Chapter XVI, Songs and Tunes

Bubblegum woke up on a pile of rocks. As she looked around, all she could see was debris that was here for quite some time, judging by all the dust around. It was almost as if she spend the last night in some old ruins. The problem was that she didn't recalled anything like that. The princess quickly realized what's going on however, as soon as she saw the Lich, sitting patiently on one of the shattered pieces of a sculpture.

"I thought closely about all the sweet moments we had together, Bonnibel Bubblegum."

"Enough. Enough with you, enough with... This!"

"Why won't you just accept me in your mind, accept me in your heart, Bonnibel Bubblegum. As the one that will save Ooo. By destroying it." He placed his hands on his chest. "As your savior, I made something special for you. You like songs, don't you? Your perfect little being sings you them every time, with her charming voice" He grinned. "Would you like one from me, child?"

He stood up and gazed in her eyes. Once again she felt the overwhelming stench of rot, each time he opened his mouth even in the slightest. But that wasn't the worst, no. It was the fact that he got closer and closer, as she could feel the chills running down her body. She could only imagine the things he'll do to her this time.

"Get away from me you freak." She said, as she took a step back. "Go away!"

"Oh. There's no reason to act that way, child." He chuckled. "That's just unnecessary. Here, let me show you. I made it all just because of our... affection. You know how hard was it to tangle the words to fit your demise? Aren't you proud of me, Bonnibel Bubblegum? Aren't you proud?"

He disappeared. At first the princess assumed that all will be the same, that something will grab her and toss into yet another terrifying vision. That something will open yet another hole in her head. Nothing like that happened however and that got her worried even more. As she began her little venture through all the ruble, she payed close attention to any kinds of traps, set by her atrocious host. Still, there were non. No sign of life, no motion in this crumbled world. And just as she planed to stay in one place, just as she wanted to wait for it all to be over, she heard a wrecking sound. As she looked up, far into the horizon, she saw one of the kingdom's guardians, falling down like a chopped down tree. When the dust from his impact finally was blown away by the wind, a hoarse voice echoed through the land.

"There is nothing left in Ooo. Nothing stands and waits for you..."

The light breeze began to pour in, as she started to pay closer attention to the crumbled ruins surrounding her. It was her kingdom, she knew it all to well. But looking at it now, she could spot the bodies of her fallen subjects underneath the rubble. Already decaying, already covered in mold, as worms slowly devoured their lifeless silhouettes. That wasn't the thing she craved to see.

"Not a single life, behold... Your hands did that, so I'm told..."

The princess decided to keep going. Not like she had any kind of choice, as she realized that any kind of hesitation will be pointless in the longer run. Besides, he prepared something for her and she doubted that this fiend will simply let go. He never did. She spotted a small flagpole, somewhere in the distance. That sight wouldn't frightened her in the slightest, if it wasn't for the white hat with two pointy ears, impaled right at it's top.

"There is nothing left in Ooo... Not a standing chord endured..."

She turned away. Bubblegum knew she couldn't do anything about it. Not now at least. Eventually, step by step, she reached her palace. Right over it's entrance, someone hang a long and colorful body, that almost looked at her with it's empty eye sockets. She quickly passed by, as the grief was almost unbearable. The castle halls greeted her with chills, as she stepped through the flooring. And like previously, he did prepared yet another token of his so called admiration. In the middle of her throne room, lied a shattered guitar. That very notion was all too obvious.

"You feel shame, sweetest taste... What your eyes see, such a waste..."

And he finally did what he was best at. Caused pain. His words pierced her head like sharp needles. Every single one of them hurt more and more, driving deep into her mind. She grew weaker and weaker with each second, eventually succumbing on her knees, feeling as life slips away from her fragile body. Her fingernails scraped on the floor.

"There is nothing left in Ooo... No..."

Something made him stop abruptly. It was another voice, humming through the palace chambers. It was so much different than his. Calm one, soft one. One that she knew and loved. One that she hardly expected in a rotten place like that. One that made her feel stronger.

"Cutest girl, sweetest girl, charming little sweetest sound, go to sleep..."

The pain stopped almost instantly. But the deathless hardly wanted to end it right there. He had Bubblegum in his grasp and someone just dared to try and take her back. His murmurs once again trembled through the narrow walls.

"There is..." The Lich attempted to sing his despicable song once again. His foul words were quickly silenced by the humming, ringing even stronger than previously. "...nothing..."

"Sweetest girl, sweetest pearl, shining like a gem, go to sleep..."

The fiend's patience had it's limits. He instantly appeared before the princess and grabbed her head in his sharp claws, tapping slowly on her pink skin. So that's how it'll end again, he thought to himself. In pain. Good. He enjoyed causing it immensely. As he leaned closer, he opened his mouth trying to spew out more words from within his rotten body.

"There..."

"Little dearest creature, smile is just your feature, go to sleep... "

Despite the fact that he wanted to pierce her head, he simply could not. Not this time. His claws began to shatter with each crudely performed attempt. No, he could not be defeated, not like that! So he tried to press harder and harder, marking her pink forehead. It was all for nothing, as her skin was like a shell this time. Almost as if something shielded her from harm. And then the humming began once again. He hardly knew from where it came from nor, from whom, but he surely knew one thing. He wanted it to end. But before he could do anything about it, his rags began to burn, and so did his maggot infested body. And as he turned into dust with one last hiss, the princess was finally left alone, if only for a while longer. She closed her eyes, as the humming still echoed around.

"And when you close your eyes, pa-ra-la-pa-la, just think of all goodbyes, just think that I'm near, so hush my dear, don't spread a tear... Sweetest girl, charming little lamb, go to sleep..."

###

The rain poured heavily outside, almost as if it meant to be that way forever. Almost as if it meant to flood the world. The makeshift hut that they made just day before barely stood under all the weight from above. Still, it somehow managed, if only thanks to the science. That, and few vitally placed rocks. The bone fire was flooded long time ago, so their clothes and a blanket were their only source of heat. Marceline took extra care in covering her shivering lover constantly, as her body twitched and turned during her slumber. When she finally began to wake up, the little vampire instantly jumped on the other side of the room, pretending that she sat there all that time.

"Bleh." She choked on her own saliva. "Bah, bah, bah!"

"Tough night?"

"Heh..." Bubblegum rubbed her forehead. "You can say that again..."

"Tough night, huh?" She raised her eyebrow. "Well, there you have it, your wish is my command."

Bubblegum looked outside at the rain. There was something soothing in it. Something calm about the stable drops that tapped over the surface. She liked that kind of weather, as in those moments, she could just stay in her little chambers and do her things, without anyone asking about her. Without anyone pretending to care that she sits in her lab all day long. Without anyone bothering her about things that never mattered. And as she thought about it, she recalled the voice that echoed through her head while she slept.

"I..." She bit her little pink lip. "Thought I heard you in my dream, or was I...?"

"Well, yeah, maybe..." Marceline coughed a bit and stared at the floor. "I've seen you shake terribly. Nothing I did had any effects so... I figured..."

"That song..." The princess gazed at her curiously. "What was it?"

"Ah. Nothing." Her face became almost red. "Just a lullaby. My mother used to sing me that a while back."

"I..." She blushed as well. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. "

And then, awkward silence occurred. Bubblegum thought for a bit. She hardly ever asked about her lover's family. Maybe at some point she should do that? She knew about her father, that's for sure, but it always seemed like the little vampire hardly wanted to dip into that particular thing. Perhaps that's the way she should handle it? Avoid it for the best? That's what she decided to do, for now at least, as she changed the topic.

"How long did I slept?"

"A while." She shrugged. "Worth it, if it made you feel better."

"And you?"

"Well. You know. Looked at the rain. Looked at you..." She chuckled a bit. "You know me, I'm easily amused..."

"Let me guess. You sat by me all that time..."

Marceline just shrugged, and smiled a little. Bubblegum finally decided to crawl from the pile of clothes her lover covered her in and walked right next to her. As she cuddled around and placed her pink head on her companion's chest, as she heard the rhythmic heartbeats deep inside her pale, precious chest, that finally calmed her down. Many thoughts drifted in her head, but that was to be expected. She was always like that. Suddenly, one particular notion appeared, throwing others aside, as she smirked to herself and raised her head.

"Marceline?"

"Yes?"

"Let's dance."

"Wait, wha..." She blinked a couple of times. "Again?"

The princess grabbed the vampire's arm and almost instantly pulled her outside. The rain was still pouring hard from the night's sky, as it began to tap over her slim frames. Their hair and clothes soaked in a matter of seconds. Bubblegum grabbed her lover's hands and placed them on her hips. She then smiled shyly towards her.

"The last one wasn't proper."

"Because I were... um..." She gulped. "Partially unavailable?"

"No." She placed her finger over her lover's lips. "Because there were people around, dummy."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Yes."

She let her go and was the first to undress. Her pink clothes quickly landed everywhere around. The princess hardly cared about that however, as water slid by her pink, naked frame, reaching inside each and every wondrous curve. The vampire blushed once more, as the princess reached out her hand. Eventually, she embraced her cold, wet body.

"There's nothing that I want more, than to just see you everyday, you know?" Bubblegum whispered to her ear, slowly taking off her lover's shirt and tossing it away in the nearby pond. "To just be able to reach my hand for you like that, knowing that you're there."

"You are such a weirdo sometimes Bonnie." Marceline giggled a bit and took care of the rest of her clothes. "You know that?"

"Many said that before."

"You're my weirdo though."

"Even when I do things that are hardly sane at times?"

"Hah." She chuckled. "I'm far from being sane Bonnie. "

Bubblegum put her hands on the vampire's shoulders and thought briefly. The more she did that, the deeper her fingernails went. Almost as if she was struggling with something.

"Right now it's like..." She reached down and smudged her bony, pale hips. "I feel like something broke inside and I'm unable to fix it... Like gluing together pieces of glass, that shatter every time that I menage to... put something together. And now I want it to be together. But I'm clumsy. And I tend to break things without noticing how much I break." The princess sniffed. "The point is... I broke so much before. And I thought I won't be able to fix it. Thought that all is lost. And now... now I don't know if I could be happier. But I don't want to break it again. And I know I'm clumsy... And I'm sorry about... about Guy, alright..."

"Stop... just stop." Marceline began to caress her cheek. "I don't care. I just care about you, about you being close to me, alright? I told you. I don't care about the past. Not those parts at least. Were I hurt? Yeah. I felt bad? Yeah..." The rain covered many things as she spoke. "I got better. As soon as I saw you, I got better. So don't tell me those things. Don't complicate things that are simple, alright? I love you." Glittering drips ran down her cheeks. "I never loved anyone like you, alright? Can it be that simple at least once? Just once..."

"I... I think it can."

Bonnibel whispered once more, hugging her tightly. Despite the cold, all she could feel was the warmth coming from her lover's embrace. And as the rain slide down their naked frames, as their soaked bodies shimmered in the moonlight, they began to slowly move through the cold, soaked grass. And as they circled around the puddles, at times clumsily walking straight into them, they eventually caught each others hands and began to spin around, as they laughed playfully towards themselves. They simply swirled around, without care, without hesitation, with their faces smiling constantly. And as they did just that, Marceline eventually tripped, landing straight on her face in a pile of mud. Bubblegum couldn't stop herself from laughing, but quickly jumped right after her. And as they began to happily wrestle in it, hardly caring about the stains on their smooth skin, they were happy.