Summary: Blue Diamond visits someone in the Yellow District.
It took a couple hours, but Yellow finally made it back to the Yellow District. After the initial shock wore off, Yellow thanked her lucky stars she got out of that relatively unscathed. That could have ended horribly. But something still didn't sit right with her.
She had hope for him. She thought that things were different; that maybe things had changed. She wanted to believe that maybe she'd patched things up, but no... he just wanted her out of the picture. Leading her to a dark, secluded tunnel with a bunch of monsters, acting clueless, getting information from some dubious source, if he even did get information from someone... trying to push her towards a gem mother... it was all planned. Why didn't she just trust her gut? Why on Homeworld did she believe he'd found some convenient specimen of a long-dead plant? The suspicious behavior, his previous attempts to take you out; all of it pointed towards this. Why didn't you trust yourself?
That wasn't the only thing on her mind, though. On top of everything else, they still didn't find the plant that they needed. It wasn't even there to begin with. Would they ever find a cure for White? As Yellow approached the head of the Pink District, she rubbed at her forehead with her palm, grimacing in regret. You never should have trusted him. Now, not only are you without the Hearthfall Flowers, but you have to explain to White that Hematite is gone, and made an attempt on your life.
She knew that wasn't going to be pretty.
Stepping up onto the warp pad, she teleported to the center of the tower facility. It didn't take her too long to get back to her tower at a running pace. With a heavy heart, she entered her office after making her way up in the elevator. The door hissed shut behind her, and she was left in deafening silence.
She just wanted everything to go back to normal again. She wanted White back, she wanted peace. Now she was left without a cure, and the responsibility of telling White what had happened. Sitting down in her seat, Yellow stared at her desk. She rested her arms on it, and her head sunk into her hands. Groaning in weary exasperation, she closed her eyes. She wanted to rest. But she wasn't going to. She couldn't, especially not after what just happened with Hematite. She knew what that led to. No, she didn't even need sleep. She'd just power through it like she normally did. Sighing, she sat back up, bringing the diamond pad out of her gemstone. She turned it on and began looking through its files. Reading thoroughly over the information, she looked carefully for any other sign of hope. Another plant location, some other variant, something. There had to be something else.
Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!
Yellow flinched upon hearing the grating noise of her communicator. Groaning, she straightened herself up and cleared her throat. She pulled the communicator out of her gem, turning it on.
Vwip!
"This is Yellow Diamond."
–
The voice on the other end was low, clear, and had an excited drive to it. It was General Topaz.
"Oh, thank stars the call went through, finally! Yellow Diamond, I've located the Hearthfall Flowers!"
–
Yellow's eyes widened slowly; the world around her stopped. Did she hear that right? Quickly, she leaned in, clawed fingers gripping harshly at her desk as she held her communicator close.
"WHAT?! Where are you now?!" she asked frantically. She blinked, a small flicker of panic rushing through her. "Wait, General! You have to bubble the blossoms after picking them a certain way! You didn't just pluck them, did you?!" she said quickly. She clasped her hand to her face and dug her nails into her skin anxiously. Stars, she hoped Topaz hadn't just been carrying them around!
–
It sounded as though the general were running as she spoke on the communicator, though she didn't sound remotely out of breath.
"I'm on my way back to the towers, and don't worry, they're safely bubbled! I figured out the trick to them, one of the archives in another building had the answer. I tried to call, but your communicator couldn't be reached earlier, where were you?!"
–
Yellow drug her fingers down her face and sighed with relief.
"Oh thank stars... I..." She paused, remembering the danger she narrowly escaped. "I was deep underground. I'll explain the rest of the details later..." The end of her sentence came out more as a low and angry growl. "Look, just get back here as soon as possible, and I'll tell you the rest! Hurry!" she ordered.
–
"I'll be there soon."
Click.
–
Yellow kept her communicator running, sitting back in her chair. She couldn't believe this. If Topaz really found the Hearthfall Flowers... White was saved. The Diamond leaned her head back into her seat, closing her eyes with a relieved smile. Thank the stars, White was saved... She could stop hiding.
Ever since this whole ordeal started, White couldn't make herself known to the public. They'd done a spot-on job keeping her little 'problem' a secret, but her absence hadn't gone unnoticed. With no way to communicate with her speech, and no way to show herself outside of her tower, her district lacked a good bit of leadership. It certainly wasn't as bad as the Yellow District all those months ago when Yellow Diamond had her breakdown, but the White District wasn't entirely unfazed. Managers didn't have crystal-clear schedules and instructions like they were so used to. Formal events lacked their leader coming to either speak or attend social gatherings or culture events. People were starting to get a little nosy. Other gems started to get noticeably worried, falling into unorganized disarray. They had little guidance and with no direct contact with their superior, they started to suspect something was wrong. Once in a while, mild panics broke out. With how well White kept her district, the authorities were able to keep the mild little breakouts under control, as they mostly consisted of social gatherings turning into slightly bristly, worried conferences. Unrest slowly was spreading, but now...
That was about to change.
Yellow leaned forward, clicking her communicator off. She had one more person to talk to, now.
Vwip!...
–
–
About forty five minutes or so passed. The general was no-where to be seen for a good time, until finally, someone knocked firmly on the door. Without waiting for a reply, Topaz opened the office door and walked briskly inside, saluting Yellow enthusiastically.
"General Topaz reporting, Yellow Diamond! Sorry I took so long," she said breathlessly.
–
Yellow stood at her desk, rushing over to the golden haired general.
"Thank stars you're here! I'm glad to see you, General," Yellow said, offering her a thankful grin. "Do you have it, then?" she asked, not seeing the plant anywhere in sight. Raising a brow, she looked over the gem's face curiously.
Immediately, the door rushed open, a shorter figure hobbling through.
"Ugh, Yellow! Why did you have me carry these robonoids in here?" came Blue Diamond's voice from behind the towering general. She was carrying eight or so flask robonoids in her arms, grunting as she set them down on the desk behind Yellow. Turning, she sighed heavily and waved at Topaz in greetings.
"You sounded hurried, what's going on here? And why is General Topaz here?" Blue asked, confused. She knew the general was helping them with research, but she thought the military leader was staying at the archives to study.
Yellow turned to the other Diamond, a fire in her eyes. She had a small smile on her face, which alone befuddled Blue even more. Yellow lifted her palm to her gemstone and took out a sizable jar, filled half way with a foggy pinkish liquid. Yellow stepped closer to Blue and grabbed one of the robonoids from her desk.
"Sorry, I didn't have much time to explain, Blue! I needed you to gather these up as quick as you could..." She paused, cracking one of the robonoids on the desk. Blue gasped quietly and watched as Yellow poured its thick glowing filling into the jar with the liquid. Yellow looked to Blue and gave her a nod. "We're going to fix White."
Blue stared in disbelief at the other Diamond, looking between Yellow and Topaz. Her expression brightened to pure elation, and she clasped her hands together excitedly.
"WHAT?! REALLY!? But... but how?! How did you?-"
–
The general nodded at Yellow Diamond and brought her hand to her gem. It started to glow a bright, yellow light, and the warrior gem pulled out a single, shining golden bubble. It was filled with the blossoms of the Hearthfall Flowers. They were pristine and healthy, all plucked at the correct place. She appeared to have a good amount of them, at least a dozen or so. Shooting the shorter Diamond a warm, excited grin, Topaz walked over to Yellow Diamond and offered the bubble to her.
"Our research finally had a breakthrough," she replied to her, relief weighing down her voice.
–
Yellow took the bubble and stared into it with disbelief. That was the plant alright. She looked to the general and nodded.
"Thank you, General Topaz. You don't know what you've just done for the Diamond Authority... for all of Homeworld," she said with a genuine smile.
–
Topaz handed the bubble over with a solemn nod.
"Thank you, Yellow Diamond. I'm only glad I could help, I know how terrible this has been for all of you."
–
Yellow Diamond nodded, looking down at the bubble.
"But..." She paused, curiously gazing at the blossoms. "How did you know where to get this? How did you find it?" she asked curiously. "Hematite took me to where he said the plant was... But when we got down there..." She stopped again, her brows furrowing. She looked almost pained, but it was rapidly replaced with a look of anger.
Blue frowned suddenly, her smile fading. Her eyes flicked over Yellow's expression, and the gears in her head suddenly started turning. She lifted a hand, brows furrowing in concern.
"Hematite went with you? Where is he now? What happened?" she asked. Yellow didn't look at her.
–
At Yellow's question, she arched a brow.
"..." She glanced at Blue. Inhaling slowly through her nose, the general stood a bit straighter and turned so she could face the both of them. She reached up and brushed her hair away from her right eye, subtly earning the attention of both Diamonds, Yellow especially. "Yellow, at the mention of this so-called location, I took it upon myself to look up a few of Hematite's missions. I'd already skimmed a couple to see if he had ANY information from his recon missions that could pertain to our efforts, but I found nothing." She sighed softly, pursing her lips. "So... I looked up some rather obscure files on the Hearthfall Flower, AND I looked up the coordinates from the mission Hematite mentioned he'd gone on with Blue. I cross-referenced them with the records on the Hearthfall flower. Despite the records showing it was extinct, the archives still listed some old locations where the flower used to commonly grow. There were no records of a large concentration of the plant for the location Hematite specified." Topaz sneered slightly, turning her head to Yellow. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving... I had a bad feeling in my gut that Hematite might be up to something, so I took it upon myself to go check all the locations I researched. I found the Hearthfall flower near the location Hematite provided," she said, putting emphasis on the last few words.
–
Blue's brows furrowed as she frowned deeply.
"You went through Hematite's files?!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. Yellow quickly hushed the other Diamond, a hand covering her mouth. She looked haunted. Blue scoffed and swatted Yellow's hand away, looking at her in offense. Yellow stared into space, not even noticing Blue's gesture.
"I... see," she said quietly. "You did what you could to help, and you got the flower. That's all that matters here. I don't know how you got in Hematite's files, but I'd pardon it given the circumstances..." she muttered a little quietly, gazing back into the bubble. She seemed distant, lost in her own thoughts.
–
The general arched a brow and looked away, almost shamefully.
"I'm sorry, the Peridot said they were available to look through, if the situation called for it. And Hematite said it was fine when I asked him about it a few weeks ago, if you recall."
–
Yellow blinked, her gaze still vague and distant.
"Ah, right. I do... remember that," she muttered, not sounding entirely there.
Blue rolled her eyes, but she guessed Yellow had a point. If this really was the cure for White's gem, then going through Hema's files was a clever idea. A bit of an invasion of privacy... but they had probably just avoided a catastrophe by it. Looking up to the slightly taller Diamond, she was about to say something, but froze. Yellow looked off.
Lifting her head to look at the general, Yellow scowled in both fear and anger, her sour temperament written all over her face.
"So it really was a trap..."
–
Topaz slowly raised her brows at Yellow's words, as if in realization. She suddenly looked horrified.
"What? What was a tra-"
Silence.
After a long pause, the warrior gem lifted her hand to her mouth and took a step back. Her hair fell back over her eye.
"Oh, stars. He-..." Looking away, Topaz clenched her free hand, her knuckles cracking loudly. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she sighed, as if in resignation. "… I was afraid of this. I didn't think he was cunning enough..." Looking up sharply, she gazed at Yellow. "Where is he now?"
–
Blue took a step away from Yellow, small beads of sweat forming on her brow.
"Wh... what are you talking about?!" she hissed, staring in disbelief. Yellow still refused to look at her. Instead, she glanced at Topaz and stood up a little straighter. Her anger came flooding back to her, but she managed to keep her nerves under control. She was putting the pieces together, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.
"He's gone. He shouldn't be a bother to us now," she said simply.
Blue rushed forward and just barely refrained from shoving her, her eyes wide.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?! Yellow WHAT did you do?! What happened?! What did HE do?!" she shouted with distressed fury. Yellow backed up, growling at the smaller Diamond.
"Calm yourself, Blue Diamond! I didn't touch him." She narrowed her eyes harshly. Blue matched her gaze, but didn't back off. Yellow continued. "After Hematite mislead me down a dark tunnel, we were attacked by a group of corrupted gem monsters. I didn't think too much of it at first, but I had my suspicions. I should have listened to them... once we got in the end room, we found that there was no flower, and the mother monster attacked us. He was snatched up after trying to shove me into it, and I fled," she said. The smaller Diamond felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and she suddenly took a step back. Seething, Blue threw up her fist in anger, bringing one down on the edge of Yellow's desk. With a resounding THWACK, she left a rather ugly, sizable crack in the other Diamond's desk. Yellow turned furiously, but before she could protest, Blue took a bold step towards her.
"HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT?! So you think he lead you to a trap just because he miscalculated a room?!" she snapped, taking another threatening step forward. Yellow quickly retaliated, holding the bubble away from Blue.
"YOU don't understand, Blue! You weren't there! He tried to push me into the gem monster, he tried to get me alone; Secluded! He tried to lead me astray! You know what he's thought of me in the past, he was trying to finish what he started!" she growled. Blue inhaled sharply, eyes furiously burning into Yellow's.
"Gee, I wonder why he thinks of you that way," she snarled back.
–
Topaz listened to Yellow's story, her brows slowly furrowing in rage. She muttered quietly under her breath. A haunted look crossed her face.
"I should have gone with you..." She shook her head slowly and looked at Yellow. "Yellow Diamond. Was he shattered? Did you see what happened to him?"
–
Yellow frowned and looked away.
"I don't know. It was dark, and I didn't see any smoke... Nor did I see his gem. He could still be alive, but... I honestly am not sure," she said, pursing her lips.
–
Topaz grimaced and looked away before turning and pacing away from the Diamonds. She kept her back to them, silent for a long moment.
"Then he's still very likely out there. And he'll try again. He won't stop until his plans succeed." The general's voice lowered. "He started with White, and now you... Stars, he's more dangerous than I thought. It's a good thing you got out of there unscathed," she said worriedly.
–
Yellow and Blue's attention shot to the general. Yellow's eyes widened, but Blue started to squint suspiciously.
"What do you mean 'his plans'? What do you mean he 'started with White?' What are you saying, General!?" she growled, stepping towards her. Yellow grabbed onto Blue's shoulder quickly, holding her tongue. She closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. She stayed quiet a long moment, inhaling slowly through her nose.
"What are you saying, General?" said Yellow softly.
–
Slowly shaking her head, Topaz rubbed her face quietly. There was another pause, and the general took a deep breath, letting it out in a way that sounded like she didn't want to say what she was about to. She tilted her head back for a moment, groaning reluctantly.
"... I... hoped my suspicions were wrong. I thought perhaps I was just being paranoid. You get like that, being in a war." She let out a dry, humorless laugh. "I hoped... Perhaps Hematite wasn't the gem he made himself out to be when he attacked you so long ago, Yellow. I didn't want to believe that the very gem White chose as her bodyguard was capable of such deeds." She dropped her hands to her sides, clenching her fists. "I thought that perhaps, since he brought back White's gem, and since he was looking so fervently for a cure, maybe I misjudged him. After all, what kind of gem would commit a crime and then bring back the evidence, only to try and fix what they'd done...?"
Slowly, the towering general turned, her visible eye burning with a furious mistrust.
"Only a fool, or a genius."
–
Blue and Yellow both shared a look of horrified shock, but Yellow hid it better than Blue. After the initial shock wore off, Blue looked angry more than anything else.
"Are you suggesting Hematite cracked White?! What kind of accusation is that?!" she growled.
Yellow looked away with a bemused look of pain and realization. She remained silent.
–
"What KIND OF ACCUSATION?!" Topaz turned fully now, baring her teeth, her knuckles cracking loudly as she clenched her fists tighter. "Look around you, Blue Diamond!" she snapped, whipping her hand out to the side to gesture vaguely around the room. "The evidence is stacked a spire high!" The general suddenly closed her eyes, looked away, and took a deep breath. The edge softened from her voice, and she forced herself to relax. "Apologies. I know it must be hard... to accept that someone so close to you would be capable of such treason. But I need you to hear me out. For everyone's sakes." A steely look entered Topaz's gaze, and she slowly turned her eyes back to the two Diamonds. "Because even if what I'm about to tell you is wrong... if there's a chance that I'm right about that Hematite... It could save the Diamond Authority a lot of grief."
–
Blue blinked, appalled by the general's outburst... but she froze before she could reprimand her. Both Yellow and Blue froze, Topaz's words striking them deeply.
'To accept that someone so close to you would be capable of such treason...'
Yellow and Blue glanced at each other briefly, memories of Pink Diamond flooding back to them all at once. Blue's gaze was filled with discomfort and mild anxiety... while Yellow looked as though she'd already accepted where Topaz was going with this. But Blue...
No. She couldn't mean this... How could she say these things?
Blue snapped her attention from Yellow back to the general, taking a step toward her.
"You're... You're wrong! Hematite would never do such a thing!" Blue growled, tears suddenly forming in her eyes. Her brows twitched, and her expression faltered from anger to uncertainty. Glancing away with a soft, indiscernible noise, she couldn't bring herself to say anything more. She wanted to scream, to deny it, to tell Topaz she was out of line for even saying such things... But even if she did, she knew all too well that it was possible. It happened with Pink Diamond, it could happen with anyone. If a Diamond was so willing and capable of betraying them... who's to say a service gem wasn't able to as well? They'd seen plenty of traitors in the war, and outside of it. Since none of them had had bodyguards in the past until now, at least, not personal ones like Hema, what Topaz was proposing was unprecedented... but not impossible.
–
Staring evenly at the two Diamonds, Blue in particular, Topaz frowned sympathetically. Slowly, she inhaled through her teeth and gazed out the window behind them at the glittering, night-shaded city.
"Maybe it'd be best if you saw this from an outside perspective."
Topaz took a single step away from her superiors, folded her arms behind her back, squared her shoulders, and half-opened her visible eye, staring straight through both Yellow and Blue. After taking a long, deep breath, she began speaking evenly, powerfully, and with as much respect as she could manage.
"I never trusted the Hematites. They're far too powerful for their own good, and they're especially too dangerous to be kept at such a close proximity to the three of you. But, I didn't say anything when you told me she'd chosen one to be her bodyguard, Yellow. I didn't question White's judgment ... Not out loud. I thought I was being paranoid; surely White of all people would know exactly what she was getting herself into, creating such a gem... and then taking it on as her bodyguard. That all seemed fine and well." A thoughtful pause followed. "But then he went rogue and attacked you, Yellow Diamond. I do not know what his motives were, but that was a rather bold show of his true colors. I'm unsure why he wasn't shattered. But, again, I had no rights to question you out loud as much as I wanted to. But I was always troubled... worried for your safety. So I offered my services, my soldiers. And then one of them..." A faint flicker of rage passed over the general's face, but she quickly tried to brush it off, shaking her head. "One of them failed their orders. Broke their code. And because of this, my warriors had to be withdrawn. I trusted yours and White's judgment on that, Yellow Diamond. I did." The smallest hint of sympathy entered her voice. "But I never stopped worrying... Worrying about all three of you. If he was capable of attacking you in public once, what's to say he wouldn't..." She sighed, frowning and looking away. "Attack you while you were alone."
An eerie silence fell upon the room. Yellow and Blue didn't respond. They stared at Topaz expectantly, picking up on the fact that she wasn't done. The general shook her head faintly, brushing her hair away from her right eye.
"... I will admit right now, I do not know what motive that Hematite could have for wanting to shatter White Diamond. I don't. And that is a weakness of my accusation, a big one. However. It stands that I saw what I saw. White and Hematite went on a mission to help me with some pesky rebels, and only Hematite came back with White's cracked gemstone, far sooner than he should have. You didn't see what I saw. He looked paranoid, hunted, guilty. You cannot tell me you didn't have your suspicions too, when he returned with her gem," she implored.
She let her last words sink in. The two Diamonds frowned and shared a glance before Yellow hesitantly gestured for Topaz to carry on. She spared her the smallest, reluctant nod. Topaz returned it, sighing as her hair fell back over her eye. She almost looked disappointed as she carried on.
"At first I was confused... confused why, if he had committed such an act, he would bring back White's gem... He could have finished the job and shattered her, harvested her, hid her, anything else besides what he did," she said quietly, thoughtfully. "But as time went on...- No, when you brought that very point up in the archives, Yellow, I thought of something. 'What possible effect could bringing White back here have on you two?'" An edge entered her voice. "He wanted to weaken you both. Mentally and emotionally... He's been close enough to you all to know what you're like. He knew seeing White Diamond cracked and hurting would have a terrible effect on you, making you far more likely to make mistakes, to be unfocused. And White? In his mind, letting her reform was no problem. She was cracked, and as such, was far less of a threat." Looking away, Topaz looked pained and almost fearful for a brief moment. "It was a brilliant plan, one that seems like... well. One that almost worked. It looks like he tried to take Yellow out first. Then, he probably would have gone for you, Blue. Or White, if presented the chance... if he covered his crime just enough to bring back a half-intact Diamond, he could look innocent and take all three of you out at the same time..."
Topaz covered her mouth with her hand, her professional air faltering for a moment as she glanced away. She looked pained, yet relieved. Her voice softened, genuine solace lacing her tone.
"I'm only glad he failed. We have a cure for White, you both are safe. And I was able to tell you all my suspicions. Even if I'm wrong... it's best you see this from the point of view of someone who just wants the best for the Diamond Authority, for Homeworld." She turned her head, a fierce light in her eyes as she gazed down at the two Diamonds before her. "For all of gem kind."
–
Blue clenched her fists tighter, her knuckles turning lighter in color. Tears streamed from her eyes, but instead of a furious light... her eyes held a deep, horrified pain. Unable to say anything, she trembled, looking away.
No. Topaz was wrong. She had to be wrong. She had to be...
Yellow turned to look at Blue, unsure what to do about her. She knew it must have hurt to hear all this, but Yellow was prepared for the worst. She'd seen this coming a mile away, even if she had tried her best to push it away. Neither of them wanted to believe it. But they both knew that it was feasible. Everything that Topaz had said made sense, to Yellow more so than it did Blue.
Blue shook her head rapidly, digging her fingers into her hair as she inhaled unevenly through her teeth. She tried to wipe her tears away, but they wouldn't stop coming. When she finally did speak, her voice wavered and cracked, gruff with denial.
"No... He wouldn't... HE WOULDN'T!" she shouted. Yellow frowned and gently placed her hand on Blue's shoulder, her expression sympathetic.
"Blue, please..."
SLAP!
Blue roughly smacked Yellow's hand away from her, sharply turning on her with her teeth grit harshly. She practically growled at the other Diamond, her heavy breaths hissing through her teeth.
"DON'T TOUCH ME," she hissed loudly, backing away quickly. Yellow looked offended, a prickling heat in her chest as she snarled at the smaller gem in anger.
"Blue! Stop this, you're being irrational! Listen to Topaz. She's right! Look at the facts, look at the evidence! Hematite isn't who you think he is." She paused, sighing as she looked away momentarily. An odd mix of pain and sympathy addled her stern expression. "... I'm sorry," she said sympathetically, holding her hands out to the side.
Taking a deep breath, Topaz watched silently as the two Diamonds argued, her hands neatly behind her back again with a sad, compassionate countenance.
Blue trembled heavily, taking in a shaking, uneven breath. With venom in her words, she bared her teeth at the other Diamond.
"You aren't sorry... You're a fool."
Without giving either of them a chance to respond, Blue bolted for the door and punched it completely out of its mechanical hinges, barreling out of the room. She disappeared without a word.
Yellow stood in furious disbelief, running a hand over her face as all the sympathy and pity vanished from her in an instant.
"Ugh, she's so hard to deal with..." she sighed. Turning to the warrior, she pursed her lips. "I... should have listened to you, Topaz. All that time ago. I should have listened to my own judgment.. I should have shattered him when I had the chance. But, hopefully, he won't be a problem anymore..." she stated calmly, looking down at the bubble that she still held carefully in her free palm. "I knew there was something wrong about all of this... About him. I just wish I'd been wiser about all this."
–
As soon as Blue left, the general turned to Yellow and sighed.
"It is alright. White will be fine, now. And in the end, if he does show up, we can bring him to justice. For now, let us focus on this." She motioned to the bubbled flowers. "How long until the flowers take to the fluid? Isn't it a few days?"
–
Yellow nodded and grabbed the jar.
"Yes, four and a half I believe" she said simply, unscrewing the lid and carefully picking up the bubble. "Blue will thank us later... I know it's a lot harder on her than it is on me..." She grimaced suddenly, feeling something knot up in her stomach. Oh, stars. She almost forgot. "White's... not going to take this well. At all."
–
Topaz looked at her sympathetically, a faintly worried frown on her face. She stepped over to Yellow, who turned to look up at her silently. The general nodded reassuringly.
"I'll help you break it to her, when the time comes."
–
–
A few hours later...
–
–
Come on, come on... has it been long enough? Stars, how many hours has it been? I need to get out of here, it's so gross!
What if Yellow's waiting for you out there?
No, this thing would be dead if she was still around. That, or she would have joined me... Either way.
… I think it's time.
Gritting his teeth, Hema opened his eyes, glaring fiercely into the grim, glowing blue 'stomach' around him. Bubbled gems lined the walls of the inside of the corrupted gem mother, glistening in the dim blue light. Hematite grimaced and stood up, looking around as he wiped his arms in disgust. Viscous teal saliva clung to his suit, plastering it damply against his form. The monster hadn't moved for some time... it was probably sleeping, wasn't it? Well, whatever it was doing...
It was about to get a rude wake-up call.
Inhaling slowly through his nose, Hema closed his eyes and focused on his gem. It started to glimmer, and he braced himself as his entire body began to glow with not only the light of his size shifting... but with bright pink sparks as well.
The massive monster laid dormant in its web of roots and vines, watching the ground below. Its bright eyes were narrowed and vacant, as if it weren't entirely 'there.' But then, it sharply sat up, looking at its midsection with a disgruntled chirrup. A viscous screech filled the air before suddenly-
POFF!
With a surprised gasp, Hema clung tightly to one of the tangled roots. His clawed nails left small scores in the wood as he hoisted himself up, looking down at the blackened cave floor. Flicking a hand over his eyes, he lit up one of his hunting visors. The cavern was quickly filled with its pale white light which faintly illuminated the ground far below, even through the screen of dark blue smoke.
Hema grunted and slowly slid off of the root, making his clumsy way down into the cavern. He shifted down before hitting the ground, afraid to damage anything in the room. As he stood straight, he scratched his head in frustration. His hand swiped down from his hair to his arm, quickly wiping away the dampness that still clung to him.
The cavern laid in silence. Hematite stepped forward and turned slowly as he gave the cavern a thorough look. Looks like Yellow really did leave. Of course, why would she stay and help me? She's out to shatter me all over again.
Hematite jumped in surprise as his foot nudged something on the ground that made a soft, crystalline sound. Looking down, his eyes rested upon a small, triangular blue stone. It glowed in the light of his visor, very easily catching his attention. Leaning down, Hema frowned and reached towards it, bubbling it without much effort. His visor quickly performed a scan.
Gem Found: Benitoite Status: CORRUPTED Mission Objective: –
Hema sighed to himself and quickly stored the bubble away in his gem. He was curious why he'd never seen this gem type before, but decided to check on it later. He had bigger monsters to catch right now. The service gem slowly moved forward towards one of the walls, placing his hands to its cold, rocky, and uneven surface. His palms brushed over small roots and patches of thick moss. He furrowed his brows, expression hardening.
You know, that monster probably just saved you. Yellow was ready to execute you right then and there.
Well, it's a good thing she didn't, isn't it?
But how long will it last?
I'll go back and explain things to Blue. She can talk to Yellow, or maybe White. Everything will be fine.
But first, I have to find that flower.
Hema, determined to track down the Hearthfall Flowers, began to scour the cavern. He was surprisingly calm, for what had just happened to him. But, as he began to comb through the cavern more thoroughly than he had before... his collected demeanor started to crack. Panic slowly rose in his chest once more, as if Yellow were still in the room, watching him. It wasn't there. Nothing was there. Sure, the room was big, but he was being so slow and careful, he should have found it by now. Rubes wouldn't lie to him, would she? No, she'd have no reason to.
So then what happened? I mean... it has been twelve years, maybe one of Rubes' other group members came back for it? Axi, maybe? What if Puff came back and took it? Weren't there other members in their group...
Hema leapt down from a high-hanging root, landing with a semi-pained grunt onto the ground. He grimaced and brushed himself off, walking towards the exit of the cavern. That was the last place he hadn't checked. He'd been searching now for what felt like at least a couple hours. His eyes were starting to burn, and every part of him ached from not only his and Yellow's mission, but from escaping from the Benitoite mother. Escaping from a gem monster in that manner always left him sore and dazed. How much longer did he have to search through this place? He thought that after a couple hours, he would have found something, but, no. This place was clean. There wasn't even a strong scent of anyone being there before. All he could smell was Yellow, himself, and the overwhelming stench of the Benitoite and the plant life. Then again, his sense of smell wasn't exactly the best. He couldn't tell if there was something else that he wasn't catching or not, over the strong smells that already lingered there.
With a deep, shuddering sigh, Hema stopped in front of the large exit of the cavern. He looked up, his visor dimly lighting the tunnel entrance. His chest felt heavy. Nothing. There was nothing here, was there? Hematite looked at the parts of the tunnel closer to the ground, paying particular attention to the mounds of uneven rocks that almost cascaded down the lower slope of the walls. They were blanketed by different plant life of all shades and textures. Hema walked over and placed his hand on the mossy wall, his expression slowly falling. He looked down, his brows furrowed, teeth grit together.
And then, there, half-hidden under a vine... he saw it. A singular, pale pink petal laid in solitude on the floor. Hema's eyes went wide with shock, and he gasped as he knelt down, brushing the vine aside. Extending his hand, he bubbled the tiny petal, lifting it up to his face in disbelief. It floated in the middle of the silvery casing, now in full view. Hematite swallowed quietly, looking it over. The petal was half-wilted, and seemed on the verge of dying entirely. If he'd found it much later, he was certain it would've just been a browned scrap of foliage on the floor like everything else littered about the cavern. But what he could make of the petal, it fit Rubes' description. A pink petal with a lighter pink tip... either there were multiple plants that fit that description, or this was exactly what he'd been looking for.
Hematite's breathing quickened. He looked up sharply towards the exit, his eyes widening as he shot forward, storing the bubble away in his gem.
There's still hope. The flower was here... all we have to do is track down who took it, it had to be recent! Otherwise, the petal would have been dead!
We can still do this, if the thief bubbled them right!
We still have a chance!
–
–
Panting heavily, the service gem leapt over a large, downed column blocking his path through an abandoned city street. He landed roughly on the other side, stumbling. He stood straight and continued to run clumsily forward, sweat dripping off his brow.
Stars, I should have waited longer to shift up earlier. Tch, but then that petal would have been dead... Come on... come on! This is taking forever! Why can't I shift, I know I have the energy for it!
The service gem scolded himself mentally, grimacing. He urged his aching feet forward faster. If he could just get there before Yellow tried to report him to anyone, he could still explain himself and convince her it was all a misunderstanding. He had to. As much as he dreaded it, he knew his very fate could rest on her not convincing herself that he'd tried to kill her. Hematite's expression twisted with pain, Yellow's searing accusations stabbing into his very core.
Yellow, you're wrong.
I wasn't trying to fool you!
I'm not trying to hurt anyone!
Slowly, but surely, another voice rose alongside Yellow's faint echos. It was dark, menacing, and familiar.
But you hurt White. You let her get cracked. This is all. Your. Fault.
Hematite grimaced and willed himself forward even faster. He tried again to reach his powers, deep within his gemstone. He felt as though something was cutting him off from his powers, directly standing in his way. It was as if some inner force had erected a wall between his mind and his inner abilities that laid in his gem. The voice hissed at him again, distracting him from trying to gain access to his powers.
Your fault. You monster.
No!
And you couldn't even find a simple flower to save her. You found a half-dead petal.
The service gem suddenly felt something flicker at the edge of his vision. He gasped and looked around, even more sweat forming on his brow as his running faltered.
Those... looked like claws...
Was someone following him?
No, no of course not. He was alone.
... Alone...
And Yellow left you to die.
Because she couldn't shatter you herself.
Hematite shook his head, teeth bared.
No, we'll find a cure, still! The plant isn't extinct, we'll find some more of it!
That was your last chance.
STOP IT!
The service gem growled in frustration and shot ahead, only about thirty minutes away from the warp now.
Please, Yellow, just listen to me! We have to work together so we can save White!
–
–
Panting, the small service gem sprinted up the spiral hallway leading up to Yellow's office. He was exhausted, on the near point of collapse, but he had to get to her quickly. He'd gotten a few strange looks, and even some startled remarks from guards, but they knew Hematite by even a quick glance, so no-one tried to stop him. That didn't prevent them from muttering amongst one-another as he'd run through the Diamond Tower Facility, though. Now, he was in the last stretch to Yellow's office. Just a little further...
The general stopped mid sentence as she heard approaching footsteps. She'd been in the middle of a semi-pleasant conversation with Yellow about the cure, and how happy they'd be to see White back to normal. But she stopped dead in her words when she heard an approaching gem outside the torn-out door. She couldn't see them yet...
But she had an idea who it was.
–
Yellow frowned, not yet hearing the footsteps herself. She was too busy pouring the last of the robonoid fluid into the jar and making sure everything was in order. A diamond pad laid to the side with a guide on how to add the robonoid fluid to the flask, and it looked as though she was on the last step. She looked over her shoulder, curious as to why Topaz had stopped mid-sentence.
"What is it, General?" she asked. Then, she heard it too. Her nerves jumped, and she suddenly spun around, eyeing the entrance of the doorway with bated breath.
–
Topaz didn't take her eyes off the doorway, her face completely turned away from Yellow, out of her view. Her brows furrowed into a look of apprehension and curiosity. The closer the steps drew, the more familiar they sounded.
Tak tak tak TAK TAK
Hematite skidded into view of the office. Very nearly falling over from his sudden stop, he stood straight and opened his mouth as if about to say something, but he looked at the destroyed doorway in confusion. His brows furrowed, and he clicked his tongue once.
"... What happened here?" he muttered.
–
Yellow's teeth grit together in alarmed fury. She quickly placed the jar onto the desk and stepped in front of her desk, placing her palm to her gem. It glowed for a brief moment, and with a quick flick of her arm, a shining blade whipped itself from her gemstone, glimmering brightly. It clinked abruptly against the tile floor.
"How dare you... you have a lot of nerve coming back here. Give me one good reason I shouldn't shatter you here and now," she hissed darkly. Topaz glanced over her shoulder at her leader, the faintest flicker of anxiety in her chest. Yellow stood tall and proud, staring down at Hema with a deadly look that could rip through the cores of the strongest gems, the golden-haired general included.
–
The small service gem's eyes widened, and he looked at Yellow with undisguised terror. He put his hands up in front of him defensively, backing away a step.
"W-wait! Wait. I-I know you're mad, and I know what happened back there looks bad, b-but, I-" Hematite started to lift his hand to his gemstone, which began to glow.
And then, abruptly, Topaz stood up and looked down at Hematite, glaring daggers into him, rendering him motionless with fright. The general stepped forward, turned back to Yellow, and gave her a knowing smirk.
"I can give you a reason, Yellow." Topaz stepped forward without warning, closed the distance between herself and Hematite, and grabbed his arm, pulling it away from his gemstone. "This little traitor..." She put a hand to her gemstone- which glowed brightly - and pulled out a gleaming white bracer. It was the same kind used by the Diamonds to hold prisoners, like the ones the Hematites had hunted so long ago. Topaz forcefully pulled Hema's hands in front of him, earning a terrified cry. She slapped the over-arm cuffs on, completely covering his forearms and hands. His gem stopped glowing instantly, with a sickening fizzle sound. "Needs to face true justice for his crimes. An informal execution isn't the way to go about this."
She turned and smiled at Yellow, holding Hematite's bracer tightly in one massive hand. The service gem struggled weakly, trying fruitlessly to pull away or out of the cuffs.
"Wh-what's going on?! What are you talking about?" he demanded, looking up at Topaz in both fear and indigence.
–
Yellow sneered, never once taking her eyes off of Hematite. For a long, tense moment, she drummed her fingers along the hilt of her weapon, tapping its tip once or twice on the floor. Her eyes glittered with grim, deep thought. Then, slowly, she inhaled through her teeth, taking a single step back as she looked up at Topaz.
"I couldn't agree more, General... Take him away. We'll deal with him when we bring White back."
–
Hematite's eyes were wide as saucers, and he looked rapidly between Topaz and Yellow, shaking like a leaf. Despite his size not changing... he suddenly felt as though he were steadily shrinking smaller and smaller in the presence of the two powerful gems.
"W-wait! What did I do?! I-I have a petal, the plant was down ther-" Hema's eyes fell upon the jar on Yellow's desk, just behind her. He could see healthy pink flowers floating in the odd liquid. Those were the Hearthfall flowers. Hematite went quiet for a long moment, a disbelieving exhale escaping him. "W-what... How did you find-"
"Let's get moving." Topaz violently yanked Hematite toward the door, earning a pained shout from the gem. He tried to dig his heels into the ground, but was effortlessly drug along by the general by his hands. He looked sharply over his shoulder to see Yellow Diamond turning away from him, placing her sword off to the side. His chest tightened, a quick swallow catching in his throat.
"WAIT! I-IS WHITE GONNA BE FIXED? YELLOW-!"
His calls quickly faded down the hall, and were cut off entirely by the doors of the nearby elevator.
–
The next day...
–
The air held a chilling silence. It was cold, dark, sterile. A metallic thrum hummed through the air, droning on unyieldingly and sending a faint tremor into any gem that paid too much attention to it. Every now and then, a door somewhere would slam, or someone would break into a fervent fit about how they were here unjustly, or how they'd shatter the Diamonds once they escaped. The silence was a blessing when it was there.
Deep within the most highly-guarded halls of the Yellow District Prison, Blue Diamond stomped through the halls, eyeing every cell she came across with silent, seething rage. Every gem that was still conscious that had the misfortune of making eye contact with the livid Diamond was quickly reduced to a shuddering mess in the back of their cell. She hissed through her teeth as she rounded another bend in the massive, straight halls of the prison.
"WHERE IS HE?!" she bellowed, sending a subtle tremor through the room. One of the guards standing idle in the hall flinched, saluting the Diamond. They opened their mouth, beginning to speak, but Blue grabbed them by their arms and yanked them close, teeth bared. Eyes widening, the Amethyst swallowed loudly, sweat forming on her brow. The guard kept steady, despite being visibly racked.
"W-Who, ma'am?" asked the guard, shaking in their armored boots. The Diamond groaned in furious frustration and slammed them against the wall, her eyes dark.
"Where. Is. The Hematite," she snarled. Shakily, the guard pointed down the hall and motioned a few numbers with their hand. Blue let go of the guard with a snort, continuing down her path. The Amethyst clutched at her chest, breathing a deep sigh of relief.
Slamming through another door, Blue entered a much darker part of the prison. Two guards standing by saluted, but stood in her way. She quickly shoved them aside, fiery eyes staring straight ahead. As she made her way down a small flight of stairs. As the floor evened out, she started counting the cells. All of them were empty in this section, it seemed. There was no-one standing guard in here, either, aside from the two gems that'd been standing in Blue's way before the stairs. This was a specific section for criminals that were not to have contact with other gems before being spoken to, specifically by a Diamond. And, given her status, that's exactly why no-one was stopping the livid azure gem.
She stomped down the massive, tall room, passing by cell after cell. She quickly took note that there were even some small, secluded halls that branched off from the main one, leading to smaller, mostly empty cells that were secluded off on their own.
"512. 513. 514..."
–
There, at the end of one of the strange hallways, Hematite was sitting in a small, sturdy, square-shaped cell with a destabilizing screen in front of it. The service gem looked disheveled. His hair was ruffled, his suit was bunched up slightly in places, unlike its usual neat and smooth state.
Eyes staring straight ahead at the floor, Hema was backed against the middle of the wall, holding his knees close with his braced hands.
–
Blue turned to her left as she stomped ahead, squinting towards the end of another long, dark hallway that branched off of the main one she'd been walking through. Her eyes widened.
There.
Blue stopped for a second at the end of the hall, looking down it. There, at the other end, was a cell... and Hematite was in it. Perfect.
Growling lowly, the Diamond stormed down the hall at a steady pace, swinging her fists beside her, her knuckles light in color. Everything went red. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the world around her went quiet.
"HEMATIIIIIIIIITE!"
–
With a horrible start, the service gem looked up, eyes wide. For the briefest second, he was glad to see Blue approaching his cell. But that happiness was dashed to pieces when her angry shout echoed through the room, shaking him to his core. With a shaken inhale, he pulled his knees closer, back plastered against the wall. An audible whimper escaped him.
–
Blue was upon the cell in no time, towering above his cowering form from outside the 'door'. The buzzing screen offered no comfort to the small gem as the furious Diamond's very form cast Hematite in a faint shadow. Her lips were curled into a snarl, her eyes glaring right down at the gem, who, especially when curled up like he was, was utterly puny in comparison.
W H A M!
Her fists slammed down on the sides of the doorway, her entire form taking up the space of the cell entrance, making her appear even bigger than she already did.
–
A shriek of fear escaped the service gem, and he let go of his knees in an instant, holding his braced hands up in front of his head, shielding himself best he could.
–
There was no denying that every scrap of Blue's usual peppy demeanor was far, far gone. She was absolutely heaving with hot fury, her fingers gripping unsteadily at the flat surface of the door frame.
However, despite her rage, despite her heavy, deep breaths... when she spoke, her voice was hushed into a grieved, pained whisper.
"Why..."
–
Hematite, after a long pause, managed to crack one eye open. His trembling never quelled. When he opened his mouth, he tried to speak, but nothing but a choked 'squeak' escaped him. He swallowed hard, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.
"Wh-why what? B-blue, what are you talking about?" His voice was quiet, strained, and scared.
–
Blue was breathing so harshly now, so quickly, the air that flowed between her teeth sounded like hissing. She didn't respond, her fury rising at the mere sound of Hema's tiny, pitiful voice.
Then it slowly died down again, and her brows twitched, her expression falling. Tears formed in her eyes, much to her dismay. Her core cooled faintly, weighed down with confusion and grief.
"Why would you do this... First Yellow, then White... were you gonna come after me next...? What did White ever do to you? What did I ever do to you?!" she demanded, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. She furrowed her brows again, unsteadily lowering her fists from the door frame. "How could you... do something so horrible?!" she hissed, retracting her hands completely and grasping at the open air around her as she looked rapidly between her hands. "I can't... believe you! IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANTED?! THIS WHOLE TIME?!" she demanded, glaring at him as she waited impatiently for an answer.
–
Hematite stared in confused horror at the sight before him. He'd never seen Blue like this. She was furious, she was distraught. And he didn't know why. Tears started to flow down the service gem's cheeks. He shook his head slightly, never taking his eyes off Blue.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" he managed, his voice cracking. When Blue just glared at him, hissing through her teeth, something suddenly shifted in Hematite's core. His fear, though temporarily... was suddenly mixed with anger.
"I don't know what's going on! I was just put in here without an explanation! And then you show up and start asking why I did something?!" He scrambled to his feet, shaking his head rapidly, tears flicking from his cheeks and falling to the stone floor. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with grief and confused anger. His own breath hissed through his teeth. His voice wavered. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M IN HERE, WHAT DID I DO, BLUE? WHAT DID I DO?!" he cried at the top of his lungs, voice cracking. He inhaled through his teeth and sharply glared daggers at the wall beside him, slamming his braced hands into it. He stayed there for a moment, the loud 'clang' echoing down the hall. Then, slowly, he came back to his senses, his eyes widening. All his anger cracked and peeled away, leaving only the overwhelming fear and confusion in its wake.
Slowly, he slumped against the wall, his eyes shutting tight in a pained grimace. He couldn't hold it back anymore. All the pain from yesterday, all his confusion, the fact that he was in prison, the uncertainty and inability to know White's current state... it all came crashing down on him at once.
Hema shook his head weakly, a weak sob cracking from his chest.
–
Through all of her anxiety, through all of her fury, through all of her grief... she stopped, albeit for a second, instinctively concerned for the service gem. The sight of seeing him so distressed made her pause, just long enough to see him slump against the wall.
But then, whatever concern she felt in that moment was gone in a flash. Don't let him manipulate you. It's a trick. You know it is. You know how smart he is.
Angrily, she slammed her hands against the sides of the door again, inches from the buzzing screen that kept the two apart. All her rage flooded back into her core like a sea of hungry flames, making her very form boil with rage. His pitiful cries only seemed to anger her further, and she shook her head rapidly, everything Topaz said racing back to her as her clear, agonized voice ripped itself from her chest with gnashing teeth.
"YOU. CRACKED. WHITE," she screamed, more tears dripping from her cheeks and spattering on the cold metallic floor. With a sharp inhale, she clawed her fingers down the door frame, eyes narrowing from the hot tears that flooded them. Her tone lowered, pained and forced. "And you were gonna take us down, one by one..."
–
Hematite gasped audibly, a shuddering exhale following.
YOU. CRACKED. WHITE.
The service gem's eyes went wide as saucers. All the life drained from his face, from his gaze. His shoulders slumped, and he stared, unblinking, ahead of him, mouth ajar.
'You cracked White.'
'You cr a c hi t e'
You cracked-
"No," he said softly, his eyes wide and distant.
–
Blue tensed up, clenching her fists furiously.
"Don't you dare play stupid with me, Hematite... You..." She lost her words, then her breath. Shaking herself back, she snorted angrily. "You thought you'd get away with it, didn't you... that maybe we wouldn't find out... maybe we wouldn't suspect you! But you..." She heaved, lashing out at the door with a readied fist. With a loud, crackling BZZZT, Blue's hand was reflected away from the destabilizing screen. Blue hissed through her teeth, completely unfazed by the strike.
"We trusted you... How could you lie to us?... How could you lie to ME?! How could you crack her?! Is it because you've got nothing to live for? That you're angry with her because she made you? Because you're a doomed gem?! IS THAT IT?! DAMMIT, HEMATITE!"
She lashed out again, slamming both of her fists on the screen directly again. Her eyes glared daggers into the small service gem, tears still dripping down her cheeks.
–
Hematite couldn't take it anymore. Between Blue's scathing accusations and her physical strikes to the screen, he felt his entire world crashing in on him.
You cracked White.
We trusted you.
How could you lie to us?!
How could you crack her?!
IT IT BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LIVE FOR?
The service gem cried out as Blue struck the screen a second time, scrambling into the corner of the cell, slumping against the wall. He quickly collapsed to the floor in a shaking mess, holding his bracer over his head.
You're angry with her because she made you? BECAUSE YOU'RE A DOOMED GEM?!
IS THAT IT?!
Hematite's voice cut through the air with a desperation that not even Blue herself had heard before. Everything seemed to go silent at his cry.
"STOP! STOP, STOP IT!"
–
And she did.
The screen buzzed loudly with interference, and the Diamond's hands started shaking, fizzling. She retracted them quickly, clenching and unclenching her now singed hands. Eyes widening, Blue felt her hair stand on end as Hematite's voice echoed through the prison hall.
She slumped to her knees, silent.
But he continued.
"Stop it... stop. Please." Hema hadn't even noticed she'd gone silent, that her cutting accusations had stopped. Sobs wracked his small form, and he buried his face in his knees, his voice quiet and strained. It... didn't even sound like he was talking to her anymore. "Stop..."
–
Blue stared at the service gem, looking over him thoroughly. As she gazed at him, she suddenly felt something bubble up in her core. A nausea-inducing cocktail of guilt, sudden regret, and concern prickled in her chest. She felt horrible. No matter how angry she was at him, no matter how hurt she was...
She couldn't bear to see him like this.
With a heavy, shuddering breath, she looked down at the ground in front of her knees, guilt plain as day on her face.
"Hematite..."
–
He didn't seem to hear her. He didn't move. He couldn't even speak anymore. His voice failed him, and his words melted into a series of choked sobs and hiccups.
You cracked White.
No... no, I didn't!
Yes, you did. And they believe so too. That's why you're in here.
Stop...
Yellow knows you tried to lead her into a trap.
I-I didn't do that either!
But you did crack White.
N-NO I DIDN'T, STOP IT!
But you don't know you didn't. You blacked out. You could have cracked her. You DID crack her. Because you're a doomed gem, because she made you that way. Yo her.
N-no... no! She's my leader! I could never hate her, SHE'S MY WHITE DIAMOND!
He didn't even respond to Blue. He simply laid there, shivering, shaking his head faintly.
–
"HEMATITE!" Blue shouted, looking at him with desperation and confliction in her gaze. "Please... listen to me..." She heaved again, holding her singed hands close to her face, balling them up into fists.
They're wrong.
They have to be.
And she wanted to believe it.
"If you are innocent, please... Please..." She begged, gasping for air as more tears fell down her face. She looked at him weakly, all her anger from before completely gone. "Prove it."
–
Hematite slowly opened his eyes. The service gem laid where he was for a long moment.
Prove it... Prove what? I didn't do anything... I-I don't even know what you all think I did, exactly. H-how could I have cracked White? I was unconscious.
He didn't answer, uncertain what he could even say.
–
Blue stared at him, sniffing.
"Tell me anything... show me anything... make me believe. I don't want something like this to happen again. I had so much faith in you, Hematite..." She wiped her hand against her cheek, wiping away tears. "Please. They're going to kill you for this... I don't want to see you go. I don't want you to be a traitor. I don't want to believe you are..." She placed her hands on her knees, clawing at the fabric of her outfit as she lowered her head. "Just... say... something..."
–
Say something.
Slowly, Hematite sat up. He shifted where he crouched, and slumped his back against the wall. One knee was bent, his other leg stretched out in front of him. The look in his eyes was... worrying.
He looked defeated. He looked scared, confused.
But, more than that...
He looked hollow.
A long pause stretched between the two. His mouth was slightly ajar, but no sound came out. Then, finally...
"I'm sorry."
–
Blue felt her very core drop, and she frowned in confusion.
"What..."
That can't be it.
Please...
'Sorry' doesn't tell me anything...
His expression haunted her. Nervously, she tilted her head away slightly, watching him with quickly rising apprehension.
–
After a long moment, Hematite's brows raised slightly. He cracked some sort of expression of grief.
"I'm sorry. I-I can't... I don't have... anything. I told you everything I could, in your office. Th-that's. That's all I've got." He looked at his bracer. "I didn't do it. I didn't. B-but I can't... prove anything. I've got nothing. I don't even know what happened. I-I still haven't been able to figure out what went on in those caves. No matter how many times I go through it mentally, I-I." Hematite's face scrunched into a look of pure desperation and guilt. "I can't figure it out! There was nobody down there! It was just me, White, and that damn scout, and I caught her! She couldn't have done it!"
The service gem's breath suddenly picked up, and he heaved through bared teeth, the sound coming out like rapid hissing. He suddenly shouted in pained frustration and slammed his bracer on the floor, his voice coming out as an angry sob.
"IT'S ALL THAT DAMN EMERALD'S FAULT! SHE KNOCKED ME OUT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF HER!"
–
Blue's eyes widened further, and she put her hands up to the sides of the door frame again.
"Wait... you caught her? Hematite, what did you do to the gem you caught?!" she asked, an idea springing up in her head.
–
After a moment, the service gem calmed enough to look up at Blue. He sniffled quietly.
"... I bubbled and harvested her."
–
Slowly, a grin formed on Blue's face, eyes filled with hope.
That was it. That was what they needed.
"Hematite! That's it! If you can bring out that gem... you can prove that not only were you occupied with her, but we can get her to talk! Maybe she knows what happened to White," she said proudly, smirking.
–
The service gem blinked in surprise and sat up a bit straighter. Wait, maybe she was onto something... If they could get the Emerald to confirm that he wasn't near White...!
"I-I, well. Maybe! I... can't bring her out right now, is that what you mean?" He looked slightly confused from his currently disheveled state. He held up his braced hands.
–
Blue faltered, raising a brow.
"What do you mean you can't bring her out right now?! Hematite, your life is on the line here..." She said with pleading eyes.
–
The gem frowned and blinked in confusion. Pursing his lips angrily, he shook his braced hands at her.
"Because of this thing! It blocks off all my gem abilities. I can barely make any contact with my pocket dimension, and I certainly can't bring out any bubbled gems!"
–
Blue scowled, glaring down between the bracer and the service gem's face.
"Hematite, I cannot take that off... Surely you must at least know where she is?!" she said desperately. "If you can confirm you have her... I can probably get you an audience with White and Yellow."
–
Hematite dropped his hands with a loud 'clink' and drew his lips tight, expression an odd mix of frustrated and nervous.
"... Alright. Give me a minute."
Slowly, the service gem lowered his face and closed his eyes. He went silent.
–
Blue sat back and crossed her arms.
This wasn't good... was he lying? Maybe she was wasting her time... But she wanted to hang onto what little hope she still had. There had to me something. Anything.
–
Getting a hold of his pocket dimension proved difficult. The bracers on his hands prevented him completely from accessing any of his gem abilities, and it very nearly cut off all mental attachment he had to his pocket dimension, even the tower. He'd never felt so disconnected from his inner self. Normally he would have been able to check in an instant where he had a gem, but now, there was a block, and he had to carefully, slowly, check each section of the tower. It felt like he was trying to stare through thick, frosted glass, when the window was usually crystal clear.
His brows furrowed, and he muttered to himself.
"Tch, I was in such a state, I think I might have put her in a cubby instead of a prison cell... I wasn't really paying attention at the time." He tilted his head slightly, a curious frown on his face. "She was rather small, she would have fit into one."
He went silent again. Every once in a while he would make a faint 'Mm.' of refusal at finding an incorrect gem.
Five whole minutes passed.
All of a sudden, Hematite slowly opened his eyes. He looked petrified.
"… She's not there."
–
Blue's expression quickly matched Hema's.
"No..." she breathed, her lower lip trembling. Slowly, she clenched her fists. "So... that's it, then..." She looked down, seeming a thousand miles away. Unable to move or speak, she let her tears fall onto her legs and onto the ground in front of her. Slowly, she lifted her hands, burying her face into her palms.
He had nothing. He had no evidence to prove his innocence... It was true... She didn't want to believe it, but... he had nothing.
–
Hematite looked up, his breathing suddenly uneven as he realized Blue was rather quickly giving up on him.
"No, no!" He inhaled through his teeth and abruptly made his way over to the screen, on his knees. "Blue, please! You know I would never hurt White! You know I would never hurt anyone on purpose! I know I've messed up, I know this looks bad, it looks really REALLY bad! But I swear to you, I swear on the Diamond Authority, I didn't crack White! I didn't lead Yellow into a trap!" He whimpered and shook his head, all but begging the Diamond to listen to him, merely through his tone of voice. "I don't know what happened to White in those caves, and I don't know how the Emerald escaped her cubby, but I-" He held back tears. "Blue, you have to believe me!"
–
Blue stared on in agonized pain. She couldn't even bring herself to be physically furious right now, no matter how her emotions fluctuated within her. She was angry. She was confused. She was disheartened, hurt, betrayed... And she was upset.
Upset because White was cracked.
Upset because Yellow and Topaz were so convinced that Hematite was guilty.
Upset because Hematite could not prove he was innocent, and because he, too, was distraught.
And no matter how hard he tried, no matter how innocent or guilty he may have been... He was losing hope fast. He wanted someone to believe him. Anyone. He wanted someone to listen to him. And she was his only hope.
She looked blank. Horrified, but blank. Looking away slowly, she didn't say a word. How could she trust him? How could she believe him? All the evidence was stacked up against him, and he had no way of proving that he didn't crack White.
"..."
–
No...
Blue, please.
You and White are my only hope.
And White's cracked right now-
Hematite's eyes widened. He drew his lips tight, looking at Blue silently. He looked pained. He looked desperate.
"... Blue." He took a shuddering breath. "That stuff that was on Yellow's desk, in her office." His voice dropped to a hush. The service gem swallowed weakly. "... Please, tell me. Is White going to be okay, now?" he asked, his voice wavering.
–
Blue snapped her attention back to Hematite, blindsided by his question. He cared enough to ask that?
She offered him a very faint, but genuine smile. She nodded.
"They've found the cure... She'll be alright."
–
They've found the cure.
Hematite trembled slightly. Then, he looked down, a soft sound escaping his chest.
"Ha..." At first, the dry laugh almost sounded upset... Raising his brace slightly, the service gem pressed his forehead against the smooth metallic surface. The cold metal bit at his skin, making him wince faintly. His shoulders shook. "Hah... ha. Oh, stars. She's gonna be okay."
Hematite suddenly broke into an uneven, but genuine, laugh. It sounded heavy, but also relieved, in a manner.
Nothing's unfixable...
–
Blue seemed worried for a moment, unsure what to think of Hema's reaction. Her smile faded quickly, and she sighed. Well, at least the tears had stopped.
Blue stood up finally, looking at her hands. She was quiet a long moment.
"She'll be back to normal in five days; they're giving the serum extra time to set, just to be on the safe side... After that, you will be brought to face her." Her tone was monotonous and eerie. She stared at him wide eyed, almost sympathetically. "Whatever you are, guilty or innocent... I hope you're prepared for the worst, for your own sake..."
–
"..." Hematite looked up slowly.
The service gem dropped his hands, his posture slumping slightly. He stared ahead, the same hollow stare he had before returning to him.
She doesn't believe you.
Nobody believes you.
You may or may not have cracked her...
Don't.
But it's still your fault it happened.
"... Right," he replied weakly.
–
Blue nodded and, reluctant to turn away, clutched her hands tightly and spared him another uncertain glance. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, she turned completely. Taking a few steps, she stopped quietly. Without turning her head, she hung her shoulders low. It seemed as though she were going to say something.
Reassure him. Give him advice. Tell him it will be okay, lie if you have to!
But does he deserve it? What if he's guilty? What if he is lying?
You know what he's like, you've seen the way he's acted. You've seen the way it's destroying him!
Pink Diamond didn't seem like the type, either. But look what happened with her. Anyone can snap. Anyone can change for the worse. People aren't always who you think they are.
But did she really believe that he could have cracked White...?
Even she didn't know what to think anymore, but things weren't looking good for him, and that much she did know.
Without a single word, Blue Diamond picked up her pace again and headed out of the hallway. She was gone in no time, and Hema was left in eerie silence once more without a breath of comfort to ease his anxiety.
–
Five days later...
–
Tak tak tak tak tak
"H-hey, not so hard," Hematite complained, tugging for a moment against Topaz' grip on his bracer. The warrior hadn't said a single word to him this morning after fetching him from the prison. Hema knew they were headed for White's...
And he felt a rock settle in the pit of his stomach.
The general rounded a corner and stopped in front of White Diamond's office. She knocked.
–
The door slowly hissed open. There stood White's Pearl, bowing respectively and stepping out of the way. The room was warm, welcoming, and had its old lively charm back. As refreshing as it was for things to be supposedly back to normal again, there was an eerie calm that lingered in the air.
And there stood White, back to normal with a fixed gemstone. She was professional, proper, and well presented. She was even smiling. Yellow stood nearby, her arms crossed. She didn't look near as happy.
As the warrior entered the room with the service gem, White's smile faded, looking upon them with great concern. Yellow narrowed her eyes, shooting Hematite a rather nasty look.
Blue was nowhere to be seen.
Stepping forward quickly, White raised up her palms slightly and looked to Hematite and Topaz with suspicion.
"Hematite! ... Would either of you care to explain why he is in a prison bracer?" she said darkly, slowly turning her head to glare at Yellow. The other Diamond, however, matched her gaze and tilted her head up slightly. She didn't say a word.
–
The moment Hematite spotted his leader standing in the office, he perked up and let out a breathless gasp, taking a step forward. But Topaz grabbed his shoulder and held him back. She gripped tightly, earning a pained wince from the gem.
He looked up at his leader with wide, almost pleading eyes.
"Wh-white, I'm so glad you're okay." A weak smile spread across his face.
But his eyes...
His eyes gave him away.
They were filled with anxiety, dread, and guilt.
Topaz didn't say a word.
–
Yellow stepped forward and bowed her head at Topaz.
"Thank you for escorting him here, General. If you would please... " She paused, glaring down at Hematite. "There's something you should know, White."
White turned her head, looking at the other Diamond offendedly.
"Excuse me?" she said, her hands on her hips. "You take my Hematite into your own hands again, put him in your prison bracers, and for what? Was this really necessary? What is the meaning of this, Yellow Diamond?"
–
Hematite shuddered at Yellow's glare. He didn't say a word.
Topaz, however, stepped back and crossed her arms. She gazed at White evenly.
"White Diamond. We have found there to be considerable evidence backing up that this Hematite is a traitor to the Diamond Authority."
–
White's eyes widened, and she remained still.
"Wh...What?" she stuttered, double taking on the sentence. "What do you mean? How? What has he done?!" she growled, narrowing her eyes at the warrior. Yellow glanced up at White quietly, pursing her lips. She knew this was about to get ugly.
–
The general stared evenly into White's gaze, arching a brow.
"While you were out of commission, we were all researching a way to fix your gem, as you well know. However, there was an incident toward the end of our efforts." She glanced at Hematite without moving her head. "This service gem claimed to have found a location with Hearthfall flowers. According to Yellow, he lead her to this location, which upon arriving, they realized had no such flowers, and the two of them were attacked. He took her there alone. And then to top it off, also according to Yellow, he pushed her into the path of a gem mother."
Hematite's brows shot up, and he glared at the general, teeth bared.
"I did not! I was trying to push her out of the way!"
–
Yellow took a step forward, clenching her fist with fury.
"You pushed me TOWARDS it!" she snarled, but White raised up her palm and shoved Yellow Diamond back in the spot she was standing in before, effortlessly. White looked back to Topaz, a look of unamused, unconvinced suspicion written all over her face.
"Is that all?"
–
Topaz narrowed her eyes.
"Hardly."
Hematite's expression faltered. The general cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. When she spoke again, her voice was almost casual, and even-toned.
"White Diamond, what do you remember from your mission with Hematite. Please specify any details towards the... 'end' of it."
–
White blinked a few times, trying to recall that dreaded night. Her expression fell, suddenly deep in thought. Stars, it had been a while... and even when it had just happened, she didn't remember too much.
"Well, Hematite and I went on a mission to find a group of rebels for you... but, what we found was a cave system. There was a scout we were to be looking for, and we chased it there. At least, I presume it was the scout," she stated. There was a small pause as she attempted to recount the events. Yellow swallowed thickly, shuffling her boot in place quietly. White continued. "Hematite told me that it might be risky to go on ahead together, so we split up. We went down two separate paths, and... then I heard this... absolutely dreadful screeching!" White took a deep breath, a worried look returning to her. "And, then I felt something hit me pretty hard, and everything went dark after that."
–
The service gem listened carefully and nodded at White's recounting of events. He grimaced at the mention of the screeching. Stars, that was a terrible sound.
But then his brows shot up.
"W-wait, what hit you?! There wasn't anyone else in the caves when I came to find you."
–
White paused, glancing between Hematite and Topaz.
"I'm not sure... I think I heard footsteps very briefly, and then a..." Her eyes widened again, a mildly horrified expression crossing her face. "A heavy, blunt force hit me. I wasn't... able to turn around in time, the screech was too disorienting and I was distracted..."
–
The service gem blinked in confusion. Okay, blunt force that was strong enough to crack a Diamond. So the Emerald was out of the question. He'd thought for a moment perhaps she escaped his grasp while he was blacked out, but there was no way a tiny thing like her could do any damage. Hematite inhaled slowly through his nose and looked away.
He had nothing else to say. Topaz, on the other hand, certainly did.
"... A blunt, heavy force, you say?" she said thoughtfully. Topaz slowly looked at White, her gaze even.
–
White glanced at Hematite briefly, but looked to the side. Her gaze ended up falling upon the Pearl who nervously stood at the back of the room. The Pearl saluted, but stayed quiet.
"Yes... Something big," she said simply. Gears were turning in her head as she looked down at the floor. She was ominously still, her tone quiet.
Yellow was starting to get a little fidgety, shifting her weight from leg to leg. She kept glancing at White, sparing her unreadable looks.
–
Hematite pursed his lips, thinking. Maybe it was a fusion, or a gem monster that he'd missed. But they had to have been fast... unless he was blacked out for longer than he thought. And, for that matter, why had they cracked White and not shattered her?
He shuddered at the thought.
Topaz drummed her fingers along her arm.
"This service gem was seen fleeing to the galaxy warp with your cracked gemstone in a bubble. He looked afraid, hunted, guilty. I saw him with my own eyes. I had arrived there to see why you were back so early, but when I saw him, I stopped..." Topaz frowned and looked away. "... Tell me, White. Have there been any incidents that have made you, perhaps, question this gem?"
Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked at White, fear and apprehension written all over his face.
"White, don't listen to her!"
–
White frowned, crossing her arms. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but there was certainly something going on in her head.
"Well... there was the incident with Yellow Diamond, some time ago..." she said simply, shooting the other Diamond a glare. Yellow remained steady, glancing at Topaz to avoid eye contact with White.
–
Topaz nodded and arched a brow.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that little ordeal. Which brings me to my next point, actually..." The general lifted her chin slightly. When she spoke, her voice was bold and even. "This Hematite has played you for a fool. He only needed to lay a few pieces in place before he could commit these heinous acts."
Hematite began to sweat. What was she talking about?! He found himself unable to speak, any words of protest catching in his throat.
Topaz continued.
"I am unsure what his motives are. I've admitted this to Yellow Diamond. But I want you to consider something, White. There have been more 'incidents' that haven't set right with me. A plan has been forming for a long time now, even if I may not understand his motives behind it."
A pause.
"Think back to Diaspore. Didn't you find it the LEAST bit odd that not only did he have not one but two witnesses with him that day, but he also HAPPENED to have an incriminating recording of said gem? He wasn't shattered by Diaspore because that guard was never aiming to kill him that day. When I said I couldn't believe there was a traitor among my warriors, I meant it. My guards were under a strict order: only attack a gem if they pose a serious and life-threatening danger to other gems. He arranged, and probably threatened one of my soldiers to attack him when he had a few, but not too many, witnesses. He then committed the deed in broad daylight, and had Diaspore found guilty of trying to shatter him. We cannot confirm this, as Diaspore is no longer with us... but I digress. Why would he do this, you may ask? Why, to make you feel the need to assist him, that he needed protection. While looking through the archives for any sort of lead on a cure, I perused Hematite's mission reports with permission. I thought since he's a recon gem, he would possibly have tidbits on something, anything that could help you in your time of need. But then I noticed a pattern that made my suspicions worse. After his 'debacle' with Diaspore, you started going with him on missions, didn't you? That was all he needed... A chance to get you out, alone, in the middle of no-where. Certainly, he couldn't ask you to attend him, but he had time. He could wait for the perfect opportunity... And, sadly... he got one."
Topaz sneered before looking away. A softer expression befell her.
"Thankfully, his chance was ultimately wasted. He didn't achieve his goal. His plan was probably to kill you before going after the other two. But he's failed. You're fixed, Yellow is safe... We still have all three of the Diamond Authority... Thank the stars."
Hema looked up at Topaz, aghast with horror. His form began to tremble, and though he swallowed and tried to speak, his words stuck in his chest. All he could manage were a few soft, pitiful sounds.
–
The world around White fell silent. Throughout the story, White listened, but put her own pieces together. Her face twisted between subtle expressions of horror, disbelief, anger, and hurt. She never once looked at Hematite, and soon after Topaz had finished explaining, White was left staring down at the floor, wide eyed. She started to move her lips like she were saying something, but no voice came out. Slowly, she lifted her head to the general, complete shock on her face.
She thought about how adamant he'd been about letting his hands heal. She remembered the method he'd used to sneak up on that corrupted Sphene on their first mission together; how he'd shrunken down to get close and then struck. She remembered all she taught him as Howlite.
And, suddenly, she wished she didn't have such a good memory.
"I... but he wouldn't... he couldn't..." She clenched her fists, looking swiftly to the side, away from anyone else. She turned her whole body soon after, her back facing everyone. "No..." she whispered. Everything was falling into place. Everything started to make sense... No, this couldn't be... How?
Slowly, she lifted her head back up.
"We...we had just finished talking about corrupted gem monsters... I knew he was upset. But... Do you really think...?" Her voice sounded pained, as if she didn't want to accept what was being thrown down in front of her. She had to hear other people's opinions, she had to confirm her judgments... because she wasn't liking where this was going.
–
Hematite felt his body going cold. Topaz was convincing White of all these lies.
"Wh-white! None of that is true, I swear! I-I wasn't upset about the gem monsters, I was just curious about what you thought of them!" Sweat started to form on his brow. Topaz clenched a fist.
"What's this about corrupted gems, White Diamond? Is there something I'm missing here?"
–
Yellow looked away completely. She knew of this all too well, but she didn't care to think about it either. White never turned back towards them. She tried to speak evenly, an odd, eerie tone to her voice.
"Hematites are... They have... a fatal flaw, that will one day lead to certain corruption... I... There's nothing we can do to help them. He... asked me if gems could retain sentience after they corrupted... but... I didn't know how to answer him," she said, her tone still laced with hurt.
–
The general's brows raised in genuine surprise. She slowly turned to Hematite, her gaze piercing right through him. When she spoke, her voice was low, even, and menacing.
"A gem with nothing to lose. Nothing to live for. Out for its creator's life. That certainly sounds like a motive to me."
–
There was a cold, dead silence.
Suddenly Yellow started to sweat. Eyes widening slowly, she took a step back from White.
"Uh...White...?" Yellow dared to speak up, biting the inside of her cheek. "Are you...-"
Suddenly, and without warning, the pressure in the air shot up. The atmosphere in the room grew harsher...Thicker...denser... Suffocating. Until...
BBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT- CRASH!
With a strained, electrified whir, the room fell dark, aside from the light filtering in from the windows. All of the lights illuminating the room had exploded from the sheer amount of pressure. If the air in the room wasn't unsettling enough, White's stance certainly was. She was slouched slightly, shoulders rising and falling with heavy, steady breaths. Silence followed... until the Diamond finally, slowly spoke up.
"Yes. It does."
Slowly turning her head to face both Topaz and Hematite, her dimly lit form stood darkly before them. A single, piercing, glowing white iris glared menacingly at the service gem. Her brows furrowed, and she slowly turned to them. She was livid.
Yellow had seen enough, and given the now broken state of the room, she decided it was time to leave. Without a word, she dismissed herself, quickly walking past both Hematite and Topaz. There was absolutely no way she was going to be caught in the middle of what she knew was coming.
–
Hematite's chest tightened, and his eyes went wide as the lights in the room suddenly shattered under the immense pressure change. His entire world froze around him at White's quiet, menacing words.
Yes... It does...
His breathing became uneven, and he took a frightened step back the moment White looked at him. Topaz felt her expression falter, and she let go of the service gem's shoulder, taking a few long strides away from him.
Hematite was left alone, facing White Diamond.
"Wh-white-!"
The service gem felt his breath catch in his throat. He suddenly couldn't speak. He opened his mouth, but only a weak, choked sound came out. Holding his braced arms closer, he shook his head, taking another step back, his eyes never leaving hers.
–
Ominously slow, White walked towards the service gem, glaring at him with violent fury.
"Is this what you've been hiding from me..." she said, hissing quietly. "Is this what I felt when we fused that day...? When you wanted to feel powerful, Hematite...? You were hiding your plans from me..." she continued, stopping a mere two feet in front of him. She towered over him, rolling her shoulders. Her eyes were fixated on him, lips curled into a maddened snarl. "All that power you craved... You liked feeling more powerful. You wanted to be stronger... but you just weren't satisfied..."
She leaned down sharply, inches from his face.
"WERE YOU."
–
Topaz stood against a far wall, her fingers drumming along the top of her arm. She narrowed her eyes, curious about this mention of a fusion.
Hematite, however, was far less collected.
If they weren't cuffed, he would have raised his hands in front of him in defense as White approached him, furious, towering, terrifying.
He wanted so badly to say that the fusion was her idea, but his voice was failing him.
Hematite physically flinched back when White leaned down, a sharp whimper escaping him. He stared up at his leader, eyes wide, his form starting to tremble uncontrollably.
–
White stood up tall again, towering over the puny service gem. Her teeth were bared, eyes wide with wrath. No longer was she whispering.
"YOU HID YOUR EMOTIONS FROM ME... I thought nothing of it... but I should have known something was wrong." She hissed the last phrase, narrowing her eyes. The Diamond rolled her head, neck cracking subtly. "Oooooh but maybe you thought I wouldn't notice that... Or, notice how you RAN WHEN I CAME BACK," she snarled, the Pearl instinctively cowering on the other side of the room. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't move if she wanted to, anyway. White continued furiously. "HOW YOU BROUGHT ME BACK CRACKED, AND RAN LIKE A COWARD... And because w h y?" she growled, hunching over again. "Because you couldn't look at what you'd done. Because you couldn't face me. Because you were GUILTY."
–
Hematite shook his head. Weakly, he managed to finally speak.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do- I. I was scared...!"
It's your fault she got cracked.
Guilty.
GUILTY.
–
"SORRY? SORRY?!" she growled, taking a single step back, her eyes locked on him. Swiftly, she raised her hand to her gem and, with a bright flash, summoned her weapon. Clicking the end harshly to the floor, she gripped it tightly. She was seething.
–
The moment her pole arm appeared, he stiffened, backing clumsily against the wall, plastered against it.
–
"WHY, HEMATITE? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU!" She turned her head, running her nails through her hair. She shut her eyes tight, the faintest trace of tears forming in them. "WHY... After I did ALL I could to make sure you were HAPPY! After I stuck my neck out for you, when I damn well shouldn't have! After I taught you so much, after all that we did..." She sounded winded by the last word. Even as furious as she was, she was hurting.
Her eyes shot open, glaring daggers into Hematite's pitiful form.
"I TRUSTED YOU. I GAVE SO MUCH FOR YOU... I BROKE RULES FOR YOU! AND THIS..." She lifted her pole arm, twisting the bladed end to face him. "THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!"
–
He couldn't take his eyes off the weapon, even as White spoke. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. No, nothing but weak, pitiful whimpers escaped the service gem. His form was shaking violently where he stood.
The moment her pole arm twisted to face him... the icy claws returned.
But this time, they were closer.
Sharper.
Colder.
Hematite felt them gradually close in on his gemstone.
He slowly drew his eyes away from the tip of the weapon, and met White's fearsome gaze. All the affection, care, and respect the Diamond's fierce eyes once held was gone, replaced by mistrust, fear, and hatred. The service gem's mouth opened, and for a moment, nothing came out.
He swallowed.
When he spoke, his voice was strained, choked, and tiny.
"Please, forgive me."
–
Furiously, White took a sharp breath and reeled her arm back, her eyes locked on Hematite's gemstone.
"There is nothing to forgive."
THWIK!
K!
The Pearl shut her eyes, flinching with a shrill squeak. Slowly, uncovering her hands from her face, she looked to the horrific display before her.
Buried deep in the wall, a mere inch from Hematite's neck, rested the head of White's pole arm.
White, staring into Hematite's very core, was still heaving, her hand gripped tightly at her weapon.
No one dared to speak a word.
After a few agonizingly long moments, White stood up straight and brushed her fingers through her hair. Her anger faltered, leaving her with a blank, hurt expression as she gazed down into Hematite's eyes.
"… From this day forth, you are no longer my Hematite."
–
K!
The faint noises of cracked marble sounded beside Hematite's head, moments after the damage had been done. He heard every sound. Every little shift in the now split rock.
And he could vividly hear the sound of his gemstone shattering into a thousand pieces, despite it being completely intact. The noise echoed through his head. He heard nothing else. The world went dark around him. A single tear that had formed in the corner of his right eye welled up and rolled down his cheek. Slowly, as he gazed into White's eyes, the life drained from his face.
He looked dull.
Empty.
He looked like nothing was going on in his head anymore.
Nothing.
e.
"..."
–
Turning to Topaz, she took a shaky breath, crossing her arms.
"General... get this loathsome traitor out of my sight... I can't bear to see him right now. And If I'm exposed to him much longer there's no telling what I'll do." She clenched her fists, avoiding Hematite's eyes completely. "I will give him one chance to prove he's innocent... He will have a trial in one week. I want to be present at this trial myself. Me, you, Hematite, Yellow, and Blue. All of us... I'll make my final judgment then," she stated formally, the pressure in the air finally beginning to drop. "I need some time to... calm down. Before I can pass a fair, rational judgment... I hope you... understand," the Diamond said, narrowing her eyes.
–
Topaz nodded and walked over, taking Hematite's bracer in her hand.
"Let's get moving. White... you take care." The general gave her superior a sympathetic frown before she drug the service gem away in silence. He didn't struggle. He didn't protest.
He walked along behind her.
Quietly.
