Excited was not the word for Mina Ashido's state this morning; when her wonderful, super alien boyfriend had come to her and asked if she would go on a date with him, it was enough to make her smile.

When he told her it was an all-day VIP trip to Alien World, that was the point she lost it. When asked how he obtained such an experience for them, he told her about his fight with All-Might and the bet with his mother. What Mina heard was that her boyfriend fought All-Might for her. She quickly looked around; her mother was in the kitchen, and her father was out picking something from the store; she straddled his lap and kissed him as passionately as possible.

He tried to protest briefly before surrendering; it was such a sweet surrender. She jumped back right as their mouths began to part; a voice in her mind was screaming danger. Her mother, Kara, walked in at that moment. He had super speed, but he was unsure how she looked so composed.

"Are you okay there, Izuku?" she asked with what he swore was a knowing smirk.

"Yes, ma'am," he fidgeted nervously. "So would it be alright if Mina accompanied me to Alien World?"

"I don't see why not, though you need to still talk to her father about the two of you dating," she set the tea down.

Izuku's sweat dropped. He forgot about that being one of the reasons he was over at Mina's house that day. He wondered if he could fight All-Might again; the pain of being knocked out might be preferable. Mina's father, Max, was very protective of Mina.

"If you survive?" Kara said with a smile as she headed back to the kitchen.

-Max & Izuku-

They were sitting on the back porch. Max was having a bit of fun watching Izuku fidget, but truth be told, he liked the boy. Izuku was a good kid; he only got in trouble when his daughter was involved. In truth, it reminded him of his relationship with Kara; she would drag him into some situation or the other, leading to them getting in trouble. That was what made him fall in love with her.

Kara, like Mina, was so vibrant and full of life. Max had no mutation quirk; he could secrete a coating from his feet and hands that allowed him to glide about. It was similar to the Acid that Mina could produce, but she could make it from anywhere.

Max looked at the nervous young teen and smiled; he knew Mina wanted to go into heroics. He had hoped she would change her mind, but it didn't seem likely. He knew that Izuku had a strength quirk and was very tough. He had a good head on his shoulders and a kind heart, and he seemed to be smitten with his daughter.

"Listen, Izuku, I know you care about Mina, and that is all I could ask," Max placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just do your best to protect and keep her out of trouble." He smiled when Izuku looked about to say something but stopped. "I know that it is hard; Mina is like her mother; they have a talent for trouble," Izuku smiled. "and that smile."

"Be patient with her," Max squatted down in front of Izuku. "I know it will be hard. You both are young, but if you are patient with her, she will make you very happy in the long run. I have no problem with you and Mina dating; I am glad her first boyfriend is a good kid like you."

Izuku smiled, "Thank you, sir; I promise I will do my best to look after her."

"If you break her heart," he said.

"I understand, sir," Izuku responded quickly.

"No, I was going to say I will try to hold her mother back and give you a head start," He sighed. "I can't hide another body," he shook his head. "Once was enough." Izuku's face has become one of shock. "Well, good talk, kiddo," Max patted Izuku's head and walked back inside.

Izuku would spend the next few years wondering, x-raying the area to see if there was a body hidden on the Ashido property.

-Alien World-

The entire day was just fantastic; Mina had a blast. Not only had she wanted to come to Alien World when I opened last year, but she was here on a date. Nemuri dropped them off before the park opened so they could be some of the first in line. Combined with their VIP tickets, she was just in bliss.

They hit every ride, saw every show, and had a romantic dinner in deep space. They were in a darkened restaurant with the dome lit up like the cosmos; on their table swirled a mini galaxy that was projected there. Over the swirling cosmos, Izuku was mesmerized by his girlfriend sitting across from him. The slight illumination just highlighted her lovely pink skin. The sparkling light just danced in her eyes; he loved the black sclera of her eyes. They drew him in. He always felt her eyes were to two beautiful suns that warmed him. He wished this moment would never end as he watched her amongst the stars.

Mina sat across from the boy who she dreamed about. She stared more at him than the surroundings as they rode up the Ferris wheel. He was so content and happy as he looked around. She thought it was so cute how he still showed such wonder when he could fly. The way he had looked at her over dinner and treated her today, she was the princess today, and he her prince. With a smile, he posed for pictures with her, a real-life alien walking amongst them, but he was no monster. He was so kind and gentle; he learned to dance for her to draw so he could make sure not to hurt her. Fought and trained to be a hero and trusted her with his extraordinary secret. How could she not fall for him?

"Izuku?" she said, calling his attention.

"Yes…Mina," she saw him blush some and swallow nervously. He watched her get up and cross the cart; she sat across his lap, their faces very close.

"I want you to kiss me, a real kiss. I want to know if you find me…pretty," she gently wrapped her arms around his neck; she shuddered slightly as his arms went around her waist. Their eyes closed, and slowly, they came together; as their lips parted, their kiss deepened, clumsy, but they didn't know better. When he pulled her closer, she shuddered again; his strong arms held her close. Safe, loved, cared for, desired, and other emotions she didn't quite understand. The most important thing she felt was that she was the most important thing to him.

The fireworks exploded all around them as they stopped at the very top. They pulled back, both breathing a little heavily—the illumination from the fireworks playing on each of their faces. Mina shifted positions and pulled out her phone to get a photo of them with the backdrop of the fireworks. When she snapped the photo, he pulled her back into another kiss. She managed to get another kiss before the phone was placed down, and she melted back into his kiss.

Once the wheel began to move again, she didn't move. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed as she tried to absorb his warmth. They strolled towards the exit as the park closed, their fingers intertwined.

"Izuku, thank you for a magical day," Mina leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You welcome, Mina; I would do anything for you," he responded.

"Why?" she responded. "You always go out of your way for me, the dancing, getting us grounded…"

"For your smile," he said so simply that the words raced straight to her heart. "I would do anything for your smile; it is the best thing I get to see; when you smile, I just know, … that I will be ok. When all the strange things happened, you were there, talking to me, smiling for me. So when I see you smile, I am not worried about if it will be alright, and…and…I love you."

She was speechless. "I know it is soon, and you don't have to say it back, but that is how I feel. Mom always tells me she loves me daily, and I tell her the same thing. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and if I don't see you tomorrow for some reason, I want you to know that I love you."

"Oh Izuku…" Mina whispered.

"It's okay, Mina, you don't have to say it; I am sorry if I put you on the spot. I swear that wasn't my intention," he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Repeat it, Izuku," she stopped walking and turned him to look at her.

"I love you," he said.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "Again!"

"I love you."

"Please, one more time," Mina whispered.

"I love you, Mina Ashido," Izuku said, his voice.

She opened her eyes, leaned in, and kissed him tenderly. "Never stop telling me how you feel, Izuku; tell me every day, every morning, and every night, for the rest of forever. I love you, Izuku; never doubt, never wonder. No matter if this fails or soars higher than you can fly, I will always love you."

-Never Stop Growing-

Izuku sat there in the room filled with his mother's gas; he stood there, not breathing. He didn't have time to hold his breath when the room flooded. He was supposed to see how long he could last before he succumbed. He knew his mother's quirk well and how it worked; he was okay if he didn't breathe it in. But eventually, he would have to breathe.

That was 2 hours ago, he didn't know what to do. He stood there; he knew that they were freaking out in the control room; the monitors on him told them he hadn't drawn a single breath. Well, he couldn't stay here forever; there was something he would have to talk to them about. He might as well get it over with; he was baffled. He closed his eyes and inhaled as deeply as he could; it seemed to go on and on. Opening his eyes, he inhaled all the gas in the room.

He looked around as the door opened quickly, and there was his mother and his uncles; he just exhaled, and all the gas flooded out; his uncle Aizawa glared at him, and HItazshi sighed and breathed deeply.

"Hi, Mom!"

-Up Above the World So High-

The realization that Izuku didn't have to breathe and that his lung capacity was wild, or how his grandmother put it off the charts. They put him in a vacuum chamber; he sat there looking around. He started reviewing his homework and thinking about his next workout. He had memorized the whole workout book that All-Might had hand-written for him. All-Might had hand-written him a personal workout notebook.

Wait, if he could withstand the without oxygen, and he didn't get cold when he flew up super high…

Could he survive in space? Could he go to the moon? If he could, then he could get Mina an actual Moon rock! Would a moon rock be okay on Earth? He would have to research that when he got out of there. He wished they let him have his phone, but it wasn't like they expected him to be still conscious.

Why was he still conscious? With all these things happening to him, his strange developments and abilities. He was an alien, and that answer, a simple explanation, was always enough for him. It was always sufficient; it was simple. But what if it didn't stop? What if he kept changing? It was a means to his dream of being a hero, standing by his mother, saving people, and being able to protect those he cared about.

He walked over and hit the emergency release button; his head was pounding. He could hear his heart thumping as the doors to the other room opened, and his mother came walking in. If this continued, what would be the result? Needles were not working anymore; he had fought All-Might. He was an alien masquerading as a person, hiding in their world.

These thoughts never bothered him before; almost everything he had been able to rationalize as being human. He looked human; he ate, drank, slept, and dreamed. Super Strength is a great, useful quirk. Invulnerability: it was hard to get hurt; his family wouldn't worry. Flight, that was cool; everyone wanted to fly. Heighten Senses, which were helpful, were scary when they first manifested, and the combination of X-ray vision was terrifying. Super Speed was just a function of his strength; it was okay. Heat Vision….not having to breathe…being able to inhale his mother's gas…freezing breath that was fun to find out…now it seemed he could withstand the vacuum of space…what else would happen? He suddenly couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, it was all too big again, it was all too much.

He saw the open door and fled; they couldn't stop him. One outside, his panic attack began to increase; he could hear the campus and all the mummers talking. Soon, in the city and beyond, the noise was overwhelming. He grabbed at his head; what if it never stopped? What if he kept changing? Why was he here? Why did his birth parents send him here? If they could fly and were super strong, why didn't they leave the Krypton? The noise, all the noise. He just fled; he went up, up, and away from it all. His eyes closed, and he ran till the noise stopped.

He opened his eyes, and there he was, floating above the Earth.

-Unknown Location-

Lionel Luther sat in the control booth, pouring over this vessel's latest readings that had been brought to him. It only reacted to defend itself from high-intensity energy weapons. As a highly experimental device currently being developed on I-Island, he was negotiating to procure it, hoping it would help him crack the vessel.

He was also talking with David Shield about some protective device to see if it could withstand the attack from the ship. The readings they captured from the vessel's counterattack were higher than those of the experimental device they worked on. Lionel wondered why an uncrewed vessel had been sent from somewhere to their planet. Why send a drone that just sat there? What if it wasn't unmanned?

Lionel sat back; what if it was some transport? The aliens were walking around, scouting the planet, preparing to take them over. The rise of quirks inevitably leads to humans' physical mutation. Lionel could see it all coming; they were here, hiding amongst them; how long had they been watching? Were they responsible for quirks? Have they had their interference led them to this point?

Had they done this knowing that eventually, physical mutations would allow them to blend in, an extended play. Sweat formed on his brow, and his mind whirled. He began to shake; the world was in danger. It had been a setup; they had scouted out the planet for centuries and were planning to invade.

He needed to crack that vessel. No…they needed a way to identify them. An unknown radiation had been detected from the vessel, so faint it was almost missed. If they could find a way to track it, they could find a way to find these alien invaders, maybe stop them. They needed to find a way; he had to get ahold of Nezu! The future of the planet depended on it.

-Mina-

Mina kept frantically dialing Izuku's phone number; it kept telling her he was out of service range. She was in the backyard, frantic. The frantic phone call from Nemuri asked her if she had seen Izuku and to let her know as soon as she did.

She looked at the sky and started to call for him.

-Izuku-

The cold began to seep in; the coldness of space, the silence of space, was engulfing him. He turned from the planet and looked to space. How far could he go? Where would he go? He wishes he had some answers. He began to drift from the planet; he looked over his shoulder to earth, wondering if that was where he belonged. What would be his fate? Was he somehow a danger?

You have to come home to me, Izuku!

Izuku turned back towards the world.

Come home, you have to come home!

It was Mina's voice; he could hear her words, rich with tears. He knew she was crying, that she was crying over him.

Izuku, you can't leave like this. It was his mother. You don't get to abandon me like this; you have to talk to me and be here when I go to sleep so I know you are okay. I don't know what happened in there, talk to me.

"What troubles you, my son?"

This time, the voice was right next to him; he jerked in shock and turned, and a woman was floating. She had long, curly black hair and deep blue eyes; her white suit superhero-looking clothing, red boots, cape, the blue strip on her legs, the stylized "S." He had heard her description from his mother, and it was before him. A surge of emotions and confusion ran through him. I wanted to hug her and then shout at her.

What would he shout? What would he scream at them? They would have come with him if they could. "Your Lara Lor-Van, your my..m-mother?" he managed. "What? How? Why now?"

"You need me."

"What about all the other times I needed you? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I STARTED CHANGING? WHEN MY X-RAY VISION MANIFESTED? OR SUPER STRENGTH? OR ALL THE OTHER WEIRD THINGS? HOW ABOUT THE FACT THAT I AM FLOATING IN SPACE? OR THAT I DON'T NEED TO BREATHE?"

"Nemuri was there; the others were there. Though you may not have seen it, I have been there watching."

"Like a ghost? Watching me from Heaven?" he replied.

"I am not a ghost. Nor am I the real Lara-Van. I am a holographic representation of her; my memory banks have a complete scan of her neural pathways. I am as close to a living representation of your mother as possible."

"You're an A-I designed in the likeness of my mother," Izuku replied; he almost wanted to be a ghost. That way, he would finally meet her or have proof of some afterlife. "Why did you send me here? What is happening to me? Am I going to keep changing and morph into something?"

"We sent you here, Kal, because we knew we wouldn't be with you. We wanted to give you every advantage we could, and that advantage was this planet's sun!" Lara pointed to a fireball at the center of the solar system. "Or people absorb solar radiation; our home planet Krypton was home to a red sun; in some terms, we were very close to humans. The gravity of Krypton was higher, the days were longer, and the temperature was more extreme, but as you know, species adapt to their home environment."

Lara reached out and touched his face; it felt almost solid for a second. "We sent you here to earth because we knew that you could blend in, that your cells would absorb the solar radiation of this planet's yellow sun, giving you powers and abilities beyond even these people and their quirks."

"Is that the only reason why?" Izuku asked.

"No, listen, Kal-El, listen to their cries for help. You can help them, my son; you can help more of them than any other person," Lara said as the cries for help filtered up to his ears. He heard the sounds of heroes responding in every language but not to every call.

"But I am just one man?" Izuku said the thought of trying to save everyone was overwhelming. It was the first lesson that his mother and uncles had beaten him. His grandmother was the worst with it, the notion of Triage, which was the first thing, learning that you couldn't save everyone, no matter how strong or fast you were.

"You are no ordinary man, Kal-El, but I do not mean for you to try to save them by yourself. They are good people sometimes; they need someone to help show them the way. Your All-Might does well, but there is more that could be done. Those left by the waist side looked down and forgotten by society." Lara touched the symbol on her chest. "This is the symbol of the house of El; on our planet, it means hope! That is why I sent you here, hope. I hope you will survive and grow to become a wonderful person, find love and happiness, and use the extraordinary gifts the world has granted you to do more than blend in. To be greater than ordinary, to be Super."

Izuku looked at the A-I; his mother's memories and knowledge were in there. "Did she love me?"

"She loved you so much, Kal," Lara looked at him with those blue eyes that were so sad. "They love you," she pointed to the planet. "That girl loves you! Listen to her, Kal!"

I love you, admit; I swear if you don't come home, I will never smile again! You hear me, Izuku. I WILL NEVER SMILE AGAIN!

Please, Baby, please come back and talk to me. Please don't leave me like he did; my world was empty until you entered it. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together!

"I want to know where I came from; I want to know more!" Izuku said to Lara. "Where is the craft that brought me?"

"It has been taken; they are attempting to access it to see what they can learn from it," Lara replied. "I will now extract it from that location and move it somewhere safe, somewhere you can come and learn. Don't take away that girl's smile, and don't leave your mother alone!"

"But what about me? What is going to keep happening to me?" Izuku said he was already floating back toward Earth.

"You will continue to get stronger, Kal; as long as the sun burns, you will get stronger." Lara smiled at him, "But you will not suddenly sprout a second head or eight limbs or eat your family; you will continue to learn to control your abilities, and I will help you do so. You will not be a danger to them; they will be safe."

"Thank you," he whispered. "How will I know where to find you? What do I call you?

"My official designation is Brain Inter-Active Construct to Kryptonians or Brainiac for short. I will send you a message; the technology is rather primitive," Lara smiled. "A Superman wouldn't let that girl continue to cry…"

Izuku nodded his head, turned, and flew back to Earth.

-Unknown Location-

The sensors began to run rampant; alarms began to sound as the craft powered up. The Chromium Titanium Alloy cables began to snap as the craft shrugged them off like a spider web from a tree. Lionel watched in disbelief as everything they had to hold in place began to fail.

The sensors had begun to register unprecedented activity within the vessel, and as the scientist rushed to gather readings, the whole base was put on high alert. It was an unparalleled activity; they then detected a very faint signal from the craft.

He yelled to know where and what it was transmitting. All they could tell him was that it was sending the signal out of the atmosphere. This was it, Lionel screamed internally. They were calling for the others; the invasion would be imminent. Then everything stopped. The signal for the energy readings was entirely still.

Then, the whole craft came alive and moved. They shut the room down, hoping to contain it; from the monitors, they saw strange language appear on the screen, and all the doors opened. The vessel was there, then it was gone; it had escaped, and their radar and sensors lost it immediately; it was there, then just gone. Once it was out of the base, one of the cameras just disappeared from the video.

Lionel slumped back into his chair amongst the chaos; the earth was about to be invaded. It was his duty to protect the planet. He would repel this invasion and show them that the Earth was not theirs for the taking.

He walked blindly to his office and picked up the phone. The chipper voice of Nezu sounded on the other end.

"Nezu, the craft has escaped; before it did, it sent a message out of the atmosphere. I believe there is an alien invasion imminent." Lionel said into the receiver. "We must get ready to fight for our lives and the whole planet!"

-Mina-

She stood there staring at the night sky, tears running down her face. A sudden gust of wind made her shut them, and the voice that spoke washed over her.

"I am sorry I made you cry. Please don't take that smile away."

She turned and saw Izuku standing there; she rushed to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. She pulled away and hit his chest as hard as she could a few times, then hugged him again.

"I was so scared, you big dummy!" she cried into his shoulder. "How could you just disappear like that? Why would you go away? You know I would go with you!"

-Nemuri-

Her phone rang. She saw the caller ID read Kara; she frantically answered the call. "HELLO!"

"He just landed in the backyard with Mina!" Kara said quickly.

"MAKE SURE HE STAYS THERE. I AM ON MY WAY!" she said, dashing out of the house.

-Mina and Izuku-

"I freaked out," he said quietly. "It was more like a panic attack, I think."

"Talk to me, Izuku," Mina said.

"I should call my mom. She was freaking out," he said, freeing his arm and placing the call.

"YOU STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IZUKU! I AM ON MY WAY! I SWEAR IF YOU LEAVE MINA'S, I WILL GROUND YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! MINA, YOU HOLD HIM DOWN, DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO!" the call ended.

Mina just held him tight; she would have even if Nemuri hadn't told her to. She wanted to demand more information but knew Nemuri would ask for the same, so she waited.

"Are you home?" she whispered. "You didn't come here to tell me goodbye, did you?" her voice trembled with emotion; her heart ached at the thought.

"I am not going anywhere, Mina," he said, holding her tight enough. "This isn't goodbye; you can't get rid of me. I wouldn't want to rob the world of that smile."

"You dummy!" she responded. They just stood there till they heard a car coming to a screeching halt in the driveway. They didn't dare move as they listened to the door open, and Kara said they were in the backyard. The door flew open; Mina stepped back as Nemuri barreled into her son.

"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME IZUKU! YOU CAN NOT SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" Nemuri held on to him as all her emotions flooded out; she sobbed into his shoulder. Izuku felt terrible; he had made his two most influential people cry. The woman who had taken in an alien baby had no idea of what would happen or how it would turn out. She had been his first hero; she stepped up and did what many people wouldn't have done. She kept him a secret, didn't just turn him over. Instead, she brought him into her heart.

Mina was his best friend, his girlfriend, the girl he was in love with. She never questioned his abilities; she just always accepted him for him. When she found out he was alien, it just made him fantastic. She was the one to tell him that she wanted to be together. When he told her he loved her, she didn't shrink from it; she embraced it and loved him back.

"I am so sorry, Mom," he reached out and pulled Mina back into the hug. "I am so sorry I made you two cry and scared you like that. I promise that I will never do something like that again. That I will talk to you and tell you what is bothering me.

"THEN WHY DID YOU RUN OFF LIKE THAT!" Nemuri demanded.

"When standing in that vacuum chamber, I realized I didn't need to breathe. It was just another strange thing, the freezing breath, the heat vision, all of it. I started to freak out, wondering what else would happen and what other things would manifest. What if I became a danger to you two or the world?" Izuku managed to say, though he choked up a few times. "I started to panic, then the world got loud, and I just ran, well flew."

"Izuku, no matter what happens, I am your mother, and I will always be by your side," Nemuri said softly, rubbing his back. "NO MATTER WHAT! No matter the strange ability, no matter what! I love you!"

"We are going to be heroes together!" Mina added. "You and I are going to help to save so many people. I need you to keep me from getting in too much trouble."

"I am sorry," he said.

"What happened?" Nemuri said.

"I talked to Lara," he said; the girls pulled back. "The hologram/A.I., whatever you want to call it. It told me that I could do what I do because of Earth's yellow sun that Kryptonian bodies absorb solar radiation. Krypton had a red sun, so they didn't have powers like me. They sent me here because they knew I would absorb the energy and be strong to survive here."

"She wanted what was best for me; she wanted me to thrive and help people. To not just be an ordinary man but a Superman." Izuku looked to the sky. "She said the ship that brought me has been being kept in a facility, that people were trying to hack into it, but she was going to move it somewhere so I could come and learn about my people. She said she would be able to help me train."

"No offense, but where was it all the other times!" Mina said, somewhat angry.

Nemuri nodded, "Some sort of heads up, like what to expect, would have been nice."

"It said that you and the others were there, and it was watching just in case, but this time, it was the only one that could help me," Izuku said.

"Is Izuku an actual Alien?" the trio turned around and saw Kara standing there; they all winced.

"What if he was?" Nemuri asked hesitantly, ready to gas everyone if need be.

"Makes sense with all his crazy powers, and of course, my daughter would find and fall in love with an actual alien," Kara shrugged. "I won't say anything; I like the kid. But you may want to bring your conversation inside the house."

She laughed when the trio looked rather sheepish as they walked inside.

-Nezu-

He sat back after the brief conversation with Lionel; the man was entering full alien invasion mode. He was relieved when he received the notification from Nemuri that Izuku had been found, unharmed, and was safe.

He looked over the data file on his grandson; with all the capabilities he possessed, he was dangerous. Dangerous if he went rogue or down the path of villainy. He knew he couldn't let that happen; Aizawa and Hizashi had already accepted teaching positions. He just now had to rope in Nemuri; she was already interested. He just had to sweeten the pot.

Then there was Izuku, or rather, there was his people. Were there any more of them out there? Was the ship signaling an invasion or a rescue of some sort? If the Kryptonian race could space travel to send a child to this world, they had some outposts out in the galaxy. Maybe some group that split off from the rest.

He was torn; had he made a mistake in keeping Izuku a secret from the rest of the world? He sat back; he believed in the person his grandson was becoming, and he would prepare for the worst. He just hoped he wasn't wrong either way.