Stars, Roses, and Scars (a Steven Universe Fanfic)

Chapter 10

Agate completely shut down after the news was delivered. She ran off to her stargazing spot, which was her best and worst refuge. She chased away anyone who tried to comfort her, even Rose. It was just like the desert. She didn't move or breathe or say anything. She didn't even object to Hessonite anymore. After twelve years of just sitting there, she didn't even know if she was alive anymore. She just existed and grieved. She only moved to keep moss from growing over her or when she fused. That was all.
    Again she didn't move when a soldier tried to talk. She spoke softly. "We caught a hostage."
    Agate huffed. "So what? Aren't hostages illegal anyway? Let her go and leave me alone."
    "She mentioned an Agate. You're the only one we haven't asked about."
    Agate looked confused. "An Agate? I don't know what you're talking about." She let her head fall back to the ground.
    "We need you to come back to base and answer some questions."
    Agate didn't say anything.
    The soldier picked her up and slumped her over her shoulders. Agate didn't respond to any of this.
    It took hours for them to get Agate to say anything. When she did, she gave curt, one-worded answers. It was mostly questions about communicating with Homeworld or knowing gems from Homeworld.
    Then the final question came. "Do you recognize this gemstone?" They presented a bubbled amber and gold gemstone. She recognized her, but she couldn't feel anything.
    "...yes." Was all she said in a raspy voice. "Let her out."
    All the gems interrogating her exchanged glances.
    "Do you really think I'd let anything destroy everything? Trust me and let her out." She said bluntly.
    A soldier squeezed the bubble and let it burst. The gem glowed and hovered in the air, revealing an angry and confused Tiger Eye.
    Once unbubbled, the Tiger Eye involuntarily backed away from the things around her, though they hadn't fully come into her vision just yet. She'd gone through this before, she knows the situation sort of like how she knows the back of her hand. The Tiger Eye had an intimidating glare.
    Agate stared back at her emotionlessly. She knew she looked what humans called 'sick,' but she didn't care. "Don't hurt anyone," she grunted. "They won't hurt you." Soldiers around her glared at her questioningly.
    "Tch, sure they won't. I don't trust those words coming from anyone."
    "Trust me. They won't hurt you if you don't hurt them. I've been with them my whole life." She could feel how matted her hair was and the bags under her eyes. She could feel dust and sweat sticking to her.
    "...Fine. I know you all want information, I've been in this situation before. What do you want to know?" Tiger Eye's amber colored eyes fell on Agate.
    The soldiers glanced at each other, then to Tiger Eye, then to Agate. "...She seems to listen to you."
    Agate nodded. "We've met once before. She isn't Homeworld. She's fine as she is."
    "I can speak for myself, thank you very much." She snapped.
    Agate lowered her head slightly. She picked up that habit after Milky's shattering when she apologized to Hessonite for being too slow to fuse, doing something wrong, or refusing anything at all. "Right. Sorry."
    Tiger Eye sighed slightly. "No, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that like that. I'm just tired of people speaking for me and not letting me actually speak."
    The soldiers left. "You're in charge of her. Don't let her out of your sight," one of them said with a wave. All the guards were Amethysts. Pff. Dummies.
    Agate rolled her eyes at the guards. "You're fine. The point of the Crystal Gems is to have freedom of speech." She grunted like a Peridot who just wanted to get back to work.
    "It seems like I'm a caged animal to most of your 'friends.'"
    "They're just nervous and jumpy. We've been getting more Homeworld attacks recently and their technology is more advanced than ours." She mumbled without care.
    "Yeah.. and their methods are getting worse as well." Tiger Eye said as she started to notice the difference in demeanor that Agate had.
    "So, welcome to the team," she said unenthusiastically. She heard the heavy thumps as if someone was running to them. "Speak of the devil..."
    "Agate! We have to recalibrate the light cannons! ...Who's this?"
    Tiger Eye looked towards where a new voice had come from. Once she saw the owner of the voice, she scowled and contemplated taking out her scythe.
    Agate held back a groan of annoyance. "Hessonite, Tiger Eye. Tiger Eye, Hessonite. We'll go recalibrate the cannons, but we don't need fusion for this!" she half suggested, half pleaded. Hessonite scoffed.
    Tiger Eye felt one of her eyes twitch. "Want me to come with the two of you?" She spoke through her teeth.
    "Yes!" Agate yelped quickly before Hessonite could respond. She slapped her hand over her mouth when her voice cracked. Hessonite gave her a confused glance.
    Tiger Eye stood up as she shook her head. "Alright, let's go."
    Agate stayed close to Tiger Eye while Hessonite escorted them. She held back from clinging to her cloak the same way she clung to Milky's skirts. She didn't care when it seemed like Tiger Eye was the one supposed to be escorting her.
    Tiger Eye looked down at Agate and hesitated but put a hand on her shoulder, awkwardly, but reassuringly.
    Agate flinched heavily, but let her. She was extremely tense.
    "Relax. Nothing will happen, and if she tries to do anything, I'll stop her." Tiger Eye continued trying to reassure her.
Agate tried focusing on the cannons, but she couldn't force herself to ease her tension. "...I'll be okay," she mumbled, fully aware she sounded like she was lying.
"Catch up, slowpokes," Hessonite demanded.
"Right, Sorry," Agate replied. Her apology sounded forced and unwanted.
Tiger Eye looked up ahead of the two of them, towards Hessonite. "Yeah, Yeah. We're coming. Just wait."
Hessonite grumbled in annoyance, but walked ahead of them. Agate gulped, afraid of what would happen if she kept her waiting too long. Her eyes followed her.
Tiger Eye just rolled her eyes. "You might not want to make me mad. Remember that I poofed you earlier."
Hessonite glared at her. "And I have both Homeworld and the Crystal Gems that can and will shatter you the second you lay a finger on me." She left before anyone could respond.
"Hmm. I think you'll be fine as long as you stay near me. She hates me already and I can tell she wouldn't want to be around me for too long."
Agate glanced up at her. She stared for a moment, but she suddenly saw her as Milky. She yelped and stumbled back in response, almost falling but catching her balance, but when she did, it was Tiger Eye again. She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a slight headache and her breathing a little heavy.
Tiger Eye looked down at Agate. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm alright, just thought you were someone else for a second there..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "My head's probably playing tricks on me again."
Tiger Eye nodded in slight understanding. "You want to find someone to try and replace them with. I get that, I guess."
Agate nodded. She missed the way Milky held her. She would have given almost anything to see her again. She sighed. "...Yea."
"..My friend was shattered a long time ago. I've been looking for a new friend to help me move on from her now.."
Agate looked up at her surprised, but then she looked down, feeling tears build up. Her voice shook. "...My best friend shattered a decade ago. She protected me. I wish I could have done the same for her. I'd rather it be me." She forced back her tears.
    "I know that feeling. My friend always stuck up for me. No matter what kind of trouble we got in.. One day it got so bad that... She made the mistake for sticking up for me when we got into real bad trouble and that lead to me be forced to shatter her eventually.."
    Agate sat, wanting to talk. It had been so long since she last spoke to someone. The interrogation was the closest to an actual conversation with anyone other than Hessonite since Milky's shattering. "She was one of the few gems that respected me for what I am. She fought for me and defended me. We worked together and saved each other in battle. She...she tried to save me from-" She bit the inside of her cheek. She thought better of it and lowered her head.
    "You don't have to tell me. I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this. Probably because you kind of remind me of her." Tiger Eye felt a small smile reach her face as she remembered all the times she and her friend had together before she had been shattered.
    Agate clenched her fists. "I want to tell you. But I can't. I can't let anyone know." She internally fought to keep herself from raising her voice and screaming in frustration. She hadn't screamed in twelve years.
    "That's fine. If you can't, you can't." Tiger Eye shrugged. "I'm not going to push you to tell me. I'm not like that."
    She yanked her own hair stressfully. "You don't understand! More humans could die if I don't-" She realized she was yelling and looked around. She grabbed hold of one of Tiger Eye's wrists, lightly tugging and silently pleading to her to follow and hide.
    Tiger Eye followed Agate as she started to pull on her wrist, kind of confused, but she really didn't think much of it.
    She used the brush to hide. She looked around, checking to see if Hessonite was near. "Listen to me, that gem is more dangerous to everyone than Rose is to the Diamonds. But whatever I'm about to say, don't tell anyone, please!"
    Tiger Eye hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I swear, I won't tell anyone."
    Agate checked to see no one else was here one more time. "She makes me fuse with her. She forces me to take humans to Homeworld so they can start a zoo. We're supposed to protect them, but Hessonite is willing to do anything to get it done. I just haven't figured out why. She cracked me when I refused." She pressed herself against a tree when she heard Hessonite calling for them irritably.
    Tiger Eye sighed as she heard the familiar voice of Hessonite. She got up and walked out, after telling Agate to stay in that spot. She walked out and towards Hessonite calmly, trying to act like she wasn't mad about the things that Agate told her.
   
Tiger Eye's POV