FTS-Peace: Thx for the review! I will try not to let you and anybody down. Well, you're the first review at all!

So, Chapter 1's here! The listing with shards and fragments might sound weird but they also play a role here. Please leave a review and any ideas are welcomed for the next chapters! By the way, this was fast, because I already had written this chapter down before publishing the prologue … but I can't promise this speed for the upcoming chapters … but I will try to upload a.s.a.p. … Please leave a review but no flames … Enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, just the story and Yula.

Note: This chapter is in a different world than the prologue. This is where the real story begins …

Shard 1, Fragment 1: Signs of Arrival (POV of Cagalli)

It was horrible.

Under the dark sky with the blood red full moon, I stood on a scenery of unimaginable horror. Everything was in ruin: corpses, burnt houses, fire everywhere … I tried to recognize something, I mean somehow, this place was very familiar to me … I was in front of a wrecked house in ruin … the fountain, or what was left from a fountain, was black … and there was no water to be found … but the ruins … this was … this couldn't be … my house?! So … was this my home town, December City? This had to be a nightmare! I would not believe everyone was … gone! This was way too much. I needed confirmation that this was the future. So I ran and ran … to the park. Everything was bloody red … still I hoped the lake there would keep its blue, but as I went there, I had noticed I was wrong. It was red, making my reflection look like a beaten warrior covered in blood.

Knowing this was reality, I gave in into my own sadness while staring at my own reflection. How was I supposed to live on? Was I here to be doomed? What happened while I was crying made me immobile … red, thick blood was dropping into the lake while my reflection was crying out blood! Wait … that meant I was crying out blood! Oh, how I wished it was a dream … have I gone insane to the point where I couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams? Or couldn't I accept the reality?As I cried, I could hear a quiet hymn playing on the background. Was I really hearing it or was is just an illusion? Nevertheless, it wouldn't change the fact that this was reality. I hadn't noticed something behind me trying to sneak up on me as I was busy crying my heart out. Everything was still … too still. As if … somebody was sneaking up on me! I swirled around … it was … a monster! I couldn't move as it stroke me. The hymn that was one quiet was picking up speed. Hoping it'd be quick, I used all my energy for a last cream. The hymn had died down. And then, everything went red.

"Aaaa!" I woke up. A white ceiling greeted my sight. Sunlight came from the window on my left, spreading throughout the room and filling with its yellowish-white rays. It was morning and no matter how much I hated it, I could never sleep after I had woken up, so I had no choice but to stand up. My clock next to to me told me it was 5:50, the 7th of May 2020. 7th of May … of course, the first day of school! Suddenly, I wasn't that sleepy anymore. Somehow, my thought about school freshened me up. 'Ok, let's see … homework … ', I thought peacefully, until I turned to the page, where the homework was supposed to be. But it was empty.

No way … I managed to forget all my homework during my summer holidays, which lasted for three whole months?! To put it frankly, I felt the urge to kill myself for forgetting my homework … but still, even if I were to kill myself, it wasn't going to solve this problem. Back then, the only thing that counted was speed. I had a good hour and half to complete my homework and half an hour to prepare myself for school … more than enough for me, especially, if the only subjects where I had gotten my homework were Chemistry, English and Maths, which was here the case. I looked at the books:

Maths: complete equations about powers and roots

English: interpretation of a poem, at least 5 pages

Chemistry: acid and bases - solving equations

Ok, everything was WAY EASY except English. I wasn't really good at interpretations … I knew back then, I had no time to lose, so I took a shower and prepared myself physically for school in hyper-speed … which saved me 10 extra minutes for homework. Two hours later, after I had literally almost burned out my brain cells, my homework was done. 'Phew!', I thought as I wiped up the sweat on my forehead … that was really tiring, I really hope I don't get grey hair too soon … I remembered I really had no time to waste, so I packed my things, took my backpack and light coat and rushed downstairs, where my physically two minutes older but in mind younger brother Kira and my one year younger sister were eating their breakfast, waiting for me.

"Sorry for the wait", I said and sat on the chair. "I really could hear loud steps upstairs … I even thought a monster was there!" Kira started. Apparently, he was looking for some verbal sparring. I knew, I didn't have time to waste but this challenge is something I couldn't back off. "Oh, I'm sorry but as I came here, I thought there was an animal sleeping his winter-sleep and didn't want to disturb ..." I countered, to which Kira made an angry face. It seemed like I had won. So I started to eat the meal the maids had ready for us: some Tako-san Wiener, bacon, eggs with some highly concentrated lemon-lime juice to drink. Fruits? There were a lot: watermelons, oranges, bananas, melons, kiwis, strawberries, ... all kind of stuff. Knowing there was no time, I swallowed up my breakfast without enjoying the food in two minutes flat and ran to the driver, who was in front of my mansion with the car. My slow-poke brother, Kira, had to take his time before departing, but Stellar wasn't so dumb ... "OH SHOOT,THAT LATE!?", I could hear a boy scream inside my mansion and couldn't help but chuckle. Yeah, my brother could be clumsy sometimes. So he did realize that time was of the essence! Centuries later (which was in reality two or three seconds) a sweated Kira came out of the mansion, finally making his début. That took him long enough! A door was opened for him and after he had entered into the car, I did the same, slammed the door shut and the car raced off. Good thing the driver could understand the situation. I wanted to continue our verbal sparring so I looked at him, but his face was turned around. I really didn't bother to start a sparring, knowing that would lead nowhere, so I shut up and looked out of the window. Time slowed down in my mind, the scenery in front of me unclear. Everything was in a blur.

As we arrived the school, I packed my bag and got out first. I had been able to hear the squeals of my schoolmates and couldn't help but sigh. After I got out, I could hear another door closing and the squeals maximized. Geez … I really started thinking their eardrums were indestructible! How could they not get deaf at this volume?! Well, I was almost going deaf! "Well, I'll be on my way, sis." Kira just said.

"Just that?! No 'Have fun with your fan club!'or stuff? Wow, our Kira's very down today!"

"Cagalli, I just don't want to start. Of course, unless YOU want to have a verbal sparring?"

That totally sounded like a challenge. As I had told before, I never back off to any challenge, and I really didn't want to back off THIS one. Just then, the bell rang, much to my relief and frustration, signalling the start of school for that day, which had the meaning that the students had to return to their classrooms. That really helped me. 'Kira, Stellar, until school ends! Have fun! Oh yeah, if it's hell, then endure it!'I shouted at them and I ran into the school building. I was at the 2nd semester, so I went to the bulletin and searched for my name in the list. But there was none so I looked a bit further down and I found my name. There, it was written by hand:

Cagalli Attha, temporarily Class A 2nd semester.

Ok … temporarily? Meaning … well I had no idea. I took a glance at the student list of 2nd semester class A. It was nice to see that Lacus, Shiho and Mir were in my class. It was time to go to my class, and I was sure, if I were to 'catwalk' to my class, my eardrums would crack and be destroyed, so I half-jogged there. Fortunately, I saw a free seat next to the window. Gladly, I took that seat and unpacked my things for homeroom. My first comment? Welcome, very ordinary and boring year! But little did I know that there would be many surprises this year ...

The class periods haven't changed. Chemistry, Maths, English, Japanese, German, Geography, History, Homeroom, … nothing was added, nothing was removed . The same routine every year. Now I would not waste my precious pages writing about this normal and WAYYYYYY too boring things. At breaks, I tried to write lyrics to a melody I had in my mind lately. Indeed, I loved to sing, even though I denied that in front of the 'public'. I only performed among my friends, and all of my performances were successful. They all liked my songs, especially my first one, "Precious Rose". At this break, I was at the rooftop alone. The wind was feeling great and I had wished for some fire … Of course! Right now, as I had found some words for the melody, I wrote them down hurriedly:

Kizutsuita yubi de akatsuki no DOOR o hiraku yo

'Ashita o kono te de erabitoru' to kimeta kara

kaze yo ima tsuyoku

kono mi ni matotta komura o sasaete

I read it over and over and was about to squeal. I LOVED the lyrics. I could continue this way! But then the bell rang, thus reminding me to go to the gym for the sports lesson … I was loving it. 'Time to show them who's the boss in sports!' I cheered myself as I had completed dressing into my sports gear and went into the gym.

"Yes!" I scored one another point, ending the game elegantly. "Nice job, Cags!" Lacus said. I high-fived her and the rest of my team: Mir, Luna and Shiho. "We wouldn't have won without you!", added Luna.

"Oh, come on! That's not true!"

"Oh, yes it is! Thanks, Cags!"

"You're way too modest!"

"Well, how about an ice? It's my treat! But only two cones, whipped cream is allowed." Mir said. Ice? I loved it! "Oh yea! At the sakura tree after school!" I told them, got quickly changed and happily went to the next class until suddenly:

'Miss Cagalli Attha, please meet the Headmaster at his office. I repeat: Miss Cagalli Attha is to meet the Headmaster at his office.'

I froze. Ok … what had I done wrong? I didn't remember breaking any rule … Anyway, it wasn't like I was going to be dead or something by just paying a visit to the good old Headmaster and besides, it wasn't like I had a choice but to go there. The Headmaster was waiting.

"Oh, Miss Cagalli, I've been waiting for you." He started.

"How can I help you?" I asked.

"The real question is: how can I help YOU?"

"By telling me the reason why I'm here? Don't try to hide."

"Tell me, do you know about the elite school at Ongoro?"

"Yes I do. Why are you asking?" I asked back. Now I was curious.

"Congratulations! You've just received a scholarship form that elite School, thus making you the very FIRST student to get a scholarship from there!" He announced. That was impossible, I knew, I had received an invitation … from Archangel Destiny, THE elite school …?!

Ok … I really hope I didn't let you down … Athrun is gonna be making his début at chapter 3 but I'll try to make it as interesting as possible. Yula will return at next chapter … I can say you that much about the chapters … well don't forget R&R! If there are any grammar mistakes or such, please tell me.