(Third person's POV- Omniscient)

It took them two days to reach their destined location, Oda, a small town where mostly the illegal trades were done.

One of Duke Ginjiro Shimadzu's subordinates had appointed a small meeting in this town with the suspected man.

Hibiki said, "Well, Lorenzo will go to the inn alone as he will act like Lord Hashi's subject and we can surround that man from all around."

Kairo pursed his lips as he gave it a thought. It certainly would be better to let Lorenzo go but it seemed too simple.

Kairo said, "I don't think that man is too dense to come to meet a subject of his customer... It would make him come to the light and if it was me, I wouldn't risk putting my face in the light either."

Hibiki gave it a thought as well. He asked, "What was the code name of this man again?"

Komesuge who was under Kairo, said, "Viper."

Hibiki cringed his nose, "Too flashy for my liking..."

Kairo rolled his eyes. "Why? What would you prefer, serpent?"

Hibiki said with a straight face, "No. Black Viper with most deadliest poison. In short: Blavimop (Bla(ck) Vi(per) Mo(st) P(oison)."

Everyone who were present there looked at him with blank faces. His joke at the moment didn't subsided the tension at all.

Kairo asked Lorenzo, "Where did he get that unique brain of his?"

Lorenzo shrugged, "Don't ask me even I have no clue of..."

Hibiki feigned hurt as he pouted, "How cruel! All of you don't get my jokes at all!"

Komesuge asked suddenly, "What about the deadliest? Wouldn't it be Blavimodep? (BlaViMoDe(adliest)P)?

Now everyone's gazes fell on him as Komesuge blinked. "What!"

However, Hibiki looked at him with sparkling eyes as if only he was able to get his joke.

Kairo let out a sigh. They were too relax but it might help them to catch the Viper.

As if now, they were on a rooftop of an inn's building where nobody would be suspicious of them. Before the action, they were making sure everything was according to their plans. Failure wasn't an option.

The streets of Oda were shady just like those inns. The darkness of every corners of the town made it too shabby and perfect for illegal activities.

The town was a lot far from Wansai which made it impossible for anyone to make it a good one. And the Lord of this town didn't care as long as he got his share from the traders.

The five men, Kairo, Hibiki, Lorenzo, Komesuge and Kanzaki were waiting as their eyes stayed on the said inn, inspecting each and every person who were going in and out.

Kairo said, "Kanzaki, you stay outside while four of us will go inside taking disguises..."

Hibiki asked, "Why? I thought only Lorenzo and you will be going."

Kairo said, "I don't think he would come..."

"Oh he will come since Lord Hashi has offered a good amount." Hibiki added.

Kairo asked, "And would it be enough to risk your identity?"

Hibiki scratched his chin as he looked down.

The information was that one of Lord Hashi's subjects would be meeting the Viper in the said inn in Oda. Since Oda had no enforcement and the lord's men didn't cared either, the people were free to do whatever they wanted. So Viper said he wanted to hold the meeting here.

Kairo was too focused as various notions ran inside his mind. And suddenly Kanzaki turned around as they all looked at him with questioning gazes. Lorenzo asked, "What is it?"

Kanzaki answered, "I think I heard something from behind us..."

Their brows furrowed together as they looked at where Kanzaki pointed. It was already too dark and there was no one.

Kanzaki shrugged as they again looked at the inn and Kairo nodded at Hibiki. It was time to move.

Lorenzo went down taking a dark alley beside the building to cover his traits and then he entered the inn.

They had planned to go there one by one. Entering together would make it too suspicious.

Hibiki was standing beside Kairo to watch over the front area of the inn while Kanzaki went to cover the back side of the inn.

Then Komesuge went inside, feigning as a drunk bachelor. It was funny how Komesuge didn't like to drink at all yet tonight he would be challenging everyone in the inn for a competition to direct the people's attention.

It still wasn't Kairo's turn as he pursed his lips, tension was building inside of his chest as his belly tumbled. He was in charge of this mission but he was nervous because he wanted to catch that man alive. He wanted to make him suffer the same things he had done to Hana.

"What you missing your little wifey?" Hibiki asked, making Kairo shocked as his head snapped toward Hibiki.

"Shut up, brother Hibiki, just focus on our object here..." He said but his ears turned red. How did he know?

Hibiki said, "I know it because I heard it from your brother Hiroshi."

Kairo got stiffened. He asked, "Are you that close?"

Hibiki shrugged. "It was the night when we had the compitition in Duke Ginjiro's place... He just wanted to help you and your...wife."

Kairo nodded but stayed silent.

Hibiki added, "It's your time to enter."

He nodded but before departing, he heard Hibiki saying, "Just don't be driven by revenge, Kairo. You are still too young to waste your life on something so narrow like that."

He knew it but whenever he saw Hana being braking before his eyes like a glass, her small body shivering and eyes filled with tear and fear, it made his anger reach his head. He just wanted that man to feel the same things that Hana had suffered and also Princess Bianka was suffering.

The fear.

The fear he had infested in others, all Kairo wanted to give it back to him by tenfold.

It was a busy night as people had gathered to drown in cheap wines and sake, probably to forget about their struggles or just for a little fun. Women in less clothes were flocking around men in the hopes of getting the payments of one night stay so they could feed themselves. And the rest were just there probably to trade some illegal things or people but Kairo's sharp eyes were looking for one particular man.

Lorenzo.

He found him as he went there but sat at a distance with a lopsided grin, feigning he was a man who liked to spent too much on drinks or probably on women. He called the bartender and ordered, "Let the beer keep coming. I want to drown in it."

The man flashed him his teeth as he placed a barrel full of beer before him. Kairo shook his hand and said, "I didn't say the cheap ones..."

The man seemed to be happy because there were very less people who would order any expensive ones. With a bright smile he replaced the beer with an expensive one although it wasn't that expensive for Kairo since in Shinkyo, he drank the best quality. But he knew Oda didn't have that kind...not at least in this inn.

Seeing Kairo, two women came to him. It seemed he had managed to catch the attention of the women in the inn. Rich customers often took two or more women to enjoy the night as the women stood both sides of him, staying attached to his shoulders. Kairo wanted to shoo them away but it would defeat the purpose of their play for tonight. His mind instantly remembered Hana. She would be furious if she had seen him like this.

"Ouch!" The women from both sides squeaked as it got Kairo's attention. One of them said, "Did someone threw a stone at me?"

The other woman said, "I think it is Rin. She had been so jealous of us lately..."

Kairo looked at the stone which laid under their feet. Strange.

Women and their jealousy. He would never understand them...

Kairo started to flirt with the women, but his ears were on Lorenzo. While he sipped on his beer, he heard commotion coming from the other side of the inn. He knew it was Komesuge starting his act with a bunch of roudy and boisterous drunk men. It was a good distraction since it caught everyone's attention.

"These lads know nothing but creating a mess!" The bartender said as Kairo nodded.

"True. They always love to make scenes..." He said.

The bartender was preparing another barrel for him as Kairo glanced at Lorenzo and looked back at the bartender. He looked like a genuine person who was just pissed with the boisterous customers and Kairo's eyes fell on his forearms...

He had a faded coloured shirt which seemed like he had been wearing for too long but that wasn't what caught Kairo's attention. It was his right arm where a cloth was wrapped around and although it was placed there for the sake of a show or maybe for a wound, Kairo's gaze caught a little glimpse of something what it was trying to hide.

And suddenly he saw from his peripheral vision that a hooded entity came from a corner table. It wasn't really unusual to wear hooded capes in Oda since a lot of people were wearing right now but that one seemed unusual since his face was all covered.

So was it viper?

The entity took a seat before Lorenzo and without any words he placed a small pouch before him. Lorenzo nodded and took out the large leather pouch full of coins but before handing it to the hooded man, he intentionally dropped it on the floor, pretending it slipped from his grip.

The hooded man bent forward as Kairo stood up, leaving his seat, the women complaining behind him while Lorenzo sneakily took out his dagger.

As soon as the hooded man stood up taking the coin pouch, both of theirs' daggers were placed on the man's abdomen and back. They didn't want to create a havoc as Kairo hissed, "Don't try to run. Follow us to the exit."

It seemed weird that the man wasn't too tall and he must have a lean structure that the hooded cape he was wearing hiding under it.

The man didn't try to run or say anything as he followed.

Kairo and Lorenzo made it seem as usual as possible and they stopped at an alley which had less people in it.

Kairo turned around and said, "Reveal yourself!"

The man started to laught but it sounded more like a woman. And then slowly, the hood went down revealing long hair tied up in a bun.

Lorenzo got flabbergasted as the entity took off the mask.

Kairo let out a sigh as he said, "Figures... It was a decoy."

Lorenzo asked, "What do you mean?"

Lorenzo still couldn't understand as the entity came out as a woman not the viper he had envisioned.

The woman laughed and said, "What do you mean by decoy?"

Kairo said, "That you are not viper and it was all just a set up..."

The woman seemed to be impressed with Kairo as from the start Kairo wasn't surprised to find a woman in the hooded cape shocking. She bit her bottom lip sensually as she pointed a finger on Kairo's chest and stroked it to his chin. She said with a ringing voice, "I like you, boy. You seem so young yet smarter than most the men...I like smart men."

Kairo cringed his nose as he slapped away her finger and said, "Unfortunately, I don't find you or your compliment alluring at all."

She asked, "Oh why? Am I not good enough for you?" She winked, "Well, you will know once we get a bed."

Kairo didn't display any emotions as he muttered, "It seems like I need to place a bigger fish to catch that viper."

The woman laughed as she leaned closer to Kairo and with a lusty voice she said, "I am Viper and I bite...and you have already caught me."

But before anyone could react to her words, a small needle sword flew toward the woman and it cut down the woman's tied up hair in the air.

Kairo and everyone including the woman froze as her cut down knotted hair toppled on the ground and now, a shiny bald head shone while hair strands hung all around it. It looked like an egg was being placed in a nest built with hair.

Kairo blinked as the woman touched her bald head with her hands, still unable to register what just happened when a voice echoed, "Then you shouldn't bite someone else's husband, miss Viper."

And it revealed a short woman with ever so furious eyes that were blazing in the darkness while her another needle sword pointing at the woman. She said, "I will skin you alive like your bald head if you try to close that gap further."

It was Hana and right now, she looked like she would just kill the entire race in Oda, especially the women if they try to touch Kairo.

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23rd March, 23
2225
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A/n: It was the chapter for Wednesday, well I added a chapter for Wednesday but as I said, if I missed a day, I will adjust it in the next day but I got the second update done a little late haha... It's 1:05 a.m. already.

Next chapter on Saturday! XD

Until then, oyasumi.