A girl with long silver-white hair and odd blue-purple eyes stared worriedly out the window.

"We've gone almost a month without an attack, Kerio. They must be planning something big."

"Ella, I really don't think you should be on this ship--"

"Oh, stop it," The girl, Ella, rolled her eyes, "I'm already on here. What are you going to do, pitch me off the boat?"

"I've half a mind to! That was a rotten thing you did, Ella," the boy, apparently Kerio, grumbled, "Yes, indeed it was! You snuck in on the ship, even though Father said strictly--"

"Oh, forget what Father says! Are you my body guard or my brother?! All I wanted was a little adventure! A little excitement! Can you blame a girl for that?! Egad! I really--"

Suddenly she flew forward and Kerio caught her. Her fall was caused by the huge explosion rocking the entire ship. Ella stood up, surprised, then grinned.

"See, I told you! Adenture! Let's go see what it is, Kerio!" She exclaimed and almost ran out the door, but Kerio grabbed the collar of her baby-blue dress. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

"The big idea is to keep you safe, Ella."

"Lemme go, lemme--"

"No." Kerio quickly shut the door and turned the lights off, forcing Ella under the table. His voice was nothing more than a whisper, "This is dangerous, Ella. Life-threatening! I mean it! I don't want you hurt. You're the daughter of a nobleman now -act- like it! Pirates never hesitate to kill, so you -must- be careful, you got that?"

Ella looked up at him, seeming a little afraid now. "....You really think it's pirates, Kerio?"

"Yes I do. Just.... keep quiet and whatever you do, don't move." Kerio looked down worriedly at his sister.

Ella nodded, putting her head on her knees. She looked at her brother, as if to say, 'what's the matter?'. He was standing up, stiff as a board, hand on his flintlock. Kerio wouldn't look down at her. The door burst open.

"Where's Ella Konimeti?!" roared a voice and Ella looked up, terrified.

There in the doorway stood a six-eyed figure with a flintlock and a sword. Kerio shifted slightly infront of the table Ella was hiding under.

"She's not here," he said firmly.

"You lie! Tell me the truth! It's your last chance, lad!"

"The truth is she's not here," repeated Kerio.

"I told you this was your last chance."

The man with six eyes charged forward and stabbed a sword through Kerio. Kerio's head lolled onto his chest, his eyes open but blank. Ella screamed and dove on the six-eyed man. He was knocked into the wall, where he slumped. Ella ran over to her brother's limp figure and threw her arms around his neck, crying hard.

"Wake up, Kerio.... wake up..... this is all my fault... I'm sorry..... Can't I go instead of you.....?" she cried into his shoulder. Her dress was stained red from the blood gushing from Kerio.

"Aye, lass, he won't be wakin' up," the six-eyed man said gruffly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! YOU KILLED KERIO! I'LL KILL YOU!" Ella yelled angrily, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm Captain Nathaniel Flint," He took off his captain's hat, "But that's Nate to you, my sweet. I know who you are... you're comin' with me."

"NO!" she dove across the floor for her brother's dagger, then reached up to stab Flint.

"Oh no ya don't," he chuckled, picking her up by the arm. She gasped and dropped the dagger. "Ya think I'm so weak that I'll let a twenty year old girl stab me with a puny little dagger?"

"Just leave me alone. Have you not done enough to ruin my life yet?! Hm?! Was killing my brother not enough for you?!"
"Ah, he just got in the way. Had he not been so stubborn, he might be alive."

"NEVER SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT KERIO!" she screamed, kicking him the stomach.

"Ah, getting a little violent there, are we, love?" he smiled wickedly, wincing involuntarily.

"DAMN RIGHT I'M VIOLENT!"

"Watch that pretty mouth of yours, Ella.... You wouldn't want people to get the wrong opinion of you." Flint chuckled again and put a kicking and screaming Ella over his shoulder.

"Put me down you.... freaking.... pervert! I mean it, you brute!"

"Ah, a brute, am I? Never heard that one before. You, my dear, are quite the beauty, and a free spirit at that. What would you say to a whole life of riches?"

"Over my dead body, creep!"

He grinned. "I always like a challenge...."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Love, don't ya realize who I am? I am Captain Nathaniel Flint. Best pirate to ever live... First to collect what all my friends and foes call, 'the loot of a thousands worlds'..."

"What friends?! There are no friends among pirates. You're all backstabbing, treasure stealing muderers, the lot of you!" Ella fumed.

"Well, Miss Ella.... You're to be my lady."

"Says who, you sonova--"

"Watch your mouth, dearest," he reminded her, smirking, "....Well, let us make a deal. I'll take you away for, say, two months. If you don't like me by then, I'll let you go. Is it a deal?"

"We'll never come to a full agreement.... The time I spend with you, you mustn't kill anyone. Are we clear, Captain Flint?"
"Like I said, that's Nate. And okay, I'll deal with that. Let's go, Miss Ella...."

Ella sighed and finally stopped fighting. "Jerk...."

"B.E.N.! Attend to Lady Ella at once!" Nate barked at a bronze robot.

"Yessir! Sir!" B.E.N. nodded officially as Nate let Ella down gently and B.E.N. took her by the arm, leading her away.

"So your name is B.E.N. ..."

"Bio Electronic Navigator at your service, Lady Ella!" he grinned.

"That's Ella," she smiled fondly, "Just Ella."

"Oh. Okay," B.E.N. beamed. "Wow! Natey hasn't ever taken a shining to someone like that, Ella!"

"Why couldn't he have taken a shining to someone else?" she sighed, "As a matter of fact, why did he have to attack this particular ship?"

"Did he kill someone again?" B.E.N. looked at Ella worriedly.

"...My brother," Ella whispered.

"Ah...." B.E.N. shook his head, "A bit moody, Natey.... Er... What's that he goes by? Flint? Yeah. Don't think he'd wanna hear me call him Natey," B.E.N. gulped, "In any case....Sorry about your brother. But really, Flint isn't so bad of a guy."
"That's why he stabbed my brother all the way through," Ella said darkly.

"Euch. He hasn't been that bad in a while. You got him in a good mood, Ella! Oh, welcome to Flint's ship! He's getting a new one soon.... but this one is called the Aenmn."

"The what?"

"Ay-en-mm-en."

"Oh."

"But your cabin will be... Hm.... first, second, third, fourth.... la la la.... Thirteen! The thirteenth door on the right!" B.E.N. nodded. "There's anything you might need here... I'll go talk to the cook! Anything special y'want, Ella?"
"No.... not hungry...." Ella mumbled, shaking her head and flopping down on the bed.

"You okay, kiddo?"

"...It's all my fault. Kerio is dead cuz of me. Me. Stupid, good-for-nothing Ella," she burried her face in the pillow.

"Aw, Ellie...." B.E.N. frowned, sitting down next to where she lay sprawled out. "You're not stupid or good for nothing!"

She mumbled something inaudible through her pillow but sounded pretty much like, "Whatever."

"For really, Ellie!"

"....Ellie?"

"Oh, is it okay that I call you that?"

"Sure. I've just never had a nickname."

"You haven't?! That must be horrible! So tell me why you think you're stupid and good for nothing."

"What are you, a shrink?" Ella sighed, exasperated. "...Well, lemme think. Where do I start? Number one. I was always supposed to be Daddy's Little Girl. Guess what? I'm not, and everyone is mad at me. Number two. Look at me! I'm horrid! Ugh, who has white hair anyways? I'm pale with ugly eyes and awful hair. Number three. I always screw everything up. Need I go on?"
"Just cuz you're different doesn't mean you're -bad-, Ellie! I'm different. Am -I- bad?" he grinned cheesilly at Ella.

"No," Ella couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, B.E.N....."

"No problem, Ellie!" He beamed and started rolling off, humming to himself.

"Wait!" Ella called after him as she jumped up, looking down at her blood-stained dress.

"Hm?" B.E.N. turned around, waiting patiently for Ella to continue.

"Is there anything I can use to make an outfit out of? Is there a spare tunic I could wear?"

"Ah, Flint always carried extra supplies! He'd never want you wearing a tunic, though. I'll go getcha a few dresses!"

B.E.N. disappeared down the hallway. Ella waited until he returned with two plain white dresses, on deep purple one and a pink one. B.E.N. respectfully came up with an excuse to go to the deck, and once he was gone Ella changed into one of the two white dressses, wadding her baby blue one up and shoving it into a far corner of the closet. She couldn't stand it right now. Ella sighed, sinking down onto the bed, exausted.

"Can you see his secrets... can you feel his wrath?" said a mysterious, melodious voice.

Ella stood up, reaching through the firey abyss. "Who..."

"I am the future, past, and present..."

Ella fell hard onto a cold black surface.The fire raging around her suddenly disappeared, and icy chill washed over the entire place. It was freezing. Ella curled up into a ball, closing her eyes miserably but only seeing images of her brother dead on the floor.

"Helloooooooo!" sang a woman's voice cheerfully, "Lady Ella! Flint sent me to ask you to come up to the deck."'

Ella groaned and rolled over, pulling the sheet over her head. "Whussat.....?" she mumbled.

The woman laughed. "Ella, wake up! Flint requests your presence on the deck, okay? Seriously, wake up. My name is Pyria."
"Thanks, Pyria..." yawned Ella. "Got a hairbrush?" Her waist-length hair was everywhere.

"Sure," Pyria laughed, "Just a second." She returned with a odd-looking comb and Ella brushed her hair out.

Ella smiled and nodded, waved at Pyria before going on deck. The stars twinkled brightly, but it wasn't that at which she stared. A strange, unfamilliar surface floated below Ella. She ran to the edge of the deck, peering eagerly over to see just where they were at. Her eyes searched the planet for any sign that it had life on it. A hand fell onto her shoulder and she jumped, startled.

"Jumpy, aren't we?" Flint chuckled.

"You wanted me up here... because why?"
"Because I wanted you to see your new.... well, temporary.... home.... Treasure Planet."

"Oh, sure. This is the infamous Treasure Planet. Mm hm. Sure. And give me a good reason to believe you."
"I'll show you," Flint grinned deviously, grabbing her arm and shouting an order over his shoulder and they started to land. "Now, you stick close to me, and I mean that." Flint comanded Ella seriously.

"Why?! This is all new! No exploring?! That's.... That's inhuman!"

"Exploring?" Flint laughed, "Is that all you're after? Tomorow, Ella. Tomorow. Today we get you settled in."

"Fine," Ella grumbled.

"You are quite the spirited young lady!" grinned Flint.

"....Well, thanks, I think," muttered Ella.

"You're welcome," Flint smiled, "Let's go...."

They walked off the ship, Ella trailing slightly behind Flint. Flint pulled an odd, metal sphere out of an inside pocket of his jacket. He knelt down and fit the sphere into a slot in the ground. It fit perfectly, and lime green light started to pour through identations in the ground. Suddenly a huge door openned up, leading to a place that almost blinded you because it was so full of gold.

"This is most definetly Treasure Planet," laughed Ella.

"...Never heard you laugh before, Ella. Do it more often."

"That's an order," Ella said softly, "And I don't take orders."

"Ah.... Past issues, methinks? Well, in any case, please laugh more often."

She didn't reply and Flint looked over at her, surprised at her look of rebellion suddenly. Before she had seemed extremely calm. He looked over at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Ella said sarcastically. "Only, hm, I have been kidnapped, aye, that might count for something, and also that I am standing beside my brother's murderer who seems to fancy me, and I am stranded on this Godforsaken planet with a man I want nothing to do with." She crossed her arms.

Flint burst out laughing. "You certainly are a stubborn one.... I don't mind, Ella, love... Not one bit."