A/N: It is May 23rd; to commemorate Stuart Pot's 33rd, I thought I would go ahead and update Salt Skin. This chapter is small, I wasn't quite going to end it where I did, but perhaps this gives me more of an initiative to start working on Chapter 03. A reminder that my translations from Japanese to English may not be entirely accurate. Keep in mind again also that I do not support the pairing of 2D and Noodle whilst in Phases 1 and 2, however I believe that their relationship grows from there.
(For further copyright and story info, please see the A/N in Salt Skin's Prequel.)
Thank you!
-Ch. 02-
October 1st, 2002
"It's over." Russ had his large hand atop Noodle's head, speaking in a gentle tenor. His bags were by the elaborate front door of Gorillaz' LA abode.
"Russ-san…" The young girl wore a cheerless expression. "Don't-…eh…-forget to-…..-rem-ember me." She was twiddling her fingers, hoping she had said the sentence correctly.
"Noodle girl, I'd never forget yah. Not ever. Yah hear?"
She nodded.
"I'ma be quick about this…. You get to the airport safely, ok? No talkin' to losers out to make a fool of yah. And no wonderin' off to shady places. Be careful out there."
"…..Hai." (Translation: "….Yes.")
The big man was getting choked up. "I don't know where I'll end up….but you try and reach me when yah get yourself settled in someplace." He handed her a piece of paper with a strange address written on it.
She took it and held it tightly in her palm.
Russel went to the front door and picked up his belongings. When he looked over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of someone coming down the marble staircase.
"Yo 'D."
2D stood aloof on the upper steps. He had a swollen eye and bruises up and down his neck.
"It's been a pleasure, man." The drummer concluded.
The tall vocalist etched out a smile. "Likewise, mate."
Russel tossed one last melancholy grin towards Noodle as he slung one of his bags over his shoulder. "Good luck, babe."
She waved, trying not to look like she was tearing up. She would see him again, she kept telling herself.
The door was opened and shut in a matter of seconds. And just like that, Russel Hobbs was gone.
Little to 2D or Noodle's knowledge, he would stick around the city for a while longer, later returning to the house after the other's dispersal.
The echo of the shutting door was the only sound before it grew silent.
2D sat down on the cold steps.
Noodle stood in the empty foyer, her hands to her sides.
Her taxi would arrive shortly.
The last two remaining members of Gorillaz had very little time before they would part ways, thus separating the band entirely.
It had all ended so abruptly;
Murdoc had gone off the deep end. Their time spent in LA had turned out to be a bust. A movie deal? The idea was preposterous to say the least. All the proposal had done was rip the band apart.
After spending weeks in room 103 of the Sheraton hotel, trying to come up with an apt script, Murdoc's patience wore thin with his band mates; prominently with a naïve Stuart Pot. The bassist had heard one too many green remarks and proceeded to take his frustration out on the ever-clueless 2D. As impatient as one can get with the Cockney, there was no excuse for the attempted assault. If Russel hadn't have intervened, the vocalist may not have survived the strangling. Noodle had seen Muds thrash on 2D in the past, but never to this extent. She had never feared for someone else's life before, and though it aggrieved her to watch the band split up in such a way, she was relieved for 2D's sake. It wasn't good for a person to endure such terrible treatment.
She turned to glance up the marble steps. She felt sorry for the dimwit.
Stu had been staring off into space, classically. When he noticed her gaze, he snapped out of his stupor and stood to walk down the stairs. His sneakers occasionally squeaked on the flooring as he made his way down the steps and over to her side. He reached for her guitar case and bag. "Is this all yeh bringin'?"
Noodle looked at the luggage. "Yes, this is mine."
2D scratched his head, amused by her off reply. "Right then."
Noodle reached for the doorknob and opened it. She thought maybe Russ would still be outside, but there was no sign of him.
She and 2D exited the large house and sat on the stoop beside one another, waiting for her taxi to disembark.
The air was warm; worthy of California climate in early October.
"Yeh got yeh mind right set on this, don't yeh?" Stu spoke sincerely.
Noodle looked at him and nodded. "I am…eeto…..happy to be doing travel."
Her English, though more frequently used, still needed work. 2D grinned. "Can't convince yeh to muck around this place any longer, really. Don't blame yeh. One big sodding mess, this is. Don't plan on stayin' myself."
Noodle reached in her pocket and pulled out her translator, which had come in handy throughout their times together on the North America tour. The two had grown quite fond of one another. She saw him as an ally, and like Russ he was someone she could count on and look to in times of stress. 2D in turn viewed her as a visible light amongst the dark antics of the band. This brought him peace of mind, as he found he grew tired of dealing with Murdoc's Satanism and the whole lot of eerie activities brought on by associating with such murky matters. Russ had stayed in his own mind much of the time, and Murdoc had simply been unapproachable in moments of sought out comfort. Not only had Noodle offered him a consoling friend, but also gave him a congenial feeling; he enjoyed serving as a sibling-figure. In reality, if Stu could offer anyone an ounce of his aid, he felt important and this empowered him to some extent.
Nevertheless, he benefited from his time with the small Japanese girl and it was an unfortunate thing to say goodbye.
After a moment of typing, she handed the device to him.
I have enjoyed my time with everyone. I hope it is understandable that I must go aboard on this journey to better understand myself.
2D smiled and typed back: Sore wa daijōbudesu. Watashi wa anata ga soko ni sagashite iru mono o mitsukeru to omoimasu. (Translation: It is alright. I hope you find what you're looking for out there.)
Her nightmares, which held continuous visits throughout the NA tour and well into the Los Angeles stay had not altered Noodle's perseverance, but had awoken an urge in her to comprehend the meaning behind the dreams. She felt, through many months of deliberation, that the imaginings must have had some connection to her blurred out past.
Where had she come from?
Did she have a family?
Why had she been sent to Murdoc by FedEx?
Everything was an immense confusion and something within her yearned for the truth.
Upon this realization, she made up her mind to leave Gorillaz in search of the answers. If she couldn't understand herself, how was she ever to live a happy life? In a room with a switch, but no light bulb to illuminate the dark.
After the hotel incident, she knew it was the right time to depart. Whether or not this would be a temporary leave, she didn't know. There were simply too many things up in the air to worry about whether or not she would return to Gorillaz.
2D sat idle for a while. Some birds chirped in a nearby tree on the gated property. There was really no proper way of saying goodbye….except to, of course, say the word "Goodbye." It felt a bit sad, but neither of them had anything to gain in sticking around 125 Mulholland Drive.
A thought struck Noodle. "Ano…. Anata wa nani o shimasu ka?" (Translation: "Where will you go?")
Stu glanced her way, tilting his head a bit. "….Sorry, what?…"
The young guitarist cracked a short grin. No matter how much English she had learned, he still couldn't comprehend a scrap of her language.
"Sumimasen, eeto….2D, you are…eh…umm…" Unsure how to finish her sentence, she grabbed her translator again and typed away, then handed it to him.
You are funny! Where will you go from here? Perhaps on your own journey?
The vocalist chuckled. He began to type a reply when her taxi pulled up through the gates.
A sudden sense of insecurity swept over Noodle. This was it; she was leaving the only sure thing she'd known for so long…. Her surrogate dysfunctional family would become nothing more than a memory. But she reassured herself, given the circumstances, that subject memories were better than having none at all.
2D handed the translator back to her and quickly assisted in loading her luggage into the trunk of the cab.
Noodle stood aside and watched as he then tipped the driver and guaranteed the destination.
Her palms felt sweaty as she clutched the sides of the backpack she wore. She stared down at the pair of slip-on sneakers on her feet and felt her shoulder-length hair slip out from behind her left ear, falling in front of her eyes. She rocked back and forth on her heels, struggling to hold back her pained expression.
Finally 2D returned to her side, towering above her. "Alright then, Noods. Everythin's ready for yeh."
She lifted her head and forced out a smile. "Thank you, 2D-san. Ano…I, ah, Noodle, want to…eh…..thank you for being.. .-great...-bando mate!"
A sentimental expression formed on the Cockney's face. "Yeh bet, love! ….Oh- don't wanna forget this..." He reached behind him and pulled out her disc man. "I put a well awesome album in there. Reckon yeh'll fancy it."
Noodle took the cd player in her grasp tightly, looking down at it.
2D placed a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down. "Good luck, blud. Let me know how things go, yeah?"
She focused hard on keeping her smile as she nodded. "Y-yes!"
2D stood back up as she turned to enter the backseat of the taxi.
Once inside, the vocalist came to the door and shut it behind her.
He glanced through the glass at her for a moment, as she did to him. Looking as if he had forgotten something suddenly, he began to point downward.
She reached over and rolled down the window and he peered in, grinning although his hallow eyes looked sad. "It's Sayonara, right?"
Noodle's lip quivered beneath her cheerful expression. "No, no 2D-san! It is goodbye."
He laughed slightly. "Well I knew that, then."
She lifted her hand and waved. He returned the gesture.
The cab then began to pull forward. And soon, Stuart Pot went out of view.
"L.A.X, here we come." The driver announced, trying to liven the mood.
As the taxi entered public traffic, Noodle finally let her guard down and reached in her pocket for a neatly folded handkerchief she had stowed there. She twiddled with it in her lap, trying hard not to exert any tears. She had trained herself not to cry in front of others. It was a sign of weakness. But as the situation proved, she had trouble bottling up the poignant feelings.
"You ok back there, little lady?" The cab driver spoke kindly to her.
Noodle nodded, pushing aside her sadness and centering on strength of mind. Gorillaz was behind her now. And what lie ahead was a clearer future. She knew this was the right path to follow.
She sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath.
It was then that she noticed her translator sitting in the seat beside her. She reached for it and noticed that 2D had managed to type a response to her previous inquiry.
Somehow, reading it made her feel better as the taxi pulled onto the freeway.
Watashi no mawarideshou. (Translation: I'll be around.)
[End Ch. 02]
/TBC/