AN: First Gorillaz for me. And let me be the first to say that I know that this could never happen. This story is really weird and unrealistic, but it was a fleeting idea and I decided to go with it. Just a oneshot, sorry to say.

Many themes reside in here, see if you can count them all. This thing really isn't my best, I guess, but it sure felt good to get it out there. Sorry if there are any errors, I proofread it as best I could.

Don't own the Gorillaz.

She oppressed herself trying to believe that these people had an ounce of soul in their bellies. She hid her bruises and her scars for the umpteenth time each session, though it was getting harder to do so. No one had noticed that the light in her eyes, however shy and fleeting it was before, had now gone out completely.

Noodle laid in the dirt patch behind her High School, her eyesight flickering on and off and the neuron attachments in her brain firing back and forth so hard she almost forgot where she was and how she got there. Remembering the scene visually was extremely difficult, but she could recall each sensation like it was still happening. She could recall the powerful grip on her thick dark purple hair, so strong that it lifted her delicate body off of the ground and a few drops of blood slowly began to drip down from her scalp and onto the back of her neck. There were four boys and five girls, all taller than her, all had thick accents that she just knew were fake and self induced, and all of them spat in her face as she brought a shaky hand into her shorts pocket and pulled out fifty dollars.

They always got her money. They always took it this way. Whenever they managed to see her in the halls when she was sloppy at hiding from them until she reached the exit doors, Noodle tried to will herself to blank out and channel all of the feeling out her body. They stopped allowing her speak after their second attack, and whenever she parted her lips to say something along the lines of going to the authorities, the session would end with her face in the dirt and one of their heel-covered feet on her back.

After getting their money, they laughed as Noodle tried to disengage, and they would have none of that. They picked her up by the scruff of her striped shirt and each took turns striking her across the face. Before she fell to the ground she felt a rippling pain that spread across her face, signaling that they had almost broken her nose. She fell to the ground, tears blood and mucus becoming plastered across her immaculate pretty face.

Her ears weren't working correctly anymore, but once again they laughed, pocketed her money, and took off in a flash.

They left the guitarist, broken and bleeding once again on the dirt patch behind the school.

It started at the beginning as small things, like them snickering whenever she read in class or tripping her as she walked down the school corridors.

It was unfair. So hideously unfair.

But she stopped pleading for them to stop a long time ago.

She was a human being put on this earth to be loved and cherished, correct?

Then why did her mind suddenly howl the opposite; that she was here simply for others' sick amusement.

'Gods Gift to the World' was what her name meant. Yeah, everyone loves a punching bag.

At Kong, her band mates would barely notice a thing, and if they did, Noodle used her aloofness to veer them off course from discovering the truth. All they would see is a quiet Noodle sitting on her well made bed doing her homework, silent as a tomb. Or playing the complicated chords that only her and her talented hands could make. No bruises, no pain. Just a quiet responsible little Noodle. She always thought of herself as strong before then, strong in her classes and her ability to converse. But once she tried raising her fists against those who brought on the sessions, she became as vulnerable as dead game.

But Noodle kept it a secret. And she was still strong in that pursuit.

She came to the conclusion that this was a far cry beyond bullying. To those monsters, those thick accented girls with the hot pink tube tops and the crispy gelled hair, and those merciless boys with dark black jackets, she was less than nothing, and should be treated as such.

'Where did you get all those bruises, Noodle-girl?' Russell asked one day when Noodle accidentally lifted her arms up, her shirt sleeves sliding down to reveal the dark marks that snaked up her limbs.

'I've been bumping into things for weeks now, don't know why.' Noodle responded quickly, swiftly pulling her sleeves over her arms and leaving the room in a hurry.

'Why're yew cryin', Noodle? Did yew 'ave a bad dream?' 2D asked quietly as Noodle awoke to him sitting next to her bed.

She remembered that her best friend stroked her cheek so lovingly, and Noodle felt so guilty for the warm feeling she felt; she wanted to smack it away. She wasn't deserving of such benevolent gestures anymore.

'You're hearing things, 2D-san. Go back to sleep.' And she rolled over and used the covers to wipe away the tears she made during her slumber.

Noodle's nerves firing, her nose running, her skin enflamed and in pain, she was helpless as always after a session. But on most days she was at least able to move her legs. She tried to rise, but there was a sickening numbness in her legs and she was unable to. If she were clear in the head at that moment she would've made note of a dull pain that was pulsing in the middle of her spine. In her defenselessness, her ache, and grief that she would have to stay here until she was able to walk again, she did the one thing that she knew she was still able to do.

She sang.

Her voice was so soft even she could hardly hear it. She could see the words on a mental tablet, could remember practicing them in the studio with band mates, but she knew that they were coming out all wrong, like a babbling psychopath.

Time passed out of knowledge, and the only way for her to even tell the time of day was to try and look at the position of the sun. In this season the sun was setting earlier, and a cold breeze began to blow against her cheek, drying the blood on her face.

But she didn't stop singing.

And she still couldn't walk.

How she wished her fists were steel, that her face was not soft but brutal and full of characterized creases. That her voice was biting like the sharpest knives or that her body was not so easy to tenderize. Her sad song did nothing but intensify the raging river of self loathing that had been running like a foot of melted snow within her.

Noodle's ears perked up, hearing something through the pounding blood behind her drums.

"Oh my God…"

Was that her? Or was that whatever was coming? Or was she hearing things?

No, she couldn't let whoever they were see her like this.

Flash of blue.

Blue hair.

God no, she couldn't let him see her, see what had been done to her. Fear of humiliation brought her back from the violent ethereal void she had previously been drowning in; she wanted to cover her face from him.

"Noodle! Can yew 'ear me?"

Yes. Yes. And his voice was so good. So melodic.

But she wouldn't say that.

2D had been wondering why Noodle hadn't returned back from school yet. Russell had gone out somewhere, taking the geep with him. Murdoc had been passed out in his Winniebago since the night before, so 2D was the only one left to search for her. He walked to school on foot.

He had searched the school grounds, but every person had said she was gone. 2D had just walked through the school's back exit, only to come across the familiar dirt patch with something not so familiar on its surface. He felt the kind of wrenching of all his organs tying themselves into the tightest knot possible as one would feel if they had discovered a dead body. As he slowly approached the body, he recognized the striped shirt, the black shorts, and the dark purple hair that was now covered in dust. He knelt next to the girl, looking at her battered face to make sure that this was who he believed it to be.

"Oh Lil' Love…" He whispered mournfully, wondering who could have done such a vindictive thing to someone so undeserving.

'Don't you dare look at me,' she wanted to say, 'I don't want you to see me like this.'

"Please, say somefink." 2D pleaded.

Instead of talking, Noodle willed her bruised eyes to look at him and her ducts secreted fresh tears as she looked into the blurry face of the one she least wanted to ever discover her predicament.

2D smiled sadly. "At least I know yer alive."

He looked at her paralyzed body.

"…Can yew walk?" He asked.

When she shook her head, he reached his arms underneath her torso and her legs and gently lifted her.

"What're you doing…" Noodle's swollen lips mumbled.

"I'm takin' yew home." He replied simply.

"No!" She whispered frantically, her small delicate hands gripping his blue shirt surprisingly tight.

"Why on earth not?" He asked. The only other place he would even consider taking her was the hospital, but something told him that she would have none of that either.

She coughed, and shook her head quickly.

Noodle couldn't handle it right now. She couldn't handle Russell fussing over her. She couldn't handle her them cleaning her wounds with stinging rubbing alcohol and hounding her for details on what had happened.

"I… I can't let anyone see me like this. Please, 2D-san."

"Got nowhere else to take yew," He said. "Won't let Russ or Muds see yew, okay?"

"Okay." Noodle whispered, reluctantly, but she trusted 2D.

Her grip on his shirt didn't falter, and she found herself leaning her cheek against one of his shoulders. A tiny insignificant part of her was thankful that he found her, but mostly she was still hitting herself for being seen like this. The brown hued trees, the white picket fences, the gray sidewalk, the knitted brow of 2D's dismal expression were all one undistinguished blur to Noodle. She didn't mind. She wasn't quite ready to see the world for all of its beauty and ugliness again quite yet.

Noodle couldn't help but wonder just where 2D had acquired the strength to carry someone of her weight this far. And for the first time in the longest time, she felt a small dose of security as she was cradled against him.

His arms heavy with a battered female, 2D was relieved once he got to the door. Noodle was exhausted. Her eyelids drooped.

'Why was it so quiet?' Noodle wondered. Why was no one shouting or rushing around to tend to her needs? She could hear the low hum of the elevator as they rose to her floor, and then he brought her to the bathroom. He gently laid her back against the wooden cabinets under the sink, and began to run bath water.

Noodle's head lolled to its side as she tried to see what he was doing.

A bath?

Dried blood and mucus covered her face and her body was cut up and bruised.

A hot bath sounded nice.

But even though this was hardly the time to think about something so trivial, getting naked in front of 2D in many senses was not very enticing.

"Can yew… get in by yerself?" 2D asked her.

Noodle shuffled her feet, silently thanking the fact that she could at least feel them again, but she knew that she didn't have enough strength to rise and undress herself. Her heart thumped drastically, willing to go in with her clothes on if she had to. She knew her body from inside her thighs to the softness of her small breasts were littered with obscene residue from events as of late.

She couldn't let him see her like that and have the revolting image of her assaulted skin in his head.

Though an outwardly modest and shy girl she was, the young guitarist made a whimsical vow that if he ever were to see her unclothed there would be nothing to diminish the moment. The need to bathe and wash the filth away was strong, but the thought of 2D seeing her black and blue body made her tremble and tense up.

2D knew that she needed this. She needed to soothe her torn muscles and her skin that he could only imagine how mottled it was. Going in with her clothes on was an option, but the water would only weigh her down as it trapped in the fibers and make her body ache even more. The other option was…

"Noodle?"

"Mmm…"

"I'm gonna to undress yew and lay yew in the tub, okay?"

Noodle's puffy eyes were suddenly able to focus on him and widened. Her head quickly shook.

"No…" She whispered.

"Please, yew need this." 2D pressed.

"No… I'm gross. Don't look at me."

Kneeling in front of her, he put his hand against her cheek.

"No force on this earth is gonna make me fhink tha'. Please, trust me."

He brought his hands down to the hem of her shirt, but waited for permission to go further. Tears began streaming down her face, but she slowly nodded. As gently as possible he lifted the torn material over her head, and it took great control not to gasp at the discolored portions of skin on her stomach.

Now he was the one trembling.

And Noodle looked so afraid, even more so than when he found her on the dirt patch at school. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It wasn't anything how it was supposed to be. She nearly choked as she saw the flicker of gross astonishment in his eyes as he saw her battered torso. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

2D fought wave after wave of both nausea and amazement as he undressed his best friend. He was sickened by whoever had done this to her. But for some reason it was easy to look beyond the injuries. It was, however, hard to keep his eyes from lingering on her bare skin, or to keep his hands from shaking as he peeled away the last layers of her clothing. There was little to no experience with the female anatomy under his belt. Sweat forming on his brow, he lifted a nude Noodle into the bathtub full of steaming hot water.

She hissed as the water enveloped her skin. 2D handed her some soap, and said in a shaky voice:

"W-will yew be alright on yer own fo' a little while?"

It was faint, but he saw her nod, and she closed her eyes while leaning her dark purple head up against the wall of the bath. 2D exited the bathroom, closed the door and heaved a sigh. Lord knew how long she would be in there. This was a perfect time to collect himself. He sank down on the wall besides the bathroom door, and rubbed his temples. This had to be the most amazing, unbelievable thing that had ever happened to him.

Who did this to her? Why didn't she tell anyone? How long had this been going on? Why didn't she tell him? Was he the only one who knew?
What was she to him?

No matter how hard he tried he could not settle his mind.

He waited for what seemed like a long time, and then stood up and knocked on the bathroom door to check on her.

Through the door he heard the faintest of 'come ins'. When he opened the door and saw a shaky but standing Noodle wrapped in a long thick bath towel, he smiled at her.

"Yew can stand, fank God."

Noodle's lips turned upward ever so slightly, but she quickly looked down and strings of her wet purple hair stuck to her cheeks.

"C'mon, let's go get you some clothes that aren't torn." 2D said.

He took her firmly by the arm and helped her stay stable as they walked down the hall to her room. He didn't want her to have to expose herself to him again if they could help it.

Noodle clung to him, going back and forth between wishing that this never happened and being glad that it did. 2D dug through her drawer and pulled out a baggy blue, long-sleeved shirt and long sweat pants to match. He handed them to her then turned around to let her dress. Now that she was able bodied, it was out of the question to see her unclothed again, at least in his mind.

"2D-san…"

Her voice.

Such a quiet melodious voice.

And it was the first purely coherent thing she'd said since he found her. The hot bathwater probably got the blood rushing back to her head again.

"I'm done." She said. "You can look now."

Even in her baggy sleep clothes she still looked gorgeous. He liked this look on her better; quiet and calm and collected, as opposed to a scared trembling girl curled up in a fetal position and covered in dirt and tears. She sat on her bed and stared at her hands that folded themselves in her lap.

"So…" 2D said somberly. "Do yew…um, want to talk about it?"

He needed answers when he could still get them, while Noodle appeared to be secure.

Or at least as secure as one in her position can be.

Noodle sighed deeply. Tears threatened to spill again, but this time she blinked them back. Her walls were trying to re-establish themselves, but she knew they could no longer protect her. What else could she hide from 2D now?

"They… they caught me after school, asked for my money and…"

A shuddery breath escaped her lips.

"…they hit me."

"Who's 'they'" 2D asked, his mouth a line as grim as his voice.

"It doesn't matter." Noodle told him.

2D fumed. His skin felt hot like a furnace. But on the surface he showed nothing. He hoped his palms wouldn't split from his fingernails pressing into them. She had to be understating her situation; what they did to her was more than hitting, it was a thrashing only worthy of a common criminal. Noodle seemed to love people. She had a knack for having compassion for nearly everyone she met. Was this what was keeping her from standing up to her attackers, even after they beat her to a bloody pulp?

Later, he would be glad that she didn't tell him who they were, or he would have found them and snapped. Even calm, level headed 2D had a breaking point. But right now he was furious that she wouldn't give him their names.

He sat next to her, staring straight at her with his dark, empty eyes.

"Listen to me, Love."

She glanced at him.

"Tonight, you will tell everyone what happened."

She gulped noisily.

"Yew are gonna to tell Russ, Muds, everyone. When yew go back to school, you are gonna to tell all of your teachers. The people in your classes."

2D swallowed the lump in his throat, but went on.

"Everyone, and I mean everyone will know what happened to yew."

Noodle still wouldn't look at him.

"Look at me." He pressed.

She did. And her eyes were brimming with tears. She was thankful for these tears, although they appeared to be the same as the ones brought on by her pain. These tears were out of joy that someone cared about her crass plight. Especially when she thought no one would. So she kept it inside and saved the trouble of telling the people who didn't want to hear it.

"Do yew promise me that you'll do tha'?" He asked her. It was hard to resist the intensity in his resolute gaze. Noodle nodded quickly.

She would've done anything for him before. But now it no longer felt freakish.

Now it felt right.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome."

"No… really, thank you."

"And I said you're welcome. You're my best friend; would you expect anyfink less from me?" 2D said.

Yes. She would have. As yet another girl in the world questioning her worth, she expected much less from him; even though she cherished him so much.

"I'm sorry, too."

"Wot on earth for, Love?" 2D said, almost exasperatedly.

"For making you see me like that. I know you must think I'm disgusting."

Goodness.

Strangely enough, amidst the chance of conversing with Noodle on a somewhat normal level, he had forgotten that he had seen her completely bare.

"I could never fhink tha'."

As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he figured that she wouldn't believe him.

She wanted to say something to him to convey her feelings, her strong feelings that she wanted to radiate from her mass. But Noodle had already caused too much stress on her friend today.

She would tell him another day.

On a day after she realized what she was made of.

So instead, she hugged him. Hard.

And he didn't hesitate to hug her back.

Noodle went to sleep that night with her torn clothes thrown out, her ruddy sneakers gone, and a soft expression as she fell asleep. She smiled, looking back at the thin stream of light from her best friend's room.

He believed in her.

Enough for the both of them.

Hopefully that would mend more than just the wounds on her flesh.

So... I hoped you enjoyed it! I'm sorry... it was a bit hard for me to get 2D's accent right, but I hope it's understandable ...

Read and Review, please! For one who's first FanFic?