A.N. I have been reading quite a few Inuyasha/Marvel crossovers and I must write one. Why? Cause that's how my brain works. SilverontheRose can be credited for this particular avenue of thought. I own nothing.

"Mr. Stark, you have an incoming call, marked urgent," a crisp electronic voice sounded, cutting through the billionaire's sleep and stirring the two women beside him.

"Jarvis, I have two very tired guests, and I'm not my usual perky self either. If it's SHIELD, give it to Bruce." The other scientist was almost certain to still be moving around the lab despite it being, a cursory glance told him, three in the morning.

Lowering his volume so as not to disturb the sleeping guests the male mentioned anymore, Jarvis did not allow him to go back to sleep. "Please, Sir, the call is of utmost personal importance. Mr. Banner would not be spoken to, even if I offered her."

Groaning, the sleep deprived playboy crawled out of bed, avoiding the sleeping beauties. Walking out into the hall, he made his way to the living room and flopped on the couch. "This better be good Jarvis. Now who is it?"

"Emiko Higurashi." Without waiting for further action, he flicked the screen up, showing him satellite footage of the woman, sitting on her porch with the receiver next to her face, looking drawn and... Were those sake bottles next to her?

"Stark-san... Anthony?" her voice came through, hesitant and a little slow. On the screen, the unknowingly watched woman shifted nervously.

For once, Tony Stark was at a loss for what to say to that. He had not seen, nor spoken to Emiko Higurashi in almost nineteen years. Not that he was counting. Running a hand through his hair, he cleared his throat and took a swallow of the drink Jarvis brought him. "This is Tony. You forget the time difference?" He was a tad sarcastic in tone.

"Kami-sama..." She lapsed into japanese a moment, the image on the screen showing her rubbing her eyes.

Despite her tired features and obvious intoxication, he had to admit she looked good, especially considering she was older than him. "Look, Emiko, I don't know if you just had a rough day and needed to unwind, but it's three in the morning here. Catch up with me at a decent hour." He could see the sun was set in the sky for about six in the evening-She would still be up in a few hours, wouldn't she?

"I'm sorry about that, I really am." Her accent was thicker, the more distressed she was. She stopped and picked up her sake, instead of drinking it, splashing it in her face, likely to try and force herself to focus. "Look, I really am sorry, Anthony. Calling like this was the only way I could make the call though."

Amused at her unwittingly entertaining actions, the male wondered what could possibly be making her act this way. It had been a long time, sure, but he remembered her well enough to know this was totally out of character. Or at least it had been. "Well, as flattered as I am that you have to get up the courage to merely call me, I think we're past the whole relationship idea. I'll drop by for sex next time I'm in Japan though."

Sputtering and cursing in her native tongue, she knocked over a bottle as she got to her feet. "You listen here, Anthony, I am not a-a butt call!" she shrieked at him, her lack of ability to use english slang making it more comical than she could fathom.

Snickering, he sipped his drink and watched her on the monitor, almost ready to forgive her the call after the entertainment she provided in these early hours. "Well, if you're not offering me your butt, what are you calling for? If I'm all that's in your address book, that's pretty sad, Emiko."

"Anthony, please be quiet. It took a lot of sake and more nerve to call, but there's something you deserve to know. Something I planned on never telling you, or her for that matter... Anthony, you have a daughter. She's eighteen now, but she's in the hospital. She's had a very rough go at things and she is badly hurt. Anthony, she might die, and I thought you deserved to say goodbye." Her voice cracked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Well and truly at a loss, he set his glass down. "You expect me to believe that I fathered your child and you're just now calling me. Look, how much is her treatment?" Perhaps she was just hitting him up for money?

"Anthony, I had a husband and he forgave my indiscretion and loved her as his own-Why would I have told you? You were such a child, and you still are. But she's very, very hurt and she might die. You should know. You should know her if you want the chance, even if it's brief. She's at Tokyo hospital, room 142. Even if you don't believe me, you could go just for a paternity test. They have plenty of her blood handy. Whatever you decide, do it quickly." With that, she hung up.

In shock, the billionaire merely watched the woman he'd had a brief affair with once upon a time. He watched her wipe her eyes and stumble inside before her father-in-law returned to take her away... Probably to the hospital.

"Tony, come back to bed," a seductive voice called.

Sudden discomfort hit the male as he realized the two women in his bed really weren't much older than his supposed daughter. "I've got some work to do, Ladies. Jarvis, make taxi arrangements."

x~x~x

"So... We're headed to Japan so you can meet your dying eighteen year old daughter who you had no clue about prior to this drunken phone call." It was a statement, but Bruce's expression may as well have been a question mark.

"It may sound, alright, it does sound crazed., but the woman was honestly one of the most sincere people I ever met. Aside from me, she never seemed to sin in her life. Now, I've looked up the girl and she has a history of illness and injuries. Broken ribs, fingers, bruises... Overall, apparently Saito Higurashi did not stick around long enough to teach his kids to fight. And now... Well, I hacked into the records. She might very well die. Ribs punctured her lung, shattered femur, internal bleeding, possible brain damage from trauma and oxygen deprivation." Overall, he hoped it was a lie and she wasn't his kid.

"If she's your daughter, and she dies..." The scientist frowned. Since Pepper had quit and gotten married, his friend had been a wreck. Finding this out just looked like a world of more pain. If she was his child, she was going to die, and how would he take that? But if she wasn't, he would likely be enraged at this Emiko woman and be even less likely to trust people, and quite possibly make him even more a lech out of lacking respect for women.

"I don't even know her." Tony shrugged as if he didn't care, but internally, he was really rather uncomfortable with the whole idea. He was not father material, and that was proven in that he was not even alerted to this girl's existence until the last minute.

Knowing his friend was far more troubled than he let on, he sighed. "Are you going to go in and see her first or collect DNA for testing purposes?"

"I'll go in and collect the sample myself, from her." Beyond science, he felt the irrational need to see her, see if she looked like him. He knew phenotype and genotype were not necessarily in direct correlation, yet he still felt that distinct need to appraise her that way. "She has a brother-Half brother, if it's true."

Almost groaning, he knew his best friend was agonizing a bit. She had gone on to have a second child with her husband, Tony probably seeing it as a sort of cover up, a way to legitimize the family. "And the father left them?"

"Nope. Dead." Which was an even heavier insult. If she was his child, not only was he thought inferior to Saito Higurashi, which he could understand, in the fatherhood sense... But he was also considered a less viable option than no father at all.

Giving his friend a reassuring pat on the back, he opened his laptop, ready to look at whatever Tony had sent him. Whenever he hacked a database, he had a tendency to show him anything science related.

x~x~x

Steady beeping showed the patient's heartbeat, surprisingly strong given the severity of her condition. Technically, you weren't supposed to have visitors in the ICU. However, Tony Stark was not known for rule compliance.

"Doesn't look a damn thing like me." Without waiting for a response, the wealthy man walked over to the petite and broken girl. His stomach churned a little as he looked at her face. She was in obvious pain, despite her lack of consciousness. Trying not to think about it, he took out a q-tip and swabbed the inside of her mouth, dropping the sample into the portable DNA analysis machine he had brought. It would still take an hour. He sat silently on the side opposite the girl's mother.

"Kagome has blue eyes." The Higurashi matriarch let out a slow sigh. "She's as adventurous as her father. She isn't very skilled in math or science-She excels at more creative endeavors. I always thought it was terribly ironic."

"How did she get this way? For that matter, why has she been in and out of hospitals since she turned fifteen?" He turned disapproving eyes on her. He avoided asking her the questions that had been left unanswered between them.

"I told you-She has your flare for adventure. I've seen the papers, the news... Well, Kagome got mixed up in something just as dangerous." Sighing, regret shined in the petite woman's features.

"Okaa-san..." The voice was weak, barely rasping as she let out a low whimper, reaching for the woman. Briefly, she seemed to spot the American man with confusion in her eyes.

Shocked that she was even awake, Emiko went to her daughter, stroking her hair and speaking to her in quiet Japanese. When her daughter began to speak back, they seemed to tense and speak quieter despite their foreign audience.

A doctor came in and ushered both of them out to speak with his mysteriously conscious patient. It was the first time she had been awake since coming here.

Emiko lingered, watching through the clear glass before they closed the blinds. It hurt to know, but after bringing her daughter here a few times, there were those on the staff who suspected her of child abuse.

"That was unexpected." Tony eyed the woman, very surprised by the turn of events. He still had time left on the test, and it appeared she was doing better than he'd thought. "I'll be back." Waving haphazardly, he walked away, tapping his earpiece. "Jarvis, translate what was recorded."

"Yes, Sir. Two voices, female, Japanese to English.

" 'Mother...'

'Kagome, oh my god, I'm so happy to see you awake? What happened? Is it over?'

'Yes, Mama. It's over. For them anyway... Inuyasha is dead, I don't even know about the rest.'

'The jewel of four souls?'

'Inside... With me... Always.'

"Translation complete," the electronic voice finished.

Frowning, Tony tapped the earpiece to leave the voice silent until needed again. The translation left him extremely curious. At least one person was dead and maybe more. And there was a jewel. Weird name, but a jewel. It vaguely sounded familiar, but did that mean the girl was some sort of thief? Was that what Emiko meant about adventure? Shaking off his questions, he opted to go back to his hotel room.

x~x~x

" 'Higurashi Kagome, exceptionally bright. Waste of talent.' Wow, her teachers all seemed to know she could do better," Bruce commented as he went through the files Jarvis had hacked and translated for him. His friend had been silent, doing research without much comment. "So, are you going to do the test?"

"Already have," he replied easily, though he was inwardly cringing at the admission.

"So, she's not yours?" the more sedate male asked. His eyes were soft though, his manner gentle. He was here for the other man if he needed him.

Setting the computer aside, the normally jovial billionaire was actually a little embarrassed. For once, he was frightened of a test result. It had to be the first time. Even when he had performed tests to make sure his electric heart still worked, there had never been this sort of anxiety. Finally, he sighed. "I did the test..." Looking at the portable device he'd used, he almost wished he'd not brought it. "I haven't looked at the results yet."

Leaning forward, his eyes were a little wide. "Wait, how long have you had the results?" In all their time together, he had never known the business tycoon to shy from anything. Be it a fight, an impossible invention, or even the challenge of a woman or women, he had never seen Tony Stark avoid something like this.

"Since a half hour after I got back." Shaking off his nerves, he pulled the piece of paper out. His eyes wouldn't focus though. He crumpled it up and threw it at his friend childishly.

Rolling his eyes, he straightened out the crinkled paper and licked his lips. "Tony... You're her father." Not certain what else to say, he stood and walked over, squeezing his shoulder firmly. After a moment, he went towards their kitchenette to get something to eat.

For some reason, he wasn't surprised. Emiko really was a very honest woman for the most part. It was illogical, but he almost felt like he'd known this would be the result from the second he heard. Yet... "How did this happen?"

Setting a cup of tea and a scone before his friend, he smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It's a wonder it doesn't happen more if you're not certain of that."

Giving a very half hearted chuckle, the man shook his head. "Clearly, you don't know my reputation."

The smile fading, he sat across from him again. "How did it happen? I've been reading up on her. Emiko Higurashi is... Well, not your type. She's the daughter of a shrine keeper, who married into a family of shrine keepers. I see you visited Higurashi Shrine when you were young, but how did you go from one visit to fathering a child with a married woman?"

Sighing, he rubbed his face. "I'd just started to take over the company. Some of my advisors thought it would be a good idea to show a 'soft' side. So, when I went to Japan to make a little business transaction, it was suggested I sample the local flavor in a way I normally wouldn't. Shrines, temples, museums, ect. I wound up on that shrine and I was bored out of my mind. Her father-in-law was giving the tour, I had a translator. She was just sweeping up and, I'll admit, thought she was hot. Older than me, attractive-Then she corrected my translator."

At the grin, Bruce couldn't help but think he had a definite type with the correcting thing. He liked smart women, women who didn't take a lot of crap. "And?"

"I told my translator to take a hike and convinced her to come along. Her father-in-law wasn't too happy-apparently he knew my reputation-but she did a much better job of it. Asked her out, she turned me down.

"After that, I went back every couple weeks, always finding an excuse to go to Japan. I think I was hung up on the fact that she was not interested. Even met her husband briefly. One day, I came by and she was alone. She had a bruise on her cheek and I asked her how she got it. She cried and clung to me and... Well, she was no innocent shrine girl anymore." The memory was fleeting. "Saito Higurashi came barging in, beat me up, yelled at his wife, and told me to never set foot near her again. Turns out, they'd had a fight over fertility testing as she hadn't managed to get pregnant and he resented the idea that it could be him. The bruise was from her falling down the stairs, verified by satellite, and I'd walked in at just the right moment to take advantage."

Eyes wide, the other scientist realized the implication. "He knew... He knew it was yours before she was even born. But what about the younger kid-Souta?"

"Six years of constant trying, I suppose." Sighing, he shook his head. "I have a kid."

x~x~x

"You know, I should probably, as a father, be concerned that my daughter is surrounded by men, some of them my age," the American quipped as he stood beside the Higurashi matriarch, observing their child through the glass. She was surrounded by males, one of which was Inuji Tsukino, head of Tsukino Inc, and someone he did business with. Stranger still.

Chuckling, Emiko shook her head. "Considering the youth you had, I'd think our daughter would have to have inherited some charm." Her eyes softened a little. "You gave me a great gift, in her. Saito and I... Well, we may very well have split up, if not for you. It was odd, but seeing us together showed him how much he loved me. He realized that our fights, they were meaningless. Then I was pregnant and... Well, he was happy we had a child. He refused to even acknowledge that she wasn't his. He gave her his name without hesitation, and we remained together. We tried for another and eventually, we had Souta. He died though. Kagome was already six years old, grieving her father, another baby on the way... I didn't have the courage, nor the strength, Anthony."

Part of him was angry with her, immensely so. She had never contacted him, left him without a clue that he had a child, given that child another man's name and even now referred to him as such. Yet, he wouldn't have been a good father. He was young, brash, and even now, he doubted any such paternal patterns in himself. "What is she involved in? When she woke up, you two talked about the 'shikon no tama', the legend your shrine tells. She said it was inside."

"You've picked up Japanese?" she asked, clearly surprised he had a clue what they had been saying.

"While that would be useful, I didn't-I have enough money to pay translators." Or build and program them, in the case of Jarvis. He flashed her a cocky grin and suddenly it was years ago, him the arrogant young tycoon and she the beautiful, mature, yet vulnerable woman.

"It only works once." Smiling a sad smile, the older female stood on the tips of her toes to peck his cheek. "Now, I've told her about you. You just need to go introduce yourself."

A moment passed before he realized she had dodged his inquiries about the jewel and what his not so new daughter was involved in. He sighed and after a long pause, he barged right in. "Hello Tsukino, random guys, I need to talk to that very charming, remarkably healing young woman." Deciding to just go with his typical greetings, he glanced, a tad worried at her reaction, to his daughter. Still sounded bizarre.

"Stark, what business do you have here?" the white haired male demanded, his tone emotionless though his stance was protective.

Tense, the injured woman spoke in quick, quiet Japanese to him. She then turned her attention to a young man a few years older than her with orange hair. They had a quick exchange as well.

Much to his discomfort, all but Tsukino gave her a hug, a light squeeze or even a peck on the cheek before filing out. He grabbed a now unoccupied fold out chair and spun it around before sitting in it. "So... Speak English?"

"I do." Her accent was thicker than her mother's but not overly so. Her eyes roved over his face, studying. She gestured to the laptop to the side. "So... You're Iron Man?"

"Yep. And you're my daughter, with a ton of secrets and friends in high places to cover up for you. Though I have to say, Tsukino would've probably brought the doctors to you so as to avoid the whole hospital records thing. Though I am grateful-makes snooping so much easier when there's a paper trail, or an e-trail, preferably." He appraised her curiously. "Not that I wanted you to, but I was only brought in on this little secret cause your mother thought you were dying. So... Care to explain the rapid recovery?"

"Not really," the miko admitted with a tilt of her lips. She took in a deep breath and reached for her cup of water, sipping it thoughtfully. "You're biologically speaking, my father. But Higurashi Saito raised me until I was six. I don't know you, and if I don't know you, I can't trust you. You've already proven that you would violate my privacy to satisfy your curiosity. If you are interested in getting to know me, then I would like to try as well. You will have to actually work for it though, Mr. Stark."

"Well, how about when you're recovered, you come stay with me awhile?" When she shook her head, he pouted. "A weekend?" Sighing dramatically at her denial, he looked thoughtful. "Dinner?" At her nod, he smirked. Of course she'd be stubborn and difficult... She was his daughter.