Welcome. Here we go 3rd chapter's the charm.
"Steven! Dinners!" Pearl called. "Steven! Steven? Where are you?" She continued to call. She began to look around the house and outside before going to the temple door and making her way to find Garnet.
Garnet was meditating until she heard nothing making her very curious she often heard atleast some kind of noise from Steven or Amethyst so she decided to go looking for one or the other. As she searched she found Pearl. "Pearl, have you seen Amethyst or Steven?"
"I was going to ask you that. I can't find ethier of them." She answered starting to get worried.
Garnet then began to focus her future vision and look for the two missing companions. Pearl saw Garnet's expression change to worry. "Ga-NET!?" Pearl yelled as Garnet grabbed her arm and got them to the warp-pad.
--One frantic warp later--
Garnet and Pearl appeared in a huge bamboo forest that was so thick they couldn't see anything but bamboo for miles around. "Garnet where are we?" Pearl asked looking to the fusion for answers. But another voice called out. "Oh good you've arrived." Both of the looked up seeing a black figure that lookes like Pearl but clearly had male traits was perched on a bamboo stock dressed in a grey tunic and leg armor with a black daimond on a belt wrapped around hus waist with hair black-gray hair tied in a bun. "Care to join me for tea." The gem gestured to a tray with a tea pot and a few cups that steamed from the heat they gave off.
"Where are Steven and Amethyst?!" Garnet yelled summoning her gauntlets and Pearl summoned her spear.
"Oh them?" the gem asked. "They are safe back at our base and quite the joy to have around especially the one you call 'Steven' he's just a peach." He continued before jumping down and land softly with the tray in hand. "Now would you ladies care for honey, sugar, or lemon with your tea or-" He continued before being cut off leaning back to dodge Garnet's fist nearly dropping the tray but keeping it from fallin or spilling. "Now that was rude miss Garnet. You miss Pearl you must be a bit more-woah!" He yelled dodging Pearl's spear by turning to the side. "Oh for stars sake." The gem groaned before pulling out a short black katana from his gem and taking a stance with his sword pointed to the ground and his other hand still holding the tray.
"GIVE US OUR FRIENDS BACK!" Pearl spat exchanging her spear for a sword.
"I must ask you to calm down first." He replied standing his ground.
Garnet said nothing and charged toward the male gem to attack him. The gem stepped back his leg bending a piece of bamboo back. As Garnet closed the gap the male gem let his leg off the bamboo as it sprung forward smacking Garnet's fist to the ground making her growl in anger. Pearl rushed toward the gem swinging her sword at him but he blocked it with his own sword redirecting it so it sliced a few stocks of bamboo. The male gem continued to back step and dodge the two gems making them frustrated and all the while still holding the tray of tea occasionally tossing it up or kicking it up and catching it back in his hand. This went on for about ten minutes till they came close to the edge of the forest both of the Crystal Gems panting running low on energy.
"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. *cough* Hello my name is Black Pearl but please call me Litch. Now can I intrest you in some tea?" Litch asked holding the tray to them. This made the two gems growled and lunged at him but Litch jumped up making the two fall on the other side of the bamboo where they heard familiar laughing making them snap thier heads up to See Amethyst, Steven, and Lava all laughing at the two.
"Nice job Litch." Lava said as Litch landed next to the three.
"Why thank you Lava but you see the trick is not beating them while holding a tea tray." Litch said passing them some small cups. "The trick is beating them without spilling." He then poured all of them some tea. "Lava please see that they are comfortable I must see to the master. Good day." Litch then walked towards an old looking Japanese style arch.
Lava turned to Garnet and Pearl. "Hello again." He said downing his tea and helping them up. While the two pushed past him to get to Amythest and Steven. Garnet stared down at Steven tapping her foot.
"Okay yeah I know we're in trouble but me and Amethyst are fine plus all these gems are so nice and they-" Steven was cut short as Garnet pulled him into a hug.
"I'm just glad you're alright." She said as he returned the hug. "But you are grounded." This made Steven groan at being grounded again.
"What's with all the noise." A growl of voice called from the same arch that Litch had gone through.
"SHUT UP BEE!" Lava yelled.
"YOU SHUT UP OR I KICK YOUR TEETH IN!" The voice yelled back.
"This'll just be a second. I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY YOU GOOFY LOOKING PEBBLE!" Lava told the gems before yelling at the one he called Bee.
"BOTH OF YA SHUT IT OR I'LL DO IT FOR YA!" A third femine voice yelled with a Brooklyn accent.
"YOU SHUT IT DEE-DEE NOBODY TALKIN TO YOU!" Bee yelled.
"YEAH WE WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION HERE!" Lava yelled. "NOW THAT YOU RUINED IT I'M GOING TO SHOW OUR GUESTS AROUND!" Lava then turned back to the group. "Sorry about that shall we?" He asked walking toward the arch.
"What was that about?" Amethyst asked walking beside Lava.
"Oh lover's quarrel they'll be all lovey dovey in about 10 minutes or so." He answered as they came to a set of huge red gate doors. "On behalf of The Former Black Daimond Authority..."
"Wait former?" Pearl asked.
"...I welcome you to The Hidden Castle." Lava continued and pushed open the doors and revealed what looked like a small city bustling with gems of all kinds. The city had a ancient Japanese look to it with a few cherry blossom trees in bloom and pettles falling to the stone pathways as gems walked, ran, and played while in a large courtyard roughly 50 or so male and female gems seemed to be practicing martial arts in complete unison. The city also seemed to have a large market where gems traded things back and forth. Vegetables for fruits, meats for spices and such, and so much more and in the center was a small park with trees, grass, and a statue of a tall woman with hair that looked like lion's mane and a gem on her stomach. "So what do you think of our little home?" Lava asked the gems.
"It's-it's I don't...wow." Pearl stammered out while Garnet looked around in awe.
"Yeah we acted the same way when we saw it." Amethyst said. "Plus they gave us a welcoming gift. check it." She then pulled out a small banzi tree from behind her back.
"How long have you all been here? How have we never seen you or even know you were here?" Pearl asked looking at Lava.
"Um...huh...we were around during the war but only for about the last few centuries. As for not seeing us we often keep to ourselves and don't mess with anyone unless we have to." Lava answered as a few small gems ran between them looking like miniature version of a few taller gems that ran by chasing them.
"Haha, hey cool mini-gems." Steven chuckled looking as a bulky looking green gem grabbed miniature gems.
"Gemlings." Lava told Steven.
"What?""WHAT?""Huh?""What-lings?" Garnet asked a little shocked, Pearl shouted, Steven said a little confused, And Amethyst not knowing what they were.
"Gemlings." Lava said with a look of confusing as he looked at them. "You know? When two gems love each other very much they decide-." He spoke in a mocking voice before Pearl Quickly covered Steven's ears as Lava kept talking for about a minute before Pearl uncovered Steven's ears. "-then they touch gems and their love takes new life as a gemling. It's all actually very sweet."
"So They're gem babies?" Steven asked to which Lava nodded. Before a group of gems ran by as on stopped and pushed on Lava's shoulder.
"Hey hot stuff come on."
"What?" He asked.
"It Red she's having her pups." The gem said running to catch up with the other gems who had run off.
"Awesome. Hey come follow me." Lava said picking up Steven running to where the gems appeared to be crowding a large hut. "Make way we got one who never seen before!" Lava yelled as they made a path inside the hut was a red gem a bit taller than Amethyst with dirty white hair dressed in grey pants a black shirt showing a mid-rif with a maroon gem on her belly blinking. She was breathing hard and sweating as a tall grey gem that looked like a male peridot with similar hair and clothes but in black and white kneeled next to the cushion she was sitting on holding her hand.
"It's okay Red come on you got this." He chanted before she grabbed him by his throat.
"Get it OUT YOU LITTLE SH-AHH PAIN!" She yelled in pain before a small orb of light emerged from her gem and hovered for a second before splitting into four. All eyes looked on as the orbs took forms three took the forms of the red gem and the last taking the form of the taller gem. As the four gemlings floated down to the parents landing softly onto Red's stomach. She looked at the ones that looked like her before picking up the one who looked like the peridot. "Look Dewey. She's so cute." Red said as she started to weep with joy.
"That she is Red." A voice in the crowd said making everyone turn to see a towering black figure almost as tall as Alexandrite with long spikey black hair and wearing a full set of black and gold samurai armor minus the helmet and seemed to be using a large sheathed katana to keep his balance shocking the Crystal Gems.
"Oh Black sir what a surprise." The peridot know as Dewey said holding the other three gemlings.
"I insist on *cough* on being present for the arrival of all *cough* gemlings and I *cough* can tell *cough cough cough*." The tall gem tried to talk but had a coughing fit before falling to the ground passing out.
All the gems ran to his aid. "oh no it's getting worse." Lava said putting Steven down and running to help.
Dundundun. What will happen next find out next time.