Chapter 56-So Lean On Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD.

So Lean On Me

[Kunou]

"W-What'd you say?" Joshua asked her, turning to look at her, wide-eyed. Her mother, for her part, blinked at her, which might as well have been the same reaction as the man, really. Especially because she didn't answer immediately.

"Can I call you dad?" Kunou asked, the bundle of nerves in her chest growing more chaotic. She'd been ready, prepared herself even, to receive a no. However, it occurred to her that maybe there were worse outcomes to her question then. Joshua wasn't her father, even if he was fine with acting like one. What if he-?

"I mean, I-" Joshua started, making her brain grind to a halt to pay attention. "Pretty sure that'd cause problems?" He said, sounding as unsure as Kunou felt, before turning towards Yasaka.

"It… could," Her mother agreed, and disappointment shot through Kunou then and there. 'It's fine, I knew it was too much,' She told herself, even if it really didn't make her feel any better. "It shouldn't be the case if it's only in private though," Yasaka added then, making Kunou feel painfully hopeful.

She looked at the two of them alternatively, waiting for an answer to her question. Her mother, as usual, gave nothing away as she looked at Joshua. The man, meanwhile, seemed to have composed his expression finally and was looking right back, as if trying to get a read on what the youkai leader thought. Eventually, he deflated slightly as he turned to look at Kunou instead.

He gave her a slight, nervous smile.

"I guess it should be fine," He replied carefully, slowly. His eyes darted towards Yasaka, still trying to gleam something from her, which was a wasted effort, Kunou knew. "I don't have a problem with that, honestly," He added, and she felt her lips pull up and the knot her insides had turned into warmth. "If Yasaka is fine with it, of course."

He didn't need to say more, Kunou turned fully towards her mother, giving her the best pleading eyes she could manage. The woman simply regarded her with a fond smile, which said it all. That was quickly turning into the best day of Kunou's life, she was pretty sure.

"Of course you can," Yasaka confirmed and Kunou threw herself into her arms.

"Thank you," She told her, hugging her tightly before letting go and doing the same with Joshua. The man received her easily, even if he was much slower to return the gesture, gently patting her back. "Thank you," She repeated, looking up at the man's face, who had a smile on his face. "Dad," She added, and the grin twitched. She focused on his life energy instead of his face.

There was still nervousness, but there was also happiness, confusion, pride.

She beamed.

[}-o-{]

[Joshua Davis]

"And that's that," He said, sitting back and looking down at the circles he'd just gotten done drawing. "What do you think?" He asked, getting a tap on his forehead courtesy of Morag, who was standing on his head. "Well… Do you mind?" He asked then, making the spider jump to his shoulder before he let his hair loose. Having it tied for work was much better, but it was also a little uncomfortable. At least if he tied it perfectly.

'Still not sure if I want to have it cut or not,' He thought to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. 'Something for another time.'

"Well, you certainly took your time, Joshua," Yasaka pointed out, an amused expression on her face. He just chuckled, stretching his legs a bit before looking at the circles. There was a step left, after all. Kneeling for a moment, he cast the circles' spells. The room was washed with several lights from the different magics before they subsided. "Is that all?" The youkai leader asked then.

"Yeah, that's all," He said, and at that very moment the Charm of Shed sent a signal to him. The general idea he got was that the god was satisfied with his work, which was great because-

He was interrupted as a screen appeared in front of him, but not a normal one. No, instead, it was the beige one with the ankh symbol. Shed's screens, as he'd come to know them, more precisely.

[Quest: Wards for the Kyubi

Reward:

+ Blessing of Shed

+ Senjutsu

Information: Must go mainly on behalf of Shed.]

'I'd almost forgotten about this Quest,' He thought to himself as he read the message. Which was kinda funny, really. If the amusement Shed was sending him, the god was aware of his thoughts, one way or another. That was a little concerning, he guessed, but Joshua couldn't bring himself to care overly much when he'd been getting help from his Egyptian friend for a while already.

Instantly, he felt the shift of Shed's blessing on him at the same time that a circle appeared in front of him dropping a scroll that he barely caught. Opening it… Joshua felt his eye twitch. Especially after he used Appraisal on it.

[Senjutsu Scroll

Rank – ?]

'God, why can't I have it easy for once?' He lamented, checking that, indeed, the contents of the scroll were all written with hieroglyphs. Goddamned hieroglyphs. Because of course that was how the Senjutsu of his Quest would be delivered. 'You are an asshole,' He thought, and he was pretty sure Shed was laughing at him. Still, the scroll was out of his rank for appraising, so it should at least be pretty good. With any luck, learning the new language would be worth it.

With a sigh, he closed the scroll. 'Perks?' He called, and sure enough, his Minor Blessing of Shed was gone, replaced by another.

[Blessing of Shed

Increases the potential of the user to connect with Animals.

Increases the potential of the user to Hunt.]

'Huh?' He thought, frowning and tilting his head. He was very aware of Yasaka looking at him, however, so he couldn't very well continue investigating all that for long.

"It seems you've got one of your payments, huh?" She asked, giving him a smile. "Although, I do guess Serafall got ahead of all of us in that regard," She added, much to Shed's annoyance, if he was getting that message right.

"I guess," He said with a shrug before cracking his neck. "Which reminds me, I guess I'll have to give the Church a call to tell them the job is done," He mused, unsure of how he felt about that. From what he knew, that faction was a mess. There was seriously messed up stuff in their history, but they were also not that bad. 'Thank God I've been interacting with Griselda, mainly,' He thought to himself. At least he knew the woman was one of the good ones, probably.

"Don't sound too eager, Joshua," Yasaka said, walking beside him as they walked out of the room he'd set the defenses in. As they did, he stored the scroll inside his own personal storage spell, not a card or a notebook. His own pseudo-Inventory of sorts, really, which he filled with things he really wanted to have at hand and ready, like Setan Kober.

"It's not that I don't like them, I just… have my doubts about them," He explained with a grimace. "Not only because the books I've got aren't too kind to them. I get that, I got those books from devils, after all. However… even mundane history doesn't paint that good a picture either."

"They've had their… less than tasteful endeavors, I'll admit. But they've almost always dealt with those scandals themselves. They are usually caused by extremists of the worst kind," Yasaka told him as they continued on their way.

"Hm, I guess so. But with so much stuff against them, who's to say when the next one will come around? How to know who in that faction is trustworthy and who isn't?" He asked, letting out an annoyed sigh. "God, I hate politics," He grumbled.

"Welcome to my world," Yasaka commented wryly.

"I don't envy your position, honestly," Joshua said with a sympathetic expression. "I can barely deal with what little is thrown my way as is."

Yasaka just hummed something that didn't sound like it was trying to tell him anything then. It struck him as odd, really. The youkai either had something to say or just didn't say or do anything at all. That noncommittal approach wasn't really her thing, from what he'd gathered so far.

Then he remembered…

"Way to be an idiot, Joshua," He mumbled to himself.

"I don't mind," Yasaka told him, giving him a smile. He noticed that it didn't reach her eyes though. "You are not like him. You grumble, and complain, but I can sense the difference. You aren't scared, you don't feel like running away. I know that politics aren't for everyone. I don't enjoy them either, in all honesty, but I have to deal with them, and I do. It's the difference."

"I guess," He said then, as they continued walking. Neither said anything else after that, really. It's not uncomfortable, however, Joshua realizes with some surprise.

The silences when with someone had always been a little awkward for him. They always left him wondering if he should say something, what he should say and such questions. Those thoughts plagued his mind most of the time. Then and there, he was fine without having to fill that though.

'Maybe I'm getting better at dealing with people,' He mused, his hand moving to the pendant hanging over his chest. Then, he stopped walking and frowned.

"Something the matter, Joshua?" Yasaka asked before he shook his head.

"Nothing, I just had a thought. I think I'll have to contact Sairaorg again," He said, both to himself and to the woman. "I might have a little job to get done. Also, would you mind if I invite them over to my place again?"

"It's your place, Joshua."

"Yeah, but it's in your territory," He pointed out, earning a wide, pleased smile from the woman.

"I appreciate the thought behind that," She told him with a nod and a hum. "As long as you can vouch for someone though, feel free to bring them over," She added, getting a grin from him in return.

"Thank you," He said, feeling himself relax a bit. "Anyway, I was thinking that I'll have this locket enchanted or something. I want to see if I-"

"Mom! Dad!" A voice called when they opened the door of their destination.

Joshua felt his insides twist at that, like they always did when Kunou called him that. She loved doing it and he couldn't say he disliked it. It was strange, for sure, awkward even, at times. It also filled him with a sense of contentment too, however. To see that little girl be so happy every time she said the word. To see how pleased she was whenever she saw him.

It was a gift, truly.

She was a gift.

"Look, I started a new circle!" She called, turning the paper sheet in front of her around so he could see. Or try, at least, since she was a little too far for him to be able to read it. Nevertheless, he smiled and walked over to her to actually check it.

"Another one, huh?" He asked, looking at the work she had done so far. Then a smile formed on his face. "I have a feeling I know why you chose this one," He commented, giving her an amused expression as she looked away, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

"What? I like foxes," She mumbled in her defense.

"You are entirely too cute," He said then, shaking his head and placing a hand on hers to ruffle her hair.

"Dad!" She protested, even though her lips were pulling up into a smile.

God, he didn't think he could get tired of hearing that.

Good thing she seemed to be of the same mind about saying it then.

[}-o-{]

'Ok,' Joshua thought once he was finally back home and in peace. Absently, he scratched the top of Nagini's head as the serpent rest it on his lap. Cheshire and Margalo had gone exploring for a bit and Morag was on a corner making a web that he'd probably draw later. 'As good a time as any to check if the blessing had any effects like before,' He added, as he started calling for screens.

Sure enough, he found something of notice fairly quickly.

[Bond

Cheshire - 25/50

Determines the user's bond closeness with Cheshire.

Nagini - 25/50

Determines the user's bond closeness with Nagini.

Morag - 24/50

Determines the user's bond closeness with Morag.

Margalo - 24/50

Determines the user's bond closeness with Margalo.]

'Even more levels for Bond, huh?' He mused as he looked at it. He wondered, not for the first time, what that meant for him. He was already very close to Morag and Margalo, nevermind Cheshire and Nagini. They were practically in his mind and him in theirs. Would they actually be able to communicate with one another if they maxed this up? Would there be some other effect it would have on them?

Curiouser and curiouser…

[Parkour – Lvl 33/150

Determines the user's ability to free run.

Increases Speed while running by 66%.

Increases Strength while jumping by 66%.

Increases Dexterity while maneuvering by 66%.

Decreases exhaustion from running, jumping and maneuvering by 33%.]

'Fifty more levels here, I see,' Joshua found then, raising an eyebrow at the screen. 'I guess it counts as related to Hunt? I can sort of see how that works… Probably…'

[Magic Sense - Lvl 46/150

Determines the user's ability to sense magical energy and spells.

Precision is determined by Skill Level.

Increases the range of Magic Sense by 138%.]

[Life Sense - Lvl 24/150

Determines the user's ability to sense life energy.

Precision is determined by Skill Level.

Increases the range of Life Sense by 72%.]

'Fifty extra levels on these ones too, that's neat,' Joshua thought to himself, tilting his head as he continued petting Nagini on his lap. 'Can't say I wouldn't prefer it if it was a buff instead of just increasing how far I can go with this but… I'll take it, I guess,' He mused with a slight grimace. In the end, he guessed it was better to have his potential increased instead of a flat and direct boost to his capabilities…

At least, if he had the time to level the things up. As it was, he wasn't sure how likely it'd be that he'd reach that point. Time was going by and he knew canon had a ridiculously fast pace. He didn't know if having such long term benefits was actually a good thing. More immediate ones would probably be better in his opinion.

[Throwing Weapon Mastery – Lvl 40/150

Determines the user's ability to fight with throwing weapons.

Increases accuracy when throwing a throwing weapon by 40%.

Increases Dexterity when fighting with a throwing weapon by 10%.

Increases damage output when fighting with a throwing weapon by 10%.]

[Revolver Mastery – Lvl 25/150

Determines the user's ability to fight with revolvers.

Increases accuracy when firing a revolver by 25%.

Increases Dexterity when handling a revolver by 6.25%.

Decreases recoil effect of revolvers on the user by 6.25%.]

'I've let Revolver Mastery fall behind quite a bit,' Joshua thought to himself. Then again, he wasn't sure how good that was. Guns were all well and good in mundane settings, but he thought the daggers were much better in the supernatural. Especially considering that Jeanne could give him knives with different effects if need be. They also were much better if one considered how likely it was that he'd end up fighting close quarters.

Still, the Throwing buff was neat by itself.

'Well, quite the help here, my friend,' Joshua thought, a hand moving to the Charm and rubbing his thumb against it. The proud feeling he got from it made him think that maybe that'd gone to Shed's head a little bit. The deity deserved it though, he thought, if only because he was the one that allowed him to get so close to his familiars.

[}-o-{]

"You sure you noted everything down?" Joshua asked, amused, as Jeanne and him walked down a street. His sister was, at that very moment, frowning at a notebook where she'd been writing stuff down.

"Don't mock me, I just want to make sure we have everything," She told him with a scowl. He simply chuckled.

"I know, but there were a lot of things you didn't need to put in there," He said, nodding towards her notes. "Just what you thought was missing or changes you wanted to make, that was all," He added with a roll of his eyes. "Sona and Rias will get it done. I don't know why you wrote down even the things that are fine."

"I just… I just…" Jeanne started, struggling to get anywhere with her words. Eventually, she groaned and deflated. "I think… I mean… It was… not fun, but it was nice to check that everything was there and what was needed."

"Hm, maybe you do have it in you to run the place," Joshua commented with a hum. "Say, what do you think about having some classes for that? I'm sure you'd do great."

"Maybe, but school is…"

"Eh, I'm sure I can get tutors and such," He offered, drawing an unsure look from her. Cheshire chose that moment to push her head against the girl's leg. "We can talk about it with Sona and Rias. If anything, I'll probably get that arranged with only a few more wards added, at most."

"I can't accept that, Josh. I mean, I appreciate it, but-"

"But you don't want to be a burden? Were you going to say something along those lines?" He interrupted, giving his sister an unimpressed expression. He sighed when she turned away from him. "Jeanne, if you have to, look at it like this. I don't wanna deal with all that nonsense. I just want to prepare stuff and maybe wait tables on occasion. It's simple work, but it's nice once in a while to be able to do something without having to think too hard."

"I know, I just-"

"So, you taking care of having the place running so I can do that sometimes would be great, actually. I'll accept whatever help Sona and Rias offer, but I'd be more comfortable with someone I trust in charge of the place," He added then, not letting her argue her case at all.

"Am I allowed to talk now?" Jeanne asked, a bit of her annoyance bleeding into her tone.

"Are you going to accept my help or are you going to keep being an idiot?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"... Fine," She conceded, looking half resigned and half annoyed. She was fooling no one though.

"Good, now-" Joshua started, before he blinked as Margalo flew up to him and landed on his shoulder. The bird had been a little restless, so he'd decided to help her burn some energy by sending her with a message to Rias and Sona that they were in town. He'd just expected one of them to appear through the fliers he carried in his pocket, not to send the bird back.

Somewhat amused, he took the piece of paper that Margalo held in her little claws.

'You can come in the mundane way if you want. Sona says she could give you two a tour through the school first. If not, just summon us with the flier. -Rias Ps: Margalo is still as adorable as always. Koneko hopes you brought Cheshire with you.'

"Sona still holds hope that you'll enroll in Kuoh, it seems," Joshua commented to Jeanne's questioning gaze. The girl groaned loudly then and he chuckled to himself. Ever since the Sitri Heiress had learned that Jeanne hadn't finished her schooling, she'd been doing her absolute best to get her to do so. It was somewhat amusing, he'd admit. "I don't know why you are so against it."

"I just… I don't have good memories of school," She mumbled, her face twisting as if she were smelling something awful.

"You don't act very weird anymore, I don't think," Joshua pointed out. "I guess you've gotten better at dealing with the voices?"

"I guess. Not worrying about things helps," She mumbled, shrugging as she looked anywhere but at him. "Not much they have to say when everything goes well for me, I think."

"Well, I'm sure you'd do fine in school like you are. And besides, that's a school that's basically run by devils. I'm sure they can make sure you don't have a bad time for being different," He said, trying not to sound too much like he wanted her to go.

"Do you want me to go there?" She asked and he groaned. 'So much for that, right?' He thought self-deprecatingly.

"It's not that. I just don't want you to let your fears and insecurities take away from what you actually want to do," He told her, speaking slowly. This time, he was doing his best to pick his words carefully. "If you don't want to go and that's that, then fine. But if you don't want to go because you are afraid it'll be like before, that's when I think you should consider doing it anyway. Things are different now."

She didn't answer after that and they continued walking in silence for a while. Joshua didn't know if he was doing things right, but that was par for the course when dealing with people, close or not. Ultimately, the decision was on Jeanne. If nothing else, he trusted the voices to guide her to the right decision.

From the corner of his eye, he caught the now familiar distant look in Jeanne's eyes. It looked like his guess was pretty accurate. He wondered what the conversation in her head was going like, but he'd wait until she was done.

"I'll think about it," Jeanne mumbled eventually when they were nearing the school.

"Well, guess we'll actually go through the tour Sona will want to give us, then. And I'll have to pay attention. No way my sister won't go to the best school I can find," Joshua commented, earning himself a smack on the arm and a chuckle from her. They both knew it was unlikely that he'd send her anywhere else, really, considering their situations and such. "It's a good thing you were learning Japanese too, huh?" He said absently. Jeanne just hummed, her expression still considering.

As he turned away though, his thoughts became more serious. 'And it's a good thing I was already planning on making this place a fortress,' Joshua thought to himself, his expression changing. Lots of wards would have to be added, and he probably wouldn't get away with much payment but that was fine. Jeanne's safety was priority anyway and if the two devil Kings could ensure that things went well for her, then it would be fine. They'd have to, really, since his wards would depend on that, as far as they would know.

Maybe they could have had better timing though, because it seemed they arrived just as the students were let out. As the pair of foreigners they were, they drew quite a bit of attention, which made Joshua's eye twitch. Having that many eyes on him was uncomfortable… 'Ignore them, just keep on moving,' He thought to himself. Fortunately, Margalo had flown away already and Cheshire was inconspicuous enough.

There were whispers around as they approached the gates directly and especially as they came to stand in front of one Sona Sitri, or Souna Shitori, as she was known in the mundane world.

"Joshua, Jeanne, good to see you both again," She greeted them, drawing even more pronounced reactions. The devil heiress must have noticed a change in his expression, because she soon added: "I'm sorry, I should have told you to come in… less crowded hours."

"It's fine," He waved off before taking a deep breath in and bringing his hands up to tie his hair. It probably didn't change much for others, but it made him feel more presentable, in a way. He needed that small reassurance. There were more whispers, but he did his best to ignore them. "So, about that tour?"

Just from that, Sona seemed to pick up all that she needed to know, because he saw her smile wider.

"Follow me this way, if you would," She said and it started.

[} Chapter End {]

(AN:Please remember that this story is not mine and will never be mine. Make sure to give thanks to the original author on fanfiction.net https://m.fanfiction.net/u/11459794/)