A word from Starry: Please enjoy this fic! I'm excited to how it will come out. I'll see if I can get chapter two up soon! Please review if you can and tell me what you thought, thanks!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own them. I wish I did, but I don't.

Welcome Back Home

Chapter 1 – Five Years Later

"Are you sure you don't want to go with us, Sakura?"

Sakura Kinomoto looked up at her best friend, Tomoyo Daidoiji and lightly shook her head. A few strands of her auburn hair fell in front of her eyes, but Sakura quickly brushed them away.

"I'm sure, Tomoyo." She smiled at the black haired girl and began to turn around.

"Hai," Tomoyo nodded before turning around as well and walking off with Rika, Naoko and Chiharu.

Glad that Tomoyo hadn't hesitated to go with the other girls, Sakura picked up her pace and continued her way towards her house.

After the events back in Sakura's sixth year, life had changed for almost everyone. The friendship between Sakura and Tomoyo became so strong that kids in their school saw them as sisters. Upon entering the eighth grade, both girls had decided to rid off '-chan' when saying their names and just call each other's name, normally… like family.

All the small sixth graders had grown, and were about to enter their first trimester of their eleventh grade year. Everyone was happy that they were moving up together into the same classes. Sure, a few exchanges had been made as well as new students arriving into the High School, but none were the same as the new students that had arrived in both Sakura's fourth and fifth grade years.

Syaron Li, Sakura's first real crush, hadn't returned or written to anyone, not even to Sakura. This had made Sakura very unhappy the first few years after his departure, but over the last five years the young card mistress had learned how to shut away feelings that hurt to have. Everyone always wanted to see her with a smile on her face, so why not get rid of emotions that made you frown?

"I'm home!" Sakura closed the door behind her as she took off her shoes and placed them neatly against the wall. She slipped on her baby blue slippers and climbed up the stairs and into her room.

The bed she'd had no longer sat in its regular place, instead, a bigger bed had replaced it along with a desk and a small entertainment system. Sakura really didn't call it 'entertainment' seeing as all she had there was the small television she had since she was small and the same old VCR with a few papers on them.

She walked over to her desk and hung her side bag on the chair before falling back on her bed. This was Sakura's usual routine when returning into her room. Just laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling thinking about things like school, what she was going to cook for dinner and how her older brother was doing in college with Yukito.

"Sakura?"

Sakura sat up on her bed and got up in no hurry and opened the door. "Yes?"

Her father, Fujitaka Kinomoto, was outside her door wearing a peach colored apron and a smile on his kind face.

"I thought you were coming home later." He placed a hand on her doorframe and studied his daughter for a minute with a curious expression on his face.

"I thought so too, but I remembered that I had to get ready for the first day of school tomorrow." Lie.

Fujitaka raised an eyebrow and scratched his chin lightly. "Ready for school? I thought you said you had prepared everything the week before."

Sakura sweat dropped and tried to laugh. "Well, you know, I didn't get everything ready…" She scratched the back of her head and hoped he would stop asking questions and go back down and finish cooking his delicious food.

A questionable expression was now evident on Mr. Kinomoto's face, but he could sense that his daughter didn't want to be pestered in that subject. "Alright, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes." He turned to leave but paused. "Oh, Touya called, he says Yukito and him might come down for winter break."

At the announcement, Sakura's face lit up. "Really?"

He nodded.

"I can't wait! I'll finally see Yukito!" She laughed a rosy hue on her cheeks. "And Big Brother!"

That made Sakura happy, very happy. She hadn't seen them for a year, and she missed them terribly. They had begun their education after high school in Japan, but after an English professor met them and talked with them, they moved their studies to London.

Fujitaka chuckled, nodding and turning to walk away.

Sakura waited for her father to descend the stairs before closing her door and leaning against it.

Her older brother was returning home and so was Yukito! She would call Tomoyo and Aunt Sonomi over, and they could all have a wonderful dinner… together! This made her smile once more, a real and rare smile.

"It's no use just standing here, I must finish." Sakura walked over to her desk and opened the first drawer on her right, the drawer that held the Sakura Book.

With her cream colored hands, she picked up the pink book and with her left hand, she traced her fingers over the engravings and clasp. She closed her eyes and held the book up to her chest, letting the memories flow into her mind.

It had been five years since she last used her cards in battle, but she always took them out and made small chats with them to keep them from getting bored. She liked to maintain her friends happy, and at times, she'd let a few of them out to stretch a bit like the DASH card as well as FLOWER who loved to fill the Kinomoto's garden with beautiful nadeshiko's and other beauties.

"You're back! I was waiting for you, Sakura. How dare you leave me without telling me where you were going?"

Sakura opened her eyes and placed the book back down in the drawer. She turned to face Kero, in his disguised form and a small smile appeared on her face once more.

"Sorry, Kero-chan, but it was important and I forgot." She sat on her bed indian style and continued looking at her yellow friend. "And where have you been all this time?" She gave him a brief glare before getting it interrupted with a pillow to her face. "HEY!"

Kero smirked, getting another pillow and throwing it at her. "I've been around, you know…" He wriggled his eyebrows before flying down to Sakura's desk and opening a small container that he had brought with him. He took out a few cupcakes before sticking them into his mouth. "Yum!"

Rolling her green eyes, Sakura shook her head and said, "You'll never change! I'm surprised you haven't gotten fat." She laughed at her comment and ducked when another pillow was thrown at her. "Guess what?" she said, after dodging another pillow.

Kero swallowed the food he had in his mouth before nodding and letting her know to go on.

"Yukito and Big Brother are coming home for winter break." She propped her elbow on a pillow that was now on her lap. "We'll get to see them after so long!"

Kero finished swallowing another sweet treat before he could answer. "Ha, that's good to hear. Though, the house is better off without your Big Brother and you arguing." He popped another cupcake into his mouth. "Yue will be back as well…"

"Yep, can't wait to see all of them. Everyone will be back and things will be like the old days." Sakura fell back on her bed and began staring at the ceiling.

Kero noticed this and knew she always did this when she spoke about the past and began to think about him. Of course, he never said anything because it was horrible seeing Sakura sad.

"So… you start school tomorrow?" A change of subject was good right now.

Sakura's pondering state was broken and she sat back up. "Hai," she said, with a nod.

"Looking forward to it?"

"Yep! I get to see my friends again and spend more time with Tomoyo." She smiled, but if you looked closely (something that Kero always did) you could notice that it faltered a bit before going back to how it was before, a happy smile. "Who knows, perhaps I'll meet someone new this year." She shrugged.

"Ah, yes, meeting new people is good. Very good…" In went another sweet.

"Sakura, dinner's ready!"

"Hai!" Sakura quickly got up, slipping her feet in her slippers and dashing to the door.

"Sakura!"

She stopped right when she was going to close the door and looked at Kero. "What?"

"Bring me some of dessert and some croquettes!"

"Alright." Sakura nodded and closed the door, before going downstairs.

Half an hour later, Sakura returned with a small plate filled with chocolate cookies. She'd helped her dad clean up and said good night before rushing up to her room. She couldn't find Kero in her room, she figured he was probably out doing God knows what. She walked over to her desk and placed the plate there. He'd eventually eat it when he returned.

She yawned as she walked over to her closet to change into her pajamas. After a few minutes, she stepped out in her light green nightgown and made her way to her bed. After saying good night to the Sakura cards, she said good night to her mother and set her alarm clock to 4:30 A.M.

Tomorrow was the first day of school and she didn't want to be late. Rolling onto her side, Sakura closed her emerald eyes and hoped for the sun to rise fast. She couldn't wait to see her friends and meet new people as well as start her eleventh grade year.