{???, ???}

"At least he called my name," the white head whispered his voice a blend of distress and anguish. 

::

{Varia headquarter, Italy}

An invitation to Sawada Tsunayoshi's inheritance ceremony, Yucca mused, laying on his bed as his right hand held the golden envelope. In his other hand was the official invitation.

Two days had passed since his small trip to Japan. The atmosphere in the mansion remained almost as tense as before. Although the hostility wasn't as evident as it used to be, the enmity Mammon displayed seemed to grow as the others' seemingly faded. It was a strange contrast. Usually, the mist guardian was more withdrawn, mysterious. Keeping their emotion in check and only adding some snarky comments or betting money when they felt like it.

At first, the cloud didn't understand where this hostility was coming from. From the memories he received, he didn't interact with Mammon a lot. He didn't talk to them at all even. Only caught a glimpse of their face before he died at most and even then he wasn't sure. Perhaps, he hadn't received all of his future memories. He heaved another sigh. 

He missed the days where he had to take care of class 3-E. At least then, even if they all had teens problem, he could somehow relate, understand and help them solve them. As a bonus, it wasn't anything life-threatening. How peaceful his life seemed when he thought about it, well if you exclude the sword of Damocles hanging above his head... that was a detail anyway. No use dwelling over it.

Now, back to Mammon's case. The aura the small guardian had been giving off every time their path crossed didn't help the raven's case. After the well deserved night of rest, Yucca understood he was suspected of treason. From what the future him did, it was a reasonable claim. But the hatred the caped being was openly directing at him somehow unnerved him.

He wasn't so sure of his rehabilitation into the Varia anymore. Whatever the investigation on him said, Mammon's word would probably wipe every favorable evidence for him to go back to the Varia. Being the mist guardian wasn't some sparkly title, Mammon had some real power within the organization.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, the letter and envelope he previously held rested on his bedside table. "What did he do to Mammon?" This question had been running inside his mind for the past days.

He couldn't possibly ask the said person. Every time he got near them, the temperature dropped a few degrees, only getting colder as he got closer to the small guardian. The cloud was sure he saw Mammon creating some illusions when he turned his back to them. If not for Squalo unceremoniously barging in the kitchen, he was certain he would have had to fight, somehow.

Walking on eggshells every time he crossed the caped mist was tiring. He didn't need to have another love-hate relationship within the Varia. Having one with Leviathan was enough! Or was it a hate-hate relationship? Whatever. He didn't need to have one with Mammon.

From what Lussuria had told him, Mammon hadn't explained the situation to them either. Which meant, either Mammon opened up or he found a way to solve everything. Yucca was a hundred percent sure. His Boss wouldn't bring him to the inheritance ceremony if it involved more trouble for him. Which meant, to get to the free food, the raven would have to solve the problem himself.

He had starved enough as Koro-sensei to respect the beauty of buffets. His honor as Koro-sensei wouldn't allow him to miss on one if he could attend it.

Steeling his resolve for the nth time today, he went back to the elaboration of a plan to have the mist pardon him for whatever he did or didn't do. He didn't really care at this point. Only the buffet and free foods mattered. He didn't come back to be stressed.

::

"Come on Mammon-chan," Lussuria whined. "Why don't you and Yucca-chan have a talk, hmm?" he inquired with a tired smile. At this point in time, the sun didn't know how many times he had asked the small figure this same question over and over again.

Mammon didn't spare the green head a glance. Eating, their rain counterpart's black pawn with a bishop, they lifted their head. "Checkmate."

Squalo clicked his tongue, his grey eyes narrowing as he glared at the board, analyzing the small figure's last moves.

Seeing the rain not move, Mammon extended their hand. "Money," they whispered before doing a give me motion with their hand. "I want my money," they developed a tinge of eagerness in their voice as they waited for their gain.

"Whatever," the long-haired guardian huffed as he took his checks out, lifting his head to gaze at the smaller guardian inquiringly. "Same as usual trash?"

Mammon paused as he pondered the younger guardian's words, before nodding to signal they had heard the silver head. Lifting their caped face they answered the swordsman, interrupting him as he had started to write down the usual amount. "For calling me trash, you can add a zero Squalo."

Bel's laugh was heard in the background as he mocked their strategist for his poor moves in the art of chess. Lussuria who sat next to Mammon didn't take note of Squalo's shouting and instead focused himself on the small mist. "Don't ignore me," he pouted. "With you and Yucca-chan at odds, part of the fun in my life was taken away!" he exclaimed dramatically.

Mammon looked at Lussuria whose smile widened when he felt the mist's eyes on him. Sighing, the smaller guardian took their cup of tea before sipping it and pausing. "I have been wondering," they started, earning a hum from the sun guardian. "Is it true Yucca acted... strange? In the future," they asked, their hidden eyes narrowing dangerously as they awaited the sun's answer.

Lussuria tilted his head not entirely understanding the smaller guardian's claim, strange? 

"Ushishi, of course, he did. You're talking about Yu there," Bel chirped in as he ungracefully landed on the couch next to the mist guardian, the sudden impact making the smaller's body jump from the couch before settling back down as if nothing happened. "Shishi, no normal people can be Varia quality!" he added with a cackle as if it could explain all the strangeness one founded within their group.

"If it is this kind of weird," Lussuria provided after listening to Belphegor's words. "Then yes, he was." He confirmed determined, he admitted all of the officers and lower ranked Varia members were peculiar. It was a fact no one could deny and the Varia was smart enough to see themselves for who they were, at least for how bizarre they seemed to others.

Mammon sighed, wondering why they were asking these clowns again before remembering that the best person to ask, if they hoped to have a constructive talk, was Lussuria. Squalo, coming close second because of his loudness with their Boss third since he was hard to understand and would shot at them without a second thought. Bel was out of the question, his laugh was way too irritating for the mist, then Levi was more of the very silent type of conversation. Which meant none, especially with themselves who also was quiet most of the time.

"Not that kind of weird, more like his personality," they finally added with a helpless sigh.

Lussuria hummed in understanding, pondering the idea. "Well I suppose personality wise he was different from the Yucca-chan I knew," he mused with a pensive tilt of his head. "But weren't we all a bit?"

Mammon nodded agreeing with the sun before turning to the fallen prince who was listening on them. "What about you Bel?"

"Shishi, me?" Belphegor rhetorically asked, loving the attention he was getting. "Hmm, well Yu is Yu, no matter what he does he's Yu right?" he wondered aloud with a grin and tilt of his head before bursting out laughing for reasons unknown to both guardians who listened to him. 

Mammon mentally facepalmed. Looking left and right for moral support or another answer from any of the other guardian if they were listening in. Their gaze met Leviathan's black eyes. "What do you think Levi?" They asked, unnoticeable resignation veiling their voice. Lussuria turned his head the lightning guardian's way at his mention, Bel following the gesture.

The lightning raised an eyebrow before answering. "Whatever, even in the future, I wanted to kick his ass," he grunted decisively, not an ounce of doubt in his statement. Pausing to take in the four other guardians' look, he sighed, scratching his chin in reflection. "I guess he... pissed me off way more than now," he tried to develop seriously. "He would go from completely serious and barely tolerable to loud and obnoxious."

Lussuria tilted his head, "Really now, I didn't see it this way. I thought he was just making fun of those around him." 

"Shishi, Yu can be obnoxious like that after all. Though I guess he was way too cheery for this prince to bear at some points," he paused. "Really annoying."

"What do you think Squalo-chan?" Lussuria asked, turning to face the unusually silent guardian.

As if he had been studying the question since the beginning of Mammon's inquiry, Squalo lifted his head, his grey eyes meeting his counterpart's shaded ones. "The trash was possessed," The swordsman stated, dead serious. 

Bel and Luss burst out laughing, drowning Squalo's shouts of complaints in the process. Leviathan who saw no more use in listening to the conversation tuned the other guardians out, refocusing on what his Boss would like to eat tonight. Maybe a steak was a good idea.

Mammon sighed, taking another sip of their drink, they settled the cup on the table before standing out and getting out of the room. No use in staying with these idiots any longer.

Although Squalo's proposition reverberated in their mind. Possessed? It's true the Yucca in their vision acted strangely compared to the one they knew. But as Lussuria said, didn't they all?

::

The next day.

"Excuse me, Boss," Mammon interrupted the scarred male cautiously. Only seeing a frown on his feature, they continued. "Could you repeat what you just said, please?"

Xanxus grunted, waving his hand at his current assistant who cleared his throat before repeating their Boss' words. "Mammon-sama, master Xanxus would like you to assist us in the investigation regarding Yucca-sama's affiliation to the Millefiore Famiglia and possible betrayal in the near, future," They explained with a small bow before stepping aside and retreating a bit as to let their Boss in the limelight once again.

Mammon nodded. "If you allowed me, Boss, I would like to ask a question," they stated, waiting for Xanxus' answer. Hearing the male's grunt which they assumed was of approval, the mist continued. "What exactly am I suppose to do and how can you be sure I won't rig the report?"

The sky smirked. "Rigging the report? Go ahead, trash. I don't care," he stated with a laugh. "From where I stand the earlier this affair is gone, the sooner I can get rid of it and its linked paperwork."

Mammon nodded in understanding. "Then what about my role?"

Xanxus' laughter died down. "Ah, that," he paused, sipping his wine before standing up and going to his desk where he sat. Putting the glass down and taking a fountain pen in his hand, he grunted. "Ask the men on the case, I have other things to do." Lifting his head, from the paper he was reading, the sky saw the mist remained on their seat. He scowled. "You're dismissed trash. Get out!" he ordered.

Scurrying out of the room without another word, Mammon didn't ask where they were supposed to go. Standing outside the room, the caped guardian sighed. And they wanted to avoid the cloud. Guess fate wasn't so kind as to let them be away from their murderer.

Whatever. Mammon supposed the male wasn't entirely the same person as the one they had seen in their memories, hopefully.

::

Should I change my looks? Yucca wondered, pensively looking at his reflection as he stood in front of his mirror in the bathroom. His left hand held some of his black locks as he hummed in thought.

Letting his hair strands go, Yucca went to open his cupboard. Pulling a black suitcase out, he allowed his eyes to travel from hair dye to hair dye, contemplating which type of color he should use. He wanted to have a change of face.

His "trip" to the future had made him think, the image he projected, of a raven head with purple eyes was sure to stick to his reputation as a potential traitor, with the Varia and whoever knew of him while he was by Ran's side.

"You would look better if you dyed them in white, back."

Byakuran's words came to his mind. White? Maybe dying them white would be taking a step in the motion of accepting his new life. By dying them black, Koro unknowingly shackled himself to his past. He tried to remain the God of Death he previously was when he can't be this person anymore. Today he was Yucca, the God of Death was a persona he couldn't bear the way he did before. To live his current life fully, he needed to let some of his past go. Learn from it and become stronger. To stay the same and to become someone new at the same time. He wouldn't let go of his past, not entirely. It was and remained part of him. He simply was now a different being.

Perhaps the choice was a form of redemption for the guardian. A way to feel better about how he spoke to Ran while in Japan. How selfish, he thought before shaking his head and mentally slapping his cheeks.

Resolved, the raven head took a deep breath before looking at his reflection. "Then white it is," he muttered before taking the white dye out of its case. Taking a picture of his current self as a souvenir, the purple-eyed guardian went to dying his hair back to their original color.

A pure and immaculate white. So different from who he was.

He smiled, maybe his name would change from the Black Plague to the White Plague, who knows.

::

"All I need to do is enter his mind, check if the information correlates with ours and get out?" Mammon recapitulated, taking a sip of their drink before directing their hidden eyes at the investigator in front of them.

"It is as you said, Mammon-sama," the male agreed with a nod, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose out of habits when he felt stressed, under pressure or was thinking. 

Mammon gave a low hum. "Do you have his consent yet?" they asked, voluntarily omitting the raven head's name, it was obvious the mist felt uncomfortable whenever the cloud's name was pronounced.

"No," came the investigator's straight answer. "But I believe Yucca-sama, for the good of the Varia," and his own went omitted, "will comply without any futile resistance." He affirmed seriously. "The report we received from our intel agent, after Yucca-sama's stay in Japan, is also in favor of this statement," they added.

"Then let's go," Mammon ordered, standing up and making their way out of the resting room with confident strides. "I don't have all day."

Hurriedly standing up, the male nodded rapidly. Eyes darting to the window, the investigator couldn't help the silent sigh from escaping his lips, he didn't want to work overtime.

It may seem unclear, but the real tension after future arc resides between Yucca/Koro and the Arcobalenos more than with anyone else.

Thanks for reading, until next time^^