Author's Notes: Well, here we are; the final chapter of BMTL. I don't really have too much to say here before we get started except to tell that if you want a better idea of what Kinzie's Gem outfit looks like (since I suck at describing stuff), you can do a Google Image search for 'luka megurine conflict module' and it should be the first picture you see. Obviously there are some differences, but that's what I based her outfit on.

'Where am I?' Kinzie asked herself as she floated through a black abyss. 'I was in so much pain a second ago. Now I can't feel anything. Am I dead?' She sighed. 'Whatever. I guess it doesn't matter. Nothing left to do but sleep now, I suppose.'

The fight with Citrine ended in reasonably short order; even the most powerful soldier was no match for seven Gems at once. Garnet had bubbled the Gem and sent her to the basement of the temple.

"I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me shatter her," Amethyst growled. "She deserves it for what shes done."

"That's not the way we operate, Amethyst," Garnet pointed out.

"But Kinzie-," Peridot began.

"I understand you two are upset. We all are," Garnet replied. "But Kinzie's still with us."

"What are you talking about?!" Amethyst shouted. "You saw her get blown up just like we did! She's gone!"

"No, she isn't," Garnet argued as she held up the onyx. "She's right here."

The remaining Gems, save Jasper, stared at the gem in collective disbelief before Pearl finally spoke up. "B-But how?"

"Not sure," Garnet replied. "The destabilizer that was used on her did destroy her human body but it also caused her soul to attach itself to this onyx."

"So Homeworld created a way to turn humans into Gems?" Steven asked.

"Not exactly," Garnet answered. "I have a feeling this only worked out the way it did because of how important this gem is to Kinzie. She never went anywhere without her bracelet, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that, subconsciously, she felt like the onyx was a part of her."

"That would certainly explain how she was able to attach to it so easily," Pearl agreed. "But how do we know she'll be able to take a physical form?"

"We don't," Garnet stated bluntly. "But Kinzie's always believed in all of us; I think it's time we all believed in her."

A week had passed since the battle with Citrine and there had been no sign that Kinzie was going to re-emerge. Steven had decided to give the onyx to the Fryman family, reasoning that they should be the first ones Kinzie saw when she regenerated. Everyone was trying to remain optimistic that they would see Kinzie again, but each day without a sign wore their hope a little bit thinner.

The one most obviously affected by the whole incident was Ronaldo. He refused to let the gem out of his sight, holding onto it and even talking to it from time to time. The onyx would gleam and shimmer on occasion when Ronaldo would speak to it and he hoped that meant that Kinzie was able to hear him.

"Look at it all, Kinzie," Ronaldo said as he held the onyx up and gestured to the boardwalk. "This is your home. Don't you miss it at all? Don't you want to come back and see it again?"

"Ronaldo, what are you doing with that?!" Peedee asked. "Why did you bring her here?!"

"Kinzie's been stuck at the house all week," Ronaldo replied. "I thought she'd like a little fresh air. Besides, maybe seeing all the stuff she's been missing will make her regenerate faster. I'm pretty sure she can hear from inside this gem so maybe she's able to see from inside of it, too."

Peedee sighed. "Okay. Just be careful with her."

"Hey, guys!" Steven called as he made his way up to the fry shop. His smile dropped slightly when he saw the onyx in Ronaldo's hand. "Has she made any movement at all?"

Peedee shook his head. "No. She glimmers sometimes when we talk to her but that's about it." He sighed before looking at Steven. "Are we sure she's going to come back?"

Steven nodded vigorously. "I'm positive she can! We just have to believe in her! She didn't attach herself to this gem just so she could stay stuck inside of it."

As if on cue, the rose quartz in Steven's belly button began to glow, Kinzie's onyx glowing as well a short moment later.

"What's going on?" Peedee asked. "Is that normal?"

"Not sure," Steven replied. "But normally, when my gem glows, it means something cool is about to happen."

Kinzie forced her eyes open as a soft pink light began into penetrate the black abyss she'd been floating in.

"Kinzie? Can you hear me, dear?" a gentle, melodious voice asked.

"Yeah, I can," Kinzie replied. "But what's going on? How were you able to get in here?"

"I'm not inside of your gem, my dear," the voice said. "You and I have been linked together temporarily. It looks like you could use a little help regenerating."

"Sounds good to me," Kinzie agreed. "Before we start, though, I just have one more question. How do you know who I am?"

"I've known you for quite a while, Kinzie," the voice answered. "You and I haven't had the chance to meet in person, but I've been able to see you through Steven's eyes."

"Wait a second," Kinzie said. "Does that mean that you're...that you're Rose Quartz?"

The voice chuckled. "Yes, my dear. And it's nice to finally get to speak to you."

"But Steven told me that you had...passed on when he was born," Kinzie pointed out. "How are you able to...?"

"That's not entirely true," Rose explained. "I did have to give up my physical form in order to have Steven, but I'll always exist inside his gem. The reason I'm able to connect to you this way is largely due to your abilities as an Onyx; all Gems under White Diamond have the ability to sense the presence of their allies. If that ally is someone they've formed a bond with and they're within a certain range, they can communicate with them like this."

"So I'm able to talk to you now because of my friendship with Steven?" Kinzie asked.

"That's right," Rose confirmed. "And the more you practice with it, the farther your range will extend. In order to do that, though, we need to get you out of this limbo and back into a physical body."

"Right. Still a little confused about how all that is supposed to work," Kinzie replied. "I've tried focusing and forcing myself out but it didn't work. I'd hoped if I just waited long enough, a way out would present itself but that hasn't worked out for me either."

"I'm not surprised. You were badly wounded and the strain of losing your body and attaching yourself to this gem took a pretty significant toll on you," Rose said. "However, the fact that I was able to connect to you at all should mean you've recovered enough to be able to regenerate. All you have to do is remember what you were before you became trapped here. Remember all the ones you care about and how happy all of you will be when you come back. They all believe in you, both your family and the Gems. And they need you. If you focus on that, I can assure you that a way out is going to present itself."

Kinzie did as Rose had told her; she kept her thoughts trained on the ones she cared about, all the memories they had shared, and all the things she had experienced because of them. From spending time with Ronaldo and Peedee since childhood, to happy memories with her beloved mother, to baring her soul to Amethyst on that fateful evening, to the successful Tubetube channel they had created, to her relationship with Peridot and her friendships with all of the Gems; every single one of them had brought her to this point.

'I'm not going to let all of it end here,' Kinzie thought. ' There's still too much I haven't experienced. I have to get out and get back to all of them.'

As if in response to her resolve, Kinzie began to feel herself being pulled upward. "Rose, what's going on?"

"It's time, my dear," Rose answered, her voice growing softer as the connection between the Gems began to sever. "You're being reborn as Onyx."

"Wait!" Kinzie called out as she tried to keep herself from emerging too soon; she didn't want the connection to end just yet. "Thank you for everything, Rose. Before I go, is there anything you want me to tell Steven? Or any of the Gems?"

"Please tell Steven that I love him very much and I'm so proud of who he's becoming," Rose requested. "And, if you would, please thank Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst for watching over him the way they have. They have my gratitude."

Kinzie nodded. "I will."

"One last thing, Kinzie," Rose said, her voice fading even further. "Never forget your human heart. Always remember, no matter how many millennia you live, that you were born Kinzie Jay Quinn before you were ever Onyx. You have memories and experiences as a human being that no other full Gem has ever had and that's what makes you extraordinary. Now go and create new experiences."

Steven, Ronaldo, and Peedee had remained silent as the two gems were glowing. After only a few seconds, Steven's gem began to fade but the onyx began to glow even brighter before rising from Ronaldo's hands and floating in the air. Steven vaguely made out a silhouette before a bright flash filled the area. When it receded, Kinzie stood before them. Steven was relieved to see that she hadn't changed too much; her hair and eyes were still black and her body shape had remained the same, but her skin was an almost chalk white and her hair hadn't retained the colorful streaks Kinzie had been known for. However, the biggest change was her outfit. Instead of her usual jeans and t-shirt, Kinzie now wore a long black and white dress with a slit near her left leg that ended just below her hip. She had also traded in her usual sneakers for a pair of black boots and black fingerless gloves, both with stars adorning them. Upon closer inspection, Steven could see that the onyx she had emerged from was now resting on her solar plexus.

Kinzie gave Steven a small smile. "Your mom says hi."

Steven immediately rushed toward Kinzie and threw his arms around her in a tight hug, Ronaldo and Peedee following soon after.

"I can't believe it! You're really okay!" Steven exclaimed.

"What happened?! How were you able to come out from that gem? And what was with that weird glowy thing you and Steven did?!" Peedee asked.

"So you're actually a Gem now?" Ronaldo asked. "Does this mean you'll get cool powers?! Oh man, why does all the cool stuff happen to you?!"

Kinzie laughed. "Settle down, guys. I promise I'll explain everything but first I need to get something to eat."

After Kinzie got herself some curly fries, she recounted her experience inside the onyx. She told them about the events leading up to her body being destroyed, the disturbing sense of lethargy she felt as she recovered inside the gem, and her conversation with Rose Quartz. She relayed Rose's message to Steven as well.

"You have to come back with me! We need to show the Gems! They're gonna be so happy!" Steven exclaimed.

"I'll come back and see you all later on this evening, okay Steven," Kinzie replied. "Right now, I think I need to spend a little time with my family."

Steven smiled and nodded in understanding. "Okay, take your time. But I'm not going to tell the others just yet. I think you'd make a pretty awesome surprise."

"So why did you want all of us to come out here, Ste-man?" Amethyst asked.

"It's a surprise and I think you're all really going to like it," Steven replied. He'd received a text from Kinzie shortly before asking all the Gems to come out to the beach that stated that she was on her way.

"So where is this surprise anyway?" Lapis asked. "Everything looks exactly the same."

"Is it something I can eat?" Amethyst asked. "Like a giant pizza or something?"

"Well, I know I'm not as exciting as a pizza but I hope I'll do," said a familiar voice from behind them.

The Gems all turned at the sound of the voice to see Kinzie standing behind them with a smile on her face. None of them made a move for a moment, as if they were trying to be sure she was really there. Amethyst was the first to respond and she lunged toward Kinzie to tackle her into a hug, only for her friend to become engulfed in green light and lifted off the ground, causing the purple Gem to fall face first into the sand. Kinzie felt her smile widen as the green light deposited her into Peridot's arms, the green Gem wrapping her up in a tight hug.

"I missed you, Per-bear," Kinzie said.

"I missed you too," Peridot mumbled into Kinzie's neck. "I didn't get a chance to tell you before but... I love you."

Kinzie's eyes widened slightly before she lifted up Peridot's head and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I love you, too, Peri. It's so good to be back."

"Not to interrupt your little love fest," Amethyst said as she walked back to the pair, dusting sand off of her outfit. "But I think a best friend hug is needed right about now."

Peridot rolled her eyes as she gently set Kinzie back down. "You're just mad because you didn't get to her first."

"Oh, please," Amethyst retorted. "You totally cheated!"

Jasper approached Kinzie as the two Gems continued their argument. "Onyx."

"Jasper," Kinzie replied.

"Do you remember what I said to you a while back when you and I had that conversation about my loyalty to Homeworld?" Jasper asked.

Kinzie nodded. "I do. You told me that if I was able to bring someone that was more worthy of your loyalty than Homeworld, you would follow them to the end."

"Right," Jasper confirmed. "Well considering Homeworld's already tried to do away with me, it seems I'm a loyal soldier with nothing to be loyal to. You can see where this presents a problem for me."

"I can," Kinzie agreed.

"However, you more or less died saving me," Jasper continued. "I'd say that makes you more than worthy of pledging loyalty to."

Kinzie smiled. "Fine by me. But I want to make one thing clear. I know that you're used to following commands; you told me as much yourself. But I don't want you to see me as a superior or a commander or anything like that. I want you to see me as an equal. No, wait." She paused for a moment before extending her hand toward Jasper. "I want you to see me as a friend."

Jasper rolled her eyes but shook Kinzie's hand anyway. "I think I can manage that."

"Okay, well if we're all finished sharing our feelings, I think it's time we get this party started with some pizza!" Amethyst interjected, followed by shouts of assent from the other Gems.

Steven brought his hand to the rose quartz gem in his belly button as he watched the Gems celebrate.

'Thanks, Mom,' he thought before running off toward the others.

Ending Notes: I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. As I said before, there's going to be a sequel that delves a little more into Kinzie's new abilities and introduces a few fusions as well as a trip to Homeworld.

I'll still be updating WATMG periodically as well. I've actually got a really cute Kinzidot drabble planned for New Year's Eve since I haven't had much of a chance to write a lot of fluff for them recently. I have some new stories for different anime planned as well, and you can find information about those on my profile. I'm probably going to be starting the Code Geass one next; I'm in the mood to write something creepy and disturbing.

Thank all of you so much for sticking with me! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support you've given me and this story! Please feel free to leave any feedback and constructive criticism you'd like! Thank you all for reading! Geekinthepink, out!