drillmaster

Pearl was angrier than she had been in a long time.

When she and Garnet had returned to the Beach House, she was annoyed to have wasted her time. Then her annoyance turned to worry when she realized Steven and Amethyst had disappeared. By the time she pieced together where they actually were, she found herself fuming.

Staring around at the funny assortment of people, she was shocked to see a woman bearing the crest of the Royal Family of Jurai. Jurai, a planet which had resisted Gem control as far back as the days where Rose Quartz still worked with Homeworld.

The dark days.

Jurai had, in many ways, been a rival with the Gem Homeworld. Its empire was large and vast. While the Gems’ way was to harvest a planet and use it for tactical gain, the Juraians subjected its people to a strict militaristic rule. It was, after all, founded and ran by former space pirates.

Pearl did not know whether the Juraian Empire had changed in the thousands of years since she encountered its forces, but despite her own hatred for her Homeworld, she found herself still clinging onto old prejudices.

The other person who raised immediate alarm was a woman with cyan colored hair. She looked vaguely familiar to the executioner The Ruins Buster had started to set out after the war with Homeworld. The Gems had, at one point, learned of a fierce warrior called ‘The Devil Caller’ which was known to kill Gems and organics alike with no mercy.

Rose, upon making the call to sever all connections with Homeworld, had warned them to be on their guard if she were to ever make her way to this planet. And here she was, drinking some Earth liquor and sitting down with Amethyst, who should have known better.

She noticed Greg squirm in his seat uncomfortably. Pearl did not always see eye to eye with the man who took Rose Quartz out of her life, but deep down she respected him and thought highly enough of him to expect him not to pull a stunt like this. Apparently Pearl was wrong.

“Why is there a pink lion in my kitchen?!” the young man asked panicking.

“Who are you to barge in our house and demand things of us Gem!” the Juraian female barked at Pearl and Garnet, ignoring the man’s confusion.

“Now Miss Ayeka please cal…” the human male tried calming her down.

“Lord Tenchi, how can you stand for this? They have invaded our house and are pointing a weapon at us!”

‘’Lord?’’ Pearl thought. ‘Another Juraian!’

Garnet cocked her fist. “Amethyst, what were you thinking?! You could have gotten Steven and Connie killed!”

“Thanks for looking out for me Garnet…” Greg mumbled.

“You too Mister!” Pearl added. “How could you take them into an obvious trap without a care in the world?!”

“Trap?” the woman with the cyan started to rise. “What are you trying to say Missie!”

“Woah, chill everyone!” Amethyst got up. “It’s all okay! They aren’t trying to kill Steven! They need our help!”

“It’s true!” the blonde haired woman pleaded. “I mean, we don’t really know why we need your help, but that’s what Washu said!”

“A likely story!” Pear scoffed. “They are Juraians Amethyst! Does that mean nothing to you?”

“Pearl, calm down!” Garnet ordered.

“I’d rather be a Juraian than a murdering Gem!” the purple haired one stood up. Small wooden logs materialized out of the air. “I demand that you leave this house!”

“Not without Steven and Connie we won’t!” Pearl retorted, holding her staff firmly.

“Stand down Pearl!” Garnet tried one final time.

“That’s it!” the other woman roared. “No more playing around! I’ll show you to break into my Tenchi’s house!”

“Ryoko! No! Don’t blow up my house!” the Lord pleaded.

It was too late. She had produced a ball of energy and sent it shooting toward Pearl. Using her staff, she twirled it around so fast it caused the blast to disappear into the air. The woman flew at her behind the fireball and grabbed the staff. Lifting it, and by extension Pearl, she threw it past the lion and through a wall outside.

“Gah!” Pearl moaned as she flew through the air. Though she was caught off guard with the throw, she managed to land outside on her feet gracefully.

Just then, the same woman slammed into the ground beside her. It seemed Garnet had knocked her out as well.

“Oh you asked for it!” She grabbed her earing and clutched it. From nowhere, form fitting red and black battle armor adorned her body.

Sensing danger, Pearl went to strike the woman, but found herself on the receiving end of a punch.

Inside the house, Garnet had managed to get caught in the Juraian’s wooden shield and learned its true power: electrical shocks.

“You…don’t…have…to…do…this!” she groaned.

“I will dictate this conversation while your friend duels that monster woman! I do not know why Miss Washu wished for your assistance, but I hereby revoke the offer. You may take the children back with you, but there will be no more violence in this house! I do not allow it!”

“Miss Ayeka, look at yourself!” Lord Tenchi yelled. “Stop it and look at what you ae doing! They aren’t the ones causing violence: it is you!”

“Lord Tenchi, these creatures are…”

“Just as confused as you are you dolt!” the pink haired girl finally spoke. “I’ll deal with my idiot daughter in a moment, but you are letting past prejudices blind you! You are supposed to be Juraian Royalty! Your Father would be ashamed of you! Hell, look at Tenchi!”

She pointed over to him. “Are you so blind that you can’t see the pain that you are causing the very man you love?!”

Ayeka looked to Garnet, who knew she could not take the power of the Royal Family of Jurai for much longer. Finally, Garnet was free and witnessed the purple haired woman break down into sobs. “What have I done?!”

Tenchi went over to Garnet and offered her his hand. “I’m sorry about that. She’s usually much calmer and refined. Can you stand? Are you okay?”

“I…I’ve got it. Thank you,” she grunted, accepting his hand to get up. She noticed that he was in awe at her height, a typical reaction to be sure.

“What is going on with all of you?!” Amethyst protested. “We are supposed to be the champions of Earth! We don’t get into petty fights over nothing! If Steven were here, he’d…”

She stopped and adopted a look of horror on her face. “Steven, Connie, and the blue haired kid are outside right now trying to find the Fryman kid!”

“That puts them in the line of fire!” the pink haired girl announced with a sense of urgency. “Damn it Ryoko!”

“Wait, Ryoko is your daughter?” Greg asked, running close after Washu to find his son. “Is there anything ELSE I should be keeping up with?!”

*SM*

At the far edge of the lake near a giant tree, Ronaldo hung his head low and cried.

‘This wasn’t supposed to turn out this way,’ the weeping lad thought to himself. ‘I was supposed to find the truth out about everything and expose it to the world…but all I found was that the truth hurts. I thought that Connie was exaggerating earlier, but she was just rubbing it in my face, wasn’t she? Is SHE an alien too? And Steven…he knew all along and was just stringing me on…’

“Now why is a bright young man such as yourself crying in front of a tree such as this?” a stern male voice spoke from behind him in perfect English.

Ronaldo turned to see an older gentleman observing him. His grey hair was pulled back into a bun and Ronaldo felt his bespectacled eyes measuring up the youth.

“Let me guess: you’re polymorphic sentient rock alien too? Just like everyone else I know?”

“Ah, that is a tricky question,” the man said, sitting down beside him. “While I can’t speak about the part about rocks, what really IS an alien? Is it a person born ON another planet or is it a person born FROM different planets?”

“Aliens come from outer space! Humanity is from Earth!”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“What even is this?” Ronaldo asked crazily. “You come out of nowhere to offer me advice in the form of riddles…have I stepped into a Campbellian circle of archetypes?!”

“Well I do consider myself a wise old mentor,” the man laughed. “But as to where I came from is layered. Do you know where you are right now?”

Ronaldo pointed to ahead of him. “I’m staring at a giant tree!”

“You are presently at the Masaki Shrine,” he elaborated. “My name is Katsuhito Masaki and judging by your earlier questions you had the pleasure of meeting my Grandson, Tenchi… though I can assure you he is not a sentient pile of rocks.”

“So you ARE an alien…but maybe not of the rock variety…”

Katsuhito shook his head. “You are so focused on your own prejudices that you are blinded by what you have in front of you. What do you think of the tree?”

“It’s…really beautiful,” Ronaldo admitted. “Steven was saying earlier that we don’t have that many trees in our City, and it’s true. I’ve never seen a tree like this anywhere.”

“Nor would you on this planet. This is Funaho, a Royal Space Tree from the Planet Jurai.”

“PLANET?! Then this must be related to the tree that was in space a year ago!”

Katsuhito scratched his head and then nodded. “You are referring to Ryu-Oh’s destruction at the hands of Kagato. I often wondered why the scientists of this planet did not question anything that occurred that day…perhaps they just chose not to.”

“Well I don’t!” Ronaldo stood up. “I’ve made it my mission to chronicle the weird things that occur in this world, and I don’t pull any punches!”

“So then why is it so bad to know that there are aliens among you…?” Katsuhito started before realizing he didn’t know his name.

“Ronaldo Fryman,” he said, catching on fast. “I apologize for my rudeness for not telling you earlier. It’s just…it’s not even the fact that there are aliens, but that Gems are actually the sentient rocks I’ve been blogging about. When you find out that a person you trusted for so long is actually living proof that your theories are correct, it hurts, you know?”

“Then allow me to be upfront with you so our conversation may continue truthfully. As you guessed earlier I am not from this Earth, though my Mother was. I came to this planet 700 years ago and this is the planet I will be buried on.”

The revelation touched Ronaldo deeply. Here was this complete stranger, being incredibly honest and open to him during his time of need. Still, he did have some questions to ask. “Why? Why here? Is it the minerals at the core of the Earth? Have you been harvesting them slowly over the years?!”

The old man laughed. “You should pursue a writing career. No, I wish to be on this planet as this was where my family was born, where my Daughter died…where my Grandson lives. It is a good planet and one with limitless potential.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Ronaldo sighed. “Since you are playing the role of the wise mentor in my Hero’s Journey, how should I carry on here before I enter the Belly of the Whale?”

“Perhaps the ‘Belly of the Whale’ is facing your other alien friends and finding out their side of things. For all you know, perhaps they aren’t trying to ‘harvest the Earth’s core.’ Maybe they are trying to protect it from those that might,” he offered. “Is not the end goal of being a hero mastering the world you knew with the knowledge you gained along the way?”

“You really play the part well, don’t you Masaki Sensei?” Ronaldo bowed.

Katsuhito rose his eyebrow at the usage of a Japanese honorific and proceeded to get up to return the bow. “Some people are just naturals.”

*SM*

The battle between Pearl and The Devil Caller continued beyond the confines of the outskirts of the house and into the surrounding woods. Creating another staff, Pearl gracefully struck and jabbed at The Devil Caller with all of her might.

“You fight pretty well Gem,” she told her panting. “You’re actually making me lose my breath. That’s more than I can say about Ayeka.”

“Don’t compare me to that Juraian!” Pearl growled.

She intensified the slashing of her weapon, managing to nick the woman’s cheek. She bled but for a moment before the wound disappeared.

“Actually, you and her are a lot more alike than you think!” She said as Pearl watched in awe of her healing ability. “You are both pompous!” She shot another volley of energy blasts at her, which Pearl sent flying aimlessly into the woods toward the giant tree in the distance. Realizing that it was time to change tactics, the spiky haired woman willed her sword back into existence. “Full of yourself!” She yelled as she charged at her. “And easily agitated!”

The woman sliced down with all of her might, but Pearl yet again parried the blow and thrusted into her chest. The woman vanished, leaving Pearl with a heightened sense of fear.

The Gem concentrated her breathing and focused on the surrounding areas. She listened intently for any sound of her opponent. Finally, she threw her spear toward a tree, striking the woman as she materialized. She winced in pain and pulled the spear out of her side.

“Gah! You are REALLY pissing me off, you know that?!” she howled. “I’m going to…”

“That’s ENOUGH Ryoko!” a stern voice called out.

The two combatants stopped momentarily to acknowledge the voice. It was the young looking girl with the pink hair, leading all of the occupants of the table, including Garnet, who was being helped along by the Juraian male, and Lion, who was being pet by the blonde haired woman. The Juraian woman’s face was wet with tears. It was a most disconcerting sight.

“She started it!” Ryoko pouted.

“No, YOU did you silly girl! I didn’t raise you to start intergalactic conflicts!”

‘Raise?’ Pearl thought to herself as she attempted to balance herself.

Ryoko crossed her arms and sighed. “No, you can thank Kagato for that…”

“Kagato?! That’s the name of The Ruins Buster! So you DO work for him!” Pearl went to grab the spear that Ryoko discarded, but was blocked by Amethyst.

“Pearl, this isn’t going to get us anywhere! We need to sit down and stop this before someone gets hurt!”

“Well look here! AMETHYST is concerned about someone getting hurt!” Pearl laughed sarcastically. “That’s a first! Especially since it was you who brought the children here!”

“Now that’s not fair! I made that call too, and we were fine before you and the spiky haired girl started shooting up the place!” Greg interjected, standing his ground. “What if Steven were out here? You could have hurt him!”

The Gem’s eyes flashed with anger and made a motion to continue her tirade, but stopped when she saw Garnet’s expression of disapproval. It snapped her out of her intense hatred momentarily. “I…I don’t know what came over me. I just remember…”

“Focus on the present Pearl,” Garnet told her. “We are here now, on THIS planet and in THIS place. Let the past go.”

“Pearl, was it?” the pink haired girl asked. “Listen, I need your help; ALL of your help! You may be the only beings in the galaxy that can help me crack this puzzle, but it will require all of us to work together.”

“‘Puzzle?'” Amethyst asked.

“The hell are you talking about Washu?!” Ryoko asked. “Why can’t you ever make sense?”

Washu smirked and grabbed her Daughter’s wrist. “I’m talking about the puzzle of your gems dear.”

The three Crystal Gems looked at the woman’s wrist intently and were surprised to see a single red sphere embedded in her skin.

“That’s…that’s…impossible!” Pearl stuttered. “An ARTIFICIAL Gem?!”

“Who are you calling ‘artificial?!'” Ryoko barked.

“Ryoko, knock it off!” Lord Tenchi interjected. “You’ve caused enough problems for one day!”

“I have a question!” The blonde haired woman who was focused on playing with Lion asked.

Everyone turned to acknowledge the woman who, for the most part had kept to herself. “…I feel like I’m going to regret this, but yes Mihoshi?”

“This lion was very happy before we walked outside but for the past few minutes it keeps looking over to Funaho and looking very concerned. I think something is bothering it!”

“What’s Funaho?” Garnet asked.

“Just that giant tree,” Mihoshi pointed to the landmark in the distance.

Ryoko and Pearl exchanged terrifying looks. “What. Did. You. Do?!” Washu spat out.

“…I swatted one of The D…Ryoko’s projectile weapons toward it,” Pearl whispered. At once, she realized the true gravity of her fight with Ryoko. “THE KIDS!”

*SM*

“Ronaldo? Where are you?” Steven called out through the woods. “How did he run ahead of us so fast?”

“It’s us! We aren’t trying to hurt you!” Connie added loudly. “Sasami, you know these woods right? Do you know where he might have gone?”

Sasami looked around worriedly. “If he ran into the forest he might be anywhere! The only places I can think of are Yosho’s shrine, Ryoko’s cave, or Funaho…do you think he might be there?”

“I literally have no idea where any of those places are!” Steven said. “Are they dangerous? Could Ronaldo be in trouble?”

“Well, maybe in the cave…” Sasami trailed off. “But we are closer to Funaho, so he’s probably there!”

“Meow!” Ryo-Ohki agreed.

“Great!” Steven said with renewed energy. “Where’s Funaho?”

She pointed to the giant tree protruding out from the forest. Steven and Connie’s eyes grew wide at the sight. “It’s just like the Sweden Tree Ronaldo showed us!”

“Sweden? No silly, it’s from the Planet Jurai!”

“That’s the place with the trees that Washu mentioned earlier!” Connie remembered. “So that’s another planet?!”

“This trip is awesome!” Steven shouted. “Well…minus the whole upsetting Ronaldo thing…”

In the distance a loud crash could be heard and the group turned back to the house and saw smoke rise from it.

“My Dad! They could be in trouble!” Steven said.

“No,” Sasami shook her head. “Ayeka and Ryoko are just fighting again.”

“Again? As in plural?” Connie asked in horror. “Your poor house!”

“I know,” Sasami sighed. “Thankfully Washu and Tenchi’s Father fix it up every time.”

“I know what you mean,” Steven said as they made their way toward the giant tree. “I always feel bad when Pearl fixes up my beach house after fights happen…or Amethyst plays a little too rough.”

“Does your house get blown up often too Connie?” Sasami asked.

“…no…not that I’m aware of.”

The three children started to laugh before they remembered about Ronaldo. Finally, they made it to the large tree and sure enough, there was Ronaldo talking to an older gentleman.

“It’s Yosho!” Sasami said.

“Who?”

“Tenchi’s honorable Grandfather!”

“It sounds to me Ronaldo that they had tried to tell you before about the nature of Gems before you came here,” they heard Yosho tell the Fryman teen. “Are you sure they weren’t aware that you DIDN’T know? Or perhaps they didn’t know what your theories were about.”

“I don’t even know anymore,” Ronaldo shook his head. “I feel like such a jerk!”

“Then now is your time to make amends. We have company,” he turned around suddenly and smiled at Sasami. “You can come over Sasami…and if I am not mistaken Connie and Steven, correct?”

“They are here?!” Ronaldo panicked. “But I haven’t had time to prepare a formal apology!”

He coughed and looked to the three youths. “I know I must have worried you guys, and I know I left the house rudely and abruptly. But I just wanted to tell you that I’m…”

Without warning, the tree started to flash lights of multiple colors. Katsuhito, or Yosho, adopted a serious stance and yelled “Get down!”

A volley of red bolts of energy flew down from the sky, being swatted away from an unsuspecting Pearl not that far away. Steven called upon his shield, but it was too late.

One of the bolts had struck Ronaldo in the back.

“RONALDO!” Steven cried out in horror. He bent down to check up on him, but Yosho (or Katsuhito depending on who you ask) had made it to him first. “Is he okay?!”

“I can’t be certain. The energy struck deep into his spine. This is a very serious injury,” he said grimly.

Connie knelt down and fought back tears. “Use your spit Steven! Just like you did with my eyes!”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t always work!”

“You’ve got to try!”

Nodding, Steven spat into his hands and began to rub over the burned area of Ronaldo’s back. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he whispered “Please work…please work.”

In that instant, to world stopped for Steven as he prayed that his Mother’s healing powers would work for him now. All he could do was wait.

“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Greg Universe pointed out as he took his seat on the airplane.

“Where’s your sense of adventure Greg?” Amethyst taunted. She then picked up her seatbelt and stared at it. “So I just put the little thing into the slot? I’ve never been in one of these plane things before.”

After some coaxing by Amethyst, Steven, and Ronaldo (well, more begging in the case of Ronaldo), Greg had convinced Connie’s parents and Ronaldo’s father that it would be a great experience to take an impromptu trip to Japan and learn about its culture. The Maheswarens were obviously suspicious, but realized that Connie would benefit from such a trip. After two hours of intense arguments, they finally agreed to let Connie go for a week to Japan… as long as she wrote a research paper about her trip.

“Yeah Dad, this will be great! Have you ever been to Japan?” The younger Universe asked the elder.

He scratched his head in bemusement. “I always meant to, but I never seemed to find the time. I always told your Mom I’d take her to another continent. I guess I am now!” Greg smiled at his son. This was a weird situation, but he was not going to waste a perfectly serviceable vacation with Steven.

Connie looked up from her book to the sight of Amethyst tying herself to the chair. She helped her click her seatbelt into place. “So what exactly is our plan? This is clearly some kind of trap. There is no way that could just happen out of the blue.”

“Weirder things have happened,” Ronaldo spoke over the sleeping gentleman he was seated next to. He produced a small card and placed it in the man’s hat. “What? I’m trying to get a broader audience!”

“Look, Steven, Connie, and I can handle this if things look bad. Besides, this could be fun!” Amethyst laughed.

“I don’t know,” Connie said with a distant tone in her voice. “This doesn’t seem right. Not at all.”

“It’s okay Connie!” Steven smiled. “You and I are going to have a great time here! What could possibly happen?”

“STEVEN! YOU CAN’T SAY THAT! ANYTIME THAT IS SAID, SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS!” Ronaldo yelled, waking the old man up and causing the other passengers to look at him in confusion. “Sorry…my bad.”

“Well maybe this time it will be different!” Steven shined with his eternal optimism.

*SM*

“Now arriving in Okayama, Japan. Please fasten all seat belts and stay seated as we finish our approach,” the voice of the pilot rang through the plane.

“Hey gang, we made it!” Steven cheered from his window seat.

“Finally!” Amethyst said, disregarding the previous announcement and ripping off the seat belt. “Warping is much faster than this!”

“As you probably complained all trip,” Greg groaned, coming out of a deep sleep. “You doing okay, son of mine?”

“I’m great!” Steven started to bounce up and down in his seat, clearly excited to be able to land. “Connie and I played a couple dozen games of Hangman and there was a great movie playing!”

“Oh?” Greg wiped the cold out of his eye. “What’d you kids watch?”

“I think it was called Jack and Jill,” Connie shrugged. “Steven liked it more than me.”

Greg looked to his son in horror. “My god. I might have failed as a parent. Son, I promise I will do better.” He grabbed his shoulders firmly. “When we get back, we will marathon good comedies so you can learn what good humor really is.”

“You mean the ice cream brand?” Steven cocked his head.

“Hey, I’m going to get Ronaldo,” Connie pointed to the back of the plane. “He’s been in the bathroom for the past half hour.”

“Some people just can’t handle flying,” Greg chuckled.

*SM*

After getting their luggage off of the plane, Greg directed the group out through the crowds to the exit. Steven carried his trusty Cheeseburger Backpack, Connie a large luggage set provided by her parents (plus a special compartment added by Amethyst to hide her trusty sword), Ronaldo with a suitcase full of papers and a backpack containing a few shirts, and Amethyst carried nothing.

“So, what now Ronaldo?” Connie asked. “Did ‘Goo Goo’ let you know where she was meeting us?”

“She knows our flight,” Ronaldo said assuredly. “She has to be around here somewhere.”

“…you don’t even know what she looks like, do you?” Amethyst guessed.

As Ronaldo’s face got read, she laughed. “You don’t! Aw man, what are we going to do now?”

“See the Tokyo Tower?” Steven suggested.

“But we aren’t in Tokyo Steven,” Connie sighed. “But if we are here, we really should though! That’s a major Japanese landmark!”

“That it is! I’d be happy to arrange a visit to Tokyo while you are all here!” a wily feminine voice spoke from behind them.

Steven’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Really?! That’s great!” After a moment, he blinked and turned around. “Gah!”

The group finaly acknowledged the presence of a young looking chid, only a little taller than Steven and Connie. She had spiky pink hair and, apparently, spoke English very well. She bowed to them when they saw her and, after a nudge from Connie, they returned it.

“ARE YOU GEE GEE LOO LOO?!” Ronaldo blurted out.

The girl laughed. “Like the name? I saw it in the credits of one of those American dubbed Animes and it stuck with me.”

“BUT YOU ARE A LITTLE GIRL!”

“Perceptive one, aintcha?” She said, poking his side. “How do you all do? My name is Washu, and thank you for coming to visit little old me!”

She looked to each member of the group. It was as if she was ever so slightly disappointed, but when her eyes landed on Amethyst, her eyes grew wide. “And you must be one of the Crystal Gems Ronaldo here included in that wonderful documentary of his.”

“Uh…yeah,” she replied lazily.

“So, how DID you manage to get us these tickets and why only five of them?” Connie drilled, starting to whip out ever question and concern she had been listing in her head for the incredibly long flight.

“You ask questions. I like you,” Washu beamed. “Let’s talk and walk. We’ve got a bus to catch.”

“A bus?!” Steven asked. “A real bus?!”

“That’s right!”

Greg looked around uncertainly. “So where’s your parents anyway? Are they getting us a bus? Are we meeting them somewhere?”

She laughed again. “All your questions will be answered in time! Just come with me!”

“And we’ll be in a world of pure imagination!” Steven started to sing. “Let us go cross the Japanese nation!”

The singing continued as Washu led them to a bus stop, seemingly taking in the strange American guests she had invited.

‘This isn’t what I was hoping for…not at all…’ she thought to herself. ‘Still, I wouldn’t be a scientist if I couldn’t savage an experiment…’

“Say, is there somewhere we can eat?” Greg asked after hearing his stomach growl. “We haven’t had anything but airplane food for hours.”

“Does Japan have pizzas?” Steven asked inquisitively.

Washu thought about it for a second. “Trust me. You don’t want any of this second rate food. Where we are going, the food is to die for!”

“And then can we go over the theories about the diamond cluster in the center of the Earth?” Ronaldo asked hopefully. “And how the Great Seto Bridge incident was the catalyst for it all?!”

“Trust me Ronaldo,” she smirked. “When you hear what I have to tell you, it will make your theories feel like childhood fantasies.”

“This is amazing!”

“Amethyst,” Connie whispered to the purple Gem. “Doesn’t this seem strange to you?”

“Not really, but don’t worry. I think I can take her,” Amethyst said unfazed. “She’s only like, what, ten? Besides, I brought the Warp Whistle with me just in case we need back up.”

She reached in her shirt and pulled out the small object that nobody knew was even there. She shook it around and put it back, going back to checking the area out.

“Leave me behind…goes to show who got things done…” she muttered, still groggy from the plane ride.

Connie didn’t say anything, but it would be clear to anyone looking at her that she was not truly ready to believe that a girl who could make plane tickets appear out of nowhere was only ten and, if she was, not a normal ten year old.

She adopted a quick smile when she saw Steven turn toward her. She didn’t want to ruin the trip for everyone yet, but she knew that she had to be on her guard for his sake.

*SM*

After a quiet and long bus ride, Washu announced they still had more walking to do, to the annoyance of everyone. Still, the sight of the Japanese landscape captivated the tourists, including Ronaldo who never took the time to appreciate the beauty of the world around him.

“You live all the way out here?” he asked. “Without anyone else around?”

“Well…” she started. “I wouldn’t say there isn’t anyone else around per say, but outside of my family there isn’t anyone else for miles.”

“Are we going to meet Leatherface out here?” Greg half joked. “This is giving me some weird Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes…”

Steven continued to take in the beautiful scenery. “You are so lucky to live here. We don’t have a lot of trees in Beach City.”

“You should see Jurai if you like trees,” Washu told him.

“That’d be great!” he nodded. “Where is it?”

“Uh…” she stammered. “Well, that’s not important. Once we reach that large staircase, we will finally be at the house.”

She pointed toward a long staircase miles ahead. It seemed to ascend almost as high as the Crystal Temple itself. The faces of the Americans fell again, realizing they weren’t eating anytime soon.

“Lame! I wish I could just turn into an owl and fly there,” Amethyst grumbled.

“…’turn into an owl?'” Washu pried. “Are you being literal?”

“…maybe…”

After some time walking up the never ending staircase, Connie realized she could not take it anymore. It was time to confront this mystery girl.

“That’s it!” Connie said suddenly. “I’m not about to enter a house in the middle of nowhere without some answers!”

“Connie!” Steven gasped. “What are you doing!”

“Steven, we know literally nothing about this girl! We don’t know how she got us those tickets or why she even wanted Ronaldo here! Please, just tell us!” Connie pleaded earnestly.

The pink haired girl stopped and put her hands on her hip. “You literally couldn’t wait until lunch? I can respect that, but am a smidge hurt at the lack of trust.”

“To be fair, you haven’t done anything necessarily trustworthy so far,” Amethyst pointed out.

“I gave you the information about Ryu-Oh and Ryo-Ohki’s crash into the Bridge didn’t i?”

“…wait,” Ronaldo finally spoke. “You KNOW what crashed into the Bridge…my god. It all makes sense. This was a set up.”

Washu smiled. “Bingo!”

The mood in the woods tensed considerably. The group backed up and kept their eyes on the girl. She seemed to take a small enjoyment out of the situation, apparently curious as to how it would play out.

“I knew it! I’m on to something big! You’ve been sent to silence me!” Ronaldo finally cried.

“Wha…?” Washu looked dumbfounded. “No, you idiot! I wanted her!”

She pointed to Amethyst, who looked flattered for a moment before she adopted a fighting stance. Her Gem glowed bright and suddenly a magical whip appeared to materialize.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fight you right now!” Amethyst growled.

“Woah!” Steven interjected suddenly. “No fighting on vacation! Let’s hear her out Amethyst! We don’t know if she’s bad!”

“But she just said that this was a trap to get Amethyst!” Connie retorted, now drawing her own sword.

“I never said this was a ‘trap!'” Washu defended herself. “I wanted the help of the Crystal Gems!”

“…what?!”

“…I’ve been used…” Ronaldo whispered to himself.

“So that’s why there were five tickets! One for the Gems, Steven, and Ronaldo!” Connie pieced it together.

“Again, I like you. I really only needed the three Gems, but I figured since they live with you, Steven, they would want to take you too. Sorry to say but I wasn’t expecting the rest of you,” Washu elaborated.

“But I AM a Crystal Gem!” Steven corrected her. With that, he pulled up his shirt. A shining rose quartz gem was where his belly button should have been.

Washu’s eyes widened. “A…a Gem hybrid?! Think of the data! Gems themselves are a very secluded race unless they are conquering another planet…this is unheard of!”

Her eyes landed to Greg, who shifted back uncomfortably. “You are his father! That means…I’m getting ahead of myself.”

“Hold on,” Amethyst pointed at her. “What do you know about Gems?!”

“Allow me to introduce myself to you all. My name is Washu Hakubi: the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Galaxy. And that’s not a bluff. I have over 20,000 years of data to prove it!”

“Twenty…thousand?!” Ronaldo mouthed to himself. Finally, he wagged his finger at her. “YOU ARE AN ALIEN TOO?! IS EVERYTHING A LIE?!”

“I can’t be sure,” Washu admitted. “Still, let’s move this conversation inside. I haven’t exactly told anyone about this so don’t get worried if they are a bit…annoyed.”

Steven looked to his friends and family. The look in his eyes showed them that he really wanted to see what was up those stairs. Amethyst shrugged as her whip disappeared back into her gem. Greg gave a small nod to his son.

“Well, lead the way!” Steven pointed excitedly.

“You’re just a ball of optimism aren’t you?” She told him as they marched.

They all made their way up toward the top of the stairs. Connie stayed close to Steven and Washu while Amethyst stayed behind them. Trailing behind the group was Ronaldo. He looked to the collection of images he was holding in his suitcase and fought back the urge to cry. There was no doubt about it:

Ronaldo was used. And he was crushed.