Urban legends of Karakura: the wish-granting shrine! [Job]

[Deleted]

A new winter day was starting in Karakura town. The sun was already out, and the city had sprung to life, with everyone going about their days. The humans were blissfully unaware of the presence of a certain, tiny Hollow, watching the city below from a Shinto shrine in one of the town's hills. Having lost their trusty "Zanpakuto" due to wear and tear had left them mildly depressed, so they just sat on the offering box of the shrine, where people came to pray and ask for good luck on their many endeavors, or for any favors that the gods may seem fit to grant. Caballero clearly had no idea this was even a thing, they had just chosen the spot because it seemed comfortable, offered a vantage point to the city, and they wanted to mourn the loss of their weapon in peace. Right on the edge of the box, they innocently kicked their stubby little feet back and forth, so engrossed in their own mind that they barely noticed the humans approaching until they were right on their face.

Of course, Caballero was startled, jerking back ever so slightly. Two humans, one bigger, one smaller... about their own height, in fact. A mother and her daughter. With their hunger more than sated for the time being, not even a blip in their radar, the Hollow could concentrate on them without exercising any control. The mother had a worried, bleak look in her eyes, doing her best to soothe her child. However, said child was sobbing and snotting, and looked completely unconsolable. Her expression brought Caballero great concern. Why was she so sad?

It would not take long for the tiny Hollow to find out. The girl did her best to recompose herself, and brought something out of her pocket. It was a picture of a small dog, looking as happy as it could be. The photo had been carefully folded, and had not one wrinkle other than four crevices--it was clearly well taken care of.

"H-Hello, gods. My name is Hana, and t-this is my friend. H-her name is Mitsu", the little girl said, head hanging down. She was looking at the ground, and Caballero wondered whether she could see them. She was talking to them right? Granted, the concept of shinto gods was lost on them. "She got lost a few days ago, and w-we can't find her anywhere."

Hana pulled something out of her pocket that Caballero didn't recognize. They looked like smaller pieces of paper, but they had some weird drawings on them. Huh. Strange. "T-these are my savings. Mom said I needed to save for important things. That's why I decided...! If I give this to you, c-could you... could you bring Mistu back home?" she pleaded, putting both the money and the photo on the shrine. She looked almost physically hurt, parting with the photo; not so much with the Ryo.

Caballero had no idea what she was giving them--in fact, they had no idea she wasn't actually giving them anything--, but took it to mean a gesture of friendship. The bills had drawings, and Caballero liked drawings. More than once they had drawn on the snow to introduce themselves to other people, and they were actually quite proud of those! What they did understand, however, was that the girl had lost her best friend, and was devastated. Sure, the best friend in question looked strange to the Hollow, but if she said it was one, they were nobody to question it.

Thus, Caballero resolved that they should help the girl. With Tendón, they carefully took hold of both the present and the picture, assuming by this point that the two could see them. Of course, that was entirely and utterly wrong, so the mother's face turned from bleak to panicking in a matter of seconds, even more so when her child confirmed she wasn't just imagining things. "Mommy, look! The money... it's floating! And Mistu's picture is, too! T-the gods are really listening!" As if realizing she shouldn't be overexcited in front of a potential deific apparition, she clasped her hands together and looked up--a bit above Caballero, but still. "P-Please, I beg you! Help me find Mitsu!"

That was all she could say before the horrified adult took her away. Caballero reached out with one stubby arm, still holding the picture. Why were they running away now, they wondered. After all, couldn't they see them? Whatever the case, that thought quickly vanished, and Caballero was left with only one occupying their limited brain-cells. The girl had gifted them really cool papers with drawings, and she needed help finding that strange but friend-shaped creature; a dog, as she'd call it. To honor their newfound friendship, it was only natural they would help her find her dog!

Thus, the tiny Hollow somehow stuffed both picture and money in their Reiatsu body--don't ask--, blissfully unaware of its value, and kicked off their seat. They knew the name, they knew how it looked. Somehow, they would bring Mitsu back to Hana, on their honor as a Shinigami. With that self-imposed mission, Caballero ventured back into the city, climbing down the steps of the hill. This seemingly innocuous interaction would spark the beginning of a new urban legend in Karakura Town, one that would soon spread like wildfire across youth and elderly alike.

The wish-granting shrine.

[Deleted]

Once Caballero got back to the streets of Karakura, they were faced with two problems. First the town was big, even more so for a tiny Hollow like them. It would take them a long time to cover the entire place, so there was no way they would find the dog like that. Mustering their very limited brain-power for abstract thought, Caballero resolved that they would, and take good note of this, a proper strategy. Scratching their oversized mask with Tendón, they took out their two clues again. The paper notes with funny drawings and numbers were no less funny, but they didn't seem to be related to the dog in question. They shoved them back into the black Reiatsu that formed their body, and instead took a better look at the picture of the dog. White underside, brownish-orange fur above, and a black spot in the middle. No matter how they looked at it, Caballero still found it very strange. Hollows didn't have that many colors, did they? Not even this 'dog' kind. Of course, they had absolutely no idea it was a beagle, but it wasn't like they could communicate that thought anyway.

Armed with the picture, Caballero decided that the best course of action to find the dog would be to, quite simply, ask around. Not just anywhere, though. It would be best to move to the area where the dog would usually be. A master plan, concocted only by a world class mind such as their own. To that end, the tiny being shot up to the skies with Tendón, grabbing onto the ledges and bars of the nearest building's balconies. From up there, they could see the panicking mother running with her child. Storing the photo away too, Caballero followed them above the rooftops, using their Tendón to keep up with them. Of course, untrained humans were slower than a Hollow that didn't need to turn corners, and thanks to them being invisible for most of humanity, they raised no alarms and managed to find out where the family lived.

A nice little house, with just some space for the dog house and a very small garden. The mother slammed the door shut behind them, clearly traumatized for reasons Caballero still couldn't comprehend. A bit rude, but Hana had been nice to them, so that was more than enough. With a central point located, it was a matter of just asking around and find Mitsu. Heh! Completely and utterly foolproof!

That delusion lasted about five minutes, when Caballero went to ask the first human that passed about the dog. Since they lacked a voice, all they could do was show them the picture. From the person's perspective, a grown man in his forties, the sight of a photograph floating right in front of their face was nothing short of stroke-inducing. "EEEK! What in the actual hell?!", he screamed, not unlike the little girls' voice actually. Just as the mother, they took a few steps back first to examine the situation, and when it was clear the picture was floating right in front of him, he took off into the swiftest run of his life. Caballero tilted their head, scratching the mask with their free hand. Maybe they were not as visible as they'd thought, but at least they could've pointed them somewhere, give them any directions.

Over the course of the next few hours, all similar endeavors proved equally fruitless, although they did get different reactions from everyone else. Someone actually tried to snatch the picture away, which was of course a no-go, so Caballero left the greedy human behind. Another started praying something that the tiny Hollow couldn't really wrap their head around. Such interactions took the rest of Caballero's morning. However, at about noon, they spotted something in an alley. A Plus, and in front of them, a very small, frail-looking Hollow, even smaller than Caballero. Their Shinigami instincts kicked in, and they rushed into the scene after ensuring the safety of the picture.

Maybe sensing them being stronger, the other Hollow immediately skittered away in search of other prey, leaving the Plus behind. When Caballero landed in front of the lost soul, which was a woman in her mid-twenties, she looked fearful for a moment until the tiny being waved at them. Their overwhelmingly positive aura helped the Plus tell they had no bad intentions. Them being cute probably didn't hurt either. "Are you... are you saying hi?"

Caballero nodded, but they had no time to make more friends today. They were, after all, on a quest. The Hollow quickly showed the picture to the young lady, just in case. Lo and behold, they hit the jackpot. "I've seen that dog before! I passed it not too long ago, while I was running away from that thing. No offense...?" The tiny Hollow jumped up and down in glee, and awaited for directions. The Plus actually said they'd show them the way, as a means of repaying Caballero for helping ward off the smaller monster.

Eventually, the two of them reached another alleyway, better hidden, a perfect spot for a small creature to hide safely. Lo and behold, a trembling Mitsu could be found there, and her tiny head perked up the moment they saw Caballero and the Plus appear. Whether dogs could feel the presence of Hollows or not, Caballero did not know, but looking at the picture again, it was unmistakeable. The dog was friendly enough, and began wagging their tail at both spiritual beings.

"Now we're even, little guy!" the young woman said. If only Caballero could perform Konso, he could've helped her further too. But alas, no time to waste. They slowly approached the dog to earn their trust, and once they were close enough, used Tendón to lift Mitsu over their heads and rest her on the flat section at the top their mask, ensuring her safety with their tendrils. With Mitsu firmly secured and drooling a bit on their mask, Caballero ventured back out to the main streets.

If the humans had panicked upon a floating picture, the sight of a floating dog would most certainly be like a killing blow to them.

[Deleted]

Caballero trotted down the streets of Karakura again, unable to use Tendón since they were using both arms to secure Mitsu. The dog, having the time of her life, just enjoyed the breeze mouth open and tongue hanging on the side. The unlikely pair also happened to have the ultimate guidance system: the fact that the beagle could smell their owners. Now that they were not scared anymore, the puppy longed to return home, and so they instinctively moved in the direction they were supposed to go. Caballero was more than happy to oblige, actually taking a liking to this 'dog' creature. Soft, fluffy, and friendly. Hollows were usually big and mean, so it was a good change.

Anyone walking opened a straight path for the apparently possessed, yet very happy dog, floating while bobbing up and down ever so slightly, due to Caballero's cadence of steps. This would most likely end in the news, which would only serve to further enhance and dramatize the legend of the wish-granting shrine after the family gave their testimony. Whatever the case, Caballero took some time without being able to jump around and having to carry Mitsu with their limited strength, but they eventually managed to reach the house again.

By this point, the dog's tail was wagging like a motorboat, and Caballero left her down on the floor again. The dog quickly went up to the door, barking and scratching the wood almost desperately. Curious, the tiny Hollow took out the picture once again, just in time for the door to open. The wooden contraption revealed Hana, whose face was nothing short of the epitome of happiness.

"MITSU!" she yelled, and the dog immediately pounced on her, whining and licking her face with all the nervous energy only a puppy could muster. This immediately alerted the rest of the family, who rushed to the door. If the sight of the dog already surprised them, seeing the picture being held by, apparently, nothing, drained all color from their face.

"I-I can't believe it! The picture! It really floats!" the father said, utterly dumbfounded.
"No, shit...!" the mother barked back, realizing her language moments after. "I told you it was possessed! Come on, do something!"
The husband laughed, then looked down. "Okay, honey, you win. But even if the picture was possessed... is it really that bad? It seems like this is a good spirit, although I'm still skeptical!" he said with a warm smile, watching Hana break into happy tears of relief.

Caballero didn't really get that either, but they had no use for the photograph, and Hana seemed to like it very much. Since they already had their funny notes with drawings, the tiny Hollow left it in the hands of the mother, since the child was too occupied with the dog. Nodding at themselves and feeling happy for their new friend, Caballero left a happy family behind, heading back to the shrine to continue mourning the loss of their Zanpakuto.

Something good had come out of it, at the very least. And something even bigger would soon come, because the Hollow left far too many witnesses, and far too many accounts of people describing the same phenomena. Unknowingly, they had just created a new legend, one that would surely give them new "business ventures" in the future. A legend of a shrine that, if you prayed and offered money, you would get your wish granted. Hopefully this would not blow up too much, because Caballero liked the spot they'd found on the shrine, and they were far too small to carry that urban legend by themselves.

But perhaps next time they would have some company. Perhaps next time there would be two spirits, not one.

[THE END]

[Jeff Franklin]

I count 25 paragraphs, thus awarding you with 7500 Ryo!