Chapter Seven: Struggling:

Jessie stayed under Hisoka’s care. He still wasn’t used to her like this. Some elements felt familiar. Dinners were quiet these days. In his drugged out haze, they sat together in shimmering rage. Now, it felt awkward. Neither one could really speak to each other. Jessie ate like a little kitten at the table. Hisoka’s questions would have to wait. Jessie glanced up at him.

“Do I have something on my face?” she asked. Hisoka shook his head.

“No,” he said. “It’s just…”

“What?”

Hisoka remembered this scenario. Her tone tasted like gall back then. Jessie only wanted a fight. Under his frustration and heartbreak for Tsuzuki, Hisoka would cave in. However…

I can’t feel anything from her, Hisoka thought. He lowered his chopsticks.

“You and I were in a relationship,” he confessed. The demon gave him a confused look.

“What?” she asked.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it happened.”

Jessie shook her head. “No, that can’t be right. I already have a boyfriend.”

A puzzled look came onto Hisoka’s face. “What?”

“Did I cheat on him?”

“No.”

Jessie’s eyes shifted from him. “Are we still…?”

“Oh, no! No! We’re over.” Hisoka tried to block out embarrassing memories of their time together. Jessie gave him a peculiar look.

“Was it bad?” she asked.

“I’m sorry?” Hisoka asked.

“Our relationship. Was it that bad?”

He lowered his shoulders. Hisoka didn’t want to relive any of this. The shinigami waved her off. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He glanced over at his ex. “Who are you dating?”

Jessie sat back with a proud smile and her hands on her hips. “Hikaru!”

“What’s he like?”

Her cheeks colored light pink. “Well… he was really cute. He’s a good boy. I love him so much.”

At first, Hisoka couldn’t see it. “Where is he now?”

Jessie began to frown. “I…” Her voice broke into gasps. A wave of pain ripped through her brain. “Oh god!”

“Jessie?” Hisoka asked. The demon trembled and panted.

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” Suddenly, she stopped. Jessie lifted her head, blinking. “Strange… What were we talking about?” Hisoka narrowed his eyes at her.

“You don’t remember?” he asked. His ex shook her head. The shinigami tried to figure out what was unfolding here. After helping her to bed when they finished, Hisoka got on the phone.

“Watari?” he asked.

“What is it, Bon?” the scientist asked on the other line. Hisoka leaned against the wall in hallway.

“I need you to look up something for me,” he said.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Could you look up someone named Hikaru?”

“May I ask why?”

Hisoka put his hand to his forehead. “There might be a clue in this case we’re working.”

“Okay…”

“Please?”

“Alright.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything else?” Watari asked. Hisoka shook his head.

“No, good night,” he said. The shinigami hung up and looked at Jessie’s room. This began to present problems on the grounds of history. He clutched the phone, lowering his head. Am I going to relapse when she comes back to her old self?