La Résistance

Shadow always wanted to be the main character of his own story. When he was a kid he would remember laying off the side of his bed reading about samurais and knights of the old till his arms went numb. The protectors of the land and people against all who would do wrong. It was only until he got older that those same heroes were the ones who murdered civilians during the crusades. Samurai warriors would kill Christians for their beliefs during the sixteenth century. When he found out that maybe the heroes he once admired so much weren't what they were made it to be it changed his own story.

Yelling, fighting, crashing, crying then a moment of complete silence. From the back of his eyelids he couldn't see much. No matter how hard he tried though he couldn't open them. It reminded him of when Holly Blue Agate blinded him. He didn't even notice the feeling of complete numbness that made him feel like he was having some sort of out of the body experience. When Shadow finally managed to get feeling to his body he could make out that he was still standing in the field.

"Please kill me!"

A voice… Chad's voice echoed through the reaches of his mind. Rippling the waves of his memories. Pearls unconscious body in the arms of that man st him off worse than any bomb in history. Chad had the audacity to try and kill him for stopping what he was about to do then Shadow blackout. Now here he was.

Shadow stood over Chad or what may have been him. He looked down, his hands shaking. Blood that wasn't his stained his clothing and hands. Once again Chad's broken voice hit his ears making him jump. When his eyes looked upon the masterpiece he made Shadow almost wished he was blinded again. The smell of burnt flesh coming from his missing arms made him want to vomit. Shadow could see the arms he torn off from the sockets right next to him. One of his legs hyperextended like a damn folded book. His ankle blown looked like a split banana.

"Kill me!" Chad screamed again from the top of his lungs.

At this moment Shadow knew he was at the point of no return. Shadow ignored the smell of his cauterized flesh, ignored his limbs he tore off. His own mind protected him against that by blocking it out. His mind blocked out the screams all the way to the point where he snapped his neck like a twig. In his stupor he walked back to Beach city all the way to funland leaving the body to lay in the field.

Someone screamed for his name he knew it. He knew someone was begging for him to wake up but he didn't want to. If this it death he would happily accept it. Because what Shadow did made him no hero.

It was his friends voices that were calling for him. All of them begging for him to wake up.

"Shadow!" Pearl yelled for him.

The man didn't stir.

Steven could feel the pressure of his past mistake crushing him. Onion, Jerome, Sadie, Connie, Lars, and even Shadow! All of them at the mercy of these new gems. His friends and family were in danger because of him. No matter how he looked at it things weren't looking so sunny side up. His brain raced with a million ways of trying to fix this.

Aquamarine flew to Topaz. "Topaz please do remind me. When we were sent to this awful planet with the mission of finding six humans, they said nothing about a seventh did they?"

Topaz gripped the unconscious Shadow by his throat. It wasn't that hard since his head and one arm poked out from the side of her ribs. She began to squeeze slowly.

His body reacted to the lack of Oxygen from his head and Shadow snapped awake. His bloodshot eyes searched the faces of this new gem that was choking him.

From the sidelines his friends called for him.

"Shackster we need your help!" Amethyst screamed. She launched her whip towards him to get his wrist but Topaz was ready and knocked the weapon away easily.

Aquamarine laughed at the attempt. "Seriously? You think you Crystal defects are going to get past us?" She looked to her companion, a gleam in her eyes. "Topaz why don't we show them we mean business."

Shadow couldn't even shout in pain. The meaty grip Topaz had around his throat tightened like an anaconda constricting it's prey.

Pearl screamed for her to stop. Garnet and Amethyst tried to attack and were met with failure from Aquamarines overpowered wand. Shadow just closed his eyes to the sight of it all. He blocked out the sound of Connie yelling for him to hold on to Aquamarines sadistic laughter.

Shadow felt his mind slipping once more.

A time of when he was a kid. He was in elementary school. Recess time was always the best time to get out of the boring classrooms he was forced to go to. Kids played and laughed, joked around about their crushes and how they pass note. For Isaac Shadow this was the worst time for him. His shy nature when it came to talking to other people put them off. He was bullied by other classmates and ridiculed about his glasses. When he first introduced himself to the class they made fun of his name.

Shadow sat at the swings reading his book. The book of five rings by Miyamoto Musashi. A man of sound virtues and a walking pillar of the way of the warrior. This book helped Shadow get past all the negativity that was thrown at him. This book that put martial arts and philosophy hand in hand.

The sun was blocked out in front of him. When he looked up it was his bully and his lackeys again.

"Well look what the nerd is reading. What you reading nerd? Probably some gay poem stuff huh" His four lackeys laughed at his halfass insults.

None of this fazed the young reader. Instead he took a quote from the book of void.

"By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist." Shadow finished the sentence with a soft smile.

All them held a blank expression at the quote. The leader shook the confusion off his face and grabbed Shadow by the scruff of his shirt.

"Nerd if you don't tell me what that means I'll beat you!"

He scoffed. "I don't know. This is a secret from my book that has been passed down through generations. Only the smartest of minds can comprehend such awesome knowledge. It's pretty cool poem stuff."

The group didn't find that funny.

Shadow closed his book. He took his glasses from his face slowly and put them in his pocket. His mom would beat him worse than these kids would if he broke them again.

"Do you really want to know?" Shadow asked calmly.

Now all of them moved closer.

The leader shook him again this time raising his fist. "Hurry up!"

The young philosopher took a breath. His sweaty palms squeezed around the book tightly and the hawk in his eyes grew with the suspension from his silence. When he opened his mouth he swore everyone sucked their breaths in.

"It means you're all a bunch of african booty lickers!" His insult didn't really seem like much to an adult but to a bunch of elementary students it was the worst insult EVER (Alaskan thing).

Shadow headbutted the leader in the nose. His head recoiled from the pain giving Shadow the opportunity to strike another one. Or at least he tried before they all beat him down into the dirt.

Even with a busted lip he still laughed. "... No matter how many- h-how many times you beat me I'll always bounce back." Shadow hoped his words would be remembered in their hearts for time to come.

Another kick to the stomach of taking the air from his lungs.

"So you think you're some hero huh? Well let me tell you something." All of them grabbed him by the arms to force the book from his hands.

Shadow tried to fight back but that just earned him another kick.

The leader dangled the book in his face before laughing. "You think that this man got his butt kicked?"

The realization of his words hit him in the gut worse than any kick.

Then in front of his face he started to tear his book page from page. Spitting on every page that fell until it looked like mache in front of him.

All of them laughed at this humiliation. From where they stood they were the strongest wolves on the playground. Shadow was just the smart mouthed black sheep they could play with.

"So tell us Shadow. Do you think the hero who wrote that book would have let someone tear his book like that?"

Shadow couldn't remember if he had given that kid an answer. All these years later and he still would have wanted to meet that kid and kick him in the nuts. No matter how much he tried to deny it the kid was right. If Shadow had been stronger his book wouldn't have been torn to pieces. Now he wished that he didn't have the strength he know possessed. What he did to Chad…

Steven was done with this fight, if he was going to get his friends he knew what had to be done. "Aquamarine that's enough! You don't have to hurt him anymore."

The blue gem gave him a look of confusion.

Steven stepped up to the plate. He was done hiding behind the shadow of his mother. "Take me instead. I am my mother! You're looking for me."

Instantly Shadow could feel the life oxygen fill his lungs from the release of Topaz's grip.

"S-steven don't-" Shadow tried to talk between his breaths.

Aquamarine floated next to Topaz. "I know what you're thinking Topaz. How can he be both Steven and my dad. I guess on Earth everybody can be the same person. Now I remembered why we didn't check the south." Aquamarine clapped her hands. "But if it means we are done with this planet I'll believe it."

Orange light grew from Topaz's body then split into two. This damn huge thing was a fusion! No matter how many humans it was holding it was still able to hold on to them. Shadow tried to draw some of his powers but he could only manage a spark. His mind was all over the place he couldn't concentrate.

"Steven do you know what you're doing?"

Steven turned back to Pearl. A thumbs was extended to her. A answer without words as Topaz fused back around Steven, enclosing him into the body prison this gem seemed to be.

Steven reassured Lars in the back that things were going to be okay. He had a plan that would get them out.

Shadow could feel Topaz jump into the air. His friends on the ground calling for them. The blue neon light that rose up from the carousel shocked them all.

"Steven I can't do anything." Shadow snapped his finger, only could get a spark.

Everyone else started to panic as well. Steven sweated from effort it took to form a bubble. Being inside of Topaz like this plus the sounds of everyones elses voices made it more difficult.

Then Topaz started to swell up then pop, everyone was falling on the ground.

Shadow was the first to attempt to get on his feet. He barely made it two feet before the other half of Topaz threw a punch at him. Shadow put his arm up to block the attack and was sent sprawling.

Steven had summoned his shield protecting Connie from a swing of Topaz's mace. The strain from the concentration and the blow exerted his strength faster than he thought.

Connie wielded Roses sword with her two hands. Connie fell on her back from blocking a strike. Before Topaz could crush her under the weapon Connie back rolled next to Steven. This battle wasn't looking so good.

"Steven lets fuse!" Connie suggested. They really didn't have a choice.

Steven was too distracted to say anything. He mumbled under his breath about how not being able to get back. Topaz twirled her baton and spun around with a strike that would have taken him both if it wasn't for a bubble he summoned.

"Watch out!" Connie yelled before Topaz came around with another strike that popped it.

Shadow rolled out of the way before the other one could flatten him with her mace. He came to his feet wobbily. Shadow did his best to avoid the attacks just enough for him to finally come back with a punch. He had tried to focus some lighting into his fist before his fist made contact but he still couldn't do it. "Shit!" Shadow yelled before the mace slammed into his side sending him flying again. His body hit Sadie who was trying to get Lars to his feet.

Sadie fell on the floor between them. When she turned around Shadow was curled up on his side gripping his ribs. Sadie tried to get Lars to move again. She shook his body, "Come on Lars you got to get up he needs help-" Sadie turned to see the huge gem standing over them with her mace above her head. Sadie dove on top of Lars avoiding the strike. Before she could get up Topaz grabbed her.

Lars still lay on the ground paralyzed by fear. Everyone where he looked violence seemed to be. Connie and Steven fighting the other Topaz, Shadow still unable to recover from the blow he took, and now Sadie pleading for him to save her. This was his moment. Even as his heart beat out of his chest, he rose up with fists balled and a look so determined you thought he was Rocky… and turned around running and panicking to hide.

Shadow couldn't even fight back when Topaz had grabbed him he was still trying to get his mind straight.

Connie swung the sword at Topaz but she blocked the strike. Sadie used the moment to bite the thumb of the gem making the gem drop her. When Connie tried to come back to help Shadow the gem reeled him tossing him at her. Connie ducked and Shadow flew threw the air towards Jerome and Onion at the entrance. The man slammed against them but not hard enough to do damage.

"Oh Topaz! Pull it together and finish this!" Aquamarine ordered from her floating throne.

Steven let his spiky bubble fall as Connie approached him.

The two Topazes closed in close to each other until they were holding hands. It took them all but a second to form into their larger form except this time the two maces they wielded became a two sided pugil mace.

Connie and Steven split up to work either sides of the gem.

Steven threw his shield to deflect her mace. He tried to throw the shield at her, it bounced off easily and Topaz swung around striking his shield be brought up to defend himself. Steven was on his knees. "I'm sorry Connie. If it wasn't for me the diamonds wouldn't have come for my friends. If it wasn't for my mom, they wouldn't even be trying to destroy the Earth!"

Connie blocked the mace in time before Stevens head was smashed in. The little girl knew their was no time for this. Suddenly the ship rocked knocking everyone over.

They ran to the door. When Steven jumped up to hit the unlock pad Alexandrite was waiting on the other side in all her scary freaky face glory. Also holding the ship in place.

"Take us closer to the ground. We're gonna jump!" Steven yelled to his guardians.

Alexandrite lowered the ship just enough to allow them to escape.

After Onion pulled off a ten point flip and dive Sadie and Connie gripped each other hands and jumped. Jerome tried to protest but Steven picked him up and tossed him. Shadow was about to get to his feet when suddenly everyone froze. A blue shield formed around them, stopping anyone from moving a muscle. Even Alexandrite couldn't move or speak.

Aquamarine had a cocky smile on her face and the wand in her hand that was doing this. Steven turned to see her and Topaz, the bigger gem holding Shadow by the back of his neck roughly.

"Oh no no no we can not have this. If I was to return empty handed without my dad then that would mean the end of my reputation." Aquamarine smiled in Stevens face.

Steven looked back to his friends then Shadow. The look on his friends face to hard to look at. Steven closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"I'm, not my dad."

An aggravated look fell on her face. "What?" She exclaimed.

More loudly now Steven shouted for her to hear. "Yes! I'm someone who the diamonds want for than any human on this planet."

"What are you going on about!" This time Aquamarine shouted.

Steven stepped up towards her. With her word he spoke confidence was building to a boiling point. "The leader of the Crystal Gem rebellion," he grabbed his shirt, "the gem that shattered Pink diamond. Steven pulled his shirt up for them to see his gem. "I'm Rose Quartz!"

Like a mic drop everyone went dead. Aquamarine released her hold on the others in her shock. Alexandrite de-fused and fell into the water with the rest of the humans, and Onion.

From the water they protested and questioned what he was doing.

Steven turned to his family and friends. "I get it now what needs to be done. I'm sick of seeing you guys hurt. Someone has to answer for my mothers crimes, who else better than me? Please understand this is best for everyone."

Shadow struggled to get out of Topazes grip. He swung his elbow back catching her in the side. Topaz dropped him from the repeated strikes. Before he could be grabbed again Shadow faltered forward till he was next to Steven on his knees breathing heavily. "Steven stop…" Shadow could barely talk he was so exhausted. "We need to get out of here."

Steven gave who he felt like his older brother a grin. "Trust me Shadow." Was all he asked. The only thing Steven has ever asked of him.

"Grab him Shadow he's wrong don't let him do this!" Garnet shouted.

Amethyst beat the water. "If you two don't come down here I'm going to beat your butts." The sadness in her voice hit them before she could.

Pearl couldn't believe what was happening. Her godson that she had raised since birth was in danger and she could do nothing about it. When he turned Pearl put a hand to her mouth and let the tears fall down. Pearl looked to Shadow with those big blue eyes. She didn't have to say anything for him to know what she was thinking. Shadows couldn't do what she wanted though. He wanted nothing more to grab Steven and throw him over to his family like he should have. Shadow knew by now that lack of trust is how he had lost an eye. Shadow was going to place more trust in him than Jasper did him though. Steven deserved that from him.

Shadow struggled to stand but he did it. When he turned Topaz was looking down on him. Her mace risen over her head to turn him into a Shadow sandwich. She brought it down just a few inches before Aquamarine called for her to stop.

"Topaz! Bring him with us, nothing is wrong with a couple more prisoners." Aquamarine flew back inside.

Shadow let out a deep sigh in relief. He followed in suite, not even looking back to see the tears from Pearl's face again or to hear Connie shouts.

Steven did though as the door was closing. He tried to memorize their faces, especially Connies.

"I love you." Steven said to her before it closed sealing them inside.

Shadow just prayed that he did the right thing. He hoped he did the right thing.

Author notes:

Hey whats going on people? I do apologize for the long wait I have been more busy than I would like to be. Honestly the only reason why I was able to bust this chapter out is cause I'm on 24 hour duty. Can't really complain this is a golden opportunity to catch up with the flow of this story. I have not forgotten I promise like I said just really busy. Hopefully I'll be able to do a few more before I get off. Should be easy since I still have like ten hours to go… yay! In all seriousness though thank you for taking the time to read and as always stay classy.

- Samurai scrub out