Over on Deviantart, I found an awesome series of pictures of the Gems if they were actually ghouls from Tokyo Ghoul. It inspired me so much that I wanted so badly to start this fic (and also because there are literally no crossovers between Steven Universe and Tokyo Ghoul). So enjoy this work and let me know what you think of it.

Also, the art that inspired me was made and belongs to prpldragonart. Make sure to show your appreciation by having a look at their work.

Edit: The Cover Image is a part of the art that inspired me. Thank you prpldragonart for letting me use it as the image.

Tokyo Gems

Chapter 1: The Passing of the Rose

(13 years ago)

Shirou Sugimora sighed as he sat at his desk, his bones aching and his muscles creaking. God, he was getting too old for this. How long has he worked at the Commission of Counter Ghoul now? Probably too long by now. At least long enough to have worked with two generations of Investigators. This was definitely his final case. After he survived this – If he survived this – he was officially retiring. Let the younglings handle the Ghouls. He was getting too long in the tooth.

So naturally, command chose to give him one of their most dangerous missions as his 'grand finale'. A small group of strange ghouls that had withstood their every attempt to destroy. If he survived this, he would've retired anyway. No one has ever come back from them without being made useless. Missing limbs, shattered psyches, or even in body bags. While months of intensive studies had helped them find out about their abilities, there several things about them that still boggled the mind. But then again, he thought ruefully, everything about ghouls still boggled the mind at times.

Sighing, he flipped open the case files on these so-called 'Crystal Gems'.

Puma. A pre-pubescent girl with a long bikaku. Named after her cat mask, long tail and animalistic behaviour. They matched several bite marks on the Investigator remains to match that of a child, showing that she was likely feeding the most often on people. Due to her size, age and vulnerability, she was regarded as the weakest of the group. A-ranked.

Next up was The Crane. A teenage girl, described as having the body of a dancer. Fights with a koukaku fashioned into a blade. Wears a bird mask. Most distinguishing feature is the large gem set in the forehead area of the mask. Seems to be the most strategic of the lot. Fortunately, she seems to be a very picky eater. Only attacks certain people, only eats certain parts. Her confirmed feedings are lower than the others. Still an S-ranked ghoul though.

Then there was Gauntlet. A young woman with what seemed to be reddish skin. Named after her rinkaku, a red and blue combination shaped like gauntlets. About 5 feet tall or so. She can somehow anticipate Investigator movements and actions, giving her a significant advantage in both escape and fighting. Has the highest confirmed kills, with several Investigators found imbedded in walls and the ground. He sighed as he remembered the last team to fight her. Poor bastards. They had to rip out the pavement they were slammed into just to get the remains to the morgue. SS-ranked. Advisement is to never approach her without backup.

And finally, the leader of the group. Rose Knight. Sometimes known as the Thorn Bride after her flowery white dress. A very large woman, easily 8 feet tall. Easy to identify by her large amount of pink curly hair and a pink gem in her belly, with the dress cut out to reveal it. Koukaku user, one as a shield and the other as a blade. Both form with thorns on them. While she doesn't kill as many Investigators as Gauntlet, her confirmed kills are easily the most worrying. Good men and women, skilled members, were found completely dead. Evidently, she only attacks when threatened. Still doesn't change the fact that her strength is in proportion to her size. Command has designated her as a SSS-ranked threat. Proceed with caution.

He sighed again. While they were a small group and kept largely to themselves, they were easily one of the more dangerous ghouls out there. Several of his old friends were lost chasing after those four. With any luck, he won't be joining them. He got out of his chair and grabbed the case holding his quinque, before heading out of his office towards the briefing room. As he passed other offices, the men and women inside gave him their final cheers. Or, he thought darkly, their last condolences.

Still, if he was going to go down, he wasn't going without a fight. This thought emboldened him, brought back the younger man who managed to kill half a dozen S-ranked ghouls on his own. The man who joined to make the world a safer place. It was that man who entered the briefing room, standing before a dozen Investigators all ready to fight and die for the mission.

"I hope everyone's signed their wills." He said gruffly. He hoped they wouldn't have need of them.

It was a dark and foreboding night down in the slums of Tokyo. People stumbled around either drunk or drugged, many completely homeless and living in the garbage. Sometimes very literally. Down in one alley, a man was getting beaten to death, his wallet taken as an afterthought. In another, a woman was having sex with a sleaze to try and make enough money for her rent. This was a place of desperation, of loss and suffering. Good people come here to die. Bad people come here to prey.

Making this the perfect location for a ghoul to operate out of.

"Alright team, listen up." He said, turning away from the truck window to look at his Investigators. "The last reported sightings of the Crystal Gems were within this district. According to spies and informants, they've chased off every other ghoul gang to claim this patch of land. The people here are their food supply, but they're also under their protection. So the locals aren't likely to be too happy to see us. Stay discreet. Try not to pick fights when we don't have to. And stay in groups of three so that we don't end up easy pickings."

"Sir, do we have an idea of where their base is set up?"

"Not exactly. However, the reports say that they've been spotted near the center of this place the most out of all areas. They're likely set up there. Team 1, you approach from the North entrance. Teams 2 and 3, you'll cover the West entrance and the roofs. Team 4, you're with me. We'll lure them out into the killzone. If any of you guys spot them, report in immediately. Don't try any heroics. These girls are tough."

"Yes sir." The Investigators chanted as one. The truck stopped suddenly.

"Team 1. Move out." The doors opened as they jumped out and ran, their quinques hidden under their coats. As soon as the last member left, the doors were closed and the truck moved onwards. When it stopped, teams 2 and 3 were already moving before he even said anything. They were like a well-oiled machine. The truck stopped for a third and final time, and he joined his men in moving into position. As he ran, the various aches and twinges reminded him that he was no spring chicken. But despite that, he managed to keep up with his team. As they passed by one of the many intersections, he pulled his team to a halt. High above them, up on the rooftops, was something that could almost be mistaken for some large bird. It was very thin, almost too thin to be a real person. And a long beak grew from its face, right between two black eyes with white pupils.

Got one.

"Teams, we have spotted The Crane. Preparing to herd into the killzone." He whispered into his earpiece. As he said that, he opened up his case and grabbed the handle. The walls of the case collapsed into a liquid state, flowing into a long tube with large spikes around it. He pointed the end right at The Crane, making sure that the shot would certainly hit and wound her.

A car backfiring echoed through the air, and The Crane moved almost blindingly fast. His shot carved into the roof, but missed her completely.

"Shit." He cursed. "Team 4, get her into position." He called out as he gave chase. True, they wanted her to move. They wanted to get her running to her lair so that they could entrap her. But he was hoping that he could at least wound her before she got there. An injured ghoul is far easier to deal with than a healthy one. He just had to hope that the others were in position and awaiting her arrival. "Men, line up some shots." The Investigators pulled out their pistols, the Q bullets sparking off the rooftops. The Crane jumped down into the streets, obviously using the nearby civilians as cover. Smart of her. They couldn't just shoot blindly into the streets. They were far more likely to hit an innocent. Still, they were herding her. "Teams, we are almost at your location. Are you all in position?"

"Affirmative." A reply came back. "GPS shows that you'll be arriving at the West entrance in less than a minute. No civilians in the immediate area."

"Good. Open fire the moment she gets in your sights. Damn girl is fast for her size." Fortunately, as a koukaku ghoul her speed will get slower if or when she activates her kagune. As they passed through a nearby intersection, they found their path blocked by a large crowd of people. While they weren't threatening them, their reason for being there was obvious. He sighed in exasperation. Damn fools. "Move to the rooftops. Go, go, go." They jumped onto several boxes nearby, pulling themselves upwards before continuing the chase. How much distance did she gain on them because of that delay? Probably enough to hide or escape. But as he thought that, a loud boom shook the area.

"Team 3 here. We got the target. Can confirm severe injuries." His comms crackled. Well, that was one of them almost dealt with.

"Understood Team 3. Finish her off, but keep an eye out for the others. No doubt that explosion drew their attention." Which was exactly what they wanted. By now, they were close enough that he could actually see his men jumping down from the rooftops, at least two officers approaching the wounded ghoul. They were both nearly upon her when all the lights suddenly went out. He cursed. "Team 3, get out of there now." He shouted. A trap. While they had been luring the Crystal Gems into a trap, they had made a trap of their own. The lights flickered back on as they got closer, but Team 3 was gone. All three of them. Dammit. "Teams. Report."

"Team 1 here. We think that something got past us. We couldn't see it though."

"Team 2. West entrance is clear. Nothing got through that way.

"Dammit." He muttered. As he feared, all of Team 3 was dead. The Crane was somehow playing possum to lure them in, to take advantage of their cockiness. Team 4 jumped down into cover, pulling out their quinques and guns. "All units, prepare yourselves. They know we're here, and they're ready to fight. Call out as soon as you spot any of them." He looked out from behind cover, his own quinque ready to fire. There were several seconds of silence and fear.

Then Team 1 started screaming.

He fired a blast over at them, barely missing the Puma as she pulled herself away with her tail. As she did so, she blew a raspberry at the Investigators missing her. One of their own was lying dead, his head slashed open. As he was distracted over there, Team 2 was sent flying. His team started blasting at their previous location, but Gauntlet simply lifted a heavy iron wall upright as cover. As she held that up, her rinkaku smashed downwards before rising from the ground at Team 2's location. Two investigators were smashed into pulp, leaving one injured man left. He blasted the rinkaku away, leaving them with seared burns. A yell behind him alerted him to Puma's arrival, and he rolled aside as her bikaku slashed where his head had been. His quinque changed form until it was a long spear, and he spun the tip at head height. His team ducked as he tried to stab the Puma, but she dropped down and bit into his leg. One of his men slashed at out her, wounding her and forcing her to let go. She scampered off like an animal, while the rest of his teams screamed. He looked up to see that the last member of Team 2 was run through by The Crane, while over by team 1… he almost choked. Team 1 was all dead, Rose Knight standing over them. A crash behind him got him moving, saving his life as Gauntlet lashed out. Well, like he said before. If he was going down, then he was going down fighting. He clashed into The Crane as he passed, knocking her aside with his spear. As he got closer to Rose Knight, he changed his quinque and fired his strongest blast. Her immediate area was hidden behind a large explosion. He almost didn't even notice his leg getting sliced out from under him. But as he looked up from the ground, nose bleeding from the impact, his heart sank.

Rose Knight's shield koukaku was even bigger now, wrapped completely around her. When it shrunk back down, she was completely unharmed. He tried to fire another shot, but Gauntlet crushed his arm under her rinkaku. He wouldn't scream though. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

He stayed determined until the very end, when Gauntlet smashed crushed his head in her rinkaku.

"Told you that would happen." Garnet said later, after they had retired to their hideout. They had just finished cleaning up most of the mess, and had collected the bodies for their fridge. "At least they didn't send many to fight us." She removed the mask covering the lower half of her face, still wearing her sunglasses.

"True. They most likely underestimated us, like all the other humans." Pearl said matter-of-factly as she helped load the fridge, her bird mask hanging from her neck. "Now, how do you feel Amethyst?"

"Eh, I feel pretty good. That human got a lucky hit in, that's all." The youngest member said as she hung from the roof by her tail. She was holding onto someone's foot, gnawing away at it like a dog on a boot.

Pearl tutted. "Amethyst, what have I told you about eating away from the table? You're dripping blood everywhere." Amethyst groaned, but scurried over to the table to finish her meal. Rose Quartz, the leader of their group, hummed to herself as she pulled off the rubber gloves she was using while cutting up the meat. She looked at the clock and gasped.

"Oh no. I'm gonna be late." She turned around quickly, looking herself over as she did so. "Is there any blood on me? How do I look?"

"You look perfect." Pearl sighed, aquamarine eyes glistening. Garnet walked around her.

"I don't see any blood on you." She said simply. "But what are you going to be late for? We don't have anything planned for tonight."

"Except for Pearl's uptown dinner." Amethyst added.

"Well… it wasn't exactly planned, but I'm… going to meet a friend I made. A human friend."

"A human?" Pearl asked in shock, startled out of her dreamy state. "You've made friends with a human? Oh, Rose. I know I try to be supportive, but that's a terrible idea. What if he realises what you are? What if he reports you to the CCG? And besides, he can't be all that interesting."

"Oh, but he is Pearl. He's a musician, all the way from America. His songs sound truly impressive. Shame that his manager is a bit of an ass."

"I know. We can eat his mean manager." Amethyst said excitedly.

"Uh, maybe not." Rose replied nervously. "Well, I'd better go. He's doing a whole solo just for me." She hummed happily to herself as she walked away, feet covered now by some fashionable boots. Pearl watched her go with a bit of envy.

"I can sing." She said to herself grumpily. Garnet and Amethyst looked at her for a second before they both started snorting with laughter. Pearl blushed in embarrassment. "Fine. If you're both going to be like that, then I'm off to find some proper dinner. Not just the trash we pull off the ground. We don't even know where the Investigators have been. They could have nasty chemicals in them to stop us finding them appetising. At least, that's what I'd do if I were in charge."

"Ah lighten up. I've been eating these guys loads of times, and nothing bad has happened to me." But Pearl didn't reply. She just stormed out and headed for the rooftops.

"What is she so upset about?" Amethyst asked. Garnet just shrugged.

Pearl was high above the business district, watching as the people passed her by down below. She was busy scoping them out, trying to find the right choice. So far, she hadn't found anyone good enough.

"Too old." She said, watching an aged business man hobble by. "Too much plastic." She pointed out a woman with extensive signs of plastic surgery. "Too fattening." This one was a large man practically wobbling down the street. She tried to sniff one out, only to recoil and gag as a noxious vapour passed her by. "Ugh. I feel sick just smelling him." But then her nose caught the scent of something lovely. Something delicious. Something… good. "Hmm." She smiled, watching as a young woman walked by, bedecked in jewellery. "Nutritious, and rich. A perfect combination. She fluffed her hair to cover the pearl in the center of her forehead, before dropping down and following her from a distance. Now to figure out how to catch her alone. She always preferred to be precise with her kills. A broken neck here, a slashed throat there. Something that didn't make too much of a mess with her meal. Things that were a bit more difficult when one had to worry about witnesses. And they were difficult to get symmetrical when she was rushing too. As she watched, the woman entered a jewellery store, and she was forced to follow. One thing Rose had taught her was to act confident. As long as she did that, no one would care that she looked too young to be there. So she strolled haughtily into the store, looking over the jewels with a critical eye while keeping watch of her target with the mirrored glass. Even as she watched, the woman waited till people were looking away. Then she quickly looked around before grabbing a diamond ring from a stand. So, little miss rich was a thief. Pearl smiled as an idea came to her. Well then, it was a good thing she wasn't truly either human or a real ghoul. Making sure that no one was paying her too much attention, she sidled over to her target's area. It took a bit to find a stand big enough, but she found the perfect spot to hide. She crouched down behind the counter and jumped upwards, her body turning into RC cells and flowing into the gem on her forehead. Yes, she wasn't an actual person. She was really a gem. A gem with RC cells, as odd as it sounds. As an added side effect, they always had to have a gem fused to their body, and they were considered unbelievable quality. She and the others had lost count of how many times people tried to pry the gems off them to try and make some extra cash. They never survived the experience.

And she could also look out of her gem if need be.

"That's it. Closer. Closer. Over here, human. Look at the big pearl just sitting there." She whispered to herself. The Greedy human hemmed and hawed as she looked for anything else to steal, grabbing a necklace and a watch before ending up right in front of Pearl's stand. The woman's eyes lit up like a bonfire as she saw Pearl just sitting there, out in the open and completely unguarded. Quick as a flash, she grabbed the gem and dropped it into her purse, walking away now. Pearl didn't care about where she was going. Just as long as it was private.

She was jostled around quite a bit before the woman stopped, the sounds of an engine humming. They drove for quite a bit before they finally stopped, the woman on the move again. Doors opened and closed, locks were engaged, and then she found herself out in the open again, the woman's face far too close.

"Oh, you're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" The woman cooed, rubbing Pearl over and over. "I can't wait to make you into a necklace, or maybe a crown. You'll be the talk of the town." Pearl unfurled her RC cells, knocking herself out of the woman's hand and reforming her body and clothes. She found herself standing right before her, their noses almost touching. The woman looked at her in shock and horror while Pearl smirked at her.

"You say the sweetest things." Pearl said. And then the woman gave off a half-formed scream before Pearl slit her throat and tossed her into the bathtub.

Only after most of the blood had drained did she finally eat.

"Wow. This'll probably be worth quite a bit to Rose's supplier." Pearl said, looking closely at the small ruby she had pulled out of the bag. Evidently, that woman had been a busy magpie. There was probably enough gold and jewels in here to last them years. Longer even, since they didn't have to buy much food. She hummed to herself as she walked along the empty street, admiring the night sky, the stars, Rose with a human male, a lovely plant…

Wait. She quickly looked back at the bus stop. She didn't imagine it. There was Rose. Her Rose. With a disgusting human male. They were staring into each other's eyes, and both had absolutely sappy smiles on their faces. And they were holding hands. And he was whispering sweet little things to her.

That was what she wanted to do with Rose.

She quickly crept closer, hiding behind the bus stop and listened in. Her stomach turned as she heard them talk.

"…You're a truly amazing woman, Rose." The man said lovingly. "From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew that you were the one. And whatever reason you think it wouldn't work out between us, we'll work through it. I'm willing to do anything to keep this chance at true love." Pearl wanted to gag. What did a human know about true love? He couldn't love her the way she could. He couldn't fuse with her, to become one whole. He was stuck with a pale imitation of their love.

"I thought you might say that Greg." Rose said kindly. Pearl smirked. Here it was. She was going to let him down gently. But not too gently, of course. "I don't think it's very often that someone would be willing to do so much for another. But there are things about me that would frighten you. They frighten me too. And there's nothing I could do to change it. But… But if you really do love me for who I am, then I'm sure we can work around them." Pearl's heart turned to ice, and her blood froze over. She could feel her kagune writhing under her skin. She knew that her eyes would be black, as her whole body shook. She… She loved him? She loved him? But… But that's… She shouldn't… But she was hers! They were meant to be. It just wasn't… she felt herself tearing up. What did he have that she didn't? Why did Rose love him more than her? Why? Why? Why?

"Pearl?" Rose's voice cut through her panic. She blinked to see her standing there, looking at her in worry. It took a lot of effort, but she managed to get herself back under control. "Why are you…? How long have you been…?"

"Long enough." Pearl said distantly. "So, this 'Greg' is your boyfriend then?"

Rose nodded sheepishly. "I was drawn to the love and heart he placed in his music. It was wonderful, seeing him enjoy singing so much."

"Oh, I bet it was." Pearl muttered angrily, watching a bus drive off. Rose seemed to realise what she was looking for.

"Pearl." She said firmly. "I hope you're not planning on doing anything to him. Greg is a loving, gentle, and kind person. And frankly, I'm worried about your intentions about him."

"I don't have any intentions."

"You started flaring up in the middle of an intersection. Someone could've seen you."

"Ohhh, so now you're concerned about our identities. Rose, he's a human. They hate people like us. They think we're monsters. I don't care about how kind and understanding he is, once he knows that you're a…" She looked around, seeing the people watching them. Growling in frustration she started walking off. "…You know what I mean."

"He won't betray us. He's different. I just know it."

"But what if he isn't? What if you're wrong? Your life will be in danger. The attack this very night shows that the CCG are still looking for us. I don't… I don't…" She started crying hot tears. Angry tears. Rose pulled her into a deep, warm hug. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know you don't Pearl." Rose said softly. "God knows how many times you've thrown yourself into a doomed fight just to protect me." She crouched down, to look the younger ghoul in the eye. "But this is what I truly want. A future. A family."

"But I thought we were your family." Pearl said, turning away.

"You are. You all are my family. But I want to have a child. To hold a little bundle of joy in my arms. To prove that humans and ghouls can live together in harmony."

Pearl cried even more, her face now blotchy and streaked with tears. "Let someone else do it. Let someone else risk their life for a fool's errand. I won't let you throw your life away for it."

"Pearl, I love you." Rose said. Pearl's heart stopped for a second. Did she just…? "I care about you, and I honestly couldn't think of anyone other than you at my side. But I'm afraid that it's not up to you whether or not something isn't worth risking my life for." She heard Rose sigh. "I need this Pearl. I need to know that there's more to life than just hiding and eating and killing. So please. Help me make this world something more. Please?"

"…" Pearl gave a sobbing sigh. "Alright. I'll help. Somehow." She felt Rose gently hug her from behind, and she snuggled into her arms. But it didn't feel as good as it used to. It didn't have the same warmth or softness to it that she remembered.

"Thank you Pearl. This means so much to me." Right. Of course it didn't feel right.

Rose could never love her now.

(11 years ago)

It was a dark and dismal day when Garnet returned to the hideout, carrying a wrapped human over her shoulder. A few of her bruises were fading even now. She dropped the whole thing onto the table, the thud heard throughout the room. As she unwrapped it and started carving chunks off, she saw Amethyst peeking round the door. Garnet put on a smile as she worked. "Girls. Dinner's here." She called out. It was several seconds before Amethyst finally came running out. She quickly grabbed an arm and started gnawing away at it, blood dripping from her mouth. Garnet looked up at the other door, and sighed in frustration. "Pearl's still not coming out?"

Amethyst shook her head. "I think she's dead. There's a nasty smell coming from her room."

"Gem-Ghouls can't die." Garnet said as she loaded several bits of meat into a blender, more to herself than to Amethyst. "We can starve, but we can't die." Still, it was still worrying. Ever since they all first met, Pearl has always been the neatest of them. Everywhere she worked was always as clean as possible. To have gotten to a state where her room would smell… It was very worrying. She sighed. "I'll just get this to our newest member, and then I'll check on her." She pureed the meat into a liquid, before pouring every last drop into a bottle. Then she headed over to the nearby crib, putting a smile on her face. "Hello, little one. Feeling hungry?"

"He should be. Little dude's been crying all afternoon. I had to entertain him myself."

"Oh Pearl." Garnet muttered to herself as she helped little Steven feed. One of his irises was a bright pink, signifying his half-ghoul nature. Peeking out of his belly was Rose's gem, now dormant. Steven was the only thing left of her. Well, that and her…

She looked up, noticing that something was missing. "Amethyst." She called out. "Where's Rose's dress?"

"Huh? Oh. Ohhh. Whoops."

"Nevermind. I think I know where it is." She grabbed a plate she had set up nearby, carrying it down the dark hallway to a closed door. In her neatest handwriting, it said 'Pearl's room. Do not enter. This means you Amethyst'. She tried the handle, and was pleased to see that it was still unlocked. "Pearl? Pearl, I'm coming in." Silence. Now she was starting to get worried. Maybe Pearl was dead. Maybe she… she shook her head. That was not helping matters. She had to stay strong. As the oldest, she needed to keep the others calm. She opened the door, what little light falling onto a dirty bed. Stains covered the sheets, and most of the stuff was on the floor. Disturbingly though were the ravaged pictures and drawings of Greg Universe. They had been slashed repeatedly.

She made a mental note to check on him afterwards. Make sure that he was ok too.

"Pearl, this has to stop. You need to start eating again." She said firmly, pulling away the cover. As she had hoped, Pearl was still alive. And she was curled up in Rose's dress. It was so much bigger than her that it made her look like a child playing dress-up. "I got you a heart and an arm. Those are your favourite bits, remember?"

Pearl sniffled, staring at nothing and stroking the dress. Over, and over, and over again. "Leave me alone Garnet. Just leave me to my pain." She whispered, turning away. She was badly malnourished, her bones peeking through her skin and her hair a mess. The room lit up as her gem started projecting. It was a memory of Rose. Of them both together and hanging out. Of the older days, when Rose was like a mother to them.

"Pearl, you're starving. You're wasting away. This isn't you."

"It is now. What's the point otherwise? There is nothing for us in this cruel world."

"This isn't what Rose wanted." Even as she said that, she knew she made a mistake. The projection faded, and Pearl was shaking madly.

"Well it doesn't matter what Rose wants, does it? Because Rose IS DEAD!" Pearl screamed in her face, nose to nose. Tears streamed down her face, but it was like she was almost out of tears. "She's dead and gone now. And for what? Some stupid pointless dream. A hopeless fairy-tale." She gave off a choking laugh, sounding as though she was falling apart. And she could very well be falling apart inside. "Humans and ghouls living together. It's nothing but rubbish. They will always hate each other, and nothing is going to change that. Not love, not friendship, not some half-breed abomination…"

A loud crack filled the air, and Pearl found herself lying on the floor. Blood dripped from her nose, and her cheek ached like mad. Garnet stood over her, her rinkaku out and breathing heavily.

"Never. Call him. That." She said firmly and angrily. "He is not an abomination. He's hope for the future. And the future is still worth living for, even if Rose isn't in it anymore." Pearl looked away, shame on her face. "Look at yourself Pearl. You're falling apart. You're throwing your life away."

"You're implying that I have a life to lose anymore. I have nothing anymore."

"Yes you do. You have us still. Rose isn't the only person you care about, I just know it." Pearl stayed silent. Garnet sighed, tears running down her face. "Do you really think you're the only one who misses her? I miss her too. So does Amethyst. And Greg too. But we can wallow in pity and sorrow. We still have our lives to look after." She bit her lip. "I need your help Pearl. With Rose gone, our enemies aren't as scared of us anymore. The Wolfheads and the Snake Men are moving in, taking ground bit by bit. I can't fight them alone and look after Steven at the same time. And Amethyst's barely any older than him. She's not truly capable of looking after him full-time."

"Why?" Pearl asked. Garnet could tell what the full question was. Why should I help look after the thing that took her from us?

"Because it's what Rose wanted. And he's the only thing we have left of her. If he dies… Then she really will be gone. For good." She placed the plate of flesh down on a nearby desk. Please Pearl. I need you. I need both of you to help me."

"..." Garnet sighed before leaving, slamming the door shut behind her. Fine then. If Pearl would rather wallow in her own pity rather than actually do anything, then there was nothing she could do for her.

Inside the room, Pearl carefully removed the dress and folded it gently into a neat little square. Then she started eating the dinner Garnet had made for her.

(Present Day)

Steven Universe woke up to a bright and sunny day, with birds chirping outside his window. He had a lovely dream just now. It had him and the Gems flying on clouds, heading towards his Mom. And in her arms, getting along, were ghouls and humans. They were laughing and playing and singing songs. It was lovely. A stark contrast to the real world.

Steven, the world is a dangerous place for ghouls. Pearl told him often. People fear and hate us because human flesh is the only thing we can digest. And because of that hatred, they lash out at us. To them, it doesn't matter that you're a sweet little boy. They will watch you be taken away if they find out the truth about you. So, remember to keep your eye hidden at all times. And so he grabbed the cute little eyepatch Pearl sewed for him and made sure it covered his left eye. There. Now he looked like a normal person. Well, as long as they didn't look too closely at the star in his eye. That was a bit awkward.

"Hey hey. Look who's finally out of bed." Amethyst said cheerfully as she at her breakfast. Well, drank it mostly. Because of her eating habits recently, Pearl put her on a diet of coffee to teach her a lesson. At least she was still cheerful around him. "How was that test last night? Did Pearl bore you to tears?"

"No. It was actually pretty fun." Steven said truthfully. Pearl always took his personal education very seriously.

"Ugh. You're starting to sound like her. I swear, I've never met someone else so excited about the different shades of purple in the world or talk for hours about a semicolon. What was the point of that semicolon anyway?"

"Uhh, I don't think there was one." Steven admitted. Amethyst groaned as she took another sip of her coffee. As he sat down, Pearl came over from the kitchen area with a plate of cooked meat. You couldn't even tell that it used to be human flesh. "Wow Pearl. That look yummy."

"I put in extra effort for you Steven. And here's that mint sauce you liked so much." She placed a jar next to him, already opened and with a spoon inside.

"Hey. How come you don't put that much effort into my meals?" Amethyst asked.

"Because you need to learn to curb your eating habits before you bring the CCG down on us. And it also helps to not insult the cook when she's right in front of you." Amethyst stuck her tongue out at her, while Pearl responded with a stink eye. "So Steven. What are your plans for today?"

"I dunno yet. I was thinking of maybe just walking around."

"Alright then. Just make sure not to walk off too far. And here's some money for coffee in case you get hungry. And be careful not to accidently reveal your kagune. And don't talk to strangers. And say hello to Yoshimura for me. And…"

"Ugh. Enough Pearl. I think he gets it. It's not like you've been going over this for 11 years now." Steven said a quick goodbye as he left, running before they started arguing again. It wasn't that Pearl was being too cautious (ok, maybe she was). It was because the world was that dangerous. Though he knew they wouldn't like him listening in, he overheard them talking to Mr Yoshimura several times. Talking about families wiped out by Doves, of children shot in the streets for being a ghoul, of orphans living on the streets in search of food. It made him very happy to at least have some guardians to look after him. Not many ghouls these days were so fortunate.

He often wondered why the CCG hunted them so much. It couldn't be just because they hated ghouls, despite what Amethyst believed. Maybe they lost people to mean ghouls. Of course, that would mean that they act mean to ghouls, causing them to act mean back in revenge. Someone should really get the two groups to sit down and apologise. That would make things better.

"Morning Steven." Mr Smiley said cheerfully, waving and showing off his trademark big smile. "How are you today?"

"Feeling pretty great. I aced my test on reptiles yesterday."

"Great to hear that kid. Your aunt Pearl is a pretty great teacher."

"Yeah, I know. Kinda wish I could go to a real school, but then I wouldn't get to hang out with them all the time." He smiled. "Heard anything interesting going on in the block?"

"Not really, aside from Bill apparently striking out with Pearl again. That makes, what, 25 times now?"

"28 actually." Bill Dewey had fallen in love with Pearl the moment he laid eyes on her, just like Steven's folks had when they first met. But unlike Mom, Pearl wasn't interested. A good thing though. Mr Dewey apparently lost his wife to a ghoul attack. He'd have a heart attack if he knew he was falling for a ghoul.

"Hmm. Yeah. Not much else really." Steven started walking off when Mr Smiley called him back. "I knew there was something I was forgetting. You know that house at the other end of the street?"

"Mr Wiltshire's place?"

"That's the one. Well, apparently a new family is moving in. They've had a moving truck set up there all morning. And from the looks of it, they've got a kid too. Or at least, that's what I've heard."

"Really?" Steven asked excitedly. Sure, the Gems were great. They were his family. And the neighbours were cool too. But they were all so much older than him, and more interested in older things. It'd be nice being friends with someone closer to his age. "Where are they now?"

"Haven't got a clue kid. It might be best to head on over and ask."

"Sure thing." Steven hurried away as fast as his flip flops would allow him, almost crashing into Garnet on the way. "Oh, Garnet. You're back. How are things?"

"Getting better." She replied. "There aren't that many gangs trying to get into the 20th ward nowadays. And there are also at least three less bad ghouls threatening everyone."

"Cool. I mean, that's sad. But at least they can't hurt anyone else now."

Garnet chuckled. "I know what you meant. You have fun now, ok?"

"I will. I was just gonna check on the new neighbours." He said, running past her. Luckily, they weren't hard to miss. The moving truck was still there, unloading a few smaller things now. He was wondering how to approach them when the front door opened. And a young girl left the house. She was dark skinned and dressed in a white-and-blue dress, with peach boots and a large hat. She was currently reading a book, partially hiding her glasses. She sat down on a seat near the house, evidently wanting to escape the chaos happening inside. Maybe.

"Uh…Hi." He said finally, after standing near her for several moments. "My name's Steven." He held out his hand for her to shake.

"C-Connie." She replied, shaking his hand before going back to her book. There was another awkward silence.

"So… I uh, I hear that you're new to the block."

"I am." She affirmed.

"Well, then let me give you the official Nerima welcome." He mimed blowing a trumpet while walking around her. "Dah-da-da-dah. Dah-data-data-dah. Dum-dum-dum-dah-dah. Welcome the Nerima, the friendliest and safest neighbourhood in Tokyo. And jazz hands." He splayed his hands out, shaking them wildly. Connie just stared at him. "Too much?"

Connie snorted, before she started laughing loudly. "No. No, it's ok. That was… really nice. Most kids try a couple of times before walking off. I find it kinda hard to make friends."

"That's ok. I'm determined to be your friend. I'll do all the work for you. Do you want to go and explore?"

"Explore? I don't know." She said nervously. "My parents worry about me. And what if we get attacked by a ghoul?"

"Don't worry. Pearl says that ghouls only attack loners. As long as we stay in a crowd and don't go off with strangers, we should be ok."

"You sure?"

"Promise." Connie stared at him for several seconds before finally nodding.

"Ok. Just give me a moment to ask my folks first." She hurried inside, almost leaving her book behind in her rush. Steven sat down on the bench as he waited twiddling his thumbs. Then he started wondering why it was called 'twiddling'. He was coming up for other words to replace twiddling when Connie finally came back. She was now wearing a sash covered in protective equipment. Horns, flares, pepper spray, a small mallet. He looked at all that in confusion.

"Don't say a word." Connie deadpanned. "It was the only way my parents would let me go in the first place."

"Rrrrright. Well, let's get going. There's a café in town that I'm known at." He pulled her along to catch the bus, hurrying as it got ready to leave.

He failed to notice the dove crest on Connie's sash.

There we go. A lot of the things in this are based either on notes that prpldragonart wrote down in their artwork, or personal head-canon of mine. Like the fact that at first Pearl hated Steven. That's my personal thoughts. Their kagunes though, that was all prpldragonart's ideas. So thank you once again for letting me use that as the basis for this.

Now, the Gems are still gems in this. It's just that they're more like ghoul gems instead of alien gems. It's like… It's like there is a large collection of RC Cells that solidified and compressed into a gem shape, and that's their real forms. I originally thought of having them as just ghouls, but according to the art they definitely fuse, and I couldn't think of a way that normal ghouls could do that. So they stay as gems. And I know that Amethyst is marked as an S-ranked ghoul, but this was back when she was younger. Less dangerous. As for personalities, they're pretty much the same as in the show. They're not like ghoul-supremacists or anything. Though Pearl still considers humans insignificant, like bugs. She won't go out of her way to squash them, but she doesn't really think they're worth caring about most of the time. They moved from their old hideout to the 20th ward because it would be easier to care for Steven there. And yes, several people from Steven Universe live there too.

Oh, and the idea that Connie's parents are Doves came from prpldragonart too.