06: In Which We Have a Dog

An urban legend spread through island, speaking of an old shrine.

A year or so ago, the man that took care of the shrine died in defense of the shrine, against a being against the Shinto religion; his body was not devoured, but thrown away, down the staircase that led up to the shrine and leaving a trail of blood - a message to those that follow the faith. The people that used to gather with the old man to pray and pay tribute began to turn away, fearful that they would be next if they were found there.

There was soon another incident at the shrine - but the followers were not a victim. A local Hunter guild, chasing a rogue Tengu, found it dead at the shrine, a mess of blood and feathers, killed not through gun, blade, or magic, but with someone's sharp jaws. They spread word of this incident, bringing interest to the shrine. However, people investigating did not find anyone there in the days that followed - perhaps a wandering Hunter wanted to kill steal and take the reward?

But then, the next incident happened. A human thug was brought to a hospital in bad shape - bite marks all over. It was discovered that he had spraypaint on him, and so a police officer visited him in his room to question him on vandalism charges and what happened to him.

OFFICIAL POLICE TRANSCRIPT

OFFICER KUROSAWA

"A-alright, you have my spray paint. ...Yes, I was going to graffiti over that old shrine - hey, it, it's not as if anyone was there anyway. Look, it's called freedom of speech, bro, don't get in my... the marks? How I got 'em? ...shit man, it was all a blur. I was shaking a can, lookin' around, when something jumped off the roof... it, it tackled me and growled. A demon? Dude, it was no demon, it... it was defending the place, and what kinda demon defends a shrine? I got up and tried to kick at it but... ugh, it just got angry. Started biting me. Damn thing kept at it until I limped away from the shrine. What did it look like? ...it, uh... had white fur and... shit, it also had those red eyes, hard to forget that."

It became clear that something was hanging around the shrine. Any potentially harmful demon that came to the place was slain, punctured with teeth; the being that guarded the shrine seemed to be more lenient toward human vandals, who were allowed to leave, along with mental scars. The survivors say that it was a dog. Others a bear. An angelic being. Some even believe that it is the reincarnation of the old man that once tended to it. Whatever it was, it was devoted to protecting the place...

...

He hears footsteps on the stairs leading up to the shrine and he raises his head. Silently, he crept out of his hiding place.

From his vantage point, he could see two figures approach, both human. One is a short human boy with a funny orange hoodie and shorts - why? If he's so cold to wear a hoodie (which seems to have a second jacket over it?), why wear the shorts too? His eyes look upon his hands and he saw that the boy carries a weapon, a long spear. Is the boy a vandal? No, doesn't seem like the type...

The other though definitely looks like a thug though, a much taller and older male. Freakishly long coat? What's inside? Drugs? Weapons. Oh so suspicious. Yet, despite looking suspicious, he thought that the male was cool. That scowl, those hands casually tucked into his pockets...

Wait! The man pulls his hand out! Is it spray paint? A gun?

Then, he tossed it.

Landing on the ground is...

Cooked meat! Oh boy!

The one that hid in the shadows simply couldn't resist. Conflict could wait.

...

Ken was taken aback as a white blur jumped out in front of them, but calmed down when he saw what it is.

Just a dog.

"Told you that it'd be a dog." Shinjiro grunted. He had prepared a bit of steak before they left, on the off chance he was right, and lo and behold, a dog was chowing down on the meat. The dog ate with a rabid ferocity, as if he hasn't eaten anything substantial for a long time.

"Well, it makes sense, but..." Ken looked at the dog with a puzzled look on his face. "...could this dog truly have killed all those demons and hurt that much people?" When they had first taken on the request to investigate the urban legend, he expected something more.

"I've seen weirder shit, don't question it."

Seeing that the dog was finishing up, he held out another bit of meat, beckoning the white-furred beast to come closer. The canine paused, looking at them analytically with his red eyes, before deciding that it would be safe to head on over. Shinjiro bent down, placing the food at his feet, which the dog partakes in, while petting his head. Ken did the same, petting the fur, when he noticed that the dog had a nametag.

"Koromaru..." Ken read out. "...Shinjiro-san, do you think... that this dog belonged to the old man that took care of the shrine?" He remembered reading about the incident before they left - always good to do a bit of research into jobs.

"Probably. If you think about it, maybe this dog was defending this place."

"Kinda like Hachiko?"

"Sounds like it." Shinjiro looked down at the little defender. "Hey, dog, where have you been sleeping?"

As if he could understand him, the dog gestures toward the shrine.

"Tsk. That's no place to sleep. How about you come with us? Place is warm and there's always food."

"Wait, do you want to adopt him?" Ken asked, barely hiding the elation he had. He rather liked dogs.

"Depends on what he wants." Shinjiro now addresses Koromaru. "You can always check on this place whenever you want if you come with us. But it's your choice."

The dog looked back at the shrine then back to the two visitors.

"...come on, kid. Let's turn this stupid quest in."

The two youthful hunters take their leave, Ken glancing at the dog before reluctantly following. The dog looked again at the leaving humans and the shrine. The humans seemed nice, he thought, but what of the shrine...

...

After some inner-debate, the dog started to trot after them. The boy was surprised, hearing the sound of paws heading toward them; the older one did not spare a glance and kept walking - he didn't seem to be surprised by the outcome. He could tell that the dog hasn't eaten anything good in a while, and food is the most basic motivator. Besides, the dog can always go back to the shrine, he rationalized.

Author's Note: Sorry, I wanted to write a Persona 4 related chapter, but I really wanted to write about Koromaru.