Chapter Thirteen: Venting Rage:

None of it looked good. The powder on the surfaces of the apartment, blood all over the floor and walls, sex toys in the bedroom, and the apartment was a mess. Tsuzuki trembled. Hisoka, he thought. Why hadn't he said anything? Hisoka was always smiling those past few days. Usually, Tsuzuki could see the pain behind the smile, but something had changed. He had been happy.

Things were stable between him and Anna, work had been fine, and aside from the leak and the mother on the loose, everything was fine. Hisoka seemed happy for Tsuzuki and Anna, but now the shinigami couldn't help but wonder how he didn't see it before.

"Hey, guys," Tsuzuki said. The other two looked up.

"Yes?" Tatsumi asked. Tsuzuki shuffled in place.

"Did you notice anything off about Hisoka before� you know�?" he asked. Tatsumi and Watari recalled whether they noticed any changes in Hisoka's behavior lately.

"No�" Watari said.

"No," Tatsumi mirrored. Tsuzuki nodded, though he felt disappointed.

"Oh�" he mumbled. Tatsumi patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered. "We'll get him back, I promise." Tsuzuki pressed his lips together. At this point, he could only assume things would get worse.

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The down side of drug use can bring out the ugliness in people. Hisoka's first display came in the early hours of the morning. Jessie awoke to the sound of heavy breathing. She lifted her head and peered into the darkness.

"Hisoka?" she whispered. "Hisoka?" Her eyes darted to the left corner of the room. Her heart leapt in her chest at what she found. Hisoka sat huddled in the corner, shaking. He bit on his fingers and mumbled something repeatedly. Jessie leaned in closer with an eyebrow raised.

"Hisoka?" she asked. The demon crawled out of bed and crept over to her toy. She shook his shoulder. "Hey! Hey!" The shinigami whirled around, smacking Jessie in the face. The demon fell back, screaming.

"What the hell?!" she yelled. Hisoka glared at her.

"What?!" he barked.

"Hisoka?" Jessie asked. "It's three in the morning. What the fuck?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Go away," he hissed. Jessie looked at him funny.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. The demon tried to touch his shoulder, only to have him smack it away. Jessie drew back her hand.

"Ow," she said. "What's your problem?" Hisoka turned away.

"Mind your own business!" he snapped. "I couldn't sleep, okay?"

"Why not?" his �girlfriend� asked.

"Could you just shut up?" The boy rose to his feet and tried to leave the room. Jessie's concern quickly became agitation.

"Excuse me?!" The demon marched over and grabbed his shoulder. Hisoka whipped around and smacked her in the face. Jessie slapped him back. He pushed her against the wall. Jessie nearly bit her tongue in the process. He pinned her down with his weight. She saw the fire burning in his eyes.

"Listen, bitch!" he barked. "Why do you care so much?! Just leave me alone, damn it!"

"Why shouldn't I?!" Jessie shouted.

"Because you're annoying!"

"Annoying?! You're the one who woke me up acting crazy and biting your fingers!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me, if you're man enough!"

Hisoka glared at her and grabbed her face. He slammed her head against the wall and stormed out of the room. Jessie sank to the floor, balling her hands into fists and clenching her teeth. Asshole! She felt the rage burn hot in her chest.