Chapter 9

"Can you move your legs..." The boy rasps. Kiyomi's eyes slowly open. Her eyes drift towards the boy. 

"My legs are on my seat... what are you talking about?" Kiyomi questions. The boy glares at her then sighs loudly.

"Not you. The guy behind me." 

Kiyomi sits forward and looks down at the floor to see a guy's feet sticking all the way out underneath the chubby boy's seat. She plops up onto her knees, turning around and peeking out from behind her seat. The guy slowly looks at her and furrows his eyebrows.

"What you looking at?" He says moving his head, gesturing towards Kiyomi.

"You obviously..." She replies.

"Well stop lookin." 

"How about you move your feet from under my friends seat." She rasps.

"Friend? I am not friends with a low IQ germy kid." The boy huffs. Kiyomi slowly glares at the chubby kid and squints her eyes. He stares back at her.

"Low IQ? What- You know what... I don't care." She sighs, turning around and plopping back down. The guy scoffs at the boy, smiling at him. The boy sits back down and stares at Kiyomi who's eyes are closed again. He looks back down from under his seat. The guy's feet were gone. The boy takes a deep breath and smiles, opening his computer again. 

Kiyomi's nose flairs and her eyes wide. She pinches her nose and looks at the boy.

"Did you fart or something? Why does it smell so bad..." Kiyomi asks the boy. The boy's face is green as he holds a handkerchief up to his nose. He shakes his head and points down at the guys bare feet sticking out from under his seat. Kiyomi plops up again and peers out from behind the seat. "Dude... Can you get your funky ass feet from under my friends seat!" She murmurs.

"Not your friend!" The boy rasps.

"Can you shut up!" Kiyomi seethes, glaring at the boy. "Do you not want my help?"

"I didn't ask for help! I will never ask a germy little kid to help me!" He huffs. Kiyomi relaxes her eyes and turns around. She pulls her shirt over her nose and closes her eyes again. The boy sits back down and stares at Kiyomi. He rolls his eyes and tries to continue working on his computer, but the smell is so foul that it's making him want to throw up. He starts gagging to the smell. He stares at Kiyomi wanting to ask for help but chose not to. He sits up in his seat and glares at the dude behind him. 

"Can you put your shoes on?" He grumbles.

"Nah! I'm comfortable! Deal with it fatass." He chuckles.

"Excuse me! You and your fungus feet is making the whole bus smell. Just because you don't know how to properly clean yourself and buy new shoes doesn't mean I have to suffer!" The boy fumes.

"The fuck you say?"

"I said you smell like garbage. Maybe if you were smart enough and not some lowlife chump who spends his money gambling and doing drugs you wouldn't smell like shit!" 

"What makes you think I do that shit!" The guy yells into the boys face. The boy picks up his computer and shows the guy what he found on him.

"You're a loss cause. Divorced... broke... and five thousand dollars in debt." The boy chuckles pointing at the screen. The guy's eyes twitch. He grabs the boy by the shirt collar, pulling him close towards him.

"You want to die?" He huffs into the boys face. The boy gags to the guy's bad breath. "You mocking me?" He scoffs.

"No- you smell like shit." Kiyomi fumes, as she glares at him from her seat. "Let go of him."

"Or what? What will you do?" He snickers.

"Dagger of death" Kiyomi whispers. Her drop earring dangles from side to side as the upside down cross appears on it. She flips the blade in her hand and points it at the guy. "Or I will kill you." She rasps. The man beside the smelly foot guy leans forward towards Kiyomi.

"Yeah? You gonna kill him? Little girl." The man mockingly says. Kiyomi squints her eyes at the guy. "I wanna see you try!" He says swinging at her. Her eyes turn purple and she spins the blade, gripping onto it tighter.

Kiyomi and the chubby boy stand outside, abandoned in the middle of nowhere after the bus driver kicked them off for starting a fight. The boy groans and sits down on a rock, typing on his computer. 

"You are weak as shit for someone who has a big mouth..." Kiyomi rasps, glaring at the boy.

"Just because I'm not strong like you doesn't mean I'm less than you or that hobo."

"Eh? I never said that-"

"All I need in life is this- It can get me anywhere." He says pointing to his head. "But thanks to you... I need to find another way to get to the exam site. I was hoping to be the first out of ten to make it there." He huffs.

"Exam site? What are you talking about?" You say in a confused tone.

"Don't worry about it. It's not something for your puny little brain to understand." He grumbles. Kiyomi relaxes her eyes and slowly approaches the boy, grabbing his computer from him and backing away, holding it up above her head. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" He shouts, standing up and staggering over to Kiyomi.

"I should smash this-" Kiyomi listlessly says.

"HUH! STOP IT!" He shouts.

"No- I'm a puny brain right? A germy little kid? I don't understand you... right?" Kiyomi laughs.

"WAIT- STOP!" 

Kiyomi stares at the boy and moves her hand quickly preparing to smash it down on the ground.

"NO! WAIT! I'M SORRY!" He shouts. Kiyomi pauses and looks at him. "I will do anything for you as long as you don't break my baby!" He cries.

"Anything?"

"YESSS YESSS! Anything!" 

"What were you talking about earlier... with the exam site..." Kiyomi asks, adjusting her arm in a way, preparing to throw the computer down. The boy shivers and holds his hands out.

"The hunters exam!"

"You know where it is?" She asks.

"Yes yes!"

"Then take me along with you." She demands.

"WHAT! NO!" He shouts. Her eyes relax and she tilts her head. She moves her arm again preparing to smash the computer down. "WAIT! OKAY OKAY! I WILL HELP YOU!" He cries out. She looks at him with purple eyes.

"Promise?" 

"Promise." 

TING

"Stamp of Fate." She sighs and a hand with an eye in the middle of it drops down from her drop chain earring. A metal stamp appears in her hand, and she glares at the boy.

"I don't believe you... So, I'm going to stamp you." She says pointing the stamp at the boy.

"Huh? What is that? You aren't going to be doing anything to me!" He huffs.

"Then you aren't getting your computer back..." Kiyomi listlessly says.

"What? But I already agreed to take you to the exam site!" He fumes.

"And I said I didn't believe you. This is just for precaution." She says waving the stamp. He shakes his head and crosses his arms.

"Nope. Not going to make some demonic pact with you over a promise." He grumbles.

"Welp... I guess you don't want this then." She says preparing to throw it.

"NO! FINE!" He shouts. Kiyomi slowly looks back at him, smiling at him. Her purple eyes glow as she stares into his eyes.

"Hold your hand out." She says motioning for him to hold his hand out. He sighs and holds his hand out. "Repeat after me. I- wait what's your name?" She asks, tilting her head a bit.

"... Nicholas..." He sighs.

"Okay. Say- I Nicholas agree to help Kiyomi until we arrive at the hunters exam site... If I don't fulfill our agreement, I will lose what is dear to me. If I fulfill our agreement I will be rewarded generously." She says holding the stamp towards Nicholas.

"I, Nicholas agree to help Kiyomi until we arrive at the hunters exam site... If I don't fulfill our agreement, I will lose what is dear to me. If I fulfill our agreement I will be rewarded generously." He huffs, still holding his hand out. A purple light glows on the bottom of the stamp. Nicholas's eyes widen as she grabs his hand and presses the stamp down onto the palm of his hand. "OUCH!" He shouts as the stamp burns into his skin. The metal stamp disappears. Kiyomi lets go of his hand and hands him his computer back. Her eyes go back to normal, and she smiles at him.

Stamp of Fate... it appears when she says "Stamp of Fate". A hand charm with an eye in the center of it appears on her drop chain earring. A metal stamp with an eye on the bottom of it appears in her hand. It's called the Stamp of Fate because making a pact or agreement can cost something special or dear to you. It can even cost your life. It's a game of honesty. Being honest is the only way to fulfill the agreement or pact. In the end you will be rewarded.

"Okay! Let's get to the exam site!" She bubbles.

"Hey! Will this ever come off my hand?" He whines showing her his hand. There's an eye symbol on his hand.

"Yeah. Of course... once you take me to the exam site the mark will disappear from your hand." She sooths.

"And if I don't?"

"Whatever you care for most will disappear... Like that brain of yours... You can lose all the knowledge up in there... Since it means so much to you..." She says leaning forward towards him and poking his head. His eyes widen. "But if you take me there... then you will receive something in return..."

"Like what?" He questions, pushing her hand away. She shrugs and smiles.

"I have no idea. I don't know... I don't chose what you're rewarded with... It could be more knowledge... or maybe something better... like money~ If you find that to be better..." She bubbles. He squints his eyes and sighs.

"For someone with a puny brain you're terrifyingly strange." He huffs. 

"I don't know if that was a compliment or not... but I'm going to take it as a compliment~" She says skipping away. "Anyways let's go!" She loudly bubbles. He relaxes his eyes and sighs.

"No... it was not a compliment..." He huffs.