She could feel the pressure of the ocean on her gem. And the weighted shackles of her chains. She couldnt let Jasper break free. Not after all these months. Feeling the energy surge from her back, the currents of the ocean shifted, slamming the quartz soldier back helplessly down against the poisoned floor of their making.

But instead of a cry of pain, she heard laughter. Narrowing her eyes, Lapis slammed the weight down harder, using her every ounce of strength to pin the other down. Even with the weight of the ocean at the hands of a Lazuli to keep her pinned, Jasper only picked her head up with a grin.

"What's the matter, Lapis? Getting tired?"

Lapis grit her teeth, thrashing her arms upward against the water. Her hands slammed back down, shoving the quartz against the ground once more.

"Dont even THINK of speaking to me!" the blue gem sneered at her.

Jasper slowly lifted her head up from the green toxined floor, eyeing the other like a tiger through the dark. Placing her two hands on the floor beneath her, the soldier pushed up forcefully, sending the shockwave of the current flying.

Their area shuddered, glowing white cracks that appeared on the walls but soon faded away. The blue gem managed to straighten herself out, yanking on the chains that bound them to keep Jasper centered. But as her arms cracked down on the shackles, the reverberation of power went straight up her body. She let out a cry of pain as her body arched. And with this distraction, Jasper grasped their bonds,yanking down as hard as she could. It sent Lapis hurdling downward, slamming down against their tainted malachite ground before groggily staring upward at the towering gem.

The cracks along the wall grew larger. Even as Jasper placed a foot on Lapis's head. Her grin matched the cracks on the wall, growing across her face while she stared down at the helpless Lazuli beneath her.

"Just give up. Let me take control"

Lapis tried to tug herself away, only for the chains to pull her down further into the ground. If she let up control now, Jasper would be able to take Malachite wherever she wanted. Back to the gems and Steven! She struggled under the weight of earth's soldier, trying in vain for a desperate attempt to get away. Jasper only pressed her foot down harder.

No way. No no no!

"You're not taking Malachite anywhere!" Lapis cried, pressing her hands down beneath her to try and push up. But her feeble attempts only made the other laugh.

"This is what Lazuli's are capable of? A couple months of struggling and that's it? Pathetic!"

Lapis felt the weight lift off her head for a moment, only to be met with a hard kick to the back of it.

Then her world went black.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So what! Who cares! Nothing mattered! Peridot kept her hands shoved deep in her pockets as she marched angrily on through Beach City. Her mom kicked her out of her job. Fine, who cares. She didnt. But she'd know what's going to come next.

Next, move out of this damn city! And after that? Find a job TWICE as better as working for whatever conglomerate her mother made. And after that?! Tell her mom to SUCK IT.

Teeth grit, the young girl stormed her way down to the beach. At least there it was quiet, and the waves always seemed to calm down her gnashing mind. Boots hit the sand, the uneven terrain making her stumble a bit. Peridot grit her teeth, continuing to power through until she got towards the shoreline. Finally, alone. Just her and the waves. Emerald green eyes stared off into the horizon, watching the dark waves silhouette themselves in the distance. The cold wind against her skin made her face relax, until she was only met with the empty ambience that was the ocean.

It was unforgiving. How could it be so full of life and so deadly at the same time? Peridot huddled deeper in her hoodie, sitting down on an overturned log as she brooded over the sea.

With a simple sigh, the blonde lifted her hands up, grasping at the headset she had dangling around her neck. Placing them over her ears, she turned her attention to her phone, scrolling idly until she fell over her specific playlist.

Rock music bled out of her head set. But the louder the music played, the less she heard her own thoughts. And she preferred it that way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been a good hour. Something about the intensity of the ocean was humbling in its own weird way. And she was just happy to get away from her own mind for a bit. Just her and the ocean, alone. With the waves touching her toes.

Wait.

Why was the water this far up?

Another surge of a wave splashed up to her ankles. Peridot shrieked, flinging herself backward before falling off the log and onto the sand under her. The blonde scrambled up quickly, staring off into the ocean as she watched it rumble and grow.

Was this an earthquake? Were they about to have a tsunami!? And she was here of all places!? Stupid stupid. Of course. Of course the ocean would do something so unpredictable like that. She grit her teeth, spinning on her heel to run away. As her back faced the sea, she heard an explosion. It blew water sky high before raining back down in buckets. The shockwave alone sent her crashing into the ground.

Quickly, Peridot rolled on her back, staring upwards at...a hundred foot monster. Her mouth hung open loosely. Of all the unpredictable things for the ocean to do, giving birth to a giant sea lady was definitely something she didnt expect.

The green woman shook her white mane, blinking her four eyes open before her shoulders sagged in relaxation.

"Finally" it's warped voice spoke in a raspy tone. Her arm lifted, rubbing at her wrist to massage the skin.

"You held up for a while. But I'm glad to see things back on track"

Peridot remained on the ground, propped up by her elbows as she was frozen in place. Eyes glued to the sea devil in front of her. She didnt go by unnoticed to the other either.

The green woman turned her head to the human on the ground, a sinister smile erupted over her face, displaying her large fangs.

"I've been waiting to do something like this for so long" the monster let out a wicked laugh that shook the buildings nearby. Her arm raised up, balling her hand into a fist to squash the poor mammal like an insignificant bug.

All Peridot could see was the balled fist that hurtled towards her. She lifted her arms up in front of her face, in one last desperate attempt to protect herself.

"NO!"

Peridot kept her eyes shut tight, waiting for that fancy bright light everyone keeps talking about. Instead, all she felt was a drop of water that hit her nose. Blinking her eyes open, she slowly looked up, finding herself in the shadow of the monstrous lady's hand. The fist above her trembled in place, something holding back the seething rage behind it.

The young woman slowly turned her head over to Ursula in front of her. Instead of that insane maniacal expression she bore, now it looked as if she was in pain and struggling. It caused Peridot's brows to furrow in confusion as she kept her eyes locked onto the other.

"What are you waiting for!? Run!"

The reality of the situation crashed down heavily on Peridot. She scrambled around in the sand a moment, kicking up dust in her wake as she bolted from under death's shadow. She didnt care where she ended up, she just wanted to be away. Hopping over a few shrubs, the short woman skidded onto the ground. She took a seat, placing a hand over her chest to control her rapid breathing, and her insane fear.

What was that!? A monster? A gem?

A cry from the ocean woman caught Peridot's attention once more. Peering through the leaves of the bushes, the young woman watched as the gem woman continued her turmoil. Several cracks appearing on her body that poured out glowing light.

"Let me go!" the monster roared in a feminine tone.

"Never!"

Was it speaking with itself? No wait, gems can fuse! Was this a fusion? Peridot kept her eyes glued onto the two of them as she watched more and more cracks appear along the gem's body.

"Stay fused with me! We're stronger like this!"

"I dont want. To be. STRONGER!"

The green gem threw back her head, howling at the sky as her words echoed across Beach City. The several cracks along her body only grew in size, encapsulating the both of them in a blinding white light.

Peridot winced, turning her eyes away as a final explosion erupted across the city.

Dead silence.

The young blonde slowly turned her head back towards the scene. The ocean had finally receded back, leaving behind the silhouette of a body. Slowly, the techy girl slinked her way out of her hiding spot, scanning the area for...anything. No movement. No sort of life. Nothing. Just the single blue gem collapsed against the sand.

She shouldnt approach right? The association is basically going to be all over the beach soon anyway. Despite everything that told her to just leave, she found herself standing over the blue gem girl. Funny, she looked nearly identical to the one in the photo she saw earlier today. Except her gem was in a different spot.

On one hand, this gem tried to kill her. On the other, maybe this was the one that saved her? Did she really want to take that chance? Peridot stood over her body for a moment, debating on whether or not she should turn around now or let the association deal with it.

Yet...

That nagging feeling in her gut. She looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath to quell her frustration of the inner argument she was having. Against better judgement, the girl crouched down, reaching forward to place her hand on the blue girl's shoulder.

"Hey...you okay?"

Green eyes lingered over her form. It wasnt often she came face to face with a gem. Not many liked to visit her part of the city. She let her gaze fall over the other's gem. All the power of the ocean contained in that small thing? There were tiny fractures all over it.

Furrowing her brows, she shook the girl a little harder.

"Hey, wake up. The association is going to come after you"

Whether it was her words or mere coincidence, the gem began to respond. A groan escaped her throat as she slowly turned her head towards the human. It made Peridot freeze in place.

This...this girl had no eyes. Or rather, her eyes were completely white? That wasnt right...right? She knew gems had eyes, what was this then? Her face contorted into fear and concern as she remained rooted into the sand.

"Uh...mmf!"

Her thought process was cut short as the blue gem lunged at her. She placed both hands over her, keeping them pressed firmly against her chest plate.

"What the hell are you doing to me, you crazy-"

Peridot's words were interrupted as a white light escaped from under the other's hands. It made her eyes widen looking down. The world around them melted. Just for a moment. She felt the ocean. The breeze. The winds of shock and betrayal. She could hear birds singing in a meadow. And she could feel the crushing pressure of earth's ocean.

Yet underneath all that, a tenderness bloomed. An orchid of flowers blossoming from her heart. Where she felt free and at ease. Just as long as the other was with her in this embrace.

But the light soon broke, fading them back into their cold reality. The retraction of power snapped back between them, sending both of them backwards into the sand.

"What was THAT!" Peridot exclaimed, scrambling up on her elbows as she placed a hand over her heart.

"Sorry about that"

Blinking, the blonde slowly lifted her head up, meeting the sight of the once blinded gem in front of her. She seemed all better now. And her eyes were back to normal.

"Huh? Hey wait a second, what did you do!?"

Lapis stood in front of the human girl with an incredulous look on her face. What was this tiny human doing shouting at her like that? It was kinda funny in it's own way.

"My gem was fractured when I unfused with...the other...and I needed something to heal me soooo…"

"Soooo?" pressured Peridot.

"Erm, well. I kinda used some of your life to….heal me?"

Silence fell between them, only the sound of the waves filling the ambience.

"Are you saying you took away part of my life?"

"What- no! I-"

Several flashing lights and loud sirens appeared on the scenes. Lapis knew those sounds. Her expression darkened. If they wanted a fight, they got one.

"Hey, hey!"

Blinking, Lapis slowly looked down at the human who was waving their hand in her face.

"What are you doing!? Go hide!"

Hide? She could wipe out their entire fleet with a swipe of her hand.

"Go!" was the frantic whisper of the girl who gave her a harsh shove to her side.

"Ugh! Fine!"

Large puddles of water rushed from her gem, elongating themselves into delicate wings. She gave the human one last stare. An expression of mistrust and sadness. Which looked familiar to Peridot.

Her message was clear.

She was trusting the human to keep quiet.

The blonde watched as the other quickly launched herself into the air, disappearing from sight. Her shoulders finally sagged in relief only to have the tension brought back ten fold.

"You there! Come over here"

Peridot turned her head over her shoulder, watching as several armed officers start piling themselves onto the beach. Her eyes landed on a tall man, dressed in black and gray tactical gear.

"You, have you seen anything suspicious? We had several reports of an unstable fusion here"

Come on, Peridot, think! Say anything!

"Uuuh, yes! I did!" she pointed her finger out into the ocean.

"Uh, I saw two gems fighting! They dove down into the ocean and I havent seen them come back!"

The man nodded his head, taking out a PDA to jot all the information down.

"Do you know their gem types?"

Gem types? Come to think of it, she didnt even bother to think of their gem types. One had to have been a Lapis Lazuli. The other?

Flashes of the green fusion pulsed through her mind. There was a gem on her face. A quartz?

"Uh, all I saw was a quartz. I'm not sure of the other one."

Come to think of it. Where was that quartz? All she found was Lapis on the beach.

"Right, well we'll need you to come into the station and recount some statements."

"What? No, no way. I have to get home and feed my dog"

Taking in a sharp inhale from his nose, the officer nodded his head.

"Fine, here. Come to the station on this address tomorrow morning before 10am. We'll need your statement by then" The man handed her a business card.

It had the logo of the four diamonds, but cracked. She let her eyes glance back up to the man who was now waving her away from their 'crime scene'.

Good, better. She was done with near death experiences and gem people. She just wanted to go home back to her dog and boring life. Nodding her head towards the officer, the girl wasted no time in getting herself off the beach. Combat boots hit solid pavement as she walked towards the nearest bus stop.

Her mind was ringing with everything that just happened. Did she just go against the association? For a gem she didnt even know? Her and the quartz could have been plotting something together for all she knew and she just let her go!

Then again...Lapis's expression was incredibly similar to the fusion that stopped her from getting squashed.

"Raaagh!" Peridot threw herself into the bus stop bench, hands rubbing at her face hard to soothe the plague of thoughts.

Whatever, gems are weird anyway. She probably wont even see that one again.