Summary/disclaimer: It is time for another chapter of Tear Doused in Fire. Enjoy the 3400-word chapter. I do not own Steven Universe. Rebecca Sugar and a few others do.
Both Lapis and Pyroxene were quiet.
Both were curious as he paused. He looked over at her and then thought of his next words…. Being fused had been a nightmare for them but they were coping.
Lapis sat cross-legged… The last time she had become a fusion? She had turned into a monster, a horrid beast that was her rage and hate.
Now? Now she was all too curious how she felt. She looked over at Pyroxene in the blank void that was their fusion.
"I've felt like this before," Lapis said as Pyroxene hummed.
"I know. I FEEL everything, you feel the same. Fusion lets us understand each other, there are no secrets and nothing hidden." Pyroxene stated, kicking some sand that burned into the glass.
"You… Have been hurt WAY more than I thought." Lapis said as Pyroxene hummed.
"So have you. All this hate, rage, pain…. It feels like I am drowning in it." Pyroxene stated.
Lapis winced. It was not the best word to use but she knew he did not know that about her, not yet at least.
"I found you in the ocean," Lapis said as Pyroxene hummed. "Peridot said you break planets?" Lapis said as he hummed.
"The Peridot is right. I manipulate heat and fire to transform planets, and create infrastructure." Pyroxene stated before he glanced at her. "And I know you do the same with water. You are the upgrade for me." Pyroxene stated before he sighed as he frowned.
He had been curious about what she was and she was too much to drop his guard around.
He wanted to know her but he was too much to deal with it as he paused to think.
He had calmed down… But there was still a fire burning inside him, a fire that had been too much to deal with.
Lapis could feel nothing but hate and pain from him. He felt like her and she felt more like him… The chaos and the burning inside him had done nothing but tell her that he was burning with a hatred that not even Lapis could fathom.
Granted? Lapis could feel it down to her bones inside and outside.
It was hard… Lapis felt pain and both were aware of just how much she was alike. She could feel that pain because she lived in that pain.
Being fused to Pyroxene was like Malachite. There was pain and there was agony… But she did not feel loathing leveled at her because he did not at ALL hold any.
Pyroxene looked at her, his eyes gleamed behind his armor. He was too thrown off and he would not have done anything.
"You fused before?" Lapis asked as Pyroxene nodded. "You hate it as well?" Lapis asked, also answered with a nod.
"So have you." Lapis heard as she frowned but stayed silent. "I am… Sorry, I didn't mean for that." Pyroxene added before he sighed to himself and he would frown.
He hated himself. There was nothing but waves of pain from the terraforming gem. He would never stop feeling pain and Lapis could FEEL pain from him in waves.
She had ZERO idea how to deal with this much pain… But she could talk and she would talk.
(Outside the fusion)
When Peridot had finally returned to the beach? She was greeted by the rest of them now.
It was too much to deal with… She looked at the gem and realized they were still crying. Peridot was aware of how much pain Lapis had gone through and she had been curious what it was for now.
It was enough, they had gone through something else to deal with it… Lapis and Pyroxene were fused for over an hour.
It was clear both were working something out when it was said and done.
It was too much to deal with it all too much.
Lapis was curious and so was Pyroxene at the time.
Pearl and Garnet were in shock. They had not seen another gem anytime soon… Well, not an old one.
"They are in pain…" Garnet said as Peridot bit back snark.
"They have been fused for over an hour… Lapis hates fusion." Peridot added which was not a lie now.
She knew what would become of them now. It had to be done and it would not be pretty.
The fusion did not even stare at them. Peridot could see nothing but their pain… How damaged was Pyroxene? How damaged had Lapis remained?
"They have been like this… For a while." Garnet stated as she approached.
"Then why haven't they done something? A Pyroxene… They destroyed entire planets; I thought they were all wiped out." Pearl added.
Garnet was silent. She knew nothing about the pyrokinetic gem. She knew only that they suffered, that they were in pain and agony right now.
When she finally managed to close the distance? She was sent backward, a slap of their arm.
"DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU DARE!" The fusion hissed, clutching its arms. "Nobody will cage us again… This pain? This pain cannot be handled with your nice little words." The fusion hissed, fire and water flowing from their hands.
Pearl and Amethyst readied their weapons as the fusion glared at them.
There was pain in their movements. There was pain, suffering, anger, and sorrow.
It seemed water and fire crackling as if burning and then seeping away.
"Leave us… ALONE…" The fusion hissed before smashing a hand into the water.
With that? The fusion formed Lapis's water wings… Fire exploded from their hands as they shot into the air and flew off like a jet fighter.
"Lapis!" Peridot yelled before the fusion vanished. "He… Is he corrupting her?" Peridot asked.
"No. Lapis understands Pyroxene and his pain. Their shared suffering is coming out of them… It is mixing." Garnet stated before she frowned.
She did not hold their actions against them, it was not something they could control. This fusion was new, it was raw and it was painful. She could feel nothing but trauma from them and it was clear they were attempting to relax.
Lapis was too thrown off. She had not fused with someone in a while and it was becoming clear both were pained.
They could help but it was up to Lapis. Garnet did not need fusion vision to tell that Pyroxene had suffered so much.
Yet? He held back, he held back for a reason. Lapis seemed to soothe him.
So? She had decided it would help if they were given time to cool off.
She knew where they were going anyway and they would be unable to relax until they were done.
Pyroxene was curious and Lapis was cautious. They needed each other now and she would not stand in the way of seeing where this went.
So? She would attempt to make sure that they could say they tried diplomacy.
At least then she could say she had tried, that they tried. She would at least take the hope they knew and knew properly now. It was something new, something exciting at the end of it all too much.
He was able to distract himself as he paused to wish to relax once more as he had once more… Something else had come down the road.
(With the fusion)
Lapis and Pyroxene looked over at each other as both were all too curious at the end of the day. They were quiet, they were silent once again.
"I… That was uncalled for." Pyroxene said before he rubbed at his arms. "But I will never let another touch me like that. The last time someone tried to grab me? I was a weapon, a tool. I hate that." Pyroxene stated before he sighed to himself.
He would not be able to distract himself as he wanted.
"Hmm…" Lapis added as Pyroxene looked at her. "What?" Lapis asked as she thought of her next word.
"I know you are in pain. I know what happened…. It hurts to feel that much pain." Pyroxene stated before he sighed. "You can feel my pain and I have felt yours. This bothers you as it does me." Pyroxene added before he sighed to himself.
Lapis frowned and looked down at her feet. She was curious, far too curious about what was going on… She and he had not meant to fuse but so long as she had?
She could control Pyroxene and keep him pacified.
"That rampage you went on…" Lapis said as Pyroxene sighed. "Listen…." Lapis added as Pyroxene frowned.
He would not be distracted once again at the end of the day. Pyroxene sighed, rubbing at his arms, and then letting fire and flames dance up his arms and legs.
"I was trapped… Alone, hunted and used. Lapis Lazuli, they used me to wage war and I wanted no part of their twisted designs the longer the conflict waged onwards." Pyroxene added then shook his head and thought his next few words carefully.
"You were lashing out," Lapis said as Pyroxene chuckled.
"Yes… I wanted to burn it all, burn her. I wanted her to die and burn to ash." Pyroxene said before he looked to the side and then shook his head. "This is not Beta Colony Z-19279," Pyroxene added before he sighed as he wished.
"You wanted to set the entire planet on fire?" Lapis asked as Pyroxene frowned.
"That planet IS on fire. She burned it, she burned the pain of her failure away. Not just me, I had not wanted this but I also did not want things to happen like this." Pyroxene added before he sighed to himself. "I hurt a lot of people, Lapis. So many people, Lapis Lazuli." Lapis heard as she paused, frowning to herself now, curious at the end.
She had nothing to say. He could have killed people… But so could she and it was very clear this much pain was driving him crazy as she had been too much.
Lapis was curious at the end of it too much. It was enough for them; it had to be one way or another.
It would not help them either way they tried. It would not be enough at the end of the day now and good.
Lapis was aware of the sheer idea they were sharing. Their pain was constantly smashing itself at the rest of the world around them.
It would not help them and it was something that they would strike at the end.
Their fusion was something new to Lapis. It was not born out of hate but of pain, and sorrow. They were all too thrown off and still adapting which caused them too much pain.
"Are you ok?" Lapis asked as he nodded.
"Are you?" Pyroxene asked before he looked to the side. "There were a lot of different things I did not expect… To fuse again." Pyroxene stated before he sighed to himself.
He would not be enough now… The pain ebbed from his body.
"You fused before?" Lapis asked as Pyroxene hummed.
"Against my will… Yes. I hate it, it cuts me. I feel nothing but pain anytime I used to fuse. This is… Not something that I expected to feel." Pyroxene stated.
"It does feel different," Lapis said as she looked at him. "Very different," Lapis said before she frowned.
Fusing was something she wanted to hate but she did not. She did not hate something simply because Jasper had corrupted it and she had not hated the idea of doing it… But not like this.
Yet? Lapis guessed that Pyroxene had not meant to fuse… it happened because both had lashed out.
"Your friends did not follow us here," Pyroxene stated before he raised an eyebrow. "Wherever here is. I do not know this place or this planet." Pyroxene stated before he crossed his arms.
Lapis wanted to ask where he was from but she would not. She knew it was a sore spot to ask about his past and Pyroxene seemed to not shift through their shared memories.
He had earned the shadows over his past for now. It was something Lapis knew she had no right to pull from him.
Lapis looked over at him as he raised an eyebrow. There was something inside the new gem that was aching to come out and both were focused on wishing to find out what it was for now… Something like this had cut them to the quick.
It was enough for them now… It was enough now and that would not change.
"You are the upgrade to me," Pyroxene stated as if it were a fact. "The Peridot said so. I did not know I would be replaced but I suppose it is something I should have seen coming. It is an odd prospect to meet the upgrade if anything." Pyroxene added with a frown.
He was not stupid. He knew very much to deal with it all too much to deal with it as he cracked his fingers and then sighed.
He was all too much to deal with for now.
It was too much to deal with as he cracked his fingers and then paused, relaxing for now at the end of the day as he wanted it else to occur for the end.
Pyroxene was curious, he would not be curious… He was unsure of what he was feeling now.
Lapis swished her feet through the water in front of her. Fusion always seemed to bring her back to the ocean in some way as she cursed.
"You ever fuse like this?" Pyroxene asked as she shook her head. "Neither have I…. Fire and water, that is a unique combination." Pyroxene stated before he sighed to himself.
He was unsure of just how to say something. There was something to be said about what was growing atop his mind.
"Are you ok?" Pyroxene said as she nodded. "Are you ok with this?" Pyroxene stated before he gestured around him.
The answer was obvious. They were trapped within their hatred at the time and this was a cage that had caused them to lash out.
Neither blamed the other and it was odd how they had managed to keep their cool now.
If nothing else? They were both in this together. It would always remain something they dealt with perhaps now.
It was odd… And it would remain odd. Perhaps most things were to them.
"You going to try and burn down this planet anytime soon?" Lapis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So long as that cursed fragging monster is on it? Yes. I will never let her turn me into a weapon again and that is that. I was created to make life, not to end it all." Pyroxene added before he frowned.
"You know the Gem Empire is done…?" Lapis asked to which he raised an eyebrow. "Over, gone. It went goodbye." Lapis snarked.
He was old. Lapis knew Gems were immortal which led to no small end of problems in her mind.
A gem from centuries ago was problematic.
But it was clear he was from before the empire had fallen. It was curious what he was doing for the last few centuries.
Something about their situation almost made Lapis laugh. She was curious as to how this would have played out when it was said and done now at the end of the day.
Lapis did not know Pyroxene. She wished she did but was not Steven nor could she pretend she was.
He was a new gem and new gems were something she simply could not get.
Lapis was all too thrown off as well when this was said and done. Lapis was too thrown off each time she thought of how alike they were now at the time and all times.
Lapis was curious as she thought of her next move. They could not go home…. At least, not yet without a fight at the end of the day… Something else to deal with for now and good now as it had come crashing down.
Pyroxene hummed, tapping his hands on his knees as he thought of himself once now.
He knew he was curious and she was an upgrade to himself at the end of the day. Perhaps there was something else to distract himself as he relaxed now and thought of his plans as he wished.
Pyroxene knew she was too much to deal with for now.
"How did upgrading planets go?" Pyroxene asked before he looked to the side. "You are perhaps an interesting gem. I have not been able to understand you when I was created… Well, when I woke up." Pyroxene added as he rubbed his eyes and paused, trying to think of himself.
Pyroxene seemed to crack his fingers, fire streaming from his fingers as he thought of what else to deal with.
He had a million questions and his mind had been merged with hers.
"So… What is this fusion we have created?" Pyroxene asked before he raised an eyebrow and then looked to the side.
"I don't know," Lapis stated before she tapped upon her feet. "Why? Do you think we need a name like this?" Lapis asked, gesturing around her as she tapped on her sides.
She did not know what would become of this fusion at the end of the day. She did not wish to relax; she did not want to know but she was able to ask questions.
"I do as every fusion was perhaps unique, even if homeworld hates these unions." Lapis heard as Pyroxene stayed silent. "We are more than the sum of our parts. I am not simply Pyroxene and you are more than Lapis Lazuli. We are not one person." Pyroxene stated before he sighed to himself.
Pyroxene watched as Lapis looked over at him.
She knew he was looking at it differently and she knew why as he was older; he was just as old as her in the fact that they were thousands of years old.
Lapis did not know how to respond once more. She was confused but knew they should do more than sit around and simply question their self-loathing.
"We should look around. We can talk about a name when we see where we were." Lapis stated before Pyroxene nodded.
"Correct. We should walk around… My brain is all diced up." Pyroxene stated while he cracked his fingers before he looked to the side. "We have a lot of different questions to talk about when it comes to it," Pyroxene added before he looked to the side once more.
He was able to distract himself once more.
Perhaps it was because his brain hurt, his mind struggling with everything he was currently wishing to do.
Lapis was curious. Lapis could not understand each issue that she was dealing with at the end.
All she had done today was think and think and relax which ticked her off now, knowing exactly what would occur for now at the end of it too much to have been handled now and for always now.
It had to be enough now. Lapis was curious as Pyroxene hummed and then shook his head as he wished to be done now at the end.
He would not be able to distract himself. He would not be at peace until he got some answers now at the end.
"Beryl…" He said, standing up.
"Hmm?" Lapis asked, tilting her head.
"Fire and water have scientifically created Beryl… Or Tourmaline. We are water and fire, lava, and ocean." Pyroxene stated before looking at Lapis. "Also? We should explore. If the other gems find us? We may cause problems due to our abilities… That? And I need time to think… And talk." Pyroxene stated before he sighed to himself.
He was too much distracted.
Pyroxene knew what was to come if they found him.
He did not want to be alone at the end of the day.
"Yeah…" Lapis said, realizing that she wanted to think herself.
They had formed something new… So, it was clear they were going to have to figure it out.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I apologize for how this chapter turned out… I know Lapis hates fusions because of her issues and I wanted to show Pyroxene has similar bad experiences with it… Along with being from before Era 3. The next chapter will show Lapis and Pyroxene exploring the island… Set up the gems confronting Pyroxene and set up the new villain. Until the 900–6500-word chapter in 2-10 months. Until then? Lighting Wolf is out.