Chapter 4: 200 Demons Screaming in Arabic
Noodle's POV
My head feels a little heavy… I wanna lift it. I did. I lifted my head and rubbed my eyes. I looked around and saw that it was a little bit lit in the room. The man, Toochee, was beside me and still asleep. He looked so kawaii just laying down and breathing. I pecked his forehead to show that I loved him already.
I decided he'll be my onii-chan.
I was hungry, my stomach made a noise. I wanted to eat something and drink something. I put my hands on Toochee and jiggled him.
"Toochee, Toochee, mewosamasu." I say with feeling.
Onii-chan didn't wake up that fast, so, I kept trying. No stopping, only keeping on going. I did it again and again until Toochee finally opened his eyes. His eyes were still all black. What happened to onii-chan's eyes? Did a demon cat take them? If it did, I'll protect him so he can be safe for until the end of forever.
Toochee started talking, but I couldn't understand him. This makes me upset that I can't understand his words. I wanna learn! I wanna learn! That way I can teach him Japanese. We can teach to each other.
"Onii-chan, watashi wa kūfukudesu, taberu koto ga dekimasu ka?" I say to him, blinking.
He tilted his head at me. His blue hair was all spiky and it tilted with his head. Cute, very cute! I reached up to touch it.
"Aoi.. aoi…" I say, playing with his hair.
Then he said more words. Wait, I know that language's name. It's English! I don't know English, though… Oh, wait! I know one word! I was gonna say it, but I heard footsteps. Both Toochee and me looked over and saw the big, brown man standing in the doorway. I loved him already, too. Yesterday, I decided he would be my otosan. I hear people use this phrase "Russ" around him, too. Maybe his name is Russ?
"Russ? Russ?" I call.
Otosan smiled at me and waved. I decided to wave back. Toochee-oniichan waved back and started using English. I wanted to understand! Hmph!
Normal POV
"Oh, ey, Russel. How ye doin'?" 2-D asked in a friendly voice.
Russel nodded and responded.
"I'm 'aight, and you?"
2-D yawned and stretched.
"I'm tired, but I guess I'm okay. The lil' sprout is talking Japanese again. She keeps calling me somefing weird." he added.
"What is it?" Russel asked the singer.
"Erm… Onii...chan?"
Russel's glowing white eyes seemed a little brighter and his lips curled up into a smile. A chuckle was added to his gestures. He knew what that phrase meant.
"Oh? I see." he said. "That's cute, 'D."
2-D tilted his head in confusion. Why did Russel think the word "onii-chan" was cute? He was obviously glad it wasn't an insulting name, but he also wanted to know what it meant. He wanted to know why it was so adorable.
"What, uh, what does it mean, Russel?" 2-D asked the possessed drummer.
Russel laughed and walked into the room. He sat on the bed, making the fabric jump at the contact of his immense weight.
"It means "big brother", man. She's calling you her big brother." he explained.
2-D's cheeks turned pink and his eyes widened. He felt his heart flutter around like a little butterfly that was happy. The singer was an only child and never even thought about having a brother or sister. And yet, this strange, foreign girl that has only known him for a day decides to call him her big brother?
How… beautiful…
2-D smiled at the tiny girl who smiled back, showing her pearly whites. Then her stomach growled again, showing her need and want for food of the breakfast variety. Both 2-D and Russel exchanged looks to each other.
"You can cook her breakfast. I'mma give her a bath and dress her properly." the latter said.
He held up a plastic shopping bag he had purchased the night before. It obviously held quite a few things in it for a young girl to wear. Things like underwear, tops, bottoms, and a special item Russel thought she might have liked.
2-D nodded at Russel, confirming he would cook her something. He would do more than his personal best to make sure he wouldn't burn or undercook anything for this girl who had addressed him so dearly. Heh, he had a… sister.
Later…
Russel had ran a bath for the Japanese child, making sure the water was just the right temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. Once the tub was full, he turned to her.
"Okay, little one, arms up." he said, raising his arms up to demonstrate.
She understood, and raised her arms.
"Hai!" she chirped.
Russel reached down to the bottom of the oversized grey t-shirt she wore. He lifted it up and over her head. She only remained in her pink pull-up now. She was embarrassed of what she was wearing. She was old enough to where she didn't have to wear such an object, but yet here she was, wearing it.
Not to mention it was extremely uncomfortable to wear.
Russel quickly removed the pull up, disposed of it, cleaned the girl so she wasn't as dirty, and then placed her in the tub. She quickly grew to like the warm temperature of the bath water and smiled.
"U~ōmu…" she cooed, sinking a little deeper into the warm water.
Russel smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny rubber duck that he had purchased at the store and showed it to her. The Asian girl gasped and grew wide eyed and smiley faced at the sight of the rubber duck. Russel saw how happy she got, and squeezed the toy twice, making it emit two quacking noises.
"Ahiru! Ahiru!" she exclaimed, reaching for the toy with grabby fingers.
Not wanting to torture her any longer, Russel handed her the toy which she took immediately. She squeezed it enthusiastically, making it quack merrily.
"Ahiru! Kuwakku! Kuwakku!~" she giggled, kissing the rubber object.
Russel watched the girl with fascination. She seemed to be no older than 10 years old and yet she acted like a five year old. It was… adorable. And it was asstounding how quickly she adjusted to Kong Studios. He was worried she'd still be scared of him and the others. Not mention this whole studio! But she seemed actually excited about where she was.
'I guess she's just happy she's not in a crate anymore.' the drummer thought.
Meanwhile…
2-D had flipped the pancake and saw that the side he was just cooking wasn't too burnt. In fact, it looked normal! Good! He wanted things to be just right for the girl. That reminded him… What was her name? It was probably a Japanese name like Suki or maybe Ash?
'No, wait… That's a boy's name. Like that one boy on that series about little pocket monsters?'
2-D had already forgotten what that show was called. He wasn't much for kid's cartoons; he preferred zombie movies.
Just then, a grumble sounded from behind him. He looked back even though he already knew who it was. Sure enough, he saw a shirtless Murdoc Niccals standing a few feet away from him. He had dark shades of purple under his two-toned eyes dried alcohol around his cracked lips. Yep, he was really hungover.
2-D bowed his head slightly to greet him, feeling a little less like giving him the silent treatment. He still couldn't remember why he was mad at him yesterday? Or for the past week, anyway.
Murdoc growled lowly at the blue haired singer and flicked his forehead. 2-D yelped in slight pain. Some things just never change...
"So, I take it the brat is still here?" the bassist grumbled.
2-D nodded and rubbed the tiny sore spot with two fingers to make the pain go away. Murdoc sighed and sat at the dining table, holding his aching head. 10 bottles of scotch is definitely too much; next time, he'll just do 9.
Murdoc traced the spirals in the wooden table, his nails untrimmed and chipped. Not like he really cared about the state of his nails, or his body in general. He drank carelessly, isolated himself in a winnebago, and swore like a sailor. Definitely no regard for personal health or anything like that on this guy.
2-D flipped the pancake over one last time before transferring it to a plate. He poured maple syrup all over it then smiled in pride at his work. He then headed to the fridge to grab a carton of orange juice.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Murdoc asked irritably.
"I'm making the lil' sprout some breakfast while Russ gives 'er a bath." 2-D answered.
Murdoc's ears twitched. Was 2-D actually talking to him? Nah, that can't be right. He must still be suffering from the bad parts of the hangover and is hearing things
2-D grabbed down a small cup and poured orange juice into it. He then grabbed the plate and the cup, bringing it over to the table. He sat in front of an empty seat diagonally from Murdoc's. The singer then zoomed off down the hall.
Murdoc's eye twitched.
"What the hell is the dullard doing now?" the Satanist man wondered.
He eyed the breakfast that 2-D made for the girl. It actually looked pretty good. Not like that gross sandwich he made last night. Maybe he did better on this meal because he's feeling a little happier? But why?
'I wonder if it's because of that little girl?' Murdoc thought.
2-D came back into the dining room with a vase. In it was a partially wilted flower. He set it on the center of the table then stepped back with a goofy, but oddly proud, grin on his face. He acted like a child that just got an A+ on a test that would later get put up on the fridge.
Murdoc was befuddled at how happy 2-D was right now. He hadn't seen him this happy since… Well, actually, he hasn't seen him this happy at all. He's hardly ever seen him smile since the day they met. It was almost too much happiness to bear!
"Ugh, stop smiling like a dope…" Murdoc grumbled.
"I can't. The smile is stuck to my face." 2-D admitted truthfully.
Murdoc almost jerked so hard he broke his spine. Did 2-D just speak to him again?! He hasn't spoken to him in at least a week! That little girl must have magical depression curing abilities, after all.
"You're gonna start talking to me again, dullard?" Murdoc checked, still not believing his ears.
2-D nodded.
"Why not, Muds?" the azure headed man added.
Murdoc didn't reply. He didn't know whether or not to be angry, annoyed, or relieved. By the way, did he get the letter from him? Maybe that's why he's so happy?
'What I wrote wasn't even sentimental…' Murdoc thought.
Later…
Russel looked over the Japanese girl. She looked much better with cleaner hair and fresh clothing that was her size. And he was sure she felt more comfortable out of that Pull-Up.
"Well, baby girl, how do you feel?" Russel asked, flashing her a toothy smile.
The girl saw a few of his teeth were gold, and that was interesting to her. She smiled back and giggled.
Russel took this as confirmation that she felt much better.
2-D tilted his head; his spiky blue locks falling to the side naturally with the tilt. How should he answer this? Why was he even mad at Murdoc and giving him the silent treatment again? He did something heartbreaking… What was it?
'Um… it was something to do with my… ex-girlfriend, right?'
Now he remembered. Murdoc had an affair with Paula in the toilets and Murdoc's nose was broken by Russel. THAT'S why he was mad and giving him the silent treatment. How could he forget so easily?
2-D looked at Murdoc's nose which still had Band-Aid's and dried blood on them. He still had a while to go before his nose fully healed.
"Er, maybe. But I still don't like what you did, so, I can't really forgive you or nofing." Stuart replied simply.
Murdoc wasn't sure how to respond. He just stared at 2-D wondering why he was being so calm and even a tiny bit good natured to him. It almost made the bassist sick. And he would have told him to sod off if Russel's ghostly deep voice hadn't sounded first.
"Oh, good. You two are talking again." he said.
2-D looked behind Russel to see a few strands of black hair sticking out. The little girl was obviously nervous about her newer, fresher look.
"Yeh, well, Faceache is lacking in brains, so, of course he'd forgotten why he was mad. No going back now, though." Murdoc replied, resting his chin in his palm and planting his elbow on the table.
Russel sighed.
"He's a lot smarter than you give him credit for…"
2-D grinned. He was happy to have a best friend like Russel in his life. He at least had one person who could and would defend himself against Murdoc's abuse and bullying. He wasn't sure what the little Japanese girl would do. Probably nothing, unless she knows karate, of course.
"Hey, lil baby girl, wanna come out?" Russel chuckled.
She peeked her head out from behind Russel's leg. 2-D thought it was cute how tiny she was compared to Russel; how tiny she was compared to all of them. She couldn't have been more than 10 or 11 years old.
"It's alright, lil luv. We wanna see you, so, you can come out." 2-D said in a sweet voice.
The girl made a tiny squeak before taking tender steps out from behind Russel. She was now wearing a red, coat-like top, matching shorts, and carmine shoes. Her black hair now looked moe neat and tame, but also spiky and very Japanese.
"Arigatou, R-Russ. Watashi wa fuku ni kansha shimasu." she said, looking up at Russel.
Russel recognized the word "arigatou" and he knew it meant thank you. He remembered the phrase for you're welcome.
"Dōitashimashite, baby girl."
He pronounced it as best as he could without stumbling over the syllables. The tiny girl seemed fascinated with his Japanese word. She was probably thinking he spoke Japanese too. Or maybe just a little? She couldn't tell.
Murdoc rolled his two-toned eyes.
"Well, I guess she doesn't look too terrible now." he muttered.
Russel nodded. She looked MUCH better now that she was clean, in better clothes, and well fed. And speaking of which…
"Hey, go eat, baby girl. Don't want that food to get cold, do you?" Russel said, gesturing to the food on the table.
She saw it and her dark eyes seemed to sparkle with stars. She zoomed over to the food and started eating it excitedly. Again, to Russel it seemed to resemble a dog that wanted to quickly eat its food before some other animal decided to steal or even graze at it. He just hoped she would gain more weight that was suitable for her age. She should weigh at least 70 pounds for someone her size and age.
(A/N: Don't quote me on that!)
Murdoc turned his attention away from the hungry girl and back to his two bandmates. He had something he wanted to discuss with them. Something that they still needed to sort out in their band before they could actually BE a band.
"Alright, you lot. We still need to get a guitarist, then we can be a band and start making those award winning songs." the Satanist said.
They were all seated in the living room. The girl was also in the living room, playing around with a rubber ball. It belonged to Murdoc, but he stated she could use it since he wasn't in the slammer anymore. No reason for him to wanna use it now.
"Ya fink anyone saw our NME ad?" 2-D asked.
Murdoc shrugged.
"Dunno,"
Russel rubbed his chin in thought. Where were they gonna get a guitarist? What if no one was interested in their ad? Would they just remain without a guitarist forever? Murdoc would really lose his patience before then.
The Japanese girl bounced the dusty, rubber ball hard. Perhaps a bit too hard, as it ricocheted off the wall, to the ceiling, past 2-D's face, and into the crate.
The crate she arrived in.
The tiny child gasped and ran to retrieve it.
"Matsu! Matsu!" she exclaimed.
The three men watched her with curiosity as she hopped up onto the crate. She tried reaching in to grab the toy, but slipped and tumbled in.
"Wah!" she yelped.
Russel's glowing white eyes widened. He quickly rushed over to see if she was okay. He looked inside the crate and saw she was fine. She popped out of the box, but she wasn't holding the ball, she was actually holding a guitar.
'How did I not see that in there before?' Russel wondered.
"What's the sprout got there?" Murdoc asked, tilting his head over to see what it was.
"Looks like a guitar. A pre-y cool lookin' one, too" 2-D said, his Cockney accent on point.
Russel stood back and allowed the girl to jump out of the crate. She carried the guitar over to the center of the room. She seemed fascinated with the instrument. Almost as if she was in love with it…
She used her fingers to gingerly strum the strings. A small, gentle sound emitted from it. Looking up at Murdoc, Russel, and 2-D, she suddenly felt an urge. A need. A want, even.
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
She grasped the guitar tightly and strummed the strings again to test it. It sounded fine. Then, she began to play. It sounded medium in volume and tempo at first, but the more she played, the more confidence she felt dwelling within her. It started in her stomach and raised up to her heart.
Suddenly, she started shredding that guitar! It threw everyone for a loop and sent them flying! Not literally, though. She continued to shred the solo and whip her black hair around.
She pauses and then did the most bizzare thing ever. She did karate kicks, all the while yelling Japanese words. Finally, she landed perfectly on the floor, ending her dramatic performance with a bow.
As she bowed, a word came to her mind. She remembered it as her favourite word and also the only English word she knew. As she brought her head up to gaze upon the slack-jawed, wide-eyed men, she uttered the word:
"Noodle."
Done! Oh wow, this was so cute! I love how Noodle went from shy, to speedy, to playful, to just kick-ass awesome!
And the next chapter will be the chapter that I shall start using her name instead of "the girl" or "the tiny child" and so on.
Also, at the beginning of the chapter when it was Noodle's POV, I was trying to make her descriptive vocabulary as broken and childish as possible.
R&R!