Title: Complicated (prompt name, w/e D:)

Author: kiriga

Rating: PG

Characters/Pairings: Chrome, Tsuna, implied Mukuro, implied Byakuran, implied 10069

Warnings: Homosexuality? implied death?

Words: 583

Summary: It's complicated.

Notes: written for the lj community 100_situations 066 - Complicated. not that I've signed up there, just using their tables...

Chrome sipped her juice, careful to not take her eyes off the couple three tables away, happily chatting to each other. The boy who sat in front of her fidgeted about and didn't seem to know where to look, so his eyes darted everywhere except on her.

"So, eh, can you tell me again? Why we're doing this? I-I mean, you know, following… them," he stuttered hesitantly. She finally looked at him and smiled gently before her eyes returned to stare at the couple again.

"Because I can't let him out of my sight again; what if something would happen and I wouldn't be there? Not," she said in a subdued manner, her shoulders drooping, "that I would be of any help, if I were. I'm still too weak, and I would only be in his way." The boy started feeling panicked and wondered what he should do if she started crying, but he didn't need to worry since she sat straight up again and smiled warmly at him. "But if you're here, boss, then it'll be fine. You're much stronger than me, and… you've defeated Mukuro-sama before, and you defeated Xanxus-san and protected us all. I'm sure you wouldn't let anything happen to Mukuro-sama, if something did happen."

Tsuna opened his mouth and closed it again, several times, trying to find something to say, but her shining smile took away all his words, and he mumbled something unintelligent under his breath while his cheeks burned.

He coughed to clear his head and quickly glanced behind him before turning back to fully face Chrome, succeeding in meeting her eyes. "There's one thing I still don't understand. Mukuro… he knows what happened in that other future, that he was," he had to force the word out of his mouth, "killed… by Byakuran. So how can he sit there and talk and laugh with him now? I can't imagine Mukuro ever being able to relax for a second in the company of a person he knew killed him, even if it was in another universe." He couldn't imagine Mukuro ever relaxing around someone except Chrome, Ken or Chikusa, but he didn't say that out loud. Chrome's eyes clouded over and for a se-cond Tsuna thought he saw pain fill her face, but when he looked closely he saw nothing but impassiveness as she once again stared ahead.

"It's-he is-Mukuro-sama knows exactly what risks he takes by just being near him – Byakuran. He will never be able to forget that he died by those hands, and I'm not even sure if he wants to. You have to know, boss, for them both, this is probably a game. I don't know what this era's Byakuran thinks, but he seems to have more or less the same personality. I know it's a game for Mukuro-sama; if he doesn't get killed by Byakuran, then it's his win. But there's also… something else. Something more than simply a game. They're both deceivers, and they probably don't do anything but lie to each other, but there's somehow a bond between them. Maybe it's because they see themselves when they look at each other." She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked into Tsuna's eyes and smiled, but it was a smile which was everything but joyous. It said him that she knew exactly what was going on within his other mist guardian, and that it probably wasn't anything he wanted to experience himself. "It's complicated."