A/N: My brain hurts from composing the complicated pieces of TSF and TDK, so I'm gonna stick with this little drabble series. It will go in reverse order from when the SH joined, so from Brook to Zoro. Based off RedKetchup's These Forgotten Times.


"Socially challenged."

That was what the village doctors called him. That was the excuse his parents gave to the neighbors when they found their children running away from Brook in fear. That was why he was picked on by the village bullies.

After he had eaten that strange fruit, he was never the same.

Brook curled up tighter in the corner of the shop, eyes not leaving the scratches of his quill as he composed a ballad. Mother was manning the shop today; Father was rather tired from all the training exercises he coached for the trainees of the military. However, instead of speaking with Brook, the dark-haired woman only had her lips pursed and refused to look at her son.

Brook stared at her for a moment more, before returning his eyes to the sheet. Mother was still angry at him for earlier that day, when the village bullies had come again to tease him about his secluded behavior. By the time Mother had found him, the bullies were all slashed up and Brook was wielding Father's shikomizue.

Despite Brook's protests that it was self-defense, he found himself apologizing repeatedly to the bullies' parents (who were not very happy) and dragged back to the instrument shop by the ear.

Mother had not spoken a word since then, and Brook was perfectly content.


"Brook! Stop that!"

Brook looked up from his piece, and relaxed his hold on his violin. It was coming out so nice, too, even if he did have trouble playing the notes, and it was a little squeaky (okay, a lot squeaky).

Mother had opened the door to his room, though she made no move to close the gap between the two. "It's about five a.m.!" she sighed, resting her hands on her hips. Her messy curly hair bounced along with her movement, a smooth beige nightgown clinging to her moderately curvy figure. "You're making too much of a racket! Your father and I are still quite tired from working!"

Her eyes scanned her son's room as if for the first time, before raising an eyebrow and striding over, grabbing a pair of pink panties that lay on Brook's desk, which was cluttered with quills, paper, and ink. "Brook? Are these my panties?!" she glared at her son.

Brook shrugged, not looking the least bit ashamed. "It gives me inspiration for my music," he replied simply.

"You - " Mother sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Well, okay then. Don't start playing music so loudly until after I've had my coffee, at least, and I'll be taking my panties back." She muttered something under her breath. "It's too early in the morning for something like this."

"Liar," Brook suddenly mumbled quietly.

Mother blinked, before looking over at his son. "What did you say?" her voice took on an angry tone.

"I said you're a liar," Brook raised his voice. "You wouldn't be tired by acting as cashier for the shop. Business has been bad." his eyes darkened. "No one on this island appreciates music."

"Brook, you - "

"Not even you!" Brook scowled. "I've been raised knowing music all my life, but when I try to play the elders complain about the racket, and the children taunt me! And you always complain!"

Mother paused for a moment, raking her eyes over him. "Brook," she said. "Are you really that unhappy?"

An affirmative nod.

She turned around and stepped into the hallway, before looking behind her shoulder. She had a rare smile on her face. "Later today, I'll show you how to play the guitar, how does that sound?"

Brook blinked slowly, before an honest grin spread on his face.

"Great!"


After that incident, Brook's mood improved considerably. The young child turned into a solemn teenager, and though he had gained a famous name for himself after working in the military like Father, he never interacted with anyone.

"No one likes music, no one would like me," was always his simple reply when questioned by Mother.

It was simple. Why did no one see that? Brook didn't like human company. If he had it his way, he could stay in an isolated island and play music by himself alone for the rest of his life.

And he would be happy.


A few years later, the Rumbar Pirates docked to resupply before heading to the Grand Line. Their captain, Yorki, was a friendly man who adored music. He revealed that what Brook ate was a Devil Fruit, and he identified it, with the manual, as the Yomi Yomi no Mi. He wasn't a freak, Yorki told him. He was amazing.

Brook asked them if they would pillage towns and villages like other pirates, and, seemingly amused by the question, the captain replied.

"No, all we want is music, to sing, to be free." Yorki laughed. "What's life without that?"

And before they left, they asked Brook to join them.

And Brook gladly accepted.


Brook continued on many great adventures. He learned the captain's favorite song, and now his own, Bink's Sake, which he could play by heart with his eyes closed on any instrument.

But he closed off. After that, he claimed that he did not need much human company.

A little was enough.

Too much became stifling.

He met a small whale with a huge heart, who could not bear to part with them. Finally, after making it into the most treacherous of seas, they entrusted him to an old man named Crocus, who promised to care for him until they conquered the Grand Line.

And they swore to.


Disaster happened.

Yorki and many others were killed by a dangerous illness. Brook sent him off farewell with tears and his favorite song. They sailed off in a boat to slowly die together.

Brook became the new captain, someone now who had to bear the heavy weight of his crewmates' lives. He honed his swordsmanship and songs even more to cheer them up when they became depressed.

And then another band of pirates hit, realizing they were weakened by the deaths of their former captain and many treasured crewmates.

They fought them off, but the poison concealed in their blades had done enough. The Rumbar Pirates were going to die.

Heavy with this new knowledge, they did the only thing they could: send themselves off merrily.

And they partied until death knocked on their door.

For fifty years, the Yomi Yomi no Mi kept him in such a heart-wrenching solitude that Brook nearly went insane. The only thing he could do to comfort himself was music, which he played with hands stripped of flesh and warmth, and kept himself going with the only remaining friend he had -

Laboon.

He swore to meet Laboon again. Daylight would not let him, because of an unfortunate encounter with a certain Shichibukai.

In those lonely, lonely days, Brook wished for the thing that he had hated the most since childhood.

Friends.


A little while later, he met a certain, happy-go-lucky straw-hatted boy, who, with his ear-to-ear grin, asked him to be his comrade.

And Brook gladly went.


A/N: Next up is Franky! These things are so fun to write :3 Please give some feedback and tell me what I could improve, and also prompts for missing spots in their backstories. Thanks!

-alittlebitlate