Chapter 41: Philosophical Gardening
Mineta took heavy breaths, lying upon the ground again. After lunch, he and Fenghuang modified the 12 point offense to suit his height. Now, against a standing person, his targets were the hips, knees, shins, pelvis, and, if he's feeling particularly evil, the groin. They also practiced his six point defense against a standing attacker. He learned something particularly important just then.
His stature was advantageous to him. An enemy's defense is near pointless if they can't reach the places he's striking. Their offense will be weakened too, due to both overextension and limited attack angles.
Not that it seemed to bother his teacher, who was easily able to intercept his strikes and get past his guard.
"17:06… We've been training for quite a while, let's change gears and take a break." Fenghuang said, checking the time.
"Already on it…" Mineta replied, still lying on the ground.
"Oh, when I say that, I meant we're going to do some patrols. It's the perfect time to cool down. I'll be waiting by the entrance." She said as she left. The shorter boy let out a groan as he struggled to get up. How could he forget he was interning under a Hero? Of course they needed to go patrolling. Mineta slowly dragged himself up and began to shuffle to the elevator. In all honesty, if he couldn't sleep after all this, he needs to get some advice from Aizawa.
Going back to his room, Mineta opened his costume case and stared at the various pieces. This will be his first public outing in it and he wasn't looking forward to it. He really should've gotten the adjustments to the pants while he still could. But alas, it was too late to complain about it. Once everything was in place, he took the baton he was training with, collapsed it, and stuck it to the hip of his big bowl pants.
"Well, at least this works." Mineta thought, repeatedly removing and placing the baton on his hip. He proceeded to walk to the entrance, doing his best to not drag his feet. And upon arriving, the shorter boy saw Fenghuang talking to a shimmering form next to her. It sort of reminded Mineta of how conversations went with Hagakure. The Heroine's eye caught him and she turned to face him, the shimmering form completely disappearing.
That wasn't spooky at all.
"What was that?" Mineta asked, gesturing to the space where the form was.
"Another of the Eight Masters, Gekkou Ryusuke, and the Celestial Hero Eclipse. He teaches Post-Quirk Ninjutsu here, though he really doesn't like to be around people." Fenghuang explained, adjusting the red feather cloak she was wearing. Mineta raised an eyebrow to that for a moment. If he didn't like people, why was he a teacher? Even the anti-social Aizawa liked to stand in front of his students and lecture them to death.
"Don't worry about that, you'll understand soon. Now, are you ready Grape Shot?" Fenghuang asked, tapping a slightly decorated, black/white staff on the ground. Mineta nodded, followed as his teacher opened the door.
Inuito city, bathed in the orange glow of a setting sun, was like Musutafu in a lot of ways. However, there seems to be a greater variety of stores that cater to tastes from all over the world. For one thing, he passed a building that claims to make traditional Spanish food. And there was another store that had artisan goods imported from China. It was honestly so curious that Mineta wanted to explore and see what he could find.
"Have you ever thought about the world?" Fenghuang asked suddenly.
"No?"
"Then let's take this chance to talk about it. Look around us, what do you see?"
Mineta looked around him again and made the same observation as earlier. It was just your standard, modern concrete jungle with people going about their business. There were students hanging out with friends, business people commuting to their next location, police officers making their patrols, parents with their children, and housewives doing some last minute shopping. But there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.
"Uhhh… Is this a trick question?" Mineta asked, still not seeing where this was going.
"It was merely rhetorical my young pupil." Fenghuang said with a light chuckle.
"We may not know about it because it was beyond our lifetimes, but the world is in constant motion. A barren rock became filled with life over millions of years. Then that once untamed wilderness became civilization in thousands. What are now buildings were once mighty trees. What were mighty trees were once titanic rocks."
"And… Where are you going with this?" Mineta asked, more confused than ever. His teacher simply smiled and gestured for him to follow. So he did. And eventually, after passing a few streets, they came to an intersection. There, Fenghuang was crouching before a utility pole. Mineta looked over her shoulder and found a small flower bud sprouting from the concrete. It was drooping a little, meaning it wasn't getting enough of something.
"Change is the nature of the world. And change needs time to bear fruit. Like this flower, it cannot be forced to bloom with grand actions or pretty words. One must first understand where its roots are. Then they must gently but diligently nurture and guide it. And finally, have the patience to see through its growth. Failure in any of these and nothing will happen… Or, in the worst case scenario, it will regress and perhaps die." She answered. The Heroine then pulled out a small vial from her hip pouch.
And upon uncorking it, she poured it onto the drooping flower bud. Mineta stared at it as his teacher put the vial away.
"Nothing's happening." Mineta blurted out. He then felt his brain kick itself out of the rut it was in. Shifu just finished explaining why that's the case. And if the shorter boy realized he seen this before, he wouldn't have asked. Prime example of his teacher's wisdom, the months spent training before UA. Nothing happened at first. But by the end something did.
"Sorry Shifu, it just came out." He apologized, bowing his head slightly.
"As long as you understand... But let us continue." Fenghuang said as she stood up. Mineta nodded and followed. They took a right turn and found themselves among a crowd of high school students. Was there some event going on? Or was this just a mass migration home?
"Now change can be inspired by people. Let's call them gardeners and stick to the flower metaphor. There are three types of gardeners, pugnacious, perspicacious, and punctilious." She began. Mineta's brows furrowed, were those even real words? Fenghuang then subtly pointed at a meek guy holding hands with a little kid.
"A pugnacious gardener will aggressively seek what is wrong in their garden. They ceaselessly move flowers to better suit its environment. Or zealously crusade against weeds that trespass. But while constant activity is good, they do things rashly and without understanding the entire picture." She explained. Mineta raised an eyebrow to that, why use them as an example?
But as his brain processed it, he slowly began to see it. That kid could see the flower bud from earlier and want to grow it in better conditions. So the guy will then remove it to try just that. However, it will die without its roots and the water his Shifu just poured. Mineta nodded and Fenghuang then pointed at some city municipal workers fixing a power box.
"Punctilious gardeners work towards the image of a perfect garden. Nothing is out of place. There is safety in that, consistency and familiarity. But it also leads to stagnation and inflexibility." She explained. Mineta was beginning to have a feel for his teacher's logic. The city will rip out that flower bud because it could cause a hazard. Somehow. It's a stretch, but if one thinks bigger, it starts making sense.
Why else Villains and anarchists are currently fighting against society? They want more.
"And what about the perspicacious gardener, my young pupil?" Fenghuang asked as she faced Mineta.
"They wait and see. If it's good, they keep tending it. If it's bad, they have to stop it." He answered with a nod.
"What are the problems?"
"It takes time, resources, and faith to know."
"Exactly, you learn fast. But let me ask you this now, which should a good Hero be?" Fenghuang asked, stopping. Mineta stopped as well, the street now clearing up from people. There were a few stragglers here and there. But with the sun almost down, people were definitely on their way home. The shorter boy, chest puffed up, was about to give a definite answer. That was until his brain stopped him. Was his answer… The correct one?
"NOW that is a trick question my young pupil. A good Hero should be all three." Fenghuang said with a laugh. Mineta cupped his chin with a hand, the gears of his brain grinding. And then it hit him, with Midoriya and All Might coming to mind. They were pugnacious, seeking to work on something right away. They were punctilious, sticking to ingrained methods. And they were perspicacious, switching tactics once a better alternative was presented.
Two of those three things relate to the 'egg in the microwave', Mineta doesn't know why.
"There you go. As Heroes, we must inspire change in a flexible manner. We need to know when to seek, hold back, and watch for the tell tale signs. See with your eyes and listen with your ears. Hone those senses and you will soon feel the movements of the world around you." Fenghuang said, gesturing to all around her.
"I will Shifu."
"Very good, let's continue patrolling."
Chapter 42: The Dark Side
"Fenghuang speaking. Ah, Master Eclipse, how goes patrolling on your end?"
Currently, Mineta and his teacher just finished purchasing a mid patrol snack, some Swedish street food called Tunnbrödsrulle. It was essentially a grilled hot dog in flatbread with mashed potatoes, shrimp and mayo salad, onions, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard as condiments. The shorter boy took a big bite out of his as he listened to Fenghuang speak into her phone.
"I see, sounds like trouble. Intervene if an opportunity presents itself. If not, we'll be at your location shortly to support." She said before hanging up. His teacher had this slightly hardened look on her face and Mineta knew they were about to get into trouble. So wrapping up his snack and placing it in the small plastic bag it came in… He decided to ask for it.
"So… Villains?"
"Not yet at least, didn't use their Quirks. However, they are a volatile sort in the middle of making a grave mistake. We're going to a vacant business building just a few blocks from here. Let's stop them before they bloom into true criminals." Fenghuang said before going into a run. Mineta quickly followed suit, chasing the flow of his master's feather cloak. And while his mind was focused on that, since he didn't want to lose his teacher. The shorter boy noticed something.
"I'm… Actually keeping up with someone?" Mineta thought. Normally, at a full sprint, he would slowly lose ground. This was mostly because of his shorter legs, causing him to spend more energy to catch up. But now, he could keep up with a strangely fast 48 year old. Granted that wasn't a good indicator. Perhaps Mineta should file the thought away to test it another day.
But it certainly feels good not to be left behind.
Soon enough, they've arrived at their destination. And already could Mineta hear something going on at the highest floor, but just barely. He felt a pit forming in his stomach, memories going back to the USJ attack. He even found himself reflexively going for the baton at his hip. This action actually calmed Mineta's heart a bit. It was as if the weapon had offered some of its steely resolve to him.
"Grape Shot, we don't know what will happen in there. So I'm giving you my permission to use your abilities and training as you see fit. You may be a student… But before danger, you are a Hero. Remember that." Fenghuang said, her shoulders squared and her back straight.
"Yes Shifu, I'll do my best." Mineta said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Don't forget, Master Eclipse is also here. Shout 'waning' if things look particularly hairy. But based on his information, the situation shouldn't go that far. Let's go." She added before opening the door, footsteps silent. Mineta followed, keeping his stride just as light. The two of them slowly snuck around the first floor, with Fenghuang keeping all her senses open. It was a level of focus that reminded the shorter boy of Aizawa. Was this what it's like to prowl for Villains?
"Stop, someone by the stairs." She said, holding her hand out to Mineta. The shorter boy slowly walked around his teacher's legs and peered around the corner. And sure enough, there was a high school student loitering around. He looked older than any of Mineta's classmates, so Mineta reasoned the guy was a third year. And judging by his piercings, rough features, and body language, he was a delinquent. A thug.
"Looks like this is the place, allow me to show you how to draw a guard out." Fenghuang said. She then gestured for Mineta to go into a nearby door. He quickly did so, keeping it slightly open for her to follow him.
Fenghuang first removed a wallet from her hip pouch and laid it on the ground. She then hit the ground with her staff, letting out a resounding thud. She then stealthily made for the door Mineta was hiding behind. And in a surprising move, closed it shut.
"How will we know he's even there if we can't see?" Mineta whispered.
"To defeat your enemy, one must know how they think. Our foe is a thug; do you think he'll ignore the money I've left out?" She asked, holding up something between her fingers. Squinting, the shorter boy was able to make out a length of transparent thread. Mineta began nodding to that and waited for it to move. Soon enough, it did. That thug really was interacting with her wallet.
The shorter boy was about to move into action, until Fenghuang stopped him. "Prey is at their most vulnerable when they think they're safe. See?"
The thread began to uncoil, slowly getting shorter and shorter. The guy definitely took the bait and was walking the other way. Otherwise the thing wouldn't be doing that. The Heroine then carefully opened the door and snuck out. Mineta followed, watching his teacher from behind as she came up to the thug's back. Fenghuang then raised her staff slowly before bringing it down abruptly. A soft 'thwack' was heard when the length of wood met skull. But despite how light strike seemed, the thug came tumbling down.
Mineta walked closer as his master retrieved the wallet again. He inspected the thug and found him peacefully snoring against the dusty floor. In fact, there wasn't even a mark where Fenghuang had struck. It was like the guy just fell asleep mid walk.
"Use your Quirk to bind him so we can safely move forward." She instructed, gesturing to the thug's hands and feet. Mineta nodded before adhering the guy's limbs to the floor. With that, the two moved onwards through the stairway. As they climbed up, they encountered no further persons that could bar their path. But something did unsettle Mineta with each step closer to their destination.
The noise from the top floor started to reach his ears. Based on what was said, Mineta could tell it was a losing struggle with a girl going against several guys. And that stirred an unnatural sensation within his gut.
"Know your place; you girls are only good for one thing."
An unruly laughter mixed with lecherous whistling shot through Mineta. It made that sensation he felt crawl around even further. But despite how unnerving it was… There was something tempting about it. Like wandering towards a flame, Mineta shouldn't get close… And yet he couldn't stop himself from yearning for it.
"Quit struggling!"
The shorter boy's very being stirred a little more upon hearing a loud punch. He then could hear what must be the boss thug's laughter. And what the guy said next guided Mineta's imagination towards more deviant thoughts.
"Finally… Keep her down, she's mine."
The mocking laughter that overwhelmed the despairing cries silenced his heart. Mineta finally understood what made him feel the way he did. The perverse side of his mind was whispering to him. It gently massaged his brain with lust laced fingers. It wanted him to listen a little more, allow it to play out for a little longer.
It sought to play the Villain before playing the Hero.
It was a demented idea, one he'd bury like the others. But no matter how much he forced it down, how hard he pulled the plug, it kept surfacing to poison him. A leech that refuses to let go.
"Young Mineta, focus on me."
Like the sun rising over the horizon, the darkness retreated from Mineta's mind. The path forward revealed itself as his eyes focused on reality again. And the first sight he saw was Fenghuang, charging into a room with 11 thugs and 2 girls inside. But she wasn't fazed; her strong and reliable back proved that. Just like the Hero Mineta admires.
Fenghuang began whirling her staff around, the feathered cloak on her shoulders flying off. The Thugs, only now realizing there was a new foe, were immediately struck in a beautiful arc of white. All 11 were sent reeling back, with some straight up bowling over onto the ground. Two were knocked out right away.
They were the lucky ones.
"I'm only offering this to you once. Surrender or I will be forced to correct your mistakes." Fenghuang said as she nestled her staff in her underarm. Mineta flinched at her words. Not because of what she said, but how she said it. If Midoriya had a lion hidden within him, then she had a phoenix. And it was raging.
"Oh fuck, it's The Radiant Wing! What do we do!?" One of the thugs screamed, clear terror in his voice.
"There's nine of us and only one of her! Charge her!" The boss shouted. One of them did so, clearly not knowing what he was doing as his fingers became needles. Fenghuang whirled her staff around, motion almost invisible had it not been for its colors. The charging thug's feet was swept from beneath him and he crashed onto the ground. She then slammed her staff on the guy's solar plexus, knocking the air out of him.
Fenghuang returned to form as the downed thug couldn't even stand again. "Foolish choice, now face your punishment."
The biggest thug activated his Quirk, lengths of chain rain down his arm and he began wildly whipping it towards her. The Heroine's staff began spinning again, deflecting the all attacks with ease. Those stray chain strikes flew all around, hitting the other thugs all over. Three were hit right in the groin, going down and stayed on the floor.
One thug tried to attack Fenghunag from behind. She simply stepped aside, letting him pass right by… And straight into another chain, hitting him straight in the nose. The Heroine then smacked the thug in the back of his head, causing him to slump over.
The chain thug charged in, this time with chain wrapping his forearms. It still didn't stop him from swinging them around like an idiot. She dodged the first before stopped the second with a little more effort. Fenghuang then moved under his arm while keeping her staff on the other side. She turned towards his back, faster than the shoulder could move.
A sickening pop echoed through the space as the chain thug collapsed screaming. Fenghuang silently glared at two of the remaining three thugs. They immediately booked it, the fear clearly apparent on their pants.
Mineta snapped out of being an observer as the fleeing thugs approached the door. He quickly grabbed the balls on his head and focused. Their panicked pace were actually easier to trace than a calm one. This was mostly because of what his teacher said earlier. To defeat your enemy, one must know how they think.
And when a coward runs, their stride is as fast and as far as they could make it.
The shorter boy threw his hairballs, landing at where the two's next step would be. And immediately after, they stepped on it, got stuck, and fell face first into the floor.
With those two dealt with, Mineta looked up back at his teacher. Only to see the situation escalate as the last thug, who was definitely the leader, was holding a gun to one of the girl's head. Fenghuang relaxed her form but kept her staff at the ready. Not a word was spoken between any one, letting the pained groans of the other thugs fill the air.
"I'm going to walk away… If you or that midget of a sidekick follows, I'll fucking blow her brains out." The boss thug threatened, jamming the gun harder into the girl's temple. The girl's eyes shrunk as she kept still, not even daring to breathe. The other girl, bloody and with clothes partially torn, weakly reached out to her. And Mineta could hear his heartbeat thrashing within his chest.
"You have witnesses who've seen your face. And I doubt you have the resources or connections to cleanly get away." Fenghuang said calmly, almost in a taunting manner. Mineta's heart stopped, what was his teacher doing? And then his eyes caught a shimmering shape to the left of the boss thug.
Oh…
"Not after I put one of these in you." The thug said. As he aimed the gun, things played in slow motion for Mineta. The gun was pulled in one direction, away from anyone. At the same time a force rotated the thug's wrist to an unnatural angle. A look of pain flashed through his face as the gun was pulled away. It then hovered there, aimed directly at the thug.
"Kidnapping, sexual assault, brandishing your Quirks, attacking a Pro Hero, AND illegal possession of an unmarked firearm… You sure like to test your luck." A voice said. The shimmering shape became more and more visible, revealing a man who wore a long cloak and a bamboo hat draped with cloth, both inky black in color.
"Excellent timing Master Eclipse, we were in quite the predicament." Fenghuang said with a smile.
"It is what you taught us Shifu. Enemies are at their most vulnerable when they think they're safe." Eclipse answered, voice giving no sense of his emotion.
"I still have a hostage! I'll break her neck! I'll kill her." The thug shouted, locking the girl's head with his arms. The cloaked man turned back to him, glaring. And Mineta could tell, even though he wasn't the target, Eclipse had the coldest and most contemptuous eyes anyone could bear. It was like Todoroki's and Bakugou's glares combined together and multiplied by a hundred. Or even a thousand.
"You won't, I'll make sure of that." He said, finger resting on the gun's trigger.
"Y-You wouldn't…"
"Do I look like All Might to you?"
Mineta swallowed the lump as the boss thug stared down the barrel of his own gun. The shorter boy could even see the cold sweat running down his teacher's face. How was this any better than the other situation? If anything, this is a whole lot worse. What kind of Hero threatens to shoot someone at point blank!?
At least Snipe gives warning shots.
But luckily, the thug boss let the girl go and got on his knees. He then put his hands up, clearly shaking.
"Grape Shot, restrain them for the police. But be wary, the mission isn't over until we're back at the temple." Fenghuang instructed, gesturing to the thugs who were barely moving. Mineta nodded as he quickly stepped into the room. He first went to the boss thug, who would most likely try to get away. But as he stuck the hair ball to him, he didn't resist and continued to sit in quivering silence.
Eclipse pulled the slide back on the gun and removed the magazine. He then tossed the latter to Fenghuang as he pocketed the former. From here, as Mineta continued to stick the thugs to the floor, the two Pros began to aid the two girls. Both of the Heroes offered their cloaks to them as well as comforting words. All the terror and pain was finally over.
But despite this, Mineta could still feel a weight crushing him. The screams and cries from before had left marks on his mind. It honestly made him question his worthiness as a Hero again. But not because he felt particularly weak or useless, he felt stronger than ever before. Rather, it was his other half that made him doubt.
He was a degenerate standing before the long slippery slope called lust. And while Midoriya had held Mineta back from jumping it… The shorter boy knew it couldn't be long before he truly messes up. The incident at the Sports Festival was just the beginning of what he was capable of.
He was a potential threat, a predator in a rusted cage. And he hungers for the pleasures of the dark side.
Chapter 43: Mind and Spirit
Mineta stared at his costume as it rested in its case. Three hours ago, he and Fenghuang returned to the Temple after reporting to the Police who arrived at the scene. Eclipse stayed behind to oversee the after action clean up. For the surviving girls, they were escorted to the hospital for physical and psychological treatment. As for the thugs, their injuries were treated on site. And once that was over, they were driven to the station for detainment until their criminal classification trial.
But anything short of Villain seemed unlikely.
Mineta's heartbeat paused to that thought. In just a single night, those thugs had ruined their lives. They will be branded as Villains. Everyone connected to them, friends and family, will be shamed and disparaged. Then those same friends and family will refuse to help the thugs, even in their time of need. And thus, the downward spiral begins. With no hope of escape, they will embrace the life of evil.
All because they were tempted by their baser instincts.
Now what if that was Mineta? Imagine the damage the shorter boy could wrought on all those around him. While there's the possibility it won't happen, especially now that he's aware of himself… The shorter boy couldn't trust himself. Not when he already failed and the entire country saw the result of it.
"Mineta Minoru, Shifu requests your audience." A monotonous voice said after a knock at his door. The shorter boy jumped to the sudden sound. And upon recovering, he quickly clambered to the door and slid it open. No one was there. He carefully leaned out into the hallway and saw a shimmering shape moving away.
That was Eclipse. But what was this about Fenghuang wanting to see him?
"Not that I've got anything better to do… Other than mull over how I'm a disgusting human being…" Mineta mumbled as he folded his arms together. His face scrunched to that. He really needed something to distract himself from his deviant half. So with that, he quickly rushed to the Taiji hall where his teacher no doubt waited.
The shorter boy barged through the doors before gently closing them. He leaned against them as he caught his breath. There wasn't any need for Mineta to be that quick. But with the enemy within threatening to come out, his only hope was for any sort of busy work. It's just like with Aizawa's training and the fight against Shinso. If he was concentrating on something, then his mind won't have the time to make stupid comments.
Mineta, nodding to that, looked around the hall. All the lights were off, allowing the light from the floor above to bleed down the hole in the ceiling. Due to how late it was, there was hardly any noise, giving the place a serene atmosphere. And with Fenghuang sitting cross legged on the yang of the Taiji in clear meditation, it raised the mystical nature of the place.
"My young pupil, please sit upon the yin. We are ready to start your next lesson." She said softly, breaking the silence. Without asking, seeing that there was hardly a point to that, Mineta did so. And then he waited for Fenghuang's instruction.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Due to the lack of stimulus, the shorter boy began to feel his thoughts wander. And the first thing it chose were the events from earlier that evening. A chill ran up his spine as the sounds echoed through his head again. And yet, like then, he could feel a heated sensation building in his gut. All the depravity he was trying to bury was surfacing again…
"Focus you idiot! This is not the time!" Mineta thought as mimicked his teacher's posture, hoping it would help him block out the noise.
"It takes more than sitting and self discipline for you to tame those inner demons. Think with me, young pupil." Fenghuang said. The shorter boy nearly fell over by the sudden wisdom of his teacher. He then corrected himself and waited for her next set of words. Only to find himself waiting again in silence. To Hell with not asking questions, Mineta needed a distraction from himself.
"What exactly are we thinking about?"
"Ourselves, my young pupil. Meditation is not the purging of our thoughts, but the exploration of them. What makes us good? What makes us bad? By asking and answering these questions, we can start to understand who we are. It is the first step in becoming whole and finding our place in this world." She answered.
"But what if I already know plenty about myself?" He asked with partial confidence. This was easy as there was nothing to think about. Mineta already knew what kind of person he was. There's the pervert trying to be a gentleman. There's also the coward trying to be a Hero. And there's the dirty rat that's also a loyal dog. That's about it. That's all there was to Mineta Minoru's existence.
"We don't know ourselves like we think we do. A person, regardless of personality, will always bloat or diminish their virtues and vices to those around them. And thus, they become their own strangers." Fenghuang said. Mineta was about to ask another question but was interrupted. His teacher still had words on her tongue.
"As an experiment, tell me about yourself. Be honest."
"Okay… I'm a student at UA. Compared to my classmates, I'm not that strong and my Quirk is pretty bad. I'm also a coward who tends to run when danger–" Mineta began before stopping mid sentence. Hang on; this scenario seemed oddly familiar…
Then it hit him, this was like the aftermath of the USJ attack. Dark thoughts clouded Mineta's head, causing him to belittle himself. He brushed aside his own actions while commending those of his classmates'. It got so bad; he doubted his place as a Hero in Training. And had it not been for Tsuyu's words and Midoriya's faith in him, Mineta might've given up on his dream.
He even did the same thing at the Sports Festival, though it was a milder incident. The shorter boy downplayed his contributions in favor of Tsuyu and Shouji. But those two had reaffirmed his abilities and gave him the confidence to fight in the tournament.
He continued to think along that line. But the more he thought about it, the less he understood himself. So with a bow towards his teacher…
"You're right Shifu, I really don't know myself… Please teach me the way."
"That way is meditation. Face those little voices at the back of our head; they are your angels and demons. They will guide you through the many aspects of yourself. And if you like, you can consolidate them into two, opposing forces that define your current mentality. Your own yin and yang. Give them names to give them power and make them conscious." Fenghuang explained.
"… I already have names for them. They are Heart and… P-Pants." Mineta said, keeping his head down. His teacher then hummed to that. And as Mineta raised his head, he saw her doing her best to contain her laughter. Seriously? He was suffering from his inner turmoil and she found it funny?
"I apologize, young Mineta. In all my years of teaching, I have never encountered such a unique name for the other half. But this is good; you have one foot within the confines of your mind. Now, the next step is to identify what is troubling you and why. If one doesn't know what's wrong, how can they fix it?" Fenghuang said as her laughter faded.
"That's easy, I've been thinking about what happened earlier tonight. When those thugs attacked those girls and said those things, I actually got… A little aroused by what was happening…" Mineta said, lowering his head as he spoke. To admit these feelings left a sour taste in his mouth… And yet it felt oddly liberating. Kind of like vomiting up something making you feel sick.
"Please continue."
"I knew it was wrong to feel that way, especially since it was happening right in front of me. But I couldn't help but let my imagination wander. A part of me was okay with what was going on. It really made me question if I could control my own revolting desires. And when I couldn't answer myself… I felt disgusted…"
Fenghuang didn't say anything. And as Mineta looked up, expecting some kind of anger, he found none on his teacher. Instead, the serenity of her face brought calm to him. She opened her eyes and their gazes met. There seemed to be an understanding behind her black eyes.
"Young Mineta, your plight is nothing new. Those with a growing sense of their sins often ask the same things you do. They wonder if they are abnormal for imagining such dark fantasies. But what they do next will determine what they do in reality. Those who uncompromisingly seal those feelings away will begin to act out those desires unconsciously. While those who face and understands where those impulses come from will be in greater control."
Mineta began to process those words. And slowly did he find himself acknowledging them as true. The shorter boy had shown shades of his perversion without realizing it. He could already think of several incidents where his thoughts and behavior were unwittingly driven by his libido. It was a shattering revelation. But after the shock had passed, Mineta knew what he must do…
"I think I need to reevaluate myself…" Mineta said as he crossed his legs and rested his hands on his lap.
"Then allow me to aid you and provide the first question… Where does your lust stem from?" Fenghuang asked. She then closed her eyes and entered a meditative silence. With a deep breath, Mineta did the same and plunged into the depths of his mind.
…
…
…
…
…
"Uhh?" Mineta groaned, his head feeling groggy. As his senses began working again, he began to feel a few things. The first was a fluffy pillow against his face. The second was a warm blanket draped over his body. And the last was the hard floor beneath him. His eyes peeled open as he sat up again, brain finally registering where he was.
He was in the Taiji hall.
Mineta immediately patted himself for his phone, only to spot it next to the pillow. He then picked it up and checked the time. It was 5:58 of the next day. The shorter boy actually slept through the meditation session.
"Damn it… I learned nothing about myself…" Mineta grumbled as he stretched his body.
"Not true, you know more now than the day before."
He fell onto his back before scrambling to look in the direction of the voice. And there was Fenghuang, in the same place and position as last night. In fact, there wasn't even a hair out of place or any new wrinkles and creases on her robes. It was like she hadn't moved for the last eight or nine hours.
"Did you meditate all night?" Mineta asked.
"Don't be silly, this is simply my morning session. But enough about me, tell me about you. Did your thoughts lead anywhere last night?" She replied with a chuckle. The shorter boy shook his head as he casted his eyes on the floor. Nothing concrete formulated. He just wasted his teacher's time and wisdom. As though sensing this shift in emotion, Fenghuang opened her eyes. She then stood up, walked over, and put the blanket around her student
"Don't look so down young Mineta. Finding ourselves is a journey, not a trip to the store for a snack. It'll take more than a night to discover who we are."
"But I'm still scared of what I might be…" Mineta said, eyes still on the floor. The Heroine placed a hand on his shoulder. And from the weight and warmth, the shorter boy could feel the full extent of the emotions flowing through it. The doubt began to melt as he gained the courage to look up. There was an encouraging smile across Fenghuang's lips, one that could rival even Midoriya's.
"It's okay to be scared, anyone would be. But you're on the path of change and will only grow from here. But even if you lose your way, as long as you keep fighting for your ideals, things will get better. You can become better. And when that happens, the true shape of your heart will reveal itself." Fenghuang said.
Mineta had to blink away at his eyes, tears starting to form. Those words stirred up recent memories from the Sports Festival. Specifically, he began remembering the times he spoke to Todoroki and Shinso. Those words he used to encourage them to move forward, it struck at his very being. All this time, the words he wanted to hear were already with him.
He just never thought to practice what he preached.
"So my young pupil, are you ready to fight again?" Fenghuang asked as she stood up, offering her hand to her student. Mineta wiped at his eyes and gave a firm nod. He then reached up and took his teacher's hand with confidence.
"I am Shifu, I am."