A/N: Yes, I am aware that within the context of the actual Smallville series, Clark's soulmate is Lois Lane. But consider this an elseworld tale set in the Smallville universe instead of the Superman lore.
BALANCE
It's been weeks and Clark still hasn't recovered from the tragic loss of his first true love, Kyla Willowbrook. One could understand why. After feeling alone and hiding his nature for so long, to finally share his true self with someone on a romantic level only to have her taken from him would push anyone into a state of grief and sadness.
Since losing her, Clark has relentlessly watched over and protected the Kawatche Caves; not only because of its clear link to his heritage, but also to honor his love. Each and every time he visits the cave, he has her bracelet in hand, instructed by Joseph Willowbrook, Kyla's grandfather, to give it to his soulmate. As Clark leans against a cave wall, he looks down at her bracelet in sadness,
"But you were the one. How can I move on without you?"
Clark hasn't completely abandoned his life though, as his friends and family have proven to be very supportive in helping him cope.
Jonathan has taken Clark fishing. Though the latter has made it quite clear some time ago that he despises it and only does it to make his Dad happy, he has since learned to like it after having almost lost him to Roger Nixon. Clark enjoys himself and catches twice as many fish as Jonathan at number eight, but he still has a hole in his heart.
Martha has fixed Clark his favorite dinner complete with chocolate cake, which makes him smile, but still, he has an unfilled void.
Lex has taken Clark to see a Metropolis Sharks football game and he actually cheers and shouts for his favorite team, who win. Still, his heart dwells elsewhere.
Pete has taken Clark cart-racing and he enjoys himself of course, but sadly, he is not all there.
Chloe takes Clark to a journalist convention in Metropolis and Clark shows his lighter side and actually cracks a joke about wearing glasses to blend in with the nerd crowd, but no amount of delight can make him forget.
Lastly, Lana, of all people, takes Clark horseback riding and deliberately lets him win, sensing that he is still grieving despite his clearly enjoying himself. Once they reach the stable and put the horses away, the two friends talk.
"Thanks for letting me win." Clark says with a small grin.
"Maybe you're just getting better and I'm having an off-day." Lana jests.
"Not much of an off-day given that you were in the lead for the most part." Clark replies.
Lana closes the stable door and finally ceases her repeated dodging of the subject, "You really miss her, don't you?"
"People say the pain in their chest is a broken heart." Clark states, "Mine's…decimated. It's really cool what my parents, Pete, Chloe, Lex, and you have been doing for me lately and I even tried to push the pain out, but…I can't. For the first time in my life, with Kyla there with me, I felt…complete. At peace. I felt like I didn't have to hide anymore. That I didn't have to worry about fitting in anymore. Then…I'm holding her in my arms and refusing to choke out a good-bye like she did for me. I just…I just…"
Clark begins to release some tears, but Lana comforts him and the two sit down together.
"You know the worst part?" Clark sniffles, "I could've saved her. I could've. If I had just believed her about her grandfather and stuck by her through everything, I could've saved her."
Lana holds Clark's head, "Hey. Hey. Everyone makes mistakes, Clark. Especially when it comes to people we care about. And you may have a track record for saving people, but you can't save everyone. It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done and you couldn't have known what would have happened to Kyla. Just know that she always saw you as an amazing person…and that she loved you."
Lana's words and caring embrace sate Clark for the time being, but rest assured, his emotional turmoil will return.
Later that night, Clark tosses and turns in his sleep until…
Clark suddenly finds himself in the Kawatche Caves. He looks around for a bit before, suddenly, a familiar smiling face appears behind him in time for him to turn around…
"Clark." Kyla utters.
"Kyla?" Clark slowly sprints to her and embraces her before the two share a kiss. "How…?"
"We're both different in ways we never did understand. I'm not truly with you, but our people's common bloodline lets me communicate with you in your dreams." Kyla explains, "There is a way for us to be together again."
"Wha-how? Tell me!" Clark immediately asks, desperately wanting to be reunited with her again.
"The Portal of Natar." Kyla continues. "It's on the far west end of the Kawatche Caves and via a special artifact, it can be accessed and allow anyone of our blood to journey via the spirit plane to another point in our past."
"What's the artifact?" Clark asks.
"My heirloom. The aquamarine diamond on my bracelet." Kyla then gravely warns Clark, "But Clark. There's a catch. Once you do this, I won't die, but someone else you care for will. It's the balance of life and death."
Clark actually hesitates for a moment. As much as he loves Kyla, what does he have to gain from losing and grieving yet another important person in his life? But then, Clark considers another possibility. What if this is merely a test for him to pass in regards to the loyalty of the ones he loves and that ultimately, he is destined to succeed? Such a thing has happened before after all. His encounter with Cassandra Carver has enabled him to not only see what she sees, but to also prevent the demise of the endangered. Confident about this, Clark eagerly replies,
"I'll do it for us. I love you, Kyla Willowbrook."
"I love you too, Clark Kent." Kyla kisses Clark.
Clark awakens from his slumber and becomes convinced about his mission at hand. He speeds out to the Kawatche Caves with Kyla's bracelet in hand and searches throughout the walls for a diamond-shaped opening. For "The Portal of Natar". Ultimately…he locates it. Subsequently, he uses his remarkable strength to casually pull the diamond out of the bracelet and insert it into the opening.
"This is for you, Kyla." Clark backs up. For a moment, nothing happens and he becomes discouraged. But then,
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMWARSHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The opening slides divide and unleash a blinding white light onto Clark, who finds himself flying through white energies with various memories of his life surrounding him!
"Errgh!" He grunts in discomfort. However, he remembers what he is there for in addition to what Kyla has told him and regains his composure in order to concentrate on what point in his life he needs to find.
"There!" He spots the moment where Kyla enters his barn and kisses him as he is doing his chores; right before his accusation hurt her feelings. He makes a beeline right for that image and reaches it; yet another flash of bright white light surfaces.
Clark suddenly finds himself in his barn easily holding up a haystack. He looks around the barn in awe. It has worked. It has actually worked. He has managed to, in a strange, almost supernatural way, go back in time. Just then…
"Hey!" The beautiful and very much alive Kyla comes from behind Clark and kisses him, "I thought I was supposed to meet you at The Talon?"
In great relief and without a word, Clark drops the haystack, embraces Kyla, and passionately kisses her; she just as passionately reciprocates.
"We need to talk." Clark breathes excitedly.
For a little while, up on the loft, Clark has been explaining to Kyla in detail of everything that has happened in the previous reality; their argument, her being a skinwalker, her death, her visiting him in his dreams, her bracelet (which is still on her wrist), and the Portal of Natar. Kyla finds it very hard to believe and comprehend everything Clark has stated, but given his track record for being honest with her since first giving into and kissing her, she knows it is true. She has so many questions, but starts with,
"I didn't even warn you who might die in my place?" Kyla asks; she is appalled.
"I don't think you knew." Clark replies holding her hands, "And besides, no one's going to die. I'm not going to let it happen. Not to you, not to my parents, not to anyone."
"Not as long as I keep my other side from getting out." Kyla looks down in shame of the trouble she has caused as a skinwalker; like with the foreman.
"That's not your fault. And believe me when I say that I will be there for you." Clark vows to and kisses her.
"I wonder if your Mom and my Grandpa will believe you." Kyla contemplates.
"If we can get them both in here without the house exploding." Clark jokes; Kyla grins.
Later that night, at The Talon, Lana serves Pete some coffee and sits at the table with him after locking up.
"Why do I get the feeling the co-owner isn't sitting at the same table as me to talk about a job?" Pete jokes.
Lana chuckles, "Because the co-owner wants to talk about a friend."
"This friend. I'm gonna assume the name starts with a "c", but does it end in a "k" or an "e"?" Pete then replies, "Let me answer that for you. K."
"Five points for you." Lana snickers; she then gets serious even though she still has a small smile, "Um…has Clark said anything about me lately? I asked Chloe and she said she hasn't really talked to him lately because he was-"
"Spending time with Kyla?" Pete politely interrupts; Lana nods. "I gotta be honest. Your name hasn't really come up too much since he met her. I've never really seen him like this with anyone before."
"Do you mean he's…" Lana asks; some clear worry in her tone.
"Serious about her?" Pete uneasily finishes his sentence. "I'm, uh, pretty sure. Why? What's wrong?"
"Oh, um, nothing. Just…wondering. I'll, uh, be right back." Lana walks outback of The Talon and cries; upset over the fact that Clark's initial mutual feelings for her have reshaped into those for another girl. Her tears are cut short when she hears approaching footsteps. Believing them to be Pete's, she tries to quickly recover,
"I'm sorry, Pete. Sorry you had to see me like-" When she turns around, all sadness she harbors turns to fear when she sees whom is really standing right behind her.
"Hey, I'm just glad to see you." Roy Rothman grabs Lana by her throat and holds her at gunpoint, "'Cause without you, I can't get to Lex. So, how about you get in my…AGH!"
Lana kicks Roy in the groin to force him to release her before she frantically runs away from him. Despite the pain, he chases and manages to tackle her to the ground. He then holds the gun to her face as she struggles to push it away from her. The skirmish continues until…
BANG!
At the Kent Farm, Clark and Kyla, as they hold hands, discuss what the former previously experienced with Jonathan, Martha, and Joseph at the kitchen table. Martha and Joseph are taken aback by this, but Jonathan is a bit more focused on the nature of the story itself.
"There are many stories about our people having the ability to shapeshift into wolves, but never in my life have I witnessed such a thing." Joseph admits, "I much less expected such a thing to occur in my own family. How bizarre."
"Welcome to our world." Martha nods.
"Uh, Clark. Can I talk to you outside for a sec, son?" Jonathan nudges.
"Sure, Dad." Clark follows Jonathan outside and senses that he is distressed about something.
"Ignoring the technicality, you messed with something you didn't understand without talking to us first?" Jonathan asks.
"Because I knew you wouldn't approve." Clark responds.
"With good reason." Jonathan retorts. "Don't you know your actions have consequences?"
"Would you care if it meant saving the person you love the most?" Clark argues back. "Dad, I have never felt anything like this since meeting Kyla. She understands me. She's different like me. And the only reason why she died was because of me. It was my fault. I didn't trust her like I should have. You and Mom built your relationship on not just love, but trust, too. Why can't I do the same?"
Martha walks outside with her family with her phone in hand and an extremely grave look on her face.
"What is it, honey?" Jonathan asks.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Clark asks.
"That was Pete." Martha lets out a tear. "He was at The Talon with Lana and…Lana, she…"
The Kent men instantly know.
Planned by her aunt Nell, a funeral service is held for Lana and many are in attendance; Clark, Jonathan, Martha, Chloe, Pete, Lex, and even Kyla (whom is holding Clark's hand) and Joseph are there in addition to many classmates, teachers, and denizens of Smallville.
Clark naturally feels very guilty. In his grief-fueled desire to return to Kyla, he has strongly believed that he would be able to prevent any tragedy that would befall any of his friends and family; he has not accounted for just how severe the penalties of his choices would be. Roy Rothman finding his way out of prison and going after Lana to get a second chance at ending Lex's life is certainly not something he expected. Nor has he expected the cause of Lana's death to be her and Roy's scuffle that resulted in both being simultaneously shot. His father is right. Every action has a consequence and there are some things that are beyond even his power.
In his loft, Clark lays across Kyla's lap as she rubs his hair and offers her condolences; she is aware that Clark liked Lana both as a friend and as something more, but recognizes that the latter doesn't matter anymore and has in recent times only cared for her as a friend.
"The caves can wait." Kyla insists, "You need to heal. And believe me when I say I will be there for you. I love you, Clark Kent."
"I love you too, Kyla Willowbrook." Clark kisses Kyla.
A/N: A little explanation in regards to Clark and Kyla having a "similar bloodline". The story of the Kawatche goes that 500 years ago, a Kryptonian man from the El family came to Earth and fell in love with a Native American woman, which resulted in the birth of the Kawatche. While this was said to be unlikely given Kryptonians' powersets and Kawatche's skinwalkers, here are a couple of things to consider. The story of Naman and the history of the Kawatche people is open to millions of interpretations as stated within the context of the series; which could mean the two species are at least distantly related. The other thing to consider is that Kawatche Jeremiah Holdsclaw had powers like Clark's from the starblade, which is clearly Kryptonian in nature and seemed to work only for Jeremiah. It isn't so crazy to believe the two species could be related despite the differences in power sets. After all, in the comics, the Superman Dynasty has a myriad of characters with powers unlike Superman's, but are still related to Superman in some way. For example, a Kryptonian descendant of Superman married a woman who could control reality and the two spawned a generation of super-powered beings within the Superman Dynasty.