Disclaimer: Characters, settings, names from the cartoon television show 'Steven Universe' are creations and property of Rebecca sugar and Cartoon network. Any Non-steven universe characters, settings, names, Gems, Gem powers, beliefs, mythology are my own creation.
Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. I was writing chapters for my novel hat I hope will propel me into the world or professional writing. But back here on Fanfiction, its back to what I love doing in my spare time. Steven's recovery is in question. Soren has been working all night long to construct a 'home' for Peridot. Then Lapis takes Steven somewhere that could help him.
Story Tags: Steven Universe, Lapis Lazuli, OC's, Connie Maheswaran Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Ruby, Sapphire, Peridot, Beach City, Gem Powers, Romance, Adventure, Comfort, Destiny.
Music Inspiration: "Pearls" By: Cashmere Cat
Chapter 20: These Broken Bones
Wednesday
May 13, 2016, 9:45 [Morning]
Crystal Temple, Beach City
Sleeping on Lapis's bed. Steven moved from side to side. He made pained sounds while he tried to move. His entire right arm from his hand up to his shoulder was bandaged tightly and was covered in a plaster cast. His torso was also bandaged as well, as well as his entire left leg. Lapis, using magical water generated from her gemstone waved it over Steven's now completely irradiated free body as a wide rectangle. Mirroring an x-ray screen, Lapis saw Steven's right arm, three ribs on his right ribcage and the bones in his left leg broken into several pieces. The damage was more severe than previously thought.
Lapis hoped that Steven's natural healing powers would kick in and heal him before next dawn, which was now. But apparently Steven's healing gift wasn't kicking it. Upon closer inspection, Steven's gem endured a mini fracture line. Apparently from his battle with Soren Spassartite.
"Oh Steven, I can only imagine the pain you must be in right now. Please Red beryl, hear my prayer and see Steven through this dilemma."
Lapis rolled a light dark blue blanket over Steven's shaking body. She sat next to him and fluffed his pillows without moving his head. Lapis laid the side of her head down on her own pillow. She placed a hand down on Steven's chest and gently moved it upward up to his neck and up to the side of his face. Steven had only a pair of boxers with cookie cat's face on them. Caressing the side of his face, Lapis moved her hand down his neck and brushed the side of his ribs.
Steven's closed eyes closed even tighter. His faced winced in pain. He groaned and grabbed as the bed sheets under him. "That was barely even a press, and he still felt that. Oh Steven."
Pearl's Bedroom
Lying down on a bed that Pearl added to her room located to the side. Pearl looked up at the ceiling of her room. her hands clasped together and resting atop of her chest. She looked at the red, blue and white stars that dotted the ceiling of her room. She went over the whole fight between Leo Kunzite and Soren Spassartite several times. Through photographic memory and above human level of remembrance, humans would call it autobiographical memory. Using the gemstone on her forehead, she let out a holographic projected screen and viewed the battle.
Pearl shuddered and grabbed at a pillow from the side to hold onto tightly. Leo Kunzite was a beast of pure Magic and the pinnacle of The entirety of her Species. Pearl analyzed the scene when Leo Kunzite spoke to Lapis Lazuli with a keen eye.
"A Flowing Black and Pink Trench Coat with Rose's symbol on the back. Six arms and hands, two would belong to Steven, two from Lion. So where would the other two arms come from. where would they... No."
Pearl seemed to have stumbled on something big. She sat up on her bed and move over to the edge. She rewinded the holographic projection, stopped and resumed it. Pearl paused her memory on the image of Leo Kunzite facing Lapis. She looked the frozen image over and over. spending almost ten minutes on it. Then, pearl's right hand shook. Pearl blinked and calmly stood up from the edge of her bed. she turned off the holographic projection and sauntered over to the lake in the center of her room.
Getting down on her knees, Pearl looked at her reflection in the rippling water.
"Steven holds half of Rose's power. He is half Rose and Greg. That's what a child is, at least in terms of human definition. Where did Rose keep her other half? She never told me, but now I know why. Her other half of her gem is inside of Lion. That's where the other two extra arms came from! For a moment Steven and Rose were one!"
Pearl shouted loudly and excitedly. She even laughed, smacking at the reflection of herself in the water.
"I need to tell this to Carlos, when he comes back from Mexico. Two days from now. Carlos...i miss you." pearl said quietly and endearingly.
Crystal Temple, Underground
11:30 [Morning]
Pearl walked out of her bedroom and noticed a rectangular hole just few feet away from the warp pad. She dashed over to it and saw that the steps lead down to an unknown location. The depth could have reached as far below as 1000 feet. Pearl used her gemstone to act as a flashlight. She walked down a spiral staircase and looked at the walls to her sides. They were black and letting off steam. There were glowing orange-red lines, signs that something or someone burned their way down here.
"This must be Soren's doing. Where's Peridot, and Sapphire and Ruby. Now that I think about it, where's Amethyst as well."
The deeper Pearl walked down the spiral staircase, the more she heard voices. They were low but sounded familiar. Their echoing voices went up up the staircase just as they went down. Pearl stopped for a moment to catch her thoughts and project a scan beam to see how far this staircase extended down to.
A shock and the sound of an explosion rocked the six foot wide staircase. Cutting pearl's scan of the area in half. Pearl pushed her fingers deep inside of the walls to keep from falling down the stairs, possibly injuring herself. When the rocking came to an end, she heard laughter and arguing echoing from down below.
At the bottom of the spiral staircase, Soren was clearing out bedrock in front of him and created an area as wide as a school gymnasium. The darkness that they were all being embraced by didn't hang around for very long. Soren raised his right hand up over hie head and let out four hovering orbs of light from the palm of his hand. The orbs of light were no bigger than golf balls, but sure lit the whole area brightly enough.
Amethyst kept Peridot's hands and feet tied up with mini whips. Ruby held on to one whip wrapped around Peridot's waist. If peridot tried to escape, Ruby would raise the temperature through the whip and burn her. Of course, even if Peridot could find a way around these 'clods' as she liked to call them. There was no snowball chance in hell of her getting past Soren.
"There really is no need for any of this Commander Soren. I'm you're prisoner, I don't plan on going anywhere. You're a traitor, I hate these crystal clods but i'm not stupid." Peridot said, pulling away from the hold Ruby on her.
"if you're an enemy of The shield of humanity, then you're an enemy of mine. I could pass judgment on you right now and no one back on homeworld would care."
"When Jasper and Yellow diamond-" Peridot started to say but was cut short by Soren.
"When Jasper and yellow diamond find out I killed Jasper's sister, sided with humans and the last of Rose Quartz's last band of rebel gems...I'm sure they'll want my gemstone for that and more. But, I am the son of The Mad Goddess Taffeite. I will scorch Homeworld long before they can lay their hands on my gemstone. I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut, before I weld those lips permanently together."
Peridot shook in her restrains. Amethyst kept her distance. Sapphire and Ruby were just as scared from the shift in the atmosphere so far below ground level. But Ruby found Soren's serious attitude and cold threats very...alluring. Sapphire found Soren's smile that he gave off to the rest of the group after that threat enchanting, to her eye at least. Amethyst found him just completely captivating. He could either be very cold or very hot headed.
Soren raised his hands and lowered them. He repeated this until there were several spaces inside the wall around them. The cell located to the left of them all was where Soren took Peridot and pushed her in there. The space was six by eight feet, the normal space of prison cells in America. Soren raised a wall of red energy. It blocked out all forms of noise, was damage proof and the only way it could be disabled was by Soren's power alone.
"remove your bodysuit, arm guards, boots and visor. Right now." Soren ordered.
"No." Peridot answered, she was shaking and frightened.
"Choose your next response more wisely Peridot."
"Why should I get naked for you! Are you my groom? am I your bride? Because if not, then do away with me right now."
"What are those two saying, can you two hear anything?" Amethyst asked Ruby and Sapphire.
"I can't see anything. Soren's wall of sacred fire is keeping my mind from penetrating it."
"I can't hear anything. It would just be better for Soren to get id of Peridot once and for all. And if he can't do it then I would be more than happy to do it for him."
"i don't think a commander would have any issue doing away with several planets. Do not test his might ruby, show some respect."
"Me show some respect!? What about you babe, I can feel what your feeling Sapphire. Don't think I know Soren makes you feel."
Sapphire blushed a little. She remained quiet and stoic. She tried very hard to keep cool and focused, but Ruby's constant staring made her crack and crack up.
"AHA! I knew It! So you do like him. That's it, I don't want to talk to you right now." Ruby left stomping away, Sapphire sighed and followed after Ruby.
Amethyst shook her head disappointingly at those two and redirected her attention back over to Peridot and Soren.
"A commander is given only One Bride in his life and is only able to become a Groom only once. The first which is of his choosing and the second is completely by his own choice. I left a wife and child back home to do my part to stop Yellow diamond and all of Home-world's allies. I don't need a replacement bride, because my wife is irreplaceable. Now, do as I say or I will take you up on your deathwish."
Peridot's back was against the wall the whole time. Soren leaned back on his wall of fire and crossed his arms over his chest. Peridot had no way out, and she wanted to do anything to preserve her own life. She grudgingly did as she was told. She raised her right arm up, created a mini Holo touch screen with her levitating fingers and pressed a few buttons. Her body suit as well as her boots and visor vanished in a flash of light. Her Arm guards remained in place.
"Everything." Soren told Peridot.
Peridot started to whimper and tear up. She pressed a button located on both of her arm guards. They let out steam and snapped open. They fell down on the ground with some weight to them. Soren picked them up and bubbled them in blood red spheres. Peridot covered her bare chest with her left forerarm and covered her self down below wit her right hand. Soren pointed a finger at her and made for her a pair of pants and short sleeve shirt with black and white vertical bars.
"You're my prisoner now. Those gems up there seem to put a lot of their faith in the shield of humanity. I'll let him decide what he wants to do with you. Until then, make yourself comfortable."
Soren walked through the blood red energy field and made his way towards the stairs. Meeting him at the bottom of the stairs, Soren stopped in front of Pearl who paused in thought before him. Soren nodded at her and stepped to the side to walk around her. But pearl stepped in front of him, Soren gave a confused look to her.
"Pearl-"
"I see you still have that limp commander Soren." Pearl said very flatly and devoid of any concern for the male gem.
"I do. The shield of humanity did-"
"Steven. His name is Steven, commander Soren. He hasn't earned the title of Shield of Humanity."
"If the goddess Red Beryl called him by that title, then it's one he's going to earn. I choose to call him that because I'm certain. It's nice of you to be concerned about me Pearl. Don't worry about Peridot over there."
"I'm not worried about her."
"Pearl, I understand you don't trust me now. Maybe you'll never trust me, but I can promise you that Steven is in good hands. He did more than just injure me pearl. He killed me, but commanders like myself don't die very easily. And we seldom stay down for long. That hybrid is special. and I know you know that. when he and that beast were fused, he was with his mother too. That's the only reason he was able to keep up with me."
Pearl crossed her arms over her chest and looked past Soren's arm. She saw Peridot sitting down on the floor, her arms rested atop her knees with her face buried between them.
"I suppose if Peridot can't escape, she can't contact Home-world." pearl mentioned.
"Trust me. Sooner or later Home-world will start sending their elite to deal with this planet. They said, back when I was stationed as a fleet commander. They said this planet had an expiration date. You need to understand something about how the top echelon work. Any planet that couldn't be conquered, turned into an outpost, used for the installation of kindergartens or colonized was destined for destruction. I will see that Steven has the chance to give this planet another tomorrow. Excuse me."
Soren walked around Pearl and walked back up the steps he created. Pearl looked around and saw the other empty spaces. Peridot crawled over to a corner of her cell and wept quietly.
Lapis's Bedroom
1:30 [Afternoon]
tossing and turning on Lapis's bed. Steven's closed eyes closed even tighter. The movement of his eyeballs were rapid and desperate. It was a state of sleep known as REM or Rapid Eye Movement. In this state Steven was in a sleep so deep, he dreamed a strange dream with an almost prophetic feel to it.
In his dream he walked through a field of pink wheat. This field was wide, so vast it seemed like the whole world was nothing but a pink field. There were acacia trees here and there. The sun was positioned in a sunset position. Yet it never sank beneath the horizon. it was a perpetual sunset. Seemingly frozen forever in that spot. Steven then heard the laughter of a child. the laughter sounded like any child he would encounter on the street. But the laughter became lower In tone and sounded like it was growing older. The laughter sounded more like it came from a kid and then from a teenage girl.
No matter where Steven looked, he could not locate the person who was laughing. When he turned around one more time in hopes of catching the laughing stranger. The scenery in front of him had changed dramatically. There was no longer a wide pink field. Instead there was a wide cliffs edge and a silver statue of a teenage girl looking out towards cities and towns. Rivers, lakes and wheat fields.
The statue of this girl had a bob cut hairstyle. she wore pants molded to look baggy. She had strap sandals on her feet. She had a tank top under an opened short sleeve button up shirt that was frozen in a side flowing motion. On the back of her buttoned shirt was Rose's symbol with a crown of water on top of it.
Steven wanted to see who this statue was about. But the closer he got to it and when he tried walking around it to see the face, his dream had become fuzzy and he found himself awake and in pain.
"Ow...Ooww!" Steven cried out in pain.
"Steven!?" Lapis yelled out his name from the first floor beach house. She went running up the stairs that lead into her own house. She saw Steven wiggling around under the bed sheets.
"Steven! Oh my goodness you're finally awake."
"Lapis...where's Soren. What happened to him, and why can't I move. Ugh! Ow my body!"
"Try not to move Steven. You saved all of us, but Soren was not the gem we thought him to be."
"I...i don't understand. Ow. My arm, my leg." Steven mumbled.
"Your right arm, your left leg and three of your ribs were broken after you beat Soren. I was waiting to see if your healing powers would take over. But I learned that your gem has sustained a fracture line, maybe that's what's hindering your healing powers."
"A fractoore line? Wait a second."
'What is it Steven."
"My mom, rose. She has a fountain with her healing tears. Take me there...take me..." Steven asnwered but passed out from the pain.
"Steven!? Steven!...Steven...Ste..."
Rose's Fountain
2:10 [Afternoon]
The feeling of cool wetness embraced Steven's back, his arms and legs. He spun around and felt the same cool wetness all over his face, torso and on his extremities.
"Steven, wake up. You have to wake up or you're going to drown."
"Mom...is that you?" Steven said in his head.
Steven opened his eyes and saw the navy blue irises of Lapis Lazuli. He looked off to the left and right. He saw the circular opening in the ceiling of Rose's fountain. Sun beams shined through. He saw the large brambles snaked around the ceiling of the dome and around the fountain. Lapis helped Steven sit up from floating in the healing tears of his mother. Steven stepped out of the fountain and raised his arms. He wagged them up and down and moved them sided to side.
He raised hie left leg and then his right leg. He smiled up at the giant statue of his mother and gave her a thumbs up. Lion jumped out of a dimensional hole he created and skidded towards Steven. Steven's eyes beamed with joy and stars and embraced his partner.
Continued in Chapter 21.