Murasa was atop the crow's nest, just beginning her watch for the night. It was about 4am, and her exhaustion was finally catching up to her. Her eyes soon grew heavy, and she couldn't help but fall asleep.

"A girl?! But we did everything in our power to have a boy! This is outrageous!"

"Now, darling, while this is an unfortunate turn of events, you musn't be so hasty in your harsh words. Perhaps she can benefit us in her own way."

Murasa had relived this exact nightmare an infinite number of times after her death. It still got to her, despite the numerous amount of repetitions of it, and its de-evolution into sounds and feelings.

"Sit up straight!" "Don't you have any common sense?!" "You're a worthless child."

"No, — , you can't go play with those boys. You're too fragile." "Stay inside. You might get hurt out there." "We do love you, darling, in out own sort of way."

Her heart ached just thinking about all of the things her parents had ever said to her. Even the little things got under her skin. She was miserable.

"To the docks? Again? Don't you have anything better to do?"

The harbor was her one solace. The gentle lapping of the waves and the smooth bobbing of the ships soothed her war-torn heart, mending at least some of the damage.

"Your heart seems to belong to the sea, lass. How would you like to work aboard my ship? Just for a few days, nothing serious."

And there he was, without fail. The kindly old ship hand that took her under his wing. He was a fine gentleman, even if Murasa only knew him for 3 days.

"—, go up to the crow's nest! It's safer for you up there! Our ship may sink, but at least we'll rest easy knowing someone is alive!"

Of course, stubborn as she was, she didn't listen. This ship was her home, and if it went down, she was going down with it. Or at least, that's what she thought at the time.

All at once, her senses were overwhelmed by sea water. It was everywhere. Her stomach, her nose, even her lungs were filled to the brim with saltwater. It clawed at her insides, burning and stinging and leaving destruction in its wake. She wanted out. This feeling was still awful, even now, centuries later. She tried to scream, but the oppressive ocean silenced her. It held her and refused to let go, despite her desperate pleading. It was cruel, merciless, and unfeeling. And she hated it. God, she hated it. Her chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself. Everything began to fade, and her breathing grew more and more shallow...

Murasa jolted awake, looking around warily. She wasn't underwater, like she had thought, but she was in the crow's nest of a ship. Speedwagon leaned on the railing, a concerned smile on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, miss." he said.

Murasa was unbelievably embarrassed. Her face was wet with tears, and she had a feeling her eyes were red and bloodshot.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came up to get some fresh air, and I heard some pretty hefty screaming. And then I found you, about to fall. You're okay, I hope?" he said.

"...Yeah. I'm alright, I guess." Murasa lied.

"It's impossible to lie to a liar and a cheat, you know. What's troubling you?"

Murasa rubbed the back of her neck. As much as she wanted to bear her soul to him, she also didn't want to be a burden.

"Just had a nightmare, is all. Nothing serious."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. You can tell me. I don't mind listening. What was the nightmare about?"

"...My death. Or, at least the circumstances surrounding it."

"Death, huh? I understand. We're all afraid to die, lass. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, you don't understand. I'm already dead. They don't call me things like funa yuurei or ship ghost for nothing. I'm the ghost of a drowning victim, and I was originally very bitter against humans. To the point where I would sink every ship I came across. Then, I met Byakuren, and..." Murasa trailed off, her voice beginning to waver. "And, she saved me. Saved me from the monster I had become. Even so... I can't shake my past, and it's been coming back to haunt me for ages, now. Both my living years, and what came after. People still think ill of me, to this day."

She felt something heavy and warm drape itself over her shoulders. He had given her his coat.

"You're not alone. We all have emotional baggage; hell, my past is full of things I regret, and things that I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemies. That doesn't effect you, in the long run. The present is what matters. And besides, we're the lucky ones. We had someone save us. If Mr. Joestar wouldn't have spared my life that night... who knows what I would be up to today. I might not even be alive."

He sighed, and looked up into the starry sky.

"Why don't you tell me about what's weighing on your heart? You seem like you need someone to talk to, especially after what you just told me. Don't leave out a single detail, either."

"It's a long story. I was born in a town where boys were coveted and girls were scorned, so I was a disappointment from the get-go. My childhood was filled with confusion and verbal abuse. My mother hated me. She'd always call me 'stupid' and 'worthless' and other things like that, and my father 'loved' me from arms reach. Everything I did was a mistake. Up until I was... 14, I think? I had always been unhappy. At that age, I discovered my love for the sea. I was always down at the local harbor, watching the ships come in and out of port for hours. When I turned 17, a ship hand invited me to work with him, and I practically jumped at the chance. Everything had been going well, until a surprise storm had hit. The ship was going under fast, and the ship hand tried to save me... But my stubbornness won over, and I drowned along with the rest of the crew. Except, something wouldn't let me move on. I saw my parents when my body was found, and how they wept and wept for days. I screamed and shouted 'Mama! Papa! I'm still alive! I'm right here!', over and over, but they couldn't hear me. I ran away, and ambled about the countryside, sinking every ship I came across. I wandered for so long, I had forgotten my name, and practically everything about myself. Eventually, I ended up here, and Byakuren saved me. That day, she asked me, 'What is your name, funa yuurei?', and while I couldn't remember my real name, I remembered something a local called me, a long time ago. I proudly proclaimed, 'I am Murasa, sinker of ships!' and she giggled at me. My surname didn't come until much later, but I didn't mind. And, well, the rest is history."

She looked wistfully out at the sea, the balmy night air enveloping her like a thick blanket. Murasa missed the Myouren Temple. She missed Byakuren, and Shou, and Nazrin, and Kogasa, and Ichirin, and Nue, and even Mamizou. Speedwagon was silent for a while, but eventually spoke in a whispery tone.

"I see. For a girl your age, you've been through so much. I can see why you wouldn't want to tell anyone about it, especially an old worrywart like me. In fact... You get some rest, Captain. I'll take up the watch from here."

"Oh, no, you don't have to-"

"It's alright. I wasn't planning on sleeping, anyways. You've had a rough night, and you'll need all your strength for when we fight that bastard DIO."

Murasa's protests fell on deaf ears, and eventually she gave up on trying to convince him. As she mounted the ladder to descend to the top deck, she swore she could see his shoulders shake a bit. She retreated into her quarters, and fell into a deep, restful slumber, for the first time in over 100 years.