He never realized how well the colors of the peppers and slightly pink meat blended together. The diamond of red peppers shone brightly against the translucent onion and contrasted well with the green of the jalapeños.

"Wonder why I never noticed what a masterpiece this meatloaf is." Blue eyes clashed with blue steel and Bruce Wayne lifted a billion dollar eyebrow.

"Because you've never been avoiding the conversation." Superman in disguise coughed slightly, his throat suddenly restricting due to his brief panic. He knew he couldn't hide anything from Bruce. Those eyes belonged to Batman. Nothing gets pass Batman.

"I've told you about Nodoka before haven't I?"

"The foreign girl you had that fling with back in high school?" Super Clark felt his blood begin to boil. Nodoka was too great a woman to be in something as trite as a fling.

"She is my first love." Batman didn't scare, Batman was fear. But Bruce is not Batman, not right now at least. Because of that he had no qualms about the slight bead of sweat that tricked down his neck. He'd swear there was the fairest tint of red in his buds eyes. That reaction told Bruce more in a moment than Clark had in the last hour. The billionaire gently set his coffee down, took a breath, and apologized.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were so serious back then."

"It's fine…it's just-"

"You still love her." It was a statement neither were surprised was said.

"This spacing out you've been doing has more to do with how you feel for Nodoka and your relationship with Lois than it does with your child, doesn't it?" And there it went. The taunt cord that had so meticulously wound itself around Kal-Els spine loosened. His muscles relaxed in response and he breathed out fully, grateful for the open door that could explain away the sudden breeze. He could always count on his right hand man to get to the root of problems he didn't know he had.


Kagome lay against Martha's cooling body. Her eyes were wide with shock at the mess she'd made her grandmother. She hadn't meant to. She hadn't wanted to. Tears stung her innocent aqua eyes. It was going so well and then….and then she got this this little tickle in her nose she couldn't hold in. Mother Kent's light blue orbs were glossy as they peered into the miko's soul.

"Gomen Gran." She squeaked before quickly darting away from the kitchen. She had to get far away from there. How could she possibly face her father….


"You aren't obligated to stay with someone because they think they love you." Krypton's last son winced then pulled his jack closer to his neck, as if to stave off the sudden chill creeping up his back.

"We are in a relationship-"

" Built on secrets. She doesn't know you to love you Clark. She thinks she loves Superman, but she can't possibly love him without loving Kent. You may love her as well but that doesn't mean you're in love with her." The Wayne heir pushed on, his chess like mind already 12 steps ahead of the reporter's rebuttals.

"Tell me, do you feel for Lois what you feel for Sayatomi?"


No one expects to be hit with something, but when they sense a blow coming they block for a solid lick. Having powder as an assailant was both welcome and yet strange. The young miko blinked owlishly at her partially flour covered grandmother.

"That's what you get you little scamp." Martha giggled, snapping a quick pic of her powdered grandbaby. Kagome sat her groceries down, swiped a bit of the mess off the table and tossed it into her grans hair.

"I can't meet Dad like this! I got cleaning supplies and everything! Traitor!" Kent kitchen was a mess of flour, melting butter, and onions with a bit of seasonings sprinkled here and there. Specifically pepper. Earlier attempts at making a curry roux ended with someone shaking a little too much pepper in front of an open window. The little Kryptonian's delicate sniffer couldn't help but sneeze, sending powdered wheat sailing into the air. Martha wound up so startled she tossed her partially chopped onions sending a rather potent amount of natural tear gas cascading through the air. A demi alien's senses could only take so much and Kagome fled for relief. How could she possibly face her father as a cream puff?


Clean up took a lot more time that it had a right to. That may or may not be attributed to possible food skirmishes during the next few hours. Despite this, dinner was ready and so was Kagome. Her open heart pounded soundly against her rib cage, she took several deep breaths in attempts to calm herself.

"I haven't been this nervous since introducing Inuyasha to mama." Maybe the Kent matriarch had been a ninja in her younger years, or maybe Kagome's heart was just that loud. Either way weather hands escaped her notice until they found themselves tangled in her blue tinted locks. The shrine maiden tossed up her lithe arms in surprise, old mother Kent laughed.

"Who is this Inuyasha fellow? A boooyy friend?" The crinkles around a pair of light eyes deepened as Martha narrowed them in a mock glare.

"Oh no! He's just my friend, my husband would kill him if he thought his brother was after me. Eep!" Blast her big mouth, for the first time in weeks she's stayed Kagome startled her grandmother.


Another deep exhale had Clark's resolve steady. He stepped off the bus and made a show of glancing both ways down the empty road. He'd muted his senses when he entered his plan a few hours ago. He wanted his first time hearing his only child's voice to be special. He wanted to watch her speak so he could memorize her sound, scent, and image all at once. He stilled the hand he'd readied to knock. It was his home, he had keys. What was he doing knocking? The house was surprisingly quiet even for human ears. Clark's steadied nerves began to fray, he opened the door.

"Hello? Mom, I'm home." His eagle gaze caught the slightest flurry of movement just a moment too late. He suddenly found himself nearly bowled over by the cutest sight he'd ever seen. His daughter stared up at him with his own eyes, rounded and framed by her mother's long lashes. She had small pouty pink lips that matched the slight blush on her cheeks still chunky with baby fat. His suitcase dropped and he wasn't all that careful of his massive strength when he crushed his baby girl to his chest. She smelled of sunshine and sakura blossoms the man of steel noted, burying his face in his bluish hair growing from his daughter.

"Okaeri nasai, papa." He felt like crying. He'd always believed in love at first sight, he just hadn't realized that it could be more than one type of love. His barrel chest swelled with emotion, he tucked his child's head under his chin, basking in the aura of comfort she radiated. Superman now understood why Batman was so cautious, so ready to take him down. If something happened to her…well, he had no shame in admitting to himself he'd use every ounce of sun enhanced power to raze the world to the ground until she was safe where she belonged.


Hello Hello! Big daddy sups in the house! Thank you all for your support. Next chapter will be up soon, we will get a lot of Kagome Clark time in then. Remember to review please, I can't get better with ya.