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

Chapter 12

Tiger Eye's POV

    Tiger Eye held the small mockingbird, now named Bird, in her hands contentedly. The bird pecked at her fingers here and there, but apart from that, it was a decently calm bird. It only took an hour to catch it, and three hours to get it to calm down.
    "Who can hold her without her attacking when she wakes?" Tiger Eye jumped at Rose's voice. Rose had a frustrated expression and was carrying the little defective Agate, who had tear stains on her face. She snored like a bear.
    Gems looked at each other in confusion. Tiger Eye didn't know Agate well, but she knew no one could carry her unless it was Rose or for a game of Chicken. Everyone then looked at Tiger Eye. She barely saw a Kiwi Quartz pointing at her. Wait, Kiwi!? She wasn't here long, but Tiger Eye already knew this Kiwi is known for being dumb, mute, and always messing everything up-
"I know this is sudden, but please hold my kid. I have important matters to sort out," Rose said hurriedly, plopping Agate in Tiger Eye's arms and hurrying away. Bird flew off, and Tiger Eye yelped in confliction.
Everyone's eyes followed Rose while she scurried away. Tiger Eye stood stiffly, extremely confused, and conflicted about giving Agate to someone else and finding Bird, or toughing it out and getting Bird back later.
"You okay?" Honeycomb chuckled.
"No," Tiger Eye half wailed, half whispered.
"Want me to take her?" Honeycomb snorted in laughter when Agate drooled slightly.
"No...!" Tiger Eye insisted.
"You sure?"
"Yes! No! I don't know!"
Agate stirred in her sleep, mumbling inaudibly. Tiger Eye clutched her tighter, having no idea if she was falling or not. Apparently, she squeezed too tight, because Agate woke up, instinctively punching Tiger Eye in the face with a shriek. Tiger Eye dropped her, clutching her nose, trying not to screech in shock and pain. Other gems stared.
"I'm sorry!" Agate yelled. "I didn't mean to!"
"It's okay," Tiger Eye groaned.
"Your face will feel better in the Fountain," Agate tried.
Tiger Eye got down onto her knees and plunged her face into the cold water very quickly and with a lot of force after Agate had said that.
"...Wait, how did I get here? Wasn't I with Rose?" Agate contemplated. Gems were leaving, seeing the commotion was over.
Tiger Eye's head shot up from above the water. "Rose brought you over and gave you to me because of..." Her words trailed off as she saw Kiwi staring at them with a dumb frog-like expression from the corner of her eye. "Kiwi..."
"Wait, Kiwi!? Oh boy..."
"What?"
"I don't even know what she is. Sometimes we question if she's a Kiwi at all. Then again, I'm not exactly sure what I am."
"Oh...Okay?"
"So, where did Rose go?" Agate looked around anxiously.
"I don't know..."
"Did she seem upset?"
"Kind of...?"
She sighed. "Welp. We're cracked."
"What do you mean...?" Tiger Eye questioned.
"Rose knows. Anything could happen." Agate looked at the warp pad, thinking about the Forge. "I predict ten minutes from now, they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick."
"Wait, what!? No, not the pigs! No pig heads on sticks!" Tiger Eye lamented frantically.
"Not literally, I was kidding!"
"Oh. Well, then, in that case, I want to join," Tiger Eye stated.
"Well, then let's go," Agate declared, gesturing to the warp pad.
They weren't even close to the massive Forge door when they heard Rose's interrogation. They couldn't make out what they were saying, but they could tell it was aggressive and could end up violent if something wasn't done about it.
Tiger Eye's eyes narrowed towards the direction of the Forge as they made their way to it. She was already ready to attack if she needed to. With a small glow from her gem, Agate opened the door. Tiger Eye recognized the Bismuth gem-like door. This is where she was unbubbled. They could hear all the conversation go quiet.
"We're here," Agate called through the door awkwardly.
"Uh...yeah..."
"You should go back to the Fountain, Agate. I'll handle this," Rose called.
"I've dealt with her for twenty years. I'll be okay, mom."
"Go back, Agate," Hessonite scoffed mockingly. "Go back and do every little thing you're told."
Agate rolled her eyes and stepped through the door.
"You're not in the place to make orders, Hessonite."
"Sure. But you are? You've been here for what? Two weeks? That was against your will. I'm surprised you stayed. Agate kept you here, hmmm?" She raised an eyebrow.
"That's enough," Rose commanded.
Tiger Eye's whole body visibly twitched at her comment as she tried to keep herself from lunging at Hessonite.
"Agate, I'm not going to let you deal with this right now. You-" she turned to Hessonite. "You still have explaining to do. I do not want to hear any more excuses or jokes from you." Rose was actually terrifying when she bristled with anger. Her renegade Pearl made her look even more powerful.
"Agate should be here to hear this. It wouldn't be fair if she won't know what you're going to talk about or do." Tiger Eye responded.
Rose looked at her, still furious. "She does not need to be around this gem any longer. She's too dangerous." Her Pearl nodded in agreement.
"No, she's not. She's outnumbered, and I know her. Plus, Tiger Eye's stronger than her. Hessonite is powerless." Agate countered.
"She was easily poofed by me when we had first met."
Rose's eyes darted between Tiger Eye and Agate for a moment. She glanced at Pearl for a moment, who shrugged. "...Fine. But I won't be leaving the room until you do."
Hessonite rolled her eyes, looking unfazed.
Tiger Eye's expression darkened just a bit. "Do you just not care? Do you think you have every gem under your thumb?"
Hessonite didn't say anything. She looked slightly amused.
Agate lightly placed her hand on Tiger Eye's leg since she was that much shorter. "Don't try to intimidate her. That will just entertain her."
"I don't care what entertains her. She needs to be put in her place."
Agate hummed in agreement.
"Agate told me you targeted three defective gems, including herself and a Peridot. Who is the third?"
Hessonite sighed annoyance. "A Ruby."
"We have no defective Rubies," Pearl growled.
Tiger Eye glared. "Don't lie, Hessonite."
"You think she wouldn't lie?" Agate remarked sassily.
"We're here to talk, not negotiate," Rose warned. "Tell us who the third gem is, please."
"An Amethyst."
"No Amethysts, either," Pearl informed.
"Does she need some convincing?" Tiger Eye summoned her scythe.
"Calm down. We're trying to talk. Torture isn't our way." Rose explained.
"I wasn't saying torture."
"We don't need weapons. We need answers." Rose said, turning back to Hessonite.
Agate was keeping her cool with an almost emotionless expression, but she was slightly tensed as if she wanted to lash out at her foe.
Tiger Eye forced her scythe to disappear. "She deserves it though," she moaned mournfully.
"Yes, but we don't want to fight before we think." Pearl countered, even if she was obviously holding herself back.
Agate winced when a Milky Quartz with her gem on her side entered the room. "Rose! There's another Homeworld attack by the Sea Spire! We need you!"
Rose inhaled frustratedly. "Okay then." She picked up her sword while Pearl summoned her spear. They left in a hurry, seeing the Quartz' panic. Agate leaned against the wall, holding back her trembling.
"What's the problem with her?" Hessonite grumbled.
"Don't pretend you don't know," Tiger Eye defended.
"I'm fine," Agate snapped. "You should be more worried about yourself. You're with us until Rose gets back." She cracked her knuckles.
"I don't need to worry about you." She mumbled. "You're too weak for me."
Agate attempted to pull water from anywhere, but the lava dried it all.
"She is NOT weak. If anything, you're weak for forcing other gems to fuse with you." Tiger Eye shot back at Hessonite.
Agate glanced at Tiger Eye gratefully.
"Maybe you're weak for betraying and fleeing from your Diamond."
"Do not bring the Diamonds into this."
"Don't bring yourself into this. This isn't your problem."
"I mean, It's my problem now because one, you tried to force me to fuse with you, and two, you made a friend of mine fuse with you. So yeah, this is my problem."
"Put quotes on tried. That was fourteen years ago, and I failed and found someone else instead. If I don't need you, it's none of your business."
Agate sighed annoyance.
"It's still my business. You made it my business when you tried to do that, even if it was fourteen years ago. It's not as much my business but it still is."
"I'm surprised you didn't forget about it. I don't see the problem. I could be done by now; you're all just too squeamish. If you worked with me, I could be on my way, I could get a decent job, and Homeworld might have gone a little easier on you little worms."
"I'm sorry, what?" Agate's eye twitched. "If that was all it was, why did you kiss me?"
"That was just to keep you still."
"You know what? I don't care what Rose said before." Tiger Eye summoned her scythe.
"Fine then." She summoned her rapier. Agate paced frustratedly, knowing she couldn't fight without water. She punched one of the stone practice dummies, cracking it, but not breaking it.
Tiger Eye tightened her grip of the scythe and lunged towards Hessonite.
She dodged and attempted to jab with her sword, but Agate tripped her, making her miss. They glared at each other for a moment, then awaited Tiger Eye's next move.
Tiger Eye did the same thing, but this time, she pressed down on the blade, to force herself up in the air and behind Hessonite. She quickly slashed at Hessonite's back.
With that, knowing she'd poof at this rate, she quickly grabbed a knife hanging on the wall and raced out of the Forge.
"She stole a knife! Why would she steal a knife; she doesn't even know how to use one!" Agate yelled annoyedly, running after her.
Tiger Eye let out an annoyed groan and ran after her as well. She really just wanted this to be over with.
Hessonite was faster than she remembered. She was talking into holographic screens, communicating with Homeworld, still keeping her distance. Agate somewhat kept up, running as fast as her little legs would allow.
Tiger Eye ran as fast as she could after Hessonite and when she passed Agate and got closer to Hessonite she did the same thing as before, summoning a scythe and forcing herself up into the air to slash down at Hessonite.
She dodged. She dodged every attack, managing to send a powerful kick, strong enough to stun Tiger Eye. Instead of using the opportunity, she turned and fled, as if she knew exactly where to go. Agate rushed to help Tiger Eye recover.
Tiger Eye fell to her knees from the force of her kick, the kick hit her right in the gem. Hopefully, it didn't crack.
"She's going to get away. Should I get her?"
"Go ahead if you want to. I'll go after her in a minute. I just need to make sure she didn't crack my gem."
Agate nodded and raced away.
Tiger Eye moved a bit of the clothing she was wearing to check on her gem. She sighed in relief when she found that it wasn't cracked. Tiger Eye forced herself up and ran in the direction that Agate and Hessonite had run in.
Agate had Hessonite stuck in a water barrier. Hessonite looked annoyed, Agate looked thoughtful. She glanced at Tiger Eye with an almost guilty expression, then turned back.
Tiger Eye growled slightly, ready to attack, but held back when Agate raised a hand, asking her to stop.
"Just wait, Hessonite, I... I'm sorry, Tiger Eye." She looked back, her face sorrowful, but sure. She turned back to the traitor.
What was she...?
"I'll go with Homeworld."
Hessonite's eyebrows raised with interest. Tiger Eye stared in disbelief. "Wait, wha-"
"I'll go with you." Agate corrected herself, dropping her barrier. She approached and stood on her tiptoes, lightly tugging Hessonite's shoulders, telling her to crouch, and surprisingly, she obliged. Tiger Eye felt nauseous when Agate kissed her with a little hesitation.
"I thought we were friends..." Tiger Eye mumbled, turning to leave.
Out of nowhere, Agate swiped her hand and stole the knife directly from Hessonite's hand, hitting her in the face full-force with the butt of it. "That was for all those times you threw me against walls," Agate growled when Hessonite stared at her in shock. Both she and Tiger Eye had similar expressions.
Agate dropped the knife and punched her in the face, sending her to the ground. "That was for all the bruises you gave me." She kicked her in the chest violently. "For all the times you made me and those other gems fuse." She kicked again. "For cracking me." Another punch. "For daring to kiss me." Again. "For lying to everyone." And again. She hit and kicked and struck with everything she had. By now, she was letting out all her wrath and hatred, cracking the powerful gem's stone. "Did you really think I'd go to Homeworld for you? You idiot!" She raised her fist for another punch.
Tiger Eye realized that at this rate, Agate would actually kill her. As much as Hessonite deserved it, this wasn't what Agate believed in, and their enemy was helpless. She walked over to the angry little gem and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough. You'll break her."
Agate glared at Tiger Eye with an expression that said she genuinely wanted to shatter her enemy. If she weren't cracked, she'd be poofed. Then she sneered at the defeated gem warrior with no sympathy. "...Fine. You have ten minutes to get out. If you come back for me, I'll shatter you."
Hessonite simply nodded, stood up, and walked off. She didn't make any threats. She didn't make any sassy remarks. She just walked away. Just like that.
Agate spit. "That was gross. Remind me never to do that again."
"Yea, that was disgusting." Tiger Eye notified. "Never do that again."
She chuckled a little. She already looked much happier. "I won't."
"Did you have to kiss her, though? I actually thought you meant it!"
"Oh, that was just to keep her still."
Tiger Eye chuckled, realizing Hessonite used the same trick on her.
Agate turned back to the knife. It was just then that Tiger Eye realized that it had a gemstone embedded in the handle. It was the gemstone of a Milky Quartz. The same one she met fourteen years ago.