I don't own Steven Universe. I'm just a kid with an imagination and a computer.
-Pearl's POV-
"I assure you that Crystal is safe to be around." Honestly I don't entirely believe this, but Steven's Lion seems to trust her. Steven has decided to trust Crystal too, and the last time they'd met she was head-set on vengeance!
"She has great power and could be a threat to us all."
"Yeah, and she, like, punches really hard and stuff!" Garnet and Amethyst had some very good points. I still had to try and sway their views though. Steven had felt some sort of empathy with Crystal. To him, she must have looked like like a confused, lost and scared soul. He had agreed on having her apologize to Garnet and Amethyst before asking for permission to stay with us in Beach City, but he had begged me to try and sway Garnet and Amethyst's mind's ahead of time.
This was going to be a very difficult task. I wonder what Steven and Lion are doing with Crystal.
-Steven's POV-
She just laid there on the couch, staring silently at the ceiling. Lion was below her on the ground, being slowly stroked. I was sitting on a stool next to the kitchen island, munching on some chips. Just watching her. We continued in silence for a few minutes.
When my chip bag was empty I hopped to the floor so I could throw it away. As soon as my sandals hit the floor I noticed Crystal's ears twitch just the tiniest bit. She must be listening, but to what? Everything in this room was silent. I threw away my chips and walked over towards her. I sat down on an armchair next to where her head lay, propped up by a pillow. Her ears were still twitching as I starred at her face. Her one uncovered eye was shut, the other hardly visible under a long bang that was curled at the tip.
As I continued to stare at Crystal she slowly opened her eyes and shifted her gaze to look up at me. We continued to look at each other. Crystal Quartz... Quartz.
-Flashback-
"Hello Pearl, I'm Crystal Quartz." Pearl looked a little pale. I was curious about one thing.
"W-would you happen to have a sister, named Rose Quartz?" Crystal glanced at me with a look of mixed curiosity and relief.
"Yes actually. She's my younger sister. Do you know her?"
"Well, sort of. I never met her, but she's sorta my mom." A look of shock crossed Crystal's face.
"How long have I been gone?" Pearl chimed into answer this question.
"Over hundreds of years." Crystal looked further shocked for a second.
"Huh, well then. That explains that. Rose is gonna be bragging non stop about now being the "big" sister." Crystal raised her fingers to express quotes while speaking."So, where is Rose then?"
"Oh, well... she gave up her physical form to bring Steven into the world." Crystal, blinked. Then she just shrugged.
"Eh, she'll be back."
"But, wait aren't you upset?" I was truly amazed at this response.
"Do I look upset?"
...
Crystal Quartz. I have an aunt. This was just so weird. Crystal's ear had stopped twitching and we were just staring at one another. Finally after what felt like forever, one of us broke the silence. This person was Crystal.
"What is the future like, Steven Universal Quartz?" I thought about her entire response before finally answering.
"The future is different I guess. At least considering what you must be use to. And my name is Steven Quartz Universe."
-Pearl's POV-
The other gems and I where standing outside of the Crystal temple's main door, this door would lead into or out of the temple without the need of summoning a portal. This would mean we could walk into the beach house that stood in-front of the temple without alerting anyone to our arrival ahead of time. I'd done all I thought was possible to convince Garnet and Amethyst to take Steven's approach to this situation. Just as Garnet was about to open the door to the silent room on the other side, someone spoke.
"What is the future like, Steven Universal Quartz?" We all crowded around the door to listen.
"The future is different I guess. At least considering what you must be use to. And my name is Steven Quartz Universe." Another pause. "Why do you want to know." There was a long pause before a response came to Steven's question.
"It'll be hard to survive alone out there. Sure hundreds of years ago when I ran away from the palace to protect the people, I could have managed. But in this modern day and age... who knows if I'll make it?" There was another pause. "By the way Steven, Quartz Universe doesn't make sense. Universal Quartz on the other hand is a more proper name."
"My name is what it is, and I'm okay with it. Also, what do you mean? The gems haven't even decided on whether or not you'll be leaving yet. And even if you did get hurt in the world, can't Gems regenerate?"
"I can't regenerate. I was born a gem but my crystalline heart had to be shattered to allow for my survival. I didn't weaken though, I grew stronger because my gem had spread to enhance my abilities throughout my whole being. I am a purer, and more powerful being, but as I am my own energy source I'll never be able to regenerate without a stable base. And because of my power the gems can't like, or trust me. And why should they? What is a random gem named Crystal Quartz to them? If anything, they see me as an intruder... just as I mistook them to be." There was a pause, and Garnet almost entered before Steven could respond.
"The gems will let you stay here Crystal. You're the reason they exist. I guess they aren't called the Crystal Gems for nothing. You may have mistaken them for intruder's in the Crystal Temple, but you were acting as a guard for a sacred place. And what makes it so sacred isn't the many gems it houses, or its magical nature. The Crystal Temple, is sacred because of its Crystal heart. The heart is a stable base, meant to represent and maybe even support you. And from what I can already tell about you, you have the power to face the greatest and most dangerous challenges. That's why the Crystal heart is connected to the temple's most dangerous rooms. The Crystal gems are a reflection of you, and your dedication to protecting the world. If the Crystal gems got rid of Crystal, it would be like giving up part of themselves." More silence followed. "And I'd sad to lose my fun magical aunt after just meeting her."
-Crystal's POV-
I sat up on the couch and turned to face my nephew. He had given a perfect pep-talk and explanation. All of the hints I'd dropped about myself and my past were used in his explanation, and told in a determined way I'd know only he could manage. Of course this entire interaction had taken careful planning. I had to wait and listen for the gems to come with their "stealth" attempt. I had to seem worthy of sitting next to. And I had to make all of Steven and I's conversation seem relatively casual, as if we'd come to the desired conclusion on our own.
I had pieced many things together about where I was during my initial break in of the temple. The heart had been easy enough to piece together the meaning of. Other things such as how much Steven knew about the magical aspects of his life , were harder to figure out. A few things went to chance, but otherwise it all came down to this moment. This moment was the deal-breaker. The gems would be walking in any second now. I formed a light smile on my face and looked Steven straight in the eyes.
"I hope they'll agree with you Steven, otherwise..." My smile grew, "who else could save you from all of this boredom?" We burst into laughter as the gems entered. I already knew what their decision was going to be. Now we just need to find me a room.
Thank you for reviewing and reading! Math State Testing starts tomorrow in my school so I won't be able to start working on a squeal until the weekend. Until then, spoiler questions(also I suggest reading Crystal's OC info on my profile)! What adventures and/or trouble will Crystal and Steven get into? How does Crystal end up trying cookie cats? Who were the original Guardian Gems? Why is Lars listed as one of Crystal's enemies? All of these questions and more to be answered at some point in my next story... We Are The Crystal Gems! Also thank you to the show creators! I had the idea for Crystal towards the beginning of the series and thanks to all of these episodes I was able to tie her in perfectly. I had actually been thinking of Steven watching a cloaked figure in the Beach House... and by pure coincidence "Tiger Millionaire" happens! So that you for the readers, show writers, reviewers, and more that made Intrusion in the Temple possible. :)