Now that I'm settled in my house, my next two years planned, and summer relaxation out of the way, I can get back to some serious writing, especially on FF.net. ENJOY!

Dilgear stood on the foredeck, eyes on a particularly nasty storm cloud off in the western distance. It could prove troublesome if the wind shifted, but right now it was merely a small distraction from the yelling of the men and the scurrying of heavy booted feet. They had been on edge for two days now, ever since that girl showed up.

These men were rough and tough sailors, the finest and fiercest that the port cities had to offer. Captain Zelgadis had hand-picked them himself to ensure that their loyalties and abilities were his to command. They had well over fifty men employed at any given time, and all of them loved the ladies accordingly whenever they put into port. This in itself made Dilgear nervous about the young lady quartered in a spare cabin next to Captain Zelgadis's. A young lady should not be permitted to stay on a ship unchaperoned among such brutes.

Yet there she was, standing at the helm, issuing orders as if she were first mate instead of him. She stood at the helm, her white dress billowing in the wind, and her sunset hair glowing in the dim sunshine. It amused Dilgear to watch her work with the men, and was delighted to find that she actually knew what she was talking about. Not many women that Dilgear was associated with knew anything about ships besides the fact that they went on the water, but this young slip of a girl, barely even old enough to be called a woman, was giving his hard-handed crew a run for their money.

He leaned against the railing, folding his heavy arms over his massive chest, a faint smile playing on his lips as his eyes drifted to the bow sprint, where Captain Zelgadis was leaning. The Captain's eyes were dark as they glowered at the girl in front of him. Dilgear knew that the Captain didn't like women very much, finding most of them silly and a complete waste of good time and words. The only woman who was ever close to him at all was Amelia, his dear little cousin. She had been a little ball of energy with blue black hair and flashing eyes. She had come on several of the Captain's treasure hunting missions, assisting him in his shamanic magic. But that dear little creature was gone now, victim of a dreadful disease that claimed many of the young of the world. The Captain had been devastated to lose his cousin, the only female he could ever depend on.

Dilgear's eyes misted a little as he remember how happy the Captain was back then, when he was still a regular human and wasn't obsessed with finding mystical cures. His eyes were softer then, always sparkling when they looked down at the head of the young Amelia. Dilgear had long ago given up the hope that those eyes would reappear on the face of his Captain.

But now this new girl was here, this brave, strong, beautiful girl who seemed able to best the Captain at everything, including running a ship! Dilgear chuckled to himself as he watched the Captain rush forward to countermine an order that Miss Lina had just given, and burst into peals of laughter at the screaming match that ensued.

Lina was red in the face, screaming at Zelgadis's audacity to countermine her order to sail around the approaching storm. "Why on earth would you want to sail THROUGH the storm, you idiot?" she yelled, waving a delicate hand at the ever-growing storm cloud over Dilgear's shoulder. "It's lunacy! The entire ship will be pulverized, and your crew with it! Have you no concern for them?"

"I have every concern with getting my cure and getting YOU off my hands!" Zelgadis yelled back, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "My crew can handle themselves in storms! Why don't you go back to your room and at least PRETEND that you're supposed to be a hostage?!"

Lina glared at him and stomped off to the main riggings, scurrying up the tightly woven nets to the upper mast. She threw herself into the crow's nest with a final nasty look at the Captain, still muttering insults. Zelgadis sighed and turned to his crew, who were staring at him in rapt amazement. Their Captain was never frazzled by anything, and now he blows up over a girl?

"Back to work, you slugs!" Zelgadis yelled, scattering the crew to their various tasks. "We head straight through the storm, and I don't want to hear any grumblings! You know your storm duties, so get to them! And make sure everyone's lifelines are secured! Get going!"

This was one of the worst storms in Dilgear's memory. The waves were piled higher than castle ramparts, and the wind blew more fiercely than a dragon's breath. The raindrops surged at the crewmen, their velocity so great that some men were actually cut by the unrelenting rain and had to be taken below. Dilgear was holding fast to the helm, trying his best to keep the ship on a well-aimed course out of the storm. The rain was so thick that he could only see about two miles in front of the ship, and the waves crashed unremittingly against and over the sides of the ship. The men were tossed back and forth along the deck, being swept first one and then another way by waves crashing over the railings.

The men were holding up well in face of the monstrous typhoon they were facing. Strong, thick ropes wound around each of the men's waists, each secured to the main mast of the ship to prevent them from being swept overboard. Jillas, the little cabin boy, was even scurrying about checking lifelines, making sure they were all secure. The crew was well seasoned against storms, and most of them were cracking jokes in the face of this natural danger.

Captain Zelgadis stood beside Dilgear, watching the storm and shouting orders over the whining of the wind. Dilgear ignored most of his orders, knowing that his task was to keep the ship's heading true to the course. He squinted against the driving rain, and then felt his blood run cold as a lightening bolt tore across the heavens, showing the funnel cloud above them. He opened his mouth to scream at the Captain, and then another huge wave crashed over the upper railings, hammering against Dilgear's strong form.

He fell to the deck, unprepared for the wave. He slid along the upper decks, crashing into the side headfirst. His vision swam, and he vaguely saw the helm spinning out of control and the rudder sail, with its strong wooden beam, swinging towards Zelgadis. He tried to yell, but his voice was ripped away by the biting wind.

Zelgadis never even saw the sail beam coming. He saw Dilgear get washed away and was turning to help him back to the helm when the thick beam crashed into the side of his head, catapulting him through the air and towards the railing of he ship. He felt the lifeline jerk taut against his ribcage, and screamed as it snapped in twain, setting him free to be hurled overboard by the force of the beam's blow. The valiant idea to summon a Raywing spell to save himself sprang to his blurry mind too late as he plunged into the turbulent waters of the sea.

Lina stared, aghast, as Zelgadis was thrown overboard. Without even stopping to think about what she was doing, she snapped her lifeline free and dived off the high support towards the raging waters below. The wind tore her hair free of the restraints she had tied around it, and her dress, already soaked, billowed out with the force of her fall. Her mind was empty except for a single, desperate plea to the gods that she could reach him in time.

Dilgear saw her dive towards the sea, and was momentarily, deliriously convinced that an angel had dived from heaven to save the Captain. Then his mind took control of his senses again and he charged towards the railings, screaming out over the wind, "No! Miss Lina! NO!"

He saw her hit the water and dive deep, and then lost her as the waves swallowed her small form. "LINA! CAPTAIN ZELGADIS! ZELGADIIIIIIIISSSSSS!!!!!!!"

Crazy, no?