Small Steps
A sleepy kunoichi—nicknamed the Narcoleptic Ninja—has big dreams. Wanting to save her teammates Obito, Kakashi, as well as her sensei and his love, the sleepy kunoichi will have to work hard to see her dream come true. Reborn!OC
young akemi-chan: omen
years til nine tails: 10 years, 0 months
akemi: 8 years, 4 months
location: hidden leaf village (fall)
Sometimes, I feel really bad for my mother.
My mom is very delicate, though not in a sickly sense. She cares so much. Too much. The pale pink and white kimono she wears usually makes her look as soft as a teddy bear. My mother is a teddy bear.
Her name is Hanae Minakura, her first name meaning something like "flower bay". As any Minakura, her eyes are pitch black, but rather than it being scary or creepy, there's something so warm and mesmerizing about them. Maybe it's because they seem owlish like a child or that they highlight her long, feminine eyelashes. Her small, black bob curls slightly and sometimes a bang, normally tucked behind her ear, falls into her face.
When I look in the mirror, I got all of my mother's softness but none of the charm.
The softness that makes Mom so easy to care for ends up making me appear to be way too fragile. Any guy would see me and think I need saving. Coupled with the general sluggishness I feel for being sleepy, and I'm a damsel in distress.
So, it's weird to see Mom look not that soft. It's weird to see the curves of her hips and her sizable chest concealed by angular stacks of papers and books. But weirdest of all is her voice lacking any softness.
"It pains me to say this, but... I feel that you should never become a civilian-nin," Mom says.
I blink once, twice, thrice...
I don't think I'm dreaming.
"Eh?" is the only thing I can respond.
Mom breathes in deeply, puffs her cheeks out, makes a small noise.
"I mean, you're my baby girl, my only baby girl!" And just like that, my mother is normal again. She moves to sit next to me, holding my hands. "Honestly, I am so happy you completed a mission! However... it's obvious that success may have been just unusual luck. You still can't complete successful missions, and so I won't burden you with any more civilian-nin missions."
Reasonable but somehow I don't like it.
(Didn't I tell myself I didn't want to do missions? Who am I really?)
"When can I...?" I trail off, finding weird I even care.
"Maybe..." Mom looks away with a forced smile, "when you're an adult?"
Ah.
"...what am I supposed do until then?"
"Well, you can learn from our school lessons. Or train. Or help me around the house. You know, this is a big house," she adds, laughing. "There are plenty of things you can do without leaving home. I believe in you! You're so mature and thoughtful for your age, you know."
Mom is smiling encouragingly... but I feel like she's imprisoning me. Sheltering me so that I can't ever hurt myself.
(If this soul or old memories are correct, Mom won't have much luck.)
"I... wanna do... something, I guess," I sigh. "Not chores."
I guess this is the fate I'll be forced to. I had a very lackluster beginning and I will have a lackluster ending.
"I expected you'd say that," Mom admits with a bitter smile. "I mean, you've already got the taste of adventure, so it'd be hard to settle down. So, just for you, here's an E-Rank mission!"
"...E-Rank?"
Missions go from D to S. D-Rank missions are for Genin. E-Rank missions boil down to community service, usually not paying much or barely paid at all. Requirements of these missions means they're simple enough for non-ninja—serving soup, picking up litter, cleaning chalkboard erasers. That's the lowest of the low.
Does my mother worry that much about me?
Mom shows me a poster. "This mission is in the safest place I know! Just ten minutes away is the Hidden Leaf Village. In there, a woman needs help setting up her shop. So, you'll just clean windows or sweep the floor. Do you think you can do this? If not, I can give you another E-Rank that can be done inside the house!"
"But... that's a chore... not an E-Rank."
"It can be an E-Rank with the right mindset, though."
I take the first option. I've never been to the Hidden Leaf Village.
It's because I live ten minutes away in Maple Village.
My hometown, more like a protected territory of the Leaf, is between the Leaf and the Land of Water. It's smaller than the Leaf, but way bigger than most villages, making it a popular rest point and tourist location. As the name implies, my village is surrounded by maple trees. These special trees turn blood red in fall. It's so vivid that legend has it an army of Mist Anbu tried to attack the Leaf and found Maple instead. The shinobi thought the Leaf covered their trees in blood and retreated immediately.
No one can say for certain if it's true.
And I've been exposed to the trees for years now. It's lost its appeal.
There's only one, huge path to the Leaf. It's frequently used, so it's impossible for me to get lost. After several hugs from my mother, I walk down the path. At some point, I sleep while I walk because I wake up and see two shinobi men jostling me awake.
Their forehead protectors are so cool.
The gate the men work in front of is massive and radiates chakra as firm as walls.
In the background, the Hokage Rock looms stoically above the village with its three eternal heads.
There's people...
"...the girl's probably mute," I hear the glasses shinobi guy say. "No wonder she's has such a heavily worded scroll."
Oh, in their hands is a bright red scroll written by my mother. Everything I need to get in and out of the Leaf is in it.
The man hands me back the scroll. "Take care. Be safe. You best not walk these streets at night."
Oh, geez, a ninja just touched this scroll...
The shinobi guy ends up pushing me inside to get the line moving.
The atmosphere of a bustling village life is no different than a popular city. There are people everywhere, smells of all kinds, voices and colors. Individually, everyone looks so unique and eccentric. Together, everyone is a indescribable blur of similarity. Maple isn't sparsely populated but I've never seen this many people at once.
People go about their lives with a deep inner serenity. No matter where they are, the Hokage Rock is visible. Three heroic men watch over all the villagers, never ever wavering.
Oh, I need to find the woman. Mom also gave me very detailed instructions. If I'm still confused, she advised me several times to ask only friendly women or polite children.
I follow the directions until I reach the end. When I look above the paper, there is a two-story building in between a long block of stores and restaurants. It doesn't look like it's open for business as its inside has bare shelves and no decorations—not including countless boxes.
"Alrighty!"
The voice is really close. The sound doesn't come from the sidewalk but from above.
And standing on the side of the blue building like a spider is a woman. A ninja woman.
She gazes with a satisfied smile at her store's sign: Weapon Works and Repair.
The woman jumps and lands to the ground with a smooth roll. She hops to her feet, dusts her hands off. Her hammer is in her left pocket, eye-level to me.
Whoever she is, she has a unique style. Her dress starts as a sleeveless, kimono blouse that opens up to reveal her navel and the black miniskirt underneath. If she didn't have mesh tights on, she'd be exposed. The garment continues to make an upside down V until her knees. Both her arms and legs and lean, muscular, and scar-free. In short, as a kunoichi, she's ranged support.
"Ah, kiddo, sorry, the shop's not open yet," she tells me. Oh, me. "Run along to your parents, got it?"
"U-Um..." Not knowing what to say, I walk forward and show her my mission letter. She quickly takes it and reads.
"Whaaaat, you're my little helper? Aren't you a bit young?" A finger with dark red nail polish pokes my cheek. "Look at you, you're a mess! So sloppy! Look at your bed-head! Did you just wake up or something?"
I mean...
She has every right to critique me. My hand-me-down isn't quite my size. Well, nowhere near. What's the point of having proper clothes if their person never leaves home much? Sometimes I try rolling up the pale yellow and strawberry milk colored sleeves that fall over my hands. Sometimes I try tucking my shirt into my pants, but they're equally large on me. Even today, half of the pink fabric is in my pants. And my sandals are cheap, not made for this much walking.
I adjust my pants and smooth my shirt down. Running a few fingers through my hair, I say, "I've been... on several missions, so..."
"And yet you're on an E-Rank? What, taking a break?" Her laugh is an aggressive haha noise. "It don't matter, just work and I'll give you shiny coins."
She immediately throws at me a broom, dustpan, a damp cloth, and a bucket, leaving me staggering and overwhelmed. "Clean her up! It's a bit dusty and dirty in here, no? That's 'cause this baby was empty for a few months. Well, until it met me."
(Well, gee, if I wanted to do chores, I would've stayed home.)
The inside is very plain. The wood aesthetic makes it seem kind of cozy, though. But there is dust and dead insects and cobwebs everywhere.
It's mindless work.
I start sweeping and fall asleep.
A part of me still feels my body moving. Most of me is off in dreamland. An Eternal Tsukuyomi of my making.
Now that I'm involved in the Leaf Village, I think of what's to come to all of these people. I know the future of this world. Should I do something about it? There's no reason to... everything will turn out okay in the end.
Still, my life will be kind of boring staying in Maple with my ninja family while I do menial stuff. Perhaps once I'm done with this mission, I won't ever come back to the Leaf at all.
A harsh pain sprouts from my forehead.
Barely lucid, I touch the now tender and hot area. I expect to see the wooden style of the store, not a pale face and dark brown eyes reflecting a dazed me.
The woman of the Weapon Works and Repairs store is frowning.
"...sorry," I automatically sputter.
"Hmmm."
She leans in closer, a strand of black hair falling from her bun. Can I call it a bun? The bun isn't elegant nor does a good job pulling her hair back. Her hair spills from the red ribbon holding it like soda foam on the edge of a cup, teetering over the brink but never falling.
"I asked for help, not a sleepy kid," she says.
"Um... well, you see, I'm—"
She pins my mouth shut with two fingers. "Don't care! I'm bad with people—names, faces, personali-the thing that makes you you, blah blah. If you don't wanna get upset I forgot, don't give me a chance to remember."
When she lets go, I say, "...then, your name is? I'll remember..."
"There's no need to know my name. All you need to know is: listen to the adult and you get money. Off you go! No sleeping, either!"
I clean the rest of the day while she continues to update the shop. I'm forced to leave an hour before sunset and to come back the following morning.
When I do enter the store again, the woman is drinking some dark tea that smells like vanilla. The walls are now painted baby blue.
"Ah, that poster... are you my help for today? Let's get started." The woman puts the tea on the counter and strolls to the front of the store. "There's a bunch of trash in the back. Throw it away, will you?"
"Huh? Where..."
"Near the dumpster, now hurry!" Her loud clapping gets me to move. "The longer you take the less revenue I make!" she adds, mumbling to herself.
She shoves me out the building. At the back, in the shadows of several buildings, there is only a single trash can for her shop and six displaced bags because the trash can is too full. I tug one. It's probably heavier than me.
I am not exaggerating when I say it takes me all day to throw them away. And when I get back, there's two more bags to throw away.
On the third day, I'm sore. No amount of baths can change that fact.
"You look so tired," Mom frowns as she walks into my room carrying washed clothes. "Should I just send Sayaka in for you?"
I close my eyes and go hmm.
I'm underappreciated and overworked. The pay I get will mostly go to my parents, not that I have any real inclination to buy things for myself.
But it's the Hidden Leaf Village. It's so amazing. What if I can never return after this?
"Great another helper; the last one sure took his time throwing trash away," the woman says instead of a normal greeting. "Well, I managed to stock some shelves, see? Like... I put things out of stuff onto here."
By some shelves, she means all the shelves, the walls, and the display by the window. Instead of wood and old smells, it smells like the weapons and paper.
There are the traditional weapons like kunai and shuriken. There are swords from daggers to full on katana. Staffs, polearms, javelin. Ball-and-chain, scythes, morning stars. Countless others I can't name. In black, wood, brown, or navy blue colors.
Frankly, it's kind of epic.
Before I can stare longer, the woman forces a small book in my hands. "Today, you're going to take these numbers-do you know your numbers?"
I nod.
"And how to write?"
I nod.
"Is it decent? Can people read it?"
"Yes... I'm homeschooled. My work... gets graded, so..."
"Great! Take these numbers next to the picture I drew of these things on the shelves. Write them underneath everything inside the store. Don't worry about reading anything besides those numbers. That's called pricing items. Understand?"
I nod. The woman tests my understanding before leaving to polish weapons. I look at the highly detailed notebook. It's as I thought... most of the words are too complicated for me too read. Sighing, I go from weapon to weapon.
I realize fairly quickly these weapons are sealed shut. The few weapons that are not covered up are very blunt and fragile—purely made for decoration. That's good, a ninja or person won't be able to steal a weapon and hurt anyone.
As I price the items, I see how expensive some of them are. Some of them have more zeroes than I've ever seen in both lives.
Pricing takes up most of the day. I nearly fall asleep a few times—I definitely snooze during lunchtime and breaks—but I get the job done.
On the fourth day, I'm not expecting much. The woman is already here, putting papers into folders and binders. Reading and annotating bigger binders.
"What's this...?" The words are way too advanced for me to read.
"Adult stuff." She sounds exhausted. "Okay, I'm almost done. I went around looking at weapons shops for prices. A few of my weapons cost more. Since I'm not very well-known, I can't charge ludicrous prices yet. Ah, don't worry about what that means."
Yet?
She shrugs. "I'll have to lower the prices. That puts me in a deficit, sadly, but not a great deficit. My saving account can handle the cost."
"Sorry you're in a loss," I say, being polite without even thinking about it.
The woman leaps from her seat, nearly spilling her tea. "What the what? You understand what a deficit is?"
Honestly... her shock is amusing, so I add, "I know you wanna charge... high prices. I know what pricing is... Um, speak normally to me. I can't read mature things, but I can understand mature words when... when you say them."
"Well, damn," she says and sits.
Aw. Now I feel bad.
"...so, who do you... buy this stuff from?"
All her vigor returns. "Pah! Buy? All this junk is handmade!"
I look at the store again. "Eh?" They're all so professional looking.
The woman gazes lovingly out into her store. "I'm the daughter of a blacksmith and a ninja, wasn't like I taught myself. I prefer self-sufficiency over buying any day!"
"But... you have a store?"
"This is just a front. Dad told me if you become an extra popular weapons shop, Lord Hokage recruits you to make ultra secret, ultra awesome weapons for the Leaf! It's way better than just making this mundane stuff."
(Says the woman who made a morning star?)
"You made all this... can you use all of them?"
She looks at the ceiling in thought. "Ahh... maybe? Theoretically? It's hard to make a weapon without knowing how it works. For example..."
She pulls out a storage scroll with the ideogram for dagger on the front. Opening it, she choses a circle and pushes chakra into it. A small dagger appears, blade shining almost blue in the morning light.
"You see this here?" She points to the blade's point. "There are three ways you can create the point. If you write them out, it's just like being a ninja..."
On a spare chest of paper, she writes small, middle, and big in one column and low, middle, up in another column. "On the second row, watch when I write 'ninja'."
Genin, Chuunin, Jounin.
"It's the same when I write point for the first column..."
Kokissaki, chuukissaki, and okissaki.
"These three points are kinda like the three ninja classifications. Each point can only do limited amount of things. A small point can't do a big point's job just like a Genin can't do a Jounin's job. Keeping the weapon's limitations in mind, you can create it. Knowing what the weapon is functioned to do, you can design it to fit your needs.
"This dagger isn't made for brutal cutting or throwing, so it's light and its point is small. Very useful for stabbing small and fragile things, but not that useful for slicing or cutting. Most ninja prefer to use a big point, much like a Jounin can do A- through D-Ranks easily, but sometimes it does the job so well, you'll probably end up hurting people far worse than using a small point."
She shurgs. "But, well, most ninja don't care about that junk, which is why I hate them all. This is just a side quest in the journey to become a special person for Lord Hokage!"
She explained it very clearly to me. I can picture a dagger with a big point slicing through Nagato's parents and killing them. If those ninja had a dagger with a small point, maybe they wouldn't have died so easily...
"Hey, are you even in the Academy?" She observes me. "Your chakra is weak, your body is fatty, and if you were, you'd have to be a dead last."
A cold bead of sweat drips down my face. "...home schooled."
"Oh, then none of this stuff matters."
"But..."
But what?
There's no way I'm thinking about trying to be a ninja, right?
Me? A sleepyhead who can't even do a simple civilian-nin mission?
The woman sighs. "Listen... if you're thinking about it, think again. I am a ninja. You're gonna need a resolve stronger than 'I wanna be Hokage!' if you wanna make it to Genin. What are you even good at?"
She's right. She's right and I know it. What can I do? Nothing.
Without me, the future will turn out bright. I don't need to get involved.
(But in this crazy world, I'm just going to pass up the ninja life for a mundane one?)
A pain sprouts from my forehead.
The woman peers at me. "Thinking hard? You must be a lost cause. What were those missions you went on? Sure they weren't fake?"
Wordlessly, I grab my broom and sweep.
It's silent in the store. Not really... the woman speaks but I only respond with nods or shakes. I leave early.
On the fifth day, I enter the store a bit later than usual due to my slow pace. In the store is the woman and a few customers. By the shelf near the entrance, a man is scrutinizing a dagger, pushing his clouded lens further up his nose. I watch him search the dagger for features before he looks at me.
"Well, hello, panda. Lost? You shouldn't be in here," the man grins. "It's a death omen."
That's the last thing I expect to hear from this weird smiling man. "Huh? Weapons... are death omens?"
"Ha, oh no, child, the owner is. It's great that she sells them, that gives them a nasty reputation to scare enemies." The grinning guy winks.
I ignore his eccentricities. "Why is she... a death omen?"
"What? You don't know anything and yet you're alone? Shame on your shelter-some parents. That's the infamous Shini Nishi. Now, will you return home? It's dangerous here, panda." The guy extends his wrinkly hand.
"Thanks for the information," I bow quickly. "Have, uh... have a good day."
The corner of his lips stretch higher. "Fine then! We'll meet again!" He turns and bounds to the front desk to buy his loot.
Shini Nishi. The name still confuses me without knowing knowing the ideograms used to write it. I wait for the customers to leave before saying to the woman, "What's Shini Nishi?"
Her smile, as malicious as it seems, fades. "You're probably the worst helper I've had so far! What do you think?"
Nishi is a word that means west, but isn't that kind of taboo? I mean, considering the Land of Earth and Land of Wind are to the west. They aren't too popular with Land of Fire. As for Shini, that means death.
"...deadly west?" I offer.
"I'm weapons extraordinaire Nishi. Ni as in 'two' and shi as in 'to die'."
"W-Wah...?"
But that Nishi is even worse.
(What kind of parent puts the ideogram for death in their child's name? That's really taboo...)
Oh. Wait.
Nishi like that... is a saying: two down and one to go.
(Her parents are really edgy, huh...?)
"I see..."
Nishi gives me a wary look. "You see?"
"Uh... yes?"
"At this moment, people run away or curse me. But you're still staying? What, you that desperate for change?"
Nishi doesn't seem anything like her parents, so I guess she's alright. I can't fathom why a parent would give their child such an ominous name. "...my family's way weirder, so... your name isn't anything unusual. Of course... I'll stay."
Nishi abruptly turns around. "Wow... she's got guts. Or she's just really dumb."
(Probably both.)
"Um... Nishi? My name is..."
"Sleepy," replies she matter of factly.
"...what?"
"I'm bad with faces and don't even get me to remember names! If I can remember that, be grateful! You're sleepy to me, got it?"
Well...
"Okay," I say, warming to the name.
Nishi smiles happily.
"If that's my nickname," I continue, "I'm glad... because even though you kept saying you didn't know who I was... you definitely didn't forget."
Nishi flicks my forehead. "Where the heck is this cleverness coming from? How old are you, four? Don't try to think you're so smart! There's no way I'd remember someone as dumb as you because I hate everyone!"
(But you're so defensive.)
I nod along. "Of course... perfect sense."
"So anyway, because I don't have short-term memory loss... what kind of family do you have where having a death omen for a name isn't weird?"
She's chuckling as she speaks, not knowing what she's in for.
I describe to her every one of my family members.
She can't look away, she's stunned.
When I finish, Nishi blinks until she comes back into reality.
"Okay," she says flatly. "Okay... let's talk about things that won't drive me crazy: weapons."
Through the day, we barely get any customers. I clean occasionally and Nishi looks out the giant window to see people walking by. The emptiness allows me to think.
Maybe if I just tried the Academy and tried to learn ninja stuff... that would be okay with me. Sayaka and her brother would never teach me, in fear of Mom's fury. I'd love to see if I have potential, but there's no way anyone would teach me at all. A slow, sleepy girl is more trouble than good.
"Nishi..."
Nishi looks away from the window. "You sound more monotone than usual. You afraid of me?"
"I'm..." I start again. "I'm not... good at anything. My family expects for me to fail... I want to do something right. I did something right once... that was a wonderful feeling, being... useful. I want to join the Academy, but... if I go like this, I'll be rejected."
Nishi twirls a loose strand of hair around her finger. "Maybe that's a good thing? Not every person can be a ninja."
"...doesn't hard work mean anything," I ask, not really knowing who I'm asking. "It's fine... if I have to work twice as hard... to get half as far."
Nishi sits up in her chair. "H-Hey, where'd a kid like you hear those words from?"
She's avoiding the topic. Okay, I guess I'm asking for too much.
Still, very soon, the future will become very bleak. I'll get to witness the sadness in person this time.
"...Nishi, I'm only here because my mom... thinks I can't do anything right. Everyone does. If I let them, my family will just lock me away and protect me. That's... not horrible but that's not living. I get it... I am mostly useless. I still did something great though... so I want to believe I can do greater things."
I'm rambling. Nishi, the stranger, the death omen, is the only person I confide to. Most of the heaviness within is gone. Yet I can't say my future has changed.
"Parents are the worst, right?"
Nishi's non sequitur leaves me speechless.
"Always forcing you to do things they want you to do. They say age makes you wise, not bossy and ignorant. I never wanted to be a ninja, I wanted to make weapons. I never asked for my grades to be affected by how well I can make genjustu—even if I don't even care about it! Parents are supposed to be there and give advice, not to force something on their kids because they've stereotyped their child."
Her eyes are burning.
"Honestly, sleepy, you really do seem hopeless. It's only natural your family would think that. If you really don't want them to, then it's up to you to change their minds. Look at me—I'm doing what I loved all along. If your thing is being a ninja, fine, but you can't get all butthurt when your dream fails."
Her vigor is affecting me, accelerating my heart and pushing away my doubt.
"I'll work. I'll definitely... work. I'll prove to them... I don't have to protected forever. I really want... to be useful to them and others... I don't want to be a burden."
"If that's your motivation, then you'll need to take steps in reality to make it come true," Nishi nods. "You need to learn and learn fast. Those Academy kids don't care if you're a civilian or from a Noble Clan, you gotta beat them. What can you do now?"
"...that's the problem. I'm too weak for Body Techniques. I don't have enough chakra and chakra control for Ninja Techniques and Illusion Techniques... I've never once practiced Shuriken Techniques..." I trail off, overwhelmed by my uselessness.
"You can't really do anything, huh? Ahhh... you really can't blame your parents for doubting you." Nishi closes her eyes in thought. "You should do something that doesn't require any of that stuff. Ummm... then, maybe... probation?"
"Huh?"
"One chance. I'll give you... one chance only."
"...huh?"
"Agh! Stop your annoying grunting!" Nishi huffs. "I'll teach you what I know until it's time for you to make a move. You'll take that stupid entrance test then. If you make it, maybe I'll keep teaching you. If I can turn a zero like you into a student, then you can endorse my shop and my brand and maybe Lord Hokage will see you with it during your graduation exam!" Nishi dials it down a few notches. "But if you fail, guess you really didn't want it. And I don't really lose much, my dream will continue and yours won't."
No... no way.
She's going to teach me?
(Teach me?)
A strong feeling siezes my heart. My eyes and throat start to ache. I show Nishi my pinkie finger and say, "I promise I'll make my dream come true."
Nishi isn't that interested in the pinkie promise, but does so anyway. "Yeah, yeah. Just want you to know, hard work takes work. More work than normal. And because you're so hopeless, you don't have the luxury to slack off."
"...I understand."
"Okay, well, I know exactly what standards you need to be accepted into the Academy. It's not gonna be easy, sleepy."
"I understand."
Nishi grins. "Ah, I'm kinda fired up! If you do great, Lord Hokage is gonna put me on his radar!"
We agree to call this training my "work"... since I "did such a good job helping", Nishi wants me to "work when I can".
I show Mom her written statement and try to wipe off my sweaty hands.
Mom lowers the statement. "This is..."
I look at my lap.
"I'm glad! My little girl is a little helper!" Mom giggles. "I'll allow it, just make sure you don't do anything too strenuous, okay?"
I nod, not trusting my voice at all.
small steps chapter 2 | omen
AN: If it's not obvious just yet, I knew our sleepy ninja would have a tiny amount of chakra so she can't rely too much on chakra stuff. So I thought about the few things you can do without chakra: use swords, use bo staffs, bombs, etc. I then decided why have her specialize in just one or two weapons when she can learn all of them (theoretically)?
In short, this OC's fighting style is heavily inspired by Tenten. But rather than sticking to flinging herds of weapons out scrolls, the oc's skill set will be a bit more fleshed out in future chapters. Plus, she will not become a one trick pony, if that helps matters.
Oh, fair warning, she'll have to learn Sealing Techniques like all girls seem to do, but nothing more complex than sealing and unsealing. Anything more complicated will not be dealt with by oc. She's not going to master this. (Not that it's bad, I just want to explore different arts.)