Citrine Part 11
Steven was in the Kindergarten, it was eerie as ever. The injector was still broken, and there was still fog. There wasn't any sort of sound. He hoped Peridot wasn't here. Lion bent down and started sniffing, like a dog would. He just sat on Lion while he walked and sniffed.
"What are you doing Lion?" Steven asked, hoping that maybe Lion could talk and he was just hiding it from him. Lion didn't do anything but keep on sniffing, much to Steven's disappointment. They went by a hole in the Kindergarten. Then it dawned on Steven, this was Amethyst's hole! Lion had stopped. Then, as soon as he stopped Lion started to run. They ran all the way to a field, where Lion abruptly stopped. Lion started to look around.
"Lion what gives? We've been to tons of places! There was the site that Amethyst first went to Citrine with, then in Beach City, and now here!" Steven said. He was actually gald that the first place they went to didn't have any gem monsters. Lion still didn't answer Steven. Steven decided to use this chance to look around the field for clues to where Citrine and Amethyst could be. He got off Lion to search around the field, Lion followed him. After a few minutes fo searching he decided to get back on Lion.
Lion roared. A portal appeared. Steven hoped this wouldn't be another bust. This was getting tedious.
With Citrine, Amethyst, and Peridot…
Peridot finally told me everything. I actually felt bad for the poor gem. She didn't know what she was doing was wrong, she's only a few thousand years old for crying out loud. I was frustrated for lack of better terms. Those Crystal Gems destroyed any way of her getting home, poor thing. I decided to have mercy and compassion. I let her stay with Amethyst and I.
"I can't believe those gems, they destroyed your ship, the Homeworld warp, and your escape pod." I say. I decide to make a fire, make the mood a lot more, light I should say? I gather up a bunch of sticks. I rub two together as fast as possible, within a minute, a fire is born. Peridot looks confused.
"What is this?" She asks me. Has she never seen fire? Wow, I knew Homeworld never made fires, but has she never been to other planets? I guess not, she is a service gem.
"It's a fire dude. You know, warms you? You should know this stuff." Amethyst says before I get the chance.
"Don't think you're so smart you clod!" Peridot says. Amethyst started to shout angrily.
"I'm not a clod you clod!" Amethyst yelled back. I couldn't help but snicker. This was kind of funny.
"You're one of the reasons I'm stuck on this miserable planet!" Peridot yelled back, she stood up, looking down at Amethyst. Amethyst stood up too.
"I don't care! You deserve it anyway!" Amethyst retorted.
"You're just a Crystal Clod, what do you know about what I deserve?" Peridot asked. Well maybe not asked, it seemed like a rhetorical question.
"I told you I'm not a damn Crystal Gem!" Amethyst shouted angrily in return. I decided to wait this out, who knows what might happen.
"Well you're just a, um- just an overcooked Kindergarten gem! What can you do? You're just a mistake!" Peridot yelled. Amethyst just looked at her, now at a loss for words. She looked very sad. I, on the other hand was not dealing with this kind of bullshit.
"Get. Out." I say, nearly under my breath.
"What, did I break a nerve?" Peridot mockingly asked.
"Yes!" I yell. I summon my weapon and swing it at her. She is able to just dodge barely. She tries to make a cannon out of her fingers but I jump right above her. I kick her from the air. She obviously is a coward, because she started to turn her fingers into a helicopter type thing and started to fly off.
"Goodbye you clod! I hope Yellow Diamond smashes you once I tell her about this! What could you do t me anyway? You're just a defective gem who can't do anything right!" She yells bitterly. I stop in my tracks when I try to fly up to her. That makes me think of Yellow Diamond a lot. I can hear the words in my head now.
"You are just cluttering up Homeworld and need to be disposed of" She said. I feel like I want to cry. That's a defective thought, I so defective and a mistake! "Get her! There can't be any Citrine's left! Make sure you shatter her! She has a defect" The last part echoes through my mind. I want to get up in a ball and cry, but I have to stop Peridot. I fly up to her. I'm getting close. I bring my fist out. Now new words come into my fragile mind.
"If you step out of line, I will end you." Pearl had said coldly a long time ago. Why hadn't anyone liked me? "This is all because of you!" She said when I made Rose retreat into her gem. I didn't do that.
'I didn't do it! It's not my fault! I-I didn't. I'm just a mistake! I should have been shattered long ago!' I think to myself. I stop flying again. At least a few salty droplets of water fall to the ground. I look in front of me, Peridot is still going. I have to stop her. I start hearing voices again.
"Look at you, you can't fight. You are worthless. You must be a non-fighting gem. You don't belong here. I can't wait to shatter you, I will laugh so hard. You little brat." The Jet gem long ago said. I had killed her, I had maliciously shattered her. I'm a horrible gem! Those Crystal Gems had no problem saying it.
"What are you? An idiot? We were going to take her to our side! She was almost there! She would have been a useful ally! Now you just killed her! You are just a defective gem not able to do anything right! First you almost kill me, then you put Rose in danger, then you disobeyed an order, went out of the plan, and now you just lost us a very powerful ally! You just can't do anything! You're reckless behavior has gotten us nothing but trouble!" Pearl had screamed at me. It echoed through my mind. I started flying towards Peridot, with lots of anger. My fist was all the way out, and I put all my energy in it.
"I'm Citrine! And you can't treat me this way anymore!" I had yelled to the Crystal Gems. I'm so close to Peridot now. I make sure all my energy is in my fist.
"NOOO!" I roar into the air, maybe even to Peridot. I feel my fist hit something, and then go through it. I look down. My fist was through Peridot. It was only a split second before the green gem retreated into her triangular gem. I held her gem in my palm. I want to crush it. I feel so conflicted. I fly back down to the ground, to the person I want to protect the most, Amethyst. She is sitting down, knees to her face. I kneel down next to her. I try to talk to her. Meanwhile, my mind is racing.
"Amethyst?" I say. It was a question, but I knew it probably wouldn't have an answer. I start to think about Peridot's gem. That green little monstrous gem's life is in my hands, but who is the monster here?
'She's just only about 2-3000 years old! Just a child! She doesn't know any better. Don't do it.' Part of me says. I want to believe it, but before I can make my decision another part of me speaks up.
'She knows enough to know the most hurtful insults. You know you'd like to crush it. Dying is a normal part of life.' Another part of me says with a bitter tone. I want to crush it, but I'm not a monster. I'm not sadistic. I can't. I fly up in the air and throw the gem as far away as I can. I hope it's long gone. I go back down to Amethyst. For some reason I start to think about my horrid past again.
"Amethyst, please talk to me." I plead to Amethyst. I hear sniffling. "I need someone to talk to!" I can hear myself say thousands of years ago, when I was stuck in the chest.
"Citrine… I'm sorry. I just can't do anything right." Amethyst says just barely above a whisper. "I just can't do anything anymore." I hear myself think years and years ago. I put my hand on Amethyst's back
"Amethyst, don't think that about yourself. You are great. What a stupid green gem says can't change that." I say to her, also just above a whisper. "Maybe those gems were right. I am reckless and a mistake." I can hear myself say a long time ago. This is just like many years ago, I can't let this happen to the person I love most.
"I know, it's just, Pearl and Garnet, they probably have always hated me. They resent me for being a Kindergarten gem." Amethyst says, letting her head off her knees. Her hair is messier than ever, there are tangles everywhere. Her face is wet from tears. This breaks my heart, I just hate to see her sad. I grab part of her hair to untangle. More thoughts go into my head. "Do you know how hard it is? Being out of place?" I remember saying to Amethyst a few weeks ago. I let that question go through my mind.
"Amethyst, if those stupid gems resent you, then they don't deserve any reason to be in your thoughts." I say, letting my fingers run through her beautiful hair, and undoing any tangles. Her pale purple hair glistens in the moonlight.
"Would it be better if I was a Homeworld gem? Then everyone would like me." Amethyst says. She can't be doubting herself like this. I remember how I used to doubt myself like that.
"Amethyst, you are beautiful just the way you are. You should be proud of your heritage." I say, finally finishing untangling her hair. I embrace her into a hug, she hugs me back. This makes me think of my final memory that night, this one of every time Amethyst and I had hugged.
With the Crystal Gems…
Garnet had finally warped back into the temple. Pearl was pacing frantically. She had looked at the piece of paper on the counter at least ten times. Lapis was on the couch, the same position she was in when she first got there, three hours ago.
"Garnet, there you are! Steven is missing!" Pearl said to Garnet, she yelled because of how on edge she was. Garnet didn't have any emotion on her face, until she processed what Pearl had said.
"What?" She said. She was a little harsh about it.
"I don't know! I was in my room, and I went outside to find her ere and Steven gone!" Pearl stated, pointing at Lapis, who gave a sheepish wave in return.
"We'll deal with Lapis later, but I do have one question for you." Garnet said, the fusion gem turning towards Lapis.
"What is it?" Lapis said, silently swallowing a lump in her throat.
"Do you have any idea where Steven could be?" Garnet asked. Lapis pondered for a moment, but she thought of something.
"He could have went looking for Amethyst and Citrine." Lapis said. She soon realized she had given out more information than she thought.
"How do you know about that?" Pearl asked, now looking interrogative.
"Well I-I, prior to this, was with them." Lapis said, stuttering slightly. Garnet adjusted her glasses.
"That does seem like a probably place for Steven to be, but there is no warp pad. Lapis, how long did it take you to get here?" Garnet said.
"About two hours." Lapis said, grabbing her own arm. Garnet moved her mouth in a manner that showed she wasn't happy about this.
"We are going to have to go by foot." Garnet said.
"I guess I we have to." Pearl said. She didn't look fond about this whole situation, Lapis didn't blame her. Garnet and Pearl started to walk about of the beach house's door.
"Oh, and Lapis? You can come too." Garnet said. "Consider yourself part of the team." Lapis jumped up from the couch and went out of the door. The slamming of the beach door made the paper on the counter blow off.
Back with Citrine and Amethyst…
Amethyst and I let ourselves out of each other's embrace. I sat down. Amethyst sat next to me. We were both silent, we didn't know what to say. It was a silent as it was in the chest. The damned chest. I heard a noise, and I saw a glow on me. I looked over, there was a portal! I jumped up, Amethyst did as well. The first thing I saw was a pink Lion, then Steven. Steven looked up, then jumped off the lion.
"Amethyst! I'm sorry!" He yelled. He ran towards Amethyst, she backed up in return.
"Go away Steven." Amethyst said. Steven started to look sad.
"Amethyst, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, come back." Steven said.
"I am never going back there Steven, you just don't know the extent of the situation." Amethyst said. I could feel her uncomfortableness from here.
"Why are you here? In case you couldn't tell from out last meeting, we don't want anything to do with the Crystal Gems anymore." I say.
"Just go away." Amethyst says, turning her back. Steven is still persistent.
"Please! Citrine, Amethyst, I know you aren't bad, you're just misunderstood. I get it, you know, sometimes I feel like the gems want my mom, not me. I know that the gems love me though." Steven said. Amethyst turns back to Steven, sorrow in her eyes.
"Steven, you're okay little dude, but I can't go back to Pearl and Garnet, I just can't. I'm my own gem now, not part of any team." Amethyst says. Steven looks a little relieved.
"Tell me why." Steven says, he is so persistent. I cross my legs mid-air while Amethyst sits down. We decided to tell him. "Just tell me about you guys. I don't want to be held from information anymore."
"Okay." I say. I take a deep breath. "It started many, many years ago…"
A/N: If you get the reference I put in here, you are cool with me. (Hint: One of the attacks she did.) I thought I wouldn't be able to get this done for a while, but I was able to. There's another good story that I like out there. It's called Mistake, it's by Sunlight Halation. I'm a little sad. This fanfic will come to a close soon, just a few more chapters including the epilogue. I have a new story in mind. It's going to be Amethyst's story, and it goes along with this story. I just love having two sides to one story. I had an idea to have another story with the Crystal Gem's side of things, but I think I did enough Crystal Gems in this story. There might be some one-shots in the future. Don't worry, there's still a little bit of this fic left. I'm thinking about 2-3 chapters and the epilogue left. Yellow Diamond WILL arrive next chapter. I actually looked back at other chapters for this one. Enough of my comments, I'll end on my usual note. I hope you like my fic so far! Don't forget to leave a review!