I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.

"Thanks for the ride home Miss Fenghuang." Kirishima said as he, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Mineta, and Midoriya exited the car. The five had returned to UA after a long day of recovering and finishing police procedures. So much so that, by the time they were back, night had long since fallen.

Still, there was much that Mineta learned from Fenghuang that allowed him to relax a little more easily. For one, the reason she and the Heroes of the Heaven and Earth Temple were at the Shie Hassaikai base was because she was chasing Stain and Damocles. Ever since the murders began again, the Temple was put in charge of the investigation. And judging by how close they were that time, it won't be long before a direct battle between the two groups would break out.

And two, her words of encouragement were still echoing in his heart. Mineta, despite the events of that day, could feel a sense of ease in his weary heart. He and Midoriya may have lost something this day… But they were still here. And they were still capable of becoming stronger so that this tragedy may never again repeat itself.

"And thank you for your company. It's always nice to chat with you young Heroes, really puts things back into perspective. But alas, we must part ways. So until we met next, Heroes of UA. Stay strong." Fenghuang said. Mineta felt those last words were aimed at him and Midoriya specifically. Even though it sounded like advice for all five of them…

"Bye, drive back safe!" Uraraka said as the Heroine began driving off. And with that, Mineta, Midoriya, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Kirishima began making their way towards the 1A dorm. And though they were only gone for a day, it felt like weeks had gone by. With all that's happened, the shorter boy wasn't surprised they all felt that way.

"Man, what a day... I'll be sleeping like a rock once I go to bed…" Mineta said, stretching out his exhausted body.

"Tell me about it. After everything we've dealt with, I'll be surprised if we couldn't sleep. Though I could go for a quick snack, maybe talk with whoever's still up." Kirishima said as a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"That does sound nice… I think I'll join you Kirishima-kun and clear my head a little." Midoriya said with a tired smile.

"Do you mind if I sit in too? I need a minute to remember that we're still just first years." Uraraka replied, letting out a light chuckle.

"I'm just glad we don't have class tomorrow… I'm going to need a bit more than a single night to fully recover. Does anyone know when remedial classes start?" Tsuyu asked before looking to her classmates.

Oh right, there was that to deal with… Then again, Mineta and his friends did miss several days of normal classes whilst they were busy learning about Heroics on the job. After all they've been through; school was the last thing on their minds. Well…

At least it wasn't on Mineta's mind at the moment.

"Then again… I could use something to rebuild some normalcy after meeting Stain again…" the shorter boy thought as the five opened the door to the 1A dorm. And though they knew the lights were on... What Mineta wasn't expecting was the fact that their entire class was now crowding around them the moment they stepped into the common room.

"We saw the news, are you all okay?" Yaoyorozu asked as Hagakure began hugging Uraraka and Tsuyu. Ah, that explains why everyone was so on edge. Though that did leave Mineta and Midoriya wondering just how much was revealed in the news. Surely they won't mention anything about Eri and Stain's return, right?

"Why is it that every time something serious happens, it's always you guys that gets mixed up in it? You're scaring us damn it!" Kaminari said, pointing to Kirishima and Midoriya.

"Everyone! Please give them some space! As classmates already aware of their situation, we should give them some time to recover, both body and mind." Iida said, putting himself between the five and the rest of the class. While their class president meant well, Mineta knew that what they needed most right now was this sort of chaos.

"Iida-kun… We're okay." Midoriya said as he put a hand on Iida. He turned around and looked the green haired boy carefully, the eyes behind the glasses carefully studying Midoriya. Did he already sense something was off? Both Midoriya and Mineta always put the weight of their emotions in their hands.

So it would be remarkably easy for Iida to figure out their real feelings...

"…Really?"

"Yeah, we are. It was intense, our mission today… But we're still here, aren't we?" Midoriya answered, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I see. Then… I was incredibly worried! Have you any idea how your class president was feeling!?" Iida said, his emotional switch being flipped immediately. Mineta could only laugh as he continued bombarding them with his feelings. And as Satou began serving cake to everyone, with Yaoyorozu brewing some tea, things began to calm down as 1A returned to their usual dynamics.

It all felt so normal…

And yet, the shorter boy could feel his heart still ache from today's events. Mineta hid the pain with a laugh, timing it to the great story about Kaminari Jirou was telling. Still, the pain remained once things began to calm down around him. And looking to Midoriya, Mineta could tell he was struggling to keep things normal too.

Fenghuang said it was going to be difficult. But now that they were living with it, Mineta knew the pain would one day take over and cause everything to come crashing down. In fact, when it was time for everyone to turn in for the night, it began…

…

…

…

Mineta opened his eyes and found himself in a dimly lit chamber. It was dim, but he could just barely make out his surroundings. There were some destroyed tables with countertops, several knocked down shelves, and plenty of broken glass littering the floor. While all of this seemed familiar, nothing about where he was rang out to Mineta.

That was until he heard a squelching sound from behind.

The shorter boy whipped his head around, drawing his baton and assuming the stance. But what Mineta saw caused his heart to seize… Before him was Overhaul, armless and eyes full of despair, violently impaled upon a long blade. On the end of the blade was a bloodstained armored giant, his mask blankly looking down upon his victim.

With a sickening tear, the giant ripped the blade out of Overhaul's side and pushed his limp corpse aside. He then turned to Mineta, the hollow eyes of the Giant's mask swallowing any and all of the shorter boy's nerve. Mineta slowly began backing away from the armored giant. If he didn't show any aggression, maybe, just maybe, he'll get out of this alive.

Though that thought quickly changed when Mineta's foot bumped into something behind him… He quickly turned to see what he ran into and almost passed out at the sight. Right there on the floor, in a pool of their own blood, was Aizawa and Fenghuang.

The Erasure Hero weakly clutched at the bloody stump where his arm used to be, eyes slowly closing. His capture scarf laid in pieces all around him.

The Radiant Wing's legs were shattered completely, just as her chest wound continued leaking blood. Her staff was in her hands, imperfectly split in two.

Mineta stared at the bodies of his two teachers, unable to think of anything. He took a single step back once the reality of the sight set in. However, that caused the shorter boy to slip on something, falling onto the stained ground. He quickly began to sit up, hoping to regain his footing. But when his eyes fell upon his surroundings again, Mineta wished he'd stay down.

His classmates… His friends… They were all here… On the ground… Dying… Dead…

The blood continued to pool, just as this hellish image continued to burn itself in the shorter boy's mind. This gruesome concentration, however, was broken when one last sound was heard behind Mineta. So, for one last time, Mineta turned to see what it was. And this was by far the worst sight he has seen thus far.

On the armored giant's blade was Midoriya, the last scraps of life leaving his eyes. The green haired boy's arm, which was reaching for the giant's mask, had fallen to his side and stayed there, limply swaying with the rest of his destroyed limbs. That was the breaking point.

A stunted laugh escaped Mineta's throat as the armored giant casted Midoriya aside. And as the shorter boy laughed, tears began to stream down his face and his laughter sounded more and more despaired. Then, as that sorrow turned into rage, Mineta screamed. He defiantly screamed at the top of his lungs as he charged at the armor giant.

But he would never reach him.

It happened so fast that the shorter boy never felt it. Mineta was no longer moving forward. He also could no longer breathe… He couldn't even feel his heart beating… He looked down and saw the long length of steel piercing his chest. And upon looking back up…

He found the empty eyes of the mask gazing back.

The darkness that inhabited it slowly eating away at Mineta's sight…

…

Mineta jolted up, the darkness still all around him. With shallow breathing and cold sweat drenching his body, he scrambled all around him in search of something. And the moment his hands came into contact with it, he flicked it upwards. Soon enough, the dark became white and his sight had returned to him. He was in his dorm room with all the same stuff he's come to know.

The shorter boy continued to look around, his breathing still rough, unsure of anything. But as he saw familiar things, like his art setup and his baseball stuff, Mineta's breathing stabilized. The cold sweat that drenched his skin also stopped flowing, allowing the shorter boy to wipe it away easily. This also gave Mineta the chance to examine himself for wounds.

To which there were none on his body.

"Just a dream… It was just a dream…" Mineta muttered before looking to his bed. However, as he looked at the bed, the shorter boy could feel the pit in his stomach get heavier. Was it really just a dream? Or was it a vision of the future? He couldn't say…

But that fear was enough to spur him into action. Immediately, the shorter boy picked up his freshly repaired baton and began practicing his forms. And once he completed them, Mineta began sparring with the shadow in his mind. Every attack, every movement, every taunt… He remembered everything about his foe. But through all this, Mineta feels like he is forgetting something important…

Something irreplaceable…

And that has been Chapter 108.

There is a lot to say right now. But first...

Happy New Years!

This is the first time a chapter update fell on New Years exactly. This doesn't exactly add anything to the chapter's quality... But it's interesting never-the-less. I'm still having difficulty upping my writing pace, especially since most of my free time is being thrown at 7 Days to Die... However, I'm doing my best to continue the story. So wish me luck on that front.

Speaking of the story... Trauma is a very sensitive subject to approach and it's not consistent. People can have different reactions to such experiences and it can be subtle or severe. However, it does affect people in ways we have yet to understand completely. As such, we'll be exploring how the experience with Damocles affected Mineta and Midoriya and how they'll find their answer to that moment they witnessed. I'll do my best to approach this topic the best I could. But I will say that it won't be as dramatic as other stories with trauma, but more reflective.

Wish me luck.

So with all that said...

Have a great New Year.

Until Next Time. T1.