Chapter 7: Tranquil

It had never been so quiet before in the Crystal Temple. Not once had the base for the Crystal Gems felt smothered by such a bitter silence.

Never had the place she called home felt so hollow.

Standing right in front of a glowing pink bubble, Garnet watched the translucent orb float up and down periodically, her eyes never leaving the magenta ball even for a moment.

There were so many bubbles located in the Burning Room, so many Gems that had suffered through so much. Once sane people had now been turned into mindless beasts. Those Gems had gone through a fate worse than death, and their little prisons did nothing to heal them. The only things the bubbles did were incarcerate the Corrupted Gems in a place where they would no longer harm anyone, and save them from having to live another day in agony.

To save them from desperately trying to piece together their shattered minds when doing so was futile.

There were so many poor Gems in this room. Some of them had been allies, people who she proudly fought in the war with and friends who she would have gladly lay down her life for. Some were even warriors she fought against, people who had tried to kill her and her friends so many times in the past. Others were Gems she had never even met, just people who were marked by fate to go through torture that would leave them as nothing more than husks of instincts and anguish.

Each and every Gem in this room told a story. Each and every Gem that floated in the chamber had once been something whole, something that could choose and create new paths for themselves. Each shattered shell that had been a person with limitless possibilities in their future were now reduced to nothing more than animals.

It might have been kinder to end these things that had once been Gems.

Yet, despite all the pain radiating throughout the room, despite the sorrow that hung itself around the air, Garnet could not focus on any of the despair that was always present—to her—in this chamber.

For right now, she could only focus on the dread raging within her body. From her right eye, a single tear ran down her face.

She had no idea how long she had been down here, but right now, time did not matter to the leader of the Crystal Gems. She could still see the events of the last day play through her mind in vivid clarity. She could still see it all, and every time she replayed the events in her head, the pain in her chest rose and clawed at her very core.

She had just gotten back with the others, the Warp Pad still glowing a faint blue as they walked into the living room of the Beach House. They had found nothing about the Rogue Gem, and as Pearl was mentioning possible theories as to how the Gem kept avoiding them, Amethyst was making jokes about how they were fine; how they would find the Rogue Gem and how the "big bad Gem" wouldn't know what hit it.

And then the door flung open.

Steven was the first one through as he collapsed to his knees. His clothes were burnt, the star in the center of his chest was no longer its usual vibrant yellow, but instead, it was a charred black. Connie soon followed, clothes covered in soot and several cuts present on her skin as Lapis stood behind her, clothes and skin just as burned as the other two humans.

And what instantly drew the Gem's attention were how tears were freely falling from everyone's faces. Connie was covering her mouth as sadness swirled throughout her expression, her eyes looking at the ground as she choked out something through her sobs. Lapis, who had never shown any emotion whatsoever to the three Gems outside of sarcasm, who always gave them blank looks, was now openly sobbing as her entire body trembled. It looked like she might collapse at any moment as more and more tears fell from her eyes.

And Steven… Steven was the worse out of any of them. His eyes were wide and full of pain, dread and gloom pooled in his expression as he cried even more than both Lapis and Connie. Never had any of the Gems seen their Steven like this. The boy's once joyful and beaming chocolate brown eyes no longer contained any hint of cheer or hope. Instead, they were now two pits of despair, features twisted by horrible anguish. His cries continued to grow louder as his body trembled harder by the moment.

The sight left the three Gems staring at the three with wide eyes, unable to even ask the simplest question. But it was obvious to Garnet that all three Gems staring at the three weeping members of their group had the same question in mind.

What had happened to make their friends and family radiate an almost physical sorrow?

And it was at that moment, that Steven extended out his shaking hands, unclasping his fingers and revealing the contents within them.

At first, Garnet had no idea what Steven was showing her. The objects in the son of Rose Quartz's hands looked like burnt rocks. They were broken, that much was obvious from the cracks on their skin, but what had it once been? Garnet knew it had to be something very important, something that was so obvious that even with her powers she was missing; and yet, she couldn't figure out what the shattered object in Steven's hand was. Around her, Pearl and Amethyst were wondering the same thing she was, and then in the midst of his crying, Steven was able to get out one word.

It was almost incoherent due to his loud sobbing, but Garnet was able to hear the one word as if Steven had shouted it right in her face.

Peridot.

With that one word, Garnet found herself drowning underneath tides of shock. Her chest suddenly felt like it had been ripped open from the inside, her three eyes widening behind her visor.

Amethyst and Pearl had similar reactions, the latter letting out a gasp as she covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide. Amethyst eyes bulged out her sockets, running towards Steven and the others all while shouting "no, no, no!" over and over again, each word growing in volume. Once she reached Steven, she immediately wiped away at some of the soot covering the splintered pieces or rock in Steven's hands.

And underneath the ash, dull green skin was revealed.

That was all the confirmation the three original Crystal Gems needed.

Amethyst dropped to her knees, pushing aside her long hair as she stared at the broken pieces of Peridot with both of her eyes. Tears now fell like rivers from her eyes as she held Steven's hands in a death grip. She kept muttering "Peri, no." throughout her sobs, her head lowered to the floor as the tears continued to flow down her face.

Pearl had a similar reaction, her knees crashing to the floor as she could no longer stand, hands still covering her mouth. Tears full of sorrow and grief descended down her ivory face. There was a sickening familiarity in the white Gems eyes, as if had seen this so many times before. As if having her very being crushed under the weight of immense grief was something she should have been used to by now.

But Pearl would always cry never-ending tears whenever she lost someone she loved. No one could ever get used to that.

And as everyone continued to cry, as the sorrow permeating the room seemed to only grow colder with each second that past, Garnet stood perfectly still. She was too shocked to move, her eyes unblinking as within her body a storm of panic and confusion quickly took over her mind.

How? How was this possible? Steven should have been with Peridot and Lapis at the barn right now, watching fireworks and laughing. Peridot should have been watching the explosions in the sky with her two friends, seated comfortably in the truck sticking out of the barn. She should have been enjoying herself as she watched the sky light up with a multitude of colors.

She should be alive. But she wasn't.

She had seen her friend's death in a future that seemed impossible to happen. In a timeline full of so much pain and darkness she could barely stand to look at it for more than a few seconds before pushing it away. She had seen this possible path just before she left with the others, and she was certain that the circumstances that happened in that future could never happen.

But it did. And despite the fact she could see into the future, she did nothing to stop it.

Ruby and Sapphire, the two Gems that made up her very being, were in turmoil. For a second, the room changed and transformed into a different environment. No longer did Garnet stand within the Beach House or with her friends and family, but instead she was in a wide and seemingly endless stretch of black, ceramic tiled floor. She now stood underneath a sky colored with the deepest shade of blue imaginable, the stretch of land dyed in an eerie Azure glow from the blue light casting down from the sky.

And underneath the dark blue glimmers of light, she saw the two gems that made up her very core weeping in each other's arms.

Sapphire's hair was covering her face, but Garnet could still see the tears streaming down her face from her single eye. There was no trace of her usual stoicism, the blue Gem giving up on pushing down her emotions as she let out all of her pain and heartbreak through her tears. Beneath her dress, large and compact sheets of ice were spreading over the ground, completely encasing it as the ice continued to grow and cover more patches of the tiles. Her hands were clutching the love of her life's back with great strength, white gloves wrinkling under the stress.

Ruby was in a similar situation; her face burned with rage and sadness contorted her expression as she clutched at Sapphire's back. Tears made of hot anger along with sorrow ran down her face—there was nothing but misery and fury pooling in her eyes. Her lips were in a firm line, never opening her mouth and instead choosing to glare at the floor right behind Sapphire. Beneath her feet, the ground began to melt, wisps of steam rising into the air as more of the tiles began to turn to black sludge.

The blazing embodiment of Ruby's anger met with the personification of Sapphire's freezing sorrow in a violent collision. The ice and invisible heat did not release steam, but instead, swarms of butterflies rose and fluttered high into the air. Their wings and bodies were made from an otherworldly white light, the hundreds of tiny, almost phantasmal insects flew closely together, looking like a tendril of pure light as they continued to ascend. Slowly, the massive swirling tendril of butterflies began to separate, the upper body splitting down the middle and creating two new tendrils from the sliced body as they twisted and merged with the other into a new shape.

The butterflies began to take the shape of Peridot. The only parts that still resembled the insects made of light were the lower half that supported the upper body of Peridot. The copy of her friend had a broad grin, pointing a finger at the sky and talking a mile a minute.

It was too much for Garnet to watch. Already she could feel her form dissolving, her consciousness fading back into both Ruby and Sapphire's. Tears were now openly falling from all three of her eyes as she collapsed to her knees. And once again she was back in the living room with all her crying friends.

She had no idea how long they all cried, in fact, she was surprised she was still able to keep her form together despite how difficult it was amidst the regret stabbing at her core. Peridot still consumed her mind as the pain and anguish in her chest rose with each flash of memory involving the green Gem. Amethyst had moved towards the couch and chosen to sob quietly into the cushions, Connie was kneeling on the floor along with Lapis by the corner of the room both sobbing uncontrollably. Pearl was still in the same spot as before, her crouching body now leaning against the kitchen counter and through the tears, Garnet saw her eyes held nothing but anguish mixed with massive regret.

And then, she looked up and saw Steven's face.

Eyes red from all the crying he had done, tears still streamed down his face, but his expression was different from before. His face no longer had any sorrow, or grief, or misery, but instead was…hollow. He was exhausted, his emotions have long since given out, but his body was still experiencing the agony of losing someone he loved.

He was...despondent. A word Garnet thought she'd never use to describe the boy she loved. Steven's eyes now held the vacant look of a man who had given up on everything they'd ever believed in; the look of a person who had just lost something they'd never get back, no matter what he tried.

She had to help him. Right. Now.

Slowly, she got up, not even bothering to wipe away the tears as she walked towards Steven. Her footsteps disrupted the atmosphere clinging with sorrow as everyone looked up at her, except for Steven.

Once she reached the young child, whose arms were still held out, she crouched down and placed her hand on his shoulder. Puffy brown eyes slowly looked up towards her before she spoke.

"Steven…" Her voice was so weak, not even close to the usually strong and commanding tone that always accompanied her words. Her voice was as quiet as a whisper, shaky and fragile as a leaf in powerful gales of wind. But still, she pressed on, even though the misery and pain coursing from within her very essence was literally tearing her apart. She removed her visor as her three eyes stared into Steven's hopeless brown pupils.

"I'm so sorry; you're going through sorrow no one should ever have to grow through. I...I know right now it seems like the world around you is made of nothing but agony, that your heart is being crushed over and over again, but I promise…" Her arms wrapped around Steven, embracing him a tight hug. "We'll get through this." Her grip on Steven tightened as she brought him even closer to her body. "Somehow, all of us will overcome this pain."

Steven's only response was to sob even harder. Garnet could feel his tears on her torso as his head rested against her chest. The others around her were still crying, but they were now all looking at both her and Steven, slowly standing up and approaching the two Gems.

After several minutes, Steven finally broke away from Garnet's hug as the leader of the Crystal Gems gently grabbed the scorched and shattered pieces of Peridot from Steven's hand. With tears still freely falling as she placed back her visor, the two Gems on her hands were covered in a white glow before a pink bubble suddenly emerged from within the light. Inside the bubble, the broken pieces of Peridot floated within the space of the pink orb as Garnet held the ball between her hands.

"Wha-What are you going to do with her?" Steven asked through his tears, the rest of the crying Gems and one human formed a small circle around her and Steven. It was evident to Garnet that everyone wanted to ask the same thing, but were too busy wallowing in their despair to even open their mouths.

"We give her the peace she deserves," was Garnet's only answer.

And so, everyone went through the door in the back of the room and headed to the Burning Room. Once there, everyone gathered around the pink bubble containing Peridot's remains. They then placed their hands on the bubble, Amethyst and Lapis saying their last goodbyes while the rest were too consumed by their suffering to say anything. Steven was the last one to remove his hand before Garnet let go of the bubble as it floated towards the ceiling and joined a group of other pink orbs filled with Gems.

And with her future vision, Garnet could only see timelines that ended with more death and pain. Despair seemed to be the only thing waiting in future for the Crystal Gems. It was just as horrifying as before when she had been assaulted by sudden visions full of immense agony all those months ago. The only reason she didn't defuse like last time was that she was needed. Steven, and even the other Gems, needed their leader to guide them through this painful time.

After standing in the graveyard of Gems for who knows how long, eventually they all left the Burning Room. Steven and Lapis were the last ones to go, both Gems staring at the orb floating near the ceiling with tears running down their faces before finally leaving along with the rest.

Once they traveled through the temple and back to the Beach House's living room, Garnet had decided to call Greg. Steven needed his father, a human who could empathize with his son far better than any of the Gems could. She explained the entire situation over the phone, and judging from the stunned silence that hung over the line once she finished talking, she could tell Greg was hurt by the news. While he barely knew Peridot, Greg was a loving and caring person who deeply wished for other people to be as happy as his son was. Greg was a man who valued the life's of everyone, even people he did not like as rare as they were, and was one of the reasons why she respected him so much.

So hearing that someone he knew died, hearing the pain and sadness in her voice grow with each word she spoke to him, listening quietly as Garnet revealed his son had seen someone die…it probably made this the worst phone call he had ever received.

After a long moment of silence, Greg told Garnet in a shaky voice he would come to the Beach House to pick up both Steven and Connie. The latter's parents were probably not even aware of what had happened at the amusement park since Greg hadn't even heard about it till right now. Greg then gave Garnet a quiet whisper of "I'm so sorry." That one word was full of so much remorse Garnet could imagine Greg standing near his van with tears brimming in his eyes.

A single barely restrained sob echoing over the line just before Greg hung up confirmed she was right.

Everyone then sat in silence, each Gem and human choosing a different spot to grieve as the endless tears continued to descend down everyone's faces.

And suddenly, Steven's voice broke the sorrowful hush.

"It-It was the Gem." His voice was so meek, so broken that Garnet was shocked that this was the same boy she had said goodbye to not even six hours ago. "Th-The Corrupted Gem…did this. We…" His voice trailed off as he began to sob even harder than before, his entire body trembling as his eyes drowned with grief. "She died… Right in front of us. We didn't see it but…it had to be the Gem. Peridot's dead…" His breathing became heavily labored, intense regret dripping from each word he spoke; the air around Steven was consumed by sorrow and guilt that leaked from the child's body. "Because we…because we didn't stop it."

No one said anything in response to that. They all just stared at Steven, eyes still glistening with tears before everyone lowered their heads and looked at the floor.

Garnet knew why. After all, what would be the point in denying the truth?

When Greg had finally arrived, he looked like he was in physical pain from just staring at one of the Gems and humans for only a second. He quickly ran to Steven and embraced him in a tight hug, fingers digging into his burnt shirt as he glanced at the floor. A sickening familiarity entered his eyes, similar to the look Pearl had when she first heard the awful news.

Steven returned the hug, but it was clear by the way his arms loosely wrapped around his father that his mind was elsewhere. The vacant glint in his eyes told Garnet the child she loved could only feel despair as he cried.

And there was nothing she could do to help him. The tangible feelings of pure anguish radiating from Steven's features made it clear to her that no words would help him right now.

Greg picked his son up before walking over to Connie and crouched down towards her with Steven held against his shoulder. He scooped Connie up with his free arm as the little girl wrapped her arms around Greg's neck in a tight embrace. Garnet could hear Connie's tiny sobs as her grip grew tighter, Greg gently patting her on the back before he turned and faced the rest of the Gems. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but he quickly closed it. Greg then went towards the door before pushing it open and leaving the Beach House with two crying children in his arms.

Several minutes after Greg left, Lapis was the next one to leave. Her eyes were empty, her expression completely void of any emotion. The tears falling from Lapis' eyes were the only indication of the turmoil ripping her very core to shreds. As she exited the house, she slammed the door shut, and through the windows, Garnet saw her fly off until she eventually flew out of sight.

She looked towards the only two remaining Gems. Pearl was sitting on one of the seats near the kitchen counter, tears running down her face, shoulders trembling as she gazed at the wall in front of her. Amethyst was sitting on the couch, knees huddled against her chest as cold tears continued to descend down her purple skin.

Garnet wanted to say something, but she doubted any of her words would have an impact on her friends right now. The sorrow and bleak despair in her features would only be a reminder to her friends as to what they just lost.

So instead, she walked away from her two friends and back into the Crystal Temple. She then traveled to the Burning Room, grabbed Peridot's bubble from the ceiling, and just stared at it.

Which led to her current situation.

The pink orb continued to hover in the air as Garnet wiped away the single strand of tears on her face. She could see that within her very core, underneath the dark blue sky, Ruby had somewhat composed herself as she had finally stopped crying. Sorrow still swirled in her features, but she was still able to soldier on and stop her tears.

Ruby had to be strong for the love of her life.

Sapphire was in a worse state; her crying had only decreased slightly as she kneeled on the tiled floor. Her gloved hands still covering her face as she trembled, misery rushing throughout her features. There were no sheets of ice forming underneath her dress, but the cold sadness that hung from the atmosphere made a frosty wind flutter through the dream-like world.

She knew that Sapphire would blame herself for this, blame herself for not acting on a vision that seemed like an impossible timeline. Even after so many years, she could never tell when or how one of her friends would die; always just as blind as most people as to what fate had in store for her and her family.

It was at moments like these that Garnet wished neither she nor Sapphire had the power to see the future.

Letting out a deep sigh, she grabbed the bubble from underneath its smooth surface and gave it a gentle push upward. It floated back to the ceiling as Garnet walked out of the Burning Room.

She needed to see her team.

Walking through the door that led into the heart of the Crystal Temple, Garnet stood still as she looked at the living room. It was cloudy now, but there were still faint beams of sunshine shining down from the sky through the windows.

Her gaze lingered at the remorseful expression Pearl had on as she looked at the counter. Pearl was standing a few feet away from the table, arms placed near the edge as she did not seem to notice Garnet's presence. Everything about Pearl, from her fragile stance to the way her features seemed to twist and bend with melancholy, showed only a fraction of the agony she was going through.

Garnet's eyes traveled towards Pearl's gemstone, and after a moment's pause, she slowly walked past the Warp Pad to her friend. Once she reached Pearl, she just stood right next to her without uttering a word. Pearl did not look up to face Garnet, her eyes held a hazy gleam that made it clear to Garnet that her friend was lost in her own world of pain and sadness.

So, she slowly and gently placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder. This action immediately snapped Pearl back into reality as the ivory Gem blinked a few times before slowly looking up at Garnet.

"Garnet," Pearl's voice was so quiet, like a twig being battered by a tornado as it desperately tried to survive the storm. The unmitigated waves of anguish that left her mouth were enough to make Garnet take a step back. The vast sorrow that one word emitted into the room made the air around them suffocating. Grief and regret quickly came to life once again within Garnet.

But she would be strong. She could still feel underneath all the horrible fear and sadness piercing her core the faint embers of Ruby and Sapphire's love.

And in these circumstances, love would be the beacon that would guide her past the darkness.

Garnet took a steadying breath before she spoke.

"Pearl," she began before pointing a finger at the white pearl on her forehead. "Your Gem."

Confusion rose in Pearl's expression before her eyes slowly moved up towards her Gem.

And she saw the beams of blue light shining from her white gemstone. Following the path the lights made, she looked down to the counter. Her eyes widened as she let out a gasp; tears formed at the edges of her eyes as she placed a hand over her mouth.

For on the counter, bathed in blue lights, was Peridot. A miniaturized version of their friend stood on top of the counter, her body barely as tall as a coffee mug. The image of their now dead friend blurred in and out of existence, static covering its form every few seconds before it regained its blue shape. The hologram of the green Gem held her tape recorder in one hand, her other arm hidden behind her back as her stance gave off a lecturing air. Garnet could almost hear Peridot going off on one of her theories, whether it be about her favorite TV show or something related to Homeworld, and could almost see the excitement that radiated off of each word she-.

Pearl smashed her fist onto the hologram, the construct of light fading into small wisps of blue as Pearl's entire body began to tremble.

"I'm…I'm sorry," her voice was swelling with unrelenting sorrow, her expression coursing with anguish. "I… I didn't mean-." She couldn't finish as she brought both hands over her eyes as fresh tears leaked down her face. The ivory Gem was crying uncontrollably, horrible sobs of grief escaping her lips as her body began to tremble even harder than before.

Garnet responded by wrapping her arms around her friend and bringing her into a tight hug. Pearl began to cry into her neck, head resting on her shoulders as her arms desperately clung to Garnet.

It had been a long time since any of the Gems had lost one of their own. In the war, they constantly lost people they deeply cared for; to her, it seemed like they were losing at least one friend every day. But back then, they had little to no time to grieve; for they weren't afforded the luxury of slowly accepting the fact that their friends were dead. Instead, they had to fight on in the endless battles of the Gem War, curtly acknowledging that someone had died before quickly moving on to the next fight. All while pushing aside the feelings of sorrow and misery for their lost friends or else those feelings would get them killed.

But when Homeworld had turned every Gem on earth, with the exception of the original Crystal Gems, to mindless and malicious beasts, they all cried bottomless tears that day.

After that, they had made a new home on earth and protected its inhabitants from the Gems that caused destruction to their planet. They had even made friends with a human, Greg, and it seemed like Garnet and the rest of the Gems were finally able to achieve some form of peace.

But then Rose announced she was planning on having a child… And nine months later gave her life to give birth to Steven.

Back then, after it finally settled in that their leader, the beautiful warrior who had led them through countless battles, was gone, they all grieved in private. At that time, when Garnet had only recently become the leader, she thought it would be best for her teammates to grieve alone. She thought that everyone would be able to move past their misery by themselves.

She would not make that same mistake again. Because of her lack of effort to help her team, they still had emotional issues to this day that might never be solved. People needed to talk about their grief with others, at times it might be best to leave them alone, but only for so long was that acceptable. They needed the help of others to get through such awful times.

They needed the people they loved to help them push past the darkness.

As Pearl continued to cry, Garnet held onto her dear friend, gently rubbing her hand on the ivory Gem's small back.

"It's alright Pearl, let it out." Garnet whispered into her ear, her words carrying a soft and warm benevolence that she hoped eased some of Pearl's misery. Her voice held a calming and tender kindness, almost mother-like, as she slowly moved one of her arms under Pearl's chin before lifting her head up. Her visor faded away as she stared into Pearl's sky blue eyes of crushing sadness.

"It's okay to cry. It's okay to feel horrible about this. What is not okay…" Her eyes were understanding, expression swelling with immense sympathy. "Is to keep any of these feelings inside you. When Rose died," Pearl immediately flinched, wanting to look away from Garnet but still choosing to look into her multi-colored pupils. "You locked yourself away from us, choosing to deal with your feelings from the inside, never asking anyone for help or saying how you were really feeling. I realize now that letting you grieve alone for so long was a horrible mistake, but I was too busy trying to deal with my own grief to see that."

Crackling embers of hope and compassion burned in Garnet's features her grip tightened ever so slightly on Pearl's shoulders. "Pearl, you can't keep trying to deal with these sorts of matters on your own. You'll just end up diving deeper and deeper into shadows of grief. Your friends, your family are here to help you. I know talking about what just happened is the absolute last thing you want to do, you want to try and ignore your feelings because their hideous, but you can't. You're not alone Pearl…"

She gave the ivory Gem a small smile, but the amount of benevolence and care in her lips was enough to light up the sullen atmosphere clinging to them. Just slightly, but enough that it made a difference.

"We'll always be here for you, no matter what. We feel your pain because it is our pain. We all lost someone dear to us, and all of us can help each other get through this. You don't have to talk now, but know that even though we've lost so much, we still have each other. Today we lost Peridot, but we still have our family. It's hurt, it's mourning, it's crying, but our family is still here for us."

Pearl stood perfectly still, listening to every word Garnet said with tears still falling down her face. Slowly, she brought her hands up and started to wipe away at the tears on her face. Regret and guilt were still present on her face, but her expression seemed just a tad less sullen than before.

"How… How are you handling this so well?" She asked, her voice was quieter than any whisper, but Garnet still heard it perfectly. Tears began to brim in the corner of her eyes as her lips morphed into a frown.

"I'm not. It's taking me everything I have to stay strong enough to help you; it's taking everything to stay fused. But even amidst all this pain, I can still feel the love that has always kept me from falling apart. It's astonishing really, the power of love. Sometimes I forget just how strong it is in the face of adversary."

A moment of silence washed over the Gems, neither Pearl nor Garnet said anything for a long time. Pearl's eyes were looking down at the floor as Garnet visor materialized back onto her face. She knew that her words had brought up even more unpleasant memories, especially when she mentioned Rose, but she had to do this.

This time, she refused to do nothing as her family suffered from grief that tore away at their very gemstones.

Pearl let out a long breath before she raised her head and looked up at Garnet; her eyes were still wet from all the tears she had just shed.

"…Thank you, Garnet," She eventually spoke, her words still heavy with sadness, but Garnet still heard the gratitude hiding underneath her voice. "I… I just…" Pearl didn't finish, hands rubbing her shoulder as she struggled to get her words out. Garnet could tell by the hesitation spreading throughout her features that she didn't know what to say, even though she wanted to say something.

The leader of the Crystal Gems once again placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"As I said, you don't have to talk now. Just know that you have that option." Garnet said, and Pearl looked less hesitant as she gave Garnet a small smile. But within a few seconds, her smile vanished as regret whirled in her expression. She saw the grief coiling around Pearl's face as her friend looked at the ground with a deep frown.

"Steven… Is taking this even worse than we are, isn't he?" By her tone, Garnet could tell the ivory Gem had come up with her own answer, thinking of every possible way Steven was suffering due to losing someone he loved. Imagining him crying until he had no more tears to shed; thinking about how the grief would leak from his heart and twist his innards with cold maliciousness. Visualizing how the boy who always stayed cheerful no matter what tried to comprehend something like death.

The face Steven had when Greg carried him and Connie outside flashed into her mind, and Garnet found herself unable to look away from the horrible nothingness radiating from his eyes.

"Yes." Garnet answered, not a hint of doubt in her voice.

Steven was strong, stronger than any child his age had any right to be. He had fought alongside them against impossible odds, had never given up when things seemed their darkest. His mother's will to always protect the innocent was embedded into every fiber of Steven's being. He would always be brave and fight whatever evil was trying to hurt his family or is home or even his entire world.

But he was still only a child.

He was a boy who liked to make friends with everyone he could. A boy who liked to watch cartoons and play video games with a jubilant glow in his features. He was a child who always approached life with a smile, someone who could uplift anyone's spirit. He was a kind-hearted boy who acknowledges the dark side of the world, but who always tried to look on the bright side.

But he was still a child who had so much to learn, especially about how cruel life can truly be.

How does someone such as Steven deal with losing someone they love? How does a child who cared so deeply about everything around him deal with death, a force of nature that did not hold any love or hatred for anything and simply takes whoever it pleased? How would Steven Quartz Universe deal with one of his family dying and him being unable to do anything to bring her back?

Steven had lost his mother, but it was before he was even born yet, so he never got a chance to form a physical bond with Rose Quartz. He loved her, of that Garnet and everyone was sure, but since he had never gotten to know his mother, he did not feel the same levels of pain and regret the others did when they told him Rose had given up her life to create him. Since he had never met his mother, he did not have nearly as strong of a connection to her as the other Crystal Gems did.

But Peridot was different.

Peridot Steven had gotten to know. He had learned with the rest of the Gems her flaws, her dreams, her true self-hiding underneath the front of arrogance she wore like her old limb enhancers. He had grown to love the green Gem like any one of his family members because; in his eyes, she had always been one even if they had barely know each other for a year. His connection to the genius was strong, the son of Rose Quartz always smiling whenever he went out into the barnyard to visit her.

Which was why this death would be all the more painful.

This would mark the first time Steven had ever lost someone he knew, someone who he spent time with and who was quickly becoming a big part of his world. The small child had never known what it was like to see someone leave this world and head on to whatever awaited them in the next. He had never actually known how close each one of them was to death every time they went out to fight either Corrupted Gems or forces from Homeworld. This would forever be the reminder that anyone, whether they be Gem or human, could die at any moment and at any time.

This would be the reminder that any of his family can, and one day would, be taken from him forever.

And now, the child who never stopped smiling was dealing with immense anguish that was no one his age should go through. And the sorrow biting at Steven's very essence was made so much worse because he blamed himself for Peridot's death. As Steven continued to think about how he should have done something to save his friend, it would only make his pain that much more suffocating and fierce.

So how on earth was a little boy who had just experienced death in its most vicious form deal with the agony of never being able to see or talk to someone he loved ever again?

This was a question Garnet had been thinking about while she cried throughout the night, and she hated every answer she came up with. And Pearl most likely had similar thoughts to her own, imagining how their Steven would never smile again, and be a lifeless husk of the boy he had once been.

"It's not fair," Pearl's voice broke Garnet out of her thoughts, the fusion noticing Pearl's hands were balled into fists. "I've never seen him look so…empty before. He shouldn't have had to see someone die. He shouldn't have to deal with something like...this."

"No, he shouldn't." Garnet said as she let out a sigh full of regret. "But we all knew there would be a day when Steven would have to deal with the death of someone he cared about."

"That doesn't mean he should have had to watch someone be murdered right in front of his eyes!" For the first-time Pearl raised her voice, she wasn't shouting but there was anger in each word she spoke. "I know that at some point, Steven was going to have someone he loved die, but I…" She trailed off, eyes narrowing as she glanced at the floor. Her expression hardened fury filled her features. "I hoped it would be because of old age. I always hoped that when one of his friends died, it would be because he outlived them. We both know even though Steven's only half Gem, he'll live much longer than the average human lifespan."

Garnet said nothing, choosing instead to listen to Pearl as the rage in her voice continued to grow.

"I always hoped when he did encounter death, he'd get to say goodbye. I hoped it would be peaceful when Steven had to let go of someone he loved. But instead, he had to witness his own family be murdered by some mindless animal! The exact opposite of peaceful!"

Pearl was shaking, but this time not because sadness was clutching her very core, but instead because of a blazing wrath burning from within her features. There was an aggressive fire rising within her eyes as she glared at the floor.

"But now…now, Steven's been traumatized, and there's absolutely nothing we can do to fix it!"

She thrust both of her arms to the side as she looked up at Garnet, accidentally hitting the coffee mug on the table and knocking it off the ledge. It would have hit the floor and cracked into hundreds of pieces were it not for Garnet reacting with astonishing speed. She quickly moved past Pearl, careful not to hit her, extended her right arm and grabbed the mug by its sides right before it made contact with the ground.

Future vision truly came in handy in these situations.

"This is my favorite mug." Was the only thing Garnet said as she looked at Pearl, who couldn't look at her face and instead looked towards the ground. Garnet placed the mug back on the counter. "Please be careful with it."

Pearl said nothing as silence hung in the air between the two Gems. Eventually though, Pearl spoke again as she lifted her head up to Garnet.

"I'm sorry." She said, all previous anger gone from both her words and expression. Sorrow slowly twisted back into her features. "I didn't-."

"It's fine." Garnet interrupted, raising a hand in a placating gesture. "You're right, Steven…has been deeply scarred by this event. There are no questions about that."

Behind her visor, her eyes glanced at the floor as sorrow washed over her features. "We can't do anything to change the fact that Peridot died. Steven's going to feel like his heart's been sliced into millions of pieces."

She looked at the ceiling, and with her future vision the only thing she could see were timelines of Steven being depressed and looking like his soul had been removed from his body.

But she pushed those thoughts away, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she clenched her right fist.

"But just because we can't fix it so Peridot never died, that doesn't mean we can't help Steven. He'll need us now more than ever, and when he's ready to discuss the pain he's going through, we will help ease his grief."

Garnet looked at Pearl, who had tears brimming in the corners of her eyes again, as her lips moved into a thin and stoic line.

"We have to be strong and support each other," Garnet carefully raised her arm and wiped away the tears building in Pearl's eyes before resting her hand on her cheek. "We have to be open with one another Pearl, or else none of us will ever get through this."

Another wave of silence washed over the two as Pearl took a step away from Garnet before turning around and looking towards the windows. Garnet heard her let out a sigh before she turned her head back to face her.

"I don't think everyone will want to discuss how their feeling."

"I know." Garnet quickly replied, the lines on her face scrunching together into a hardened expression. "But eventually, they will have to speak their feelings; otherwise they'll just sink deeper and deeper into darkness. And I will not allow that." Those last words were spoken with a firm and conclusive tone that left no room for arguments. Her voice carried a stern, yet at the same time compassionate, touch as Garnet's expression became a little softer.

"But right now, I understand that no one will want to talk, but that's okay. The pain is still far too fresh and cutting that even thinking about it causes it to grow. Especially for Steven and-."

She didn't finish as she realized there was a Gem she hadn't fully considered as to how she was taking the awful demise of Peridot. She was consumed with thoughts about a heartbroken Steven and helping Pearl that she hadn't really taken the time to think about how one specific Gem was taking this.

Lapis.

She knew that the blue Gem harbored little kindness towards the other Crystal Gems, she did not miss the sidelong glares Lapis would sometimes send her way. While she did not want to kill them anymore, it was clear that the water manipulating Gem was far from trusting to any of the other Crystal Gems. She seemed to be slowly warming up to Amethyst, but for Pearl and herself, at best she tolerated their presence.

But Peridot was the exception.

Peridot had somehow managed to become friends with Lapis in less than a day. Somehow, even though she was responsible for imprisoning her back on Jasper's ship, the green genius was able to get Lapis to see past her previous crimes and accept her. Steven helped, of course, but it was Peridot and her persistence that eventually managed to get Lapis to partially open up to her.

And now, one of the few people she allowed to see past her cold demeanor and showed them her fragile self was dead. And she had seen said person die while she was only a few feet away.

Something told Garnet that they needed to go check on Lapis immediately.

And it was then Garnet began to wonder exactly where Amethyst was. She was surprised that she had not seen the purple Gem sitting in the room. She had expected Amethyst to be in the same state Pearl had been in, miserable and barely holding in tears begging to be released. She wasn't in the temple, Garnet would have past her if she was, and the leader of the Crystal Gems highly doubted Amethyst would have the strength to go out and into the town.

So that left one option.

"Amethyst is at the barn." Garnet's words were a statement, her eyes looking directly at Pearl's face behind her visor. She saw the ivory Gem's eyes widen slightly as she looked around, realization flaring in her expression. It was obvious she had also momentarily forgotten about their other teammate's whereabouts.

"Oh, right, she said she was going to the barn," Pearl said, placing a hand under her chin. "I could barely hear her though; in fact, I'm positive Amethyst has never been so quiet in her entire life." Worry quickly lodged itself into her expression, pushing aside the sadness flooding her face. "She left on the Warp Pad almost an hour ago, she should have been back by now. Garnet, Amethyst might not be in the best state of mind right now. And Lapis is probably taking this as bad as Steven; you saw her last night. I can't believe I forgot about how their taking this and just let her go to the barn when the thing that killed Peridot is still out there! I shouldn't have let her go or at least attempted to talk with-!"

"Pearl," Garnet interrupted, stopping her friend before she could go into a panic-induced rant. It was a bit disorienting seeing the ivory Gem go from sad to angry and then worrying in a matter of minutes, but everyone's emotions were in a state of pure havoc right now, including her own. A part of her was amazed Pearl could feel anything other than misery when she herself was having trouble not focusing on all the remorse swirling within her. If Garnet did not spend hundreds of years controlling her emotions, she probably still be a sobbing mess sitting in the Burning Room as regret cut away at her core. "It's fine. Amethyst will be fine, she might be grieving and in agony, but we of all people know how strong she can be. She'll be back soon, and there are some things about the Gem were battling with that I need to talk with all of you about."

And it was at that moment that the Warp Pad began to emit its signature blue glow. A ray of light stretched and hit the ceiling before it faded as quickly as it came and Amethyst walked off the platform.

She looked just as bad as Pearl did. Her hair was pushed behind her ears which exposed two eyes full of despair. Anguish contorted her features, her very walk highlighting just how much pain was rushing throughout her body. Her head was lowered to the floor as very presence cast off sorrow with each step she took; the atmosphere of the room became even more choking than before as Garnet felt sorrow once again rise and twist inside her chest.

Gone was the nonchalant and lazy attitude that seemed to be entwined to Amethyst's very core, and in its place was frigid grief.

"Hey," Amethyst voice was so quiet; no, that wasn't right, it was broken. Everything about her stance and stride shouted that the purple Gem was hurt beyond words. Amethyst was so close to the deceased genius, it was like Peridot had been her friend for ages. She was the second Gem after Steven who was willing to look past Peridot's sins and at least attempt to accept her as one of their own. She never stopped telling jokes to the genius, even when Peridot kept begging her to stop the string of bad puns; and it was probably due to Amethyst's energetic and cheerful personality that Peridot was so quick to form a bond with her.

And now that bond was the reason why Amethyst had bits of tears building in the corner of her eyes.

"Hello, Amethyst," Pearl said quietly, taking a step out of the way as the purple Gem walked in-between her and Garnet. Amethyst did not even bother to look up to acknowledge either Gems and instead headed for the couch. Pearl glanced at Garnet, expression hesitant as her eyes asked Garnet an unspoken question. Knowing what she wanted, Garnet gave her an encouraging nod before Pearl looked towards the sullen Amethyst still walking away from them.

"How was Lapis?" Pearl asked, and Amethyst stopped walking mid-step, still not turning around to face either Gems.

Garnet knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Was... Was she at the barn?" Garnet could tell that Pearl knew that Amethyst had in fact seen Lapis, and was only asking because she could think of nothing else to say. After all, why else would Amethyst be-.

"What barn?" Amethyst said, turning her head slightly to look over her shoulder. Her voice was bitter. Irritation began to spread throughout Amethyst's expression.

Garnet was not expecting those words as an answer, but whatever Amethyst meant she could not tell. Her expression remained neutral as she looked at the short Gem a short distance away. She couldn't ask her, since she never asked questions out loud, but thankfully Pearl was equally confused as her, which was why she was the first to speak again.

"What do you mean?" She said, raising a delicate brow.

"I mean, there is no barn. Not anymore."

That curt and sharp reply made the confusion in her mind flare up, but it quickly vanished as Garnet instantly realized what Amethyst meant.

"She destroyed it," Garnet said, and the moment the words left her mouth, Pearl's head whipped towards her.

"What?" She said, eyes widening slightly before quickly turning towards Amethyst. "Did she really-?"

"Yep." She interrupted, finally turning around fully to face the Gems as she crossed her arms. "I wouldn't even call what she left of a pile of splinters. She really went wild on that place." She let out a sigh as she looked towards the floor.

Garnet knew that when Lapis was angry, truly furious from the bottom of her core, anything and everything around her could become a potential target for her wrath. The blue Gem's cold rage was a frightening thing, having been on the receiving end of it when she first broke out of the mirror, Garnet knew how violent Lapis could be when she was mad.

She knew that Peridot's death would hurt her, she knew it would be one of the worst pains Lapis had ever gone through. But still, Garnet never would have thought that Lapis would destroy her and Peridot's home.

She supposed that the blue Gem could not take the constant reminder that Peridot would never again step foot in the barn. She couldn't handle the fact that all of Peridot's gadgets or belongings still existed while she did not. Lapis couldn't continue to live in the barn, for every time she would look at it, she would be reminded of the agony that Peridot would never again see the home they had built together.

So, the only solution she could come up with was to destroy the barn in an attempt to bury the pain underneath the rubble.

Garnet knew that wouldn't work, and Lapis knew that fact as well.

"By the time I got to the barn, she had already busted it up," Amethyst said, her voice meek as she kicked at nothing but air. "I tried to see if I could find her, but I came up with nothing."

A long silence hung in the air between the three Gems, the cold atmosphere from before returning with a vengeance. Garnet swore the misery in the room was almost tangible.

"Amethyst…" Pearl spoke again, looking at Amethyst with a sympatric expression. "If you need to ta-." Pearl didn't finish as Amethyst quickly interrupted.

"Don't." The purple Gem glared at Pearl, eyes looking more like arrows now. While she did not raise her voice, the one word she spoke held immense fury. Pearl took a step back, not expecting such anger to come from Amethyst while Garnet's stoic expression remained firmly etched on her face.

"Just don't Pearl. No pretty little speech is going to make me feel better. I don't want to talk about my "feelings" or how "everything will be okay," because it won't be." Amethyst words were like finely sharpen blades that only seemed to grow more hateful with each syllable. "Peri's…dead, and nothing will bring her back." She looked at the ground, her hands clenched into fists as Garnet could see the purple Gem grinding her teeth. "And right now…" Amethyst looked back at the two Gems, her eyes burning with malice; For a moment, Garnet thought she was staring at an entirely different person, she had never seen such a look on Amethyst's face.

"Right now, the only thing I want to talk about is how I'm gonna crush the no good lousy monster that killed my friend."

The fire in her voice kept growing, just like the rage in her eyes. Pearl looked away from Amethyst, her expression slightly hurt as she opened her mouth as if to say something, but then she quickly closed it The ivory Gem did not know how to respond, her eyes glancing towards Garnet with a pleading gleam.

Garnet was looking at the angry Gem only a few feet away from her with the same emotionless face she wore like her signature gauntlets. Honestly, she expected this reaction from short purple Gem. Amethyst had always been one to focus her inner turmoil into anger, channeling her agony into pure rage in an attempt to ease herself from all the pain she was going through. It was just like with Jasper, only this time her fury was even larger since the pain she was experiencing was so piercing. The hatred Garnet saw in Amethyst's expression was so potent because, on the inside, her friend was suffering through absolute torture.

Garnet adjusted her visor before she spoke.

"That's fine." Pearl looked at her with wide eyes as the wrath Amethyst leaked from her core died down, her expression now surprised. There was confusion slowly growing within the purple Gem's eyes as she stared at Garnet. "If you don't want to talk, then you don't have to talk now. No one here will force you to do otherwise." Amethyst now looked shocked at what Garnet was saying. "Just know Amethyst, that if you ever do feel like talking, we will always be here to lend you an ear."

When she finished, small embers of fury returned to Amethyst's expression.

"I doubt I will." She muttered, her voice still as sharp and bitter as before as she looked away from the two Gems in front of her to the side.

"And there's something I need to tell the both of you about the Gem that we've been hunting." That instantly drew the attention of both Gems, Pearl's eyes widening slightly as she remembered what they were about to talk about before Amethyst arrived. The purple Gem meanwhile had a curious gleam in her expression, but just as Garnet was about to speak, they heard the door that led outside opening.

Every Gem looked towards the entrance and saw Greg Universe standing next to the screen door before he closed it. He had a thick, green turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans, beads of sweat traveling down his face as he looked towards the three Gems.

"…Hey," Greg said after a moment, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. Garnet looked at two Gems surrounding her and saw that they were surprised Greg was here. They had all figured he would spend the following days with his grief-ridden son, but since Steven was nowhere in sight, Garnet wondered what exactly Greg was doing away from him.

"Hello Greg," Garnet said as Pearl walked towards the human father of Steven.

"How's Steven?" She asked, the worry in her voice incredibly heavy. Greg looked confused, raising a brow as he looked at each and every Gem gathered in the room.

"Wait, you haven't seen him?" Greg asked.

"No, he's been with you all day…hasn't he?" Amethyst asked, looking up at the taller human as she raised a brow. Greg's expression became frantic.

"No, I mean, he was with me last night but when I woke up, he was gone!" Greg explained, and that one sentence made every Gems' eyes widened.

"What?!" Pearl shouted.

"He's missing?!" Amethyst also shouted, but this time instead of anger, fear gripped her voice.

"I thought he went to talk with you guys!?" Greg's eyes were wide and full of horrible dread as his head swiveled towards every Gem. "If he's not here, then where is he?!"

"We have to find him!" Pearl said, as she ran to the door. "If he's in the town then we have to get to him immediately, especially with the Rouge Gem-." Before she could finish, Garnet interrupted her.

"Stop." That one word was spoke with such harsh finality, Pearl immediately stopped moving just as her hands went to the door. The commanding tone her voice carried made it clear that this was an order no one would disobey.

Seeing that her family was now looking at her with perplexed expressions, Garnet continued.

"It's clear that Steven doesn't want to be with any of us right now. Greg, he left you because he wants to be alone right now. He wants to deal with this on his own."

"But he's-." Pearl began, but was once again interrupted.

"I know that Steven shouldn't be alone, especially now after all that's happened. But if we try to find him, he'll only push us away. Steven has decided to attempt to sort out his feelings on his own, and sometimes people need to be alone from everyone they love to do so." Garnet looked at all three people gathered in the room before letting out a heavy sigh. "But rest assured, the moment any of us see Steven in need of our help, when it seems like he's getting worse and worse as the days go by, we will help. But until then, it would be best to leave him to his own wishes." Her voice lost the authoritative power it once held as it became softer, her words carrying deep sympathy. The logical side of her brain knew that Steven would not talk to any of the Crystal Gems or even his own father. She had expected this reaction, seeing death for the first time would be enough to shock any person to their core, essentially shutting down their capability of feeling anything other than grief. To Garnet it was clear that Steven thought isolation from everyone would be the best course of action, partially because he did not want to talk to anyone about the misery he was experiencing. To the child, that would only make it worse.

And another reason why she didn't go seek out Steven was that he might blame the other Gems for not stopping the beast that killed Peridot. The son of Rose Quartz was always so forgiving to everyone and everything; Peridot and Lapis had tried to kill him and his family in the past, but now, they were his best friends. But the difference here was that where the blue and green Gems had tried to kill the people he loved, but they had failed.

And now that the Gem responsible wasn't here to let out all his inner distress and agony, Steven would direct his pain towards himself…and then to them. And that thought made the misery wrapping itself around her core all the more painful.

So, for now, they would wait for Steven to come them. Not the other way around.

"You know, I think you might be right," Greg said, expression reluctant as his eyes looked to the floor. "Steven… Steven barely said anything to me last night. He just cried and cried and looked at the roof of my van. I practically stayed up all night with him, but he acted like I wasn't there." Greg's voice cracked as he spoke, guilt drenching his expression as tears built up in his eyes. "I've never seen him look so tired…I've never seen my own son look so dead."

Greg quickly brought his sleeve up to his face as he wiped away the tears threatening to spill. His expression held nothing but sorrow, eyes full of glacial regret as he looked down to the floor before letting out a shuddering breath. "I...I don't think Steven's ready to talk to anyone yet. And I ddon't think he will be for a long time." It hurt Greg that his son wouldn't speak to him and instead choose to keep his emotions to himself. It was agonizing to know that someone he loved was suffering and he was forced to do nothing about it.

It was a sentiment Garnet and the others also shared.

"… Steven knows we'll always be here for him." Garnet said after a short silence, adjusting her visor even though it didn't need to be adjusted. "When he feels ready to talk, he will." Before another cold, sorrowful atmosphere could permeate the room, Pearl turned her head to Greg.

"How's Connie?" Pearl asked, face just as worried as it had been only a few moments before. The ivory Gem cared for her precious student just as much as she did for Steven.

That question made Greg uncomfortable, his eyes glancing back and forth from the floor to Pearl before he let out a long sigh.

"She was… not as bad as Steven, but still pretty bad." He said, his expression becoming sullen as his voice dripped with remorse. "Needless to say, her parents weren't happy that I had their crying daughter in my arms. I told them… that she had seen one of my family members die in a big explosion. And that made them a lot less angry, but it also made them very worried about Steven. I answered all the questions I could, heck; they didn't even know there was an explosion at Funland until I told them."

Heavy sorrow radiated from Greg's expression; his words carried only grief as he continued.

"By the end, I said goodbye to Connie and her folks gave me their condolences, saying if we needed anything they would help, and headed to my van… Steven said he saw Connie crying through the windows of her house."

No one said anything after that. For Garnet, the regret whirling within her now clouded her every thought. It took everything she had to not defuse back into Ruby and Sapphire.

Which was why she was glad Greg spoke again, it helped take her mind off her guilt. If only for a moment.

"So what are you guys gonna do now?" He asked, and none of the Gems immediately replied. What was her team going to do? It was a simple enough question, but right now Garnet could not answer it.

"Ain't it obvious?" Amethyst asked, her voice blazing with barely restrained anger as she gestured to the door. "We go to town, step up our search, and find the Gem that did this to Peri and-."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

No one had expected Greg to interrupt Amethyst. Pearl looked confused as she stared at the human. Amethyst had tinges of shock on her face, but it quickly gave way to the beginnings of rage.

Garnet meanwhile looked at Greg with a raised eyebrow behind her visor.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amethyst voice held a dangerous edge as she glared slightly at the taller human.

"I mean, are you sure you guys can…handle this?" He said after a moment's hesitation.

"What!?" Amethyst, and surprisingly Pearl, shouted. Their expressions held a mixture of shock and venomous anger.

"Look, I know you guys are the protectors of Beach City and have been saving the earth for a thousand years but…" Despite the rage emitting from both Pearl and Amethyst, Greg looked them both in the eye before he spoke again. "One of you guys…just died." Those words were enough to quell both Gems anger as sadness pooled in both Pearl and Amethyst expressions. "And I've seen what you've fought against first hand. A woman that could control the ocean, a giant centipede, soldiers from your home planet. You guys have always been able to win against things that would make other people have nightmares for weeks."

Greg's eyes gleamed with an unsettling fright.

"So what the heck kind of monster could actually kill you? After facing all of that, what kind of insanely strong creature are you guys up against right now?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

That was a question Amethyst and Pearl had not considered. To Garnet, it was clear that the two Gems never went over what kind of Gem would be able to kill their dearly loved friend. They had been consumed by their anguish to really focus on one detail.

What exactly were they fighting?

And that was a question that the two Gems could not answer, for they had no idea. Even Garnet only had vague ideas revolving around the mysterious Gem that she had yet to share too the others, but she was just as uncertain as the others were about what exactly they were battling.

"Greg, I understand your concerns, but what do you suggest we do?" Pearl said, her eyes narrowing at the human as her voice held tinges of anger. "We can't leave whatever just killed Peridot in Beach City. We have to defeat it and bubble it, which is what we've been doing for hundreds of years." The last words the ivory Gem spoke were laced with scorn, but Greg was not even the slightest bit perturbed as he continued to gaze right into Pearl's eyes.

"I understand that but-."

"If you think we should just sit on our butts and do nothing about the Corrupted Gem, then that's got to be the stupidest suggestion I've ever heard." Amethyst interrupted as she took a step closer to Greg. Her expression became furious as she glared at the human. Each word she spoke burned hatred, Garnet would never have thought that Amethyst could get this mad at Greg, someone she loved so much. "There is no way we're gonna let that Corrupted Gem escape, not after what's its done to us. So, I suggest you just-."

"It's not a Corrupted Gem." Garnet interrupted, wanting to stop Amethyst before she said something she'd regret. Her calm words instantly drew the attention of everyone, Amethyst no longer glaring at Greg as her expression rose with confusion.

"What?" The purple Gem asked as Garnet looked towards Greg.

"Greg, you said Peridot…exploded." Just saying that word filed Garnet's mind with images of the green genius being swallowed by bright red flames. She could see Peridot's face twisted in unimaginable agony, hear her screams before the last bits of her life faded away.

But she could not dwell on those thoughts; otherwise, the sorrow swelling within her would cause the leader of the Crystal Gems to defuse. So, she pushed asides those thoughts, with an extreme amount of difficulty, before continuing.

"Steven never told us how Peridot died. There are certain things that I need you to explain."

Greg looked a tad hesitant as he most likely went over whatever gruesome details his son had told him regarding Peridot, but after rubbing the back of his head he spoke.

"He said that Peridot…was really injured. He said that she had cracks all over her body, and even on her gem." Garnet considered each new detail carefully in her mind, using the logical and stoic part of her in order to ignore the terrible grief rushing through her body. "He said that just before he got a chance to heal her, she just blew up. He didn't see the Gem anywhere nearby, but he was sure it had to be hiding somewhere."

Garnet took in this new information with a simple nod of her head as she placed her fingers underneath her chin. "Well, that confirms that."

"Garnet, what are you talking about?" Pearl said, confusion spreading throughout her expression before Garnet spoke.

"I'm saying that what we've been hunting is far more dangerous than we first thought." She paused, eyes glancing at each person in the room to make sure she had their full attention before she continued. "No Corrupted Gem we've ever face has been this stealthy. We all thought that maybe the Corrupted Gem had retained a semblance of the Gem it once was, but even if it had some form of intelligence, it wouldn't be able to avoid us for so long. That means that this thing's something else entirely."

Behind her visor, her eyes narrowed.

"I believe that we're facing something from Homeworld."

The moment the words left her lips, fear twisted and consumed every inch of her friends' expressions. The atmosphere reminded Garnet of one of the Crystal Gems darkest moments, them standing against Jasper's ship in a useless last stand. They all knew that the chances of them winning were beyond slim, but despite the crippling terror they all felt, they still stood their ground.

The shadows of cold dread and intense horror now dancing in the room were exactly like that terrible moment.

"Homeworld?" Amethyst said, eyes wide and full of shock as her mouth hung open.

"That can't be." Pearl said, as she shook her head. She wasn't in denial; instead, the ivory Gem's eyes gained an analytical edge to them as she placed a hand underneath her chin. "We would have seen them coming light years away. The Galaxy Warp Pad is still broken, so there's no way they could get to earth without using their ships. And if they did, they wouldn't bother trying to be stealthy; they'd just try to annihilate us right from the start."

Garnet was aware of these facts, and hearing them out loud only seemed to further highlight how unlikely her theory was. But it was the only explanation that made sense.

"I know it seems impossible, but think about it. The missing people, the fact we haven't found a single clue as to what the Gem even looks like, and that it has been able to take people from their very homes without anyone noticing is highly suspicious." The events happening within Beach City were strange, even for her, and had to be a part of something bigger. They had to be caused by something truly cruel. "I have no idea how, but I think somehow Homeworld sent someone to do something to the people of Beach City. And Peridot found the Gem responsible, and then they killed her before she could tell us what was going on. For some reason, they're taking the women of Beach City because they have a part to play in this plan."

"Garnet, I can't see any possible reason why Homeworld would want a bunch of humans. I mean, when have they ever done something-."

"The Zoo." Garnet sternly reminded Pearl about that wretched place, who immediately stiffened as she stopped talking, looking to the side and away from the Fusion. "It might be for an entirely different purpose, but I'm positive Homeworld is responsible for this. Steven said he saw Peridot's body had cracks in it just before she died in an explosion. Homeworld Gems are the only things I can think of that can do that much physical damage to a gemstone. And the fact that they were able to kill Peridot while hiding from sight means we're dealing with something with incredible cunning and strength. And no Corrupted Gem could ever match that description. It's the only thing that could explain everything that's been happening to our home."

When she was finished, everyone gathered looked lost in their thoughts, taking in the information slowly as the gears in their mind shifted into place.

"So…chances are high that Homeworld has sent some kind of big bad Gem to Beach City to complete a mission. But what could they be up to?" Greg said, voice thick with confusion as he looked towards the other two Gems in the room for help. Unfortunately, Garnet could tell that they were equally as lost as him.

"If they are responsible for all of this, then I really don't have a single idea as to why." Pearl said before looking towards Garnet. "What do you think we should do?"

"For now, we can do nothing but wait. I doubt the Gem will strike after drawing so much attention to itself. We'll triple our efforts to protect Beach City, and make sure no one else will die."

Garnet's voice held such burning conviction, behind her visor tears began to well up in her eyes as she was once again consumed by images of Peridot's broken gem pieces in Steven's cold hands. Around her, everyone once again grew remorseful, their eyes swirling with sorrow as they to remembered their dead friend.

Behind her visors all Garnet could see a dark monster, face obscured by shadows as it stared at them with vindictive glee. It was the same monster that had killed her friend. The same monster that was responsible for all of this agony.

The same monster responsible for traumatizing her Steven.

And then Garnet felt something rise inside her.

"And besides, they've already made a mistake. And it will cost them dearly."

Her voice was completely void of emotion; her eyes were narrowed as she walked towards the kitchen counter.

"What's that?" Greg asked.

Garnet was now standing next to the counter as she realized what exactly was rising inside her.

Anger.

It was rare that she ever felt this emotion. Truly felt it as it embedded itself firmly into her core. Swallowing every single thought she had as her hands clenched into fists.

It wasn't the same type of anger as Ruby's; her rage was like blazing columns of scorching red heat ripped straight from the sun's core. When compared to Ruby's, Garnet's anger wasn't even remotely similar to the Gem that made up her very being.

No, Garnet's fury was so much worse.

Whereas Ruby's hatred was searing and blazing, never-ending flames that would burn everything in its path to ash, Garnet's was cold. Like Sapphire's anger, except even colder. Garnet's rage was frigid, giving her vivid clarity of whatever enraged her as an eerie calmness would envelop her body. Her anger was like a blizzard, a storm of glacial coldness directed at the person who would never be able to escape her wrath.

For whoever succeeded in making her angry would soon find themselves on the receiving end of her fists that could, and had, crush literal gems.

She raised her right arm into the air and without a word slammed a fist into her favorite mug. Pieces of porcelain went flying in every direction as everyone else in the room let out a gasp before ducking away from the jagged chunks.

And then, she spoke. Her voice like a glacier, an arctic chill secreting from each word that left her lips. Every single word that left her mouth was made of nothing but sub-zero hatred.

"They. Pissed. Me. Off."

More gasps escaped her friends' lips, for it had been a long time since she had cursed. A part of her was relieved when the words left her mouth, human curse words always perfectly captured one's anger and just felt good to say.

But that part was crushed underneath the mountain of cold fury that turned her into a barely restrained berserker. And when she found whatever killed Peridot…she might have to take back the promise she made with Rose.

The promise to never again shatter another being.


It was cold out, so he had grabbed his spare pink coat and matching pink boats he kept in the van before leaving his still sleeping dad. But his clothing didn't help fend off the unrelenting chills at all, and his body grew colder with each and every second that past.

And the pain stabbing into Steven's very soul became more agonizing with each new building he saw.

He had no idea where he was going, but when he woke up the urge to leave his Dad's van overwhelmed him. Last night he had tried to get Steven to talk to him; to try and console him and remind him that he would always be there for him, but Steven could barely hear his Dad's words.

All he could hear were Peridot's screams. All he could see was how close he was to healing her before she had been murdered right in front of his eyes.

Several times throughout the night his mind was consumed by memories of his friend. Memories that had once made Steven laugh and smile now caused his heart to crumble into thousands of pieces. Each time Steven tried to push aside the flashes of Peridot, new images of his green friend would reappear as misery pierced his soul.

And then, he heard her.

"I warned you." Bismuth had said in almost singsong-esque voice. Steven could almost see the rainbow-haired Gem standing with him in his dad's van, a grin plastered on her face as she stared down at the son of Rose Quartz. She didn't even need to say anything else as her very presence was the reminder that Steven had failed. That it was his fault for not stopping the Corrupted Gem. That it was his fault he wasn't strong enough to save his own family.

The pain and despair consuming him were his punishment for being such a useless Gem.

And his dad wanted him to talk about how he was feeling? His dad wanted to hear about his self-loathing, how he had been hearing Bismuth voice in his head, how he thought he'd never live up to his mother and how the sorrow eating away at his heart was making him feel like he was dead on the inside?

No, he couldn't do that to his dad. He couldn't force his burden on to his own father or any of the Gems.

So Steven chose to grieve in silence, tears continuing to fall down his face as his dad gave him a hug that, for the first time in his life, he did not return.

He was not sure when exactly he fell asleep, but his dreams only made his agonizing guilt so much worse. He was once again in Funland, once again only a few feet away from saving Peridot. The only difference was that this time they were the only ones there, and the lights from the decorations were turned off, darkness covering the area but he could still see the green Gem. Her body just as wounded as before. Her expression just as scared and hopeless as when she was swallowed by the explosion that took her life. He ran towards his friend, hand dripping with his healing spit as he reached out to touch her. This time his hand was only inches away from healing all the pain she had been forced to suffer through, and for a moment he thought he might actually make it.

Until something stopped him dead in his tracks.

Just as his hand was about to touch Peridot, something slammed into his gut. It had the force of a train, even stronger than one of Jasper's punches, and easily sending Steven off his feet as he careened through the air. Steven let out a painful cry before he crashed back onto the wooden planks of the amusement park.

And as he crashed, he saw Peridot face once again contort with pure agony before she was swallowed in a massive fireball.

Steven quickly stood up and could only watch with eyes filled with horror as he watched Periodt's body parts fly into the air. Legs, arms, torso, visor, and even her head spiraled into the sky before crashing back down onto the ground.

Tears fell down his eyes; sorrow that crushed every part of his body swallowed him as he collapsed onto his knees. But before the glacial despair could fully submerge him, Peridot's body began to shake.

Steven looked through his tears and saw the pieces of Peridot trembling violently now, and before he even had a chance to wonder what was happening, they lifted themselves off the ground before floating to spot the green Gem had once stood. The pieces of his friend began to merge, limbs and appendages fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle, and before he knew it, he was staring at Peridot's fully assembled body. But instead of making him happy, the sight of his friend alive again only made the pit of anguish in his body grow even more. Cracks were once again on her body, eyes full of desperation as she looked up at Steven before shouting.

"STEVEN!"

Not even bothering to wipe away the tears, Steven ran towards his beloved friend, this time looking out for anything that dared to try and stop him from saving her. He licked his hands as his legs moved as quickly as they could, now only a few feet away from Peridot as he extended his arm as far as he could.

And just like before, something plowed into his gut with immense power as he let out another scream of pain.

And once again, Peridot exploded.

This time when he crashed, he went into a small tumble on the wooden planks before he got up as quickly as he could. He saw the pieces of Peridot's body crash onto the ground, saw them rapidly reform at the same spot as before as the green genius extended a hand towards Steven, eyes still leaking with unimaginable fear.

"STEVEN!"

He ran faster than he ever had before, tears still plummeting down his face as he made it to his friend within seconds.

But the invisible force would not let him save his friend. He once again found himself careening through the air before hitting the ground face first as the strength from the unseen ghost made Steven's body bounce painfully off the planks.

And bright orange flames once again consumed Peridot.

And her body was quickly reassembled before she once again screamed his name.

"STEVEN!"

This continued for a long time. Steven running to save his friend, the invisible and powerful something stopping him every time, an explosion killing his friend before her body parts once again reformed. This process happened over…

"STEVEN!"

And over…

"STEVEN!"

And over again.

"STEVEN!"

When Steven once again found himself crashing onto the wooden planks, dark purple bruises adorning every part of his body with his clothes ripped in so many places, he did not get up. He had lost track of how many times he failed to save Peridot now, face lying on the wooden planks as blood dripped down his forehead. He slammed his arm onto the ground with enough force to leave a sizable hole in the wood, uncontrollable tears now descending rapidly down his face.

Why couldn't he save her? Why was he so pathetic.

And then, Steven heard something walking towards him from behind.

Slowly, he lifted himself off the ground, and what he saw horrified him. It was more malicious than Jasper. More frightful than any Corrupted Gem he had ever faced and dripped with such horrible hatred that Steven could not even breathe.

He could barely remember a single detail of the dark and cruel creature, except for one thing.

Cold, emotionless pink eyes that guaranteed his suffering glared at him with menacing contempt.

He woke up with a scream, heart pounding in his chest, sweat dripping down his forehead as he looked towards the still sleeping form of his dad. He hadn't woken him up, and Steven suddenly was hit with an unrelenting need to run out of the van.

Which now led him to his current situation.

He wandered through a city that should have been full of people with smiles but was now as desolate as the desert Steven had found Lion in. The few people that he did encounter on the streets seemed to be in a rush to get off them, fear etched onto their faces as they dashed back to their homes. Steven had seen a rather large group of people gathering outside the mayor's office, shouting and questioning what was going on in their town.

It was clear that the people were terrified; who wouldn't be after seeing someone explode? And right now, they were looking towards their leader to try and answer their questions.

Steven didn't look at the group for too long as he continued to wander, the pain and misery twisting his heart growing with each step he took. A numbness was spreading throughout his body as the pain grew, his expression becoming hollow as his frown deepened. His eyes were red and puffy, his tears staining his jacket as he continued to walk aimlessly.

All while his mind's version of Bismuth chuckled as he sobbed harder by the second.

Steven did not know what do now; he had never felt so lost or hurt in his entire life. He had known that there was always a chance someone he loved could die, he seemed to have to fight against new enemies and monsters on a weekly basis, but he was always sure he could protect them. He thought that with all his abilities, with all his improvements the Gems said he made, he could always help and save the ones he loved no matter what.

Clearly, he could not have been more wrong.

He had briefly wondered how the others were taking Peridot's death, the tears descending down everyone's face was still fresh in his mind, and for a moment he considered going to the temple to check on the Gems. He ultimately decided against it, since they would see his exhausted face and immediately be worried about him, which was the last thing they needed when they were already dealing with something so horrible.

That, and he knew that they would try to get him to talk about his thoughts and feelings, which was the absolute last thing he wanted to do right now.

He crossed one of Beach city's main streets to get to the opposite curb, wondering what exactly was the point of coming here. All he had felt since he left his dad's van was despair and sadness, and those only grew stronger with each minute that passed. What was even-?

Suddenly, he felt something grab the back of his jacket as he was suddenly jerked off his feet and placed back on the curb he had just walked off of.

And just before a car zoomed right over the spot he had just been standing on. He realized how close of a call that was. He had been extremely close to getting hit by the zooming car.

"You must be more careful," A kind voice said from behind Steven, his words holding a warmth that seemed to make the atmosphere around Steven just a tad brighter. "You never know where danger lurks."

Slowly, Steven turned his head and saw a familiar gentleman with blonde hair and nice blue suit standing over him with a small smile.

"Hello, Steven," Araki Hirohiko said, his smile becoming a little bigger as he crouched down so that his face was only inches away from Steven's own.

"Mr. Araki," Steven said, his voice absolutely miserable. Never before had he heard his own words sound so broken. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Why…" He trailed off, bringing his hand to Steven's face as he carefully wiped away at some of Steven's tears. "To see you, of course."

For some reason, the expression Arak looked at him with, the one that seemed to emit a gentle and benevolent glow, the smile that was one of the brightest and most kind Steven had ever seen…uneased him, slightly.

To Be Continued~

And that's a wrap! This chapter was something new for me, since I have never written characters reacting to death before, but I hope I represented each character correctly and gave them appropriate reactions. I know this chapter was shorter than the last one, but I can promise you the next one will have some deliciously sinister moments with Kira and some dire developments.

Also, in the next chapter, once again Josuke will most likely not appear. But I can guarantee you all that in two chapters Josuke will meet the Crystal Gems… Though, it might not be in the way you're thinking.

As usual, if anyone has any thoughts, suggestions, or predictions as to where this story is going, don't be afraid to say so in the reviews! This is the Black Mage of Phantasm signing off. Peace!