Author's notes

Okay wow, I haven't touched this story in almost a year. I'm going to finish this thing, I swear. Well technically I have finished it (a rough draft) but I'm going to polish the chapters on this site. I should also include that this story was created after the ending of Season 4 episode 1 (Kindergarten Kid) and basically I'm going off script past that point. So no Blue Diamond visiting the earth, no Pumpkin, and yada yada. Just to let yall know.

Steven never knew it could be so quiet underwater. The young crystal gem just stood there, kicking up the sand and watching as the different grains rise lazily in a dusty cloud. Even though Steven knew that he was in the depths of the ocean, he could see everything around him as if he was back on land in the middle of a sunny day. There wasn't much to see down here however. Just sand and some rocks. Sometimes an angler fish or a goblin shark would swim by leisurely but they weren't that exciting once you got used to their ugly presence.

Having nothing better to do, Steven started to walk. Maybe if he walked far enough, he could reach land and find the something he wanted to find. Steven shook his head and tried to concentrate; he didn't want to find something, he needed to. And it wasn't a something, it was a someone. His fingers raked through his wild hair as he tried to recall the person's name.

No, not a person, Steven realized. She was a gem, a gem so powerful that she could control water with barely a thought. Steven felt himself grow warm as he thought of her. She was so beautiful, especially when she smiled. But how long did he last seen her smile at him with joy? Did she ever? Steven knew he saw her not that long ago but those were unpleasant memories. Memories that he couldn't even recall.

"Who are you?" Steven growled, his hands clenching at his head, feeling his claws start to scratch at his scalp. He took solace in the pain, it was better than feeling nothing. He continued to walk, still thinking about the mystery gem and how much he would like to see her again.

After a few hours of walking, Steven saw something new. New usually meant bad but his gut told Steven to go towards it. So Steven started to jog towards the new object and when he neared it, he saw that it was a boat. Already, the vessel was in the process of decay even though it was only there for a few months. How he knew how long the boat was there Steven had no idea but he continued to investigate it. He climbed up the side with ease, his claws providing necessary grips into the rotting wooden surface. Gripping the rusting rail, Steven lifted himself up and gaped at the large hole in the middle of the deck.

Steven ambled closer to the hole, testing each step before putting his entire weight on the floor lest it collapse under him. He reached the edge of the hole and kneeled down to inspect it. The planks around the hole were warped so that they pointed up which meant the damage had to have originated from the bottom of the hull. It was too clean and round for the boat to have run aground. It looked as if someone had literally punched through the entire boat, Steven finally concluded.

But who would punch a hole through a boat and for what purpose? Steven's gut told him that it was to protect someone but why would one sink a boat to protect a person on it? Perhaps the danger came from one of the passengers? Once again Steven's gut told him that he was correct. Was the danger eliminated? Who was being protected? And who was the one that punched through the boat?

Steven groaned in pain as his brain went into overdrive with all of his questions. He got up and jumped off the boat, the water allowing him to simply drift back to the sea floor. Too many questions and even if he answered each one of them, where would that get him? Still walking the ocean floor aimlessly with some gem on his mind.

He was about to start walking again, as far away from the boat as he could manage when he realized something unnerving. It was quiet, too quiet. Steven looked back at the boat and gasped in horror. There, hovering above the hole, was a monster. It stared down at him with a wicked smile that he knew all too well. He would sometimes smile like that right before a fight when he knew that his opponent was actually going to challenge him. The creature was twice the size of the boat but Steven knew that it should be bigger. It stared at him with four eyes, each one black as coal.

"Long time, no see," it croaked, revealing deadly fangs that could slice through his flesh as if he were made of butter. What made his blood chill was the voice however. It was a crude imitation of the one that Steven knew belonged to the mystery gem. What should have been light and carefree was hoarse and bloodthirsty.

It narrowed its four eyes like it had read Steven's thoughts. It landed on the boat with a thud and crushed it as if it was a house made of cards. Steven felt something in his mind snap as the cloud of debris rose from the destruction. He turned and fled as fast as he could, knowing deep down that he would never be fast enough.

He heard the monstrosity laugh behind him as it gave chase. Steven's eyes whirled about his surroundings, trying to find a rock to hide behind or a crevice to squeeze himself into. Anything to escape the abomination behind him.

"Where do you think you're going to go?" The voice changed and sounded akin to his own, only overlapped by the mystery gem's voice. It sounded angry but also desperate, like it needed Steven but didn't know how to keep him. "You can't escape me!" The creature slammed its fist into the ground, cracking it open with a deafening roar.

Steven tried to jump over the crack but the ground beneath him opened up before he could. He fell, screaming for help. He could see the monstrosity at the lip of the trench, smiling down at him with eyes as blue as the ocean. He turned around midair and could only grunt as his body slammed into the floor, his head smacking against a rock with enough force that it should have split his skull open. But instead he was just knocked out.

Steven came to in a new environment. He looked about and could only see endless space, lit up by the floor made of bright water. He glanced down and immediately started to panic, each movement creating a ripple on the floor. His body was chained with links made of water that would not allow him to move or run. The chains went into the floor seamlessly and he could just make out a greenish-blue hand holding the other side of the chain. Steven roared in desperate anger, pulling with all his might to gain control. He didn't know why he needed to gain control or even how, he just knew he had to.

"Stop fighting me!" he roared to the figure under the floor. Steven felt a yank on the chains and his body slammed against the water. His body started to fuse through the floor and in a panic, he tried to rip the chains off his body, only managing to dig his claws into his own skin. Steven yowled in pain but his cry was drowned out by a cruel laugh.

"You are so pathetic." Another yank and Steven was pulled under the floor. He covered his mouth, realizing that he could not breathe. The laughter grew as Steven was pulled even deeper into the darkness and madness. He looked down at his captor and saw Malachite staring up at him. Two of her eyes were glowing a blinding bright blue while the other two were closed. Steven tried to kick at the chains but Malachite only pulled him down even deeper until he could look only at her face. "You are my prisoner now," said Malachite in the voice of Lapis Lazuli.

He shook his head and tried once again to swim up. This time he could feel Malachite giving him slack but he didn't want to test for how long. Already his eyesight was growing weaker, blackness obscuring the edges. He was so close to the surface, just a few more strokes.

Steven's head broke the surface and he gulped in mouthfuls of air while he still could. He could feel himself being dragged back under and he lifted an orange and red arm in desperation. He scratched at the air uselessly with his claws before he was pulled under once more. He looked down and saw that Malachite was no longer pulling the chains but something far worse.

It was him but not. It was a monster. It looked like a beta kindergarten gem corruption but with his body. It snarled up at him as it yanked on his chains further down. Steven tried to get away but the creature was too strong. Soon it reached up and raked its claws into his legs. Steven screamed out in agony as blood gushed from the wounds, staining the beige mane of the monster into an ugly red. He stared at the monster as it crawled up further until it was facing him with its horrible face. It roared and Steven let out a whimper knowing that he was about to die, only to be reborn and relive everything all over again. It opened its mouth wide and Steven could see his reflection clearly in the wicked fangs.

Jasper stared at her corrupted self, waiting for the end. As the beast snapped its jaws around her torso and neck to snuff out her life, Jasper released a blood curdling scream, reaching up with the arm not in the creature's mouth towards the surface. As her body was dragged down by her own madness given form, Jasper whispered her dying plea.

"Help me."

Steven jumped out of his bed, landing on the floor harshly with Lion yowling by his side. He curled up into a protective ball as his hands grasped at his throat where the beast had sunk her fangs into his flesh. He didn't know if what was covering his skin was his sweat or his life's blood. He screamed for help and heard people rushing around him. He felt hands on his body and heard concerned voices but he couldn't make himself stop screaming. He was still Jasper as she was killed over and over again by her corrupted self.

He felt his hands being wrenched from his neck and new fingers prodding and stroking the skin, looking for any injuries. His eyes swerved from right to left but he didn't see his family, too entrapped by his vision. His throat scorched from screaming for so loud and for so long but he couldn't stop. Not when he had to save Jasper.

Steven's head jerked to the right and his cheek started to burn with a red mark in the shape of a hand beginning to form on the flesh. He finally stopped screaming and his hand reached up to cover the mark. Steven looked at the blurry figure in front of him, her hand raised to give another slap if needed. For a moment he thought it was Jasper but then his vision cleared and Garnet was staring at him without her visors, tears flowing out of her three eyes. Steven brought his hand away from his cheek and looked around him. Pearl and Amethyst were holding onto each other, both of them sobbing quietly. Steven felt a nudge on his side and turned his head to see Lion mewing like a kitten, the pink fur around his eyes wet from his tears. Finally, Steven looked back at Garnet.

"Garnet?" His throat felt like it was on fire but he didn't care. "W-what happened?"

Garnet released a shaky breath and pulled Steven into a crushing hug. The boy could feel the gem kissing his head several times and tears mingling in his hair. Two other pairs of arms wrapped themselves around Steven as Pearl and Amethyst joined the hug. All three whispered words of relief and they didn't let Steven go for several minutes.

"You wouldn't stop screaming her name," Garnet whispered. "Lion just started to roar and bang at the temple's door until we all came out and found you like this. We thought-" Steven could hear Garnet sucking in a breath she didn't need. "Just don't ever scare us like that again," Garnet finished. Steven heard whimpers of agreement from Amethyst and Pearl.

Steven pulled out of the group hug and walked backwards into Lion. Lion bent his head and licked Steven's cheek while giving a sound that strangely sounded like purring. Steven pushed away the head and stared down at his hands. He looked back up to his family who was staring at him as if they were afraid he would start screaming again. "Guys, I was her and I"

"No, no," Pearl interrupted, getting up from where she was kneeling, knowing exactly who her was. She walked over to Steven and pulled him into a hug again. "You don't have to worry about Jasper. She's bubbled up in the basement. She can't escape and hurt anyone."

Steven pushed Pearl away, causing the gem to stare at him in shock. "That's the problem! I-I was in her mind!" Realization slowly dawned on the crystal gem's faces and they all looked equally horrified and relieved. "She's in so much pain and I need to save her."

"What?" Pearl asked as if she did not hear Steven or simply could not understand what he had just said.

Steven looked up at Pearl and then at the other crystal gems. He clenched his fists and stood up straight to mask the fear that was boiling inside. He knew what he had to do was insane and perhaps even suicidal. But after being in Jasper's mind, he knew he had no choice but to try. "I have to save Jasper," he said solemnly.