Disclaimers in chapters 1, 2, 16, and 20. :)
AN: I just started my new position at work this week, so updates might be a bit slower. Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers! Your support means a lot.
The Mountain Spire, Pearl found out with dismay, had not been unaffected by the earthquake. Cracks now lined the stone floors. Once proud columns leaned dangerously and the veteran Gem eyed them with sad wariness, sad that such beautiful Gem craftsmanship would be lost soon. Her steps made no sound as she made her way across the main entryway to the staircase. A strong gust swept through the building, making the pillars sway ominously. Pearl paused, sky blue eyes scrutinizing the structure's stability, and decided she could get to the stairs safely. Moving quicker than before, she made it to the stairs. When she reached the highest floor, she went over to the large archways meant for observation. She could see everything the quake had done to the surrounding landscape. Fallen trees lay on their sides with their roots exposed, and a streak of freshly deposited earth revealed another landslide.
A frown on her face, Pearl noted with discomfort that it looked similar to the one Howlite had created back in the war. The memory still remained blurry. The feel of her glaive in one hand, and when that had been shattered she recalled having used her two swords, fighting against the impossible odds until she faced Howlite alone. Pearl remembered the sensation of her swords breaking as they slashed into the enemy's gem, remembered how Howlite had cracked her gem in return before she shattered into pieces at Pearl's feet. Shaking herself from the memory Pearl resumed her watch for Garnet.
From the window where she kept watch, the precarious stability of the lower floors became much more apparent leaving the lone Gem to doubt her decision to stay upstairs. Each time the wind passed through it grew more and more certain that the courtyard below would collapse taking the rest of the Spire with it, or at the very least half of it. Before she could turn to descend the stairwell again, a flash of red and black sprinted out of the tree line. The overwhelming relief that rushed over her wiped any thought other than 'She's alive' out of her head, to the point she still hadn't moved when the entire tower came crashing down around her. A moment of weightlessness passed. Then she fell; down, down, down until she hit the bottom with a heavy thud. Garnet called her, but for some reason it sounded distant.
"PEARL!" Garnet shouted. The Mountain Spire toppled before her eyes, and she could see Pearl's small frame in its falling debris. Large chunks of stone blocked her view as she pushed forward punching away broken pieces of the tower. Searching through the rising dust, the fusion's heart sank when she saw what remained of the Mountain Spire. "Oh no." Panic bubbled up, but she shoved it back down. Gauntleted hands clawed through the wreckage, digging feverishly to get to her mate. Soothing whispers at the edge of her being assured her Pearl would be fine. She had been tough for longer than she knew her, the part of her Garnet recognized as Sapphire reminded. The part that was Ruby agreed, drawing forth the memory of the day they'd met her.
Garnet hoped they were right. Even with her future vision, the taller Gem didn't know what would happen when she found Pearl. Finally, she found Pearl's hand. It twitched limply. Pulling the rest of the debris off Pearl, Garnet gasped at the spider web cracks radiating from the upper right side of her gem. Her gauntlets vanished in a red glow, shaky hands brushing along the cracked surface. The earlier panic returned, and she couldn't push it away this time. Her face didn't change in case Pearl saw her worrying and got worse.
Powder blue eyes opened to watch the hot pink fusion, exhaustion clear in them as they took in every detail of the stoic face before them. Try as Garnet might she couldn't hide her fear and worry from the swordfighter. A weary smile flitted across her face, her hands rising to rest on her chest where Garnet could see them. When her mate's attention turned to her face, she smiled again. I'm okay, really. It's just a few tiny cracks, that's all. She tried brush off her injuries as nothing to worry about, but from the look Garnet gave her it wasn't working. If her love was that concerned, then her gem had to be more damaged than she thought.
Even though she wasn't sure if she could, the white Gem focused on the contents of her gem for their bag. It took all her remaining energy to summon it, pushing it weakly to Garnet. One hand grabbed it, held it close, and Pearl let herself retreat to her gem.
Catching Pearl, Garnet felt tears roll down her face. The hand holding their bag tightened, making her wonder why her partner would go to the extra effort to hand it to her. All the time she spent with Pearl had taught her that her favorite Gem planned for every possibility she could. Making sure to be gentle with Pearl, she opened the sack. They still had plenty of treasures for trade but there was a plain wood and metal container that didn't match any of the others. She pulled it out, examining it closely. When opened, Garnet laughed in disbelief as she realized it was full of Rose's tears.
Retying the bag shut and slinging it over her shoulder, she stood. There were too many possibilities of another landslide or aftershock. She moved closer to the town. Many of the buildings had been damaged, but Garnet was surprised to see how little had been destroyed. Several townsfolk watched her pass. A couple of them gathered to ask about her companion and how she was. She answered best she could; these were people Pearl had helped. When she tentatively showed one of the elderly women her gem, Garnet was surprised to be led to a pagoda temple. It stood tall and unfinished. The quake had almost no effect on it.
"It's perfect." Garnet said, walking farther into the temple. She felt the humans stay back by the entrance. If she were honest with herself, she felt grateful they did. Moving to the back of the main room, she lowered herself to the floor and opened the container again. The first drop nearly missed, her hands shook so much. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Garnet rubbed the liquid over Pearl's gem before using another drop.