A Gem Of A Human

Settling In

THE YOUNG SWORDSMAN STIRRED AWAKE. He felt a presence near him. Before he opened his eyes he grabbed his sword and pointed it at whoever was standing above him. He relaxed seeing a familiar pair of pale blue eyes. Pearl's hand was on her gem, her hand was wrapped around what looked like the end of her spear. She looked frightened. "Pearl? Were you watching me sleep?"

She quickly walked into the kitchen and began gathering ingredients. "Oh, I-I was just getting things together for Steven's breakfast." She said in a hushed tone. Y/N looked outside and saw that the sun hadn't even begun to rise. He fished his phone out of his pack and checked the time. "At 4:00 AM?" He looked at her skeptically. She clasped her hands together avoiding eye contact. She slumps her head like a child when they are discovered doing something they aren't meant to. "I'm sorry. We've never had another human stay over. I was curious how your sleep pattern differed from Steven's."

As much as he wanted to be disturbed, he couldn't. Her curiosity was rather adorable. She was studious, not creepy. Maybe the gems didn't care too much about interacting with humans. "You know you could just ask to watch me sleep? I wouldn't mind." She was surprised at my proposal, but that surprise quickly turned into enthusiasm. "Really? Oh, this will be such a good opportunity." She declared, quickly tip-toeing over. She pulled out a notepad and pen from her gem. 'How much stuff does she have in there?' The question vanished from his mind as fast as it came. He laid back down on the couch. It was still early, and he had a few more hours before the office would open. Pearl stood over him, a wide smile on her face. He closed his eyes once again and felt himself drifting off.

A punch to the gut sent him flying down onto the ground. On instinct, he reached for his sword. Before he could grasp it a foot held his arm in place. "You rely too much on that weapon. It limits what you can do here and now." Y/N looked up to his master. The Grandmaster stood over him, scowling at his sword. His sensei was a thin man but was deceptively strong. He stood just over six feet tall. His hair was red with subtle tinges of gray beginning to peak through. Ever since Y/N got to San Francisco, he trained at this dojo. In all that time, he'd only been able to land one hit on the master.

"So what happens when you are left with nothing but your hands?" He put more pressure on Y/N's wrist. It didn't feel like it was going to break. But it undoubtedly hurt. "Are you going to curl up and die?! Or are you going stand and fight?!" With one swift motion, Y/N swept his Grandmaster's feet. He went for a kick while he was still falling. The skilled fighter grabbed his leg and landed on both feet. Within a second, Y/N was being hurdled towards the ground face first. The man used his momentum to swing Y/N's body like a ragdoll and send him smashing into the dojos' padded floors.

"Good, you had me surprised there for a moment. Nothing's broken, right?" His instructor asked nonchalantly. Y/N stood up looking to the ceiling, a trail of blood dribbling from his nose. "No, Grandmaster Kane. I'll live. Just need to stop this bleeding." Kane threw a rag at him. It hit Y/N's chest, he fumbled with the cloth, trying not to bleed all over the padded ground. "You're improving. You damn near got me with that move. Did you know I was going to give up my footing?"

Y/N chuckled, he couldn't beat Grandmaster Kane in an all-out brawl so he tried his hand at being more tactical. Not that it mattered. Experience always dominated over brute force. "Would it have mattered?" His optimism vanished as Kane shook his head. "Probably not. But you never know." The two of them looked around the dojo. Many of the surrounding plants and furniture were destroyed. Shards of glass littered the floor and the rest of the mirrors on the walls had spiderwebbed cracks. "I've made a real mess of your place."

"I kind of like it. I don't get to let loose like this with my other students. You're far more durable my boy." The boy pinched his nose with the rag, attempting to stanch the bleeding. "Do you think I'll ever get to be on your level Sensei?" He asked nasally. Kane suppressed his urge to laugh and nodded. "One day, if you continue your training as diligently as you do now. You are strong Y/N, stronger than any I've seen. If I wasn't able to redirect your attacks, I'm sure you'd be able to shatter my bones like glass. And your speed is almost inhuman." Y/N chuckled, a faint blush forming on his face. He chopped at the child's head, breaking him out of his haze. "Don't get a big head Y/N. Someone always knows more. And you are not infallible."