Avatar the Last Airbender: Wherever You May Be

A/N: Ah ha ha… it's been a while, eh? I'm sorry I didn't get this posted in March like I promised ( I was planning on doing it last week, but then I kinda forgot, I had the SB sickness!). If you add in the fact that I've been watching and reading Special A for the last week or so, my attention really hasn't been on this story. In fact I'm getting worried, I haven't added a chapter for like, four months (since Christmas really…not a good thing).

But I'll work on it…once April is done. Evil month with classes ending, projects, finals, etc. I actually have enough chapters pre-written for hold me through June, so no worries about delays except for my own forgetfulness. I have to re-write/edit a few chapters; I decided the way I had originally written Katara and Zuko's relation has been beaten to a pulp with a bloody sledge hammer enough times that I want to try to make it different, a little. At least I really hope it'll come out different, you'll have to wait to see how it turns out like I do I guess…ha ha ha…

Yosh! So, this chapter is Katara's flashback episode. You'll either get her perspective or ask 'Eh? This isn't that different from Zuko's…' Anyways, enjoy!

Wherever You May Be

Chapter 5

~sSSs~

"Aunt Wu is expecting you, Lady Katara."

"Of course she is," Katara said with a smile as she stepped into the small village.

Little had changed in Makapu since she, Sokka, and Aang had left it over four years ago, including the wall of hardened lava still surrounding the village on its rear. She could see new houses on the outskirts of town and more people filled the street as she followed the villager who had been waiting for her at the town entrance. He was a young man, probably around her age, with bright green eyes and sporting a rather large pair of ears under long, light brown hair.

"Um…do you by chance know a girl named Meng?"

"Yes!" he said, turning to look at her with a bright smile. "She's my betrothed. We will be married by Aunt Wu on the Fall Equinox."

"Congratulations," Katara told him as the two arrived at Aunt Wu's place. She paused at the entrance before following him in to glance around the waiting room that hadn't changed since the last time she had visited.

"Please wait here while I let Aunt Wu know you have arrived," the man said with a bow before exiting the room through one of the shoji doors. Katara was about to sit on one of the overstuffed cushions when the door slid back open and she glanced up before smiling.

"Hello Meng," Katara greeted the young woman across from her. The apprentice had grown several inches over the years and her brown hair was now styled in an intricate Earth Nation bun rather than the braided pig-tails that defied gravity. Her teeth still gapped at the front, but combined with her matured appearance it added rather than subtracted.

"Katara!" Meng returned, quickly setting down the tray she was holding. The two hugged before Meng stepped back and peered behind Katara. "Is Aang with you? We had heard the two of you were traveling since the end of the war."

"I am traveling alone for the moment," Katara told her softly, not meeting Meng's gaze. She and Aang had separated from each other over a month ago and she had no idea where he was at the moment. What was worse is that even though she knew she should be worrying about him, she wasn't. "So, I heard you are getting married?"

"To Ling," Meng told her, sighing happily. "We met when Aunt Wu was traveling to Omashu last year and he told me it was love at first sight. I didn't know until we returned to the village to find out he had learned where we were from and came here to find me."

"Was it love at first sight for you too?" Katara asked curious and was surprised when Meng shook her head, grinning.

"No, it took me a few months," Meng told her before leaning in close to Katara. "I still was kinda hoping it would be Aang."

"Aang?" Katara asked in surprise; she had not even realized that Meng had liked Aang. "You thought the man you were going to marry was Aang?"

"Well, he had really big ears," Meng reminded her and Katara giggled. Even at fifteen Aang was still rather sensitive about his ears. "But when he went and got me a Panda Lily I fell for him."

"The Panda Lilies came back? That's wonderful," Katara said, knowing that the flowers only grew on the lip of Mt. Makapu. Meng nodded before glancing at her neck, reaching up to slowly touch her mother's necklace.

"That is beautiful. I don't remember you wearing it last time," Meng recalled and Katara nodded.

"It was missing when we last visited," Katara told her, her thoughts drifting towards Zuko because of it. She should try to visit him while she was so close to the Fire Nation she decided, especially since she hadn't seen him since Sokka and Suki's wedding.

"It will be returned to you," Meng suddenly said and when Katara glanced at her, her eyes were unfocused as she stared at the necklace. She smiled vaguely before her hand dropped and she nodded to herself before stepping back, eyes blank. "When it is returned to you your heart will know much joy."

"Meng?" Katara asked worried and Meng blinked before looking up at Katara, smiling.

"Yes?"

"Are…you okay?" she asked, wondering what had come over Meng. If she didn't know better she would say she had just been given a fortune.

"Of course," Meng said before frowning. Right then the door opened behind Meng and Katara looked up to see Aunt Wu.

"Ah, Katara, so good to see you again," Aunt Wu said with a small smile, "though you are a week earlier than I had originally thought you would be arriving."

"Last minute change in plans," Katara told her. She glanced back at Meng who bowed to Aunt Wu before wandering away, giving Katara brief wave. Shaking her head she followed Aunt Wu back to the room where she did her readings.

"You are on your way to Omashu and visit King Bumi, correct?" Aunt Wu asked as she poured tea for the both of them.

"I am," Katara told her. Bumi had specifically asked for her presence to help with a trading agreement with the Northern Water Tribe and she was more than willing to help. It still amazed her that Bumi had even been able to track her down as she was between villages when the messenger had finally reached her. "Aunt Wu, just before you arrived Meng was acting…strange."

"How so?" Aunt Wu asked, staring at Katara intently.

"Like Sokka on cactus juice," she said and when Aunt Wu frowned, confused, Katara shrugged. "Like she was someplace else, out of body. And she was talking about my necklace, saying it would be returned, which is odd since I have it with me."

"Anything else?"

"Hmm, oh yeah," Katara said, recalling the girl's words. "'When it is returned to you your heart will know much joy'."

"I see," Aunt Wu said, before smiling. "You see Katara, Meng is a very special girl. She has been blessed with the Sight."

"Sight?"

"It gives her glimpses of the future, of what will come to be," Aunt Wu explained as she started to build up the fire. "She is my assistant so that I can properly train her to use the Sight, however it seems hers is not one that can be called upon at will so her tellings are rare and far apart."

"So she's a fortuneteller like you," Katara said and Aunt Wu laughed, shaking her head.

"Oh no, her power is much greater than mine," Aunt Wu proclaimed. "I have been trained to read the signs given to me, indications of events both future and past. As I explained to the young Avatar when you last visited, what I have told you is not inevitable but can be changed as the person desires it. A path that can be chosen or altered, depending on how you act. What Meng sees is the truth, what will happen. It cannot be changed."

"So I will lose my necklace," Katara said, reaching up to touch the stone.

"But it will be returned," Aunt Wu reminded her. "Now, as that matter is settled, care to share why you have come to visit after four years?"

"I…I feel lost," Katara told her, toying with the end of her shirt nervously.

"How so? Since the end of the war you and the Avatar have done many wondrous things to preserve our peace."

"I know and I don't regret traveling with Aang," Katara told her before sighing. "But Aang knows what he's doing now; he's not the same boy who saved the world. He's matured and is truly the Avatar now. Yet, I…I felt – feel – like I haven't changed, like I am still just the Avatar's waterbending teacher, along for the ride."

"So you and the Avatar separated," Aunt Wu commented and Katara nodded, not that surprised the Aunt Wu already knew when so many didn't. "People change, it is what was allows us to progress in life. You too have changed, even if you cannot see it."

"Oh I saw it," Katara said with a laugh. "At the end of the war, I was in love with Aang. I still love him, but I'm not in love with him anymore. I never saw us having a future together and it was one of the reasons why we separated."

"Sometimes letting the ideal of love go can be the hardest thing a person can do," Aunt Wu told her softly. "Do you expect me to tell you what you should do in life?"

"No," Katara told her, shaking her head. Aunt Wu stared at her in surprise and Katara smiled. "I want to figure it out on my own, make my own destiny this time around."

"Then why did you visit me?" Aunt Wu asked and Katara grinned at her.

"Well, I can still have my fortune read, can't I? Good events, bad events, little random things like that," she explained. "I have no real question to ask this time."

"Well, that is a relief," Aunt Wu said with a chuckle, remembering Katara's last visit. "I will give you two readings. Now, let us start with a palm reading."

Nodding, Katara produced her left hand. She figured since Aunt Wu had already given her a palm reading from her right the left would be something new.

"Hmm…let me see your other hand," Aunt Wu said and Katara gave it to her, frowning. "I see a powerful bender."

"What?" Katara asked in surprise. "But…you said that last time! I thought that would mean Aang."

"It seems you are fated to repeat it, or it was never fulfilled to its original intent," Aunt Wu said dropping Katara's hand before giving a short nod. "There will a strong bender in your future."

"That's it? No great romance this time? Wonderful," Katara sighed before Aunt Wu motioned to the dish resting between them.

"Do not despair. The fire may reveal more," Aunt Wu said. "Any bone and toss it into the fire."

Staring at the pile of bones Katara pulled one out from the bottom of the stack, making sure the rest didn't fall. Tossing it in the fire the two women were silent as the bone was heated then stared to fracture. Finally Aunt Wu retrieved the bone and let it cool before grabbing it.

"My, that is interesting," she murmured. "The man you will love is a rather curious figure my dear."

"How so?" Katara asked, curious. She hadn't come here expecting to learn about her love life, but she wasn't going to ignore whatever Aunt Wu had learned.

"There is something in your natures that both connect and repel you from each other," Aunt Wu explained. "Because of this there will be arguments – people who are alike and dislike each other rarely get along peacefully."

"So I'm going to love a person who I will want to argue with all the time?"

"Essentially, but do not fear. It will make your love stronger, rather than detract from it," Aunt Wu told her before turning back to look at the bone again. "He carries the past with him, but it makes him a better man. He is willing to give his life to protect yours, something you don't often see."

"Well, he sounds wonderful," Katara said with a smile. Aunt Wu nodded as she stared at the bone before looking at Katara.

"And before you ask," Aunt Wu said with a smile, "you will have mango for breakfast tomorrow."

sSs

She wondered if it would have been different if her attack hadn't hit him that last time they sparred.

She had been distracted, her mind focused on her upcoming departure and how much she didn't want to go on the trip anymore. She had enjoyed the month with Zuko more than she had anything else in the past year and it saddened her to know she wouldn't have a sparring partner or friend to talk to on the trip.

She had arrived earlier than normal, her sleep the night before fragmented and leaving her restless enough to rise before the sky started to lighten. The sun was just starting to rise when she reached the sparring ground and she had been disappointed when she saw Zuko wasn't there. He hadn't shown up the day before and that day the both of them were so busy they hadn't been able to see each other at all, even their customary dinner being canceled. Hoping it wouldn't be another lonely practice, Katara warmed up anyways, never willing to sacrifice any time available for practicing.

When Zuko had showed up a few minutes later Katara has been surprised to feel her heart jump in her chest as he walked over to join her. She dismissed the water held mid-air with a flick of her wrist and sent Zuko a smile she hoped appeared calm. When she noticed his shirt was buttoned improperly she had acted before thinking, fixing it with an intimacy they hadn't ever shared before. She dismissed it by teasing him and the two had begun to spar as if nothing happened.

When her attack hit him she had been frozen to the spot for a second. When they sparred with each other it was never with the intent to harm, so to see Zuko bleeding from something she inflicted was horrifying. After that pause she had rushed over to help him, praying to every spirit she knew for giving her healing abilities. The fact that it had been his scar that took the damage was even worse as she knew Zuko was sensitive about it, as would anyone in the same circumstance.

He had been right: despite the amount of blood the wound had healed quickly, only the blood on Zuko's face showing he had been hurt. She had been shaking when she wiped the excess blood away, too distracted to use her bending to do it. Wanting to make sure she had healed it properly she had lightly touched the burnt skin and said something that hadn't been spoken between them since the time in Ba Sing Se.

"I wish I could heal old wounds."

"I don't," Zuko replied, his eyes honest as he looked up at her. "Not anymore."

"Then you're better than your father ever was," she told him before feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"He carries the past with him, but it makes him a better man."

As she recalled Aunt Wu's words, Zuko pulled her down into a hug and Katara hesitated for only a second before relaxing into his hold. He was warm and despite smelling like sweat she found herself feeling secure in his hold. She always had, she remembered, ever since he had helped her find Yon Rha, but it had changed after the fight with Azula.

"He is willing to give his life to protect yours."

And bears the scar for it, Katara thought, knowing of the mark Zuko carried on his chest from Azula's lightning the day the war ended. She had never asked how Mai took the scar, wondered if she even knew where it had come from.

Once Zuko's hold relaxed, Katara stepped back to look at him.

"Zuko…" She didn't know what she was going to say and when he reached up, his fingers on her face as he tucked her hair behind her ear, all thoughts had fled at the unexpected gentle gesture. As the hand remained on her head, her heart rate picked up almost to a frantic level and she wondered if Zuko could tell. Feeling an uncomfortable heat reach her face, she lowered her gaze, no longer able to meet Zuko's golden one that was almost blazing. When she tried to step out of the hold, well aware what it would look like if someone suddenly appeared, Zuko's grip on her hair had tightened a fraction, keeping her close then slowly pulling her forward.

When his lips touched hers, Katara was surprised how right it felt. With Aang there had always been an awkwardness that had never gone away, but with Zuko it felt like she was suppose to be there, her lips against his. She was shaking so bad she used him as a brace, one hand on his face and the other on his arm so she didn't collapse against him, the heat radiating from him confirming that it was Zuko, Zuko the old enemy and recently discovered best friend, kissing her.

When he pulled her to him, pressing her against him until it felt like there was no space between their bodies she had shivered, her hand gripping his arm tighter. Letting her lips fall open under his surprisingly gentle assault, he had immediately claimed her mouth and Katara could have sworn she felt electricity run through her. She felt him smile, even with her eyes closed, but when he separated from her the horror of what just happened ran through her, not to be stopped by the warmth Zuko had produce.

The tears came immediately as she stared down into Zuko's gaze. They were warm, warmer than any look he had ever given to Mai and Katara covered her mouth to stop the sobs trying to escape at the thought of his fiancée.

Jerking from his grasp she had bolted from the training ground, vaguely recalling Zuko yelling after her. She didn't know where she had gone, but eventually she had collapsed against a door in a dark room in some far corner of the palace. The tears wouldn't stop and Katara finally let the sobs escape her as she wrapped her arms around her.

Somehow she had fallen in love with Zuko and he already belonged to someone else.

"You two love each other, right?"

"Of course!"

It had only been a few days since she had asked him that, there was no way everything could have changed that quickly.

Unconsciously her hand reached up and touched her lips, shivering unconsciously as the kiss came back to her. Zuko was engaged to Mai, loved Mai. She couldn't explain why he kissed her, but knew he would remember where his heart lay in the end and it wasn't with her.

Suddenly Aunt Wu's fortune made more sense: she had fallen in love with Zuko, but no great romance would ever come from it.

sSs

"Hey, Sweetness how's it hanging?" Toph asked a few months later as Katara wearily made her way into Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. It was well past nightfall in the large city and Katara was depleted of energy after debriefing King Kuei and the Senate for the past five hours about the trip through the Earth Nation with the group of nobles. "You seem tired."

"I'm exhausted," Katara told her, covering a yawn. There had been little sleep in the past few days and she was looking forward to a good nights rest. "Why are you here? Last I heard you were doing something near Gaoling."

"You forgot?" Toph asked surprised and Katara blinked at her slowly before groaning as realization sank in about what day it was. "You forgot! Oh, I have to tell him. Aang! Sugar Queen's here!"

"Katara?"

Katara smiled weakly as Aang came from the back of the shop, grinning happily at the sight of her. She hugged Aang, having missed him since she had last seen him over eight months ago. It was still odd to look up at him despite the fact that Aang had outgrown her before he had turned sixteen.

"Hey Aang, guess what?" Toph snickered from where she kicked her feet against the floor. "Sugar Queen forgot it was your birthday."

"I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations," Katara grumbled sarcastically to the earthbender. "I've also been traveling for two months and have been sitting in front of King Kuei for the past five hours. My brain can only function so much."

"Don't worry about it, Katara," Aang told her, grinning. "You can make it up to me later."

"For an Air Nomad you sure do like material possessions," Katara commented before turning to look at Toph. "And when did you start calling Aang by his name?"

"Since I got on her good side," Aang told her, smiling at the earthbender who blushed. Katara's mouth fell open in surprise as she stared between the two, more surprised by Toph's blush than anything.

"You hooked up!" she finally blurted, knowing she wasn't being entirely tactful. Aang blushed to match Toph's and Katara could only stare at them in surprise. It was rather surprising because Toph hadn't ever really indicated that she cared for Aang outside the realm of their friendship, but Katara was slowly realizing she didn't have the best understanding of relationships. "I…I don't…congratulations?"

"Thanks, Sweetness. We can just hear the happiness," Toph deadpanned before squeaking as Aang suddenly grabbed her. He easily dwarfed the short earthbender and had long since stopped flinching when she punched him on the arm. Katara grinned as Toph struggled to fend him off before giving in, letting Aang kiss her noisily on the cheek. Seeing them together it amazed Katara how well the two interacted for being opposites.

"Where's Uncle?" Katara asked once they had calmed down.

"In the back making tea of course," Aang told her and Katara headed to the small kitchen, leaving the two in the main room. She smiled when she heard humming and stepping into the room she found Iroh sweeping the floor, swaying slightly to the tune.

"Hello Uncle," she said and Iroh looked up to smile at her. He set aside the broom as Katara went and hugged him quickly.

"It is good to see you child," Iroh said, grabbing the tea kettle. "How did the trip go?"

"Better than I expected," Katara told him, happily sitting at the small table located in the corner of the kitchen. "All the towns I visited are doing well and were more than happy to meet the nobles I was traveling with. It seems the Senate's new bills are doing well."

"That is always good news," Iroh said as he gathered up four cups and a smaller serving pot. "And how did your visit in the Fire Nation go?"

"What?" Katara asked in surprise, feeling her heart race. Iroh stared at her confused before Katara remembered everyone in their group had known she had visited Zuko that fateful month. "Oh, it went well. Zuko taught me how to swordfight."

"I had noticed your newest addition," Iroh commented, motioning the sword Katara wore on her back. She was so used to it being there after that past two months she had forgotten she had even been wearing it. "I'm impressed you were able to drag him away from his work long enough to teach you. Whenever I visit he is always busy and could rarely join us for meals, let alone any type of training."

"It was rather easy, actually," Katara said confused and Iroh stared at her before looking up as Aang and Toph wandered in.

"So Sugar Queen, where are you headed to next?" Toph asked as she sat next to Katara at the table. Aang and Iroh sat across from the two of them and Iroh poured them all tea which Katara thankfully took. The tea would be enough to keep her functioning long enough to chat with her friends who she rarely got to see anymore.

"I plan to stay here for a few weeks then head back to Kyoshi Island," Katara said. "I want to be there for the birth in a few months."

"We'll be seeing you there then," Aang said happily as he quickly downed the tea. "We've all been invited to be there around the time of the birthing."

"Everyone?"

As in everyone?

"From what I heard," Toph said, smiling. "They even sent an invite to Sparky and Doom-and-gloom."

Ah, everyone.

"I do not understand why you refer to Lady Mai as that particular nickname," Iroh commented and Toph shrugged.

"It's because she's just so blah," Toph said, trying to explain. "Her tone never changes. It's like she doesn't know how to be happy."

"You will need to give her a new nickname when she and Zuko get married you know," Aang reminded her and Katara felt her heart lurch at the comment. She quickly raised her tea cup to down the contents, well aware Toph was suddenly leaning towards her more. The earthbender had learned how to feel the vibrations in wood since the end of the war and could 'see' just as well as on the ground or on metal. "I don't think Zuko would particularly care for that name for his wife."

"What's your opinion, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked, turning her head to look at Katara who was accepting a second cup of tea from Iroh who was watching the two of them interact more closely than normal. "You spent a month with the two of them."

"I rarely saw Mai," Katara told her, trying to level her voice. "She wasn't there for the first few weeks and then after that I only saw her at dinner. Most of my time was spent with Zuko."

"Really? And the palace is still standing?" Aang asked, grinning and Katara stuck her tongue out at him in response, not caring how childish it was.

"It's not like we argue all the time," Katara protested, her heart still racing. True, she and Zuko had argued more than a handful of times over varying topics, but most of the fights had been verbal, not physical. Not that she hadn't wanted to punch him a few times, if only to knock some sense into him when he had been too cow-pig-headed to listen to logic.

"But you do argue frequently," Iroh commented, smiling. "People who are opposites of each other often clash. Lady Toph and Avatar Aang nearly destroyed this place last week over an argument on a trading agreement."

"Hey, we apologized to the customers!" Toph protested and Katara smiled before yawning. Covering her mouth she then excused herself to bed, more than happy to leave before the conversation turned back to Zuko. Two months had done little to dull the ache of running away from the palace and she was worried Toph and Iroh were suspecting something at her rather erratic behavior.

"Happy seventeenth birthday Aang," Katara told him before gathering her bag and heading upstairs where Iroh had several rooms for them to use when anyone visited Ba Sing Se. Taking the room that faced towards the inner courtyard Katara was just about change when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, she went and opened the door, not surprised to see Toph standing in the hallway, arms crossed over her chest. "Come on in, Toph."

"No resistance, Sweetness?" Toph asked, eyebrows lifted in surprise as she stepped into the room before sitting on the bed. Katara just closed the door before going and sitting next to Toph, staring up at the window where a half-moon hung in the sky. "So, what's with you? When Sparky was brought up it felt like your heart was trying to burst from your chest. If I didn't know better I would say you fell for a certain someone, and hard."

"Horribly," Katara agreed and Toph jerked to stare at her in surprise.

"What?" Toph asked before shaking her head. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Katara whispered, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

"…You know, it takes all the fun out of it when you fess up," Toph explained and Katara laughed before sniffing as a few tears fell. "Hey, are you crying?"

"Trying not to."

"So, what happened? You never really felt that way for Sparky before now."

"I know, but that month with him, Toph, it was wonderful," Katara whispered. "It was like I had a new best friend and then during that fight, I hurt him, and the kiss, and it all just fell apart!"

"Okay…what?" Toph asked, confused. "You're lacking in detail there Sugar Queen. What fight? How did you hurt him?"

"We sparred almost every morning, just training. But that last one I got startled and an attack caught Zuko on his scar," Katara said. Toph winced and Katara nodded, not even caring that Toph couldn't see it. "I know. But it wasn't bad, I healed it almost immediately. And we talked about his scar and it just snuck up on me in that instant."

"'It'?"

"The fact that I loved Zuko, probably more than I ever loved Aang," Katara told her. "Then before I could even think about that, he kissed me!"

"Point for Sparky," Toph said with a smirk before frowning. "You make seem like it's a bad thing."

"He's engaged! And La, I still fell in love with him, even knowing it!"

She tried to stop the tears, tried to stop hurting like she had since she left. It didn't help that every time she closed her eyes she saw Zuko as he pulled her down to kiss her, his gold eyes blazing with something she had never seen before. And she hated how right it had felt to be kissing him back, to be close enough to feel the heat radiating from him.

What she hated the most is that the moment he had broken the kiss the guilt had nearly crushed her.

"So, what are you going to do?" Toph asked softly and Katara used her sleeve to wipe away the tears, taking in a shaky breath to calm her fracturing nerves.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You're just gong to let him go?"

"Yes," Katara whispered, looking at Toph. "I can't have him, Toph, he belongs to Mai. I don't want to lose him as a friend too."

"I expected more from you, Katara," Toph said before standing up. She paused at the door before leaving and Katara closed her eyes.

"So did I."

-sSSs-

Ending A/N: Well...so obviously Katara isn't the sharpest spear of them all in this chapter, because no matter how many times I wrote her fortune, its rather obvious, right? Of course, its not like Zuko was exactly aware of the moment either when you look back at it. Ah…oblivious people, makes you want to take a shovel to their heads, hahaha! Sorry…very odd mood when I edited this and everything.

Just to clarify: Katara visited Aunt Wu about a month or so after the 3rd anniversary of the end of the war and Sokka/Suki's wedding; the visit with Zuko was at four and a half years. Yes, they had seen each other between the year and a half (think of it when you're traveling through a city and crashing at a friend's place for the night) but nothing developed until that visit.

Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter. Also, don't let Katara's feeling at the end make you give up on the story – I'm not taking it in the direction it may appear to be going but am not disclosing the full information at this time. Read on!

A surprise (-ish) next chapter … and Katara's kidnapping explained.

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and its creators. I just swim around and muddy the waters a bit.