Before I go stepping on any die-hard comic buff's toes I really only know very limited amounts of info from the DC universe. Namely the 90's animated Superman and Batman, the original Superman movie from the 70's (?), the 2000's Justice League (I never saw all the episodes), and only the first season of young justice- I was told there was some sort of rushed time skip thing so yeah I'm not really wanting to watch the 2nd season… Oh and that Son of Batman that was on Netflix (I have few words for that amount of strangeness…)
So I'm just gonna mesh all the stuff I know together simply because I know nothing about any single coherent timeline. And I just can't remotely bring myself to read comics- the art style just bothers me way too much to even want to read them somehow- just not my thing.
I don't own Young Justice or InuYasha.
"The only good one of them, Clark m'boy!" PawPaw Kent shook his cane to emphasize his words and Clark was half worried the man would fall with the force of his movements, "My friend Kobayashi- the Jap with th' blue peepers!"
"Yes, PawPaw." Clark absently agreed as he readjusted the several suitcases he was handling as he followed his grandfather through the airport. They weighed practically nothing, curiously enough but they were still awkward. Too bad Pa didn't have a duffle with wheels. Clark was borrowing Pa's leather suitcase and using his school backpack. PawPaw had two suitcases- one bearing gifts and some supplies and the other held his clothes. And of course he couldn't just let his grandfather carry one of the suitcases- the man could barely balance his own body let alone counterbalancing a suitcase.
"Clark, you dolt! Get out the tickets! Here's our gate!" PawPaw huffed as they reached their terminal.
He'd hoped to spend his summer like any other 16, nearly 17 year old. Namely getting Lana Lang to look his way- perhaps even a date! But with her dating that lunk-head on the football team Clark knew his chances were slim. Plus he didn't feel right leaving Ma and Pa alone to tend the farm. But he'd feel even worse if something happened to PawPaw in Japan!
He was nearly 80 years old and while still sharp as a tack, it was not the best age to go globetrotting at!
It would be Clark Kent's first time flying on a plane and going much of anywhere at all! The State Fair and tour of Kansas in the 6th grade by bus really paled in comparison.
The fact of it was, that coming from a farming family meant they couldn't really just up and travel on family vacations- hiring people to look after the farm even for a few days was simply too much of an expense. As it was these tickets for PawPaw and him were sure to make more than a pretty dent in Ma and Pa's wallet.
Clark already knew in the back of his mind to not expect new clothes for the start of the upcoming school year and very sparse Christmas gifts. But he'd known about the trip for the past couple months and had done some lawn mowing jobs and odd jobs for a few of the other farms to raise some pocket money of his own.
He'd always daydreamed of flying like most other people had at one point or another. But a good portion of his classmates had flown on planes and had shared the experience with him after much begging on his then elementary school-aged self's part.
Sixteen hours of half listening to PawPaw's war stories and trying to sleep, thrillsville. But Clark had been content enough to stare out at the clouds, marveling at how high they were.
"So mind telling me again how you and Kobayashi are friends, PawPaw?" Clark asked despite knowing the tale from the time he'd been old enough to be already thoroughly bored of it. He just didn't want to hear the story about Spam on the Pacific Beaches again.
"It was on the island Tulagi in August of 1942, I was in the Marines and we were moving inland. In all the fighting a civilian hut caught fire an' I heard a baby an' lady screaming. I couldn't let something like that happen- I'd only just married your Grandma not a few month earlier. And the thought wouldn't leave me 'what if that were my Doris in there?'
But apparently I wasn't the only one with similar thoughts- a Jap rushed in the same moment I did. We stared at each other before we came to a silent agreement 'we'd fight later- these lives were far more important.' I grabbed the baby and small child, an Kobayashi grabbed the lady. No sooner had we gotten out, the hut collapsed. I was close enough to kill 'em and he me. But he did the strangest thing, he nodded at me. Then I realized he had blue peepers like I did. After that we kept running into one another battle after battle, but we never shot at one another."
A bond that had been forged between two patriotic men though Clark suspected it was because the two were fundamentally good men despite the time, war, and cultural differences.
A bond that had led the two men to exchange letters with the help of interpreters for over 50 years. Kobayashi was of all things, a Shinto priest before he'd been urged to join the Japanese military. After the war he'd returned to being a priest just as PawPaw had returned to being a farmer.
It would make a very compelling novel Clark decided, maybe one day he'd write it.
The only problem with actually being in Japan: neither he nor PawPaw knew a lick of Japanese. Well, PawPaw knew crude curse words he'd learned in the war to spew at enemy soldiers- but nothing that would help them.
Thankfully the airport had told them the trains they needed to take to get to what seemed to be a very rural mountain community. After nerve wracking bus ride up narrow curving mountain roads they arrived at a small town.
They showed the letter Mr. Kobayashi had sent them in order to indicate where they wanted to get to until a farmer had seemingly instructed a young son to lead them to where Mr. Kobayashi lived. The child had a close buzzcut and kind smile as he stared up in awe of Clarks height. Clark felt like something of a giant here, having reached over six feet in height. The boy didn't attempt much conversation beyond a friendly 'Herro' as he guided them through the town. He took them to what seemed to be the start of a hill that had grey stones jutting out in the form of impressive stairs.
There was a girl crouched by the start of the stairs, she was facing away from them and had her hands cupped. Whatever was in her hands evidently escaped and she swiftly tried to recapture it.
PawPaw cleared his throat, a grating sound startling the young lady. She was wearing an outfit of some sort, long billowing red pants and a white top with bell sleeves. Her wavy hair was short and she had chocolate brown eyes.
"Ah! Herro! You are Kento-san? Ji-san waiting to meet!" She chirped in heavily accented English. It took a moment to realize what she'd said, but Clark nodded. Then began the very long accent that had required five rest stops for his grandfather. If he hadn't been playing pack mule Clark would have offered to carry the elderly man up.
At the top of the stairs waited a hunched and wrinkled old man in an outfit similar to the girl's only he had blue bottoms and an impressive overcoat. But watery blue eyes stares a Clark and he knew instantly who the man must be.
The two elderly men's blue eyes met and for a long moment the two merely stared at one another before smiles broke out and the two men shook hands.
"Kento!" "Kobayashi, you old dog!" PawPaw Kent greeted just as warmly.
"I am Kun Loon, granddaughter. Grandfather very happy you are here!" The girl translated clumsily with an earnest smile that Clark couldn't help but return.
"Boy, that's swell!" So his parents were older and he'd picked up some older-fashioned words, so sue him!
"'Swellu'?" Kun Loon asked.
"Uh, It means really good? I guess?" Clark wondered, not used to having to explain basic slang he'd never really thought about.
She smiled sweetly up at him, "Ah, then yes! Is 'swellu'!"
Clark felt his heart flutter at the way she said 'swell' in such an endearing manner.
He wasn't at all like the rogue-ish Americans she'd seen in the movies. He was kind and a good person to the very core. Kun Loon had always been an unusually good judge of character.
Despite his towering height of 6 feet compared to her own 5 feet 2 inches she never felt unsafe around him. Which was a good thing as they tended to be paired off as their grandfathers seemed to transcend the language barrier between them.
The four of them took trips to various sights and she was expected to play translator for them. A daunting task, considering that she was not terribly good at it. Or so she thought. She was always glad for the tours that offered English speaking guides.
A week into the two week visit and Clark found himself enjoying a different countryside. It was just as nice as the Kansas plains, though he found himself appreciative of the forests.
PawPaw and Kobayashi were somehow managing to argue in a joking way despite supposedly not knowing the other's language- Kun Loon whispered it was impressive how the two traded insults back and forth to the various vein of 'well your wife was surely a terrible cook- see how thin you are' or 'you wanna talk cooking old dog? I ate spam until it came outa my ears!' was met with an adamant 'I ate rice until even my stool was white!'
Clark could only take her word on it but the two old men seemed to enjoy being salty to one another. Friendship knew no boundaries.
KunLoon blushed and he supposed that the conversation was becoming crass- only to hear PawPaw say things that would have had Ma chasing after the old coot with soap to place in his mouth.
Definitely no longer polite conversation then, turning to Kun Loon he asked, "I haven't seen much of the shrine. Mind showing me around?"
After a moment she seemed to realize that he was also no longer comfortable sitting near the two old men now sharing rather *ahem* explicit stories. Grandma would have reamed PawPaw a new one if she knew about the 'twin pretties' PawPaw had met on that Pacific island, too bad she'd passed years ago.
Eagerly she lead Clark from the room and out into the mountains. It was late afternoon and it was heck-a humid, but still the two trekked up the mountain as Kun Loon spoke of the Shrine history- she was taking him to see the small shrine dedicated to the mountain god.
Halfway up the mountain they were caught in a sudden downpour.
"Ame!" Kun Loon despaired and he could hazard that it meant 'rain'. The two leapt up the path quickly, each well versed with the dangers of slick mud.
They stood drenched as they entered the small shed, it was a storage shed for various festival objects kept halfway up the mountain.
"Not best day to see small Shrine, Clark." Kun Loon muttered as she began to wring her sleeves. Clark followed suit and peeled off the plaid shirt, not realizing until a moment later that he really shouldn't just start undressing in front of Kun Loon.
And then it happened, before the apology could spring past his lips he felt her lips on his. Reciprocating eagerly he was surprised when she let him hold her in his arms as the kiss deepened. He hadn't thought she was attracted to him, though it was not hard to be attracted to her. She was so very kind, and her smile made him feel like he'd won the lottery hen she flashed it at him.
KunLoon smiled as she held his much larger hand, she was determined to enjoy this. For this may be the very last time to enjoy her youth. She'd heard the talks in her family's shrine- she was expected to be married soon. As a Kobayashi she was expected to uphold the family tradition of marrying into another shrine family to keep the tradition of priests and priestesses strong.
Her elder brother was already in line for head priest once her Grandfather passed, her father had shamed her family by fleeing his duties. The man had abandoned his family not long after KunLoon had been born for a life in the Yakuza. But Nobu Kobayashi had ended up dead not even a few years later in a drug bust. Noriko Kobayashi had served the family she'd married into faithfully as a priestess until an unusually strong summer flu had caused the woman's health to go on a downward spiral until she'd died when Kun Loon had been about to enter Highschool.
After her mother's death Kun Loon had been expected to take on many priestess duties. Thankfully since she lived in a very rural mountain community the few other girls in her highschool understood. The old traditions were still upheld in such a small place so it was not unusual to feel that time passed very serenely and lazily. She could at times almost understand why her father had fled. But in her own heart she knew the rural mountains would always be home. The thrill of exploring the woods and the laid back pace of life suited her to a 't'.
She'd been to Tokyo once and she'd felt as though she were drowning from the sheer hectic bustle of the city. She couldn't understand her classmate's desires to move to such a 'trendy' and 'better' place.
And it would seem her new friend was of the same mind, he was the son of farmers. She was glad that he was just as simple as she was, otherwise their new relationship would have been doomed.
Clark was different, somehow the shy but kind boy was special. She couldn't place a finger on what it was but the sentiment remained- he was destined for something amazing. And she would never regret having him be her very first love.
Ardently she wondered if she could convince him to become a Shinto priest so that he could stay with her. If only Clark were Japanese. Then a pang of shame for daring to wish that Clark was anything more than what he already was.
The two young lovers basked in one another as the storm raged around the small shed, each one creating a memory they would never forget.
Two weeks after her friend Clark left Kun Loon accepted the Omiai to meet one young man named Takeru Higurashi. He was 26 years of age and worked surprisingly as a businessman at a small company that manufactured computer parts. He was still a priest, yet had come to an agreement with his father that he would take on his role as head priest in a few years.
A week later the two decided to proceed with the engagement. They were determined to at least try to find happiness with one another- each hopeful that love would form in time. But with Kun Loon's elderly grandfather surely not long for this world and Takeru's mother suffering terminal cancer they decided to marry as soon as possible.
Ten months later a blue-eyed little girl was born and given the name Kagome Higurashi.
I'm just going to say that I'm using creative license with Kag's unusually long gestation time, all will be revealed later.
Somehow I can see Clark having a salty old PawPaw Kent who never knew about Clark's otherworldly origin.
Shokubo, according to Google means among many things: Hope. A fitting sentiment because apparently Superman's 'S' means 'hope' in Kryptonian. I think.
This chap is a bit rough, mainly because I had no clue how to better place young- almost pre-power Clark in Japan. He always had the strength and speed but it only became more noticeable in his late teens like in the animated superman series, along with other powers.