Transgression [Private/PM]

[Kiri]

The first thing he noticed was a strange lamentation overtaking his being. It felt like a cry but he couldn’t really piece it out together. The only thing he knew was that it felt empty inside and that was a bad thing. For someone who didn’t care so much about sentimentalities, he was becoming one, and far too early as the sun has yet to appear across the sky. Kiri was lying sideways on the futon, looking across the tatami flooring and at the small opening of the sliding shoji door to see no sunlight invading through the crack. He had moved into the Tsuyoshi estate for a while now, a way for Junko to better look after him and he has yet to fully settle in.

The futon was nostalgic, that was true, with memories of his past rushing into him, of his own room in a quaint mansion room in a clan estate in Leaf. Ah, but he would push the memories away as he snuggles further into the pillow and the futon, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. And perhaps, he did drift to sleep for he remembered a creeping darkness that came over him. In that darkness, it was different from the void that he used to have, and there were still cracks about his soulscape that he could easily recognise it even in his dream. No, in this dream, the darkness was not an empty void at all, but a castle, and unlike normal castles with spires, this resembled a pagoda, several sections and floors high to a never-ending height.

And as he stepped into the courtyard towards the said castle, there was a slithering around him. He immediately stopped and raised his hand, thinking he had clutched his sword, but Nakigitsune was nowhere to be found. At that, he quickly, if not instinctively, called forth his jutsu, lacing his chakra into the shadows, sending pillars of shadows rising from the ground to strike at the incoming enemy. But there was nothing.

As he watched the shadow pillars crumble before him, Kiri would feel a cold vice hold at the back of his neck. It paralyses him and struggle as he might, he couldn’t win over it. He tries to look at the side, trying to ge a glimpse but he could not. Instead, he could feel the ever looming presence, slowly closing in and whispering to his ear, sending chills down his back.

“You can save him”

Kiri opens his eyes wide and finds himself standing in the middle of the forest. He blinks a few times, trying to reorganise his thoughts before his instincts quickly made him shoot a shadow that stretched across the surface and into the hedges. A shriek. He caught something and it was slowly being dragged out by the chakra-infused shadow, revealing to be a small rabbit. Unfortunately, the tip struck, piercing through its chest, Kiri feeling the last of the beating heart before the creature expires. The shadow would retreat back to the soles of his feet as Kiri stares at the rabbit for a long while.

He didn’t remember being there. Wasn’t he trying to get some sleep?

But his stomach rumbled and so he sighed. There wasn’t much sympathy in him as he picked up the dead creature and set forth to a clearing with enough rocks. He’d try to set up a small campfire and try to roast the thing. Maybe he could figure things out as he would sit before it, watching the skin burn against the fire started from his fire jutsu. All the while, his focus would remain on the cooking but half of his heart was truly unsettled at what he had dreamt.

“Hey… it’s been so long… are you even…” he started but could not finish the sentence. He did not want to. He didn’t want to even think of it. The silence was threatening, encroaching… fearsome.

He decides to chill, loosening up the buttons of his parka as he sat there, waiting. And unknown to him then, the light reflects against his eyes were not red. They were eerily gold that shone against the campfire, almost as gold as when demonic aura would often take hold of him.

Are you even there?

WC: 726

 

[Siu]

There were times where Siu pondered whether the academy was trying to train her in order to become a strong shinobi for the village, or kill her. Today's given training was far more 'inspired' that her usual assignments as an academy student. Rather than sitting in class, studying books, and listening to lectures on and the basics of shinobi life and chakra usage, she had been sent out into the forest, in order to practice navigation as a shinobi. The guidelines for today's task were supposedly simple and straightforward; locate her way back to village, from the forest.
She had been brought to the forest blindfolded, in order for her not to see the path, and then left there to navigate back on her own. The logic apparently was, if she couldn't safely navigate herself out a simple forest, then she somehow wasn't worthy of being a shinobi. In her mind, she couldn't quite see the absoluteness in such logic; if one couldn't navigate through a forest, to her it simply meant that they were terrible at directions. How navigation somehow had anything to do with a shinobi's capabilities in combat and chakra use, baffled her. Surely, there were other shinobi who were far better suited for combat, than reading a map. She doubted every shinobi were professional map readers and navigators. Yet, who was she to argue? She wasn't a even shinobi yet, so therefore there might have been logic to it which she was missing,

Jumping through the trees in the dark cover of the night, hopping from branch to branch, she figured this method of travel was far more safer than travelling by ground. Rumors spoke of many great dangers looming within this forest, and while she hadn't seen any quite yet, she did not doubt the authenticity behind such rumors. Furthermore, since it was now nighttime, she assumed that the likelihood of dangers was far higher now.
Landing upon a particularly large and sturdy branch, she sighed; it was a reactive release of both physical and mental strain. Leaning her back upon the trunk, as she sat upon the branch and rested, she closed her eyes, and took the moment to relax both her body and mind, as she went into a state of deep reflection. The life of a shinobi, a life which she was forced into, was she even qualified for it? And yet qualified or not, here she was, tasked with navigating through one of the villages most dangerous forest. Her attempts to navigate through the terrain seemed to have done nothing more than cause her to become even more lost. It was tiring; both the current given task, and the academy itself.
Looking upwards towards the beauty of the night sky, the moon and the stars, she pondered what her parents were doing at home right now. Most likely they were cooking dinner, awaiting the arrival of a daughter who wouldn't return for yet another night, due to her training at the academy again. The thought was more annoying than saddening at this point. Furthermore, she didn't even have a book to read, and keep her mind busy.

At the thought of dinner, she stomach suddenly growled. She honestly felt like just lying on top of the branch the entire night, and going to sleep until the morning, uncaring of the future consequences. That was, until she caught the faint scent of something in the air. Leaning off the trunk, she took a few sniffs of examination, attempting to discern the sudden scent. It was..food? With widened eyes, she stood, and began to jump through the branches again, following her stomach more than her curiosity.

As the scent grew in intensity, from the distance, she saw something bright. "A fire? She pondered to herself, rather surprised. Who else would dare to be in a place like this, at this time of night? Descending to the ground, the young girl cautiously sneaked her way through thick coverings of leaves and bushes, slowly approaching closer to the source, which wasn't so difficult to do, considering her small size.

A figure could be recognized sitting next to the campfire, seemingly alone. She pondered if the figure lived in this forest, or was also lost just like her. Hesitant to approach, yet curious hungry, she remained there, pondering what would be the wisest decision. Her stomach lowly grumbled again, as the intensity of the scent of food was now at full force, since she had approached even closer.

“Hey… it’s been so long… are you even…”

The girl froze, did the figure somehow know she was there? Were they speaking to her, or someone else? What did they mean that it'd been so long? Had Siu met them before? Biting her bottom lip for a moment, the young academy student finally rose. Upon more thorough inspection, is became clear to her that the individual was a male, and an adult male at that, not a child like her. Furthermore, didn't seem like someone she was familiar with.

"S-sorry.." She began rather nervously. "I-I don't then we've met before." She replied in response to a statement not even directed towards her.

 

[Hirateuchi]

The wind rustled over the leaves of the trees, the only sound emanating through the thick trees as the forest lay motionless, insignificant compared to the writhing turmoil within Hira's heart. Hira sat cross-legged in a slightly meditative stance, absorbing the surrounding calm as he stared at the dark night sky, it's inky depths consuming yet surprisingly alive. His chest expanded as he breathed in heavily, allowing himself to calm down slightly, momentarily. Although the area had not given any indication, he could tell that something was disturbing the typical calm he came seeking.

Standing up, he brushed off his kimono, relieving it of all the dirt that had piled up from nature's floor. Soon enough he found himself hopping in between trees, keeping an eye out for whatever might be occurring that had him so nervous. Coming to a rest on a branch not too far away from a small fire, Hira soon spotted the spectacle. The foliage blocked whomever was sitting there from view, but the flame itself was enough to create a tension he could not avoid.

His mind swooped back to his last encounter with fire... Encroaching lights, dancing along the sky with a vague innocence, destroying not out of malicious intent but through uncontrollable excitement. Something that should have been easy to deal with considering his water style, but the man behind them... no; rather, the demon behind them...

Hira shook his head, freeing himself from his own destructive thoughts.

Come on, it's just a small fire. Nothing to worry about. Just put it out before it spreads.

Waving some quick handsigns, Hira sent his chakra into the very air itself, first filling it with a ninjutsu induced moisture before one drop of water fell from the sky. More folowed in pursuit of the fire, falling at iregularly at first, but soon meeting the forest with a forceful and deliberate shower. Jumping down to ensure nothing was left of the flame, it was only then that he noticed two people standing in the clearing, one an older man and another a younger female. He glanced back and forth awkwardly as he tried his best to contain his localized rainstorm, speaking up with an embarassed tone, holding the back of his neck and showing off an innocent smile.

"Hehe, umm... Sorry to rain on your parade."

 

[Kiri]

As much as Kiri wanted to eat the roasting rabbit now, there was a sudden rustling of leaves nearby. He quickly glanced to the side and felt the presence come closer than before. As such, he was ready to strike, his chakra quietly fusing with his shadows, ready to stretch and bind whoever it was without any hesitation. And he should have, but he allowed himself to clear his mind from all the swirling destructive thoughts. And as such, he was greeted by this unexpected stranger.

A girl? He paused for a brief moment as he saw the young girl appear and tell him about her predicament. It was a strange greeting, and something that Kiri pondered for a bit before his own sudden realization that he might have been talking out loud. A bit flustered at his mistake, he rose up and gave a brief bow to the girl before he realized that the other may have been drawn by the roasting rabbit. He thought about it and while he was hungry, he supposed he could spare some for the child.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Kiri, referring to the girl’s greeting of confusion. He reached down to the roasting rabbit and turned it to the other side. “It’s not normal for people from the village to go into the forest, and the few who do, usually shinobi, end up training all night. From the way it looks like, you’re still a kid, so might have been drawn by the food here. I don’t mind sharing, but it’ll be a bit more before it’s properly cooked.”

Just then, there was a trickle of water. Kiri blinked and then looked up to find a strange storm brewing. In fact, he could sense the cluster of chakra that was in the vicinity. And before he could do anything, rain began to pour down, the camp fire hissing no sooner did it start.

At that, a nerve was struck and Kiri stood up instantly, a hand on the hilt of Nakigitsune as he turned around, facing the direction of the trees as he was anticipating an attack. As much as this was a prank of someone’s, the downpour had its own effects, and Kiri who knew the same jutsu was well aware that this could be a setup for an unexpected encounter in the forest. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he considered the girl from earlier as part of this unwanted scenario, but then he assured himself he didn’t need to worry about her if that was the case.

And as soon as a young man came into view, Kiri’s eyes narrowed, a veil of chakra already starting to gather around him. He didn’t quite understand just yet why he was quick to anger, or why the sway of the words in his soul was different in the past. But he knew as much that he wanted to act by his instincts, even if it was seemingly unfit. And so, before the young man could finish his greeting, Kiri grabbed the stick of the roasting rabbit, not minding that it was hot and then shot it out like a kunai (rabbit still on it) towards the young lad.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The night had been quiet- peaceful. There was not a cloud in the sky, so peering through the canopy one could see the stars overhead shining brightly. Ayumu enjoyed this every now and then. Coming to the woods, away from his apartment towering above the city, spending time in nature. He had ditched the usual uniform for a much more comfortable attire of an earthy green color. His torso was lightly armored with a hooded cloak draped over his shoulders. He knew that he was rarely alone in these woods, and that wasn't a bad thing. Though few civilians would dare come here, many a shinobi came to these woods for any number of reasons: to train for combat, learn to live off the land, or simply to enjoy nature. Ayumu had noticed the glow of the fire in the distance some time ago and paid it little mind. Perhaps he would cross paths with its maker at some point, perhaps he would not. For now he was enjoying his place sitting upon a thick branch high in the treetops, his legs across and hands behind his head as he looked up at the sky. If it was company he seeked, the spirit within his mind was ever present, but both of them were presently enjoying the quiet.

Yet, curiosity would get the better of him as he began to hear voices and the sounds of people walking through the forest. Besides that, it was far from a warm night and he had been out for some time. His cloak was warm enough, but a fire would be much more comfortable and he wouldn't mind a little human company. Pushing himself up to his feet, he looked down to the forest floor where he could see the light of the fire a short ways away. A few quick leaps and he was on his way. Oddly, as he approached, he began to feel tiny drops of moisture hitting his face. Pausing as he landed on another branch, he looked up to the sky to see that seemingly from nowhere clouds had gathered to obscure the view of the night sky that had been there a moment ago. On top of that, rain was now beginning to fall at a rapidly increasing rate. Reaching behind his head, Ayumu pulled the hood of his cloak up and continued towards the fire. Rainfall like that didn't happen naturally.

As he reached the clearing, still on a high branch, Ayumu quickly observed the ones who belonged to the voices he had been hearing. By now, the rain had reduced the fire to nothing but embers. Had it not been for his cloak, Ayumu would be soaked, but the rain had certainly gotten him more chilled than ever. 'How disappointing...' he thought as he watched the embers. He glanced at the two standing nearing the doused campfire, instantly recognizing one of them as Kiri, though the other he had not seen before. The voice that came next was unfamiliar to him, but the pun was top notch. It seemed this was the boy responsible for the sudden rain, yet it seemed he had not intended this result and Kiri did not look happy. In fact, Ayumu had not seen him looking this way since the first time they had met. The vicious boy trapped in chains had similar eyes, those with the intent to harm. As he grabbed the stick, Ayumu prepared himself and when the attack was launched, he dropped from the branch he stood upon timing himself to intercept the improvised projectile which he managed to snag from the air.

"Hmm... now Kiri, that's not how we offer to share food with friends," Ayumu said as he stood back to his full height and pointing the skewer at Kiri and shaking it like a parent wagging their finger at their child. By now the rain had slowed for the most part and the few drops making it past the canopy were of little consequence. Ayumu reached up, pulling his hood back down to show his face to Kiri in case the voice alone had not sufficed. "It doesn't sound like he intended any harm, don't you think?" he said, glancing over his shoulder at Hira to see if he would agree. "I don't believe we've met. Name's Ayumu," he greeted the two strangers. "I'm sure with a bit of effort we can get this fire going again- no harm, no foul," he said, hoping to see Kiri calm himself before this turned into another incident.

'Spoken like a dad doing damage control,'<i></i> the spirit within spoke up in Ayumu's mind. 'Do you exist solely to quip one liners in my head?' Ayumu replied with slight irritation. 'Well, I'm pretty handy in a fight too. But yes, mostly the one liners,'<i></i> the spirit replied. Ayumu fought to resist rolling his eyes lest it be misinterpreted by those that couldn't hear the voice. He began walking towards Kiri and the campfire as he waited to see how Kiri would react.

 

[Siu]

Fortunately, from what the young academy initially experienced, the stranger had not taken offense of her greeting, and had even offered to share his meal with her. His statement also held much truth; for the majority of the villagers, this forest was the 'last' place they desired to venture into. With that, she pondered if the man might be a shinobi like herself, since he was also in the forest in the late night.
The young academy student's eyes lit up at the sound of 'sharing'; there appeared to be a gleam of humanity left within this world. Unfortunately, that very thought would be brought back into question shortly after, as a sudden rainstorm put out that very gleam of hope out just as quickly as it appeared. Instinctively placing her hands over her head, in order to cover herself from the rain, the girl additionally walked back a few steps, in order to allow for the trees to receive most of the rainwater. Though, she still received quite a few drops upon herself. A look of of both shock and great disappointed appeared upon the young girl's face, as she witnessed the great catastrophe of the defeated flames of warmth. And it appeared, there would be also more catastrophe to follow.

Another rustling of the leaves would reveal the culprit of the ruined campfire. It was another male, yet this one appeared quite younger than the other. In fact, he looked very close to her own age, though he appeared pretty tall for his age. Before the new arrival was able to emit his award winning pun of the century, Siu would find that the older male near the campfire was a lot more aggressive than he had initially appeared as upon first impressions, as she witnessed the blur of a her meal suddenly flying in midair towards the newcomer as makeshift weapon. Her subconscious mind greatly desired to cry inner tears of sadness, watching her meal suddenly go flying off like that, and about to go to complete waste. Yet, all hope was not lost, as yet 'another' figure suddenly appeared from the trees, as well.
It seemed the forest was full of guests tonight. For some reason, the majority of Siu's most significant interactions with people had taken place within forest up until now. Events were happening far to quickly and unexpectedly for Siu to completely comprehend and understand exactly what in the world was going on right now, and therefore she opted to simply remain in her position, staring at the three with bug eyed curiosity, awe, and bafflement.
At the interception of the the flying skewer by the latest guest, a sigh of great relief exhaled from the youth; the meal was saved. The final guest appeared the more older and wiser of the group, obviously the senior of everyone, as he worked as a mediator of the sort between the conflict which had occurred among the two. Siu gazed at him for a few moments as he spoke, yet her eyes could not help but to become fixated upon the stick in his hand, containing her roasted rabbit, as the older man pointed and wagged the skewer about. She didn't quite understand everything that was going on, but all she knew was dinner was safe.

"Kiri..?" The girl lowly mumbled back, now able to catch one of the unfamiliar forest dweller's name. Her eyes moved to examine the mentioned character for a bit, before switching back to the talking senior again, who was now introducing himself.

At the suggestion to restart the campfire, the girl quickly found an opportunity to now finally reopen her mouth and actually say something. "I-I can help!" She quickly offered, rushing enthusiastically over towards the campfire. She did not know how to react in this tense and sudden sequence of odd events, neither exactly what to say, and so when an opportunity came up for her to actually quietly contribute in a way that benefited the others, and possibly gained good favor towards everyone without actually having to speak much, she quickly took advantage of it.

Once she approached the campfire, however, her eyes suddenly widened as she anxiously took a few steps back in order to look upon everyone, "I-i'm sorry!" She began apologetically, jumbling her words in a rushed manner as she nervously looked upon the three, "I forgot to be polite! My name is Siu; Hikari, Siu!" She stated with a respectful bow towards everyone.

 

[Hirateuchi]

Hira stared at the man that jumped in front of him, both confused and a little thankful. He was certain that he had not sensed any other shinobi in the area through the chakra in his rain. Whoever it was, he was fast... and probably very strong. IT did seem, though, that he came in peace, and as he lifted his hood and looked Hira's way, a spark clicked in the back of his head.

"Yeah, I didn't mean any harm by it. I just saw a fire in the forest and acted on instinct. Sorry for ruining your meal. Say, old man, I've seen you somewhere..."

The thought wracked his brain for a while as he thought back to his academy years. All the books, the studying; after a long thought he came up with nothing. He accepted that would be the only realistic result to come out of skipping classes and sleeping a majority of the time there. Perhaps if he egged the man on enough he could get some more information out of him, but that would have to wait as the young girl that was standing beside the rabid assailant spoke up to introduce herself. He tilted his head sideways at her surprisingly calm appearance towards the situation that was suddenly overtaken by a moment of timidity.

Sure, it's nice to meet you, Siu. Same goes for the old man and the slightly younger old man. I'm Hira, your friendly neighborhood fire extinguisher and all-around shining example of a shinobi."

He finished with a cocky grin plastered on his face, eager to rub in his earlier transgression once more into the face of the strange forest-dweller while he still felt as though he were being protected.

 

[Kiri]

Kiri did not anticipate the sudden interruption. In fact, he was ready to act out again, but he simply stopped. He didn’t need a second guess for this one. His sensitivity towards chakra was enough for him to gauge the unexpected visitor. Immediately, all reason seemed to have returned to him and a bit of self-restraint made him slightly flushed in embarrassment that he had to look away for a moment and fix his hair. Then he would glance back and look at the Raikage as if he was guilty in all charges. It wouldn’t do to deny anything either. And so, instead, he clicked his tongue and nodded, before turning on his heels to get back to the camp fire.

He knelt before the collection of ash. Some of the wood could still be used, but the rest were simply too wet. He clicked his tongue again before he glanced back to the three who were probably having a wonderful time chatting with each other and whatnot. “If you guys want to roast, then you better go hunt for more.” He then returned his gaze to the fire pit before he reached out his hand, feeling what little warmth there was still abound. He concentrated on his palm and then willed his chakra to siphon underneath. Soon enough, there was a quick surge of energy and he lit the fire pite once more.

Strangely, it began as a black colored flame before its chakra nature shifted and turned into a regular fire. Had it been in purpose, one wouldn’t know. But Kiri’s slightly annoyed expression might leave a clue. Lately, he had been realizing that his hold over his shadow jutsus, especially the conversion of fire and water, had been a bit unstable. And this little performance of his would have to be carefully examined in the near future. Preferably, when he was in a better mood. After all, even if the Raikage was there, he was still feeling a little pissed.

And more so that he had to be careful, for while a part of his pride was shouting at him to take action about this encroachment of his territory and ending a good roast, the other part was deeply tied with honor and loyalty that was restraining him from doing something untoward now that the Raikage was there. Shame on him would be shame reflected to the mighty kage, and that was something he would not allow.

He clicked his tongue once more, as if he was getting more and more annoyed though he couldn’t quite grasp as to why it was the case.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Fortunately, the youth behind Ayumu whom had caused the sudden downpour did not seem apt to antagonize the agitated Kiri any further and took the opportunity to apologize for the doused fire. Ayumu ignored the old man comment. The boy seemed to recognize Ayumu to some extent, but didn't seem to realize from where exactly. It was always amusing to people how many young ones didn't know the leader of their own village. He wasn't about to offer up that information without more prompting. Much to the relief of all involved, Kiri's aggression passed with a simple disdainful click of his tongue before he turned back to his campfire. Ayumu let out a quiet sigh, scratching his head. He already had a kid to take care of home, why was he out here looking after this grown man? Ayumu approached the extinguished campfire as the young girl introduced herself and the boy did the same, once again referring to Ayumu as an old man.

"Old man? I'm only in my thirties, you know," Ayumu argued as he watched Kiri reignite the flames with his own special variety of fire. "Just accept it, you're getting old. By shinobi standards, anyway," the spirit taunted Ayumu, who just shook his head dismissively without replying. Ignoring the troll in his head, he nodded with satisfaction seeing how easily the fire had been brought back to life. "There now, see? Like I said, no harm, no foul," he observed before kneeling down next to the fire to take in some of the heat. The rain hadn't lasted too long, but he'd still gotten a bit wet and combined with the cold air he was liable to get a chill without the warmth of the flames. Holding out the skewer, Ayumu offered it to Siu whom had seemingly been eyeing it since it had transferred into Ayumu's possession. He dropped the knapsack he had been carrying beside him and shifted into a seated position with one leg outstretched and the bent at the knee.

"So, what brings everyone to the forest tonight?" Ayumu asked, curious what had brought the three youngsters out to the woods. He realized that he had just put Kiri in the same age category as the other two, but after a second thought it seemed appropriate. Certainly he, as the so-called old man, felt like the most out of place within this group, but perhaps it was his own perception. Regardless, he felt the need to make sure Kiri had calmed down for good. He didn't want to see a report on his desk tomorrow of two dead kids in the forest, nor did he want to speak to Kiri through the bars of a jail cell again.

 

[Siu]

After both proper and 'improper' introductions were given, Siu nodded in acknowledgement to everyone. The one referring to himself as 'Hira' had apologized for the sudden mishap of rain, which was good enough for Siu. He also seemed to have a good sense of humor. However, it wasn't hard to guess that the one referred to as Kiri, was still quite annoyed and agitated. The elder of the group had immediately come across to Siu as being rather kind, as he offered the young girl her long desired meal.
The youth's eyes widened as she enthusiastically accepted the skewer. Her initial reaction was to immediately begin feasting, which she almost did. However, in the midst of preparing for a bite, she suddenly paused. The tempting meal just an inch or so from her mouth, she turned around to look back at the annoyed male.

Slowly making a careful approach towards him, the young girl handed the stick out to the young man; A gesture she deemed as being polite. It seemed extremely rude in her eyes, to begin feasting on someone else's meal before they even had a chance to taste it.

"So, what brings everyone to the forest tonight?" The eldest of the group suddenly inquired. Siu looked down for a bit, seeming somewhat embarrassed by the question. "Well, I uh.." She began, before faint voices could suddenly be heard in the distance.

"Siu?! Siiiu?! Where are you?!"

The young girl's eyes widened, greatly surprise by the sudden call of her name. Had her aimless travelling through the forest really gotten her close to village without realizing it, or had there actually been a search sent out for her, due to her long absence? If it were the later, she would find herself greatly surprised at the thought that there were still people in the academy who actually cared for existence.

"I...." The young girl awkwardly began, "Have to go, i'm sorry!"

And with that, she was dashing off through the forest.

[Exiting Thread Unless Stopped]

((OOC: Sorry, need to make room for another thread. Was at the 5 thread limit))