Consequences

23 - Even Shattered Hearts Can Heal

Greg barged rudely into Steven's room; the house in front of the temple. The weak screen door slammed against the wood walls, and with a loud snap, one of the tiny hinges broke off.

Lapis and Peridot, sitting solemnly at the edge of Steven's bed jumped with surprise. Lapis stood up, instincts telling her to prepare to defend.

Seeing the panting, red-faced human that had suddenly burst into their presence, she sat back down. It was just Steven's father.

Still, Lapis put a hand beside Steven's gem, which rested peacefully on the tidy, fresh smelling bedsheets. In her stress, Pearl had done some cleaning, never straying far from where the rose quartz gem stayed. She had even eaten a small bit of scrambled eggs she'd prepared yesterday morning, since there was no one else to eat them.

Not even Amethyst had wanted the food, and to Pearl, the simple meal was tasteless and in no way special.

Peridot looked warily at lapis, but the water gem didn't meet her gaze. She continued to stare down, face unreadable, at Steven's father, who paid no mind to her intense eyes. Ignoring the sagging door frame, Greg Universe bolted up the stairs, stopping just at their top.

His eyes fell on the small gem, reflecting early morning sunlight that was beginning to filter through the windows of the house.

His breath hitched, and the two aliens sitting in front of him just watched the human expectantly. They weren't sure what to expect, though.

"That's not..." Greg began, trailing off as he stared with evident horror at the gem that used to belong to his son. Peridot nodded a small, quick nod, but averted her gaze from Greg's face.

Steven's dad shook his head, eyes watering, and he fell to his knees, leaning forward over the bed's edge. He didn't dare touch the gem, for fear of messing anything up more than it was. Instead, the human resorted to staring and attempting to control his breathing.

This was bound to happen sometime. Steven was always doing dangerous things with the gems, and being poofed was inevitable, but still... Greg just couldn't believe it. His son could be dead, and he didn't know if Steven would come back or not.

Greg stood back up; he heard Pearl's delicate footsteps enter into the house. He turned seeing Pearl standing nervously in the doorway. Another gem, Sapphire, was floating in front of her.

"Greg," Sapphire greeted hurriedly. Greg shook his head angrily.

"No! Go away! This is your fault!" Greg said, flustered. He backed away from the loft's edge, and sat back down on the floor beside the bed. Lapis and Peridot shared glances, and moved away.

Pearl looked down, moving a hand to cover her mouth, at Greg's words. She blamed herself already, but hearing them come from an overall nice, forgiving man was harsh.

Sapphire took a few controlled breaths glancing at Pearl. Sapphire kept the swirling emotions inside her under lock and key.

"Greg, please. That is unnecessary. None of us meant for this to happen," Sapphire said quietly. Greg felt a pang of regret, but nonetheless, these gems were ultra-powerful alien beings. Sapphire herself had future vision. Why couldn't they have stopped this from happening?

The human didn't respond. He remained silent, sitting at the bedside as if it were a precious alter. Sapphire sighed inwardly. Everyone had fallen apart, and it was all because of Homeworld.

Or, more specifically, the diamonds.

...

There was no noise. There was nothing in sight. There was no feelings, or scent, or taste. Everything was blank. It was as if... everything had disappeared from existence.