Amaranth

Author's Note: Because of the strong support I had from Lazarus, I am delighted to bring you guys this sequel. This is Jaspearl stronger now than ever. But be prepared for more struggles along the way. I hope you guys love this fic just as much.

Amaranth Means "Unfading". This title was inspired by a snippet from John Milton's Paradise Lost. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about the title, but you guys can pitch your thoughts about it if you'd like.

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth."

- William W. Purkey

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

By: VampireQueenAkasha

~O~

Chapter One: The Next Day

"She's lost."

"She said there'd be problems, right?"

A bestial snarl.

Frantic pacing.

Dirty claws digging into the ground.

A tug at a collar wrapped tightly around an orange throat.

Clenching sharp teeth.

Killed her...

...You became her...

You killed her...

Claws clutched at orange, striped flesh.

Jasper...

A pair of black eyes looked up at the sight of someone entering the barn and the voices stopped suddenly. A snarl responded to the arrival of the figure.

It was Steven.

"Jasper." he said, quietly. He hesitantly took a step toward her. "I don't know if you remember anything at all from before..." He sighed sorrowfully and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "It's my fault. You saved us and this happened to you."

Jasper grunted, a sound like Lion would make. She leaned forward, hissing a bit. He offered her a pomegranate and rolled it toward her. At first, she seemed to take a bit of an uncertainty toward it, then pawed at it a few times with her hands.

Steven remembered Moonstone's prophecy. Was this the life she had meant would be lost? Was Jasper going to be like this forever?

Pearl was pacing in the kitchen that night.

"I don't understand it..." she said, frantic. "Jasper attacked me! She didn't know who I was!"

Garnet sat across from her. She sighed and considered the warning from the Peridot. "Pearl, we should have expected some downsides to her return." she explained. "After all, you heard what Peridot told us; about the recording. It's only proven successful once. There may be more to this."

Peridot sat with them and made an unhappy sound. "I just wish we didn't have to keep her chained up in the barn. You know, where Lapis and I LIVE?" She withered at the abrupt, cold glare from Pearl. "What? I'm just saying!"

"It's been a few days. She shouldn't still be like this." Pearl continued, pacing again. "I thought we did everything we were supposed to! We fought the enemies of Homeworld when they came knocking at our doors! We did the right thing and look where she is!"

Garnet watched her calmly while she went on her tirade.

"I just..." Pearl looked down, her eyes filling. "Everything I touch... Everything I love just disappears. Maybe..." She hesitated before her tears began to fall. "Maybe it would have been better if she'd stayed in that bubble, then none of this would have happened."

No!" Garnet immediately made her way over to her. "Pearl, don't ever think that! Don't ever feel an ounce of regret for loving Jasper. Even if it ended this way, you should cherish what you had with her. That should never change."

Pearl sniffled, wiping her arm across her face. "It does nothing when I can't even hold her without her snapping her teeth at me!" She shook her head. "She doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember any of it. It's... It's not fair..."

Garnet stared down at her briefly. "I'll return to the barn and see if there's anything I can see from her." she said. "If we can't do anything more, we'll have no choice but to bubble her. We can't leave her this way forever."

Pearl's features crumbled, but she nodded in agreement.

It still hurts.

Jasper was chewing at the chain on her neck. She stopped once, lifted her head like a startled doe before she began pacing on all fours. Pearl watched her from the doors of the barn, heart sinking. She saw her before...this...in the back of her mind. Even when her eyes looked tired, she smiled.

Now? Now there was just this empty shell of what she had once been and it was much worse than anything else.

Garnet entered the barn and Jasper looked up at her, snarling a warning. Garnet raised two hands, attempting to pacify her.

"Jasper. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Garnet assured her.

Jasper showed her teeth, but backed away as the other gem knelt down in front of her. Garnet rested a hand over her head and Jasper tensed, freezing every muscle in her form. Garnet dispelled her glasses and shut her eyes.

"Jasper, if any of you is still in there, listen to me," she began. "You are safe. You are home where you're meant to be. You saved Steven and Connie. You saved this world. There's nothing to fear any more. You can let go."

Pearl looked lost, stepping into the barn. "Garnet?"

"Pearl, you remember that corrution isn't just the physical twisting of our forms," Garnet reminded her. "It's in the mind as well. Jasper could very well free herself from this. But... she cannot."

Pearl looked horrified. "What?" she exclaimed, stepping closer.

"Jasper is struggling within herself," Garnet continued, straightening. Her glasses appeared over her eyes once more. "This is all cause of her internal battle. Not the corruption."

Jasper's pitch black eyes focused on Pearl now and she hissed in rebuke, scooting from her. Every sudden movement startled her.

"I'll leave the two of you alone." Garnet told her, departing. "But I will be outside if necessary."

Necessary meaning that she would come back in if something went wrong.

Pearl watched her go before she looked at Jasper. She fell to her knees and began to cry softly. Jasper chuffed out a breath and her eyes locked with Pearl's; just an animal manner about it. Nothing like the being she had once known.

"Stars..." Pearl began to cry harder. She couldn't help it. "This isn't fair. We did everything right! We trained together! We loved together! I don't understand!"

Jasper's eyes wandered around the barn. She grumbled out a noise like Lion often times did.

Pearl moaned sorrowfully, putting her arms around Jasper. Nothing came of it. It was again like holding a beast. Jasper simply uttered a few more rough sounds, panted a little and rumbled.

"I want you back," Pearl pleaded, tears soaking Jasper's thick mane of hair. "Please. I don't know what's going on, but we can work on it together. I promise. It'll be like before. We can work it out together, Jasper. Just please...come back to me. Please!"

No response. The only sounds in the barn were of Pearl's weeping.

O

"I want you back..."

Pearl leaned against the tree, sobbing softly through her fingers. It had been after she'd seen Steven; after Rose had vanished from her. She had lost the one gem in the universe who had given her purpose. A reason to fight for her freedom and existence.

She was gone.

Pearl somehow found herself lost in her memories once again that morning. Even when the others were discussing what had happened months ago. They would clean up the ship, seek out any other necessary information as needed should the remaining Diamonds attempt an attack on Earth.

"What about using the device to cure the other gems?" Steven asked.

"One thing at a time, Steven." Garnet reminded him. "Remember, Jasper isn't entirely with us yet. We need to understand what's keeping her this way."

"You said it was all her." Peridot said, frowning.

"Yes, I did. But the matter of what it is exactly baffles me," Garnet furrowed her brow. "She's deliberately hiding herself. Perhaps it's her fear of weakness that is keeping her from finding her path out of the darkness. She may feel she had failed in some way."

"Maybe it's because of Yellow Diamond." Lapis offered.

The others looked at her strangely.

"If you think about it, Jasper spent a long time fighting Rose Quartz, right?" Lapis continued, "And I was fused to Jasper for a long time. She wanted to spend her entire life being everything that Rose was not. Maybe in a way...she feels like she became her."

More odd stares from them.

Lapis shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, I'm just guessing anyway."

"But she saved us!" Steven didn't understand it.

"Maybe she sees it another way." Garnet sighed. "And maybe she sees it just as Lapis described. Either way, Jasper is trapped in herself and only she can set herself free."

Jasper was sitting in the grass, her eyes closed.

"Jasper, aren't you tired?"

A yellow bird-like creature circled around her. It only had one eye; wide and unseeing before it focused on her. Its features glittered like gemstones and its talons were sharp.

"No. I'm not tired. I can't sleep. Not even for a second." Jasper said, hesitantly.

The bird chuckled, hissing gently in her ear. "Go to sleep. Give in. It only gives up if you do."

"Jasper!" A pink lion spoke now, crouched on the other side of her. "Do not listen to the vulture! It will lie to you!"

A blue owl with three eyes observed them from afar. A rumble.

"Listen to us, Jasper. We are where you belong." it spoke.

Jasper looked down, eyes widening as the pale-white form of a snake's body slithered into her view. Its head was adorned with a crown and several floating orbs hovered above it, like stars. Its eyes were white and glowed.

Circling. And circling.

It hovered over Jasper's head, showing rows of diamond-like fangs. Jasper shut her eyes when she felt the breath of that creature near her ear.

"I am your only way, Jasper." it spoke, forked tongue flicking out once. "I am the only way."

"Do not listen to them, Jasper." the lion rumbled. "They will lie to you. Always. Believe yourself. Trust your heart."

"You will die, Jasper." the snake promised, calm voice dripping with menace. "Just like your Diamond."

Its mouth opened with a violent hiss.

Jasper raised her hands and cried out. "NO!"

O

Jasper awoke in a foggy wood.

"Huh?" Jasper looked around, but no longer saw the large beasts looming over her. She saw nothing but trees as far as the fog would allow.

She didn't know why there was fog around her. She could hear voices from the darkness, but couldn't see who spoke to her. Just a collection of voices with no name.

"...Jasper..."

Jasper looked up, noticing an odd little figure that skittered across the ground. Upon closer approach, she noticed that it had a single orange gemstone on its head, a tiny body and orange stripes across its form.

"Hello. It's good to speak to you again. Now that we're alone and away from those horrible thoughts... How have you been?" it said, "It's been a while since we last talked. Do you remember? When SHE faded away?"

Jasper furrowed her brow. "I don't..." she began. She scowled and looked around. "What is this place? Where am I?"

"Take a look around, Jasper." the creature said. "Where do you think this place is?"

Jasper scoffed, not quite sure what it was she was supposed to look for. She only saw fog and dead trees. If anything, it reminded her of the Island where they had sought out the Heartstone. It was definitely familiar.

"Do you know who I am, Jasper?" the creature continued. "No, I don't expect you to remember. Many gems lose themselves with age... Time..."

The creature's spider-like limbs clenched closer to its body. "We're here. This is home. Dare I say, you let the place go."

A soft, amused chuckle followed.

Jasper's eyes narrowed as she studied the world around her. She began to notice statues warped from age and weathering. One looked like a statue of herself, holding her head and weeping. Jasper was completely unsettled by the state of it.

The creature gave a sigh. "You don't remember us. It's been too long since you've connected with your Innocence. But this last act darkened the way. It was quite an emotional journey for you.. Filled it with fog and shadow. Once you find who you once were, you can be free from yourself."

Jasper looked around once more.

She sighed, disappointed. But maybe she could come to understanding more if she looked around. So she started forward through the fog.

She approached a statue where another small creature was sitting. It too had a gem, but it resembled a rodent. It had orange markings, the same as the spider.

"She made me laugh. I laughed for the first time in years." the voice from the creature was shaken, perhaps uncertain, "I forgot how good it was to laugh again." A relaxed sigh. "It was good..."

Jasper frowned, watching as it faded away.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she called, attempting to catch it despite how useless it was.

A scowl lit Jasper's lips. This was ridiculous.

"I want you back..."

The voice had come from Pearl this time.

O

The Pumpkin wandered into the barn, barking happily.

He noticed Jasper lying on the floor, still clawing at the collar on her neck. Curious, it trotted over to her with a happy sound and nibbled at little strands of her hair. Jasper gurgled, noticing the creature and swiping at him with a startled snarl.

The Pumpkin gave a yelp, backing from her as far as he could. He quickly scampered from the barn, barking with fright. Jasper laid her head down on the floor, breathing heavily.

Jasper continued to wander through the fog before she noticed something pass her eyes. A butterfly. A creature she had seen many times on Earth.

"I know I was happy. I loved and she loved. I could be happy again. I deserved to be..." the whisper came from the insect.

Jasper furrowed her brow, watching the insect pass her before it vanished. So strange that these creatures seemed...familiar in a way. The voices that came from them felt similar. Had she known them?

"I destroyed her. A Diamond. A God, by rights..."

Jasper noticed another orange creature with a gem and a single yellow eye staring into the distance. It had a shell on its body and small, weak limbs that hung uselessly by its side. The eye blinked once. Twice before speaking again.

"I can forgive myself. I can live again...despite the idea..." A sigh then from the creature. "...I became her. I failed. No, I didn't. I protected her."

Jasper shook her head, clutching it with two hands. She dropped to her knees.

"No..."

Behind her, a figure approached, knelt down and offered a comforting petting on her back. Jasper looked over her shoulders, her eyes widening in shock. She quickly backed away, stunned to see that she was looking at...

Herself.

Only, her body here in this duplicate had her corrupted head with one normal, yellow eye looking back at her. Gnashing teeth. Drooling mouth. To really look at the thing she had once been was unsettling, even for the warrior gem.

"It's okay." the replica of her spoke in her voice, despite the gruesome corruption. "You don't have to be afraid anymore, Jasper. You can let go and live now. Yellow Diamond can no longer hurt you. I can rest. WE can rest."

Jasper grimaced, eyes brimming.

"You have someone waiting for you. Someone who can bring the light back into your world." the replica said. "All you have to do is let go."

Pearl made her way into the barn that following morning.

She took a deep breath, pushed the doors open. Then, her eyes widened and she gave a frightened cry. Jasper was gone and the collar had been snapped off. She quickly sprinted back toward the temple, calling desperately for Garnet.

O

"She couldn't have gotten too far." Garnet assured Pearl.

Pearl shook her head desperately. "I should have stayed at the barn with her. I should have tried harder!" she cried, tears threatening to fall once more.

"Pearl, it's okay!" Steven assured her. "Don't blame yourself! We'll find her."

Steven, Pearl and Garnet rushed down the streets of Beach City, discovering trails of claw marks along the way. A bit of destruction was expected; they even found claw marks that had been pierced through the sides of cars. The trail led them toward the woods outside of the city.

"Where is she?" Pearl demanded, pacing. "Where did she go?"

"Pearl, calm down." Garnet told her. "If we lose our heads now, we won't find her."

Pearl gave a near manic laugh, shrugging her shoulders. "Who's losing their heads?" she cried, "Not me! Not this gem! Not at all! Just because the gem I love is a mindless husk and probably running rampant through these woods..."

Steven looked beyond them, spotting movement in the trees. He frowned and started forward, with the other two following quickly. Steven readied his shield and pushed his way through bushes until he found Jasper sitting in a clearing. She had her back to them.

"Steven!" Pearl shouted. "Steven, where..."

She stopped and nearly crumbled at the sight of Jasper just...sitting there. When the larger gem turned, Pearl's anguished was replaced with tearful relief.

Jasper's features had somehow returned to normal. She looked exhausted, but otherwise the same as Pearl had remembered. A weary smile lit Jasper's lips and Pearl gave a small sob.

She dropped her spear, rushed toward Jasper, who extended her arms for her. The pair embraced and Steven and Garnet watched in silence as they shared kisses as if they were going to fly apart from one another again. The tearful smiles on each other's faces, the breathless exchanges of kisses. It was both heartwarming and relieving.

"I'm sorry..." Pearl mumbled, after every kiss, "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Jasper didn't understand.

Pearl wasn't even sure herself, but it didn't matter right now. Not when she had her beloved Quartz here in her arms again.

O

Note - This chapter was inspired by the song "Forever Yours" by Nightwish.