Hey there, and welcome back to Into Oblivion.
I hate to announce this, but after this chapter, I won't be able to update for a little while (probably a little more than a week. I know that isn't a huge amount of time in retrospect, but it is for me). Some stuff has crept up on me recently, and I really need to focus my attention on it. I thought the start of summer would mean more free time to write, but that hasn't really been true thus far.
Anyway, for this chapter, I tried something a little different: I added a lot, and I mean a LOT more description than I usually do. To be honest, I don't really like this as much as how I normally write, but I'd like to hear your guys' feedback. Is it better or worse? No change?
Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe. Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar.
Present
"Thoughts"
Author's Note
"... Maybe the burning room? We had the meeting there, after all... maybe Garnet's in there with Peridot."
Amethyst shrugged her shoulders. Her gem started to glow again.
"A fountain?"
"Yes, a fountain. One with Rose Quartz's tears."
Jasper shook her head. Prickles of pain poked her head and neck, and she scrunched her face in agony; a few stray grains from her gem trickled down the bridge, and burned away in the searing air next to the fire pit. "There's no… there's no such thing. And Rose is dead. I can't be healed..."
"Rose isn't dead, she merely gave up her physical form," said Peridot. "Were you even listening to my story?"
"No."
Peridot rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms, and jammed her thumbs into her ribcage. "Well why weren't… fine. We'll have plenty of time to talk about it later. Can you stand?"
Jasper planted her palms against the ground. The floor, hot from the nearby fire pit, gently burned her palms and fingertips, but she ignored the feeling. She angled her knees to the ceiling, tensed her arms, and forced herself to stand up.
The prickly pain in her head, once a mere spot, exploded like a bombshell. Blots of rainbow and white poked her eyes and blinded her. A searing burn, scalding and smitten, seeped down her throat and filled her lungs with agony, taking away her breath. Pins and needles washed through her body, and a wave of nausea centered itself in her stomach and made her gag. Her arms and legs wobbled and shook, fighting the strain, but she lasted only a few seconds more.
Peridot quietly watched, and her eyes shimmered with a gentle worry. She had assumed Jasper, at the very least, would've been able to get up; a gem of her stature, a Quartz warrior, wasn't one that went down easily. A few gem cracks were like dust on her shoulder. If she was this badly hurt, getting her to the fountain would be a real challenge. To say nothing of doing it quietly...
Peridot sat down on the spot. She crossed her legs absentmindedly, and her arms followed suit. She eyes Jasper for a moment longer, watching her squirm and struggle to get up from the floor; each attempt ended quick than the last, until she finally stayed down in a sweaty, panting heap. Peridot frowned, and angled her eyes to the temple door.
"Jasper, do you think you can retreat to your gem again? Right now?"
She received no response but labored, ragged breathing. Jasper opened her mouth, but her dry, leathery throat could only force a few grunts. Peridot leaned forward, then cupped her ear with her hand.
"Uh… what was that?"
"GIVE ME A SECOND!"
Peridot's head shot back in surprise. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum, and freshly released adrenaline coursed through her body and mind. Her eyes, wide and throbbing, shot to the temple door. It was as still as ever.
Peridot breathed a sigh of relief. She relaxed her neck, and let her head sag until her chin gently locked with her collar. She knew it was a silly idea, but what if someone—namely Amethyst—heard that shout? It only took one of them strolling on in, maybe out of nothing but curiosity, for the secret to be out…
Peridot turned to Jasper again. She felt a pit form in her stomach, and it grew as the seconds ticked along. Jasper wasn't even moving anymore. It was as if she were asleep—and maybe she was. Her eyes were closed, and her whole body was still.
And then she poofed.
A cloud of dust kicked up from Jasper's gem. The fumes, thick and black, mixed with the molten ash leaking from the fire pit. It spread around the room quickly, and dropped tiny specks of soot and molten rock all around. The walls and floors were caked grayish, wispy powder, and it landed everywhere. Peridot coughed, but staggered to her feet. She brought her thumb to her visor and wiped away the dust cover.
Just next to the fire pit, Jasper's gem sat bare. A little closer to the pit than Peridot would have liked, but the orange stone shimmered in the light nevertheless. She could see the cracks, spreading from the center and sides, but they looked no worse than last time.
Peridot slyly grinned. She walked over to Jasper's gem and knelt. She plucked it from the dusty floor with her thumb and index finger, and turned it over. Then she put it in her outfit's pocket, and gave it a subtle pat. "I'll get you healed soon…"
The temple door opened.
Peridot screeched. She whipped around on her heel, and jumped back in fright. Had she not been careful, perhaps right into the fire pit. But after seeing the look on Amethyst's face, maybe that was the place to go.
"Uh, h-hi, Amethyst! What… what brings you here?"
"You know exactly why I'm here."
Amethyst's voice was cold, and calculating. It held none of the warmth and playfulness Peridot knew. Neither did her face; her eyes were suffused in a blank glare, focused frozen upon her, but her mouth sharply curled down. Her hands were balled in tight fists, and the veins popped from her fingers.
Amethyst hopped from the temple door, perched above the burning room floor, and touched down. She looked around the room, and her face melted into puzzlement. She bent down and ran her hand along the ground, and then brought it close to her eyes; her fingers were caked in the molten dust and ash. She waved her hand and whisked it away, and then bodied herself to face Peridot.
"Peridot, what are you doing in here?"
"Me? Why, uh… just making sure the bubbles are okay! Since we got Jasper's, maybe another one came in, you know?"
"Don't lie to me."
Peridot gulped. She skidded back on her heels, until she bumped into the fire pit. She saw Amethyst's eyes widen for the briefest moment, but they froze over again.
"Peridot, Garnet and Pearl aren't around. You said they were in their rooms. What's going on here?"
"They're not? Well, I'm not sure why they wouldn't be… maybe they went out to look for him again without telling us?"
"They would have told us they were leaving. You're hiding something."
Amethyst's eyes glazed over Peridot. Her face, contorted in what seemed to her like a worried, wide-eyes frown, gave away her feelings. Her arms were crossed tight. Her feet ran over each other, and her knees shook trembled.
"Wait… what's that bump in her pocket?"
Pearl rose to her tiptoes. That voice from the canyon, it sounded familiar to her. In fact…
"Garnet, was that—"
"Yes."
Garnet held up her arms. Pokes of white flashes burst from her palms, and coated her hands in a bubble. Then it molded and shaped itself, fingers and knuckles defined, and finally turned red. Her gauntlets.
Steven gagged.
"WAIT, GARNET, STOP!"
"Steven, listen to me. We spoke at the temple, and we've decided to bubble Lapis. She's too unpredictable to leave alone."
Steven's eyes popped open wide. He sprinted to Garnet's feet, pebbles and rocks kicking up from his sandals in his hurry. He stuck out his arms and pushed against her, blocking her path. "You can't! You don't understand, she's not like that! Don't hurt her!"
Pearl eyed Steven from the corner of hers. Her lips dissolved into a frown, a sympathetic gaze washing over her expression. She sighed. "Steven, I'm sorry, but we have to. After Malachite, we can't risk having her on Earth."
In all the commotion, no one noticed Connie turn around.
She didn't dare look over her shoulder, but from the sound of it, Steven and the others were locked in a heated conversation. They were too distracted to notice anything else. Hopefully.
Connie ran on her tiptoes back into the canyon. She danced around pebbles and plants, rocks and boulders. She kept her steps as quiet as possible. Her eyes stayed locked to the ground… and then she bumped into Lapis.
"Ugh!" she said as she fell to the ground. Lapis stayed standing, but she stopped.
"Hey, you? What's your name again?"
"Uh… Connie." Connie rubbed the back of her head and neck while she spoke. She then looked over her palm; a thin layer of dust had settled, but no blood. She breathed a sigh, a mixture of relief and anxiety.
"Connie, what's going on over there? It sounds like Steven's talking to someone."
Connie's eyes split wide. "Oh… Lapis, listen to me. I know you really don't want to use the fountain, but you have to heal your gem and get your wings back. Now."
"Now? But why?"
"It's the Crystal Gems. They're here."
As she spoke, a bright pink flash burst throughout the canyon. It lingered on the stone walls and floor, and reflected from the sunlight into the sky in bright spots. Connie already knew what it was.
"Lapis, he's using his shield! He can't stop them from coming in here for much longer, go!"
Lapis turned on her heel. The fountain had stopped flowing from the eyes, but the pool of tears was still filled to the top. All she had to do was go to it…
Lapis closed her eyes, as tightly as she could. She held her breath, and a shake of disgust ran through her body. But then she ran forward, cupped her hands, and dove right in.
At first, a tingling sensation tickled her gem. Then it spread to her sides, and up her arms and legs. Then it started to throb, and her whole body was enveloped in a gentle pulse. It relaxed her limbs and mind. She brought her hand to her back, and rubbed over her gem; the cracks were fading away, one at a time. She tracked their progress by swiping her finger over the surface, over and over again.
And then, at long last, the final crack faded forever.
Lapis grinned. She spread her arms wide, and her wings sprouted from her back. She flapped them a few times for practice. Then, she swam down and touched her feet to the floor of the tear pool, squatted her knees, and lifted her head.
She leaped. She shot straight up through the tears, and burst through the surface like a missile. And when she broke free from the pool, her wings took over at last, and she took to the skies.
Steven rolled in Garnet's arm. He had no hope of escape; her grip was too tight. Just barely enough to keep from crushing him. He could only wiggle around a little, and crane his neck up to look above him, and only for a few seconds before it hurt too much.
But he did so anyway. And when he saw Lapis, flapping her wings high in the sky, he smiled.
Pearl and Garnet exchanged glances. Pearl couldn't see her teammate's eyes behind her shades, but she had a feeling they matched her own: tense. Garnet broke the contest and turned back to the sky.
"Lapis Lazuli!"
Lapis said nothing. She kept her gaze fixed to Steven, in Garnet's arm. Her breathing turned slow and heavy, through clenched teeth.
"Lapis Lazuli!" Garnet called again. Now Lapis eyed her.
"Let go of Steven!"
Garnet shook her head. "Only if you come down! We can work this out… in a civilized manner."
Lapis eyed the two Crystal Gems. Pearl's spear wasn't drawn, but Garnet's gauntlets were in plain sight. Both wore similar cold faces, with frosty eyes to match. The very same look they gave her during the interrogation. She remembered it well.
It took her about two seconds to decide "civilized manner" was out of the picture.
Lapis moved her hand behind her back. It started as a fist, but then she lifted her fingers to the sky, one at a time. The tears in the pool began to ripple.
"No… we really can't."
Lapis swung her arm forward. On her command, the tears in the pool rose up in two tall pillars, side by side. They soared high into the sky, sucking up all the moisture in the basin to continue their growth; then, when they reached her height at last, she closed her hands into fists. Both pillars did the same. The very technique Malachite used.
Lapis punched the air. The pillars of tears rushed forward, right for Pearl and Garnet.
With nimble feet and fast reflexes, the two Crystal Gems hopped out of the way: Pearl to the left, and Garnet to the right. Pearl reached to her forehead and summoned her spear, while Garnet tightened her grip on Steven. She dug her feet into the cliffside, and her head shot to the sky.
Lapis was gone.
"What the… Pearl, where's Lapis?!"
"I don't know!" came the reply, from the other side of the canyon. "Did she fly away?"
Garnet growled. The sound was guttural, completely unlike her; it sent a shiver down Steven's spine. She jumped from her perch on the cliffside to the ground, and turned to check her back. Her eyes beat around the canyon walls, unfocused on anything, but frantically scanning.
And that's when she saw her.
Lapis flew down from the sky like a bullet. Her wings flapped powerfully behind her, and methodically as well. She ducked and bobbed, and weaved and spun in the air. She was dodging nothing, she knew, but she had to make her flight unpredictable. Selling the act was key.
When she could see Garnet's mouth in the distance, hanging in a wide O, she sped up her wings. That was her cue, when she could clearly see the face. The critical moment was near. She balled her hands into fists.
Lapis brushed Garnet's side. In one swift motion, she swung her arm: it connected square with Garnet's jaw. She went skidding to the ground.
The other hand grabbed the collar of Steven's shirt.
Lapis wrapped her arms around Steven's chest, and held him tight in her arms. She heard him scream something, but she blotted it from her mind. All that mattered was getting away before Garnet could recover. She had seconds, at best, and she knew it.
She flapped her wings once. The wind was to her back, and it gave her all the speed she needed. She soared high over the canyon, over the fountain, over Connie and Lion, and over the Crystal Gems.
She was gone.
Fly awaaaaaaaay... I'm not sure if that's a song lyric or something, but there you go.
I know the scenes with Amethyst and Peridot have been a little vague the past few chapters. I promise I'll get way more into it later (boy, wait until you see what I've got in store, lol), but I just don't have the time right now, like I said earlier.
Have a nice day.