#i actually realized i have none of the right colors for spinel

[s-t-s-g-art]

rewatched the movie with the intent to get my mom to watch it, and instead bought the movie 💕

[gronjon44]

SO I WATCHED THE STEVEN UNIVERSW FINALE

And since it's over, I'd like to give my final thoughts on most of the series, even Jasper now that I've seen how they ended her "arc".

I'm gonna list this in order of main characters, so this is concise.

Jasper-

I'm gonna get this out of the way now. Jasper was treated like actual shit and even I can see it. She got some redemption at the end I liked how they turned her into this trainer to help Steven deal with his anger. BUT I was hoping it would evolve and help Steven get through to her and make her open up. But instead she was shattered, turned into a Diamonds herald again, and then dismisses right at the end. I will respect Rebrccas decisions, but Jasper deserved much more then to be an emotional pin cushion for her poke into and never fix.

Garnet-

Garnet went though significant changes. She was very guarded in the begining, showing trust only between the gems really. But when she was split by Jasper she was forced to open up when Steven realized who she was. This opened the door to have her be more vulnerable, and strengthen her bond with Steven. And this went on throughout the series and I like how she was the first to initiate the hug that fixed Steven-Zilla (that's what I call him)

Amythest/Pearl-

I'm gonna lump these two together cause they kinda parallel each other, and you could fit Garnet with them you wanted to. Both Pearl and Amethyst were still caught up in the idea of Rose, and Amethyst never really knew Rose before so she always associated Rose as she was when she was born, Crystal Gem and a friend. She was also extremely immature, and I think that fed into Steven's immaturity, so she had to progressively get more adult and accept things were changing.

And Pearl was honestly a parallel of that, while also being an opposite. She did not relax, she was strict, she was secretive, and she had known Rose longest, as well as when she was still Pink. So she was caught up the most in the Gem Wars History. She had to open up the most and to learn to "live and let die" essentially. Or at least that's how I see it.

Peridot-

Peridot went through some of the most drastic changes. She was basically Spock from Star Trek, all logic and science, but more evil sociopath. But when Jasper was defeated, Peridot was left to her own devices and became a sort of Skeletor, plotting what she could do to defeat Steven and please Yellow. And it took her losing the status she wss given to figure out herself and be her own person (in her case litterally when her arms and legs were destroyed) She was able to separate herself from homeworld, and it took a long while for her to really become her own person.

Bismuth-

Bismuth wss someone I originally didnt care for at first glance. I understood her importance and wss ok with it. But when she first showed up I was fine with it. But when she was revealed to basically be a radical gem and Rose had to bubble her, I was hooked. And while her acceptance of Steven not only being Rose but also being Pink just seemed to quickly solved for me, I'll let it be.

Lapis-

Lapis is an anti hero who should not have just been accepted as fast as she was. I used to love Lapis and Lapidot, still kinda do.l, but looking at it now and what they did to Jasper as part of that, I cant ignore it. Yeah she grew as a person but it wasnt done properly. She almost killed Steven 3 times, broke Jasper emotionally with being a fusion for so long, and she never actually owned up to her faults I think. And her sudden reintroduction in the final battle of Homeworld and how she just, magically decided to be a better person felt forced. Just my own thoughts.

Diamonds-

Yellow remind me of the Dictator from the actual film Dictator , wanting to be better but treating it as face value. She is doing good but at litteral face value with changing a gems physical form. Blue to me is the same way, only trying to fix their in the moment emotional state. Honestly I think White was doing the most she could to help fix everything, since she was most at fault. She was letting herself become vulnerable to other gems to help them go through their problems and see themselves as they are, hopefully becoming better people. White in such a short time was doing more to help other gems then Yellow or blue.

Spinel-

Spinel got done dirty frankly. I love her inclusion in the end and I love her character, flaws and all, but they felt abandoned in the end. I'm assuming that Steven Universe Future takes place some months after the events of the film. MONTHS. The type of trauma and abandonment issues Spinel dealt with dont go away in sheer months, especially when it comes to 600 years worth of abandonment. And when she was with the diamonds she just seemed fine, devoid of any issues. She was hesitant to go with the Diamonds hell she openly denied Steven's immediate friendship offer and said "I need time to figure this out, and I cant do it here." I can't just accept that Spinel got through that as fast as she did, not without some underlying issues left over from her past. You cant change my mind on that sorry.

Greg-

Omg Greg my boi, I wanna give him a hug and hot chocolate. The idea he had a ruff childhood and felt he needed to leave how he did, and how his parents never actually responded to his letters, its heartbreaking and it shows why he raised Steven how he did. He had too many lmits and he wanted Steven to have none of those limits. And him being half Gem complicated it, making Greg unsure about hospitals, about traditional schools, it's why he just let the Gems take over as his "mother(s)" because he knew they could help. Of course that caused issues that cant be ignored. But it just shows you why he is the way he is. And it hurts it really does.

Everyone else-

No real comment on anyone else, Lars and Ssdie are both league's ahead of who they started as. The Off Colors are still a delight I wouldve loved more inclusion of them though, Onion and his family eh never cared much for them accept the mom cause she was awesome, no real thoughts.

Connie-

Connie is, a whole new person from who she once was. I think she, without Steven, wouldve become what Greg could've been. But Steven helped her, out of everyone, become something even better then who she was. And it even helped her parents become more open to both Steven as a person, and Connie as a growing person. I have no beef with her character development, she was done amazingly well.

And finally,

Steven -

Steven is... how should I put this, a mixed bag for me. While he most certainly grew as a person, mastered his powers and most of his responsibilities, I cannot say I like how he was treated this final season. Yes Steven Universe: Future was focused him moving on from the past, inevitable change, and learning things he never knew about before. Things felt too fast for him in that season, even if time was passing longer for him, it felt too short. His downfall from grace felt to sudden, his progression to becoming a sort of "Surogate Pink" was too jarring (still fun to watch I love the idea of it)

His training with Jasper even, yeah they played it out like he changed so fast, but THREE DAYS? In one episode? No I wouldve preferred he spend a month or so with Jasper, they show they're relationship, Jasper gets actual time to develop and become a character that we wanted her to become. Hell you could've still shattered her, and it wouldve made her becoming a diamonds herald again more heart breaking, and they could've spent time on helping her get over that mindset.

All in all, Steven's character development was fun, but left much to be desired.

All in all, while the series as a whole was enjoyable, it was by no means perfect. It had many ups, plenty of downs, and I think it's a good example what to do and what not to do when writing an growing narrative. Rebecca Sugar rushed Steven Universe: Future too fast, she left many ends open ended and unanswered, and I give the final season a 6 out of 10.

This is all personal preference so hey let me know if you disagree.

[starscheme]

Change My World

Chapter Ten: While You Sleep

Steven only realized that he had lost consciousness when he opened his eyes with a start. His last memory being of Spinel, as she dragged herself to his side once the soldiers had been knocked out. Luckily, he didn’t have to look too hard for the former mermaid. Spinel was resting against his chest, but it didn’t appear to be a peaceful one. How could it be? However, even when Steven sat up, doing his best not to wake her, Spinel didn’t stir. She must have been exhausted. Her hair was a mess and she was covered in dirt from crawling on the ground. With a tired sigh, Steven rubbed a bit of mud from her cheek with his thumb. Even though he had promised to help her, here she was suffering again. Why hadn’t she gone with her friends when she had the chance? Surely they would do a better job of keeping her from all this misfortune.

After collecting his thoughts, Steven looked around to make sure none of the soldiers were going to wake up, but was distressed to find that it didn’t appear they would be opening their eyes any time soon. The soldier nearest to them was lying on his back, the helmet knocked from his head when he hit the floor. A trail of blood from his eyes and mouth had already dried and what poured out must have soaked into the ground, leaving a brown-red stain on the grass around his neck. In a quiet panic, Steven searched his memory frantically. He had knocked out a few guards, but there was no way that he hit them hard enough to kill anyone, right? No matter how hard he tried to remember, it was like his memory was glitching out and this bright pink light kept flashing in his mind instead of any proper detail.

Steven may not have been sure what happened, but they couldn’t stay here much longer. More soldiers might show up and even if Spinel didn’t look like a mermaid right now, they were surrounded by downed guards. Besides that, Spinel was still recovering from receiving her Gem, he needed to get her somewhere to properly rest. Carefully, Steven moved Spinel from his lap and got to his feet in order to prepare for what he had to do first. Even though these men had come after the mermaids, he couldn’t just leave them laying here. They deserved a proper burial. He wondered if Spinel would call him an idiot for taking the time to do this. He would just feel too guilty if he didn’t off these men a respectful send off. Admittedly, it took longer than he had hoped, but eventually Steven finished digging some decent graves and settled the fallen soldiers in them as gently as he could. After he was finished setting their helmets as grave markers, he went to find a blanket and get the bag of supplies that the Off Colors put in their tent. At the very least, Steven was sure that he put a change of clothes in there. Perhaps if he searched the other tents he could find some clothes for Spinel as well. Once they left the forest, it would probably be for the best if they didn’t look like they just fell off a cliff so as not to attract attention.

Steven changed his clothes, grateful that he didn’t have anything that would stand out. With a loose white shirt, brown work pants, and beige leather boots, he would look like any other laborer. Once he had finished gathering their things, he grabbed one of his other clean shirts and a small bowl of water, leaving the tent to make his way back towards where Spinel was resting on the grass. In all this time, she hadn’t made the slightest indication that she’d be waking any time soon. Though he had dampened a cloth with the intentions of wiping the dirt from her body, Steven found himself hesitating as he stared down at his sleeping friend. His cheeks burned as he reached down and began to gently clean the dirt from her face. He wasn’t sure why this made him so nervous, but he felt a little guilty doing this while she was asleep. Rinsing the cloth in the water, he made his way slowly down her neck, stopping when he reached the collar of her shirt where her Gem was barely visible. He still didn’t like knowing she had this target on her chest, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Steven looked away and though he knew he should start wiping down her arms and legs, the very thought made him even more nervous than before. Clearing his throat, Steven decided that this was good enough. He just couldn’t bring himself to go any further.

After several attempts to wake her, Steven eventually gave up, content that she was at least getting some rest. Her body must have really needed to recharge a bit. He carefully scooped Spinel up into his arms, looking down at her sleeping face for a moment with a smile. “I’m sure we’ll run into your friends again…but for now…I guess you’re stuck with me,” Steven whispered before heading out of the clearing and into the dark forest. The moment he stepped out amongst the sea of trees, the darkness surrounded them, forcing Steven to walk blind. Since he couldn’t see anything, this trip was going to be a gamble. This is what made this forest so dangerous. People often got lost, got hunted, or went crazy in the dark. Still, he didn’t have much choice. Besides, those soldiers somehow the clearing didn’t they? “This might end up taking a while…” Steven muttered to himself, keeping holding of Spinel with one arm as he used his free hand to feel in front of him. With just a few steps, Steven’s hand pressed against the trunk of a tree. He was about to turn and feel in the other direction, but before his palm left the surface of the tree completely, the leaves above them began to glow a gentle pink light, barely illuminating the area at the base of the tree. Steven gasped and glanced up at the luminous leaves in awe, only to be amazed as the other trees seemed to follow suit. A trail was slowly being formed by a line of select trees that were glowing one after the other. Each one with the same soft pink hue as the tree he stood under.

Perhaps someone else would find this suspicious or strange, but Steven was elated in thinking the forest was trying to help them. After all, it did have magical properties. He didn’t hesitate to follow the trail of light, walking leisurely through the forest now. The light that came from the trees was warm and rather calming, he was a little disappointed that Spinel was sleeping through all this. Surely she would find it as beautiful as he did.

It took hours, but eventually Steven was able to see the light of the sun peeking through the shadows of the dimly lit trees. As soon as he got close enough to use the suns light as a marker, the trees around him once again faded into the dark. “…thanks for the help,” said Steven with a smile before he reached the edge of the forest and stepped out into the sunlight. Luckily, it seemed the forest had led them straight to a road heading for a town. They didn’t have a lot of money, but Steven wanted to find an Inn so that Spinel could sleep comfortably for once in an actual bed.

“Hey you!!”

Steven flinched when he heard the bellow of a woman calling out, hopefully not to them. He peeked over his shoulder to see a bright, stocky woman riding up behind them in a small carriage. The woman stopped her carriage just short of Steven and Spinel, pulling the reins on the horse that hauled her coach. With a closer look, the woman had confident, determined eyes, a stocky, short build, and short blonde hair that she had tied back to keep out of her way.

“What are you two doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” She asked seriously, a tinge of concern in her voice that Steven couldn’t help but notice.

Reluctant to answer her right away, Steven looked down at Spinel, wondering what he could say that didn’t sound suspicious. Surely he must have looked a little shady while carrying an unconscious woman down the side of the road. “…We…I was trying to get her to an Inn. She’s not in good health right now…”

The woman gasped dramatically and quickly hopped down from the coachmen’s seat. “You poor things,” she exclaimed, making her way over to Steven in order to look over Spinel. “I heard some soldiers had run through this town to go on a raid. Did they invade your town? Those royal lap dogs think they can do whatever they please just because they work under that war hungry First Princess of theirs.”

Steven was a little swept away by the woman’s rant as she came to her own conclusions about what happened to them. However, she didn’t seem like a bad person. “…um, this might be a lot to ask, but could you possibly give us a ride into the next town? I can’t offer you a lot of money, but—“

“—Don’t you worry, young man,” she interrupted, puffing up her chest with a confident smile. “The names Barbara Miller and I’m the best there is when it comes to getting things where they need to go and I wouldn’t dream of ignoring a young couple in need.”

Being referred to as a couple forced Steven’s heart to skip and he quickly cleared his throat, “Ah—she’s n—I mean—I haven’t---“

Barbara smirked and nudged Steven with her elbow, “No need to be embarrassed. I know love when I see it. But let’s not dawdle now. We need to get your girl to that Inn so she can get some medical care, right? You two climb in the carriage, don’t mind the packages; I’m bringing some supplies to my daughter. Just settle yourself in and we’ll be on our way!”

This woman really seemed to follow her own pace. Still, at least she didn’t waste any time. He thanked her fervently and did as she suggested, carrying Spinel into the carriage, but refusing to set her down. Instead, he kept her in his arms while she continued to sleep. At least she wasn’t in any pain. Hopefully the next time she opened her eyes, she would be resting on a soft bed.

A/N: Sorry this chapter was so late, but the next one will be out a lot sooner. I got behind in my work, but I’m all caught up now so I can do the stuff I actually like. lol

[starscheme]

Change My World

Chapter Twenty: Facing This Together

Though he could tell the light faded some time ago, Steven was reluctant to open his eyes. Spinel's cold body had vanished from his embrace, but the Diamond still burned his palm. Why did he see those things? It all seemed like a terrible dream, but the pain in his chest was so real and somehow, Steven knew he'd felt it before.

As Steven went over the possibilities in his mind, he felt a soft hand cover his eyes, shielding him from anything else he might see. Of course, this startled him a bit, but for some reason, Steven knew he wasn't in any danger.

"When you wake up, you must escape before they come for you."

The voice he heard was soft and gentle, but there was an urgency in her words that he couldn't ignore.

"How?" asked Steven. Though he didn't recognize the woman's voice at all, asking who she was didn't even occur to him.

"Lion will get you out. Call for him." The woman instructed, keeping her hand over Steven's eyes.

"...will Spinel be there when I open my eyes?" Steven asked with a catch in his throat. He could still feel her body growing cold in his arms. If he woke up to find that it wasn't just a dream, he wasn't sure he wanted to go back.

"Don't let history repeat itself, Steven," replied the woman. "You have the power to protect her. More so than you did before."

Power? Did she mean that pink light he kept seeing? Even in these images, it only appeared when he was desperate. "I don't know how to use it. What if I hurt her? What if—"

"—-Steven," the woman interrupted sternly. "This power is yours. Don't let it control you. Protect the one you love...and this time...make it a happy ending. You two already changed this world once, I know you can do it again."

Without giving him a chance to reply, Steven felt the woman press her lips to his forehead briefly. It was then that he began to hear Spinels voice like an echo. She was calling his name as if searching for him in the distance.

"From now on...it will be even harder for you, Steven. ...I'm sorry..." whispered the woman sadly as everything went black.

Back on the platform with Volley, Spinel was kneeling beside Steven. He had been unconscious for a few minutes now and Spinel wasn't sure how to wake him. She'd shook him several times and called his name, but nothing seemed to work.

"It's pointless," began Volley as she watched Spinels futile efforts.

"What did you do to him? Wake him up right now," demanded Spinel.

"I didn't do anything. He's just remembering what he forgot. ...and once he does, it would be best if you weren't around. We can't have you ruining things again." Volley replied with a smile.

Once again, Spinel had no idea what this girl was talking about, but she had no intentions of going anywhere. Not while Steven was like this. "I'm staying right here until he wakes up."

The smile faded from Volleys face, "even without your memory, you're still making the same stupid mistakes. I suppose even with a second chance...you'll just end up like before."

"My memory?" Spinel repeated. "Why do you keep talking like that?!"

"It must be so frustrating for you. I can imagine. After all, you convinced Steven to change everything and yet, here we are. Right back where it started. You thought we would all forget, but you miscalculated and once Steven remembers all the awful things you did, he'll leave you all alone."

It was clear that Spinel wasn't going to understand anything this girl said to her. Actually, she didn't want to understand it. Luckily, she was pulled from the conversation when she heard Steven awake with a short gasp for air. She smiled and quickly leaned over to look down at his face. "Steven! You're okay!"

In silence, Steven took a few even breaths, staring up at Spinels face. He was back, right? Reaching up, he brushed his fingers along her cheek to feel the warmth of her skin. She was alive. Her cheeks flushed as he touched her and Steven could see the confusion in her eyes. She was embarrassed by his actions for sure, but she wasn't pulling away.

"Er...Steven...?" Spinel whispered, her heart skipping a beat as he stared up at her. Perhaps he was still a little out of it.

Steven still wasn't quite sure if what he saw was real, it certainly would explain why he fell for Spinel so hard and so fast. He loved her once before and he'd fallen for her yet again. Breathing a small sigh of relief, Steven smiled up at Spinel. "You're beautiful..."

A bashful squeak escaped Spinels throat and her cheeks flushed a deep red. "Wh-"

Though Steven was happy to see her face, there was one thing that puzzled him. In those forgotten memories, Spinel did look a bit different and when in mermaid form, she didn't have the black streaks under her eyes. They couldn't have been two different people. It just didn't feel that way. So why did she have those now?

"Excuse me," Volley interjected, once again displeased with such a display of affection.

Spinel flinched and quickly pulled back, staring down at her knees as her heart thumped against her chest.

Disappointed that Spinel was no longer close, Steven sighed and got to his feet, offering Spinel his hand to help her up as well.

Volley watched as they stood up, but was growing impatient. More so when she caught Steven's eye. This wasn't right. His eyes were still the same. Volley shook her head, feeling tears burn at her one good eye. "No, no, no, you're not done yet."

Steven didn't feel good about leaving someone alone like this, but the woman told him to escape. Her choice of words not lost on him. "We're leaving. ...you can still come with us," he offered one last time, disregarding Volleys words.

"You don't remember everything yet! You can't leave! You need more time." Volley insisted desperately.

When it was clear that she was intent on him staying, Steven took Spinels hand and turned to head down the stairs, but this only served to upset Volley further.

"This is all her fault again, isn't it?! Why couldn't you have just let her die?!" Volley choked out as she stifled a sob.

Steven stopped his descent down the stairs at once. His eyes changed color in a flash and he released Spinels hand to turn back towards the distraught girl. Stepping back onto the platform, the stone began to crack beneath him. Though it startled the girls, what surprised Spinel most was that it didn't seem to alarm Steven at all.

"Were you the one that hurt her?" Steven asked simply. The fact that Volley mentioned her death at all, meant that she was there didn't it? He still didn't know who was responsible for it. All he knew for sure was that he couldn't forgive them.

Volley stepped back on instinct, "i-it wasn't me," she answered as she cornered herself against a bordering pillar. "I wasn't even there when it happened. I only know what I was told."

"Told by who?!" Steven demanded now, the ground beginning to shake around them.

"Zurine! She was the one that told me, but I don't know who did it, I swear!" answered Volley quickly.

"Steven...we should go," pleaded Spinel as she rushed to his side and took his arm. She may not have understood what they were talking about, but it was clear that it was upsetting him and there was a large part of her that didn't want to hear anymore.

It wasn't until Spinel spoke up that Steven even realized what he was doing. The rage he felt began to slowly fade when he saw Spinels face. He wanted answers, but not at the expense of possibly hurting her. "LION!" Steven shouted, not wishing to linger any longer.

The Beast dashed up the stairs to reach them, carrying the duffel bag in his teeth. Once again, Spinel was a little alarmed that none of this was surprising Steven. He had actually called the animal to him and was now taking the bag from its mouth as if he were accustomed to it. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, Steven mounted the Lions back and held out his hand for Spinel with a smile.

"...you really are a curious human..." muttered Spinel as she took his hand and was assisted onto the Lions back as well.

"We can talk about that later," Steven replied with a small smile.

"W-Wait," shouted Volley in a panic. "Please! You can't go! They already know you've come back! Just wait and they'll be here to bring you home!"

Spinel wanted to ask who Volley meant, but the Lion roared and echoed out a portal before she was able. With a jolt, Lion jumped through the circle of light and carried them away from the Garden while Volley pleas faded out.

Once on the other side of the portal, they were met with a downpour of rain and it appeared to be late into the night.

"Seriously?!" Spinel exclaimed irately, becoming soaked almost at once. Luckily, they didn't seem to be close to a village since she had reverted to her Mermaid form thanks to the water crashing down over them. However, that also meant she could no longer keep her balance on the Lions back. With a gasp, she nearly slipped off before Steven panicked and caught her waist with his arm.

"I'm sorry," Steven quickly shouted over the sound of heavy rain. "I didn't know where he would take us!"

"You have so much explaining to do!" Spinel shouted back, blushing as Steven hopped from the Lions back, carrying her like a princess.

"I know," Steven replied. Of course Spinel would want some answers after all that. He didn't have them all, but he could at least tell her what he saw. With perhaps one exception. However, Spinel couldn't ride on Lion like this. So it was important that they find some shelter first. Looking around, they were mostly surrounded by trees. Though the trees were doing very little in keep the rain from them. Finally, Steven noticed Lion wandering off towards the entrance to a cave. It was dark, but he could clearly see the carved out rock. Following after Lion, Steven carried Spinel into the cave, both of them greeted with more water as Lion shook himself dry.

Setting Spinel down, Steven sat down in front of her and opened up the duffel bag. Luckily, there were small, glowing crystals embedded in the walls of the cave to give him some light and only some of the clothes on top were dampened inside the bag. He pulled out a blanket, but when he looked up to offer it, he saw that Spinel had become human again.

"I guess if the water isn't constant, you don't stay a mermaid," observed Steven. "At least we're know what happens in the rain now."

Spinel hugged her shoulders. As a mermaid, she wasn't cold, but now that she was human again and rather damp, she found herself shivering. "I don't know how you people stand this..."

Steven blushed a bit, quickly looking back down into the bag. He couldn't help noticing how Spinels dress was now clinging to her skin. Thank goodness it was black. Though it did remind him of the last time he had to remove wet clothes from her. "Uh-um, I'll find something dry for you to wear."

"...aren't you going to tell me what happened?" asked Spinel as Steven searched the bag.

"There's...not too much to tell," tried Steven. Unfortunately, the other dress he had bought Spinel was a little damp. Though he was sure one of his shirts would cover her well enough, imagining her in it only served to make him more flustered. "Before we talk...y-you should get out of those wet clothes and change into something...dry."

Was he avoiding the subject? Spinel huffed a bit, but she certainly wasn't keen on staying in this cold dress. "Fine...but you have to turn around," she insisted as her cheeks flushed.

"O-of course! I was going to," stammered Steven as he quickly spun around and closed his eyes for good measure. Mostly to keep himself from peeking.

Spinel waited a moment or two before she began to undress. Even though he had his back to her, he was still in the room. For some reason, just the fact that he could hear her undressing was nerve wracking enough. Her dress dropped around her ankles and Spinel realized that she forgot to ask about the dry clothes before she undressed. "Um...I need-"

Before Spinel finished asking, Steven held out one his shirts, making sure not to turn around. This was truly a test of will power for the young man.

"Oh, thanks..." mumbled Spinel as she snatched the shirt up quickly, noting to herself how the back of Stevens ears had flushed red. Taking just a moment to look down at the gem over her chest, Spinel slipped on the shirt. Luckily, Steven was taller than she was by enough that the shirt covered what it had to and a bit more. However, since Steven had a broader frame, the shirt was rather baggy and slipped off her shoulder a bit. If only she still had her scales and tail. This human body sure made Spinel feel awfully exposed. "You aren't going to change?" Spinel asked when she realized Steven was still in his wet clothes.

"Huh?! Oh-oh right! I almost forgot about that..." he chuckled nervously, searching through the bag and pulling out a change of clothes for himself.

"Don't worry, I'll turn around too," exclaimed Spinel, spinning around to face the cave wall.

Steven chuckled once more and began to remove his wet clothes. He still had his back to Spinel. Even though she was dressed, he didn't want to stare at her with her back turned. Dressing as quickly as possible, Steven finally turned around to face Spinel properly. "You don't have to face the wall," he announced, already having trouble looking at her.

Spinel turned around slowly, feeling far more awkward than she ever had before. She knew he didn't watch her undress, so why was her heart beating so fast? It only made things worse when she glanced up and saw Steven's face.

After getting a good look at Spinel, Steven was speechless. The baggy shirt only made her seem more petite and her bashful expression was simply stunning. Steven nearly had to remind himself to breath after a moment of stunned silence. His ears burned once his blush reached them and he had to force himself to look away, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his expression as best he could. "A-are you—-I mean...are you still—you should use the blanket to warm up..." Stumbling on his words, Steven could barely keep his thoughts straight.

Spinel couldn't help but smile. It was rather endearing to see Steven behave like this for once. A nice change of pace since she was usually the one panicking. She grabbed the dry blanket, but only found herself blushing once again as she stood there fidgeting with it.

"...Spinel?" Steven began, noticing how hesitant she was to cover up. "Are you-"

"—-we should share!" Spinel insisted quickly, too embarrassed to actually look at him when she said it.

Steven wondered for a moment if she was doing this on purpose. Was she just trying to see how much his heart could take? "N-no. You need to warm up and I-"

"—-so do you," insisted Spinel again. "You're always sacrificing your own comfort for me. I don't like it. You don't have to be so nice about it."

"...it's...not really about being nice," sighed Steven, unsure how best to explain it without sounding like a creep.

"This is the only blanket and we can't make a fire because of the rain. ...so...j-just stop being so nice and come share the stupid blanket." It was humiliating to be so persistent about this, but she simply refused to let Steven sit in the cold while she warmed up alone. It would only make her feel bad. Spinel took the blanket and sat herself down against the cave wall, staring up at Steven as she stubbornly held the blanket open for him.

"You know, you're being really unfair," Steven sighed again, finally relenting and sitting himself down beside Spinel to drape his half of the blanket over his shoulder.

Her perseverance had paid off, but of course with Steven so close, her heart tightened in her chest. It's not like this was the first time they had been close. Steven carried her all the time and often embraced her, so why did this feel more intimate somehow? "So...should we discuss what happened in that Garden?"

With their shoulders pressed together, Spinel could feel Steven flinch lightly. He was clearly troubled over what he'd learned. Why? Was it so terrible that he couldn't tell her?

"I...don't really know how to explain it..." began Steven, turning his head to keep Spinel from seeing his face. Honestly, he didn't really want to remember it. The last image in particular was not something he was happy to recall. "...do you remember...the way Volley was talking to us? As if she knew who we were, like we'd been there before?"

It worried Spinel that he wouldn't look at her, but she answered all the same. "...yeah."

"When we were in that Garden...you said you didn't like it there. Why?"

"I...it was just creepy," replied Spinel. "It felt...suffocating being there and I...just wanted to leave as soon as possible."

"Do you think there was a reason for that?" asked Steven. "Maybe...you and I really have been there before. Maybe something bad happened there. Maybe we were there before and just...didn't remember."

"What makes you think that? What if Volley was just trying to trick us?" Spinel insisted, getting a bad feeling about this conversation. It was the same foreboding pressure she had felt when Volley was spouting her nonsense. Something inside Spinel just wanted to refuse the notion that she might be forgetting something.

"For what reason," asked Steven in return. "If she or anyone else was after you, they would have tried to keep YOU there, but they wanted me to stay...and said you didn't belong."

A brisk chill ran through Spinel and she began to panic internally. Without knowing exactly why, alarms were going off inside her head. The same way she didn't want to tell him about the message or his power, she didn't think they should dive into this much further. "I-I think we should just forget it," she voiced finally.

"What? You were the one that asked—" Steven began, turning his head to look at her now.

"—-I just don't think it matters. It doesn't change anything. We're still going to the Capital, aren't we?"

"Well, of course, but what if what I saw meant that there is something you and I—"

"—-I haven't forgotten anything. Whatever you think you saw was probably just some magic they pulled on you," maintained Spinel stubbornly.

Now this was getting on Steven's nerves. Spinel was the one that brought it up and now she was refusing to listen? He was used to her avoiding things, but she didn't even really know what she was avoiding. Why was she being so headstrong over this? He turned completely, placing his hands on Spinels shoulders, forcing her to turn his way as well. "Just listen," ordered Steven sternly. "It's not like I enjoyed what I saw. I don't even know if what I saw was a memory or some magic like you've said, but...it felt familiar."

Spinel met Stevens eyes. His honest, determined gaze always forced her to back down. She couldn't stop his confession before and it seemed like she wouldn't be able to stop this either. "...Steven...I'm scared," she admitted quietly. If there was something she'd forgotten, she had a feeling she didn't want to remember. What would that mean for her life now?

That was all it took for Steven to deflate. If what he saw were real memories, he didn't want to be the one that forced Spinel to remember something so awful as her own death. Besides, he still didn't know enough. He'd gotten annoyed since Spinel had brought it up, but the last thing he wanted was for her to be upset because of him. With a defeated sigh, Steven leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "...me too.." he whispered in a somber breath, "but I think...this is something we have to deal with together. I know this is all getting really complicated and it's...confusing, but..."

As his voice trailed off, Steven wondered how this would all play out. The woman in his vision said he had the power to protect Spinel this time and change the ending to a happier one, but what if getting Spinel involved at all was just going to force her towards the same fate?

As anxious as she was, Spinel could see that this was weighing on Steven as well. He had dealt with so much by starting this journey with her. It would be selfish of her to make him carry this alone. "...it's okay," Spinel finished for him. "You're right. ...I still don't like it...but I'm in this with you. So...let's figure this out together..."

A/N: This chapter was REALLY long. Sorry. I couldn’t find a good part to split it in two. So it had to drag on a bit.