[A/N: Ahh yes, Baka C-chan is back! XDXD Fear meee! o_O;; Sorry AGAIN for the irregular update…blame school! *sobs* Yeah…sooo………61 reviews!! YEEHAW!! Feel the LURVE! And thanks everyone for telling me about Li's dad…but does anyone know HOW he died? *evil laughter* … *ahem* More…lovely…PLOT TWISTS! Bwahaha.]

Disclaimer: I'm here so baka C-chan won't get sued. You sue; I hang you by your toenails and sic a pack of rabid chimpanzees on you. Boo-ya.

Title: Love Painted Black

Chapter IX: Blizzard of Lost Love

It was nearing midnight; twinkling diamonds were randomly strewn across a vast black canvass, and the silvery moon cut through overwhelming darkness like a radiant dagger. The wind was crisp and chilly, slicing through barriers of warmth and bringing a slight pink tinge to the cheeks of any passerby. Lady Winter had coated the ground with her luxurious mantle of gleaming snow, and each tree – though stripped of her leaves – wore no less than a blanket of white crystals.

A single silhouette stood against the pallid landscape, its figure tall and slender, and strangely ominous. Footsteps marked the snow, a small imperfection that told of its trek into this place of solitude, its journey from all that was inhabited to this place where not a soul dared to breathe for fear of marring the fragile splendor.

Framed by a head of soft white hair, which fell around a porcelain alabaster face in short strands before falling in smooth tumbles down her back, was a woman…A solitary existence against the wind that whispered around her, gently licking fair silky locks of hair that blended perfectly with her sculpted skin and form fitting dress. A gem of pure ice hung from her slender neck, dangling just above the low neckline, which arched out and embraced her slim shoulders.

"I can feel you…" Four silent words were lifted from pallid lips, caressed by the wind as icy eyes slowly fell shut, and the glacial face was lifted towards the sky that rained snow. "I can feel you…why won't you come to me? I miss you… I loved you… I hated you…"

All around the storm grew fierce, pelting snowflakes whipping through the air, unbidden. Anger so violent that even the bare trees seemed to flinch back slowly seeped through the once silent field. "Keeper of Time, I CAN FEEL YOU!"

*~*~*~*

Li shivered uncontrollably, gritting his teeth against the sudden blast of wind. "W-what the hell?!" He glanced up at the now open window of the small hotel room that he and Eriol had rented, with plans of traveling away from Japan…towards a more unpopulated region, so as not to let any harm befall unlucky bystanders if they were not able to contain a Card in battle at any point. It had been almost one week since they were last attacked.

Eriol frowned. "Can you feel that?"

Li nodded, pulling his pajama shirt tightly around his body as he stood up and eased the window closed. "Another Card…Man, I'm tired! Don't these things ever even sleep?!"

Akurei fluttered up from the bed. "Snow. The Snow Card is here…she's kind of a nutter…" He grinned wolfishly at Li. "A real Psych case…have fun!"

Li groaned, nonchalantly chucking a nearby pillow at his small guardian. "You're no help, Stuffed Animal."

Eriol shook his head slightly, a smile tugging at his lips as a muffled "I think you broke my wing, Clan boy!!" came from beneath said pillow.

Syaoran Snickered. "Hey Hiiragizawa, his wing is broken… maybe we can leave him here to 'heal'!"

Eriol sighed in exasperation, before lifting the pillow and consulting Akurei. "Snow…You said she was a 'nutter'… How so?"

The tiny guardian stuck his tongue out briefly at Li, who returned the gesture, before answering. "Hmm? Eh, Snow's one of the three cards that got most of the Mistress' memories. She holds the need to find a lost love, while the two other's hold the need to love him, and the need to hate him, respectively."

Eriol nodded thoughtfully. "Lost love…is that, perhaps, why the Mistress created you? A need to be acknowledged by him?"

Akurei coughed awkwardly for a moment before sweatdropping. "Well…kinda… The Mistress had a very…possessive side… she didn't want to have his attention; she wanted to have him. She was very controlling that way…"

Li blanched. "To have him? To control him?!"

Akurei nodded, grinning wolfishly again. "Wassamatter Clan boy? Scared?"

Syaoran immediately replaced the pillow on top of the little guardian's head, earning himself a muffled curse from the 'master of hell'. "What're we gonna--"

His words were cut short as a powerful blast of wind whipped the window open again, throwing everyone in the room backwards. "Keeper of time…" It was a word whispered hauntingly amidst the chaos of shattered glass and the raging storm, suddenly brought indoors. "I've found you…I can feel you!"

Syaoran was the first back to his feet, sword instantly in hand. Eriol was next, his staff up, arched far above his head. "What do you want?" the mage asked, seemingly calmly, his eyes hardened in calculation as he sized the Snow up, his lips twisted in a slight frown.

The Snow card lowered her dark lashes, sighting down her nose at Eriol. "I have no business with you Clow Reed." Anger seemed to lace every word, as though she was appalled that he could even think of talking to her at a time like this.

Syaoran scowled, taking a step back…closer towards Eriol. "Then why are you here? To pick a fight?"

She took a step forward, the wind whipping around her, her alabaster hair lifted in wild rivulets around her face. "Keeper of Time…I found you…" Was all she whispered.

[A/N: Booyaka!! Two updates in one month! Fear my mad skillz! XD And dun forget to tell me if you know how Li's dad died!]

The Snow: