(Hello, beautiful readers! Here is another chapter, as promised! This AN is the first thing I've written down, so with that in mind, I have no idea where I want to go with this one shot. I'm assuming the plot will develop as I type, but I apologize in advance for the jumbled mess this chapter will probably be. Anywho, after months of neglect, I give you Ruby and Sapphire!)
Sapphire huffed. Homeworld didn't have anything like they were experiencing now. They'd encountered it before, but never like this. There was the moisture, which they'd seen, but never this much, and there were also the bright flashes of light and loud crashes. Sapphire had never really minded the wet things that fell from the sky. It had cleaned her off and given the earth a fresh, clean look. Now though, she could only ever see when the flashes came, and it was still in the afternoon. The moisture that had made her feel so clean created puddles of slop which just made her even dirtier.
She and Ruby had found a small cave to huddle in from the event. The only problem is, it was a small cave. They were literally huddling. Sapphire could feel her ice trying to form from her nervousness, bur Ruby's heat kept it at bay. She wasn't sure if that was just Ruby, or if she was feeling the same feelings Sapphire was.
Sapphire was trying to keep as much distance between them as she could, but she was still pressed up against Ruby from her waist to her knee. They both kept their hands in their laps. Sapphire was afraid of what would happen if they didn't.
They sat like that for a long time. The weather had blocked them from seeing the earth's star, but Sapphire could still feel that what had started in the early afternoon, had now progressed into at least late evening. Neither of them had said anything the entire time.
Finally, Ruby spoke.
"Well," She laughed. "this is new."
Sapphire let a breath out of her nose, her semblance of a laugh. "Indeed. I never saw anything like this back on Homeworld."
Ruby smiled. "We sure didn't see anything like this in the compound."
Sapphire let out a short laugh, and let her rigid posture go. They were now touching from their shoulders to their calves.
Sapphire turned to face Ruby, and Ruby did the same. Sapphire was surprised at how close they were to each other. When the brightness came, she could see the little bits of maroon in her otherwise black eyes.
"Tell me more about the compound?" Sapphire asked.
She had gotten very little out of Ruby about Alpha E-1. The only thing she knew is that it was big, and Ruby couldn't remember a time that she hadn't been in it.
Ruby let out a breath. "C'mon Sapph, that shit- OW!" She rubbed the spot Sapphire had just punched.
"You know I don't like it when you talk like that." Sapphire said, only half joking. The language which seems so normal to Ruby could very well get a gem shattered if they were in the wrong place in the wrong time back at the compound. It gave Sapphire terrible memories whenever she spoke like that, and she couldn't help but picture Ruby in the place of those unlucky few who had used that type of language in the presence of Blue Diamond. Blue had always been a sensitive gem, and she was especially sensitive to language like that. For all Sapphire knew about Blue Diamond, she had never known why she detested it so.
Ruby huffed. "Fine. That stuff is depressing."
Sapphire put her hand down. "I want to know more about you, Ruby."
Had she a heart, it would have been pounding out of her chest. She hadn't meant for it to come out as gently as it did, but now it was out there. It was up to Ruby to decide what to do with it.
Ruby had a look on her face Sapphire could just see in the dark, but even in good light, she knew she wouldn't have been able to decipher it.
Ruby hesitated a moment more, then sighed. "Fine."
Sapphire smiled, and shifted to get more comfortable. They were now touching from shoulder to ankle.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
Ruby snorted. "Give me something specific."
Sapphire thought for a minute. "What did you do on a daily basis?"
Ruby hummed a laugh. "Not much. I guess it all begins when you first begin orientation. They take you up your platoon, which is pretty much the only gems you'll ever interact with for the rest of your days, then it all begins. Once you get acclimated with your platoon, you got to the training room and well, train, I guess. After you do that a while, we get a socializing period. Which pretty much means you stay in your platoon's quarters and talk for a little bit. Some of them sleep, but not many. Then you drill. This is probably the most interesting thing. Most of the time, it's just general, war scenario drills that the jaspers pick out. When you're an escort, it's one thing, when you're a soldier, it's another. But sometimes, when we have a war going on, we get to enact that particular war."
"So, during the rebellion, you got to fight the Crystal Gems?" Sapphire asked.
"Yeah. Well, holograms of them, anyway." Ruby elaborated.
"Hm." Sapphire hummed. "Did you… like… doing that?" She didn't look at Ruby as she said it.
Ruby huffed softly under her breath. "See, this is why I don't like talking about this stuff. It makes us seem barbaric."
Sapphire straightened a little. "That's not what I meant-"
"It's what you wanted to say." Ruby cut her off.
"No, I…" Sapphire sighed, and put a hand to her forehead. "Ok. Yes. That's what I meant. But not exactly in the sense you think I did. I know you Ruby. We've been together for over a full circle around this star. I was asking because I want to know the past you as well as the present you."
"Because you already know the future me?" Ruby muttered.
"I don't." Sapphire deadpanned. "Future versions of ourselves are determined by the paths we take in the past. I can see multiple versions of the future you, yes. But I'll never know the real future you until we get to that point in time. I want to know about the past you because I want to know you, Ruby. I want to know what choices you made in the past to become the present you that I know today."
Ruby was giving Sapphire that same look that she had given her earlier. Sapphire didn't even try to decode it.
Ruby was silent for a few more minutes, and Sapphire listened to the moisture falling from the sky.
"Yes."
Sapphire, who had begun to see if anything was visible yet outside of their cave, gave a start at her voice.
"I liked it. But, Sapph, you need to understand that before you, that was the only thing I'd ever be. A soldier. So, I took every chance I could to make sure I was good at it."
They were quiet for a moment. Sapphire was still trying to process what she heard.
"Before me?" Sapphire finally asked.
She felt Ruby stiffen beside her. "I-I-I mean…"
She trailed off, and tried again. "I just mean, now, I have a purpose. I protect you while we figure out what to do."
Sapphire felt the glimmer of hope that Ruby's words had sparked within her die.
"Oh." She breathed.
They lapsed back into silence.
"Sapph?" Ruby finally asked.
"Yes?"
"Why do you care so much? About… me?"
Sapphire couldn't think of a good answer. Or at least an answer that wouldn't put their whole friendship in jeopardy. She finally settled with, "My business on Homeworld was to know the situation, analyze it, and determine what must be done. It's almost the same with you. Except, I don't decide what must be done. I decide what that means for you… for us."
"Us?" Sapphire felt more than saw Ruby turn her head to look at her.
"Us." Sapphire confirmed. "We're in this together. You're my friend. I could never do it without you."
"friend…" Sapphire heard Ruby mumble.
"yeah." Sapphire said, as much to herself as to Ruby.
"friend." She said as she settled her head against Ruby's shoulder. "friend."
(Honestly, I had other plans for this once I got writing, but it wouldn't come out right, so this is what I ended up with. This is also the shortest chapter I've ever posted. I may come back and add more, but I'll probably just leave it. I may post Ruby's POV tonight, but it will most likely come within the next couple of days. We'll see. As always, thank you so much, my lovely readers, and I'll see you next chapter!)