Growing Up Hisagi

A/N: For whatever reason, this fic is kind of hard for me to write. Hope the chapter's okay.

Mevenia: I'm glad you liked the beginning! It's a lot different from the rest of the chapters, since it features kid!Shuhei and cuteness instead of smut, so I hope the rest of the fic doesn't disappoint you ^^
lolistar71: Kensei and Shuhei are a neglected couple, aren't they? There's so much in canon between them that you'd think they'd get more attention than they do. Oh well. Thanks for reading and commenting.
brukleflesche: Yeah, there should be more KenseiShuhei fics. I'm glad I could fill the void just a little bit!
shadowkittae: Why, thank you! I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this update, and that this chapter doesn't disappoint.
Amy: I can't believe you liked this fic you reviewed it twice ^_^ I'm glad you liked the fic so much, and that you liked the hint of Shuhei and Akon's relationship. They actually have a scene together in this chapter, though they're a little bit older at this point. Sorry I made you wait so long for the update, lol! I know how much you wanted this chapter, so thanks for waiting patiently, and I hope the chapter is okay. (Also, you mentioned Yoneda Kou in another review? Don't Stay Gold is one of my faves. That and her samurai one, don't remember what it's called, but I like samurai yaoi a lot in general).
Mulle: That's a good question. Kensei and Shuhei won't get together until Shuhei is unequivocally an adult, but Shuhei does a lot of stuff on his own until then. Technically it's not pedophilia, since he was like 80 when this fic started, but I guess it could be classified as shota since he's going through puberty. Though who knows, maybe shinigami don't go through puberty until later in their lifespan? At any rate, glad you liked it so far.
Shadow469: I'm glad you loved it! Thank you for taking the time to say so!


Chapter One: Masturbation


a few decades later. . .


Shuhei was watching Kensei's back. It was wide and well-developed. He could see Kensei's shoulder blades, could see the crease that ran along his spine, could see the sides taper into a well-defined waist. It was a strong, beautiful back. Shuhei gulped. It was a back he was very familiar with, one that he had helped wash numerous times while growing up. But he didn't do that anymore. He didn't go to the public baths with Kensei, because lately, watching Kensei's back did strange things to his body.

Even now, Shuhei's penis felt strange. It was stiff and hard, and it hurt. He didn't know what to do. So he turned onto his other side, to face the other direction. If he ignored it, it would go back to normal. Eventually. He buried into his futon and stared at the wall. He could hear Kensei breathing beside him, but he knew the other man was asleep. They had been sleeping side by side like this, in separate futons, for almost as long as they had lived together. When Shuhei had first come they had even slept in the same futon, until Kensei got around to ordering another one. Shuhei flushed as he thought of what it would be like now to share a futon with the other man. The image that rose in his mind didn't help with his little situation. Ignore it, Shuhei thought. He closed his eyes tight and tried to go to sleep.

The next day Shuhei woke up late, not having been able to sleep much the night before. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen. He got up and walked out there to see that Kensei was cooking something on the stovetop.

"Don't," Shuhei said, still half dazed with sleep, "I'll cook breakfast."

"I can cook sometimes too," Kensei stated. He was reaching up to get something in the pantry, his biceps flexing as he did so. Shuhei quickly turned away from the sight. It wasn't only Kensei's back that made Shuhei feel funny.

"You don't cook as well as me," Shuhei said, coming to sit at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, well, I can make scrambled eggs just fine. And I already made a sandwich to take with me to work, so you don't need to worry about bringing me lunch."

Shuhei frowned as some eggs were deposited on the plate in front of him. Kensei wasn't a bad cook, really. It's just that his food tending to be a little on the bland, overly nutritious side. Shuhei was sure that there was no salt or milk in these eggs, or anything else that would add to the flavor. But his thoughts on eggs were interrupted when Kensei's hand brushed through the hair at the nape of his neck. Shuhei flinched as he felt the heat radiate through his body, and jerked away before his body could respond to the touch. He glared up at Kensei, who blinked down at him, a little confused.

"Sorry," Kensei said. "I was just thinking that your hair's getting kind of long."

"I think I'm going to leave it this way," Shuhei said, picking up a fork to dig into his eggs. Kensei was staring at him, and it was bringing a blush to his face. Shuhei looked downward in an attempt to hide it.

"Geez, Kid. I already apologized, there's no reason to avoid looking at me." Kensei sighed as he took the seat opposite of Shuhei. "You're going to take the academy exam this year, right? I can train with you, if you want."

"No. Shinji nii-san said he would help me." The last thing Shuhei wanted to do was spend time with Kensei, especially time that could be spent in close proximity to one another. It would be too embarrassing if Shuhei's body started to act funny and Kensei noticed.

"I see." To tell the truth, Kensei didn't think that Shuhei was ready to take the exam yet. In a few years, sure, but he doubted the kid could pass as it was. But Shuhei was so damned enthusiastic about it, he just couldn't wait until his ability caught up with his ambition.

"Yeah," Shuhei said. "I'm going to go change now."

Kensei frowned as Shuhei disappeared into the bedroom. He didn't know how to deal with the kid these days. . . maybe he was going through a phase? He shook his head, finished eating his eggs, and left for headquarters. He was on his way there when he saw Shinji walking to his house. He usually avoided things like small talk and chit chat, but this time he didn't mind, and waved Shinji over.

"Shouldn't you wait until work is over before you run off to practice with Shuhei?" Kensei asked, wondering if Shinji ever got anything done.

"Oh, don't be silly," Shinji replied. "I always get my work done. Eventually."

"Shinji," Kensei said, a crease appearing over his eyebrows, "have you noticed anything off about Shuhei lately?"

"Hmm?" Shinji tilted his head as he held a finger to his chin, thinking it over. "No. Why?"

Kensei shrugged. "I dunno. . . it seems like lately, he doesn't like it when I touch him. He barely even looks at me, doesn't really talk that much. He used to be such a happy, affectionate kid, and now he's just. . . so goddamned mopey all the time.""

"Really?" Shinji asked. "He's pretty much the same with me as he's always been. More mature, sure, but we laugh and talk together all the time."

Kensei scowled at that. What the hell did that mean? But Shinji only laughed at his frustrated expression.

"Don't worry," Shinji said, slapping Kensei's shoulder. "It's nothing to worry about, he's probably just going through his adolescence. You're the one taking care of him, of course he'll be difficult with you. Give it several decades, and you two will be closer than you ever were."

"I guess," Kensei grumbled, trying to recall his adolescent days. He hadn't given his parents much to worry about, actually. He had been pretty much on the straight and arrow his whole life. But maybe Shuhei was one of those kids humans liked to call a "rebellious teenager."

"Do you want me to talk to him about it?" Shinji asked.

Kensei shook his head. "I'm sure it will pass."

"Okay, well, I'll see you later, then."

Kensei nodded and left, back on his path towards headquarters. Shinji, on the other hand, continued to make his way towards Kensei's living quarters. He reached the building soon enough, and came inside the house to find Shuhei washing dishes in the kitchen. The kid had grown a lot since Shinji had first met him. He was taller, but every bit as skinny. Hopefully that would change over the next few years, and Shuhei would put on a little muscle.

"Shu-chan," Shinji said, watching as Shuhei turned around. Shuhei's eyes it up when he saw Shinji there.

"Shinji nii-san!" he called. He bounded up to Shinji and wrapped his arms around the man in a hug, the top of his head reaching Shinji's shoulders. Shinji didn't know what Kensei was talking about, the boy was just as cute now as he was when they had first met him. Shinji ruffled his hair a little bit, noting that it was getting a little long in the back.

"Ready?"

Shuhei nodded as he de-attached himself from Shinji's body.

"Alright," Shinji said, as he got into position. "Try to keep up."

And then he shunpoed away, Shuhei following after him. They ended up in the mountains in Rukongai somewhere, and they practiced various basic skills for the next few hours. Shuhei's spiritual energy wasn't quite developed yet, so there wasn't much they could do, but Shinji did his best. It would make it easier for when his reiatsu did develop. Afterwards they sat together under a grove of trees, Shuhei sweating and breathing heavy as he stretched out on the grass. Shinji thought of what Kensei had said earlier, and he couldn't help but bring it up.

"Shu-chan," Shinji said, "are you mad at Kensei for some reason?"

Shuhei's head shot up at that, surprise written all over his features. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

Well, Shuhei's shock was certainly a good indication that there was nothing wrong with their relationship. Still, Shinji thought, there had to be a reason Kensei was concerned. The man wasn't the type to worry over nothing; actually, he was pretty dense most of the time, so if he was worried it was almost certainly an issue. "It just seems like you've been treating him kind of distantly. You're not nearly as touchy feely with him as you used to be."

Shuhei's cheeks turned pink, a response that sent the gears in Shinji's head turning.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Shuhei replied. "Of course I wouldn't be."

"Not a kid anymore, huh?" Shinji was sure there was more to it than that. A worried expression fluttered over Shuhei's face for just a second, and Shinji knew that the boy was hiding something. "Come on, Shu-chan, you can tell your Shinji nii-san. I won't tell Kensei."

Shuhei blushed even harder, and realization dawned on Shinji. It wasn't that Shuhei was just going through adolescence. Shuhei was going through puberty.

"Shuhei," Shinji said, wanting to confirm his hypothesis. "Do you think about Kensei when you're touching yourself?"

"Touching myself?" Shuhei asked, completely confused. Shinji held a fist to his pelvis and made a crude jerking off motion, but Shuhei just blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"

So the kid wasn't even at that level yet. "Shu-chan, does your penis ever feel strange? Does it ever get bigger?"

Shuhei's eyes widened as he nodded. How had Shinji known that?

"It's okay," Shinji said, "it happens to all men."

"Really?" Shuhei asked, his shoulders relaxing a little bit. "So there's nothing wrong with me?"

Shinji chuckled at that. Shuhei sure was a funny kid. Though it wasn't surprising that Kensei had neglected to teach him about the birds and the bees. Shinji couldn't imagine the gruff man sitting Shuhei down for a little lesson on biology. "No way, you're just growing up, is all. Do you want to talk to me about it?"

Shuhei was still blushing, but he figured that if Shinji knew all about this then he could help him with it. "It's just that. . . it's just that, sometimes, when I'm near Taicho, my penis starts to get stiff and weird. I try to ignore it until it goes away, but sometimes it really, really hurts."

"Yeah," Shinji said, "it'll do that if you don't take care of it. Sometimes, Shu-chan, you have to touch it to make it feel better."

"Touch it?" Shuhei asked. He wasn't sure why he would want to touch his penis, if he wasn't cleaning it or peeing. But Shinji wouldn't lie to him about something like this.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, it's perfectly healthy. All men do it. Next time you're alone in your bedroom, or in your shower, just try exploring and playing with your penis. It'll make it feel good."

"Okay," Shuhei said, sounding a little bit dubious. If it was healthy and all men did it, he wasn't sure why he had to be alone, but he guessed Shinji knew more about this then he did.

"Good boy," Shinji said. He ruffled Shuhei's hair, pleased with himself for being able to help the young boy with his little problem. "You might not want to tell Kensei about this. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, but Kensei probably wouldn't know how to deal with it. You know how he is."

Shuhei didn't really understand, but he nodded anyway. At the very least, he gathered that he wasn't supposed to tell Kensei about his problem.

"Okay," Shinji said, done with this little discussion. "Let's get back to Seireitei now, yeah?"

Shuhei thought a lot about what Shinji said, but he was still nervous about doing it. He didn't actually work up the courage to do it for a few weeks after their conversation. It didn't happen until Kensei was on an extended mission in the real world, investigating rumors of what seemed to be much-stronger-than-average hollows. The local shinigami had come back to Seireitei extremely injured, so they had decided it would be best to send the ninth division captain to see what was going on.

Kensei had been gone a few days, and Shuhei missed his caretaker. He always did on these extended missions, even though he looked forward to how Kensei always brought him back little knick knacks from the human world. At any rate, he was taking laundry off the clothesline outside and folding it before bringing it back in. One of Kensei's shihakushou was folded neatly on the top, and as Shuhei brought the basket into their bedroom he couldn't help but notice that it smelled faintly of Kensei.

Shuhei kneeled on the floor and pulled the kosode of Kensei's shihakushou up, holding it against his face and inhaling deeply. It was rough against his skin, but it was worth it to smell those lingering hints of musk and cologne. Shuhei was embarrassed to find his penis start to get sniff, just from Kensei's scent. He looked around to make sure nobody had seen him, even though he knew nobody was there. Thinking back on Shinji's words, he figured this was the best time to try it out.

Shuhei pulled the kosode on outside his own robe, though the sleeves hung down past his arms and the bottom of it dragged on the floor. With the kosode draped over him, he went to first close the curtains of the window and then close and lock the door. The room was dark, now, and that somehow made him feel better about what he was doing. He pulled Kensei's scent around him as he opened the front of his own robe. He was completely hard now, and he blushed to see the tip of his penis trying to poke out of the side of his fundoshi.

Shuhei had yet to look at his penis while it was hard. When it got like that he had ignored it altogether, until it was soft again. He was embarrassed enough by the changes happening down there already, the way his testes seemed to be getting bigger, and the way black, curly hair had started to appear around the base of his penis. With a shaky hand, he reached down to pull the fabric of his fundoshi to the side, jumping a little in shock as his penis popped out. It swayed in the air a little before coming to a rest, letting Shuhei inspect his hard penis for the first time.

It was bigger than how it usually was, and completely rigid. The skin that usually hung over his penis, leaving just a tip of pink visible, was not stretched over his shaft, revealing a bulbous pink cock head. He poked it with his finger, and shivered when his penis tingled and twitched. That. . . hadn't felt bad. Shuhei reached out again, this time placing a few fingertips on his shaft. This part of his penis didn't seem to be as sensitive. He ran his fingertips up and down its length, enjoying the way that it felt. The surface was soft, like velvet. But it felt like there was something hard and rigid underneath, like a metal pipe.

Shuhei ran the fingertips of both hands over his whole penis several times. It tickled a little, but it sent little waves of pleasure shooting through him. Shinji was right; this felt really good. After awhile Shuhei grew braver, and his fingers were less tentative as he touched himself. He used more pressure against his skin, and eventually he even wrapped his fingers around his penis. It felt amazing when he did that, and he squeezed a little, watching in amazement as a drop of clear liquid appeared in the slit at the top of his penis.

Shuhei watched as the drop grew bigger, then rolled over the side of his penis, leaving a wet trail. It seemed too thick to be pee, but Shuhei wasn't sure what it was. He squeezed again, and another drop came out. He spent several minutes just squeezing his penis, but then he started to move his fists back and forth on it. It was a little cumbersome trying to do it with both hands, so eventually he settled for just using one. As he used a tight grip to pull on his penis, more of that clear liquid dripped out of him, getting his penis and palm wet. At first Shuhei was afraid that he was rubbing too hard, but it was feeling better and better.

"Ooooh," he couldn't help but moan, hoping no one walking by outside could hear him. "Oooooh."

He thrust his hips instinctually into the air as he pulled on himself, not sure why he was doing it. He concentrated his tugging on the top half of his penis, rubbing over his cock head each time, and it felt so amazing. He remembered what Shinji had said to him before, about how all men did this. He wondered if Kensei played with his own penis like this. The thought of Kensei pulling on his big, adult penis made Shuhei feel extra funny. His testicles seemed to tighten, and it felt like he needed to pee, only a hundred times more. Shuhei panicked and let go of his penis, but it was too late. He cried out as thick, white liquid came spurting out of his penis like a fountain. It flew up in the air a few inches before it came back to land on his skin, coating his entire groin with the sticky stuff.

Shuhei jerked and cried out with each spurt that came out of him. He didn't know what was happening, but it felt so amazing. No wonder all men liked to do this. Eventually his penis stopped shooting creamy stuff, though his body still shivered with its first orgasm. His limbs felt weak, and he couldn't move from where he was laying on the floor. His penis stayed hard for a little bit, but then slowly it shrunk back down to normal, and lay limp along his stomach. It was coated with goo, and he knew that he would have to go get it cleaned off. He'd have to do laundry again, too.

After that, Shuhei made sure to play with himself at least once a day. He did it while he imagined what Kensei's body looked like, all big, hard muscle. He tried to remember what Kensei's penis looked like, but it had been a long time since he had seen it. He knew it was thicker than his, and longer. Kensei's balls were bigger and hung lower from his body. Kensei also had a lot more hair there, a silver-gray bush surrounding the top of his shaft. Shuhei wished that he could see Kensei's penis again. While he touched himself, he tried to imagine what it would be like to touch Kensei's penis. Sometimes, he tried to imagine what Kensei's penis would look like when it was hard. Imagining that always made him shoot right away.

Kensei came over several days later, his booming voice calling out "I'm home." Shuhei rushed out from where he been reading the Seireitei Communication, wrapping his arms around Kensei in a big hug.

"Welcome home," he said, happy when his penis didn't get hard just from being next to Kensei. Shinji had been right; playing with himself had helped a lot.

Kensei smiled and ruffled Shuhei's hair. "You're in a good mood."

As Shuhei removed his arms a package was pushed into his hands. It was a white cardboard box with a clear plastic window on the top, and he could see a small, square cake inside. Shuhei wondered what kind it was.

"Go on," Kensei said, one large hand pushing against Shuhei's back. It pushed Shuhei a few steps towards the kitchen. "Go enjoy your present. I've gotta go get cleaned up, and then I'll take you out for dinner."

Shuhei nodded and ran to the kitchen, glad that Kensei was back home again.

With Kensei back, Shuhei had to be more surreptitious about playing with himself, but was able to do it often enough in the shower. Sometimes he would still get hard when he didn't want to, but it was much easier to calm himself down now. Which was good, because now he could spend more time with Kensei without being afraid of embarrassing himself. He started flittering around the ninth division headquarters more, just like he used to.

He even went to the public baths with Kensei when the man went, although that was mostly just to sneak peeks at Kensei's penis. Shuhei would always make sure to play with himself a lot before going, because then his penis would be too tired to get up again. Kensei's penis was thicker than he remembered, but otherwise the same. It was really beautiful, framed by a thick nest of curly hair. It tended to hang to the side and sway when Kensei walked, and had a thick foreskin that hung over a purplish head. Shuhei wished that he could touch it, and from then on that's what he always imagined himself doing when he touched his own penis.

Still, Shuhei was, for the moment, content just to imagine things. The option of doing otherwise hadn't even occurred in his head, until the fateful day that he failed the entrance exam for the shinigami academy.

Once Shuhei got the news he was filled with a sort of depression, which was exactly why he didn't want to go to Kensei's office to tell the man. Kensei had explicitly stated that Shuhei wasn't ready yet, so he probably wouldn't be very sympathetic. Shuhei imagined that he'd just say something like, "work hard and try again next year," and then go back to whatever work he was doing. So instead, Shuhei found himself setting off to the Research and Development Institute.

It wasn't hard for him to get in, since everyone there knew him. Soon he found himself in his friend Akon's lab and watched as Akon labelled test tubes of different-colored liquids. Akon was pretty much the only friend he had his same age. Shinji and Mashiro spent a lot of time with him, but they were both older, and sometimes they made him feel like a little kid.

"I failed," he said, slumping down in a stool, elbows pressed against the immaculate countertop in front of him. Saying it out loud wasn't as bad as he expected. In fact, it actually made him feel a little bit better about things. At least he had admitted it to someone.

Akon didn't even look his way. His heavy-lidded, eternally bored eyes were looking through one particular test tube, as though something unexpected had caught his attention.

"You weren't ready yet," Akon said. "You'll just have to try again next year."

Shuhei frowned at the reply. "But you became a shinigami decades ago, and you're only a little older than I am."

"The qualifications for the institute are different," Akon explained. "As far as intelligence goes I'm a prodigy. And even back then I had more spiritual energy than you do now."

Shuhei frowned even more. While Akon wasn't really surprising him with the way he replied, Shuhei thought he would still be more sympathetic than this. "I thought you were supposed to make me feel better."

Akon raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that why you came here?"

Akon finally took his eyes of the test tubes, seemingly considering something. After some thinking, he looked as if a lightbulb had gone off on top of his head. Shuhei never knew what Akon was thinking; he wasn't sure how they had even become friends, but they got along pretty well.

"I suppose," Akon said, "I could let you take a few things from the sample collection room."

"Sample collection room?" Shuhei asked, wondering if that was a good thing. That didn't exactly sound like a fun place.

"Just don't tell Mayuri-sama," Akon said, putting the test tube he was holding back into place. "Or Urahara-Taichou. Follow me."

As though Shuhei would tell Mayuri. The vice-president of the institute was creepy and strange-looking, and Shuhei tried to stay clear of him. He wondered how Akon was able to get along with the man so well. At any rate, he followed Akon through the long corridors of the institute, finally coming to stop in front of a white, nondescript door. There was a metal plaque on it, as there were on all the doors of the institute, but this plaque had the words "Sample Collection" engraved on it.

Akon opened the door and ushered Shuhei in. Even once he was in there, Shuhei didn't see what was the big deal about the room. There was a reclining chair and an end table in the middle of the room, and bookshelves lining a wall, holding tons of magazines. He was about to ask Akon why he would want something from this room when his eyes fell onto the magazine sitting on the end table. It was open, and a topless girl stared out at him, pushing her huge boobs together.

Shuhei flushed at the magazine and felt his penis react a little bit. He walked up to it and started flipping through the pages, looking at one photo after the other of naked, large breasted women.

"If it's big breasts you like," Akon said, noting Shuhei's interest, "we have more hardcore stuff than that. We have pretty much anything anyone could be into. Cream pies, facials, women in shinigami uniforms. . . what kind of stuff do you like?"

"I don't know," Shuhei said, walking over to where Akon was at the bookcase. He didn't even know what the first two things Akon said were. There were labels on some of the shelves, sorting the magazines into loose categories. Shuhei looked down, and one label in particular caught his eye. It read "Men on Men."

"Are you interested in what men do together?" Akon said, as he noticed where Shuhei's gaze was fixated. He pulled out a stack of magazines from that section. He pulled them out onto the floor, and both boys sat down to look through them.

"What can men do together?" Shuhei asked, eyes glued to the pages of a magazine as Akon flipped it open. There were two muscular men on a bed together, touching each other's hard penises. Just the way Shuhei touched his own cock. Just the way he imagined touching Kensei's. But he hadn't known that two men could actually do that to each other. . . Shinji had told him that touching your penis was something you did alone.

"Go ahead," Akon said, "look through them and see which ones you like."

Shuhei reached out with quivering fingers and started to flip through the magazines. For awhile all he saw were men touching each other, but then all of a sudden he flipped open to a photo where one man was licking the other man's penis. His eyes nearly popped out of his socket. Why would you lick someone there? But a few photos later, then man wasn't just licking it, he was sucking on it like it was a popsicle. And he looked like it was the most delicious thing in the world. There were a few more pictures of him sucking on the other man's penis, and then a few pictures of the other man shooting gooey stuff all over the first man's face. The first man had a tongue out to catch some, and Shuhei wondered if it tasted good.

"It gets better," Akon said. "I really like this magazine. The guys in it shoot a lot of cum. Cum production is something I'm trying to improve in the gigais we make."

"Cum?" Shuhei asked. He shifted in his seat, his penis uncomfortable in his fundoshi.

"Semen," Akon clarified. At Shuhei's blank expression, he frowned. "Seriously? It looks like I'll have to give you a little lesson on this stuff. But first keep looking, it gets better."

Shuhei kept flipping through the magazine. In the next series of pictures, there was just one man on a bed. Shuhei flushed a bright red as he saw what the man was doing. The man had two of his fingers up his butt. Shuhei wondered how he could do that. . . didn't it feel gross? But from the man's face, it seemed like the man felt really good. There were some pictures of the man with his own fingers in his butt, and then there was a picture of another man joining him. Shuhei's mouth opened a little bit as he watched the second man come behind the first man, and start to push his penis into the first man's butt. The first man looked like he was in heaven.

Shuhei gulped, painfully hard. Would it feel good to have someone's penis up his butt? Would it feel good to have Kensei's penis up his butt? At the same time Shuhei thought that, Akon's hand came to push down on the fabric covering Shuhei's hard penis, and Shuhei felt himself start to shoot.

"Oooh. . ." he jerked his hips forward and closed his eyes as he felt cream shoot out of him. It drenched his fundoshi and pooled inside the fabric around his groin, making him feel sticky and messy and wet. When he finished he looked over at Akon, questioning, but the other boy didn't look rattled at all. He looked the same way he did when he was conducting his little experiments.

"Do you want this magazine?" Akon asked.

"I think I want to look through more before I decide," Shuhei said. "But first, can you teach me about all this stuff?"

Shinji's advice to him before was obviously lacking.