I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

"That's all for today, have a safe trip home." The Teacher said, the afternoon bell sounding in the air. Mineta sighed as he leaned into the back of his seat, today was just full of it. Though he had to admit, someone suspiciously selling produce in the bathroom like a drug dealer gave him a laugh. Still, what happened that morning bothered him greatly… And Mineta could only imagine what was going on in his friend's head.

"You ready to go Mineta-kun?"

Speak of the devil, Midoriya came to a halt by Mineta's desk, hands calmly gripping the straps of his backpack. With how relaxed his shoulders were and how soft his smile is, one wouldn't think the boy went through some stressful times. It's one of several qualities that Mineta admired about his friend, the ability to move forward through any circumstance. Though from what he could see, Midoriya's eyes didn't shine as brightly as before. So Bakugou's words did affect him…

"I'm good. How about you? You seem a little out of it." Mineta replied. Midoriya broke eye contact and began to fidget with his backpack's straps, his voice getting a little shaky.

"I-It's nothing too bad… Just trying to process what happened this morning…"

Yeah, no, there's definitely a few gears of uncertainty turning in his head. But it would do no good talking about the matter now, mostly because there were still several of their 'classmates' around. And the last thing Mineta needs is someone with an attitude butting in on their heart-to-heart. So the shorter boy just got up from his seat and slung his backpack onto his shoulders, no point in waiting around her.

"Don't worry about it man. Let's hit town, there's a special going on for Mount Lady's debut at The Fig Grove. There's some anatomy on her that I want to… Scrutinize." A mischievous grin was spreading across Mineta's face as he thought about the size shifting Heroine. Normally anyone would immediately take a step back from the deviousness emanating from the shorter boy. But Midoriya knew better about the nature of his friend's habits, though it was surprising the first time around.

"Just remember to buy something or the owner's going to ban you for a month again." He asked, causing Mineta to let out a groan.

"I forgot about that..."

"Then today'll be on me, so let's go." Midoriya said as he began leading Mineta. The two kept up the small conversation as they moved through the school that still buzzed with activity from the various clubs. But the moment the two stepped off the school grounds, the green haired boy grew silent as his eyes cast themselves downward. And knowing him, the guy is most likely wrestling with his inner demons and losing the battle. Now's about time to tag in.

Mineta stopped walking and grabbed Midoriya's sleeve, causing him to stop in turn. Both of them stood in silence beneath the overpass for a good moment, each one formulating words for the other to hear. But the shorter boy had the initiative, concern written upon his face for the friend he stood by.

"Midoriya, you're thinking about what Bakugou said, aren't you?"

The green haired boy's brows became scrunched as his lips became pulled into a frown, his already dull eyes darkening further. Frustration was an uncommon look on Midoriya, but it was just frequent enough for Mineta to recognize the signs. The shorter boy released his grip and began patting his friend's arm.

"Midoriya, listen… As smart as Bakugou is, the guy might as well be an ass because he just spouts shit. He's only putting you down is because he's afraid that you'll surpass him, that you'll become a better Hero than he could ever dream to be."

"But… Kacchan is so much better at everything than me. He's strong, smart, and everyone loves him. How do I compete with that?" Midoriya asked, his being starting to shrink. Mineta shook his head and redoubled his determination, he must reach for the optimism buried away under doubt.

"People love him because they're too scared to point out anything wrong with him. One step out of line and they'll end up where we are, bottom of the barrel being crushed by those up top. So, they'll do anything to keep their standing, which means siding with him whenever you're involved. That's a dictatorship mentality! A dystopia! And something a Hero shouldn't create, let alone support!" The shorter boy's voice echoed slightly on the surrounding walls before dying out. Mineta took multiple deep breaths to cool off, his friend taking this pause to communicate his thoughts.

"Well… If you want to get technical… Kacchan created more of a wolf pack mentality, with him being the Alpha and me being the runt. And I think that analogy fits Kacchan a little better than being a dictator. As the head, he uses his strength to fight off threats to the pack and rallies them against greater targets. It's kind of admirable."

"Maybe if you ignore two big things. One, society isn't made of wolves. And two, Bakugou doesn't really look after anyone else the way a pack wolf does. But I digress. Midoriya, you can't let Bakugou have his way with his words! If you give in, he will have the best shot at being Number One!" Mineta shouted, grabbing Midoriya by the jacket. His green haired friend looked away again, staring at some arbitrary spot on the ground. He opened his mouth, but a sound barely a whisper came through.

"It's fine, Mineta-kun… With the way I am… Maybe it's better if I try something else. I mean, there's no shame in being a Doctor, or a Police Officer, or a Fire Fighter, they help save lives too."

"You aren't wrong, those jobs are respectable. But on that day in the park, when you saved me from Bakugou, I saw something in you that's worth more than what anyone else believes. There are plenty of jobs that involves helping and saving people… But Heroes can do one thing better than they could, and that's bringing hope to others."

Midoriya stared at his shorter friend, the lights in his eyes regaining some luster. Mineta smiled and patted him on the arm, putting the weight of his emotions into each movement. "When I saw you, I felt inspired. You, some Quirkless kid, standing up for a weak stranger against the top dog of our school? There's nothing more Heroic than that. And because of you, I try to be a better person than I was before… With varying results."

The green haired boy's face then began to exhibit a small smile, both feeling Mineta's sentiments and remembering those strange memories. "Yeah, those were train wrecks. But thank you Mineta-kun, it's just hard you know? With the way I am now, I'll just drag everyone down and make things go from bad to worse…"

"You're a smart dude Midoriya, I know you'll come up with a way to solve the problem. Failing that, you have me to watch your back, it's what partners do." Mineta said, gesturing towards himself.

"I know… But do you ever have that… Sinking feeling that whatever little power you have might not be enough next time? Like, just how much longer could I keep you from getting the worse of it? It's scary." Midoriya replied, his smile turning into a slight frown as he casted his eyes down again.

Before Mineta could speak, he heard a noise from somewhere that's not exactly far or close. He took a moment to try and identify it but shortly gave up, as he had other matters to attend to. "All too well man, it's just like with me trying to change people's mind about you. I keep pushing but no one wants to budge, it's an uphill battle that I'm losing. But I'm not going to turn tail and run, because I owe you at least that much for everything you've done for me."

"Thank you, Mineta-kun… That means a lot to me…" Midoriya said, his smile returning. He then spread out his arms slightly, leaving his body open and made a welcoming gesture. Mineta shuffled in place and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Oh, what the Hell, come here buddy." Mineta replied, taking a step towards Midoriya and gave him a hug. The green haired boy returned the embrace, adding in some gentle pats to the back that truly felt soothing. It was still awkward for the shorter boy to engage in physical contact any more intimate than handshakes or pats with a guy. But this was his partner, so he decided it was well worth the slightly embarrassing feeling.

But the two broke off when a burbling noise was heard at their feet. Looking down, the duo saw that they were standing in a rather thick puddle of dull green slime, easily reaching their ankles. Before Midoriya or Mineta could utter a single word, the sludge ensnared their bodies with surprising strength and covered their mouths, halting the scream that came reflexively.

Two pus yellow, blood shot eyes opened along the slime coating Midoriya, followed by a crooked grin forming just beneath.

"Hello boys, care to help a man in need?"

And that was Chapter 3! As for me... I've climbed out of my pit because of some nonsense I read on Tumblr.

"Ah yes, the whole, Endeavor - "

Eris, I don't want to talk about it. But yeah, it involves Endeavor and his character development in the recent arc of the manga. And the whole thing saddens me, since people are shutting down the belief that bad people can become better. Between Mineta and Endeavor, we lose a whole lot of potential by denying these two the same opportunities other characters have. Should their past actions be forgotten? Hell Fucking no. But should they be barred from any meaningful improvement? Absolutely not.

It is why I'm writing The Saint and The Sinner, to give Mineta a chance that few others would offer. He is a person too, so he should be able to grow and change alongside his nobler classmates. And to tie in to the religious theme of the title, I'll put out a Bible quote on redemption here.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9, New International Version

This is just a brief summary of what I think of the subject. But what are your thoughts on all this?

"Whatever their answers are, I'm deeply enjoying the salt."

Of course you are. But anyway, that's all I got this update. Hopefully I can get around to making more updates more frequently, I've been busy cleaning out my house. So to you all who are waiting to read my works, just keep holding out.

"Back up will be coming soon soldier!"

So with that said...

Until Next Time. T1.