Demon Days
- - Que Pasa Contigo? - -
Yeah, the chapter titles are named after the Gorillaz songs, what about it?
Anyway, credits and copyrights are as usual. Just read the previous chapters. Same as other things like comments. Enjoy.
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It was raining out the past week. She would know because she loved the sound of the raindrops on the grounds, trees and roofs...and herself. Atréu stood outside a short ways away from the Studio with her arms outstretched and her face welcoming the clear water drops from the dark sky. It was on of the few times that gave her peace and excitement all at once. She loved it, especially the mist effect the rain brought with it.
Hopefully, her little habit hadn't been discovered. The last thing she needed was someone calling her strange because of it. Because she was different. But that hope was shattered when a certain blue haired singer came running up from behind her with an umbrella.
"Atréu! Wo are you doin'? You'll catch your death out 'ere!" he was referring to her drenched bony body.
Her hoody was sticking to her as well as her pants and shirt. Her head seemed to be slightly heavier due to her drenched head and hair. She stared at him a moment, tilted her head to the side and smiled, "I do it all the time. I've never gotten ill before." that seemed to have come out a little more childish than intended.
2-D smiled, "Quite the lovely thing you are when it rains."
Atréu blushed a bit and gave a small giggle like an 8-year-old, "Nah, just childish." she began to walk farther away to explore the grounds more.
He followed close behind with his umbrella. For some unknown reason, she didn't mind him being there. Normally she's be annoyed as all hell to have someone following her like a dog fearful of being parted from its master, but 2-D was silent, which is probably why she let him follow. It was actually comforting to her to know that she had someone who knew the way back with her...because she had no idea where she was going and would most likely not know how to get back. Somehow, she didn't doubt he knew that. Atréu stopped just short of a mini cliff overlooking an ocean of garbage. 2-D was apparently lost in his own little world because he didn't notice she'd stopped and walked head long into her. They bother fell down into the filthy garbage below...similar to when they'd ran into each other in his room.
"Sorry!" he said breathlessly and getting up, then helping her, "I didn't mean to!"
This time it was more annoying than embarrassing. she would've made him more sorry than he'd ever been in his life, but he already seemed to be expecting it, slumped forward with his arms over his head and trembling fearfully. Instead, she retrieved his umbrella and handed it to him, "Forget it."
He stared for a few moments as she brushed what mud she could get off of her clothes and then let the rain take care of the rest. She wasn't going to kill him?
"What's wrong?" she asked after he'd gotten lost in his mind again.
He shook his head, "Oh, nuthin'. Where to?"
She thought for a moment.
---
Meanwhile, back in Kong Studios, Noodle entered the kitchen to find Russel preparing himself a snack. She stared up at him through her violet cloak of bangs and tugged at the rim of his shirt to catch his attention. He turned to her with eyes wide and eyebrows raised questionably, "What's up kiddo?"
"Atréu," was all she said, and all she needed to say.
"Oh, she's 'round here somewhere. Dunno where though. You check her room?"
Just then, Murdoc walked in idly. Noodle nodded signaling that she did and then ran to Murdoc, "Atréu!"
"Sor'y kid. I wouldn't know where yer sister went. Anybody seen dub-dullard?" he walked past Noodle, patting her on the head in the process, and opened the fridge.
"Iie."
"I saw him go outside with an umbrella," Russel offered as he sat down at the table.
"For wot? Damn idiot..." Murdoc opened a cupboard for a cup.
"Wot'd I do?" came 2-D's high pitched accented voice from the door.
Murdoc swung around immediately, now royally pissed, and found himself staring at a humanoid mud heap, "Where were you, lackwit? Garbage digging?"
Just then, they spotted Atréu standing next to him drenched to the bone like 2-D. The difference was, her clothes were muddy anymore due to the fact that they were black and she'd allowed the rain to wash it away. Noodle ran to another room and came back with a towel for both of them.
"Fanks!" 2-D said nuzzling his muddy face into the blue towel.
"Arigato, Noodle-chan," she wiped her wet hand dry and then patted Noodle's head.
"Wot's yer excuse?" Murdoc cocked a brow at Atréu.
"We were outside. Why else?" she buried her face in the towel same as 2-D.
Murdoc was unconvinced. He was about to protect when he accidentally dropped his glass and it shattered across the kitchen floor. The whole room seemed to freeze from the sound, but none more than Atréu. Murdoc cursed and order 2-D to clean it up for him while he got another cup. 2-D obeyed. It was just then that Noodle noticed that Atréu was still frozen where she'd stopped. She gently pulled Atréu's sleeve. No answer. She barely even moved, if at all.
"Yo, Atréu, you alrigh'?" Russel tapped her shoulder.
Still no answer. By now, everyone's attention was on Atréu. Most of them fearful, Murdoc just amused with a slight amusement. Russel shook her softly. Atréu fell to the floor with a loud Thudding noise. She began to shake slightly.
"'Ay! Atréu! Wot's wrong?" 2-D asked staring down at her worriedly.
"Daijobu desu ka? Atréunii-san?" Noodle shook her sister.
"Jeez, al this from glass shattering?" Murdoc complained carelessly pouring himself a drink.
After about five more minutes of worried and confused arguing, Atréu sat up and silently took a look around at everyone. Murdoc and 2-D were arguing over something (more like Murdoc trying to jam some complicated concept into 2-D's comprehension), Russel was keeping the argument from becoming another beating for 2-D and Noodle was the only one who'd noticed she'd gotten up. She hugged her sister.
"Daijobu desu ka?" she smiled.
"Hai, hai. Genki-desu," Atréu nodded.
Just then, 2-D noticed Atréu's arrival back into the conscious world, "Atréu! Wot happened!"
"Nothing. I'm okay," she stood, bringing Noodle up with her, "I'm going to be in my room with Noodle a bit, k?" and with that she turned and left the kitchen. The rest of them were confused out of their minds, especially 2-D, as if Murdoc's work hadn't done enough of that. Murdoc, not really caring at all, shrugged and began to walk off.
"Whatever," he said under his breath as he took out a cigarette, lit it and took a deep drag.
---
More raining ensued later that week. That meant that Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2-D couldn't stand up top of the roof of Kong Studios and chuck bricks at the cars going into and out of the carpark. So, instead, they sat down and played video games, the ultimate in-door/rainy-day alternative! Russel and Noodle usually watched while 2-D beat Murdoc in every game and then get beat up by Murdoc. Not so enjoyable for 2-D, but still entertaining nonetheless...it was something to do.
Murdoc was at his breaking point when Atréu walked in on Murdoc standing with his fist outstretched. She glared at him, "What are you doing to him now?"
Living with the Gorillaz at Kong Studios almost two months (going on three) was not only a scary experience, but an educational one as well. Not only because within that time she'd learned 2-D's favourite cereals alphabetically and backwards according to each week, month and year he liked them, Murdoc's most commonly used props for randomly assorted rituals and made-up holidays that overlapped one another and were in no logical order or date whatsoever, Noodle's weekly morning routine of tai chi and other martial arts skills and Russel's stories about living in New York before joining Gorillaz, but because by now Atréu has gotten completely used to walking in on Murdoc physically abusing 2-D for stupid reasons or no reason at all. She was also used to defending him as well.
"Wot's it look like I'm bloodly doin'?"
"Something you shouldn't, but that's nothing new, now is it?" she said this as 2-D threw his controller to the floor and hid behind Atréu, clinging to her right ankle, his 'savour'.
"Wotever! I'm too tired fer this shit right now anyhow!" he walked past her and 2-D and headed for his Winnebago muttering curses about Atréu and her 'pet'.
2-D gave Atréu a shy smile, "Fanks again."
"Here..." she sat where Murdoc had been, "I'll play with you. Don't worry, I'm not a sore loser either," she offered a friendly smile.
2-D's shy expression instantly changed to a big, broad smile as he happily ambled over and jumped into the seat next to her. He tucked his long legs under himself and held his controller once again. Soon, the two were mindlessly yelling victory cries and stuff about zombies. Atréu was a worthy opponent to 2-D's 'mad gaming skills', as Russel had put it. This event happened for hours on end eventually turning into a contest of boys vs. girls and such.
The only reason it ended was because of a certain phone call they got.
"'Ello?" 2-D said when he picked up the phone.
"Oi! Brainache! Put Rus on the phone, would ya?" came Murdoc's scratchy, British accent from the receiver.
"Okie dokie," 2-D obediently screamed for Russel and handed him the phone, then returned to his new best friend. No surprise when he landed on top of her wrong receiving many stared and a silence throughout the room save for Murdoc screaming through the phone. Atréu pushed 2-D up, "2-D, ya know, we really gotta stop meeting like this."
Another thing Atréu had become accustomed to was 2-D's tendency to be a klutz. On many occasions she'd been knocked down, run into, hit by flying/falling objects, etc. caused by him alone. (sometimes Murdoc) Especially since he's always scared of getting hit when he does it and apologizes immediately. If it wasn't obvious that she wasn't going to hit him yet, she didn't know when it would be. It actually struck her as kind of cute.
2-D blushed and moved as far away from her on the couch as humanly possible and stared at the TV screen. Just then Russel hung up the phone and came to give them the news on why Murdoc called, "Murdoc 'orders us' to come pick him up. Come on, lets go see what mess he's gotten himself into now."
Noodle, 2-D and Atréu exchanged confused glances before getting up and following Russel to the carpark. whatever Murdoc had done, they hoped it wasn't anything too serious.
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