~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 23 : Regrets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This chapter is dedicated to Aharah Musici!!!!!! Congrats!!! Although I'm not sure how useful this chapter dedication is if I keep on dedicating chapters where your fave bishis die...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrator :
A silent and still night for many in Konan with the exception of Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko and Tasuki who were all pacing and waiting impatiently for the physicians to come out of the respective rooms.
Their friends, Miaka, Chichiri and Hikari were being treated with the most well-trained physicians in Konan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nuriko :
I sat on the railings along the corridor, my fingers twitching worriedly. 'What if they didn't make it? What will we do then, with one less seishi, or worse, without a miko?!' I thought as my imagination ran wild. I shook my head furiously. 'Iie! How can I be thinking of such a thing?'
Hotohori's comforting hand on my shoulder startled me. I looked up at him worriedly. Hotohori just smiled sadly. I looked at a corner where Tamahome was sitting at, praying no-stop ever since the physicians arrived. Tasuki, however, was impatiently pacing up and down the corridors. His eyes were still red from crying and every now and then, he would sniffle and a tear would roll down his cheek. He would then wiped it away barbarically using his sleeve. The whole cycle would then repeat itself again.
"Nuriko?" Hotohori called out my name softly. It was the first time he had spoken ever since he was alerted by Tamahome that Miaka was in danger.
Tamahome alerted me after that before going to find some physicians. When Hotohori and I arrived at the scene, we found a lifeless Chichiri slumped in a corner. The most surprising thing of all...
And to think that he can still boast that he was a real man.
Real men don't cry, he would often say.
But to see him...
Shattered and reduce to tears...
Crying over the death of his best friend...
I never thought that this would ever happen. Not once, not now, not ever. Everything seemed to so perfect. That we all would stick together no matter what happened...
All those dreams...
Shattered...
Naze?!
"Hai?" I replied, looking down nervously. I was so afraid to look into Hotohori's eyes. They were filled with such immense remorse. I had yet to see Hotohori like this before. To see everyone behaving like this.
Hotohori didn't reply. Instead, he turned to face Tasuki and Tamahome before saying in a soft but low tone, as if he was afraid to be heard. "Sumimaisen. I... This is all my fault... I wasn't careful enough... I mean, I didn't plan for anything this serious to happen... Chichiri and Hikari would be placing a barrier around the palace now to prevent such incidents from happening but... I'm such a fool!!!! If I didn't rush to save Tamahome from Kutou, if I didn't rush Hikari into the plan... Then perhaps she would at else have enough energy to fight back at the enemy. Then maybe, Miaka and the others could be safe. I deserve to be punished!!!!!!!" Hotohori collapsed to his knees, crying softly.
"Nani...What did you just say? It's not your fault! I mean, we already planned to meet him that night! We couldn't change the date any more!!!" I protested.
Tamahome and Tasuki also had their attention on Hotohori. I could see Tasuki curling his hand into a fist. But I never expected him to really punch Hotohori in the face.
The rest of us just stayed in our positions, frozen and shock.
The impact from Tasuki's punch was so great that it sent Hotohori tumbling a few feet backwards.
"AND THE HELL IT IS, YOU DAMN BASTARD!!!!!!!!!" Tasuki screamed in rage. "IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I quickly rushed to the Emperor's side, casting a disgusted look at Tasuki, who simply glared back. Tamahome on the other hand had snapped out of his shock and was trying to hold Tasuki back.
"And," continued the red head, "It's my fucking fault too. Mine just as much as yours." His last sentence was so soft that I had to strain my ears just to hear him.
"I could have done more, I knew that. And yet, I didn't... I didn't... I don't blame you," Tasuki looked straight into the eyes of Hotohori who now had a palm to cover his red cheek.
"I only have myself to blame..." And with, he raised a fist and punched himself in the face, twice, causing him to stagger backwards.
"It's my fault too. Ore wa..." Tamahome bowed his head in shame. His blue bangs covered his forehead and eyes. When he finally looked up, I saw a stream of fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Tamahome..." Hotohori murmured.
"I was so scared... So scared... I've never seen such great powers before... It all reminded me of the monster... I was so scared..." Tasuki wrapped his large arms around Tamahome from behind, trying to comfort the younger seishi. Tamahome's legs gave way as he collapsed into Tasuki's arms, crying quietly.
Just then, one of the bedroom doors opened and a physician came out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the darkness...
It has no end...
Please bring me comfort...
Embrace my soul...
Give me...
A beacon...
Of hope...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tamahome :
Just then, one of the bedroom doors opened and a physician came out. It was the physician who was treating Miaka!!!
I released myself from the grasp of Tasuki and rushed to the physician. "How is she? How is Miaka?!" I grabbed the short physician shoulders, searching in the depths of his eyes for an answer.
Silence.
I shook the physician by the shoulders hard when he refused to answer me. "Uso..." I muttered. No... Not another one... Not her...
Onegai...
Otou-san...
Chuuei...
And now...
'Onegai, Suzaku! Don't make me suffer! Onegai, find, search the depths of your heart to save your miko!!!!!!!!!' I begged silently.
The physician shook his head slowly. "No point being so worried boy. The miko is fine. She's alive but unconscious. All she needs is a lot of rest," The physician smiled at me.
I heaved a big sigh of relieve. How could I jump to conclusions?! Tossing the physician aside, I rushed into the room to find Miaka sleeping on the bed, the covers pulled up and covering half her chest. Her hands were laid by her side. The only sign that showed that she was alive was the rising and falling of her chest. Gently, I took one of her hand and squeeze it.
"Miaka... Aishiteru..." I whispered as I placed her hand on my cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrator :
Hotohori peeked into the room. Moonlight shone through the dimly lit room, bathing the two lovers in its beauty and loveliness. It was like an image. A beautiful image of two lovers reunited after a close brush of death.
How he wished...
That it was him holding and embracing Miaka right now...
Hotohori let out a soft but sad sigh.
"Hotohori-sama?" Nuriko asked as he tapped Hotohori's shoulder from behind.
"Daijoubu," Hotohori replied, trying to sound happy. He gently closed the doors behind him.
Once again, his heart was flooded sorrow and loneliness. At being rejected, being lost...
Everything was just repeated all over again...
Turning around to face Nuriko, he forced a weak painful smile on his lips. "Let's pray for Chichiri and Hikari's safety, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rejected...
Opening your doors to love...
Could be the biggest mistake of all...
Life...
Was never fair...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About half an hour later, another physician came out of his room. His cheeks were flushed bright pink.
But his eyes...
They were full of hope and relieve...
"Heika-sama!!!" cried out the physician. "Your Oracle... She's alive!!! She managed to pull through!!!!!!!!!"
Tasuki, who was brooding at one corner looked up. His face instantly lit up at the mention of Hikari's name. "Honto ni?!"
The physician nodded his head quickly. "However, I must warn you about something..."
Tasuki frowned as he walked towards the physician. He grabbed him by the collar and lifted the small-sized physician up. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WARN'?!" Tasuki growled in a dangerous low tone. His amber eyes shone, glaring threateningly at the physician who was now almost in tears himself.
"Tasuki!" Nuriko cried out as he tried to calm Tasuki down. "I was just trying to say that... She will be unconscious for a few days... That's all..."
Tasuki lowered the poor man down.
"Her ki level is extremely weak and below that of a normal person. It's a miracle that she survived. She needs a lot of rest to regain her energy. Even so, after she regains consciousness, she is not allowed to get out of bed. Her body will be sore after lying for such a long time in bed but she would still be weak and still needs to take this medicine," The physician pulled out a bottle from his pocket. The medium sized glass bottle had a brownish black liquid inside. Although the bottle was tightly capped, Tasuki could still smell the horrible stench of the medicine.
Tasuki roughly snatched the medicine from the physician's hand. "I'll take care of her. You don't have to worry," with that, he rushed into the bedroom, slamming the doors behind him.
Those who were outside winced at the din he made.
Hotohori looked kindly at the physician. "Arigatou gozaimasu. Please, rest in one of the bedrooms for the night. I will pay you the first thing tomorrow morning."
The physician bowed humbly before the emperor. "Heika-sama, please go and take a rest. It's not good for you to stay up all night worrying. I'm sure your comrades will be fine," assured the physician.
"Thank you for your concern," Hotohori replied before an attendant escorted him away.
Now, the only main concern would be...
Chichiri...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the silent and dark corridors of Kutou...
Motoki glided along the dark passage. Many changes had since taken place ever since the arrival of Motoki. Passageways were dark and dimly lit. Not even the moon shone into the eternal darkness of the palace. Black and dark clouds were constantly hovering in the once blue sky. The sun was no longer in existence. The plants were withering. The ponds turned into a dark and murky colour. The once lively koi fishes were dead, giving the sweetly scented flower garden a horrible stench of dead fishes. Those who dared to look into the murky pond saw no reflection at all. All they saw was the endless pit of mud and only-god-knows-what-monster-lives-in-there.
The whole palace looked like a haunted house from the outside. Servants and chambermaids were begging to go outside to get a breath of fresh air.
Only a sinister woman enjoyed everything.
Motoki.
It reminded her so much of...
Home.
Motoki stopped before a pair of blue painted doors. She listened to the loud wails of a young boy in agony inside the room.
She could hear the sounds of cloth being ripped and shredded. Glass shattering, wooden chair breaking...
But one sound remained the loudest of all.
The sound of a heart being torn into pieces. The pain and agony over a loss of a loved one. The sound of innocence being robbed from a pure little heart...
The screams and ranting of vulgarities...
The doors of a heart closing...
Motoki smiled beneath her black thick cloak. "Ah... Lovely music to my ears..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, a pair of anxious and worried seishis waited impatiently for the last physician to come out.
Just when they were losing hope, the young and almost inexperience physician came running out. He was shaking and terror filled his eyes. He began to bow continuously at Hotohori's feet. "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai..." The physician begged as tears welled up in his eyes.
Nuriko and Hotohori looked at each other, fearing for the worst. "What happened?!" They both cried out at the same time.
The physician looked up, a fresh stream of tears flowing freely down his cheeks.
"Gomen nasai... Boku wa... I couldn't help him..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note:
FY does not belong to me.
Ha! Another suspense!!!!!!!
As for why the story began with Hikari immediately saving Tamahome, well, as you can see, Nuriko already explained why :
"Nani...What did you just say? It's not your fault! I mean, we already planned to meet him that night! We couldn't change the date any more!!!" I protested.
So, that's why the story is so fast-paced. I just immediately jumped into the problem. Easier. I was lazy to have a nice introduction which last for a few long and dragging chapters and where they fall in love during this period of time. Why not just jump into the problem and find out more about the others when Hikari is helping them when they're in danger, ne? Sides, I didn't think anyone would wanna read a boring story of meeting the seishis, falling in love with them and the end. I wanted something exciting and fast paced. And so, here you go!!!!!!!!
As to how Amiboshi died...
Please wait...
I'll try my best to explain it to you guys in another chapter.
Hehe...
Gomen...
Did I tell you all that this would be an angsty fic? No happy endings of anyone marrying anyone. ^^ Man, am I evil or what?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List of Japanese words :
Aishteru – I love you
Koi – A type of fish
Sumimaisen – I'm sorry (Polite way of saying it)
Naze – Why?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 23 : Regrets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This chapter is dedicated to Aharah Musici!!!!!! Congrats!!! Although I'm not sure how useful this chapter dedication is if I keep on dedicating chapters where your fave bishis die...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrator :
A silent and still night for many in Konan with the exception of Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko and Tasuki who were all pacing and waiting impatiently for the physicians to come out of the respective rooms.
Their friends, Miaka, Chichiri and Hikari were being treated with the most well-trained physicians in Konan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nuriko :
I sat on the railings along the corridor, my fingers twitching worriedly. 'What if they didn't make it? What will we do then, with one less seishi, or worse, without a miko?!' I thought as my imagination ran wild. I shook my head furiously. 'Iie! How can I be thinking of such a thing?'
Hotohori's comforting hand on my shoulder startled me. I looked up at him worriedly. Hotohori just smiled sadly. I looked at a corner where Tamahome was sitting at, praying no-stop ever since the physicians arrived. Tasuki, however, was impatiently pacing up and down the corridors. His eyes were still red from crying and every now and then, he would sniffle and a tear would roll down his cheek. He would then wiped it away barbarically using his sleeve. The whole cycle would then repeat itself again.
"Nuriko?" Hotohori called out my name softly. It was the first time he had spoken ever since he was alerted by Tamahome that Miaka was in danger.
Tamahome alerted me after that before going to find some physicians. When Hotohori and I arrived at the scene, we found a lifeless Chichiri slumped in a corner. The most surprising thing of all...
And to think that he can still boast that he was a real man.
Real men don't cry, he would often say.
But to see him...
Shattered and reduce to tears...
Crying over the death of his best friend...
I never thought that this would ever happen. Not once, not now, not ever. Everything seemed to so perfect. That we all would stick together no matter what happened...
All those dreams...
Shattered...
Naze?!
"Hai?" I replied, looking down nervously. I was so afraid to look into Hotohori's eyes. They were filled with such immense remorse. I had yet to see Hotohori like this before. To see everyone behaving like this.
Hotohori didn't reply. Instead, he turned to face Tasuki and Tamahome before saying in a soft but low tone, as if he was afraid to be heard. "Sumimaisen. I... This is all my fault... I wasn't careful enough... I mean, I didn't plan for anything this serious to happen... Chichiri and Hikari would be placing a barrier around the palace now to prevent such incidents from happening but... I'm such a fool!!!! If I didn't rush to save Tamahome from Kutou, if I didn't rush Hikari into the plan... Then perhaps she would at else have enough energy to fight back at the enemy. Then maybe, Miaka and the others could be safe. I deserve to be punished!!!!!!!" Hotohori collapsed to his knees, crying softly.
"Nani...What did you just say? It's not your fault! I mean, we already planned to meet him that night! We couldn't change the date any more!!!" I protested.
Tamahome and Tasuki also had their attention on Hotohori. I could see Tasuki curling his hand into a fist. But I never expected him to really punch Hotohori in the face.
The rest of us just stayed in our positions, frozen and shock.
The impact from Tasuki's punch was so great that it sent Hotohori tumbling a few feet backwards.
"AND THE HELL IT IS, YOU DAMN BASTARD!!!!!!!!!" Tasuki screamed in rage. "IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I quickly rushed to the Emperor's side, casting a disgusted look at Tasuki, who simply glared back. Tamahome on the other hand had snapped out of his shock and was trying to hold Tasuki back.
"And," continued the red head, "It's my fucking fault too. Mine just as much as yours." His last sentence was so soft that I had to strain my ears just to hear him.
"I could have done more, I knew that. And yet, I didn't... I didn't... I don't blame you," Tasuki looked straight into the eyes of Hotohori who now had a palm to cover his red cheek.
"I only have myself to blame..." And with, he raised a fist and punched himself in the face, twice, causing him to stagger backwards.
"It's my fault too. Ore wa..." Tamahome bowed his head in shame. His blue bangs covered his forehead and eyes. When he finally looked up, I saw a stream of fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Tamahome..." Hotohori murmured.
"I was so scared... So scared... I've never seen such great powers before... It all reminded me of the monster... I was so scared..." Tasuki wrapped his large arms around Tamahome from behind, trying to comfort the younger seishi. Tamahome's legs gave way as he collapsed into Tasuki's arms, crying quietly.
Just then, one of the bedroom doors opened and a physician came out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the darkness...
It has no end...
Please bring me comfort...
Embrace my soul...
Give me...
A beacon...
Of hope...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tamahome :
Just then, one of the bedroom doors opened and a physician came out. It was the physician who was treating Miaka!!!
I released myself from the grasp of Tasuki and rushed to the physician. "How is she? How is Miaka?!" I grabbed the short physician shoulders, searching in the depths of his eyes for an answer.
Silence.
I shook the physician by the shoulders hard when he refused to answer me. "Uso..." I muttered. No... Not another one... Not her...
Onegai...
Otou-san...
Chuuei...
And now...
'Onegai, Suzaku! Don't make me suffer! Onegai, find, search the depths of your heart to save your miko!!!!!!!!!' I begged silently.
The physician shook his head slowly. "No point being so worried boy. The miko is fine. She's alive but unconscious. All she needs is a lot of rest," The physician smiled at me.
I heaved a big sigh of relieve. How could I jump to conclusions?! Tossing the physician aside, I rushed into the room to find Miaka sleeping on the bed, the covers pulled up and covering half her chest. Her hands were laid by her side. The only sign that showed that she was alive was the rising and falling of her chest. Gently, I took one of her hand and squeeze it.
"Miaka... Aishiteru..." I whispered as I placed her hand on my cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrator :
Hotohori peeked into the room. Moonlight shone through the dimly lit room, bathing the two lovers in its beauty and loveliness. It was like an image. A beautiful image of two lovers reunited after a close brush of death.
How he wished...
That it was him holding and embracing Miaka right now...
Hotohori let out a soft but sad sigh.
"Hotohori-sama?" Nuriko asked as he tapped Hotohori's shoulder from behind.
"Daijoubu," Hotohori replied, trying to sound happy. He gently closed the doors behind him.
Once again, his heart was flooded sorrow and loneliness. At being rejected, being lost...
Everything was just repeated all over again...
Turning around to face Nuriko, he forced a weak painful smile on his lips. "Let's pray for Chichiri and Hikari's safety, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rejected...
Opening your doors to love...
Could be the biggest mistake of all...
Life...
Was never fair...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About half an hour later, another physician came out of his room. His cheeks were flushed bright pink.
But his eyes...
They were full of hope and relieve...
"Heika-sama!!!" cried out the physician. "Your Oracle... She's alive!!! She managed to pull through!!!!!!!!!"
Tasuki, who was brooding at one corner looked up. His face instantly lit up at the mention of Hikari's name. "Honto ni?!"
The physician nodded his head quickly. "However, I must warn you about something..."
Tasuki frowned as he walked towards the physician. He grabbed him by the collar and lifted the small-sized physician up. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WARN'?!" Tasuki growled in a dangerous low tone. His amber eyes shone, glaring threateningly at the physician who was now almost in tears himself.
"Tasuki!" Nuriko cried out as he tried to calm Tasuki down. "I was just trying to say that... She will be unconscious for a few days... That's all..."
Tasuki lowered the poor man down.
"Her ki level is extremely weak and below that of a normal person. It's a miracle that she survived. She needs a lot of rest to regain her energy. Even so, after she regains consciousness, she is not allowed to get out of bed. Her body will be sore after lying for such a long time in bed but she would still be weak and still needs to take this medicine," The physician pulled out a bottle from his pocket. The medium sized glass bottle had a brownish black liquid inside. Although the bottle was tightly capped, Tasuki could still smell the horrible stench of the medicine.
Tasuki roughly snatched the medicine from the physician's hand. "I'll take care of her. You don't have to worry," with that, he rushed into the bedroom, slamming the doors behind him.
Those who were outside winced at the din he made.
Hotohori looked kindly at the physician. "Arigatou gozaimasu. Please, rest in one of the bedrooms for the night. I will pay you the first thing tomorrow morning."
The physician bowed humbly before the emperor. "Heika-sama, please go and take a rest. It's not good for you to stay up all night worrying. I'm sure your comrades will be fine," assured the physician.
"Thank you for your concern," Hotohori replied before an attendant escorted him away.
Now, the only main concern would be...
Chichiri...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the silent and dark corridors of Kutou...
Motoki glided along the dark passage. Many changes had since taken place ever since the arrival of Motoki. Passageways were dark and dimly lit. Not even the moon shone into the eternal darkness of the palace. Black and dark clouds were constantly hovering in the once blue sky. The sun was no longer in existence. The plants were withering. The ponds turned into a dark and murky colour. The once lively koi fishes were dead, giving the sweetly scented flower garden a horrible stench of dead fishes. Those who dared to look into the murky pond saw no reflection at all. All they saw was the endless pit of mud and only-god-knows-what-monster-lives-in-there.
The whole palace looked like a haunted house from the outside. Servants and chambermaids were begging to go outside to get a breath of fresh air.
Only a sinister woman enjoyed everything.
Motoki.
It reminded her so much of...
Home.
Motoki stopped before a pair of blue painted doors. She listened to the loud wails of a young boy in agony inside the room.
She could hear the sounds of cloth being ripped and shredded. Glass shattering, wooden chair breaking...
But one sound remained the loudest of all.
The sound of a heart being torn into pieces. The pain and agony over a loss of a loved one. The sound of innocence being robbed from a pure little heart...
The screams and ranting of vulgarities...
The doors of a heart closing...
Motoki smiled beneath her black thick cloak. "Ah... Lovely music to my ears..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, a pair of anxious and worried seishis waited impatiently for the last physician to come out.
Just when they were losing hope, the young and almost inexperience physician came running out. He was shaking and terror filled his eyes. He began to bow continuously at Hotohori's feet. "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai..." The physician begged as tears welled up in his eyes.
Nuriko and Hotohori looked at each other, fearing for the worst. "What happened?!" They both cried out at the same time.
The physician looked up, a fresh stream of tears flowing freely down his cheeks.
"Gomen nasai... Boku wa... I couldn't help him..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note:
FY does not belong to me.
Ha! Another suspense!!!!!!!
As for why the story began with Hikari immediately saving Tamahome, well, as you can see, Nuriko already explained why :
"Nani...What did you just say? It's not your fault! I mean, we already planned to meet him that night! We couldn't change the date any more!!!" I protested.
So, that's why the story is so fast-paced. I just immediately jumped into the problem. Easier. I was lazy to have a nice introduction which last for a few long and dragging chapters and where they fall in love during this period of time. Why not just jump into the problem and find out more about the others when Hikari is helping them when they're in danger, ne? Sides, I didn't think anyone would wanna read a boring story of meeting the seishis, falling in love with them and the end. I wanted something exciting and fast paced. And so, here you go!!!!!!!!
As to how Amiboshi died...
Please wait...
I'll try my best to explain it to you guys in another chapter.
Hehe...
Gomen...
Did I tell you all that this would be an angsty fic? No happy endings of anyone marrying anyone. ^^ Man, am I evil or what?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List of Japanese words :
Aishteru – I love you
Koi – A type of fish
Sumimaisen – I'm sorry (Polite way of saying it)
Naze – Why?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~