Crowns

The first thing IA did at school was look at her paper's prompt.

Why are you still living? Please give detailed reasoning, as long as your reasoning explains well enough, any answer is acceptable. DO NOT include your name; privacy is valued, even to me. I will put them in envelopes and you will pick your own one after school when I have finished grading. DUE—12/1/12

Her teacher was an odd one, assigning things that people had to think about. Today was no different. A new assignment put people on their toes, and on hot coals.

IA smiled. She could just had to put down the answer that he expected, and he would never guess that it was hers. But of course, she didn't. She wanted to be a writer that could be distinguised. She planned a quick outline.

The Reasons I Live by Anonymous

I live because I have a goal.

"No.." She thought, I have more than one.

I live because I have multiple goals.

The first is to exceed standards, always.

The second is to master my talent.

The last is to survive, because I don't have too much time.

She grinned. Her teacher would thought that she was a girl with popular friends, but wasn't too popular herself. Her frown decorated her face, "What about him?"

She shook her head, he probably didn't have any interest for her. "I hope that mother's other daughter handles this for me.. I won't be here for too long anyway."

A last backwards look and then a raised hand. "Ms. Sakine? I must go home now." A fake forged letter was given. "Alright, Sweetie. Be safe."

Huh..They said she sweet when she was sober, according to her files.

"Thank you, Ms. Sakine."

Lights decorated the city. Police sirens wailed. "Out of the way! Out of the way!"

A body was on the ground. A bottle of pills right by her, an overdose, they suspected. A smile adorned her face. But a single tear ran down her eye. White blonde hair with a heart face and sharp chin dotted her features. She had not died from pills, but they would never know. The national pop star and assassin had died. A symbol of her gang left behind.

Meiko smiled. She had never believed for a second that the child was innocent. "From Emerald Crown? I guess that they're not innocent either. Only Amethyst Crown left to defeat."

******Amethyst Crown Group******

"Emerald Crown-status-defeated."

A girl of 16 stood up. "What! They are the strongest Gang! How did they fall.. out of all the gangs? Wait.. But IA!"

She pushed Luka out of a computer and sat down. She didn't need to.

"Emerald Crown-status- leader dead. Repeat- Emerald Crown leader IA, Aria on the Planetes-dead."

She sank down onto her knees. "But..she was the strongest!" Tears streamed down her face. Luka looked at the girl, "Come on, now! You're the leader of the Crown Gangs! We have to take down the Ruby Crown Gang still! …Akemi? Akemi? Akemi?!"

Akemi wiped her tears. Her sobs racked her body. She had to listen to her lieutenant when she broke down. Her eyes couldn't be seen as she stood up. Tears had stopped completely. A sad, quivering smile took over.

"I understand. I must kill Meiko Sakine now. And even if I do..the damage is done."

"Correct, Akemi," Luka said, "If you get injured, we have a cure. Just do it. As Nike used to say."

"Thanks. I will."

The girl left as her gangmates stared as she left. Gumi gave her a strong smile, her large gun in her hands. Rin put a hand on her shoulder, "You better live. I need to grow to be taller than you, and how can I do that without you arund?" Her knives hung from a pouch, and her twin brother joined her. "Hey, don't die.. that's my best and only advice." His knives were in his left pouch, his sister's on the right.

"I know. That's what I grew up hearing."

She walked out. She carried no weapon.

******Ruby Crown******

"Meiko?" A small voice was heard from the end of the corridor. "Mom? Why are you putting me here?! I have to go to school you know!" The voice became louder.

"Shut it, Ouma. We don't have time. Go with dad, you're skipping it today."

"Yes! Thanks, mom. No one beats your logic!" A fist bump was held out, but not returned.

"Shit, the bitch is already here. Hurry up!"

"I thought you already paid the water bill yesterday night!?"

"I told you to leave Ouma! You don't want to see two women fighting over when to pay the house bills!"

She was a minute too late. "How are you, Ms. Sakine? I heard that Aria Planetes has fallen under your hand." A young girl stood, leaning on the doorframe. Her blood-red eyes shone mischievously. Light Orange hair reached her waist as her pale face carried a twisted smile.

Ouma was shocked. His own mother, a killer? No, his own mother, a liar? But he refused to believe it. "Oi! Pretty lady! You know, my mom is a school teacher!"

"Part time, only. That's what I know. The other half? The ruthless killing leader of the Ruby Crown Gang. Haven't you ever wondered who the mysterious leader was? Where your mother was, late Friday night? Huh? She is also a pharmacist, isn't she? The pills revealed it all, Sakine-san. "

Inori walked past her. A pendant with her gang's jewel, the Amethyst, swung from her neck. "You also murdered others. The Aquamarine Crown, Teal Crown, Citrine Crown, Diamond Crown, and even the most powerful gang! The Emerald!

Ouma was petrified. He was an actor at the celebrity-making school on a private island, a mile away. But even if he wasn't, he could tell this pretty yet scary girl wasn't lying. "Mom..all this time?"

She didn't look at him. "Fire. You have to make fire. Use your talent, boy!"

Even at the last stand, she couldn't call him "son." He was staring to want to hide in a corner and cry out all those tears. He felt suicidal almost. He couldn't sleep well anymore, at 2AM his eyes were wide open. In Japan, Nuclear reactors were present. Why not jump in? His thoughts were interrupted.

Akemi opened her mouth to speak. "You are the gang with the best source of power, aren't you? The Ruby Gang was the only group that didn't know their talent, until you came along. The only hint you had was the Ruby. Its personality matches you two." She walked up to Ouma.

"Hm.. I have to say, you look an awful lot like Sakine-sensei." She grinned, "Which means you have probably inherited her skills along the way. Power for the Rubies, destruction to this house? Sakine-san, no matter how reckless you can be, remember I am immune to power. At least, if I get the right tune."

"I don't care," Meiko said with labored breathing, "Your voice is killing me anyways!"

"Sassy…what a bad time to be stubborn, -san! Don't you know that you will kill your son too! Ha, power is useless. The Sakine name used to be a royal, regal name. The Ruby's sparkle! They called you that, no matter if you had a talent or not. Suppose that the Aquamarine Crown's leader really got to you.. Kaito, the famous "aqua" guy. Able to do anything with water! But then, Teal Crown's leader got to you as well.. Miku Hatsune! Famous for being the lady of harvest, especially Spring Onions."

Ouma refused to listen to this anymore. His anger was boiling, he wasn't sure if it was directed at his mother, or the scary blondie. A small warmth enveloped him, a flame danced in his hand.

Inori looked surprised. She acted too late, she started singing beautifully, but his anger fueled the fire faster than her shield. A firecracker shot at the right side of her body. Meiko smiled, today was her last day. "My grave better not be in Comic Sans font, son."

The firecracker exploded, and the fire spread through the house. He saw that while the pretty girl's song prevented her from losing anything, she was bleeding, and mangled beyond repair. His mother was a burning carcass. "Sad old lady to be my mother," he thought, "Time to go to father."

The news station reported two deaths, and one coma. "Two parents, and a young 16 year old girl were attacked. By who, no one knows. The parents have died tragically, by some object that looks suspiciously like some fire. The young girl seems to be hit by a firecracker. Remember, fire is a dangerous thing-"

The TV was shut off. "Pathetic and weak. She'll never live. I am the only true person here. Everyone else is a liar." He laughed. A knife struck the wall, a note attached. "Time is running out for you." A blood stain clotted the corner.

"This is how she always wanted to look like." The surgeons nodded and began to work.

Akemi Ciel might survive.