Cody's last two trips to Beach City hadn't been the best. The first time he visited, he found a pointy gem and was taken over by a quartz soldier known as Jasper. The second trip, he ended up fused with Steven Universe and Connie Maheswaran as Stevonnie. He was hoping his third trip would be a charm. "Okay," Cody said nervously. "I keep wanting to have fun in Beach City, but every time I show up, I end up stuck in something....or someone." He looked at the ocean, reflecting on what had happened the last two times.

"Maybe I'm just cursed to be involved with this interstellar battle," he said to his reflection. "I mean, this can't just all be coincidence.....can it?" As he questioned fate, he noticed a bright blue object in the sky, heading towards him at an alarming rate. "Annnnd that's my cue to run!" Cody said as he tried to run away. The object crashed with such an impact, it knocked him to the ground and buried him in the sand. After digging himself out and shaking the sand out of his hair, Cody ran over to see what could've caused such a crash. He knew it was probably not the best idea, but what could he do? What if someone else was hurt by what happened?

"Hello? Is anyone hurt?" Cody shouted as he looked for anyone else. "He approached the crash zone and saw what appeared to be a young woman in a blue dress on the ground. Cody ran to check on her, but it was no woman. It was another one of those Gem creatures he encountered before. He tried to lift her up, but she was in bad shape. "Miss? Are you alright?" Cody said, trying to revitalize her. He turned her on her side and saw the nearly shattered blue gem on her back. "She...she's a Gem." Cody realized too late. The gem began to glow in a bright blue light, that engulfed Cody. The light was so intense, Cody blacked out.

What seemed like hours later, Cody slowly regained consciousness. "Ohhhhh,my head. Wh-what happened?" He tried to stand up, but fell back to his knees from exhaustion. He looked in the water and found a shocking site. He was in the body of the Gem he found on the beach. "Wh-what's going on? Why do I look.....and sound like this?" "Wait, who said that?" "Who are you?" He felt something different than when he fused with Stevonnie. This time, he felt more in control and shared minds with the gem directly. "My name is Lapis Lazuli. I'm a Crystal Gem....I guess." the voice replied. "Lapis?" Cody said in confusion. "Wait, I think I know you. You can control water." "Well...it's a little more complex than that." Lapis replied. "But why did you fuse with me?" "I don't know. Your gem was nearly in pieces." Cody answered. "Hang on. This is getting a bit weird." He put his hands on the side of his head and slowly pulled off the face of Lapis, as if it were a mask.

"Amazing. Your body is like a skinsuit and mask now." Cody said in excitement. "Your Gem powers must've tapped into my mind and formed this from my subconscious. I don't feel like a prisoner like when I was in Jasper." "Wait, you were IN Jasper?" the Lapis mask asked. "It's a long story, but I feel you have...or at least had a connection with her as well." he replied. "I can sense your sadness. the feelings of betrayal, and abuse. I know we just met, but if we're going to coexist as one, we have to be able to trust each other. Can you trust a human?" The mask was silent for a long time. Lapis had been hurt several times in the past, and now she didn't know if she could trust this human with her very essence. "I...I guess we don't have a choice." Lapis replied. Cody smiled as he picked up the mask. "We do have a choice. Let's make it a good one." Cody said, smiling at the mask. "But for now, we should keep this secret from the others. At least until we can figure out a way to explain."

With that, Cody's subconscious sank into the deep oceans of Lapis' mindset. It would not be his decision to control, but would put his trust in his new ally. For now, Cody Nakamura no longer existed. For now, there was only Lapis Lazuli, a confused and vulnerable Gem, trying to find her place in this universe. Lapis sprouted her wings and flew off past a wooded area, coming across a seemingly abandoned barn.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Drawn by  vytz

Lapis Lazuli belongs to Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar