Tie a red string
rating: G
characters: Chrome, Ken, Chikusa
summary: Mukuro is the red string of fate, and he's tied their fingers to each other.
notes: Loosely based on the red string of fate, which in Japanese manga is more often depicted as being tied around the pinkie finger than around the ankle, as listed in the article.
Also, bonus art at the end! I needed to practice my tablet work ^_^;;
I'm also very glad I finished -something- in time for Chrome's birthday <3333

~***~

"What are you doing?"

Ken had found Chrome in their living space (it could hardly be calling a living room, even he knew that), on the floor near Mukuro's couch. She had a sewing kit spread out in front of her.

"I need red thread," she told him without looking up, and resumed her search. Ken decided to ignore her and play one of his video games.

Chikusa merely looked her when he came in, his expression blank as usual, before he made himself comfortable on the couch and put on his headphones. Ken glanced up, saw her comparing three different colors of thread, all of them red to his eyes, and turned back to his game.

After a while, he looked at her again, his concentration ruined by the sound of her packing up the sewing kit. She had one of the red spools set aside. When she was done, she shifted onto her knees and leaned toward the couch.

"Chikusa," she called softly, a tone that was eerily similar to Mukuro's. Chikusa pulled his headphones off one ear. "Could you... give me your hand?"

"What a pain," he muttered, but held out his hand for her. She gave him a little smile, the one Ken couldn't decide if he liked because it was cute or hated because it was hers and not Mukuro's, and she unwound some of the red thread.

"What's that for?" Ken demanded. The girl blushed, of all things.

"They say that people who are destined to meet have a red string around their fingers," she said shyly as she tied the thread around Chikusa's pinkie. "You follow it from one person to the person on the other end, and that's how you know they're meant to be together." And she looped the other end around her own.

Ken couldn't hold back his horrified expression. The girl was in love with Chikusa?!

She wasn't done talking though. "And since we're all Mukuro-sama's... We're all meant to be together. You too, Ken." She reached for his hand, and he let her take it. His face felt warm at her touch. Did she like him or Chikusa? Or was he being stupid? Was he reading her wrong? This was why she made him uncomfortable; she was assertive and then submissive, did unfathomable things, wasn't Mukuro.

She tied a new string around his pinkie, with the other end around Chikusa's, and then another string between her and Ken.

The two boys looked at her blankly.

Chrome held up her hand with their strings tied to her little finger. "These are Mukuro-sama," she said. "Just because he's not here... It doesn't mean he doesn't still connect us. He was the one who first tied these strings between us." Her cheeks were pink and she looked at them in that defiant way she had once in a while, as if she was embarrassed to be taking charge of them and afraid they'd challenge her.

Ken tugged on the string that connected him to Chikusa. Chikusa smiled, a slight upturn of his lips. It felt like Mukuro, in a way. He tugged on Chrome's string. He felt Mukuro, not at the end but in the string itself, a slight pull and a premonition of pain if he pulled too hard.

She tugged back.

"Mukuro-sama," she repeated, her voice commanding and confident, and Ken decided he really did like her smile.