Chapter 29
Hinata winced from the aching pain in her head as consciousness eased back into her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and realized she was no longer in Agrabah but in Hollow Bastion. She laid there in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out how she had gotten there when the events of Agrabah flooded her mind. Helping Jasmine out of the castle and then confronting Jafar; all of those things happened right before she somehow lost consciousness. She put her hand on her forehead as it throbbed and tried to piece her memories together. Turning her head she saw Riku sitting next to her. He sat with his knees to his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around his legs. Hinata noticed he was back in his regular clothes and seemed deep in thought as he stared absently at the opposite wall with his chin resting on his knees; not noticing that Hinata was awake or moving.
Trying to find her voice, Hinata hoarsely asked, "What happened?"
Riku shot his head up and looked over at Hinata. His expression going from relief to sadness as he noticed she was awake. Hinata frowned as she noticed his usually bright eyes were dulled and somehow dark; something heavy was weighing on his mind. After a few moments of silence, Riku eventually spoke up, "Jafar knocked you unconscious and I brought you back here."
Hinata looked up at the ceiling as she replayed the events in her mind. "Jafar said you were behind me and I turned to see you but you weren't there. Then I fell; that must have been when he did it." She recounted the events aloud, then slowly sitting up despite the look she got from Riku for moving so soon she continued, "I guess I should have expected as much considering how much I messed up his and Maleficent's plans." Taking a deep breath, she paused and regretfully had to address Riku's involvement. "Which reminds me, Jafar and Iago mentioned that you knew about the mission all along." Uncomfortably lacing her fingers together on her lap, she glanced over at Riku beside her waiting for his response.
Avoiding her eyes, Riku focused on his ungloved hands around his legs; examining the still open cuts on his purpled knuckles, thankful Hinata hadn't yet noticed them. Most of the blood was gone as he had washed it away and changed before Hinata awoke; but hardly enough time had passed for any proper healing to occur. The cool air stung the wounds and provided a distraction from the mess he had found himself in. Realizing that Hinata was somehow patiently awaiting his response he confessed, "They told me everything when we were separated. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you involved; but I didn't realize you would be forced into it." With everything Hinata was putting up with, he felt that he could at least give her the truth.
"So you did know…" Hinata quietly acknowledged, feeling the start of hurt and anger beginning to simmer inside her. Bringing her knees to her chest she copied the way Riku was sitting. She didn't know how to handle everything she was hearing. Taking a deep breath she decided to ask the dreaded question, "What did you do to the Sultan?"
"I told him I would keep him safe and then I put him in a jail cell I found." Riku confessed.
"You betrayed him." Hinata accused plainly, the feelings inside her quickly turning into a boil.
"I was following orders." He responded.
Hinata scoffed and got off of the bed, ignoring the complaints of her stiff muscles. She didn't understand how Riku could think like this. "Those orders were hurting an innocent man!" Hinata pointed out, her once calm voice quickly rising in volume. "When I was protecting Jasmine I promised her that you were doing the same for her father!" Clenching her hands into tight fists, Hinata could feel her nails digging into her skin. "I told her I trusted you. That I was sure you were a good person; but then you go and do all of these awful things!"
"What did you expect me to do?" Riku interrupted, getting up from the bed, his own voice raising. "Go against Maleficent like you did and just cause trouble? You know what you did on Agrabah only made things worse for us!"
Hinata felt her nails beginning to break into the skin of her palm. She had a feeling that Maleficent and Jafar wouldn't be too happy with how she had gone out of her way to ruin their plans in Agrabah; but something also told her that they weren't too surprised. A flash of worry rushed into her when she remembered Jafar mentioning that her reckless behavior could possibly keep them from finding Kairi; yet she pushed it aside and burst out, "Yes! Because everything they are having us do is wrong! We can find Kairi on our own if we really have to."
Riku crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He was expecting Hinata to be livid with him for everything he had done. She didn't seem to understand him the way he desired she would. If only she felt the same way he did he wouldn't need to be sending her away. As much as she was yelling at him, he couldn't bring himself to be angry with her; though he wished he could be. If he was angry, making her leave would be so much easier. Instead he just felt sad. He looked at the way she stood there, her back to him. She was standing tall, indignant and sure of her point of view. Everything about this subject caused them to go into long drawn out arguments and Riku didn't see the point in it; not when they had so little time left together. Walking up behind her, he cautiously put his hands on her arms and was shocked when she only tensed up further from his touch. Feeling hurt by the rejection, Riku pled, "Can we not do this now? I'd rather not be arguing with our last few minutes together."
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, loosening her fists and feeling her heart beginning to race.
Sighing deeply, Riku informed her, "You aren't welcome here anymore. They want you to leave."
Dozens of emotions bogged Hinata's mind; she didn't quite know how to handle the news. She brought her cut hands together in front of her and felt a huge relief float off of her that she wasn't going to have to be around Maleficent anymore. No more following her orders or being manipulated. She and Riku were free. Except, her mind went back to the words Riku used; their last few minutes together. Her eyes widened as the relief was replaced with dread. Feeling her throat go dry, Hinata asked the question she was sure she was going to regret, "Are you coming with me?" She felt tears well up in her eyes as Riku immediately took his hands off of her, knowing his answer.
"I… can't." Riku admitted, taking a couple steps back, "There are things I need to do. They have Kairi."
Hinata spun around, desperate to change his mind, "We can find her ourselves Riku! We don't need to have some manipulative witch dictating our every move!"
"No, I mean Maleficent has her in custody." Riku explained.
"You have Soul Eater don't you?" Hinata urged him hoping she could get through to him, "And I have my blades. Let's go get her! She has to be somewhere in this castle if they have her in custody."
"We can't, Hinata." Riku shook his head.
"Why not?" She protested, taking a step towards him.
"We just can't!" Riku threw his hands up and shouted, "I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."
Hinata eyed Riku suspiciously, "There's something else isn't there? Another reason you are staying besides getting back Kairi."
Riku shot Hinata an annoyed look, "Does it really matter?"
"Yes Riku, it does!" Hinata threw her hands in the air. She couldn't believe he was adding another secret that he was keeping from her. "How am I supposed to trust you when all you do is keep things from me? And now you're sending me away?"
"It isn't my choice!" Riku yelled in his defense.
"Yes it is," Hinata shot back, not being fooled for a second, "You know we could find Kairi ourselves at this point! We have a ship and weapons. It would be harder on our own but at least we could do it with a clear conscience! Instead, you are pushing me to go out into the unknown alone just so you can stay behind to do… I don't even know!"
"You're making it sound like I don't care about you at all!" Riku accused.
"What do you expect me to think Riku?" Hinata pleaded, "You're sending me out on my own! I don't even know if I'll ever see you again! You are pushing me away for whatever it is you want more than me!"
Riku felt his heart wrench, he knew he was throwing Hinata away in favor of power. The darkness was eating at his heart and he should be getting as far away from it as he could; but instead he felt drawn to it. In the back of his mind he could hear his small voice begging him to change his mind. Hinata deserved better than what he was doing to her. Turning around he ran his uninjured hand through his hair and tried to get rid of the qualms inside him. He was doing the right thing he just knew it. Once he had the power of darkness on his side he could set things right. Glancing over his shoulder at Hinata he mumbled, "It's not like that. You don't understand."
"Maybe I would if you would just tell me." Hinata took a step forward and reached for one of his hands; gasping when she saw the way he winced and ripped his hand away.
Holding his hand in front of him, Riku grimaced as small beads of blood began to form on the cuts on his knuckles from Hinata's grasp, reopening the wounds. He clenched his hand into a fist, only causing the fresh scabs to tear further, and tightly closed his eyes. The soft touch of Hinata's hands around his wrist caused him to open his eyes again. She was standing in front of him holding his arm and her once angered expression swiftly softening. Slowly she ran her hand over his clenched fist, instantly relaxing Riku, and opened his palm. They stood in comforting silence for a moment as Hinata looked at the bleeding abrasions.
Lightly running her fingers along his she whispered, "What happened?"
Riku momentarily closed his eyes, taking in Hinata's soft touch, before explaining, "After I brought you back here Maleficent told me that you had to leave. I tried to talk her out of it, saying it wasn't your fault and they forced you into it; but… it didn't work." Bringing his other hand over Hinata's he continued, "So after Maleficent left I hit the wall." He motioned his head towards a dented part of the wall near the bedroom door, watching as Hinata turned to look before admitting, "It isn't right. You shouldn't have to go."
"I don't mind leaving." Hinata confessed turning back to face Riku, "I just don't understand why you aren't coming with." Her soft expression slowly turned to sadness as she stared absently at Riku's hands. The previous anger in her was gone and all that remained was a broken spirit. Riku wasn't going to tell her why he was staying behind and she wasn't going to succeed in changing his mind. She was going to have to head out on her own, the one thing she had been scared of. Solemnly accepting her fate, she asked, "Where am I supposed to go?"
Riku tightened his hand that over Hinata's. "Anywhere you want. There's a ship all set up for you in the hangar."
"Will I ever see you again?" She asked, choking back a tear.
A long moment of silence reigned between them as both thought about where their lives were taking them. Riku had wanted Hinata to be by his side forever; yet here he was sending her away. There was no guarantee they would ever be together again. Riku opened his mouth to answer but didn't want to say the words in his mind. Instead he pulled Hinata into his arms and held her close to him, ignoring the pained spasms in his hand. He felt her shoulders begin to heave as she began to break down, tears soaking his shirt. In all the time he had known Hinata he had never seen her like this and it was all because of him.
"I-I don't want to be alone Riku!" Hinata cried, muffled by his chest.
His heart sank at her words. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Everything inside of him wanted to make it all better for her; he wanted to comfort her and tell her that it would turn out alright; but it wasn't going to. He was throwing away the greatest thing that had ever happened to him even though she was begging him to change his mind. Feeling a lump form in his throat, he whispered, "I'm sorry…"
Hearing Riku apologize only made the once burnt out anger inside Hinata rekindle. Sliding her hands between her and Riku she pushed him away feeling his hurt eyes stare into her as she attempted to compose herself. Looking up at his face she demanded, "Why are you doing this? If you're sorry, why are you pushing me away?"
"Hinata, I…" Riku stammered; his resolve of keeping everything from her quickly crumbling beneath him.
The sudden vibration from the black device around his belt loop caught their attention. Giving Hinata an apologetic look, Riku reached down to grab the device as Hinata backed away. She pushed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. Anger and sadness swirled through her entire being. Reaching the edge of the bed, she sat and planted her face in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She heard Riku open the bedroom door and leave the room so he could answer the call, most likely from Maleficent; no doubt she was spying on them. Reluctantly, she lifted her face and looked towards the other door in the room that led to a bathroom. Standing, she felt like her knees were going to give way and stumbled her way to the door. With everything happening, it felt like life as she knew it was being pulled out from under her. Opening the door she walked inside and saw herself in the mirror. She was a wreck; still in her outfit from Agrabah, her face was red and puffy from crying and dust caked to her skin. Feeling her knees weaken, she grasped the edge of the marble counter for support. Her knuckles strained white and began to shake as she tightened her grip, feeling the familiar sting of tears threatening to break loose. With a small cry her knees gave way and she fell to the ground letting the streams of tears rain down her already moist cheeks. Everything was hitting her at once. She was about to go out on her own; free from Maleficent yes, but that didn't even matter if Riku was staying behind. He wasn't going to stop doing Maleficent's missions, even after he got Kairi back, Hinata was sure of that. There was something or someone changing him and he didn't even see it. Hinata was terrified of what he would do if she wasn't there. Everything she had seen from Hen Wen's vision was coming to pass; as much as she tried to deny it, Riku was changing. She couldn't describe how she was feeling at the moment; betrayed, furious, frightened, sad, and so many more emotions were stabbing into her at once. The sound of the bedroom door opening brought Hinata out of her emotional trance and she suddenly wished she had closed the door to the bathroom so Riku wouldn't see her the way she was.
"Hinata!" Riku exclaimed worried as she ran over to where she fell on the tile floor. Kneeling beside her he noticed her white knuckles clenched on the edge of the counter above her. He placed his hands softly over hers and felt her tense up before finally relaxing her hold and releasing her hands from the counter. Pulling her hands towards his chest he massaged them to bring the blood flow back to normal as he examined her face. Her golden brown eyes were filled with conflicting emotion as he was sure his were the same.
"Riku," Hinata eventually spoke up, "I need to tell you something before I leave."
"What?" He asked, putting her hands on his lap once the color was returning.
Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Remember how I told you I used Hen Wen to see a vision?" When Riku nodded she felt her heart twist as she continued, "I never told you what I saw."
"You said you didn't want to tell me." He responded, looking away as he felt the frustration of not being told beginning to rise.
"I know, I should have told you from the start but I was scared." She admitted.
"Of what?" He asked, looking back at her surprised.
"I didn't know how you would react or if anything I saw was true; but if I'm going to leave, you deserve to know whatever it was I saw and decide for yourself if it's true." She momentarily glanced up at Riku before explaining everything she saw in the vision, "I was hoping the vision would be of my past, but instead it was about you. You were standing in a long hallway here in Hollow Bastion with your back to me; but then you turned around, summoned Soul Eater, and pointed it straight at me. Then a dark mist surrounded you and you started screaming as if you were in pain until the mist completely covered you. When the mist disappeared a different man stood in your place, but at the same time it still felt like it was you. You, or the man that took your place, summoned some sort of dark spell and was about to shoot it at me when I stopped the vision." Pulling her hands back from Riku she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Looking absently down at her feet she admitted, "I've never been so frightened in my life. That man's eyes were so… evil."
"You think that guy was me?" Riku asked, and then worried, "You know I would never hurt you, right?"
Hinata couldn't help but laugh bitterly as a fresh tear fell. "Not physically anyways."
"What? I would never…" He began to protest when he took notice of the way she looked; in tears, crumbled on the floor. She was like that because of him. Clenching at his heart he felt it twist with pain. He couldn't believe what he was doing to Hinata; what he was doing to their relationship. After she left on that gummi ship things would never be the same between them, he knew it; yet, he had to finish what he started. Sighing, he stood up and offered his hand to Hinata, "We don't have much time. Can you walk?"
Wiping her cheeks dry, she nodded as she took his hand and let him help her up. She slightly wobbled as she stood but Riku was at her side for support; probably the last time he ever would be. Keeping his arm around her, Riku helped Hinata walk out of the bedroom so they could head to the hangar bay. He held her close to him, trying to take in everything about her and lock it away in memory. Everything about what he was doing was making him furious with himself; but somehow that only fueled his desire to follow the path he was on. It was difficult to explain and Riku didn't quite understand it himself. The anger fueled into him, transforming into a spike of adrenaline that he had grown addicted to; yet also left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe that was the power of darkness Maleficent had been referring to. He took a deep breath, feeling the rush course through him and felt a small smile creep onto his face from the sensation. Looking over at Hinata in his arms his smile washed away being replaced with sadness.
Rubbing his thumb along her shoulder he broke their silence, "Thank you for telling me. About the vision I mean."
Hinata slowly nodded, "I should have told you sooner." She was blaming herself for keeping it to herself. Seeing everything he had been willing to do lately, she couldn't help but wonder if the vision did have a grain of truth to it. Only time would tell, yet she wondered if she had told him from the beginning if things would have turned out differently.
"I wouldn't think about it too much." Riku assured her, wishing he could take his own advice, "I would never hurt you." He inwardly shuddered at the thought of the vision. Everything Hinata had described to him were things he was currently learning and doing. He hoped he would never turn those powers against Hinata. She meant everything to him.
"I know." Hinata whispered in reply, not sure she believed herself. She worried about how he would react if she interfered with any future missions. If he was willing to hurt innocent people there was no telling where he would draw the line. The thought made her knees weaken and she almost fell again when Riku scooped her up into his arms.
"I'll carry you the rest of the way, you don't have to worry." He whispered as he readjusted her in his arms and continued walking.
Hinata nuzzled into his shoulder despite all the animosity she was feeling and absently played with the collar of his shirt. The warmth of his body seeped into her and she closed her eyes. She wondered how things could have changed so rapidly between them. Only weeks ago they were back on the island building a raft and now they were on a whole other world with no place to call home; and they were separating. She hadn't the slightest idea where she was going to go, or even how to operate a gummi ship in the first place. Everything about being on her own was daunting and frightening to her. Even though she was capable of taking care of herself, something about being completely alone was terrifying. A part of her wished she had been more like Riku and just done the missions no matter the cost; yet she knew she could never do that. Exhaustion from all the emotional draining was beginning to beckon her as she yawned and leaned into Riku's chest. His rhythmic heartbeat slowly began to relax her racing one as she felt her mind drifting off into sleep.
Riku leaned his cheek against Hinata's head as he noticed her breaths even out into slumber. He couldn't help but smile that through everything happening she could still fall asleep. Once she was tired there was nothing stopping her from taking a nap, it was one of those little things he always liked about her. He knew that once she left, sleep for him was going to be a rare occurrence; he would just have to keep himself busy to distract himself. It was going to be lonely without Hinata at his side anymore. Much sooner than he would have liked he reached the hangar bay and headed towards the gummi ship Hinata was taking. It was the same one they had previously travelled on and Riku was glad Hinata would at least have something familiar to take with her. Approaching the door, it slid open allowing them inside. Riku headed over to one of the small beds and carefully laid Hinata on top of one; smiling as she subconsciously hugged and snuggled into a pillow beside her. He knelt beside the bed wondering if he should wake her but then decided to give the ship an inspection before doing so.
Standing, he walked towards the cockpit, spotting Hinata's regular clothes and swords on top of the small table. Stopping at the swords he picked them up and thought back to all the times he and Hinata had sparred. The time he spent with her on the island had been the best time in his life. He loved hanging out with Sora and Kairi but Hinata had awakened something inside of him; and now he was pushing her away and closing that chapter in his life. Looking away as he felt his heart sink, he placed the swords back onto the table and made his way to the cockpit. He was glad he decided to look over the ship before leaving as he saw the gifts he received from Bedivere and Mordred still on the control board. Grabbing them, he placed them in his pocket and wondered if he would ever actually use them. He examined the control board, during their silent trip to Prydain he had gotten himself acquainted with the controls of the ship. It had been on auto-pilot at the time so it was the perfect time to learn. The ship was set rather simply for Hinata, once he left it would automatically take her to space. All she would have to do after that was input coordinates in the navigation system and it would take her anywhere she wanted. He wondered where she would end up going and wished he could join her.
"Riku?" He heard Hinata call his name sleepily but also slightly panicked.
Turning around he quickly walked back to the bed Hinata was on, "I'm right here."
Hinata sighed relieved as she sat up and looked up at him, her golden eyes glazed over from exhaustion. "I was worried you left without saying goodbye."
Riku came and sat beside her on the bed, "I wouldn't do that. But I do need to get going."
Knitting her hands together, Hinata felt her stomach knot. "Another mission?"
Reluctantly nodding, Riku confirmed, "Unfinished business in Agrabah."
"Jasmine," Hinata whispered, drawing her own conclusions. She closed her eyes as worry joined in with the already overloading pile of emotions. "Did they find her?"
Realizing that he really shouldn't be bringing it up around Hinata when she was about to leave he stood up, "Don't worry about it."
"Promise me you won't hurt her Riku." Hinata pleaded, knowing his vague answer meant Jasmine had been found.
Riku put his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling, "I can't guarantee anything."
"Just… try then." Hinata urged him, "She doesn't deserve any of the things that have been happening to her. You are going to kidnap her no matter what I say, but, please for me, try not to harm her."
"Alright," Riku turned to look at Hinata and knelt in front of her, "I promise."
Hinata reached forward for Riku's hands and rubbed them worriedly, making sure to avoid brushing over his cuts on his knuckles. "Be careful. I don't know what Maleficent is planning, but I know it isn't good and in my opinion you shouldn't be helping her with it." Looking up she saw a flash of frustration across Riku's eyes but he remained silent. Darting her eyes away she continued, "For whatever reason you want to stay here and I have to let you do what you think is right. Can I ask you to promise me something though?"
"What is it?" Riku asked, squeezing her hands.
"While I'm gone, promise me you'll think about the real reason you're staying behind and if it's really the right thing to do. I don't know why you decided what you did and honestly it hurts that you would put it above us." She winced when Riku squeezed her hands painfully tight, even though she was sure he didn't realize just how hard he was pressing. "If you feel like you need to keep it from me, then maybe it's not as right as you think."
"Hinata, that's not true." Riku defended, feeling his eyes turning into a glare.
"Maybe you're right," Hinata admitted looking back undeterred, she stood aside too long. Now she needed to let Riku know how she really felt before she left. "But you might be wrong and that's what I want you to decide for yourself. I fail to see how helping a witch with her evil deeds is a plan that warrants getting rid of someone you care about." She felt relieved as Riku loosened his hold on her hands.
Riku's eyes softened as he listened to Hinata's words and he placed a kiss on Hinata's hands. Looking back up at Hinata he told her, "You have to trust me."
Hinata gave him a sad smile, not sure how she was supposed to trust him when he kept so many things from her; but nodded her head all the same. "I will try my best Riku." Looking back down at their clasped hands reality began hitting her again. It was time to say goodbye. Closing her eyes she asked, "We'll see each other again right?"
He was surprised to hear her ask him again and honestly he didn't know the answer when he remembered their black devices. Getting a sudden smile he reached and pulled out the square device. "We have these remember? No matter what world you're on you can still call me." His smile wavered as he saw Hinata's eyes shift away.
She sighed and regretfully confessed, "I lost my device in Traverse Town." Looking back at Riku she saw his expression sadden, "I'm sorry."
Riku shook his head sadly, "It's alright." Placing the device on the bed beside Hinata he continued, "Then I guess you'll need this. I'll see if I can get another one so we can stay in contact."
"I don't think Maleficent will give you one since she doesn't even want you talking with me in the first place." Hinata remarked, looking at the device beside her.
"Well she gave you an entire ship," Riku mentioned, getting his hopes up that they would have some way to stay in contact.
"Just another piece in her game." Hinata sighed, not liking that even though she was leaving, Maleficent still had some sort of influence on her actions, "She has some hidden reason to giving me all this I'm sure of it."
"I wouldn't have let you leave with anything less." Riku admitted, placing his hand under Hinata's chin and pointed her face towards his. "I'll make sure I find a way to get to you when this is all over. This won't be the last time we see each other, I'm going to make sure of it."
Another tear escaped down Hinata's cheek and Riku quickly brushed it away, leaning in he replaced the tear with a kiss. Pressing his forehead against hers, they sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, trying to soak each other in. Hinata was on the verge of another breakdown but desperately kept it in as Riku cupped her face with his hands and pressed his lips to hers. It was a short yet passionate kiss; both of them wanted more but it served more as a promise that it wasn't going to be their last.
Pulling away, Riku looked right into Hinata's eyes with a serious glint in his and promised, "Everything is going to be alright. We'll see each other again."
With a heavy heart, Riku gave her one last kiss on her cheek before letting go of her and standing up. Hinata got up after him as he walked to the exit of the gummi ship. Heading out of the door, they stood facing each other; Riku standing right outside and Hinata inside. The hangar bay doors began opening as the vessel's door shut between them, both on opposite sides. The engines of the ship started up as it slowly lifted off of the ground and got ready to depart. Hinata looked out of the window on the door to see Riku one last time as he stood as close as he could without being in the way of the ship; watching him slowly shrink as the vessel left the planet to make its way to space, before turning around and leaning her back against the door. She slid to the ground and buried her face in her hands as she released all of the emotions inside her.
Riku watched the ship and Hinata disappear feeling his heart sinking further into his chest the farther away she got. He had done it; she was out of the picture for better or worse. Now he could focus on what he was meant for. He was ready to accept the power of darkness and now Hinata wouldn't be holding him back. She was wrong, he was doing the right thing; she just didn't understand it like he did. Maybe she would someday; once he was more powerful and could control the darkness completely. Reluctantly he turned around and began walking out of the hangar bay pushing at his eyes as he felt them moisten from his emotions. He wasn't going to cry about it, it was his choice to pursue darkness. He was doing the right thing; Hinata would have to know that someday.
*** Author's Note: Wow this was a really hard chapter to write! It's difficult to have characters you love break apart like this. I am thinking of switching between Hinata and Riku every chapter. Next chapter will be Riku finishing Agrabah and then the chapter after that will be Hinata with the beginning of her journey. Thank you everyone for reading and for all the amazing reviews everyone gives me. I love feedback! ***
