Previously...

The place was like a secret garden to her, full of unheard mysterious and an enchanting atmosphere. Ivy crept it's way along the walls, adding its own unique touch to the place. The sun's rays shine through gaps in the roof, lighting the place with its golden rays. In the middle of it all, sat a grand piano. Its jet black coat reflected the sun's rays, the soft cushioned seat made with pure black leather.

That was what she loved most of all. The piano. Along with Cheshire. And her secret friend~

- - -

Moonlight seeped through gaps in the roof, reflecting off the smooth surface of the piano that sat abandoned and alone. Until someone came along, to bring its old rusty self back to life. She would come soon, the time was near.

The voice of a little girl echoed throughout the empty space, "Brook-san, are you here?" Silence was all she got as an answer before a male voice responded, "I am indeed, my friend. Yohohoho... Would you like to play a song?"

The girl smiled, pleased, sea-green eyes gleaming in the moonlight, "It would be my pleasure."

- - -

Sayeko quickly got up and gently pulled the blanket off her, taking care not to wake up those snoring next to her. Her feet made no sound as the door creaked ever so slightly when she pushed it open, disappearing into the night.

It had become routine for her as it had been for several nights now, ever since she found the old run down mansion when she had been exploring on her own. She never slept, only pretended to. She didn't need to, and she never did, either way. Her body didn't need sleep to function normally.

The cool night breeze caressed her cheeks as she strolled through the forest, pink transparent flute in hand. The creatures of the night had only just begun to rise, making slight noises here and there, but she didn't mind.

The mansion, or rather, its remains, stood tall in the moonlight despite its battered appearance. It was as it had always been. Sayeko smiled as she stepped inside the place, "Brook-san, are you still here?"

Brook replied as he always did, "I am most certainly. Yohoho... Shall we?"

"I would indeed."

*Play the video now.*

The piano's clear crisp notes echoed throughout the great hall that had been abandoned, its keys moving on its own. If you looked closely, you could see the faint outline of his bony fingers running across the keys. She could barely see him, but she could hear his voice. The voice of her friend. The smooth relaxing sound of the flute joined in soon after, providing the simple, yet elegant, melody. They were different, yet one in the same.

When raindrops fall on me, maybe
They'll wash away the memory of you and me
When raindrops fall on me, maybe
They'll wash away the memory of you and me
When sunlight shines on me, maybe

They'll dry the tears I cry and you can't save me
Because it's been too long and I can't hold on
To a thread, in a midst, where I don't belong
I wonder if you cry when the radio plays our song.

How can I forget the time
when you whispered forever
It was so,
So sweet.
It would've been sweeter if you meant it.

You held my hand and you told me,
"Maybe you'd like to dance with me?
But there's a storm cloud coming in
Then would you dance in the rain with me?"

Dance in the rain with me...
Dance in the rain with me...
Dance in the rain with me...
Dance in the rain with me...

Until the rainbow comes, we'll be dancing
If it won't, that's okay because
I'd gladly dance forever with you
Even when the rain can't pour on us anymore

But forever ain't so long as it used to be
Growing old, next to me
Forever's just a word that lied to me

So when the raindrops fall, maybe
You'll die with the memory
Of the man that I'd thought you'd be
If it will, let it rain on me.
If it will, let it rain on me.
If it will, let it rain on me.
If it will, let it rain on me.

When the raindrops will fall, maybe...

Night after night. This had been their sacred ritual. Something only the two of them knew about.

"So, Koko-chan," Brook asked as the song ended, "How have you been?"

"I've been fine," she replied, "How about you? Still on that ship?"

"Why, yes, sadly so," Brook answered. It had been about 40 years since his comrade-in-arms died by the hands of an enemy ship. Their weapons were all poisoned, so even if their wounds did heal, the poison would kill them soon enough. A cowardly way to fight, if you asked him.

"Would you like to play that song?" Sayeko asked. She knew everything that went on in his head. The voice had told her so. She learned that cooperating with the voice gave her all sorts of advantages in and outside of battle.

"Yes, I would very much like to," Brook replied, "Do you mind?"

"No, not at all," was her reply.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(A/N: Credits to Thalys TecX for the amazing cover. You can check his channel out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6PUlWt6FIZ7VfZTNQ47Bg.)

She smiled as she sang along inside her head. This was a song of memories for him and she understood why he loved it so much. He had told her once that the song recorded in the dial was for a friend that he had left behind as he and his crew sat sail for the Grand Line. She didn't question further, but she knew more than he did. Laboon was still waiting for him, she just knew it.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho

Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Umikaze kimakaze namimakase
Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu
Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta

Sayonara minato, Tsumugi no sato yo
DON to icchou utao, funade no uta
Kinpa-gimpa mo shibuki ni kaete
Oretachya yuku zo, umi no kagiri

Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo
Warera kaizoku, umi watteku
Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo
Ho ni hata ni ketateru wa dokuro

Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni
Nami ga odoru yo, DORAMU narase
Okubyoukaze ni fukakerya saigo
Asu no asahi ga nai jo nashi

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho

(A/N: Sorry the song got cut off, I couldn't find the flute cover of the full song that was good in quality.)

Brook missed his crewmates dearly, even if they had been dead for over forty years. With no one there to offer him any comfort of some sort, it wasn't very easy for him to forget their deaths, especially since he was technically sailing on a beaten, old ship, the very same that had once carried the joyous laughter of his crewmates long gone. All that remained was, indeed, nothing but bones. Even then they may very just turn to dust and sand as they do in Impel Down's Starvation Hell on Level 3.

Sayeko was the first form of life he had seen for decades, and she didn't turn him away either. He had thought that she would've run off, screaming for her parents. After all, he was technically a living skeleton. Why, he would've certainly run away scared after a glance at himself. Heck, he was even afraid of his own reflection!

But no, Sayeko chose to stay and be his friend, and she claimed she couldn't even see him! If this were a dream, it would make sense, that his lonely soul would wander the ruins of such abandoned places, once full of happy memories that had aged with time, very much like the ship he was on. He couldn't remember any of that though, only the fact that he awoken to find himself in this place. Not that he had an actual brain to remember anything of course! Skull joke!

He sighed as he thought about the first time he had met the little child, whom he almost consider to be a daughter, but more like a little sister.

~Flashback~

The dark, misty fog that he had grown so accustomed to over the decades surrounded the ship from all sides. He couldn't tell if it was night or day, he slept when he felt like it, and now was one of those times.

His shoes tapped along the worn wooden floorboards of the ship as he made his way to the captain's quarters, passing the living quarters of his shipmates along the way. He could still remember it like it was yesterday. How he used to wake them all up with a song every morning; how they would complain about wanting to go back to sleep before they screamed and shouted, "We're up! We're up!" as soon as he played that morning's wake-up tune.

He looked away sadly, knowing that it would do him no good to mourn over his dead crewmates, especially since they were dead for over forty years. You'd think he would've gotten over it already. Truth be told, he had, but he just wished for a friend. He had been so lonely, just spending his remaining days, forever wandering this endless fog he may as well have been cursed to live in.

That was until he woke up, only to find himself in the ruins of an old mansion. A grand piano stood in the middle of the empty space, reflecting the moon's gentle beams and the light of the stars. "Where am I?" he asked. It may have been a dream, but if he was out of that god-forsaken sea for at least one night, he may as well enjoy his time here.

"Who's talking?" A voice behind him asked. Brook nearly jumped out of his skin at that, not that he had any skin in the first place.

"Yohohoho! You gave me goosebumps there! Not that I have any skin to have goosebumps with, of course! Skull joke!" He replied, utterly surprised that there was someone else in this place, if this truly was a dream. Or was he really out of that demonic sea right now?

"Yohohoho! Please excuse me, I'm simply so surprised! It's been so many years since I've seen people. All I see is ghost ship after ghost ship... It's terrifying!" Brook exclaimed.

The owner of the voice, who was merely a little girl that couldn't have been no older than 9, giggled slightly as he said that, not that she could see him, either way.

"You're funny!" She remarked before her voice took on a serious tone, "But what do you mean ghost ship after ghost ship? This is Dawn Island, in East Blue."

Brook was shocked to hear that. He was no longer in the Grand Line? He was in East Blue? How did that make any sense?

"Are you sure?" He asked, "Am I truly no longer in the Grand Line?"

She seemed surprised by the sudden question, "Yes, you are," Then she seemed to put two and two together so she asked, "Could you have been talking about the Florian Triangle when you said you saw nothing but ghost ship after ghost ship?"

"Florian Triangle?" He asked, almost shocked that she knew about the place, "How did you come to know about it?"

She slightest trace of a smirk appeared on her lips as she said, "I have my ways. Still, wasn't the Florian Triangle just a legend?"

"Oh no!" Brook exclaimed, "It was most certainly not a legend, just thinking about that place sends shivers down my spine! Though I am all bones! Skull joke! Yohohoho!" Then seemingly realizing something, he introduced himself, "Oh, excuse me for intruducing myself so late! I am "Just Dead Bones" Brook! And you are?"

The girl grinned, soft sea-green eyes almost sparkling in the moonlight, "I am Sayeko! Pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

- - -

She could see the faint outline of his bony skeleton, and the little tears and holes in his clothing, like he had been attacked by a warship and gotten out with only his skeletal body. She wondered, why was it that she could only barely make out his outline when it seemed to her that he clearly thought he was solid.

She looked at him, not out of disgust or anything along that line, merely out of curiosity. Why was it that he had only seen ghost ship after ghost ship? Why was it that he hadn't seen people in ages?

She heard his voice, and though he was trying not to show it, there was a heaviness to it, like a burden. What was that burden? She didn't have to wait long before she found out.

"You're a musician?" Sayeko asked after a while, meaning she had seen it all. She knew it was rude to peek into someone's past, but it can't really be helped. It was as if Koe and herself were one. She didn't mean to see into other's pasts, but she was just able to see everything without even lifting a finger.

That was what she hated about that particular ability. She didn't want to be considered nosy, and she did respect other's privacy. She wouldn't want others to go peeking into her memories, they were shrouded in mysteries she didn't understand, but if they had seen what she could do, she may be sold off as a slave. As young as she was, the dark side was already made known to her.

"Why, yes!" Brook replied, "How did you know?"

"Just had a feeling," was her reply. She didn't feel the need to tell him everything. There was no purpose in getting him to share in her burden.

"I'm guessing you can play the flute," Brook remarked as he took notice of the flute she had with her, "Would you like to play a duet?"

"It would be my pleasure," She smiled back.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(A/N: Credits to Andrew Lee for the amazing cover of Kyoudai "Brothers" - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OST. I just love this one. By the way, you can check out their channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX5Ue8Xhd2dkKJKGRohX-Dg.)

- - -

It truly was a chance meeting for the two.

Never in his entire life had he imagined going to the East Blue in a dream, finding a little girl who didn't even seem the least bit afraid of him, even wanting to play a duet with him; truly, he was surprised.

It, too, had been a surprise for Sayeko. She had only been exploring the area mere moments ago, never expecting to find a "spirit" of a sort hanging around these old ruins. Of course, she quickly put two and two together after doing her thing. Brook's body must have been sleeping on his ship in the Florian Triangle, but his soul, likely because of the loneliness he felt, had managed to find its way here.

She smiled at the thought, feeling rather fortunate she had come to this place. She knew what it felt like, to long for someone to be there for her; but she never knew what it was like to actually not be around people for at least forty years! Though it may have been a better alternative to her, rather than being chased around and rejected everywhere she went, the thought of only ever having the slightest glimpse of hope of ever getting out. She had always held on to the hope of at least being able to find someone out there who truly cared for her, but not being able to do that at all felt like torture. No one deserved to be alone in this big world we think is small.

It had been at least a few nights since they had met each other, but they were already great friends. It was enchanting to see just how music can bring two different souls together.

The two played song after song and the last one, they just had to play another round of bink's sake before Brook had to go.

As soon as they had gone a good way into the song, an excited voice cried out, "Hey! I know that song! Sha-" but was interrupted as if someone had pushed him to the ground. Muffled sounds came soon after.

Sayeko sighed in defeat, feeling sweat drops on her head, "You can come out already, I knew you were there the whole time!"

Seemingly surprised, all seven of them poked their heads out the pillars they were hiding behind. Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Cheshire, Aiden, Nicole and Aotaka.

"Hey, Koko! Can you play that song again?" Luffy asked, well--almost demanded, "Shanks and the others used to sing it a lot!"

She giggled as he requested that, "I had a feeling you'd say that. Brook-san, shall we?"

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed in reply, "I would be more than happy too!"

- - -

That night, for the first time, Sayeko actually saw Ace come out of his shell for once. Luffy had, naturally, sang along with the song, clapping his hands as he and Cheshire spun around the floor joyfully, unintentionally dragging in Aiden despite his barks of protest. Sabo laughed at the sight as he too clapped and danced along, Aotaka chirping along the floor since he has yet to learn to fly.

But Ace... Oh, that was another sight to see. His eyes were wide with wonder as he awkwardly clapped along. For once, he didn't look like the cold, rude and uninviting brat she had come to know, though she had cracked the ice when they first met and she didn't even know. For once, Ace looked like... Ace. She knew deep down, the cold side of him was nothing but a wax wall, hardened by the icy words he had received almost his entire life up to that point. The real him was inside, raw as an egg, just waiting for the right time to come out.

"He'd be a demon that didn't deserve to live!"

"Let's put a needle in him for every single person in this world who hated Roger!"

"He should say something like, 'Oh! I'm so sorry I was ever born! I didn't even deserve to live!"

Sayeko smiled at his behavior, glad that he had finally started enjoying himself this time, not by beating up hoodlums or anything like that, but by actually having fun. Not that she can deny the fact that he does have fun by beating up the hoodlums. It's just, rather, relaxing for her, to know that Ace can actually forget the fact that he's Roger's son, for once. And she was honored to have had a part to play in helping that wax wall to melt, even if it was just this once.

- - -

"Koko, who was that?" Luffy asked as they ran along the familiar dirt path to grab some crocodile to sell.

And eat, of course.

Sayeko smiled as she looked ahead, "A friend, though he is barely visible. I think it's because of a devil fruit."

Besides, I still need to get some work done.

~ ~ ~

Sakura: And since I don't have any more chances to say this...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(And also... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ACE!!)

(Credits to the owner of the pictures)