Chapter 9: Heart to Heart
Hours later, several yards away from the house, Garnet sat on the beach with her legs folded. For untold amounts of time she looked down her hands which rested on her legs. More specifically, she stared at her gemstones, that of which shimmered under the last lights of the sun. Both were full...undamaged...together only by fusion, true fusion.
"You know we'll have to talk to them eventually." Garnet said to herself, with a higher and softer pitch than how she usually spoke.
Her voice then switched to a more gruff and low tone. "I know...I just...it's just that-"
"Is this where you were the entire time!?" A voice angrily yelled from behind her.
Garnet froze for a moment before slowly turning to face Sunagade. The entire left half of their body was limp and being dragged by the right, which had found a way of moving by hopping on one foot. Agate would carefully hop a few inches, stop to regain her balance, then continue hopping another few inches.
"We searched...half of this dirtball...trying to find you...only for you...to be here...this entire time!"
Momentarily forgetting her current burden, Agate threw her hand up as emphasis to her anger. When their body started to tip over her reflex kicked in, but it was a reflex that only applied to her full body. Garnet visibly flinched as Sunagade crashed into the sand. Continuing to watch as Agate made several, useless attempts at picking their body back up. Before she eventually laid back down on the sand as she looked to Garnet.
"A little help?"
Garnet stood up and quickly helped Agate back onto her foot. Acting as a crutch as the two made their way back over to where Garnet had been sitting.
"What happened?"
"Nothing. Since it took forever to find you, Jade and Sunstone fell asleep. And I don't have any control over their half of this body."
"Their half of this fusion." Garnet corrected.
After briefly glaring at Garnet, Agate let out an annoyed sigh. "So you're calling it that too now?"
"That's what it is isn't it?"
Agate snorted and rolled her eye. "Hardly."
With a bit of assistance the two sat down next to each other in the sand. From there they sat in silence. Agate's attention immediately engrossed by the sunset, her eye a sponge that soaked in every single detail. Garnet, on the other hand, had her muteness stemming from the amount of unease that was continuing to grow inside her. Not helped by the short glances she'd make to Sunagade's gemstone. That alone made Garnet start to tremble, as she imagined the screams of her friends as they reached out to her from within their prison. Garnet looked down at her palms and noticed that a glow had started to overshadow her wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold herself together.
Forcing her eyes away from the cluster gemstone, she only now noticed Agate's "what's your problem?" face directed at her. Garnet closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled her tremors ceased and the glow faded from her body.
"Agate...Are you happy the way you are?" She finally asked.
"What kind of question is that? Of course not! This is the worst thing to ever happen to me!"
Garnet started to quiver again. But she just as quickly stopped at Agate's next word.
"But..."
Agate looked to their gemstone, wiggling their body a bit to let the shards glitter in the sunset.
"I guess I'm happy to still be me and not one of the other mindless atrocities that I've seen."
"And I know I may have...I have... been rude and unbearable this whole journey. But I have to admit...I'm glad I'm not alone on this. Even though they annoy me to no end, I'd probably would have already lost my mind without Jade or Sunstone here with me."
Agate placed her hand on their gemstone, feeling the shift from a smooth Sunstone to the partial, triangular cut of a Jade.
"Having Sunstone is...reassuring, knowing that there's at least some logic in your traitorous heads. And as a Gem who could always just shatter anyone who talked back to me, Jade is a...challenge. An annoying challenge, that really needs to learn to watch her mouth. But a challenge that proves to be entertaining now and then."
"Those two are really something." Garnet commented with a small smile
That smile faded when Agate looked at her. It wasn't an angry glare, more of a calculated stare one that was ready to study, and if be judge, however Garnet responded to Agate's words.
"Now let me ask you something. Why did you rebel against Homeworld?"
Before Garnet said anything Agate raised her hand."And before you tell me the idiotic reason of "to be fused", that's not what I'm asking. I want to know why, in the moment where Sapphire ran off with that Ruby, she gave up everything. Her status, her high place with her Diamond, all of it she just threw away just to be a traitorous rebel."
Garnet did not reply at first. She fully absorbed the question and analyzed it, now discluding the obvious answer Agate had pointed out. Looking off, Garnet recalled that very day Agate had described. And from Sapphire's emotions deeply embedded to every second of that memory, she found her answer.
"She felt betrayed"
In her peripheral vision Garnet saw Agate's eye widen slightly in interest.
"That Ruby that was assigned to Sapphire was only doing her job of protecting her. It wasn't fair that Ruby had saved Sapphire, albeit through fusion, only to be punished for doing so."
Garnet lowered her head. Partly in respect to the fallen, partly out of shame.
"But in the end...I guess Ruby and Sapphire did get punished...Seeing what their fusion has lead to."
Agate bit part of their lip, as for the first time she felt pity directed at Garnet. Forcing her eye away from Garnet, Agate scrunched up their face before sighing.
"Listen um...Garnet, it's not...completely your fault."
Garnet looked to Agate, who still refused to meet her glance.
"I mean yes, your fusing was a disgusting display that should have never happened in the first place. But it was Homeworld's asinine idea to force gems into an ever more disgrace of a fusion then what you make."
Garnet smiled at the attempt of consolation. "I wouldn't call it a complete disgrace."
Agate gave Garnet a confused, yet still angered look. "What?"
"You three seem to be stable. " Garnet continued
She grabbed Jade and Sunstone's arm by the elbow and gave it a light, limp, swing. "And with a fusion this good."
Annoyed, Agate grabbed the limp arm and yanked it back. "Please. We have a staggered coordination, our weapons our useless unless we combine them, and we might as well be a pathetic human with how much this form gets tired."
Garnet's smile didn't change. "Even though you don't see it that way, you made it what fusion truly is. And I'm proud of you."
Agate glared at Garnet, then she chuckled. "I was once one of the highest ranked gems on Homeworld, and now I'm taking a compliment from a lowlife traitor."
Bending her leg Agate set her hand on her knee before resting her chin on top.
"How the mighty have fallen." She said flatly.
"Welcome to Earth." Garnet replied with a one arm shrug.
Agate rolled her eye. Then for the next few minutes the two watched the sun set over the ocean. And just like the many other times before, Agate was completely drawn in by it's beauty. The radiant pastels of blue, orange, yellow, and red over glistening ocean. The endless waves within the waters making the reflected lights sparkle. A dazzling contrast to the view from earlier in the day.
"Hey?"
"Hm?"
"Does it...look this amazing every time?"
"You mean the view?"
Agate nodded, prompting Garnet to continue. "Yeah. Believe me, it never stops being so great. Just one of the thing you gotta love about the earth."
Agate opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She then started to chuckle, which quickly turned into full on, head thrown back, laughter. Garnet gave a puzzled look to Agate, especially as she stopped laughing and sighed. Returning to her previous position, now with a content smile as she stared out into the unbounded sea.
"As much as I hate to admit it...this world is beautiful. I can see why Rose Quartz wanted to protect it so much."
"So, are you a Home-girl or a Crystal Gem now?"
Agate playfully rolled her eye. "I've been thinking about that...and I have decided..."
Straightening out Jade and Sunstone's arm, Agate placed it behind them for support so that she could raise her fist to the sky.
"That I am a Crystal Gem in the name of spite."
Agate placed her arm in the same manner as Jade and Sunstone's as reinforcement to her balance. Never taking her eye off the darkening sky.
"If Homeworld wants to turn it's back on me...then I'll do the same. As far as I'm concerned, the diamonds can all go fuse with dirt clods."
Agate then shot glare to Garnet. "Don't ever tell Jade or Sunstone I said any of those things."
Briefly, Sunstone's eye opened and winked at Garnet before closing again.
Garnet tired to smother a laugh. "Okay."
"Good." Agate said before yawning loudly.
"Getting tired?" Garnet asked, her tone teasing.
"Sadly."Agate replied, her eye starting to close.
Garnet stood up. "Here. Let's get you back to the house."
Agate could barley object as Garnet picked their body up, bridal style, and started walking back to the house. Once Agate had fallen into a deep sleep Garnet heard another voice from Sunagade.
"Garnet?"
"Yes Sunstone?"
"I'm glad that you're not upset."
Garnet smiled down at her. "I'm just happy you guys are here."
"Even Agate?" Sunstone asked jokingly.
"Even her too."
Sunstone giggled, then frowned as she looked to their legs. Her eye squinted as she focused on them, trying get any kind of movement. When the legs remained unresponsive to her commands she sighed and looked to their gemstone.
"Things are gonna be harder for us, aren't they?"
"I'm afraid so." Garnet replied bluntly. "Fusion like is very difficult in the beginning. It'll take a long time and cooperation from the three of you if you wanna make any progress."
Tears started to form in Sunstone's eye.
"But we'll be here to help you every step of the way."
Her eye widening, Sunstone looked up at Garnet, who once again smiled at her. Sunstone grinned in return before snuggling their head into her friend.
"Thanks Garnet. I missed you guys so much."
"And we missed you too."
Garnet pushed open the door to the beach house where Steven was waiting. He held a nervous look, but quickly smiled at Garnet and Sunagade's joyous faces. Beaming, Steven ran off, likely off to find Pearl and Amethyst, who they just noticed wasn't present. While he did that Garnet set Sunagade down on the couch, taking a discarded blanket and draping it over them.
"Now get some rest." Garnet instructed as she walked away.
Sunstone waved. "Kay. Night Garnet."
"Goodnight."
The familiar sound of the warped went off, implying that Garnet had used it to leave. After peaking over to confirm Garnet's exit Sunstone laid their body back down and smirked.
"I know you're awake Jade."
After a hesitant moment, Jade's eye opened and she rested her hand on their forehead. "I am." She said with a snicker.
"You heard what Agate said?"
"Yup."
"So what do you think? Can we make this work?"
Jade shrugged their shoulder. "Well you and me get along just fine."
She paused, giving them a moment to listen to the soft snores from Agate.
"And if Agate can actually stand the both of us then..."
She briefly glanced at their gemstone as she let out a yawn. "Then this just might work out."
With the assurance of the future, Jade and Sunstone joined their hands together as they drifted to sleep. Just before sleep fully took her, Sunstone loosely weaved Agate's fingers in with her and Jade's. And as their body relaxed with their minds in the dream world, Agate's hand slowly closed the gap between her fingers and theirs.