Two more minutes. Pearl estimated that she had about two more minutes before Steven and Connie arrived. Pearl moved as fast as she could, preparing the arena for their training session. She carefully placed some large rocks around the edges of the arena. Steven had already fallen over the edge once during a heated training exercise.

"Perfect," Pearl said to herself as she nudged the last rock/boulder into place. Even if Steven slammed into one of these at full power, they wouldn't budge. Well… Hopefully, anyway.

Just as she was taking a step back to admire her handy work, Pearl heard the tell-tale sound of the warp pad activating. She turned on her heel towards the stands and awaited her two students. As they emerged from the archway atop the stairs, Pearl saw that Steven was dressed as he always was, star shirt, jeans, and his flip flops

(He really shouldn't practice in those. He could trip over them.)

Connie was dressed more appropriately, wearing her purple training outfit and having her long hair tightly braided.

"Hey, Pearl!" Steven greeted as the two young kids bounded down the stairs and into the arena proper.

Once they had reached her, Connie took a moment to glance around at their practice space's new borders. "Safety precautions?" Connie asked lightly.

"Something thing like that," Pearl responded, stealing a glance at the blushing Steven. "Garnet can't wait underneath the arena all the time."

"Hehe, yeah. Probably not," Steven said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's a good thing you can fly now then, eh Steven?" Connie cheekily smirked at her friend.

"Well, technically all I can do is jump really high and float down slowly..." he replied, just a hint of redness swelling into his cheeks. "So… Is everything ready, Pearl?"

Pearl nodded. "It is. Are both of you?"

The two nodded determinedly.

"Excellent," Pearl replied, clasping her hands together. "But before we start, I think some warm ups is needed."

"Aww…" they both groaned in sync with each other.

"Now, now," Pearl said, raising a finger to stop their argument before they could start. "Gems may never need to warm up, but you two do. Besides, you can practice the basics of your, er…" she tapped her lip, trying to remember the name.

"Jam Buds Technique!" they both filled in together.

"Right, right. Jam Buds Technique." Pearl nodded. "It's best to practice the basics for it before we move into the more… advanced areas," she said, throwing a small smirk to them. Steven and Connie giggled in unison. "Ready yourselves," Pearl said, suddenly stiff and authoritative. Steven and Connie reacted in an appropriate manner, with Connie quickly jogged over to a weapon rack that stood off to the side. With only brief consideration, she grabbed one of the swords that hung on the rack and made her way back to Steven's side.

(Connie paused when she noticed Rose's sword was leaning against the wall, next to the rack. She must be saving that for the advanced lesson.)

By the time she had moved back into place, Steven had summoned his shield. They both gazed at Pearl intently.

"Ready?" she asked simply.

"Aye!" they responded together.

"Very well," Pearl said. She closed her eyes, focusing her gem's energy and then projecting it outwards in front of her. She reopened them and saw the familiar light blue hue of a holographic fighting simulant, or a Holo-Pearl, as Steven and Connie had taken to calling them.

"Do you wish to engage in combat?" it asked, its voice flat and mechanical.

"Warm up. Session SC 21," Pearl answered.

"Very well," the Holo-Pearl said as she summoned a sword to its hand. It then turned towards Steven and Connie, both of whom dropped into their respective fighting positions. "You have made a grave mistake in challenging me," it said as its eyes shifted colors from a clear white to a threatening red.

For a moment no one moved. Not the fighting simulant, not Connie, not Steven. But Pearl did, however. Her mouth twitched with a smirk.

(A surprise for them. Hopefully, they're ready.)

Pearl shook her head.

(They're ready.)

"Execute sub-session, JMBD," Pearl said simply.

The Holo-Pearls eyes flickered back to their neutral white color. "Understood," it stiffly replied. "Changing status." It blinked and its eyes were once again the hostile red coloring. "You will regret challenging me."

Steven and Connie made no indication to their feelings about this change. Either they had been expecting it, or they were ready for it regardless. This should certainly be an interesting fight.

"Begin," Pearl called out curtly.

At once, the hologram charged the two, its sword positioned for a critical strike.

(An easy parry. Connie could do that in her sleep.)

However, that is not the tactic they took. Instead, Connie stepped to the side, allowing Steven to take the brunt of the attack with his shield, which he did easily.

Pearl had already noticed this about Steven. His Gem powers were starting to manifest themselves in more subtle ways. Though, she had wished that his increased strength would hold off until he had more training. Amethyst's enough of a loose cannon as it was. Adding Steven to the mix could complicate things.

(I'll need to gauge his strength more accurately soon. Before…)

Her eyes darted over to the boulder wall she had constructed.

(Before boulders aren't enough to stop him when he gets going.)

Luckily for them all, however, there was still time for that. Despite its increase, Steven's raw strength still lagged behind Garnet, Amethyst, and herself. He still had a lot more growing to do before he started to reach that level.

(Though, I'll be the one he surpasses first…)

Pearl banished the thought from her mind with a quick shake of her head. There were more pressing matters at hand right now.

While Steven was still holding against the Holo-Pearl, Connie quickly circled around it and slashed at the back of its calves. An interesting choice. Such an attack was unlikely to defeat it. The simulant did not let its new attacker escape its attention, however. It ceased pushing against Steven and began to turn towards Connie, but once its eyes were off him, Steven reeled back and then mightily bashed against the simulant using his shield. The hologram was unprepared for such raw strength, as the attack caused it to fall onto its hands and knees.

(The simulant definitely needs its strength output adjusted in order to better match Steven's growing power. This barely qualifies as warm up.)

Not that Connie was a slouch in any of this. The fact that she was able to, with but a single strike to a non-vital area, turn the hologram's attention from its current target onto her said more than enough about her and the strides she had made with her fighting prowess. As Connie moved in for the final strike against the hologram, Pearl couldn't help but smile with unabashed pride. Connie had been her first student since the war, and she had not only passed expectations but she had left them shattered in her wake. Pearl hadn't expected to see such skill and power from a human, but it seems Connie made it a habit of pushing past any barriers.

"Session complete. Do you wish to battle again?" the Holo-Pearl asked as it laid on the ground, Connie's sword sticking nonchalantly out of its lower torso.

"No. Dismissed," Pearl said, stepping towards the pair. The hologram's image fluttered before disappearing completely, Connie's sword landing with a 'clang' as it hit the stone ground.

"How'd we do, Pearl?" Connie asked as she retrieved her weapon.

"Well enough," the Gem replied. "While your combat strategy was effective, I wonder if it would have been as much against a more battle-hardened opponent." The two visibly flinched against Pearl critique. However, with her point made, Pearl expression softened. "Still, I spent most of last night preparing that new sub-session. I designed it specifically to work against your combined fighting style and the fact that you two were able to derail it before it even truly began…" Pearl trailed off, a small smile growing across her face. "Well, regardless of its viability on an actual battlefield, you should still be proud that you were able to take the simulant down as effectively as you did."

The pair both blushed with the praise.

(They're in perfect sync. It's remarkable.)

"So… are we ready to move on to the advanced part?" Steven asked hopefully.

Pearl nodded. "I believe so." She took several steps back, taking up the position she'd held during warm up. As Ruby and Sapphire had proven, giving some space before a dance was always a good idea.

The two glanced at each other before Steven reached into his pocket and withdrew his mobile phone.

(I've told him not to practice with that in his pocket. If he breaks another one, that'll be the third one this season.)

Steven began tapping the phone's screen; Connie looking over his shoulder. They both seemed excited for what was coming next. Steven finished his tapping and, after a momentary delay, soft music began to play from the phone. It had a "beat" Pearl believed Steven had called it, but it was steady and rhythmic. The perfect fusion music. Steven placed his phone on the ground, to their side, and held out his hand to Connie. She blushed, even though this must have been the umpteenth time she had taken his hand.

(It comes so easy to them. Only Ruby and Sapphire are more in tune with each other.)

The dance the two did was simple, even clumsy at times, but… it was unmistakable. If a fusion dance's goal was to bring two people in sync with each other, then Pearl had to wonder if, for Steven and Connie, the dance was even needed. The two of them always acted like they were in perfect harmony with one another. Their entire fighting strategy revolved around it. Even after spending so much time with Garnet, it still amazed Pearl how easily the two of them fused.

(Rose and I could fuse that easily.)

Pearl once again shook the thought from her mind. She had important business to attend. She couldn't get weepy and sentimental right now.

Connie and Steven's dance finished with Connie holding Steven in her arms and dipping him low to the ground. They made no sound, only gazing into one another's eyes. And then… the familiar brightness engulfed both of them, before receding and revealing only a single figure.

"Hello, Stevonnie," Pearl greeted as she moved back over to the freshly formed fusion's side.

"Hi, Pearl," they replied, just a little unsteadily as they rose to their full posture. The fusion must have left them a little disoriented. Not unusual, especially for someone who has, comparatively at least, not fused that often.

As Stevonnie gathered themselves, Pearl quickly noted the hodgepodge of Steven's and Connie's clothing that they were wearing.

(I need to get a training uniform in their size. They certainly can't rush into battle looking like they ran through Steven's laundry line.)

Stevonnie scrunched their face.

"Are you okay, Stevonnie?" Pearl asked.

Stevonnie's expression relaxed. "Yeah, I am. It's… It always feels weird. Steven and Connie have been here so many times, it's familiar to them. I have those familiar feeling memories, but this is the first time I've ever been here."

Pearl nodded her understanding. "I know what you mean. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about it, short of visiting everywhere Steven and Connie have been."

Stevonnie smirked lightly. "I'm working on that."

Pearl responded through her own grin, "That you are." Pearl lightly strode back to her observation position. "Are you ready, Stevonnie?" The fusion bent over and grabbed Steven's phone, turning off the music and sliding it into their pocket. The corners of Pearl's mouth twitched in disapproval, but she otherwise said nothing.

"Just a second," they said as they grabbed the sword Connie had been wielding and hurried it back to its place on the weapon rack. Once the sword had been returned, Stevonnie's eyes dashed over to Rose's large, imposing sword. Without a second thought, they grabbed it and began giving it a few practice swings as they returned to their spot in the middle of the arena.

(Connie had trouble wielding the sword due to its size, but Stevonnie is taking to it like it was forged just for them. Hm..)

"Alright, Pearl," Stevonnie said, summoning their shield to their side. "Don't hold back. I'm eager to try my Jam Buds Technique mark two!"

Pearl paused for a moment, thinking what would be a good test. This both was and wasn't Stevonnie's first taste of combat. One one hand, yes this was the first time Stevonnie themselves were going to be in battle. On the other hand, all the training Steven and Connie had done, both together and apart, would also strengthen Stevonnie.

(Hmm… a representation of that battle… A good test to be sure. And I can step in if things start to look… grim.)

Pearl began focusing the energy of her gem and pressed it outward. However, this time, instead of one Holo-Pearl, there were three. To Pearl's approval, Stevonnie seemed nonplussed over the increase of opponents.

"Battle recreation. Strawberry Fields. Simulation 66," Pearl instructed the holograms. "Fighter in battle: Rose Quartz."

The last part of Pearl's instructions caught Stevonnie's attention. They shot a silent look over to her, but Pearl only nodded at them steadily.

(You can handle this, Stevonnie. I know you can.)

Stevonnie seemed to take Pearl's meaning, as their expression relaxed and they began the pre-battle preparations Pearl had taught them.

(Ready your stance. Focus your breathing. Know who your enemy is and know why you have been brought into this battle.)

"Begin."

Two of the Holo-Pearls rushed towards Stevonnie, their swords drawn at such angles as to easily telegraph what their opening strike were going to be. Stevonnie took one of the hits on their shield and was able to block the other with their sword. However, with both of their arms being pushed against by the training holograms, the third Holo-Pearl ran to them, its sword positioned to stab Stevonnie through the chest. For just a moment, Pearl was going to intervene, but then she noticed the look on Stevonnie's face. They looked completely at ease.

Just as the third Holo-Pearl was almost on top of them, Stevonnie dropped to their knees, the sudden shift causing the holograms that were to their sides to temporarily lose their balance and caused the third to miss with its stab. Still on their knees, Stevonnie then surrounded themselves in a protective pink bubble. Once the three Holo-Pearls had regained themselves, they readied themselves to strike in unison. Such a combined strike could potentially break the bubble. But Stevonnie was planning something. Before the Holo-Pearls could attack, Stevonnie quickly expanded the size of the bubble, pushing it further and further out until they couldn't hold it anymore and it popped. Stevonnie's gambit was a success: the three simulants were driven back and separated. Vulnerable.

(Incredible. Just like what she would have done…)

Without missing a beat, Stevonnie rushed over to one of their combatants and began to fiercely duel them. It was a blinding flash of strikes, slashes, blocks, dodges, and parries, but finally, she was able to strike the simulant through the chest, causing it to disappear.

(Amazing!)

The two other holograms were bearing down on her, but she confidently turned and readied her stance. She dashed towards them, taking one of their blows to her shield and then pushing against the attacking hologram, causing it stumble back.

The light from the sun was beaming down on the arena now. As she parried another strike, Pearl couldn't help but admire the way the light played off her pink curls…

(So lovely and beautiful.)

With a simple kick, she knocked one of the holograms over and then precisely stuck her sword through its abdomen, causing it to disappear, just like the last.

(She's so wonderful.)

With graceful movements, despite her long dress, she turned her attention to her last opponent. The simulant paused as if considering what it could possibly do to defeat the magnificent warrior before it. Before the simulant could make its move, however, she charged it, bashing it with her shield. The holographic training partner was sprawled on the ground, trying to get up, but she'd placed a firm foot on it so all it could do was struggle vainly against her.

"Duel won. Would you like to battle again?" the hologram flatly asked. As a response, all she did was stab the Holo-Pearl through the chest, causing its projection to flicker, and then disperse.

(The was unbelievable! I couldn't begin to imagine that she was this powerful!)

As the triumphant warrior swaggered over, Pearl cheered in her wake.

"That was amazing! You're so incredible Rose!"

"Rose? What are you talking about, Pearl?"

And just like that, Pearl was back on the sky arena. They weren't with Rose Quartz. Instead, they were with Stevonnie. The fusion had a bewildered and somewhat worried look on their face as they approached her.

"Are you alright, Pearl?" they asked, their concern clearly audible with their words.

"Er, uh… yes, I'm…" Pearl blushed as she turned away. "I'm sorry, Stevonnie. I… I just lost myself for a minute. To a time long since past," she said softly.

"Pearl." Stevonnie was right next to her now. "Do you want to talk?"

Pearl sighed sadly. "There's not really anything to talk about." She raised her gaze to the sky. There was hardly a cloud floating along. "I just…" Pearl found she couldn't finish. Even after Empire City, that wound still felt so raw. "I suppose it was naive to think a single talk with Greg would fix everything..."

"I don't know if this is something to fix..." Stevonnie said slowly. "Is it so wrong to still mourn Rose?"

Pearl laughed bitterly as she wiped the corners of her eyes. "I'm not just mourning her... After she-... gave birth to Steven, Greg brought over to the temple this sheet of paper." She turned towards Stevonnie, their expression was one of concern and worry. "On it was a concept humans had thought up called the stages of grief, or some such." She looked away, turning her gaze to the ground. "While Garnet and Amethyst seemed to move through each stage in their own way..." she trailed off, the first tear overflowing her eye and starting it's run down her cheek. "But, even after all this time... it still feels like I'm in denial over her death... That I still cling to the idea that maybe I can see her again someday..."

"Well... maybe you can. I mean, once Steven's no longer around-"

Pearl snapped back over to Stevonnie. "I don't want you thinking like that, Stevonnie," she said firmly. "None of this is Steven's fault. It's..."

(It's my fault...)

However, Stevonnie still seemed unconvinced. "I... I'm sorry, Pearl. If there was anything I could do to bring Rose back..."

Pearl turned towards the fusion, a sad smile placed on her lips. "Oh, Stevonnie…" she said. "Years ago, just before Steven was born, Rose asked me, 'Pearl, what kind of fusion do you think Steven will be apart of'? And I responded that I was doubtful Steven would even be able to fuse in the first place, since he wasn't completely a Gem." Pearl gently placed a hand on Stevonnie's cheek. "But you proved me wrong. Not only can he fuse, but he can fuse with humans, something even Rose thought was impossible." She moved her hand from their cheek and gently wiped away a tears that were beginning to fall. "I wish Rose could have met you… She would have… loved you. I know she would have."

Pearl's eyes turned away for a moment and she suddenly found herself wrapped in a tight hug from the side.

"I never got to meet Rose..." they said, their voice quaking with emotions as they spoke. "But I'm… I'm glad you're here, Pearl. There's no better teacher. Or friend."

The hug felt comfortably familiar. A hug that was firm and reassuring. It said, "Don't worry. You're not alone in this." The same kind of embrace she used to give her.

More tears came now, as Pearl bowed her head and tried to squeeze Stevonnie back as much as she could muster. She felt Stevonnie's figure begin to alter as the grip they held around her shoulders became the grip the two of them held around her waist.

"I'm glad you're here too, Steven. Connie."

(I love both of you. Just like I know she would.)

A/N: Why no, I'm feeling perfectly fine! It's not like Steven Universe has taken my heart and stamped on it and- WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?! DON'T I LOVE YOU ENOUGH!?

*Ahem*

Uh, just ignore that. So, yeah. Like most of the fandom I imagine, I was pretty much emotionally wrecked by Mr. Greg. I've had an idea for this fic for a while, but I was going to tell it from Stevonnie's POV as opposed to Pearls. But then Mr. Greg happened and I stayed up much to late writing this and used all of the following free time I had the next day to edit it.