Summary: Blue Diamond notices Hematite is acting odd.

It'd been weeks since the blowup in the Coliseum. Blue bared through a number of verbal lashings from Yellow since then. She was not happy about her spreading that ridiculous nickname around enough for Hematite to know about it. The lectures and verbal lashings were enough, but... Worse yet, Blue hadn't seen a single sign of Hematite anywhere since she brought him back to the White Tower. Hematite assured her that even in his tiny state, he could find his way to his room just fine from the ground floor... but. The diamond hadn't seen him since. She was worried about him. Sometimes, she would show up at Morganite's bar, calmly waiting for him to show up, secretly hoping she would catch him.

But she never did.

She set off on her own today, having heard from White that Hema had a mission he was handling out in the front end of the Pink district. Since she wasn't running into him out and about, she decided she would go and find him for herself. Blue didn't know how he was feeling, and since she hadn't seen him since Yellow's little party crash, it made her more and more concerned for him. Maybe he was mad at her? Perhaps he was just a little spooked? Maybe a good old fashioned tussle with her would make him happy! Yeah, surely that would do! She raced forward, picking up her pace, her will to find him stronger than ever.

After scouting for a solid two hours, looking for any sign of the gem, she started to get a little nervous. Was he still out here? He was surprisingly easy to lose, despite normally being so big. Then, she heard it. A distant crumbling sound echoing in the distance. Perhaps that was him? She made her way swiftly in the direction where she heard the noise, climbing over bits of fallen rubble and running through clearings. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any trouble around, at least not yet. It was a smooth run, and the noises started to get louder and more clear. That had to be him...

–

CRACK

Take a step.

CRACK

Take a step.

CRACK

Hematite slowly pulled his hand away from the tower he was demolishing, bits of rubble and old plant life falling to the floor.

CRACK.

The service gem was steadily making his way around a smaller sky scraper while at half of his full height. As he punched through another section of wall, his visor chirped in response to some movement further off. Someone was coming.

CRACK.

Almost done.

–

Blue peered over a piece of rubble, watching the gem make his way around the building. That was definitely him, alright... but it... also didn't seem like him. She stayed quiet, watching him wreck the building, in an almost... mechanical fashion. Was this how he always demolished things? Or was she missing something more? He seemed so much more drone-like than usual. She didn't want to bother him, so she tried to stay hidden for the moment. Maybe she wouldn't bother him, and maybe he wouldn't notice her...

–

Crack.

Crumble.

Pulling his hand away again, Hematite stared hollowly at the building in front of him. Visor whirring, he stood straight.

It was ready to come down any minute now.

Slowly, the giant gem turned toward Blue, seeming to look straight through her. She was some distance off, almost out of sight, but he'd still caught her faint movement from far-off. His visor wasn't glazed over at the moment, but was dancing with different HUDs.

"I can see you there." His voice was cold, monotone, mechanical. He sounded like it did when reciting his prisoners their rights.

He waited in dead silence for the 'hidden' Diamond to make a move.

–

Blue blinked slowly, surprised he'd noticed her so quickly. Must have been the gem tech he wore. Not bothering to stay hidden now, she made her way closer and stopped on an outcropping that was some distance off the ground, so she could be a bit closer to his height. Not that it helped much.

"Ah, Hey kid! I thought I'd uh, pay you a visit! Do ya mind?" she asked, climbing up onto the rubble fully now, her hands out in an almost shrugging gesture. There was the faintest trace of nervousness in her tone, but she kept it together. Something really was off about him.

–

Hematite raised his head ever so slightly, still staring through her. He hadn't looked this dead-eyed before, even while on his harvesting mission that Blue had tagged along with. His voice remained flat, lifeless.

"You are my superior, Blue Diamond. You may stay if you so desire."

He slowly turned back to the building. His eyepiece began to scan it, clicking and whirring as it looked for faults and weak points. Hematite was silent.

–

Blue bit her lip, her heart sinking, her anxiety rising. No, no this definitely wasn't like him. Something was wrong, very wrong...she was right. She was right to assume, she just knew something was up. It wasn't like him to avoid her like this. It wasn't like him to speak this way... To look this way. She hopped up on the highest part of the rubble and stood as tall as she could, which, given her size compared to Hema, didn't really matter much

"Hematite, we need to talk!" She shouted, a seriousness in her voice that wasn't normally there. She clenched her fists. "Now."

–

Blinking slowly, the giant gem turned to Blue and stared at her. He said nothing for a long moment. Eventually, he slowly moved toward her, his motions stiff. Another pause. Slowly, Hematite lowered himself to her eye level, his knees bent, his face unnervingly close to her. His visor had not shut off.

He waited for her to continue.

–

This unnerved her... badly. She didn't move, however, and stared at him, eye to eye. His lack of response didn't help the growing anxiety in her chest. She was frowning; baffled and... almost in disbelief.

"This isn't like you, Hematite. Please, talk to me. Say something. Say anything! Tell me a joke!" She laughed feebly, starting to get the feeling everything she was going to say was in vain. It would at least be worth a shot.

She stared into the hunting visor, wondering if Hematite even acknowledged anything she was saying.

–

At first, his expression remained stoic, but as he listened to Blue's words get more desperate, something faltered. His brow twitched, and he glanced away for a moment. Say something... but what? What was there to say?

I'm busy?

I don't have anything to say?

Leave me alone...

I don't want you seeing me like this...

What could he say?

You should find another Hematite to be friends with.

A soft, bitter laugh escaped him.

"Ha."

Oh... she wasn't supposed to hear that. Slowly, he looked back at her, the slightest bit of apprehension in his eyes.

"I guess you could say my job today is to really... bring down.. the.. house." He tried to smile. He did.

But nothing happened.

–

Blue stared for a moment, but burst into a pathetic laughter. She crumpled down on the rubble placing a palm on its cold surface. She didn't stop. She kept laughing, but the laugh turned dry... before it turned into something else.

A sob.

Tears flowed from her eyes, spattering onto the broken piece of building. She tried desperately to cover her face with her hands. Why did this hurt? Why did this suddenly make her so upset? Was she overreacting? She ran her hands up her face, fingers digging into her puffy hair. She looked at the ground, refusing to look up at him. She just kept crying.

Though she couldn't see it at the moment, Hematite's cold demeanor broke, if only for a moment.

No.

No, he couldn't see Blue like this... She was distraught over how he was behaving. It was his fault.

… No.

Yellow Diamond's fault.

She did this to him.

She hurt Blue.

"Th-they... You... I..." She could hardly keep herself together.

This hurt... This hurt her. It hurt her to see him like this. It hurt her because she didn't know what to do. A service gem... a service gem and a Diamond with a friendship that she felt was so strong, she could be comfortable around him. Or so she had thought.

The common gem would have laughed. In such a seemingly short amount of time, Blue got closer to this gem than she did most others. Sure, she was social, and palling around with gems was just how she was. But Hematite, from the start, was something special to her.

"You broke your promise," she said quietly, looking up finally with an expression of hurt and anger. She didn't know how to feel... and yet she felt so many things.

He had changed. He had let them take his spirited nature away. They took him away. This wasn't the same gem she befriended before... and she could do nothing about it.

–

As she looked up at him, his eyes widened, and he glanced away, hurt. Slowly, he lifted his hand, as if to reach for her, but he stopped and lowered it again, instead moving to hold his upper arm. He squeezed tightly, the fabric bunching up between his fingers.

"... You're right. I'm sorry."

She hates you now.

You hurt her.

You're defective.

And you're a d

You're not good enough for anyone.

"If I may go... I have a job to do." His voice was quiet, but the numbness from before was slowly creeping back into his tone. He couldn't do this.

But he had to.

He wouldn't let Blue grieve him.

If it meant she hated him by the time he was gone, then so be it.

But damned if it didn't hurt right now.

–

Blue wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt disgusting... she felt weak. She felt vulnerable. She felt angry.

But she kept it together.

Standing up, she nodded simply, turning away without a word. There was nothing she could do for him. She could only hope that he'd come back to his senses. Though, she didn't count on it. She wanted so badly to just beat the sadness out of him. Hah...no, that's not how it worked. She could tell, for a split second, she had moved something in him... but it was unlikely that it was much, much less enough to bring him back.

She gave up.

Back turned to the service gem, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed heavily.

"I'll see ya around, Kid..."

–

Hematite stared at her, apprehension still clear in his expression, but as Blue turned away, the life drained out of his face again, and he went cold.

"Yes, I'm sure we will see each other around again." He stood up. "We do live close to each other."

With that, he turned away and walked back to the crumbling building.

–

Blue started off, clutching her arm in her hand. That was a disaster...she started to wonder if it was best if she had just stayed out of it. After a few moments, there was an ear-splitting crack, followed by crumbling. She jerked her head back to see what had happened. Her eyes widened.

–

Hematite stood, motionless, the building crashing down around his arm. He'd punched straight to the center, taking out the one last piece he needed to destroy the tower.

But he didn't move.

His hunting visor had glazed over.

As the dust cleared, the giant gem was left standing there with his arm still extended, his hand balled into a fist. Slowly, he stood straight. His hand turned over, and dangling from his clawed fingers, was a tiny, very frightened Jade. From the looks of her outfit, she didn't belong to any faction. She cried out in terror as Hematite lifted her close to his face, his visor scanning her gem. The giant gem turned his hand over, Jade now precariously gripped on all sides by his clawed fingers. She cried out for help.

Poff

One little squeeze. That's all it took. Hematite's visor went dark, and with a flick of his wrist, he bubbled the tiny gemstone and tossed it in his mouth, wasting no time in tapping his gem as it flashed brightly.

And then he left.

–

A massive wave of stress flooded over the Diamond. She quickly looked back to her original path, sweat forming on her brow. Her pace quickened. Right, just get back to the Blue district. Have a drink. Ok, have a lot of drinks. She had never seen Hematite so ruthless. So deadpan. So cold... No, she had to keep up hope. She had to believe that he was still in there, somewhere. Still, she wasn't going to turn around now. Perhaps it would be ideal if she stayed away from him for a little while. Maybe this was what he wanted. Perhaps it was for the best...

She wished she hadn't come here.

–

Gleam!

Stepping off the Hematite Kindergarten warp pad, Hema looked around with a frown. He stepped down and headed down the small staircase that lead to the main floor of the Kindergarten. The warp pad was located in the very center of the huge maze of rock walls and bordered by various Peridot work stations and inactive injector drills lined against the walls. It had been over ten years since he visited this place.

But he wasn't here for sentiment or nostalgia. He was there with one goal. Slowly, he walked further into the kindergarten, heading for the north end. There was a large clearing there that was perfect for the purpose he had in mind. Hopefully, the gem he had the archival Peridot check on was where she should be. Slowly, Hematite shifted up to his full size, arms folded behind his back. His eyes remained locked ahead.

Hema was oddly silent the entire way over, mirroring the current state of the kindergarten. It seemed that most of the Hematites were out on missions or were deeper in the maze of rock walls. Good. He didn't want to be disturbed.

–

–

Soon enough, the ivory-haired gem stepped through the massive entrance to the north clearing. There, far across the expanse of flat, purplish rock, was a well-built and very big gem. It was another Hematite. She had a more muscular build than Hema, and was about twice his size. Her hair was semi-long and wavy, but was incredibly short on the left side of her head. A silvery stone laid in the middle of her forehead, covered by a pale white visor with rounded tips around the cheeks. She was leaning up against the wall, looking at the sky with a bright, curious smile. Her eyes were the same pinkish color as Hema's left eye, from underneath her visor, at least. Elbow-length dark gray gloves covered her arms, matching her two-toned top. The rest of her suit was a mix of maroons and whites.

Pursing his lips with a grim frown, Hema walked over, loudly clearing his throat. The much taller service gem perked up, her brows raising as she tilted her head down. As soon as she spotted the ivory-haired gem, she gasped in surprise, grinning soon after and revealing a large, curved buck-tooth.

"Heyyy!" Standing up, the taller gem rushed over closer to Hema, making him flinch slightly. Stars, she really was big. He did his best to keep his composure as she closed in on him, though. The gray-haired gem chuckled heartily and suddenly leaned down as soon as she was within arm's reach, picking Hema up around the waist with both hands. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, he stiffened and lifted his arms, glancing down at the bigger gem's hands with a scowl. She held him up in front of her, looking him over.

"Stars, I forgot how small ya were! You're a cute lil thing, heheheh! Been a long time, fancy boots. Haven't seen you a single time since after that first test we all went through! Good to see you're still in one piece, eh? I guess the Diamonds haven't worked you too hard," she said jokingly, eyeing Hema curiously. The much smaller gem frowned up at his current captor and crossed his arms.

"I'd appreciate it if you put me down," he said simply, arching a brow. The gray-haired service gem grinned awkwardly, giving a soft chuckle.

"Aaw, okay grumpy granite. If you say so." Slowly, she lowered his feet back to the kindergarten floor, patting his head afterward. Hema grunted quietly and adjusted his hair, frowning. The taller gem stepped back and put her fists on her hips. "So! A Peridot said you needed me here for something? You're in luck that I'm around Homeworld for a few weeks! What did ya need, oh small one?" she said brightly, staring down at the shorter gem. Snorting unappreciatively at the nickname, Hema adjusted his eyepiece and stood straight, staring up at the gem.

"Hematite 2, I'll get right to the point. For the next few days, possibly weeks, I need you to meet me in the Blue District training grounds near the Coliseum. Stay in your civilian size so you don't cause distress. You and I will be sparring there."

Brows raising, the gray-haired gem tilted her head.
"Eeh? Ya wanna fight? Hah! I wouldn't have pinned you as the scrappy type!" she chuckled, bringing her hands out in front of her as she cracked her knuckles. Hema arched a brow.

"We will not be 'fighting' per say. It's endurance training. As it stands, I can only last about five or so minutes at my civilian size during fights or high-stress situations, and this has become a problem. As such, my stamina isn't the best for spars, and I need to work on it for my missions," he said simply. Smirking curiously, the taller gem shrugged and sighed.

"Whatever ya say, lil buddy. Hand to hand combat, then?" she asked. Hema nodded. She smiled and rolled her shoulders with a soft hum. "Weeeell, then I'd happily oblige! But uh, just one condition," she said, lifting an index finger and closing one eye. The shorter gem sighed and frowned. He'd sought out this gem specifically because she was two ranks under him and had to do what he said, even if she didn't want to. What was this 'condition' of hers?

"What is it."

Smirking, the well-built gem lowered her hand and offered it to Hema.

"Don't call me Hematite 2. Call me Tita! That's what my friends call me," she said with a grin. Glancing at the offered hand, Hema paused.

"We're not friends, we're sparring partners. But, alright. I will refer to you as Tita," he said simply, looking up to meet the giant gem's eyes. Tita gazed into the shorter gem's eyes, her smile faltering for a moment. Something in his gaze sent a shiver up her spine, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"Right! Okay, good. Should we start today, then?" she asked, grinning awkwardly.

Standing straight, Hema narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"The sooner the better."

–

–

Five minutes.

I already know how to fight Yellow Diamond. I just need to make sure I can outlast her in battle. I can't just shift up right off the bat. That's too easy.

Five and a half.

He had to keep pushing himself. There had to be more he could do. His endurance was abysmal, at best; especially if Yellow got some good hits in.

Six.

Seven.

If he was going to do this, he had to hold out longer. Hit. Kick. Punch. Swipe. Don't give in. You're capable of so much more. Show her.

Seven and a half.

Show her what you're made of. Prove her wrong. Take a hit. Keep going. Let her words fuel you. If you can hold your own against Tita, you can hold your own against her.

Eight.

White Diamond's been giving me odd looks. She can tell something's wrong, I think.

White doesn't suspect a thing so far. Thankfully. She still believes the 'I'm tired' excuse. I hope it holds out.

What about Blue? She's not going to be happy. This is going to hurt her.

She's already hurt. She won't miss me. I have to do this.

No, I don't! Just tell White what's going on!

They're both Diamonds. There's nothing she can do to stop Yellow. Besides. Who knows what Yellow Diamond will do if she finds out I told on her.

She can't do anything... White would protect me. … Right?

She couldn't protect me that one night against Yellow.

… She couldn't have known she would do that.

I'm just a service gem. A service gem with limited time. I don't matter. They didn't send anyone after me on Earth. If I really mattered, they would have tried to find me.

They couldn't have known where I was. They couldn't risk a search team for one- ... gem.

Exactly.

But this isn't the answer! There has to be another way to fix this. Nothing's unfixable!

… This is.

I'm not going to walk out of this intact. There's no way. I can train all I want, I'm not making it out of this alive.

But I will be remembered. I won't simply fade away. Someone, no, everyone will know my name. They'll talk about me long after I'm gone.

… But what will they say?

What does it matter. I won't be there to hear it. I don't care.

Then why do I care so much about it in the first place?

They can't just toss me aside. I'm not 'nothing'. I'm something. I'll show them. I'll show them all.

I'll show her.

Nine minutes.

No, I have to push myself further. Fight harder, hold out longer, don't pass out, don't shift down. I have to tire her out. Avoid her attacks. Make her throw strategy away.

Ten.

Give them a show. Give them all a show. Make them remember you. Let them know who you are. What you are. What you're capable of. Let them know how much you've been hurting.

Eleven.

What to say, what to say... Make it good. Diamonds and service gems, big and small. Hm. Break, broken? No. Hunter, hunted... Better. Perhaps.

Twelve.

Harvesters, harvested. Mercy... Mercy to a hunter? To the hunted? Hm. There might be something there.

Thirteen.

This didn't have to be this way. This could have been- ... Ha. You just had to make this difficult, didn't you Yellow Diamond?

Thirteen and a half.

That's more like it... but I know I can push the time further. I can't pass out. It'll all be over if I do.

Fourteen.

I've almost tripled my sparring time... this. This is incredible. Why didn't I ever do this before now? Why didn't I ever fight like this before?! She would have respected me if I could haven beaten her, even once!

… No, nothing would ever be good enough for her. Not even that.

Fourteen and a half.

This should be good enough, right? Surely, she'd tire out by now.

Fifteen. Fifteen minutes.

… There.

Taking a flighty step backwards, Hema held his fists close to his face, glaring up at his opponent. Tita chuckled breathlessly and held a hand over her abdomen, wincing slightly.

"Stars, fancy boots! No wonder White Diamond picked you. But, ah... Do you think we could pause for the day? I actually have another job I have to get to later." Hema looked up at the well-built gem with an unreadable expression. Slowly, he shifted out of his fighting stance and looked at his fists.

"... Actually, Tita. I think I'm good," he said quietly. Tita raised a brow at the smaller gem, still rubbing her stomach with a small grimace.

"Ahh, whatcha mean?"
"... I mean I will no longer need to spar with you. Thank you, you have been very... helpful."

The gray-haired service gem stood straighter, pursing her lips with a surprised blink.

"Oh, really? Aah man, I've kinda had fun these past few weeks, though! You sure you wouldn't wanna tussle next time I visit Homeworld?" she asked with a hopeful smile, putting her gloved hands on her hips. Hema frowned seriously, unsummoning his weapons.

"Hm. Perhaps. But for now, you're relieved of your duty as my sparring partner. Remember, not a word of this to anyone, this is private training. I don't want the others getting you, again. Good luck on your job today," he said simply, folding his arms behind him. Tita smiled awkwardly down at the smaller gem.

"Thanks, fancy boots," she said softly. The ivory-haired gem turned and started to walk off, fingers brushing together behind his back. Tita watched the smaller gem walk off before she lifted up a hand. "Hey."

Hema stopped, not turning around. Glancing to the side, the gray-haired service gem bit her lip for a moment with her rather odd, rounded buck-tooth.

"Whatever's been on your mind, lil guy... good luck with it. Don't push yourself too hard, alright? There's more to life than your job and efficiency!" she said cheerfully, with a forced smile. Hema silently clenched his fists, not replying. After a moment, he kept walking, eyes locked forward.

Not anymore, there isn't.

It's just me and you, Yellow Diamond.

'You are a mistake'

And you, Yellow. Have made a mistake.