One Day I'll Save You

Jasper

Tanzenite woke next with a splitting headache. Her eyes were still foggy and her balance hadn't quite settled yet. She looked around. She was inside some kind of small cave or deep indent in the mountainside. While still lying down and saw a figure sitting nearby, facing away from her. She attempted to speak, but all that came out was a muttered whine. The figure stirred. It turned, and golden eyes looked down at her. She made another noise, balling up to a sudden pain in her chest. The figure moved towards her and gently touched her. At first she hesitated, then a large hand rubbed into Tanzenite's rough hair.
"You..." she finally choked out, feeling eased by the touch.
"You... left..." she continued.
"I didn't have a choice." She answered.
"You... are real..." she reached out weakly and met the larger hand of the other Gem. A physical presents, something to grab on to. Tanzenite sat up, shaking and rested her torso in the other Gem's arms.
"Jasper..." she sat gripping her long light hair. Jasper smiled down at her.
"My Jasper... I found you... at last..." Jasper held tight to her, her shoulders were shaking, not crying, just overwhelmed. Tanzenite knew then what she had to do. The thought of the fusion with Lapis appeared in her mind and she sat up again and held her face.
"My Jasper." Her eyes were glossy as she looked at Jasper's large yellow eyes. They looked like she was staring into pools of frozen amber. Several thing were running through her mind, her eyes looked like they wanted to say something that her mouth couldn't follow, her mind was damaged, her spirit was fractured. Tanzenite could see it all. Every human instinct she'd learned over the years wanted to act as she say there in front of Jasper, holding the sign of her face. She raised an eyebrow at her.
"Do you still not believe that I'm real?" She asked in her gruff voice.
Tanzenite blinked a couple times and blushed. She let go quickly and turned away.
"N-no, it's not that.. I just." She stammered.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it Tanzy?" She looked up and saw that Jasper had the same old smile she always did, less believable now than ever before, however. Tanzenite returned with her old side smile she'd give to her. She let out a single chuckle. Her head was beginning to feel better by this point. Jasper stretched and yawned loudly, Tanzenite caught the yawn which made them laugh.
They stopped and looked at each other mid-laugh, then last twice as hard. The years apart closed and it was like they had never been a day without each other.

Hours later, the two sat on either side of the cave in silence. Both had important things to say, and bother were things the other were dreading.
Tanzenite spoke first.
"Pink Diamond..." she saw Jasper shy away from the words, it clearly still hurt her.
"I... I'm not the one who did it.... I didn't help... did I?" Jasper looked back. Tanzenite had wanted to ask her this question for over one thousand years and never could till now. She needed clarity, only then could she proceede. Jasper looked down between her arms, which were rested on her knees, and sighed.
"No... you didn't help in any way... but, by the time they realized that... you were already here..." Tanzenite could have screamed. That was the best possible answer she could have been told, and Jasper's expression was solid, there was no lie in her voice.
"They figured I did away with you as instructed so... they just forgot about it." Tanzenite nodded.
"That day... I remember how aweful it was... I had no memory.. I didn't know what was wrong, I just knew you suddenly weren't talking to me as much..." she frowned. Her hands were folded gently in her lap. Silence broke between them. For a long while there was a pause. Then both of them looked up and stated plainly; "Sorry." They stopped, and gave a little chuckle each. Jasper leaned back and gave a groan.
"Hey uh... Tanzy." She looked. Jasper was looking up at the ceiling of the small cave.
"Yes?" She answered. Jasper looked to the other wall, then down at the floor again.
"You didn't listen to me that day... did you?" She furrowed her brow.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"When I brought you here... I told you to forget everything about me... you didn't, did you." A smile was hidden on her face. Tanzenite shrugged her shoulders, taking in a deep breath.
"To be honest, you ended up being one of the only things I remembered after a while." Jasper looked up at her.
"The only order you refused... heh." Tanzenite looked at her and suddenly felt very unsafe around her. Her mood changed. She was different, she was acting like the warrior part that everyone was afraid of. She tensed up and drew a hard look at her from across the room.
"Jasper... come back to me... this isn't you." She made her words sound pleading, like she was afraid. Jasper's eyes shone and she looked scared and turned her entire body away from her. Tanzenite stood up quickly. It made her a bit dizzy, she shook her head and walked across the cave. Jasper was covering her head and pulling her hair back. Tanzenite carefully inched her way closer. She moved like a spider towards her, stretching out her hand like she was presenting her scent to an animal. She had to be very careful.
"Jasper..." she said calmly. Jasper pushed herself further into the wall. Tanzenite pushed forward.
"...It's okay... I'm here." She was inches away, she could see her relaxing a bit. She could see the fear in her body. Tanzenite held confidence, she couldn't turn and hide.
"...You don't have to be alone." Her hand touched her shoulder, warm like hot embers, it was an inviting warmth. She closed her eyes and awaited a blow to the body. She sloyl inhaled, counting to ten in her mind.
2, 3, 4...
Jasper realized she was being touched.
6,7,8...
She lurched forward and Tanzenite held her ground.
9...
Jasper threw a hard punch.
10.
Pow! Tanzenite caught her hand in hers. Jasper had aimed for her Gem. The action had knocked Tanzenite to the ground, Jasper sprawled out over her with a wild expression. Tanzenite's expression blank as a sheet of paper.
"I see everything now." She thought as she saw Jasper slowly come to her senses. She pulled away and stood up.
"You shouldn't be near me... Why did you... Why are you HERE!?" She shouted. Tanzenite stood up and walked forward. She stretched her arms out as she moved closer. Jasper tried to run but only cornered her.
"Are YOU EVEN REAL!?" She cried, starting to lose her composure. Tanzenite frowned and wrapped her arms around her shoulders and buried her face deep into her thick mane of hair.
"Of course I am... you can touch me... see?" She pulled at her hair a little.
"I'm real... Jasper... and I'm never going to leave you ever again." Tanzenite said feeling an odd feeling inside her.
Jasper slowly lifted her arms and held onto the tiny body of Tanzenite to her own massive body. As close as she could be, without becoming one person. Tanzenite smiled a little.
"No matter what... my Jasper."