Lapis walked alongside Steven as they trekked through the forest, ready to catch him at a moments notice if he stumbled or fell. It had been a few hours since their talk, Lapis having taken the lead in search of a warp pad she knew to be in the area.
Throughout the walk, Lapis hadn't been able to make herself say anything to him. It wasn't that she couldn't come up with a good topic for conversation, she had plenty of things she wanted to discuss with her friend, she just...couldn't do it.
Lapis didn't know why, but it bothered her that Steven had been so quick in trusting her, not even questioning it for a second. Sure she had expected him to believe her, but it was troubling how easily he believed her lie. Did he really have that much faith in her, that he believed every word she spoke without so much as a doubt that what she said could be false? The thought was unnerving. She had done nothing to earn that from him. In fact, he should've felt rather wary around her, given all the problems she had caused... Perhaps that was something else she needed to worry about.
Steven stared at Lapis for awhile, the water gem in a state of deep thought. Through the time they had spent together, he had come to realize she did it a lot. He didn't know if this was positive though. Lapis seemed very troubled during these moments and Steven could only assume that this was due to her being unable to return back to the home she had been so eager to get back to when they first met. Steven wasn't too sure of what to do to fix this, having never experienced it himself. He decided that the only thing to do was to try to make her happy...but she had an obvious disdain for the planet and its creatures. The only thing that seemed to make her happy here was him...he was probably going to have to fix it.
"So, where's this place we're going again?" Steven asked, wanting to break the silence.
Lapis caught on to what he was doing and cracked a grin as she was pulled from her thoughts. "An old gem place." She told him. "I remember back before I was trapped there was a cave that was used as a base during the war. It should be a good place to hide for the time being. If I can find the warp pad that's supposed to be around here, then I can get us there no problem."
Steven grinned. "Cool, a cave home!" He cheered. He had always wanted a cave room like the Gems. He always thought that the idea was cool, his enthusiasm earning a smile from Lapis.
It surprised her how his personality had changed in comparison to how he acted in the Malachite Realm and during their fight against Jasper. It was as if he was a whole new gem, his previous serious nature dead to the world, in its place the rosy friend she knew him to be.
Lapis' smile dropped as she faced back to the path before her. She wondered...if she would ever see this side of him again after she stole him away from his..."home".
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Garnet could barely stay on her feet as she dragged herself back to the warp pad, completely exhausted. She had searched tirelessly for Lapis and Steven through the night and most of the day, coming up with nothing.
"This is bad. This is really bad." Garnet said shakily to herself, shaking her head. Garnet, just as she was about to make it onto the warp pad, stopped, looking up towards the sky. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do.
Since the moment Steven had put himself in his bubble, her ability to see into the future had become severely limited. She could see some, but even those instances were sparse. There were a few moments that she could see very clearly, but anything other than that was only occasional and would come in random bursts. Whatever she got typically was a comfort, but what she didn't have was what terrified her the most.
Garnet didn't know how she was going to do it, but she had to find a way to get Steven back, and fast. She knew Lapis wouldn't lay a finger on Steven in violence. Every single vision Garnet managed had proved that she was going to treat him as he treated her, with the utmost kindness and respect. Yet, there was something else that her future vision had shown her, something that sent shivers down her spine.
Lapis would protect him, that was for sure, but she wasn't going to stay here. One way or another, Lapis was going to find a way off planet, and she was going to take Steven with her, whether he wanted to come or not. That wasn't the worst of it though. Steven was safe with her, on Earth or off; the planet itself however, that was a whole different story. Garnet hadn't been able to actually see what happened after if Lapis succeeded in taking Steven, but she didn't need her future vision to know what disasters could occur.
Lapis loved Steven dearly, he had become everything to her and she would protect him at any cost, but the planet he lived on was simply a pest waiting to be crushed. Garnet had seen firsthand how deep Lapis' hatred for Earth went during the war. Lapis had wanted to tear the planet apart, and would have had it not been for Rose. Lapis wouldn't destroy the planet with Steven on it, but once he was removed...Garnet could only guess.
Garnet looked back to the warp, contemplating over whether she should go back. Amethyst wouldn't be happy upon her arrival; she knew all about Garnet's little sight problem. Amethyst, despite her attitude, knew more than she let on. She was very observant, knowing whether Garnet's visions were good or bad just by the slightest change of expression on the fusion's face, she also knew if Garnet could see anything at all. Garnet couldn't remember where or how she learned about Amethyst's little talent, whether it had been through a vision or simply through her own keen skills of observation. Either way, Amethyst was fully aware of the predicament.
Garnet didn't think she could face Amethyst...but if she didn't, that only meant more time for Lapis to find a way to get Steven off of Earth. Garnet pushed herself onto the warp pad, knowing that when the light that washed over her faded, she was going to be met with a really unhappy ally.
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Lapis sighed as she watched Steven merrily continue on walking with her, still not aware in the slightest that he had been deceived. It had only been a few minutes since they found the warp pad, taking it to a forest that Lapis said held the cave. Lapis had been very eager to find it, not just because it would make a great place to hide from the Crystal Gems, but also because it held some of Homeworld's old records. With those, she could hopefully determine the location of a planet that could support him. It would be one step closer to getting him away from this wretched place.
As Lapis looked on at her friend, she began to think about him being a Crystal Gem. Her first thought was the same as the one she had when he first said he was one of them, it was ludicrous. He had been so kind to her, he had become her friend, she couldn't see any resemblance in personality between him and the Crystal Gems. Yet, he was one of them...he wanted to protect the Earth.
Lapis couldn't wrap her head around it. Gems were superior to the human race in every way, so why did Steven care so deeply about something that wasn't worth his time? If he would've let her, on the day they first met, Lapis could've shown him just how true it was and she could've given him the life he truly deserved. Instead though, he decided to stay with them.
Lapis looked at the ground in concentration. There had to be a reason though. There had to be a reason that Steven thought so highly of the human race and the Crystal Gems. She could see by the expression he made alone at her answer to his question that he was upset over being unable to see them. It almost made her wonder if...perhaps...she was wrong about this.
Lapis shook her head. Nonsense. The Crystal Gems were wicked, cruel gems with no regard for their own kind...and they raised the one who had become her best friend.
Lapis silently groaned in frustration, making sure it didn't go noticed by Steven. There had to be something she was missing, it was clear that the Crystal Gems had to be doing something right. Maybe, at least for Steven's sake, she could try to understand their reasoning...
She wasn't going to give him back, far from it in fact. Still, she found it to be a good idea to try to learn about the human race. If they made Steven happy, then, by the stars above, she was going to try her best to understand them. Then, maybe she could make his life more enjoyable after she took him from it all.
As Lapis once against pulled herself back from her thoughts, she felt a shiver run down her spine, the water gem giving a slight jolt. She quickly turned her head around, eyes resting on nothing. Lapis gave a sigh of relief, looking back forward, content with the knowledge that Steven was still safe.
Yet, despite not finding any foe behind them, Lapis felt like there was still someone watching them, a feeling she couldn't shake. It felt as if some hidden figure was taking note of every movement they made, observing and analyzing them carefully. It made Lapis uncomfortable, but she also couldn't dismiss the truth, that she had been very paranoid the day that followed her taking Steven. Watching your friend close to death will do that to you, she guessed.
The thing watching them though, most likely a harmless little Earth creature, observing them purely out of curiosity. They were very abundant in these regions, it was more likely than the Crystal Gems finding them after such a short period of time. That was what Lapis thought as she heard a bush behind her rustle, turning back for only a second to further convince herself that it was simply paranoia. Behind her was a mammal of sorts, most likely looking for food. One look at Lapis and it bolted off. Lapis almost laughed, calmed by the proof that it was the culprit of the feeling.
And while she was correct in her assumption that the movement she heard was from the animal, she was completely oblivious of the pair of dark purple eyes staring at them from the shadows, waiting until they were out of earshot before running off.
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Lapis smiled at the sight. Still in one piece after all this time. Lapis thought.
In truth, it wasn't much to behold. It was a normal cave in appearance, save a few rusted metallic features at the entrance. Still, to Lapis, it was hope.
It was actually a well concealed location, the entrance small and many trees growing around it, hard roots from plants growing above covering the entrance. Not only that, but Lapis could tell by the condition of the base alone that it hadn't been disturbed in quite some time, meaning that the files she had been seeking could still be held within.
Lapis didn't waste any time, taking Steven's hand and rushing to the covered entrance. Lapis sprouted one of her water wings, using it to cut a small hole in the root barrier.
Lapis grinned, rushing in. After taking a few steps, she turned back to the entrance, her friend still admiring the entrance.
"Hey Steven!" She called, her voice bouncing off the cave walls.
Steven blinked before looking at Lapis, almost as if he had forgotten what he had been doing in the first place.
"Come on!" Lapis called back to him.
Steven hesitated before taking his first step inside, taking it all in.
"Wow." Was all that Steven could muster. Sure he had seen many things that surpassed this in amazement, but he couldn't hide the fact that it was still rather impressive.
The cave was simple, almost appearing as normal on the inside as it did on the outside, if you ignored the tubing on the top that traveled into the places where light couldn't reach. Farther back, he could vaguely make out a small green object, the little light reaching it reflecting back.
As Steven continued to look around the cave, he became lost in trying to imagine what the place could have held long ago.
Lapis watched Steven's eyes follow the features around him, smiling. Deciding to use this time productively, she turned away from Steven and moved farther within the old base, heading towards the device she remembered to be in the darkness.
As she reached it, she cheered inwardly, the machine still intact.
The device was similar to controls they had in Earth kindergartens, shaped like short pillar, a dim green orb embedded at the control's center.
Lapis had a short life before her capture on Earth, accomplishing much in that time. During that period, she had been taught the basics of the gem technology of the day, a skill she honestly thought she would never have a use for at the time given her purpose, though she was now very thankful for it.
Lapis placed her hand on the sphere, it immediately glowing a bright neon green. After a few seconds, a yellow light traveled down the crevices within it, a small, holographic screen appearing before her as the light traveled into the ground. The screen became a solid green color, small yellow icons present.
After this, Lapis took a look down, keys with symbols known only by gemkind appearing around the green orb her hand was placed on.
"Alright, here we go." Lapis said. She lifted her hand up, pressing one of the keys.
The screen before her changed instantly, opening an old Homeworld archive.
Lapis put her hand to the sphere again, moving her hand back. The files flew across the screen, Lapis' eyes watching intently. Eventually, she reached a certain file that peaked her interest.
"Yes!" Lapis said in a hushed tone, recognizing it. It was a planet she had been assigned to terraform before the war, though the mission had been abandoned after Homeworld found out there was nothing worthwhile in or on the rock.
"This planet would be perfect for him! It supports life like this one, and Homeworld deemed it useless because of its lack of nutrients in the soil!" She read quitely to herself, ecstatic. "It's hospitable, it's safe; I can finally make sure that nothing ever hurts him or tries to take him from me again." Lapis smiled sweetly at the thought, playing it over and over in her mind, it growing more and more appealing with each passing second.
According to the file, the status of the planet hadn't changed throughout the war, something that made it even more appealing. If they had ignored it for that long, then there was no way that they could have found a use for it now. That only left Lapis needing to find a way to the planet.
She didn't know how Steven would react at first, but surely he would understand, he wasn't like them, the Crystal Gems. He would be much happier in a place he belonged. She would make sure he saw that, one way or another.
"Hey, Lapis." Steven called.
Lapis quickly switched off the archive, fearful that he may find out what she had planned. She relaxed as she saw Steven a ways away, looking at something on the ground.
"Look at this." He said, pointing to the object that held his interest.
Lapis walked over to the area, curious to see what was holding her friend's interest. Upon reaching him, she froze "Wh- what?" Lapis exclaimed, eyes widening. Before her was a trail of large, clawed paw prints, leading deeper into the cave. H- how is this possible? The entrance to this place hasn't been disturbed in years. Anything here would have had to be here for centuries; no organic creature could possibly have survived here for so long, and no gem would stay for that long unless they were...unless they were...unless...
A beastly roar came from the darkness.
Steven jumped back. "Wh- Wh- What was that?"
Lapis wasn't given time to answer, the sound of whatever behemoth that resided in the cave quickly approaching. As a faint, orange glow began to become visible, Lapis quickly wrapped her arms around Steven, putting a water wing in front of them in preparation for the attack.
She didn't have to wait for the impact to come, an orange beast ramming into her wing at full force. The impact was powerful, like getting hit by a freight train, it sending Lapis and Steven flying straight out of the cave.
Lapis crashed to the ground, her hold on him never failing as pain coursed through her body.
Steven turned around in her embrace. "Hey, you okay?" Steven asked.
The beast from before roared, interrupting the exchange between Steven and Lapis, before leaping from what had been its home for centuries. It landed a yard away from them, the orange, striped gemstone that rested on its shoulder glistening in the sunlight.
It was a large and bear-like creature, orange in color. Its front legs were larger than normal, the right holding the appearance of a human's. In the monster's human hand, it held a morning star, the weapon's end resting on the ground. Its expression held no emotion except for rage, a predatory look in its eyes. One of its more striking features was the white mane it had, the long hair trailing along its back.
Steven ignored the monster, attention back to Lapis. "Lapis, come on!" He cried out, shaking her.
Lapis groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, relieved to see Steven smiling down at her. The relief wasn't long, Lapis taking one look at the creature.
"One day," Lapis said, slowly standing back up. "Just one day."