Chapter 8

Eustass clattered onto the darkness and fell head first onto the surface that was non-existent. Brook did likewise except, it should have hurt more. "Then again he is nothing more than bones at this point of time so it should not really matter…"

Brook was shaking to the bone. He had never had such a shock for more than five months living in solitude after finding his body and burying the remains of his crew in the sea. The ship was devoid of life or it should have been. Brook dared not believe his eyes when he saw someone else in the mirror.

"I'll just take a peek one more time to make sure it wasn't my imagination… I should see a skeleton there looking back and not a red haired vampire in the mirror… yes, let it not scare you again Brook. It's just the loneliness getting to you."

Eustass on the other side of the mirror was getting over his shock. "What was that thing? It screamed…" He paused and rewound his thoughts. The closest thing he remembered resembling what he saw was the Straw Hat's musician. Eustass cursed. He was glad to have a strong heart.

"Curse that toki-toki no mi user… she could have told me from the start instead of beating around the bush. I just died back there goddammit!"

Des sneezed somewhere in the void. "It must be that annoying brat again…"

Eustass got up and walked over to the mirror confidently. He waited for Brook who was mumbling to himself on the floor to do something.

Eventually the musician got up and plucked his courage to look into the mirror. Hollow eye sockets stared for a few seconds at the red haired vampire. Eustass stared back at the skull. Eustass dead panned as Brook screamed his skull off and now that he no longer had a head.

The skull landed on the ground while his legs took off, leaving him to stare at the red haired vampire in the mirror for a longer period of time than necessary.

Eustass got annoyed. He glared at the man most menacingly and the headless skeleton ran even more haphazardly, crashing into everything.

The body scrambled to get its head back with much effort when Eustass snarled from the mirror. Seriously, he had no idea how Trafalgar survived with these abnormal people. He was normal, or at least more normal as a pirate.

The skeleton man got his head on at last but it was completely opposite of where it should have been. Brook panicked and mumbled nonsense. Eustass was tired of the gibberish. He slapped the man across the face, surprising even himself when his arm passed the glass barrier he could not go through earlier.

Brook was beyond stunned. His head spun round so quickly his non-existent eyes could not follow and when it finally stopped, this time in the right direction, he was so dizzy he just lay flat on the wooden ground.

Eustass gave the man time to come to his, again, non-existent senses. He tried to analyze how he could pass through the barrier. It was not Eustass's good point to analyze things. That was more for Trafalgar to do. However what he was good at was plunging into matters head first.

Eustass did the thing he did best and slammed his entire body mass at the glass. Instead of shattering it or going through it, his nose made a painful collision. A dull thud resounded throughout the else silent ship.

He groaned in pain and cradled the bruised nose. He was lucky to be an undead of sorts. That would have remodeled his face completely not even Law could save him. Eustass hissed in pain. He mentally slapped himself for being stupid. Obviously it was not going to work. He tried it before. Repeating the process with a larger scale would not have changed the effect unless he was Monkey D Luffy.

Brook looked at the mirror curiously. He had heard a loud thud coming from the mirror and he was sure of it. He peered into it eerily to see if the red haired vampire was still there. When there was no one, Brook laughed off the nervousness he felt earlier. "Yohohohoho~ it was my imagination after all… now time to get busy doing nothing…"

Eustass was annoyed by how he was being treated so lightly. "It's not over you shithead of a skeleton… get your boney ass back here!" Eustass grunted.

Brook froze. "It was my imagination… It was my imagination… I heard nothing… everyone died, there is no one… It's just the wind perhaps…"

"Brook!" Eustass shouted and the pirate tensed up at once after having made a ridiculously high involuntary jump at the sound of his name.

Eustass could not judge the man's expression not that he had one. It was difficult to understand such a person. His thoughts were hidden. Eustass did not even know if he could 'save' the man. Brook was entirely different from how Eustass knew him on board the cheerful ship. He was a man who never seemed down. The musician in front of him was completely opposite of who Eustass once knew. His character was as befitting his appearance, scary and unapproachable.

The purple suit never changed. The afro stayed the same. The boney skull still held no expression yet why did Eustass feel that the man was different?

Was it perhaps the way the man never cracked jokes? Was it the way the man's annoying laughter did not hold that same trill at the end? Was it the way the man did nothing to entertain himself like the entertainer he was supposed to be? The walking stick-sword was nowhere near him. Zoro once mentioned no swordsman will willingly leave their sword out of sight because they have to be prepared for battle at all times. Does it mean Brook has already given up hope?

The ship was in poor condition and Eustass did not blame the man. However, according to Luffy, the ghost ship Brook was found on appeared relatively clean when they first saw him. Apart from the torn sails and broken floorboards, the ship was well maintained.

Brook must have neglected it. He looked as lifeless as he appeared to be. Eustass's confidence was shaken. If Brook is in such a bad condition, what about the others that will follow. As far as he knew, every trial he overcame became tougher. Eustass was unsure how Des wanted him to 'save' Brook. There was very little he could do to help a man who is already dead on the inside.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Brook was experiencing something he had forgotten in a long time. Hell had made him forget most emotions. Right now only faint fragments of it linger and the swelling emotion in his empty chest should be known as happiness.

Eustass was not sure what to say. Anything he said wrongly will break that man. He looked vulnerable. He did not want to test the limits of a lonely man's will. He had lost his crew and sent them away. Brook deserved none of these. He should always be happy like how Eustass knew him. He should not have to suffer and be weighed down by the burdens of the Grand Line. He was a musician before he is a pirate. The job of a musician was to bring joy to people. Right now, Eustass had to heal the scars in the skeleton's nonexistent heart. There was not even a shred of hope left in it. "Am I too late?"

Brook felt his hopes rising. He was going insane to count a vampire in a mirror as company. He hated supernatural things and this mirror was one of it. Yet he was so lonely that even if a wall talked he would cling onto it desperately and not let go. He did not need to eat and had probably forgotten what food tasted like. He was dead yet alive and his heart had forgotten what it meant to live.

Brook no longer knew the difference between being alive and living anymore. The moment he had buried all his crews' bodies, the memories of them blurred in his dreams and the harsh reality. The seas were unforgiving. At times Brook thought it was going to end when a harsh storm tossed the galley like a toy. Brook prayed that he would get tossed overboard and let the nightmare end. There was no one on board the ship except him. That made him afraid of everything that reminded him of the time when everyone was around.

The tone dial that held the last of his crews' music and laughter laid forgotten in one of the boxes Brook never opened anymore. Their voices and laughter in their last moments made the hole in Brook's heart bigger. They died and it was his fault as the captain. He made them sing a song full of carefree spirit and joy in hopes when they died, they would return to the high heavens. Yet Brook had thrown their bodies into the deep sea, a place where they would never see the light of day. He had failed them as a captain.

Deciding to put on his mask of cheerfulness to match how he was in the past, Brook laughed and introduced himself the usual way to the vampire in the mirror. It had been a red haired woman and Brook was always charming with women. Maybe not so much…

"Yohohoho! Hello there lovely lady. My name is Brook, nice to meet you. May I see your panties?"

Eustass blushed in ten different shades of pink. He never had interest in females so he never bothered how the other men flirt but being a woman trapped in a mirror, Eustass felt offended and embarrassed at the same time. How did the skeleton have the audacity to ask something so blunt?

"Of course not!" Eustass snapped and used a fist to hit the skeleton musician. Eustass was surprised when his hand went through the glass and made contact with the afro. He was still trying to rationalize what happened when Brook started rolling on the floor, clutching his head in pain.

A grin spread across the pale face. He had a clue as to how he could pass through the mirror. Even if analyzing was Law's stronger point, it did not mean Eustass could not do so as well. Deciding to test the theory, Eustass placed a finger at the glass and willed it to pass through and not break the glass. His finger went through the surface without resistance. Eustass decided to test the limits of it and crawled out of the mirror.

Brook finally got over the pain even though he was sporting a huge bump on his skull. He turned around to witness something that made him spurt blood from his nose. The female vampire in the mirror was crawling out and she seemed stuck at her waist. The way she struggled allowed Brook a full view of her cleavage. He fainted on the spot and Eustass felt a vein pop beneath his skin.

Another loud slap resounded on the empty ship.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

There was an award atmosphere between the two creatures. Eustass stared at Brook and Brook stared back at Eustass. Neither of them did anything to break the silence that ensued after the chaotic meeting. Eustass was getting nervous the more the hollow sockets stared at him.

"You are a truly beautiful sight."

"You have no eyes," Eustass pointed out. He wondered where the annoying Skull joke went. The laughter was not as cheerful as Eustass remembered it to be either.

A small Yohoho resounded before everything fell quiet again. The waves did not stir and the ship was still. No floorboards creaked, no breathing sounds. There was nothing. If this was how Brook lived for the past few months, Eustass could understand how it drove the man mad and broke him down slowly.

Eustass was on the brink of insanity where he just wanted to kill something for the sake of it when Brook asked the first question. "Who are you?"

Eustass was slightly unprepared. He wrecked his brains. "Eunice." Eustass decided to take back the name he used when he was in a female body while helping the reindeer doctor.

Silence ensued. Eustass decided to break the ice. "I thought you had a sword and a violin?"

Brook did not reply immediately. Instead, he opted to continue staring at Eustass. Brook had not seen another living creature other than himself for months. He was going insane from the pleasant dreams when he slept and woke up only to be crushed by the cruel reality. His crew seemed so real and when he woke up thinking all he had gone through was just another horrible nightmare, he was greeted by an abandoned ship. Brook was afraid to sleep again. He refused to see his crew or remember them in any other way. His sword and violin were abandoned. Brook never wanted to see them again. They reminded him of too many memories.

Brook did not want to leave in fear when he did, Eustass would disappear when he did. He wanted to cling onto whatever company he had. Brook was afraid of loneliness. He did not want to be alone ever again.

Eustass noticed Brook's internal struggles and distress. He smiled and reassured Brook that he would still be around when he got back. "I can't disappear even if I wanted to. It looks like I'm trapped in this mirror for good."

Brook was hesitant to leave but a little more persuasion made Brook run to the captain's cabin to grab the things he needed. The sword that felt so light in his hand felt heavier the moment he touched it. The violin was covered in dust and Brook noticed how the bow was neglected. His heart ached at the sight of how his precious things were ill-treated. He silently apologized to them and cleaned them up a little.

Eustass waited for a long time in silence. He sat down and thought about how he should help Brook. Even if his existence here alleviated Brook's loneliness he knew he could not be here forever. He had to do something to make sure Brook can move on without him.

Brook took a while to come back and panicked when he did not see Eustass in the mirror. Eustass quickly stood up to meet Brook. The skeleton nearly cried tears of joy and relief. He was overjoyed to know Eustass kept his promise.

"Yohohoho! Thank goodness you kept your promise… I was so afraid you would disappear and leave me again."

Eustass smiled. "I don't break promises."

Brook smiled even though he had no skin and muscles to show it. Somehow Eustass knew. The skeleton became joyful once more. He turned to Eustass in the mirror and asked, "What song would you like to hear?"

Eustass was not very sure. He had no musician on his crew and he was certainly not a huge fan of music. He never heard many of them and did not bother to remember their names. However according to the annoying Straw Hat captain there was a song that many pirates love.

"I'm not sure about the name of the song. There was a song that is popular among pirates. It starts off with Yohohoho…"

Brook brightened up. He took the tone dial from inside his skull, shocking Eustass a little more than a bit. He pressed a button to play it. A recording started playing and Eustass listened to it. It started off as cheerful. He liked how it sounded but as the song moved on, Eustass noticed how the voices and music got softer. It became less vibrant and towards the end he heard Brook talking.

"Quartet…"

The piano was still going strong. A few string instruments could be heard. Then a thud was heard faintly and one string instrument stopped playing. The music never lost a beat. Another thud came and a cracked voice announced their numbers. It decreased with every repetition.

Finally only the piano was left. Eustass was crying. The music was cheerful but sorrowful at the same time. He felt the hurt in his steel heart. It was as if there was a gash opening his heart. The pain was so raw that Eustass looked away. He did not want to hear the haunting melody any longer. The piano sang for a while until a last thud was heard. The tone dial recorded silence after which until it ran out of space to record.

Eustass was not someone who cared about others. However helping so many tragic people has made him develop a heart. His feelings for Law expanded and he knew that he had to save everyone, not just Law. He wanted to help the Straw Hat crew because he knew they were the ones who aided Law with his fight against Doflamingo. As a means of showing his gratitude, Eustass made his resolve to save the crew. Brook's loneliness was something nobody should ever go through. Eustass was glad he was here to help Brook. The man may have thrown himself over the deck in a few months and that would have been his end. Depression is a scary thing. If Eustass did not meet the toki-toki no mi user, he would have also wallowed in despair and ended everything. At least now he knew that he was going to die with meaning to his life.

Eustass wiped the tears away and smiled at Brook. "That was a beautiful song… will you play it for me? It has been a long time since I heard something so wonderful."

Brook lit up at that. His heart felt warm. "Yohohoho! Of course!"

The violin started to dance in the bony hands and Eustass found himself enjoying it immensely.

For days Brook continued to play for Eustass. The music chased away the scary silence and loneliness on the ship. Brook for the first time in months felt alive. Eustass enjoyed the company and the cheerful tune that chased away the dreary atmosphere.

Brook stopped fiddling for the first time after a week. Eustass was getting a little bored of hearing the same things over and over again. He was only too polite to tell Brook that. The silence was a good change for once.

"Does playing the violin make you so happy?" he asked.

The musician smiled. He caressed the violin tenderly. "It means everything to me. The first time I heard the beauty sing I knew it was meant for me. I regret taking so long to pick it up again. She was neglected for some time but thank goodness I met you. You saved my soul."

Eustass snorted. "Don't get used to it."

Brook picked up the underlying meaning. "Do you have somewhere to go to?"

In other words he was asking if Eustass was leaving. Eustass knew that Des was going to call him back at some point of time. He shrugged. "There isn't many places I can go trapped in a mirror."

Brook put down his violin. "You aren't leaving me all alone again are you?" The fear of being alone crept back into his heart. Loneliness was something he never wanted to experience again.

Eustass knew what Brook meant. He reached out and clasped Brook's trembling hand. "People die. None of us are exceptions to it. You will die too and I will one day cease to exist. However as long as we are alive we should make full use of the chance given to us. Is that not why you have the Revive-revive fruit? You are given a second chance at life where many others are not."

Brook was crying. He did not want the ability. He did not want a second chance at life and neither did he ask to be near immortal. "I don't want a second chance to live if I have to live alone… this is worse than hell…"

Eustass patted his head. "Nobody is destined to live alone forever. One day someone will come and ask you to join them."

Brook was shaking. "I don't think I have the strength to live until that long. I don't want to wait an eternity alone for salvation to come…"

Eustass had nothing to say. He did not know how to comfort the man. Then he remembered how the man would always talk about a whale.

"You can and you will. You have promises to keep, promises to keep to your crew."

Brook froze. He had forgotten all that in his self-pity. He bit his lips even if he did not have any. Eustass noticed how tense the man had become. "I can make a promise with you now since both of us would live for a long time. If you die first I'll live on to continue keeping you in my memory and should I die, you would do the same to remember me. I think the most painful thing for a person who is dead is to be forgotten. No one wants to be forgotten after death because like how you are lonely, I bet they would feel the same."

Brook put his bony hand over Eustass's. "Thank you, Eunice. That is a really nice thought. I'll make this promise with you. Should either of us die first, the other one will live to continue remembering the other."

Eustass smiled. This was more like it. "It's a promise then."

Brook smiled. The wind was picking up speed at a distance but neither of them knew it. They shared stories about their lives, happy to be in each other's company for the moment.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

The ship rocked violently from side to side and Brook was nearly thrown off the side several times. "Yohoho~ it nearly tipped me over again…"

Eustass sat in the confines of his mirror. True, it made his stomach queasy when he looked out of his mirror. Nothing shook in the mirror but the image of everything being tossed and turned outside of the mirror made Eustass sea sick. His ship's doctor always ensured he drank ginger water so he would not throw up in a storm as violent as this.

The storm pursued for days and Brook was exhausted with having to watch out for furniture colliding into his and being washed off the deck. Eustass on the other hand did his best not to feel sick.

The storm finally let up a little after a week and Brook was thankful for that. They were still lost at sea but at the very least they were not in immediate danger of being killed by the storm. Brook had been working on composing a new song while Eustass watched him. He came out of the mirror at times to drape a blanket over the skeleton that fell asleep occasionally. Eustass wondered how Brook would fair without him. His mind often wandered to how Trafalgar was doing. He hoped what he was doing would be right.

Brook decided to shift Eustass's mirror out to the deck one day. He was feeling rather proud of himself as he told Eustass, "Today is the day I will perform a new creation just for you, Eunice. My friend who saved me from loneliness I bring you 'Salvezza'."

Eustass clapped and waited with abated breath for the violin to start playing. Brook started with a melancholic melody on a low note. The note trembled under skillful fingers in a rich sound. It sent shivers up Eustass's spine. The next note was soft on the ears but it echoed in silence, reflecting the empty heart. Slowly the music built from a few notes to a series of smooth arcs.

Eustass felt the music steal his soul away. His eyes were glued to the skeleton playing the violin. This is music that Eustass never bothered to listen to. He was missing out so much. The raw emotions of the player were portrayed by the violin so clearly, Eustass knew he did the right thing. The man could not live without music.

The song drawled out more and a torment of sadness was poured into the little wooden instrument. The violin cried and wailed all the sorrow trapped in the non-existent heart. Eustass felt himself cry for the man. However, unlike the sorrowful tune, Brook was smiling with joy even without skin. Eustass knew the man was happy even though the tune suggested otherwise. It was full of gratitude, befitting the title of Salvation in Italian.

When Brook finished, he turned to look at Eustass with a smile. That look was soon turned to horror. Brook ran towards Eustass with an outstretched hand. Eustass did not know what was happening until he saw the world outside the glass tip. He was falling and from what he knew, the sea was waiting for him beneath the railing.

Desperately, Eustass reached for Brook's hand outside the mirror only to miss by inches as he fell. He smiled at the last few moments and shouted to Brook who was far out of reach now. "Remember me!"

A splash told Eustass he had fallen into the ocean with the mirror. Bubbles covered up whatever views he had and Eustass shut his eyes. His body felt weightless for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Des looking at him. The glow in her hand was almost half the size of whatever Des required to bring back Trafalgar Law. He smiled. He made it.

Des congratulated him and Eustass smiled. He knew for sure Brook will continue to live for him. That song Brook composed was something he would remember for as long as he still lived. "Even if I only have twenty two days to live after this…" It was a good gift.

Des saw how Eustass had changed from the arrogant person she first met. It was as if he had accepted his fate instead of denying it. He found a purpose to be living. She smiled sadly. "The creation of a new dimension will grant me death at last. As a parting gift for helping me I will grant you twenty two days with your lover from my life. How you wish to live it is your decision alone."

Eustass looked at Des and grinned. "Who's next?"

Des smiled. "Someone you know."

Eustass snorted. "Come on lady, I know that already. And please I have a request. Can I be a man the next time?"

Des shrugged. "That really depends. It's not up to me but up to the situation." Eustass scowled and Des chuckled. She felt Law chuckle along with her. "He's so cute…" Law whispered and Des agreed silently.

"Alright grumpy boy, close your eyes." Eustass complied and Des whisked him off to the next destination.

Author's Note: Sorry I took a really long time to write this but Brook is rather difficult… I was trying really hard to keep everything T rated and then I had some help from my brother for the next few chapters. Please look forward to them! Also, can you guess who might be coming up next?