Alright, PART 2!
It was hard, but Gaara and Bee managed to find a way inside the Warship. However, the way they did so surely might have alerted Peridot and Jasper to their presence.
"Maybe we should have found out how to get inside the silent way..." Gaara grumbled as Bee nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, we're Ninjas, man! Not Maniacs mad!"
"We need to find out where they're keeping Steven and the Gems, we must make haste!" Rasa issued in Gaara's mindscape.
"Bee, we'll go left!" Gyuki ordered as Bee nodded in agreement with his Bijuu, taking off. Seeing as that left him with taking right, Gaara headed off in that direction.
*Bee's Path*
As Bee snuck through the left-wing of the warship, he suddenly stopped when he saw Steven running towards him while muttering 'Gotta find 'em' over and over again. What made the Rapper slightly worried was that Steven had a black eye.
"Yo, Ste-Man! It's me, Bee, you're okay, that's rad!"
Steven beamed when he saw the Rapping Jinchuuriki, running up to him and jumping into his arms. "Bee! You came!"
"Me, Little Sis, and G-Man stayed at Beach City! When we saw you in trouble, we hurried in a jiffy!"
As the two happily laughed, Steven then noticed one of the cells next to him containing a short stocky girl with red skin and a red bandana. He hopped out of Bee's arms and approached the girl, who was obviously a Gem.
As the Gem noticed him, she looked away and angrily punched the wall behind her, startling Steven.
"Great! This is just perfect!" She snapped sarcastically.
"Whoa! Easy there, little sis! Calm down and cool you're-" Bee remembered Steven was next to him and cut his rap short.
"Uh, do you need any help?" Steven asked politely as the girl looked at him before turning away and curling up into herself.
"No! I mean— Don't look at me! Just... go away." Suddenly, she perked up as she turned to Steven. "Hey, wait! You're out! How did you get past the field?"
"Oh, I just kinda—" Steven then put his hand through the forcefield, yellow circuit lines forming over his arm and fingers as his body vibrated before pulling back. Confused, the Gem touched the shield herself only to get stung in response.
"What's going on?!"
Before either Steven or Bee could come up with a response, a melodious singing was heard as the Gem whispered something to herself before turning to the two men.
"Let me out of here! Please! I need to find Sapphire!"
Steven perked up. "Is she your friend? I'm looking for my friends, too."
"Yo, we're on a rescue mission, sis! And there won't be a single friend we'll miss!" Bee rapped while striking a pose, which Steven awkwardly copied before moving to the barrier and using his body to make an opening for the Gem, who dashed through and began heading off, leaving Bee and Steven to chase after her.
"Hey, my name's Steven and that's Killer Bee, by the way, what's yours?" Steven asked after the Gem stopped, allowing him and Bee to catch up. The Gem didn't respond before taking off in another direction.
"Yo, this chick is determined!" Bee said, not rapping for once as he and Steven once more gave chase.
*Gaara's Path*
Gaara headed through the right-wing of the warship, looking around to see if any of the Gems were onboard. Suddenly, he stopped when he heard sobbing and looked to see Lapis curled up in a prison cell.
"Lapis!"
The Sand Nin ran towards her and tried to bang on the shield but found himself phasing through and tumbling into the cell, feeling a harmless tingle as the shield touched his body.
"G-Gaara?"
Gaara got to his feet and looked to the Azure Gem, who was looking at him with eyes brimmed with tears and fleeting hope. The One-Tails Jinchuuriki quickly got onto his knees and hugged her, much to her surprise.
"I'm glad you're alright..."
A glimmer of gold caught Gaara's eye and he saw Lapis holding onto the pendant he had given her before. If he actually had eyebrows, they'd be perched up in surprise right now but hiss teal eyes slightly widening was enough to tell what he felt.
"You kept it..."
"It was the only thing that kept me going...knowing that you were back there on Earth...I-I was actually hoping you might save me, but...I-I don't want you to get hurt..."
Gaara overlapped his hands with Lapis' and gave her a stern look. "No, I won't abandon you. I promise you that when I save the others, I will come back for you."
Lapis blushed as she felt Gaara's hands tighten around hers before softly smiling, a single tear running down her cheek.
"T-Thank you..."
"Gaara! Lapis!" The two turned to see Steven there with a black eye along with Bee and a short red Gem. Gaara smiled in relief as he saw that at least one of their friends had been rescued.
"Yo, we found another mate! Let's find the others post-haste!" Bee rapped as the red Gem groaned in annoyance and ran off in another direction, Bee quickly turning and following after her as Steven stayed behind. Lapis turned to Gaara with a sorrowful expression.
"Gaara, go with him. If anyone can keep him safe, it's you."
The Sand Nin nodded and softly touched his forehead to hers, causing her to blush as he stood up and passed through the forcefield.
"I promise...I WILL come back to you."
Lapis gave a soft smile as Steven looked worried before Gaara took him by the hand and they ran off. Gaara instinctively touched the Love Kanji Tattoo on his forehead as he thought of his loved ones.
"This symbol...is for ALL whom I must protect..."
Bee had ended up losing sight of the red Gem and was looking around, trying to see if he could find her. However, it was then he heard the singing that she was following and went to search for it. Soon, he came across Peridot having an argument with Jasper and quickly hid as best he could in the brightly colored warship.
"We can't leave yet! The whole point of coming here was to check on the Cluster!" Peridot barked. Jasper angrily punched the wall she was facing and Bee saw she was facing someone in a cell.
"Stop singing!" She snapped before turning to a slightly nervous Peridot. "Rose Quartz takes priority. Get back to the bridge and set a course for Homeworld."
With that, Jasper left as Peridot grumbled in annoyance and took off in the opposite direction as Bee waited until she passed and then headed to the cell the two Rogue Gems were originally at to see another small Gem, this one blue with fluffy periwinkle hair that covered her eyes who was the source of the singing.
"Yo, little lady, your singing is divine! Come on, let's get the heck outta line!" Bee said with a reassuring smile as the Gem looked up to him and looked surprised.
"You came...thank you, Bee."
"Yo, how do you know my name? Nevermind, right now that's not the game!" Mimicking what Steven did to get the Red Gem out, Bee positioned his body through the force field so that the Blue Gem could crawl safely through. Soon, Steven and Gaara arrived just in time.
"Bee! You found another Gem!"
Suddenly the voice of the Red Gem cried out as the Blue Gem perked up and then ushered for the three to follow her.
"Come on!"
Moving at surprising speeds, the Blue Gem dashed off, leaving Gaara, Bee, and Steven to follow using Chakra to enhance their movement in order to keep her in their line of sights. Soon, she stopped and the three men had to skid to a halt in order to avoid running over her, toppling over each other in the process. The Red Gem then appeared across from them and ran to the Blue Gem with relief on her face.
"Ruby!"
The two ran to each other, embracing as the Red Gem now known as Ruby held the Blue Gem known as Sapphire's cheeks with worry on her face.
"Did they hurt you?"
Sapphire placed a reassuring hand on the others arm. "No, no, I'm okay. Did they hurt you?"
Ruby began tearing up, smiling. "Who cares!?"
"I do!"
Sapphire kissed Ruby's tears away and then they embraced and began laughing as they twirled around. Steven, Bee, and Gaara could only watch in mesmerization as the two small Gems began glowing before fusing together and in a flash of light stood Garnet in there place, laughing with the biggest smile any of them had ever seen her with.
"Steven! Bee! Gaara! Thank you!"
Steven's eyes turned into stars. "Garnet! You're a fusion!"
"The two Gems on her hands...now they make sense..." Gaara muttered to himself while Bee's jaw literally dropped to the floor before picking himself up.
"This plot twist I did not expect! But the love I see is something I accept!"
Garnet sheepishly smiled at the three. "Aw, I'm sorry. We didn't want you meeting us here like this."
"Well, did we all make a good first impression?" Steven asked awkwardly before Garnet lovingly placed a hand on his cheek.
"Oh, Steven. We already love you." She then turned to Gaara and Bee. "And both of you have our highest respect and gratitude. You ALL do."
Bee and Gaara smiled before they heard a booming voice nearby.
"That's not good..." Gaara grumbled to himself.
"It's Jasper...Steven! Find the others and get to the control bridge!" Garnet then kissed Steven's forehead and his eyes glowed as he gained her power of Future Vision before looking at her in concern.
"Wait, are you gonna be able to beat her on your own?"
"She's not alone, yo!" Bee said as he drew his swords and Garnet smiled as she turned to the Rapping Ninja.
"And even if you weren't here, don't worry...I'm never alone."
"I need to take care of something. Steven, it's up to you to find Pearl and Amethyst." Gaara said as he headed off in one direction and Steven in another, both of them with missions of their own. Bee smiled as he turned to Garnet.
"You ready for this, Fro Mama?"
"I'm already ready, Killer Bee."
Jasper soon arrived and glared in disdain. "Oh great. You're both out? And your fused again? Why? Fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak Gems stronger. Quit embarrassing yourselves! I've seen what you really are."
Garnet simply chuckled in response as Bee grinned alongside her. "No, you haven't."
Jasper looked confused as the two strong dark warriors stood side-by-side and then...Garnet began to sing.
Garnet: This is Garnet.
Back together.
Bee: And She's never going down at the hands of the likes of you because she's so much better.
Garnet: And every part of me is saying "Go get her".
The three of us ain't gonna follow your rules.
Come at us without any of your fancy tools.
Let's go, just us and you.
Both: Let's go, just one on two!
Jasper began swinging at Garnet and Bee, both of the nimbly dodging all of her attacks. The two then began singing in unison as they fended off her attempts to break them apart.
Go ahead and try and hit us if you're able.
Can't you see that our relationship is stable?
I can see you hate the way we intermingle.
But I think you're just mad 'cause you're single.
Knocking Jasper's Destabilizer out of her hands, Garnet caught it and broke it in half before forming her gauntlets while Bee took out all eight of his swords and grinned, the eighth blade clenched tightly in his mouth as he continued singing alongside his ally.
And you're not gonna stop what we made together.
We are gonna stay like this forever.
If you break us apart, we'll just come back newer.
Bee: And she'll always be twice the gem that you are!
Garnet: I am made
O-o-o-o-of
Lo-o-o-o-ove.
O-o-o-o-of
Lo-o-o-o-ove.
Lo-o-o-o-ove.
Lo-o-o-o-ove.
Bee swooned at Garnet's swinging as Jasper furiously formed her Crash Helmet and lunged at the Fusion, who countered with her gauntlets, creating a heavy shockwave as Bee jumped from behind the Buff Gem and jammed two of his swords into her shoulders, causing her to falter and allowing Garnet to punch her in the stomach, launching her away.
Steven managed to find Pearl and Amethyst and free them from their cells. The three then found the main control room where Peridot was, who tried to stop them with her own Destabilizer but Steven held her off, his Half-Gem, Half-Human Physiology helping him resist the destabilization shocks. Soon, Amethyst was able to restrain the Green Gem with her whip as Pearl took control of the ship.
"You got this Pearl!"
"Okay ship, turn us around!" The Pale Gem said as she placed her hands into the controls, her eyes lighting up with data code as she let out an 'Ooooo'. Steven then looked at the cameras to see Garnet and Bee working in tandem to fend off Jasper's attacks and grew concerned for their well-being.
Gaara came to where Lapis was being held and smiled as he used his body to form an opening for her to crawl through. After a quick embrace, the two began heading to find a way off the warship.
Jasper was getting annoyed at Bee and Garnet's persistence and after being smacked into the ceiling by one of Gyuki's tentacles, the Buff Gem did a Spin Dash to charge up and then tackled the duo, sending them all crashing through the floors and into what appeared to be an engine room of some kind. Garnet and Bee got up, slightly banged up but still raring to go.
Garnet: This is who we are.
This is who I am.
Bee: And if you think you can stop her,
Then you need to think again.
Garnet: 'Cause I am a feeling,
And I will never end,
And I won't let you hurt my planet,
Both: And we won't let you hurt our friends.
The three resumed clashing, Garnet's gauntlets banging against Jasper's helmets while she tanked sword slashes and kicks from Bee. Despite being knocked down, the two managed to keep getting back up.
Garnet: Go ahead and try and hit us if you're able.
Bee: Can't you see that her relationship is stable?
Garnet: I know you think I'm not something you're afraid of,
'Cause you think that you've seen what I'm made of.
But I am even more than the two of them.
Everything they care about is what I am.
I am their fury. I am their patience.
I am a conversation.
With their combined might, Garnet and Bee managed to overpower Jasper and throw her into the generator, causing a massive explosion as the warship became unstable. The two ran to regroup with the others, continuing to sing the final verses together.
I am made O-o-o-o-of
Lo-o-o-o-ove.
O-o-o-o-of
Bee: And it's stronger than you.
L-o-o-o-ove.
O-o-o-o-of
L-o-o-o-ove.
Both: And it's stronger than you.
Back with the others, Peridot had managed to make her getaway in an Escape Pod just as Garnet and Bee entered the control room.
"Garnet! Bee!"
"Where's Gaara?" Pearl asked in concern.
"The ship's going down, y'all! We need to break out of this free-fall!" Bee rapped but he was also concerned about the whereabouts of his fellow Jinchuuriki.
"There's no time!" Garnet shouted as the warship began heading for the Crystal Temple.
"Gaara!" Lapis cried as Gaara knew the ship was going down and did the only thing he could do; he wrapped Lapis in a protective cocoon of hardened sand so that she wouldn't be hurt by the crash.
"NO!"
"I'm sorry, Lapis..."
Naruko and Kurama watched as the Warship crashed onto the beach near the Crystal Temple.
"GUYS!"
"We need to make sure they're okay!" Minato cried as Naruko and Kurama headed onto the beach and began tearing through the rubble before finding Steven having protected the Gems and Bee with a large bubble shield.
"Yo, look at this little man, saving the day. Try not to make it a regular thing, okay?" Bee joked as he ruffled Steven's hair but the boy had a more pressing matter to address to Garnet.
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're a fusion all the time!"
"You met Ruby and Sapphire?!" Amethyst exclaimed in surprise while Pearl bit her lip.
"Oh no! We were going to introduce you. Garnet, your plan!"
Garnet smiled as she looked back at Steven. "We were waiting for your birthday."
"We can still do it! I'll just pretend I didn't know!"
"Wait...where's Gaara?!" Naruko asked in concern. This caused the others to snap to attention but before they could try and search for their friend, Jasper crawled out of the rubble of the ship and glared angrily at the heroes before falling to one knee.
"Don't think you've won. You only beat me 'cause you're a fusion! If I had someone to fuse with I'd—Huh?"
Jasper then noticed the protective sand cocoon that Gaara made for Lapis melt, revealing the Azure Gem huddled in on herself. She then looked around before gasping as she crawled to Gaara, who looked pretty banged up, his own personal Sand Armor having just barely saved his life.
"Gaara! Wake up! Please...don't be..."
Sniffling, Lapis huddled up to Gaara's chest before she felt a cold hand on her cheek. Looking at him, she saw him weakly smiling at her.
"It's alright...I'm not dead yet..."
Before Lapis could hug him in relief, she suddenly was grabbed by Jasper, who yanked her towards her as Gaara watched in horror, struggling to get up to help her.
"Lapis, listen, fuse with me!"
"What?!"
Jasper let go of Lapis, who fell on her back as she looked up at her fearfully. "How long did they keep you trapped here on this miserable hunk of rock?"
"These Gems, they're traitors to their Homeworld! They kept you prisoner! They used you! This is your chance to take revenge! Come on, just say yes."
Lapis looked conflicted before reaching out for Jasper's hand as she grinned triumphantly. Steven gasped in horror while Gaara looked weakly as Jasper towered over Lapis, using fear and intimidation to make her comply with her sick request. As their hands neared each other, something in Gaara snapped.
Jasper seeing Lapis as a tool? Treating her like a sub-human?
Memories rushed back to Gaara.
The WORST memories...
His mother dying so that his father could have a weapon; how no one had truly cared.
The villagers seeing him as a monster but still expecting him to protect them, Baki fearing his power and seeing him as merely a weapon.
And his own inability to see Kankuro and Temari reaching out for him.
Jasper was all of these memories given a form. Along with the centuries Lapis had been trapped in the mirror.
"No."
It had been calm, almost silent, but the intent was clear.
"Not. Again."
Summoning every OUNCE of sand, regular and Gold, Gaara willed it to wrap around Jasper, pulling her back and giving Lapis time enough to back away.
He could feel his older self coming back. The one who craved the blood of his enemies. The one who depended on Shukaku's anger and bloodlust...
And he welcomed it. Shameful as it was, and as grateful to Naruko as he was, a small part of him ITCHED for the excuse to kill again.
Now, maybe he wouldn't be able to kill Jasper. Maybe this was just a temporary fix. But for someone likeLapis? Someone who had suffered eons of isolation and someone who had almost lost hope before he and Steven came? This would be worth it.
Besides, Jasper had threatened Steven and the Gems. And made it clear she would not stop until he and the other Gems were either captured or destroyed.
So, this was a win-win; he protects his precious people and indulges in something he had hoped to never use, but needed.
He pulled Jasper close as she furiously struggled against her restraints.
"Unhand me, you meatsack! What are you-?!" Jasper's words died in her throat as she saw the menacing look Gaara was giving her and the almost psychotic smile gracing his lips.
"Take a good look. My face will be the last thing you ever see. I'm going to bury you deeper than I've ever buried anyone or anything. I doubt even your physiology will enable you to move. And if it does? I'll be waiting for you..."
He formed a Spear and stabbed her arm, delighting in her grunt of pain...but it was not enough.
"Sand Coffin."
The sand slammed into Jasper and then collapsed to the ground. She was struggling to pull herself free.
"Not just yet."
Gaara then put a hand to the sand and, as he poured every ounce of chakra in his being, along with most of Shukaku's yelled
"TRUE SAND BURIAL!"
The entire area flattened as sand and gold dust fell from the sky.
Gaara simply smiled to himself in satisfaction.
That...had felt good.
Steven and the Gems could only stare in shock while Bee and Naruko looked stoic. They had seen Gaara do worse back in the Elemental Nations, especially during the Great Ninja War and the Chunnin Exam. However, this was against someone who deserved it, so they let their brother have this moment.
Lapis could only stare in disbelief at the power Gaara had showcased. She may have had the power to control the ocean itself but Gaara had control over another of Earth's resources. Now she was sure that Gaara had not tried showcasing his true power when she tried to take the Earth's ocean in order to escape because he wanted to talk to her peacefully. If he hadn't, she was sure he would have simply pulled her all the way back down with all of the sand of the Earth at his beck and call.
The One-Tails Jinchuuriki looked at the Ocean Gem with eyes of regret before suddenly collapsing. Gasping, Lapis crawled over and tried to make sure he was alright as everyone else came over.
"It's okay, he's just out from Chakra Exhaustion," Naruko assured as she checked her brother's pulse. "Just needs some rest, is all."
"Oh thank the stars..." Lapis breathed as she collapsed onto Gaara's prone body, hugging him close. "He...He and Steven..."
"Lapis...y-you weren't REALLY gonna fuse with Jasper, right?" Steven nervously asked as Lapis looked a little embarrassed.
"Well, actually I was, but then I was going to use my power to imprison us both. Looking back on it now...I don't think that was a good idea."
Suddenly, the rest of the Ninjas came in, having found a way to bypass Peridot's lock on the Galaxy Warp that kept them trapped.
"Guys we're back and-OH MY KAMI AND BABY KAGUYA WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEACH?!" Sakura yelped in shock. Steven looked at everyone awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Do you have the time?"
And so Season 1 concludes!
But wait! Lapis and Jasper haven't fused! What will this change for Canon now that Lapis is at the mercy of the Crystal Gems! Will she get to second or third base with Gaara soon? Will Bee and Garnet hook up?! FIND OUT NEXT TIME!
