Last AU... Maybe.
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Original storyboard written by Joe Johnson and Jeff Liu

Steven Universe belongs to Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar

"The sun is bright, our shirts are clean, we're sitting up above the sea. Come on and share this jam with me." A young boy sang as he strummed his red, white, and blue patterned guitar. He had slightly shaggy blonde hair with a cowlick at the part and sky blue eyes. He wore a red shirt with a star in the middle, paired with simple blue jeans and sandals.

"Peach, or plum, or strawberry, any kind is fine, ya see. Come on and share this share with me." Another young child sang. This time, it was a girl with short, curly brown hair and grey-blue eyes. Her skin was olive-tone, obliviously having a linage coming from somewhere in the Mediterranean, and she had braces glued to each of her teeth. Even so, that didn't stop her from smiling as she played her violin. She wore a dress that was turquoise blue on the top, with a navy blue skirt, which flapped slightly in the wind as she stood up. "I'll do my best, to give this jam the sweetness it deserves." She sang in harmony with her instrument, her eyes closed as the music flowed through her.

The blonde boy stood up as well, stomping his feet to the beat as he strummed enthusiastically. "And I'll keep it fresh! I'm jamming on these tasty preserves!"

"Ingredients in harmony," they sang together now, their voices overlapping to create a beautiful sound, "we mix together perfectly. Come on and share this jam with me!" They stopped, the boy finishing the song with one last prick of his guitar.

"Woohoo!" He exclaimed, fist pumping the air, a wide smile on his face. "Jam buds!"

The girl glanced back as she placed her violin in it's case, which was set next to the washing machine and dryer. "Nice jam session." She giggled.

"Don't forget the best part." The blonde smiled, sitting crosslegged on the giant stone hand they were perched on as he held a biscuit in one hand, his other holding a jam-covered knife. He spread the jam quickly, bringing the biscuit to his mouth, which was stretched so wide, it appeared he might swallow the food in one bit, when suddenly, shadows began dancing on his face, the sound of birds cawing ringing through the air. He paused, glancing over with wide eyes as a seagull screamed, diving towards him. He yelled in fear, flinching away as he prepared for them to attack, but they never came. Instead, his friend grunted and huffed, swiping her violin bow through the air to fend off the scavengers.

"Run back to your masters!" She shouted loudly, pointing the bow in the air as the feathered fiends made their escape. "Tell them we're not afraid of your kind!"

The boy laughed at her antics, causing her to glance back with a small smile. "Thanks for saving my jam snack. Unfortunately, it's not safe from me." With that, he did indeed eat the biscuit in one bite, "you're such a good sword fighter, Shelby!" He complimented with the food still in his mouth.

"Really?" The girl, Shelby, glanced back, before looking at her bow quizzically. "I was just swinging this thing around. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'd love to learn how to use a real sword!" She explained, a fiery look in her blue eyes.

"Oh!" The boy shouted, before swallowing his food. His bright blue eyes lit up with stars as a wide grin set on his face. "Alfred has an idea!" He muttered excitedly, speaking in third person.

"You want me to do what?" A younger looking woman with amber, shining eyes and a short black bob inquired in upmost surprise as she looked down at Alfred and Shelby. She wore a blue blouse with a small star in the center, and faded orange shorts. She had on pink socks, blue flats, and tied around her waist was a blue bow. Her most obvious feature, however, was the pearl that stuck out from her forehead, almost hidden by her bangs.

"You should training Shelby to sword fight, she's already so good!" Alfred explained excitedly as Shelby stared up at one of his guardians with complete panic on her features.

"Alfred!" She blushed, obviously not wanting to cause any trouble.

He turned to his friend, his arms spread wide with urgency. "But you are! You helped me fight the robot floaty thing," Shelby looked down, obviously flattered as Alfred turned his attention back to the woman, "she took down that evil clone of herself, uhhhh, those mean seagulls just now."

"You're awfully young to begin something like this." The woman, Sakura, pointed out, her accent obviously Japanese, as she turned her attention to Shelby, before looking up into space as she lost herself in thought. "But... I suppose I was only a few thousand years old when I began fighting alongside side Amelia Jones..." Shelby's hand shot up in the air. "Yes, Shelby?"

Her hand fell into a fist as she clenched both them in front of her, looking up at Sakura pleadingly. "Please! I wanna learn." She blushed at the outburst, grabbing her arm nervously. "I mean, I don't know what'll happen in the future, but if something dangerous comes along, I don't wanna be a burden, I wanna help!" Her face was now set with a determined expression. "I wanna be there for Alfred, to fight by his side." She glanced at him, his smile bright while her's faltered slightly. "The earth is my home too, can't I help protect it?" She questioned, looking back up to the woman expectantly.

Sakura had her hands clasped in front of her face, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she looked down at the human. "Okay, if that's how you feel, then we should get started." She stated, moving with graceful steps towards the warp-pad.

"Woohoo!" Alfred cheered, running after his guardian.

"Wait, right now?" Shelby questioned, her eyes wide.

The warp-pad flashed, and the three figures appeared, both Sakura and Alfred landing gently on their feet as Shelby face planted on the crystal surface. "Ow!" She exclaimed, before letting out a small giggle.

"You okay?" Alfred inquired, bending down to help his friend up as she continued to chuckle. The laugh seemed to be contagious, and he giggled as well. "It can take some getting used to." He muttered, letting go of her as she found her center and stood up.

Shelby appeared to be feeling a rush from traveling on the warp-pad, because she threw her hands in the air, a wide smile on her face. "Woohoo!" She cheered excitedly, laughing as she swayed backwards, prompting Alfred to lurch forward and catch her.

"Hey you two, this way." Sakura called gently, already up one flight of stairs.

"Race you!" Shelby laughed, taking off and running up the stairs. Alfred ran after her, laughing until they reached the top, where they peered down into a sort of arena. "Whoa..." Shelby breathed.

"This is an ancient sky arena, Shelby." Sakura explained as they walked down the steps. "This is where some of the first battles for earth took place. It was here that I became familiar with the human concept of being a knight. Completely dedicated to a person, and a cause." She explained, unsheathing the sword and gazing at the blade. "This is what you must become, Shelby." She walked towards her, the sword held horizontally as she bent down to the younger girl's eye level. "Brave, selfless, loyal." She placed the sword in Shelby's hands, and the girl gazed into her sword, at her reflection. "A knight."

"We begin with a bow." Sakura continued, placing her hands in front of her chest and bowing towards Shelby. "First to me, your teacher," Shelby dipped her head awkwardly, her face flushing slightly with nerves, "now again to your leise." She instructed, gesturing towards Alfred.

"Oookay." Shelby smiled, turning to her friend, her sword still gripped in her hands. "My leise." She kneeled down, her voice dramatic as Alfred puffed out his chest, his eyes closed.

"Miss Knight." Alfred addressed her, bowing deeply. It didn't take long for them to both start giggling and snorting.

Sakura crossed her arms in irritation. "I hope you two are taking this seriously." She commented, succeeding at keeping her voice even, though her eyes reflected a hard light.

"Yes ma'am!" Shelby smiled, and Alfred nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Sakura spun, a beam of light shooting out from her pearl, producing a translucent blue replica of herself.

"Holy... Hologram Sakura!" She exclaimed excitedly, while Alfred eyed the replica warily.

"To begin, this holo-Sakura will be your opponent." Sakura explained gently.

The hologram's hand suddenly contained a sword, and a voice emitted from her barely moving lips. "LEVEL ZERO." It was similar to the real Sakura's voice, but much more aggressive and loud. "BEGINNER SET. DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" It questioned, taking a threatening stance.

Shelby raised her arms excitedly. "YES!" She shouted. Before she could start, however, a pink bubble formed around both her and Alfred, and she glanced at him in confusion. "Alfred?" She asked, causing him to break his gaze from the hologram and look at her.

"Hm?" He muttered, before glancing around, realizing the predicament. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry. Aha, ahahaha..." He laughed nervously, his face flushing as he got rid of the bubble and backed away awkwardly. "Reflex." He admitted, before continuing backwards. "You just be careful and I will go over here." He muttered, before escaping to the seats to watch.

"Alright," Sakura began gently, stooping down and placing her hands reassuringly on Shelby's shoulders, "everything begins with your stance." She guided the child's hand, pointing it towards the hologram. It stepped forward, pressing it's sword against Shelby's. "Remember, you do it for him," she sang in a beautiful voice, helping Shelby draw her sword back, "and you would do it again." The swords clashed. "You do it for her, that it to say, you'll do it for him."

"Keep your, stance wide." Shelby spread her legs, unsure of herself as Sakura scrutinized her. "Keep you body lowered." Shelby bent down slightly. "As you're moving forward, balance is the key." Sakura drew her sword, and they practiced parrying. "Right foot, left foot. Now go even faster. And as you're moving backwards, keep your, eyes on me."

"Keep my, stance wide." Shelby spoke, her brows furrowed in determination as she glared at the hologram.

"Good." Sakura commented. Holo-Sakura's eyes went red, and she swung her sword at the human, lunging forward.

"Keep my body lowered."

"Right."

Shelby met the hologram half way, "As I'm moving forward," their swords met, and they clashed back and forth a couple times, before the human stumbled backwards.

"Concentrate." Sakura stated firmly as Alfred watched nervously. "Don't you want him to live?"

"Right foot. Left foot." Shelby sang as she rolled out of the hologram's reach.

"Yes, but put your whole body into it." Sakura urged. Their swords met again. "Everything you have, everything you are, you got to give..."

"On the battlefield, when everything is chaos," Sakura projected an image from her memories, "and you have nothing but the way you feel," they could see a slightly different looking Sakura running through a fiery field, "your strategy and a sword." Sakura stumbled across a large enemy soldier, about to go head-to-head with Amelia Jones. Sakura yelled something, tears in her eyes as she pushed herself forward, "you just think about the life you'll have together after the war." Sakura stood protectively in front of Amelia, despite the fact that she was much smaller than Amelia, before she lunged at the enemy. "And then you do it for her, that's how you know you can win," the image shattered, leaving both Alfred and Shelby with wide eyes.

With the new energy, Sakura danced towards her hologram, gracefully dodging the swings it dealt. Within seconds, she ran it through, "you do it for her, that is to say, you'll do it for him." She blushed slightly as she glanced back at the two. Shelby and Alfred exchanged looks, before Shelby smirked with determination.

"Deep down, you know, you weren't built for fighting." Sakura continued as she bent down, grabbing a blistered Shelby's hand tenderly. "But that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try." Soon, her hand was completely wrapped in gauze, allowing the human to continue with less pain. "What they, don't know, is your real advantage." Alfred walked up to Shelby, offering her refreshments. Eagerly, she grabbed a juice box, but stopped before she took a sip as Sakura approached her. "When you live for someone, you're prepared to die." Alfred glanced at Shelby in horror as she nodded, setting down the juice box.

"Deep down, I know, that I'm just a human." She sang as she gripped her sword with a wrapped hand.

"True."

"But I know that I can draw my sword and fight!" She sang, lunging forward with ferocity as she fought in a more offensive manner against the hologram, making Alfred bite his lip nervously. "With my short existence,"

"Good."

"I can make a difference."

"Yes, excellent."

"I can be there for him," Shelby tripped the hologram, making it fall on it's back as she put the sword in it's face, "I can be his knight. I can do it for him!"

"You'd do it for her!" The two sang together.

"Okay, now do that again." Sakura commanded.

"Yes ma'am!"

They walked up to Alfred, kneeling down before him. "You do it for her, and now you say,"

"I'll do it for him." Shelby finished, and though it was flattering, the blonde looked extremely uncomfortable.

Alfred sat at the table, reading a book titled How to Talk to People. The first page read, 'Step 1: Think of what you want to say.' Then next page said, 'Step 2: Say it.' He glanced up, however, when he heard footsteps, and Shelby opened the door, her brown curls around held back by a hair band as she walked in, a gym bag at her side.

"Shelby!" Alfred greeted, shutting the book and turning to her.

"Hey Alfred." She said simply, walking past him briskly, headed towards the warp-pad.

He ran after her, his facial expression that of concern. "Shelby, wait!" He called, causing her to turn and face him. Before Alfred could continue, however, the door to the gems' rooms opened, revealing Sakura with her hands folded in front of her, her eyes half-closed, her lips pulled up in a pleased smile.

"Ah, right on time." She complimented as Shelby stepped on the warp-pad, smiling.

"Can we talk for a moment?" Alfred urged, his voice pleading.

"Uh, sure." Shelby lifted a confused brow. "What's up?"

"We have important training to do, Shelby." Sakura interrupted, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Yes ma'am." Shelby bowed her head slightly, shutting her eyes and ceasing conversation immediately.

Sakura looked over at Alfred, her face gentler now. "She's been making great strides, Alfred. She's going to be an asset to you." Shelby opened her eyes, her eyes filled with an icy fire as the warp-pad activated, taking them off to the arena.

Alfred sighed sadly, his shoulders drooping, when the gems' door opened again, revealing two women. One had wavy brown hair that was pulled up in a messy bun, and olive-tone skin. She wore a black tank top, dark purple jeans with black stars on the knees, and in the middle of her chest, half covered by her clothes, was a purple amethyst. Next to her was a much taller, yet younger looking girl, with long, slightly curled blonde pigtails. She looked down at her laughing friend with violet eyes, a pair of oval glasses perched on her nose. She wore a one piece that was half blue, half red at the bottom, and at the top, it was a layered star consisting of different colors of pink.

"Wow, Maddie," the brunette breathed, standing up from her doubled over position and looking up at her friend, revealing sparkling green eyes, "that was the funniest thing I've ever heard!" She smile, her accent Spanish.

The pair walked towards Alfred, who still had a deep frown set on his features. "Madeline. Master of comedy." The blonde, Madeline, muttered as she stepped on to the warp-pad, her still giggling friend following.

"Yo Alfred," the brunette greeted, before her eyes widened when she saw the disappointment on his features. Her eyebrows furrowed angrily. "Why you standing there all sad like that?" She demanded loudly, her hands balled into fists.

"Well," Alfred rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Shelby is taking sword fighting lessons from Sakura." His eyes darkened, his face setting in an irritated expression. "But I think it's getting a little too serious. She wants Shelby to do all this dangerous stuff for me."

Madeline and the brunette, Isabel, glanced at each other with wide eyes, before Maddie turned to Alfred. "That makes sense." She stated, making her way towards the blonde haired boy.

"What do you mean?" Alfred questioned, looking up at his guardian expectantly.

She squatted down in front of him, her eyes trained on the ground. "Back during the war, Sakura took pride in risking her destruction for your mother. She put Amelia Jones over everything. Over logic. Over consequence. Over her own life."

Alfred's eyes widened as he pictured Shelby doing the exact same thing as Sakura had done, and he suddenly looked a little sick.

"You okay dude?" Isabel inquired, frowning.

"I haven to DO SOMETHING!" Alfred yelled, pushing his way past the two girls as he stood on the warp-pad. "THANKS FOR TELLING ME THAT BYE!" With that, he was warped to the arena.

Alfred peered down into the arena from his place at the entrance.

"Remember Shelby, in the heat of battle, Alfred is what matters. You don't matter." Sakura instructed firmly.

"I don't matter." Shelby repeated, gripping her sword even tighter.

Alfred gasped, racing down the stairs as Sakura continued. "Now, let us begin." Her pearl glowed, and clouds began gathering in the sky above, before sinking down and completely engulfing the arena, the two girls disappearing from sight.

Alfred walked around blindly. "Shelby!" He called out, his hands cupped to his mouth in an attempt to amplify his voice. In the distance, her shouting could be heard, accompanied by the sound of metal clashing. "Shelby, where are you?" He looked around, but he saw nothing but thick fog. "SHELBY!"

Suddenly, his skin reflected a blue light, and he turned to face an approaching holo-Sakura. "Uh, haha, you wouldn't have happened to see Shelby, would you?" He asked awkwardly, before the hologram took out it's sword, it's red turning red.

"UNREGISTERED COMBATANT DETECTED." It raised it's sword, preparing to strike Alfred down. Before it could, however, a sword skewered itself into it's chest, and it shattered, the sword clattering to the ground. Behind where the hologram stood was a very serious Shelby.

"Shelby!" Alfred shouted gleefully.

"Alfred, what're doing out here?" She questioned, a brow raised.

"Shelby!" Alfred gripped his friend's shoulders, his eyes wide. "I don't want you to do this anymore! N-not alone."

Shelby shook her head, "No Alfred, I understand now!" She smiled brightly. "Your legacy, your destiny! You are everything. And I...  I am nothing. But I can do this for you! I can give you my service!"

"NO, I don't want you to!" Alfred urged.

Suddenly, both the back of Alfred's head and Shelby's face were alit with blue light. "Alfred..." She said through gritted teeth, "I doing this FOR YOU!" She shouted, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down just as a sword sliced the air where they had been standing. She flipped over his back, slicing the hologram in half before it shattered. "I need to be able to protect you!"

Alfred stared up at her with wide eyes, "But if you're the only protecting me..." As he spoke, a holo-Sakura walked up silently behind Shelby, ready to strike her down, "then who's the one protecting you?" He demanded as he rushed forwards, knocking Shelby out of the way as he threw himself in front of his friend, holding out his hand, which projected a rose-pink shield just as the sword struck it. The hologram glitched and shattered.

Once they were safe, his shoulders drooped. "Some day we may be fighting some really bad guys," He turned to Shelby, who still looked up at him in awe, "and when that day comes, I wanna fight with you. Together." His eyes sparkled with stars as he reached down and offered her a hand. "So please?" As he asked, four holograms ambushed them from all directions. "Won't you share this jam with me?"

Shelby smiled, taking his hand with her bandaged one as the holo-Sakuras pounced. Alfred shielded them with his shield, which extended large enough for all four holograms to land on.

"This is much easier." Shelby whispered, glancing at Alfred with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Alfred returned it. "That's the idea." With that, he encased the two of them and the shield in a pink bubble, which forced the holograms off the shield. They all fell to the ground, shattering within seconds of one another. "No matter what comes," Alfred grabbed Shelby's hand, "we do it together!"

"Alfred!" Sakura's voice sliced through the air, and the blonde flinched, causing the bubble to shatter, and the fog cleared, revealing Sakura a few feet away. "Alfred, don't interfere! She needs to take me on herself!" She snapped. Usually, the gem was much quieter, but this display had obviously frustrated her beyond her ability to refrain from speaking.

"Why? We're a team!" He exclaimed. "She's the strawberry,"

"And he's the biscuit!" Shelby shouted.

"And that makes us, JAM,"

"BUDS!"

"What?" Sakura muttered in confusion, before the two children charged, catching the older woman off guard as Shelby began battling with her sword. Even in her slightly dazed state, Sakura parried with ease, although the she did stumble backwards at the human's aggressive offensive attack. When she snapped out of the confusion, her eyebrows furrowed, and she swung with a powerful slice at the girl, who spun around, revealing Alfred, who was pressed to her back. He held up his shield, glaring at his guardian as her sword bounced off harmlessly.

Sakura gasped in surprise, and Shelby slid down between her mentor's legs, before lunging at her. Alfred's followed her lead, jumping at Sakura with a powerful yell.

"ENOUGH!" Sakura yelled, disarming them both and sending them tumbling to the ground. She stood above them, her black hair sticking up everywhere and her chest heaving. "No! In a real battle, Alfred won't be there to save you!" She yelled.

"Yes I will!" Alfred urged.

"Alfred! You don't know that!" She snapped back.

"Yes I do!" Alfred smiled with a determined look set on his features. "If Shelby is going to fight, we're going to fight together!"

"That's right!" Shelby cheered.

"You shouldn't be anywhere near the fight! You're too important!" Sakura argued, her voice becoming more emotional.

"I am not!" Alfred yelled.

"YES YOU ARE!" Sakura screamed.

"NO!" Alfred shouted as loud as he could.

Sakura grabbed her head, gripping her hair violently. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU, AMELIA?" She shrieked, tears falling down her faces as she stared down at the blonde boy. For a moment, everyone feel silent, Alfred's face falling as Sakura's face flushed.

She took a deep breath, tears still in her eyes as her shoulders fell. "I, I mean, let her. Do this. Why won't you let Shelby do this for you?" Her voice got quieter and quieter as she wiped her tears away. The sword slipped from her grip, clattering to the ground.

"That's... Enough for today." She whispered, turning walking away across the arena, sitting on the edge, staring down at the earth below. Shelby and Alfred glanced at each other, before picking themselves up and walking over to Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura..." Alfred said as they sat on their side of her. "I didn't mean to mess up your training. But, all that 'you're nothing' talk was really freaking me out..."

Shelby glanced up at Sakura. "Did Amelia make you feel like you were nothing?" She inquired gently.

Sakura let out a soft chuckle, looking up to the sky as new tears spilled from her amber eyes. "Amelia made me feel... Like I was everything." She took a breath, wiping her tears away before glancing down at Alfred and Shelby. "I see now, how deeply you care about each other. That will make you both great knights." She smiled, placing a one hand on each of their closest shoulders. They giggled as she continued. "Shelby is practically an expert, so Alfred, you have a lot of catching up to do." Her smile only widened as she continued. "I'm so excited, I can't wait for the underwater dueling exercises, it's going to be lots of fun."