I've recently taken interest in reviving this story. I found the early remains of this chapter in the story folder, so I'm posting it as it was written, in an unfinished state, just to let you know that I'm alive and will be attempting to finish the story. In the meantime, check out my Lapidot High School Au, "When the Sun Rises," in order to see how my writing has changed and improved.

Thanks for your understanding. Next chapter will come in the next month. Give feedback on whether you'd like this story to be continued.

-Auremberite

Lapis: I see her golden eyes staring at me through the green waters. Jasper. I hold on to the chains that keep us bound together. "Let go of me, Lazuli!" Jasper cries, her voice muffled by the water between us. I squeeze my eyes shut. She's pulling on the chains with all of her might, but I can't stop. Not even for a second. "No…" I grunt. The combined effort of talking and pulling is too much, and I'm forced down onto my knees. Tears trickle down my face, but I don't care. "You're really stubborn, aren't you Lazuli? If you insist on doing this, I won't take it easy on you," Jasper said, jerking on the chains. I use my water wings to fly up onto my feet. "I have to do this… I don't care how much I get hurt… You can't hurt me… You can't break what's already broken," I whisper.

Steven: I stare in shock at the ocean. "Lapis…" I whisper. Amethyst runs up to me and hugs me. "We did it! We won!" she yells, her voice filled with glee. I don't respond, but Amethyst doesn't notice. After a minute, a break the silence. "So… what now?" I ask, my voice hollow. Garnet looks at me. "Well, since you don't really have a base, you could stay with us. It would be safe, and that way, we could look for Lapis together." She says. I frown. "Won't you guys just hurt Lapis again?" I ask. Garnet shakes her head. "We've done enough already. We've done too much already. It's been constant suffering for her for too long. She saved us by fusing with Jasper. We could've never fought Jasper like this. She deserves a break. Right, Pearl?" Garnet says. Pearl looks up. "Oh… yes." She says, not concentrating. I don't trust her, but this seems like the best option. "Sure. I can stay here for a bit." I say.

I walk into the living room of the house with Amethyst and the others. Suddenly, Peridot's gem started to glow. She reformed, her eyes wide. "Hey, you're back." I said, smiling. "Steven! We're alive!" Peridot said, hugging me. I hugged her back. "Yeah. You okay?" I say. Her eyes flash. "Ah! Why are we in the enemy's base?" she exclaims. "Steven, when I was aboard the ship, I found out some… valuable information. Homeworld intends to destroy Earth with a fusion weapon called the "cluster

End of Written Chapter