Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gorillaz or anything about them—they are fabulous. But they belong to Jamie Hewlett & Damon Albarn, ladies and gents. I only play with them. Therefore, please do not sue me; you won't get a dime, trust me.
This is a tribute, btw, another author whose name I can't seem to post here. It's a . mild. groove (without the spaces in between) This author writes some of the most amazing Gorillaz fanfics I've ever read—and one of the first I ever read, to be honest. You're an inspiration! MAJOR KUDOS!
Thanks to those who reviewed—you're awesome!
Sweetums128neo—I'm going to do a lot more, if I can! Noodle's going to get a whole lot more heartbreaking as it progresses! Thank you!
Gimmie back that fillet o'fish – sweet name…love it! I'm gonna keep writing, no worries!
Bar—I'm glad you liked the emotional conflict. I felt like after all those years, there would HAVE to be a good amount of it.
FacePalm Inc.—thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it.
A/N: Had to get the business taken care of, kiddies. Okay so this is still my first attempt, but chapter 2! Sorry if I messed up on the Plastic Beach layout in the first chapter. I'm going to revise it a bit. However, this should be more accurate, I hope. I think Noodle and 2D are like…22 and 34-ish in this story since they're 12 years apart at this point. Also, sorry if it's moving slow but I'm really trying to capture Noodle's feelings and emotions; she is the main focus and 2D will be more so later. This is the fastest I've EVER updated a story in my life…hope it keeps up. Last thing…I'm really sorry if the accent—writing wise—is way off. I'm out of the loop and don't know how to write them that well. If anyone wants to help or make suggestions for that, I'm open to it. Thanks. Please enjoy.
'thoughts' and occasional flashbacks
"Talking"
Everything else
If it's love, it's electric
It'll be flowing on the streets
Night after night
Just to get through the week
Sometime's it's hard
Right now
Stylo – Gorillaz ft. Mos Def and Bobby Womack
Canvas of Imperfection
She could hear the lift going up as she stepped into the engineer room, glad that Dave the weird engineer had been long gone. She'd heard enough stories about him when he'd first come to Plastic Beach from 2D and Murdoc to last her a lifetime. Sighing, she walked down the steps past the MEL machine and towards the one place she couldn't stand. Outside "Noodle's Cupboard" she paused, hand poised right above the brass doorknob with a somewhat eerie feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Her mind weighed the options of opening the doors. Should she, and face what she'd so desperately asked to be hidden for all eternity? 'It's like opening a can a worms, as the saying goes,' she mused, hand still suspended in mid-air. 'Can I even face that thing? It's been over a year…' her thought trailed off as she slowly opened the red doors, the creaking throwing her a little as she peered inside. There it sat as it had for the last year, looking the same as it had for the past 7 years she hadn't been there. Clad in an army getup that Murdoc had selected for its "farewell" sat Android Noodle with various wires attached to her head. 'Its head,' Noodle corrected her mind, somewhat distraught that she'd even referred to it as a person—as herself. Its eyes were closed, short purple hair hidden under an army cap with a bullet through it, slumped over the panel, which was surrounded by hundreds of bottles of machine oil and weaponry. Was this how Murdoc kept 2D captive? The thought made her sick to her stomach but she could not find it within her to hate Murdoc they way she knew she should after what he'd done to the love of her life.
Sickened again at that thought, Noodle stumbled over a wire towards her replica, running her hands over the smooth, fake hair of her young, splitting image. On some level she hated herself for feeling any sympathy towards the metal made android. It looked like she used to, played guitar like she used to, sang like she used to, was around like she used to; but it was not who she used to be. The apparent differences were what separated her immediately when she'd first returned. That and the fact that it had attacked her when she'd accidently wandered into 2D's room in search of her family. Murdoc had been out and the whale that he paid to watch 2D had swam away briefly, leaving Android Noodle to take up guard as she faced 2D who was huddled against the wall on his bed. Noodle had blinked, her good eye not really understanding what had happened the first instance she'd peeked into the room. Noodle stopped her ministrations on the metal replica as her mind drifted back to her initial run in with the android and her first eyeful of 2D after 8 years.
*Flashback*
The purple haired Japanese woman could feel the blood seeping into her exposed eye, the lid somewhat torn and bruised from her journey. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering as she walked as quietly as possible through the entrance of the Plastic Beach in search of any occupants who were familiar. She'd heard somewhere that her family—the Gorillaz—had made another album. She hadn't heard it yet but the news stunned her nonetheless as it had been almost 8 years since she'd been assumed dead after their album, Demon Days. When her windmill had been shot down after the filming of El Manana, she assumed fowl play and was correct. But to the day she hadn't figured out who had arranged it, which was somewhat irksome to her. But not as irksome as the thoughts of coming back from hell to find out that they had made a new album without her, that there was someone parading around as her 15 year old self. That one had thrown her completely, at the time. Noodle sighed as she kept walking, unsure of what she would find at this place.
After she'd initially made it back from hell she went straight to Kong, which wasn't really that long ago. But upon her arrival she'd found it a wasteland with no one living there. Her family was gone and she had no idea where until she heard about Plastic Beach and its release a couple years after her untimely "death." By the time she realized all this had occurred she knew things were going to be hard but she had to find them. At 22 years old she knew that she needed to go back to them, to her family, to him. And despite the fact that it hurt to know what she'd discovered and the years lost between them, she was determined to find them and let him know she was alive and….somewhat well.
That brought her to the present exploring the Plastic façade of a house she'd only seen in faded pictures from years ago. It had been quite some time since the album Plastic Beach had been released and Noodle knew that if all hope hadn't been lost during it's making, then it would certainly be by now. Therefore, she needed to prove that loss wrong. She was going to prove she was still here. Rubbing the ache in her arms from her swimming, she tried to get the blood circulating all over her body to restore some warmth. Her teeth still chattering from the cold and painful bruises all over her olive tinted skin, she continued on through the entrance and into the circular lift. She could see the buttons had titles to designated areas. Her eyes widened, her bloody one slightly, as she saw 2D's room was accessible. She jammed her finger on the button frantically, her hopes rising as she heard the lift groan as thought it hadn't been used in decades before descending down about 2 floors. She briefly pondered how many floors and room existed in the hellhole that was to be her future home yet didn't have much of a chance before the doors opening and she stepped into a dimly lit, dingy and dank hallway that led to one lone door at the very end of the medium sized hallway. Padding as softly as she could to the end, she took a deep breath before slowly opening the door, hearing it creak with age.
"2D-san…?" Her voice was hopeful but uncertain. "2D-san…are you in here?"
She let out a surprised shriek as she heard the whine of a gun before bullets shot through the doorway, knocking the door of its hinges. Noodle instantly backed away, her guard up and eyes narrowed. Though she was cold, tired and drained she did not let her guard down as the short figure of a girl approached. A gasp escaped her throat as the young girl came into the dim lighting.
"Y-you…who are you?" Noodle demanded, her bleeding eye taking in the appearance of the girl. The purple hair, the jade eyes, the smile—it was her but not.
Forgetting her momentary shock and surprised, Noodle managed to dodge an array of bullets sent her way as the girl fired round after round of shots from a Smith & Wesson M500. One shot managed to graze the skin on Noodle's already damaged arm causing Noodle to grit her teeth as the pain swept through her, blood starting to drip from the wound. She was panting from exertion but side stepped another array of bullets, this time accompanied with a barrage of kicks and punches she recognized. 'This thing…why does it seem so…familiar?' Her thought was cut-off when a fist connected with her decrepit arm and she cried out in pain as the block took the blunt force of a heavy, little fist. Noodle back stepped as the figure advanced on her, its teeth in a menacing smile. It laughed manically as it sprang forward, one fist raised above her while the other aimed the gun. No longer concerned about hurting the crazy youth, Noodle jumped at it, her foot outstretched; it connected with the crazed girl's abdomen and sent her flying backwards. However, Noodle was not unhurt as she landed on her feet, which seemed to hurt more than ever.
Her mind was so focused on the fact that kicking someone had never hurt so much when she heard the creature get up and the distinct cock of a gun, the safety being taken off. She whirled around, glaring at the girl before snarl graced her lips and she leapt with strength she didn't know she still possessed. The older woman tackled the young girl to the ground, punching and screaming as she did so. Moments later she realized the girl was no longer moving but leaking dark, sticky black-brown liquid from a hole in her head. She also seemed to be sparking. "W-what the hell…"
The sentence never finished before searing pain shot from her knuckles up to her arm as she realized her fists were extremely bloody and cut up with what looked like metal shards stuck in them. Only then did she look down at the girl beneath her. Horror etched her features as she came to the terrible realization that this was no girl she had tackled but a metal carcass. Olive paint was scratched off as the creature beneath her continued to spark, the smell of machine oil drifting into Noodle's nostrils as the thing twitched and its purple hair caught fire. As it all hit her she leapt back as the android caught fire for a moment before someone emerged from the shadows and threw a bucket of water on it. It sparked one last time, convulsing violently before laying still again. Feeling guilty Noodle backed up against the wall, her head spinning, arm and eye bleeding, body more drained that she'd ever felt. She watched the figure that knelt down next to the android and cradled it with a mix of emotions evident upon its face.
"Noodle…wot did 'ey do ta yeh?"
She froze, suddenly feeling dizzy. She stepped forward carefully, her body protesting with exhaustion. In a meek voice she whispered, "2D-san…?" Her vision quickly became blurry from blood loss as she saw the figure shoot up and run towards her before she pitched forward into darkness, her entire mind shutting down as the black void enveloped her.
*End Flashback*
Noodle shuddered at the memories as she caressed the android's head again, this time pulling its head back to look into its eyes, which stared emptily ahead. Its unwavering gaze went straight through her and she let the head rest back against its post. Giving it one last rub she closed the door behind her, leaning back and sliding down against it as a couple tears escaped her eyelids. 'How could I hate such a beautifully dangerous image of myself?' With the exception of its tastes and creator, she'd be lying if she didn't think it was superficially a beautiful replica when not engaged. It looked just like her minus all the new scars she now sported as a result of 7 years in hell. How she managed to get out she still didn't know. Sighing, she wiped the tears from her cheeks while she glanced around the engine room. It was smelly and dark, holding a sense of the abyss like 2D's eyes. Her heart sank at the thought of the singer. Shutting her eyes she let her head fall back against the door, ignoring the dull thud it made in the silent room where the sound echoed like she'd shot a burst round from the Ithaca shotgun lying a few feet away. She didn't really use guns as it wasn't her style. But her other self did. Her mind did another mental sweep of the past before she stood up, dusting off her pants and wiping her hands on the front of them. She slowly made her way to the lift before pressing the button that led her to 2D's room. She hadn't heard anyone come down so she assumed everyone was still upstairs.
Inside the lift creaked again as it went down one more floor to 2D's room. Memories would have taken her away had she not just reminisced on them as she made her way down the hallway once the lift doors had let her out. At the entrance to his room she paused as she heard music inside; but she knew he hadn't come back down yet. Pushing the door open she stepped inside, glancing about, her eyes connecting directly with the view in front of her of his bed and curtains drawn to cover the window that the whale used to look through. To the right of her was the life size Spiderman figure that looked like its face had been smudged with silly putty and corroded by acid at the same time. There were papers strewn across the floors and walls, and 2D's bed looked like it hadn't been made in years, the pink bed spread half hanging off the mattress. She thought it interesting that his room was pink or peach, she couldn't decide. Regardless pink walls and green carpet did not go together but she wasn't so sure 2D was the one doing all the decorating since Murdoc had bragged about all his accomplishments on creating Plastic Beach in the first place. She pursed her lips at this—she still hadn't received the full story from him. Russel didn't seem to know much. 2D would not talk about it, mostly because she would avoid him like the plague when it came to talking about the past. Not that it seemed like he wanted to either. She was still looking about the room when her eyes landed on a large fan that sat at the foot of 2D's bed. Curious she drifted closer to examine it when she heard the distinct humming of the lift going up then coming down. Panicking, Noodle tried to figure out how to disappear from 2D's room until she heard footsteps heading towards his door. There was no way out.
Blushing like mad she whirled around to continue staring at the fan, ignoring the gasp of surprise that left 2D's mouth when he opened the door and found her standing in his room. She could tell he hadn't moved around much as she didn't hear the soft padding of feet around the room. Steeling herself to act normal, Noodle turned around with a small smile. "Gomen-nasai, 2D-san…I did not mean to intrude. I was just admiring your fan. It is beautiful."
He nodded, brows knitted. "Yeh…suppose it is." She felt a chill run up her spine as butterflies erupted in the pit of her stomach as he came closer to her, stopping to stand right next to her. "It wos yers…dun' yeh remember? I gave it ta yeh fo' Christmas…" He looked somewhat hurt that she did not remember.
"2D-san…I…gomen…I am trying..." Truth be told, some of her past memories were jumbled and she figured that when she'd fallen off the island that she must've hit her head. Frustration welled up inside her; she couldn't control herself as her fists tightened against her own accord. Another tear slipped past her eyelid, trailing slowly down her cheek though she willed it not to. Whirling around abruptly, she began to stalk her way out of 2D's room when she felt his hand catch her wrist. Her body tensed in fright as she realized what he would see should he make her stay. Wrenching her arms away she continued to make her way towards the lift, though the short distance from his room to the lift seemed to long. She was almost there when she felt his grip on her wrist again, this time stronger, more demanding and rough before she was yanked backwards. Feeling her temper rise she jerked away again, 2D's grip, though firm, slipping. She figured it had everything to do with the fact that he was hurt by the action, especially from her. Having wrenched away from him successfully the second time caused Noodle's confidence and determination to grow as she quickly walked to the lift, pressing the button for the Roof. Not once did she glance back even though 2Ds protests had reached her ears. She was focused on getting as far away from him as possible, not caring if it hurt him, not at this point.
Her fear and anger had consumed her in those moments she held special with the blue-haired man. As a result she ran away from him with any excuse she could muster; hid from him in any way she deemed a possibility. Most times she ended up back in "Noodle's Cupboard" with her replica, which held a strange sense of solemn relief. Lately she'd take a liking to it. In fact, she imagined had it been programmed by someone else, perhaps had a different creator, she might have loved it—even a little. Sighing, she waited for the loud elevator to make its way topside passed the balcony with its still missing step to the topmost place of Plastic Beach. As soon as it opened she stepped into the warm sunlight, and she knew it was still summertime, for now. Shielding her eyes with her hand, Noodle leaned over the railing as she listened to the music from the studio. She heard the sound system being manipulated, then brash cursing. 'Murdoc,' she thought idly as she brushed a few stray strands of hair from her eyes. Below the water rippled peacefully as they floated. She wasn't quire sure how they didn't actually move from their seemingly fixed latitude and longitude. However, she'd learned long ago not to question wonders such as this or even how 2D still managed to function without eyes. Snorting, Noodle slumped further against the railing as she looked down at the palm tress scattered about the plastic structure.
In the distance the lighthouse shined, rays of blinding light bouncing off the glass before reflecting back onto the water. Her mind wandered to the 2 birds who sat at the entrance day after day: a large pelican and a small seagull. They seemed to converse regularly, or at least they seemed to get on each other's nerves a lot. Noodle had been rather observant of them since day one because normal birds were not a commonality at or around Kong Studios. Another sigh. 'God…I miss Kong,' she mused miserably to herself. Such fluctuations in her mood were absolutely normal, but she did hate them nonetheless. She let her eyes drift to the sky, which had turned an interesting shade of blue. 'Like his hair.'
Grunting to herself in annoyance, she shoved her hand in her pockets to hide their clenching. "Am I pathetic or what? I can't even function properly anymore…" At this she found her thoughts back on Android Noodle. The petite but lanky makeshift replacement did have her guitar skills and had already been pat of the band, Plastic Beach making it official. "If I left…it wouldn't make a difference. The public doesn't know I've returned. I could just leave this hellhole…" As if sensing these thoughts the music below halted sharply, sounding like a screeching banshee. She flinched when seconds later she felt a familiar hum as the lift ascended towards her. Not really interested at guessing who it was, Noodle continued her silent observations of her new home.
"Baby girl…what's botherin ya?"
Glad that it wasn't 2D or Murdoc she turned to him with a small, weak smile. "Russel-sama…I am quite okay, really."
He shook his head. "I've known ya since ya was a lil' girl. Can't fool this man," he replied. "We both know what happened with Muds is all lies."
She nodded. "Hai…but…he is still family. I cannot hate him…no matter what he has done."
"Would ya if ya knew the truth, what happened to 'D, baby girl?"
A tear slipped down her cheek. 'Would I?' The whole story of Plastic Beach was fuzzy and unbelievable, at best, to her and Russel. Not to mention Murdoc's story seemed too short and glamorous while 2D's had been practically non-existent. It'd also sounded practiced when he'd said it, like it had been recited. He hadn't even looked at her while telling it. Both he and Murdoc had been rather tense and edgy. The fact that Murdoc hadn't invited Russel to make the album in the first place made Noodle rethink a lot of how she viewed her family from the past to the present. While she loved all of them dearly, she couldn't find it in her heart to be hateful towards Murdoc, even after she'd found out he had arranged for the whole El Manana video to be done the way it was. He had gone to look for her as he'd said—she'd heard enough rumors floating through hell and purgatory. How could she hate him if he had tried to make up for his mistake by looking for her? 'If that's why he did it.' She wasn't exactly sure on the details about why Murdoc had gone looking for her, yet there was a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with her guitar skills. 'Which is why he made Android Noodle.' While she didn't want to assume anything without the actual story from the main source, she was no idiot. The Gorillaz needed a guitar player after she'd disappeared, one who knew their music and could play it without a problem. 'Hence him collecting my DNA and making…her…'
She still hadn't been able to figure out what to call the Android. She didn't want to call it by her name at all; therefore she just called it, well, IT. Because giving it her name made it as if she'd never existed or returned, while giving it a name pronounced it human, which it was not. At least this is how she saw things, her logic functioning in this exact way. Nevertheless, as she'd thought before, she did end up spending a lot of time in that cupboard, her back against the doors while she sat in silent solitude with the machine, wondering if it dreamt or anything like that. She'd stare at the wires for hours upon hours at times, her mind boggling over the android as if it was a real girl undergoing hypnotherapy and surgery in their house. But in the end she was always brought back to reality when she'd look around and remember all the machine old cartons and weaponry, all the monitors beeping with the android's status—and their first encounter. At this point she'd get disgusted with herself for being around it so long, mentally fighting with her psyche before standing and slamming the double doors behind her.
One time she'd been there inside the cupboard with her arms crossed over her knees, eyes staring hard at the machine when she'd heard voice echoing around the room. Alarmed, she'd fled behind the android, hiding behind it as she heard Murdoc's voice and sounds like him rummaging through things before a curse. She'd stayed quietly behind it, clutching its shirt for steadiness as the wires fell around her. She was peeking from behind its mass of synthetic purple locks when the door burst open. She shrunk back in front of it as Murdoc continued his rummaging, throwing carton after carton of machine oil around, not caring if it was open or not and, as a result, spilling it all over the carpeting. Noodle's breath was coming in quick, short but quiet pants as she watched him, afraid that he might see her. But he never did. He was making his way back out when he suddenly stopped, turning his glance to the android before throwing a carton of oil at it. The oil carton burst open, slopping all over the machine and the real Noodle, leaving a sticky, shiny black mess all over them. Without another look back he slammed the doors shut.
Noodle had quickly sprung to life again as she wiped the oil off her own silky locks before grabbing a cloth and wiping off the androids head. It didn't seem to have awakened at his, its eyes closed, mouth hanging open slightly while it remained in its power save mode. She wondered, at this, what it would take to wake it up. 'Do I want to?'
"Baby girl?"
Shaking her head, Noodle was brought crashing back to the present as she looked up at Russel. "Huh…? Oh, Russel-sama…I'm sorry. I was…thinking."
"About what?"
She glanced away again, a sigh escaping her lips. "About…it, about the…android."
Russel had a feeling that, while it was true she'd been thinking about their "fake Noodle" residing in the cupboard under the engine porch, she was referring to much more than just a passing thought. He knew he wanted to press her about the topic since she'd been disappearing quite often as of the late. And he somewhat figured she was hiding in the closet with that thing. But he wasn't sure how to broach such a sensitive issue. Clearly there was something going on with her internally, and it had a lot to do with that machine Murdoc had created. He remember when he'd returned back from a shopping trip one afternoon, she had already been there for a few hours or so, though she'd been bed-ridden with exhaustion and such according to 2D who had been caring for her. However, he himself was more than appalled to see the younger version of her still walking around. When he'd asked Murdoc the bassist had flipped him off and disappeared behind a bookcase near the studio entrance. 2D had later, thankfully, informed him that when the bassist built Plastic Beach he had created himself a secret lair with a couple thousand steps or so. Russel had raised his brows at this but didn't bother to ask the singer any further questions since he'd immediately run back to the kitchen, screaming something about a cold compress for their guitarist. It had been almost 7 years since he'd seen her, the little girl he called Baby Girl. Not waiting for 2D he'd entered the singer's room through the lift and stared down at the figure lying under the pink covers, sleeping soundly.
"Baby…girl…" he couldn't believe it. This girl—no, this woman—looked almost nothing like the girl they'd lost years ago. Her purple hair was ratty and knotted, splayed everywhere over the sheets. Her arms were bandaged but covered with bruises and crusted blood, light scars running the length from her shoulder to her elbow on both side. He cringed to think about what happened to the rest of her as it was hidden beneath a layer of clothing and 2D's bedspread. Her eyelid was torn with blood caked around it but looking clean otherwise. It seemed 2D had done his best at cleaning her up while their bassist holed himself in his "secret lair." The drummer found he had a million questions for both the cerulean singer and the Satanist, but all that had fled his mind when he'd laid eyes upon Noodle's battered figure under the blankets. He knelt down just as 2D came rushing in with a cold towel and pressed it to her forehead, which Russel now realized was burning hot.
"She 'as a feva, Russ…doin tha bes' I can," the singer croaked, his voice cracking as he looked at the drummer.
"When did she get here, 'D?"
With shaking fingers the singer sat back, fidgeting nervously, his black voids darting in every direction. If Russel didn't know better he'd think 2D was just staring straight ahead. "Couple 'ours ago. Righ' when yew lef' ta tha sto' for food…I fink…"
The drummer looked down at the young woman again, his eyes taking a long, hard look at her. "Yo 'D…what happened to her?"
Whatever nervousness 2D was feeling heightened with a non-healthy dose of anxiety as the singer started grabbing at his hair and pulling harshly. Russel had seen 2D do things like this before when he couldn't explain himself or felt guilty about something. Or was just plain out frustrated. What he didn't expect were the tears that started falling from those black voids. No one even knew 2D could still cry. Russel's rounded white irises widened at the display as the singer suddenly stood and bolted from his room with the excuse of rewetting the washcloth. When the drummer chanced a glanced up he noticed the towel still resting on the woman's forehead.
"Russel-sama, are you alright?"
He brought his attention back to the young woman staring up at him, her petite hands on his massive arms. Sighing, he shook his head at the memories, willing them to go away. "Yeah, I'm good, girl. Don't worry about me. But you know…it's past lunchtime…you hungry? We can go out, if ya want."
She brightened a little at this, throwing her arms around her father figure. "Oh, yes, Russel-sama! I would love that!" He smiled down at her. "Can we go get sushi? I haven't had sushi since…" She trailed off, her face contorting into pain for a moment before her smile broke out again. "Anyway, can we, please? I would love a dragon roll right now. And some miso!"
He couldn't help but smile at her cheerful face, glad that she was smiling again and had, for the time being, stopped asking questions about the past. It was hard to answer those questions as it was hard enough to even think about everything 2D had endured and everything Murdoc had done to them, to 2D and Russel—to Noodle. Even if Murdoc was afraid for Russel's massive fists, he knew that during his absence 2D must've suffered greatly. With an internal sigh he nodded. "Yeah, baby girl. That sounds great. I'm just gonna go get ready. Meet me at the entrance in ten minutes, aight? We'll go from there."
She nodded enthusiastically, genuinely happy to go out with him and to get away from Plastic Beach. She didn't want to leave 2D all alone by himself with the green skinned man but she felt much worse if she had to pretend around him. For some reason this seemed a direr situation than him being stuck in his room all alone as he had been for years. Pushing the horrible thoughts away she made her way down the overhang of the roof, landing skillfully on the balcony. She looked to the left and saw Murdoc passed out on a beach chair under an umbrella, the bottle of tequila empty in his hand, head lolling from side to side with the music playing on the radio next to him. Shooting him a dirty glare he couldn't see, she jumped over the balcony railing onto the entrance deck, frightening the pelican and seagull into flight. Not caring about any of this, Noodle waited for Russel to appear for their lunch outing. She saw the boat floating by the dock and decided to go get that taken care of before someone—more like 2D—appeared to stop her. She was on her way to the deck when suddenly she caught sight of something in the distance, the sunlight hitting the object and making it shimmer.
Curious, Noodle made her way over to the object. Upon arriving next to it she found a beat-up, dirty old brown suitcase lying in the middle of the peach plastic ground beneath her. Next to it was an old, rusted looking can of what appeared to be gas of some kind. 'Knock-out gas…but why would this…be here?' She picked up the can and began to examine the suitcase when she heard heavy footfalls behind her. Whipping her head around she came face to face with Russel, whose eyes widened when he caught sight of the can in her hand. She was about to ask him about it when she noticed 2D walking their way. She was about to snap when Russel interrupted.
'Yo, Noodle, 2D said he was hungry. It is aight if he comes, too?"
She blanched; about to shoot him a vicious reply when 2D walked up to say hi, and then froze. She blinked at him in puzzlement but followed his gaze to the suitcase and gas can in her hand. "Wot, wait wotcha…where did yeh get tha' love?"
His voice seemed meek and scared as he pointed at the metal in her grasp. Before she could ask him anything about it he turned tail and ran. Russel scratched his head as she stood up, her face a mask of uncertainty as she stared after the retreating figure of the older man. She bit her lips in sudden anger and resentment. Turning her bitter glare and narrowed eyes at the drummer, she threw the can to the floor and stalked up to him, hands on her hips and eyes burning fire. As quietly as she could, Noodle raised her head to him. Russel felt his blood run cold.
"Russel-sama…tell me what the fuck is going on here."
TBC
(Okay…it's still kind weird so far, I know! I know! Sorry! However, I threw some Russel in there because he has made a big impact on Noodle as her father/brother figure who she looks up to. Also, not much 2D yet and yes, her obsession with the android is VERY important because I feel like, after so many years, there has to be a deeper examination of how SHE feels about the android. I mean COME ON—it basically replaced her in Plastic Beach. It's going to, hopefully if I can pull it off, get A LOT deeper—not lighter. There will be more 2dxNoodle actions, eventually. But for now, she's still the focus, not her relationship with 2D. ALL Constructive Criticism is welcome. Flames, take a damn hike. But if you must, please send me a message about it. Or if you have A LOT of criticism—since this is my first fic—please send me a message so I can work it out. Thank you for reading. Please review.)