Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to me.

Hey everyone! I guess it's that time of year again… actually, I'm just a little late, aren't I? Hehe… Anyway, lateness and laziness aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's based upon many, many personal…. Things. So I hope you take the time to think, what if you were in this person's shoes?

The song sung in this chapter is called "All Through The Night" by Christina Ho. She's an awesome singer, really. You should get CD. -

Breath of Life

Chapter two

A man trudged through the snow quietly, his Mercedes parked behind him, towards the small coffee shop he had become quite accustomed to going to every week. No matter how many times he had told himself not to, how many times he had tried to forget about a pair of compelling emerald eyes and the warmth of a beautiful voice, he had gone fairly consistently.

Never had he met so strange a people. So warm and inviting… so much like a family. Not just like any ordinary group of kind people either, those who were regulars there always showed such love for one another and everyone else in that coffee shop. There was such peace and contentment in that place, that he could not help but feel as if it was exactly what a church should be like.

As a boy, Li Syaoran had gone to church once or twice… just to see what there was to offer there. Buddhism didn't really work for him, nor did the Muslim religion, but out of these, the most annoying one had had to be Christianity. It told him that everything he did… most of the things he wanted to do were wrong. In China where he was originally from, he came from a prestigious family and had been given everything he could ever want. Christianity wanted him to leave those things behind… as if he could live without them?

But even still…

It wasn't as if they were strict. They had the most awesome parties. Clean, but awesome. These people knew how to dance, how to sing, and could find the most intriguing little party games to play. And, of course, there was the basketball they played. He couldn't count how many times he had used basketball as a scapegoat when asked why he kept going to "That dingy little store" his cousin had called it. She had gone once, hated it, and never set foot near that place ever again. Near the shop was a basketball court, and when it wasn't raining or snowing, it was crowded with young guys who were good at the game.

He seated himself in the comfortable cushions of the same table in the corner he sat at every night and ordered the same mocha cappuccino he ordered every week. The waitress didn't even bother to ask anymore, he'd just shout "same" to her and she'd nod and get it for him.

She placed it in front of him with a small, "Syao-kun, where were you last week? We missed you." He smiled back at her. Somehow, he had earned himself a new nickname by many of the girls and older men in the coffee shop. When Mei Ling had tried to call him that it almost felt as if it were an insult, but coming from these people, it was so affectionate he didn't really mind at all. "I had some business to take care of back in Hong Kong."

"Always about business aren't you, Li!" Eriol slid into the seat next to him and laughed. "You should loosen up and actually go back to visit your family once in a while."

Seeing him tense up at the word family, the waitress immediately whacked him on the head with the menus in her hand, "Hiirizigawa Eriol! I heard you were the one who broke our sign in front by standing on it to see a pretty girl walk by! You're lucky Kinomoto-san is such a kind man!"

"Hehe… guilty as charged," Eriol laughed and the two of them quickly sank into a conversation Syaoran didn't mind being left out of.

Family. For the past twenty some years of his life, that very word sent chills down his spine. Yeah, he came from a rich family. Yeah, they gave him everything he wanted and let him do whatever he wanted. But that place… was not a family. His sisters were too busy squandering money on cosmetics and their many boyfriends, and he was always taking care of "business matters". Mei Ling really was the closest thing he had to family, but even she could get annoying.

"Eh? The lights are dimming kind of early…" Eriol mumbled as he scanned the shop to see if anything was wrong. "Are we having some special show today?"

The waitress frowned and shook her head, "But you boys stay in these seats anyways… maybe there is something going on that I didn't hear about… I doubt you'll want to miss it."

But there was no pretty singer rising onto the stage, this time it was the owner… Sakura's father. Kinomoto Fujitaka. "I'm sorry to say… that there's been… a dear friend of ours… has passed away. The doctors do not know the cause of his death… it seems as if his body simply stopped functioning…"

No…. no…. no… not again…

Syaoran shut his eyes tightly, trying to push away the memories of his mother's death. The one thing that had held their family together. He loved her… so…. Why did she have to be the one snatched away?

Push it away… push it away… don't think about it….

He turned as he saw a pair of headlights shine from out the window. He saw his emerald-eyed angel step out of the vehicle, saw her wrap her pink scarf he had given her as a birthday present around her neck happily, saw her mouth form a small 'o' as she hummed a silly tune.

"It is with great sadness…" Syaoran turned to stare at the man talking on stage, a sense of dread pulling at his heart. "That I tell you all, our beloved Kero… is dead. Kero has always been an important part of this group… I, myself, have known him for…"

All other words were lost on him. Kero? Kero-chan? Sakura's Kero-chan? The wild and crazy blond boy who stuck to Sakura like glue? The two of them were best friends… childhood friends for that matter. He was always running around having fun, but he would always take the time to sit down and to chat with her for a while. They were like brother and sister.

In front of him, Syaoran saw the color drain from Eriol's face as well. Eriol had always been like an older brother to Kero… bright, happy, slightly annoying Kero. King of video games… loved to play practical jokes… very much the life of the party… was gone?

It hadn't seemed to soak into the crowd yet, and he looked frantically out the window to see if Sakura had come in yet. She was nearing the door and he rushed out to meet her. "Sakura…hey…" he stopped her from coming in by standing in the doorway… but what was he going to do?

"Syaoran! How are you? Heard you went to Hong Kong last week." The smile on her face was genuine, and his desire to punch the wall and start cursing loudly began to grow as he began to think of how the sparkle and shine of her eyes might dim when she heard the news… how that smile might just disappear… how-

"Syaoran... you're standing in the doorway," she laughed. "I can't get in."

He might as well give her a warning before letting her inside, "Something happened." He stepped to the side slightly slowly opening up a passageway for her.

"Oh! What's happened?" Her reaction was completely wrong. She had no idea what was going on… here she was eagerly awaiting… news of the death of a person she had known since birth.

"W-Wait! Don't go in! It's not something good…" he wanted to stop her, wanted to pull her back. Wanted to keep her from this kind of pain.

His amber eyes watched her as she looked around the room, suddenly quiet. "Why is everyone…" He took her by the hand and led her over to his table. "Let's see… how should I say this…" Her eyes gazed at him intensely, as if beckoning the words out of his mouth.

"Kero… died… today."

A small bittersweet laugh came from her cherry lips, "Ha… that's not funny Syaoran." He merely shook his head, and he watched almost desperately as those very same lips began to tremble and curl up into… an indescribable look of grief. He had been right, the happiness, which always shone from her pretty, emerald eyes… dimmed until it was almost no longer there.

She looked around the room as if lost. "K-Kero-chan?" Tears began trickling down from her eyes. Sakura entire body seemed to drop down… the life in her bones seemed to crumble, and she buried her face in his chest, sobs breaking forth from her frail form loudly. "Kero-chan!"

He could feel them in his own eyes. In his own heart too. Tears. When was the last time he had cried? And yet, as he hugged the crying girl in his arms closely, pain and sorrow seemed to sear through his own body as well. What could he do? Was there any way to turn back time? He wanted so much to make everything okay again.

Sakura stirred now. She sat up, the tears still freely flowing down her cheeks, and looked at him helplessly. "He's… gone… it's so hard to imagine, Syaoran! What… how…. From now on… his seat will be empty… he won't be there anymore!!! For the second time that day, she collapsed into his arms, sobbing though this time, even louder than before. "Where am I going to find another Kero-chan?!"

"You're not, Sakura…" Eriol whispered. Syaoran had almost forgotten that he was there. Eriol sat across the table from the two of them, his eyes hidden by a hand so that, he was sure, the two of them could not see his own silent weeping. "You're not going to find another Kero… but you'll see him again soon."

That sounded almost foreboding. Was Eriol saying that they were going to die soon? To his surprise, Sakura sat up and nodded her head quietly, and she desperately tried to muffle her sobs to no avail.

Was she suicidal? He wanted to grab her and shake her. Wanted to scream how she didn't dare leave him… wanted to scream that she had to stay healthy and alive… for him.

People were going around now, finding people to pray with. Pray for Kero's only living family member, his older brother, Yue, who was currently away on a business trip in America. Pray for him. Pray for the people in the room and outside who were hurting. Everyone who felt pain in his death.

He could hear whispers around him, slight murmurs of comfort. "Kero-chan is in a better place now… he's in the arms of the Father." "Right now, the one happy is Kero, you have to remember that, honey. He's never going to hurt again. Even if the ones who are left are the ones that cry, why should be happy for him." "Come on… suck it up, sweetheart. I know it hurts… Kero would laugh at you if he saw you like this right now…" "Shh… it's okay… just cry on my shoulder…"

Was this what family did when the other was hurting? He could see people who probably didn't know Kero going around and praying for people who looked as if their world had just shattered. People who looked very much like the one in his arms.

"You know…" she mumbled as she leaned against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. "It was the silly things about Kero that you loved… how he would order ten hamburgers at McDonalds, claiming that he needed it for his athletic training… and he could never finish all of them." She laughed a little, but it wasn't the normal, angelic sound that he craved. This laugh was bittersweet. His heart seemed to squeeze… an invisible hand and grasped onto his heart and squeezed tight. One or two tears escaped his eyes and he hugged Sakura even tighter.

"How both he and Touya would get together and shout to beat up any boyfriend I may find in the future.." Syaoran gave an involuntary shudder at this, and she looked up at him inquisitively. "N-Nothing," he looked away from her gaze, and she smiled, snuggling into his arms even more, causing a blush to rise onto his face.

"Dang it… he was so annoying! Kero-chan," sobs began to break from her once again. "But I loved him! He was like my brother! I knew him from day one… from the day I was born! He came to visit me in the hospital when I was born… since Yue was Onii-chan's friend. I just… I just… can't imagine that he's…really gone."

The lights on stage opened again, just a little bit, and out stepped Tomoyo, Sakura's older sister. There was such sadness in her amethyst eyes… She brought the microphone to her lips and pressed a few keys on the piano with her slender, white fingers.

Tomoyo:

Oh, God, we're weak

when sorrow drains us, leaving

empty hearts and empty words

that echo under shadowed skies.

oh, God, we're tired

of trying to understand hits

spark of life that slips away

and leaves us kneeling, broken down

and all through the night

when tears light our eyes,

would you hold us close

within the warmth of your great love?

chase away the fear

let us know that you are near,

deliver us as we lie crushed,

and lift us up again to praise you.

oh, Lord, we're scared

of all this silence; are you even there?

and can you hear

the desperation in our souls?

Father, you said

that you would never leave us

here alone, without hope,

so come and fill this place with mercy

all through the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Syaoran…" Sakura bent over and cried into his shirt.

-ring- -ring- -RING-

"Damn phone…" Syaoran grumbled. Pulling his head out from under the covers, he reached for his cell phone next to his bed. "Moshi moshi?"

"You certainly sound grumpy, Syaoran."

He knew that voice. "Sakura! Good morning… how are you feeling? I haven't seen you for a week now… not since the funeral."

"I have a favor to ask, actually… do you have time?"

"I do now, since you woke me up," he leaned against his many pillows and stared over at a picture on his desk. It portrayed a certain singer tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear as she turned around, surprised that someone was taking a photo of her.

"Hm… good. Meet me at Penguin Park, okay? You know where that is, right?"

"Yeah, yeah…hm? Okay… see you there then… bye bye."

Syaoran stood and stretched. Lazily sliding into a green shirt and baggy, blue jean pants, he grabbed a black, leather jacket and was out the door. If he was honest with himself, he'd have to admit that ever since meeting Sakura, he'd gotten more relaxed. He wasn't about to admit that he had been uptight before, but now everything seemed so much easier. No more high-class business suits unless he felt like wearing them… jeans were more comfortable anyway.

Life was good for Li Syaoran. He was still a highly paid writer for big-time newspapers and was still one of the most eligible bachelors in the entire city. Rich, popular, handsome… but he just couldn't get up the nerve to ask a certain Kinomoto Sakura out.

He stood in the middle of the park, in the middle of screaming toddlers, waiting for that very same lady… impatiently. Li Syaoran… did not like dealing with kids. In fact, he loathed-

"Syaoran!" his train of thought was rudely interrupted, but he was happy to see her anyway.

"Sakura! Hey… I like your scarf," he teased.

She giggled, "Hey yourself. I like this scarf too… it was the best birthday present every… from a certain, cocky reporter friend of mine." He flourished a bow and she rolled her eyes at him. "I hope your car has a large trunk space."

"Of course! Newest model… has three times the amount of trunk space a normal car has… Why?" He looked at her suspiciously. She grabbed his hand, "I'll tell you when we get to your car." "Well, I'll race you!" He shot right back, and the two of them ran to his car like children, laughing the whole way.

"You know, that race wasn't very fair," Sakura panted as she arrived at his Mercedes two seconds behind him.

"Stop being such a sore loser", he gasped for air. Who knew this quiet little girl was such a runner?

"But I didn't know where your car was! How could I race you if I had to follow you the whole way?"

"Whatever, get in," he opened the door for her and she slid into the passenger's seat. "Where to, mademoiselle?"

"My house," she buckled her seat belt, and leaned against the cushioned chair. Realizing that the car wasn't moving, she stared at him questioningly. "Syaoran?"

"Didn't you just come from your house? You could have just told me to go over there."

"Well I was already out for a jog, so I figured you could give me a ride home," she smiled at him. "Yes, I ran to Penguin Park."

He looked at her incredulously, "Don't tell me a ride home was the favor you were asking for." "Of course not. We need to stop by my house to pick some things up," She grinned. "We're making a delivery."

"Delivery… huh…"

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"I should have guessed it was something like this. You and your… charitable moods," Syaoran sighed as they pulled into an empty lot… Well, it would have been empty if not for the families lined up along the outside of the lot. They were all huddled together with thin sheets of blankets pulled around their shivering bodies. "How'd you find this place anyway? I didn't realize there was such a place."

"To tell you the truth, I didn't know about it until recently. There was this small boy dressed in pretty much tatters in a store about a month ago. He was staring at a pair of shoes and he told me that he wanted to buy them for his mother who's very sick. That boy… he wanted to buy them for her for Christmas, but I could just see that there was no way he could save up enough pennies in time… That's all he had, you know… pennies," a soft sigh escaped her lips. "You know what else he said? He said that he wanted his mommy to look pretty if she went up to see Jesus soon… isn't that sad? He lives here… he told me about this place."

He looked at her, "So much charity… you can never save the world, you know. Besides… places like this are a rarity… people will find them and help these families out. You don't have to be the one to do it."

"It's because we live in such a bubble-like city that you can say that. People who live in this rich neighborhood are so sheltered, you don't realize that there are people out there who are in real need… and what's wrong with charity, anyway?" She gave him a sour look and got out of the car to open the trunk.

"Sakura… don't be mad…" He helped her unload the heavy hand-made quilts and blankets out of the car. "It's just… don't you ever get tired of doing goodwill? I mean, you did something last Christmas too. If you have so much money to spend on blankets and stuff… why don't you pamper yourself once in a while. I know you rarely buy yourself anything."

"I don't have enough money to do all this. The coffee shop did a fundraiser, and some little old ladies even got together to make some of these blankets and stuff," She stopped working and looked up at him, her emerald orbs seeming to see right through him, "You're just dying to say something, aren't you? Go ahead. Say it."

It was scary how she could just read his mind…

"I don't understand you!" Syaoran blurted out. "Why aren't you bitter towards your God?"

She simply watched him as he began yelling what he had been thinking about for the past week. "How can you do all this for others? Why aren't you mad at this Jesus you keep talking about? His present to you for Christmas was killing Kero! He's the one with the power over life and death, isn't he? So why aren't you bitter? Why doesn't he bring Kero back from the dead like he did his own son! Isn't that kind of selfish? You're such a good person! He should do it for you too! No sweat off his back, right?! How can you claim to love a God like that? Actually, forget that! How can you call him a loving God if he's willing to make so many people suffer?"

She gave him a moment to catch his breath before taking his hand. "Come with me," she said. Picking up one of the blankets and a small, toy fire truck, she led him over to the first family in the long line around the abandoned plot of land. He didn't say anything.

Was she offended? Did she feel like screaming at him? Or maybe… could it be… she thought he was right?

"Hey… what's your name, little boy?" Sakura smiled at the shivering family. There were three of them. A mother, a father, and a little toddler boy. All three of them stared at her. Someone dressed so cleanly… one of the rich people… she was talking to them? The parents looked at her apprehensively, but the child bit his lip and spoke, "Sh-Shinta…"

"Shinta? Well," she looked at the child for a minute before pulling him into a hug. "Shinta, did you know that somebody up there loves you?" She pointed up at the sky. The little boy looked up, his eyes wide. "His name is Jesus, and he died to save your life. Because he loved you so much, and because he died for me too, Merry Christmas." She handed him the toy truck.

Syaoran watched wordlessly, something tugging at his heart as the small boy's eyes grew even rounder, and his tiny hands latched onto the tiny toy. Immediately, he began laughing and smiling, his little brown eyes sparkling happily, like eyes little children should have.

"Vroom vroom!" He was lost in his own little world, and Sakura turned to the two parents who were staring at her in both amazement and thankfulness.

"Thank you very much…" the mother whispered. "For making my baby so happy."

Sakura smiled back at the woman, "I didn't do anything really… here. This is for you two… Merry Christmas." She handed them the warm quilt, and their eyes began to resemble their son's… just a little. Sakura didn't wait for their thank you's and such, she began walking back to the car to get the next set of blankets and toys.

"I do charity for others… I don't like that word… charity…" Sakura turned to Syaoran. "I do it because I love these people. Each and every last one of them. Think about that. Think about someone you love. If that person was in trouble, wouldn't you try to help them?"

When he didn't say anything, she just smiled. "But they're just strangers, right? How could I possibly love them? We love because God first loved us. You said a little while ago, that God's Christmas present to me was to kill Kero?"

Syaoran looked away, wanting desperately to take those words back.

"That's not such a bad present, you know."

His look of surprise was obvious, "What? You're saying that Kero's death was a good thing?"

"No… I'm saying it's not as bad as you think though… Kero is in heaven. In a place were there are no tears, there is no pain. He is happy. The ones who are sad… are us. Don't be so selfish, Syaoran. The best thing God could have done for Kero would be to take him home to a world rid of sorrow. Right?" She looked down. "Don't get me wrong… every time I hear his name… I'm still sad. I doubt I'll ever fully get over it… but I can bear it easier now."

"Being a Christian does not mean that your life will be perfect. In fact, Jesus has said that, if you're a Christian the world will hate you… it'll persecute you. There will be bumps in the road. To go to heaven is to be relieved of all that. It's those glossy-eyed, happy-go-lucky, the world is perfect Christians that have to watch out. Something horrible is going to happen, and then they'll get the wake up call of the century," she smiled at him. "I could never be mad at God for taking Kero away. He was the one who gave Kero to me in the first place. If he gave life, why do you think it is wrong for him to take it back?"

"Um…" Syaoran grabbed a couple of blankets and the two of them set off to the second family.

"I read this analogy in a book once… The Case For Faith by Lee Strobel.. You asked me how God could make people suffer if he is supposed be a loving God?" Syaoran paused to stare at her. He was surprised she had an answer to that question… he had asked thousands of people… and they had not known. "I think this analogy is a very good one."

"In the woods, a bear steps into a bear trap… one of those kind that bite, you know? And he is in pain… he's hurting so badly. A hunter comes along and takes pity on this bear, so he decides to help it out. However, in order to get close to the bear, he must first shoot it with tranquilizer darts. Well, to the bear, it seems as if the hunter is attacking him, doesn't it? Then, the hunter must actually push the bear's foot farther into the trap in order to easy the spring tension enough to pull the bear's leg out. Well, to the bear who is already half delirious what does it seem like? Is the hunter hurting him or helping him?"

She smiled at him, "Of course to the bear, it seems as if the hunter is hurting him. We, humans, are the bear. How can such finite people judge what an infinite God is doing? We don't see the big picture. How can we judge whether or not God is doing something right or wrong?"

"How is it…" Syaoran asked. "Every time I speak with you, I am so amazed?"

Sakura blushed at this and merely nudged him towards the family, "Hey… you try… go on… give the kid the shoes first though. He wants to give them to his mom, remember? Tell him I asked a doctor to come take a look at his mother later."

"Oh…"

She watched as he awkwardly handed the family their presents and left. When he walked by her, she began to giggle. "Shut up," he grumbled and tickled her sides mercilessly. "Or you'll regret it."

"Ha! Hahaha! Hahaahahaha… Syaoran stop! Can't… ha… breathe…we still… haha… have to deliver all this to all those families!"

"Fine," he stopped and smiled at her. "I carry the blankets, you do the talking."

"Deal," she giggled, and they set off to work. Sakura talked about Jesus to the families, Syaoran wordlessly handed them the toys.

"Hey… Sakura…" Syaoran asked suddenly. She turned to look at him, "Yes?"

He scratched the back of his head, "What does Christmas mean to you?"

"What does Christmas mean? Let's see… For me, Christmas is the day my Savior was born. The day hope was born into the world. Which is why, every Christmas, I want to share that hope with as many people as possible," she gazed at him for a moment. "Why?"

"No reason…" he walked over to last the last family and quickly began handing out toys and blankets. Not waiting for Sakura to come over and start talking, he poked the little child on the nose gently and said.

"Hey kid… Jesus loves you."

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To Be Continued…

Hehe. Merry Christmas everybody! Sorry for making it so late. I hope this chapter was worth your time… it was just a little last minute.. hehe…. Please review!

God Bless!