READ THIS!
I won't be able to update again until the 9th, for reasons that involve my grandparents not having any Internet. At all. Sorry guys! Occupy yourselves with the comic at k-el-amrani . deviantart . com! It's pretty epic.
AWESOME 100TH REVIEWER! Hejin57: Yes yes, everything will be revealed...in the sequel! Haha! Thanks for giving me Review #100!
Kosmic: She's got her hat, yeah. And yes, RIP skeleton.
Otakugirl 13: Hooray and indeed they are! Twisty and difficult yes, for Finn especially. Don't you just wish you could jump into Ooo and run around befriending everyone you like, killing off the ones you don't, and bringing your new friends back to the real world? Ah, to dream! :3 NOT OF LOVE stupid song stuck in my head and I don't want it there...I'd rather have Finn's buff baby song floating around my mind XD or the fry song, or anything from What Was Missing, or anything by Marcie...oh was that all out loud?
Lamimia: Aww, thanks! :)
Zanegar: Haha careful what'cha wish for! Sequel... ;)
BladeGuy9: Thanks! You'll find out soon enough...
InK-on-her-fingers: Thanks! Naw, you worded it about right...bittersweet's pretty close.
Shadown478: Hm...let's just let our imaginary armies battle it out in some random dimension (and inevitably call it a draw because neither of us will back down), shall we? XD 'Cause I suck at chess! Thank you!
Voice of Hunger: :)
DH88: Yeah, Finn's...very forgetful about his shirt XD
furrylover-to-da-max: First of all, thank you for the amazing review! You're very welcome for the story; it's honestly the best thing I've written so far (in my own opinion, because everything else I've done is pretty much pure fluff). The pacing's really fun for me because I get to keep everyone waiting for them to admit their feelings, and nobody knows when that's actually going to happen. I honestly don't think "love" should be tossed around casually, but it's so hard to find a good fic now that I'm usually just like "Whatevs," because pacing is impossible to get perfect, and I really shouldn't judge. I'm touched that you're reading my fic so carefully! And whenever I hear I kept people in character, it just gives me the warm fuzzies. I'm glad that you liked it so much! I'd have more commentary, but I think my whole rant about pacing pretty much stretched out my commentary limit, so...thanks again for the review!
Doctor Deadpool: Thank you. I try to stay focused on the main objective, but it's a little tricky with a story like this; I don't want it ending TOO soon.
The Forgotten Hero: Thanks. Yeah, I got a bit tired of having to write about the snake so...I cut it short. I honestly am not a big supporter of Finn spouting F-bombs either (woohoo, I'm an official hypocrite! XD) but I figured that hey, the kid's fourteen, he just found out that a demon kidnapped his pals in some complex pit to lure him, the last human, to his ultimate demise, and his poor hero heart's probably pounding from all this knowledge and his dream, so why not? And...I just rambled out a rather unnecessary explanation. Super. And my army WILL return...because they will WIN! Sorry, but I'm very adamant about this point.
Disclaimer: My ownership status? Yeah, hasn't changed. Shocker.
Chapter 10: The Ocean
When Finn awoke at dawn, the fire had gone out completely. He sat up and stretched, eager to be on his way. The sooner he was on the ocean, the sooner he could leave it. That was his logic.
"Marcie," he crawled around to the vampire and shook her shoulder. She was floating on her back, her hat over her face. "Get up! Come on, I wanna go!" she "sat" up, and their heads klunked together.
"Ouch!" the vampire exclaimed.
"You're tellin' me," Finn muttered, clutching his forehead.
"You sayin' I've got a thick skull?"
"No!" he quickly exclaimed, shaking his head for emphasis. Marceline crossed her arms. "Okay, you can be hardheaded sometimes..." he grinned cheekily, and she punched him in the gut. "Oof!" he clutched his sore stomach. Marceline winced.
"Whoops, sorry, forgot about your bruises," she said, standing and hauling the hero to his feet.
"Right," he said disbelievingly.
"I guess you'll never know the truth," she replied in a mysterious manner, cackling and walking down the beach. Finn chased after her, grinning. That is, until she turned, grabbed his shoulders, and flung him onto the sand where the waves could lap at him. Finn screamed and scrambled back, trembling. Marceline hovered beside him in a lying down position, her chin in her hands.
"N-not c-c-cool, M-Marcie!" Finn stammered. She frowned.
"I had no clue you were this scared...this is bad. Finn, we are going to be surrounded by ocean. For days."
"D-don't try to scare me!" he was still recovering.
"I'm not trying!" she replied defensively. "I'm just making sure you know what you're getting into here. I can go on alone; you don't have to do this," she lowered her arms so one folded across the other, as though her weight was resting on them. Finn rose from where he had been in a crablike position to sit, hugging his knees to his chest.
Marceline was offering him a way out.
He didn't have to face his fear. He didn't have to go into the ocean. He didn't even have to face the Prince of Games! All he had to do was wait on the beach.
But...
He couldn't.
It wasn't right.
"I can't, Marceline. I need to be the one to face the demon that killed my parents," he said softly. "But thanks anyway."
"Hey, what're friends for?" she smiled at him, but it was a sad and knowing smile, like his words had sealed his fate. Finn shrugged it off and let the vampire haul him to his feet. They walked to where they had left the rowboat, and Finn was surprised to find it fully repaired, both oars in place. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to put myself to good use," Marceline said in response to his obvious confusion. Finn nodded in understanding and briefly wondered why he hadn't heard her leave the fireside before realizing that duh, she could float. "Moment of truth here," Marceline shoved the boat into the water and let it bob out to sea.
It didn't sink.
The pair broke into matching grins, watching their craft as it bobbed up and down in the waves. Finn's face, however, filled with fear as the vampire picked him up like she had in the caves and began to fly.
"Oh hush," she said in response to his muted whimpering. When they landed in the tiny boat, Finn immediately sat right in the middle. Marceline squeezed in beside him on the single bench and scooted him over to the starboard side. Finn clutched the edge of the boat desperately. As water splashed on him, he screamed. Marceline slapped him.
"What was that for?"
"Dude! Get ahold of yourself. It's just water. It's like a giant bath, but with more salt and fish," Marceline said calmly.
"Oh. Hm...I...never thought of it that way," Finn peeked over the edge of the boat again in time to receive a splash in the face as the dinghy crashed into a tiny trough. Finn jumped into Marceline's arms. She tossed him overboard. "MARCELINE!"
"Finn, I'm not letting you back in this boat until you stop screaming," she swatted his hands away from the side of the boat.
"THIS...ISN'T...FUNNY!" Finn screamed, straining to keep his head above water.
"Look man, just calm down and I'll pull you back up," she said.
It would have been logical if Finn hadn't been so terrified.
He began to thrash wildly, slamming his head against the boat in panic. Feeling faint, the hero began to sink into the endless depths of the ocean. As his eyes closed, he registered the warped underwater sound of a splash and a dark figure making its way towards him. Then...nothing.
Finn awoke in the dinghy, groaning and rubbing his head. He had been tucked into the bottom of the boat so his stomach was underneath the bench. Marceline looked down at him in concern, her feet pressing lightly into his sides. As he sat up and pulled himself from beneath the bench, the vampire leaned forward and caught him.
"Easy there. You nearly drowned."
"The ocean tried to kill me!" he exclaimed, struggling. "Marceline! Take me back to the Sands of Forever!"
"No can do, hero. We're too far out."
"Too far out? As in...away from shore?" Finn started to scream. Marceline slapped him across the face.
"Hey!" she scolded. "Snap out of it! We didn't come all this way for you to give up now. You're not a quitter, Finn."
"If going back makes me a quitter, so be it," she grabbed his jaw in one hand, holding his face still and close to hers.
"No. You don't quit. A quitter would have gone home after almost getting killed by a mermaid. A quitter would have left me for dead in the Forest of Helplessness. A quitter would have abandoned me in the Desert of Lost Souls. A quitter would have turned around in the face of the Caverns of Endless Darkness. A quitter," he tried to turn away, but she forced him to meet her eyes, "wouldn't be here now," she released his jaw, and he leaned back against the front of the boat. Marceline began to row again. "You were out for hours," she said without looking at him. "After I brought you back up, I thought you'd wake up, but you didn't," she snuck a quick glance at him, but he caught her eyes in his and held her fast. "I'm sorry," the words sounded thick and unfamiliar.
"For what?" Finn asked, surprised.
"Trying to help. Every time I...I only screw things up," she sighed. Finn had never seen her so depressed, and wished she hadn't forgotten her ax bass at home. Maybe music could have cheered her up.
"It's my fault," he replied, even though he knew it was really nobody's. "I was too afraid to listen to you."
"But I should have known—"
"Marceline! It's not your fault," he insisted. She fell silent, and the only sound was lapping that set Finn's teeth on edge. The waves...
"Finn? You okay?"
"I'm f-fine," he silently cursed the fearful stutter in his voice.
"No you're not. You're still scared," Marceline replied. Finn knew she was right, and knew that he had to get over it.
"Marceline...I need you to help me get over my fear."
"That's not exactly my area of expertise."
"Try," he begged. She sighed.
"You'll never be entirely over it, but I think I can help you cope…at least a little bit," the vampire told him. Finn nodded. "Have you already tried getting over it?"
"Yeah. I knocked myself out to sink to the bottom."
"Being forceful about it won't work," Marceline chuckled. "I've found that it's best to associate your fear with the memory of something pleasant; a game, a cherished item, something beautiful...a kiss," she blushed a little.
"I thought vampires didn't feel fear," Finn was slightly amused.
"I've helped lots of people," she answered carelessly. "Now first, we have to get you back in the water."
"NO!"
"Don't worry; it'll be fun!" Marceline encouraged, picking him up and floating out of the boat. She lowered them both until the spray barely touched Finn. He screamed. "Hush, you weenie," Marceline dropped him into the water. He fought for breath, and she floated beside him.
"You're not even in it!" he protested furiously. She rolled her eyes and dropped until she was treading water.
"Happy?"
"No! GET ME THE MATH OUTTA HERE!"
"Finn," Marceline grabbed his face in her hands, and he stopped fighting. "It's not hurting you. It's just a big salty bath."
"Big salty bath...big salty bath...big salty—MARCELINE I CAN'T DO THIS!" Finn struggled to get to the boat, but Marceline wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. He froze, long enough for her to turn him around and give him a kiss on the cheek. Finn's face turned bright red. Marceline pulled back and grinned, her cheeks a very light shade of pink.
"Better?" she asked. Finn's unconscious trembling had stopped.
"Um...a little..." he admitted. "Now GET ME OUTTA HERE!" he grabbed Marceline's shoulders and shook her viciously.
"Wow you're really scared. What do I have to do, strip?" Finn's face burned hotter. "I'm kidding, you weenie...mostly. Ugh, I hate having wet clothes. Let's go," she carried him back to the boat, and Finn found that he wasn't quite so scared. He just had to keep remembering that feeling...
"Hey Marcie?"
"Mm?"
"Did you ever do something like this with...?" he trailed off. "Never mind; that's probably too sensitive."
"Aw, now I'm curious," she pouted as she shifted around uncomfortably. Finn would have smiled at her squirming had his thoughts not been on a rather unpleasant subject.
"...Ash?" Finn closed his eyes and prepared for a punch. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes to find a rather somber vampire sitting beside him.
"Yeah. Lotsa times," was her simple and quiet answer.
And Finn didn't ask again.