Finding Jasper is turning out to be a lot harder than you thought it'd be.

Sighing to yourself, you fluttered down towards the ground in the middle of the forest until you felt your boots touch the Earth floor. Placing your hands on your hips, you looked around; examining the area boredly.

Steven was taking a rather long time to do anything, wasn't he?

Groaning, you ran a hand through your bangs and pushed them back, before freezing in your place at the sound of something rustling in the bushes behind you.

With your (E/c) orbs narrowing into a dangerous glare, you summoned your violin before having it shift into its other form: a bow 'n arrow. You then whirled around and positioned your weapon; aiming it at whoever was planning to step out.

Needless to say, you had aimed a lot higher than needed in order to hit your target, because even if you had released the arrow made of electricity positioned on your bow, it would have missed your target by a long shot because—

"Ah. It's you."

Lowering your bow, you snickered mockingly at the purple gem that stood a few feet away from you before putting your weapon away.

"Amethyst, right? I must say, that is quite the look for you~" you teased, resisting the urge to fill the skies with your laughter.

The gem, much to your surprise, didn't really give much a reaction to your words, and merely tilted her head to the side; eyeing you curiously.

"Hm?" Crossing your arms, you let a low chuckle escape your lips and tilted your head slightly as well. "I suppose you weren't really much of a talker during your beta days? It's a shame it didn't stay like that," you told, snickering as you turned your back to face the shorter gem.

"Anyways, if you don't mind me, I'll be on my way—"

You were cut off when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around one of your legs, making you go stiff and look down with wide eyes to see that Amethyst had basically attached herself to you.

You frowned.

"Hey. Off." You shook your leg in an attempt to loosen the purple gem's grip, but nothing happened. In fact, her hold on you seemed to tighten in retaliation, and you grunted; brows furrowing out of annoyance.

"Is this vengeance for you? Holding onto me like this for saying that I wish you'd keep your mouth shut most of the time?" No response. The gem only continued to stare.

Sighing, you pinched the bridge of your nose and placed your other hand on your hip.

"By the Diamonds, I swear—" Cutting yourself off with a growl, you leaned down and slipped your hands under Amethyst's arms and lifted her up into the air in front of you, your expression being that of an unimpressed one as Amethyst once again tilted her head to the side at you curiously.

"Huh." You tilted your head as well, copying her actions as you took in her appearance. "I suppose you're cute . . . in a weird way . . .?"

In response, the smaller gem booped your nose, and you couldn't help but let out a short laugh at the action.

"Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were a child!" you said, releasing your hold on the purple gem and allowing her to drop to the forest floor in front of you.

"Well, Amethyst, it's been fun, but I have places to be and things to do~" you told, opening your wings up to fly off.

From behind you, Amethyst's eyes sparkled with delight and wonder.

"So, how do I say this?" You chuckled, looking over your shoulder and giving Amethyst a small wave with your fingers.

"Toodles~!" And you were off.

Well, that was an experience, you thought to yourself as you turned over to fly facing up towards the sky, an amused smile stretching across your face.

Such a shame that Amethyst is with the Crystal Gems. I would have enjoyed her company a lot more if—

"Toodles!"

You blinked, coming back to reality before slowly turning your head to the side, a confused expression etching across your features.

Needless to say, when you saw a purple bird — specifically known as a duckling — flying next to you, you were not amused in the slightest bit.

"Toodles!" the duckling, Amethyst, repeated.

Groaning, you ran both of your hands down your face before letting out a long sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

(Game number four: Duck, Duck, Goose!)

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"AMETHYST!"

Looking around from where he sat on Lion, Steven could only allow worry to fill his eyes and take over his expression once there was no sight of the purple gem once again. The gem-hybrid sustained a groan.

"Where could she have gone?!" he muttered to himself as Lion ran forward again and roared, opening yet another portal and jumping through it.

Hopefully, Amethyst was okay.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"You're rather curious, aren't you?"

Amethyst, once again, did not reply as she crawled around in what you recalled to be a garage. Various paintings littered the place, most of them looking as if they were of Amethyst herself. (Which they were, you easily guessed.)

Humming to yourself, you sat yourself down on an empty, cleared off desk before crossing one of your legs over your other one and resting your chin atop your hand, which had its elbow rested above your knee.

"He most certainly is taking his time, isn't he?" you questioned, mostly to yourself rather than the other gem in the room with you, who merely ignored your words as she continued to inspect all of the paintings around her.

Sighing, you were just about to hop off of the desk you were sitting on, when a certain someone's voice caught your attention from outside.

"AMETHYST!"

How convenient.

Turning to the purple gem beneath you, you offered her a small smile and kneeled down in front of her and gave her nose a light boop, making her giggle.

"I'm afraid that oh-so great 'leader' of yours is here, Amethyst," you chuckled, standing back up as a light began to consume your form, showing that you were beginning to shapeshift.

"And, well, we can't have him knowing that I'm here, now can we?"

✿*:･ﾟﾟ･:*✿

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wugdnC7Xi1I

ﾟ･:*✿°✿*:･ﾟ

"Do you remember being painted?" Steven asked, looking down at Amethyst with a smile as he spread his arms out as to gesture to all of the paintings around them.

"Being painted?" Amethyst asked back, copying Steven's actions.

Steven frowned and allowed his arms to fall back to his sides, thinking. Then, his smile returned (though it didn't meet his eyes), and he made finger guns at Amethyst, going:

"Pew, pew! Do you remember our handshake?"

Amethyst remained silent as she shapeshifted, forming herself to be an exact copy of Steven, although her facial expressions were mostly blank as she once again mimicked him.

"Our handshake?"

Steven's smile became slightly more strained. "Singing and dancing," he eventually concluded after a moment of thought. "That's gotta be a piece!"

Turning to the light next to him, Steven turned it on and directed it towards himself before turning back to Amethyst. "Do you remember singing and dancing with me?" he asked.

Amethyst only rose a brow in reply.

"In the light of the day! In the dark of the night!" Steven began, striking a dramatic pose.

Amethyst shapeshifted back into her original form, watching Steven's next actions curiously.

"When you're raring to go—" Steven struck a fighting pose "—when you're tired from the fight . . ." Slumping his shoulders, Steven pretended to act exhausted (which, technically, he actually was) before directing the light over to Amethyst.

"When you're losing your mind . . ."

Amethyst lifted a painting up, getting distracted by it for a moment until Steven took it from her and placed it aside; beginning to tap dance next to her.

From atop Spinel's head, a butterfly flutters its wings out of amusement.

"Let me give you a thought! I'm gonna be right by your side, no matter what~"

Holding his hand out, Steven waited for Amethyst to take it before bringing her outside.

"In the dark of the night~"

"In the dark of the night~" Amethyst repeated.

"In the light of the day~" Steven struck yet another pose, spreading his arms out to his sides.

"In the light of the day~" Like always, Amethyst mimicked the boy.

"When you're rising to shine," Steven began to tap, and Amethyst followed suit. "When you're rising to shine!"

"When you're hitting the hay~!"

"When you're hitting the hay~!"

"I'll be hanging around!" Steven twirled around and struck another pose.

"I'll be hanging around!" Amethyst attempted to do the same thing as Steven, but after she spun, she nearly ended up falling backwards. Thankfully, though, Steven was fast enough to catch her before she could hit the floor.

"If you like it or not."

"It you like it or not."

Crossing their arms, Amethyst and Steven leaned against one another and winked at eachother.

"I'm gonna be right by your side, no matter what~!"

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

Standing outside of Beach Citywalk Fries, Steven purchased two things of fries and handed one of them over ro Amethyst before sticking a fry into his mouth and looking to her, expecting her to copy his actions and eat. And she did . . . sort of, because she ended up spitting out the fry not too long after putting it into her mouth.

Chuckling nervously, Steven shook his head at the purple gem before sticking another fry into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing it; giving Amethyst a different example as to how to eat.

(The butterfly that was for some reason refusing to leave Spinel's side flutters its wings aggressively, almost as if it were trying not to laugh.)

Picking out another fry, Amethyst slowly mimicked Steven's actions and finally swallowed her own fry, and as soon as she did, stars appeared in her eyes, and she grinned widely.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

Now standing inside of Funland Arcade, Steven and Amethyst stood before the skeeball game, tossing the balls in their grasp back and forth between their hands.

"No matter what~"

"No matter what~"

Kneeling and readying his aim, Steven throws his ball first, and it misses the hole he was aiming for. Amethyst copies this, and her ball misses the hole as well.

"No matter what~"

"No matter what~"

Holding his chin in thought, an idea suddenly strikes Steven and he grins; snapping his fingers as Amethyst mimics his actions and Spinel plays around in the background, giggling with the butterfly that seems to whispering things to her from her shoulder.

"No matter what!"

"No matter what!"

Positioning themselves on top of the skeeball machine with various balls in their arms, Amethyst and Steven begin to cheat by tossing them all directly into the middle slot, earning them various tickets in the process.

"No matter what!"

"No matter what!"

"Oh, I'm gonna be~"

"Oh, I'm gonna be~"

"Right by your side~"

"Right by your side~"

"I'm gonna be right by your side, no matter what~!"

Finally taking notice of Steven and Amethyst's cheating, Mr. Smiley lets out an enraged cry, catching the 'trio's attention and quickly making them all run out of the arcade before the grown man could catch them. However, the moment Amethyst gets outside, she bumps into Ranaldo and suddenly shapeshifts into him. The teenager, of course, goes to unlock his phone to take a photo, but by the time he does, the purple gem is already gone.

Ranaldo falls to his knees and cries out in frustration.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

After running for what felt like hours, the small group hitches a ride on a train; sitting in a random cart of hay and watching the world go by them peacefully.

"In the dark of the night ~" Amethyst sings by herself, rocking her head back and forth. "In the light of the day~"

Amethyst stands up and turns around. "When you're rising to shine~" The purple gem jumps into a small pile of hay. "When you're hitting the hay~!"

Grinning widely, Steven leans over the hay pile and continues on, "Just remember this song~"

Amethyst sticks her head out of the pile, grinning as well. "How's it go, I forgot?" Her and Steven share a laugh.

"I'm gonna be right by your side, no matter what~!"

Steven jumps into the hay pile along with Amethyst, and Spinel follows suit, making the butterfly that had rested itself atop the pink gem's head quickly fly off before anything could happen to it.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"Through whoever you've been . . ."

Standing in the Prime Kindergarten, Amethyst peeks into the hole she had apparently come from and slowly enters it, her eyes wide.

"Through whoever you've been . . ."

"Through whoever you'll be . . ."

Amethyst drags her fingers across the walls around her, bits and pieces of memories slowly beginning to come back to her as she turns her head to face Steven once again.

"Through whoever you'll be . . ."

"Through whatever you'll lose . . ."

"Through whatever you'll lose . . ."

Smiling, Steven holds his hand out for Amethyst to take.

"You will always have me . . ."

Amethyst smiles, allowing Steven's hand to take her own and pull her back out of her hole.

"You will always have me . . ."

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

Once again, the group finds themselves on a train, though this time, they are all sitting on top of it.

"At the end of your road . . ." Steven goes on. "At the end of your road . . ." Amethyst repeats slowly, staring off into the sunset as they all make their way out of the countryside.

"I'll be holding you taut . . ."

"I'll be holding you taut . . ."

"I'm gonna be right by your side, no matter what . . ."

Silently, as the wind flows through their hair, Amethyst rests her head on Steven's shoulder, and a butterfly with (2F/c) wings sits itself down next to Steven, who smiles down at the small creature as he goes to gently pet its wings.

The butterfly flies away before he can, and Steven can't help but frown in disappointment.

What a beautiful butterfly that was.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"Be right by your side . . ."

Making their way to the top of a cliff, Steven and Amethyst smile in content as the sound of crashing waves and whistling winds fills their ears.

"Be right by your side . . ."

From behind the duo, the butterfly that had flown away not too long ago returns and perches itself atop Spinel's head.

"Be right by your side, no matter what~!"

And with that, the duo's song finally comes to an end, and in the moment, Amethyst grins and turns to Steven; lifting her hand up into a finger gun and going:

"Pew!"

Steven's eyes widen, his head snapping over to face the purple gem in surprise. Then, he slowly copies her action right back.

"Pew, pew . . .?" Steven trails off, sounding hopeful.

Amethyst blinks, surprised by her own actions, and then glances down at her finger before looking back up to Steven, who smiles widely and goes to high five her, which she does in return. After their hands meet, they roll them into fists and begin to do the rest of their secret handshake, almost instinctively.

"One, two, three, hup!"

Steven smiles joyously and practically latches himself to the shorter gem; wrapping his arms around her tightly as tears begin to prick the corners of his eyes.

"Amethyst!"

The said gem goes wide-eyed, and she gasps. "Whoa—"

Suddenly, a purple light surrounds the gem, and she begins to float into the air out of Steven's arms. As she flies higher and higher, she seems to cycle through various forms from her past, before finally coming to a stop; the light around her form disappearing to reveal her as the Amethyst of now, her original outfit and hairstyle restored.

Then, she gem falls to the ground, and she grunts in pain; standing back up to her full height and running a hand through her hair as she looks around in confusion.

"Ugh . . ." she groans. "What happened . . .?"

"Amethyst!" Steven runs up to the gem and scoops her into his arms; hugging her once again and twirling her around as he laughs happily, tears of relief trailing down his face.

"You're back!"

Laughing along with the gem-hybrid, Amethyst nods and gladly hugs him back; the two of them standing together in silence after finally being truly reunited.

But then, Amethyst's eyes suddenly shoot open as she remembers something, and she manages to catch a glimpse of the butterfly that rests atop Spinel's head from over Steven's shoulder.

Spinel tilts her head to the side curiously, confused as to why Amethyst had such a look of what seemed to be horror on her face, and the butterfly flies off the top of her head and goes to land on the ground, a (F/c) lightly slowly beginning to take over its form.

Amethyst jumps, and before Steven can even comprehend what's happening, he's being thrown behind Amethyst protectively, and the purple gem herself growls as she summons her wip.

"You stay away from him!" Amethyst growls. "You monster!"

"What—" Steven's eyes widen as he stares up at Amethyst, and he pushes himself up off of the ground as Spinel watches from afar with curiosity.

"Amethyst, what are you—"

The boy is cut off by the sound of a familiar cackle echoing about the skies.

* * * * *

NOTES !

gee, i wonder who that butterfly was :)