I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.

"Hmmm… I still don't know what I feel is up with your dancing. Sorry, can you both start from the top again?" Mina asked, scratching at her head.

Several more days had gone by since and just as much had occurred.

1A's dance team had made more progress than expected, allowing Mina to start coordinating a proper group routine. Naturally, everyone was all over the place. However, the pink girl was still satisfied that they managed to get to perform as a group. So she chalked that up as a win.

And at the end of that day, Eri made a surprise visit! Aizawa had brought her over so that she could get a feel for the environment. And right away, as Mineta predicted, 1A became pretty enamored with her. Mirio was there too, cleverly disguised as Present Mic's relative, and was able to keep Eri calm throughout the whole experience.

But while Eri found her visit a little overwhelming… She did say she was looking forward to what they had to show.

As such, Mineta and Midoriya threw themselves into their practice even harder. Even Mina's news that the FX team will need Midoriya halfway through the performance hasn't put a damper on their spirits. So time flew by as the day of the Culture Festival crept ever closer upon the populace of UA. Which leads us to today's current predicament…

"How was that?" Mineta asked as he and Midoriya finished the routine. Mina, to capitalize on their reputation, thought up a special routine that would make the most of that. However, even at the best of times, something about their movements weren't lining up with whatever vision Mina has in her head.

So even though everyone else was finished for the day, the two had to continue to practice at her request. Mina just HAD to figure out what was missing from Mineta and Midoriya's performance.

"I think… I think I know what's up… Dance is an art; it's at its best when you put your heart into it. You guys are slowly getting all the technical stuff just fine, but I'm not feeling enough heart, enough passion, from your moves. You've got to be more like…" Mina began before slowing down to think. She then began rhythmically snapping and tapping her foot to help her brain process whatever thoughts she was having.

Though if Mineta was being honest, it almost looked like she wanted to get in one last dance tonight.

But Mina did prove her point as the shorter boy could feel her passion and energy even within those simple movements. Though this got Mineta thinking… If that was how it was supposed to look and feel, what on Earth was he and Midoriya doing? To him, they looked like they were performing just fine. Their movements were correct and felt sharp…

Or was there something more at play here?

"I know! You've got to be like how you play catch with each other! Even dead tired, you two still put so much into it that none of us could look away. That's the kind of energy your dancing needs. I'll go get the spares the Baseball Team loaned us and get you two in the mood." Mina said as a light bulb flashed over her head. The pink girl then ran back into the 1A Dorms, leaving Mineta and Midoriya to finally get a little rest.

"Mina calls me boss… But I think she's the real slave driver…" Mineta said as the day's fatigue finally caught up to him. There was something about Mina's way of teaching them that made the shorter boy more tired than usual. This was strange because Mineta didn't need to spend time worrying over potential logical ruses or hidden kung fu wisdom. Sure the physical aspect was just as intense as Aizawa or Fenghuang's training regiments…

But by all accounts, the shorter boy should be fine right about now.

"Ashido-san… She just wants everyone to be at their best… For the performance… For the school… For Eri-chan…" Midoriya replied, panting all the while. Hearing the little girl's name did restore some of Mineta's energy. If it was for her and her lost smile, the shorter boy was willing to bear all of this suffering.

"If you put it like that… Then I guess this is nothing…" Mineta replied with a smirk. Midoriya nodded, returning the expression back to his shorter friend. However, their brief moment of respite was soon cut short as Mina finally returned with two baseball gloves and a bag with 5 baseballs in it.

"Alright you two, it's not the ones you use normally, but it should be good enough. Do you guys want anything before we start?" Mina asked, handing the equipment over. Both Mineta and Midoriya shook their head and respectively slipped their right and left hands into the gloves. They then did a quick stretch before Mineta took one of the balls and tossed it to Midoriya.

"Your ball."

Midoriya nodded, stretched out his shoulders one more time, and gave the ball a simple toss to warm up. Mineta, of course, caught it quite easily and tossed it back towards the green haired boy. Naturally, Midoriya caught it as well before returning the ball just a bit harder. This simple back and forth continued for a few moments with Mina simply observing them in the background. Then the switch was flipped.

Mineta caught the ball and pitched a splitter to the right of Midoriya. The green haired boy darted to it and, for the first time in a long time, he fumbled the catch. His glove was off by a few centimeters, but it was enough to cause the baseball to bounce away from his hand. Midoriya fixed his footing and tried again, this time successfully snagging the ball out of the air.

But the fact that Midoriya fumbled it at all was not a good omen. That only happens when they were too mentally distracted to properly gauge the positions of the ball and glove. And that hasn't happened since their training days before the UA entrance exam, a time still full of uncertainties.

Mineta snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Midoriya threw the ball back. The shorter boy darted towards the ball, putting his glove out so that it simply land there. However, like his friend, the ball didn't land where Mineta thought it would and bounced off his glove. This caused him to scramble to catch it, fumbling to secure it twice more before finally having a hold on it.

This only confirmed the growing fears within Mineta. Even though they had made progress in their path to overcome the darkness within them, it still had a hold on them. And it's still finding new ways to make them lose faith in themselves…

Mineta and Midoriya continued their clumsy game of catch, both desperate to recapture the proficiency that they once had. And whilst neither of them actually dropped the ball yet, which was only a matter of time as both their movements were getting sloppier and sloppier. If Mina had to say anything about this sorry state of affairs, she kept it to herself.

But the shorter boy knew she was definitely concerned by what she was seeing.

"Maybe now's not the best time for this, I did make you redo your routines several dozen dimes. Let's call it a day; Satou's probably almost finished with dinner." Mina said, finally speaking up once Mineta barely caught the ball thrown at him.

"You go on ahead, Ashido-san… Mineta-kun and I want to continue figuring things out…" Midoriya replied with a tired smile. The pink girl looked over to Mineta and the shorter boy simply nodded in agreement. However, despite this, it looked like she wanted to stay a bit longer. Like she wanted to say something…

But in the end, Mina gave a defeated nod and went back inside.

Mineta and Midoriya stood in perfect silence, only the rustling of leaves filling the air around them. Both weren't looking at the other and were instead staring at two different things. Midoriya looked to the orange light of the setting sun for an answer. Mineta instead stared at the long shadows casted by the trees for words to say.

Only to find nothing…

"Shall we try again?" Midoriya asked as he turned to the shorter boy. When Mineta turned to meet his gaze, he could see the exhaustion, frustration, and desperation in his friend's green eyes. And if Mineta was being honest, he was starting to feel those things too. He always knew it wasn't easy to overcome matters of the heart…

But Mineta wished it stopped taking the fun out of the things they loved.

"Might as well… We've got nothing else we can do…" Mineta replied with a nod. The shorter boy threw the ball, a simple four seam pitch, at relatively low speeds. If they were going to reclaim old habits, they needed to start back from square one and work their way up. But even if that was the plan, both Mineta and Midoriya continued to struggle with even their current pace.

Mineta clenched his jaw as he fumbled another catch. This shouldn't be happening. Why was this happening? What was it about those empty eyes at the back of their minds that made them like this? Neither of them wanted this. All they wanted was to help a little girl who doesn't know how to smile…

Due to his inner turmoil, the shorter boy's next throw went awry. He pitched it, though it was more like he chucked it, far too hard with far too little control. It sailed well past Midoriya, who was too surprised to move to catch it, and began flying down the path. The shorter boy's face drained itself of color upon realizing what he had done. And he became even paler when he saw that his errant throw was heading towards someone.

Luckily for him, the person was able to catch it without issue.

"That's some throw, Young Mineta. If it had been anyone else, they'd be struck out."

The two boys blinked, shaking off the residual shock, and realized that the approaching person was All Might.

"All Might!"

It's been a while since it was just him, Midoriya, and Mineta. With Bakugou in the know, the former Number One Hero had split his attention when one of the three needed advice. This was usually about extra training and nothing much more serious than that. That is unless you're Midoriya, as he has discussed with All Might various self-doubts as a successor over the course of this term. Mineta would've done the same, but he has Fenghuang for those matters.

So for him to arrive now, as they were struggling with their inner demons, was probably a sign for them to get some help.

"You young men okay? It's not like you to fumble America's favorite pastime the way you did…" He began. But as he studied the underlying darkness behind Mineta and Midoriya's eyes, All Might's expression became a tad more serious. He walked a bit closer and spoke his mind in a whisper, as though it's still a secret at this point.

"Are the events of the internships still bothering you?"

Midoriya and Mineta could only advert their eyes from All Might, staring at an arbitrary spot on the ground. The shorter boy could only ball his hands into fists and grit his teeth. There was still something about having someone ask about the Hassaikai raid that bothered him greatly. Perhaps it was his mind trying to protect others of what had occurred. Or perhaps it was to protect himself from reliving that failure…

"I know it doesn't sound like much… Compared to the stuff you went through…" Midoriya began. He was quickly interrupted as All Might raised his free hand to stop his protégée. Only now did Mineta realize that the retired Number One Hero was carry something in his other hand, two bags full of stuff from a convenience store. Not that little detail mattered, but it did tell how distracted he has been.

"Perhaps… But when it comes to matters of the heart, any wound is devastating. And that's doubly so if you let it fester long enough to start affecting your lives."

Mineta's gaze didn't leave the ground, allowing the Hero's words sink into him. Whilst part of the shorter boy wanted to disagree, mostly since he knew people who faced far worse… The part of him that felt the pressure of those empty eyes knew what All Might said was the truth. Things were starting to fester. And if this goes on any longer, they'll lose everything once more to those empty eyes within their minds.

So it was probably time for an intervention… Maybe another perspective can help realign their own.

"Then how do you deal with this… Feeling inside of you? How do you stop it?" Midoriya asked quietly. Mineta found something wrong about that question, even if he didn't voice his complaints. The shorter boy knew that your best and worst experiences will stick with you for life no matter what. He also knew that both sets are important in defining your identity and ideals. So to completely stop those negative feelings would be nothing but counter-productive.

That's why it is important to learn how to live with your wounds as Fenghuang had said.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that, Young Midoriya. All the regrets I have, all the bad memories… There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about it. Is it the same for you boys? Are the worst of the events still on your mind despite your efforts to come to terms with it?" All Might asked. Both Midoriya and Mineta could only sadly nod to the question. All Might returned the gesture before looking up at the evening sky and closed his eyes.

"Even now, I can feel my worst memory trying to claw its way back to the front of my mind… The day I lost my master to All for One…"

"Your master… The one who passed One for All to you?" Midoriya asked, finally looking up at his teacher.

"Yes, her name was Shimura Nana. She was kind, strong, reliable, and selfless… Everything you could want out of a Hero. And though she had her own baggage weighing her down, Nana did everything she could for everyone, for me. As such, I thought of her as my own mother…" All Might replied as he looked to his pupil with a sad smile.

Mineta could understand that feeling. Fenghuang had such an impact on him that, if someone asked, he would consider her his honorary mother. Though given the fact that Mineta never really knew his birth mother, he supposed it was inevitable that he would feel that way. Still, this bit of information made him feel a little closer to All Might and made him listen a little more carefully to this conversation.

"So you can imagine the pain I felt when I couldn't stand by her in her final hour… I felt useless, unable to even focus on even my training... And how can I? All I wanted to do was to punch All for One in his stupid face. But Gran Torino said that was just a death wish and had me leave Japan once I graduated. I was reluctant of course… But that's when I remembered something." All Might continued.

He suddenly bulked up back to his muscular Hero form, his signature wide smile flashing across his face. It's been such a long while that Mineta almost forgot that All Might could still do that, even if he can't maintain it for very long.

"My master told me that there is nothing stronger than someone with bright ideals and a brighter smile. So, as long as I stuck by my ideals and gave my best smile, things would turn out okay. Those memories still hurt, sure… But I can now face each day with courage, doing the best I can so that others can smile too." All Might said before deflating with a cough.

"Your ideals…" Mineta muttered. He removed the baseball glove that was still over his right hand. The shorter boy then stared at the slightly faded scar that Stain had given him. Despite being weaker and less skilled than the Hero Killer, Mineta was able to hold his ground against him, if barely. Was it really the weight of his ideals that gave him the strength to survive that fight?

If so… Where was that strength now? Where did his ideals go?

"It's not the perfect answer, but it is my answer and it helped me through the roughest moments of my life. Heck, it even helped me through other, less threatening, things too, like making the choice to use support items or not." All Might said as he began reminiscing again.

"Wait… You used support items!? I had no idea!" Midoriya asked, snapping out of his stupor.

"I'm not surprised; I've had only the briefest of stints with them. I just found them too limiting or fragile for my liking. It also went against the image I had for the Symbol of Peace, who was like the Heroes of old who relied on nothing more than their bodies and wit. So in the end, that's what I did and things, like before, worked out." All Might replied as he looked to the green haired boy.

"So you learned to live with everything, despite everything that has happened… I wish we had that kind of strength, All Might." Mineta said sadly, still staring at his scar. He could hear All Might's purpose filled footsteps approach him. Then a bony, but firm and comforting, hand was laid upon the shorter boy's shoulder. And when Mineta looked up, he found the gentle smile and bright blue eyes that reminded him why All Might was the still called the Symbol of Peace.

"But you do have that strength, Young Mineta. Despite the weight that is on your shoulders, you and Young Midoriya are still fighting against that dark figure at the back of your mind. That is more than enough proof that you two are strong. And it's because of that strength that I know you two will find your answer, just as I have found mine."

Mineta just stared back at All Might, his words echoing throughout his head. And each time it bounced around, he could feel himself standing a little bit taller. The shorter boy nodded to the former Number One and he nodded back before turning to Midoriya.

"Still, it's best not to think too hard on it. Matters of the heart can be unpredictable when it comes to resolutions. Just know that your resolve and determination will surely be rewarded one day, so just keep at it. I know you'll find yourselves again." All Might said.

"I'm sure we will, thank you…" Midoriya said with a small smile, already anticipating hearing the stories of UA's Hero teachers.

"If that's all, then I'll be taking my leave. Have a good night, young– Wait! I came here to share this with your class." All Might said, about to turn around before remembering something. He then handed off one of the bags he was carrying to the green haired boy.

"What's in– Meat buns?" Midoriya asked, changing his question upon opening the bag. Mineta quickly walked over, hoping they were from a certain Temple, and peered in, only to be disappointed by what he saw. They were of the Dragon's Fortune variety, a brand that Ryukyu often advertises for. Whilst they still tasted good…

Mineta found the buns that the Heaven and Earth Temple sold, the Eight Harmonies, to be superior in taste, ability to fill your stomach, and the energy it provides.

"I went into a convenience store while they were having an All Might commemoration sale. And since I am the person in question, I was given all sorts of things by the owner. But I can't finish all of this on my own, so I came by to share it with 1A." All Might explained as the two boys looked up.

"I don't know if we'll be able to have these, since Sato-kun has most likely finished cooking dinner… But thank you for coming with them anyway All Might." Midoriya replied with a bow.

"I'll have one, all this self-reflecting works up an appetite. So thanks for the treat." Mineta added as he took one and began eating. Yep, not as good as the ones from the Heaven and Earth Temple…

"Then I hope you enjoy them, Young Mineta. But if that is all, I shall be heading back to the teacher's dorms. Good night, young men." All Might said with a casual salute. And with a good night from Mineta and Midoriya, the former Number One Hero left. The two continue to watch All Might's departure until they couldn't see him anymore.

Once that happened, they turned to one another.

They didn't need to say anything to understand what the other was thinking, for it was the only thing that mattered right now.

It's not over yet.

And that has been Chapter 114!

It's slow going... But I'm trucking along, one chapter at a time. There's much I need to do, so I'll see you all next update yeah? So, with that said...

Until Next Time. T1.