He is strength.

He is power.

He is a stoic protector, at her side when she needs him, gone the moment he is useless. He owes everything to her.

Rose Quartz.

She gave him purpose, power, and he is forever grateful. They go on adventures, just her and him, an indestructible duo. They need no words in battle, they are connected that way, and when the fight is won, he gets a small pat on his head, and then he is alone.

He finds the lonely moments quite...sad.

She appears one day, with her sword sheathed, and he sees her stomach bulge slightly.

"I'm having a child," She whispers, and her tone makes it seem as though she can't believe it herself. He's not particularly familiar with gem physiology, but he knows that this is something new. She brings many other items besides her sword, and puts them in his mane, careful not to hurt him as always, though they both know that she would never hurt him. There is one last thing she puts in his mane.

A tape, with the words 'For Steven' in cursive letters. "I...I won't survive the birth,"

The world stops.

His mind is reeling, and he lowers his head in sadness. His purpose...gone? "Please, make sure he gets this when the time is right," She begs, putting the tape in his mane with all the other things. "I know this is asking much but…," She stops.

Nothing is too much to ask. Tell me. I will do it. You are my purpose.

He is power.

He is strength.

His eyes water.

He is weak.

"Protect the earth, please? I know you must not care for it, but my army is now few...so help when you can? It's all I can ask for," He replies as best as he can vocally. Yes, his voice says in a small half growl half roar sort of sound. Yes, I will do this for you. I would do anything for you.

She smiles, sweet and kind, and the tears are nearly spilling out.

She pats his head, and then he is alone.

He howls.

The lonely moments were quite sad, after all.

How many years had it been?

He has forgotten.

He fights monsters occasionally, but it is not the same. She is not there, sword and shield fighting, her movement elegant yet deadly. In his free time, he searches for the offspring, the...Steven. What Rose had given up her life for.

His pink mane is a constant reminder of who she was, and soon he stops looking at mirrors.

One day, he is walking around in the desert, when he senses...her.

Rose Quartz.

With a speed he hadn't used in years, he sprinted, searching for her, eyes wide.

He stops.

What...who is that?

It is a human child, he surmises, laying behind a pillar. He had been looking to get the gem that had been making the sand structures, but it hadn't been an important matter. He peered closer, and froze.

It has Rose's gem.

Was this child...Steven? He had expected him to be more pink, not...brown and red and yellow and blue. He inched closer, and he saw that the child had noticed his presence.

What are you doing out here alone, small human?

He is disappointed, to say the least, when he sees how weak her offspring is. One related to Rose Quartz should be powerful, unbreakable.

Steven is none of these things. He is weak and fragile.

Then, the boy smiles.

It is as deja vu as deja vu can get.

He gets a name.

Lion.

Well, he now knows that Steven isn't one for originality.

There are many adventures after that first meeting.

Though Steven is weak, his power comes in compassion.

His voice brings others to arms, his words brings weapons to battle. He is kind, and prefers to heal than to burn and destroy. He is Rose, but he is someone else entirely and it's some sort of bittersweet living in the past and present at the same time.

He is strength.

He is power.

He is also Lion.

A confidant. A protector to this strange human-gem mixture, who's eyes and smile and laugh are like hers but different all the same. Steven treats him like a pet sometimes, but there is always respect, so he can forgive the child for his antics. He had never let anyone besides Rose ride on his back, but this Connie child is as tenacious and strong as Rose ever was, and he knows that Steven likes her, so he makes an exception. The other gems, the ones that Rose had spoke fondly of, are wary for him, and he understands why, but he didn't care much for them. That Pearl character is too full of herself for her age.

His new life is strange.

He is an animal to them, the ability to speak to anyone lost with Rose. He gives Steven the tape, and his eyes hold wisdom that Lion cannot match. There are ups and downs, and he finds himself closer to others, the lonely, sad moments shorter and farther in between. It is comforting, to have others at his side all the time. He realizes what Rose loved about humans, because they are kind, diverse, accepting, if sometimes stubborn and brash. He supposes that's why they are still around. He is no longer stoic, or simply a protector.

He is Lion, a silent pet and aid to a growing boy with powers beyond his imagination.

Lion likes his new name. He likes his new purpose.

Protect Earth.

Fight for Her.

Believe in Steven.

The world spins again.