Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Spoilers for released scanlations.

This story takes place during the coalition war. You could say it is an attempt at digging Ouhon's character.

At a prudent distance from Karin's main army, Ouhon observed the Chu soldiers. He had a bad feeling about this. So, far, everything about Karin's warfare had been traps and deception. There were not so many battlefields that had made him feel that uneasy.

"The Gaku ka are there as well, sir."

Ouhon looked over his shoulder and saw about 700 men gathering at the left of his position, Mouten in the lead.

"Worried for your father?" He muttered.

Good, he added to himself. Mouten was at the top of his game when he was getting emotional. Under other circumstances, Ouhon may have felt annoyed at the interference, but this wasn't that easy a battlefield. Even the presence of that idiot Shin would have been a slight relief.

The enemy moved, and Ouhon turned his attention back to them. A couple of horsemen were leaving the Karin army, a spearman in their lead.

Only ten men?

That was hardly an escort at all. With so little manpower, their target was a single man, most likely...

Ouhon saw Mouten break off from his men, riding to his father's battlefield as fast as his horses' legs could carry him. So, he had come to the same conclusion. In that case, Ouhon would leave that problem to him. Anyway, Mouten was well known among his father's main army, he would have no trouble getting support should he need it. Someone had to stay here and keep an eye on that woman, who was without doubt planning her next move.

For some reason, though, watching Mouten ride off alone made his fingers itch.

Reach, he thought.

The assassin Karin had sent was a spearman. His reach was longer than Mouten's sword. Ouhon did not make light of Mouten's swordsmanship, but reach was an issue when fighting against long weapons. Naturally, he made up for it with his agility and speed. A shorter weapon was faster, and light armor also played a role - compared to most soldiers of his rank, Mouten wore very little protection, stopping at light chainmail to avoid any impeding of his movement. This gave him an advantage over heavy cavalry. The man sent by Karin, however, wasn't heavily armored either, which suggested he must be also confident in his own speed and skill. Of course, Karin wouldn't send some second rate warrior to take Moubu's head. He must be one of the best even among her elite personal guard.

Ouhon stared at the melee between the Qin and Chu armies in the distance, where Mouten had already disappeared. He gripped his spear tighter.

Did I make an error of judgment?

"Sir?" lieutenant Bayou asked, noticing his irritation.

"Keep close watch on Karin's movements and report anything to me," Ouhon told him. "I need to keep an eye on what is happening over there."

I should have been the one going. It would have been a better match. He's too much of a hot head to have realized, but I should have been the one to go. I had the better chances.

In front of him, the melee was continuing without major disturbance, so the duel between Moubu and Kanmei was probably still going on. It would be good if Kanmei could be defeated before the danger reached Moubu. If Karin's assassin succeeded, the consequence would be an overwhelming defeat for the Qin forces on this battlefield, and that would soon spread to the others once the huge Chu army no longer had an opponent. How long would it take for a single man to make his way through the melee and reach the two commanders? Ten minutes perhaps?

They must already be there.

Don't screw this up, Mouten.

Suddenly there was a huge cheer, and it was definitely coming from the Qin side.

"Sir! Kanmei must have fallen!" Bayou commented.

"It would seem so," Ouhon replied. "What about Karin?"

"No move yet."

"She will be making a decision soon. Keep reporting me any movement."

Ouhon was still staring at Moubu's battlefield. He was relieved on some level, but parts of his concerns hadn't disappeared yet. He wished there was something for him to do beyond just waiting for that irritating enemy to move. His horse snarled, feeling his restlessness.

There was a surge of movement in the melee, as the Qin forces pushed forward into the Chu lines. Of course Moubu wouldn't let go of this chance, he was probably planning on destroying them here and now. How would Karin answer? Would she try to lead and reorganize the Kanmei army herself?

"They are moving, sir."

Ouhon turned towards Karin's army. No, they were moving away. Most likely she would call back her own forces before the inevitable defeat of the Kanmei army, to avoid any chance of getting hit from the flank. There was still the off chance of a further trick, though, so he would keep following her until he had made sure of her next move.

"We're going too," he told his lieutenant.

Then his glance caught something among the dust of the battlefield. It was red cloth, he realized. Ten horsemen were riding away from the battle, back to the Qin lines, and one of them was carrying in his arms a motionless body. The red sleeves of his shirt were flapping in the wind.

Ouhon gritted his teeth. Sometimes, he so hated being right.

"Sir?"

"Nothing. We're going."

Too late to do anything about that now. Too bloody late.

Ouhon turned his horse around in Karin's direction and pushed it into gallop, his men following him. He found himself suddenly hoping Karin wasn't going to retreat yet. He felt like killing more southern monkeys before going home.

"Kokukin," he called, "go tell the Gaku Ka unit to come along with us."

"The Gaku ka, sir? Should they not wait for their commander?"

The words came out as sharp as an arrow.

"Their commander isn't coming back."