"When do I leave?" Kagome asks.
"Just as soon as I can make all the arrangements." Nodoka tells her daughter.
Kagome smiles and begins to head upstairs. Souta rushes after her.
"Come on, Sis, I'll show you some footage about Iron Man."
"Okay, squirt, lead the way."
They sat for hours in front of Souta's computer, going over as much footage of Tony Stark and Iron Man as they could find. Kagome found out that he was a lecherous man, just like a certain monk she once knew and that he was a bit immature. But she could also see that he had a good heart and that he did want to make the world better.
At one particular video of him at a press conference, Kagome had Souta pause the video. She began to compare herself to him. She noticed that for the most part she resembled her mother, though Kagome could see that she did have his ears and his cheekbones and chin.
While Kagome and Souta are looking at things related to Iron Man, Nodoka was in her room, more specifically in her closet taking down a shoe box. In that box was a phone, the first Stark Phone that Tony ever made. She turned it on to see if it still worked and sure enough it did and was fully charged. She goes through the contact list until she comes across Tony's number.
Nodoka prays that Tony still has the same phone number. She takes a deep breath and dials the number.
It was two in the morning in Malibu and Tony Stark had just started on his second bottle of Scotch. Tony was having one of those nights where he couldn't stop thinking of Nodoka. Though this night was worse, it would have been their anniversary if she had given him the chance to propose, instead she walked out of his life.
Tony was propped up on the sofa in his living room drinking Scotch from a glass staring at the engagement ring that he had got her. When JARVIS informed him that there was a call for him.
"Who the fuck would be calling me at two in the morning?" Tony said as he slumps further into the sofa.
**Sir, the call originates from Japan, and it is only 6pm there.**
"Well who the hell is it?"
**Caller ID shows that it is someone named Nodoka Higurashi.**
Tony was in the middle of taking a drink when his eyes widen and he spits his drink out and drops the glass, shattering it.
"JARVIS put the call through." Tony pulls his Stark Phone out from his pocket just as the call comes through. Tony clears his throat before he talks.
"Hello?"
There was a long pause, Nodoka couldn't believe that it was Tony, tears well up in her eyes.
"Hello?" Tony asks again.
"Tony?" Nodoka said in a timid voice.
Tony's mouth fell open and he nearly dropped the phone, "N-Nodoka, is that you?"
She sighs, "Yes, Tony, it's me, how have you been?"
Tony closed his eyes for a moment, he placed his hand over his heart. 'Completely miserable without you, how have you been?' Tony thought bitterly.
"Oh, I've been great how 'bout yourself, how's married life treating you?"
Tony couldn't believed he asked that, he really didn't want to know how her stupid marriage was.
"I'm fine, though I'm a widow now. My husband died 12 years ago in a car accident.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Tony said though he wasn't sure if he meant it.
"Thank you for your sentiment, Tony."
There was once again an awkward silence between the two for quite a while until Tony finally breaks the silence.
"I see that you kept the Stark Phone that I made for you."
"Yes, I couldn't throw it away, it's something that I treasured. I'm glad to see that you kept your old phone number."
Again there was silence
"Nodoka I don't mean to be rude, but why did you call me at two in the morning?" Tony asks as he pours himself another Scotch.
"I'm sorry, Tony, I didn't mean to call you so late. Did I wake you, should I call you in the morning?"
"No it's fine, I was still up anyway. So what's going on?"
Nodoka takes a deep breath to settle her nerves, "I have something very important to tell you and more than likely you won't believe me, but its the truth. Tony, I'm calling you to tell you that you and I have a daughter and she needs your help."
Nodoka heard the phone fall to the floor and a glass shatter then a loud thump, she could only assume that Tony fainted. She waited patiently for Tony to come to so they could continue their conversation.
Tony hit the marble floor hard, knocking himself out for several minutes. JARVIS tried to revive him, he checked Tony's vital signs to insure that Tony was fine.
**Sir, Sir, are you alright?** JARVIS asks
Tony groans and placed a hand on the back of his head, feeling a goose egg size lump.
"JARVIS, what happened?"
"Apparently Mrs. Higurashi informed you that you are a father."
Tony's eyes widen, "Holy shit!" he frantically looks around for the phone he dropped. Once he spots it he lunges for the phone.
"Hello, Nodoka, are you still there?" Tony asked desperately.
"Yes, Tony I'm still here."
"Did I understand you right, did you say I have a daughter?"
"Yes, Tony, you understood correctly."
"And she would be, what, about 17 years old now? Nodoka why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't find out I was pregnant until three month after we broke up, I had every intention of telling you. As a matter of fact I was going to call of my engagement and try to get back together with you. But when I left the doctor's office, I passed by a newstand and there you were on the cover of a magazine surrounded by all these women. You were making out with one of them. That was when I realized that the baby and I could never be apart of your life, we would just be in the way, so I kept it a secret."
Tony wanted to scream at this woman, she robbed him of 17 years of his daughter's life. She would have told him, he would have moved heaven and earth to be with them and raise his little girl. He promised himself that he would be a better father than Howard Stark ever was and so far things weren't looking very good.
"What's her name?" Tony whispered into the phone. He was trying his best to hold back his tears.
"Her name is Kagome Stark, at least that's what's written on her birth certificate, but all her life she has gone by Kagome Higurashi."
Tony sighed, then it occurred to him, "You said you needed my help with her, what's wrong?"
"Kagome is suffering from a severe case of depression and she is not getting any better. I don't know what to do, Tony, I'm very worried about her. She still functions, she goes to school, does her homework, but after that she locks herself away in her room. She spends most of her time crying, though she tries to hide it. The only idea that I could come up with is to send her away from this place which is only has painful memories for her."
"What exactly happened to her?" Tony asked worried that maybe his daughter was suicidal.
"That's not something I can share with you, Tony, you need to hear it straight from her."
"Fair enough. Okay, this is what we're going to do, you and Kagome are going to get on one of Stark Industries coorperate jets and you're going to fly out here to Malibu, from there we'll decide what to do. I'll have everything ready by tomorrow morning, let me have your address and I'll send a driver over to pick you up and take you to the jet. Nodoka I don't want to offend you,but-"
"You need a paternity test to prove that Kagome is yours. That's alright, Tony, I'm not offended. I would ask for the same thing if I were in your shoes."
Tony let out a sigh of relief, he knew that Nodoka would never lie to him but he had to be sure for legal reasons.
"Alright now that everything is settled, I'll see you when you land."
"Oh there one other thing, Tony, I need to be able to bring my son Souta with us as well, he's only 13 years old, I can't leave him alone only with his grandpa." Nodoka informs Tony.
"That's fine, bring him along."
"Thank you, Tony, he's a big fan of yours."
"Oh, well, I'll have to sign a few autographs for him when you guys get here." Tony said smiling on his end.
"Alright I should let you go to sleep now, Tony, I'll see you when we get there."
"Y-yeah I'll see you guys when you get here, goodnight Nodoka."
"Goodnight, Tony."
"Hey, Nodoka, it was good to hear your voice."
"Yeah, Tony, you too."
And with that they both hung up, Tony rubs his face and gets up from the sofa.
"JARVIS, I want you to get everything ready so that the Higurashie can leave as soon as possible. I also want you to gather all the information that is available on Nodoka Higurashi and my daughter Kagome, I'm going to take a shower."
**Yes, sir**
When Nodoka hung up, Kagome stepped into her mother's room.
"So mom what are we going to do?" Kagome asks.
"Tell your brother to start packing, you too. Tomorrow we leave for Malibu, California so you can meet your father."
Kagome nods and disappears down the hall to inform her brother, he was going to faint when he finds out.
"Hey Souta…"
