Snakes

Thud

A thick stack of paperwork was dropped onto her desk without care. She slowly looked up and sighed at the sight of the beautiful co-worker standing above her. It wasn't a sigh of contentment or laughter, but of anger.

"What was going on last night bitch? I could hear you whoring it out to Takuya all night!" the woman snickered, her bright red lips curling into a mocking smile.

"You're jealous. You're so mad that he won't sleep with you," she responded with an equivalent amount of sass. Her co-worker put her hand on her hip and raised her head in a cocky manner.

"I can have any man I want! But I have no desire for some sleezebag who would want to get it on with you," she replied. The woman walked away with a sway to her step. She watched her until she left the room, her curled blond hair and revealing outfit leaving an impression on the employees in the office.

This was a daily occurrence inside COT headquarters. Especially between women, the nature of the tasks they were assigned eventually led to them hating each other.

Megumi, in particular, was her least favorite of the women she worked with. She was snobby, rude, and had a superiority complex, even though they were given similar jobs. Megumi was always finding new ways to ruin her day. Giving her extra paperwork to file and pointing out her late-night hookups in front of other staff members was today's harassment.

"Natsu, are you okay? You look really tired," another employee asked her from over their desk dividers, which were short enough to allow viewing the person across from them. Natsu rested her head on the table and closed her eyes.

"Yeah...it was a long night."

Some of the others snickered at her response, but nobody attempted to bother her anymore.

Working in the investigation department in COT was a hard job, but it paid well. Ever since she started working for COT three years ago, she had been given more opportunities and luxuries than she ever imagined. She was able to live in COT's protected facilities and work for them in exchange for a decent amount of money, and all of the necessities she needed to live comfortably for free.

Her department was in charge of researching and catching criminals in the city and all across Japan. She was in the local crime investigations section, which was much more laid back compared to the global investigations section. Their main priorities were to silence gangs and eliminate their crimes, protect COT's facilities, and uphold their control over Central City.

The men in the local investigation section were tasked with researching criminals as well as doing in-person investigations and arrests. Women were used much differently by COT. There were not many women working in the investigations department to begin with, but they were forced to use sex appeal to catch criminals.

To trick dangerous, evil, and knowledgeable men into spilling their secrets: that was Natsu's job.

She couldn't rest forever, so she decided to file away the paperwork that Megumi had dumped on her, even though she didn't want to. Loading the stack of paper into her arms, she left the office and made her way to the filing room. It was a huge room with many cabinets stacked closely together. Records of crimes, important business decisions, legalities, and other paperwork were stored there.

Most criminals in the world weren't caught or punished. The world was a free place after all. That was COT's mission: to create a world where nobody had to fear law, and where people could do as they pleased. COT did not treat people who opposed them kindly, though, and people who tried to go against them were given severe punishment.

Her footsteps echoed through the empty halls. She wore black heels with a tight black dress that clung to her skin to show off her curves. Her hair, a dark brown, was straight and silky.

"Hey, Ms.Ueda. Going out for a walk? What a pleasure seeing that fine figure during working hours," a man stepped in front of her path casually, leaning his arm against the wall. He looked her up and down.

"Takuya...not now," she avoided his eyes, though she couldn't help but smile.

"Here, let me help you." he took the papers out of her hands with ease, and they walked to the storage room together. Natsu continued to steal glances at him during their short time walking through the empty, white halls of COT's facility.

Takuya was a handsome young man whom she'd met through work. He worked in the care department, which was responsible for overseeing and caring for the people living in COT's protected facilities. He was tall, good-looking, and had beautiful green eyes. His hair was bright white, which made him stand out among other men. Natsu had at first admired him for his looks, but soon fell for his personality.

Their friendly work relationship quickly developed into something more intimate. Natsu was hoping he would ask her out soon. They had spent many nights together, after all.

As they entered the office, Natsu's skin was covered in goosebumps. The air was cold and stagnant, just like the secrets that were kept there. Takuya set the stack of papers down on a desk beside one of the filing cabinets. "I've got to run to the other side of the building, surveillance stuff. Good luck with this," he grinned.

She shook her head with a laugh, watching him leave with a soft gaze. As much as she desired him physically, she couldn't stop her heart from beating faster around him like a nervous schoolgirl. She turned her attention to the filing cabinets, where she would be quickly putting away the paperwork for the next twenty to thirty minutes.

Sitting alone in the silent room, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. It was so quiet and cold that she felt like something dangerous might be watching her, waiting for its opportunity to strike.

"Natsu? Are you in there?" someone called for her from the door. She peeked her head out from behind one of the cabinets to see who it was. An average-looking man stood in the doorway, looking around the room like a lost puppy. He had straight black hair with a choppy, short cut. Even though he was an ordinary and plain person, she recognized him.

"Right here," she answered, coming to greet him. He eyed her needily, watching the sway of her hips as she approached him. "What do you want?"

"J-Just here to tell you that your boss wants to speak with you!" he announced, shutting his eyes nervously. He was another person whom Natsu worked with, but she usually tried to avoid him. He was a timid man who avoided as many people as he could, but with Natsu, it felt like he would never leave her alone.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know," she said, faking a smile, and shut the door. He was the last person she wanted to see when she was feeling creeped out. She continued to sort the papers until she was sure he was nowhere near the room, and then she went to see what her boss wanted.

When she got to his office, she could feel a tenseness in the air. She was alone with him, and he was sitting at his desk with his hands folded. He was an old man with plenty of experience working for COT. He wasn't anywhere near the top of the ranks, but he was in charge of managing sections of the investigations department. His influence over the employees was strong, and anything he ordered was guaranteed to be carried out.

"Good to see you this afternoon, Natsu. Please take a seat," he said. She sat across from him, disgusted by the forced proximity to the wrinkled old man. "I'm sure you've heard about our test subject, Y.O.L.I. I have asked you to come here because we are facing a dilemma related to her disappearance."

"Yes, sir. I know all about it," she nodded. Y.O.L.I was a huge deal in COT, but information related to her was kept a secret from most of the employees. She had heard about the girl's disappearance the day after she escaped, and knew some details about the failed attempts at getting her back. It seemed like, as hard as COT tried, they couldn't keep that girl under their thumb.

"The girl escaped again a few days ago, and we haven't been able to find her or the individuals who kidnapped her. We sent out some of our forces to investigate the suspect, but nothing turned up. Because of this, we believe that a member of the SPS is in cahoots with the criminals," he explained. "I want to ask you to investigate the man we suspect of working with them, and get as much information on the girl as you can."

"I can do that, sir. Who is it this time?" she asked.

He slid a file folder to her. Inside was the bio of a random man in the SPS. She had never seen him before, but he looked as boring and miserable as she imagined SPS workers to be. Usually, she was told to investigate people who had nothing to do with COT, so going after one of their own employees felt riskier. The man was certainly not stupid if he worked for COT, and it would be harder to trick him.

He might even be expecting them to send someone out to investigate him, and would be more cautious about talking to people. Even though she had doubts, she accepted the job without further questions.

- - -

Natsu was dressed in her nicest clothes. She wore a black mini-skirt with high heels, and her hair was done up in a bun. Her makeup was over the top, and she looked like a high-class woman. Her perfume was strong and from an expensive brand, which she only used for these types of jobs. It was her responsibility to do everything she could to make herself appealing. She had to guess what each man was into, and curate her appearance to match his preference.

She entered the SPS office as if she owned the place, flashed her keycard to the front desk woman, and made her way to the back of the building, where the police worked. By studying the man's bio for a few hours, she learned a lot of things about him- far more than a stranger should know about a person.

He was a strict, calculating, and diligent man who did a lot in order to uphold his reputation among the SPS workers. He was respected by others and did everything he could to make sure that crime was dealt with in the city. His past was foggy, and nobody quite knew where he came from. It was as if he had come out of nowhere a few years ago and made a respectable life for himself. He would be in the office that day doing reports on the crime he'd dealt with that week, so she knew this was the best place to find him.

The man was standing by a copy machine, waiting for a stack of papers to finish printing. He looked exactly like he did in the photos, and Natsu was disgusted at the thought of sleeping with him. He wasn't cute, and he wasn't a conventionally attractive man. He had a rough, angry-looking face. She usually went for the princely type, someone who was soft and charming with no noticeable flaws. This guy, on the other hand, was overflowing with a rigid masculinity, and she was unsure if her plan would even work on someone like him.

He had shoulder-length black hair, which was messy and unstyled. He was always frowning, and his face was not pleasant to look at. He had a messy, unshaven look, and his left eye was covered by a massive scar.

"Hajime?" she approached him, batting her eyes at the tall man. He didn't seem to notice her, so she stood beside him and called his name again. When he finally looked at her, she felt a chill run down her spine. Even eye contact with the man was scary, considering that he only had one eye. He didn't respond to her or ask her anything.

"My name is Natsu, I've been looking for you everywhere!" she said, grabbing onto his arm like a clingy girlfriend. He grunted, but didn't attempt to shake her off. He was completely uninterested in her. "I heard all about you from my friends. I would really like to get to know you, since you seem like such a great guy!"

"Not interested," he replied coldly.

"Why not? Nothing bad ever came from giving a hot girl a chance, right?" she smirked. She was already annoyed with him and wished she could give up. He was repulsive to her, and just touching him made her feel disgusted. It wasn't that he was dirty, but he didn't care for his appearance. He had an intense manly scent that she knew would linger on her clothes for days. It was a mix of cologne, cigarettes, and some unidentified drugs.

"I said I'm not interested."

His denial of her advances only made her cling to him closer as she pouted. "If you don't give me a chance...Well, I could let everyone know about where you enjoy being touched," she whispered, standing behind him and trailing her hands up his chest.

He immediately pushed her away and glared at her. "How do you know about that?"

Natsu had caught him in her trap, and using his own insecurity and shame, she would force him to give her the information she wanted. The information that COT had gotten on Hajime through extensive surveillance had even noted his sexual kinks and preferences. She felt no guilt for using him in this way; after all, he was just a gross man working with criminals.

"I know a lot of things about you, sweetie. We can talk about it tonight...at your place."

He turned back to the copy machine and grabbed the printed copies from the slot. She could feel the anger emanating from his body, but he stood silently with his back turned away from her.

"Fine," he gave in. Natsu was relieved to hear him agree, but this would not be the end of her struggles. She still had to seduce him and get information on where Y.O.L.I was. Simply blackmailing him would not be enough to get what she wanted.

Natsu waited for his work day to end, and she followed him home. Hajime got off work late, when the city was dark, and nightlife was in full swing. She hated walking alone in Central City. She had seen enough of the city to know that she wanted no part of it, and she enjoyed the safety of living in a protected facility. Hajime was one of the many COT employees who chose not to take advantage of COT's offered living space. He chose to put his life on the line and spend his own money to live in a shabby apartment building not far from the SPS office.

Hajime lived in a small apartment building, which was sloppily constructed between a large car dealership and a row of adult stores. He lived on the second floor, which was accessible by an outside staircase. She watched him unlock the door from a distance and made her move when he went inside. If she forced her way in while he was already inside, he would have a harder time keeping her out.

"Kono" was carefully written on the namecard outside the door.

Natsu let herself in, surprised by how dark and empty the apartment was. The kitchen was next to the door, with the living room placed in the center of the small space. The only furniture was a couch in the middle of the room facing a small TV. There were two rooms on the left and right walls. She had expected the house of a man like him to be dirty and unorganized, but he truly had no possessions.

"There's nothing for you to see here," Hajime commented, spooking her since she hadn't noticed him standing in the tiny kitchen. He was about to make himself a quick dinner when she barged inside.

"Forget dinner, let's have some fun!" she flirted, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the stove. His hand was rough and covered in calluses. He slipped away from her, frowning at the woman who was pushier than any he'd met before. "Don't be like that. Men like yourself need some relaxation after a long day of work."

She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to elicit lustful thoughts from him. She couldn't understand why he wasn't falling for her bait. Natsu was offering herself to him on a silver platter; all he had to do was say yes, but he would not comply. To her, it seemed like he was incapable of feeling emotions. As Hajime stood unwavering against her attempts to seduce him, she knew there must be something wrong with him.

"You want something from me, but you aren't going to get it. Give up before you hurt yourself," he sighed. He put his hand on her shoulder and moved her aside so he could leave. He sat on the sofa, resting his forehead on the palms of his hands.

She watched him from the kitchen, amused at how tired he looked. Something was bothering him, and she knew it was the truth she was there to extract from him.

He had figured her out already, as she feared, but there was still hope.

"I don't want anything from you...that's such a shallow way of thinking. Is it hard to believe that a woman like me would be into you?"

"You're a snake," he replied, lifting his head to see that she was smiling with an overconfident attitude. "I can't be so easily fooled. Tell COT you failed, or I'll have to hurt you."

Her attitude turned serious at his threat. She couldn't leave without getting information, but was she willing to risk her safety for it? His appearance alone scared her, with only one eye that was capable of staring so deeply into her that she felt like her soul was being searched by the strange man. That scar...she wanted to know where it came from. He must have been in a terrible accident to receive a wound that severe.

"So...you don't want to sleep with me?" she asked him, unable to believe how stubborn he was acting.

"Nope."

Natsu was starting to get angry. Her plan didn't work at all, and she had no other way to get what she needed from him. She had dealt with difficult men before, and even failed jobs she was assigned, but being directly rejected by someone like him made her blood boil. It was as if he was saying, "you aren't worth anything as a woman".

"Argh! What is wrong with you? How can you treat someone like this and not feel bad? I need money too!" she yelled, discarding her flirtatious act entirely. He watched her go off on him with interest.

"Get your money somewhere else. I'm not telling you anything," he said, getting up from the sofa. He walked over to her with heavy steps, and she backed away from him quickly. Her backwards motion became increasingly hasty as he got closer to her, threatening to become violent if she didn't leave. As she stepped outside, he slammed the door shut. The door clicked as he locked it.

She jumped up in anger, stomping her foot like a child before leaving. Natsu had never had a good temper, and when she didn't get her way, she usually acted out like this. Just like a spoiled little kid, she was never able to recognize when she had lost, and she refused to accept that things wouldn't go the way she wanted them to. As she walked away from his apartment, she decided she would try again later. It wasn't for the sake of her job, but for her own pride, which had been hurt. She wanted to prove that she was hot enough to tempt him.

Natsu went back to the protected facilities for the night. Silently, she went up the elevator alone and passed through numerous empty hallways. COT's official buildings were eerie and always lifeless. It didn't matter how many employees or residents they had; you would always find yourself alone on your journey.

Over the few years she had worked there, she came to wonder why that was. Why was a place so full, so empty? COT had made many promises to the world, and few of them were kept. In a way, she felt that their buildings were symbolic of those broken promises. Every hallway deserted, every room cold, and every life meaningless. It didn't matter where you went, as long as COT was in control, you would always be alone. That was their goal, after all. If they could separate love from the human experience, they could control anyone they desired.

Natsu stopped to look out the window while walking across one of the many sky bridges. She could see the outside of another large building connected to the one she was in. They were all connected by enclosed sky bridges, but were used for different purposes. The building she found herself looking at was the one she worked in, which held the investigations and general departments. A light was left on in a room there, so she decided to go turn it off.

This late at night, employees were supposed to turn off lights in the building to conserve energy. It was a rule they were meant to follow, and some people had been written up for forgetting it.

After a short walk to that building, she found the suspicious room. When she placed her hand on the doorknob, she became aware of odd noises coming from inside. They were coming from a human, and she was immediately worried. "Is everything okay in there?" she asked, to no response. Thinking someone might be hurt or experiencing trouble, she opened the door.

"Mnnnh~"

Her vision became blurry as shock and anger coursed through her body. Her mind came to a halt, and all she could see was the combined shape of white and blond conjoining like snakes. They didn't even notice her standing there until she made a delayed scream. The picture before her was something she had only imagined in her worst nightmares. Takuya and Megumi joined together as lovers in the dead of night.

Takuya didn't seem to care that she had barged in on their lovemaking session; in fact, he was smiling.

"Sorry, Natsu, do you mind? We're in the middle of something right now," he nodded, not even bothering to cover up.

Megumi smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. Natsu closed the door before she could see any more. She ran away as fast as she could until she was too tired to move. Her mind was spinning. Megumi had said she had no interest in Takuya, so why were they together? She found it somewhat ironic that Takuya was the one always accepting that her job forced her to sleep with other men, but when he slept with another woman, it was unacceptable.

Tears covered her face, but there was nobody there to wipe them for her. Inside COT, she was truly alone.