"You came for me!" Alyssa beamed, throwing her arms around my neck as she bobbed up in excitement. I hugged her back, giggling, equally happy to see her again.
After a few more squeaks and shrills, Alyssa stepped to the left, and glared at Leon incredulously, (after he had managed to revert back to normal from stone), and shook her head back and forth, looking absolutely disgusted.
"You made an absolute fool of me." Alyssa hissed, seething with her fists clenched at her sides. She was a ticking time bomb ready to wreak havoc.
"Uh, I'm sorry? But I---" Leon began, at a loss of what to do.
Alyssa's rage suddenly subsided and a sweet, serene smile replaced her furious expression.
"But since you're my best friend's other half---I can let it pass... this time." She smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder haughtily. "Though you owe me big time." She stuck her nose up in the air, smirking.
Leon smiled in respond, glad that Alyssa was so understanding. I could sympathize with her---Alyssa and I had both been scared out of our minds.
"We'll get back at the two of them eventually, won't we?" Alyssa whispered under her breath in my ear. I chuckled, nodding enthusiastically in reply, just as intent to get back at them.
After exchanging a few more plans of mischief, much to Marcel and Leon's concern, we parted ways, and Marcel promised to meet up again with us, after sending Alyssa off to relocate Tarra and possibly tell him of Frey's deception, and if possible, perhaps gain a new ally.
And though I had asked just exactly how Marcel was planning on contacting us without any sort of communication device, he insisted that he would have some sort of signal and that 'we'd know when to act'... whatever that meant.
Meanwhile, Leon and I, alone again together, were trying to find a way to continue through the building and find Rei. Considering if anyone found out that Alyssa and I had essentially 'escaped' would not end prettily. For now, Leon had brought me another uniform and I was to disguise myself as a Tyrian worker... or so called 'Noel's' apprentice of sorts.
After I had changed alone---to Leon's grief, entertainingly enough---we were strolling down the hallways completely freely. The ominous atmosphere that I had felt previously seemed to dwindle for now that I knew exactly what was going on, and it was easier to breathe and concentrate on the task at hand. We had to work fast if we wanted to get back to the Viridian estate in time to save both Ares, and Arc... wherever he was.
"You okay?" Leon asked anxiously, whispering under his breath as he noticed how bizarrely silent it had become between us. "If you want, you can sit this part out and I can try and handle Rei."
I shook my head, gazing up at him. "I'm fine. I swear." I insisted, just as stubborn to get to the bottom of this as his was. I tried to stifle a giggle when I could see Leon's gaze pass down to my lips for a moment, and he quickly glanced away to avoid embarrassing himself.
"So... do you have any idea where he could be?" I asked, trying to change the topic. Leon turned back towards me, and though his face was slightly flushed, I could tell he was trying to return to that cold, void of a man as we walked further from Alyssa's cell.
"Rei... he's a bit of a mystery. Apparently he's also a newcomer here, though certainly more experienced than I am---he's pretty peculiar, if you ask me. He showed up out of nowhere, with absolutely no background, just skills and expertise that attracted some of the Tyrian higher-ups." Leon explained, sighing.
"Sounds like you." I chuckled, shoving my hands into my pockets. "And all I know about him is that he's a tracker..." I responded, averting his gaze. After me... or was after me, more specifically.
"Hey! At least I have a legitimate... illegitimate background? If that makes any sense." Leon offered, raising his eyebrows. "Marcel handles that kind of stuff, you know. But Rei... he has no substance to him. Even trackers have some sort of back-story. Kind of scary, really, considering people like that are usually..."
"Assassins, spies, conmen, or traitors, you mean?"
Leon and I both froze in our tracks, paralyzed with dread at the sound of the voice behind us. There was no backing out now, no way to cover up our tracks---we were busted, to say the least. There was only one option left for us now.
"Run."
Leon abruptly grabbed my wrist and made a dash for it at full speed. Only then did I feel inclined to look behind us, grimacing as Rei, smirking as always, easily broke into a sprint and progressively shortened the distance between us. It wasn't that surprising, considering he was a freaking tank.
"My god---I feel like I'm being chased by a freaking bull for crying out loud---" Leon gasped, just as bewildered to see Rei easily gain on us.
"But doesn't he have the Tresora? Maybe we could negotiate or something?" I asked hesitantly, yelping as Rei reached for the back of my shirt. I inched forward, slightly squealing as Leon abruptly tugged me forward, almost making me trip.
"You guys don't honestly believe you can outrun me, do you?" Rei chuckled, now alongside us, grinning broadly as he blocked one of the possible directions we could run in.
Lured in like sheep, we had been cornered at the end of a corridor, Rei cracking his right shoulder as he stepped closer towards us, the daunting smile of his somewhat discouraging. Leon stood in front of me defensively, one arm stretched out as he glared at Rei with all his might, obviously ready to put up a fight if needed.
With his free hand he reached for his gun, only to suddenly have Rei holding his own gun against Leon's forehead in an instant.
Leon did not waver, even though his life could be cut short in an instant. His green eyes, still determined and courageous, were fixated on Rei's face. I could feel my entire body quiver. This couldn't be it. No way was everything just going to end here.
The sound of the gun clicking made me weak in my knees. Rei tilted his head to one side.
"Bang."
I let out a muffled squeak in shock, only to watch as Rei lowered his arm, still smiling triumphantly as Leon dropped his own hand that had been reaching for his gun.
Rei did not shoot.
"What is the meaning of this?" Leon demanded angrily, unnecessarily trying to pick a fight. I had forgotten that Leon's cute (but somewhat scary) jealous tension with this guy... even though Rei was seriously completely clueless.
"Hmm? Don't tell me you actually want to die?" Rei laughed, putting the gun away as he pulled out a small paper bag from his jacket pocket. "Before you get these?" He grinned, the blue jewel and two rings from the Tresora falling gently from the package and into his palm.
"Right, Noel? Or should I say, Mr. Leon Sangria?" He chuckled, closing his fingers around the pieces. "Fortunately for you, you still have some use while you're alive."
"Why thank you." Leon retorted sarcastically, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, princess, can't he see that by not shooting him I've shown that I come in peace?" Rei asked, obviously directed towards me. I opened my mouth to respond but Leon clamped his hand over it.
"Don't even bother talking to this trash." He grumbled, glancing back at me for an instant and making my heart go amok again. Only he could send a message clearly with his eyes. I gulped.
You're mine.
... Is what he was implying.
"Whoa there, aren't you a little overprotective?" Rei shoved his hands into his pockets, raising his eyebrows. "The princess and I are good friends, you know. Spent a couple nights together and everything---"
Leon's fist collided with Rei's free palm. Just how good were Rei's reflexes anyways?
"Easy there, tiger. I've come to make a deal, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to turn it down." Rei grinned, winking at me.
"...Go on." Leon responded in exasperation, still stubborn to cooperate.
"Considering the so-called code breakers here are complete idiots, they haven't gotten a clue how to use the pieces and the map to find out the location of the Tresora." Rei admitted, his voice softening. "And as much as I'd love to slack off for a while, we have to find the Noir treasure before all the other families get involved."
"And? What does this have anything to do with us?" Leon asked, slightly interested now.
"Well considering our princess here solved the first part of the code---we're hoping she'll figure out the second part, too. Oh, and escort us to the treasure's hiding place as well, considering there'll probably be some other code to decipher there." He smiled innocently.
I was shocked to see him hold his hand out, offering the three pieces. I was so tempted to just reach out and snatch the pieces from his hand, but that was like trying to pry a bug from a Venus fly trap. Not exactly easy.
"What's in it for us?" Leon asked, his eyes now glued to Rei's open palm. "You don't think we're just going to solve the code and have you kill us on the spot, do you?"
"Hey, I'm a lot more experienced in this field than you are. If, by any chance, princess here does solve the code..." He winked at me again. He seriously needed to stop calling me that.
"I'll let you guys go free. And turn a blind eye to your other zombie friend roaming around here." He chuckled, probably referring to Marcel. Nothing went past this guy, seriously...
"And tell you the final meeting spot of Van and Frey before the drug deal is finally delivered." He finished, confident that we would be unable to refuse his offer.
There was some substance to his confidence---we had no idea of tracking down either Van or Frey, who disappeared like thin air after every meeting we had. This could be the single opportunity to put the truth to light of the treacherous Van, his companionship with the Tyrians, and bring retribution to Frey and his lies. Everything could come to an end if we could ambush them there.
But to give up the treasure? And put our lives at stake? Was it really worth it?
I stepped next to Leon, his hand's grip around my mouth loosened and now at his side. There was no denying the look in Leon's eyes---surprise, shock, astonishment, bewilderment, and most importantly, enchantment. His justice could be served. Revenge against both his father and his ex best friend and right-hand man, who had destroyed absolutely everything.
Even I couldn't help but long for revenge. To pass up an opportunity to kill my father's murderer?
"How can we trust you?" I asked, breaking the seemingly impenetrable silence that had been formed.
"Trusting me is your only option left." Rei answered ominously. He was at the advantage here.
"I accept." Leon decided, holding his hand out as they shook hands for a brief moment. Leon took the pieces of the Tresora from Rei's hand, and held them out to me. "Linette? You won't let me down, will you?"
Though the vengeful and hating Leon scared me at times, I still loved him. And the sooner everything was over, the sooner the hatred in his heart would subside. Maybe then I would be able to confess my feelings... maybe.
"Of course not." I shook my head, taking the pieces and cradling them in my hand. Rei gazed at me expectantly.
"I accept." I proclaimed. This was all or nothing.
---
The three of us were now walking through the corridors, an awkward silence making me feel uncomfortable and squeamish. Was this really going to work out? I had the feeling Leon was going to randomly tackle Rei to the ground any second now.
Fortunately, Rei had not told Leon's identity to anyone, and his persona as 'Noel' was still in play. Little attention was paid to me, considering I was strolling around with two big-shots, to my relief.
But Rei really was a mysterious character. He could have easily killed Leon and forced me to help him by capturing Marcel, as much as I would like to deny it. If he had held any of my friends captive I would have succumbed to any request he had made. To go as far as potentially destroying his employer's reputation and mafia family seemed a little extreme. In a way, it almost felt like Rei really was trying to help us... though as subtle as possible.
Leon, obviously, did not seem to think so considering even looking at Rei made him feel disgusted. But if what the people in the van had said was true, and he had been guarding me in my sleep---he really couldn't be all that bad a guy. And secretly, I did have some trust in him. The more I spent time with him, the more familiar and comfortable I seemed to become, even in silence. Did I possibly... meet him before? Or know him from somewhere?
"Here we are." Rei announced, opening the door to an eerie, darkened room. A group of what appeared to be the most suspicious looking research people I have ever seen were circled around a small table in the centre of the room. They were all clad in white lab coats, extremely bald, and had matching sunglasses. This was completely ridiculous.
"Rei, huh? Who are these people?" One of the men asked, staring at Leon and I from top to bottom like vultures. Or at least that's what it looked like, with all their heads bobbing up in down in unison. Had they not ever heard of the word 'subtle'? I shuddered.
"This is Noel, one of the training leaders, and this is..." Rei paused for a moment, at a loss for words. He suddenly grabbed me by the arm and circled his arm around my back. "This is my pet. Just call him Nettie." I could see Leon's face twist in a mixture of shock and anger.
"Pet?" The research men repeated, ogling me with intrigue.
"Not that surprising, considering it's you we're talking about." Another one roared with laughter. I didn't even want to know the backstory behind that one.
I could see Leon trying to somehow murder and torture Rei with his stare which obviously, did not work.
"Exactly. Now he's pretty clever, so I thought he may give us a hand on finding the location here, right, Nettie?" He cooed, puckering his lips as he poked my face.
"Of course~" I giggled, digging my heel into the top of his foot. I could see him wince for a moment. I tried to contain my laughter as I saw Leon fist pumping in the background.
"Turn the map this way... here." Rei pulled the small flap of paper towards us, placing it at the edge of the table so we could look at it. And though I had heard of the map numerous times before, this was definitely the first time I had ever seen it. It really did seem ancient, being written on parchment and worn across the edges. Didn't really seem like a mafia thing as much as it seemed a pirate thing... Leon as a pirate... I held back a snort.
The map was somewhat strange, especially considering it only showed a portion of the city. Many locations were crossed out or darkened with pen, which I could only assume as places that had already been checked or were definitely not possible hiding spot locations.
A makeshift grid had been traced onto the map, though it didn't really seem all that accurate if we were to consider latitude and longitude from a geographical point of view. The word "Tresora" was written in bold letters at the top of the paper in cursive.
This map did, however, include all the families' estates. Sangria, Viridian, Celandine, Tyrian, and to my surprise, even my house, the Cyan estate, was clearly marked on the map. Other important landmarks were included as well, but some were marked with red dots, while others were marked with either blue or green dots. Small house-like symbols, I was guessing, represented the estates and large buildings, while small tree symbols probably represented forests, and etcetera. Truthfully, the map did somewhat resemble that of a child's drawing... but drawn skilfully enough to interpret.
"So? Think of anything, Nettie?" Rei grinned, patting me on the head like a puppy.
I ignored him momentarily, staring at the pieces of the Tresora in my hand and the map in front of me. So if the Tresora was needed to decipher the location on the map... how could I use all four things together to do that? Sure, the Tresora was made up of rare jewels and all, but I didn't think they had any properties to decipher codes or hidden messages.
"I'm not really sure... considering the Tresora song had always been rather ambiguous, I'm not sure if the directions stated in it also apply to the map, especially since we've already used those directions to unlock the Tresora, and all." I mumbled to myself, repeating the words to the song in my head.
"Oh, here, Marcel passed me this." Leon exclaimed, handing me a piece of paper with the song written on it delicately. Leon read the words as well from over my shoulder, and I could see the research people trying to sneak a peek from their circle.
"So last time... the 'blue bird' was referring to the blue garnet, 'fire' was referring to the red diamond, and 'earth' was referring to the jadeite. But nothing like that really exists on the map." I sighed, staring down at the piece of parchment.
"Well, unless you think about the mafia houses, you know." Leon laughed, folding his arms across his chest. "Sangria---sang---as in blood, as in red? And Cyan's an easy one, blue. And Viridian---viridis---green, right?" He grinned, obviously joking around.
But... he could be on to something.
"Well, if we think of it that way..." I mumbled, placing the pieces of the Tresora on the map to each corresponding estate respectively. The elongated end of the blue garnet pointed towards the centre, and the rings of the red and green gems were pointed towards the centre as well. In a way, they created a fairly distinct triangle formation.
The research men stared in awe as Leon and I continued to chat possible ideologies and suggestions amongst ourselves. Did a triangle possess any sort of special meaning? Or was the location in the centre of the triangle? We couldn't say anything for sure---we needed more information, another clue.
The entire time, however, I could feel Rei's gaze from behind me, sending shivers up my spine. I found Rei as being even more curious than the Tresora.
"Okay, so we have, so far, a triangle with three families. But if what you said before was applied to the Tresora, then maybe the last two lines of the song, which you did not use, apply to the map, then?" Leon suggested, looking down at the piece of paper.
"Land full of secrets finally comes about, Key of the treasure to open the king's mouth." He read aloud, just as baffled as I was from any sort of meaning the two phrases implied.
"I'm guessing the second last line doesn't really have any meaning---it's more like a directional statement implying the treasure than anything." Leon brushed his hair from his face, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It was pretty cute, actually.
"Okay, then by 'King's mouth' they are referring to the treasure's location, right?" I suggested, getting dizzy from over thinking for too long in the dark room.
"Yeah, but why a mouth? Sure, the Noir family was famous for being the wealthiest mafia family to date, so 'King' does make sense... but mouth? What, did they have grills or something made of gold?" He snickered to himself. I raised my eyebrows.
"Ahem. Sorry." Leon coughed, embarrassed by his stupid joke. At least I wasn't the only one who felt suffocated in this stupid room. Rei's staring wasn't exactly helping, either. I never really believed in the whole 'feeling someone watching you thing' until now. I shuddered.
"So as I was saying... what could 'mouth' be referring to?" Leon asked pensively, staring down at the map. "No land shape, place, or region really resembles a mouth... unless you squint your eyes really tight and look at this gap here..." I smacked him playfully on the back of the head. He was definitely trying to make me feel less pressured, considering everything was basically... relying on me, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
So the Cyan family were descendants of the Noir family. The Tresora had been passed down as a family heirloom. The song, and unlocking the Tresora had both been in my memory---so maybe this was too? Okay, think back... think back... I bit my lower lip contemplatively.
Wait... hadn't Dad said something about the Tresora back at the warehouse?
"You should know there are many factors needed to find a treasure. First, you need to have the knowledge. Then, you need to have a map. You need the proper men, skills, and equipment. And finally, you need the key to open the chest, no?"
No, there was something more important... something I didn't understand at the time... but what?
"It's within your memory, but you don't know that it's about the Tresora."
So was the truth really in my memories?
I closed my eyes. Think. Think harder. What did Dad say...? What hint did he give me...?
"Li--err, Nettie? What is it?" Leon asked softly and anxiously. I held my finger to his lips.
"Shh. Wait a second." I commanded. I could vaguely remember something...
"The Tresora is, more or less, like a key to open the gate."
My eyes widened in surprise. A gate? The hiding spot was near a gate?
I peered down at the map again, wide-eyed. My heartbeat grew frantic and pulsed through my entire body. I was so close... so close to finding out the truth?
My hands gripped on the edges of the table. I scanned the entire map. Which one of these places were possible candidates? Which ones had gates, or looked like a gate...?
Wait... a mouth? A gate?
Well the bars of a gate did resemble teeth... and the top and bottom of a gate did look like gums or lips... But a King's mouth? So Leon relates a King to gold... so it's probably safe to assume that all mafia families think in a similar manner...
A golden gate?
Obviously it wasn't referring to the San Francisco bridge, considering that wasn't even on the map...
But wait... the rings... the rings of the Tresora are both gold, so all that's left is... the blue gem?
A 'key' to the treasure?
Whoa.
Wait a freaking second.
A golden gate? At my house?
"Oh m-my god." I stammered, in absolute shock. Leon had his arm bracing my back. If he hadn't, I probably would have collapsed to the floor.
"There is one..." I mumbled under my breath.
"Huh? What?" Leon asked, completely lost.
"The treasure's location... it might be..." My voice trailed off.
"Where? Where is it?" Leon asked in anticipation.
I gulped.
"In the backyard of my house..."