No time to explain: get in the car and enjoy the chapter! Fasten your seatbelts, 'cuz it's not beta'd!
Special thanks to DezoPenguin, who pointed out some things in the last chapter. I don't know if I made the corrections the right way and sorry if I didn't. Crosswood simply didn't have the time to explain properly, since she was busy with my other mistakes. I edited somewhat the last chapter and did what I could with this one.
Also, a big bowl of imaginary raindow-gangnamstyled-cookies to those who faved and also left a comment!
Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-HiME/Otome. Though I wish I did: then the show would rival Naruto by episode count. But not One Piece. Never One Piece.
You've gotta be kidding me!
Natsuki could only stand and stare in shock when Tomoe moved to attack her. It took a ridiculously small amount of time before the smirking Marguerite was right in front of the gang leader, her fist meeting painfully with her paralyzed opponent's abdomen. Besides getting the whole air knocked out of her, Natsuki felt as if she would be turned inside-out. She staggered back a good distance and fell on her knees, trembling involuntarily from the impact.
Tomoe cruelly started laughing. At least now she sounded more like herself. A pair of blurred emeralds lifted towards the maniacally laughing girl. Natsuki's vision swam as she struggled to get up and balled her fists, moving her body in a defensive position.
What's with this force? She gulped, a well-known metallic taste filling her mouth. This was no ordinary punch!
"I know what you're thinking," Tomoe sneered and lifted her hand in front of her face. She folded and unfolded her fingers a few time, her lips stretched in a taunt as she continued talking. "See, after my old limbs became useless, I had them… replaced."
She started walking slowly towards Natsuki and with her every step forward, the Ice Princess made one back. When her heel touched something solid behind her, Natsuki stopped moving, however Tomoe didn't. Like a predator she jumped forward and had Natsuki not rolled out of the way, she would've been in the place of that hole in the metal trunk, where her enemy's fist had struck.
When she had called Akane earlier, the last thing she had expected to hear was Tomoe's voice.
"And don't think I won't figure out if there's somebody with you. If I even suspect that you have back-up, I'll kill Higurashi immediately. I also have her useless Karauchi close by – just a phone call away. A word from me and he's a goner. So, Kuga-san, play nice, please," she had calmly explained. "I've no idea why that girl was trying to impersonate me, but I think it might be in some way related to you. We'll talk more when we meet eye-to-eye, yes? Bye-bye!"
As she once again lifted herself from the concrete ground, she discovered with a trace of panic that Tomoe had already pulled her fist out of the hole she had made. Now it had come to buying time and thinking of ways to defeat Marguerite. Even though Natsuki prided herself as a skilful fighter, she couldn't risk getting hit again. By the time she had told her comrades to arrive it would most likely be too late. She couldn't best Tomoe.
"Replaced?" She rasped out, surprising herself that she was able to talk at all. "What do you mean?"
"I don't see a reason not to tell you," Tomoe cockily replied. "Thanks to Mr Smith and his research team, my limbs have been completely replaced with mechanical ones. As you can see, they look just like real ones and are perfectly apt for fighting."
"Yeah, apt. Unlike you." Natsuki increased the distance between them and cursed the fact that despite that there were a lot of trunks and boxes around her she was in a position from which she could use them as cover. "If it weren't for the speed and agility those things gave you, I would've already knocked you unconscious. After each of your attacks you leave yourself open."
Tomoe didn't seem to appreciate Natsuki's critic and she launched at her with grit teeth. Her attacks were so fast that Natsuki couldn't evade them completely and was forced to block them a couple of times with all she had. Each punch and kick Marguerite threw her way was like an invisible cannon-ball, the direction of which was predictable only because of years of experience.
But…
"Predicting doesn't mean evading!" Tomoe voiced out Natsuki's thoughts as she kept up her onslaught. Natsuki almost cried out when she blocked another merciless axe kick coming from above her head. Her hands, which were forming a cross protecting her head, trembled and she jumped back, panting from the exertion. She briefly noticed that her knees were also shaking, however she was given no time to rest as Tomoe launched again.
"I want to beat the hell out of you!" She screeched as she had one of her hits blocked again. "I don't want just to kill you! I'll break every single bone in your body before that!"
Natsuki wasn't listening to her; she was thinking. Were Tomoe's limbs functional in water? How could she test that theory without getting drowned herself? After all, Smith was a dirty bastard and he was obviously using Tomoe as an experiment – those things were surely not perfectly developed.
And then she saw her chance.
"Do you know how much it hurt getting these new limbs connected to my nervous system?" Marguerite didn't fall silent even for a second. "I was used as a suitable experiment sample. But now I don't mind, if that meant crushing you!"
"So you told Smith about me and he sent you to kill me?" Natsuki swiftly evaded a knee to her abdomen and sleekly made a maneuverer which would surely lead them closely to the water. She needed to end this quickly, as she was nearing her limits. Her arms and legs already felt like deadweight.
"Ha!" Tomoe spat out mockingly. "Don't think so highly of yourself! Why would Mr Smith issue an explicit order for your capture? I told him nothing about you and your sidekick. After all, I want to savour my vengeance alone."
So she really doesn't know about T.N.T.
Natsuki tried to counterattack, but Tomoe was too fast.
Seems like she's out just for revenge. Remind you of somebody?
"Speaking of sidekicks," the gang leader blinked the cold sweat out of her eyes, "Miya Clochette kicked the bucket."
Tomoe only snorted and gave a rest to her attacks, providing a chance for Natsuki to catch her breath. It seemed like Marguerite's stamina wasn't infinite.
"I don't care. If I had to trade her life for these nifty things and this quickened regeneration ability, I would do it again," she spoke, her teal hair covering one of her wild stormy grey eyes. "And after I kill you, Shizuru-san will be all mine."
Natsuki felt something inside her growl possessively and she exhaled slowly in order to cool down her head. If she did something stupid, it was the end of her. She snuck a look behind her and made sure that they were close enough to the dark waters. The sun had set already and the flickering lampposts did nothing to help her vision. Not only was she being overpowered, she also couldn't see her opponent's movements clearly. She wondered if the 'upgraded' Tomoe possessed the ability to see better in the dark.
"I doubt it. I even doubt that you'll live long enough after you've fulfilled your purpose." Natsuki lowered her guard in order to lure in Tomoe.
"My purpose, as you've put it, isn't limited just to your eradication. It is just a sweet bonus." Marguerite narrowed her only visible eye at the gang leader. "I need to locate two powerful organizations and destroy them. I trust you've already met with Miyu-san. I'll be aiding her in her quest to flatten that annoying T.N.T. bunch."
Natsuki promised herself that if she had the proper chance, she would make Tomoe pay dearly for insulting her, her friends, and her gang. But if she spoke now, she would most certainly give herself out and any chance of her survival would evaporate.
"Do you know something, Kuga-san?" Tomoe crouched and prepared to engage in another assault. "The moment Miyu-san shared suspicions that you were also part of T.N.T.'s members, I came to hate you more!"
The instant Tomoe jumped towards her, Natsuki already knew the pattern in which her opponent would attack, so she moved out of the way. She smirked the moment Tomoe's fist met with air and she aimed a kick at her attacker's left knee. Since Tomoe's balance depended solely on it, she tripped and stumbled toward the water. Natsuki decided to give her a helpful kick in the back, speeding up the entire process of Tomoe's falling in the ocean.
Not even a sound was uttered by either combatant before a splash resounded in the air. Silence followed, during which Natsuki could only hear her own erratic breathing. She clutched at the shallow bullet wound from a few days ago and with relief discovered that it hadn't reopened. After the ripples on the water's surface subsided to the natural sway of the waves, Natsuki took a few steps back and leaned against a cold trunk. Releasing a breath, she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Were Tomoe's limbs indeed heavy enough to drag her to the bottom? She wasn't about to sit and wait to confirm that.
When I get back, I'll issue an emergency. I need to gather up all members and I'll put my final plan into motion. It's early, but I've no choice. The gang leader made to get up with a pain filled grunt. But first and most important, I must get Shizuru somewhere far, far away from Fuuka. Anywhere will do. She'll be against it, though. Need to think of a way to convince her, then…
A most pressing issue at the moment was for her to find Akane and Kazuya and knowing Marguerite's way of thinking, her comrades were kept somewhere near. Tomoe's overconfidence had probably led to her neglecting the safekeeping of her hostages. She dared to speculate that both of them were together and that there was nobody guarding them. After talking with her it was certain that Tomoe was working alone, so the part with the phone call was definitely a bluff. The ex-Valkyrie leader was good at playing with people's heads, but the Ice Princess was on a whole different level.
Just as Natsuki straightened up she heard a snap and her attention turned towards the place from where she had pushed Tomoe. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a pale hand powerfully clutching the concrete edge, making cracks in it. Before she could think about running, she found herself unable to breathe.
"Very smart, Kuga-san," Tomoe complemented her as water dripped from her hair down her face. Her icy wet hand was gripping Natsuki's throat; her victim's legs were dangling a few inches from the ground, back tightly pressed against the metal. "Just from a brief exchange of blows you noticed that my left leg hasn't undergone the thorough surgery my other limbs have. Maybe it was because I didn't use it that much. I'll have to work on that. Thanks for the tip."
Natsuki's vision had blurred to a point she could barely distinguish Tomoe's face, which in fact wasn't that far away from her own. The burning pain of suffocation in her chest had pushed the throbbing of every bruised part of her body in the back of her mind. She couldn't concentrate on anything else. Natsuki thought that if she didn't die of asphyxiation, she would be crushed to death. Her ears started ringing and she could barely hear Tomoe's taunts anymore.
"Then," she could vaguely make out, "you thought that… mechanical, they would be… heavy… alloys."
Speak with less words, you moron. No oxygen equals no thought process.
"Too bad you were wrong!" Tomoe screamed in her face, but Natsuki couldn't even tell if she was conscious anymore. She tried to reach towards her enemy's eyes, but her slow and weak action was prevented when Marguerite jerked her forward and then slammed her in the trunk again.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!" This screech, however, reached Natsuki's ears and she rasped an answer. "Huh? What did you say?"
"I… said…" The gang leader directed her clouded gaze towards where she thought was Tomoe's face. "Some… dead bitch…"
She couldn't see or hear what happened next, but what she could feel was the sudden cold that engulfed her whole body. When she tried to breathe, she started choking.
Well damn.
Well damn.
Mai kept fidgeting and sending worried glances towards the clubroom's door every now and then. All of T.N.T. was gathered and they were expecting no one else to come, except for Kazuya, Akane, Natsuki and Nao. The club president was feeling especially nervous after Chie had received a laconic and alarming message from Natsuki earlier.
'Make sure someone comes to pick me up from the docks if I'm not back in an hour. Play file number 47 if we're not back.' It read. Mai was sure that this had something to do with the missing Akane and Kazuya. Nao had ventured out as soon as she had laid eyes on the message, without giving anybody the opportunity to stop her.
After she pushed a glass of water on the floor and it broke, Mai felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Get a grip of yourself, Mai-chan," Aoi quietly whispered her advice. "People are watching – if you act insecure, it's over."
Mai silently nodded and straightened. She had to keep her head clear – Natsuki had left her with exact instructions. And after all, she reasoned, she wasn't the second-in-command just for show. She was perfectly able to handle this situation even without her best friend's assistance.
The Bridge club's standing president ran quickly the recent events through her head and sighed, leaning backwards in her chair. The three ex-Garderobe members were present, so that meant that they weren't the unknown enemy's main objective. Akane and Kazuya were gone and they had nearly no information about their whereabouts.
Mikoto quietly crept behind her and embraced her, letting out a sigh of impatience.
"Mai, when are we going after Natsuki?" She asked her guardian-figure.
"The two of us aren't going anywhere, Mikoto," Mai explained and hurried to continue before her friend was able to argue. "We'll be staying here if something happens in the campus during the absence of the people who are going to go and fetch Natsuki."
"Can't I go with them?" Mikoto whined.
"You should stay here." A simple plan was already formulating itself in Mai's head. She stood up and addressed everybody with a loud and resolute voice. "We shouldn't split in more than two equally powerful groups. Mikoto, Chie and I will stay in the clubroom together with Arika-chan and company.
"Aoi-chan and a small group of people will go to the docks and fetch Natsuki and Nao-chan. The ones left will move around campus only in groups of two. Think about your strong and weak points and form the two groups by your own assessment. Afterwards I'll assess them out and if I agree with the allocations, you're set to go."
Mai scanned the faces of her comrades and friends and discovered with relief that they didn't look as nervous and uncertain as she was feeling. She nodded and everybody sprang to action, soon providing her with two well-balanced groups, of which she approved immediately.
Tomoe stood over the dock's edge sneering, her hands folded in front of her chest. Her laugh gradually escalated from a quiet giggle to the guffaw of a madwoman.
"Go to Hell, Kuga Natsuki!" She shouted into the night and the echo carried on her sinister imprecation. Those words kept repeating themselves over and over again in Nao's head even after the sound had faded into nothingness. Holding her breath the freshman stared unblinkingly at the shadow, which kept getting smaller as it retreated in the darkness. Finally Tomoe was out of sight and hopefully of hearing range, most likely after her next prey.
Me. Nao gulped. Though a small feeling of relief made itself comfortable between the fear and bafflement – Tomoe overconfidently had left the scene without checking if she had successfully eliminated her opponent. Now pulling Kuga out of the ocean and getting both of them to safety had climbed to first position in her priority list. Problem was whether she would be able to find Natsuki in the dark under the water and swim back up together with her.
Will she even be…? Nao shook her head and pulled her top off. Stop! Don't think about that.
After she emerged from her hiding spot (a big wooden crate), she pulled her shoes off and jumped head-first in the bottomless looking ocean. The water was colder than she had anticipated and as she pushed downwards it kept getting chillier. She couldn't see anything, but still hoped that her blind descent wouldn't be in vain. Soon, though, she ran out of breath and was forced to retreat to the surface.
Nao gasped for air and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Wasn't a body supposed to float back up after a while? She searched the area around her, spinning frantically and trying to spot something even slightly out of the normal in the darkness. Slowly a sense of fear gripped her whole being and her heart sunk within her. Where the hell was Kuga? Hadn't Tomoe thrown her somewhere around here? What was going to happen if Nao failed to find and save Natsuki?
In that instant the shivering with fear and cold girl realized that if she was unsuccessful, she would never forgive herself. Despite all their scuffles and disagreements, Nao knew that at this moment Natsuki was the only person she could rely on. Even if she never would admit it out loud.
"Kuga!" She cried out, knowing full well that she would get no response. Her eyes continued madly dashing in every direction.
"Have you been informed of the latest events?" Reito sat opposite of Shizuru in the new office of the student council. It was way past school hours, but the President had staid longer to finalize some mundane documents – something quite unusual for her. She lifted her gaze from the huge amount of papers and put her pencil down.
"I'm listening," Shizuru urged with her tone for her vice to continue. His serious expression made her involuntarily shiver.
"Tomoe Marguerite has been spotted on campus by our agents. It's confirmed that she has established contact with Miyu Greer," he informed her with a look of worry. "Contact Natsuki-san immediately and warn her. I can only hope it isn't too late."
Shizuru's hand was holding her phone in no time and she quickly dialled Natsuki. When she heard the annoying announcement that the subscriber's number was out of reach, she opted to call the next person that was sure to be in the draught.
"Aoi-chan, take your group and head to the docks this instant!" Mai's authoritative voice rang throughout the small space and everybody stopped talking. When all of the gang members froze in their spots a scowl appeared on their third-in-command's face. "Didn't you hear me? Get going!"
Aoi's group scrambled into action and soon they were ready to go, every single one of them having taken some kind of small and easily transportable weapon.
"What's going on, Mai-chan?" Aoi asked as she tucked a sheathed dagger in her sleeve.
"Tomoe's back and it seems she's in cahoots with Miyu Greer and the organization she's part of," Mai answered, while she herself was searching through the storage room where they kept all their weapons. "If my suspicions are correct, Natsuki and the others are in a big pinch. Leave campus immediately and go make sure they're okay."
"Shouldn't we consult Blackwood first?" One of the members asked hesitantly, but he was shot a fiery look from the club's president.
"We don't have the time! Go! Now!"
"What do you suggest now, Reito-han?" Shizuru was barely able to keep the shaking out of her voice. From what she had learned from Mai, Natsuki had gone straight to Tomoe without knowing that she was up against something more than a ghost seeking revenge. But her Natsuki should've known better… Why had she gone alone?
"The First District will most likely take action, but your group also needs to move, Shizuru-san." Reito rubbed his chin in thought. "If the Golden Era strikes now against T.N.T., it's guaranteed that we won't stay low. We'll attack both groups that are on our turf, meaning that we'll aim to eliminate both opposing fractions, no exceptions. You have to get away from here as soon as possible. I'll make my escape, as well. After I've played my role in undermining the First District, of course."
Shizuru nodded, allowing a small smile to grace her previously pursed lips.
"You're as level-headed as always," she complemented her friend. "I'm unnerved by the thought of us being genuine enemies, Reito-han."
"Let's wait for each other at the hidden exit, which T.N.T. usually uses," he suggested and stood up. "Gather as much people as possible. If either of us doesn't make it there in the next hour, he or she should be left behind."
"My, truly a leader, aren't you?" Shizuru accepted his proposition easily, agreeing silently that it was indeed the best they could do at the moment. "I'll go gather Mai-han and the others and we'll be waiting for you there. Good luck with getting rid of your shadow."
"Nagi won't be a problem." Reito gave her a reassuring smile.
Shizuru anxiously waited for a while longer after her vice left before she grabbed her laptop and headed straight towards the Bridge club's room.
Mai was running towards the middle school's dorms with all the speed she could muster. This time she had a terrible feeling that things wouldn't go as planned. She couldn't risk and wait for the school campus to turn into a battleground – she needed to get Takumi to safety at once. Even though she knew she was doing something selfish by leaving her friends alone for a while, her brother came before everything.
I'm just going to make sure he's okay and then I'll take him with me, she thought as she stormed into the dorm building of the middleschoolers, not heeding the guard's protests.
Mai flung open the door to Takumi's room without bothering with the courtesy to knock, but she abruptly stopped when she saw that her brother wasn't alone. He was standing stiffly in the middle of the small living space, a kunai pointed at his throat. The one who was threatening his life was none other than Okuzaki Akira.
"Let him go!" Mai nearly growled.
"Listen to me, Tokiha-san," Akira calmly requested, not moving the blade away from the boy's throat.
"Sister…" Takumi quietly called out to Mai and she narrowed her eyes at the ninja.
"Let my brother go," she demanded once again, this time her voice low and threatening. Akira sighed with exasperation.
"Look, I'm trying to help you." The kunai was slowly drawn away from Takumi. "I know what you're part of, Tokiha-san, and my superiors are going to be informed, as well. I heard the President and the Obsidian Lord talking earlier. However, I don't want either you, or Takumi to be hurt."
Mai couldn't believe her ears.
"Are you going to let us escape?" She disbelievingly asked. Akira nodded and pushed Takumi forward, the boy stumbling in his sister's protective arms.
"Be careful. I can't afford to keep silent about this, because it will look too suspicious. I have other people to protect," the kunoichi spoke with regret in her voice and motioned towards the exit. "Now go."
Without a second's hesitation Mai dragged her brother with her, not even giving him a chance to say his farewells with his roommate. He pulled at her grasp.
"Wait!" Takumi shouted as he struggled free and turned towards Akira. "What's this all about?"
"Ask your sister while you make your escape," she answered. "Do you have your pills with you?"
"Yes." Takumi hesitantly stepped towards her. "Promise me to be careful."
"I'm sorry I lied to you." Akira stared fixedly at her feet. She inhaled shakily when without any warning Takumi wrapped his arms around her.
"I knew all along. I'm not angry," he spoke quietly and quickly pulled back, his cheeks reddened. "See you."
"See you," rasped out the stricken and also blushing female ninja.
Mai quickly pushed Takumi out the door and then stopped dead in her tracks.
"Will Reito-san be safe?" She asked without turning around.
"I'll do everything in my power to help him make it safely to your people," Akira promised. "I also despise the First District and want it destroyed."
"Are you looking for her?"
Nao squinted in the direction from which the steely voice had come. She had just climbed on the concrete shore and was crouching – cold and tired – on the ground. Her wet hair was getting in her eyes and in the first moment she couldn't make out the big silhouette standing on top of one of the metal crates.
The pale moon had just swum up on the starless sky and when the cloud that obstructed it moved Nao gasped. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
Seriously, how bad can this get?
Miyu Greer stared impassively back at her and adjusted on her shoulder the unmoving Natsuki. The freshman shivered; the fact that she could feel no sign of an aura about Miyu frightened her more than the thought of the raging Tomoe.
"What are you going to do with her?" Nao stood up from the ground without tearing her gaze away from Miyu.
"Take her to Lady Alyssa," was the emotionless reply. "She still possesses some value in my Lady's eyes, so I can't have her die yet."
"Did you need to wait after that psycho bitch almost killed her?" Nao half-shouted, surprising herself with the realization that she was genuinely angry. She silently wondered if Kuga would be angered by the whole situation if she were in her shoes and Nao was the one captured. Would she be upset that her… something like a friend was in such a predicament? Would she be worried more about the other person, rather than about herself?
"It matters not either way – she's still alive." Miyu jumped down from the crate and landed without any difficulty. Nao took a defensive step back. "I'll let you walk away if you don't get in my way."
Getting pummelled by Marguerite isn't on top of my 'to do' list either.
"And if I do?" The first-year deftly pulled out her knuckledusters from her pockets.
"You will be eliminated."
Miyu's voice came from behind her and before she could even turned around she felt a strong hit on her right arm. Stumbling forward, she turned to look at her attacker, who was being held in a head-lock by none other than Natsuki.
Looks like Kuga really didn't kick the bucket, then. Nao suppressed the urge to smirk. Suddenly she felt relieved and reassured that now she wasn't alone. There was a chance for them to get away alive.
It seemed that Natsuki had prevented Miyu from delivering a deadly blow to Nao, instead injuring only slightly the younger girl's arm. The struggle – if it could even be called one – between the two second-years was short; Miyu effortlessly grabbed Natsuki by the collar of her blazer and threw her towards the third participant in the scuffle. Nao could do nothing but stare surprised at the incoming body. Both girls collided painfully and fell to the ground.
Nao grunted and pushed Kuga off her. The latter sent her a dirty look for the rough treatment, which Nao answered with narrowing of her eyes. Their attention quickly shifted to the pale-haired girl who was now quietly staring down at them. She didn't seem bothered at all that she was fighting against two people. Natsuki took a few steps back, crouching and holding her left side.
"You're stronger than Marguerite." Her tone suggested that her statement should be taken as a question.
"Indeed. After all, even if she has some advantages, Marguerite-san is only human," Miyu spoke calmly. "And she is still not accustomed to handling her new weapons."
Nao was looking incomprehensively between the other two, still not having bothered to get up. Did this mean…?
"What does a non-human want with me?" Natsuki straightened up as much as her wounds allowed her. Nao saw her slightly flinching when doing that and the ghostly feeling of security she had experienced only moments ago completely dissipated.
"Lady Alyssa wants to see you," Miyu simply said and fell silent.
"Hey, don't say that as if you just explained the world." Natsuki darkly chuckled and cringed. "I haven't even met this Alyssa in person."
"You will have the opportunity tonight. Before that…" Miyu paused. She had turned towards Nao, who had scrambled up to her feet, ready to run for her life. The non-human stayed silent for a moment before she regarded Natsuki. "It seems that Lady Alyssa doesn't mind if we bring along another person."
Natsuki visibly relaxed and glanced at her ally. Nao sent her an uncertain look back, asking silently for some kind of explanation. She received none, though, as she was suddenly grabbed by the elbow and dragged towards the parking lot together with Natsuki.
Both of them were pushed inside the back of a black van and Miyu jumped in after them. Nao crawled to the front and when her palms met with a cool surface, she stood up. When the van moved she staggered, but luckily didn't fall. She couldn't see all that well until a small lamp above her head was turned on. She noticed that Miyu sat on the only seat close to her and that Natsuki was on the floor, her back leaning on the metal wall. She didn't look her usual healthy self.
"Why would Alyssa want to speak with me?" Natsuki asked, her tired eyes fixed on Miyu.
"She wants to talk to you about your mother."
"Aoi's team has-?!"
"I'm staying behind!"
"Don't be stupid, Chie. Move!"
"Leave them, leave them! Run, Mai-san!"
"I can't see them following us."
"Midori?"
"I want it all to end…"
Mai lay flat on her back. She couldn't even bring herself to count how many of them had been captured. Or worse. At least she was sure Takumi was with her. She could barely hear her friends talking. Mai let her teary eyes close and unconsciousness soon embraced her.