Note: This is an AU. So, stuff has been changed to fit the story. Also, it may hint at yaoi but it is not what you think it is. It is seemingly like that. But, I repeat, it isn't really.

Pairings? You'll see. I think it's safe to say that almost all pairings will be here. Canon at most.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED, just the inspiration that comes with it...

A Runaway at Heliopolis Institute

Chaper 1: Newcomer at Heliopolis Institute

Four years ago, a park in Heliopolis...

The green robotic bird struggled to flap its metallic wings. But, try as it might, it could not even lift itself a few inches off the ground. A brown-haired boy of twelve years crouched over it, watching its feeble attempts with a pitying look on his childish face. Sad to say, the robotic bird was broken and for quite some time now. The young child did not have the heart to approach his stepfather to have the bird repaired. How could he, when the bird was a little gift given to him just two days ago.

The truth was, his tomboyish stepsister was the actual perpetrator. The devilish brat that she was, the girl was fooling around with a crossbow when it happened. She was in the act of seeking vengeance on one of the mean gardeners and had the nasty idea of sniping him from a third-floor window. Of course the bolts had blunt tips. The catch, though, was that there were paintballs attached to them - paintballs containing a mixture with permanent dye. And the girl knew how the gardener seemed to take pride in his perfectly white overalls. Witnessing this enterprising sport, it did not occur to the young boy to ask his stepsister where she could possibly have procured such a dangerous weapon. Just as the bolt was released, the robotic bird chose that time to come into the scene - flying right in the bolt's line of path. Torii was hit, hurtling to the ground.

The gardener found out the devious plot against him and the plan was foiled. His imp of a stepsister was severely chided, with a few additional punishments thrown in. A horrified Kira ran down to the garden, taking up the robotic bird in his arms.

Now that his stepsister was grounded, a Kira very much dejected was made to play on his own in the park. But he had no heart to. His toy was broken after all.

"Can't it fly?"

Kira tilted his head up. Another boy his age - with blue hair, emerald eyes, and pale complexion - stood over Torii and him.

Present, Heliopolis Institute...

Athrun blinked the drowsiness out of his eyes and put a hand to his mouth to stifle another yawn. He straightened up, focusing back on the textbook that lay open on his desk. From a corner of his view, he glimpsed the black pants and polished black leather shoes of some person stopping short in front of his seat.

"Yo, Athrun! Had a restful night?" a male voice ensued.

"Did you, Dearka?" Athrun replied wryly, mustering all his concentration to keep his eyes on the paragraph he was currently reading. This was a distraction he always had to overcome in the morning.

Dearka, Athrun's Latino classmate, laughed as he slipped into a vacant seat next to Athrun. "I see you didn't sleep well last night and I admit that it's my fault. I just wanted to thank you for helping me out with those configurations."

"Which I ended up finishing while you snoozed off," Athrun added.

"Yeeeaah. About that..."

"You don't need to apologize."

Dearka displayed an expression of mock incredulity. "Are you sure? I was planning to treat you to lunch or something."

Athrun lifted his head from his textbook and eyed Dearka, an eyebrow raised. "I doubt it. I seem to recall that you spent the rest of your allowance on a date with some girl from the lower class."

Dearka forked a hand through his blond hair, a slightly guilty look on his face. "Okay, so I blew all my money from that last date. So, why don't I repay you when I get my allowance for next month?" He said, grinning boyishly.

Athrun stared at the brown-skinned coordinator for a few seconds, then turned back to his book, saying, "You don't have to. Just don't forget to hand in those configurations to Instructor Ayman today. Now, will you stop bothering me? I think I've read the same sentence thrice already."

"Ah yes, must always keep up with studies or else your rival--"

But Dearka let his words trail off there. Athrun was ignoring him anyway. Dearka glanced toward the back, momentarily amused at the argent-haired boy glaring vehemently at someone and he had an idea who it was. He turned his head to the doorway, where a wan and haggard-looking girl with flipped auburn hair had just entered the room, staggering on her feet. Dearka smiled, making his way among other classmates.

"Good mornin', Miriallia!"

"What's so good about the morning?" grumbled Miriallia, flopping down on her seat heavily.

Dearka sat down on Milly's left. "So, why turn up this morning looking like a zombie? Been up late again writing articles for the school paper?"

"Back off!" snapped Milliaria. The increasingly loud chatter suddenly dissipated, all eyes on Milliaria and Dearka. Oh, them again. A few moments of silence passed before the hum of talk resumed as everyone went back to his/her own business. Dearka harrassing Milly was nothing new in class.

"Sorry..." Milliaria murmured when she regained composure.

Dearka gazed mildly at his seatmate. "I'm sure that isn't my doing."

"What isn't your doing?" The briskness in Milly's voice returned.

"Your being in that foul mood," Dearka pointed out. "So, does it have something to do with her again?"

"Who?" Milly asked impatiently.

"Fllay Allster, your roommate," Dearka answered with feigned exasperation and a few hand gestures, as if he was talking to a three-year old tot.

The natural narrowed her eyes at the coordinator. "Why do you know about that?"

Dearka noted the emphasis on the 'why' that should have been a 'how'. He wondered if this was a topic forbidden to be brought up?

Dearka shrugged. "She told me," he said casually.

Milliaria's eyes lingered on Dearka. Her mind was working, deliberating...

"You don't happen to be the idiot who asked her out last night, do you?" Milliaria asked in a harrowing and hectoring tone.

"No no, I wasn't! Okay, I did ask her out. But that was last week!"

Milly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "So, what did she say to you?"

"She only mentioned a bit about you. She said that her roommate was this grade four student who acted like her prudish and prim grandma, always telling her not to do this and that. Her annoying voice scratched her ear everytime she berated her...Milly?"

Dearka stopped. He could have went on and he would not have noticed how Milliaria was clenching her fists too tightly and shaking in her seat like a volcano about to erupt. Her temper was rising. Shit! Dearka cursed himself. He had been going on so peppily like an insensitive ass. It was as if he had forgotten it was Milly he was talking to. And the things he was telling her...Dearka braced himself for the full lash of Milliaria Haww's verbal attack right about now...

"Well, I'm sorry to say this, but..."

Blip! then, whoosh. Milly clamped her mouth shut as the door opened and a young woman who had shoulder-length chestnut hair entered into the classroom. Dearka slumped back in his seat, greatly relieved for now that he did not have to be Milliaria's verbal punching bag like he usually ended up becoming. Students hastily went to their seats. The whole class piped down at the arrival of their instructor.

Instructor Murrue Ramius was a decidedly beautiful woman with her svelte figure, crimson lips, flashing aureate eyes, and not to mention well-endowed features. She was pleasing to look at even without makeup. Having a brain did not hurt either. Lately, she was looking worse for the wear, though.

"Good morning, everyone," Murrue greeted with a forced cheeriness. The class responded disjointedly.

Murrue scanned the class, seeing the unmistakable expressions of sympathy and concern on the faces of the students. It only made Murrue feel pathetic. So, she looked that obviously depressed then, even though she tried to hide it from her students and fellow teachers. A small voice inside her head was insistently telling her to pull herself together.

"Today, we will be moving on to Chapter 12 of your textbook, which I told you to read in advance and which I hope you did. Before we begin-"

Murrue was interrupted by a beeping sound issuing from the doorway. Instructor Ramius and the entire class shifted their attention to the door panel, which slid open shortly. A woman was outside.

Recognizing the principal's secretary, Murrue strode toward the threshold and paused half-way when she got there. The students were quiet, but undoubtedly curious. The conversation lasted a while. The secretary pushed a sheaf of papers into Murrue's hands and moved aside, revealing a chocolate-haired boy garbed in the uniform of HI's students - long-sleeved white collared shirt, gray sweater with black lining, black pants, and the navy blue tie that distinguished the fourth graders - standing behind the secretary. He was looking away.

The secretary stepped back as she ushered the boy into the room. Murrue exchanged a few more words with her before the door panel slid close.

The instructor stood in front, skimming over the papers in her hand. Beside her, the newcomer still had his head turned elsewhere. Athrun peered closely at him. He had a strange feeling that he knew this person...Chocolate hair and...amethyst eyes.

Murrue finally placed the papers on her desk and looked at her class. "Well, we have a new student who will be joining this class from today onwards. Class, this is Kira Yamato."

Athrun's eyes widened.

He was never one to be used to a lot of attention. It rattled him to have so many people eyeing him. Just get it over and assign me a seat. He told the instructor in his mind.

Kira's eye flew to an azure-haired boy who had an expression so unlike the others, one of shock. Kira furrowed his brows.

"...For your seat, I think you may take that one over there."

A student raised his hand. "Pardon me, Instructor Ramius, but that's Miss Clyne's seat."

Murrue was taken aback. "Oh yes...I seemed to have forgotten...Thank you for telling me... Nicol..." Silence for a while as she brooded with a hand to her forehead. Then, pulling herself together, Murrue began again. "Kira, you may take the last seat in the rightmost column. I believe nobody is occupying that."

"Well Kira, welcome to Heliopolis Institute," said the science instructor, Mawchin Dacosta concisely before he began class.

But the history teacher was the opposite. "I see that this class has a new addition. Mister Yamato, I hope you will be one to not let your attention wander off in my class and have conscience enough to study for tests, else you try to be my 'Enemy No. 1' in this class," expressed Natarle Badgiruel. And with a bang on the table that silenced a sniggering student in the front, "I also do not tolerate tomfoolery and dishonesty. In short, any form of corruption and immorality. Do I make myself clear?"

And the last teacher Kira met for the day,

"Since we have a new student in our midst, I'm calling it a free period. You can do anything you want, guys. Just make sure Kira's comfy in class." Afterwards, he left the room, cup of coffee in hand. Kira did not even find out his name.

Now it was lunch break and Kira was still feeling quite lonesome, feeling his status of being "the new student" more than ever despite the amiable airs his classmates put.

"Instructor Badgiruel may appear a bit intimidating, but she really has a soft spot for her students," floated off a gentle voice near Kira.

Kira's head shot up. It was the person sitting in front of him who spoke, an effeminate and mild-mannered boy with short and wavy apple-green hair.

"Hi, I'm Nicol Amarfi," he introduced himself, a friendly smile on his face.

More like terroristic. Kira corrected in thought. Still, he did not want to be rude to Nicol, a potential company for lunch. "Uh, nice to meet you, Nicol."

"Welcome to Heliopolis Institute and to our class."

"Er, thanks."

"Normally, Instructor Ramius would have had somebody familiarize you with the school, but she's been too preoccupied to do that. And since she hasn't told anyone to, I can tour you around. That is, if it's alright with you."

"Yeah sure."

"But before we do that, why don't you join us for lunch first?"

"O-okay." assented Kira, despite not knowing who "us" was.

"Athrun, you don't have class representative duties right now, do you? You can have your lunch at a regular time today, right?" Nicol said, turning from Kira to another student Kira had not noticed was there.

Athrun was in his seat, busy scribbling something on a sheet of paper. He looked up. "H-huh? What did you say? I-I guess I am free..." he answered dazedly.

Nicol craned his neck to take a close look at the piece of paper. "Are those configurations?"

"Yeah," Athrun mumbled, immersed in his task.

"I thought you were done with those?"

"Not really. Dearka was asking me to help him with his last night and I had only left mine half-finished."

"That Dearka, he's always..." Nicol started and found he could not say anything more.

"Yeah. He's always like that that you can't find a word for it anymore," Athrun finished helpfully for Nicol.

Nicol laughed as Kira, the patient bystander, watched the sight interestedly. "Why don't you finish those after eating some lunch?"

"No need. I'm done now." And true to his word, Athrun had only just tucked his homework inside a folder and shoved it into his bag.

"Kira, this is Athrun Zala. He's class representative and class monitor. So, if you ever have any problems in class, he's the person to turn to," Nichol told Kira and then to Athrun, "Athrun, I invited Kira to have lunch with us. I was also planning to show him the ropes, since he's new here. You know how big Heliopolis Institute is. A lot of students still get lost even if they've been going to this school for at least a year..."

But Athrun was not listening. He was staring at Kira strangely, while Kira was remembering Athrun's shocked countenance earlier.

"Athrun? Kira?" cut through Nicol's voice.

Athrun and Kira both snapped their eyes on Nicol.

"I think we should go to the canteen now."

Lunch turned out eventful. Dearka and his argent-haired friend joined the company. Yzak was his name and apart from that, he knew nothing else about this person except he seemed to bear a huge grudge against Athrun. His contorted face varied in so many levels it was interesting to study.

After lunch, Nichol played tour guide; was very exceptional one at his job. The rest of the day went by like a blur. Currently, he was having a difficult time lugging his baggage along the fourth floor corridor of the boy's dormitory.

The dunce that he was, he only realized when he reached Room 4-10 that he did not have access to the room.

Kira bit his lip. Great. How was he going to enter now?

"So, you're my dorm mate?"

Kira raised his head. "You're..."

"Athrun." Athrun strode the length between them. "You need this to get in," he said as he slid a card down the slot.

Beep. The door slid open.

Athrun stepped inside, Kira staring after. The former looked over his shoulder at the latter. "Well, aren't you going in?"

Kira lifted his luggage off the ground and crossed the doorway.

Kira stood there for a while, his eyes sweeping across the room. The dorm was mainly furnished with two single beds separated by a three-legged table with a night light, a four-level shelf in one corner, a study desk, and one low table. The righthand wall had several horizontal slits that ran along the whole length of the wall. Kira guessed they were compartments wherein stuff, most likely clothes, could be put inside.

"Everything's so...neat," noted Kira. Moving from his spot, he saw a sort of kitchen area that took up one recess of the wall, hidden from plain sight. There was another niche that lead to a door.

"Well, I like to keep it that way," Athrun admitted, smiling as he took off his shoes. He pressed a button in the wall. A panel jutted out of the wall, revealing a built-in shoe rack. Athrun stooped down to place his shoes carefully on the rack. Then, he reached out for two pairs of slippers. Athrun threw a pair to Kira. "Besides, I haven't shared my dorm with anyone ever since I came to study here. When you live alone, you can't exactly make a mess as much as two people do..."

"That's not true," Kira disagreed, slipping his feet into the slippers. "I know someone who lives in a pigsty and it's only him occupying that room."

Athrun chuckled as he stretched out a hand. "And who would that be?"

"My brother. He's so slobbish. I don't know how he's able to bear being stuck in all that junk," Kira replied offhandedly, handing over his shoes shoes to Athrun.

For some time, Athrun gazed pensively at Kira, Kira's shoes in hand. A subtle flush crept up Kira's face. He aimed his eyes at some other place. Finally, Athrun turned around to put the shoes inside the compartment too. "You might find this insulting, but I thought that you could almost be a girl."

"W-what! W-why would you think th-that?" Kira said nervously, flushing even more. "Excuse me, I th-think I need to g-go to the b-bathroom!"

"Huh?" Kira had already gone into the bathroom before Athrun had time to react. He was left standing speechless.

Inside the bathroom, Kira leaned heavily against the door, loudly breathing. His heart was galloping like horses, thumping so hard in his chest...

Kira walked over to the sink on wobbly legs, turning on the tap rather clumsily. A small waterfall spewed out from the mouth of the faucet. Kira thrust his hot face underneath it.

Kira turned off the tap. Silence, except for the drip-drip of water drops from the faucet. He drew himself up to his full height. An identical Kira - with shoulder-length brown hair and amethyst eyes, water trickling down his face - was reflected in the mirror.

Kira fumbled in his pants pocket, extracting something resembling a pen. He rolled it over his palm. Next, he was touching it to his irises. He stepped back from the sink and mirror, closing his eyes for what seemed like a minute. Blinking them open, an altogether different figure was in front of him - a feminine face, willful apricot eyes, and golden hair.

"I thought that you could almost be a girl."

"That's because I am..." whispered Cagalli softly.

-----

to be continued...

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So that's that. This was one long chapter and I congratulate you for having the patience to read it to the end. It's just the beginning and the next chapters will be shorter. I had wanted to get it up to the part where Kira was revealed to be Cagalli posing as him. That's why it got this long.

What do you think of this? A review or two would really help me to continue this. Thank you.

Here's a list that I will put at the end of every chapter to keep track of which characters that have appeared or have been mentioned so far.

Class IV-A: Athrun, Dearka, Milly, Nicol, Yzak, Kira, Lacus

Class III-A: Fllay Allster

Teachers: Murrue, Dacosta, Natarle, Miguel Ayman, Andrew