(Sorry, this is kind of a long author's note, but I needed to explain some things.)

I think I should start off with some information for anyone who's never watched Steven Universe: It's about sentient gems who came from space to live on Earth, and use humanoid physical forms (which are described by the characters in the cartoon as "holograms with mass"). The main character is half-human and half-gem (his mother was a gem, but had to give up her physical form in order for him to exist. I sort of changed the way that worked in this fanfiction). They are each able to summon a weapon to fight corrupt gems, and some of them have different abilities (such as Garnet's future vision and Lapis's control over water). They can also fuse together into larger gems.

I hope this clears up a few things for anyone who wants to read this fanfiction, but has never watched Steven Universe. :)

Also, I started writing this when only seven of the Spriggan 12 were revealed, and that already felt like too many (there are only three Crystal Gems in the actual show - technically four, actually, but two of them are fused together nearly all the time). So I didn't include any of the Spriggans who were revealed since then. I hope nobody minds (I did try to provide an explanation).

One more thing: The gems in Steven Universe are all named after the gem they are (except Steven). In this fanfiction, they only use their gem names when addressing each other formally or when they're pissed off at each other. Otherwise, they'll be using their canon names.

"Zeref! Obsidian! Zeref!"

The smoke billowed around the young-looking man as he scrambled through the burning piles that used to be buildings, ignoring the calls from behind him. They were worried about him. He hated worrying them, but he had to find his family.

Since his arrival in this city, Zeref (also known as Obsidian) had become close to Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel, the couple who had moved in nearby fifteen years ago. The neighbors had been kind to him and his twelve companions, even giving them the white scarf that had been passed down in their family for who-knows-how-long. Some said that the two had treated Zeref like their son; people had even begun referring to him as "Zeref Dragneel".

This city was where they, the Spriggan Gems, had landed after their escape from Homeworld. Despite their unusual appearances (they were aliens, after all), they'd quickly been accepted as part of the community here. But nearly all of them had been a part of one of the four courts that ruled Homeworld, and the Great Diamond Authority – the planet's rulers – didn't take kindly to their gems running off to live on Earth. They had vowed to find all gems who ran away from their planet; after thousands of years, they had finally found the Spriggans.

They'd almost completely destroyed this city in their search. Almost half of Beach City's population was dead. Five of the thirteen Spriggan Gems had disappeared – the remaining eight didn't want to think about what had happened: the five were probably being taken back to their "home" right now. There was no way to save them unless they wanted to be captured themselves.

Zeref stopped, giving a small gasp that was half relief and half terror as he spotted the two crumpled forms laying on the ground several yards away. Even from this distance, there was no mistaking them: Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel – and, he supposed, their son. Mrs. Dragneel had been just a day or so away from giving birth when the attack happened.

He finally reached the two bodies on the ground, tears staining his pitch-black skin, the light of the remaining flames flickering off of the circle of obsidian embedded in his forehead. He knelt next to them, reaching for their necks to feel for a pulse, breath, anything.

Nothing.

Zeref let out a sob. The neighbors who had been so kind to him and the others were gone for good, along with the little brother he'd never met – and would never meet now. There was no way to save –

"Wait…" Zeref mumbled. He could save one of them.

Using every ounce of power within him, he'd be able to give up his physical form in order for his brother to be born. The child would be half-human and half-gem rather than a full human, but that didn't matter. All he cared about right now was the fact that he was able to save one of them.

"His life matters more than mine."

Several minutes later, the other seven reached the place where Zeref was last seen. But their leader was nowhere in sight: there was nothing but a human baby with a circle of obsidian embedded in his forehead, wrapped in an unmistakable white scarf.

Natsu could still remember the day he woke up for the first time: the faces that seemed to be hovering above him, the whispers he didn't yet understand. Confused and afraid, he began to cry.

"It's crying."

"Stop referring to him as "it", Ajeel. He's male."

"So that's what humans look like when they're younger?"

"Eww. Humans are gross."

"Be more respectful. This child is all that remains of Obsidian."

"This is annoying. Mavis, how to we make him stop crying?"

"I don't know! I've never had a baby!"

"But you're a human. You must at least know how to take care of them."

"No, I'm afraid that the only experience I've had in taking care of a baby was a babysitting job I took eight years ago. I barely remember it."

"You forgot? It was only eight years ago!"

There was a sigh from the human girl. "…I suppose you wouldn't understand. You guys don't forget things as easily as us."

Gradually, the people around him descended into argument. Natsu continued to cry, still not knowing what was going on or who these people were.

From the chaos in front of him, the human girl – Mavis – stepped forward. He could see her better now: long blonde hair, a white dress, and no gem (he now knew for certain that she was a human). Ashes stained her pale skin and clothes, and she had a few minor cuts. She lifted him from the pile of cushions they'd placed him on and carried him past the arguing ones. She opened the glass door and stepped outside onto the balcony; as soon as she shut the door behind her, the arguing seemed to be silenced.

Mavis stood on the balcony, watching the traffic three floors below her apartment. This part of Beach City had been untouched by those "Homeworld gems" who had invaded. Thankfully, the remaining Spriggan Gems had managed to defeat them, and were searching for a way to send them back to the Homeworld – well, they were supposed to be. Right now, they were arguing on the other side of a glass door.

Looking down, she saw that the baby – she seemed to remember that his parents were planning on naming him Natsu – had stopped crying and was fast asleep. She reached for his forehead, gently pushing back the fold of the white scarf that covered it to reveal the dark circle of obsidian embedded in his skin.

"So this really is him," she whispered. "…Sort of. I think." The remainder of the Spriggans had never really explained to her how exactly this whole thing worked.

Mavis smiled sadly. Even if Zeref wasn't with them anymore, things were going to turn out alright for their home, and for what remained of his family. That was what he would have wanted.

She took one last look at the city below her, before turning around to go back inside.