Yo! Qwaszxedc9 here!
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I'm very sorry but I will not be updating very often for now. There's this demon called Exams roaming around and I must do battle. After I purge this demon, I will update very quickly! I might change the number of days for my title. It's still in working progress. Any suggestions are welcome.
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Edited as of 06/12/2013 with thanks to awesome beta-reader Brunetta6!
Reconstructed as of 05/01/2013 with thanks to Creative Advisor and Beta-Reader Brunetta6.
His Days of Insomnia
Brook is the new nakama of the Strawhat crew. Isn't he? How does he adjust to knowing that there are and there will be nakama beside him? Or is this just his imagination?
Day 1
East Thriller Bark: Day 1 – 10.45am
His half-empty tea cup rested gently on his lap. It felt as if there was too much to do, too much to see, too much to enjoy.
It felt... peaceful... surreal...
Maybe, he thought, it didn't feel surreal, but was surreal. Somehow, he figured, the tight clutches of sleep might release him from this torture, to be able to see, feel, experience joys he knew would disappear soon.
Would it?
Would it disappear too?
Just like before… when he watched his captain and his crew fade away into the black, foggy sea?
What do you think, Laboon? he sighs. That fist sized shell, it weighs so heavily in his skull. Like a stone, a rock. Their last song.
Will it be delivered now? Or is this grass, this wood, this new ship, this new crew, is it another dream? Yet another fragment of his brutal imagination within his craving mind? A vicious hallucination? Those fifty years, alone, desperate dreams of his nakama within his traitorous mind haunting him every other day. Now he has new dreams, a new group of nakama...
Are they also simply within his mind?
Was the young, vibrant captain he had pledged his life to yet another piece of his fickle imagination? It's really realistic. He's impressed at how far his mind will go to haunt him.
He remains still, seated neatly on the bench beside the main mast. The sun rose hours ago. With his tea cup lifted, trails of steam floating up, his hollow eyes trail from the cup to the trio bouncing past, playing catch or something.
He stares.
"Brook! Come play with us~!" the captain yells. The two at his side nod furiously.
He stares.
He smiles.
"Yohohoho~! Of course, Luffy-san!" he grins, setting his half-empty cup down onto the bench.
He shall enjoy this dream while he can. It will disappear soon anyway.
Day 1 – 12.30pm
It's a wonder, this aquarium. The shimmering gold shining on the bed of the aquarium, like tiny little snakes wriggling across the surface and the bottom of the tank. Countless glimmering, elegant fish sliding and gliding around in their clear shimmering surroundings, all of a variety of colors, shapes, sizes. Different shades of green and red seaweed dance and sway gracefully, parting slightly as the fish glide through their leaves. Such a sensational view surrounding the little room… it almost makes him jealous he couldn't swim.
He blinks.
Looking closely, the skeleton notices a group of oddly-coloured and oddly-shaped fish, strange liquid or ink swirling around them. He moves closer. Ah, those odd fishes are squids and poisonous sea creatures. Said dangerous marine life seemed to be surrounding the sniper – who was swimming in the beautiful aquarium – enclosing the sniper in a circle of odd creatures, much like a target of sorts.
He strolls over, placing a bony hand over the polished glass.
"...Ah, Robin-san? Those dangerous creatures seem to be about to ambush Usopp-san, and Luffy-san seems to be cheering them on..." he called, jaw dropping slightly as the poisonous squid seemed to strengthen their ring of defense.
"Oh, no need to worry. These things happen all the time," the archaeologist states smoothly, not even glancing up as elegant fingers flipped a page.
Those creatures launched onto the sniper, wrapping the entire sniper in black and purple.
"Erm... Robin-san, they seem to have ambushed Usopp-san."
Nonetheless, he watched as the sniper struggled fruitlessly, barely visible, within the huge cocoon of poisonous sea creatures.
Splash!
He watches as the captain sinks to the bottom of the aquarium, bubbles escaping from the mouth and arms twitching lightly. The rubber man was slowly sinking towards the bed, swirling bubbles surrounding the fellow hammer.
"Ah. Luffy-san seems to have fallen in."
Clink! Thump! Splash!
"Ah... Zoro-san seems to have fallen in as well!" he adds, placing his bony face closer to the glass.
The swordsman rushed towards the sinking captain, grabbing his collar and swinging the captain out through the trapdoor. Swimming toward the sniper, he pulled one foot back and slammed it into the cocoon of sea creatures, shooting the sniper out through the trapdoor together with a few wriggling sea creatures. A girlish shriek was heard.
"See? Nothing to worry about," the archaeologist states, smiling gently as graceful fingers turned yet another page.
He stares.
Then he smiles.
Of course. No worries. Absolutely nothing to worry about.
There's no one there to die, after all.
Day 1 – 10.30pm
Sleep seemed distant, too far, even though the others are already ready to nod off.
He should be feeling sleepy. Why does he not? It has been weeks since he last felt sleepy. Or slept.
Maybe this was his mind's way of telling him that this was but a dream? That none of it was real? After all, you don't feel sleepy in dreams. Or sleep.
A sleepy navigator shoved a bunch of straws into his face. "Brook... Draw a straw... We need to figure out who's taking which watch…"
He stared.
"Of course, Nami-san. Excuse me, but may I see your pa-" he managed to grasp a straw, before he was bodily hurled across the deck by an angry, high-heeled foot.
"As if!" the navigator screeched, before walking up to him and snatching his straw. She paused for a moment. "Kay, you got third watch, just before sunrise. Zoro should wake you up after his second watch," she stated before stomping away, presumably to assign all the watches over the next few days and then go to sleep.
He sat down on the bench, half-empty tea cup seated beside him as he watched his supposed nakama before him. He smiled… then shifted over to pull out a violin. Music was his joy, laughter and his support. He should make his dream a tad bit more enjoyable. He lifted his arm.
"Yohohoho~! Allow me to play a lullaby for everyone!"
He pulled his arm back gently.
The deck resounded with soft, soothing melodies. The entire crew slowed down their movements, enjoying the music, but lethargically making their way to bed. Soon, the deck was empty of all but the sniper, who had the first watch, and the swordsman… who had already fallen asleep against the railing. Of course.
He continued playing for a while, listening to the melody calm his own nerves. Soon he finished, and the violin was silenced. The sniper, sensing that the piece was over, yawned so wide his jaws creaked and climbed up onto the crow's nest to begin his watch.
Meanwhile, the skeleton placed his violin aside, then silently crossed the grass lawn. Sleep was still as cruel as ever, not allowing him the luxury of feeling the least bit tired.
He entered the men's cabin, quiet as death, and crawled into a hammock. Maybe if he tried to sleep, he might finally wake. The false hope that this mere accompaniment might be real was eating away at him.
He stared at the ceiling. Black and dark shapes were all that could be seen by the eye.
Though he had none, some part of his brain joked.
Though he had no brain~! Yohohoho...
He stared.
The door slid open, what sounded like the sniper's clumsy shoes tiptoed in, trying to be silent but failing quite miserably. That didn't hinder anyone's sleep, fortunately, and the sniper climbed into the lower hammock, asleep within seconds. On his side, he listens to the quiet, of the crew, along with an occasional mumble of unintelligible sleep talk, as well as several different pitches of snoring.
The ceiling was still gazing at him with shadowy forms.
He stared back.
His mind still wouldn't let him wake. He knew if this dream continued any longer, he might not be able to take it when he finally awoke. Sleep herself saw it fit to oversee his torture.
He stared.
Third watch should be right around now, so why hasn't the swordsman come to wake him?
He sat up, slid over his covers and landed lightly onto the ground. Taking great care not to make any noise, he slid over the cabin floor and gently tugged at the door handle. The cool night breeze caressed his bones the moment he stepped out; he glanced around, before moving to climb up to the crow's nest, pushing the trapdoor open.
It was brightly lit. The swordsman was snoring against the window, drooling uncouthly down the pane.
He smiles, looking to the brightening horizon.
The sun should rise soon. He wonders how long dreams can last.
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