Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not a member of CLAMP and don't own any original CCS characters.

Summary: Sakura's final year of junior high begins differently then what she thought it would be. What brings the cheerful, out-going, and up-beat card captor to hide herself from her family, friends, boyfriend, and even her best friend? Who's this golden-haired foreign exchange student?

FYI: In Japan, Japanese students actually start school on the first week of April, so sorry, it might be a little odd.

Edit the Sad Parts

Chapter 1: Let Time Stand Still

Look up at the sky, the bright blue light hazed over his fur and sad eyes of gold dazzled in the night. Before him stood a woman with long thick silvery hair, poignant, soft cheeks, and chalked lips. The blue light was swiftly absorbed by her black velvet hood and robes, reflecting off her silver blade of death and red gems that it held. Staring deep into the lion's eyes, she informed him with mouse's voice, "You have until sunrise to farewell your mistress."

The lion nodded. His head fell to the floor and teardrops roll down his downy cheeks.

With powerful mighty wings, his pawns lifted from the ground. Up and down, his weight shifted from one side to the next, quickly trying to make it to an average house on the counter of the street, seeking of a young lady's window.

As he approached closer and closer, there his mistress laid upon her bed in slumber. Auburn, medium-length hair fanned against her pillow and fair cheek laid. Opening the window with his paws that slowly transformed into felt, stuffed arms, he slid through the crack, hovering cross her room and to her bed.

"Ey, kid, wake up." He rattled.

Moaning and groaning, she scratched her head and glance over at him. "Kero, its midnight… I have school tomorrow. I've been late."

Breathing in, his brow twitched. "HEY, KID! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHIN'!"

"Kero!" With a light, little pillow at her side, she held it up and swung it at him. "… just tell me in the morning…" Releasing her grip from the throw pillow, she fell back asleep.

Kero had no time to waste. Looking out the window, the same lady with her shimmering, white wings stared at him. With her scythe at hand gleaming, he gulped hard. With the sweat on that fabric of his skin and a tremble through his body, he looked around for some kind of message holder. There, on her desk, sat her old computer. Beige and beat-up, he turned on the computer, hoping for it to go faster. Rapidly tapping the desk, the computer was on. Clicking on to a Microsoft Window program, he began to type, 'Hey, kid. I would've talked to ya in person, but you're too much of a dope to wake up. You kids and your sleepin'. Anyway, I gotta say my tah-tahs, kid. These years have been golden. Your friend, Kero.'

Leaving the computer on, he flew back to the window with his last farewell, "I'll see yah around, Sakura." Going through the crack that was already open, he flew away with the pale, winged woman. Then the sun came up.

"AHHHH!" she yawned. It was five thirty in the morning. Exactly that time she had in mind. With a smile on her face as she looked at the clock, she stretched her arms to the sky and legs out. Placing her feet on the ground, she hastily ran over to her door and the bathroom with a gleeful spring in her step and smile on her face. Looking at the wooden toothbrush holder, she picked her translucent pink toothbrush. Breathing in, she smiled wider with one thought on my mind, 'It's going to be a good day today. I can feel it!' She began to brush her teeth.

Done with her teeth, she quickly paced to her room to change into her uniform and a new pair of under garments. She picked a white lacy bra and a matching pair of panties. For a while, she came up to the mirror, dancing around. It was the first day of school. It was her birthday. She was only too proud to be dancing in front of the mirror with her first pair of lingerie she shopped for with Tomoyo during the weekend. She felt like a real grown woman, who hadn't finished college, high school, and was just started her last year in junior high. It was a start of a new beginning for this fifteen year-old woman.

She took her under-dress, white and blue sailor uniform, and red tie, sliding on her under-dress first and skirt and top over it. And last, but not least, she tied her red tie. She was ready.

Looking at the time, she had time. Opening the drawer she keep Kero in, she also took out the sweet card. "Hey, Ker— Kero?" Looking at his tiny bed, she found it empty with his sheet in a mess. 'He must have woken up early, I guess. That's really weird…Well, he's probably downstairs.' She nodded to herself and approached her way down stair with great confidence and her wore-out pink backpack.

" 'moring, dad. Have you seen— Oh…"

"Good Morning, Sakura." Fujitaka responded with a graceful smile. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, dad. I was wondering if Kero was around here…"

Fujitaka began to plate a golden egg-covered omurice and with the kanji "Sakura" written with ketchup on it. "Uh, I'm sorry. I haven't seen him since yesterday. I would think he would be still asleep."

She shook her head with a wrinkle of worry on her face. "No, he's not in his bed…"

He smiled as he placed her birthday omurice on the table. "Don't worry. I'm sure he probably went for a little stroll or when flying a little."

"I supposed. Thanks, dad." With a slight smile, she sat down ready to eat her delicious birthday breakfast.

She was ready to eat until a certain someone interrupted a perfectly, well-balanced morning. As her spoon approached the middle of the omurice, another spoon beat her to it. "Ker— Touya!"

"You were going to mistaken me for that stuffed thing, monster?"

From a sweet pale complexion to a crimson, her veins popped and as she saw the first bit of her delicious omurice be consumed by her unemployed, still-in-the-house older brother of herself's. "That's mine!"

"Oh, stop whining. You still act like a ten-year-old."

"Well, I'm fifteen today."

"Well, you're still a little monster."

Puffing her cheeks, Fujitaka placed other plate of omurice for Touya. Devouring her breakfast quickly, she rushed to the door with her things and was well off on her way… until, "Sakura!"

"Yes?"

Touya smiled and said, "Happy Birthday, Monster."

"Thanks, welcome back, Touya." With a sweet smile, she left the house.

Touya and Fujitaka sat there looking at each other. "Dad, do you know something?"

He nodded. His glance to the salt and pepper, he sighed at the question. He asked, "You know what I know and Sakura will soon find out…"

Touya scratched his head in frustration. Pounding on the table, the dishes shook. "That damn stuffed animal!"

As on Sakura's way to school, she was unaware of Kero's message upon her computer screen.

Just as Sakura came to her shoe locker, she found a pink note on top of her school slippers. A rush of rose filled her face as she held the card that read "To Sakura, Happy Birthday." The hand writing was somewhat structured, yet the curves on the hiragana on her name were rigid and odd. She knew who it was from.

Grabbing her shoes and putting them on, her glance fell on a new student. Blonde Hair and awkward golden eyes, this stranger wasn't exactly what you would call handsome. On the bridge of his nose held rectangular glasses and with black frames and a few zits on his face. This foreigner was definitely new. With his broken Japanese, he asked her, "Excuse me, where is this locker number?"

Handing her a piece of paper, she pointed to a locker at the edge of the locker bay, replying in Japanese, "It's over there."

"Thank you very much."

"It was my pleasure." She slightly bowed and watched this confused foreigner open his shoe locker. Blinking, she didn't know what to think. He was familiar, but could exactly place where she'd seen him from.

Thought and ideas ran into her head. A hand interrupted, waving in front of her. "Sa-ku-ra," the voice spelled, "Happy Birthday! Here, I got this just yesterday when we were shopping."

"What?!" Sakura took her attention to Tomoyo, who as always smiled happily. "I can't believe you did that… but, wait, I didn't see you buy anything…"

"Exactly."

"So you didn't get me a present?" With her lower lip stick out and eyes slightly watered, she threw her puppy face. "How… could… you… not?"

"I did, silly!" Handing her a white bag, Tomoyo whispered, "There's a surprise in there for you, so don't open it until after school, 'kay?"

"Aww… Please?"

"Nope, Sorry, Sakura, I know you wouldn't want to pull it out at school."

Her brow rose. Digging a little bit into the bag, she found something quite recognizable from yesterday. With a pink lace and silk white, Sakura stared at another pair of lingerie. "Tomoyo!"

"Well, it's just a joke." She stuck out her tongue. "You're getting your real present later."

"Oh." And from the corner of Sakura's eye, she grinned widely at the sight. "I'll be right back."

Giving Tomoyo a wink and Tomoyo giving Sakura a thumb-up, she tip-toed her way towards a tall, lean boy, who carried his body so with some type of masculine elegance. "Hey, I don't think Syaoran would ever just pass his girlfriend like that."

"What girlfriend?" The boy replied with an added risen brow. "Hey, Sakura. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." Looking around, Sakura checked the corner and sites of anyone and warped her arms around Syaoran. With her arm lying on his shoulders, she leaned over for a sweet happy birthday kiss.

Of course, another disruption walked through the couple with a large stomp on the floor. "Display of affection is not allowed." The poignant face smiled. "Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."

"Yukito-chan! What are you doing here?"

"I'm volunteering as a teacher's aide here." Placing his hand over her, he patted and rubbed her hair. "It's nice to know that you're not as innocent that you used to be."

"I guess." From a wide grin to a slight smile, an abrupt widening of the eyes appeared on her face. "Yukito-chan, have you seen Kero? I couldn't find him in anywhere in my house."

"Not even asleep or eating?"

She shook her head.

Suddenly, the bell rang. "Oh, Let's go. All three of you are going to be late, you know!" As Sakura watched Yukito run off ahead of them, she narrowed at her eyes at him, pondering.

"Come on, birthday girl." Syaoran sweetly smiled at her.

Returning the smile, the trio walked to class with Sakura's mind in great wonder.

Meanwhile, the golden-eyed foreign glanced heavenly at Sakura as she giggled and laughed without knowing what was going on.

DING! DONG! Finally, it was the lunch bell. As sighs, chuckles, and screaming shriek down the halls, Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and a few of their other friends gathered under a thrive cherry blossom tree to celebrate who they all adored. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Un, thanks, everyone."

"Well," As a girl with dazzling hazel eyes and long curly hair begin, a small decorated cake covered in soft pink fondant with brown words that read: "Cherries definitely blossom." "You can't celebrate a birthday without some light vanilla home-made cake."

"Rika, thank you! I can't believe you when through all that trouble."

"Oh, it was no problem."

With an index finger pointing up, Takashi spoke up, "Did you know that the word 'fondant' came from the English word 'fond of' meaning 'to like'. And that means that Rika has—"

"Don't you dare say another word, Yamazaki Takashi!" Chiharu readied herself as she raised one sleeve up and and veins popped. And BAM!

With swirls at his eyes, his last words were, "How vain can you be to—" Until finally his head touch the luckily soft, lash grass.

Indeed, it was a day to be happy about. Presents sat on one side of Sakura. Syaoran sat on the other. Above, newly bloomed cherry blossoms glided and still on the grass was Takashi's head.

Looking away from her small, yet terrific birthday celebration, her eyes caught a glow of florescent azure ray that clearly only she was able to see. "Hey, I'll be right back. Lady's room."

Following the light, she was being lead to a nearby river, where she was able to see the light a little more clearly. "Yukito-chan? Is that you?"

He shook his head slowly. Something was eerie about him. His eyes were as if he was in a daze. Lips were chapped. Skin held the pale and sickly completion. "Mistress, I am Yue."

"Yue, tell me," She demanded firmly, "Where Kero is."

"I'm sorry, but…" Looking into her eyes, she glared at him. For once, she had brought fear into this eyes and coldness into his body that sent ice down spine. "Mistress, Cerberus is no longer within the limits of this realm."

Still staring with her frozen eyes, her lips began to shake. The tremble grew worst as it crawled through her veins into her arms, hands, torso, legs, and knees. "Th—," she lisped, "Thank you very much s-s-such im-important information."

"Mistress—"

"Yukito knew…" She continued, not shedding a single tear, "Didn't he?"

Once again he hesitated.

"I understand. Yukito is too kind-hearted to tell me news like that."

An awkward silence dawned over them as they stare at one other, not knowing what exactly to say until Yue's voice had soften. "Sakura, I thought you might want this." In the palm of his hand, he held a glowing red stone that once laid on the forehead of Cerberus.

Large and semi-sphere, Sakura began to bit her lip, holding her hand up to her mouth, resisting the tears that cradled under her eyes. Reaching out for it with her other arm, her hand shook more and eyes slightly widened. Then as she held in her hand, she'd herself shed one tear, and bowed to Yue. "Thank you, Yue."

Dismissing herself, Sakura slid the ruby into her pocket, hoping no one would see it; hoping no one would see her with watery eyes, pink cheeks, and sadness in her heart. Breathing in, she wiped any tears that might have been in her eyes; with confidence, she began to walk to class as the school bell rang through the campus.

Hey. How was it? Eh, there were probably a whole bunch of grammatical errors and stuff. What can I say? First time. Thought it would be cool to post it for once. Oh, and don't let Kero's death stop you from reading! Well… It might take awhile for the next chapter, so please be patient.

Have a Nice Day :