Chapter 41:

Ichigo opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. The room was dark and quiet. He fell asleep before dinner and hadn't woken up until now. Strangely enough, he wasn't hungry. Just tired.

He turned his head and noticed Rukia standing by the window. She had her back turned, looking outside at the night sky.

Ichigo struggled to get up. His body was sore and heavy. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed where they dangled. He picked up a pair of crutches which were left beside his bed for him to use since he was still unable to walk on his own. He rose off the bed and used the crutches to hobble over to Rukia.

"Can't sleep?" he asked her as he stood behind her.

Rukia spun around. "You shouldn't be out of bed. You can't-"

"I'm alright. Besides, I'm getting stiff laying in bed all day. I could use the exercise."

"At least sit down." Rukia pulled over a chair for him.

"I'm fine," he insisted. After a while, however, his body started to feel shaky so he took the chair offered to him. He sat down, facing the window. "It's a nice night."

"It is." Rukia faced the window.

Ichigo leaned the crutches against the wall beside the window. It was a beautiful night. There were no clouds but not every star was visible. The stars he could see twinkled beside the crescent moon and above the buildings which partly obstructed his view. There were no lights in the buildings, hinting that everyone had gone to bed.

"How are you feeling?" Rukia asked him softly.

"Better. But I'm a little sore."

"Hm."

"I spend most of my time sleeping."

"You need rest. Don't fight it."

"I'm not. I'm just pointing it out."

It was a minute before Ichigo spoke again.

"What happened to Uryu? He said some things after he brought down Yagi but I passed out before I could hear it all. What happened after that?"

He knew Uryu wasn't here, otherwise he would have seen him. Still, he wanted to know.

"He returned to the World of the Living," she told him. "After he made sure you were taken care of, he left. He didn't say much else after that. Just that he came here on a mission and once it was done there was no longer a reason for him to stay."

"So he came all this way just to help me out? How did he even know I was in trouble?"

"Victor told me," she explained. "He was in the lab at the time Mayuri called Kisuke to assist him in finding a cure. Uryu happened to be eavesdropping at the time. Apparently he was in the room when Mayuri called. He overheard what happened to you. I guess he made it his mission to come all the way here to help out."

Ichigo looked at the stars. "That was nice of him."

"Oh, please."

"What?" He looked at her.

"Now you're just making small talk."

"Just responding."

Rukai scoffed.

"What?"

"It's what you're saying."

"What am I saying?"

"Never mind."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Ichigo looked back at the sky and Rukia did the same.

"Uryu felt that Yagi wasn't a true Quincy. Committing those crimes and such. And being a Quincy himself, I think Uryu felt it was his responsibility to be the one to bring Yagi down and help you out," Rukai told him. "But I also think he did it because he wanted to help out a friend. After hearing what had happened, he wanted to come here to help you out. It wasn't just about Yagi being a Quincy. But you know how he is. He's too proud."

"He was just looking for an excuse," Ichigo concluded. "Since helping a Soul Reaper is taboo, he had to come up with a reason to help me and everyone here. So he focused on Yagi and the things he's done. That was his excuse."

"Well, can we really be sure why he did it?" asked Rukia. "Maybe it was both. Maybe it was just the one reason but he was covering it up with another. Who knows?"

"It's like when we had to rescue Orihime. He said he wasn't fighting alongside Soul Reapers. He just happened to be going to the same place in order to rescue a human. That was his excuse. He found a loophole." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "That guy..."

"At least he came through for us. The way he does things might annoy you, but at least we know where is loyalties lie. We can count on him. That's what's important."

It was true. Uryu could have just left Ichigo to die. He could have overheard the conversation and done nothing. Or worse, he could have joined Yagi's team and helped him wipe out the Soul Reapers. They could have teamed up to finish Ichigo off once and for all.

"Glad he showed up when he did," said Ichigo, "but did he have to leave so quick? I mean, he just appeared then disappeared. He could have at least stayed for a few minutes."

"He knew you were in good hands. And if he defeated his intended target, why would he bother to stay?"

"There's a good chance people like his father wouldn't approve anyway if he did stick around for a bit."

At least he came to his rescue. A Quincy came to save a Soul Reaper.

"Loyalty to your own kind. Tch!" Ichigo scoffed. "Just about every one of my friends happens to be different. And you guys are some of the most loyal people I know. Yagi had some crazy ideas."

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he saw his friends. Soul Reaper, human, Quincy, Vizard, Arrancar, all gathered together to make sure he was alright. All concerned, all glad to see him alive, all willing to fight for him.

"Yagi was all about self-preservation," said Rukia. "He only cared about himself. He didn't understand the meaning of self-sacrifice. He used people. People are tools in his eyes. Can you blame him for saying such things?"

"He was pretty screwed up... But... I understand," Ichigo admitted. "No one wants to die. The saying 'better him than me' makes sense, you know? It means something. So him choosing to use others in his place makes sense."

As long as he lived, Yagi did not care who had to die. He would use people as a shield. Whether it be a stranger in town or an ally who was loyal to him, it didn't matter. He would do it to anyone.

"Maybe he just didn't understand love."

Rukia shrugged. "I think he was messed up. He blamed an entire race for something that happened to him as a child. We don't know the whole story. Maybe no one called for help and that's why no one came. We can't help if we don't know about it. Maybe help was sent their way but the group got attacked before they could reach Yagi's family. Who knows? But what Yagi did was inexcusable. He was attacking people who weren't even involved. How were academy graduates involved? How were they to blame? As far as I'm concerned, it's childish thinking. Too broad."

"I know, I know. I mean, look at the company we keep. We're friends with a Quincy. And that same Quincy attacked his own people. We've had to fight Arrancars, but we're also friends with Arrancars. We're Soul Reapers, but we've also been betrayed by Soul Reapers."

"Exactly," Rukia said with a nod. "Judge the person, not the race. If only Yagi had thought that way, things might have been different. But I'm not sure. Even if it wasn't an attack out of anger, Yagi still attacked, so... If it's not one thing, it's another."

"You're saying he would have found another reason to fight us?"

"It's possible. Having his family attacked by Hollows might have been what tipped the scale. A part of me thinks he would have done this anyway. I really haven't a clue. He could have been using his past as an excuse. But being a Quincy and the things he's said, something tells me that a majority of this attack was built on race. He just thinks we're too different."

"The guy had issues," said Ichigo. "I don't think we can come up with a single solitary reason for him to do what he did. I think everything had some role to play. Even his personality."

"Could be."

Ichigo sighed. "I tried to get through to him several times but it didn't work."

"Ichigo, you couldn't reason with a guy like that. Yagi was-"

"I know. I still tried."

Ichigo leaned back in his chair. He looked at the sky and remembered what he had to endure. He remembered the things he said to Yagi and to his followers. Most of all, he remembered those memories.

"Rukia... While I was unconscious, I had dreams of... Well, memories, actually. Of you guys. Of a bunch of things. Things I had forgotten. I had no idea why I was seeing those memories but I figured it out when I battled Yagi for the last time."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Every memory had something to do with love. That was the common theme to everything I recalled. When I faced Yagi again and heard him say the things he said... I realized the difference between us and how we thought even more. Most of all, I realized why I had to keep fighting. Why I do what I do."

Rukia turned away from the window. "You're not going to start rambling, are you?"

Ichigo chuckled. "No. It was just something I realized."

What his friends were willing to go through for him and what he was willing to do for them.

What anyone was willing to do for the ones they love.

"Even when it was staring Yagi in the face, he still didn't see it. How that one Quincy cared so much for him, he was willing to throw himself in front of an attack to save him. He was willing to save Yagi at the cost of his own life. And still Yagi doesn't understand."

"He understood well enough to use it against you," said Rukia. "He attacked Linnette and threatened us knowing you would come to our aid. He must understand to some degree."

"He might understand but he doesn't get it. He sees it as a weakness." Ichigo looked out the window again. "But after what I've seen and remembered, I can't possibly consider it a weakness. Sure, he managed to trap me with it, but I was able to fight my hardest as well."

Rukia thought back to Linnette bravely leaving her protectors behind in order to search for Ichigo and how Veneno was willing to stab himself just to inflict injury on Yagi. How they both sacrificed in order to help a friend. Even Linnette leaving Victor and Cedric behind was a form of protecting them so neither of them would get hurt unnecessarily. She cared about them. Even if they couldn't die from injury, as far as she knew, she still didn't want to see them hurt. She had also left them behind to help protect the Soul Reapers in case the enemy returned. Victor was able to help find a cure and Cedric was able to gather up injured Soul Reapers because of this.

The Soul Reapers could have called for help but after seeing their men fall. They opted not to in order to save lives during the Quincy attack. Kira could have simply run away or pretended the mirror did affect him and lay on the ground to avoid a fight. Instead he fought. The Captains could have come at Ichigo seriously and killed him to end the fight but didn't. Even Kensei wasn't willing to follow orders. He didn't attack, not because of Linnette's command, but because he cared. He didn't want to harm a friend. He also saw a piece of himself and all the other Vizards in Ichigo at that moment. He couldn't go through with it.

She smiled, remembering. "Yeah. We fought our hardest, too." She chuckled. "It was nice, though."

"What was?"

"Having to rescue you for a change. You're always risking yourself for us, fighting for us... For once, we get to save you. It was nice."

Ichigo snorted.

"What?" she chuckled.

"Eh."

She giggled.

Ichigo continued to look at the sky.

"Rukia?"

"Yeah?"

"We already established that having love can make you strong to do things to protect those you care about."

"Uh-huh."

"But there was something else Yagi had said. He said the only reason you guys care is because I'm a useful tool. It's my power that makes me valuable to you. To lose that would be a great loss to you guys. That it has nothing to do with me. I'm just someone you can manipulate and use because of my personality and skills."

"And you believe that?"

"Of course not."

"Then why bring it up?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Well, it would explain why I'm tolerated around here."

It was Rukia's turn to snort.

"What?"

"Nothing." She faced the window.

They both watched the moon make its way slowly to another building. Time was ticking by.

"It's true that you're strong and that's why we need you around. But you're a good guy, too. And to be honest, I don't think it's that you're tolerated. I think it's just the fact that we like you."

"Even you, Rukia?"

"Of course. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah." Ichigo smirked. "But my closest has been a lot quieter lately."

"I could come back for a visit."

"No, thanks. I like changing clothes without worrying about who's going to pop out of that thing. I like my privacy."

"Oh, like you have anything to show off."

Ichigo whacked her with his crutch.

"What?" she laughed.

"You're taking advantage of me being in this state too much. Enough with the teasing."

"I embarrassed you," she said smugly.

"I'll hit you with this. I swear."

Rukia took a large step to the right. "Try it."

Now the crutch wouldn't reach.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny."

She giggled again.

Ichigo folded his arms. "Remind me again why I risked my life for this?"

From the doorway, Victor smiled, watching them.

He was thinking of replacing Ichigo's flowers with fresh ones, but came without them. He decided he didn't need an excuse to check on Ichigo's condition.

Seeing Ichigo chatting with a friend was enough to reassure him.

He silently walked away with a smile on his face.

"Ichigo... Thank you."

For being there for Linnette and for helping her in more ways than one. For helping them in ways they had not realized. For helping them change. For forgiving them.

"Thank you for giving me a chance."

CLACK!

"Ahh!" Another Soul Reaper was thrown through the wall of the dojo.

"For crying out loud, we just got finished repairing that wall after the Captain's last lesson."

"Take it easy, Venny."

"Ha ha! Sorry." Veneno rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Guess you're feeling better."

"Tons. Let me show you just how much." Veneno got into another fighting stance. "Who's next?"

"I'll go a round with you." Ikkaku stood up.

The other Soul Reapers backed away.

"Oh, I don't think I've faced you before, have I?" asked Veneno.

"You're so busy dealing with these weaklings you've never had the chance. I'll show you what's what." Ikkaku picked up the wooden sword Veneno's last opponent had dropped while sailing into the wall.

"Ok, let's go."

Veneno came swinging sideways at Ikkau's neck. Ikkaku blocked and spun, kicking Veneno in the stomach. As he stumbled back, Ikkaku brought the sword down over his head. Veneno blocked. Their wooden sword locked together.

"Whoa, you're good," commented Veneno.

"Not so bad yourself."

They forced themselves apart and came at each other swinging. Their sword clacked together numerous times before shattering. Several men ducked as pieces came flying at their heads. Veneno and Ikkaku got replacement swords and continued their match.

"I think they're a little too into this..."

"Ya think?"

Veneno and Ikkaku took diagonal swings at each other and locked swords again. Their swords rattled in their hands. They pulled apart and swung again. Veneno jumped and flipped over Ikkaku's back, attacking from behind. Ikkaku threw his sword over his shoulder to block the attack, then spun around and shoved Veneno away. He struck low and Veneno jumped. They clashed and broke apart, retreating to opposite sides of the dojo. Then they charged at each other, swords raised high.

Hisagi wandered through the yard and over to the dojo. "What's all the racket? You guys still training?"

"Well, sort of. More watching, actually."

"Who's fighting?"

Everyone pointed at the Arrancar putting Ikkaku in a headlock.

"Cheating! You're cheating!" Ikkaku choked. "It's a sword-fight, dammit."

"All's fair, right?"

"Use the damn sword!"

"Fine." Veneno used his wooden sword to spank Ikkaku while he held him in the headlock.

"Ow! Stop it!"

"I'm using the sword!"

By this time, the onlooking Soul Reapers stopped cowering and started laughing. This match was a lot less intense now and had become very silly. Veneno was no longer taking the match seriously which made watching a lot more fun. Especially now that they didn't have to worry about pieces of wood to come flying at their heads or watch for airborne bodies.

Hisagi snickered. "Looks like they're having fun. Oh, that reminds me... Captain and I were doing a little barbecue and wanted to know if any of you guys were interested."

"Food?" At the mention of barbecue, Veneno put the match on hold and dropped Ikkaku on the floor. "Where? When?"

"Uh..."

Ikkaku stood up and pointed his sword at Veneno's back. "Are you quitting already? I thought you wanted to finish." He just wanted an excuse to club Veneno over the head for making light of their match. And for spanking him with a wooden sword in front of everyone.

"I forfeit the match. I'm hungry."

"You can't just quit. Wuss."

"I'll kick your ass later. So where's this barbecue?"

Hisagi pointed over his shoulder. "The Captain and I were..."

Veneno was already off.

The members of Squad 11 sighed heavily. "That guy's got a one track mind."

"Yeah. He's like a bottomless pit. I've seen how much he can eat. You'd better get over there, Hisagi, before he eats everything."

"He couldn't really eat everything, could he?"

"I saw him eat coal."

"You did not."

"I wouldn't put it past him."

Ichigo lifted himself into a sitting position. He had spent the entire morning asleep. After talking to Rukia for an hour last night, Ichigo found himself nodding off in his chair. Rukia helped him back into bed where he slept until the afternoon. When he woke up, he was very hungry. The nurses brought him food and checked his healing progress. He was recovering quite well. They suggested he might be able to try walking without the crutches very soon.

Today, Ichigo's appetite was very big. He asked for seconds and thirds and still wasn't satisfied. Unohana took this as a very good sign.

"His body is recovering nicely. Eating this much will give him energy and strengthen him even more. It's a sure sign he's on the right path."

"So his body is making up for lost time I guess you could say."

"Correct. He's on the mend, no doubt. Let him eat as much as he wants."

Ichigo grinned. "I might just take you up on that offer," he said.

Hanataro filled Ichigo's bowl with more rice. "Did you want some soup or something?"

"Bring it if you got it." Ichigo lifted the bowl to his chin. "I feel like I can and will eat anything."

Everyone was happy to see this. They were so thrilled, they brought Ichigo anything he asked for.

"Took his body long enough to respond in this way. The past couple of days, he's had a bunch of small meals and slept for hours."

"Maybe that's why his body is responding this way. Maybe he didn't eat enough and now that he's recovering, his appetite is..."

"More, please!" Ichigo held out his empty bowl.

Unohana smiled. "We'll get to his therapy once he's done eating. For the time being, let him stuff himself."

"Not too much or his stomach will pop," Isane worried.

Veneno walked down the street casually eating a drumstick. He had a lot to eat at the barbecue but his thoughts went from his meal to his friend in the sickbay. Wondering how Ichigo was doing, Veneno left the festivities to check on him.

"Hopefully he's not sleeping like usual." Veneno tore off another chuck of meat with his teeth.

If Ichigo was fully recovered, then he would have no reason to stay in the Soul Society. Neither would Veneno for that matter. Once Ichigo left, Veneno would have to do the same and return to Hueco Mundo.

While Veneno wished for Ichigo's recovery, he was saddened by it as well. Only because of what it meant for him. He found Hueco Mundo very comfortable, but it was also very lonely. The food wasn't as good there, either. Hisagi really knew how to grill a steak. His rice balls weren't bad either. Veneno was going to miss the food here. And the company.

He stopped walking when he saw a slender figure in his path. Linnette was looking up at him with Cedric close behind.

"Turkey?" Veneno asked, offering her his half-eaten drumstick.

"I'm good."

Veneno stripped more meat off the bone. "What's up?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Ichigo can get around on crutches now," she announced.

"That's good. Means he's recovering well." Veneno took another bite of meat. "Guess that means he'll be going home soon."

"Us, too." Linnette tilted her head to the side. "And you? What about you?"

Veneno held the drumstick to his mouth but didn't bite. "I'll be going, too."

"Where?"

"I've got a place in Hueco Mundo. You were there, remember?"

"You like it there?"

"Yeah. Sand's cool."

"Isn't it lonely?"

Veneno looked away with a shrug. "Sometimes."

"Any friends?"

He paused. "Most of them are here. But I'm not allowed to stay in the Soul Society. I can visit, but I can't stay."

"So you don't have anyone in Hueco Mundo?"

"I've chatted with a couple but they're not very interesting. I thought I could make a friend and bring them back with me but..."

"The Quincy. You mean Sharif, right?"

Veneno took a bite of his turkey leg.

"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Eh. I only knew him for a day. I would have liked to know more about him but... It's fine."

He was still upset about it but put on a brave front. He pretended it wasn't a big deal but inside he was still sad.

Linnette gave him a sweet smile and asked, "Want to come live with us?"

Veneno's teeth sank into the meat and stayed there, frozen. His wide eyes fell on her and that sweet innocent smile.

Veneno opened his mouth, removing the drumstick. "You're... asking me to stay with you?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. Why not? We have a house and plenty of food. You can stay in Victor and Cedric's room. They never use it. And no one but us can see you so no one will notice."

Veneno wasn't expecting such an invitation.

Live with Linnette and those two men? Could he really do such a thing? The World of the Living couldn't have been too different from the Soul Society. Both were different from Hueco Mundo. Each location and pluses and minuses. If he stayed with them, he would have three people to help combat his loneliness. Linnette wasn't so bad for a human. Those two men could snap him in half, but if Linnette wanted him there they wouldn't touch him. It was a safe bet, at least.

Veneno smiled. "Thanks. But no."

"Oh..."

Linnette looked disappointed but behind her Cedric looked relieved. After dealing with several Soul Reapers using their home as a vacation residence, it was safe to say that Cedric wasn't too keen on the idea of having an extra person living with them. Not if he could expect their house guest to act like those Soul Reapers. It was a living nightmare.

Either that or Cedric didn't want to put up with Veneno's poor table manners.

"Why not?" Linnette asked Veneno. "I thought you didn't like being lonely. If you're with us, you won't have to be."

Veneno put a hand to his hip and pointed the drumstick at her with the other hand. "I don't think the World of the Living is the place for me. Not a good fit, you know? Besides, I've made a home in Hueco Mundo. I like it there."

"Even if you get lonely?"

Veneno scoffed. "Ah, it's no big deal. There are Hollows there. And if any of them are threats, I'm strong enough to take care of myself now. I'm fine. Really."

"You sure?"

"And besides, I was looking to do some training. If I lived with you guys, I'd keep getting distracted. I don't really belong there anyway. But as soon as I complete my training, I'll be able to come visit you. Ichigo, too, as a matter of fact."

Linnette nodded in understanding. "Ok. I can accept that. You can do what you want. The offer still stands if you ever change your mind."

Veneno grinned. "Thanks for that."

At least he had options. He didn't really want to live in the World of the Living, but he was thankful for the invite. If he had nowhere else to go, he could always take her up on the offer. He was just humbled someone asked him.

"Do you know how Ichigo is doing?" he asked her.

"He's sleeping."

"Ok. I'll check on him later. See ya." Veneno flashed away to a place unknown.

Linnette turned to look at Cedric. "You think he's off to do some of that training he was talking about?"

"Could be. Or perhaps he's checking on Ichigo right now."

"I hope whatever he's training for goes well. Veneno's really come a long way. I hope he's happy."

"He seems to be when he's around others. Or when he's eating."

Linnette giggled.

Akon entered the lab, finding his Captain hard at work as usual. He had his back turned but Akon spoke to him anyway.

"Everyone is grateful for the cure you came up with. You have everyone's thanks for saving Ichigo, sir."

"It wasn't just me. Victor assisted me and so did that... Kisuke..." He said the name through clenched teeth. He wasn't too happy about asking him for help. It was insulting.

Having Kisuke assist him brought him no satisfaction. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't his cure. Not if he required help from that man. Though it was his own modifications that ultimately created the cure, he still took little satisfaction.

"Victor thanked me before as well." Mayuri snorted. "It doesn't take a genius to know that man doesn't care for me, so being thanked by him is very odd. Just feels weird."

"He's glad you saved Ichigo. I'm sure he was doing right by thanking you. What's fair is fair, right? That sort of thing."

"If he wanted to thank me so much, he should have allowed me to run some more tests on him. He and that Cedric fellow insist there is nothing more to collect. That I've already seen it all. I'm not convinced. I'm sure there's more to them."

Akon folded his arms. "What about Linnette? She's the one who created them in the first place. She might hold some answers. Her voice alone..."

Mayuri scoffed. "That girl isn't very interesting to me. I like human experimentation as much as the next brilliant mind, but to me she is utterly boring. What would I have to gain?"

"I thought her voice was rather interesting."

"It's so limited and simple. Now that we know it only works on low class Hollows, we can see just how limited it is."

"But it can be versatile, Captain," Akon pointed out. "She was able to manipulate the Captains. She made them help her out. It even partially worked on that one Quincy who was reconstructed using Hollow parts."

"Limited. She's fairly easy to figure out, therefore she holds no real interest. Her singing is for wide range and for bending them to her will the first time around. Speaking is for close range targets and ones who have already heard her voice before. She's basically planting a seed with her song and the seed then takes root, allowing her speaking voice to work the way that it does. See how simple it is? Utterly boring."

"That may be, but what about her ability to produce two men such as Victor and Cedric from nothing?"

Mayuri sat down in a chair and set a wrench down on the table. "I've concluded that they're manifestations of her spirit. If she were a Soul Reaper, those two would be her Zanpakuto. Which would also explain why they started to fade when she was near death. They're linked."

Akon looked down, thoughtfully. "So... in a way... Those two are basically..." Akon looked at his Captain. "So she's split her soul into separate entities? Is that it?"

"Not exactly. Her soul is intact. But those two are a piece of her. In a way. They're manifestations... Oh, why am I explaining this? It's boring, like I said. The girl is not very interesting in my opinion. I've already got her figured out so there isn't much else to think about. She's no mystery to me."

Could Mayuri have really figured everything out about Linnette? He already had an answer for how her two protectors came into being and what they were. He also explained what her powers were in a very simplified manner. Could that really have been it? He knew everything about her? Every answer taken care of?

Akon thought of something else.

"What about her losing her powers when she kissed Ichigo?"

Mayuri swiveled around in his chair. "What?"

"Yeah, I heard about that. It's not well-known. I heard about it from someone who was there and watched it happen. She had used her voice and brought Ichigo's inner Hollow to the surface and she kissed him. When she had done that, she lost her singing powers. Victor and Cedric had also vanished for a time but came back a little later. But she still couldn't sing. Then she kissed Ichigo when he was a Soul Reaper, I think, and her singing powers came back."

Mayuri's eyes had grown wide.

He jumped to his feet. "Why didn't anyone mention this before?"

"I just heard about it recently myself. Why? I thought..."

He thought Mayuri already had an answer for this.

He didn't know.

Mayuri put a finger to his chin, thoughtfully. "Hmm. Perhaps she's more interesting than I initially thought. Perhaps I should look into this a little deeper."

A grin spread across Mayuri's face.

"Very interesting."

Just a couple chapters left.

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