Chapter 12: Koori no Senshi Appears!
Yuki stood in the middle of the woods completely alone with no sign of life anywhere nearby. He had just used his Ice Enclave jutsu just moments before but instead of having the snow in a complete sphere – it was in the form of a large humanoid form with an icicle the size of his hand. Yuki slightly cut his left hand to the point of drawing a little blood looking towards the pile of snow he had created using the Ice Enclave.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Yuki stated making the hand seals: Boar, Dog, Monkey, Bird, Sheep, Serpent, Ox, and Dragon ending with his left hand on the ground.
The pile of snow melted like before and started to mold into the Ice Golem once again. However, this time, the golem happened to be the size of Yuki and the direction of some of the spikes were different from the previous summon and the ice color was slightly bluer instead of pure white – it was a mixture of baby blue and electric blue.
"I am Koori no Senshi. Why have you summoned me, human?" Koori no Senshi asked sounding slightly angered looking towards Yuki.
"You're not Yukio? But I was sure Yukio was the only ice golem…" Yuki said surprised looking at Koori no Senshi in dismay.
"Do not try my patience, human! Tell me now, why have you summoned me?" Koori no Senshi asked getting even more enraged.
"I did not intend to summon you. I was trying to summon Yukio so I can perfect the summoning art." Yuki said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Are you trying to insult me, human?" Koori no Senshi asked now standing behind Yuki.
"The Leaf Yellow Flash…" Yuki mumbled turning to see Koori no Senshi with a sword entirely made out of ice pointing at him.
"What's that you're mumbling about? More insults maybe?" Koori no Senshi asked obviously angry with the way Yuki had been talking about him.
"No, you reminded me of another ninja I had… heard of a while back. Anyway, you've got speed – I'll give you that but do you have any power, Koori?" Yuki asked with a grin holding up the icicle in his right hand still covered with a little blood from his left hand.
"Koori? It's Koori no Senshi you wretched human!" Koori no Senshi shouted angrily stepping forward and in a flash he was already behind Yuki ten feet completely untouched and walking away.
"What just happ…?!" Yuki started to ask when the icicle Yuki was holding suddenly turned to a pile of snow and he suddenly coughed up a little blood holding his gut.
"Pathetic. To think a human at this level summoned me – how annoying I had to be summoned by such a lower-class warrior from the Shimousa/Shirakawa clan. Human, what is your name?" Koori no Senshi asked glancing back at Yuki ashamed of his skill.
"I've only seen two people with that kind of speed ever since I became a ninja – just what level is this golem at…? And what is with its arrogance!?" Yuki though frustrated spitting out some more blood before turning around to answer the golem when he realize what Koori no Senshi had said. "Just what did you mean by 'a human at this level'? Are you really trying to get on my bad side?" He asked getting even more annoyed with the golem.
"It means exactly what you think it does. You are too weak for me to accept you as my master or let alone a partner. Now, go away, human. Besides, only those in the Shimousa main family are able to summon me due to the contract – just how did you get the contract? What is your name?" Koori no Senshi asked glaring at Yuki.
"If you want my name, then you'll just have to defeat me, won't you?" Yuki asked jumping back a few feet getting ready to fight when Koori no Senshi appeared directly behind Yuki.
"Then I'll just have to defeat you, won't I?" Koori no Senshi asked putting its hand on his left shoulder encasing Yuki's entire left arm in a block of ice.
"This technique…!? It's nearly exactly the same one Toyotomi used before!" Yuki thought in shock looking at his left arm jumping back away from Koori no Senshi with his left arm hanging off to the side as dead weight.
"Surprised about the technique? Good because that is a technique created by the great Shimousa clan – it's called…!" Koori no Senshi stated when he was cut off.
"The Deep Freeze Jutsu, correct?" Yuki asked looking up towards Koori no Senshi but it had vanished.
"How did you know its name? Only the Shimousa clan knows of it – not even the Shirakawa clan knows about it due to it being a Secret Art. So, how do you know about it?" Koori no Senshi asked standing behind Yuki touching both of his legs freezing them to the ground.
"Damn, I can't move and I still don't know how to dispel the ice!" Yuki thought annoyed by his situation. "Unfreeze my legs and my left arm and we'll spar a little. I'll show you just how weak I am!" He stated a little angry about his situation.
"Very well, you have five minutes to impress me – if you fail, I will turn your entire body into ice for the good of the two clans' secrets that you somehow have found out." Koori no Senshi said touching Yuki's legs and left arm melting the ice before suddenly appearing about twenty feet in front of Yuki.
"I see you haven't noticed yet then – that is good then, I will just have to shock you into realizing it." Yuki said with a smirk putting his hands together. "Ice Style – Ice Wall!" He thought making the hand seals: Tiger, Serpent, Tiger, and Horse forming a large wall of ice to his right, to his left, and behind him.
"An ice jutsu? He must have some kind of Kekkei Genkai that allows him to do this but what was it he was saying about me not realizing…?" Koori no Senshi asked unsure of what he was talking about when he rushed forward at his top speed once again to attack Yuki with his ice sword in his right hand.
"That won't work on me again." Yuki said with a smirk pulling out a kunai with his left hand before blocking Koori no Senshi's sword.
"How can you even see me…?" Koori no Senshi asked surprised.
"You're not the first person that I've fought with that kind of speed. I just have to keep a close eye on where you're starting from and think about where you would aim – after that, it's easy to tell where you'll strike next." Yuki said while pulling another kunai out of his sleeve in his right hand swinging it forward into Koori no Senshi's chest.
The kunai in Yuki's right hand went right by Koori no Senshi's left arm and pierced directly into its icy chest. As it went in, Koori no Senshi started laughing as the kunai started to turn to ice. Yuki quickly dropped it and just as it hit the ground it was in a block of ice.
"I wouldn't try to touch me. It might make you too cool for your own good." Koori no Senshi said laughing slightly. "You've good got good blocking abilities but they won't matter much if you can't even land a single attack on me!" It shouted jumping back.
"You really think I can't attack you? That isn't my only ability and you didn't even ask about why I put this ice wall next to me." Yuki said looking towards the ice walls all surrounding him only leaving an opening above and in front of him.
"Why would I question an idiot about why he put the wall off to his sides instead of directly in front of him for protection? That is because I don't associate with idiots like that, or even human idiots." Koori no Senshi said still now sure what Yuki has been going on about.
"I'll let you in on a little bit of my plan then. You see, I'm controlling you with this." Yuki said with a slight smirk.
"Controlling me? Stupid human, there's no way you can control me!" Koori no Senshi shouted angrily about to charge forward when he stopped after noticing something.
"Oh, you noticed it didn't you? With this set up, you cannot rush at full speed past me when you attack or you might hit the ice wall behind me and you can't attack from either of my sides without alerting me you're there leaving you only with one of two options – attacking from above me or directly in front at an extremely lower speed." Yuki said putting his hands together.
"This guy, he really was controlling my movements with those walls and I didn't even think about that during that first strike!" Koori no Senshi thought surprised when he noticed Yuki getting ready for another Ninjutsu. "This human… he may just be more interesting than I first though. I might be able to have more fun with him… that is if he can hold out." It thought pleased with his decision to set Yuki free from the ice.
"Secret Art – Ice Manipulation!" Yuki thought making the hand seals: Bird, Serpent, Monkey, Ox, and Ram pulling what appeared to be an exact replica of Koori no Senshi's sword out of the ice wall to his right.
"Ice Manipulation…? No, it couldn't be. It must be something else – that's right, it's something else, there is no other explanation." Koori no Senshi thought caught off-guard by Yuki's jutsu.
"Now, let us settle this dispute with our blades! I will make you submit to me!" Yuki shouted now determined to make Koori no Senshi obey him.
"A little confidence and you're this full of yourself? Don't take me this lightly, human." Koori no Senshi said vanishing nearly instantly followed by a large explosion to Yuki's left.
The ice wall that Yuki had created turned completely into powder snow. Yuki quickly turned to block the attack with the ice sword and the kunai. He had successfully blocked but the sword turned to powder and the kunai cracked slightly sending him back into the wall that was previously on his right side. Yuki slid down the wall slowly spitting out a little blood before standing up to see Koori no Senshi standing in front of him.
"Is this all you've got? I figured those walls would be a light stronger than that but I was wrong, you are a lot weaker than I expected. For that, I'll give you the mercy of dying quickly." Koori no Senshi said about to charge forward at full force again.
"He's a lot stronger than I thought – he even managed to crack the kunai with his sword and it's only made of ice! If he hits this next attack with me like this, I'm finished!" Yuki thought looking at his cracked kunai. "I have to calm down and dodge this next attack." He continued slowing down his breathing while closing his eyes.
"Looks like you're prepared for death – then I will oblige you by finishing you off!" Koori no Senshi shouted charging full speed forward.
Just as Yuki heard the foot step forward, he dove to his right. Koori no Senshi went flying by his left side slightly cutting his hair as he passed by turning the next wall into powder like the previous one.
"That was a close one! But now he took down two of the three walls, just one more to go." Yuki thought quickly getting up against the final wall with his back to it while pulling another sword from it with his right hand and pulling another kunai out of his sleeve with his left hand.
"Not bad, not bad at all but now you're starting to make me angry." Koori no Senshi said annoyed by Yuki's dodging the last attack.
"Just one more wall." Yuki thought looking at Koori no Senshi as it stepped directly in front of him. "Come on, I'm still good enough to fight! Give me all you've got!" He shouted trying to provoke Koori no Senshi.
"If you want to die so bad, I'll kill you for sure this time!" Koori no Senshi shouted enraged by Yuki provoking it.
Koori no Senshi took a step forward and Yuki jumped forward in the air just as Koori no Senshi rushed forward. The timing was nearly off leaving him slightly in the path of the attack so he used the ice sword and kunai to block sending him back through the air to the other side of the wall turning the ice sword to powder and shattering the kunai this time around. But, Koori no Senshi still turned the final wall into powder before stopping on the other side about ten feet in front of Yuki while he lay on the ground from that last block.
"So, you thought you could jump over me that easily? Not a chance, human. Now, I'll end this fun." Koori no Senshi said slowly walking towards Yuki when he noticed Yuki do the hand seals: Ram, Bird, Horse, Dragon, Snake, Monkey, Boar, Tiger making the three piles of snow turn into oval balls of snow taking Koori no Senshi's shape. "I see, you know the Ice Enclave. Too bad that is futile. Ice Clone!" It shouted moving its hands together after stabbing the ice sword into the ground.
"Ice Clones…? It can do hand seals and Ninjutsu…?!" Yuki thought surprised when he noticed Koori no Senshi do the hand seals: Serpent, Bird, and Tiger.
The three oval stacks of snow that were starting to take Koori no Senshi's form suddenly turned into ice clones of the golem instead. The three clones instantly appeared next to the real Koori no Senshi looking directly at Yuki.
"No way, he turned my snow piles against me and into his own clones! And he even knows how to do Ninjutsu!" Yuki thought in complete shock over what he had seen.
"Surprised I was able to do that? Then I'll tell you something even more surprising. You see these clones here – they have exactly the same strength I do. That is one of my special abilities. Now, how long can you hold up against four of me?" Koori no Senshi asked when he lifted his right hand and motioned for them to move forward by flicking his wrist forward.
"Now I'm in the worst case scenario with four golems but are they really at his level?" Yuki thought when the first clone moved toward instantly smashing into the ground where Yuki had just been half a second ago leaving a large crater in the ground launching dirt into the air. "That was close! They're definitely as fast as he is!" He thought rolling again just in time to miss getting crushed by the second one. "These guys don't even leave me with…!" He started to think while getting up when he jumped back just missing the third one as it smashed into the ground between his legs sending him rolling on the ground to the feet of the real Koori no Senshi.
"Now do you see the difference in our strength? You are too weak, human." Koori no Senshi said about to stab Yuki with its sword when a kunai moved it just enough to make him stab the ice sword into the ground next to Yuki. "Who dares interfere with me!?" It shouted angrily turning to see Masakatsu standing near a tree with the three Genin and Kosuke.
"Masakatsu…?" Yuki asked surprised to see him there.
"I figured the explosions I saw and heard over here had to be connected to you, Yuki. So what's the story with this guy?" Masakatsu asked looking towards Koori no Senshi but he had vanished. "Huh? Where did he…?"
"Looking for me?" Koori no Senshi asked standing behind the five of them.
"He moved so quick…!" Kosuke thought shocked by what she was seeing.
"That thing is already behind us…!?" Takeo thought turning around slowly to see Koori no Senshi.
"Huh…?" Kazuki thought turning around to see Koori no Senshi as his Ninjaken started to pulse slightly.
"So fast…!" Ayaka thought standing still in dismay.
"Just what did Yuki end up fighting against…?" Masakatsu thought as he turned around with a kunai in his left hand stabbing Koori no Senshi in the throat with it.
"All of you get away from it! Masakatsu, drop the kunai!" Yuki shouted when Masakatsu's kunai started to freeze.
"This ability…! It's our two clan's jutsu! That would mean this thing is one of the summons!" Masakatsu thought letting go of the kunai and jumping back along with the four others.
"How boring, is that all you've got? Another weak human but what of the other four of you?" Koori no Senshi asked looking at Takeo, Kosuke, Kazuki, and Ayaka.
"Koori no Senshi, leave them out of this! This fight is between you and me!" Yuki shouted getting up on his feet.
"Oh, my, you're correct. How will I ever solve this problem?" Koori no Senshi asked in a mocking manner. "Oh! I know exactly how to solve it! You five will have to deal with my clones over there while I'm busy with Yuki. Make sure you give them enough fun before you all die." It said before appearing before Yuki swinging at him with his right hand but Yuki quickly ducked and was about counter with a kick but quickly stopped after remembering what would happen if he had touched it.
"Make sure not to touch him or you'll freeze like that kunai!" Yuki shouted before concentrating fully on his fight.
The three clones slowly started walking towards Masakatsu, Kosuke, Takeo, Kazuki, and Ayaka. Nearly instantly the four others looked at Masakatsu with an annoyed look.
"What is it?" Masakatsu asked with a fake smile.
"Never mind the fact we've been training for a while now and we've been carelessly pulled into this fight but what is the plan?" Ayaka asked glaring at Masakatsu.
"Sorry?" Masakatsu asked shaking his head and getting it into gear. "Anyway, I will take one of them but the other two will have to be taken care of by you four. Takeo and Kosuke will take the one on the right while Kazuki and Ayaka take the one to the left. I'll take the ugly one in the middle. They're only golems so if you defeat one they'll vanish and we'll move on to help the next group until we've finished off the clones and move on to helping Yuki. Got it?" He asked sounding more confident than his usual goofy self.
"Got it." Takeo, Kosuke, Kazuki, and Ayaka responded ready to fight.
"One more thing, make sure you don't come into direct contact with the golem or you'll most likely be frozen solid and neither Yuki nor I know how to reverse the jutsu yet." Masakatsu said rushing forward with the four students following behind – Takeo and Kosuke were to his right while Kazuki and Ayaka were to his left.
"Kazuki, don't you dare screw this one up! This guy looks powerful so don't you dare even try to make a hand seal!" Ayaka shouted glancing over at Kazuki.
"I'll only do a jutsu if we really need it. Until then, I'll use my Koori no Tsurugi." Kazuki said pulling out his Ninjaken from its sheath.
"Are you really sure about using that thing? I mean you know, about what happened before…" Ayaka whispered to Kazuki.
"It shouldn't be a problem since there's a new mamori in the grip. It'll be fine as long as it doesn't get worn out or burnt by someone!" Kazuki stated glancing towards Ayaka.
"I said I was sorry!" Ayaka shouted angrily.
"Would you two focus! They're right in front of us!" Masakatsu shouted pulling out a kunai in each hand and stabbing the clone in the center through the chest with them but they fell to the ground in blocks of ice.
Takeo and Kosuke looked at the ice golem clone ahead of them and then one another with a nod. Kosuke fell behind Takeo slowing down a little before they arrived in front of the golem.
"Thunder Style – Lightning Rod Jutsu!" Takeo thought making the hand seals: Ram, Bird, Boar, Rat, and Horse creating a bolt of lightning from the ground bouncing in and out of the ground like a snake towards the golem.
"Thunder Style – Lightning Spear!" Kosuke thought making the hand seals: Ox, Tiger, Dragon, Rabbit, and Horse followed by a large electric bolt shot out of the ground and into her hand.
The bolt took the shape of a staff with a sharp tip at one end like a spear. Takeo slowed down and Kosuke moved ahead of him with the snake like lightning following beside her. Once Kosuke was right in front of the ice golem she thrust it forward into its chest with the lightning bolt going into the staff and injecting directly into the golem as Kosuke pierced it. Kosuke pulled the staff out of the ice golem's chest exactly after the lightning bolt transferred over into the golem. She jumped back next to Takeo looking at her staff and it had no sign of freezing over.
Ayaka took the lead as Kazuki fell back a few feet with his Ninjaken in hand. Ayaka kept a sharp eye on the golem trying to decide her attack when she thought of something to do.
"Fire Style – Fire Bolt Jutsu!" Ayaka thought making the hand seals: Tiger, Bird, Ram, Tiger, and Ox spitting out a large ball of fire hitting the ice golem clone in the chest.
"Now it's my turn!" Kazuki shouted passing Ayaka and stabbing the clone with the Ninjaken into the exact part of the chest that was hit with the fire bolt.
"That blade…! Boy, how do you have that weapon?" The Third Clone asked standing there with the Ninjaken stabbed through its chest without it freezing over.
"Kazuki, your Ninjaken isn't freezing!" Ayaka stated surprised pointing at the Ninjaken.
"Hey! You're right! Ha-ha!" Kazuki shouted happily while the Koori no Senshi's third clone stood there getting angry the two of them were ignoring him.
"How dare you ignore me!" The Third Clone shouted angrily pulling the Ninjaken out of its chest followed by a punch to Kazuki's gut that started to freeze his sweat shirt.
"Ugh!" Kazuki uttered in pain jumping back to get away from the clone. "My shirt!" He shouted realizing it was starting to freeze.
Kazuki quickly lifted the sweat shirt off revealing a white tank top underneath as he threw the shirt away. The shirt froze solid just before it hit the ground when the clone suddenly appeared in front of Kazuki swinging its right fist directly at him.
"Kazuki!" Ayaka shouted rushing over but before she got close, Kazuki blocked the attack with his Ninjaken but didn't notice the left leg coming directly at him. "Secret Art – Fire Dragon!" She thought making the hand seals: Snake, Tiger, Rat, and Ox firing a large stream of fire in the shape of a dragon towards the clone.
The flames consumed the clone just before its leg made contact with Kazuki's side but instead it hit the grip of the Ninjaken. Suddenly something made a crackling sound as if it had been frozen followed by some white powder coming from it as Kazuki jumped back. The severed leg ducked back into the thick smoke suddenly.
"Kazuki, are you okay?" Ayaka asked finally arriving next to Kazuki as the smoke from the last attack finally started to clear.
"Oh I'm just fine." Kazuki said in a more confident voice while taking his glasses off and putting then away with his spare ones.
"That was a little too hot for comfort, little girl." The Third Clone said walking out from the smoke revealing a burning wooden log.
"A substitution jutsu…?" Ayaka asked turning towards the clone in dismay.
"Correct. Too bad I've become angry though or you two might have lived long enough to see tomorrow!" The Third Clone shouted angrily about to charge forward.
"Do you really think you can defeat us? Not a chance in hell, Koori no Senshi!" Kazuki shouted turning towards the clone revealing he had the glowing pale turquoise eyes once again.
"What is this? The boy has a great deal of chakra suddenly… and his eyes are glowing as well." The Third Clone said noticing Kazuki's change. "Boy, do not speak of what you know nothing of. I am not to be underestimated!" It shouted enraged while taking a step forward about to attack Kazuki.
"Kazuki, what are you saying? You'll get yourself… killed… Kazuki…?" Ayaka asked finally noticing the grin on his face and his glowing eyes.
"Do not underestimate me either, pitiful clone!" Kazuki shouted when the clone appeared next to Kazuki swinging its right fist at him but he nearly instantly lifted the Ninjaken in his left hand blocking with little to no effort at all.
"What…!? This boy easily blocked my attack as if it were nothing!?" The Third Clone thought dumbfounded by what had just happened.
"Is that really all you've got? I thought a high level summon like yourself would at least be able to move my weapon even a little - how disappointing." Kazuki said pushing the clone's right fist back before throwing it full force with the Ninjaken sending the clone flying back ten feet. "Girl, get back, I'll handle this thing on my own."
"Girl!? I have a name you know!" Ayaka shouted enraged about him calling her a girl.
"Fine, Aikuha, Akira, or whatever your name is, get back. This thing is too much for your current state." Kazuki said motioning for Ayaka to move back when she rushed over to him furious and punched him in the head. "Hey, I'm telling you for your own good to stay back!" He shouted when the clone suddenly appeared in front of Kazuki and Ayaka.
"Too late, kid." The Third Clone said thrusting its left hand up at Ayaka's abdomen.
"I don't think so. I want the real Koori no Senshi because these clones don't make the cut." Kazuki said blocking the attack with his Ninjaken again.
"Oh, you're an interesting one, aren't you? What is your name, boy?" The Third Clone asked interested in Kazuki's surprising power.
"Y… Kazuki Sakai of the Village Hidden in the Snow." Kazuki said when Ayaka suddenly pulled out a mamori out of Kazuki's bag and placed it under one weave of the grip forcing Kazuki back to normal.
"Kazuki, are you okay?" Ayaka asked while Kazuki stood there confused.
"What… just happened? Did it happen again…?" Kazuki asked unsure of what was going on.
"Did they forget about me again…!?" The Third Clone thought angry since it hated being ignored.
"Yes. Now, that you're normal again, let's finish this guy off once and for all." Ayaka said looking towards the clone.
"Ayaka, I don't think that was the right idea to stop it this time. What I felt that time… wasn't evil but something good. Forgive me but I must take this off!" Kazuki shouted pulling off the mamori from the grip and quickly tucked back into his pouch. "Don't stop me until this guy has been defeated!"
"Kazuki, you idiot! You'll never become stronger until you fight with your own strength!" Ayaka shouted when she was pushed back.
"Are these kids mentally stable?" The Third Clone thought watching the event unfold before it when there was a sudden explosion of chakra from Kazuki.
"He-he-he-he, idiots, morons, fools! Thank you both for releasing me, I have been bored since the last time I was sealed!" Kazuki shouted crazily looking around when he noticed Ayaka. "You – you're the one that is responsible for sealing me again. That wasn't very nice, you know?"
"I can't take them ignoring me anymore! Human kids these days are so disrespectful!" The Third Clone thought furious about being ignored and quickly rushed at Kazuki.
"I didn't realize you were this slow." Kazuki said standing behind the clone.
"This is impossible…! That kid shouldn't be even close to this speed – yet he was able to pass me without even noticing." The Third Clone thought in shock when he slowly started to turn around to kick hum but Kazuki quickly cut its right leg off with his Ninjaken.
"Too slow – now die, clone!" Kazuki stated slashing the clone up nearly instantly.
"But… how did he do it…?" The Third Clone asked dumbfounded by what happened.
"You underestimated your opponent and died of a result of it." Kazuki said as the clone crumbled into powdery snow. "Now, that the annoying fool is out of the way – why don't we go back to punishing the wicked, starting with you." He said looking at Ayaka when his left hand slowly started moving on its own grabbing a mamori from his pouch.
"Kazuki, you don't want to do this. Snap out of it, Kazuki!" Ayaka shouted when his left hand quickly place the mamori on the grip.
"Damn you Kazuki!!" Kazuki shouted when he suddenly fell over.
"Kazuki!" Ayaka shouted rushing over to him.
Over to the west, Takeo and Kosuke were fighting the second clone. Their combined lightning attack had done little to no damage leaving them both surprised with the clone's defense.
"Kosuke, I have a plan but I'm going to need you to do exactly what I tell you." Takeo said looking over at Kosuke.
"I'm okay with that." Kosuke said looking over at Takeo when the clone appeared between them.
"Well, I'm not quite okay with that plan! Ice Shards!" The Second Clone shouted making the hand seals: Tiger, Serpent, Bird, and Ox launching ice shards from its body directly at Takeo and Kosuke.
"This thing can do Ninjutsu…!?" Takeo asked dumbfounded by what he was seeing as the shards came closer.
"Too close to dodge! I didn't expect it to be able to do hand seals…!" Kosuke thought frozen in shock.
Author Notes:
Many things lead to this coming out late but it's out now so go ahead and review and I'll try to make the next chapter better with the feedback I get. As for the next chapter, it'll either come out this coming weekend or the next considering it's the holiday season and I'm starting to become more and more busy and I plan on working on a little Bleach Christmas special just for fun with a Yuki Takashi one to come out later on. So if the next one doesn't come out soon or if I don't post by Christmas, Happy Holidays everyone and a merry Christmas!
-Steve Masters