(Thanks for the reviews. –does happy dance- and just as a note, after this next couple chapters, I probably won't be on for a long time, and it'll be rare when I post a chapter. I'm going back to my mom's and will only come back every other weekend, so for the people who for some reason like my story, you'll have to occupy your attention to some other author.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Gorillaz or thankfully Russel's cooking

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Dinner ended quickly and Noodle dashed upstairs once more instead of helping with the dishes or anything.

"Her second day here," Russ sighed. "She's growin' up so fast."

"An' she'll be leavin' the next." Murdoc growled as he left for the Winnebago.

2D's eyes looked up. "But—"

"She's staying," Russ assured him, but his eyes watched Murdoc leave.

2D shrugged as he finished with the dishes and headed up to Noodle's room.

"Noodle-girl?" he called out as he knocked. He heard a thud as she jumped off her bed and opened the door.

"Konnichi wa…2D-san?" she spoke his name tentatively, as if trying a new flavor of ice cream. Then she shrugged and hopped back up on her bed, opening her book again.

"What'chu readin', love?" he asked as he leaned against the loft, gazing at the symbols he read over her shoulder.

She looked up at him, then her eyes widened as she seemed to remember something. She snapped the book shut as if the singer could actually read it, then shoved it underneath her as she sat cross legged on top of the three-inch thick book. She grinned up at him.

"Um, awright then," the vocalist said with confusion etching his voice. He shrugged as he looked around at her decorations. Japanese kanji was scrawled down a piece of parchment and taped on the wall, a bunch of clothes now filled up the closet, and little trinkets were scattered across bookshelves were empty of reading material spare a few huge volumes like the one she was sitting on now.

"Looks like yeh got some stuff," he said lamely, trying to start a conversation, thought knowing it was futile as the girl didn't exactly speak English.

Noodle looked up at him, a curious look on her face as she watched 2D attempt to talk to her, a bemused expression behind her eyes.

2D gave up and merely rapped her helmet twice and walked off.

Opening the book once more, the guitarist pored over the symbols, occasionally saying something out loud. For twenty minutes, Noodle's room was peaceful and quiet, until she heard Russ shout "2D and I are headin' out for food and stuff! BYE!" She merely ignored this, and kept reading.

But as the house grew quieter and colder, Noodle shivered, pulling on an oversized sweatshirt she found in 2D's room that fell to her calves and abandoning her book. Wandering around the fourth floor, Noodle chewed on the edge of the dark blue hoodie's sleeves that fell about a foot past her own fingers, peering in different rooms and around corners in curiosity.

Figuring the bassist was lounging around in the 'bago, this gave her the perfect opportunity to explore Kong. She grinned to herself and raced to the lift. Listening to Shaun announce her arrival, she raised an eyebrow. "Why does it DO that?" she wondered curiously as she stepped out towards the kitchen.

Noodle rubbed her eyes as she opened the fridge, and when she opened them, she found Murdoc standing in the doorframe to the enormous fridge, grinning wickedly. "'Ello, love."

Noodle screamed and stumbled backwards, startled out of her wits.

Murdoc screwed up his face and winced as she screamed, and when she finished, she stuck his fifth finger in his ear and twisted it around, pulling it out, sighing. "Jeez, love. Can ya scream any higheh?"

Noodle swallowed and recovered, pulling the hood over her helmet and turning away from him while she raided the pantry. Murdoc watched her with cold eyes, still in the refrigerator.

Finding a "Cup o' Noodles" (AN: yaaay for my user name! –ahem- sorry…moving on.) she took this out, stuck it in her mouth while she pushed past the bassist and grabbed a bottle of water. She shot him an angry glare as she walked past with these items, saying nothing.

"Wot, speechless for once, eh?" Murdoc called to her retreating back, snorting. "Weren' so speechless las' nigh', were ya? Yeh said som'm in English, I know yeh can speak it!"

Noodle ignored him and the lift doors closed.

&&&&&&&&&&

Once in the safety of her room, Noodle's nerves exploded. Her shaking fingers dropped the Styrofoam cup and the water and she sat on the bed, her heart pounding. Murdoc had given her quite the scare. And what the heck was he doing in the fridge! She pushed these thoughts aside and tore an even bigger book off her shelf and furiously opened it, gnawing on the uncooked noodles as she read with more determined stamina.

An hour later, and empty cup later, and an exhausted Noodle later, she was found by 2D collapsed on a chair, her brows furrowed a bit in her sleep. The singer smiled softly and gently took off her helmet, placing it on the bookshelf. He picked the tiny girl up bridal style, carried her the short distance to her bed, and laid her down, pushing back her messy hair. Gazing at her for a moment, he shook his head.

"Wot's she done to meh?" he asked himself quietly, grinning.

2D left the room, closing the door silently and tiptoeing off downstairs, only to be greeted by the sight he would normally see before Noodle's crate arrived: Murdoc buried in crumbs on the couch without a shirt and staring at the TV screen, and Russ moving around in the kitchen, muttering something about having to use baking soda instead of baking powder (AN: which is going to lead to disaster…my mom made me learn how to cook sadly enough….ok, shutting up now) to himself and making dinner.

The blue-haired artist sighed. Maybe it was a good thing Noodle showed up. It gave him something to do……