Emerald Lightning

Kei: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. My Hero Academia is owned by Horikoshi Kohei and licensed by Shounen Jump. Please support the official release.

Zirnitra: I thought we were rebooting this.

Kei: It's gonna take more than a couple of disappointments to send this to the Shadow Realm.

Julia: Why did you do the disclaimer?

Zirnitra: Now, on to the chapter. We'll be sure to leave a bunch of things that'll make you want to leave if you're pusillanimous. Being rude is the second to least of a writer's concerns after all; the minute we started this was the day we left a polite society. Stephen King.

Julia: Don't ignore me!

Chapter 26: Why Does Death Stalk Us?

Still out in the nightshade of sea-driven darkness, Izuku Midoriya can still be seen out. With only his self-made light the way he's able to see in the clouded darkness, he continues to manipulate iron sand.

Raising his hands he shapes it about, turning what he's collected into a pentagon. After that, he morphs it into the shape of a diamond, lit to deliver an emerald glow that illuminates him and the area he stands. "And there. I managed to get a lot done in only an hour."

With mild amusement at his success, he turns an eye to where the complex is. If he stays out any longer someone might notice. Then again, would anyone care? Would he? "…of course I would."

Ignoring his fickle decision, he tosses aside the glowing lamp he made, which turns it back into regular iron sand. Izuku's feet then start to crunch against the white floor until reaching more sturdy soil. While walking, this gives him time to think about the advantages being on this island is giving him. He may not be able to increase how much electricity he can fire as easily, but at least he has something to take home if his results are left to be desired; a jar of iron sand for combat purposes.

While walking, he hears a sound not too far from where he was. He pulls up his hand to release a ray of light where he heard the noise, higher up on the volcano's cliff. In the light's path, he catches a lone person. "Kouta…"

Noticing the light, Kouta glares down at Izuku, his eyes not stopping even as he comes up using a staircase of sand. A staircase he walks slowly on, but yes. Izuku steps towards Kouta once he reaches his level, the boy giving him the cold shoulder as he is wont to.

"Kouta, why are you up so late?"

"Why are you?" he snaps back.

"…touche," he laughs in response to the boy's words. "Is there a reason you're out here-"

"None of your business," he replies coldly. "I told you; I ain't fraternizing with you stupid, wannabe heroes! You guys flaunting your power stretching your Quirks to the limit… it's all stupid."

After a thought, Izuku remembers what Mandalay told him. With the two of them in this situation, he might as well say it. Everything he wants to.

"Your parents who died…are they the team Water Horse?"

As if pressure was applied to a nerve, Kouta turns around quickly. "What?! Did Mandalay tell you!?"

"Kinda. It just sort of came up in conversation…" He then looks down with remorse. "I remember hearing about it not too long ago."

"Just shut up…" The boy's teeth gnarl down onto each other as his face contorts with despair. "You're all stupid. Completely out of your mind, you heroes AND villains. You just go around flaunting your Quirks and killing each other for no goddamn reason… it makes me sick, how you all only care about showing off to the world-"

"How can you say that?" Izuku's sudden snap takes Kouta out of his words, as he raises his head towards the olive-haired hero in training. "Your parents were murdered by some lunatic, a man who could care less about other people and simply exists to ruin the lives of others. A criminal. How can you hate them for what they did?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Kouta whips his hands about. A bit of moisture hits Izuku in the face from his fingertips. "What do you know?! Do you have any idea what it's like to grow up without your parents?! Because they just wanted to play hero they fought against someone way out of their league!" His energy seems to have left him as he continues. "And they died. And all everyone could do was praise their actions, not caring how I felt. How could you understand!?"

At the end of his little tirade, the electric teen drops down with his butt on the same level at his feet. His eyes are overshadowed by the darkness left underneath his hair. "Let me guess… you feel sad that someone you care about was taken away from you. You feel hatred for the man who did it. You feel angry at him, at the people around you because you have nothing to lash out on. Even more, you feel angry because he's gone, and there was nothing you could do about it."

The final sentence grasps his attention. Kouta's eyes lift from frustration and anger to a form of understanding. Even as he continues: "He was the most important person to you, and now he's gone. Because some scumbag shot him. Because no one else could do anything about it. Because he was so noble and was the only one there who did the right thing, even though you should be the most important thing to him, even though he has people who love him waiting for his safe return."

At the end of that, Kouta manages to calm down as hinted at through his expression. He looks down at the boy whose head is now at his level, breathing in loudly through his nostrils. "You too?"

"…I can't say the pain goes away, or that at least they're in a better place, and I'd be lying if I said that the universe tends to unfold as it should…" Izuku raises his face, showing the surprised boy his sullen eyes. "But it's never going to get better if all you do is mope around."

The teenager stands up taller now. "I decided to become a hero because I didn't want that to happen again. Heroes and the police protect the everyday lives of people, people who just want to live out their daily lives without fear. My father didn't die because he wanted to show off, but to protect someone because she couldn't protect herself. Isn't it the same for your parents?"

An expression he's never seen on the little one's face appears before Izuku. Though he wants to say more… "I'll be going back now. You want a ride?"

Silence. "Okay. See you in the morning, Kouta!" He slides down on the trail of iron sand he made, dashing for the complex to get a good night's sleep. Hell training has only just begun.

Though as he leaves, Rogue can be found eavesdropping down where he hides. "That was kind of nice. You'd never know he was one of them."

…

"So, have you prepared yourself?"

"Yes I have, master," says Shigaraki as he stares with excitement at the blue screen. "The Vanguard Action Squad are already on their way courtesy of Kurogiri. They'll torment those kids and pay them back for the humiliation we suffered!"

"And the Noumu?"

"We're sending Chainbreaker. She'll capture our targets…" His eyes squint when he remembers something. "Question."

"Hmm?"

"Why him?"

"It's always good to have a backup plan."

…

The bright sun in the sky dims from the plague of clouds flowing across the true blue sea. The children on Achuto continue their training. Shoto Todoroki sighs as he burns in the boiling hot water, the heat an amazing counter to his ice powers. Though sitting, his eyes continue watching the boy crawling along the ground.

The green-haired boy groans as he pushes himself up to his knees. His breath heaves out like a sea of heat beating down on out of shape losers. "No slacking off Midoriya."

The boy raises his head looking up at Aizawa. "I haven't given up yet," he says between breaths.

"This is why you train at the time appointed, not at night when you're supposed to be resting so you can vent your frustration on objects and not people. Going off schedule ruins things for you too."

'How did he know?' "I…" A dark look from his teacher shuts him up. "…am not going to lie."

"That being said, it's nice that you're taking this seriously," adds the teacher as he continues to pus himself. "It'll do good to fix your 'lucky' victory."

"…lucky?"

Aizawa then says loudly, "Uraraka, Midoriya," gathering her attention from lifting heavier rocks while trying to stomach the pain, "you needed at least 30 points to pass the Midterm practical. And while you passed, you achieved a score of 40 by taking advantage of the simulated nature of the test."

A yikes expression quickly appears on her face. "You will work harder, but only under my supervision. Got it?" Feeling like a 'Deku' at that point, Izuku nods to his question.

"Good. Go get some water and resume." The defeated boy crawls over to the tray of bottled water left for them to drink. Nothing for him to say in response to that.

As he does, Aizawa narrows his eyes focusing on Izuku. Despite his positive comments, he's truly not convinced he deserves to be here. With how he's been reacting to the world lately and his unflinching desire for vengeance, it's honestly surprising why he hasn't given him the boot yet. Being in UA is all for a good purpose. They don't just teach children to be heroes, but curb stomp terrible behavior and thought patterns from potentially dangerous individuals like Bakugo.

'Midoriya is also one of those PDIs. He's just one expulsion away from becoming another Hero Killer.'

With Izuku, he continues pushing himself before finding the electrolytes to get on two feet. Using whatever reserves of power he has left, he pushes off the ground standing. "Even if it hurts," begins his antisocial teacher, "do not give up. Remember why you're here, and that'll push you through. Always keep in mind your origin."

While still crawling, Izuku looks over to his teacher to speak. "Question. Speaking of training, will the other teachers be here?"

"That would a negatory on that Deku," says Rogue from where he stands, right next to the water. "A smaller crowd moves better and faster. The staff here is at a minimum because…" He turns to Aizawa. "Line?"

"Ugh… we've chosen the six of us because we're the least to stand out."

Ragdoll twirls into the scene. "That's why Eraserhead chose himself and one person from the Power Deshi! Someone like All Might would definitely stand out, considering he's the VA's main target. So he's not here or there!"

After getting all the information he needs, he grabs a drink of water. That is when Pixie-Bob speaks up. "Almost forgot; tonight your classes will be competing in a test of courage against one another. The winners get a decent reward!"

Many a groan can be heard in response.

…

Around lunchtime, everyone breaks to cook their next meal. Doing what he does best, Iida and Yaoyorozu command the legion of students to set up the cooking area.

With Todoroki, he watches Midoriya throwing firewood into the makeshift oven. Mostly by himself. Shrugging, he goes over to him carrying water in a pot. "Oh, hey," he says as his half and half acquaintance looks at him.

"Any reason you asked for if the other teachers were coming?"

"I was hoping to speak with All Might," he replies, before glancing his eyes to the side giving a thought. "…and check up on Kacchan and Kendo."

"Advice?" That surprises him. He never expected Midoriya to be asking anyone for help with anything. "Does it have anything to do with the surprisingly large amount of people distancing themselves from you?"

The disgruntled teenager groans. "Oh god…" Clearly, he knows exactly what's going to happen now. It's almost routine at this point. "You're not gonna lecture me too on how I'm wrong and need to change my way for the better, right? Because I've kind of filled the quota for today."

The son of Endeavor keeps his blank stare, an unreadable expression that he's seen enough of from him. He needs to say something, and he knows just to say it without any lip. "Didn't you lecture me about using my own Quirk?"

"…yeah, but-"

"And how effective that was for me?"

"But Todoro-"

"So shouldn't I be entitled to say something?"

Defeated, he simply turns his head aside with his eyes closed, and after a long sigh he says, "Go on…"

Todoroki looks down at himself, through the mirror of water in the pot he holds. "I'm not going to go on a rant or give you a five paragraph essay criticizing you like an inexperienced, barely college graduate, but I will say this; from what I can see, you're slowly becoming what I used to be, rejecting everything around you because you're consumed with hatred."

That seems to have an effect, for Izuku opens his eyes and quickly turns towards the guy. "What?"

"Just think of that before you do your next thing."

"Oi!" Iida shouts in the background. "Do I see idle hands?! We're supposed to be making the world's greatest stew!"

Sighing, Todoroki goes over to the slightly annoying speedster. As he walks, he looks back at the electric teen now deep in thought. 'If that doesn't help you, nothing will.'

Elsewhere…

"Thanks for meeting me so sudden."

"It's no problem."

Back in Musutafu, two people sit together face to face outside of a cafe. It's a twilight setting. The two are Inko and Toshinori, sitting before a glass table. The green-haired mother looks up at him. "I…I kind of wanted to ask about your body. I noticed you've been slower than usual on television."

"Don't worry about that."

"But your injury-"

"It's okay…" he replies quickly, cutting her off. He can't exactly tell her the truth, because that would ring her into One For All's web of secrets. It's already big enough with Bakugo being his latest addition.

She then looks aside, eyes darting up at him. "Also, I really need your help."

"Hmm?"

"…I remember now."

Achuto Island…

"Bellies full, plates clean…" Pixie-Bob says as she examines the students. "Time for the Test of Courage."

The fifteen students come together getting ready for the scary challenge. Mandalay holds out a collection of slips of paper. "Now, everyone, take a paper to see who your partner will be."

With glee in most of their eyes, everyone picks from her hand. After all fifteen pick their lots, they all go to their assigned partner. This goes for all of them, except for Izuku who holds one that reads eight.

He then realizes the issue. "Let's see. If everyone picked one, and two people pair up since we're fifteen…" The emerald protagonist examines the people that HAVE paired: Ochako with Tsuyu, Shouji with Tokoyami, Kota with Todoroki, Jirou and Hagakure, Yaoyorozu and Iida, Ojiro and Kirishima, and Sato with Mineta. Realizing the numbers add up, his eyes turn black. "I'm the leftover(zako)."

Ojiro comes over patting his back. "It's unfortunate. This was bound to happen, sorry."

He knows. He was well aware of the fact that one guy would be left alone. The problem is how coincidental it is that he was singled out considering how everyone's viewing him. 'Just like middle school.'

"Alright campers! Get in there!" says the blue Pussycat as the first group heads in, Koda and Todoroki. After a while, the next group goes in after them in order: Tsuyu and Ochako, Jirou and Hagakure, Koda and Todoroki, and then Yaoyorozu and Iida. So far, so smooth.

"Iida you bastard…" Mineta can be found on the ground fists holding him up, tears of blood dripping like a leaky faucet. "You couldn't swap with me!"

Izuku stares blankly at the grape hero in training, and sighs. Why wasn't he the sole loner? As he gripes over this thought, his nostrils flare up when a foul stench catches his nose's attention. "Hey, does everyone smell that?"

At that, Ojiro takes in a whiff of the air. "Huh…" The remaining students and the three Pussycats still with them raise their heads and sniff as well as the tailed student continues. "It smells like burning trees."

"That's weird…" Mandalay says before wiping her nose. She then glances up at the forest's zenith to spot several black clouds forming above. "What could have caused it?"

As they ponder this, a pink aura forms all around the blue pro heroine. "What? Hey, how-" She's levitated in the air and pulled backward against her volition. The others quickly turn and stare in horror, as Pixie-Bob's skull collides with a stone pillar held by a person.

Standing over her groaning, bloody-headed body are two unknowns. The first is a brown haired male(?) with a tan vest over a white shirt and khaki pants. He has large lips, a fake beard, and shades despite it being night. The other is a purple-haired lizard man with green scales wearing a white bandanna over his eyes. He wears a white bodysuit with a collection of weapons on his back.

"One down," says the man holding the pillar.

The students back away in fear at the sight of the two newcomers, who they instantly identify as villains for their obvious action. The burning smell starts making sense if they're the cause of it. Through their minds, they wonder just how were they able to come here and cause trouble for them. How did they even know they'd be here at this exact time?

"Pixie-Bob!" shouts the red riot student as he rushes in at her side. Mandalay and Tiger stand in his way, instantly separating the open path between the students and them.

"Kids, head back to the complex. Tell Eraserhead what's going on." Mandalay's orders fall on foolish ears.

Kirishima looks down at the fallen Pussycat, and then out in the forest where the rest of their class is, not to mention Class 1-B. The emerald protagonist goes to his crimson classmate and pats his shoulder. "We gotta go!"

"But-"

"No buts!" Izuku and Shouji grab him and pull the hot-blooded one away from the action. They join up with the rest of their classmates, heading for the complex to safety.

The reptile man watches the boy make his leave, before turning an eye to his 'feminine' partner. "Hey, was that the boy?"

"Yeah, that's him…" he replies, adjusting the large metal pike he has over Pixie-Bob's head. "Guess we'll just leave him to Muscular."

"What?" A dark look in her eyes, Mandalay glares at the one who's pinning down Ryuko. That name sends waves of resentment through her heart. "Muscular?! He's here?!"

As the students run, the electric one gains a disturbing thought. 'There are villains…' Izuku looks over to where he trained last night. Or more specifically, he's staring in the general area where Kouta has been hiding. Seeing the assortment of heroes already there, the electric teen stops just outside the building.

"Guys," his words gather their attention. "Kouta's still out there. We have to go help him!"

"What?!" Mineta jumps in front of the green teen. "Are you nuts!? We were told to stay out of danger!"

Ojiro goes over to Izuku. Before he could reply to the tiny student's outburst, the tailed one says, "Midoriya, this isn't like USJ. We don't have to-"

"No, this IS just like USJ Ojiro," he replies. "It's actually worse; there's a kid out there who can't fight the way we can at the same time as those villains! Don't you want to go and make sure he's safe?"

Many a set of eyes narrow. "Is his life worth more than following the law?" asks Ojiro. His response is a downward eyebrow stare. "Yeah, what was I thinking? Do you at least have an idea of where he is?"

"I have a thought." He holds up three fingers. "I only need three guys to go with me."

After taking a moment Shouji steps up to the plate. "I'll go."

"I'll help you out." This is from Ojiro.

"Finally, you're speaking my language!" Kirishima shouts with clenched fists. Just lead the way!"

With that, Izuku leads the quartet – including himself – to the cliff where he last saw Kouta.

Later…

Up on the previously mentioned cliff, Kouta looks out at the scenery. His face contorts into horror when he sees the purple smog mixing in with the smoke produced by the azure flames plaguing the forest. This has never happened before, and he does not know anyone among those posers who has a blue fire Quirk.

'Kouta!' The sound of his aunt's voice rings through his ears. 'Head back to the base! I'm sorry I don't know where you are… I also have my hands tied, so, please! Come to me!'

Backing away, his body freezes suddenly. The cause is the sound of dirt crunching underneath some sort of weight coming from behind him. It approaches him slowly. Lazily.

"Hey, kid." He quickly turns around to face the person. His face becomes as wet as cats and dogs falling from the sky.

The man is a towering beast of a man. Dressed in a dark blue cloak, all that's exposed of him are dark green pants and black boots as well as his burly left arm. His face is covered by a white mask. "No, not you. I just came for the view, only to find someone who isn't a target."

The child steps back in fear. He recognizes that voice. "Hey, wanna trade for your hat? I only got this dumbass mask just cause I'm a newbie. And-" Kouta runs away, sprawling for his life. "Hey! How rude!"

The ground breaks where he kicks off, jumping to the side of the mountain on the cliff to cut him off. The mask falls off his face, revealing to Kouta the horror of who this man really is. A grinning, blonde, madman with a massive scar where his left eye is supposed to be. Kouta falls to tears as his left arm stretches out, muscle fibers flying out to strap around the limb.

"Mom! Dad!" He cries.

In a flash, a white figure jumps up the side of the cliff and grabs hold of the boy, quickly moving out of the way. The meaty arm slams into the ground, grazing the hero who has rescued the boy and sending him flying. Each landing he makes a hard bounce off, coming to a roll where he stops at the edge coughing painfully. The villain raises his head glaring at the boy responsible.

"Oh, just one of those kids," he says, rising up and throwing the cloak aside, as he faces down Ojiro.

"Get back!" From down the cliff, Kirishima comes up flying at the muscular villain. Hardening his body, he goes forth into a dropkick knocking the villain in the face.

His neck craning upward, he smirks as his glass eye cracks. "Alright. Some fun!"

Another person comes up from the cliff, this one being Shouji. Izuku follows after, standing on top of a pillar made of iron sand. Seeing him, Muscular grins like a treasure hunter. "Lucky me! I managed to pick up the target."

"Target?" asks the multi-limbed student who stands as tall as him. "You were supposed to come and kill us?"

"If we wanted to, as long as we killed you." He then points over at the green haired student. "Izuku Midoriya."

"Eh?" The three students turn their eyes over at Izuku. The emerald protagonist widens his eyes. "Me?" He then remembers the time he tried to erase Shigaraki and forced back his Noumu; he doesn't get how they found out who he was, because he wasn't present during the Sports Festival and only their faces were shown during the Stain incident.

So how?

That's a thought he'll have to wonder about later because Muscular is making his move. "Let's see some blood, kids!"

"Step aside guys!" With a dangerous glare, Izuku stretches his hands out firing emerald lightning bolts at the muscular villain. And he still pummels through. 'What?!'

Kirishima steps in, armoring his arms to throw a powerful punch at Muscular's face. He stops just before the red riot and grabs that same arm, holding the teen in place. "Oh shit." A single clench crushes his arm, causing him to shout out in immense pain.

At the same time, Shouji goes forth pummeling Muscular. He summons two extra arms and wails, throwing one-two punches left and right to his face to overwhelm the villain. He then pushes him into the wall of the mountain. "Get out of here, now!" he shouts through a miniature mouth.

Izuku goes down to Kirishima and helps him to the path of iron sand he creates to send him down. The path cradles into a slide allowing him to go down with ease. He then makes another path for Ojiro, before turning to his tallest classmate. "Shouji!"

Tentacole continues to push Muscular back, using his four arms to push on his shoulders and biceps. The muscle man grabs his lower limbs with both hands, his meaty fibers extending out to wrap around his limbs to make him bigger. To Shouji's surprise, the villain slowly but surely pries himself free of his grip, and in a swift movement thrusts his right hand up. His palm slams Shouji in the neck, the boy stumbling back a few steps.

Coughing, he stares at his superior opponent in fear. This man is far stronger than he can ever hope to be, having pulled him off with a smile present on his face. There's a good chance he could die. 'But…' He looks back over at his comrades escaping. 'At least I'll buy them time.'

He makes a left hook with all of his limbs on that arm, a move that Muscular passively blocks. He then aggressively uses that same meaty arm to backhand Shouji in the face. While he was left disoriented, the villain grabs his head and shoves it into his knee, before tossing the boy like a rag doll towards the edge of the cliff.

A green bolt fires out and catches him in a field, courtesy of Izuku standing atop iron sand. He then shoots another bolt at Muscular, this one shooting him back and pinning him to the wall.

With that, Izuku slides down while carrying Shouji in his static field. He then puts him down on his feet. "Let's go."

"T-Thanks," Shouji says as he takes off. Izuku follows after.

"Where do you think you're going?" A hand grips his shirt's back collar and drags him away.

He continues to leave shoe trails in the ground until he's thrown in the air and lands face first into the bleached beach. Our emerald protagonist groans as he rises up, staring at the man who captured him. "You again…"

"That was a hell of a thing you did just now," says the muscular mayhem before cracking his knuckles.

Izuku groans as he picks himself up, his eyes of hatred keeping track on him. Despite that, he's honestly a little worried; he can shrug off his lightning attacks with ease, and even when he magnetized him to the side of the mountain he just pulled off. And he still has the strength to pull him across the forest toward the beach.

Muscular flexes his right arm shoulder. "I love that look in your eye. You've got the eyes of a killer in ya."

"Don't lump me in with you!" Izuku fires another bolt directly at Muscular. It's a direct hit, but he's still standing as if nothing happened.

"That tickles." He rushes in and quickly kicks Izuku, his blow impacting the ribs. He bites down as he's flung away, passing by a forked branch and nearing the sea.

"I'm going to be a hero," says Izuku as he pushes himself up, "so I can stop and lock away bastards like you! I'm not some cold-blooded monster who murders others for fun like you!"

"Don't try to kid yourself. You just want to be a hero so you can do whatever you want." Muscular walks forth towards the fallen teenager. "Heroes and villains… what's the difference? One is more honest, and the other deludes by pretending they're doing good."

"You're wrong!" Izuku stretches his left hand up and fires a green bolt at Muscular, who bends his head to the right avoiding it. Muscle man retaliates by kicking him over, followed by stomping on his chest to push him further into the dirt. Through painful groans increased by his added pressure, Izuku says, "Heroes…are heroes… to protect… people!"

"You don't need to be a hero to protect people, and you DON'T want to protect people." Like in a manga panel with interactive word bubbles, those words pierce into the younger hero in training. "You just want to kill people who piss you off. I know, because you're just like me."

He stretches his left hand down to the boy's face, his index and middle finger pointed at his eyes. "Those eyes of yours are just like mine. All you're missing is one thing and you'll start being what everyone calls a villain." He pulls his hand away. "It's called breaking free and letting go of your inhibitions. I mean, think about how better your lives would be if you didn't have these fucking rules keeping you locked up. Look how happy I am letting go and killing whoever I want." The muscular monster takes a knee resting his left arm on his other leg, glaring down with a devious smile at his fallen foe. "That kid back there… he was Water Horse's son, wasn't he? I killed them because they got in the way of my fun, and I was gonna kill him just because it seemed fun. If you're gonna die, at least don't let it be in a dumb way like failing to protect others."

Emerald sparks light up from around the fallen hero in training, who uses its power to blow away the villain. Muscular lands just a few feet away, glaring at Izuku as he gets back up. "How is it dumb to protect someone?! To die nobly for the sake of others?!"

He scoffs at that. "If you're gonna throw your life away to save someone, the least you can do is have the muscle to back it up. Or you'll end up wasting your life and coming up negative, just like that boy's mommy and daddy."

Snap.

Scarlet lightning explodes from off his body, and Izuku stands taller than ever before. His eyes see but black. "It's people like you that kept my dad up at night. It's people like you that ruin other people's lives. It's people like you, that makes me not regret the decision I've made!"

He raises his hand, gathering iron sand that forms into spiked balls. The battle begins now.

Kei: And chapter over... any afterthoughts?

Zirnitra: Let's just see what that guy says. (takes out popcorn) This should be fun.

Kei: Audible sigh. Well, see you next chapter. If we still want to do these chapters.

Zirnitra: And if you can get past the mystery of what Bakugo's Quirk is without rage quitting because you assume All Might gave him One for All.