Amethyst curled up next to the beast, burying herself in his hair and doing her best to offer comfort as he dozed. He seemed to be okay for now, even though his breathing sounded labored. Gems couldn't die by normal human means, and perhaps the best hope for Stevion's survival was that he was mostly gem.

Garnet's gentle hands petted him as he slept, obviously exhausted from whatever ordeal he had been through while they were searching for him, and the trek back home. The future of Stevion was still very uncertain, but the Gems were much more at ease now that he was home where they could watch him. He didn't seem in any condition to run away this time, but they were still determined to keep him under constant supervision.

His speech did not improve much in the coming days. He continued to speak the same few words, "Help", "Please", "Hurts", "Pain", and their names. The hope that had filled them when he returned faded quickly, as the Crystal Gems realized Stevion was in constant agony. He barely moved, not having the strength to do more than growl words every once in awhile. They barely knew how to take care of a human, how were they supposed to heal this creature?

"Steven, what can we do?" Pearl finally asked him in desperation. Though Gems didn't need to eat, Steven did, and the fact that he hadn't in days was extremely concerning. Not to mention, his frequent cries of pain were heartwrenching. Pearl was distraught with worry. None of her knowledge, nothing she had ever studied or learned was useful here. She was as helpless as Amethyst and Garnet, and sitting around doing nothing but watching a dying body was driving her crazy.

Stevion lifted his head slightly to look at her. "Kill… me..." He looked expectantly, his eyes hoping she would fulfill his request. His life had become nothing but agony, and he prayed every day for the sweet embrace of nonexistence.

"N-No!" Pearl started to tear up. She hated seeing Steven in such pain, but none of them could ever bring themselves to harm him. "We're not going to give up on you!" She grasped his head between her hands, staring into his eyes and trying to convey how important it was that he continued to live.

It was just then that the temple door opened, revealing Garnet exiting her room. Pearl rushed over, gripping both of Garnet's arms. "He's not doing well!" she said, her voice strained. This wasn't really new news, Steven hadn't been well since the Stevion fusion began.

"Gar...net." Steven called out, recognizing the figure.

Garnet swept Pearl aside, moving to kneel directly in front of Stevion. "What is it, Steven?" They always spoke to Steven, and not Stevion. Lion had never acted as though he understood English, even when Steven spoke to him. So it was certain that any words that left Stevion's lips were from the youngest of the Crystal Gems.

"I want..." he paused to gather his words, panting from the effort of trying to make a sentence. "...to die." He laid back and closed his eyes, the effort of begging both Pearl and Garnet taking its toll.

"Just hang on a little longer, Steven." Garnet stroked his mane reassuringly. "We'll get you unfused. Soon." Soon was all she'd been saying since they found him. "We'll fix you soon", "soon you'll be back to normal", "soon you'll be fine". But soon never came, and time dragged on.

Garnet stood up, turning to Pearl. "I see what you mean."

Suddenly the temple door opened again, and Amethyst jumped out. "Garnet! Pearl!" she exclaimed, loud enough that even Stevion lifted his head, despite his exhaustion. "Remember the destabilizers Jasper and Peridot used? Maybe there's one in all that ship rubble we recovered from the beach. Maybe it could unfuse Stevion. It's worth a shot, right?" Amethyst looked the most excited she had in days.

Garnet thought back to that night on the beach, when she had been forcibly unfused into Ruby and Sapphire at the hands of Jasper. It wasn't a happy thought, but Amethyst might just be on to something. Steven hadn't been affected in the same way, so using a destabilizer would most likely leave him unscathed. But Lion, corrupt or not, was a full fledged gem, and chances were he would be poofed back into gem, leaving Steven separate and unharmed.

"Amethyst, your idea might just work. Pearl, stay here and keep an eye on Steven. Let us know if anything changes." she and Amethyst headed off to search the pieces of Peridot's ship that they'd stored in the temple. Maybe, just maybe, Steven wasn't gone for good. At long last, there was a glimmer of hope to separating Steven and Lion.