A/N: I do not own anyone or anything related to BlazBlue.

Edit 4/1/15: First new scene here.

Ragna, crouching in the dirty street, let energy flow through his right arm. "So, is this the part where you drag me off to my execution? 'Cause I ain't going down without a fight."

"It should be. Ragna, you're responsible for the deaths of hundreds of NOL officers who just happened to be in the wrong place. You're a threat to the peace the Librarium strives for. And... you're the reason for my orders, even if it is indirectly. All of these crimes... I don't see how I could ever forgive you. This may be the best chance anyone ever gets to capture you." Tsubaki closed her eyes, biting her lip. "And yet... Against my better judgment, I will not bring you in."

"...You gotta be joking."

"I'm not."

"You're giving up the best shot at getting rid of me you'll ever get just to meet an oversized cat? Seems pretty shallow, if you ask me."

"It's more than just meeting Jubei. I can't imagine you'd understand, but... no, never mind. I just want to ask him for some guidance."

"It's about Noel and my jackass of a brother, right?"

"...Yes. There's more to it, of course, but... Well, anyways, the point is I have my reasons for not arresting you right now. I will warn you, though, I will not aid you in any way. I don't want to have Zero Squadron coming after me as well. So, try not to pick any fights, okay?"

"I don't 'pick fights'..." As his protests died, Ragna stood back up and let the energy current die. "Well, um... thanks... and stuff... yeah."

She turned and walked away. "Don't thank me. All I want is to find Jubei, and you're the only person who can take me to him."

"I dunno, Plati... I mean, Luna seems to know him."

"...I'd rather deal with you. You don't feel the need to hurl insults every time you open your mouth."

Yeah, only half the time. "You got a point there."

"What's with her, anyways?"

"No freaking clue. She mooched a meal off me and has just been working on making my life miserable ever since."

Shaking her head, she waited for Ragna to reach her. "Well, do you have any idea where Jubei is?"

"Not really. I do know someone who might know, though." He led on; his brisk pace made it hard for Tsubaki to keep up. As he tried to remember how to reach the Kaka village, he added, "Well, a few actually. Only a couple of them are reliable, though. Buncha dunces, these guys."

"Who are these people?"

"They're called the Kaka clan. Bunch of cat people, pretty much. I'm not really sure exactly what they are; sure as hell ain't beastkin, though. They seem to know Jubei pretty well."

"This… won't take too long, right? It's evening already."

Looking up at the sun's position, Ragna scowled. He hadn't realized how late it was. "Let's see…we're in Orient Town now, right? It's only about a half hour walk or so."

Tsubaki frowned. A half hour to get there, who knows how long to actually find Jubei, and then talking to him… She would have no chance to finish her mission by day's end. Not that she did anyway… "All right. Lead on."

Grumbling, Ragna forced himself through the twisted metal frame that led into the Kaka village. He had managed to get lost in this labyrinthine section of Kagutsuchi, and his lack of a sword made him feel uneasy as he passed through. The creature called Arakune was known to frequent the shadowy alleyways. Tsubaki's presence didn't help his anxiety, but rather just made it worse. She had made it known that she wouldn't help out in battle, and there was no way in hell he trusted her.

Having reached the village, though, Ragna relaxed. Should something happen, the Kakas would no doubt come to his aid. He had no idea why, but they seemed to like him… like most cats. Must be some kinda side effect of being trained by one. "Well, we're here. And if I know them, then…"

"Good guy!" An exuberant voice rang out and Taokaka came dashing up to them at blinding speed. "What are you doing here? Did you come to play with Tao? And why's red lady with you?"

Tsubaki frowned when she saw the cat-girl. They had met that morning, an… embarrassing encounter she'd love to forget. Before she could object to Tao's presence, Ragna shook his head. "Sorry, but no. I'm actually here to see your chief."

"Mew? Tao can take you to her. Then can we play?"

"Nope. Some little ingrate stole my sword."

"What? Why, if Tao ever finds who stole good guy's sword, Tao's justice will be swift, meow! I will bring a terrible veng… vegi… vengy-something upon them, mark my words!"

"It's 'vengeance', you idiot. And you've been hanging around that dumbass from Ikaruga again, haven't you?"

Ragna rolled his eyes as Taokaka led them through the village. With night having fallen, most of the light came from a fire that burned beneath a great pot; the scant number of lanterns didn't provide much. Nothing was in the bowl and Ragna assumed that the voracious occupants of the village had already feasted. As they wound past the flames, Tao said, "Hey, good guy. You didn't answer my question. Why's eye woman with you? Are you two… you know?"

"No, we're not." Tsubaki's face burned; whether it was anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell. She was thankful for the darkness of the village. "I hate him, to be honest. However, he's helping me with something."

"Huh? But if you hate each other, why work together? Tao would nyever work with the squiggly, meow!"

"Our interests coincide. That's all."

What could be seen of Taokaka's face displayed confusion. "Cone…side? Don't use big words, meow, Tao doesn't understand them!"

Ragna buried his face in his palm. "That's not big, you imbecile. We're trying to find Jubei, and I figure that you lot are the most likely to know where he is."

"Well, I dunno about the chief, but Tao hasn't seen cat person in a while. We're here neow."

She had brought them to the entrance of a small hut. Inside, they found a Kaka with a skull mask, her coat dragging along the ground. "Hm? Back again so soon, Ragna?"

"Yeah." After leading Tsubaki inside, Ragna took a seat on the floor. "Look, I'll keep it brief. My partner here wants to meet with Jubei and I offered to take her to him. Problem is, I have no idea where the hell he is. So I figured I might as well try asking you. Or Torakaka, since you two seem to be the only ones here with any brains."

"I see. Jubei did pay us a visit a few days ago. Unfortunately, I do not know where he went." Ragna tensed up at her words and a warning glare from Tsubaki burned against the side of his face. Seeming to sense the danger, the village chief went on. "I can, however, send Torakaka to look for him. She wouldn't be back until tomorrow, but you have my word that she'd find him."

God damn it. With a sigh, Ragna turned to Tsubaki. "So, what do we do? Stay here and wait for Torakaka, or search for Jubei ourselves tonight?"

Tsubaki thought back to Taokaka. "Um… is this Torakaka reliable?"

"Don't worry, she's a hell of a lot smarter than Tao. Pretty damn clever, too."

"Fine." A sigh. When she had asked Ragna to take her to Jubei, she hadn't expected it would mean staying the night in Kagutsuchi's dark underbelly. If this Torakaka wasn't back by the next morning, she would be out of excuses. What she was doing was borderline desertion as it was. She forced the thought of Captain Hazama out of her mind; his very face gave her goose bumps…

A trio of Kaka kittens, having crept in during the conversation with perfect stealth, leapt on Ragna. As they pulled the cursing criminal to the ground, they cheered. "Play with us, good guy!"

"Yes, play with us!"

"Please?"

"The hell?" Ragna flailed as one of the kittens sank her teeth into his arm and gnawed. "Ouch, dammit, that hurts! I'll play with you later, okay?"

As Tsubaki fought to stifle her giggles, the Kaka chief said, "Children, please. Ragna is very busy right now. Run along now."

The kittens complied, but whether or not it was due to the chief's orders was anyone's guess. "Run away!"

"Good guy's gonna eat us!"

"I'm not gonna eat you, dammit! Go make yourselves useful and bring Tora over here."

As the three kittens disappeared, the chief chuckled. "Ah, the spirit of youth…"

"…really needs to be dampened…"

After silencing Ragna with an elbow to his ribs, Tsubaki turned back to the chief. "So, where would we be sleeping? I can't see the children leaving us alone long enough to let us rest."

"You wouldn't need to worry about the children. I could allow the two of you to stay in my hut for the night."

Their instinctive denials came almost before the suggestion had been made. "Like hell."

"I refuse to sleep in the same room as the Grim Reaper. And besides, where would you sleep?"

"Oho, don't worry about me, Miss… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Tsubaki braced herself, knowing that her fellow traveler would not take kindly to this. "I'm Tsubaki, of the Yayoi family."

To her surprise, Ragna only blinked; she thought he would be a bit more explosive. The elder Kaka nodded. "I'll be just fine, Miss Yayoi. I think you'll find the hut is spacious enough."

"Space... really isn't the issue." After locking glares with her fellow traveler, she turned back to her host. "I don't know if you've heard, but... well..."

"Oh, I know all about the bounty." The chief pulled a slip of paper from somewhere. Tsubaki and Ragna both leaned in to view the picture, a rather inaccurate drawing of Ragna scowling.

The real Grim Reaper was less than pleased. "The hell is that supposed to be? I don't look like that…"

The chief ignored his outburst. "You look to have a busy day tomorrow. I'm sure you two could tolerate each other long enough to rest. I suppose you could sleep elsewhere, but the children may wish to play. Not to mention the squiggly..."

"Hmph." The squiggly? That's the second time I've heard a Kaka mention that... Sighing, Tsubaki closed her eyes and crossed her arms. She didn't like it in the least, but she could feel an entire day's worth of roaming unfamiliar territory catching up with her. "I suppose. I must be out of my mind, but I'll do it."

"Why, so you can plant that sword in my side while I'm sleeping? Screw that."

"What? I'd be lucky to get of this village alive if I tried that. Like I said, I'm not trying to capture you... even though I should."

"Whatever. I ain't sleeping next to a damned noble." Ragna glanced back; nothing there. I could have sworn… "I'll just sleep outside."

Tsubaki shrugged. "Fine by me. You do realize that means you're getting no rest tonight, right?"

With a yawn, he leaned back. "I'll live."

His face acted quite well as a doormat when Taokaka came barreling into the hut. "Oh, chief, Tao brought Torakaka! Sorry, good guy."

An adult Kaka, clad in black with a tiger-striped tail, followed her in, making sure to step around Ragna. "You wished to see me, elder?"

Her mature tone, a galaxy away from Taokaka's exuberance, startled Tsubaki. The elder edged over to the newcomer. "Yes. Would you be so kind as to find Jubei for these two?"

Torakaka nodded. "Of course. Should I have cat person come back with me?"

"If possible."

"All right. It's nice seeing you again, Ragna."

Sitting back up, Ragna nodded. "Yeah. You, too, Tora. Thanks for not stepping on my damned face."

After Torakaka left, Ragna threw Taokaka a glare, which went unnoticed by her. Feeling as though he were being watched, Ragna closed his eyes, looking relaxed… Fast as a whip, he thrust his hand out behind him. It came back clutching a Kaka kitten that had been stalking him by the scruff of its neck. "Ha! Gotcha, you little runt!"

"Ragna, seriously." Tsubaki snatched the cat out of his hands and let it scamper away. "Well, I believe that's all we really needed to talk about. Thank you."

The chief nodded. "I see. Well, Ragna, I suppose we should let Miss Yayoi rest."

"Huh?" Tsubaki blinked and shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm not ready to sleep just yet. Could I have look around the village?"

"Oho, certainly. Ragna, would you mind showing her around?"

"Huh? Me?" Ragna groaned and stood up. "Well, I guess I could."

Of course it would be him. Tsubaki wasn't too pleased with it, but as long as he remained civil, she could deal with it. "That's fine. Lead on."

Grumbling, he led her back out of the hut. As they passed the great pot, now half filled, Ragna said, "To be honest, there ain't a lot to see here. That big bowl thing is enough to keep the clan fed for about… oh, half an hour. Or at least that's how it seems. Damn cats are always hungry. And, um… well, just follow me."

Smirking at Ragna's commentary, Tsubaki followed him well away from the town's center to a grassy hill. They climbed to its top, where Ragna took a seat. "And here we have one of the few places in the village that actually gets sunlight. And that's it. Tour's over."

"Wait." Tsubaki sat next to him and surveyed the town. In the darkness, she could see very little, sans when a Kaka passed in front of the fire. "You mean it's always this dark?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Why do they live here, then? Do they enjoy the dark?"

"No, they don't. At all. Your precious Library decided to build Kagutsuchi on top of the village. Didn't give 'em a choice, either."

He expected a physical reaction of some sort for his jab at the Library. An elbow to the ribs or something. Instead, Tsubaki looked down at the ground. "I see."

"Huh. And here I expected some adamant denial that the NOL would never do something like that."

"…No, this kind of stuff happens. Far too often. Try as the Librarium might, it can't help all its citizens, especially in a developing city like Kagutsuchi."

"Citizens? Tch. As far as the Library's concerned, the Kakas don't even exist. Hell, the chief's completely lost hope; she thinks her people are doomed to just fade away." He punched the ground, splattering mud. "Sons of bitches make me sick."

Tsubaki didn't know what to say; Ragna's ire had sucked all the words from her mouth. For several minutes, they sat silent. Finally, she said, "That's… I can't believe it. I know the NOL is far from perfect, but…"

Ragna snorted. "You're telling me."

"To throw a people completely under like that…" She trailed off and heaved a sigh. "I'll talk with my father."

"Hm?" It took Ragna a moment to remember her heritage. "Oh, right, Yayoi. Gonna have him use his magic Duodecim powers and make everything all wonderful and shit?"

Despite herself, Tsubaki chuckled. "Well, that's not really how it works, but… you have the idea, more or less."

"Glad to hear it." Calm again, he lay back against the grass. He saw why Taokaka loved this spot so much. In addition to the sunlight, it was far more comfortable than it looked. Hell, he thought he might just fall asleep right there…

"Ragna?"

"Yeah?" He opened his eyes and regarded Tsubaki; she was looking away from him.

"I just want to know. Is the reason you fight the Librarium... is the Kaka tribe's plight part of it?"

"Well, it certainly doesn't make me love them or anything, but I destroyed the Akitsu branch long before I knew that shit."

"I see." Tsubaki frowned; she'd been hoping to have a good, halfway-legitimate reason for Ragna's battle. Instead, that was merely additional fuel for his fire. "May I ask why you fight, then?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just talking to you… you don't seem to be too bad a person. Aside from your actions, of course."

"…You know, I'm pretty sure that's gonna be the only time I'm told by someone from the Library that I'm not too bad. Especially from someone who loathes me."

She smirked a little. "Like I said, that's disregarding your actions. Maybe a little… profane, but the fact the Kakas' plight angers you… well, it gave me hope that you were fighting for what you thought was a just cause, even if it's one I'm at odds with. But…"

"But you don't think I am, right?"

"The Librarium provides peace and security for its citizens. Do you really believe the war you wage is just?"

"I'd like to think so, yeah." He sat up and stretched. "Although I do hate every damn thing about the Library... well, my best reason is kinda out there. Someone in the upper ranks of the Library is screwing around with the Boundary. I don't know what level exactly; could be some lunatic general, could be the Invictus… hell, it may even be the Imperator himself." Or it could just be Terumi being Terumi.

"The Boundary?" Truth be told, Tsubaki knew virtually nothing about that enigma. Her instructors had always glossed over it in her days at the Academy, never saying much of value. Probably because they didn't know much about it themselves. "I understand that contact with the Boundary is fatal. But to destroy entire branches over that…"

"Makes total sense once you realize nothing good could come out of that hellhole. Common knowledge is that humans can't survive there… yet, the Library is exploring it. Looking for something."

"That's… that should be impossible."

"At the very bottom of all Library branches, there's something called a 'Cauldron', which is used to make what's called a Murakumo unit. Artificial life form that can enter the Boundary without dying horribly."

"...That sounds totally asinine."

"Yeah, didn't think you'd believe me. But trust me, it's true. Jubei knows more about this than I do. So, to prevent whoever is messing around with the Boundary, I'm going around blowing up these Cauldrons."

"Which, in turn, means slaughtering entire branches of the Librarium and destroying them." Yawning, Tsubaki stood to leave. Jubei's helping him with this? "I know you didn't actually destroy Kagutsuchi's branch, but I'll take it you've already..."

"This branch was weird; it was almost completely empty. I haven't killed anybody since I got here." Though I've certainly been trying.

"I see..." The fact cast a feeling of dread upon Tsubaki. However, she was too tired to give it much thought. "Um, I think I'm going to go back now. You sure you want to stay out here?"

He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be fine. See ya tomorrow."

"Okay." She marched down the hill and looked back once she reached the bottom. "Oh, and Ragna? Um… thanks for telling why you're against the Librarium, even if it does sound totally crazy."

Ragna acknowledged her with a lazy wave of his hand. Once she disappeared from sight, he smirked to himself. Gah, there I go, blabbing out a bunch of crap again. Not too sure why I keep telling her so much. Still, nice to talk to someone who is both sane and not a total bitch. Or annoying. Hell, last person I talked to that fits that description was probably Jubei. Too bad she's with the Library.

Deep night swallowed the Kaka village whole, a light breeze ghosting through its alleys. The flap of the largest hut rustled in the wind, and a figure stepped through. Even in the pitch black room, a cat's sharp eyes could pierce the darkness and make out the figure resting under a thin blanket on the floor, not yet asleep. "Is something wrong, Miss Yayoi?"

Tsubaki jumped at the sudden voice; the Kaka elder had been perfectly silent in her approach. Still, she looked back and smiled at her. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just… thinking a little."

As the elder crept closer, she cocked her head. "Oh? May I ask about what?"

"…I spoke with Ragna, and am trying to come to terms with what he told me." Tsubaki closed her eyes. "…Is what he said true? That the NOL has forsaken your people?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Kagutsuchi was built atop our village, and we were consigned to the darkness."

"...I see. So he was telling the truth, at least about that." A harsh sigh released Tsubaki's frustrations. "I won't believe anything else he's said until I see proof for myself, but…"

In total silence, the elder came to take a seat beside the girl. "Forgive me, Miss Yayoi, but may I ask why you hate him so? Is it simply because he is the Grim Reaper?"

"Yes, of course. I have dedicated my life to purging such evil from the world. And moreover, his crimes have driven two of my closest friends to go astray… and I have been tasked with dealing with them." After giving a yawn, Tsubaki lay back down, eyes closing. "…I'm sorry. I know now that, assuming he was being honest, he does have good intentions. And as promised, I will not turn him in once we have met Jubei. However… he needs to be brought to justice at some point."

"Hmm… I see." The elder rose from her seat, casting a concerned look at Tsubaki through her mask. "I do hope it doesn't come to that. I will allow you to rest, Miss Yayoi."

"Thank you, elder. And good night." Once the elder has left, Tsubaki back into the blanket on the ground. What if Ragna was right? What if the NOL had been conducting such experiments in the shadows? It was completely crazy… but as long as the possibility existed, it was her duty to investigate it. Especially if Jubei could vouch for Ragna's tale…

With another yawn, she closed her eyes. No, now was not the time to be pondering this. She needed to rest up after such a taxing day. All of this could wait until the morning.

"Well, that was a good nap." Sena smiled as he opened his eyes. He wasn't sure where Luna had wandered to; looked to be Ronin-gai if he were to judge by architecture. After stretching, he looked behind him…and froze. A very familiar sword waited there. He knew he would probably regret it, but he needed to know what had happened while he slept. "Luna? What did you do now?"

"Good guy, wake up!"

Ragna grumbled as tiny paws pushed against him. He felt like he'd slept for mere minutes, but the sunlight that streamed down told him otherwise. Surly, he glared at the kittens around him. "What? You wanna take a nap here or something?"

"No! There's trouble!"

"It's the squiggly!"

"It's beating Tao!"

Shit. Arakune. After reaching on instinct for Blood-Scythe, Ragna cursed when he remembered the events of the day before. Note to self; find something to use until I find Luna. "You guys, go get Tsubaki. I'll try to hold off the… 'squiggly'."

"Tsubaki?"

"What's that?"

"Is it tasty?"

He clutched his forehead. Dunces indeed. "Red lady. Eye woman. Whatever the hell Tao calls her. The chick that was with me. Go get her. Now!"

They scurried away towards the hut and Ragna observed the village. There, dead center, much of the clan had gathered, watching something from around corners. He didn't need to guess what. As he took off towards them, the lack of Blood-Scythe allowing him to move much faster than normal, alarm bells in his head rang as several kittens darted forward. Shit, did Tao lose already?

Darkness flowed from his Azure Grimoire as he turned to see the battle. The amorphous, eldritch blob had himself wrapped around Taokaka, whose frantic meows echoed. A spidery limb of some sort emerged to bat a Kaka kitten away. A sickening crunch sounded as he turned his mask Ragna's way. "The Az re appr ches e? Th s lifel s mors is not f t for cons mpt on. I mus btai the Az-"

"Let her go, you damned freak!" Ragna surged forward and dark energy enveloped his fist. Propelled by the aura, he closed in on Arakune fast… far, far faster than he expected. Instead of delivering a punch like he planned, Ragna crashed face-first into the abomination. His momentum carried them both to the ground and released Taokaka.

Groaning, he found his leg weighed down. Arakune, unfazed by the collision, oozed his way to cover Ragna. "Azu a ure az e AZURE! KIHIHIHI!"

Ragna threw a punch and what looked like the head of a dark beast rose from the ground and ate into Arakune. The creature flinched, but his mad cackling continued. Crap, where the hell are you, Tsubaki?

The sound of footsteps, a flash of light and a scream of pain from Arakune followed. Ragna, legs freed, looked up to see Tsubaki, her strange sword drawn. She didn't look back at him, but thrust out her free hand. "That attack hardly seems practical, Ragna."

"It works a lot better when I got fifty pounds of metal on my back." After accepting the extended hand, Ragna allowed her to pull him to his feet. Crap. Gonna have to think before using Hell's Fang. Probably a couple other attacks, too. "So, what happened to not helping me?"

"I'm protecting the Kaka village, not you."

A distorted shriek of rage interrupted them and Arakune pulled himself back toward them. "Wh ch ld is th s tha l ghts m do n by b ngin in li t? Do it ta te we l?"

He disappeared by slipping between the tiles of the street. Tsubaki lowered her weapon, uncertain of what was to come. Ragna shook his head. "No, stay on guard. I'll…behind you!"

They turned as Arakune emerged behind them and spewed red gas. Ragna dropped back and raised his arms to ward off any following attacks. Coughing, Tsubaki darted forward, shield raised before her. A glow formed before it and she crashed into Arakune to throw him into the air. The lightning assault continued with a skyward slash. Howling, Arakune flew down at her and a strange bell-shaped bug dropped down from above. She jumped back to avoid a slash from one of his bone-colored limbs. Upon landing, he launched a blue insect from his body, which slashed straight through her uniform. Stumbling to her knees, she gasped as Arakune disappeared beneath the street once more. She turned to meet the inevitable attack.

"Gotcha, freak!" When Arakune popped back up, Ragna delivered a fierce uppercut and sent both himself and the anathema into the air. However, he rocketed much higher than his target. He cursed Luna as he crashed to the earth on his back. He looked up to see Tsubaki follow up his attack; light swirled around her before she stabbed Arakune. The blob flew back against a wall, shrieking. He disappeared beneath the street once more.

After several tense moments without him reappearing, Tsubaki dared to lower her sword. "Is it gone?"

"Think so. It's usually more persistent; guess it figured it couldn't take both of us." Despite his aching back, Ragna dashed over to Taokaka's side; she hadn't moved much since her release. "Hey, Tao, you okay?"

"Me-owww… hey, good guy. Tao's leg's taking a nap…"

"A nap? It's completely shredded!" So it was. Red gashes striped it, and Ragna was certain her leg should not bend that way. "Tsubaki, know any healing Ars?"

She shook her head. "My apologies; I never learned any."

"Why the hell don't they teach that at the academy? God damn it... we've got no choice. Gotta get her to a hospital or something." Ragna's frown deepened as he suggested it. That's right, the Grim Reaper is just gonna waltz into a hospital with a bleeding cat-person. That will look great.

Taokaka smiled, seemingly oblivious to the extent of her injuries. "Ooh, take Tao to boobie lady!"

Ragna and Tsubaki stared at her, glanced at each other, turned back to her and said at the same time, "Who?"

"She means Litchi Faye-Ling of Orient Town." The village chief appeared between them, startling them with her stealth. "Ragna, Miss Yayoi, could you take Tao to her?"

Ragna nodded and cast a look at Tsubaki. "Of course I will. But… what about Jubei?"

Tsubaki leaned down next to Taokaka. "This takes priority. Do you think you could have Torakaka meet us at this clinic when she gets back?"

The chief nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you."

Tsubaki and Ragna both pulled Taokaka up, her arms across their shoulders. Ragna said, "Alright, don't put any weight on that leg, got it?"

"Got it, good… yeouch, meow!"

"You idiot, I just told you not to put any weight on it!"

A/N: Well, this only took three drafts before I was comfortable with it; hopefully it's believable enough. I'm glad that some of you are enjoying the light mood, but I have to warn you that the next chapter will start dealing with heavier emotions and stuff. The humor isn't going to completely die, but it will start to take a backseat.