For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.

- Christina Rossetti

THIS IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN MYSELF AND MATHISMAGIC FROM THE DOS DISCORD!

Note: This is a crossover between Silver Queens' Dreaming of Sunshine Universe and I am a Child of this House/I Belong to House Castiello Manhwa.

You should be able to follow this without much help, but in case you haven't read one or the other of these niche fandoms:

Summary of Dreaming of Sunshine: The main character, Shikako, is reborn from our world into the world of Naruto. She is Shikamaru's twin sister, of the Nara clan, so she can manipulate shadows. She also has a connection to the god-entity Gelel, which she communes with from a stone she wears as a necklace, and whom she can find by following music she can hear.

Summary of I am a Child of this House: Estelle is a reborn woman from Korea who was horribly confined and abused by her mother. When her father- the terrifying Duke Castielo - learns of her existence, she is quickly brought into his household and educated as a Lady, while also slowly unravelling the secrets of her Family's line, of magic, and of the country itself.

Chapter 6

The horse ride was long, and a little scary at times, but she knew that she and her sister were finally safe. Her sister would have never fallen asleep if she had any doubts about this man, plus there was a faint voice coming from the man's sword. Much like in the market, it was speaking to her, telling her that she and her sister are precious to the man and that even though they have just met, he will die before allowing them to suffer and be unhappy.

Snuggling into his hold, she stared in wonder as they raced through the streets of the city. People rushed to stay out of their way and even seemed to cower in fear, but since the man was urging his horse to go as fast as possible, she didn't see too much of it.

Finally, they arrived at a beautiful looking mansion, elegantly and tastefully decorated. A matronly woman was waiting by the door. She welcomed the man home before freezing in shock at the sight of her and her sister.

The woman was introduced as Annie and worked for the man, Duke Castielo.

'Why did a Duke take interest in me and my sister?' she puzzled, sneaking glances at the man carrying her.

Things got a bit awkward when Annie took her from the man's arms and asked for her name.

She bit her lip and glanced down, unsure how to explain that the woman had never really given them names. For a long time, she had thought 'pink eyes' was her name until her sister had figured out that it was just a description.

Not wanting to reveal that little embarrassing story, she quietly mumbled, "...Sis calls me Sister."

Annie flinched, and the Duke's energy went...scary. She could feel pressure moving like waves from him and flowing into the people around them. Frightened by these feelings, she gripped his arm tighter, causing him to lower the pressure until it was something more bearable.

"Ah, that's sweet but those are titles dear, not names," Annie said to her kindly. "Don't worry though, young Miss, I'm certain the Duke will give you and your sister beautiful names. After all, he is your father." Annie smiled.

She felt her brain freeze in shock at those words, faintly feeling herself smile awkwardly back in return.

'So, this intimidating man with the warm hugs and gentle voice... was her father…?!' she mentally screamed, as she peeked at him from under her lashes. Looking at his face, she supposed that there was a certain resemblance to her sister's when she was in a bad mood.

She was so swept up by this revelation that she missed the Annie asking the Duke for a name for herself and her sister. It was only due to him tightening his hold on her that she heard his reply.

"...My Star. And my Angel."

Annie confirmed with the Duke, repeating words that must be their names.

"Estelle," Annie said, looking at her.

Blushing furiously at his words, she silently mouthed the name 'Estelle' over and over as Annie and her father continued to converse.

'I have a name! My father named me and says I'm his Star!' A seed of happiness bloomed inside her at the thought. She was so pleased to finally have a loving parent again.

Estelle was jolted out of her happiness, at hearing her father give the name 'Celestia' to her sister.

'No...that's not right. Sister is more than an Angel…' Squirming in discomfort, Estelle realized Annie asked her if she liked her new name. Feeling her father's eyes on her, Estelle mumbled her answer softly, "...Estelle is a beautiful name."

She wished they would stop probing; her father's gaze was making her feel slightly uncomfortable, to tell the truth, and Annie didn't seem to catch a hint. Feeling her father's gaze turn a little sad, Estelle started to babble frantically, not wanting them to misunderstand her feelings.

"No, I love it! I swear! It's gorgeous! That's not it…" She trailed off, coughing awkwardly in embarrassment as her father gazed softly at her. She desperately didn't want to upset him. He was a Duke! Surely he would be upset if she rejected her sister's name. He was too important to want backtalk from a toddler he just met, daughter or no.

If he got angry, how would he punish them? Would he turn them back out, for being troublesome?

Trying to remember the little tricks her real mother had taught her when public speaking, Estelle squared her shoulders and tried to imagine their heads as potatoes.

The Duke leaned over and gave her a soft, almost fleeting kiss on her head. "Be honest, my Love. What do you really think?"

Drawing courage from that act and picturing the curious staff around peering at them as potato people, Estelle blurted out, "Sis would hate it. She's not a Celestia. If I'm a star… she's more than an angel. She's so strong, and she's always been there for me. She's everything. Couldn't she have a name like that?"

He didn't seem angry, thank god, and Estelle dared to hope she hadn't ruined things already, as she waited for his reply.

The Duke only needed a moment to think before he made up his mind.

"Naeva? It comes from the old language, like Estelle, and means Night," he proposed.

Beaming up at the man, Estelle whispered the name to herself, before crying out loud, "That's perfect! She'll love it!"

The Duke smiled at her, and an overwhelming sense of being loved engulfed her. He brushed his face against her forehead again. "My night and stars. I will see you again soon, Estelle."

She watched the Duke — Her father! She has a father again! — turn and leave, taking her sleeping sister further and further away from her.

The happiness she had felt when he had given her a name — She has a name! He loves her enough to name her! — started to fade, leaving her cold and slightly upset.

"Well, Lady Estelle, let us go and get you nice and clean hmm?" Estelle decided that Annie seemed like a kind person. Her voice was soft as she gazed fondly at her, and she didn't stop watching Estelle until she nodded in assent.

Looking back to where her sister had disappeared with her father, Estelle sighed softly as she was carried away.

'I wish father hadn't separated us. Sister had finally returned to me. We were together again.' Leaning against the housekeeper's shoulder, Estelle prayed that time would go faster so she would find herself next to her sister again.

Before she knew it they had arrived in a large room, made of porcelain and marble. The ceiling and floor sparkled in the candlelight, in Estelle's eyes the whole place just screamed 'super rich!'. Gazing about in wonder, she curiously saw that it was, in fact, a giant bathroom, though why would anyone want a bathroom the size of a master bedroom was beyond her understanding.

'Wait, if this is the bathroom, then that means-' Freezing in realization, Estelle stared in horror at the giant bathtub filled with water and bubbles.

'No…' Dread filled her body, as she gently began to tremble in fear.

"Now little princess, don't be scared. The water is nice and warm, and we'll be in the shallow area of the tub."

Her body was gently lowered to the edge of the tub and before Estelle could blink, her clothes were gone and she was placed in the water.

The world narrowed until all Estelle could feel was the water that came up to her neck, and only seemed to be rising.

Estelle couldn't move, couldn't breathe; there was a strong pressure pushing against her chest, causing her to crouch over to try and breathe better. The room seemed to spin as her heartbeat grew louder and louder, drowning out Annie's panicked voice.

'I'm scared! I want my sister! I don't want to be here! Sister! SISTER!' Clutching her chest, with one hand, in pain she began to flail about in a blind panic, the water splashing about around her. Her head went underwater a few times in her attempts to avoid Annie's hands, making her desperation even more heightened. Memories began to flash before her eyes, as she accidentally choked on the soapy water getting into her mouth.

The water was steadily rising, scaring Estelle as no matter how hard she pushed and clawed at the lid, the chest top refused to break. She could hear her sister shouting encouragements at her to keep trying, that they couldn't give up just yet. Still, the water continued to get higher and higher, forcing Estelle and Naeva to stand on their tippy toes to avoid breathing in water.

Suddenly Estelle felt herself trip and slip under the water, her golden hair flaring about her head and getting tangled with her flailing hands and neck. Managing to get a good grip on the walls and steady her feet, Estelle managed to push herself above the water again, choking and spitting water out of her mouth as she sobbed and cried for her sister to save her.

The wind rattled the chest as the lightning illuminated the inside of the box. Her sister's eyes had burned like rubies, her hair sparkled like spun gold with water droplets shining like diamonds weaved in. She had looked like one of those angels in the museums back in Korea; those western angels with swords, who slew demons and attacked the wicked. My angel sister.

Her sister always made her feel safe, even in the darkest of times when they were hiding in that shack and those men were trying to kidnap them. Naeva is the only one who can help her, the only person who can save her! She couldn't think of anything except how she needed her sister and threw her whole being into that wish.

"Sister! Sister, please save me!"

Her lungs burned with lack of air. Estelle managed to scratch and claw at Annie whenever she got to close. Her sobs were loud and wheezing as the dizziness grew stronger. Black spots began to appear in front of her eyes, as the room spun and spun.

Giving out one last scream for her sister, Estelle felt herself slip back into dark and cold memories.

It was warm.

That was the first thing Shikako noticed. The warmth, like banked embers in a hearth fire. It was soothing. Welcoming. Safe.

The next thing she noticed was her sister's presence, and mood. Her sister was here, and calm, wrapped in the same protective shadow as Shikako. That's good.

She decided to trust the warmth-that-wanted-them-safe, and she let herself succumb to her exhaustion.

She was vaguely aware of being held, of strong arms holding her on a horse, of conversations happening around her, but none of that seemed important. She was just so tired. It'd been three years since she felt safe enough to truly rest, but here, with her sister and these cozy shadows, she finally felt she could.

This comfortable napping provided her with a release from her pain. She had managed to ignore and push through it, to keep fighting when her sister was in danger, but now… her weak body seemed to amplify the pain. She was a jounin, damnit. These little wounds shouldn't hurt so much… but they did.

So, she let herself doze, and took the time to find herself. It was hard to find motivation when just letting herself rest like this was so nice… but Shikako knows she should be motivated like she was when her sister was in danger. She needed to push the weariness down, and grasp on to her life. There was still so much to live for, she knew, and she slowly forced her soul to understand that too.

With great effort, Shikako opened her eyes.

The same man from before, the one who saved her and her sister, was still holding her. Her sister was no longer by her side, but stretching out her senses, Shikako could feel her sister's bright little star pulsing calmly not too far away. Well, that's okay then.

The arms holding her shifted; evidently, her awakening had been noticed.

"You can keep resting, Little One," a deep, soothing voice said. With the words, another wave of the protection-safe-warm feeling overpowered her, along with the lowest tinkling of a familiar melody. The warmth reminded her of Sasuke, or of her father, Nara Shikaku. That music…

She snapped awake, realizing she recognized that melody.

Gelel.

It was faint, barely noticeable at first. The melody was also a little off key like it was being sung in a different tone of voice, but the main melody was still the same. She was transported back to her old life, and the stone-god she had merged with there.

No wonder she had subconsciously trusted this person enough to sleep in their arms, even as her sister left her side. Gelel clearly deemed this man to be one of theirs.

It sang of protection, a fierce spirit with an honest soul and of a bloodthirst to see any enemy destroyed, never being able to touch his family.

'This man would have made an excellent ninja.'

The song responded to her thought, a gentle humming that seemed to indicate agreement. For the first time in a long while, Shikako felt content.

The man carried her to a new room, and gently set her down on a comfortable couch where she could stretch out her leg and elevate her ankle.

"The doctor is on his way. In the meantime, I'm going to remove those dirty bandages and clean your wounds so they don't get… infected. Is that okay? Tell me if anything hurts…"

Shikako nodded, not finding the need to reply with words. What else was there to say?

The kind man was very careful as he cut the bandages. Shikako winced at the dirt and gore that she could now see had been rubbed into her wounds. Disinfecting that was not going to be pleasant. But when the man began wiping at her wounds with a cloth and warm water, he was incredibly gentle. It took a very long time considering how small the wounds were, but the process barely hurt, he was so precise and efficient in his ministrations.

He rebandaged them with fresh, clean bandages, and then pulled her into his lap, careful not to jostle her ankle. Shikako once more, relaxed into his embrace. She felt… good.

Warm shadows enveloped her with a sense of safety. Gelel's song calmed her with its gentle melody. And, not too far away, her sister's star-like presence shined brighter than she had ever noticed it before. It seemed…a little nervous but still content.

And then, her sister's star went supernova.

Shikako was fully alert and on the run before she even consciously registered it.

Ein hadn't been prepared for his sleepy little girl to suddenly jump from his arms; an oversight he would not make again. Terrified at the sight of her landing roughly, especially after being told by Annie that his daughter's tiny, broken body was more fragile than his son's…Ein reached out to try and catch her before she hurt herself.

Slipping from his fingers she landed, and rolled, building up momentum to keep running, her wounds opened up but his daughter didn't seem to notice the pain. A quick glance allowed Ein to see a black aura wrapped around his daughter's tiny, swollen ankle, supporting and protecting it. Even as he chased after her in terror, he couldn't help but be impressed. So young, and to have so much control! Even using it to buff her abilities — she managed to stay ahead of him despite his many advantages!

He shoved that thought aside. Pride at his incredible little girl later. Catch her now. Narrowing his eyes in concern, he felt the air ripple in despair, something was wrong.

Not even finishing his thought, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. The sense of panic and pain was amplified by a pure, clear aura, more a feeling than something that could be seen. violently the emotions across the manor to her family.

The audible cue only made Naeva run faster, as difficult as that was to imagine, so Ein poured on the speed as well. His daughter seemed to bounce from wall to wall, a clever way to keep her speed up when turning corners and escaping his grasp yet again.

Bursting through the doors of the washroom, Ein paused for a moment to take it all in.

It was a scene of panic.

Annie was bent over the bathtub, trying to grab at the child writhing in the water. Vicious tendrils of black aura lashed out whenever she got near, making it difficult for her to grab his Star and pull her out. The knights guarding the room had arrived before him and his Night, but not by much. They stood dumbly at the scene, still in too much of a shock to leap into action.

In the half second it took Ein to take all this in, Naeva had continued bolting ahead, straight for the tub. She was undeterred by either the physical or spiritual backlash that was hindering Annie. She dove right through and hauled her sister into her arms, making sure she held Estelle's head about the shallow water in the tub.

Ein was only a few steps behind her and reached down to haul them both out of the tub entirely. His daughters didn't seem to notice; they were lost in each other's embrace.

"It's okay, Sister, it's okay, I'm here. Just breathe. Breathe. You're safe. We're not in there. We can breathe. You can breathe…"

Part of Ein was filing this information away for later, but most of him snapped into action. He set the girls down far from the tub and backed up to give them the space Estelle so clearly needed as she coughed and wheezed, slowly finding air again. Around him, his staff jumped into action, as they should. The Knights' drug the tub away, where the girls couldn't see it, and Annie brought fluffy dry towels and clothing and set them off to the side where the girls could grab them if they wanted. She then smartly retreated.

Ein paid all of this the barest of attention. Instead, he focused on his little girls. Naeva had slipped into a language Ein was unfamiliar with — Twin Speak, perhaps — but her voice was soothing and confident, and Estelle was beginning to catch her breath, so he assumed it was understandable as a consolation to his daughters.

Estelle eventually caught her breath, only to mumble a few unintelligible words to her sister. She burst into tears before her sister was able to respond.

Naeva just held Estelle closer, the two sinkings to the floor. Eventually, Naeva began humming a tune he was unfamiliar with. It was slow and sweet. Reassuring. Estelle's tears slowed. A few bars in, between sniffles, Estelle added lyrics in their twin-language to Naeva's tune. Having her sister hold her, and focusing on the lyrics to the song, seemed to help. Slowly, Estelle calmed down.

Eventually, the twins drifted to sleep, their song slowly dying out as exhaustion took them again. Ein took the warm fluffy towels Annie has brought and wrapped his daughters up in them together. They were so very small, one towel was enough to engulf them both, though he used more just to be sure. He carried them to bed, wrapped up in their towels, and sat at their side.

They slept peacefully, his night and stars. If it weren't for the damp sheets, and for Naeva's still-visible injuries, it would almost be a cute scene. But they were still wet from Estelle's panic attack, and Naeva's ankle was swollen to almost twice the size of its match by now, so Ein could only worry, and wait. The doctor would be here soon. His precious girls would heal, body and mind, and he would keep them from ever being hurt like this again. And then, once he was sure they were healed and safe, he would find a way to ensure those that hurt them faced his wrath.

This would not be happening again. Ever.

A young man in a brown cloak lurked from his corner in the dirty pub, nursing his pint of beer as he watched his target seem to drown himself in alcohol. The mercenary grew rowdier and rowdier, acting up and starting a small brawl with another patron before being kicked out by the burly looking bartender.

Leaving some coins on his table, he silently slipped out and took to the roofs of the city, following the stumbling mercenary down the back alleys. Smirking as he tripped and fell into the trash, he jumped down and sauntered up behind the man. Pulling out his knife, he slit the man's throat and caught his body before throwing it back into the trash. He carefully checked that the blood had not spattered onto himself, before turning away from the disgusting trash pile.

Rummaging through his cloak, he pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment and crossed off another name. Sighing in disgust, he casually sauntered out of the alleyway and down to another pub.

'What an annoying job. That stuck up noble could at least pay for the number of drinks I have to buy today…' Whistling absentmindedly, he strolled into the next pub and picked a spot near the door. Signalling down a cute looking barmaid, he made sure to flirt with her for a bit before asking for a pint.

It wasn't long before his next target, possibly the most important target of the day stepped into the bar. The man had carefully been watering down his drinks since he came in, just in anticipation of this target; no simple assassination would take care of things here. It was time he finally found what his patron needed to know.

End of Chapter 6