Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.
Arc League Championship — Chapter 48: Ideal Confrontations
Yasuko's eyes never left her sight on Zuzu holding Serena's hand for dear life because she cannot let her fall. She is so persistent in thinking that the people from Academia can change if they can see their actions. Yasuko should know how Zuzu is entirely oblivious to the fact that the people from Academia are nothing but psychopaths interested in taking over somewhere from a different dimension.
Zuzu struggles to hold on to Serena as her grip starts to loosen, her body sliding forward with both hands now holding Serena's. "Come on!" Zuzu called. "Climb!" She watches Serena dig her heels to start climbing up, but her foot slips and leaves her hanging further.
Yasuko is thinking of leaving Serena to the den. However, Zuzu is still going to help her regardless of her intentions. Somehow, she had second thoughts of what Serena can give her. The whole Four Dimensions thing is a mystery to her. Everything that is happening in the universe is strange. She must know what Serena knows about Academia.
Just then, Zuzu's hand slips and lost grip of Serena. "No!" Zuzu cried. As Serena was about to fall over, a pair of hands come over to grip Serena quickly. Serena and Zuzu were caught by surprise that the second person who saved Serena was Yasuko Yukihana.
"Come on! Help me pull this son of a bitch up!" Yasuko growled, holding tight to Serena's. Zuzu reaches over to grab Serena's other free hand. Then, someone also has onto the back shirts of the girls.
Both Zuzu and Yasuko turn their heads over to find Moon Shadow giving them a helping hand. "On three!" he ordered. "One. Two. Three!" Altogether, they pull Serena back up on the surface ground.
Yasuko, Zuzu, and Serena were panting in exhaustion. It was hard work to get back on safe grounds. It's getting late as the sun starts setting in from behind the ocean horizon.
Yasuko turns up to Moon Shadow as she sits back up on the ground. "Some help you are," she scoffed, earning a glancing Moon Shadow as he turns his head away. She stands back up, glaring at Zuzu. "You are completely ignorant, aren't you?"
Zuzu is very angry with Yasuko for not helping her out in the beginning. She never felt so much anger for someone like Yasuko since she first arrived at Maiami City. "This was your fault, Yasuko!" she yelled, accusing Yasuko of being the moron. "If you hadn't provoked Serena in the first place, then none of this would've happened!"
Yasuko turns her head away from Zuzu's scowl. "You don't understand what the people of Heartland City are living right now." She turns to Serena, who was getting back up and dusting herself. "People live their lives like we do, and these assholes just showed up in their city and destroyed everything."
Serena's glare comes back and spots Zuzu and Yasuko conversing among themselves. "Hey, I'm over here, you know," she said.
Yasuko turns to the girl. "Shut up, bitch. I didn't save you because I want to; I need answers," she snapped. "You're going to tell us exactly what you know about Academia."
Serena makes a snort. "Like I'll tell you anything about that," she retorted.
Yasuko feels that Serena is starting to get on her nerves right now. She can already regret saving her from the cliffside.
"I came because I want to prove to the Professor that I can take down the Xyz refugees that escape to this Dimension," Serena proclaimed. "That is my only goal. I will prove to the professor that I can defeat the Xyz refugees here."
Yasuko places a hand on her hip, skeptical of Serena holding out against someone like Shun Obsidian, who Serena may refer to as the Xyz refugee. "You just got your ass beat by me and my Xyz monster, so I doubt you can handle anything."
Serena was ticked after her comment. She looks ready to get a rematch from Yasuko. "I'm not going to let my first defeat slide because you can use Pendulum, Synchro, Fusion, and Xyz Summon," she retorted. "I refuse to lose to an Xyz monster, so I demand a rematch." Serena readies her duel disk again to get a second duel. "Now, duel me!"
Yasuko is sure that one duel will not convince a girl like Serena. She was prepared to lift her duel disk hand, but Zuzu got in between the two girls. She has had enough with the grudge match from both Serena and Yasuko.
"Serena, Yasuko, stop!" Zuzu called. "This isn't going to work! Dueling is never supposed to be fighting with hatred! I'm not going to let the both of you duel again!" She turns her eyes between Serena and Yasuko. The tension building between the two of them is not going away anytime soon.
Yasuko wanted to ignore the You-Show girl in front of her and focus on taking down Serena if she is willing to duel again. She can hear Zuzu taking a deep breath and said, "Let's just calm down and talk."
It seems that neither girls are willing to talk after their confrontation. They both look like they are going to take each other down again after the first duel. They can do it again and again if not for Zuzu and her soft-spoken nature. Reluctantly, the girls stand down and wait to let Zuzu speak up.
Serena listened to Zuzu's story of how the people from the Xyz Dimension—Ruri's dimension—were a peaceful paradise before the invasion came and destroyed everything they hold dear. Yasuko has heard the story many times before, and just hearing it again makes her rage burn inside so bad that she wanted to punch Serena in the face.
After Zuzu was done talking about the Xyz Dimension and the whole story, Yasuko waits for Serena's response;. However, she doubts Serena cares because she is loyal to only the Professor and Academia.
"That was quite the story, there, Zuzu," Serena responded. "You should be careful of where you get your information from because everything that you told me…was a lie." It was no surprise for Yasuko to hear Serena denying everything that Academia soldiers are doing.
Yasuko assumes that, perhaps, Serena has never been to the Xyz Dimension or the frontlines. "Laughing as if it was a game? Your story cannot be true," she derided. "You don't know my classmates. Academia duelists wouldn't do such silly things in the battlefield!"
Yasuko's frown hardens, forming a death glare. "Oh yeah? Then why didn't you go there?" she asked, tainted in anger.
Serena turns away from Zuzu and to Yasuko. "I never went there because I was told that I am to remain at Academia because I am important to other plans in the Four Dimensions! Academia has a pure and noble goal!" she claimed. "To unite the dimensions into one world!"
Yasuko raises an eyebrow. "What?"
"Worlds into one?" Zuzu inquired.
"That's why we invaded the Xyz Dimension," Serena explained. "Eventually, we will assimilate the Synchro and Standard Dimensions to unite the worlds. That is what Academia has been trained to do. These noble warriors wouldn't do what you claimed."
Yasuko cannot believe how oblivious Serena is when she spoke of the goal to unite the worlds into one. "What kind of bullshit idea is that!?" she yelled. "You people are psychopaths!"
"We are not psychopaths! We are trying to bring both worlds into one!" Serena rebuked.
"But don't you see that, along the way, you will also bring nothing but immense suffering!" Zuzu protested.
"Every great dream has a price," Serena drawled like she does not care about who would suffer. "Those who fight back knew exactly what they were getting into. The Xyz have pride too. If they fight valiantly with all their power, then they should be gracious to—"
"You bitch!" Full of impure rage, Yasuko pushes Zuzu aside and tackles Serena hard to hit the ice floor. She grabs hold of her red jacket collars and holds it so tight that her knuckles turn white. Her jaws clench with so rage that burns her skin into fire. "How dare you, you son of a bitch! You turned people into cards! Every man, woman, and child into cards! What the frig—"
Yasuko slams Serena to the ground, "—kind of assholes do such a thing! What is noble about that! Huh?! You think you're doing a cause? You're just another pawn! Another psychopath like Sora! Every one of you from Academia!"
Serena has had it with hearing Yasuko's angry rant. She grips her arms and twists her body to get on top of Yasuko. "We are doing this for a cause!" she yelled. "The Four Dimensions need to be one again!"
Yasuko turns them to be back on top of her. "You turned their friends and families into cards!" she exclaimed. "You involved innocent people who had nothing to do with that kind of scheme!" She is letting the rage take control of her. "You're not doing anything special! You're just a homicidal bitch!"
Zuzu and Moon Shadow get right in to break up the fight between the two of them. Zuzu holds onto Yasuko and drags her away. For someone who is fifteen years old, the girl is vicious enough to hold back.
Moon Shadow held his hand out to make sure that Yasuko does not come near Serena as he can see Yasuko's anger. The girl wretches herself away from Zuzu and glares hard at Serena, pointing her like a criminal. "You people don't deserve to be called noble! You're just friggin' insane!" she accused, gesturing with her finger to make Serena the guilty one.
"Yasuko, stop!" Zuzu pleaded, holding onto Yasuko in front of her to make sure that she does not do anything irrational to the girl. "Listen!" Zuzu would have to hug Yasuko in front of her and make it like a tight bearhug to stop her from attacking Serena. She gripped her hands together, holding Yasuko tight to stop her. "Yasuko, please, listen. I understand what you are feeling, and I feel the same way too," she whispered in Yasuko's ear. "I cannot forgive anyone who would do those things, but please, just give me a chance. Let me talk to her, and then we can sort this out." The more Zuzu whispered in Yasuko's ear, the less hostile the girl becomes. "Just please…Let me handle this," she pleaded.
Yasuko does not want to listen to anything that Zuzu will talk about to Serena about Academia. She should know that Serena is like the rest of the people from Academia, including Sora; they are nothing but psychopaths. They are hunters, and they prey on the weak. Wrenching away from Zuzu, Yasuko refuses to hear Zuzu and Serena's conversation and walks back up to the hillside. It is much safer than being on the cliffside away from Serena. Just to be sure if things do go horribly wrong, and she knows it might, Yasuko stands on top of the hillside while Zuzu talks with Serena. For how long they have been talking, Yasuko does not know. All she knows is the distant conversation between Zuzu and Serena lasted until the night sky falls over the snow with the beautiful color auroras shining brightly above the iceberg zone.
Yasuko sits back and watches the sky while waiting for Zuzu. Despite being a real solid image from the ARC system, she cannot help but find the auroras breathtaking. After some time passing by, Zuzu, Moon Shadow, and Serena came together and walks back up on the hillside where Yasuko is sitting.
Zuzu stands beside Yasuko; as she gets up, the two girls stare at Serena, who has decided. "Alright," said Serena, eyeing at the two of them. "Zuzu told me everything about Ruri and the whole Xyz Dimension and Shun Obsidian being here to find his sister, his family." Serena then looked at Yasuko and said, "I will track down this Shun Obsidian character and find out the truth myself, but if she's lying, then you and I have a score to settle."
Yasuko narrows her eyes at the Fusion Zuzu twin. "And the next time we meet again, I will not be merciful like all of you people from Academia," she threatened.
Zuzu takes a glance at Serena and Yasuko. Even after she talked about Ruri and Shun, the tension between the two of them is still roaring high. "But first, I have an idea that will make it harder for those Fusion folks to find Serena," she suggested.
Yasuko faced Zuzu and asked, "What idea?"
"Serena and I will switch clothes so that Academia will not find Serena before she meets Shun Obsidian," Zuzu proposed.
"So then, you'll be a decoy while Serena is your twin?" Yasuko puzzled. She takes an exchanging gaze to see if there are any differences between Zuzu Hiiragi and Serena. To be honest, the only difference that Yasuko can see is that they both have different hairstyles and colors. Other than the hair, they both look the same. "So, you do have a clone," she said.
Angry puffs of steam are popping out from Zuzu like a hot teapot. "Are you kidding me?! Again, with this clone thing?!" she snapped.
"I assume Serena is your clone, but then again, I thought she is your estranged, identical twin sister," Yasuko suggested.
"How many times do I have to tell you! I don't have a sister!" Serena and Zuzu yelled together to give Yasuko the real clarification.
"Okay then, alternative universe Zuzu will have to do," Yasuko shrugged.
"Stop making up those crazy identity theories!" Zuzu yelled in annoyance.
Yasuko pretends to not listen to Zuzu's rantings and goes along with the plan. She then turns to Moon Shadow and grabs his scarf. "Come on, ninja," said Yasuko. "There is no way in hell I'm going to let you stand there with those arms crossed while these two need to get their change." She is dragging the ninja halfway across the area that is the minimal distance from Serena and Zuzu. "We'll be over there," Yasuko called. "Tell us when you are finished."
"And you better not be watching me too, Yasuko," Zuzu called from the other side. "I'm serious!"
"Why the hell not? We're both girls, after all. We're in the age where we are having our adolescence growing," Yasuko called without facing back.
"Just don't look at me!" Zuzu retorted, louder than before.
"I'm a girl too," Yasuko called back. "What the hell is your problem?"
"Just don't look at me while I'm changing, okay?" Zuzu's voice boomed from a distance.
"We are both girls, and yet, you are telling me to not look at you? Why?" Yasuko responded with irritation. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about changing when I'm around. It's Moon Shadow that you should be worried about. Not me."
"I said don't look at me when I'm changing!" Zuzu yelled from behind.
Yasuko rolled her eyes. "You are such a drama queen, you know that?" she replied. "I don't pity you or envy you just because you embarrassed about your body when I'm around. Even I get worried about my own body sometimes, but not all the time. I am a girl, you know. What is wrong with me looking at you? Come on, now? There are no guys here except for Moon Shadow. No Gong. None of those little boy kids, and certainly no Yuya Sakaki. I'm sure that Yuya might not care if—"
"Oh, for the love of God, shut up!" Zuzu shouted back from across the area. "Stop! Just stop! Okay? No more talking! No more words! No more conversations until we are done! I'm not going to be talking to you from now on!"
Yasuko removes a bang from her right eye. "Fine, I'll stop talking to you too," she responded with annoyance.
"Thank you!"
Moon Shadow didn't need to be dragged along the way. Still, as a female, Yasuko respects the privacy between the two of them and makes sure that the only male person in the area facing away. "Just an FYI, if I catch you peeking, I'm going to stab your eyes out," said Yasuko, drawling in her tone.
Time passed for about several minutes. The two twins are still changing while Moon Shadow closes his eyes to be waiting patiently. Yasuko crossed her arms under the cold night sky with the iceberg auroras gleaming high above. They wait until they can hear Zuzu's voice calling back to them.
"Okay, we're done."
Yasuko and Moon Shadow turn around and heads on back to where the girls are. They stop to take a better look at the girls. Except for the hair differences and the eyes, they look like a matching twin sister duo.
Serena is now wearing Zuzu's light-blue white sleeveless school uniform shirt that has a green musical note on the right collar, a red tie, and a dark red skirt that goes with her opaque blue stockings and pink sneakers.
Zuzu takes Serena's red jacket uniform with the yellow stripe and a green-and-yellow star emblem that goes with Serena's black shirt and a purple-brown collar. She also gets the red skirt and the brown belt and ring connecting to two straps on her biker shorts and brown boots.
Yasuko can only see the hair color and the hairstyles as the only differences. Still, she would need to keep track of who might be who because the girls are nearly identical. "Okay, now what?" Yasuko asked.
"Shun Obsidian isn't in the volcano zone or the jungle," Zuzu informed. "So, the best bet would be…
"The ancient ruins," Yasuko answered. She turns to Serena. "Do you know how you're going to get there?"
"I'll find a way," said Serena.
"Then good luck," Yasuko concluded before walking out on the girls.
Serena keeps her eyes on the back of Yasuko's for only a short time before she takes a glance at Zuzu. "What is up with the two of you?" she asked.
Zuzu makes a small smile and said, "Yasuko's not the person who likes to be provoked or aggravated, but she is feeling furious about hearing about Academia and you, apparently."
Serena lowers her eyes. "You should keep her on the leash the next time," she said.
Zuzu didn't like anyone dishing out on Yasuko. "Hey, Yasuko may be tempered, sure, but she's my friend," Zuzu defended. "You don't know anything of what she's going through."
Serena knows her place that it is not for her to assume anyone based on their attitude. The girls stared at each other for a while before nodding to themselves. And with that, Serena runs off to depart for the ancient ruins while Zuzu returns to catch up with Yasuko.
Yasuko can see her breath coming out under the icy cold air. The night is making the air colder, and her ankles are starting to give. She needs to find a place where she can sleep. She won't be reaching for the jungle area anytime soon. The iceberg is probably the worst kind of place to be in the night. The ocean isn't going to be doing any good for the girl. Her stomach is growling. Her duel against Serena was exhausting. Her day is not the kind of day she was expecting.
Yasuko's boots crunched on the ice snow. The small breeze from the wind makes her back shiver again. "Damn it," she cursed. "How am I supposed to be warm under these circumstances?"
"Yasuko, wait up!" The cynical duelist stops and turns around to see that Zuzu Hiiragi to catching up. She stops to take a breath. "Geez, couldn't you walk any slower?"
Yasuko gives Zuzu a look. "It's late, and I'm freezing my ass out here because of this stupid 24-hour Battle Royal." Her nose makes a heavy snort in frustration. "Damn the people or person who created this Battle Royal semi-final." The girl rubs her arms to keep warm and proceeds to walk.
Zuzu started following behind her and asked, "Where are you going?"
"To find a cave," Yasuko answered. "I'm not staying out here freezing my ass in this frozen wasteland."
Zuzu had to agree with her. "Yeah. I suppose it is for the best."
The two girls continue to walk for about a mile until they stumble on an ice cave in the large mountain area in the iceberg zone. Not the ideal place to be, but it is the only logical place where the temperatures are stable to make them comfortable. Yasuko and Zuzu head for the ice cave where they can rest until morning comes. Inside the ice cave, it was dark, making it likely that they would be slipping under the ice if not too careful. Yasuko walks deeper until she can still see the outside and stays in the view.
"Finally, some breather for once," said Yasuko. She takes a seat against the ice wall where she can be more comfortable. Even the ice feels just as cold as the real one. She watches the outside of the cave to see how the auroras shine from the dark cavern.
Zuzu comes over to take a seat across from Yasuko. "You seem awfully cranky," she commented.
Yasuko rolls her eyes. "It's because I can't be in twenty-four hours on an empty stomach," she complained. "I mean, come on? Twenty-four hours? What kind of asshole would want people like you or me to last up to twenty-four hours? I'm not cut out for stuff like that." She turns to the auroras in the sky. Her mind was focused on looking in the skies above the iceberg zone and never mind anything about the Arc League Championship or the Serena girl. She wants to forget all of what has happened and just take a break.
"Hey, Yasuko," said Zuzu, giving a calm demeanor. "Can I ask you something?"
Of course, Yasuko hopes to have her peaceful night instead of talking to the girl who is possible the identical twin sister or clone of Serena. She turned to Zuzu and replied, "What?"
"Why'd you come and help me save Serena?" Zuzu inquired. "At first, you were about to leave Serena hanging, but then you just came to me and save us. Why?"
"I have questions for Serena that I need to know," Yasuko replied. "I don't care about what happens to that girl. She's from Academia. She's following the orders of a psychopath who would hunt down even the littlest kids from Heartland."
Zuzu lets in a small gasp from Yasuko's reaction, appalled at how Yasuko was willing to let Serena drop even if she did get her answers. "Yasuko!" she shouted. "How could you say something like that?"
Yasuko looks away from the shocking gaze of Zuzu and down to her boots. "Because how can I forgive anything that Academia did to the people in Heartland City." She can replay Yuto's talk about the Invasion of the Xyz Dimension. "They turned people into cards and destroyed their home." Combining Shun's and Yuto's story about their home, she can imagine the horrors of the war that Academia has caused. "Everything that Serena said about uniting the world into one is nothing but horse shit," Yasuko rebuked. "It's nothing but an empty dream with a heavy price."
"Yasuko," Zuzu called. "I know what everything that Serena and her people did is unforgivable, but everything that the You-Show stands for is what dueling is all about."
Yasuko makes her eyes narrow like she is disgusted by Zuzu's claim of dueling. "There is nothing special about this whole Arc League Championship to be a pro-duelist or Entertainment Duel. It's just putting up a show and giving everyone a good time with a smile. What good comes from Entertainment Duel in a world where people are turned into cards? Entertainment? Pride? All that stuff's nothing compared to what the people in Heartland have to offer." She turns back over to the auroras in the sky. "That's what Yuto believes."
"What about Yuto?" Zuzu asked.
Yasuko thinks what to say about Yuto for Zuzu to understand. "Yuto…is a lot like Yuya," she divulged. "I can't help but think that Yuto and Yuya both have something in common with dueling."
Hearing how Yuto wanted to make people smile through dueling is a surprise for Zuzu. Sue understands that Yuto wanted to use dueling to protect people, but it was a real shocker to hear that Yuto also wants to make people smile. "For real?" she asked.
Yasuko nodded. "Yuto said that dueling was meant to bring smiles to the world, not for fighting and war."
Zuzu can feel her heart skipped after hearing Yasuko's revelation about Yuto. After a whole month of seeing any similarities between Yuya and Yuto, she was relieved that someone like Yuto wants to use dueling to smile. She did not realize until now that she was also smiling. "Yuto…" she said. "Yuto wanted to make people smile too…"
Yasuko looks back to Zuzu. "He really did want to make people smile," she replied. "But…the war shattered his dream."
The smile on Zuzu's face faded into a sad expression. "Why would something like Academia be doing these things?" she asked.
"Power, I suppose," Yasuko assumed. "Everyone wants power, and power corrupts anyone."
"But the power to make people smile doesn't corrupt people," Zuzu protested. "The power to make people smile is everything that we, the You-Show Duel School, are trying to obtain."
Yasuko blinks once in confusion. The power to make people smile is a common thing that anyone can do if they know what to do. The cold air makes Yasuko hug her legs closer. "The power to make people smile, huh? Some dream," she commented.
Both girls never said anything, just letting the flow of time pass on between the two of them as they watch the skies above them with the show of the auroras.
Zuzu has something she wants to know about Yasuko. She comes to understand that she has a troubled background and a not-so-good childhood when she first met her. And the promise that Yuya mentioned to her, she wants to know something. "Hey, Yasuko," said Zuzu. "Yuya once told me that he promises to make you smile. What does he mean by that?" She happens to be curious about what promise that Yuya made with Yasuko.
"Oh, that…" said Yasuko. "Well…to tell you the truth, I don't or can't smile."
"What?" Zuzu responded in confusion.
"The reason why Yuya made a promise with me is that I don't or can't smile," Yasuko explained. "To be honest with myself, the promise that he made is nothing but a fluke. I don't even know how smiling makes me feel any good." She rubs her arms to keep warm as she continues. "I wanted to tell him that smile is impossible for me. I don't know how or what can make me smile at all."
As Zuzu listens to Yasuko's story, she starts to understand better about her perspective. All the dueling talents and all of her skills she has; yet, Yasuko has no idea what a smile is like. "You never recall anything special? Like anything memorable that makes you smile?" she questioned. "Like, when was the last time that you've ever been so happy?"
"Nothing really comes into mind," Yasuko answered with a shaking head. "I never felt my mouth curve up and stay that way for anything longer. I was born as an orphan, and I have no idea what smile means to me."
Zuzu can feel her chest giving a heavyweight of sadness for Yasuko's life. She never met anyone who had a rough time and the time before she came to Maiami City. No one can be all sad but hearing from Yasuko unable to smile is something that she cannot ignore. She didn't want to believe that someone like Yasuko cannot smile. Still, then again, it never occurs that Yasuko is capable of smiling. She always has the face of a serious demeanor, and never once did she saw Yasuko smile ever since she moved to Maiami City.
Yasuko and Zuzu are freezing under such harsh conditions even though it is only from the ARC system. Zuzu gets up and comes to take a seat beside Yasuko, making the cynical girl raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"What are you doing?" Yasuko asked.
"Body heat," said Zuzu. "I'm not enjoying this 24-hour battle royal, too, you know."
Yasuko shrugged as if she does not mind so if she feels comfortable. Zuzu scoots closer to wrap her arm around the girl to get more heat. It felt awkward for both to be awfully close and hold onto each other, especially since they are under the ice cave.
"You know. For whatever Yuya is trying to do," Zuzu started. "I think it was very sweet of him."
Yasuko glances at Zuzu with a questionable look. "What?" she queried.
"Yuya's putting everything he can in his Entertainment Duel to make you smile," said Zuzu. "I think that's a great challenge. Everyone deserves to have happiness, and I think you should too,"
The forest-green girl was giving Zuzu a more intrigued impression. She wonders what made her felt like there is hope for Yasuko herself to smile. "I don't know what makes you smile, but as long as you found your happiness, then I'm sure that happiness will grow into you," she maintained.
After tonight, Yasuko may need to think of what Zuzu said to her about having the happiness of her own. She comes to wonder how she can find happiness. Will finding her happiness make her smile? She won't know until she seeks what can make her smile. She closes her eyes to drift herself into sleep with Zuzu being by her side.
Alright, here is the updated chapter. Nothing much yet, but we'll be getting there. We are almost reaching the end of the story! Don't touch that dial reader. We are getting closer to the end. So be patient and enjoy what chapters we have in this story because I will be taking a long break to write the next story and other planned stories.
In the meantime, I hoped that you like this story so far. If you like what you are reading from this story, give down a comment on what are your thoughts, what needs to improve, and what kind of issues that needs to be addressed and I will work it out. Stay safe readers, and have an awesome day.