Backstage Protection
A Steven Universe Fanfiction
Chapter 7
A/N: I would say I'm sorry for the last chapter, but... y'know, I'm really not. This is the last chapter I'll be posting until Friday, just to warn you!
Peridot had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but when she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and flinching when the burns on her flesh were moved, she knew it was a miracle that she hadn't had to retreat into her gem to recover from the combination of the lightning strike and the fall to the ground. She sighed heavily when she realized that her gear wasn't working, beginning to carefully pry it off so that she wouldn't be weighed down by things that didn't even work.
"I told you to take a break," she grumbled, expecting a retort from Lapis. When there was none, however, the technician's blood ran cold. "Lapis, c'mon, answer me." She spoke, worry building in her chest as she stood completely, wincing as she jostled her burns further.
With a quick glance around, she realized that it was night, and her blue companion wasn't near enough to be seen. Her breath caught in her throat as she began walking, calling out for Lapis and never getting an answer.
Once a few hours had passed, she returned to where she had landed, her breathing starting to come in quick gasps. No, not again. Lapis couldn't be ripped away from her like this again. What if they never found each other? Or what if the other gem was – how dare she for thinking it – dead? Destroyed, leaving Peridot to be doomed to search for her the rest of her long life?
She fell to her knees, hugging herself. She felt lightheaded and dizzy all of a sudden. She knew Lapis had said that whatever was between them before had ended back on the hand ship, but Peridot couldn't help that her feelings for her hadn't gone away whatsoever. Not that she was going to force anything on the other gem, of course, but she still cared immensely for her, whether it be as a friend or as a lover.
Once the world stopped spinning, she noticed a little glimmer in the leaves in front of her. Green eyes narrowed as she hurried over to the source of the shine and started parting the leaves to find a very familiar dark blue gemstone.
A small sigh of relief left Peridot as she lifted the lapis lazuli into her hands. She just had to recover. That's alright. She'll be fine, she reassured herself, looking around again to try and find a place where she could hide.
There was no way on Earth she could get to Beach City without Lapis; the ocean gem was the one with the wings to know where they were going and was the closest to having the trust of the Crystal Gems. She would have to take cover until her companion was regenerated and able to move again.
She quickly found a small opening in the roots of a tree and crawled in, pleased to discover that there was an opening just large enough to fit herself in.
"You're gonna be alright," she murmured to the gem in her hands, carefully stroking the smooth surface. "I'm gonna protect you as best I can, and when you get back we'll start on our way again."
Peridot sighed and shifted so that she was sort of laying down, creating a small yet soft pillow near her out of moss and leaves and gently setting the lapis lazuli down on it. She carefully curled up around the gem and pillow, protectively guarding it from anything that might want to commit some sort of thievery.
The green gem thought she was safe for now, and believed that Lapis would be back in a few days. Unfortunately for her, she was only about half right.