Far Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter 4

A/N: Okay so I just wanted to let you guys know that there's a Tumblr blog I made for this fanfiction. Its URL is askfarfaraway and you can ask the introduced characters questions or ask me about the AU and stuff. And regarding the actual fanfic, Blue Diamond is 43. The Diamonds are NOT related, though they do have some history together, which I'll reveal eventually.

The morning had been largely uneventful, anticlimactic, and overall somewhat disappointing – though it was nice that, by some stroke of luck, Steven had wound up in a seat between Connie and Peedee and behind Onion (and a little part of him wondered if Garnet or Pearl had rigged that). A middle-aged woman named Blue Diamond was the fifth grade teacher, and though she was rather patient she seemed to get an annoyed tone to her voice after only an hour of being in charge of a room of energetic ten-year-olds. A high school student was in charge of helping out in the mornings – her name was Kiki, and she was nice enough, very patient and helpful.

Lunchtime seemed to come along in no time at all, and Steven was subject to the grandmother-like affections of Ruby and Sapphire for at least five minutes before they let him actually take his bagged lunch and go eat. While most children would be annoyed by the delay, the good-natured boy took it in stride, actually enjoying the attention until they finally let him go.

Steven plopped at the table next to Connie, and the two of them ate in silence. There was still time left once both children had finished eating, so they started talking about multiple things, both important and not. He glanced around the auditeria before furrowing his eyebrows in thought and asking a question.

"How come the school goes all the way from kindergarten to twelfth grade?"

Connie shrugged a bit. "Partially because the school's smaller than the normal high school freshman class, and partially because it's easier to have one group of people in charge of a large building of children than it is to have three groups in charge of three depressingly small buildings of children." She shrugged. "Usually it goes off pretty well. The high schoolers are all either nice or leave us alone. Except when the principal's older daughter went her. She had kind of a reign of terror. Really big and mean, even the teachers were scared of her. She graduated a couple years ago. And the younger daughter is a bit skittish, so we don't have to worry about her."

Steven frowned a little. "That's cool, I guess, but how come the principal let her daughter be that much of a jerk?"

She shrugged. "Well, Ms. Yellow is kinda... messed up. She likes to think that her kid does no wrong, but I think part of it is also just that she doesn't like a lot of the people that go there. I'd say the school board should find someone else to do her job, but there really aren't any other adults with the right experience or whatever to do it."

"Wow." His frown grew as he kicked his legs a little, looking down at his sandwich. "Ms. Yellow sounds pretty mean. Is there anything else she did that was... I dunno, biased or something?"

Connie thought a moment, then shrugged. "Well, she almost expelled Miss Blue's daughter a few years back because she got pregnant. Only reason she didn't was because the daughter started dating one of hers. The younger one, I think."

Steven hummed a little in thought just as the bell rang. The class quickly got into a single file line and walked back to the classroom to finish out the school day.

The afternoon was just as uneventful as the morning had been, and Steven found that he already knew much of what was on the review math sheets. Even so, he paid attention when Blue Diamond had to reexplain concept after concept, and when the final bell rang and it was time to go he gathered his things and prepared to go down to the office and talk to Yellow Diamond. After what he had heard earlier, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to face the principal, but he had to.

The teacher said his name before he could leave the room, however, and he quickly walked over to the largest desk in the room, glad for the excuse to wait. Blue Diamond examined him carefully before speaking.

"Steven, you're a nice boy, and I like you. So I'm going to tell you this now. Avoid Yellow Diamond when you can. She's as biased as can be, and she can't stand any of your family." She reached over to put a hand on his head. "After you talk to her today, stay out of trouble as much as humanly possible and don't cross the hall between the elementary and high school wings unless it's absolutely necessary."

He nodded understandingly.

"And don't be scared of her either. She can smell fear."

Well, that was going to be hard, with all Steven had heard today. But he still thanked his teacher as he walked out, heading towards the office. He passed a girl with tan skin and short hair on his way down the hall that he assumed must be Blue Diamond's daughter. She seemed to be in a nervous hurry, so he didn't stop her to introduce himself.

The boy finally made his way down to the office, where a tall woman with dyed yellow hair and tan skin was waiting for him with – to his relief – Garnet nearby.

"Hello, Steven. My name is Yellow Diamond." She gave him a sharp toothed grin.

A shiver ran down his spine that he couldn't describe. He felt like he was standing in the presence of a goddess, or a queen. Perhaps both. She was beautiful, she was massive, and good lord was her presence intimidating.

He walked over to the chair right next to the tallest of his foster mothers. Most of the conversation went on between the adults – what level Steven was on, what subjects should be avoided when speaking to him, his familial history. For some of it, he wondered how on Earth it was necessary for the school principal to know.

Steven answered a few questions as well, mostly about what he liked to do or what sports he would consider playing in the future. After an agonizingly long amount of time, he found himself having shaken Yellow Diamond's slender hand and being lead out of the room by Garnet.

"She scares me." The child murmured as soon as they were out of earshot.

"She scares us all." Replied Garnet as she opened the door for him. "Now let's head home. Nobody has to coach tonight, and I think Pearl is baking a pie for dessert."