Together- A Ruby x Sapphire Fanfic (Homeworld AU)

Chapter 22

Sapphire was running. 

From who? 

From what? 

Nothing was in front of her. All she saw was black. Everything was black and no visible objects were seen. She didn't know what was happening until Jasper appeared out of nowhere. A gasp escaped from Sapphire's lips. Her breathing hitched and became uneasy. She walks backward slowly as Jasper walked closer to her. She had bumped into a wall that had also appeared out of nowhere. This was too similar to the situation she was in not too long ago. Jasper stopped, abruptly. Her eyes were glued to the ground, hair covering her face. Her left fist was clenched as if she was holding something in her hand. 

Jasper paused and nothing could be heard. 

Jasper looked up and smirked. Fear and anxiety took over Sapphire's emotions. Jasper opened her hand to reveal Ruby's gemstone. 

Sapphire gasped, knowing what she was going to do next. 

"Ruby..."

Jasper's smirk widened as she applied pressure on Ruby's gem.

"No, Ruby." 

Sapphire watched, horrified as a crack started to form on her gemstone.

"Stop! Ruby!"

Finally, Jasper took Ruby's gem and crushed it. Her evil smile grew, seeing Sapphire's hurt expression from watching her lover being shattered into pieces right in front of her. She couldn't do anything about it now. All she could do was cry. She was helpless.

"Ruby!"

 Jasper opened her hand. Ruby's shattered pieces fell right in front of Sapphire.

"No! Ruby!"

Sapphire touched the shards, gathering them up in her hands. Her tears landed on the shards. 

"No! Ruby! Ruby! Ruby!"

Sapphire shot up from the bed, screaming. Tears were slipping from her eyes and sweat was trickling down her face. Her chest was heaving up and down due to her uneasy breathing. She looked around the room she was in. Everything was red, including the bed. She realized she was in Ruby's room. The door opened abruptly causing Sapphire to jump.

"I heard you screaming! What's wrong," Amethyst asked. 

"Where's Ruby," Sapphire questioned, gripping the covers. 

Amethyst opened her cupped hands to reveal Ruby's gemstone. It wasn't cracked nor shattered. Sapphire lied back down, finally relaxing. 

"I had a bad dream, that was all," Sapphire confessed.

"Oh," mumbled Amethyst, setting down Ruby's gem on a table. She debated whether or not to ask what it was about or not.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Sapphire asked.

"Rose was passing by to go to a private mission, but she saw that Ruby was poofed and you were lying on the ground, hurt. She healed you and brought you home by Lion. She told me to take care you. You may be healed, but you're still sore from the pain. Plus, the whole thing with Ruby..." Amethyst paused to hiss. "A lot has been going on for you two. Rose thought it was for the best if she brought you here and once Ruby comes back, you two can talk everything out," Amethyst explained.

"I'm honestly afraid. I know once Ruby comes back, she's going to be mad and I..." Sapphire's voice trailed off.

"I had a dream...a bad dream. I was being chased by Jasper, but I ended up cornered. She didn't hurt me, physically at least. She was hurting Ruby," Sapphire paused. 

After the strange moment of silence, Amethyst spoke up, "how was she hurting her?"

"She kept cracking her gem until she was smashed into pieces," Sapphire gripped her hair in fear. "That's why I woke up screaming. It felt so real...I was terrified and--" 

"Sapphire, it's okay! Ruby is okay," Amethyst reassured. 

She grabbed Ruby's gemstone and gave it to Sapphire. She stared at her gemstone

"Thanks, but I think I'll get more rest now," Sapphire stated in a monotone voice. 

Amethyst sighed and walked out of the room. Sapphire closed her eye and dozed off.

"The Earth...what a strange planet," Ruby said, looking at the ocean.

"A beautiful planet," Steven added.

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Right..." 

Ruby's smile faded. 

"Is something bothering you?"  Steven asked, worried about his friend. 

"I...I have to go back to Homeworld soon. I don't want to leave this planet. I don't want to leave you," she stated, turning to look at Steven.

"It's been fourteen years, Ruby. You knew you were going to have to leave soon. Besides, that's a long time," pointed out Steven.

"Everything on Earth seems to go so quickly, I don't understand why!"

There was a silence. Steven kept his eyes on Ruby the whole time. Her expressions kept flicking from worried, to depressed, and to fear.

"Is there another reason you don't want to go back to Homeworld?" Steven questioned. 

Ruby stayed silent before slowly nodding. "On Earth, you have freedom. Homeworld doesn't. Every gem is made for a purpose, to serve the order of the Diamonds. I'm a common gem. A Ruby. A Ruby soldier made to protect other gems and that there is nothing to me outside of my purpose. Homeworld looks at me as just another common, worthless Ruby..." Ruby paused for a second to think.

She smiled to herself and continued, "but Earth, Earth made me realize I'm not just a Ruby! I'm Ruby! A gem with her own personality, having other capabilities other than her purpose on Homeworld!"

Steven smiled at Ruby's self-encouraging words. 

"You know how everyone tells me to be like my mom?" Steven asked.

Ruby nodded in response. 

"I'm struggling to be like her. Everyone always talks about how amazing she was, but I don't know her. How am I supposed to be like someone I don't know? How can I tell people I'm not my mom? I'm not Rose Quartz!" Steven ran a hand through his hair, gripping it in his hand.

"Sometimes, I hear Jasper almost call me Rose and sometimes she actually does. Maybe, it'll all be better if mom...came back," Steven paused. 

"No! Don't think like that! Just because you are her son doesn't mean you have to be like her. Your mother is a wonderful person, she truly is...but you can be someone better. By being yourself," Ruby looked over at Steven.

Steven smiled as he wiped a tear away.

"Thank you," Steven said as he went to give Ruby a hug.

Sapphire's eye flew open. She stood up, confused and tired. She looked over at Ruby's gemstone, then at the picture of Ruby with Steven. Why was she dreaming about that? Sapphire tried recalling the dream and the setting of it, how it looked like. She looked at another picture that looked similar to the setting of the beach they were on as well as the background. 

Then she realized, she was having dreams of Ruby's memories.