Chapter 12

One Step At A Time

I own Nothing

As the full moon hung high in the night sky, it's subtle silver glow illuminating the world it hovers over, you could hear the distinct sound of battle echoing throughout the otherwise peaceful night. The two gripped in combat were none other than the student and teacher duo of Naruto and Steven, trading blows throughout the night, something that has become almost commonplace for the past two weeks. "Patients, Steven! Rushing me won't do you any good," Naruto chided as he took a step back, forcing Steven to hyperextend his potion, leaving his ribs right open for a nice crack from Naruto's scythe handle. "For you, distance is your friend,"

Steven rolled to the side as he nursed his side before summoning his weapon of choice once more in preparation for his next strike, "Alright. Then, let's see how you handle this!" He fired back, tossing his shield like a makeshift frisbee towards his awaiting sensei who, without fail, batted it out of the air with ease, his sly smirk still evident on his face.

Not one to give up so easily, Steven quickly went on the offensive once again, forming one of his bubbles before aiming Naruto, charging at full speed towards him like a human-sized guinea pig. Lifting his scythe to block Naruto braced himself for the coming impact only to be surprised when Steven popped his bubble, tucking and rolling under his master's spread legs before activating his shield once again, tossing it at Naruto's back but this little diversion wasn't enough to keep Naruto off guard, swiftly turning to swipe the shield away once again. Calling the shield back to him, Steven charged once more towards his sensei, enlarging his shield to make up for the height difference between him and Naruto before clashing with him. Holding his scythe perpendicular to himself, Naruto blocked the shield rush but could feel himself slipping backward from the surprising amount of force the boy could muster but he wasn't going to be outdone so easily. So, digging his toes deeper into the dirt, Naruto locked himself in his position, prepared to contest his student in this new battle of strength.

While Naruto was content in waiting to see who's strength can hold up, Steven had another plan entirely. Recalling his shield, Steven allowed Naruto's weight and force to pull him unexpectedly towards him before summoning his Bubble, bouncing Naruto back with force and dazing him for just a moment, a moment that Steven was more than willing to take advantage of. Charging forward, Steven slammed into his teacher with considerable force, enough to send him rolling backward - something that put a gleeful smile on Steven's face.

"So *huff* how was *huff* that?" Steven asked with confidence yet his heavy pauses within his question revealed his exhaustion. This little back and forth has been going on for 3 hours now and the wear was beginning to show on poor Steven, his clothing was caked in dirt, grass stains and sweat along his body was trembling both from fatigue and the many well placed shots taken by Naruto during this training session.

With a chuckle Naruto got to his feet, dusting off his clothing for the first time tonight before giving the young man a bow, "well done, Steven - level 1 of your training has come to an end." and as those words left his lips, the visage of Steven's teacher began to dissolve into a black like smog before said smog trailed away towards the barn in the distance. Pleased with what he heard, Steven slowly makes his way towards the barn as well, a slight limp in his step but a hefty smile on his lips.

"Oh my gosh, Steven!" A gasp escaped the lips of the lavender haired water mistress known as Lapis Lazuli as she watched Steven limp into the barn, making her way to his side before inspecting him frantically. "What happened to you?! Are you alright?! Do you need something, anything?!"

"L-Lapis, it's okay - I'm okay," Steven said, trying his best to set Lapis's mind at ease. "Naruto and I were training, remember?"

"Training? This doesn't look like training, it looks like a beating!" She remarked with a harsh glare aimed at Steven's teacher. "I swear, if that barbaric gem lays a single hand on you again I'll-" But before she could finish her threat Steven chimed in once more.

"Hey, hey - Lapis, please," he remarked, "everything's okay, I told Naruto to not pull any punches and he didn't. I wanted to train as he did because...well, because-"

This time it was Naruto who spoke up, "in a fight to save the earth, no one will pull their punches - no one will treat him like a child and if Steven wishes to defend his homeworld alongside the other Crystal Gems, he's going to have to be trained with that in mind."

"Why would Steven have to fight? This world has the Crystal Gems and you as their defenders, why send a child?" Lapis questioned

"Because...I-I want to, Lapis," Steven remarked, taking Lapis's attention from Naruto for but a moment. "As long as I can remember I've wanted to be a part of the Crystal Gems, not as their sidekick or poster boy but as a warrior like my mother before me. I want to stand side by side with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Naruto as one united front against the homeworld ...and, maybe, if you'd like - you can stand right next to us too."

Lapis didn't know what to say, "...y-you two make it sound like we're in the middle of a global take over or something, we just got done with Jasper and Peridot, can't we just...calm down?"

"It took two homeworld gems and a gem destabilizer to take down all of us and to nearly drag us back to our demise. What if we're invaded again and maybe this time they'll bring more? Not just two but maybe three or four, or maybe even a whole fleet." Naruto continued, "Lapis, this isn't over. I know it, Steven knows it and I hope that soon you'll come to terms with it too." Lapis went to speak but bit her lip, holding back either a harsh remark or the fear that she felt slowly bubble to the surface. Electing to merely stay silent, the blue-haired water mistress saw herself out, leaving both Naruto and Steven to talk.

"...Did you have to be so harsh on her?"

"No, but it needed to be said. She can't keep pretending like everything will be alright if she hopes to escape Homeworld's wrath," He sighed, watching the blue-haired gem disappear into the moonlit night, probably to fly off her emotions so she could go to bed with a clear mind. "But enough about that, I think it's time we talked about your progress. Come on upstairs, I'd like to show you something." He ushered the boy to follow as he took him upwards towards his designated portion of the barn, the hayloft. As Steven made his way up, he couldn't help but notice a rather shocking contrast to the lower half to the bottom, seeing as pieces of paper and strange objects could be found strewn about across it as if a hurricane had swept through it. It almost reminded Steven of another gem's room, in particular, a lilac gem.

"Jeez, has it always been this messy?" Steven wondered, taking a step towards Naruto only for his sandel to catch on an errant piece of debris, causing him to stumble into a small heap of hay. "I-I can talk to dad and see if we can have a cleaning day for this room. Maybe it could make you feel more comfort-" Steven began, dusting the flecks of hay from his clothing only to be cut short by Naruto's rather curt response.

"There's no need," he stated, his voice should no room for negotiation as he made his way through his cluttered abode towards the corner of his room where a chalkboard stood, white chalk powder caked on it's used surface. "This is more important," he stated as he flipped the board over, revealing his work - a list of exercises and crude diagrams of fight patterns.

Steven nodded, scanning the board intently before remarking, "oh, yes - of course!...what is it, exactly?"

"Your new training schedule," Obsidian remarked, pulling out a pointer before tapping it against the chalkboard. "You see, I've been thinking. Seeing as you've now learned to fully awaken your weapon I think it's time we added a few more wrinkles to your basic training routine. An effective fighter must hone more than just his fighting skills but his body as well." He explained, "so, I've constructed a few key exercises I would like you to incorporate into your daily life,"

"Exercise? Awesome, I'm gonna get beefy!" Steven smiled as he flexed his muscles as hard as he could, showing off his gem belly in the process.

"Well, I wouldn't say that just yet. In the beginning, I don't want to strain you so we'll be focusing on the two major sections you're lacking in most at the moment. Endurance and Cardio!" Naruto chuckled, poking the chubby child in his stomach with his pointer. "Thanks to the memories of my projection I saw how fatigued you were during a 5-minute bout with him on level 1. Most gems usually don't get fatigued until they've reached level 5 but you are part human so that's to be expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I meant nothing by it. It's just...well, humans are...how do I put this….squishy and….ummm...not breed for optimal combat." Naruto tried his best to explain but it didn't seem to connect that well with Steven. "Human's must be conditioned to fight, gems are born to. We are created for a purpose and we must follow it without hesitation...or rather, that's what the diamonds believed."

Steven noticed the far off look in the gem's eyes at the mention of the diamonds, "Naruto...are you doing okay?"

"Hmmm?" Naruto began, snapping from his momentary stupor. "Oh, yes! I'm perfectly fine, just got lost in thought I suppose." he faintly snickered as he returned to his chalkboard, delving deeper into the regimen he had set up for Steven to follow. However, as they continued through Obsidian's well thought out routine for Steven, said boy couldn't shake the fact that something seemed rather off about his teacher. He seemed rather distant, his lips held a smile yet his eyes showed a different emotion, an emotion of dread and depression the likes of which Steven hasn't seen in him.

"Of course he's depressed," Steven thought, Naruto's words now mere mumbles as he continued to ponder on his teacher's condition. "He's been through so much in so little time, it's still probably affecting him. I can't expect him to snap back to who he once was." He watched as Naruto continued, his focus draining more and more from his actual words but more on his face and posture, "but...why is he pretending? Is he doing it for me?"

"Steven," Naruto called

Steven snapped towards his teacher, "hmmm? What?"

"Is everything alright?" He remarked

"Y-Yeah, why?"

"Well, I know I may not be the most interesting gem in the world but you're usually more focused than this." Naruto chuckled, rubbing the chalk dust from his palms before taking a seat next to his chubby student. "Also, I finished explaining your routine a little bit ago. I've been saying random words that pop into my head for about a minute and a half,"

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I was just…" Steven trailed off, his thoughts plastered clear on his features. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, Steven. Anything," he said, taking on a more serious tone than before in hopes of getting to the bottom of what is bothering his pupil.

"...Are you okay? Seriously, I want you to be honest with me." Seven asked which caught his sensei a bit off guard, to say the least, but he continued with his statement, he needed to get this off his chest. "I know the last couple of weeks have been rough and...I haven't had much time to spend with you over the last two weeks other than training so I...kinda don't know how you're handling all of this."

After absorbing Steven's question he fired back with a half-hearted smile and a pat on the boy's back before saying, "you worry too much, little man. I'm fin-"

"No, you're not!" Steven fired back, "everyone right now is hurt and uncertain; you, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst and even Lapis, and yet you all want to pretend that you're alright in front of me but why? What's the point?!" "I just want this all to go back to the way it was,"

"..." As Naruto noticed the hurt and confusion on his students face he couldn't help but let out a sigh before wrapping a caring arm around him in hopes to comfort him. "I'd want that too, Steven. I really would,"

Steven just shook his head, frustrated at the situation that everyone found themselves in, "you lied, so what? The Gems lie to me all the time and yet for some reason when you do the same the whole group falls apart."

"They see lying to you as sparing you, saving you for a harsh truth. Mine...not so much," he began, "it was a more methodical lie, I did it to protect myself and to hide from who I once was. Along with that, I'm an outsider, one in which they allowed into their inner sanctum, something they haven't done in quite some time."

"But you apologized, didn't you?"

"An apology will only go so far. They built a bond with me, a bond that lies on a faulty foundation. Now, I have to build it back up, that takes time...just like it will take me a bit of time to deal with what I must deal with," Steven raised a brow to this question.

"What do you mean?" He asked

Even though his student had his eyes locked on him, Naruto kept his gaze outward - staring aimlessly towards the night's starry sky. "I'm trying to figure out who I am and I haven't left this barn for 2 weeks because of it,"

"Well that's not very fun, no wonder you're depressed. You need to go out there and get some sun, interact with people, not coop yourself up in here all day," Steven remarked in hope to cheer up this gloomy little chat but it didn't seem to do what was intended.

"Steven, I'm trying to dig deep into my mind to get an idea of who I am and what I could become, something like that isn't really known for being exciting," Naruto said, running his digits through his moppy hair out of frustration, not aimed at Steven but at himself - at how no matter how long he spends on this task he has yet to find his answer. "But...it's something I must do,"

"Well, you're Naruto, what more is there to know?" Steven commented with a shrug, "you're nice, you're kind and I haven't met a single gem that's like you. What more could you ask for?"

"That's sweet of you to say but it's not that simple." He hummed, "let me ask you a question. What makes you you?"

Steven was confused, to say the least. Such a question wasn't a simple one, it has a lot of nuances that couldn't be boiled down to a simple answer, "...U-Ummmm, I don't know. Maybe it's my hair or my fashion sense, maybe it's my heart or….or maybe my…"

"It's your past, Steven; at least...that's what I'm beginning to understand. Everything that has shaped you into the person you are, your kind heart, your can-do spirit, and your bubbly personality...it would have all been different if something was shifted ever so slightly in your past."

Steven shook his head in response, "why are you talking about the past? The past is in the past, that's why it's called that."

"You don't understand Steven, I've been nothing but my past. Without that….what am I?" he asked, taking to his feet as he made his way towards the open barn hay door, gazing over the pasture somberly. "I was Yellow Diamond's right hand, I was Jasper's obsession, I was a genocidal madman who was ordered to do unspeakable things to those unfortunate enough to stand against me and the orders were given to me and….I was once close to Amethyst, almost inseparable. I've held on to my past, both the good and the bad, and now with my present in a haze and my future uncertain...I feel lost." He remarked as Steven joined him by his side. "So, asking me to forget my past or to not speak of it is like saying to stop speaking in general. Who am I without my past connections?"

Steven could only think of one answer, "...you're Naruto,"

"...No, I'm not even that." Obsidian sighed, "I'm so horrified by my name that I use the name of the voice in my head, a voice that I keep trying to find and yet stays silent to me." "I am nothing...and now I must find a way to become something." He ranted, his face twisted as he spoke only to end on a somber one as he let what he said settle before he continued. "...S-Sorry, Steven. I haven't had many people to speak to in the past 2 weeks so these thoughts have been dying to get out. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,"

"What? No, no, no! I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to speak with me about this stuff, even if I'm not sure what to say back."

"Just your presence is enough," Naruto placed a hand on Steven's head, rustling his curled mane before pulling him for a hug, something Steven quickly reciprocated with gusto. In these few moments of silence, the two could feel each other's pain - they knew that what each is going through isn't easy nor will it be fixed without time and patience. However, even though this late-night meetup has brought back many harsh memories, it also gave them hope for the future that maybe, just maybe everything can return to the way it was.

The duos time together was short-lived after their talk was concluded - it was getting late and Naruto knew Steven needed his rest, so he walked him back to his warp pad and gave him one final pat on the head before he warped back home, leaving Naruto to the dark silence that was the countryside. After he had said his goodbyes he made his way up to his part of the barn and started to think, his thoughts wandering and galloping across his troubled mind as he soaked in the words he said to Steven tonight about his growth as a being and how troubling it has been. "Naruto, if you can hear me...I'd appreciate your guidance. You were there for me for all those years, please be with me now when I need you the most." he thought as he hoped, no, prayed that another voice would respond but he found...nothing, just like it has been ever since his battle with Jasper.

Maybe there is something wrong with him? Maybe his fight with Jasper knocked a few more screws loose and removed one of his closest companions from him, his imaginary friend that he confided in for decades. Or...maybe they weren't knocked loose, maybe they were knocked straight, maybe his delusions of another voice in his head was his twisted way to escape his guilt and after their confrontation, he was slapped back into reality. Whatever it was it wasn't what Obsidian wanted; he hated the silence and he missed the conversations he was able to have with himself….he's missed quite a lot of things these past 2 weeks.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto laid down on his makeshift bed of a few boxes full of winter clothes and some hay before looking to the barn roof in hopes that the dull brown colors might lull him to sleep. However, instead of looking to the ceiling to see the aged wood paneling he saw Jasper's bubbled gem, a symbol of his past floating there almost mocking him in its defiance. He thought he'd be mad when he saw that gem rear its way in front of him but all he could feel was apathy - staring at the dull orange gemstone with such a numbed expression you would expect him to fall asleep.

Surprisingly though, Naruto simply reached out his hand towards the bubble which slowly brought it to his palm before he wrapped his arms around it and began to hum a simple yet comforting toon to help him sleep. As Obsidian felt his mind and body drift into slumber he was unaware of the faint glow that grew from Jasper's gemstone and soon was copied by his own, both radiating throughout the night.

The heavenly chim of a warp pad activating rung clearly through the countryside as Steven and Connie could be seen appearing within a beam of colors and bright lights, "Naruto!" Steven called out as he took Connie's hand into his and began to run towards the barn in question. Unseen by the two younglings Lapis found herself sitting atop the silo that neighbored the barn - her sight solely focused outwards towards the sky above only to snap back to reality when she heard the voice of Steven.

"Steven!" She called from her perch, catching the two's attention before she jumped from the top of the silo and made her way down to the ground below. "You're back early, how have you be-,"

But before she could continue Steven, seemingly out of childlike joy, cut her off with his question. "Where's Naruto? We've gotta ask him something,"

"Oh, him." She responded rather curtly as she aimed ber gaze towards the back of the barn. "He's where he usually is, outback. Fighting the wind," steven smiled before giving off a small 'thank you' before he and Connie made their way behind the barn, leaving Lapis behind, "it was good seeing ...you," she tried to say only to see that Steven and Connie were already out of sight before she could. With a sigh, Lapis could only ponder on why Steven was in such a hurry. "You could have at least stayed and talked a little bit, Steven. It's not like I've got anyone else to talk to."

As Lapis said, Naruto was out back behind the barn, elegantly swinging his scythe through a patch of tall grass, slicing through the blades as if they were nothing more than...well, grass. His speed began to pick up as he continued forward, twirling his weapon of choice around his frame as if he feared nothing, even being cut by his blade. Swiftly slashing through another bundle of grass he swiftly went on the attack once more, shredding the decapitated greenery into nothing more than slivers.

"Hey, Naruto!" Steven yelled, trying his best to catch Naruto's attention but he seemed to be a bit too focused on his work to hear a thing. "over here,"

"Hmmm?" Naruto's scythe stopped a centimeter away from the last bit of grass that he was prepared to slice before dispelling his weapon of choice. "Steven, Connie - what are you two doing here?"

"Shouldn't we be the ones asking questions here," Connie asked, looking over the greenery that had been devastated by Naruto's training.

"Yeah, why are you attacking that grass, what did it ever do to you?" Steven snickered

"It….It killed my brother! I needed my vengeance!" He muttered, gripping his fists in glorious outrage as the trio grew silent to give weight to such a heated moment...only to be broken up not 3 seconds later with the group's collective laughter. Things might have been tense these last 2 weeks after the Homeworld battle and the falling out of the Crystal Gems against their newest member but Steven and Connie refused to let that stop their friendship in any way. "But seriously, what brings you two to my neck of the woods?"

"Oh, right!" Steven muttered before shifting his strapped Ukulele around for his gemmed companion to see as Connie did the same, pulling out her instrument of choice, the violin, to present to Naruto. "Jam day!"

"Jam….day?" Naruto questioned

Connie was the first to respond, "yeah, Mr. Universe asked if Steven, you and I would like to come to the beach and have a day full of music and fun."

"Sooooo….wanna come?" Steven asked but by the way, he looked at his teacher Naruto knew there was only one answer that Steven wanted to hear.

Naruto was about to simply say 'of course' but couldn't as another question lingered in his mind. "...I-I don't know, are….any of the other Crystal Gems coming?"

"No, not really. I brought it up to Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst but Pearl's never really been a fan of my dad, Garnet said she had some 'errands' to run and...well, Amethyst hasn't come out of her room since you two last spoke. So, I kinda didn't bring it up to her." hearing that Amethyst has reverted back into her room didn't put Naruto in the best of mindsets at the time.

Naruto only sighed before responding. "Well, I suppose I should stretch my legs a bit. Being on this barn all day isn't healthy…..Sure, why not."

"Wahoo! Jam day!" Steven and Connie cheered, "come on, let's go get your guitar!"

As the trio made their way to the barn to get Obsidian's guitar he couldn't help but notice the water gem perched up on the silo once, seemingly bored of her existence who, just like Naruto, might want to spread her wings for the day. So, making his way to the silo he racked his knuckles against it's exterior to get her attention, "...Oi, Lapis"

Lapis popped her head over the side, "what do you want?"

"You wanna come?" He asked

"Come to what?" She asked back

"Steven, Connie and I are doing a 'Jam Day', do you wanna come?" He explained but it didn't seem to help with Lapis's confusion.

"What on earth is a 'Jam Day'?"

"Look, if you don't want to come you can just say." He sighed, making his way towards Steven and Connie who had already located and grabbed his guitar.

"Hey, that's not what I meant," Lapis remarked making her way down the silo once more, "But...a-am I even allowed to leave the barn?"

Naruto cocked his brow to such a question, "of course, this isn't a prison."

Lapis seemed ready to say yes but stopped, "but...I didn't seem to be invited,"

"I don't think Greg would mind, right Steven?" Obsidian asked

"Of course not, it's an open invitation! Come one, come all!" Steven proclaimed, ecstatic to know that Lapis might be willing to come too. "Come on, Lapis, I'd be fun!"

"...A-Alright, alright. You've talked me into it," Lapis smiled, "do I need to bring anything?"

"Just yourself! We'll supply the music,"

- Downtown Beach City -

The walk from the barn to downtown Beach was flush with conversation from Obsidian, Steven, and Connie, each exchanging adventures they had done during the last two weeks or, for Obsidian's case, the lack thereof. While Steven and Connie have been playing games, making music together and generally hanging out with one another, Naruto has been far more self-contained but he was more than willing to listen and give feedback to their little adventures, like the one they're speaking of now. "So wait, you're telling me there's an entire room in your house that whatever you think of will come true?"

Connie nodded vigorously as she recalled the room in question, "yeah, it's pretty amazing,"

Steven didn't seem to have as much fondness for that room as Connie does by the look on his face, "well maybe for you, Connie, but it wasn't too great for me."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"When I say it makes whatever I think come true, I mean everything! Because it is connected to me it can even make thoughts I didn't want to think come true, I was stumbling around with a fake Connie the whole time! Everything felt so ...unreal," mumbled Steven as a shiver seemed to run down his spine at the thought of the imposters he had run into the room.

"Interesting," Naruto hummed, "how did the others react?"

"Well, Pearl was shocked I even opened the room. Amethyst and Garnet seemed unfazed by it but, knowing Garnet, she probably knew that it would happen." Said Steven as he counted them off on his fingers.

"Haha, true, true" he muttered simply as a dull and awkward silence hung over the group as Naruto found himself fidgeting with his digits, trying to build the courage to ask the question he truly wanted to but he couldn't find it in himself to do so.

Feeling the tension build, Lapis thought it would be a good idea to step in, "s-so this "Jam day", what is it exactly?" She asked Steven as they passed the Beach Citywalk Fries as they give the shop a passing wave.

"It's a thing my dad and I started doing a couple of weeks ago, it helps us unwind and relax." Steven proclaimed, strumming his ukulele a bit before hopping off the boardwalk and feeling his sandaled feet sink into the comfy sand of the beach. "We all meet my dad at the beach, bring our instruments and jam the night away!" As he spoke the crew could see the Universe Van up ahead, Greg's legs dangling from the back of it as he lightly strums his guitar and hummed a nice little toon.

"I'm super excited, Steven's been hyping this up all week for me and I think we're all going to have a great time. I even brought snacks if anyone gets hungry," Connie cooed, pulling out a bag of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and some graham crackers to show them.

Though Connie, Steven, and Naruto seemed to be excited about all of this, Lapis still seemed to be a bit...lost. "An ...instrument? What's that?"

"Well….it's this," Steven said, brandishing his ukulele before striking a few cords to make a lovely little melody, "it's a tool you make music on,"

"But why would you do that?" Lapis asked, causing all three of them to think on how to exactly answer that question.

"Hmmm. Well, I do it because at first it was mandated by my parents but after a while, I started to fall in love with the sound my violin and I can make," Connie said, following Steven's lead and strumming a few angelic notes on her strings.

"And being a son of an amazing musician practically guaranteed that I would have an instrument in my hands, it was only a matter of time." Steven followed, "but you don't have to have a reason to play music, it's more like a want. A want to hear the beautiful melodies you can make with your instrument and how happy it can make you and others."

"...I-I don't get it," Lapis responded rather timidly, she could tell that the kids wanted to teach her why you would do such a thing but no matter what the would say she just saw it as needless - a waste of time that took away from something more productive.

"Don't worry, you don't have to get it right away but by the end of the day I bet you that you'll understand," said Steven before the group made it to their destination as the boy took a running start towards his father, his arms held out wide for him. "Dad!"

"Schtu-ball!" Greg yelled back, kicking out of his van before engulfing his son in a massive hug that only a Universe could give. "You ready to rock and roll all night?!"

"You bet!" Steven proclaimed, "as long as you don't mind I brought a few people,"

With a rustle of his son's hair, Greg replied with a hearty, "of course, little man! The more the merrier,"

"Thank you, Mr. Universe," said Connie as she gave Steven's father a simple smile for his hospitality.

"Come on, Connie. I told you, just call me Greg," Greg commented, but by the look in her eyes, he knew he couldn't persuade A Maheswaran into being anything but polite. "Fine, fine - I guess I can't tell you otherwise so I guess Mr. Universe it is," with a light chuckle and a gentle nod Connie made her way towards the beach chairs surrounding the fire pit and took a spot right next to Steven. "Hey, Naruto! It's been a while since I've seen you. How've you been?"

"I've been better, Greg but It's good to see you," Naruto replied, giving the long-haired Universe a light hug.

Greg replied with a simple, "yeah, I heard. Schtu-ball has been keeping me updated on...well, everything. I can't believe what happened to you all,"

Naruto tensed ever so slightly at what the balding Universe had said, "...a-and when you say everything do you mean...everything?"

"Yeah, everything." he nodded before continuing, "look bud, I don't care about your past. Would I have liked to have been told the whole truth? Absolutely but, honestly, after being around Rose and the rest of the Crystal Gems I've gotten used to being lied to. Besides, regardless of your past, I don't think an evil gem would have brought my son back to me safe and sound - so all is forgiven on my front."

"Thanks, Greg….that really means a lot," said Obsidian, genuinely surprised at such a level headed and thought out statement from the rocker dad - he was so overwhelmed by his statement he pulled him into another quick hug just for good measure, one Greg took with gusto.

"Anytime, Naruto." He said with a smirk, "but I do have a question for ya, one that can't be looked past."

"Ask away," Naruto replied, noticing Greg's tone is a bit more serious than normal.

"...Have you kept up your guitar lessons?" He asked, his serious expression now washed away, revealing a more cheerful smirk.

Naruto could help but laugh, "every time I have some downtime," he replied, pulling the guitar from behind him and strumming it a few times, hitting an A, C, and Dm chord. "I can't say I'm an expert like you yet but I think I'm getting the hang of this 'music' stuff,"

"That's the spirit! Remember, practice makes perfect," Greg smiled, before noticing that there was another person behind Naruto, a fifth member to this party of four that he hadn't even considered. "Oh hey, didn't see you there...um ...Lapis, was it?"

Lapis looked perplexed, "yeah, have we met?"

"Oh yeah, I was with the Crystal Gems when we went to stop you from stealing all the water for our planet, don't you remember? One of your watery clone things tried to attack me," Greg replied in a surprisingly cheerful manner for someone who is talking about the near-death experience.

"...C-Can't say I do,"

"Ah….well, it's okay, you're not the first gem to do that and I'm pretty confident that you won't be the last." He said, trying his best to escape the awkwardness of the situation but Lapis seemed to merely nod in agreement before starting to walk towards the water. "U-Uh, hey, Lapis! If you want to sit with us I've got an extra beach chair in the va-,"

"No, I'm good. I don't have an instrument," she remarked before taking a seat on the edge of the beach where the tide came in - sinking her bare feet into the wet sand as she watched the waves go by.

"Woof, was it something I said?" Greg asked, hoping that he didn't come on too strong.

"No, trust me, you did nothing wrong. She's just not very social," Obsidian responded, recalling the countless times he felt like he 'did something wrong' only to conclude that Lapis isn't the best with normal interactions.

"So, how's it been livin' with water girl over there?" Greg asked, pointing to Lapis who, at this very moment, had scooped up 3 orbs of ocean water with three different fish in them, observing them rather apathetically as the sun began to set.

"Lapis?" He said before tilting his head back in a thoughtful expression, "...well,"

-Flashback-

"What did I just say?!" Lapis all but screamed, "Your side, my side. Got it?"

Naruto only sighed at this reaction before laying out his case, "I just don't understand why we've gotta cut the barn in half like this."

"Because I like it this way, you get your space, I get mine. If you don't like it, you can always sleep in the silo out there." She remarked as she finished laying out the last piece of tape to indicate the two sides of the barn as if this was some sort of early 80's sitcom.

"Why are you being so difficult, it's space!" Naruto asked, dangling his leg over her side which, in retrospect, was childish on his part but to him, she was being unreasonable so it was justified at the moment.

"Yeah, my space!" She fired back, pushing the gem's dangling leg out of her area with a slap of a water-like whip. "The only reason I even agreed to do this stupid bunk buddies idea was because Steven asked me to, if it were up to me I'd be here all alone like I want it to be. Hell, if I had my way I'd be back on homeworld right about now but no, I'm stuck on this rock with you as my cellmate, goodie."

"Well, when you put it like that," Naruto mumbled under his breath as he rubbed the stinging sensation out of his whipped leg before trying to appeal to Lapis once more. "Look, we're both dealing with some stuff, you with your homesickness and me with my….everything. Fighting like this won't make living together any easier for either of us, so how about we bury the hatchet and try to make the most of this, alright?" He said, sticking out his hand in a show of peace. "Come on, Lapis, I'm trying here. The least you could do is-"

"I never ASKED for you to try!" She replied with force, slapping his hand away from her with a huff. "You don't seem to get it, I don't want to bury the hatchet, I don't want to try and make the most of this! I don't WANT to be here!"

-Flashback Over-

"I can honestly say we're doing better than we were," he remarked with a weary chuckle. "She's grown from hating the idea of being in a barn with me to begrudgingly tolerating it, so...that's a start."

"I guess you're right," Greg hummed, "but enough about that, I think it's time we get this party started, huh?!" And with that, the group of four cheered and began their night of toons and laughter - first the set their little fire pit ablaze while Connie broke out the fixings for the night's meal, S'mores. The kids gobbled them down one by one as Greg and Naruto sat there, talking about this and that - all the while Lapis watched on with curiosity. It was funny watching them converse and enjoy themselves after everything that has happened in recent weeks, how could they all be so happy and play their little songs after what happened? Are they not afraid? Are they confident that they can deal with what was to come or...maybe it was she who was wrong, maybe she needed to find a little patch of happiness before she is overcome with paranoia.

As she continued to look on and study the four, Connie and Steven decided to serenade the group with a little song they had been working on together for some time, it was a cute little ballad about jams and friendship that got a standing ovation from Greg and Obsidian. Next was Greg who couldn't help but give a slow-jam rendition of one of his classics, let me drive my van into your heart! This trend continued back and forth of Greg, Connie and Steven playing whatever silly song that came to their head while Naruto sat there and soaked it all in while occasionally being asked to play the second guitarist for Greg or Steven.

Noticing this, Steven chimed in after shoving one more S'more into his mouth with glee, "Hey, Naruto! Why don't you give it a try,"

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen you play before," Connie replied with stars in her eyes as she fiddled with the tuning pegs on her violin.

"M-Me? Oh, no, no, no! I can't," Naruto replied shyly, trying his best to hide his blushing face behind the neck of his guitar. "Besides, I-I only know one song that Greg taught me and I'm not even that good."

"Come on, bud! You'll never know unless you try and besides, what better place to work on your skills than in front of your pals?" Greg remarked, giving Naruto a hearty shake.

"If you say so," he sighed, shifting himself in his chair to position the base of the guitar on his knee before getting in a few practice strums.

"What song are you going to be playing?" Steven asked as both he and Connie's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"W-Well, the only one I know right now is the one Greg said he started with," he replied before he let out a sigh and began to play:

*Song: I can't help falling in love with you by Elvis Pressley/Twenty One Pilots*

"...Wise men say only fools rush in," Naruto began as the group began to grow closer to him, waiting with bated breath for him to continue his song, including Lapis who seemed to have stopped playing with the ocean's fishy creatures and was now transfixed on the gem's melody. "But I can't help falling in love with you,"

"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?" He continued, his voice seemingly captivating his small audience as the continued to watch, their mouths agape and their eyes glued onto him. They never expected such a voice to come out of him, it captured the emotion of each lyric perfectly like it was made for him. But no one seemed more captivated with it than our cyan skinned beauty as, without even noticing, her body started to sway as her eyes closed and her body began to move on its own. "Like a river flows surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes. Somethings are meant to be," her body shifted softly through the damp sand as the night tide came rolling in, her body now a slave to the music as she stepped atop the water's edge and continued her dance without missing a step. As Lapis began to move from the side of the Universe van to the ocean's surface her movements began to grow more elaborate and free, unleashing her water wings to take flight and release herself to this new feeling she has been introduced to.

"Take my hand, take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you," catching Lapis's dance from the corner of his eye, Steven smiled at seeing such a sight. "Like a river flows surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes. Somethings are meant to be," Steven couldn't help but get a closer look at what his cyan-colored companion was up to so, without disturbing Naruto's musical trance, he got up and made his way towards the shoreline quickly followed by a curious Connie as they both watched awestruck as Lapis let the music flow through her. "Take my hand, take my whole life too. I can't help falling in love with you. For I can't…help...falling in love...with...you," as the song came to somber end Lapis seemed to come back to her senses, her breath taken and her chest rising as fast as she ever thought it could.

As both gems came out of the melodic trance they were greeted with thunderous applause by their compatriots, "Woooooo!" Steven yelled, followed by another 'woohoo' by Connie. "That was amazing you guys, was that planned or something?"

"Hmm? Wha? What happened?" Naruto asked, seemingly oblivious to the duel entertainment they caused.

"Didn't you see? Lapis was dancing on top of the water as you played," Connie said, her face beaming with excitement.

"Really?" He asked, looking to Lapis who, with a few flaps of her wings, was back on dry land and was now the center of everyone's attention.

"Y-Yeah, something like that." She said softly, her cheeks flushed but a small smile donned her lips.

"That's amazing," Naruto said cheerfully, "I didn't know you had it in you,"

"Neither did I," she remarked, laying her hands against her chest to hopefully calm the rush she was feeling. "I didn't want to move but...your song, it ran through me like a river! I couldn't help myself,"

"I told you Lapis, when the right song hits your heart you lose yourself," Steven said, repeating the same swaying motions Lapis had done on the ocean surface.

"You were right, Steven." She said, shooting a sideways glance at Naruto and his guitar. "S-So….that being said. Naruto…."

"Hmm?" He hummed,

"...W-Would you mind playing in one more time….please,"

With a smile, Naruto sat himself down facing the shoreline and pulled out his guitar pick - "only if I get to see you dance this time,"

"Deal." And as the group continued long into the night they were blissfully unaware of a figure that watched on, her eyes welling with tears as her pale lavender hair now caught in the night's salty sea breeze. Seeing all that she could take her form glowed blue before converting into a bird and flying off towards her home, leaving the group with a simple over the shoulder glance before she crested over the mountainside.

AAAAAAAND scene! Thank you all so much for waiting patiently for this update, I've got countless messages of support and love for this story and I want you all to know I appreciate it all. I can give you the usual statement of being busy and stuff but with this story, it's a bit different. I've kinda had a falling out with the SU as a series, I still enjoy many aspects of it but the overall end of the series kinda left a bad taste in my mouth so it was kinda hard to keep writing about a series that you felt wasn't what it used to be. However, I still wish to move forward with this story and finish the vision I had all those years ago. Thank you once again and please leave a review and PM me if you like!