Okay, just gotta get out of here.

I stumbled out of the alley, rubbing the grime off my hands, trying to shake off the weird feeling still clinging to my skin. The streets were busy, bustling with people going about their day. Except... something was off. Something was seriously off.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes because there was no way—absolutely no way—what I was seeing was real.

Okay, Izuku. 

You're seeing things. 

You got hit by a car. 

It's probably brain damage.

Everywhere I looked—left, right, didn't matter—people had... cat ears. Not just ears, either. Tails. Big, fluffy, swaying cat tails attached to their backs. And they weren't costumes or some weird fashion trend. Oh no. They were real.

What the hell...?

I rubbed my eyes again, trying to clear the fog, but no, the cat ears and tails were still there. Everywhere. This wasn't just one person with a mutation quirk or some kind of fashion statement. No, everyone had them.

Nope. 

Nope. 

This isn't happening.

I spun around in circles, trying to make sense of it. Maybe I was still in some weird post-car-accident hallucination. That had to be it. There was no way a quirk could make this many people have the same cat features, right? Quirks weren't that contagious. Right?

Unless this is some new quirk plague. 

Great.

I was about to pinch myself, you know, just to check if I was still dreaming or knocked out in the alley, when I heard it. A voice. A very angry voice.

"Hey! You dirty bastard!"

What now?

I turned slowly, my stomach already sinking. A group of people was staring right at me, their eyes narrowed with clear disgust. Cat ears twitching. Tails swishing in annoyance. Oh no.

The tallest one, with orange fur running down his tail, took a step forward. "What the hell do you think you're doing here, pest?"

Pest? Was he talking to me? I took a step back, glancing behind me to check if someone else was standing there. Nope. Just me.

Me: "Uh, me?"

Orange Fur pointed a sharp claw at me. "Yeah, you! What the hell is wrong with you, walking around like that?"

Like what?

I glanced down at myself—still in my blood-stained clothes, still covered in dirt from the alley. Okay, not my finest look, but that didn't explain the sudden hostility.

Then it hit me. I didn't have any cat ears. No tail. Just me, regular, quirkless Izuku. Which, apparently, made me the freak in this situation.

Oh, this is bad. T

his is really, really bad.

"Get outta here, you filthy human!" someone else shouted. A woman, her eyes narrowing as her tail flicked in irritation. "We don't want your kind around here!"

My kind? 

Human? 

Oh, this was worse than I thought. 

Way worse.

Time to go.

But before I could even think about making a run for it, Orange Fur and his buddies started moving toward me, their eyes gleaming with anger. The air was thick with tension. This wasn't just a passing insult. These guys were serious.

"Freak!" one of them yelled. "Dirty bastard!"

"Go back to where you came from!"

I felt my chest tighten, fear crawling up my spine. This was not the time to stick around and ask questions. Nope, not today.

Run.

I turned on my heel and bolted, ignoring the sharp protests from my aching legs and the bruises that still throbbed from the car accident. Adrenaline kicked in, wiping away the pain as I darted down the street, pushing through the crowd of cat-eared people.

Behind me, I could hear the angry shouts of my would-be pursuers, their footsteps quick and heavy, growing louder by the second. They were gaining on me, and fast.

Don't think, just run!

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I thought it might burst. I zigzagged through the crowd, barely dodging pedestrians who hissed and cursed at me as I brushed past them. Everyone was looking at me like I was the monster. Like I was the outcast.

Great. 

First, I wake up in an alley covered in blood, and now I'm being chased by a bunch of angry cat people. 

Can today get any worse?

I didn't dare look back. The sounds of their furious shouting told me everything I needed to know—they weren't giving up any time soon. I had to find somewhere to hide, somewhere to—

Suddenly, someone grabbed the back of my shirt, yanking me off balance. I stumbled, my feet skidding against the pavement, but I managed to break free and keep running, my breath coming in sharp, painful gasps.

Okay, maybe not fine. 

Definitely not fine.

I ducked into an alley, my chest burning as I pressed my back against the wall, trying to calm my ragged breathing. My whole body felt like it was about to collapse. But I couldn't stop. Not yet.

The voices were getting closer, echoing down the narrow streets. I peeked around the corner, my heart skipping a beat as I saw them—Orange Fur and his gang, still searching, their tails twitching in agitation.

Please don't find me. 

Please don't find me.

I pressed myself harder against the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

 I need to figure out what the hell is going on here. Fast.