Pride: This story is a tribute to Cardboard Pixie, an amazing friend, confidante and sister-figure who passed away on October the 9th. She dedicated her last moments to writing fanfiction, which she truly loved. I hope her hardwork and dedication is recognized, because she truly deserves it. Thanks for the great memories and times we had, and no matter what, we won't forget you.

This fic is spelt as fEaR, it is intentional. Fear is an emotion that clouds our minds, distorts, and disorganizes us as a whole. Therefore, I felt that this way of spelling it would be significant of that fact. This fic will consist of a series of oneshots about the different deep dark fears that each member of the crew has, in reverse order of them joining the crew. I would've liked to write one for Jinbe too, but unfortunately I cannot assume to know him and his character truly, to write an accurate description of his underlying fears.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters.

Narrator's Perspective

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

"Attacks/Raised Voices"

Settings- Place and Time

Dreams

fEaR

An One Piece original fanfiction

fEaR of Loneliness (Brook)

The sun shone bright, bestowing upon the earth its glorious golden rays. However, to Brook it seemed that the sun was mocking him with its exuberance. Mocking him for his loss, and for the gloom currently settled over him.

It only served to infuriate him, but alas, there was nothing, no one he could take his frustration out upon? He could wreck the ship, but it would only force him to float on driftwood across the endless ocean, forever. It made it worse that he could not die. He would have to endure years of pain, perhaps even decades or centuries of pain.

Brook felt like crying his eyes out till they ran dry, but no tears came.

"But I have no eyes to cry with. Skull joke. Yohoho," he told himself wryly, not seeing the humor in it himself.

It hurt. It hurt to know that he had lost his past, his friends, his crew, his captain, anything and everything that he had had ties to. Everything was gone. Except for his cursed bones. And as though to add insult to injury, he had to be stuck in some part of the Grand Line, no island in sight. He wasn't even given a chance to start a new life, to learn to live, and love life again.

What was the point of a life he couldn't even enjoy?

Brook coughed out a dry laugh, void of emotion.

Most people would wish to live forever, to cheat Death and to be immortal. Brook was unwillingly given that which many men would give anything to have, but he found himself begging Death to come to him, to let him fade into the darkness and rest in peace.

"Look on the bright side. With this, I have as many years as I need to achieve all I want to, become rich, settle down and have a nice peaceful life."

Yeah, sure. All of that in the middle of the sea? It was useless, and complete torture to be in his situation, and Brook knew it.

He always tried to be optimistic, but found it becoming increasingly harder as the years passed by painfully.

Trying to cheer himself up in vain once again, he opened his violin case and took his instrument out.

"What song would you like me to play today, Captain-san?"

He paused, as though expecting a response. He received none, as had been the case for the past number of years of which he had lost count. He sighed, finding that day to be no different than every day before it.

"Oh, you want me to play 'Bone to be Wild'? So be it!" setting the bow to his violin, he began playing a merry tune, and broke into song.

As the song progressed, he tapped his feet quickly on the wooden floor of the ship. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the crew of the Rumbar Pirates dancing gaily to his tune, the sound of their feet hitting the floor echoing throughout the ship. But it just didn't feel right. It didn't feel the same.

As the music grew faster, his feet tapped slower and slower, until he finally broke into dry wracking sobs, towards the end of the song.

He wanted so badly to dash his violin against the hard floor, to take out his frustration on it.

But it had been his only consolation, his only companion, his only memento of the crew and his friends. Besides, if he broke his violin, he wouldn't be able to buy a new one, seeing as there wasn't a single shop in sight.

As he calmed down somewhat and his sobs subsided, he heard them.

The voices in his head.

'What if this isn't real?'

'What if you're actually dead?'

'What if this is all a figment of your imagination?'

'What if you aren't dead and live on like this forever?'

'What if you've actually been like this all along?'

'What if your crew never really existed in the first place?'

'What if you imagined them all along?'

'What if you imagined your life up until now all along?'

'What if this world isn't real?'

'What if you continue imagining this forever?'

The voices grew louder, louder, louder, drowning out the sound of the wind and the rhythmic splash of the water in his ears.

They distracted him so much, he didn't feel the heat of the sun bleaching his bones.

He shut his eyes closed, trying to block the voices out.

For a painful moment, he saw nothing.

He smelt nothing, tasted nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing.

He sensed nothing.

For a moment, he forgot what the world was like.

For a moment, he had a fearful thought. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he had truly imagined the entire world all along. Maybe everything he had thought real and tangible until now wasn't actually real. He thought that maybe the voices were right.

And that thought scared him more than anything else, more than having to live forever.

"No…It can' t be!"

And before his eyes, flashed the images of countless people, places, objects, anything and everything he had ever seen.

"IT CAN'T BE!"

And he relinquished control of his thoughts, giving in to the voices.

A fish skipped across the surface of the water, and Brook froze.

No. He didn't expect such a sight. He can't have imagined something like that. It must've been real!

Besides, the fish reminded him of something, although he couldn't place his finger on it…

"LABOON! CROCUS AND LABOON!"

"They're still alive! I must find them! I must find Laboon! If I find Laboon, then I'll know that everything's been real, that not everyone I care for is dead!"

"But if I don't find them…"

"No! I can't let myself think about that! I'll never find out if I lose control of my thoughts!"

He sat down, and tried to collect his thoughts, with renewed hope. He knew not how to find them, but he dared to hope that a miracle might occur. He had suffered enough.

Brook couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he knew that there was one.

And that was more than enough for him.

That was more than he could ever have hoped for.

End

Pride: Shlone dear readers! That was kinda depressing, if I say so myself. But oh well, this fic is meant to be depressing. Hope y'all enjoyed it!

May good fortune rule over you
Peace live in your heart, and
May the stars watch over you

- Yours truly, Pride