It's Been Quite a Ride
A Gorillaz Fanfiction
Summary: With the profit running low and the name of Gorillaz beginning to wear thin, the band just might have to go their separate ways for good this time. Will they be able to bring everything back together, or will this be the last we hear of the cartoon foursome?
Genre(s):
Rating: Mature for strict language, alcohol and minor drug usage

ratings may change

Chapter 1 / 'Prologue':: Notice of Eviction
Chapter Rating: Teen for language.

A.N. 11 - 29 - 12 :: All right. I've lost motivation for this, sadly. I know, only got two chapters up, and nothing exciting happened at all. Don't worry, I may tackle this project again, but for now it's abandoned until further notice.

oldA.N.:: Well, hey guys. I was deeply disappointed when I heard the rumors of Gorillaz breaking up for good. I even kept saying how I wished they did something bigger to wrap it up other than the Converse commission. Something big, like an epic new album, or even a movie. And then I thought, huh, a movie, that'd be neat. And then I thought… Why not write said movie as a fanfic to ease my fangirl needs?

And so, here we are. This is hopefully going to be a pretty lengthy fiction, so that's why I'm submitting it as a series of chapters. Normally I just do one-shot fics unless it's for an RPG, but I felt the inspiration to actually draw something out for Gorillaz, especially since they were possibly going to be over. (Though I'm happy now to know that they officially aren't over.)

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy and keep up with this fiction as it goes along. I don't want to beg for reviews and comments, but I'd appreciate to hear your feedback. Oh, and if you'd like, PLEASE give me suggestions for scenes! I can hit lots of blocks where I don't know what to do next, so any suggestion could help me. I really hope I don't stray way out of character in this… I'm always worried about that when it comes to fanfics. But I'm trying my best.

On with the story: here is chapter one. Basically just a prologue, an introduction of plot, etc.

Disclaimer: Gorillaz, and all characters associated with it belongs solely to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.

It was only when he dug his hand in his pocket in search of his keys when the simple-minded 2D, lead singer of Gorillaz, discovered the letter he had received that morning.

He had just stepped out of the group's temporary flat in London to go to his part-time job when some sort of baboon dressed in a mailman suit – which, to any onlooker, would have been odd, but considering everything the singer had seen, it went unnoticed – had handed him said letter. Recalling the encounter, 2D's spirits lifted up and he pulled it out of his pocket, the keys temporarily forgotten. He read the bold font printed on the paper, though he already knew what it said: 'Notice of Eviction.' He smiled to himself; finally they could move out of that bloody flat and somewhere new; not that 2D was very picky, but living in such a tightly packed house with three other pigs, along with… other roommates, was starting to get on his nerves, especially due to the fact he was so used to larger abodes, like the 50+ rooms of Kong Studios, or even the whole of Plastic Beach.

After he realized in his slowly moving head he had been standing there, smiling like an idiot at the letter, he decided that he should bring this to Murdoc, and, keeping the letter in one hand, he grabbed for his keys with the other and swiftly made his way through the door. He tossed his jacket carelessly to the side and set his slow-moving mind on the single intent to bring this news to Murdoc. He walked down the entry way and turned the corner to make his way to Murdoc's 'office'. As usual, the door was closed, indicating that Murdoc was more than likely inside.

2D lifted a balled fist to knock, when suddenly, a thought hit him, making the smile he had kept on his face upon entering vanish in a moment's notice. Of course 2D himself would like moving out, but Murdoc? The Satanist was likely going to take this news very badly. 2D knew him as he was, a cheap and lazy man who would give a rat's ass to anyone's preferences as long as he was content. And just the other day 2D recalled catching a comment from Murdoc about how much the bassist 'loved the new flat'. His brow furrowed and he winced, mentally picturing the man beating him up once he gets the news, and just that small thought almost made him decide to keep the letter hidden. But alas, he knew Murdoc had to find out now, rather than later; if 2D kept it from the bassist, who knows how much trouble he would have gotten in.

Taking a breath, the blunette knocked on the door and waited, slightly impatiently, for Murdoc's acknowledgement and allowance of his entry. Once he heard the muffled 'Who theh fuck is it?' from within, 2D opened the door, knowing that as a usual greeting from the Satanist. As he peeked in the room, he was granted the familiar sight – and stench – of Murdoc's little office: numerous pictures hung on the wall, with many accessories and decorations to call the room island themed – 2D did consider Murdoc to have a very pirate-like nature. It seemed as though Murdoc was done with his commentary part of his radio show, and was just letting random records play music for the rest of the night. The green man was sitting at his desk against the wall; he was leaning back in his chair with his feet propped on the desk, and in his hands was what seemed to be one of his many issues of inappropriate magazines. Surprisingly he was fully dressed, even wearing his boots; 2D guessed he must have had to run out on an errand or something. Murdoc glanced up as 2D looked in, his rough features greeting the singer with a frown – as usual. "Oh, yer back. The 'ell do yeh want, Faceache?" he grunted, moving his attention back to the magazine without hesitation.

2D paused, again contemplating on his decision on whether to tell the bassist, along with the curiosity as to how Murdoc would react to the news. With an audible gulp, 2D began, his naturally higher-pitched voice actually managing to hide the slight shake that he was almost sure would accompany, "Goh the mail, Mur'oc. I dunno if yew will like ih', though…" He hesitantly stepped in the room all the way before handing the bassist the wrinkled envelope.

Murdoc snatched it away, letting out a small, "Lemme see tha'…" before promptly reading what was written. Upon registering what was on the cover, 2D noticed easily the furrowing of the Satanist's brow and, after he had opened the envelope and delicately scanned the contents – which felt like hours due to the singer's nervousness – Murdoc finally let out a slow 'hmm' of contemplation. Slowly then, he lowered the letter, though his eyes still stared at the spot where it used to be. 2D guessed feebly that the bassist was taking it all in, and again feared for his safety. Being beaten up was the last thing he wanted right now. But after a few more moments, and without taking his eyes out of the trance they seemed to be in, Murdoc opened his mouth to speak, though hesitated at first.

"Get the othas," he said slowly, his naturally sharp and hoarse voice suddenly dull with thought, and quieter than usual.

"W-woh'?" 2D stammered innocently, somewhat confused by Murdoc's order, as he was fixed on the idea that he was about to receive a beating.

"Did I stu'uh, Faceache?" Murdoc snarled, now snapping his mismatched eyes on the blunette with annoyance. That's more like it. "I said get the othas! An' meet me upstai's."

Nodding quickly and stepping back out of the office, 2D shut the door and made his way swiftly away from the evidently angry Satanist. Though his first intention was to get away, he still found himself instinctively heading upstairs, following the path that lead to another of his band mates. The singer's small mind, usually accustomed to focusing on one thought at a time, immediately considered the thought of an interaction with Noodle, and he felt his spirits lift once more. Even though it hadn't been long at all since the guitarist's return (only a month or two in fact), he felt as though a huge hole had been filled in his life. After all, back in the old days, the two were practically inseparable – from the times they'd spend together playing video games or watching horror movies, to arranging music to play as one-on-one duets, to even when one or the other just needed someone to talk to about personal thoughts or embarrassing feelings. Practically siblings, is what most would think. 2D loved the idea; the guitarist was like a sister he never truly had.

Though, unfortunately, contrary to 2D's automatic thoughts, Noodle only seemed more distant since her return. The singer couldn't quite understand why; perhaps the nightmares she experienced in Hell had hardened her shell tenfold. Yet he still felt like there was a spark, a zen bond in between the two. He just waited until she could feel it again, as well.

In any case, he was just happy to have her back.

Once he made his way up the couple flights of stairs, and quickly down the hall, he knocked softly on the door leading to the Japanese woman's room, aware that surely she would be awake by now, and he wouldn't be disturbing her sleep. After a moment, a soft acknowledgement of 'come in' was heard through the door, and turning the knob, 2D pushed into the room slowly.

Peeking inside, he was greeted with the guitarists back facing him as she was sitting on her bed, looking down as she concentrated on something. She turned to observe who had entered, and as she did, 2D caught sight of a melodica. He warmed slightly on the inside, a nostalgic feeling washing over him as he recalled first teaching her said instrument when she was younger.

He glanced back up to meet her gaze; her slanted eyes were seemingly dull in the light – at least 2D guessed it was the light – and their emerald color was unseen. She was wearing what could be seen at this angle a black and purple long-sleeved shirt with possibly blue jeans. 2D smiled at her in a greeting, though she returned it only with a curt nod.

"Good afternoon, love," he went on, clearing his throat and feeling slightly awkward all of a sudden. "Mu'doc wants ta speak wif all 'f us in the next room." By 'next room', 2D meant the family room, which was right down a single flight of stairs from there. It was where the band would spend most of their time together – on rare occasions, anyway – or just individually, seeing as though it had the TV, a bookshelf, and many other things of entertainment. Noodle nodded once more before asking, "What for?" as she stood, setting the melodica down, and raising her arms over her head in a stretch.

2D shrugged. "Not too sure," he replied. "Buh it prolly has ta do wif the lettuh."

"Letter?" Noodle echoed, tilting her head, a signature aspect of hers whenever she did not fully understand. It was a little trait 2D had noted years ago, especially when the girl could not comprehend what he was saying back when she did not speak English.

2D recalled, Duh, she wouldn't know, and after mentally face-palming, he returned, "Yew'll find out. C'mon," and with that he opened the door all the way to let her out. She passed him, gaze fixed forward and still an emotionless face, and 2D followed her down the stairs and into the family room.

Once there, 2D took absent notice of the sound of the television, which had evidently been left on by whoever was watching it last, and stepped to the window. He pulled it open and called out, "Oy, Russ! Come down 'ere, Mu'doc wants ta speak wif us awl!"

After a second or two, the building shook noticeably as the weight of the abnormally gigantic drummer was removed from the roof. 2D thought back to when he first witnessed the change in Russel's size; after he and the guitarist settled in again with the band, he had filled both Murdoc and 2D in on the story that he had swam into the ocean and through some radioactive material, thus initiating an allergic reaction that caused him to increase drastically in size. It was weird, admittedly, but thankfully it seemed as though he was beginning to return to normal size. Slowly, but surely.

Moments later, 2D visibly jumped with surprise as the large drummer's head lifted up to level with the window, his huge white moons for eyes peering in. Though 2D expected it, it still startled him for the sudden appearance of Russel, but when he realized it was just his friend he relaxed and put on his happy face. "'Ello, Russul," he greeted properly with a small wave. "'Ow are yew t'day, mate?"

The drummer, even though wielding an intimidating appearance due to his size, smiled back at his friend when he replied, "I'm good, man. Just bored."

"I'll bet." 2D crossed his arms, not able to imagine how painfully dull it must be having to sit up on the roof all day due to the fact that there's nothing much else you can do in a city when you're the size of a building. The singer frowned. He would hate having to live like that, even if it's only temporary, and he felt a pang of sympathy for his friend.

"So what does Murdoc want this time?" Russel's question had brought 2D out of his thoughts, and he shrugged, giving Russel the same answer he did to Noodle. "We got a pre'y impo'tant letteh, and I s'pose Mu'doc wants ta talk teh us abou' it." 2D glanced over his shoulder as he spoke the bassist's name, half expecting the green man to have arrived by now, but he was only greeted by the empty room, despite Noodle, who had now settled on the couch, one leg pulled to her chest, as she stared off into the distance, likely lost in thought. 2D glanced back to Russel, who's smile was gone as his brow was clenched in a thoughtful manner. "Well, he better hurry up then," Russel said, "Now I'm curious as to how important the letter was."

"Oh, it's pretty impo'tant," 2D insisted with an eager nod. "Yew'll see."

"You read it?"

2D shook his head. "Just the title, or woteva. Like ah said, yew'll see."

Russel didn't reply, just shrugged.

2D turned and walked over, taking a seat at the opposite edge of the sectional couch. He looked over at Noodle, who was still staring off, and after looking to Russel real quick, 2D glanced down and began to twiddle his thumbs awkwardly. He wasn't always one to start a conversation, but the silence now was likely caused mainly by each of the band members' curiosity as to what Murdoc was going to say to each of them.

But fortunately, only a minute or two passed by when the sound of the bassists feet ascending the stairs was heard, and 2D looked behind him to spot him as he entered the room. The letter was clenched in his hand still, and his stern face was unusually calm. 2D raised his eyebrows; whatever Murdoc was going to say, it was definitely something he wasn't accustomed to.

"Great, yeh're awl heah…" Murdoc leaned against the fireplace, which was next to the TV and opposite to the couch. Each of the other three were looking up at him now, all eager to hear what his announcement was. After slowly meeting the gazes of each one of them at a time, Murdoc started off, rather bluntly, "I think it's time fo' Gorillaz teh split fo' good."

After a simultaneous chorus of 'what's from each of the listeners, Russel was the only one to really ask, "Why would you say that, Muds?" Murdoc held up the envelope as a reply, pointing to what was written on it and showing both the drummer and Noodle. Noodle let out a small gasp, while Russel just furrowed his brow. "I don't understand why being evicted means we have to end the band," he prompted.

"It's not just this, Lards," Murdoc said, lowering the envelope. "But this is a reason." He crossed his arms and leaned against the fireplace again, looking down. He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm not too sure if the rest of yew lot had noticed or noh, but we've been runnin' low on income lately. I mean, look at this bloody, puny place," he added, glancing up to gesture at the room with his gaze, "Yew think I rented this flat cuz I liked it? It was cheap. It was awl we could really afford. And now…" He looked back down to the letter, before crinkling it up and tossing it aside. "Now cuz we were behind our pay, we're gettin' kicked out."

"So we're a bit poor at the moment," Russel argued with a shrug. "Why don't we just throw together a gig and get some money that way?"

"Yew got no idea how ta manage a gig, do yeh, Lards?" Murdoc snarled, rolling his eyes before casting him a glare. "That costs nearly as much as we make off of ih. There's no way we'd be able teh afford to get one togetheh with wot we awlready 'ave."

Russel was quiet a moment before suggesting, "What about what we got from that commission for Converse? How much did we make off of that?"

Murdoc shrugged. "After we split that with them Andre and Murphy blokes, giving our directors a share, and splitting it up with tha three of yew, not tha' much."

"Well," Noodle spoke up this time, and all attention turned to the woman, "2D has a job. We could all get some small jobs in order to pay the bill for this place."

The Satanist just sighed at her suggestion. "Tha's the thing, love," he said in a softer and more serious tone. He stood up straight and took a step forward, jamming his hands into his pockets. "The way that'd work is as if the lot of us are like some sor' of family," he went on, wrinkling his nose at the thought. "Awl workin' tehgether just ta live in this bloody flat."

"And what's wrong with that?" Russel asked.

"Lards, we ain't that kind of family." Murdoc glanced down. "Noh anymore. The thing is, it'd probably be the best if we just…" He paused. "I dunno, try ta fend fo' ourselves, y'know?"

"But we just got everyone back tehgether!" 2D piped up. Throughout the discussion so far, he had been silent, but the thought of having to leave his band mates, yet again, after finally getting everyone back, just did not appeal to the poor blunette one bit.

Murdoc moved his mismatched gaze down to 2D, narrowing his eyes but not looking hostile as he normally did. "I know. But I just don't see any sor' of way this can work out, y'know?" He began to pace back and forth. "We lost a lo' of money after we had ta flee Plastic Beach. Cyborg is gone. We aren't getting any gigs, otha than Converse, which was nice an' all, but it can only pay so much. My radio show doesn't even make enough fo' awl four of us, and it's a pain having teh pay back to keep that station. We can't suppor' ourselves here anymore because we're gonna be evicted, and having to be able ta rent a whole other flat is out of the question." He stopped pacing. "If we worry about ourselves and our own future lives, then that'd probably be the best fo' each of us."

The rest were silent for a while, each of them taking in the unusually optimistic words coming from the bassist. 2D was biting his lip, looking down to his hands which were still on his lap. Without moving his head he glanced over at the others; Russel was, too, looking down, his brow still clenched as he tried to come up with any sort of plan. Noodle was staring off at nothing again, though her red lips were curved in a disappointed frown. Murdoc was still standing, observing his Cuban heeled boots as he let the news sink in. His face… was he upset? 2D could hardly believe the bassist would be upset about anything in this sort of matter.

Russel was the first one to break the silence, but all he could really say was "Well…" before he trailed off, failing to find anything to add. But it enticed Murdoc to go on, "Think about it, mates. It's been quite a ride, yeah? Four albums, ten yeahs. Our music went sky high in the charts, both heah and in the States and, well, world-wide. I just s'pose we got nothing else ta really do, but, y'know, move on with our lives."

"I guess you're right," Russel said, his voice low despite his optimistic words.

"I don't like et any more than yew lot do, trust me," Murdoc added quickly, looking up again. "If we 'ad the money, I woulda nevah considered splittin' up. But… ya gotta do what yeh gotta do, yeah?"

Another silence followed the bassist's words. "Well," he went on, pulling his hands out of his pockets and turning to leave the room. "Yew all got till tomorrow night to pack yehr stuff. The lettuh said tomorrow is our last day to get outta here."

Though after he left the room, they continued sitting in silence. Noodle was the first one to move; she slowly got up from the couch and walked wordlessly out, and due to the sound of her footsteps 2D was able to note that she had gone back up to her room, likely to get all of her things together. Russel then moved away from the window, and the shaking of the building told them all that he had gone back up to the roof.

2D continued sitting there, concentrating once more on his twiddling thumbs. His mind was racing back and forth from the thought of, 'I shouldn't have given him that bloody letter', to, 'Where will I go now?' to, 'Is there any way to stop this?' He sighed, grabbing a hold of his head as all of the thoughts had brought on the beginnings of a migraine. Honestly, he was used to them all going on a hiatus – after all, it seemed that they would break up after every single album release. But this… He just had a bad gut feeling about this. Especially due to the way Murdoc was acting. God, what would he do now? Working as an assistant at a bloody driving school was so dull, and definitely not the way he wanted to spend the next few years of his life. But right now, he couldn't even think of anything he rather do than be with the band. All he wanted, all he felt like he needed, was Gorillaz.

But they were done.

...

2D stepped out of the familiar flat, holding a large suitcase in each hand with a guitar case strapped around his back. Parked in front of the building was a moving truck – likely carrying all of Murdoc's stuff for his radio show as well as his own individual luggage. 2D glanced over his shoulder for one last time, taking in the appearance of the door before it shut on its own. He had already said his goodbyes to Noodle and Russel, but he hadn't even taken the chance to ask them where they were going to go. Though somehow, he knew that they probably had no real plans either. Though luckily, he noted in the back of his mind that he had their numbers saved in his phone, and he'd be able to contact them if he ever had to. When he had said farewell to Murdoc, the bassist was too busy getting his own things together, yet surprisingly, acknowledged the singer with a fond, "Good luck, Faceache."

Looking onward, 2D, slightly struggling due to everything he was carrying, made his way down the few steps and over to the taxi, which he had contacted over the phone just minutes before. After shoving the two bags in the back seat –carefully of course, due to the fact one of them held a variety of keyboards and melodicas – he climbed into the backseat of the taxi, taking the guitar with him.

After looking one more time at the flat, which felt so much smaller now that Russel was no longer on the roof and the Windmill Island seemed to be out of view, he frowned, and pulled the door shut, and the taxi then drove away.

A.N.:: Hey, hope you enjoyed this first part. Sorry, the reason is kinda lame; as if Gorillaz would ever run bankrupt, right? But I needed a conflict. You'll see where I take this throughout the story. Anyway, sorry it got a bit choppy near the end; I mainly just wanted to finish this sodding thing.

Well, keep an eye out for future chapters. Thanks to The9Tard for 'prooflistening'.

Feel free to Review! Like I said, suggestions for fillers are welcome!