A.N: Sad, yeah...sad sad sad...just warning you. But stay tuned, k? The rides almost over!

Disclaimer: Not my characters

Noodle whipped the tears from her eyes, yet again. If she left them there she couldn't read the text on the computer screen. The airport was a half an hour away and the next flight left in three hours. The cost wasn't a pretty number, in fact it extended into the four digit range. Probably because it was a direct flight to New York. Sighing, her gut seemed to wrench around in her stomach once again...this would mean Russel would be out of the country and her life within three hours. A few tears slipped through her bottom eyelashes as she clicked the "purchase" button and filled in the final information. As long as Russel would be happy...

"Oyasumenasi..." she whispered as the conformation screen for the ticket glowed across the computer's screen.

---

2D and Murdoc were sitting on the edge of 2D's bed. They retreated together after Noodle's outburst and tried to put the new situation that was in their hands into context.

"Wot 'ave I done?" asked Murdoc, swigging down half a can of White Light.

2D, deciding to stay sober in this time of crisis, eyed the can with lust in his eyes. How nice it would be to gulp one of those down and numb the pain...

"We'll...," started 2D for the thousandth time it seems, "get a new drummer...an' play the conert...and call it quits. Ya can sell the studios and we'll move in tahgether."

The thoughts were totally random and came to him as he spoke. He hoped that he made sense.

Murdoc's bloodshot eyes looked into 2D's, "Aren't serious, are ya?"

"'Bout wot?"

"Selling Kong?"

2D blinked a few times, "Yea...I am...why?"

"You fuckin' idiot!" roared Murdoc standing up, trying to balance himself, "this is my 'ome! I paid fir it and I'm gonna keep it! No one would fuckin' want this 'ell-'ole anyway!" He lost his balance with the last comment and toppled over, luckily, 2D saw this coming and was able to catch him. Together they fell over onto the floor.

"Murdoc?" 2D asked, holding him in his arms.

"Wot?" his voice was slurred.

"You realli screwed e'eryone over, ya know.."

"Ya," Murdoc replied calmly, "I know..."

2D raised at eyebrow at the strange calmness. "Don't seem too upset 'bout it..."

"Fuck," sighed Murdoc, "ya 'ave no idea..."

Then 2D felt trembling. He craned his neck to look around Murdoc's head and saw tears streaming down his face silently. His mismatched eyes were squeezed shut and he looked genuinely sad. 2D frowned as he felt the energy that Murdoc was giving out move into him. Sadness...Murdoc was not one to contain that emotion very often and it was weird, but it was a strong emotion that was coming from him.

"Don' cry..."

Murdoc shook his head and the trembling became more intense.

"Lost muh drumma'," he sobbed, voice slurred, "probably gonna loose the kid too...luvs 'im so much! She go anywha' wif 'im..."

Then it hit 2D completely. They weren't just going to loose Russel...they were going to loose everything they had worked for in the past five years. True, at first it wasn't easy with Noodle not being able to communicate with them and having Del come in and out of the picture. Plus, there was the constant beatings from Murdoc even though 2D admired him...but now, everything was great. It had been great. He hadn't ever been happier, and now Murdoc had taken it all away. 2D released the crying Satanist from his grip and backed away a little. An epiphany had came to his paper-for-brains head.

"Russ wos right..." he whispered. Murdoc had hurt him and bad. Not only had he hurt him, he hurt everyone in the band. "Russ wos right..." his voice raised a bit. Murdoc heard 2D this time and turned to him, "Right 'bout wot?" he asked, still crying.

"You 'urt me!" screamed 2D. "Not only that...but ya LIED tah me!"

Murdoc's heart, even if it was the smallest one on the earth, ripped apart even more, "No...2D...no...no" he crawled towards to 2D, who had huddled himself into a corner between the wall and the side of his bed. "Ya wrecked my life again!" screamed 2D. Murdoc stopped moving and sat back. Looking the situation over and at 2D, realization came to him that his life had possibly hit a new low...which was hard when you were Murdoc Niccals.

"Listen to us," Murdoc sighed, "we sound like a fuckin' soap opera on the telly. Les' jus'...les' jus'...go talk to Russel. We can work fings out. 'Ave before, wight?" 2D closed his eyes and shook his head, "No...no...go away, Murdoc...go away." Murdoc heaved a final sigh and stood up.

"Don' ya run away on me too, got it?" asked Murdoc as he trudged up the stairs to the door. All he could hear was 2D opening a bottle of painkillers before he left the room.

---

Russel looked at the paper that Noodle had just handed to him. He'd be gone in less than three hours and counting.

"Thanks," he said softly as he zipped up his final suitcase. Noodle bowed to him.

"Will you keep in contact?" asked Noodle.

"I dunno."

Once again, silence dominated the room until Murdoc burst in.

"Don' be stupid, lard ass!" he yelled before anyone could get a word in. "Ya need tah stay! Satan's sake...uhh..." he looked down at Noodle who had her face scrunched up as she analyzed his. "Wot?" The atmosphere was tense...almost unbearably so.

"You've been crying," Noodle announced.

Murdoc took a sharp breath in and seemed to forgot how to breath out. Russel glanced at Murdoc's face, "'bout what?" asked Russel demandingly, suddenly taking the tension up to another notch. The breath still hadn't came out of Murdoc's smoke damaged lungs and it was starting to burn.

"Because..."

Noodle and Russel shared a knowing glance. Russel nodded and looked down at the paper and looked back up at Murdoc. A million thoughts were running through his mind and reflecting through his pupil-less eyes, yet neither of the band memebers could seem to pinpoint exactly what they were. Noodle cracked her knuckles on her right hand as they stood their silently. He squinted his eyes at Murdoc.

"I have an expensive ticket here, Muds," growled Russel, "and I'm not gonna waste it. Yo gonna stay here and take care of Noodle and Muds. An' when...if...I come back, they better be ok...or it's gonna be more than just your nose broken this time." And with that, amazingly, he was able to pick up all of his heavy suitcases and walked out of his room, which was now bare. Murdoc and Noodle respectively stayed quiet while Russel left the room, not looking back. Murdoc finally let out his breath when he heard Noodle whimper a little as she looked up at him.

"Did you hear him right?" she asked.

"Wot?" Murdoc had to pull himself out of his own thoughts.

"He said when or if he was going to come back," said Noodle.

"So?"

"Murdoc-san," said Noodle, "I think...you might have changed his mind..."

His chest felt heavy. Though the situation might have improved some, it still looked bleak and the future looked dark. "Nothin's certain," replied Murdoc ruffling Noodle's purple hair. "But ya heard the big guy's orders...gotta take care of ya two..."

Noodle looked around realizing yet another absence, "Where's 2D-san?" Murdoc's breath caught again and he silently damned his lungs for doing this to him again.

"In his room," he chocked out. "I fink ya should go talk tah 'im..."

Though Murdoc didn't want to admit it, he knew 2D wouldn't want to be around him at the moment.

"Hai," and she left the room.

Murdoc looked around the room and then his stomach reminded him of all the alcohol he had consumed in such a short time. Next thing he knew he was running to the toilets, ready to empty the contents of his stomach.

---

Noodle found 2D right where Murdoc had left him. He was huddled in a corner, his arms wrapped around his knees that were pulled up to his chest, and his face buried in his knees. His frail body shook with sobs. The room was dark except for the triple wide plasma screen with pong, which lit an eerie glow across the floor.

"2D-san," Noodle whispered squatting down next to him. 2D looked up slightly and caught sight of his best friend and her sympathetic eyes.

"Na-Noodle?" his bottom lip quivered.

"Hai," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around 2D's back and pulled him into a hug. "Don't cry, 2D-san. Russel is gone right now. He is going back to his original home. Murdoc-san apologized though...it will be ok."

"Russ's gone?" 2D sniffed.

Noodle looked down at the floor and saw the bottle of pain killers. It registered in her brain that he had probably taken a few to try to kill the emotional pain in his confusion over the situation. In a few minutes he wouldn't remember the words she had said or was going to say.

"Hai," Noodle said sadly, "but he said he might come back."

2D nodded, his eyes glazing over from the medication. It was time for her to take advantage of this situation if she was going to even have an attempt to pull her family back together. When Russel had said "when" before he had to stop and say "if" when he referred to his return, she saw little light of hope and she wanted to hang onto that as much as possible.

"Can you help me?" asked Noodle, "to make me feel better?"

"Anyfing...love.." mumbled 2D.

"Work things out with Murdoc, kudasai," she requested.

"Mmmhm, righ' afta I nap." He yawned. Noodle helped the singer up and into bed and gently kissed him on the forehead. If her plan went right, Murdoc and 2D would be back together and when Russel got back, she knew he'd come back, he'd see how everything was just a big miscommunications in the band. Deep down, Russel did accept 2D and Murdoc, as he said, he didn't want to see 2D hurt. Well, he had been hurt, and now it was time for healing. And when he got back...he'd see, everything would be set right again.

When he gets back... Noodle kept thinking to herself finishing the sentence different every time, letting herself believe that happy times would come again.

A.N: Cry much? Yeah...it's pretty dreary sniff ...maybe it'll get better? I'd also like to appologize for this not being my top writing quality. I wrote it really late at night and not at my best. However, I needed to get this out of the way before I let myself sleep!

P.S THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I APPRECIATE THEM TO NO END!