Viper managed to hit the door exactly two times before it was opened -ripped open, actually and they knocked on empty air.

"Yes-?!"

The man had been bent over his knees, panting, and then he'd cut himself off when he looked up.

They crossed the threshold, propping their umbrella by the door and the long haired man scrambled back to avoid invading their personal bubble. Viper had taken off their cloak and only their cap and boots had been left of their usual ensemble. The rest had been replaced by lighter, airier -unisex- clothes (their Flames ached something bad and they'd rather not risk casting any cooling spell on themselves with such unstable control).

"... Mammon-san?"

"I'd prefer it if you call me Viper-."

"You're shorter than I-" he blurted out before being cut off again. Not of his own doing this time.

He began choking on his own spit. Or a frog in his throat.

Viper wouldn't know.

Not even pain would stop Viper from being petty.

"Maa, see Nosaru-kun, even Viper-san thinks you're so rude."

Viper's spine snapped straight and like sand paper against their bones, they could feel the sky flames. They had to grit their teeth from physically recoiling.

Smiling, someone they recognised to be Byakuran Gesso almost-world-conqueror and the instigator of their future-future-past death (...time travel), descended the stairs.

"This is your fault! What the hell did you do to me?!"

Byakuran sighed dramatically, then smiled with his eyes squinted, a hand over his chest, "Don't blame other people for your lack of filter. It hurts me so. Right here."

"Is there even anything in there." He muttered, before stomping away, still grumbling, "Yuni-sama is just too nice..."

Viper absently noted their tendency for Japanese suffixes.

"Welcome to Yuni-chan's humble abode! How may I, resident moocher, help you?" He greeted in an overly cheerful manner.

"...I would like to meet the Giglio Nero Boss."

"Right this way then!" he waved them over and Viper resisted the urge to trudge their feet as he led them deeper into the building.

"I got this neat truth serum from my friend -Shoichi-kun, you know him?- And I accidentally dropped it into some select dishes that Nosaru just so happened to be taste testing," they weren't asking, they didn't care, and they just wanted him as far away from them before they get a migraine, "Yuni-chan's been expecting you by the way."

Viper nodded, eager to get to the girl where, hopefully, the man would leave them alone. They caught glances of portraits of previous bosses and idly named each one in their mind (was that Aria? right after Luce's, she grew up pretty, and her hair-), distracting them from both the unnaturally searing Flames beside them and the burn in their lungs.

They never had the most durable body or the most adaptable immune system, it was literally their weakness, and the pollution in the air wasn't doing them any favours. Not even a day in the future, they already wanted back to the past.

(Was it childish -cowardly- of them that it wasn't just the heat that had them wanting it so much?)

Then a flash of red eyes that housed an eternally burning fury, scars against dark skin, curses, rough screams, knives and guns flashed in their mind.

And a part of them only wanted to run back to a more familiar, softer (steely with resolve and determination and a whisper of protectprotect that perhaps they had mistaken to be for them-), Sky, while another, the part that had eventually led them to a life as an information broker, was being drawn closer by their curiosity and an unnatural fondness that shouldn't have been there if only they could stop thinking about the foreign memories that shouldn't have meant anything.

But the thing about delving into other people's memories (different from just skimming their conscious thoughts or from viewing their dreams) was that there had always been the risk of getting stuck in them. But Viper was the greatest psychic, such trivial complications shouldn't be tripping them up.

If only... If only Squalo Superbi had been a lot less perceptive, maybe they themselves could've pretended to be blind. Maybe they could've purposefully missed what it was that every little thing had eventually built up to.

If only Souls could forget too.

Then maybe Xanxus' flames wouldn't have felt like a familiar song that welcomed and greeted and coaxed and called like a beacon that had been pushed away for far too long. Then maybe rather than Squalo, it was him that they could've exploited with nary a regret.

If only-

Byakuran threw the door open, "Yuni-chan, look who I brought!"

And all thoughts screeched to a halt because ow! They could hardly be blamed for practically throwing themselves away from the door with the two skies blasting Sky Flames and almost deafening their metaphorical ears as if Saanvi and Li Jie were duking it out in a metal room with all the clanging and banging. They would know. That actually happened.

What was happening?! What was wrong with these skies?!

Viper instinctively cupped their ears and withdrew their Flames deeper into themselves, hissing at the pair though that really did nothing to improve their situation. Byakuran and Yuni exchanged grim (Yuni) and knowing looks over their head.
_

"A Delta and an Alford are on the landing pad of the roof." Iemitsu informed Saanvi who had stationed herself by the door, passively appraising everyone because she was not cleared for any of the work (Saanvi, not Lal Mirch) and there was nothing else to do. Basil had offered her a 'phone' earlier to play with but she had been uncomfortable by the rate that her awareness of her surroundings had lowered and gave it back.

Saanvi nodded curtly, keeping her distance from him. She'd been able to endure him earlier, but as the day got shorter, she could feel what had been just brushes were now scratchy thorns and it unsettled her how his Flames was making her twitchy.

This never happened before. She watched him leave with a guarded look.

Was he doing something? Was something happening to Luce, to the others, that had her so hyperaware of another Sky? They weren't compatible -she'd checked. There was no echoing warmth as she'd heard it was suppose to feel if you'd met your Compatible Sky. Just... it was like an attention seeking annoyance.

There was nothing to pack and she secured all her weapons on her person and pocketed the cash she'd been given and the 'credit card' Oregano had left her instructions on how to use.

It galled her to be essentially some kind of charity case but there was nothing else to it. She'll just let the others know and they'd help her to return the debt two fold. Owing anyone was a very dangerous thing.

"Saanvi!"

The call rang through the air the moment she set foot on the roof and her eyes pinned her twin Rain in his place, "Quiet you! Be aware of your environment, people are working here."

Then she paused.

...What was that? A tingling coming from the two. A pinging actually but she hesitated to call it something so comical.

The pair gave her knowing looks. They'd explain later, when they're out of here.

Saanvi was almost just done with the whole day. Too many things to process and too many questions and she didn't like being away from Luce this long in her state knowing that no one else was with her.

Then simultaneously, three pair of eyes swerved to the head of CEDEF and he determinedly did not flinch.

Alford took the lead, exchanging a firm handshake with him, "Alford. This is Delta. Sorry if we're disturbing your day."

He hid a wince at the spicy, sharp, barb-wire in the back of his throat. Showing weakness was also a very dangerous thing to do. Whatever was happening to them, they needed to get Delta back in his lab to figure it out and fix them.

Iemitsu waved it off, "It's alright. Lal is one of my employees, I take care of the people under CEDEF. It's the least I can do when you're going through something so confusing."

Saanvi didn't step forward but did acknowledge him, "Thank you. This will be remembered."

Iemitsu sighed, "If you don't mind my asking, where are you going now."

"Japan."

He nodded at Delta's reply, "Your Sun, Storm and Cloud. What about your Mist. The Varia aren't answering I'm afraid."

They exchanged glances.

"...they're moving around Italy, probably investigating." Delta mentioned, blasè in that way you just knew he was purposefully not mentioning something.

Was it odd that Iemitsu, for once, actually felt concern for Timoteo's wayward son?

But no, they were Varia. They could take care of themselves.

He was more invested in his son.

"Best of luck then." He met Saanvi's eyes meaningfully.

Our deal.

Guest (chapter 6, April 2); yeah, there would be bonding outside of Arcobaleno/Arcobaleno. They find themselves in a world where most if not all the people they considered friends not Family are either already dead or senile. As brilliant and clever as they are, every era has its 'inside joke's, and silent rules that wouldn't comprehend from outside. Keeping to themselves, as much as they're probably tempted to, is not a viable option. I'll admit, I'm excited to expand on this.

Also guys, remember. As much as they can't remember what happened in the last hundred years, doesn't mean that they (their souls specifically, as it was the only part of them that interacted with the rest of the world with their bodies locked away) were completely unaffected. Reborn and Renato are not actually different people. They just had partial amnesia. I'd hinted at it with Reborn and now Viper.

Their minds forgot.

Their Flames couldn't.

(Again, this is not edited or reviewed because I'm too distracted for that but at the same time, it's not enough to actually stop me from typing this. Funny story about chapter 8; that wasn't what I originally tried to post. So, I have a notebooks app and I just copy paste to fan fiction.

So, yesterday I typed it. Finished it. Then I select all -You know, where you use the arrow to make everything blue and press copy?- and then I accidentally pressed delete.

I was staring there, dumbstruck.)