I do not claim any rights over Marvel or Takahashi property. I just enjoy introducing them to each other.

The Faith Healer

Chapter One

"Tony, look at this," Pepper said, sliding an article from her tablet to his. He glanced at it, dismissing it quickly.

"Nothing but a charlatan. Faith healing's one of the oldest scams in the books." He played with the design for the stabilizers on his suit a while longer, before jerking his head up. "Wait, you aren't the type to believe in stupid stuff. What has you convinced she's real?"

Pepper grinned. It was always nice when Tony took his head out of his ass for a while. "Johns Hopkins did a study on her. She doesn't just lay on hands and spout nonsense, she's actually licensed in traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine."

"Ugh. Don't they prescribe tiger balls or something illegal like that?" he said, unconsciously shielding his own.

She looked at him sharply, "If they do, you'd be the last to need them." She wasn't impressed with the wide swath he cut through the female population. A slut was a slut, no matter the gender.

"Complimenting my virility? Hey, I know! I'll let you lay your hands on me and we'll play... ouch" He rubbed his head and looked for the projectile that hit it, frowning at the–—ha, ha—nut on the floor beside him. "You're no fun."

Pepper rolled her eyes and continued, "Ten terminal cancer patients volunteered for her to treat them... all had been told that they couldn't be cured. A month later, seven were cancer-free, two were in remission, and one died two days into the trial."

Tony grunted, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll keep her in mind if I ever develop cancer."

"They also had her lay hands on surgical patients, and they healed in half the normal time. But the biggest news is that she was in the emergency room when a child came in, shotgun blast to the chest. He flatlined as they wheeled him in. She pushed away all the people around him and laid hands on him. Five minutes later, he was crying for his mother, not an injury on him."

"You're joking." He said, staring at her, possibilities flicking through his mind.

"No. But, as the article said, they're looking for her. Apparently one of the doctors rather injudiciously made noise about experiments, and she vanished. I don't blame her, if that's the repayment for a miracle." She began taking care of the thousand and one things she had to do today, hiding a sly smile as she let Tony assimilate what she had said. She hadn't managed to stay with him this long without knowing how to manipulate him... and she never, ever wanted him to ask her to stick her hand in his chest again.

"I've got to find her," he suddenly declared. "I'm grateful as hell the arc reactor keeps me alive, but to quit with the glowy-chest thing... JARVIS, track down all information on Kagome Higurashi and start a trace on her movements beginning the week before she disappeared. We've got a doctor to find."

This story will have a chapter for each Iron Man and Avengers movie... so yes, I have three chapters written, and am looking forward to Iron Man 3 and Avengers 2.