Chapter 3

The Dance of the Spear and Scythe: A Storm Approaches

I own Nothing

*Quick little sidebar before we start. The Scythe's name from Bloodborne is the Burial Blade, not the Brutal Blade like I had said previously. Must have forgotten to re-read over that.*

The beach was socked in moonlight, the distinct waft of seawater coated the air as two fighters stood opposite each other, their weapons drawn and their gaze hardened. One held his named Scythe with a waning smirk playing on his lips while his partner held a more hardened line under her pointed nose, her spear pointed directly towards her opponent. Their grips tightened in anticipation for what is to come as they waited for the other to move, preparing their own scenarios in their heads.

But this calmness, this rest before the storm soon ended when Naruto took the offensive. It happened so fast you would be forgiven to have missed it if you blinked. Naruto twirled his form, using the momentum to send a heavy and speedy arking slash down towards Pearl, an ark that took Pearl as well as Garnet by surprise. She ducked, quickly rolling to the side to miss the slash that was to come which carved through the sand like butter, leaving a definitive red glow through the sand. She rolled to her feet, taking this as her opportunity to strike, she dove hard towards Naruto, his back turned to her, she charged him with her spear poised for the attack.

He turned, facing his opponent and with a twist of his Scythe, the strike glanced off his wooden staff and was sent towards the ground, spearing the sand instead of his tanned hide. His scythe now hung over the pale gem's head, resting inches from slicing through the back of her neck. Naruto, his eyes glued to his trapped opponent, said something Pearl never wished to hear. "Give up, I've won."

She took that as an insult, a minute scuffle was all she's worth? Impossible, she has trained with Rose Quartz with Garnet by her side and Amethyst soon after, there was no way she would be beaten by an outworlder. She slipped her blade from the loose sand, swiveled from under his crimson blade, and slashed at his midsection, clipping the front of his bellowing vest and slicing through a few loops of his fishnet vest.

"Don't you dare count me out yet," she hissed dangerously, planting the base of her spear in the sand as a soldier would plant a flag in the ground. She stood firm, glaring down her opponent as he rubs the ripped fabric between his fingers.

"Understood," he said numbly, bring his scythe to bare once more. Soon, the battle commenced once again, their weapons clashing with crimson obsidian and smooth pearl as Garnet looked on, watching with a numb expression. The constant clash and sparks from their weapons drew another onlooker, Amethyst who now stood beside Garnet with widened eyes.

"Yo, what's all the racket for? I'm trying to take a….." Amethyst began, her arms tucked firmly behind her head only to notice the heated battle going on down below on the sandy shore. "Obsidian, Pearl? What's going on here?!"

"Naruto asked for a spar with me, I refused - but Pearl seemed to be willing to fight." Garnet dryly explained, not taking a single one of her eyes of the action before her - she seemed, surprisingly drawn to it. Their smooth, swift strikes coupled nicely with their strong defense, it was almost like a dance - a dance of determination.

"Why didn't you tell me? He just got his gem fixed, he could get hurt." Amethyst worried, prepared to jump in to stop this madness, only to be stopped by Garnet's large hands finding a place on her shoulder, halting her completely.

"Pearl wouldn't go that far." She said wisely, keeping her friend at bay. "Besides, he's been here for two days - he seems healthy enough."

"I wouldn't put it past her to," Amethyst mumbled, shaking Garnet's grip loose. "Why didn't you get me?" She asked, peering over the railing to watch the two square off, a visible frown taking over her puffy lips.

"Because I knew you'd overreact." The square mother said simply.

"Of course I would, Obsidian's my friend an-"

"So is Pearl," Garnet interjected.

"...Sure, whatever. But Obsidian's my friend and you know how Pearl gets when she's certain of something. She won't rest until she can prove it to both of us that she's right. Even if it means stepping on a few toes." Said Amethyst.

"I won't let that happen." Said Garnet firmly, taking her eyes from her short, blue friend and putting them back on the action as her mind began to wonder. Though she hated to admit it, Amethyst might have a point - Pearl's never been the most stable of the three, always trying to prove a point or bring someone to her way of think. This doesn't make her bad, it just makes her rather…..forceful at times, and at many instances her forceful nature as taken her to some dark places. Maybe Amethyst was right to worry, only time will truly tell. The duel continued for quite some time, but soon their attacks grew weak and their arms heavy - this duel was drawing to an end.

"I have to say, you're no pushover, Pearl." Naruto sighed, his Scythe now loosely gripped as he eyed up the pale gemstone, a small smile resting on his cheeks. This, above anything, has been a huge example of what toles laying around in that hole has taken on him - his moves were rusty and his reaction time was laughable, he wouldn't be standing if this was a Homeworld "spar". "You've really given me a lot to improve on."

"Y-Yeah," she whimpered lightly, trying to catch her second wind. "I mean, o-of course. I have fought in the Great Gem War, side by side with the great Rose Quartz herself. I mean, what would you expect?" She gloated, using her spear to anchor herself upright. Her gloating aside, she's quite surprised at what Naruto had to offer in terms of skill - if she was honest with herself, she would be downright impressed and a little worried.

"Haha, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking," he chuckled, twirling the handle of his deadly weapon between his fingers like it was a simple stick, it's crimson blade swooshing through the night's cooling air. "I guess that's enough for tonight, I'm glad you took time out of your schedule to-"

"Are you done already? I could still keep going," she said, a smile creeping on her face. Maybe it was her previous statement or how tired he seemed but she wanted to keep going and beat him, making sure she got a hard, definitive win with him on his back and her standing tall. "But if you're too tired...nevermind, forget I even said anything."

Naruto's eyebrow shot skyward at her no so subtle claim, "Oh? I was merely suggesting we stop for your sake, I would hate to push you too far."

"Try me," she declared, pointing her spear defiantly in his direction.

"Alright, one more go. Winner take all?" Naruto questioned.

"If you think you can handle it," Pearl replied.

"Do they really have to do another one? It's getting pretty dark out here, I can't even see what's happening." Amethyst moaned, leaning sluggishly against the balcony railing. She looked to her friend for a replay but was greeted with silence and the same stone like stare out towards the battlegrounds she did minutes before. "Great, I can barely see and you're zoned out. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."

Two warrior's prepare their blades once more, each ready to strike. As they both let out a breath, they charge each other's positions - their weapons poised for the attack, Pearl's spear directly before her, the point gleaming in the moonlight while Naruto's Scythe scraped across the sand, leaving a distinct trail. As they close in on one another Naruto's crimson blade began to….glow?

Yes, his shimmering blade started glow a deep crimson red and heat began to radiate from it, leaving the sand it touched to be burnt. Pearl went for her strike, thrusting her spear forward to "skewer" Naruto dead center into his chest, but her strike was literally cut short. With a swift swing of his mighty scythe he cut through the hardened Pearl spear with ease, sending the point flying in the other direction. Before she could even register this surprisingly turn of events her legs were swept out from under her, landing her flat on her back with a steaming, glowing tip of an obsidian blade dangerously close to her pointy nose. "I don't know about you, but I think I win, Dattebayo!"

Pearl gritted her teeth, prepared to fight back as she reached for her gem only to hear a voice she's quite familiar too. "Pearl, Obsidian! What are you two doing?" Steven questioned, rushing on the scene with a flashlight in hand - illuminating the battlefield for both him and the other's to see.

"Steven?" Pearl said, squinting through the bright light the young boy shown in her direction. "O-Oh, it's not what it looks like, we were just-" She tried to explain before she was cut off by Steven who seemed quite miffed at his pale friend.

"Yesterday you promised me you would give him a chance!" He said, puffing out his cheeks. "Why are you two fighting again, I thought we moved past this!"

"Why is he more mad at me? I'm not the one holding a weapon at the other's nose!" Pearl thought, before said steaming blade dispersed, leaving her sprawled on the sand while Naruto walked to Steven's side.

He knelt down slightly to be eye level to the little gem, and began to speak. "Easy, little one. It's not what you think. I asked her for a little spar, that's all. It's been a long time since I've flexed my muscles and I needed it. Don't worry, it was completely harmless, right Pearl?" He said, peering over his shoulder.

Pearl was soon on her feet, dusting her slightly tattered clothes off. "Y-Yeah, harmless," She murmured, nursing her damaged pride. Was this what the homeworlds were like? He fought with the brutality of a beast but danced around her with the grace of a swan, not to mention his strikes. Precise would be the best word to describe them, precise and threatening. As she stared at him, his attention focused on cooling Steven down - she couldn't help but feel an ounce of fear pooling within her; this isn't someone she wished to mess with anymore. And this was what he was like when he was "rusty"? This was not a gem that she want's as an enemy.

"Are you sure?" Steven questioned, his eyebrow cocked as he stared at Naruto with skepticism.

"I swear," He said, placing his hand on his heart with his other raised. "But enough about Pearl and I, I'm more curious about why a certain dark haired boy is out past his bedtime? Care to explain?"

"I-I didn't mean to stay out this late, I swear!" he said skittishly, flaying his arms around as if he was a nervous rooster. "Ronaldo invited me to his spooky movie party a-a-and I went to go pick up Sadie but then I asked if Laris wanted to come, then after that we walked to the clock house but then this really weird stuff started happening and the-"

"Easy Steven, slow down." Naruto chuckled, watching Steven start to get all worked up over this must mean something really exciting happened at that old lighthouse. "You can tell us all about it in the morning. Right now, I think you need some sleep. In fact, I think we could all do with some shut eye." And on that note, the group convened inside and went their separate ways, each having something to ponder on as they drifted into slumber.

-One Week Later-

A harsh gasp cut through the calming silence of Amethyst's room as Naruto rose from his bed, which was a collection of sofa cushions and a tarp they found lying around somewhere. Sweat dripped from his nose as his hand rest shakily on his forehead. "D-Damn it. Not again, not now." He whispered, the fresh images of his nightmare still ingrained in his mind. A red, demonic eye loomed overhead, it's bloodshot veins prevalent as it glared into Obsidian's very soul.

He knew what this meant, he always did. Something dark was coming his way, something he wouldn't be able to face and Kurama was getting jittery. He knew who it was, he could feel it deep in his gem that they were tracking him, you could call it a sixth sense if you wanted too. He feared their return, both he and Kurama, but now it just won't be him who suffers this time around.

"Obsidian, are you alright? I thought I heard-"

"N-No, Amethyst I'm fine." He said, turning swiftly to his blue little friend - quickly wiping the nervous look off his face. "There's…..nothing to worry about," he smiled weakly, trying to hide the terror inside.

"...Obsidian, please tell me what's wrong. Was it a bad dream?" Amethyst asked, taking her spot next to him as she placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly enough, Amethyst seemed to be taking this far more seriously than most things in general - she's never been one to be a person's shoulder to cry on, but this was not just someone.

"...yeah, I guess you could say that." He said, taking her hand in his as he squeezes lightly. "I….I saw them again, the home world gems. They were coming for me and I had nowhere to run, and you four paid the price of my weakness - I-I can't let that happen."

"And it won't," Amethyst insured firmly, looking Naruto directly in his nervous eyes. "They won't hurt you or anyone else, do you understand? We'll find them and stop them; there's nothing to worry about."

"...You're right," Obsidian smiled weakly, "besides, it was only a dream." Amethyst agreed with a smile of her own. After a bit of small talk between the two, Amethyst went off in search of the other gems, leaving Naruto to ponder his own thoughts. His weak smile soon faded as she left the room as the weight of his situation became even more evident. No matter what she said he knew this wasn't that simple, Jasper is coming and everyone will suffer for his mistakes.

"Amethyst, Steven, Garnet, and Pearl - I am sorry for what is to come. I truly am."

-Living Room-

"Yum, you toast good!" Steven cheered as he pulled back his golden marshmallow from the flame as he slides it into his waiting mouth, savoring the sugary goodness. Connie and Steven sit before the open furnace of their beach house, roasting marshmallows on the open fire as they enjoyed each other's company.

"Good job, not burning that one, Steven." Connie smiled, loading another mallow onto her own poker to cook it over the flames.

"What is it about Marshmallows that makes them so…..good?" As he asked this question, something caught his eye. The fresh new face of the Crystal gems had just strolled in with a troubled look etched on his face. "Naruto, hey you've gotta try one of these. There amazing!" Steven cheered, pushing the bowl of soft, pillowy treat towards him.

"Well, with enthusiasm like that how could I not." He chuckled, picking a mallow from the top as he squeezes it between his thumb and forefinger. "What is this exactly?"

"It's a Marshmallow," Steven clarified as Connie watched, her eyes darting between Naruto and Steven.

"A Marsh-...mallow?" He hummed before he brought the fluffy treat to his lips and nibble on it. "Interesting flavor, very interesting. Maybe there's something to this eating thing after all. Tell me, what's it made out of?" He questioned as he chucked the remaining treat into his open mouth.

"Mostly animal byproduct. Stuff like hooves, bone marrow, collagen and lots of sugar and corn syrup." Connie listed off, snatching up a marshmallow before tossing it down her gullet with a smile.

"...interesting blend." Naruto chuckled nervously, rather perplexed as to why she knew this and why exactly this is a human treat. "Maybe they enjoy eating animal byproduct. I have much to learn about these humans." He thought as both Connie and Steven began to yell either "corn sugar" and "sugar syrup" while shoving handful of marshmallows into their open mouths. "I don't know why, you've already been one, dattebayo!" Obsidian froze, his "heart" skipped a single beat - a voice, another voice just…..spoke to him inside his own mind. "Or have you already forgotten me? That's harsh, and after all we've been through too!"

"N-Naruto? Is that you?" Obsidian whispered, catching Steven's attention.

"Hey, Naruto. Are you alright?" He asked, snapping Obsidian from his thoughts.

"O-Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess." He said absentmindedly, coming up with a half-baked idea to try and sell his issue off. Steven's follow up was interrupted by Connie's cell, which she quickly answered - almost as if she knew exactly who it was. They talked for a minute before Connie hung up, a solemn expression evident on her features.

"Looks like I gotta get going," She sighed, visibly sad at the prospect of leaving.

"Awe no, why?" Steven whined, even his marshmallows couldn't console him.

"There's a snow storm coming, my parent's don't want me getting stuck here." She clarified, brushing the case of her phone with her thumb. "Why did something like this have to happen now of all times?" Connie thought bitterly, "I only have a handful of times that I can spend with Steven and we were having such a good time, too."

"Man, that stinks." He stated, his deeper thoughts mimicking Connie's.

"Wouldn't it be fun if we got snowed in together." She smiled, staring deeply into Steven's starry eyes as a light blush came to her cheeks. Steven gasped in excitement,

"we could stay up all night and watch the snowfall." He returned her stare, a similar blush adorned his chubby cheeks.

"Hello you three," Garnet said as she, Amethyst, and Pearl strolled in, taking a spot in the kitchen area. They both replied with a quick hello while Naruto seemed rather unresponsive as he stared off towards the window, watching the beginning of the flakes fall from the sky, his mind lost in the sea of thought.

"You all having a nice time?" Pearl questioned.

"Yeah, but Connie has to go soon," Steven sighed as they both stood and walked to the gem's side.

"Maybe the storm will miss us. Sometimes the forecast is completely wrong." Connie hoped.

"No, it's definitely going to snow," Garnet said firmly, crushing Connie's dream as quickly as it began.

"That's the 4/11, yo." Amethyst chimed in her serious demeanor now completely thrown to the waste side.

"Trust me," Garnet nodded as Connie looked to Steven.

"Garnet has future vision," Steven whispered to Connie, making sure she understood why they needed to trust Garnet's word.

"You kids better get yourself to Greg's." Garnet smiled.

"No, wait. We can't go yet, I haven't showed you this Tubetube video yet." Steven begged, trying to find anything to spend a few precious seconds with his friend.

"Steven," Garnet said, kneeling before the boy with an authoritative tone.

"I-It's only, like, 1 minute long." He lied.

"I know you don't want her to go, but you have to make the right choice." Garnet wisely said, before planting a small kiss to Steven's forehead, sparkles dancing where lips connected. Steven laughs, rubbing his forehead with a light blush on his chubby cheeks, "haha, that tickles." He smiled, but his smile soon faded as his eyes glazed over. He stood stock still, not a single twitch or hair out of place, he was experiencing Garnet's future vision. Visions of many possibilities slipped in and out of his mind, some many to comprehend, he began to feel overwhelmed. He soon opened his eyes, but this time he was back at their beach house, his shoulders still firmly gripped by Garnet - time almost seemed to stand still.

"W-What? Garnet, what happened?" He asked, staring at the square mother who smiled down at him.

"I gave you my ability for just a moment." She explained as Steven rubbed his forehead gently.

"You mean….I had future visions?" He asked a part of him seemed excited by this prospect, but another saw how paralyzing having visions of the future truly could be. To know every step you could take, every mistake, and every consequence was almost a little too much for our star wearing gem.

"Tell me what you saw." Garnet implored.

"Well, I saw some good things, but mostly bad things." He said, replaying all the events in his head like a very odd clip show.

"And now you can make the right choice." She said wisely. He nodded, determination in his star-filled eyes. "Connie, we have to go now." He grabbed his friend by the wrist and ran outside, leaving the gems to watch and smile.

"Awe, they're gonna make a cute couple one day." Naruto smiled gently as he watched them rush across the beach at a moderate pace, heading straight for Greg's Car Wash.

"What? Steven and Connie, a couple? Where would you-" Pearl began to deny only to hear Amethyst speak up with her own speculation.

"I wonder if Steven knows Connie has a crush on him?" She chuckled.

"Really? I thought it was the other way around." Said Naruto, both sharing in a laugh at how adorable those two seemed to be.

"You're both wrong," Garnet said stoically, bring a sigh of relief to Pearl.

"Thank you, Garnet, finally a voice of-" Pearl started but stopped shortly afterward as Garnet began to speak.

"They both have a crush on each other," She smiled, before leaving the three to their own devices.

-Night-

"Pfft, Garnet! PFFT! Garnet, are you up?" Amethyst whispered quite loudly, defeating the purpose of whispering in the first place. She lowers herself delicately from the small pool that connected her room with Garnet's, using a combination of her whips and the rocky terrain around her. As she grew lower and lower, she was unaware of the tall figure standing behind her descending form.

"What is it Amethyst?" Garnet said as the little gem touched down on solid ground, getting a loud screech from her teammate.

"Jeez, Garnet. You scared the crap out of-" She began, only to see the "look" in Garnet's shaded eyes. "R-Right, let's get straight to the point. Ummm, well…..y-you can see into the future, right?" She said nervously, twiddling her thumbs as her eyes stayed glued to Garnet's boots.

"You know I can," Garnet said simply.

"R-Right, so I just wanted to know if….maybe you can look into the future for me?" Said Amethyst, practically wrenching the words from her lips as it almost seemed too embarrassing to ask Garnet to do such a thing and to be honest, it probably was. Only a single gem has ever asked Garnet to use her future vision for their own personal gain and that was Steven who was simply infatuated with the idea.

Garnet stayed quite for a moment, simply glaring at her friend with the same unmoving shades before asking a very simple question. "Why?" Amethyst seemed perplexed, surprised to have actually made it this far without being turned away immediately.

"Well, I was thinking about….you know, asking Obsidian to join me for a night on the town. Show him the sights, get him used to the local people, and get some food with him at some local restaurants and I was wondering if-." Amethyst began only to be interrupted by her square haired friend.

"You want to ask him out on a date, don't you?" Garnet asked with a sly smirk, one in which Amethyst wasn't too happy to see.

A dark blush quickly spread across Amethyst's face as she shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists nervously. "N-N-N-NO! OF C-COURSE NOT, WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THAT!" She hissed before she composed herself. "I-I mean, no. It's just a….friendly walk and stuff."

"If you're not going to tell me the truth then there's no reason for me to help you," Garnet said sternly, turning from her friend. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep tonight." She went to walk only to feel a small hand grasp her's, holding in place.

"F-Fine, I'm thinking about asking him on a date." Said Amethyst simply, her pristine white hair covering her now blushing face.

"See, what that so hard to say?" Garnet asked with a knowing smirk.

"You…...you know all along, didn't you!?" Amethyst practically screamed, only for one of Garnet's digits to find it's way to her lips, silencing her.

"Shhh, Steven is sleeping. Besides, I don't think you want your date to hear you, do you?" She asked, her smirk never leaving her. "And yes I did, I see many possible futures and this was one of them."

"Okay then, can you tell me if he'll say yes?" Amethyst asked, still rather irritated about Garnet toying with her feelings like that.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Garnet asked.

"So I don't get hurt, of course!" Amethyst blurted out, tired of all these endless questions. "What happens if he doesn't have the same feelings? what if he doesn't like me because of my height, hair, or skin? Maybe he has a secret Gem World girlfriend we don't know about. There are a million reasons why I want to know, so just tell me, please."

"...No," She said, leaving Amethyst jaw on the floor.

"Why not?" She asked

"Because it won't help you," Garnet said simply, pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "I've seen hundred's of options of this exact scenario and many were good and many were bad. I could only show you possibilities not certainties. I'm sorry, but I believe you'll just have to wing it like everyone else."

"...Fine," And soon Amethyst crushed back up to her room, mumbling the whole way back up. Amethyst slipped deep into slumber as she was unaware of how well Garnet played her just now. The only scenario that ended with both Amethyst and Naruto going out was this particular one, the one where Garnet denies her accesses to her powers. Now, if she's played her cards right, her blue little friend will finally find some happiness that she's truly deserved.

Thank you all for reading, please PM me if you have any questions and please review. Also, quick note, my updates for this story and many of my others will be very few and far between. I am very sorry for the inconvenience and I hate that it is this way, but I have more pressing matters like my College work and my family to deal with. Thank you all once again for your support of this story and I will try to update as much as I can, I promise you that.