A/N: WOAH, it's been two weeks. uhhh. Sorry. I just realized I've wasted a chunk of my life procrastinating on this chapter. For that, I guess I'll respond publicly to some reviews.

To Violet Thropp: This whole arc is supposed to be all about the creeps. You'll love it. Probably. Not guaranteed.

To KillJoyGem: You shall learn the way of the middle. You'll love to hate and hate to love. But please mostly just do the basic love.

I, uh, anyway! On to the story!

EDIT: Since I'm so lazy, I put a stock image of what Lapis and Pearl looked like as the cover to show it's a new arc, like I do every time. Except, I'm late by four chapters and I haven't changed the cover in a while, and when I did, it was this photo that was just lying around. Huh. Plans are not going where I want them to.

meh. This chapter is long anyways. 9.5K words to be vague. Makes up for a lot of it and I'm pretty sure people take a lot of time reading this. I mean, it's fricking huge!

Steven Lazuli

Chapter 34: Demonic Heroine

Lapis felt herself fuming at them for some reason. She couldn't tell why she felt like she just... hated them.

'Is that a Lapis Lazuli?' Onyx's voice rang in everyone's heads.

It suddenly hit her.

Lapis remembered that voice.

It was the same one she heard just after her creation. The same one that berated her uselessness. And the other Gem beside her, must be the second person she heard. Onyx and Obsidian. They were the ones who picked her out of the Kindergarten on some random planet. They were the ones who first invoked her rage and hate for Gems. They were the ones...

"Another Lapis Lazuli?"

"Yep. Another worthless Gem."

"Put her in the station. Someone will gladly use her as a battery."

"Hmph, not like Lapis Lazulis are worth anything useful in the war. They can't summon their weapon. They're weak and fragile. They're just a setback."

"Yes, yes, we know Obsidian."

"It's just... Gems are supposed to do something. But they don't. What's their purpose?"

"Who knows?"

...They're the ones who'll pay.

"You two BASTARDS!" Lapis burst into anger. "YOU! YOU..."

Onyx took a step back. 'Woah. Sudden.'

"...PUT ME IN A MIRROR!" Lapis screamed, her water wings sharpening and turning to ice. They looked ecxactly like the time she was in space and had dragon-like and sized wings. "I SWEAR I'LL KILL BOTH OF YOU!"

'That's a... big task.' Onyx remarked.

Obsidian finally moved. What he first did was take a cautious step back. "You're the Lapis Lazuli..."

Lapis glared daggers at the two of them, a burning fire sparked in her. Her breathing became ragged. Her soul felt like it yearned to tear them apart. She wanted to so badly crush their Gems under her feet. That delicious sound of their gemstones cracking would be enough to satisfy her thirst for blood. Her fingers twitched, she strained against her limbs to control herself from doing something prematurely.

"She's... different." Obsidian concluded solemnly. "Something's not right."

Onyx turned her head to Obby, bewildered. 'What do you mean?' she whispered.

"You'll see... You'll see what it's like to be frozen on centuries' end. Stripped away from your freedom!" Lapis' eyes went glossy for a moment. "To lose your sanity... let time slip past... to do nothing for thousands of YEARS! But mirror... reflect on everything..."

Water started forming around them out of thin air. Hydrogen and oxygen just forced together to create the liquid substance. Onyx and Obsidian backed away slowly from the bubbles of water that were rising predominantly. The water turned into wisps of gases, surrounding the two. Obsidian started coughing. Onyx looked into Lapis' mind, but saw only a deep intense blue that warped her back to reality.

Lapis swung a stream of water at them, which morphed into a chain of hard ice. Obsidian got hit, the chain wrapping around him a couple times. Onyx rushed at Lapis, but the water witch tugged the trapped Obsidian over to the telepath, smacking her down.

Lapis pulled Obsidian over, chanting "Get over here!" and formed an ice gauntlet with her other hand. She swung the gauntlet as he came over to her.

WHAMM! Obsidian rolled over in agony. His head rung. His skull shattered.

Lapis pulled him up by the collar, blood seeping everywhere. The psychotic ocean Gem growled as she flipped him over, nearly suplexing his ass into the ground.

Onyx picked herself up, held her hand out towards them, and suddenly, the two Gems were stuck in air, Lapis almost suplexing Obsidian. That wasn't right. Only Obsidian could use telekinesis, and Onyx only used telepathy. Yet, she was the one using telekinesis now...

Nonetheless, Onyx pulled Lapis closer, leaving Obsidian in mid-suplex. Lapis yelled as she felt her soul being pulled, not her body. But her soul was stored inside her body, so she was pulled anyways. It felt like being tugged on by a leash, except instead of your neck, it was the very culmination of your spiritual being.

Onyx had Lapis' throat fitted into her hand. The blue Gem gasped for air in instinct.

'You Lapis Lazuli are useless. Let me show you. You melt in water.'

And then Onyx threw Lapis. Away from the ground. Away from the Revolution base. She used telekinesis to further push Lapis out of their sight. In a matter of seconds, she was gone, and if Onyx was right, she was sinking into the ocean. And melting a painful death.

Onyx looked over at Obsidian, who was mainly dying from having his skull cracked.

"That Lapis Lazuli... isn't normal..." he choked out. "...She's not dead... yet..." he groaned, "You know... what I'm thinking..."

Onyx's eyes squinted suspiciously. 'She can't be that powerful.'

"You... made her stronger... in the water... We must bring the fight to her."

'That sounds tiring.' she remarked.

"Don't start that... not now..." he groaned.

Lapis couldn't fight Onyx's hold as she plunged into the ocean.

She held her breath for a moment, before letting it out, almost forgetting she didn't need to. All that human stuff she had to put up with for eleven years influenced her that she needed to breathe. She forgot she didn't need to. A giant bubble of air just popped out of her mouth as she sunk deeper in the ocean, where her powers got stronger. She felt invigorated in water, those idiots just paid their ticket to hell.

Lapis was able to kick herself out of that dark hold, propelling herself in the water. She floated in the liquid, feeling as light as a feather. The pressure didn't affect her. Her body was just light with mass.

Lapis sunk slowly in the ocean, contemplating up at the beautiful lights that refracted through the depth of the ocean.

Her eyes sparkled with determination.

A few fishes swam around her, rushing away like she was just another obstacle in the way. They were unaware of the goddess that they crossed paths with. Lapis watched as schools of fish just swim around her like she didn't matter to them. Oh, how much power and control she had over their domain, they didn't know.

Lapis almost spent the next few minutes watching fish, when she was reminded of the brutality of the situation when a shark came through warm waters and massacred part of a group of marine life. Red blood were just wisps of crimson around Lapis. She didn't have red blood like most animals on Earth. She had the powerful white blood of a Gem, which was just their energy in physical form, alien to Earth's. If they ran out of the substance, they would die akin to humans.

She concentrated back on to the task at hand. Lapis willed herself out of the waters, pulling up a giant mass of the salty sea with her.

As she rose into the air over the ocean, she was covered in a humungous figurine of water, like a giant blue avatar of hers. She controlled this giant mass of a body, which stood as tall as Alexandrite would. Lapis assumed the inside of the chest of this enormous water puppet weighing over a couple of blue whales, the largest animals on the planet. Lapis could lift the entire ocean if she wanted to, but the humans probably wouldn't like that and she'd have Pearl yammer on her back. Already something she'd thought of months ago.

She heaved as masses of water crawled up her puppet's legs and toughened up the exterior of this water giant. Ice started to form on the veneer, making decorative patterns that reflect on Lapis. Blunt. Fierce. Badass. Random. Angry.

There was a kinda sixth sense going on in Lapis. Something powerful was headed her way. She could feel it in her blood.

And something powerful did.

But it wasn't Onyx or Obsidian.

It was a bigger person. However, compared to Lapis' water avatar, he was a small fry. His cape billowed in the wind, and his mask covered his face as a whole, unlike how Onyx only covered over where her mouth was supposed to be.

Jet, the fusion of Onyx and Obsidian, stood in their place, against the terrifying Lapis Lazuli.

'You don't melt in water.' he blatantly noted in amazement.

"Nice assessment, jackass." Lapis' voice shouted through the thousands of gallons of water. "I use water as a form of offense and you think it's my greatest weakness? Who do you think I am? How do you think I've survived so long using water!? I'm not an alien from that one movie where we melt from the substance that covers seventy percent of the planet!"

'Duly noted.' Jet replied telepathically. 'I will not make the same mistake twice.'

Lapis tilted her head, scowling. "A fusion of two idiots ain't gonna make a right!"

'A fusion of two powerful idiots make a very bad time.' Jet retorted. 'I've had over a thousand of years of experience. Lapis, you've got only eleven. What makes you think you're gonna come out on top now?'

Lapis thought of that.

She shrugged as she immediately swung her giant water fist at Jet, engulfing him in water. The fusion's eyes emanated darkness and violently ripped apart her water fist with simple concentration. Lapis swatted him again with the force of a fifty ton train. Jet rolled with it, seemingly unfazed with how much force he had to endure. The fusion was a strong one, a powerhouse for the Crystal Gems back then. He was the one to fight White Diamond and countless other high-tier beings and win. All at the same time too. Of course he would be powerful. He would win this.

Jet forced himself into her mind, but all he could see was her cloudy rage.

Lapis smashed into him in reality, so he snapped back to Earth and manifested his own telekinetic monster. His telekinesis he got from Obsidian expanded so that a dark shadow would match Lapis' avatar in size, his telepathy he got from Onyx made Lapis see black fire in his eyes. He looked threatening. And he's even countering Lapis' massive water giant, by pushing against it.

What in the hell... Lapis thought. They... They copied my idea! And made a giant thingy! Even more bastard-ous! Those bastards! Why is bastard the only word I can think of!?

Jet started to feel a wave of nausea pass him. He decided it was Lapis fuming a lot that made his mind go seasick. Her thoughts were like a wildfire that he couldn't read. It was also unintelligible gibberish at points that he thought she was mentally insane.

Water gobbled up his view. All he could see was water. Water sloshing here and there. Water everywhere. Water in her mind. Water she controls. Water attacked him. Water in his mind.

The air was clear as day, apart from a few clouds. It didn't help Jet from the fact it was blue like water. The ocean was just being mercilessly used against him. He never thought when he first saw planet Earth that he'd expected he would wrestle the entire ocean. It was only part of it, but Lapis' determination and strength made it feel like all of it. The amount of energy she was expending just to fight against his shadow was enormous. Did she not feel the strain of her actions?

Lapis knew the physics. Her water constructs were just a buildup of water. They possess no true shape, it was just liquid. So, while pushing against Jet, her water fell apart as they adapted to Jet and pushed through. It wasn't even like a battle with Jet. She was all about the attacks, but her attacks weren't all solid. Her water construct wasn't going to last a punch from Jet's telekinesis, and she was glad he didn't realize.

A thousand years of experience? Pfft.

Still no brain.

Lapis kept her water giant's volume the same. The shape kept deforming and falling out of place, but it was falling into the ocean, where it would be then used in a cycle and fall back into the water giant.

Jet turned the tides by slashing at the water giant's body, which also struck Lapis.

Lapis flew sideways by just a simple attack, and skipped over water a few times like a rock skipping over a lake.

'You're not that strong.' he said. 'You don't possess the skill that Pearl fears about you.'

"Aw, geez. It's all about matching expectations, huh? Just like how you thought of me best as a battery! Or how you think you could drown me in water!" Lapis replied, swerving herself right side up with her icicle dragon wings. "What the hell does Pearl think? I saved her! Does nobody remember that?"

'Does that mean you haven't fought hard enough?' Jet asked. 'You've still got more fight in you?'

"You're gauging me!" Lapis cried, forming ice gauntlets and racing over to him. "Stop judging me! That's what you do! You estimated me countless times and look where that's got you! Constantly underestimating! Constantly losing! Fight with your all! You're hiding power all the time! Let it go!"

Jet's eyes glowed. 'You're all noise. You're not actually speaking. All you're trying to do is distract me.' His voice went happy. 'That's impressive—'

SMASHH! Lapis hit him hard. Jet howled in pain. A smirk tugged at her lips. She rocketed her knee forward, catching him in the gut. Jet easily recovered from that, took hold of her leg, and smashed it over his knee. SKRAATH! The painful sound reverberated over the sea.

Lapis growled, throwing ice chains in retaliation, over his head and wrapping it around his neck, choking him. Or just almost decapitating him. Lapis controlled the ocean below them and demanded for more binds over him, while she tended to her broken leg. She formed an ice cast over her leg so it stayed normal, when it's actually hurt bad.

'You hit quite hard.' Jet remarked, holding his waist.

"You hit like a bastard." Lapis retorted, slashing the air with her hand. Her command made tides rise, the clouds above them darkened, and the worst storm in history came over the ocean. Rain silently patted against them, increasing with every second. Jet stayed in the binds of chains for a moment, realizing that this terrain was dangerous. A danger to everyone around Lapis. She controlled it. And it made him very apprehensive. Still, he wanted to see what she could do.

'Calling in lightning and thunder? Is that what you do when you're outta ideas?' Jet asked, as the clear skies quickly became the worst weather he'd seen in years. 'The storms look pretty.' he remarked sarcastically.

"You wanted to see me at my prime?" Lapis demanded the ocean become her weapon. Her ultramarine hair swayed harshly in the winds. Her voice was becoming hoarse, but still boomed in the noisy skies like thunder. "You wanna see what the most powerful Gem on Earth can do?"

'Oh, that title can be up for debate.' he taunted.

Rain pelted him. He actually felt rain becoming a strong force of nature. The phenomenon of Earth's precipitation made him think differently. He also felt hail. Ice being smacked into his bruised body. All he could see was Lapis Lazuli and water. The clouds, stormy as they can be, when broken down, are just water. The ocean basically is that. For as far as he can see, he was literally engulfed by water.

Jet finally did something after letting the ocean Gem do her thing.

He ripped apart his binds with a single thought, dispelling the ice and water around him. Dark flames extinguished the water around him, however ironic that saying might be. His telekinesis pushed apart Lapis' attacks on him, raining down the most abundant substance in the world Jet thought. Now he was encased in a dark bubble.

Jet sighed, 'I could just do to you what I did to Pearl and put you in a comatose state...'

Comatose? Lapis felt a surge of anger though her. Why did he have to pick that word? Comatose coma Connie's in a coma C Aquamarine! Ahh! Damn it!

Lapis envisioned an Aquamarine over Jet.

Oh-hoho... I didn't think I'd take much pleasure in hallucinating before. The ocean Gem thought, a smile apparent on her face. Drown in hell, you sicko.

Water raged everywhere.

Lapis didn't understand what had happened next.

I think I got kicked.

She mused as she spun.

And now I'm rolling... in the air... "hurtling" would be a better word... Now, what to do?

He doesn't seem hurt by water. But my physical attacks are... effective as they can be. If I come to that conclusion, then only contact with raw physical Gem fists would be his kryptonite. Physical contact with Gems. Anything else that hits him, no. But... that doesn't make much sense. Why's he the only Gem with that faculty? Is it like... an Achilles' heel?

He gets stronger with what he's best at, but his flaws become deadly to him? I don't believe that. Mostly because I've never seen that happen. But could it be?

Is this my winning ticket?

Lapis felt the gravity shift. Her vision blurred with colors. She yelled, bursting through the office of a building. Glass, concrete, papers flew with her. Finally, she felt the hold of darkness disappear, right as she exited the building. So she spread out her water wings and hovered in the air. She turned herself right side up, looking around for Jet.

The dark fusion stood in the air, right beside her. Lapis clenched her fists, ice forming on her knuckles. She turned to throw a punch, but he caught it with his mind.

'You found a way to defeat me?' Jet chuckled, his arms crossed. 'Sounds like a fairy tale.'

Lapis flinched, peering over at the damage. A giant hole on the thirty-first floor of a building. A lot of property damage there. They're not gonna like it. The Revolution's not gonna like it.

Pearl won't like it. Lapis groaned.

'I don't have weakness.' Jet exclaimed, throwing her away. Lapis tumbled through the air before righting herself again. 'I am the most powerful Gem on this world.'

"That's what I said." Lapis informed, rubbing her busted lip. "That's what I've thought for ten years."

Her mind flashed back to kidnapping Steven, to getting cracked by Pearl, fighting Amber to a standstill, hell even that fight with the Jasper on the moon. Even after all that, she hadn't unleashed her true capacity. This guy... he wasn't afraid of that. He was free. She was forever chained by her morals, which she never thought she had.

'So?' Jet replied, floating over to her. 'I've said it for hundreds.'

"But you're a fusion."

'Who cares if I'm a fusion? I am still powerful. All-powerful.' His eyes glowed dangerously. His fingers seem to have long, sharp claws growing out of them. He was coming dangerously close. 'Even you can't stop me.'

Lapis felt her hair flow through the winds. "Hah." she laughed humorlessly. Her eyes looked murderous. However, Jet's eyes were hidden under a silver mask. It was hard for her to read his expression. "What a joke."

Jet angrily threw himself at her, the Onyx side of him glowing. His image started to blur, almost like he had three versions of himself vibrating in one place. His actions start becoming akin to the monsters of horror movies. Even Lapis felt fear grip her Gem. She instinctively spun to the side, watching as Jet roared. She swore his helmet just opened its nonexistent mouth and the metal itself roared. His cape flowed through the sky like it was streaming ink. The aura he showed looked like a wraith.

Lapis blinked and all of those hallucinations went away. Damn. He was getting into her mind. Bit by bit. She was losing control.

Jet turned to her. Suddenly, everything went dark for Lapis, and Jet's shimmering image was what she could see. The light glancing off his helmet and armor. And then, just as light seemed to vanish, they went back on. And he was gone.

Lapis hovered back, looking around. Her water wings started steaming. Mist started to cloud the place dramatically.

'I told you, Lapis...' His voice boomed inside her, her wings vibrating to his voice.

The blue Gem swished around, her head diving into the source of the sound. But he wasn't there. It was broad daylight, yet she couldn't find him. She looked around the corners of tall buildings, then down at the roads and traffic. She was frantically looking for him.

'...I could end you easily...'

Lapis grit her teeth and smacked the side of her head, trying to get his voice out of her skull. Then, she noticed the fog departed into two ways. That was... strange.

She lunged at the air, suddenly bumping into him. He didn't move an inch from where she last saw him! That bastard turned himself invisible in her vision! The instant she bumped into him, everything went dark again. She looked up, seeing the face of a beast, not Jet's. And the creature he chose was terrifying to Lapis for a split second. It was something... unexpected.

Bats. He chose bats.

It shrieked, desperately flapping its wings, and it disappeared as daylight came back on.

Lapis grunted in frustration.

'How could you hope to beat me? You can't even find me.'

She sneered, "Could you get your head up your ass any further?" Lapis turned, looking around for him. "You're an egotistical prick. An asshole." She saw something move in the corner of her eyes. "Once I found your weakness, you use mind games to steer me away from using them." Darkness crept in front of her. "Come on! Come out, let's see if you don't have any weaknesses!"

'You have weaknesses.'

Lapis glanced at the source of the sound. It was on the building. The glass. The reflection. In Lapis' reflection, she saw herself. Except, her wings were the color of deep red. She could tell from its shape that it felt thicker. Thicker than water. Blood. Human blood. Lapis grimaced, not really scary to her. More disturbing. She knew she had that capability, to control humans with their blood, but that would just be... disgusting. And messy.

It was then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at the real world, no hand. She looked back at the mirror, and low and behold, he was there. He now had long talons, his iron mask had been shaped into a grin, his cape and hood turned into fire. White blood dripped over Lapis' nose. It trickled over her face. It didn't startle her much. She had blood all over her face in a lot of battles. But she didn't like someone being behind her. That's where her Gem is...

"What... What is this? What are you trying to do? Scare me?" Lapis snorted, clenching her fists so hard she had white knuckles. And bloodied palms. She reached over her face and smudged the trail of Gem blood. "That'll be the day..."

'You're also arrogant.' Jet leaned over her shoulder, whispering in her ear. 'You're tragic, Lapis. Is that what you want to hear? You're broken.'

The glass cracked. Lapis jumped. For some reason, that honestly scared her.

'You've fought for freedom. You've experienced great joys.'

In the reflection, Jet pierced Lapis' body with his new claws, and ripped her apart. Her physical form horrifyingly poofed and all that's left was her gemstone, floating in the air. His image flickered to Onyx and she took Lapis in the palms of her hands. Then Jet came back and slammed Lapis' Gem against the glass, a web of cracks apparent on the window.

'And then you realize you're alone now.'

Lapis contemplated at her reflection, glaring daggers at Jet, who still had his hand on her Gem, threatening to shatter it in front of her.

'By the end of today. This is you.'

Echoes of her gem shattering repeated in her skull.

She lurched forward instinctively, touching the small of her back to make sure he didn't get her. She looked down at her hands, touched her own face for reassurance, and looked back at the mirror.

With a dead expression on her face, Lapis floated away from that window and looked at another building for her reflection. She couldn't find it. She looked at another, and she still couldn't find her reflection. Was she a ghost? No no no, this was Jet's doing. Evident as Jet followed her through the reflections—the glass—the mirrors, gloating at her.

'Isn't that paradise for you? You hate mirrors. Now, you can't see yourself in one! Just like a vampire! Isn't that a happy ending?'

"Like a... fairy tale." Lapis replied grimly. She frowned. "You're just doing the impossible. But this is just visuals. It's not real. It's all in my head..."

Jet waited for a little bit more, before deciding to talk.

'What? No more insults?' Jet raised a hand to his chin. 'Did I press Lapis' off switch? Huh. Weird. Just when it's getting fun.'

Lapis focused a dense plate of ice covering her gemstone on her back, and Jet started fading away. But her reflection didn't return.

Silence.

Jet acted like a horror movie, building suspense, dropping hints, then loud erratic entrance. She wouldn't even if he actually struck her at this moment—

BRAKAAAMM! In a roar like thunder, she was struck in the small of her back by Jet.

She crashed through the building she was looking at, smashing through floors and concrete walls, a few wooden floors, and a mix of colors and smells. She ended up hurtling through glass doors and hit a vending machine on the other side of the road. People screamed and ran, fleeing from the street. The humans knew their place, they were beneath them. The city started raising alarms, evacuating the area. Lapis laid sprawled out on the vending machine, her dense plate of ice now split into two.

She noticed all the free drinks she got. Cold sodas. She thought they taste better when they're in a can. She couldn't waste an opportunity like this. Plus, she was thirsty and needed the energy.

Jet floated towards her, about to begin another phase, when he watched Lapis down a dozen cans.

Lapis glugged down another soda, raised her free arm, and fire hydrants exploded. Jet looked around and nodded.

'You understand the present. The world around you. You understand these humans' backgrounds. And you use it to your advantage.' Jet remarked, watching streams of water start attacking him from everywhere. He brought up a telekinetic shield, a dark bubble that reflected water away, as he walked over to Lapis. 'That's quite fascinating. Don't you think?'

Lapis clenched her fist, and the water streams turned into chains. Jet nodded at them again.

'You're using chains more often now than before. Pearl didn't see chains of water back then. What happened now? Something inspirational? Or did you realize... you can't beat me. You can't defeat the enemy, so you resort to chaining it—the beast.' Jet grinned under his mask. 'You know you can't beat me. Your subconscious, your style of fighting, even going so far as to find a weakness instead of fighting fair with me... You understand the gravity of this situation. That I am not a force to be trifled with!'

Lapis groaned, putting her head down. "And I am a force of nature. Literally. I'm also not to be trifled with."

'You're not saying something about the chains.' Jet noted, stepping towards her, daring her to hit him square in the face. 'What about the chains, Lapis?' he spoke the name with poison. 'The chains won't do anything to me. You know that. Best plan you have is stalling for time, not sure why, but your only observation of my weakness is physical interaction. You don't want me near. Are you afraid of me?'

Lapis couldn't say yes to that. She had to retort quickly to save her pride. But is it really worth saving?

"Honestly, you run your mouth a lot." Lapis remarked. "You remind me of another person I once knew... Her name was Amber. I remember her style. She talked charismatically, saying bullshit to scare me. But then I found out, how much she lied. Behind her eyes, she had this style of thinking. To keep barking with small bites. And before she died, she bit too much for her to swallow." She smiled at the recalling of her death. "She had nothing to prove that she could do anything. She just spoke and told stories. She told a giant faction of Gems that she could create a better world... look where that got the lying son of a bitch at."

The dark fusion scanned her mind.

'It got that lying son of a bitch... insurance.' Jet stormed through her chain of water. He stood dangerously close to her. A couple inches away from her face. His telekinetic bubble exploded and dealt with the water chains, halting its movement. Lapis was just unfazed by it. 'She's now at five different places, with nobody able to touch her. Except... Pearl. It's like an exclusive club. Amber won. She even got you, out of all people, to hide her remains from people's hands. What do you think Amber wants so much?'

Lapis narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, when you put it that way." she shrugged her shoulders. She took a step back and scratched her hair, waiting for his answer.

'Amber became a weapon used to destabilize Gems. Pearl made a chemical algorithm out of her, just to stop you. She was gonna win. Even against you.' Jet said. 'She was still vital to Pearl's plan of your downfall. She's vital to killing Gems. She'd done it. Total massacre. All because of Pearl. I have to give credit, she had more control over her mind than you do! I can read you like a book. Her? Not that much.'

Lapis thought about how Onyx and Obsidian were weakened when she came to them. "I'm gonna guess that this chemical algorithm Pearl found was used against you too."

Jet smacked his lips. He looked down at his hands. 'Before I forget, you were right, I... I've actually been holding back more power.' He raised his hands and a red ball of swirling energy coalesced in his left hand. 'Now this... This is a hex bolt. Not to be confused with the hexagonal construction bolt. Now, what hex bolts are made of is just a kind of gaseous energy. Another state of matter. Dark matter, to be more precise. And it is explosive! And this has been used against the Diamonds and some high-tier beings, like... I dunno, say some powerful individuals, so-called "gods" of another planet... I'm just gonna say, you're powerful, Lapis. In a matter of speaking, on this planet, you are powerful. You know the ins and outs of your specialty. You could possibly create this,' he waved the hex bolt around, 'if you wanted to. It's just a different state of matter. Maybe a different state of water. But, if you are deprived of water, you are not powerful, Lapis. You are weak. You are a battery. You're meant for nothing.'

"You're telling me this because you're confident you're gonna win." she read from his expression, noting her potential of using dark matter. She didn't know what it was entirely, but it was kept in the back of her head. She glared, "You think you're speaking to a ghost."

'Sorry, Lapis. You're quite the opponent, but still inferior, like all the others.' He flicked the hex bolt, letting it spin. 'By the end of today, Lapis. You do remember my threats right?'

"Yeah, you're gonna shatter me. You've been saying that all the time." the blue Gem replied. "But at least, I know what your secret is."

'Oh?'

He did it.

Lapis thought her ears were bleeding. Ringing. She couldn't hear a thing. That explosion must've blasted her senses.

She also thought there was a hole in her chest.

Damn, that hex bolt sure is something.

She clutched her aching chest and wheezed. She dropped to her knees, noticing the vast amount of blood running down her jeans. Lapis glanced down at her superficial wounds... which were not that superficial. It was definitely a deep wound. Blood poured. She felt everything getting heavier. Her own soul felt like it was just floating out.

Lapis caught herself coughing, spluttering blood. She hurriedly fixed herself up by forming an ice cast over her torso. Now she had her leg broken and her body blasted. What's next?

'You can't hear a thing. Wow. You're deaf. Good thing I speak telepathically, or else...'

Lapis brought her fingers around her ear, finding out it was covered in her blood. That was actually a lot more blood involved than she expected. Her hand was almost covered in it. She still needed it in her system. She licked it experimentally and it was repulsive.

Lapis said something. She said that this was worse than her back being broken.

But she couldn't hear it.

Jet was right. She was actually deaf. She looked around, her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't hear. She was in another street, a traffic light fell and dented the pavement, which she noticed. She didn't hear it. The dust settled, and Jet saw her stunned look.

'What's wrong? Can't hear anything else than my sweet voice?' His eyes widened. 'Oh, you... it's like you have a hole in your chest. That's gonna be a problem.'

The ocean Gem started breathing hard.

Lapis screamed.

She can't hear it. She can't hear her own voice.

'Okay, my voice isn't that sweet. But that was loud.'

Lapis asked if he could hear him.

'Yes, I can. It's not that your voice doesn't work, it's that your hearing doesn't. You're focusing on the wrong thing.' he told her telepathically.

She smacked her head, stomped the ground for noise, and nothing happened. Was she going to be deaf forever? Or was this temporary? No no no, she was going to regenerate and come back hearing. After she kicked this guy's ass.

'C'mon. You lost one of your senses.' Jet mused. 'I know for a fact it takes a lot of time to adapt to missing a sense. Take a break. I'm not that heartless.' Lapis didn't flee or waver, she stayed in the battlefield. 'Alright, I am that heartless. I was gonna destroy you if you actually did give up.'

Then you don't know who I am. Lapis replied in her head. I am Lapis Lazuli. I, like water, adapt. So...

'You're just abusing my ability to read minds.'

Have to make good use for it, dude.

Lapis charged, still miffed that she couldn't hear the wind blowing through her hair, and threw a solid hit to his jaw. She wished she could hear her fist colliding with his jaw, but now, she couldn't even hear his Gem crack. She wanted to hear their Gems crack from the beginning, and now she couldn't! Now, she won't be able to hear their cries.

What would Steven and Connie think about this? Lapis thought dejectedly. If this is permanent, that is. It can't be. If I couldn't hear, then... that's bullshit. I'm a Gem! How can that happen?

She realized another thing that made her freeze. She couldn't hear Steven and Connie laugh. Their voices. She won't be able to hear them talk. To hear how it changes while they grow.

'Still brooding?' Jet rubbed his jaw. Lapis turned to glare at him. It was the only sound she could hear. 'I'll let you have some whale noise.'

Lapis heard the mating calls of whales and immediately got irritated.

She shouted shut up. But now she understood she didn't know how loud she was or how quiet she'd be. Her lungs and throat were stinging. The whale noises keep continuing. Lapis coughed, her lungs felt like exploding after shouting. She looked down, and yep, her chest wasn't doing too good. It was getting worse. She needed to end this quickly, like she did Amber.

Lapis searched for the water molecules in the air around Jet, and made it freeze. Jet noticed the snow that surrounded him, which glued themselves to him. He repelled most of them, but the ones he didn't... he felt small pains shooting around in his body.

Water is gonna fill up and clog your system. Lapis thought.

'What?'

And I will stop you from controlling your body.

Jet felt himself moving, against his will, to leave himself wide open to any attacks. His control over reality didn't match Lapis' control over water. He was rusty.

Lapis stomped over to him, swinging a fist into his cheek. He fell, striking the ground with his body. Lapis loomed over him, holding him down by the neck and held out his arm. She placed her knee over it, and CRACK, his arm broke. Lapis didn't know if he screamed. She moved over to his chest, and shoved a palm down on his armor, intending to crush his ribs. Slowly, but surely, she could feel pressure under her fingers start to dwindle.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her by the shoulder. Lapis was headbutted instantly after.

Jet groggily got back up, wrapping an arm over his ribs and letting his broken arm flow. Lapis recovered, stomped on his foot, crushing his feet, and elbowed him in the chest. His hand was placed over it instead, so she crushed all the bones in his palm. He backed away, silently or not, she didn't know.

Even after escaping my grip, you're useless. Lapis thought. You do have a weakness.

'How cliche.' He told her. 'I'm gonna die because some lunatic found out my weakness only after a bit of fighting. Pure genius. Have to hand it to ya, real detective. You proud of yourself?'

Lapis narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Jet taunted by using his broken arm to wave.

You're using your "moving objects around" power to do that. Lapis said, dabbing her forehead with her fingers. She looked down at them. Blood again. How many times...?

'You're weak too, Lapis.' He brought out another hex bolt. 'Another shot, you're done for.'

She gritted her teeth. Try me. You can't possibly make me even more deaf.

Jet threw his hex bolt at Lapis, who dodged. The thing exploded and she could feel the wind graze her skin. She felt accomplished, she dodged it even though she wasn't able to hear it coming. It reminded her she was deaf again, which made her even angrier. She spartan-kicked him away, with enough force to send him flying through the holes in the building, which Jet had made from the same hex bolt that also made her deaf.

Lapis glanced back at the damage caused. The building's stability was collapsing from a hole in its integral stature. In minutes, the architectural structure wouldn't hold and would end up crashing against another building. She held out her hand, freezing water particles in the vicinity to hold the building up.

'You care about these humans.' His voice entered her mind once again. 'But you say you only do it because they'll yap at you for the destruction. The highway, Kronos Quad, Dexterity Castle, Beach City's beach, the desert, and now this city.'

Not all of them are important. Lapis replied.

'No. But it doesn't make you less guilty.' There was a momentary pause. 'You can't hear this, can you?'

Lapis turned instantly to Jet and a hex bolt headed her way. She knew it mustn't hit her body, it'd been damaged too much. So, in a short amount of time, she decided to smack it with her hand. She didn't need it that much, did she?

Oh stars.

It burned.

She couldn't hear it, but she felt herself trembling even after the explosion. The ice in her body cracked, receiving a scream from her. Her insides felt cut up even more. She fortified the ice and mended it into a layer of armor. She couldn't feel her left arm. She did whatever she can just to fix that. She recalled the event where she ripped that Jasper's arm off. It wasn't a good thought.

No worries. Just need to regenerate after this. It's gonna take a long time to regenerate.

'Oh, you're still alive.' Jet said cheekily. 'You're tearing yourself apart, Lapis. All you've got is... a nub.'

Shut up. Lapis' eye twitched.

'You've never gotten hurt that badly and refuse to regenerate. Man, the pain must be unbearable. Wow. How long until you poof?'

You're gonna destroy the world. So as long as you're dead. Lapis made an arm out of ice to replace what was missing, and tore off her mostly-destroyed leather jacket. I'll rest easy for the rest of my life.

'Because you have someone to fight for.' Jet huffed as he floated over to Lapis, holding his chest close from his broken ribs. His crushed hand wasn't helping and his crushed foot didn't seem any necessary. His broken arm could still be used. 'Well, that kinda sucks for me. You're ehhh, and I was getting emotionally attached to you for that.'

Saying it like that... mostly means you're not.

Lapis felt her ice-arm cracking, and so was her chest and leg. She gasped for air a bit, before realizing again she didn't need to breathe. The blue Gem rushed into Jet and launched her foot into his chest. She reluctantly stopped inches away from him.

'Kill shot.'

Jet made a hex bolt and tossed it right at her.

Lapis cursed under her breath.

Her body was flung through a wall, shards of ice flying with her. She tumbled across the road, skidding against gravel and raising up a dust cloud. She bumped into a truck, her head denting the metal edge. She groaned, rising up after a moment. What did she lose this time? She checked and... nothing wrong.

That static feeling in the air came around to her again.

She looked around, catching a glimpse of the speed demon holding his burning shoulder, before he ran off.

'I don't believe it. You're still going.' Jet clenched one of his fists, walking out of the building. 'How?'

Lapis joked about a guardian demon, but then noticed she still didn't have her hearing, so her voice awkwardly trailed off into silence.

'I can't even look at you anymore...' pitied the dark fusion, 'It's really pitiful. Look, I'll just send you off. Then it's a win-win for both of us. You rest easy and I kill you!'

Lapis grunted as she heaved herself up. She questioned herself as dastardly pain shot through her spine. Her gemstone was burning. Was this going to be the last moments of her life? Death by crazy war hero? After all she'd done, was this the end? Did she find a being that was more powerful than her?

No. Not yet. Not now! Lapis gritted her teeth. Her only hand was closed into a fist. She'd never begged before. Please not now!

Jet looked up at the sky. The ocean Gem didn't hear him in her mind, so she followed his gaze. If only she could hear, she would've noticed the sound of the helicopter blades whizzing. She huffed, staring at the helicopter wearily.

That's a... news chopper... Steven, he... He's probably watching. Lapis looked at herself shamefully. And I'm in this state. I'm broken. He's gonna see me lose. He's gonna see me like this.

'I've forgotten how you've kidnapped Steven.' Jet turned to her, talons growing. 'And Steven is Rose Quartz' son. You're the one. You took my dead leader's kid, and raised him yourself. Now that's another situation that hasn't been run over my head. Interesting...'

Lapis muttered a curse out loud.

She watched as the fusion picked up a skyscraper off the city, letting it rise like a rocket. Lapis leaned against the truck and could only watch the building hover over her location. She was bleeding, deaf, missing a limb, and put through an extreme ordeal. She didn't think she'd survive today. She wished this was just a hallucination, a dream, a nightmare, Jet playing her mind, whatever! She didn't want this... It wasn't going the way she expected it.

The giant shadow of the skyscraper loomed over them. Jet spun his finger around and the skyscraper spun till the tip was aiming at her. The ocean Gem felt her mouth dry. Her hand and legs kept trembling. She didn't want to say it, but she knew it was impossible.

She was scared.

'So, you've taken Steven for a decade. Good kid, am I right?' Jet remembered Onyx's visions of him.

Yes... Lapis' eyes were cold, her lips sealed to stop herself from sobbing. He's a good kid.

'Hopefully, you're satisfied with everything.'

The skyscraper fell.

Lapis glanced at the truck's side mirror. She still couldn't see herself in it.

And she didn't see much of anything else after.

Steven's mouth hung agape as he watched live footage of his mother losing. He saw her. He saw the image of her mother get torn to bits. She was missing an arm, there was blood everywhere, and she looked like she had a broken leg.

As the skyscraper rose, his heart raced. He told himself Lapis would survive. She had to, she was the strongest Gem on the planet. But as she got crushed by a skyscraper, he knew it was... simply impossible. The frown on his face deepened, and a demon of a soul exploded in his heart. He heard the giant outburst of several hundred metric tons crashing against the ground. A giant rumbling of the floor made his legs crumble. Steven didn't stop watching.

A little part of him died inside.

A hopeful candle with a tiny flame extinguished by a hurricane.

Steven glanced back at Connie, hoping she would wake. But she didn't. She was still resting. The demigem leaned against the railings of her bed, his hands clenched tightly around the bar. He had an intense desire to rip out the closest thing to him. But not Connie. His hands shook.

He let the feeling build up. Slowly rising in him.

Unbeknownst to him, the metal bar in his hands twisted.

He needed to get out of here.

Not yet, my child. A voice told him.

The demigem let out an exasperated scream. "HAAHHHH!"

Steven ripped out the metal railing and hastily tossed it at a wall. The vase he took shattered into bits of divided porcelain. Steven breathed out heavily, his aggressive fingers digging into the desk beside the hospital bed. He'd never done that before. He'd never been so angry.

The feeling of rage... It reawakened in him.

Lapis cringed away.

She took a step back, grasping her chest. She was confused to feel fabric and a sense of comfort. Looking down, she didn't have a scratch on her. Experimentally, she waved her fingers around, watching her reflection come together in a bubble of water.

Her reflection.

She could see herself?

"Uh..." she said, and immediately her heart jumped.

She could hear!

"...that... was that a... nightmare. It's not real. Please!"

It didn't make any sense. She was about to bite the dust. The skyscraper struck her, she felt the impact of a hundred nuclear bombs. She swore she felt her own body rip into pieces. If that happened, then she poofed. And now she's better. She's all in one piece.

Did she regenerate?

What happened?

Did Steven and the others find a way to win?

How much time has passed?

Is Connie okay now?

Where is she?

She looked around the house. Wooden floors. A kitchen behind her, a warp pad even further, and the door to the Crystal Gems' rooms furthest. To her right was a couch, and there was a staircase that led to a bedroom. In front was the door to outside, and a portrait of Rose Quartz was hung over it. This didn't seem familiar. Was it new? Did she stay in her gemstone for that long? That they were able to build a house in the Crystal Temple?

Lapis rushed out of the place, trying to find someone—anyone. She didn't know what was happening anymore. She needed reassurance.

It was night out. The stars and the moon shined brightly in contrast to the deep-blue sky. The waves of the beach were peaceful. Lapis could sense the tranquility of sea salt in the air. It was calming.

She hopped over the railings and skidded down the beach. She had no time for stairs. Glancing back, she saw the giant Gem statue, and the house was neatly placed in its stomach. It was awfully familiar to her, but she couldn't place why. She had no memory of it. She never even thought of a house under that statue.

If the Earth was still intact, then Jet failed. He didn't destroy it. At least that answered one of her questions. Just ninety-nine more to go.

"LAPIS!"

The ocean Gem jumped. Someone just screamed her name, desperately. She looked around the beach, and nobody was there.

"LAPIS!"

She recognized the voice. This time, she pinpointed the source of the sound.

Lapis froze.

Nothing but the sound of waves crashing onto the beach was heard for miles.

The blue Gem inched closer to the sound.

"LaPiS!"

Her feet brought her to a mirror. An innocent and elegant mirror. Lapis' blood went cold, realizing what it was. The shouting was coming from this thing. There was nothing else that could've done it. She had the urge to grab it. To flip it over and see...

Lapis' hand trembled as she saw a pink quartz stuck to the mirror.

"LaPIs!"

No no no nonononononoNONONONONONO

Lapis grabbed Steven's gem from the mirror and tugged at it. She frantically pulled.

This can't happen. It can't be happening. It's not possible. This wasn't happening. It had to be a trick!

It felt real. It felt real to Lapis. She couldn't leave Steven behind like this.

Another tug, and it popped off.

The mirror cracked, pieces of it fell. Lapis saw her life descend with the pieces, like it resonated within her. She didn't realize her hands were covered in frost.

The pink quartz glowed. It hovered and energy sprouted. It shaped itself into the young demigem. He kneeled over, his back faced to her. Lapis had a few heavy frightened breaths, looking down at the kid.

Seeing him stay still made her worried. "Steven?"

The demigem turned his head to her. His eyes were glossy. They're... blank mirrors. Lapis stood in shock. Denial overwhelmed her. He didn't say anything.

"No... please..." Lapis muttered under her breath. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, fearing she'd lose him to some sadistic freak of nature. "Steven? You're still there right? Please... tell me you are."

Pain shot through her waist. Lapis looked and saw a pipe stuck in her abdomen. He started moving again. "Steven" took hold of her arm, and tore it right off, dismembering the same limb she lost. A wide array of white liquid splattered on the ground. He stomped on her leg, breaking it, and called in his sword—Rose Quartz's sword. Lapis looked in horror, tears streaming down her face as he plunged it into her chest. She couldn't breathe. Blood spilled over the sand.

He pulled the blade back, letting another wave of blood splash everywhere.

Lapis fell forward, her only hand holding onto his shirt. All she could hear was the ringing... then after a while, nothing. And—

The real world...

Jet tore her body apart, like he did in the reflection. His talons violently ripped her apart to the point where nothing remained. She poofed. The remains of ice in her body fell into the fragments of the desolate skyscraper.

Lapis Lazuli's gemstone floated in the air, and it landed in the dark grasp of the fusion.

Sounds of cracks slowly filled the silent air. Pressure made deep cuts into the ultramarine gem. Chunks of her flew out of his hand. The rest was being threatened to turn to dust.

Jet opened his palm, and the remains of Lapis Lazuli were evident on his hand.

'By the end of today, Lapis. By the end of today.'

A/N: Ahahaha. Ha. That was a trip.

This took SO long! *swirls in chair* Sorry, guys.

Eh. It's not like anything happened. Actually, I was on holiday. And I was away, left my computer at home. I kinda ran out of writing fuel. And then trying to save finished thing on the site was horrible because I'm on an old iPad. And then I had to wait eleven hours till I was finally at home. I had some distractions on the way because a few security guards stopped me because they thought I was carrying a bomb. But at least I got this chapter out!

Ughhhhh.

It's not like this chapter was important or anything.

So not important.

Breaking News: Demonic Heroine refers to Lapis Lazuli, who's the hero, but has this weird moral standard. You were probably thinking about some speed demon. It also might mean Onyx or Obsidian or Jet. They were war heroes. They're also demonic.

Next Chapter's Title: "Our Hopes In Fears"

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