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Izuku was getting big, not ridiculously big but big enough where he could start jumping around the house. He was too small to go from the floor to the couch or vise versa but he could use boxes, step stools and shelves to navigate around the house (And give his dad's a scare). Izuku had been using his new found mobility to get onto windows, the TV stand and on one memorable occasion the ceiling fan in the office. And Izuku, after a while of doing this had started to notice something.
There was a rat.
Literally, there was a purple and silver, scruffy looking rat hanging around the windows. Izuku gave it no mind to begin with but it kept showing up in the windows which was no easy feat considering they lived on a high level of the apartment building. And it would do nothing but stare at him. Watching. So Izuku decided to watch it back which only resulted in a staring contest. It wasn't doing anything but it was certainly unnerving to say the least.
"Uhhh, Dad."
"Yea Izu."
"You, uhh, wouldn't of happened to see a rat around here have you?"
"A rat? Zashi finds mice but a rat? We're too high up to be bothered by vermin Izu. Why do you ask?"
"Well, there's been a purple rat watching us. I've seen it in the windows."
"Ignoring the fact you've been on the windows when I told you not to, how long have you been seeing this rat?"
"A little over two weeks I think? Not long but I've just seen it staring at us."
"I'll let Zashi know and he can keep an eye out for it but let us know if you spot it again, ok?"
"Ok Dad! Thank you."
"Of course. And stay away from those windows."
"Sure...."
Zashi was told and, after a week, showed up with no sighting of a rat. This of course greatly confused Izuku as in that same week Izuku had spotted it almost everyday. He'd tried to bring his Dad into the room to show him but it always disappeared. But Izuku kept spotting it much to his parents concern as they never saw the elusive rat.
His parents might not have seen it but maybe someone else had. So at the next neighbors get together, Izuku wandered over to his three closest friends, Toshi, Tenya and Uraruka to ask.
"Uhh, can- can I ask you guys something? But don't shout please."
"Sure Izu-chan! Ask away!"
"Please don't shout Ochaco but ummm, you guys wouldn't have happened to have spotted a rat around. Have you?"
The tree quickly glanced at each other before Toshi piped up.
"What kind of rat Izu?"
"Uhh, purple with silver hair and, umm, dirty fur! And really crusty skin. You, you wouldn't happen to have seen it, right?"
"You've seen it too!"
"Not so loud Uraruka! But you've seen it?"
"Not just us but it appears all our neighbors have."
"Really Ten-Ten?"
"I've inquired about it a couple of times with the others and they've all seen it too."
"Has your brother or any of your parents seen it!"
"No, unfortunately. Tensei thinks it's my imagination."
"Nup."
"No, sorry Izu-chan. It always manages to run away before they spot it."
"Same! Dad and Papa haven't been able to spot it even when Papa goes out in the mornings."
"That's weird, right? That only we spot it?"
"Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. And this has happened with everyone."
"For the less educated, what the hell does that mean Tenya?"
"It means, Toshi, that Ochaco is right. It is weird that we keep spotting it. We've all seen it and all it ever does is-"
"Nothing! It just watches!"
"Yes but please don't interrupt me Ochaco. It's rude."
"Well, you're almost right Ten-ten."
"How so, Izu?"
"Only us kids have spotted it, right? I mean, you're older brother hasn't spotted it and both my dad's haven't spotted it. Toshi, Ochaco?"
"My owners never see it."
"Neither do mine but Tsuyu and Toru have both seen it!"
Discussions of the strange purple rat continued until it was time to go home but all agreed to try and either get the rat's attention or keep it around long enough for others to see. The first wasn't hard at all, Izuku offered some cat food to the rat to which he started scratching at the window for. Getting others to see him was the difficult part but they were getting there.
Shouta had heard the scratching at the window from where he was napping in the study and came to investigate. But the rat ran away before he could see it. The scratches being the only evidence of the rat's presence. This was enough for Shouta to be suspicious, they lived on quite a high level so for an animal to scratch at the window they either had to be a bird or a very determined animal. But since this had happened once before, they (Dad and Papa) just stayed vigilant but went about life normally.
It was a quiet day, Papa was out exploring and Dad was (again) napping in the study. Izuku was playing out in the lounge room, chewing on a mouse toy while Nemuri was at work.
Scratch, scratch, scratch!
Izuku's ears swiveled around. What was that?
Scratch, scratch, scratch, squeeeeeke!
That was the squeaky cupboard door in the kitchen. But it only squeaked when it was opened, so why was it squeaking? Stupid question, a better one is who was opening it? Rising and cautiously slinking into the kitchen Izuku, peered into the kitchen where he spied the squeaky cupboard open. And the purple rat sticking out of it!
Izuku let out a big gasp and bounded towards the rat.
"It's you! The purple rat!"
The rat gave a slight jump at Izuku's excited whisper before letting a small, sharp smile.
"Yes, yes! I'm the purple rat and you are Izuku, the green kitten."
"Hey! How did you know that?"
"I've been observing you and your family of course."
"But I don't know your name! And hey! How come you always run away! My Dads are starting to think I'm crazy!"
"Ahh, sorry, sorry but they're cats. You're a kitten, I can trust you not to, umm, well you know-"
"What?"
"Eat me of course, simple kitten."
Izuku let out another big gasp.
"What! Dad and Papa wouldn't eat you! That's gross!"
"Well, how do you know that?"
"Well, just because."
"Just because? That's not good enough, they're cats! They can kill me!"
"But I'm a cat! And I haven't killed you! So they wouldn't either!"
"Psh, nice try. You're just a kitten."
The purple rat talked as if it was looking down at Izuku, even if he physically had to look up at Izuku. The words almost slithered out of it's mouth. And up close, this rat did not look ok, definetly a street rat. Shaggy purple and blue fur with paws that looked as if the rat had scratched them too much. Flaking and crusty skin was present on the rat's exposed skin and scratches littered the rat's body. All in all, the rat looked terrible.
"Izuku? Is everything ok?"
Oh! Dad had woken up! Perfect, now Izuku could show the rat to him! Izuku looked back at where the rat was only to see empty space and a crusty tail disappearing into the squeaky cupboard. Running over, Izuku nudged the cupboard open only to be mesmerized. A swirling, purple portal was glowing in the inky darkness of the cupboard. The crusty rat looked back at Izuku with a little smirk.
"Till next time, little kitten."
"Wait! What's your name!"
The rat paused in walking into the portal.
"Shigaraki."
Then he was gone in a brilliant swoosh! The purple light faded and Izuku was left staring into the inky darkness of the cupboard.
"Izuku! How did you get in the cupboard! You know you aren't meant to be in there kit!"
And Izuku found himself picked up by his scruff and taken into the study for a forced nap time ("You obviously need to calm down if you're getting into the cupboard, you know you're not meant to!") But Izuku couldn't get the mysterious rat, Shigaraki, and the beautiful, swirling portal out of his mind. And as he drifted into sleep, his mind was filled with glowing purple.
The rat started visiting once a week, then twice a week, then once a day then he was nearly always in the house but avoiding Izuku's parents. He was never spotted and he never told Izuku what was on the other side of the portal. The other kids in the apartment reported the same thing. And he was friendly enough. He seemed to sneer a bit and more than once Izuku had caught him staring straight at Izuku. It made him slightly nervous when he did that, it reminded Izuku of when Papa would stalk a bird. But it was rare! Not often at all! Honest. And the other kids were ok with it. Every one had agreed not to tell the adults about their new friend? Yea friend. They didn't believe them before, why would they believe them now?
Shigaraki liked this idea too.
"Why tell them! It's kinda fun keeping a secret, right? Makes things exciting!"
And he was right. There was a thrill about knowing something the adults didn't. (Izuku ignored the voice of Dad in his head saying something was odd about that.) But there was one thing Shigaraki, always insisted on. Non of the kids could follow him into the portal.
"Not yet."
"You wouldn't like it."
"I don't want you to see the mess."
"I don't live like you."
He insisted much to the protest of the kids. They wanted to see his home! And they wouldn't judge him at all, honest! But Shigaraki never wavered on this.
Until one night.
Izuku was up late, wanting a drink of water when he spotted a glowing purple light from the squeaky cupboard and Shigaraki waiting outside it.
"Shigaraki? What are you doing?"
He never visited at night.
"Umm well, Do- do you wanna see my home? Umm- I know it's late but I, I thought it could be like a quick in and out!"
Oh! He wanted to show Izuku his home!
(This late at night? Why?)
That was great, he trusted Izuku!
"Really! Awesome! Umm, should- should I tell Dad and Papa? I've, ummm, I've never been separated from them since I was adopted."
"Oh, no! It'll be ok! Just a quick look around, like, 5 minutes tops! Then you can see it more tomorrow."
Well that would be ok. Right? Just a quick look wouldn't hurt!
(Why show it now and not in the morning?)
"It'll be great Izuku! I'm about to go pick up your friends too so you can all see it!"
That would be great too! Then he wouldn't be alone!
(But something still felt wrong)
"Uhh, ok! How- how do I-"
"You have to go through here."
And Shigaraki, pushed aside the squeaky cupboard to show a purple and black, mesmerizing, swirling portal. The colours and the glow seemed to entrance Izuku, the more he stared at it.
"So, I-I just step through?"
"Yep! Then I'll grab you're friends and you can see my place. Couldn't be simpler!"
So Izuku walked up to the portal and stepped through, not seeing the smile turn to an ugly smirk on Shigaraki's face. Izuku's paws hit something cold as he stepped through, cold and hard. As he fully stepped through and the portal closed behind him, Izuku looked around for the first time. Cold, metal, familiar looking criss-cross pattern, and only a locked door. A cage.
Izuku was in a cage.
Izuku turned around so fast only to smack his head into hard metal and laughter to ring out. There was no swirling, purple portal behind him. Looking around, Izuku saw he was outside the apartment building, surrounded by empty cages, tanks of water and a couple of people he could just see in the shadows. The purple portal appeared again, this time in a different cage, and out walked Tenya. It only took a second for the dog to realize what had happened before he started panicking.
"Tenya! Ten-Ten stop! You'll hurt yourself, please!"
"I-Izuku?"
"Yea."
"Why, what, I-I don't understand."
"We-we're in cages Ten-Ten."
"But why?"
"I don't know."
"But Shigaraki-"
"I don't know, Ten-Ten."
"But he said-!"
"I don't know! I don't know and I'm cold, I'm scared, I don't know what's going on! I want Papa and Dad. I want my parents."
And Izuku cried. He cried as more of his friends were put into cages or tanks. Cried as they all cried out in confused horror at their betrayal. Cried as they were loaded into the boot of a car. Cried as he thought of his Dad and Papa not knowing where he would be. He wanted his parents. He wanted to go home. He was right outside the building, he just wanted-
The building...
The building!
"HELP! HELP!"
"Izuku, what-"
"DAD, PAPA! SHOUTA, HIZASHI! ANYONE, HELP!"
There were only a few friends left to collect, he didn't have time.
"HELP! PLEASE HELP!"
"HELP US!"
"SAVE US!"
"WAKE UP AND HELP!"
Soon every one was joining in, some cages were banged on by the strange humans but it didn't stop anyone. Everyone cried help, rattled cages, splashed and screamed like their lives depended on it.
Because it just might.
There! A light flicked on in one of the apartments! Everyone screamed louder and there! In the window! It was Nemuri with Papa and Dad!
"HELP! DAD, PAPA!"
"IZUKU!"
"SHIT THAT'S ALL THE KIDS!"
"HELP US, PLEASE!"
A flash went off as Nemuri took a photo of the scene, then she was gone in a flash, Izuku hoped she was running down the stairs. But he kept on screaming along with everyone else.
"DAD! PAPA!"
"WE'RE COMING IZUKU!"
"I'M COMING SON!"
Izuku watched as Shouta and Hizashi jumped down from outcrop to outcrop, not pausing once and faces set in terror. As they both made it down the boot slammed shut, Izuku could just see Shouta sprinting to the car with a vengeance. Hizashi not far behind. Nemuri had just exited the building when the car revved up and drove off. Not before Shouta could take a running leap at the car. And he made it!
He had sunk his claws into the back windscreen wiper! Fighting against the roaring wind to hold on. Only for the car to jerk from side to side.
He held steady, the car sped up.
The car jerked and swerved. Shouta still held on. Izuku let himself hope, hope his Dad would stay with him.
The car was zooming now, it jerked and swerved like a wriggling worm -
No!
"DAD!"
Shouta couldn't hold onto the car, his claws had slipped out from the wipers and he went tumbling onto the road. Getting smaller and smaller as the car zoomed away from his definitely hurt Dad. Large tears dropped down Izuku's face like a waterfall, his friends cried out and Izuku joined them.
"DADDY!"