A/N: Welcome back! Normally, I'd have a great deal of words on my mind to put down in this text box, but I don't want to keep you. Let's continue, shall we?

(I don't own Steven Universe)


II: Provenance, Part II

The sound of the corruption charging was momentarily interrupted by a distinct droning noise. Thankfully, the new fusion formed quickly enough to move out of the way, dashing to the side of the corruption's path alongside Pearl. Their target collided right into the broken trees that laid past the Gems, creating another cacophony of destroyed wood and foliage.

"Missed, sucker!" Smoky Quartz taunted in their trademark childish voice. Pearl might've mentioned the ineffectiveness of talking to their target if she wasn't busy moving away from it further, wary of how far its arms could reach. Only a second after brandishing their yo-yo passed before Smoky threw the weapon into the corruption with a loud *crack*.

Unfortunately, the corruption appeared unperturbed, shaking off the impact and leaping back into a forward charge towards Smoky. There was something to be said for consistency, at least. Still, the closer distance between them meant getting out of the way was a lot more difficult this time around. They leaped to the side, trying to bend outwards as much as they could. For an eerily drawn out fraction of a second, they could see an outstretched claw from the corruption nearly come into contact with the Gem at their naval. Within the same second, their eyes grew wide.

Pearl had called out an unspecific warning the moment she'd seen the corruption's second charge, though that thankfully appeared irrelevant. Smoky had moved accordingly, jumping a fair distance back towards the clearing made earlier. However, it didn't look like they'd landed all that well. Pearl could see the fusion stumble a little, nearly falling into the tall grass of the jungle. About a second after that, she could see the blatant shock on their features, clear as the current sky. The corruption beside them growled, obviously losing what little patience it had.

"That was... close," Smoky muttered. They were surprised by the severity of their own voice a little after it fell out of their mouth, though hearing another ear-splitting roar jump-started their instincts.

Without a second thought, Smoky hurled their weapon into the denser foliage above. The yo-yo hadn't even come to a full stop around some branch before they yanked as hard as they could, pulling their self into the green above with an agility few would usually attribute to someone of their size. The corruption seemingly matched Pearl's confusion, stuttering to a halt and stopping against another tree with a *thwack*.

A couple of silent seconds passed. Though not physically strained too much, Smoky panted as they sat up in the trees, both left hands helping them balance. Their right was loosely clasped around center of their abdomen, where one of their Gems lay. They stared at the corruption below, seeing its open maw pant similarly to them. Then the corruption turned towards Pearl.

"Crud," Smoky let out on instinct. There was a brief hesitation before they shakily let go of their bare stomach, reaching a preparatory hand outwards. The yo-yo was reeled back into their palm after another moment.

Out of instinct, Pearl readied her spear, but she couldn't quiet the fear that settled on her features. This corruption was far out of her league. It didn't seem to care too much, now shifting its aggressive stance towards her as opposed to the more fairly matched fusion. She took a few steps back, already analyzing how long it'd take her to regenerate this time around. The corruption didn't grant much of a time to breathe (metaphorically, in her case), already moving into a sprint towards the Gem and shaking the jungle with its burly legs. Before it could get out of range, Smoky threw down their yo-yo towards the corruption, not really sure where they were aiming. They didn't exactly throw so much as drop, either.

Gravity had helped enough for the yo-yo to have some impact when it collided with the corruption, stumbling it and bringing its movements to a clumsy halt. Pearl wasted no time in moving back towards the trees that Steven's bubble had broken earlier, finding that their breaks had created convenient ramps upwards. High ground did seem to be the corruption's weak point, according to how it made no attempt to go after Smoky earlier. Pearl pondered how useful the corruption's wings were before a look back towards Smoky stopped her thoughts. They barely held onto the yo-yo's string, having an open palm outwards that suggested either a lack of focus or a lack of trying. Even the sweat adorning their forehead was visible from where she stood.

Instinctively curious, Pearl felt a frown bring her eyebrows together, the Gem trying to understand her companion's actions. Then she tried to understand why Smoky's right arm was grasping one of their left arms, as if trying to push it to the side out of indecision. The tight grasp around their left arm almost seemed like they were trying to stop themselves from using their weapon. The sudden look of startled dread on their features only added to the illusion.

Suddenly, the corruption back on the ground roared, obviously displeased that both of its opponents had taken to hiding in plain sight. The noise did seem to take Smoky out of their panicked reprieve, though. Now shoved back to reality, the fusion looked downwards towards the corruption, seeing its wings unfurl with audible cracks. It was akin to watching someone stretch their neck. With another displeased roar, the corruption threw itself into the air like a bag of angry bricks, stretching a monstrous open claw towards Smoky. Something about the approaching danger jump-started their brain, and they awkwardly released their self from the branch they stood on. Pearl could see that they didn't seem to plan for doing that, either.

Still, gravity had helped once again, allowing Smoky to clear the corruption's ascent in just a second or two. Their eyes lay fixated on the outstretched claw, seeing it cut through the branch they had used like it was wet tissue paper. In the next second, the fusion's sizable body collided with the ground, not quite landing right. They were only granted a few seconds of confusion before a growing shadow above them caught their attention. Gravity had unfortunately felt a little too generous, bringing the corruption back down towards them at an alarming rate. They wasted no time in dodging to the side, haphazardly rolling and/or leaping. Their opponent crashed into the area where they stood just a fraction of a second ago, sending more foliage flying outwards from the impact.

Smoky stumbled away, having a tight grasp over their stomach. The usual lack of taunting or general talking warranted enough worry from Pearl on its own. The Gem used the brief stun induced by the corruption's aggression to meet Smoky's evasiveness half-way, jogging back to the fusion with a look of concern. Smoky's own startled features did little to calm her own.

"Are you injured?" Pearl asked immediately, assuming the worst. Considering how adamant Smoky was to cover one of their Gems, she didn't think her assumption was that far off. Smoky eventually turned towards her after a delay, shaking their head in silence. The denial would've been far more comforting if Smoky had said anything alongside it; they weren't exactly the quietest of people, especially given their components. Still worried, Pearl frowned, her grasp on her spear loosening a fraction. "Then what-"

Before she could ask what the blatant worry on their features was for, Pearl felt a large hand on her shoulder stop her words.

"Move!" was all she could hear before being drastically shoved away. A second after her unceremonious tumble, she could hear massive feet pounding into the ground at a steadily louder rate. Pearl looked at Smoky just long enough to see them catch the corruption's maw wide open, forcing them backwards from the impact. Their shoes struggled against the grass underfoot, trying to find a solid hold and coming up with nothing. The corruption continued moving forward, pushing Smoky seemingly out of frustration. Rather than comment on the corruption's poor dental hygiene, Smoky stayed in a quiet panic, contesting the sharp set of teeth. Pearl's voice eventually reached their ears a little too late.

Before they could even register the warning, Smoky could feel the sliding grass underfoot be replaced by seemingly nothing. In the same second, they realized that the ground had been replaced by nothing. Gravity took hold, swiftly pulling them (and the beast currently trying to have a meal out of them) into an arched descent. The grassy side of the floating jungle came into view a ways past the corruption. That view promptly became smaller and smaller as Smoky continued falling, only being given an angry monster to hold onto.

Just as an open claw reached towards them, Smoky shoved their self away from the massive teeth, attempting to clear as much distance as possible. They were awarded just enough room to keep the asymmetry of their arms. The yo-yo trailing behind the corruption was yanked back into an open palm, and swiftly given a prayer before being thrown back upwards towards the floating jungle above. It landed into the dense dirt with a loud *THUD*, digging securely into an open collection of tree roots. Thankfully for the fusion, the sudden jerk of their weight at the yo-yo cord's length hadn't completely severed their connection, budging the yo-yo only a little out of place. An instinctive sigh of relief left their mouth. Within the same second, the sigh heightened into a startled gasp.

Smoky looked down towards their proportionally short leg, seeing a massive claw clamped around it. If the corruption had eyes, it probably would've been a 50/50 on whether they'd be angry or smug. The rest of the corruption's body fell into an arc around its grasp, making no attempt to use its wings. As expected, the yo-yo far above budged a little more as the corruption's weight fell onto it. Smoky was given about two seconds to curse the corruption out before the strain of its weight forced the yo-yo from the island entirely, pulling the tree it'd used as support with it.

The wind began whipping their hair upwards once again, the only other sensation being the tight grasp around their leg trying to crush it. Combined with the initial panic that had settled after narrowly avoiding the corruption's first attack, Smoky could only stare in silence as the opposing claw came into view, outstretched as if to take something off of their outfit.

Time seemed to slow down in that instant; everything could be seen with a disconcerting clarity. The corruption's grasp, the approaching tree above, even the slack weight of the yo-yo's cord were all felt with some equally inexplicable and inescapable dread. Smoky's mind, already in a scattered mess of worry and fear, came to a split decision in that drawn out second, and reality resumed its normal pace.

Without warning, their skin gave off an incredible luminescence, rivaling the sun's brightness. The corruption seemed confused at how its hostage's leg had shrunk to nothingness; in the next moment, it was confused by the lack of any hostage. Just a second after realizing Smoky's decision, Steven felt the cold air whip at his face. He tumbled downwards, attempting to get his bearings in the brief moment of balance he was given. Underneath him, he could see the corruption fall a relatively long distance away from his much lighter self, but that wasn't what he was concerned with. Steven desperately looked around for his former partner, his eyes still wide despite the cold bite of wind. A turbulent mound of white hair attracted his attention to the side.

"Amethyst!" he called out on instinct, spreading his arms and trying to slow his descent. The Gem hadn't been separated too far from him initially, but her less than graceful fall through the open air made enough of a distance between their speeds that identifying her features wasn't something Steven could accomplish all that easily. With a little more force of will, Steven tried to make himself somewhat lighter. This resulted in Amethyst appearing to speed by him for a brief moment before he could calm his nerves enough to control his floating ability more effectively. Past Amethyst, the corruption seemed to be having some difficulty in using its wings, flailing around like a skydiver who brought the wrong backpack.

After a bit more tumbling and keeping himself balanced (and a few worried glances at the approaching ground far below), Steven more-or-less caught up with Amethyst in terms of height; getting to her horizontally took a bit more time. It didn't help that she made no effort to meet Steven half-way, the Gem still tumbling around without much control. She didn't even make an effort to shift into a bird, worrying Steven a bit more. Now within touching distance, he reached an arm towards Amethyst, trying desperately to grab onto something. Telling her to take his hand didn't have much of an effect on her state of free-fall. Thank goodness, Steven's open hand had finally managed to grasp her wrist on about the third try. Her contact calmed his nerves enough to slow a little further, somewhat on purpose.

Steven harnessed his floating abilities a bit more, being careful to slow his descent at a pace that wouldn't dislocate Amethyst's arm while simultaneously trying to not crush it with his grasp. The wind in his ears died down as they slowed (the same couldn't really be said for his quickened heartbeats), but he couldn't hear Amethyst say anything back for the duration. Her long hair covered her features, hanging down similarly to the slack pose of her body. Now in a gentle fall, Steven huffed, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief. His other hand wrapped around her wrist on instinct.

Below them, Steven could see the corruption get smaller and smaller as it likely tried to pry its wings into a more useful position. He supposed that the wings were more of an abnormality than the extra legs, considering how useful they were to the corruption. Just before he could thank gravity for doing the Gems' job for them, the corruption suddenly stopped flailing and seemingly grew. Those apparently unconventional wings swept outwards, slowing the corruption down considerably. Even more disconcerting was the sudden aptitude it now seemed to hold, balancing itself in a matter of moments. Though the far sight of it was difficult to interpret, Steven could still tell it wasn't getting smaller anymore. Now the corruption was getting closer, and nearly coming to a halt in the air let him see that it was now ascending.

"Uh oh," was all he muttered.

More out of habit than instinct, Steven willed his bubble back into existence, creating the barrier with little more than an offhand thought. Amethyst was within the threshold, thankfully, though she probably wouldn't appreciate being knocked around in the air like a pinball. Still, Steven thought it would've been better than the alternative. As the monstrous wings moved in their fittingly sluggish flaps, a whistling above distracted Steven enough to look upwards. The sight of a distant yellowish tree wasn't entirely expected, but it made sense after a few moments of thought.

An oddly quiet moment passed after this thought occurred to Steven. Sitting still in the middle of the air was almost peaceful, if it wasn't for the approaching beast underneath his friend and him. In a bizarre fascination, Steven watched the tree continue its falling, keeping his eyes on it even after it flew past him like a wooden bullet. Then, seeing the alignment of the tree's path and the corruption's, another thought occurred to Steven. The same thought seemed to occur to the corruption a little too late.

With a far off crash of wood, the tree slammed into the corruption's raised head, splintering around the smooth surface of where its eyes would've been with so much force that Steven was surprised at how unperturbed the corruption looked. Then again, it didn't have much of a face to tell for sure. Through the pinkish tint of his weightless barrier, Steven saw the corruption's wings gradually slow in tandem with its ascent. It didn't roar or let out any sign of harm, which seemed to ironically signify the damage more. The corruption could only reduce the distance between it and Steven's bubble to about twenty or so feet before it stopped moving entirely, its legs freely swaying in the open air. After a brief pause of silence, the corruption began falling back to Earth, still not moving.

Steven continued watching in silence, the bluish form eventually reducing to a dot in his vision. That dot seemed to stop shrinking a moment before dissipating in a noticeable cloud, around the same time Steven had estimated it would've hit the ground. He hummed for a second. Then, he gasped.

"Amethyst!" he exclaimed again, as if he just recalled she was a separate person now. Worried, Steven frowned at her, tilting his head to get a better look at her features. As much as he wanted to move an arm to part her hair, he didn't want to risk that being as far up as they were. The bubble was pretty good for defense, though he had to reason it'd be less effective against gravity. Steven said Amethyst's name again in a more desperate attempt. "Amethyst?"

The Gem still didn't return anything, limply hanging from Steven's grasp in silence. It was more than a little unsettling, especially considering her loquacious nature following a victory. Steven wasn't sure she was aware of that much, however. Though he couldn't make out her features, the very air around her seemed to give a feeling of exhaustion. Even her hair seemed like a tired gray rather than a shining silver. Still frowning, Steven accelerated their descent, not once looking back up at the distant floating island above. Pearl would likely follow not long after they landed. A few more attempts to talk to Amethyst were given without much success.

Carefully watching the tall grass underneath, Steven was cautious to make their landing as gentle as possible. He allowed Amethyst's slack boots to come into contact with the bubble's floor, being attentive to lay her down in what was hopefully a comfortable position as he planted his own feet on the ground. The bubble dissipated after a short moment.

"Amethyst?" Steven tried one final time, now moving a hand to her face. He cleared the long bangs from her eyes, hoping they weren't closed in some unconscious state. They were. He thought the most that she'd suffered was the unceremonious tumbling through the air following Smoky's dissipation, so he couldn't find much reason for her quiet now. Like she was stuck in a nightmare, Amethyst's face contorted in a displeased grimace. Steven frowned in response, still unsure as to why (or even how) she could be caught in a dream. She slept often, sure, but not so soon after fighting a corruption. The lingering adrenaline of falling ensured Steven wasn't going to match her sleep any time soon.

Humming, Steven gently pat her cheek, hoping that might have more of an effect than a few hundred feet of free-fall had. He put a bit more conviction in his voice, saying her name louder. She didn't do much besides lethargically swat at his hand, still caught in some kind of sleep. It wasn't the most unusual reaction to his contact, speaking from his experience, so Steven crouched a little lower in the yellowed grass, tapping his companion's face a little harder. That seemed to do the trick.

With a familiar groan, Amethyst slowly peeled her eyelids open, wincing from the broad sunlight of the day. The frown adorning her features intensified as she lazily draped an arm back over her eyes, muttering something about five more minutes. The noise of Steven clearing his throat grabbed enough of her attention to get her to look at the concerned expression he wore. Her features changed from irked to apprehensive in a matter of seconds.

"Steven...?" she eventually asked, her voice like a scratched record. She could've spent the past week in a desert for all it said alone. Hearing herself, the Gem cleared her throat, though that didn't help her vocal cords all that much. "What... where...?"

Amethyst uncertainly looked around, appearing at a total loss. Steven's worried grimace intensified as a result.

"Are you okay?" was the first thing he concerned himself with. There was more that he wanted to ask, but ensuring the well-being of his friend came first. Amethyst looked unsurprised at his inquiry, like she was used to getting asked that on a regular basis. That thankfully wasn't the case, though she could still understand his worry fairly well. After another hesitant look around, she nodded. If he was being honest, Steven didn't think she was all that convinced herself.

"Yeah, yeah," she breathed out in a sigh, shaking her head. She clutched her forehead tightly. "Think I'm fine. Don't see why I wouldn't be."

Steven couldn't see any visible reason for Amethyst's discomfort either, but it was obvious something was off. The paler complexion of his friend cemented the fact. Steven crouched further, inspecting his friend's face carefully. A brief panic suddenly settled on her features.

"Did we get that thing?" she quickly asked, mirroring Steven's concerned look. "Please tell me I didn't choke or anything."

It took Steven some time to understand her sudden apprehension. After recalling the earlier skirmish they shared, he waved reassuringly, nodding.

"Yeah," he told her with a small grin, "She didn't stand a chance against us."

Steven looked to the floating island far above for a moment, humming. "Or that tree."

Amethyst hummed in response, though she didn't seem all that reassured. An unfamiliar look settled on her features, the Gem silently looking at some point on the horizon. Rather than whoop in triumph or comment on how well she and Steven worked as a team, she stayed utterly quiet. All that Steven could hear was a couple mumbling statements about how it should've been easy. He might've also heard something resembling Amethyst telling herself not to worry, but it was such a foreign message coming from her that Steven didn't entirely trust his ears. Before he could ask anything about the sudden change in her demeanor, she looked to him again.

"So you got the Gem too, right?" she tentatively questioned. Someone as laid back as Amethyst obviously worrying so much didn't sit well with Steven, but her question did kick-start the more "professional" instincts he'd been attempting to instill in himself. His body moved automatically, jumping to a standing position and stretching what little of the neck he had to try and look above the tall grass. Even facing almost opposite to Amethyst, he could feel her frown intensify. She quickly moved to ease him, bringing up her palms defensively.

"Chill!" she urged him, sitting up straight. Surprised by Amethyst's loud tone, Steven moved his eyes back to hers, persistently worried. A few seconds passed as they looked at each other in an awkward silence. Then, Amethyst cleared her throat, suddenly realizing how dramatic she'd sounded. She reverted to her usually casual tone after a another hesitation.

"I mean, it'll take a while for it to regen. We got some time, so don't go all Gem soldier on me."

Steven digested her words for a few more seconds. "Right," he let out, an embarrassed blush filling his cheeks, "sorry."

He chuckled a little, moving back to the grass he previously sat on. The smallest hint of a smile returned to Amethyst's face; while it was a welcome sight, her exhausted features were only made more prominent by it. Her long bangs really did resemble the weathered silver of the elderly. Returning to the initial source of his concern, Steven leaned towards Amethyst, trying to understand her sudden loss of energy.

"Why were you, uh," he began, seeing a strained sweat adorn Amethyst's brow, "y'know, sleeping?"

Amethyst seemed genuinely surprised at the notion, her tired eyes widening a fraction. One of her eyebrows rose before she recalled the gap between falling off the island above and where she now sat.

"Sleeping, right," she muttered, like she remembered something she'd rather forget about. Curious, Steven tilted his head towards hers. She spoke after a preparatory sigh.

"I dunno," she admitted, rubbing her neck in a guilty manner. "Just... got real tired, I guess."

Amethyst didn't expand anymore, either not wanting to give any more information or not having it. Steven wasn't sure which was the case. He took a moment to think on his words before sitting on the grass directly across from Amethyst. She avoided his eyes seemingly on purpose, though it was difficult to tell why. Something was definitely off.

"Why're you tired?" the young Gem asked, trying to keep a polite tone instead of a worried one. The persistent grimace on his friend's face told him he wasn't the best actor. Amethyst hesitated to acknowledge him, as if thinking on how she should've answered. After shaking her head, she moved her eyes to him.

"I dunno," she repeated, sounding disappointed. She shrugged apathetically, matching Steven's confusion about her fatigue. "Ain't felt like this… well, ever, really. Kinda sucks."

"Hm," Steven pondered, placing a thoughtful hand on his chin. Amethyst shook her head again, falling back in the grass with a *thump*. Not much that occurred to Steven could explain the sudden exhaustion of his friend. Just prior to fusing, she seemed more than gung-ho and full of a rambunctious energy to challenge the corruption they'd fought earlier. With the current mission being rather standard at this point, Steven had a hard time thinking as to why (or even how) Amethyst could be as fatigued as she was. They hadn't done anything excessively draining aside from fighting the corruption, and Smoky had taken the brunt of that effort. Steven himself didn't feel tired in the slightest. Compared to Amethyst, he was brimming with energy.

Suddenly, Steven gasped. Amethyst appeared startled by the noise, recoiling slightly.

"What about when we unfused?" her companion asked, leaning towards her. "Can that make Gems tired?"

Amethyst's look lingered on Steven for some time. She didn't entirely seem to understand what he was getting at, causing him to explain further.

"I feel fine," he stated, making a note of how little energy he lost. "Like I just took a good nap. But Smoky was busy fighting the Gem, so shouldn't I be tired too? Weren't you and Garnet sore after Suglite unfused that one time?"

Amethyst snorted sarcastically, muttering about how he didn't have to gloat about his energy. A contemplative expression fell on her features as she answered his question.

"Mmmaybe?" she uncertainly dragged out, shaking her head. It was obvious that she knew as much about her sudden exhaustion as he did. "I mean, it ain't like we did that much, did we? Definitely didn't run around the planet a couple of times, at least."

While the fight against the corruption had been somewhat strenuous for Smoky, Steven had to agree that it wasn't entirely exhausting. The most exercise they'd done was keeping their lower Gem from getting chomped up, and even that hadn't been too bad. At least, that was what Steven had thought. Amethyst seemed to have a different perspective on the situation, her posture slouching more than usual. The Gem rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the tired feeling and ultimately doing little to rejuvenate herself. She let herself fall back onto the tall grass they sat on with another muffled *thump*.

"Don't suppose that spit of your's works for headaches?" she quietly asked, closing her eyes with a sigh. Steven tilted his head, the question seemingly out of nowhere. Then again, Amethyst's expression didn't convey the most comfortable state of mind. The young Gem pondered for a moment.

"I actually haven't tried that," he admitted. It'd been difficult to pin the exact rules for how his abilities worked. Before he could move to lick his palm, Amethyst waved a hand in the air, chuckling lightly.

"Kidding," she waved off, a minor grin pulling her lips upwards. Her smile left in a matter of seconds. "Got a killer migraine, though."

The Gem's arms lazily fell outwards to her sides, resembling a puppet whose strings were just cut. Disconcerted, both by Amethyst's exhaustion and her evident lack of comfort, Steven felt his eyebrows pull together in another frown. He shifted himself closer to Amethyst's side, ignoring the few bugs skittering through the grass underneath. A small breeze swayed some of the grass around them. Some seconds of silence passed, both Gems taking the brief quiet.

Then, an acute whistling was heard above, attracting their attention. They looked upwards, each raising an arm to block the sun's rays from their eyes, and saw a lone speck of a bird against the blue sky above. The whistling noise came down again, notably higher pitched. It was the specific note Steven heard that drew a gasp of realization out of him.

"Pearl!" he exclaimed upwards. He could see Amethyst cover her ears with a displeased expression, making it difficult for her to hear his brief apology. Trying for a quieter (but still yelling) tone, he cupped one hand around his mouth, the other waving at Pearl. "Down here!"

The Gem continued gliding on her wings for a moment. A moment of waiting passed, and she turned sharply towards Steven and Amethyst. The former turned towards Amethyst with a smile, expressing his relief at her return. Amethyst rolled her eyes with a grunt, though her gaze did linger on the far approaching bird that was their companion.

"...something's off…" the violet Gem drew out, her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. Confused, Steven rose an eyebrow of his own, looking back up at Pearl's currently small form. She'd gotten close enough to discern the prominent Gem on her forehead without much difficulty, so Steven had trouble figuring out what Amethyst had to be suspicious about. Maybe she was just talking about her exhaustion.

Suddenly, Amethyst's eyes grew wide, and she threw a pointed finger towards Pearl.

"Watch your back!" she called out to her, cupping her other hand around her mouth. Startled by her abrupt outburst, Steven recoiled before looking in the direction of Amethyst's finger. Pearl had done the same, slowing her descent and looking behind her. The floating island above them didn't seem to warrant any warning, and for a moment, Pearl seemed as confused as Steven was. Then, after another few seconds of inspection, he could see the couple of colored dots behind Pearl. They seemed to be part of the island at first, but seeing them approach allowed Steven to realize the same thing Amethyst had. He cupped his hands around his mouth, calling for Pearl to be careful.

Thankfully, the Gem could notice the comparatively smaller corruptions following her before Steven had. She quickly turned to her right, now gliding away from Steven and Amethyst with a newfound speed. While the corruptions' varying sizes couldn't have been more than a small dog each, the sheer amount of them was definitely cause for caution. The dots of color changed their course in response to Pearl's sudden turn. Steven's grounded perspective made it difficult to tell, but Pearl thankfully seemed to fly just a little faster than the corruptions could catch up. Not to mention that she seemed to be better at flying than they were.

"Probably trying to lead 'em away," Amethyst muttered. Steven looked to her, seeing an annoyed expression adorn her features. If she was at all worried about how well Pearl could handle the corruptions, she didn't show it. Having confidence in his companions let Steven act similarly, though he couldn't ignore the flock of Gem monsters as easily as Amethyst. He kept his gaze on Pearl's shrinking form, wondering how long (or even how in general) it'd take for her to deal with them. Pearl didn't seem to have a plan for them at the moment, continuing her flight away from Steven and Amethyst for a considerable length of time. It would probably be a little while until she could return to them, Steven guessed.

"I thought the babies poofed after the mom did," he said with a hum, looking back to Amethyst. She clutched her head, obviously still suffering from her inexplicable headache.

"They do," she told him, sounding almost irked. Silence met her answer. Then, realizing the implications of her answer, she looked towards Steven. They stared at each other for a few more seconds.

"She did poof," he told Amethyst again. Even if he was as far up as he was at the time, discerning the cloud of sparkles that the corruption turned into was easy enough, if only due to its size. The thought that she might've already regenerated concerned Steven, but that simply wasn't possible in any less than a full day's time. Feral Gems had their limits too. Ignoring the possibility of their original target still having a body, he hummed.

"Think there's another mom?" Steven abruptly questioned, now looking back to the island above them. From here, it seemed far too innocent and peaceful to house any feral Gem, much less two of them. Amethyst grunted dismissal, laying back down on the grass.

"Don't know, don't really care," she answered simply. Frowning, Steven tilted his head towards Amethyst, sensing her discomfort. With Pearl likely able to out-fly the corruptions for hours if she needed to (though Steven hoped that wasn't the case), he concerned himself only with what he could practically help with. His eyes lingered on Amethyst's troubled expression, seeing her close her eyes as if to will her headache away.

After a small hesitation, a damp sensation on Amethyst's forehead brought her eyes open. She looked up at Steven's face, likely eyeing his hopeful expression. His hand lay on her forehead, pressing into it almost like a soft pillow. The contact wasn't too forceful, he hoped. Still, Amethyst matched his stare before figuring out what exactly he was attempting to accomplish.

"Any better?" Steven asked, gently pulling his hand away. An instinctive grin broke apart the rest of Amethyst's confusion.

"...yeah," she told him with a shake of her head. Though the bags under her eyes contradicted her answer, Steven accepted it regardless, now having a smirk to match Amethyst's. "Feel like a brand-new Gem."

Steven gave a pleasant thumb upwards in response, humming.

"Glad to help," he said with a contented nod. Amethyst chuckled again before looking upwards into the clear sky above. As if reading her mind, Steven stated what she was likely pondering.

"Don't know if I can jump that high," he admitted, following her gaze towards the floating island above them. The underside was difficult to discern from such a distance away, but the mass of dirt, rock, and exposed tree roots was impressive anyways. Reaching it would've been equally impressive, but Steven also had to reason it wasn't the most realistic notion. He was hesitant to ask if Amethyst was up for shape-shifting into a bird to get them back, but the answer was fairly obvious already, even if Amethyst hadn't directly mentioned how little she wanted to try to shape-shift. It might've been possible, though neither Gem wanted to put her through that strain with her being so inexplicably exhausted. Not to mention it'd probably be rude to leave without Pearl.

"Know where the closest warp-pad is?" Steven asked her instead. Amethyst thought for a moment, trying to rub some of the fatigue out of her eyes. Then, she pointed a single finger upwards.

"...second closest," he clarified. After an exaggerated "Oooh," Amethyst shrugged. She took a moment to rub her eyes again before suddenly frowning.

"Thought Pearl taught you all sorts of warp-pad stuff," she ventured, absentmindedly yawning through her statement. Steven shook his head, admitting that he didn't remember any lessons about the geography of warp-pads. He would've followed up with his own question on why Amethyst was as knowledgeable about them as he was, but had to reason she wasn't the most preparatory of the Gems. It wouldn't surprise him if the little information on warp-pads he had surpassed hers.

Amethyst suddenly blew a raspberry, looking irked. "P's probably a little busy, too," she muttered, as if remembering some old argument. Steven reasoned that there had to be some way to get back. The only alternative that came to mind was to jump as high as possible and look for another warp-pad, and for all he knew, it could've been dozens of miles away. Not to mention in any direction. Before he decided to look anyways, Amethyst spoke.

"Don't we still gotta get that Gem first?"

Reminded of their earlier opponent once again, Steven snapped his fingers with a matching look of surprise. It was far cry from his so-called "soldier" instincts from the first time around, but Amethyst looked regretful anyways. She didn't make any attempt to shrug off its importance, though.

"Yeah," Steven agreed, moving the Gem to the top of his list of priorities. Seeing Amethyst clutch her head with a strained expression moved the corruption's Gem to the second from the top. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, it seemed like his attempt at healing her migraine had done little to help her.

"Are you going to be okay, Amethyst?" he questioned, seemingly on instinct alone. Amethyst didn't answer him right away, still holding her head tightly. She casually waved towards him after a few more moments.

"I'll be fine," she muttered, placing a hand on the ground to stand back up. "Been through worse, anyways. Just a little... tired."

Her statement would've been less worrying if she hadn't stumbled a little upon standing up. The pale complexion of her face seemed to worsen in a matter of seconds. Still, the Gem attempted to shrug it off, shaking her head. Then she promptly stumbled a little more. After frowning himself, Steven rose from the yellowed grass he sat on.

"Just stay here," he said automatically, placing a hand on Amethysts shoulder. He gave his companion a reassuring smile, nodding determinedly. "I can go and get her Gem."

Surprised, she looked at the hand briefly before giving Steven a questioning expression. As he expected, Amethyst shook her head stubbornly. What wasn't expected was the lack of any real attempt to shrug off his grip.

"Nah, nah," she denied, raising an open palm of defiance. She didn't look as confident as she probably wanted. "C'mon, we fought that thing together, we gotta bubble it together. I'm just tired, is all."

While "tired" was a good way to describe Amethyst's current demeanor, Steven didn't feel like he got the whole picture. It looked like she recently tested the limits of what could be defined as "edible", and promptly broke those limits. Steven shook his head, trying to maintain both his persistence and manners.

"I got it," he assured Amethyst, giving her a thumb upwards. After another brief hesitation, she sighed, rolling her eyes. Her lack of stubborn attitude, while still disconcerting, was a little convenient.

"Fine," she finally relented, waving a hand in the air. Rubbing her eyes, the Gem fell back down into the grass with another lazy *thump*. She didn't say much else, other than how she still wanted to see their trophy before he bubbled the Gem away. Steven agreed to the compromise, promising to show it to her as quickly as he could find it. A small smile brought the corners of her lips up a little.

His gaze lingered on Amethyst for a few moments. Then, he turned towards the grass, stating that he'd be right back.


A/N: AND SO IT BEGINS