"Why Do You Hate Me?" - A Steven Universe Short Story!

Excerpt from the Chapter: "To Change Their Minds" (not yet released), from Onyx's Story.

Warning: This excerpt might make you cry... It made me cry just writing it. TT~TT

Enjoy!

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After the bittersweet hug, Blue Diamond's tears stopped falling. She exchanged looks with her niece before picking up Steven and Connie as well.

"Let's get you all back in your legs," she said, "and back home..."

She hid the three children in her hair close to her gem as she trekked down Pink's tower, heading to the palace posthaste. When they got there, she immediately rushed to Pink's room and shut the door behind them, checking for any possible followers before turning to look down at the little ones.

"Alright, it's safe..." she assured.

Onyx was the first to jump down, immediately grabbing Steven's bag and dumping the food out of it. Connie and Steven's mouths water at the sight of it.

"Foood!!" they shouted, scarfing down the snacks like they were nothing, making both Blue and Onyx look slightly concerned.

"Don't forget to breathe while you're eating, you two..." Onyx reminded them, "We can't save our friends if the both of you choke on your snacks."

The two human children sighed in sweet relief as their bellies were filled to the brim with the fuel they needed. Switching on their serious modes, Steven changed out of his Mom's outfit and changed into his Crystal Gem T-shirt and jeans with his sandals.

Connie gathered up their things as she knelt down to the Pebbles at her feet, "Goodbye, Pebbles. Thanks for everything."

Onyx smiled before turning to her little Prism friend, "George... Wait for us at Aunt Pink's ship please..."

At first, the Prism seemed worried. He had not left Onyx's side since she reactivated him, and especially on Homeworld's turf, he didn't think it was safe for them to be apart with Hessonite out who knows where. Eventually, he gave in when Onyx gave him the "Don't you trust me?" face.

"I promise, this won't take long." she said, tickling George to cheer him up as he flailed his little arms, nodding in response.

"I'm ready," Steven announced, "C'mon, guys. We've got friends to save!"

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Sneaking into Yellow's Bubble Room would be the easy part with Blue Diamond to help them. Onyx knew that; but as they inched closer and closer to those dreaded doors, she couldn't help but get this crawling feeling down her nonexistent spine that something would go horribly wrong. As per usual, her immense instinct was getting to her, and her nerves began to flare up; but with Steven and Connie by her side, and knowing Peridot and Lapis were safe, she felt the urge to keep going.

Blue Diamond byed Yellow's Topaz Guards without much trouble, but as soon as she stepped inside the room and the door closed, when she tried to put the children safely on the ground, the lights began to switch on as the looming presence of Yellow Diamond destroyed all their hope of an easy escape.

"What... Are you doing here..?" Yellow asked the group, eyeing Blue and especially her niece.

Onyx swallowed her fear down hard as the paralyzing glare of her aunt sank her heart. Steven cut the tension like a butter knife, showing no fear in Yellow's presence.

"I'm taking back my friends!" he exclaimed.

"... And just what are YOU doing, Blue..?" Yellow responded, looking at her fellow Diamond. Blue avoided eye with Yellow, not having expected to be caught helping Pink out AGAIN.

"Aunt Yellow, w-we can explain..-" Onyx tried to reason.

"Still your words..." Yellow hissed, "Onyx, I am deeply disappointed in you. We taught you better than to treachery..."

Except you didn't teach me anything but to stay in the palace. Why can't I just tell her myself?! Why do I shut down when she speaks to me?!

"Take Pink back to her tower, Blue." Yellow ordered.

"... She prefers to be called 'Steven'." Blue replied, smiling down at Steven and Onyx.

Yellow's temper finally snapped as she smashed her hands on the armrests of her throne, "WHAT are you talking about!? You can't keep bending the rules for them, Blue! Pink has to set an example..! ONYX has to set an example... And WE have to set an example! If we bend the rules for one of them, we have to bend them for EVERYONE!"

"Well maybe you should!" Connie suddenly exclaimed, glaring up at Yellow.

Yellow returned the glare briefly before adjusting her eyes back to Blue. "Take them back to the tower, NOW. And while you're at it, lock Onyx up in her room until she learns to behave like she was TAUGHT!"

Yellow's heavy emphasis on the word "taught" made Onyx scowl. She knew Yellow wasn't fond of her, but she didn't have to rub in how defective she was. Blue took note of Onyx's expression before eyeing Yellow scornfully.

"I. Won't." she replied coldly.

"Then I'll do it myself," Yellow Diamond reached one hand out for the children, but Blue Diamond immediately slapped it away out of instinct to protect her niece and Steven, making Yellow look at her in shock, "Blue..!?"

Steven, Connie, Onyx and even Blue Diamond herself were shocked by her actions, but Blue quickly rebounded and fired a concentrated blast of her aura at her fellow Diamond, making Yellow shake off the pain and charge at Blue angrily as they began to clash.

"Steven!!" Onyx shouted.

"Got it!" Steven replied, grabbing Onyx and Connie and making a super jump towards the bubble holding their friends' gems. The three clung to the bubble for dear life as Yellow Diamond tried to make another grab for them. Steven shielded his friends with his own bubble as Blue's hand clasped around Yellow's wrist desperately.

"When we thought Pink was shattered, when she ABANDONED us... I, alone, was there for you!" Yellow spat, "And you would use your power against ME?!?!"

With one sudden push of unfathomable strength, Yellow shoved Blue Diamond out through the wall, pushing Steven and the others out with them as they fell onto one of the lower bridges. Steven and Yellow's bubbles popped upon hitting the ground, releasing the gems.

"They're free!" Connie exclaimed, "Are they okay?!"

"C'mon guys... You're not bubbled anymore," said Steven, "You can come out."

Before they could concern themselves with the Gems' conditions, they quickly realized they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they were literally standing between Blue and Yellow.

"You'd hurt a fellow Diamond?!?" Yellow shouted in rage.

"Didn't we hurt Pink!?" Blue retorted, "She was suffering in silence for ages... Just like our gems... Just like Onyx..! And I know you're suffering in silence too..!"

Yellow's eyes got a little watery as she gritted her teeth, shaking her fists involuntarily. Suddenly, she sparked up her electrical aura and blasted her destabilizing energy at Blue Diamond, making her yelp in pain. Yellow blasted another energy current at Blue after knocking her down, trying to poof a Diamond!

"Aunt Blue!!" Onyx shrieked with horror as Blue's cries of agony rang through her ears.

"Stop!!" Steven shouted, flinging his shield like a boomerang to disrupt the flow of electricity and break Yellow's concentration. The authoritative Diamond glared down at Steven as he proclaimed, "You don't have to do this!"

"Yes, I do! This is what White Diamond expects of ALL of us," Yellow remarked, "It doesn't matter who you are, what cut of gem you are, or how much knowledge you possess on yourself or your purpose! We ALL must make sacrifices for the sake of our perfect empi..-"

"That's ENOUGH!!" Onyx suddenly interjected, finding the voice she needed to break the arguing and senseless brutality.

"What did you just say to me..?" Yellow Diamond asked, looking at her niece in pure outrage. Before she could even it, Onyx took a leap of faith up to where she could throw her arms around Yellow and cling to her like she would shatter if she let go.

Yellow was shocked by this sudden act of comion, but became utterly frozen when she heard quiet sobs wrack Onyx's being.

"A-A-Aunt Ye-Yellow..." she choked out, "Why do you hate me..?"

"W...What...?"

"I do everything I can to try and make you proud, but you always scowl at me. You look as though you wish I was gone, or shattered, or like you wished I never existed at all..." Onyx sobbed, still clinging to her Aunt as her emotions flooded out of her like a giant wave, "Whatever I did to make you angry before, I'll undo it..! I just wanted you to love me.... The way I loved you... I didn't want to disappoint you... I would break my own gem to make you happy..! Just to see you smile at me for once, or tell me how proud you are..!"

Yellow was shocked by Onyx's words. Had she really been that cold to her..? But that can't be right! She was doing it all for her own sake, not because she...-

"I don't hate you, Onyx..." she said gently, which surprised Steven and Connie.

"Well, you could've fooled me...." Onyx replied rather harshly, "You and Aunt Blue were always arguing in front of me, and it was always after something I did or said that upset you and/or helped Aunt Blue. I was forced to watch two people I really loved fight with each other and say hurtful things to each other, and to me..."

"I-I never said..-!" before Yellow could protest, her mind flashed through old memories from decades before. Memories she tried to suppress after Onyx went missing.

"That's not YOUR place to comfort her!"

"Stop acting like you know what she's gone through! You don't know anything about Blue, or any of us! You don't even know a thing about yourself! It's disgraceful!"

"She DOESN'T need you! She NEVER needed you! And she NEVER WILL need you!"

There was a brief silence, then Yellow fell to her knees, her arms shaking again. "Stop..." she cried out, glaring at Blue, "Stop it, Blue...."

"Huh..?" Blue noticed the tears brimming in Yellow's eyes, looking confused.

"Stop using your power on me..!"

"... I'm not."

Yellow's tears flowed freely as she suddenly returned Onyx's embrace, her emotions pouring out of her unstably, "I never hated you, Onyx.... I just didn't want to make the same mistakes I made with Pink.... I wanted to keep you safe..."

"Aunt Yellow..." Onyx listened as Yellow Diamond continued.

"I never meant what I said... Truly... I was just... Blinded. Blinded by foolish envy."

"Envy..?" Blue raised an eyebrow at Yellow as they made eye .

"You were treating her the same way you treated Pink. I was trying to avoid Onyx ending up like her..!" Yellow sniffled, "If I lost her the same way we lost Pink, I... I would shatter myself... but you were always her favorite. You'd spend time with her almost every day... Even put aside your own duties for her. And I pushed her away each day more and more... For the sake of my own duties... That's why I..-"

"Yellow, please... Stop..." Blue ordered gently, making her way over to Yellow, "You have it all wrong. I was never the 'favorite'... In fact, you are terribly mistaken."

Yellow Diamond looked up at Blue in shock as Blue continued, smiling gently, "Onyx looked up to you. YOU were her favorite. I was afraid that your poor influence would encourage her to turn reckless and rebellious, just the way Pink did."

Yellow gasped lightly. In shock, she looked down at her niece. Onyx avoided eye but nodded slowly, making Yellow even more bewildered. All this time, Onyx idolized her?! She could've sworn Onyx wanted to be a diplomat like Blue was.

"I... I had no idea..." Yellow said.

"I wanted to be a strong, proud leader that other gems could look up to..." Onyx explained, "I despised how weak and cowardly I was."

There was another momentary silence. Yellow was speechless by her niece's words. She was moved beyond words.

Her tears fell faster as she finally broke the silence, "I've conquered dozens of worlds for the sake of the empire... I've seen so many dangerous phenomenons that could've hurt you if you ever set foot out into the real world... but I never intended for my actions and words to be the cause of your suffering."

Yellow's next words shocked everyone in the vicinity, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

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And that's the end of that excerpt. So what did you all think? Let me know down in the comments below.