On a particularly dark after-noon, a blond haired girl walked slowly across the Moonflow; she was in no hurry at all to get to her destination.
As she got off the Shoopuf and started walking across the Northbank of the Moonflow, memories started to push their way through her mental barrier. She did not want to think about what had happened here three years ago; it was where everything started. She had successfully put all those memories at the far end of her brain where she would be sure they would be forgotten eventually, but now as she was walking here all her resolution was crumbling into pieces. And her destination did not help her memory flow either.
It all started about a year ago when she was travelling with Yuna and Paine as the Gullwings. It was then that the beautiful Macalania Woods started to fade. Yuna had tried to save it on numerous occasions, but failed every time. Without the temple the woods seemed to refuse to keep on going and continue living. Yet how were they supposed to bring that huge temple out of the water and back to the surface? There was only one person that could answer that question, the one person who lived in temples: the Fayth. And where was the Fayth? Well on the Farplane of course and that was the reason why Rikku was walking so slowly to reach her destination. She had been chosen, against her will of course, to be the one to go talk to the Fayth on the Farplane in Guadosalam. Why her out of everyone else? Simply because Yuna was pregnant and sea sick and of course Tidus would never leave her side for any reason, he was as bad as Wakka had been when Lulu was pregnant with Vidina. Lulu and Wakka had their hands full with baby Vidina and of course the mood swings of pregnant Yuna. Finally well Paine and Baralai were on their honeymoon enjoying their new life as a married couple. And of course since she was lonely little Rikku she was given the dreadful task. She was scared of the Farplane; she didn't want to face her memories. After all she had successfully run away from them for the last two years or so.
Eventually she arrived at Guadosalam, and even though she did not want to go inside she knew she had to hurry; it was a matter of weeks before the woods would fade forever. She took a deep breath and stepped into the now stable Farplane. The last time she was here she had not gone inside, refusing to see her memories. Because after all memories are nice, but that's all they are. She cleared her mind one last time, raised her mental barriers and stepped into the glen. As she was standing there alone in the middle of the beautiful Farplane Glen a thought occurred to her:
"Oh boy, what am I suppose to do now? How is the Fayth going to come to me? "She thought.
All of a sudden she saw pyreflies twirling and thought that the Fayth was finally showing itself. Thinking it was the Fayth that was appearing in front of her Rikku made the mistake to let her guard down. However as soon as she relaxed, the pyreflies started acting up and instead of the Fayth appearing in front of her HE appeared.
"No!" She yelled.
She was so scared, she did not want to see him; her one true love: that asshole! She just wanted to run away and get away from all the memories that were surrounding her. She closed her eyes and tried to think about something or someone else, but images of him kept swarming around her. Alas she was unable to control her emotions and burst into tear while yelling at the top of her lungs.
"No! Get out! I don't want to think about you! Even less see you! You left me and I hate you so much! I don't want to see you, leave! "
She started walking out of the Farplane, but stopped dead in her tracks. She had to stay, for the woods! Slowly she turned back around trying to prepare herself to face her hidden emotions and memories, but instead of images of him swarming like before the glen was peaceful once more and the Fayth stood in the middle of it.
"You need my help it would seem." The Fayth said quietly. "I will help you because I do not want to see the woods fade away forever, it is my home after all. Now that I can rest and stop dreaming all the time I do not mind coming back to the temple. You will need to bring the Temple out of the water so I can take my place once again. "
Rikku stood silently in front of the Fayth waiting for more explanations. She had to concentrate so hard not to think about the images she had just seen and the feeling she was feeling after that horrible experience.
"You will need to dry out the lake in the first place, temporarily of course. Once the Lake will be completely dry you will need the help of your people: the green eyes. They shall help you build a foundation for the temple to stand. Only after that is all done will you need to put the water back."
"But how am I supposed to do all that? Alone... "
"Fear not, you are not alone. You will need the help of those who know the art of Black Magic anyone who knows a little bit of magic will be a lot of help. "
"But the Al-Bheds have absolutely no reason to help restore the temple to its former beauty."
"You are their Princess they will listen to you no matter what, do not forget that. Plus if I seem to remember well from my time in Spira your people need a new Home. As soon as the temple will be restored the woods will return to its former glory and will be happy to welcome the Al-Bheds."
"Of course, that's brilliant! But that still leaves the problem of the Black Mages, I don't know that many people who know the art of black magic... "
"They are closer than you seem to think, you will not have to search very far. You must hurry though because the woods do not have much strength left. And once they die not even I can bring them back, so the spiral will continue and the woods will only be the first in many to give up on life. "And with that the Fayth faded away; back to the Farplane.
She wished the Fayth hadn't faded so quick, that it would have help her more; tell her exactly what to do. She gave a sigh and before the pyreflies could start acting up again she turned around and left the Farplane; in hopes she would never have to return. As soon as she was outside in the city of Guadosalam, she made her way to Shinra's commsphere to call Lulu. She had always been a role model for Rikku and she knew the art of Black Magic better than anyone; she would know who else to contact. As she sat down in front of the commsphere, she took a moment to take in everything that had just happen and put her mental barrier back up so no one would notice her pain. It had been a very painful experience to go in there and see all those images of him and all those memories, but now she knew it was going to be all worth it; she could help save the woods! It was going to be a very long process and once again the people of Spira would have to come together and work as a unity to make this work.
TWO WEEKS LATER
It had taken her about two weeks to rally everyone, but Operation Macalania was about to start. The Al-Bheds had seen her way and had agreed that Macalania would be perfect for their new Home. It was less dangerous than the desert and much closer to everything else; it was the perfect place for business. They were finishing the construction of the foundation and after that they would attach it to the Celsius and to the Fahrenheit to bring it to the lake and start building.
However, for now the most important thing was to dry the ice and water to make the temple resurface. And that it is how she ended up there surrounded by all of Spira's black mage; Lulu, Yuna, Paine, Leblanc and the Fem Goons were part of the large group. Some were not very strong; they barely knew FIRE, but it was still help. Lulu was designated as the leader; no one was a better model than her, plus she could kick anyone's ass with her black magic.
"Listen up now everyone, we do not have much time, the Al-Bheds are on their way with most of the foundation for the temple. We have to make sure the Lake is completely dry by the time they arrive. Cast your strongest fire spells until you feel drained of all energy, when you feel too drain to keep going ask one of the guys in the back to give you an ether. "
Rikku looked around; everyone was ready to go with a look of determination on their face. It is only then that she realised just how much the woods meant to everyone. It was a sanctuary for not just her and Yuna but for Spira's entire inhabitant. Tidus, Baralai, Kimarhi and Nooj were standing behind the mages with a handful of Ethers and Potion for the Mages. After making sure everyone was ready to go Lulu gave the final signal.
"Ready? Cast! "
And just as she uttered those words, flames poured out of the Mages. Lulu's spell was the first one to reach the frozen lake, its amazing strength immediately melted the ice and made place for the other spells to start to evaporate the lake's water. The habitants of Spira and the Fem-Goon were the first ones to fall and need ethers. Leblanc and Paine eventually fell as well; the ethers were starting to run very low. When they had only three left they gave them to Yuna, Paine and Rikku; seeing as they were the most powerful one next to Lulu. The lake was drying up very fast, but the mages were also falling very fast.
"C'mon guys you can do it!" The boys yelled.
Paine was down, magic had never been her thing, and there were no more ether for her. She was the next one to fall, while catching her breath she looked in the distance and saw two very familiar ships.
"They're here!" she screamed.
"This is it then, time to finish this." said Lulu. "Be ready to heal me after I cast my spell; now step away."
Without an argument, after all they knew it was futile; they all took a step back to let Lulu cast her spell. The Master Black Mage concentrated until we could see the energy pouring out of her body into her hands and fire started to emerge out of them. The young blond looked up with admiration in her eyes.
"She is so strong and beautiful, she didn't even need an ether ever since we started and she can still do all that. I wish I was as strong as she was, maybe then he would have loved me enough to stay. "She thought.
The spell was definitely the strongest one anyone had ever seen and as soon as it reached the water all that was left quickly dissipated. The lake vanished, the temple was now at the surface and the sorceress fell on the floor. As soon as she hit the floor everyone starting throwing a healing spell or a potion at her, just to make sure she was okay.
"You can stop now I am fine." She said with a chuckle.
A sigh of relief came out of everybody. Only minutes later the Celsius and the Fahrenheit landed and a sea of Al-Bheds came out of the two legendary ships. It was only a matter of seconds before they started to repair the temple and raise it from the ground. It was going to be a very long and hard process. She was going to stay on site and help with whatever was needed; plus if water came up again she could help dry it out. And she had worked so hard to get everyone to help she felt a responsibility towards the temple and she was going to help rebuild it for sure; plus she was a very good mechanic and it is not like she would be in the way of the others.
FARPLANE
"Are you proud of her?"
"Yes, she seems to be working very hard to rebuild the temple and save the woods. She is showing a lot of maturity."
"She is not only trying to save the woods."
"Huh?"
"She hopes to see you again. By rebuilding the temple she hopes that we will go back and start granting wishes again."
"Will you?"
"That is only for us to know."
MACALANIA TEMPLE
It had been a very long and hard process but after weeks of work at the temple; most of it was finish. She walked around the temple and watched the progress of things; the interior was the only thing that wasn't completely finished, the praetors' chambers were still not finished. However the chamber of the Fayth was completely finished and they were all in there with Yuna, Dona and Baralai to pray the Fayth in hopes it would return and grant their wishes once again. Rikku really hoped it would work out; the woods were such a beautiful place she hoped to save it and save its memories. Yuna and the others had been in there for such a long time, she was starting to get worried. After all she did want to save the woods but she did not want to see anyone get hurt.
"I hope she's okay and that the baby is okay as well. Of course she is, Baralai would never let anything happen to her; otherwise he'd get a pretty big beating from Paine. "
Suddenly she heard the chamber's door open and out of it stepped Yuna and everyone safe and sound. She looked up at them with a hopeful look; she did not want all her efforts to been in vain.
Yuna was the one to answer. "The Fayth is back, she promised to save the woods; her home. She is very grateful that we rebuild the temple; she said that she missed her home very much. And she also thank you Rikku. "
A smile immediately made its way onto the young girl's face: it had worked! After all the hard work everyone had put into this process and all the sacrifices they had done: they had succeeded. After her and her cousin exchange a few words, the summoner left to go back to Besaid Island. All the effort she had to produce had tired her out, she needed to go rest now she said; after all, the baby was coming soon. Baralai ordered some of Yevon's praetors to stay at the temple permanently and take care of things. She saw them all off and then went to take a stroll into the now beautiful woods. Yuna had wondered why she didn't want to come back; she had just said that she wanted to see the woods in their full beauty again. Plus, now that the woods were safe once more, the Al-Bheds would start building a new Home and she wanted to help. She still felt guilty for the destruction of the previous one.
She left the temple making her way to the depths of the woods. She smiled when she passed by O'aka's shop, it was bustling with business, she was happy for him after all he did to keep his shop he deserved it. He had stuck by it even when his only customers were the fiends all around. She walked across the woods and climbed up the tree branch path until she found the spot. She sat down and starred at the woods. It was "their" spot, well maybe not but she liked it here. Everything was so calm and the woods were so beautiful, it reminded her of three years ago.
Three years ago, during Yuna's pilgrimage she had sat here with him. Yuna had run off into the woods for some alone time, obviously Tidus had followed. Of course Kimarhi was there too, but she liked spying... I mean checking up on her cousin and her love. She had just wanted to relax after everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. She remembers being in her own little world, walking up the three branch until she found the spot where she could see the spring. She sat down and relaxed her mind, back then she was very worried about her cousin's chances of survival. Up here in the tree branch everything was quiet and it had seemed the perfect place to relax her mind and be alone a little. But she wasn't alone, he had followed her...
FLASHBACK
She had just sat down; her view of the spring was perfect. She was a little jealous of Yuna's happiness, she envied the love her and Tidus had for each other. Of course she loved someone as well, but would never dare say a word afraid of rejection. She let out a big sigh and relaxed her muscle and started to watch what was happening down below.
"Don't you know that it is wrong to spy on others?" ask a deep gruff voice.
She jumped at the sound of someone else's voice, she thought she was alone! And now he had caught her spying and would give her a very long and boring sermon about it being wrong. But wait...
"Maybe, but what are YOU doing here then?"
"I came to check on them to make sure they were fine, not to spy on their personal life like you."
"And what makes you say that I am not doing the same?" As she said that he gave her a look, saying he didn't believe her one bit. "Fine, you caught me I'm spying. But you know, they really are beautiful together and I admit that I am a little bit jealous. They found each other; they found their one true love. I will never find anyone who will want to be with me..."
"Not if you keep putting yourself down, that is for sure." With those words he came to sit down next to her.
She loved to be close to him, he made her feel safe. He gave her shivers every time he would touch or look at her, like that time at the Moonflow; when they first met he had looked down and stared into her swirly green eyes. Although it was their first meeting, she knew they had a connection and she knew that she wanted him. Unfortunately he was way out of her reach.
"What would a legendary guardian like him have to do with me?" she thought, while sighing.
They sat there in silence for a while until, like usual, she broke the silence.
"Thank you...for what you did for me on the Plains and on the ship after...you know... Home..."
Back in the Thunder Plain when they stopped at the Agency for a quick rest, he had come into her room that night to make sure she was not too shaken up by all the thunder. She had never seen that side of him, but it was sure a side she enjoyed seeing. That moment he entered her room to know how she was had made her feelings for him even stronger. But she would never dare try anything; to him she was probably the most annoying person in all of Spira. Then when they were on the airship on their way to Bevelle, after the destruction of home, he had come once again in her cabin to see how she was doing. She had fallen asleep in his arms; crying. When she woke up she was lying in her bed with his red coat over her acting as a blanket.
"How are you feeling now? Are you okay?" There it was again, his soft side.
"I think so; don't really have a choice I have to keep on going. After all I realised that Yuna will never quit her pilgrimage no matter what. I guess I'll just have to stick by her side until the ultimate moment, to support her I mean."
"She's just trying to save Spira and bring the calm; you should know and understand that."
"Yeah, I know. But why should she have to give up her life at the same time; it's just dumb. There has to be another way. You know? Everyone I love always leave, I guess I should get use to it... "
"Aren't you exaggerating a little?"
"Not really... I mean my mom and my sister first. Soon it'll be Yuna, Gippal and you... "She quickly looked down after realizing what she had just said, she really hoped he wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying and more on what was going on down there.
"I'll miss you too Rikku... "He said while looking at her. He knew there was a big age difference between them but that was just a number; he did not really care. He had fallen for her: hard. She was this spunky little girl that always tried to see the good side of everything and everybody. They were complete opposite, and that was probably the reason why he loved her so much. In front of her he did not mind showing his soft side; he was not afraid of her.
"What d'ya say?"
"You heard me."
"But why... "
"Because I'll miss everyone." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he had not said the right thing. Her eyes got dark and she looked down at her hands that balled up into fists. He cleared his throat before speaking again; this was the big plunge. "But I'll miss you much more than everyone else."
Her head shot up and looked at him, her eyes full of un-shed tears.
"Really?" She asked with a hint of hope in her voice.
He had never been great with words, so instead he decided to act. He leaned down towards her, cup her face with one of his strong hands and softly put his lips on hers. She was in heaven, she had little butterflies in her stomach, she had dreamed of this moment ever since she first saw him. He gently grabbed her by the hips and brought her petite frame closer to him. She had goose bumps all over; this was the best feeling she had ever had. She had been kissed before, but never like this. After what seemed like a blissful eternity he softly pulled away and looked down deep into her eyes.
"Really."He answered.
And so they stayed there sitting close to one another and just enjoying their time together while watching the other pair of lovers down in the spring.
END OF FLASHBACK
"I remember that we agreed not to tell anyone, we were just trying not to make a fuss about it. After all it was really no use making a big deal out of it since we knew we did not have much time together." She paused and sigh. "But this isn't where it really started. First there was the Farplane... "
FLASHBACK
"I know you're not really afraid to go in. I know the real reason why you're staying out here. "
"Oh really? And what would that be?"
"Cause you're dead."
He starred at her with a puzzled look, how could she have known! No one else noticed anything, so how could she have noticed anything?
"I'm not as dumb as everyone seems to think. I studied the teachings of Yevon for a big part of my life. An unsent does not eat, nor sleep; they are never really injured as they do not really live. Plus Guados can smell the scent of the Farplane that the unsent carry with them, thus explains Seymour's remark. And finally well... you have pyreflies swarming out of your body."
"Very impressive, I didn't think anyone would notice; but you've caught me. Since you know my reason what's your reason for not going in?"
"My sister and my mother are there. They died when Sin attacked our first Home. That day we were all suppose to go to the Calm Lands to see Chocobos. My parents had gotten into a fight a day prior and my mother refused to accompany us. My father never forgave himself for her death. And my sister was there as well. She had been feeling very sick and that day she was going to the healer to get checked. She called me before the attack; turns out she was pregnant. She was engage to a guy name Gippal; an Al-Bhed. They were very young, but very much in love. Gippal has a disease that is eating his organs and they both knew he didn't have much time to live; turns out he's still alive and she's not. That day he was at Djose to help with the Temple's reparation; he's a very talented mechanic and he doesn't look like an Al-Bhed, that's always helpful. He always says that he should've died that day with my sister, ever since that day he stopped living; just waiting for his body to finally kill him."
He really wanted to say something after all that, but words refused to leave his mouth. As he was about to open his mouth to finally say something, everyone came out of the Farplane. She looked at him and gave him a quick smile before turning her attention towards the group coming out of the portal.
END OF FLASHBACK
"... Then there was the Thunder Plains and on the airship where you came into my room to comfort me. I remember you held me quietly while I cried into your shirt. I miss your embrace..."
"I remember after all that everything changed. We started to always walk together; no one noticed that we were always side by side. You started to always worry about me whenever I would get hurt. That's something you showed; you weren't afraid of what the other thought. You once told me that you cared too much about me to hide it. You even lend me your coat when we were going up Gagazet Mountain. I remember this was the first time anyone noticed you being nice to me. They looked at me funny and as Wakka was about to say something you gave him a look so he would shut up."
She giggled a little and her laugh echoed throughout the empty woods.
"Then we got to Zanarkand. And after we defeated Yunalesca I was the one to comfort you for once... "
FLASHBACK
They had just defeated Yunalesca and were all resting in a cabin on the Fahrenheit. She made her way to his room, everyone else was sleeping but she knew he was not. After all he could not sleep. She did not knock; he had told that she was always welcome in his room. She tried to sleep with him as often as she could; just sleeping in his arms; nothing else.
When she came in he did not even turn his head, he knew it was her; no one else would dare come into his room uninvited. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, with his head bowed down. She quietly sat beside him, minutes passed by without a single word being exchanged. She knew that maybe he did not want talk, so she would wait until he was ready and if he never wanted to talk about well so be it. She cuddled next to him and laid her head on his shoulder waiting for him to say something.
"You know Rikku; before I met you I would wish I would have gone to the Farplane and rest instead of wandering around trying to find a way to reach Tidus to fulfill my promise." He said quietly.
"And now?" She asked in a soft voice.
"Now... Sometimes I wish I was still dead so you wouldn't hurt when I fade..."
"Is this really how it feels?" she thought sadly, while holding back the tears that threatened to cascade on her face.
"But then I see you and I forget about all those thoughts and I just want to make the most of the time we have left together and enjoy it as much as I can. I feel bad and I'm sorry to put this on you but... I'm in love with you."
Her eyes shot open as she looked at him awe. He loved her, he really did! This was what she had wanted to hear for so long but... soon he would be leaving; forever. What was she suppose to do?
"I love you too Auron."
His slowly turned his head towards her as a smile crept up his face. Not just any smile, a special smile he reserved only for her. He gently grabbed her chin and kissed her ever so lightly. Gently, he laid her onto his bed and that night they made love for the first time.
END OF FLASHBACK
"And then everything unfolded so quickly, we were on the way to beat sin and you returned to your rightful place." She paused a moment to swallow up the tears that were threatening to fall down.
"I knew you would eventually have to leave and I knew we didn't have much time together, but I still wish you would've stayed a little longer. Maybe I'm being selfish, after all this wasn't your world anymore but still I... "
"Rikku?" screamed the commsphere next to her.
She quickly whipped her face to erase all signs of her crying and swiftly regained her composure.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"We found Gippal."
The leader of the Machine Faction had been missing for the last couple of weeks and she was starting to get worried.
"Great! Where is he? "She asked, finally some good news!
"You didn't let me finish Rikku. We found Gippal's body; in the Calm Lands."
Before Shinra had time to finish explaining to her what had happened Rikku started running, luckily the Calm Lands were not far from where she was. She knew exactly where they had found the corpse. At the exact place where Rikku last heard from her sister, the place where she had called Gippal to announce the good news and tell him to get his ass back Home. He did not make it Home before the attack; his child was never born and he never saw his fiancée ever again. The Al-Bhed had probably brought the body to the agency before contacting the Celsius.
It did not take her long to get to the agency; everyone had always been amaze at how fast she could run. As soon as she got there it all finally sunk in, his body was there and it was definitely him. She knew she could not really start crying in front of the others; she had to look strong as any leader would.
"Wrap him in something before the airship gets here. It'll take him back to the island so he can be buried next to his fiancée."
No one argued her orders and quickly wrapped the corpse in a blanket just as the airship arrived. She refused to go with them; she needed to let off some steam before having to attend the funeral. The plains were so vast that she knew no one would see her break down and scream her lungs out. And so she walked to edge of the crevasse, probably where Gippal had stood before his body gave up to the sickness; her own body gave out as she crumbled to the floor crying.
"See I wasn't exaggerating, I told you everyone I love dies…" She thought while sobbing uncontrollably.
FARPLANE
The warrior monk let out a sigh, it was painful for him to watch his little princess cry without being able to hold her and comfort her.
"Do you wish she was here with you?"
"No, I could never forgive myself. She has her whole life to live, eventually she'll move on and forget about her misery and go on with her life; she'll be happy."
"You are wise guardian and very selfless. For that you shall be rewarded."
"How?"
"Her time as not yet expired on Spira, however if someone doesn't help her soon she will be here very shortly."
CALM LANDS
She had had enough; she wanted this to end; for the pain to go away. She was ashamed to say that she was going to take the easy way out of life and finally be reunited with the one she loved and lost. Slowly, she closed her eyes and took a step forward when suddenly a strong hand gripped her arm and pulled her back onto the main land. The mysterious hand was so strong that she fell to floor when it pulled her back.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Why don't you mind you-" she stopped mid-sentence when she looked up to see who was disturbing her.
"What the hell am I thinking? You mean more what the hell are you thinking you idiot? Giving up on life like that; I thought you were a fighter Rikku! "
"What do you care? This is another trick the Fayth is playing on me and it's not very funny! I hate you so bad! "She stood up ready to pass through the dream she thought she was having."You can't tell me what to do! You left me here alone, I have no one here now; I'm all alone and you don't care. I helped save Spira twice; just like Yuna did. But I didn't get a reward, you decided to stay there and I hate you for that. So just disappear like you always do and leave me the hell! "
She stepped in front of him and as she tried to pass right through him she bump into his very real muscled chest. She took a step back wide-eyed and stared at him, could this mean….
"You done? Or do you want to start hitting me now? "
"You're real."
"Of course I am, what did you think I was; a ghost?"
She finally noticed him; he was very wearing a tight black shirt underneath a long open red coat. His sunglasses were place exactly on the bridge of his nose; like always. He had his bottle of mysterious liquid on the side of his hip. And so she came to realise: it was him. It was really him in flesh and blood. Was this a sick joke that the Fayth were playing on her, was he going to leave soon?
"I'm not leaving; if that is what you are wondering."
"But how? Why? "
"The Fayth decided that you deserved a reward as well, plus it isn't your time to die yet: you idiot"
"I'm not an idiot, it's just I…"
Her eyes suddenly filled themselves of tear that were threatening to fall any second as she threw herself at him. She had gotten taller he noticed, her body was definitely more toned than before and it showed…..
"By the way, what the hell do you think you are wearing?"
"What? You don't like it? "
"No. Not at all. You can't go in public like that. "
"Of course I can and I have. I was…..trying to forget you….and I thought that maybe I would attract attention of a nice young men to make me forget about you…."
"How did that work out?"
"It didn't….. Could never stop thinking about you. I really missed you, I was always hoping you pop out of nowhere and hug me once more.
"If you missed me so much why didn't you ever come to see me on the Farplane?"
"Because although I did want to see you I was still trying to forget you. I figured that if I did that I would be able to go on with my life; happy and without you. "
"You don't have to try to forget me anymore. You'll never be alone, I'll always be there. "
"Yes, never again. Let's go home Auron. "
"I have been waiting to hear those words for so long."
THE END