14It had been two years since they last saw or heard from her. Of course, her name had been brought up in a few conversations- but as time continued, the mentions became less and less. They knew she was in a better place, she was with the Diamonds- last they saw anyway. The lack of knowledge led them to kind of… forget about her.
Steven couldn't forget though. He felt as though something was wrong. Recently, whenever, he saw the diamonds, there was no sign of the pink gem anywhere- nor did the authority figures mention her. He asked, but the topic was always either ignored or brushed away. The hybrid become concerned whenever he thought about her. He would lie in bed- awake- and unnerved by the ideas of what could have happened to her. It was becoming unhealthy. None of the Crystal Gems knew about this newfound stress, Steven was too good at hiding it.
But, one day she just… appeared.
"Hey! Are- are you lost?"
The vibrant gem turned her head towards the caller. This short human showed obvious signs of concern under her blonde hair. She wore a doughnut shirt and her name-tag spelt out 'Sadie'.
"No."
'Sadie' gulped, the gem could smell her lingering fear, "Oh- okay. I was just asking because you weren't in Little Homeworld… So, uhh, what are you doing in town?"
There was a huff and a smirk, "Nothing really. The scent of rain is nice I guess."
Too afraid to ask what that meant, 'Sadie' sheepishly laughed, "Ahah, okay."
The two beings stared at each other for a while. The overcast afternoon was cold, damp and rain had just begun to set in. This was perfect for the tall, spindly gem. A slow, unshattered death was better than building up courage to meet him.
"Umm, well… winter weather isn't good for gems- right? Erosion and such- don't you wanna, like, find some shelter?"
"Nah, I'm good."
Taken aback, the human became more worried by the almost suicidal response, "Are- um- I don't know much about gems but- do you need to see Steven?"
The fuchsia gem repeated his name, "Steven,"
A few more moments of uncomfortable silence ensued, causing 'Sadie' to bite her lip, glance at her watch and once again, laugh painfully, "Well, um, I got to go. So- go and see Steven if you need shelter or something… Or I mean, you could come to the Big Doughnut if you really have to."
"I'll be fine," the gem wanted to say his name again, "I'll just go see Steven."
"Oh, Okay… Bye."
The pink gem watched the human scurry away as the rain started moving in. "Steven". The name left a nice taste in her mouth. She had been procrastinating seeing him. She knew she needed his help, but she didn't want to hurt him. She really didn't want to hurt him- sometimes, she loses control. She can't let her old self take over, then he will get hurt.
Soon enough, the earthly rain started pelting down, causing the fuchsia being to quickly navigate her way through the city. She sprinted through sand. She didn't want to die that fast- she needed to get out of this weather. She tried to rack her brain, remembering the layout of the city.
Suddenly, her train of thought crashed and burned as she recognised the giant structure in front of her.
No, no. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet.
The giant humanoid statue carved into the hill towered over the gem, intimidating her. The small wooden house it held shone through the dark rain, it's shelters open for her to take cover.
But she couldn't. She was planted to the spot, just like when-
She clenched her teeth and clutched her upside-down heart-shaped gem on her chest. Her want to talk to him was strong, but she just couldn't.
Terrified… that's how she felt.
She was at the front door now, one gloved hand stuck mid-knock. She still couldn't do it, it was too hard. The fuchsia being rubbed her gem and took a deep breath before trying to knock again, only to stop halfway and repeat the process twice more.
Suddenly, the door opened.
[A/N] Updated - 29/Nov/2019
