Title: Monochrome
Rating: K+/PG
Theme: #19 – red
Characters/Pairings: Clow/Yuuko; mentions of Soel, Larg, Kero-chan and Watanuki.
Disclaimer: I don't own xxxHOLiC.

Clow Reed was an artist with magic. He could cast colorful illusions with a single command, turn days into endless nights with a subtle wave of hands and play with the forces of nature on a whim. He needed no wand to perform his tricks, but just like every other magician, his show would not be as successful without a deck of cards.

His inventive prowess, however, was in no way limited, though that was a fact known only to a selected few. Thanks to his sewing skills, Soel and Larg usually had a blast with a variety of mini-sized costumes, including a bride-and-groom set. He also excelled at cooking and would often come up with exotic dishes, much to his Sun Guardian's glee. Eventually, Yuuko, too, grew a bit too spoiled with the idea of having a personal chef, which would result in further abuse of a certain four-eyed boy years later.

This time he was trying something different, a hobby he had never devoted much time to. One of his uninvited visions came to him in dreams and kept him company for a brief while, until he woke up and laughed at what had been displayed in front of his slumbering eyes. On a rare occasion of his life, he had actually found his unconscious prediction amusing and decided he definitely should register such a moment. He then got a hold of a piece of canvas and the best of his painting oils, found himself a nice place close to the window and started working.

Unlike most painters, he had no need for the physical presence of a model, living or inanimate; the memory of his vision was quite vivid still, as were the characteristics of the woman he was trying to depict, every detail of her uniqueness carved in his mind in all their glory. With just a little bit of focus, his hands had strolled all over the screen, maculating the once pure white with the vibrant tones he had previously chosen. With every smudge, the picture gradually assumed the desired shape in such a level of perfection that it almost looked alive.

By the time a vibrant sunset tinged the skies, Clow sat in his favorite armchair and proudly gazed at his finished masterpiece, occasionally taking a sip or two of his choice of alcohol for the day. A part of him felt eager, anxious even, to witness her reaction and get her opinion on his work. He always showed her every new creation of his (magical or not), and even though she was usually mean on her comments, he had learned to tell the difference from when she really did not like what she saw and when she was just teasing him.

Steps on the corridor. A smile. It was finally show time, he thought.

"What brings you here, dearest?" He made an effort not to lose his ever-serene composure when she opened the door with a loud bang.

"You know full well what brings me here, Clow Reed." Piercing eyes of ruby set on him, Yuuko folded her arms across her vast chest, as though demanding answers. And indeed, she was. "Where is it?"

"I have no idea what you speak of, Yuuko-chan."

"Oh, rub that silly little smile off your face, Clow!" Her voice went up a few octaves, then she forced some self-control. "I am talking about my best-brand, overly expensive wine, of course."

"Wine…?" He brought a finger up to the corner of his lips, in a false sign of thought. Smile widening, he raised his glass towards her. "You mean this?"

"Yes, that! You stole it from my cabinet last night!"

"I wouldn't call it stealing," He drank from the blood-red liquid again, as a means of further taunting his companion.

"Normal people would consider sneaking into someone else's room and taking their personal possessions as an act of theft," Her tone now dripped with sarcasm. "But since you're such a freak, what would you call it?"

"A loan?"

"Without my consent?"

"Oh, that's a minor technicality!" Her narrow glare seemed to intensify, but he merely laughed it off.

"Don't you ever learn to ask?"

"Had I asked, would you willingly have let me take it?"

"No." Came her dry reply. "But you would have spared me and yourself from the trouble of having this discussion right now!"

"Indeed, I would. But life wouldn't be half as fun that way."

A pause. "You do this on purpose, don't you?"

"Only if you believe so."

With a dramatic flourish of hands, she allowed her body to fall on the sofa right across from his seat and let out an exasperated sigh, defeated. Clow was obnoxious enough in a fully sober state, but once there was alcohol running in his blood, things tended to get much worse. "You do realize you're in debt to me now, right?" She finally spoke again after a while of silence, staring at the magician as he savored the last few droplets of her precious beverage.

"Yes," He rested his empty goblet atop the small table next to his armchair, stood up and fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, even though they were perfectly in place already. "I'm quite familiar with your system, dearest."

"And you do know I'm not leaving until I receive proper payment, don't you?"

"I figured you wouldn't," He chuckled softly, bending over so to pick up his painting. "And as pleased as I am to have your lovely company, I have just the perfect way to compensate you for the wine you so generously let me borrow."

"Oh, do you?" She arched an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Of course. As a matter of fact, I spent all day working on it, and I must say, I rather like the results. Here," He handed it over with utmost care, almost like that of a father setting down his baby on the mother's lap. "Let me hear what you think."

Yuuko eyed the back of the frame dubiously, as though expecting it to be some sort of prank of his. The witch shrugged those thoughts off, figuring Clow would make use of much more elaborated plans than some silly child's play, should he actually be in a mischievous mood. Her bony, pale fingers strayed to the side borders and she finally turned the picture over, revealing the one thing she wasn't expecting to see: herself.

Shrouded in clouds of thin smoke she stood, arms crossed tightly over her torso in such a way that it accentuated her cleavage. Her long hair seemed to sway in an invisible breeze, with a few locks framing her furious expression. A wider depiction of her face, only faded, was also featured in the background, with such richness of details that it impressed and scared her all at once. Once her initial state of surprise was gone, she noticed the entire painting had been done in various shades of red in a smooth blend – which was especially weird coming from Clow, since he was ever-so-keen on the idea of opposites and contrast.

She gave him a long, bland stare, a mix of confusion and shock dripping from her next set of words. "What the hell, Clow?"

"I knew you would like it, Yuuko-chan," He grinned.

"Like it? You've portrayed me as an angry bitch! I'm practically hissing and shooting fire from my mouth!"

"Yes. Isn't it lovely?"

"How in the world is that lovely?""

"That way, you can always remember how beautiful you look when you're mad."

Her jaw nearly drooped, although she was inwardly smirking. "You certainly seem to have your very own concept of beauty and loveliness…" She took a brief pause so to collect herself. "And why is it so damn red, anyway? I look like a human torch or something…"

A chuckle. "Well, I think it suits you fairly well, dearest. It represents your fiery determination and passionate ways… Besides, red is the color of love," Here, he moved slightly closer, leaned over and took her chin in his hand, captivating smile ever in place. Two pairs of equally wise orbs met and he whispered, causing a small shiver to run up her spine. "And it's the very same color I see in your eyes…"

A smile betrayed her feelings, though she soon constrained the little traitor under a mask of malice and spite. "It's no use, Clow. You're not buying me with your smooth talk or your gifts. My precious wine is gone, you're not bringing it back and I didn't even get a chance to taste it!"

"Only the first half of that is true, you know. As for having a taste…" He chose not to finish his sentence; Yuuko already knew how that would end. Sliding his hand so to cup the side of her face, he closed his lips over hers in a feather-light movement at first, gradually deepening his ministrations as no resistance was offered. He willingly let her explore and savor the faint remainders of wine left in his mouth; as long as he could revel in her sweet nectar, he would not protest.

When at long last they parted, witch and magician felt slightly dizzy, their senses momentarily taken by inebriation. This time, however, it had nothing to do with alcohol.

"So, are we even?" He flashed her his disarming, trademark smile.

"…Idiot." She mumbled and shook her head in pretense disapproval, even though the corners of her mouth were lifted in a benevolent fashion. "You'll never learn, will you?"

And indeed, he would not.

Knowing the basic principles of her system was simple, but working with them was definitely not as easy. Exacting proper compensation required time, practice and a lot of experience in this business. One had to weigh up the values of wish and price so to make the exchange evenly balanced out, and a single error when calculating, small as it may seem, could result in either, too little or too much paymentIt was a delicate job, and Yuuko took pride in performing her duties so well.

Clow, on the other hand, respected her ideology, but never really showed any signs of further interest; the system just didn't suit him. He had a tendency for giving too much, and as usual, he had just done so by kissing her. With a much simpler gesture than some sophisticated, time-consuming gift, he had paid more than enough.

'You big creep,' She thought while staring at the bright-red picture in her hands, her lips contorted in a semi-pout. 'Now I am in debt to you.'