions.

In spite of Saria's perception on her own speech, it did not leave a very bad impression on the students. Already, positive comments were being exchanged, most of them including the words "she's pretty cute". But that was how it was with introductions, as long as you don't make a complete fool of yourself, your classmates will spare you their pity. The student's bantering was brought to a halt when loudspeaker suddenly crackled. "Attention Freshmen and Sophomores," Said a electronic version of their principal's voice, "Because of recent events, all classes today have been canceled. Please report to the gymnasium immediately."As soon as the click was heard, signaling the end of the broadcast, every single student started cheering at the top of their lungs. "Quiet! Quiet!" Mrs. Shatyr shouted, banging her ruler against the desk like a gavel. "As much as I disapprove of this decision, I will stand by it for I know the principal has his reasons. Now line up outside the room!" The class did so willingly, since they didn't have much to complain about.

As Vik stepped out of the room, a familiar voice called his name. Spinning around, he saw Kili standing with his homeroom about three doors down. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer wearing suspenders. He had switched his brown pants with a pair of worn out jeans and flipped his shirt collar up. As for the tie, he undid the bow and turned it inside out so only the black fabric was showing and tied it around his head. "Hey, kupo!" He said, walking up to Vik and Saria. "You have any idea what this is about?"

"Not a clue." Vik responded. "But it might have something to do with the outbreak."

"Well of course it does!" Saria said in a 'it's blatantly obvious' tone, "That's all anybody has been talking about for the past few days." Of course, Saria had not spoken to anybody other than Vik's family for those first 3 days of her life but in an attempt to make her more aware of her surroundings, Vik had her watch the news. Unfortuneately, every station had entered 24-hour coverage of the Bagabu outbreak incident so in the end, she didn't learn much.

"I guess we'll find out soon, kupo!"

Ms. Matteya emerged from her classroom, carrying the attendance book and what would have been the day's lesson plans. "Come on, class. We don't want to keep the principal waiting." As she headed to round up a few kids that wandered from the "flock", she caught sight of her half sister, who was just locking the classroom door. For the second their eyes connected, Vik could have sworn he saw electricity form between them. "Let's go this way, children." Said Ms. Matteya, leading the class in the opposite direction. "We'll meet up at the gym." Kili called after them. "Catch ya later." As soon as they disappeared from sight, Mrs. Shatyr nodded at her own class and led them along the hall.

As the class proceeded down the hallway, Vik looked out the window and noticed an assembly of Juniors and Seniors gathering in the courtyard next to bits of paper taped to the ground. Squinting, he noticed various numbers ending in A and B written on them. "Seems everyone's getting in on this..." He thought. Upperclassmen were housed in a different section of the school, so a separate intercom was set up especially for them. It was only one of the many special treatments they received.

---

The school's gymnasium was huge. It wasn't like standard gyms, which usually only contained two basketball courts. This was an indoor football field built with hardwood flooring. It had everything for every sport, like goal posts, basketball hoops, and holes where you can set up volleyball and tennis nets. The center of it even opened up to reveal a Olympic-sized swimming pool. 300 panes of glass made up the ceiling, adding sunlight to the gym's 250 light bulbs. Cyril Academy was proud of their gym, and it was usually the first thing the tardy students cleaned.

As they entered the gym, Vik noticed half of it was walled off. The other side was where the Upperclassmen had their P.E. Even though the room was drastically smaller, the two years worth of classes were able to fit in there comfortably, along with what appeared to be a television crew. The students were gathering around a small, boxy stage that was set up at the far end of the gym. On the eastern wall, several tables stood in front of a wall of wooden crates.

Vik eyed the cameramen suspiciously before turning his attention back to the stage. Sitting on the left and right sides of the podium was The Principal, the V.P, the man they saw in the office that morning, and Ms. Matteya. Curiously, Vik and Saria joined the assembly in front of the stage. As the last of the divisions entered, the principal gave a thumbs up and every door was slammed shut. As soon as the classes calmed down, the man in the blue suit rose and approached the podium.

"Good morning, everyone." He said, speaking like he was running for president. The cameras from various channels immediately zoomed onto him. "We are gathered here today on account of recent events. Terrible events. Events that opened our eyes to the dangers we are put through each day. For the past few days, people have been living in fear, constantly wondering what was going to happen next. Here to share her story with us is Karone Matteya." He took a seat back and beckoned for the teacher to approach. The teacher looked at the now empty space hesitantly, trying to get her thoughts in order. When that was done, she stood up and walked up next to him.

"Hello. My name is Karone Matteya." She said in a dry, toneless voice, the kind you hear when someone's reading off a sheet of paper. "On the day of Friday the 14th, my first and fourth classes were looking forward to a normal, everyday field trip to a monster holding facility. Little did we know, we would barely escape with our lives. Those monsters were released right in front of us, the memory of their angry roars still make it hard to sleep at night. We had no idea what to do. I had no idea what to do. And I will never forget that feeling of helplessness as along as I live." This was when Ms. Matteya broke into tears and was escorted off the stage by the vice principal.

Vik's mouth fell open. This whole thing had become a shameless media plug. Just another excuse to bring the school even more publicity. Part of him wanted to wave down the cameras and give them the real story. But it was being held back by common sense. Besides, who would listen to what some kid had to say?

It was the principal's turn to speak now. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie before walking up to the stand. "I assure you, Ms. Matteya; I assure each and every one of you. This will not happen again. Our dignified school will not stand by while our students are threatened. That is why, by signed permission of the Judgemaster, I am admissioning the clan wars program to each and every student." The last statement generated loud gasps from the audience, the teachers, and even the camera crew. "This act will be effective immediately and will run through out the entire summer. A letter has already been sent to schools across the country, encouraging them to participate in this program. During this time, our children will be given proper weapons training so the next time this happens,they will be ready!" As the Principal stepped down, the teachers inadvertently cheered while the students were left speechless. The cameras were turned off after getting a few good shots of the crowd.

"What are clan wars?" Saria whispered in Vik's ear. Vik's mouth was still hanging open from surprise. After a few tries, he finally managed to push it closed and in turn, regained his speech.

"The clan wars is just what its name implies." He said, his head still pounding with shock, "Clans of up to 24 units compete against each other for turf, items, money, even for personal interests. But ever since the Monster Sweep, the clan wars have been dying down. Since there weren't any monsters and since the palace controlled every inch of turf, the clans lost all reason to fight each other. There are still some now and then, usually over an argument or something but other than that, clans usually just do pub missions."

It was Saria's turn to be shocked, though she was much less dramatic than her 'cousin'. "And your...our principal...wants to start this up again? Why? It sounds like a practice nescessary for the times of the past but would be viewed as barbaric today."

"I have no idea but I'm guessing since it died off with the monsters, it would come back with them. And what better place contains more rivalry than a high school?" Vik said. Around him, his classmates were already glaning at eachother nervously or flaring with competance. "We'll be tearing each other apart for the sake of reputation."

---

As soon as the news vans pulled themselves out of the school parking lot, students were instructed to line up in front of the stage; freshman on the left and sophomores on the right. Two buckets were placed on either side, filled to the rim with folded pieces of paper. Written on each sheet was a number ending in D for the freshman and C for the sophomores.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were trying to do. This was the random separation process, a process used by teachers to make sure no one gets unfair advantages. It wasn't fail proof however, because teams with three or four muscular guys were already forming. In the end, it all came down to luck, something Vik came up short with when he reached into the basket. He fished around for a second before withdrawing a sheet with a ragged side. As he stepped off the platform, he opened the sheet and found the letters 25-D stamped on it in red ink.

Saria stepped up from behind him, waving around her own sheet. 25-D was also stamped on it, except in blue ink. "What's this supposed to be for?" She asked for the hundredth time.

"It's simple really," Vik said, showing her his own sheet. "You're supposed to find the people who have the same number as you and get in a group with them."

Saria smacked herself in the face when she saw Vik's number. "Does that mean I'm in the same group as you?" She asked from behind her fingers.

"I'm afraid so. It must be fate so it can't be helped. Now com'n, let's go find the rest of the clan."

The two of them scouted around the gym, searching for their future clan members. Just like what happened with the seniors, signs have been posted along the ground and along the walls, the numbers printed on them gradually increasing as they walked further. After taking 24 signs worth of steps, they had arrived at the far corner of the room. Kili was already waiting for them there, his sheet stuck on his forehead by his own spit. "Well it's about time you two got her!" He said, giving Vik a high five, though it could barely be called such seeing that it was barely a foot off the ground. "Me and the others have been waiting forever, kupo" He waved his hand behind him, motioning at the other three beings that were present. Sitting on top of a pile of tumbling mats was a Bangaa. He wore a red sports jacket and blue faded jeans. Vik knew him as Yolando Egidio. Then again, there wasn't as student in the whole freshman year that didn't know who he was. His name was on the top of every list displaying class rankings. Though he had every reason to gloat, he mostly kept to himself. Vik had only talked to him a few times, but only about school related topics.

The other two members were familiar as well. Leaning against the walls in the corner of the room was a Viera named Elena Pendragon and a human named Mosely Lionheart. They were both roughly the same height, somewhere around 6'1, with ornate green eyes. Both of them were wearing their school uniforms, a decision forced on them by their parents. Their only differences was their gender and their hair color. Their manners and the way they held themselves were completely alike. They were what society calls blue-bloods, a term not referring to the actual color of their blood but rather to their family's social status. The Pendragons and Lionhearts were direct descendants of the first kings of Ivalice and these families constantly held this fact above everybody's heads.

Vik's relationship with Mosely wasn't all that bad. They were in the same division and were teammates on the school soccer team. They had even eaten lunch together a few times. He chose not to acknowledge his position on the heiarchy and no one would have even known he was nobility if the teachers hadn't stopped and gasped when they read his name on the roster during the first day. Elena, on the other hand...well, let's just say people would rather jump headfirst into a gator infested swamp than work with her. She had a way to pick out each and every one of your individual faults and throw them in your face when you least expect it. And unless you had prestigious family ties, she normally ignored you. In this instance, however, she was the first to speak up. "Oh no...don't tell me he's our clan leader." She said with both verbal and physical disgust.

"Wait a minute. Leader? What are you talking about?"

Kili grabbed Vik's slip of paper and looked it over. "There's no mistaking it, kupo." He said, passing the sheet around. "Red ink. He's our clan leader."

Vik smacked himself on the forehead. Good luck always seemed to find a way to work against him.