New story whoop! If you couldn't gather, this is about Snatcher finding Hat Kid as a baby and raising her as his own. Takes place pre-game, game, and post-game.

Poured a lot of love into this one. Been working on it for two months!

Shoutout to my discord friends for helping me make this happen. Shout out to Mizu in particular for the title suggestion!

Enjoy!

Snatcher was always a busy man… ghost. Steal someone's soul, making sure the Subconites are staying on task, making sure the haunted outhouse is kept at bay for as long as possible. Keep the well from drying up or being blocked. Ecetera.

Leaves were softly drifting down from the trees, being a particularly lukewarm day. Snatcher was patrolling the Subcon, making sure those pesky fire spirits weren't doing that stupid bonfire dance. Or there were any intruders; dealing with intruders was always his favorite. Taking souls was a fun hobby to him. As well as a delectable snack, depending on his mood.

He senses something alive nearby, but non-moving. Leaves rustled, some crunching underfoot far off. A menacing smirk grew on his face; looks like a new victim had happened to wander into his forest. It would be a matter of time before they tripped up one of his traps!

It was slightly dewy that morning as well, a milky white fog covering the ground. Snatcher always particularly liked these mornings, as it made the atmosphere more tense and creepy. While he did like collecting souls, it did get annoying once in awhile if there was a huge influx of intruders. So he let the forest sometimes do the talking of keeping out unwanted visitors.

The lifeform was growing nearer as he traveled farther. The soul was still in one place, he found. Were they sitting? Or napping?

Even better. Maybe he could make them sign a contract.

He stopped, a confused frown making his face fall. A purple top hat with a yellow ribbon lay, but according to his intuition this is where the soul was. Was the Subconites pulling a prank on him? That happened more than he liked to admit.

He slowly picked up the top hat, only to drop it not a second later.

His eyes stared wide, a shocked look on his face.

A child. No, a baby. A breathing, living, definitely-not-dead baby. She didn't look quite developed, at a glance she didn't look any older than about ten months, maybe less. She had a head full of brown hair, a purple and yellow pacifier in her mouth. She was quite chubby, but then again when was a baby not?

But that meant she was well taken care of. It's possible her parents left her like this so they could do something else while not putting her in harm's way. But then again, all she was wearing was a diaper. For a dewy and on the colder side morning like this, he would've at least expected a onesie.

Ah, no matter. Her parents would come back eventually. Being quiet so as to not disturb her, he lied the top hat on her once more. He made sure she could breathe, and left. Hey, for someone evil, he wasn't one to hurt children. Well… at least not infants. First off, even if he was that heartless it'd be no fun. Second off, well, he always had a hidden soft spot for the tykes.

Crash

Snatcher looked up from his book. He was used to them now, thunderstorms that ravished the forest. It was more on occasion, but they weren't rare. Heck, he usually uses this to his advantage when he finds an unfortunate soul so he could intimidate them further. He watched as lightning crackled and another thunder clap boomed.

Suddenly the kid came to mind, and at first he would've just shrugged it off. But something just felt so… off. With a sigh, he stood, dog earring the page. Might as well just make sure; it's not like he could get hurt.

Rain pelted at his form, not that he really minded. He didn't often go out in rain storms like these, but they didn't bother him too much.

Unfortunately for him, the top hat was there. Beyond the claps of thunder, he could hear her crying and wailing. Deep down, he felt pity for the little girl. The claps of thunder made her cry even louder. He stood for a moment, admittedly a little hesitant.

He had no idea how to take care of a child! What if her parents came back? Should he just move her under a bush? But the lightning...

He removed the top hat, sheltering her with his body as he picked her up with his arm. He couldn't just leave her out here, especially with no other humans in sight. When he did find them, however, they weren't gonna get off so easy. The pity mixed with boiling rage; who would do something so appalling, so abysmal to a child?! They could have at least left her with a babysitter or something!

"Come on, I got you Kid," He mumbles, making sure she was under his neck. He placed the top hat on his head, and started traveling.

He wasn't gonna leave her out here alone.