In the pale pre-dawn light, Garnet made her slow way up a hill, where there would be a cherry blossom tree waiting for her.
What else would be waiting? Even she did not know.
In her... well, if she was being honest, her most disappointing visions, there was no one there. Simply the tree, all by itself. In her best visions, Pearl and Rose were there, together, entwined in a kiss, or holding hands, or simply talking. In one particularly nice one, Rainbow Quartz was waiting there. She and Garnet would have sat together and watched the sun rise.
But Garnet's best visions had been incorrect.
Now it was just Pearl, silhouette dark against the horizon, and an identical Pearl formed of pure blue light. The two twirled around one another, leaping and ducking and sweeping, Pearl thrusting her sword again and again at the holographic copy of herself.
It wasn't the elegant, choreographed dance that Garnet had grown accustomed to over the millenia. Her movements were sharp, fierce, angrier than they had ever been since those first few centuries after the Rebellion's catastrophic end.
Garnet had intended to wait until Pearl was finished with her set before speaking up. But Pearl wasn't finishing. Usually she could defeat one of her holograms in less than two minutes, but now her stabs were wild, her movements erratic.
"Pearl," Garnet said.
Pearl barely glanced her way, just ducked under her enemy's blade.
"Talk to me," Garnet said.
Pearl thrust her sword at empty air, her opponent swinging around.
"Talking helps," Garnet said.
Pearl grunted as the hologram's blade scratched her cheek, unbalanced, not fast enough to parry-
Garnet's gauntleted hand came up, and caught the sword. With her free fist, she punched the hologram in the stomach. It wore an expression of programmed surprise as it dissolved.
And Pearl simply stood there, cheeks blue, sword in hand, heaving deep breaths she didn't need.
"Pearl," Garnet repeated. "It's okay. I'm here."
Pearl stared at her, eyes bloodshot blue. The sword dropped from her hand. Garnet didn't know what was going to happen. She didn't look at her future vision, not for something like this. Pearl might fold inwards, or run off-
She threw herself at Garnet's chest, sobbing.
All Garnet could do was hold her. Be her rock.
Eventually Pearl moaned, "She doesn't want me!"
Garnet stroked Pearl's back. "Tell me what happened."
"I did what you said!" Pearl sniffed. "I told- I told her- I told her how I felt when she was with humans- and she said I was being ridiculous- and I asked her to stop, and she- she laughed at me and- and then she yelled, and she does like humans more than me after all, I knew it, I knew it, I was right, I was right..."
Oh, Rose, Garnet sighed.
"I don't think she likes humans more than you," Garnet told Pearl. "I think she simply reacted... poorly."
"You weren't there."
And she hadn't been. There was nothing Garnet could say to that, so she just rubbed circles into her friend's back, a wordless comfort.
Pearl had withdrawn from Garnet's chest, pulling herself into a tight ball in her lap. Her face was even whiter than usual, her eyes burning blue. "I never should have brought it up." She furiously wiped her eyes. "Rose is right, I'm being selfish-"
"You're not being selfish."
Pearl jerked away. "I was! I- I should go, tell her I'm sorry, maybe- maybe I can still fix this-"
Garnet gripped her by the shoulders, held her down. Willed her glasses to dissolve, so she could look Pearl directly in the eyes. "Pearl. You are not being selfish."
"I am! You should have seen her, Garnet! She was so upset! And she's right, I shouldn't be ordering her around- the rebellion- we're all allowed to do what we like-"
Garnet sighed. "We may be free to do as we please, now," she said, "but that doesn't mean we always should."
Pearl blinked up at her, confused.
Normally, it was a fairly simple concept. One that Pearl understood quite well. And that Rose did too, for all that she sometimes got carried away. But Pearl was emotionally distraught now and could benefit from a reminder, worded plainly.
"We still have responsibilities," Garnet said, slowly, firmly. "We can choose to neglect them. But if we do, we must bear the consequences."
Pearl's brow furrowed, as if she couldn't see how this connected to anything else.
"We have a responsibility to those we love," Garnet continued. "A responsibility to help them be fulfilled, happy. Rose neglected that responsibility to you." Had neglected it, for perhaps longer than any of them had dared admit. "You have things you want out of your relationship, things you need. You wanted to have a conversation about it, but Rose refused. But relationships are built on conversation.
"You weren't selfish," Garnet finished. "You were standing up for yourself."
Cheeks flushing, Pearl lifted her chin, and for a moment she was the terrifying renegade Garnet had first met with a sword to her throat.
Then she seemed to collapse again. She whispered, "I feel so awful."
"I know," said Garnet. "I know."
She had had fights in the past. Fights which had literally tore her apart. She looked back at them the way she imagined a human would look back at old scars. Apart from the occasional twinge, they were nearly painless now; but once, they had been gaping wounds.
But those fights had made her, formed her just as much as each kiss, compliment, and dance had. Garnet had needed them to grow.
Rose and Pearl needed them too.
There was a burst of breeze from the coast. It rustled through the branches of the tree, dislodging a few of its blooms. A few loose petals landed on the Gems. Pulling herself out of Garnet's lap, Pearl picked a cherry blossom up, turning it over and over in her hand, expression distant.
"Garnet? Do we… Can we… Do we manage to fix this?"
Garnet took her time before she answered, "Yes."
"You're sure?" The desperate hope in Pearl's eyes was almost painful. "You Saw that?"
"No," said Garnet. "I didn't." Those futures were too far off, too scattered, too varied. "Even if I had, my future vision is far from certain.
"But I know you both. You care so deeply. You fought a war for each other." Garnet smiled. "If you both work at this, I see no reason you won't be able to mend this."
"Oh." Pearl wrapped her arms tight around her own chest, and squeezed. "Good."
Garnet shifted position, to come sit next to her friend. She wrapped an arm around Pearl's slender frame. After a moment, Pearl let her head come to rest in the crook of Garnet's neck.
They sat like that for a long while. Sometimes Pearl sniffled or muttered to herself. Garnet didn't comment. She simply watched as the sun rose higher and higher.
Once it had reached its peak, Garnet stood up, re-summoned her glasses. Pearl looked at her in dull surprise.
"There's an old Homeworld laboratory that's going to be unearthed in the Gobi desert," Garnet announced. "It'll be filled with monsters. I need help clearing it out."
Pearl blinked.
She could say no. Garnet wouldn't blame her in the slightest.
But she was Pearl. No matter what else, she loved a good fight.
She nodded, and summoned her spear. "Let's go."
It was close to midday by the time Amethyst got back to the Temple. Not just because Connie and her parents had offered breakfast (and Amethyst never turned down a meal), but also because she had opted to take the scenic route coming back. Namely, flying, but at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights.
(... and maybe pulling a few pranks on hapless humans as she went.)
Not that there wasn't much to see that she hadn't a dozen times already, of course. But it was more to give herself something else to focus on while she also tried to think of what exactly she was going to say to everyone when she got back. If she was going to say anything.
She hoped that everything would be more or less resolved when she got home. Rose would probably apologize and that would prompt Pearl to do the same. And then Rose would do what she always did after major incidents like this and scoop Amethyst in her arms and hug her tightly while they went and did something fun.
That was what usually happened; when Amethyst was upset, when she got into a fight with someone, even when Rose and Pearl had a fight in front of her. But last night was just so different and weird. Connie's parents had yelled at Rose and Sardonyx, and then Amethyst had yelled at Connie's parents and Rose, Pearl, and Garnet. And while at the time that had felt good, now Amethyst couldn't help but feel a little worried.
She had never let off like she did last night, and while Garnet had seemed pretty chill afterwards, she had no idea how Pearl and Rose would react. Would they yell back at her?
Stomach sinking, Amethyst flew into the Temple, but at least its entryway was empty. No Pearl, no Rose, not even Garnet. Amethyst opened her mouth to call for someone, but she stopped herself when she remembered it'd be unlikely anyone could hear her in the Temple proper. Instead she plunged into her own room. She did not linger there long, though.
She ran back to the waterfall that flowed in her room and dived into the pool it emptied into. She swam a short ways before surfacing, though not in her room, but rather Pearl's. Amethyst didn't bother getting out of the water, only swimming around and calling Pearl's name, but she didn't see nor hear Pearl respond.
Frowning, Amethyst dove back into the water and swam even deeper, this time going further and further until the water seemed to actually grow in thickness, forcing Amethyst to go from swimming to digging. But after a bit of effort, Amethyst was able to break the surface again, this time coming out of a room that was almost all pink and covered in slowly drifting pink clouds.
Rose's room.
Amethyst was a little hesitant at first as she pulled herself out of the grounded clouds. She had been hoping to see Garnet first, before Pearl or Rose. But as she got up, she began to hear something. At first she thought it might have been talking but she soon realized what it was actually.
Crying.
And since it was coming from Rose's room, it made sense that it was Rose that was crying.
Again, Amethyst found herself hesitant to move further, but this time it lasted only a second. If Rose was upset enough to be crying, then Amethyst probably wouldn't be able to live with herself if she just ignored it.
It didn't take much to find Rose. Her huge form was impossible to miss.
Amethyst gulped nervously. Was… Was Rose crying because of last night? Because of what Amethyst had yelled at her after the dinner?
As Amethyst slowly approached, the sound of Rose's crying had grown more distinct and Amethyst could now see her shoulders shaking with each sob. But there was also a figure in front of Rose. Not a real person, but only the shape of one crafted out of the fluffy pink clouds that made up Rose's room.
The cloud figure, even though it looked literally like a figure made out of clouds, was still tall and lithe, with short swept back hair and a distinct nose poking out from where their face would be.
No prize for guessing who that's supposed to be, Amethyst found herself thinking dully.
The Cloud Pearl faced Rose and held out a hand to her, one the Rose was about to take, before seeming to realize that she wasn't alone anymore. She looked over her shoulder and with a small start said, "Oh! Amethyst!", her surprised reaction causing the Cloud Pearl to disappear back into the clouds that surrounded them.
"Hey," she said simply. She wanted Rose to make the first move.
And make the first move she did. Rose almost immediately went over and clutched Amethyst in a tight Quartz hug. "Oh, Amethyst," she said, squeezing a little harder. "When I got back to the Temple last night and you weren't here, I was so worried for you. Garnet said you just left on your own."
Amethyst shifted in Rose's grasp trying to get herself in a better position. Rose accommodated this, sitting down in a more relaxed way so that Amethyst could rest in her lap, though Rose kept her arms snugly around her.
After a bit of settling, Amethyst answered, "I went over to Connie's. Stayed the night there."
"Oh." Rose's voice was flat. "Her parents let you?"
Amethyst nodded. "Even included me in breakfast this morning."
Rose gave her an easy smile. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad that you and Connie's relationship hasn't been too impacted by… this," she said with a sniff.
"Yeah," Amethyst said slowly. "'Bout that. Are you, like, okay? What happened?"
Rose's face collapsed and a few sobs escaped before she sniffed and wiped her eyes on her arm. "She said- Oh, Amethyst. She said she was leaving."
Amethyst jumped with a start, almost standing up completely in Rose's lap. "What? Leaving, like us?"
Rose shook her head. "I don't know. She said no, but I haven't seen her since the restaurant." Rose let out a single sob and a sniff before adding, "She said she was leaving me. That she couldn't be with me anymore…"
Amethyst's first reaction was disbelief. Then sheer horror. "What?! She can't leave you! You love each other!"
"I know!" said Rose. Or, at least, that's what Amethyst thought she said. It was hard to make sense through the tears. "Or- I thought she loved me-"
This… did not make sense. It didn't make sense at all. Rose and Pearl had been together forever. Before the war even! They couldn't just stop.
"D-did she say why she didn't want to be with you anymore?" Amethyst asked, desperate.
"She said she didn't like how I treated the Maheswarans during dinner."
Again, Amethyst found herself only able to blink confusedly in response. While Amethyst had been screaming internally at Rose that how she was acting during dinner wasn't appropriate, it wasn't like it was uncommon. Rose treated a lot of people like that, human or otherwise, and Pearl never seemed to have a problem with it before...
Okay, yeah. That wasn't true. She'd had plenty of problems over it. But she'd never flipped a nut about it before.
"Well," said Amethyst. "I'm going to go talk to her. Tell her I've made it all fine with Connie's parents and everything's okay so she can stop being upset."
Rose stared at her for a long moment. Then she buried her head in her hands.
"Rose?" said Amethyst. "No, Rose, don't cry- it's going to be okay-"
"No it's not! That's not why Pearl got mad!"
"It's… not? But you said-"
"She said she doesn't want me flirting with any humans! Ever!"
The clouds around them to shift in response. Rose was still crying into her hands, so Amethyst didn't think she even realised she was doing it. Clouds would quickly coalesce into human figures, then dissolve, before immediately reforming someone new.
Amethyst couldn't remember any of their names, but she recognized them. All of Rose's human friends over the millennia. That one poet, and the queen, and the carpenter, and that one guy who had made really tasty sushi-
"Oh," was all Amethyst could say in response. She awkwardly reached out a hand and patted Rose on the back.
"It's not fair," said Rose, sniffling. "It's not fair."
"It's-" Amethyst began.
"I tried to tell her," Rose immediately went on, "that love isn't just restricted to a single person. It's something to be shared and spread around."
Amethyst nodded slowly. "Just like when you told me Connie can be friends with me and Steven."
Rose offered a small, sad smile. "Just so," she said, before turning towards the endless pink horizon before her. "Love is so easy to find and share with others. The way Pearl is reacting is just so… unreasonable."
"Yeah," Amethyst said. "But won't be the first time Pearl's been like this and tried to bring everyone down."
Amethyst remembered, over the years, all the times Pearl had ran after her, squawking about one thing or another. No, Amethyst, put back those clothes, the humans need them! No, Amethyst, don't talk with them, we're on a mission! Amethyst, put that baby down, you don't know where it's been!
Rose sighed heavily. "I suppose not. But even then, she could always be brought around. But with the way she acted this time… I'm not too sure…"
She began to cry again, not shallow sobs and sniffles, but true actual crying. She covered her face with her hands, freeing Amethyst from her hold, but Amethyst was quick to put her own arms around Rose.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright, Rose," she said. "Look, Pearl'll come around. She always does." Amethyst leaned her head against Rose's chest. "She'll come back, say she was being stupid, and things will go back to normal."
Rose sniffed, before embracing Amethyst in another Quartz sized hug.
"Oh, Amethyst. I hope you're right. I really do."
"I'm right," Amethyst said assuredly. "I'll go talk with her! And if she doesn't listen, I'll beat her up!"
(Even saying it, Amethyst knew she wouldn't win- Amethyst could never win, not against any of the others- but she didn't care about that right now. She had to say something. Had to do something.
Pearl wasn't allowed to go around and make Rose cry just cuz she didn't want to share.)
The two sat there in near silence for a while, the only sound being the whisper of the clouds around them and the occasional bit of talking between the two of them about a few topics: Connie, Beach City, Steven… It wasn't really fun, though, no matter how many jokes and puns Amethyst put in. Rose would laugh, but it would sound ugly and hollow.
It wasn't until several hours later, when Garnet poked her head into the room, that Amethyst got up, stretched, ready to see whatever mission or whatever Garnet needed.
Rose, however, refused to get up. She just sat there, staring at her hands, as the clouds around her shifted into green, grassy fields, a doppelganger of Pearl, smiling besides her.
Amethyst shook her head as she left. She was going to fix this.
