(I don't own Steven Universe)
IX: Impact
They tried getting a sense of their surroundings, blinking away their grogginess as best as they could. Something wasn't right. More than just the sharp pain on their back and leg, more than the awful soreness bouncing around their skull. Rubbing their eyes, the Gem-human hybrid looked around, at first mistaking the leaves underneath them for the grass of the ground. Then, looking up at the grass above them, came to the conclusion that their perspective was a little off.
Smoky Quartz untensed theirself, rolling off the tree they landed against so they were standing upright on the ground. Their leg shouted in complaint as it tried taking their weight, buckling and almost sending them back to floating earth. After a pained seethe through their teeth, they looked down towards the damage, though their black leggings covered it up for the most part. The next thing they noticed was their surplus of left hands. They stared at the palms for a couple seconds, incredulous.
"Again!?" Smoky exclaimed to no one in particular, just now noticing the mass of their body. A roar behind them persuaded them to turn around. Their attacker stumbled into some trees behind them, evidently staggered by some impact. The collection of broken trees behind it was solid evidence.
"Apparently not that solid," Smoky thought, eyeing the shards of wood now dotting the area. This clearing was getting a little too dangerous with all the sharp debris and ripped terrain. Their cut arms provided enough evidence. Then Smoky's eyes fell on the warp pad, still shining in the jungle's sun-rays. Still their opponent was too near for running to be a good idea. Not to mention the potential of breaking the warp-pad being a very real concern.
The corruption turned towards them, stomping the ground again. Smoky took the message and focused on their weapon, already throwing a hand towards the trees with a minor grunt. For a brief second, both Gems paused, staring at what Smoky's hand produced.
Nothing left their palm. Rather than feel the weight of their yo-yo, they had the light sensation of holding onto their shield. It faced the leaves above, not exactly menacing or useful. The corruption lost what interest it had in the shiny pink surface and broke into a run towards Smoky, roaring again.
They didn't have enough time for confusion; reacting as fast as they could, they expanded the shield outwards, lowering it in front of them just in time to absorb the corruption's charge. Its horns collided with the glassy pink surface with a resounding *thrum*, shaking trees and leaves all around them. The impact nearly struck Smoky off their feet.
In reaction, the corruption recoiled, its horns now glowing like the few bits of hide that had yet to form. Shaking their head, Smoky rolled around the creature with their over-sized shield. They eyed its pink surface uncertainly. Why had they decided on that instead of their signature yo-yo? Certainly the latter was more useful, if only for their experience with the weapon.
Whatever the reason for the defense, it was better than nothing. Smoky tried taking a few steps backwards while the corruption recovered. Some splinters of wood tripped Smoky enough to get them to halt. It was bad enough with the major aches and cuts adorning their body; the horrible headache wasn't helping, either. As if taking advantage of their stumble, some of the corruption's white hide shot out suddenly, reaching out a semi-formed appendage and slicing towards Smoky like a knife. Thankfully, all it scratched was the surface of their forearm, though it still stung. Smoky backed away further, grasping the light wound.
"That's gonna hurt in the mornin'," they muttered, trying to shake off the pain. A bright light attracted their eyes back to the corruption, and they promptly took another step back in a sickened awe. Not even the destroyed earth underfoot could move their eyes away.
The glowing areas of the corruption's hide pulsated for a few moments; then, each growing spot sprouted outwards in various forms of limbs, each a different color. None of them seemed to match, each one sporting different amounts of claws and fur. Whatever formation the corruption was trying to take seemed to be disagreeable at best, as it flailed and pounded the ground in a kind of frustration.
"That just ain't right," Smoky said aloud, either to theirself or the corruption. Both seemed like possible candidates. The Gem, unamused by their comment, rapidly moved towards them in a sluggish run. Whatever qualified as a useful arm swiped in Smoky's direction, forcing them to bring up their shield as they backed away. More harsh *CLANGS* reverberated from the barrier with each strike. Somehow, lifting up a weightless weapon made of light still exacerbated the various cuts on their arms.
The corruption approached slowly, still swaying like it was arguing with itself. Its legs almost buckled to the ground more than once as it tried closing the distance between itself and Smoky, eventually forcing their back into one of the trees surrounding the clearing. A searing bolt ran up their spine, resulting in a pained yelp. Something back there had definitely taken a beating. The swinging arms of the corruption grew a bit more violent, more than a few attempting to reach around the white edge of Smoky's shield.
"Could use some offense!" they tried reminding theirself. No amount of focus put their yo-yo into existence. Even their whip was nowhere to be found. After one of the limbs landed another minor scratch on Smoky's cheek, they tensed their body, allowing the corruption to move just little closer into their shield. Then, with a grunt of exertion, they pushed outwards with all their might, landing a solid impact on the Gem's head with the barrier.
Due to its size, it wasn't exactly sent flying, but Smoky did create enough distance to move around the corruption safely. They eyed the warp-pad, now a bit further from them than before. Its distance wasn't comforting, but it at least gave them a clear focus.
"The Gem," they said, nodding to theirself. That was what needed to be done, no matter how much either part of them believed that. That was the plan. "Just have to get the Mom's Gem back here and we'll be ay-oh-kay."
The corruption took another couple of seconds to shake off their last impact, then roared in anger. Some of the semi-formed limbs glowed again, now changing shape to resemble much more dangerous spikes instead of animalistic arms. They seemed just as misshapen as before, but now that their purpose was clearer, they seemed a lot more intimidating. Smoky retreated a little on instinct.
For a third time, the sizable corruption pounded its massive legs deep into the island's earth again. Smoky raised their shield, preparing for another charge. A slew of stone would be harder to block, but they were still ready for it, as much as the sore aches of their limbs disagreed. Instead, the corruption lowered itself to the ground, leering at Smoky the entire time. They got the odd sense that it was hesitating. Then the Gem launched up from the grass, shooting into the heights of leaves above them like an angry malformed star. It was such an odd sight that Smoky paused, watching the creature in awe as their shield-arm relaxed.
A glint of light shined near its belly. Smoky's eyes grew wide once they recognized the collection of shards, now visible on the corruption's underside. So many things clicked into place; not just what the corruption was, but why the island's creatures were so small and hybrid-like. The shield almost dropped from their invisible grip to the ground.
"Cluster," they whispered. That had to be why it was so haphazardly formed. Though far away, Smoky could see some of the Gem shards poking outwards from the main collection, almost like they were thrown together rather than physically fused. It was as if one of Pearl's or Garnet's bubbles had condensed in on itself.
Then Smoky remembered what goes up eventually has to come back down.
The corruption's silhouette grew larger as it dropped back to the floating island's ground, aiming directly towards where Smoky stood. They jumped away as fast as they could, hearing a deafening *THUD!* as the corruption landed behind them. They could've sworn the island itself shook from the force. Hitting the ground themselves just after, Smoky turned around, still wary of the now spike-like appendages dotting the corruption's surface. Some of them attempted to reach towards Smoky, but they were still a safe distance away. Barely.
Again, Smoky looked back towards the warp-pad. They were definitely closer, but it was still out of reach. The corruption wasted no time in turning towards Smoky, stepping out of the crater it made to get its arms closer. They backed up as quickly as possible. Trying to close the gap between theirself and the warp-pad at the same time was too risky. Better to reach it later than not at all.
The corruption grew less aggressive somehow, now jogging towards the fusion rather than fully charging at them. Somehow, Smoky didn't take that as a good sign. Their shield still blocked the corruption's attacks as they moved backwards, taking a wide path on the clearing's edge. Unfortunately, being at the specific distance their opponent created meant striking the corruption away wasn't as easy as before. If they were farther apart, Smoky would've been able to make a break for the warp-pad. If they were closer, they could've made a solid impact against the corruption. They didn't need to fight the thing; they just needed to get the mother's Gem back, and hopefully that'd placate the island's denizens enough to leave alone (this corruption included).
Since this was the same corruption that needlessly charged twice, Smoky had the idea it wasn't that smart. They rethought their assessment when they found theirself backed up into another tree, just like before. Again their back flared up in pain. The corruption still maintained that annoyingly successful distance where its arms were still dangerous while it couldn't be reliably dealt with, letting the limbs do the work while it stood its ground.
Bracing, Smoky planted their feet at the base of the tree, preparing to leap towards the corruption and push it back with their shield. It worked the first time. The second execution just needed a bit more input on their part.
"This is a bad idea," they heard theirself think. Their leg was injured, somehow. Briefly, they hesitated, still absorbing the various impacts from the slicing spikes on the corruption's hide. They grew more aggressive, striking and stabbing towards the shield harder. "We need to stay safe.
"We need to make it to that warp-pad, too," they heard in response. Their boots dug into the dirt underfoot, still tense without moving. One of their legs yelled in complaint. Unsure, they eyed the corruption, now barely moving closer while its arms continued colliding with Smoky's shield. A few swipes threatened to tear their shield away. Smoky's eyes moved to the warp pad, still too far away to make any real leap.
The corruption forced their eyes forwards again, taking one step back with its front legs. About a half-second passed before it suddenly threw itself forwards, slamming into the shield with all its might and nearly crushing Smoky's arm into their front. Immediately after that was another impact as it swept its legs into the shield at an angle, catching the edge of the barrier and forcing it upwards with Smoky's arm.
Time slowed. Panic alone let Smoky move away, using their braced legs to leap to the side instead of into the corruption's front. Some protrusion caught their back, slicing into them as they landed. A yelp of pain left their mouth. Using their momentum, they spun around with their shield, hoping for another *CLANG* as it clashed against the corruption's head.
They did manage to hit it, but not nearly hard enough. The corruption only stumbled a little before retaliating with its other leg. It shoved into Smoky's shoulder like an airbag filled with rocks, throwing them backwards, almost leaving the grass. The impact wasn't blunt enough to be that dangerous, though it still hurt considerably. A curse Smoky didn't even thought they knew fell from their lips as they grasped their shoulder. Some pounding feet in front of them made them raise their shield on instinct.
The horns of the corruption slammed into their shield, now forcing them down into ground. With one arm weakened, their shield shook as it held the corruption off. Spikes threw themselves against the pink defense with a newfound ferocity. Earth was thrown everywhere as the corruption's feet stomped forwards. Smoky glanced at the warp-pad as they struggled against the corruption.
"Now or never."
With one last burst of strength, Smoky pushed their shield outwards with all their might, subsequently pushing the corruption off of them. They turned around in the next instant, scrambling into a dash towards the warp-pad and refusing to look behind them. Adrenaline let them clear the gap in record time, but it was also what allowed them to hear the corruption's earth-shaking roar. They willed the warp-pad to activate and tried bringing up their shield once again.
The next few seconds lasted far longer than they should've. A bright light enveloped their vision as the warp-pad activated, tinting their vision of the jungle. The corruption was found charging at them, dangerously close. Its spikes were even closer. Smoky's shield arm was too far away to deflect any slices, and they were already in the process of hitting away any spikes that came too close with their free arm. Only one of the spikes got through.
"Agh!" Smoky cried from the impact. As the weightlessness of the warp-pad set in, the protrusion pierced deep into Smoky's skin, forcing another pained exclamation from their mouth. Their shield-arm finally completed its journey upwards, now slicing at the attacking spike with the edge of their shield. The limb was cut instantaneously, and the corruption recoiled. After a brief moment, the spike sprouting from Smoky dissipated in a shimmer of dust. Then they left the jungle completely, the light of the warp-pad taking over their vision.
Smoky breathed heavily, still tense from their escape. All they could hear was their own heartbeat as it thumped like a jack-hammer in their chest. Nothing else made a noise in their silent shaft of light. Something about the constant *thu-thumping* forced their eyes downwards, looking towards the damage the corruption had caused. An odd warmth grew at the one place the corruption had managed to cut into them. Smoky stared at their wound, just to the right of their upper Gem, a little under their collarbone. Their starred top now had a definite hole in it, and it could barely obscure the actual damage they felt.
Around that tear was a growing spot of red.
Silent except for their deep breaths, Smoky reached towards the color, not even thinking to disenchant their shield. The usual stinging that came with touching wounds couldn't force a reaction out of them either. As they were carried in the free-fall of the warp-pad's light, they looked at the red now adorning their fingertips. It slowly floated off their hand into the air; a single drip of crimson, a tiny red ball no bigger than the tip of their pinky. Only two words left their mouth.
"I'm… bleeding," they muttered. Smoky felt their arms go slack, their posture melting completely. The next thing they noticed was the bright light around them intensifying.
Steven tumbled in the air for a few seconds, a broad pain hammering over his body. A few spots in particular especially ached, but there were so many they all blended together. He groaned, shaking his head for a few moments before daring to open his eyes. A bright light pierced his pupils, but he looked around enough to recognize he was in the beam of a warp-pad. Then he recalled the rest.
"Amethyst!" he shouted, trying to right himself in the air. A rare severity was carried in his voice, nearly cracking it. Desperately, he looked for his companion, ignoring the stings and bites of pain adorning his skin. She was somewhere. She had to be.
After what felt like eons, his panicked eyes finally settled on a messy mound of black hair some distance underneath him. He couldn't see her features. The couple of limbs Steven could see were in some slack pose, visibly injured even from here.
She wasn't moving.
He called her name again, not entirely hearing himself as he tried moving closer. Maybe he didn't even speak. Amethyst gradually drifted to the edge of the beam before her leg crossed the threshold, revealing a pillar of the spacious void that dominated wherever warp-pads went through. Steven couldn't see anything other than Amethyst at the moment. He felt himself raise his arm before throwing it towards her, acting on instinct alone.
A violet whip wrapped itself around Amethyst's midriff. Steven pulled as hard as he could, yanking her upwards to him in little more than a second or two. He caught her just another second later, grasping tightly to where his makeshift lasso had landed. The whip disenchanted itself as he righted her in his arms, spiraling a little from how hard he'd caught her.
Immediately, he looked towards her Gem; or rather, beside it. A familiar tear was ripped into her top, surrounded by a dark patch of red. He didn't need to inspect much closer to see her wound.
Steven looked at his own shirt. It sported a tear just like Amethyst's tank-top, but instead of any worrying break in his skin, a light scar ran next to his sternum. About two inches long, maybe just as wide.
"No," was all that left Steven's mouth. He looked to Amethyst's features, feeling a dampness collect at the corners of his eyes. Though her skin was darker than his, her face's complexion was comparatively pale. Too pale. Her eyebrows were contorted in a strained expression of pain, a few drops of sweat collecting on her brow from. She was still breathing, faintly.
A collective guilt fell on Steven's shoulders like a cascade of stone, far more painful than any skirmish with a large corruption. He clenched to her tightly, now feeling a definite wetness trailing from his eyes and floating into the air. An uncertain denial stammered through his lips. "No, no, no…"
He did this.
Amethyst barely responded to his pained whimpering, opening her exposed eye just a fraction. Through the blurriness of his tears, Steven could see an uncertain degree of fear on her face. His heart, already twisted into a painful knot, cracked.
"I'm—" he tried saying, feeling a heavy lump in his throat. It was almost hard to breathe. Amethyst's eyebrows turned ever so slightly upwards, showing a kind of deep concern. Steven forced the words out of his mouth, burying his head into his friend. Each syllable felt too heavy to say. "I'm so s-sorry, Amethyst. If we didn't— i-if I didn't make us—"
"Don't," Amethyst instantly replied. Though her voice was weak on the surface, there was a strong conviction held in her tone. Something so recognizable it halted Steven's minor shaking. Her eyelids parted a tad farther as she looked to him directly. She spoke slowly between strained breaths of air. "I… know you're gonna blame yourself. Don't—" —she coughed for a moment, making Steven hold just a tad tighter— "—don't you dare."
Steven looked up from Amethyst, feeling more of his tears drift into the open space between himself and his companion. She brought up one arm, lifting the lacerated limb slowly beside herself before reaching across her front. A minor groan left her lips as she moved. Gently, her fingertips came into contact with Steven's cheek, and she let out a deep breath. She spoke softly, nearly whispering from her evident strain.
"I'm not gonna let you."
Wordlessly, Steven looked on at Amethyst. It was all he trusted himself to do; it was all he could do. Tears began collecting together, the droplets moving somewhat closer to Amethyst's Gem as they grew in size. She mustered what strength she could on her features, obviously doing her best to reassure Steven despite the severe damage next to her Gem. She wasn't just looking to him for support; she was looking for a confirmation. For reassurance.
Steven nodded. He held onto her just a little tighter, leaning into her touch. After a preparatory gulp, he spoke as best as he could. Amethyst probably had an easier time speaking than he did.
"O-Okay," he answered. A hint of a smile turned up the corner of Amethyst's lips in spite of how drained and worn she looked. There was a definite scratch on her cheek, partially obscured by her hair. Steven couldn't feel any kind of similar damage, judging by how Amethyst's hand hadn't incited any agitated stinging. She must have taken the damage onto her own body, like before. Knowing whether or not she had done so on purpose wasn't a conversation Steven wanted to have right now.
"Good," Amethyst returned. Steven's answer seemed to give her voice a boost of energy. Not a very impressive boost, though. She still sounded like she was whispering. Her hand left his face to rest on her stomach, slow and careful. She looked towards her chest, persuading Steven to follow her gaze. Her Gem reflected the pure white of the warp-pad's beam.
"And… I'm gonna be okay… right?" she told him, quieter than before. It was difficult to interpret if she was asking a question or reaffirming Steven. He nodded either way, not making any effort to wipe away the tears running off his face. He carefully moved his hand from her back before bringing it on top of the tears between them, shaking as he pushed the liquid down onto Amethyst's top.
"Yeah," he said, feeling some of his weight settle in. Noticing the dampness leave his palm, Steven returned his hand back underneath Amethyst.
She had to be okay. Steven couldn't imagine himself without…
Amethyst grew heavier in his arms. She seemed to curl up a little into his contact, letting herself rest more comfortably. One of Steven's arms lay under her knees, the other supporting her back. Steven looked at the damage next to her Gem, a neutral dampness spreading into the crimson staining her attire. Seeing her skin underneath mend itself, Steven felt a tinge of relief calm his paranoia. That wasn't to say he was no longer terrified.
Amethyst sighed, closing her eyes again. The warp-pad's light died down, and a homey smell reached Steven's nose. Still he looked at Amethyst, the last tears dripping from his face as he held her close.
Steven stayed on the Temple's warp pad for a short pause, letting his partner rest. He didn't want to move too much for fear of disturbing her. That was a deeper concern than agitating the various wounds around his body. Now that they weren't in the full brightness of the warp-pad's beam, he could see enough of Amethyst's skin to notice it hadn't changed too much. Though, it was finally a color more associated with the human spectrum. Somewhat darker than Steven's pigmentation, in a well-tanned kind of way. The freckles her ebony hair didn't cover were definitely more noticeable now.
More seconds of silence passed. Amethyst breathed softly, which hopefully meant she was resting out of fusion-induced fatigue than strain or pain. Her chest rose and fell with her breaths. It was extremely subtle, but just next to her Gem was a gentle heartbeat. Steven hummed quietly, straightening his back and maintaining his hold on Amethyst, shaking his head with a sniff. He glanced around the Temple for a few moments. It was still empty, and the sun had risen considerably since they left. Broad sunlight streamed into the open-spaced home.
Steven stepped off the warp-pad, taking a few slow strides towards the couch of the living room. He was extra careful in making his steps as smooth as possible. A few purposefully lengthy seconds later, he stood in front of the couch. The blanket from last night was still thrown partially to the ground. He looked at it for a moment. Then, Steven turned around, moving past the coffee table towards his room.
Just like his walking, Steven lowered himself slowly, making sure to place Amethyst on the softest possible spot on the bed. She didn't seem to notice, the Gem completely silent as her head gently descended onto the large pillow.
Steven was hesitant to let go of her. He sat kneeling in front of the bed, a majority of Amethyst's weight taken by the mattress, but his arms were still underneath her. His friend's eager appreciation to move into his grasp didn't make it any easier. For a few moments, Steven looked to Amethyst's features again, unsure.
At the moment, he… really didn't want to let go.
Unfortunately, there was still a mission to be dealt with. Pearl and Garnet were still on the island, and it was only going to get more dangerous if those clusters were popping up. Steeling his nerves, Steven forced himself to release his grasp, gradually sliding his arms out from underneath Amethyst. Some of her hair slid a little outwards, but she seemed to be resting, her one arm still over her stomach. A thought occurred to Steven.
He quickly stepped back to the Temple's living room, and moved in front of the couch. His eyes were anchored to Amethyst's resting visage for as long as his vision would allow. Steven's hand found the corner of the blanket from last night, and quickly brought it back up the stairs to his room. With a minor reach forwards, he moved it across Amethyst. Suddenly, Steven paused, still holding the corners of the fabric.
Rather than violet, her Gem had taken a kind of magenta-like hue. Steven didn't need an art class to recognize the combination of pink and purple. He stood staring at the Gem for a few seconds, grasping the blanket.
Then, he shook his head, reanimating himself. A couple moments passed as he made sure she was adequately covered. Steven stood up, nodding to himself. Only her collarbone and up was exposed.
With her Gem covered, she could've been entirely human. Steven would be convinced.
After a lingering look, Steven forced himself to turn around. A warmth wrapped around his hand in the next instant, making him face Amethyst again.
"Be back soon?" she asked quietly. More than hopeful, her expression seemed pleading. The tone of her voice was atypically anxious for someone like Amethyst. Her exposed eye was locked onto Steven's vision. He felt his heart skip a beat at the deep blue of her iris; something in her gaze wasn't explicitly dissimilar to her usual character, but it was definitely a side of her Steven wasn't used to seeing.
"I promise," he said back, matching her quiet tone. He moved to tighten his grasp around Amethyst's, but she beat him to it, closely intertwining her fingers with his. Her expression gained a fraction of hope at Steven's answer. She nodded, still staring into him with that blue eye of hers. Not that he'd move to shy away.
Tentatively, Steven loosened his hand. Amethyst was more hesitant than he was, taking a few precious seconds to let their contact linger. Then her hand finally broke away, pausing before moving back underneath the blanket. Turning around was much more difficult this time around, but Steven eventually managed it, glancing at Amethyst a few times as he strode down the stairs of his room.
With a determined hum, he stepped towards the Temple door.
A/N: At the time of posting this, it's this story's one-year anniversary! Weirdly coincidental that I close up the first major acts on such a significant day. (If this looks familiar, it's because I quickly split up last chapter to make each one a bit better and more focused). So...
Thanks for favorite-ing, following, and reviewing and reading! It honestly does mean a lot to me that you've read this far into the story. I hope that you've enjoyed this in any capacity you can, and I sincerely hope you continue to find enjoyment as I do while this story grows. It's definitely come a long way since it began as the half-baked vague unrefined scraps it started out as. Who knows what direction we take now? All I know is that the ride will be fun.
Here's to nine more chapters! :D