(Anyone remembers those two Steven Universe themed oneshots I made, but never continued them?
Some things have been changed, because I am writing this from memory and because I felt they could be improved.)
Gene despised Smokey Quartz, and for a lot of good reasons.
One, he started the Crystal Gems, a rebellion, ultimately leading to the Gem War.
Two, he was okay with fusion between two different Gem types.
Three, he cared all too much about the organic life on Earth.
But... most importantly, four....
He shattered Zane..
Zane had been Gene's little Diamond, his little Black Diamond at that. He had cared about the organic life of Earth way too much too, but he had made a zoo for them in his base so he could continue the foundation of his first Gem Colony. He was such an innocent being, with nothing to worry about except his public image as a Diamond. He had always done his best to keep the other three Diamonds happy, even if his caring nature wasn't fully accepted by Zenix or Sasha. Gene had loved Zane, even if he was a defective Gem.
He could barely keep himself restrained when he saw Smokey Quartz.
"Well, I guess the truth is out now..." Smokey Quartz sighed, patting his lion's mane.
"What truth? That you're a murderer and a coward?" Gene questioned with a sneer, narrowing his eyes. "That truth has been known for a long time, Smokey Quartz."
"There is still something that needs to be said." He responded, closing his eye. "But you won't hear it from me."
"What?" He asked, but he could see a change in Smokey Quartz.
His entire physical form glowed a light gray color, all his facial details and the markings of his clothes becoming transparent and unseen. Then he started to shift, getting taller and a bit wider. His hair went from a spiked and curly design to a straighter, fluffier one. His head became more diamond shaped, his ears becoming more pointed at the tips and raising up more. His arms became longer and smoother, as did his legs. He could see the outfit he wore changing now, too. The body tight sleeves became a bit more puffed, long see through silk sleeves going down to his wrists. A cloak was forming around his neck, the cape of it blowing out behind him. As his feet became smaller and thinner, small little balls formed on the top of the shoes.
Then his gem started to move.
It went from flat to upsidedown, showing another side of the gem. When Gene saw this, he gasped, knowing exactly who he was about to see. And, truth be told, he would have gone all the way back to Zane's shattering to keep from the truth.
"I'm sorry." Zane apologized, fully forming after.
"Why....?" Gene asked, his hands balling into fists and his voice becoming strained from anger. "Dammit, Zane, why!?"
Zane stayed silent, looking down at his feet. He let out a silent sigh, and in the silence that took hold, Gene took it to realize just how much Zane had grown and changed.
The Zane he remembered was bright, loud, talkative, and childish. He always wanted to get a word or two in every conversation he heard, he wanted his opinion to be heard. He acted like a child because of how young he had been at the time, the mental state that was yet to be set in place and from all the energy stored inside of him. He was young, and he was innocent. He had been a reminder to the three Diamonds that they could relax sometimes, and Gene had always thought of him whenever he was uncertain about himself. Zane had been a cure for Gene.
But this Zane was all wrong. He was quiet and dull, he looked like he had been bottling emotions up inside of him for over a thousand years... which he probably had, come to think of it. He looked cold as stone, an unbreakable figure that was a leader. He looked older, wiser, like he was truly an adult being. He had outsmarted all three of the Diamonds and even his own rebellion, living two lives and slipping right under their noses.
Gene noticed something else about Zane, though. He looked more defined, prepared, with something that made Gene want to listen to everything he said. But there was also something there that looked pained and sorrowful.
"Are you even Zane, the Black Diamond?" Gene questioned with a growl, his fists shaking.
"Yes..." Zane answered in a low voice, not yet looking up at him.
"Why then!? Why did you start all of this!?" He demanded, standing up from his chair and looming over the smaller.
Zane looked up at him, his teeth bared and his face in a glare. This took Gene back a bit, but his own glare returned in just seconds. A glare of pure hatred on Gene was nothing new or surprising, but a feared and horrifying experience. A glare of hatred, or any glare at all, on Zane was entirely new. Gene could see small tears pricking at the corners of Zane's eye.
"What else did you want me to do? Smile and wave!?" Zane yelled at him, his voice breaking slightly.
"What are you talking about?" Gene asked, groaning as he rolled his eyes.
"That, right there! You rolled your eyes at me!" He shouted, pointing an accusing finger. "You, Zenix, and Sasha didn't care!"
"We didn't care...?" He repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"None of you ever cared! You never wanted to know how I saw things or how I felt, yet you three always wanted me to be there for you guys and to listen to you guys!" He cried, a tear slowly making it's way down his cheek. "You would always brush me off like I was just another common Gem soldier! Whenever I would talk to you guys about my concerns about my duties, you would just tell me to smile and wave!"
Gene pursed his lips, counting the minutes in his head as Zane went on and on. He had made a lot of good points, how Gene, Zenix, and Sasha were never there for him. How they had never paid attention to any of his worries or problems, but had expected him to listen to theirs.
"Don't you understand why I did it!?" Zane questioned, glaring at him.
"No, I don't." Gene answered, and Zane's body became less tense.
"Of course you don't. How could I expect you to?" He sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You're Gene, the Blue Diamond, the head of the Gem Colonies. You couldn't possibly understand."
"And you're not Zane, the Black Diamond, the lowest of the Diamond Authorities." He shot back, picking him up in one hand. "You're just a fake."
"Just get this over with." He growled, closing his eye. "You can't corrupt a Diamond, so just shatter me and be done with it."
Gene's fist tightened around Zane, especially around his gem. He listened as Zane let out groans and whimpers, his physical form slightly cracking. Gene let out a small breath, as he closed his fist around his gem completely.
Zane didn't crack and shatter.
Gene knew he wouldn't. He didn't want to shatter him, but he couldn't just forgive him as though nothing had happened. So he had poofed his physical form, leaving the gem intact. Opening his hand, he picked up the black gem with his other hand.
"I loved you, Zane... even if you hate me..."
Why didn't he shatter me? Doesn't he hate me...?
