A/N: After two (three? Geh, I can't even remember) years I've decided to revive/finish my old Gorillaz fic after FF dot net decided to clear all the band based fics. Anyway, I hope you all like it and leave me reviews as they make me happy. One review can totally make my entire day. -wink, wink-

For this chapter, beware of hospitals, Murdoc's driving and cute little doggies. You have been warned!

And also, Murdoc, 2-D and the gang are not mine. But the dog is! Oh yes, and with my dog I shall take over the world! Bwahahahahaha! -coughsgagsanddies-

Kudos and cookies, all!

Chapter 1: Of Hospitals And Dogs

2-D shivered. He had never much liked hospitals. He had been in his fair share of them, but he still could never quite get used to the lingering quiet and the glaring white walls; white like the pearly gates themselves, which was the fate that awaited several of the hospitals occupants, he was sure. At that thought, he shivered again.

"2-D-san cold?" 2-D looked up to see the young Japanese girl with the water he had asked for. Along with the water, she had a worried expression.

After shaking his spiky blue hair and accepting the water, he replied, "No, Noodle, but fanks fer askin'." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small orange container. He emptied a few of its contents into his palm and drank them down with the water. He could feel a migraine coming on.

Once he was sure the painkillers were staying down in his nearly empty stomach, 2-D tried his cell phone again. He had been trying on and off for the last 45 minutes to ring Russel, but for some reason the American wasn't answering his phone.

When his fourth attempt proved futile, 2-D hung his head and rubbed his temples. He looked up at the double doors that led further into the hospital, and he chanced a glance at Noodle. She was reading a magazine, putting up a nice front, but her fear was showing around the edges; her hands were trembling as she turned the pages.

Picking up his phone, 2-D tried again to phone the drummer, but again he got nothing. He slid his phone back into his pocket and considered popping a few more pills, when a blaring ring pierced the quiet of the waiting room. At first the singer thought that it might be an alarm of some kind, but as the sound rang out again, it dawned on him that it was only his phone.

"Russ?" He answered with a squeak.

"Damn, 'D. Tryin' ta get a little sleep 'n my phone's ringing like there's no tomorrow. 'Sup?" Russel did sound tired, but there was no time for that.

"Russ, you gotta come down to the hospi'al. Me 'n Noodle are already here. Murdoc got into anover fight."

Russel sighed. "Again? How bad this time?"

"We dun know yet. He's still in the..." 2-D glanced over at the shaking, nervous guitarist. Not wanting to worry her anymore, he didn't finish his previous sentence. "We still dun know, Russ."

It had been three hours since Russel had managed to get to the hospital via two buses and a borrowed bicycle, and there was still no word yet on Murdoc. 2-D was really starting to worry about the bassist, and he was sure that Noodle was getting a little scared. She was now pacing the room and glancing at the imposing double doors with a look of dread. It had been far too long. He glanced over at Russ, who was pretending to read a magazine, but 2-D could see through the act because the drummer's milky white eyes were focused on the double doors. Plus the magazine was upside down.

"Oi, Russ, you wanna, you know, take Noodle 'n get some ice cream of somfin'?"

Russel cocked an eyebrow at the singer, but he knew what he was getting at. "Sure. You want something, 'D?"

Shaking his blue spikes, 2-D answered, "Nah." He was afraid that the chill of the ice cream might worsen his almost unbearable headache.

Just as Russel and Noodle were starting to walk out of the hospital's waiting room, the double doors that everyone had been so eagerly watching were thrown open from within with such force they cracked the wall when they made contact.

"Bloody dipshits. Just 'cos they got a fucking piece a paper, they think they can tell a guy if he's feelin' all right or not." The members of Gorillaz all breathed a sigh of relief. Murdoc seemed to be just fine.

"Murdoc-saaaaaaaaan!" Noodle yelled as she took a flying leap at the bassist.

Luckily for him, Murdoc caught her in midair and saved his bones another breaking. "Hey, you little Wasabi misfit, watch it. You wanna send me back in there after I just got out?" He asked as he set her on the ground. She proceeded to give him a quick hug however, which in turn caused Murdoc to roll his eyes.

"Murdoc!" 2-D leaped to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"A'course I am, Dullard." Murdoc pulled out a cigarette and lit it despite the no smoking sign some ten feet away. "A little bruise never 'urt no one."

"No, but a big bruise did. What happened, Muds?" Russel asked, indicating the new bandaged that Murdoc was sporting around his head.

"Eh? Oh, that. 'S just a little bump." Murdoc answered as he took a drag off his cig. "Nothin' ta write 'ome about."

"And what that, Murdoc-san?" Leave it to Noodle to point out what he was trying to hide.

Murdoc crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to conceal his secret, but by that time everyone had noticed the bandages under his shirt. " 'S nothing." He lied, looking around to find something to change the subject with.

"Muds." Russel said in that I'm-not-threatening-but-don't-mess-with-me voice of his.

Murdoc dropped his arms and rolled his eyes. "Just a few broken ribs. 'S like the morning ride ta work fer me." He took another drag on his cig. "So, wot happened ta Lee?" He asked, finally finding something to change the subject with.

"He's still in the ICU." 2-D supplied with his gap-toothed grin. Murdoc had done a pretty good job on Lee, until the rival bassist had grabbed a lead pipe and, in his last desperate attempt to settle the score in those few remaining moments before unconsciousness, swung as hard as he could. His attack landed square on Murdoc's chest, and when the Satanist had dropped to his knees, Lee had landed another one on Murdoc's temple. It was around then that the ambulance had arrived.

After exhaling a ring of smoke, Murdoc sniggered. "Serves the little bastard right, whacking me with a pipe."

Russel sighed and shook his head. He'd figured it was bad, but with Lee in the ICU, that would probably mean the rest of his wannabe band would come looking for a fight. A fight that Murdoc would be all too willing to give.

"Now, let's blow this bloody Popsicle stand before those damn docs try 'n get me ta stay again." Murdoc said as he started for the exit.

2-D cleared his throat. "Um, Muds? Maybe you should do what the doctors fink."

"We're leaving, face ache, 'n that's that." Before Murdoc could say anything more to argue his point, the double doors that everyone had been so eagerly watching were opened once again, only this time much more feebly. Out of the room staggered a doctor with a nice, ripe black eye.

Everyone turned to Murdoc, who merely rolled his eyes for the third time that night. "Bloody hell."

"Mr. Niccals!" the doctor called.

"Bugger this." Murdoc grabbed 2-D's arm and he yanked him along the hospitals twisting halls at a run, heading for the parking garage, with Russel and Noodle right behind him. "Where'd you park my Geep?"

"I dunno, I forgot." 2-D was struggling to keep up with the bassist, trying to remember where he had parked, and not trip over his own two feet.

Murdoc glared at the black-eyed singer next to him, and whacked the back of his head with his free hand. "DULLARD!"

When they finally reached the Geep (7 levels down in the underground parking lot) all of them were panting and tired. All except for Noodle, who was bouncing around, happy that all of her 'big brothers' were okay.

2-D got into his usual position in the passenger seat, but he gave Russ an uneasy glance as Murdoc flopped down behind the wheel. The Satanist grinned, started to stretch, winced, and then began looking for his keys.

"Damn doctors, I'll fix 'em. Come back 'ere, kerosene the place 'n call it a night." At that thought, he sniggered softly to himself.

Russ cleared his throat. He was standing outside the Geep next to Murdoc. "Hey, Muds. Gimme the keys. You're in no condition to drive."

Murdoc thrust the keys into the ignition and started the car. "Pry 'em from me cold, dead hands."

Russel sighed and shook his head. But, he lumbered around to the back of the Geep. There was no use arguing; it'd be like trying to win a fist fight with a brick wall. As soon as Russel made contact with the interior, Murdoc slammed on the gas and roared out of the space. Changing gears with a little more then a flick of his wrist, he thundered out of the parking garage and out into the street, where poor pedestrians were at the mercy of stationary objects to hide behind.

The second they pulled into Kong Studios, Murdoc went straight for the Whinny to have a few drinks and try to sleep off the morphine that the doctors had pumped into his system. Russ lumbered off to the kitchen, and Noodle raced upstairs to catch the last 15 minutes of The Powerpuff Girls, leaving 2-D alone in the car park.

The onyx-eyed singer started walking, not to his basement room, but out of the car park to the cemetery that surrounded Kong Studios. He walked to the edge of the Gorillaz property, to a little rise that overlooked a valley. On the outside, there was nothing special about this place, sure the view was lovely, but views like this always were. No, the place only held deep significance to 2-D. It was his place, and he loved it.

The rise was grassy, and there were spots of shade from a big oak tree that was set firmly in the ground of the rise. The valley it overlooked was beautiful too, it started wide but as it neared the horizon, it narrowed, so there were two large mountains with nothing between them but sky and horizon. For a few minutes during sunset, the sun looked caught between the two mountains, and it covered the valley with a golden glow that it never gave anyplace else. That was what 2-D liked best.

And that was why he sat there now. In another ten minutes he'd see the thing that gave him his inspiration. It was here that he thought of the song 'Starshine' and it was here that he spent every evening he could. He'd tried multiple times to get his fellow band members to come out here and see it with him, but they'd all, in some way or another, left him hanging. Murdoc had gotten bored in the first two minutes, left, and had missed the show completely, Russel had watched it once, but he said that it was nothing all that special and that if 2-D wanted to watch something cool, he should see New York City at night. Only Noodle had seen it more than once, but ever since that new season of Powerpuff Girls had started, she hadn't come to the golden valley anymore, and 2-D had never brought it up again. If his friends didn't like it, he couldn't make them, so everyday he sat out there by himself. And it was fine.

Sort of...

Sometimes, like now, he got lonely watching the sun die beyond the mountains, and he wished desperately for a friend to share this magic moment with. A friend to talk to, one who'd listen to everything he had to say, but who wouldn't care one way or the other.

2-D sighed and brought his long legs up to his chest and he rested his head on his knees. His black eyes held unshed tears, and as he watched the sun sinking, waiting for those few pivotal moments when the valley below him would turn into a golden spectacle that even heaven's angels would desire, he wished for a friend to watch the sunset with.

/He smelt of sadness, and my ears heard his small sigh. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, and it was then that I decided to grant his wish./

2-D heard the thing before he saw it. It was the sound of struggling, and of unchecked joy and happiness. He stood on his long, lanky legs and he walked over to the steep edge of the valley. It was then when he saw it. It was climbing the steep valley walls, trying to reach his rise.

It was a dog. 2-D could not place a breed to the dog's features, and he figured that it was a mutt, a stray by the looks of it too. It had long legs, and paws that were too big for it. It was thin from time on the streets, and its ears were floppy, as was its lolling pink tongue. It was of medium build, and there were two black patches of fur over its two mismatched eyes. Its bushy tail wagged with such force that 2-D was surprised that the nearby shrubbery was still standing. Kneeling down, the singer reached into the valley and pulled up the scruffy dog.

"Hey there, little fellah," 2-D said as he ineffectively tried to block his face from the entourage of licks. He laughed, and the dog barked and wagged its tail even harder, if that were possible. 2-D beamed at the dog he held in his arms, but as he held the dog over the valley, the sun hit its crucial point between the two mountains, and a shaft of golden light covered the valley in a glow as golden as the suns fire itself.

2-D looked at the golden dog that was glowing in the light. He saw the valley that had always reminded him of a little slice of heaven, and he was holding a creature from his heaven, a creature that shined with the light of his beautiful, wonderful place. "You an angel from heaven?" he asked in an awed voice.

The dog merely cocked his head to one side, and its face split into a doggy grin. 2-D laughed at the happy face. "No, s'pose not, but I bet'cher the next best fing." The sun died suddenly beyond the two peaks, and a darkness took hold of the valley as the sky quickly faded from yellow-orange to an inky blue/black that was dotted with stars. "Well, can't jus' let'cha stay outside all night."

The back-eyed singer repositioned the dog in his arms, and turned around, heading back through the cemetery towards the studios. /Murdoc's gonna kill me.../ He thought as he entered the studios.