Story: The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying

Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence, gore

Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim

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"The Thieves Guild of Skyrim is something of an enigma. Within the last few decades, their order has gone from one of the largest, most influential criminal organizations in all of Tamriel to a small group of stragglers barely able to wreak havoc in their home city of Riften. Although evidence that could explain this rapid decline has never surfaced, speculation has run rampant."

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The best chance to find someone in Riften, Sakura guessed, was to ask as many people as possible. Riften was the residence of the Thieves Guild. And Vex was a Thief. And until now, she has managed to get an approximate location of the Ratway. If she was to activate her Sharingan right now, and then look beneath her, she would definitely see blurs of soft blue chakra. But she had to find out more information about the place and the people. Murdering everyone was out of the question, no matter how disgusted the citizens of Riften were.

Now that it wasn't as cold as in Winterhold, she decided to revert to her usual, trademark outfit. It consisted of a red sleeveless qipao top that exposed her navel, the back of which carried the Uchiha clan crest and fell to her knees. She also wore a pair of light-colored pants and high heels. Her bangs were parted to a side and pinned with a red hair clip. It looked much different than what citizens wore, but she couldn't spare the money for a clothing shopping trip.

So the pink-haired woman sealed away her trench coat - it was getting pretty hot for her, and turned to walk towards the market place. She had spotted it once or twice while searching for Bee and Barb last night, but unlike then, at this hour it was bustling with merchants and customers alike.

The ground was littered in corners with bedrolls, where beggars usually slept. About four stands rose up with their respective vendors which sold either food, armor, weapons, apparel, and jewelry, occasionally selling some miscellaneous products. Her aim was to stop and talk to some people, only to hear a foreign voice but a familiar chakra signature behind her.

"Running a little light in the pocket, eh lass?"

Sakura's eyes widened and turned towards the potion vendor. The man had the same feeling, as when she was conversing with Keevara in Bee and Bard. Her eyes narrowed.

"It's you. How could you possibly know?"

The man simply shrugged. He was tall, bearing a strong build, with reddish-brown hair and green eyes filled with amusement. It was hard to guess his social status. He was dressed clad in fine clothes, but something about his posture gave him away."It's all about sizing your mark, lass. The way they walk, the way they talk. Yet you don't seem bothered by the lack of coin. However..." Brynjolf couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips. "It was pretty impressive how you scared the hell out of Sapphire, however. As soon as she touched your door to open it, we had to pick her up from the tavern and listen to her rambling. She's feeling better now."

Sakura frowned. "So she fell into my Hell Viewing Illusion." she crossed her arms. "Well, my wealth is not your business. My only business in the city is finding someone named Vex. They have information about a person I'm looking for." Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Useful illusion. Sad it had to be tested on one of our own." Brynjolf smirked. "I could give you information about our little Vex, but it will cost you."

Sakura snorted. "You said yourself, my pockets are 'too light'. What could you possibly want?"

"You see, I'm running some sort of errand here, but I need some extra hands. And in my line of work, extra hands are paid well." Sakura couldn't lie. She could use some more septims...she wanted to get souvenirs after all. And birthday gifts. And nothing could top a gift from a foreign country. "And if the job is done outstandingly, I can tell you where to find Vex. It's important for you to find her, after all, am I right?"

Much to Brynjolf's triumph, Sakura sighed defeated.

"Fine. What do I have to do?"

The man smirked widely. "Simple... I'm going to cause a distraction and you're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand. Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's pocket without him noticing."

Sakura nodded. "It does sound simple. But why are we doing this to Madesi? What has he done?" she eyed Brynjold suspiciously. He simply shrugged her off.

"We've been contracted to make sure Brand-Shei remember not to meddle in affairs that aren't his own. Now, since we're not the Dark Brotherhood, we're not going to kill him, we're just going to make sure he sits in the prisons for a few days."

"The Dark Brotherhood?"

Brynjolf blinked owlishly. "You really are a foreigner. Look. Just help me with this, and you'll get what you want."

"You can't blame me and my curiosity."

"The curiosity killed the cat."

"But the satisfaction brought it back." Brynjolf wanted to say something but he closed his mouth.

"Just go."

"Fine, fine." He suddenly grabbed her much smaller hand and slid something metallic in her palms.

"The stand and strongbox are locked. You'll need these." Sakura nodded and disappeared in the crowd, looking for Madesi's stand. She recognized him as an Argonian jeweler.

Brynjolf watched her depart and started to set his scheme in motion.

"Everyone! Everyone! Gather 'round! I have something amazing to show you that demands your attention! Gather 'round all! No pushing, no shoving. Plenty of room!"

The merchants and clients alike started to gather around Brynjolf's stand. Sakura eyed the crowd and raised an eyebrow. 'I suppose that's why he needed an additional pair of hands...hn.'

Sakura crouched and stalked over Madesi's stand. The Argonian jeweler.

"Come on, Brynjolf... what is it this time?"

"Patience, Brand-Shei. This is a rare opportunity, and I wouldn't want you to get left out."

'So that's Brand-Shei, hm..?' He was a Dunmer, from what has she recognized him. Interestingly, instead of the usual gray-skinned dark elves she's seen around, this one had light green skin.

Sakura's hands worked around the pick the lock of the sliding door first. The lockpicks were useful for sure. Sakura never had to pick a lock. She'd just kick the hell out of it. But now, when she needed to be stealthy, this seemed like a useful skill to improve. She cloaked herself with an illusion, so nobody would notice her tweaking around with the lock.

"That's what you said about the Wisp Essence and it turned out to be crushed nirnroot mixed with water!" Madesi exclaimed.

"That was a simple misunderstanding, but this item is the real thing. Lads and lasses I give you, Falmerblood Elixir!"

"Oh come on, are you talking about the Snow Elves?"

"The one and only. Mystical beings who live in legends and were masters of great magic. Imagine the power that coursed through their veins!"

Sakura resisted the urge to chuckle. She'd have to give Brynjolf a few septims if somebody actually would have for that. She opened the sliding door, wiping away the broken lockpicks and started to work on the strongbox. This lock was even more stubborn, and the lockpicks broke easier. But Sakura had the brilliant idea to strengthen them with her Haki.

"How did you get that, then? No one's seen them in years!"

"My sources must remain a secret for their own protection but I can promise that the contents are genuine. One sip of the elixir and your wishes will be granted. Great wealth, everlasting life or perhaps limitless power could be yours!"

'What a troll...' Sakura flickered silently behind Brand-Shei. The said Dunmer felt a breeze behind his back, and Brynjolf almost froze as he turned to look behind him. However, no one could be seen.

"How much does it cost?" Brand-Shei turned back and asked.

"Only twenty gold septims! Hurry before my supply is gone."

"Don't listen to him, he's making this up."

Sakura slipped Madesi's silver band inside Brand-Shei's pocket before body-flickering away.

"Please hurry, I have only a few bottles left!"

"That Wisp Essence didn't help, but maybe this will."

Brynjolf handed out the bottle, and pocketed the septims, looking around. He sighed. "I knew she'd quit." He shook his head and turned to walk back, only to see Sakura leaning against a post.

"She has a name and it's Sakura." The pink-haired pellicular woman pulled a smile akin to a grin. "The job's done, the lockpicks are cleaned up, and Brand-Shei must have gotten the message by now. The guards will find the missing trinket, I made it easy to spot."

Brynjolf laughed. "Looks like I chose the right person for the job. And here you go... your payment, just as I promised. The way things have been going around here, it's a relief that our plan went off without a hitch."

Sakura eyed the coin purse and took it, but she still looked at Brynjolf expecting something. He sighed.

"Fine. Head over The Ratway. You might run into some thugs. You'll easily find the door to the Ragged Flagon."

Sakura seemed pleased this time. "But what's happening? Nobody, not even you have a positive view of the guild."

Brynjolf sighed. "My organization's been having a run of bad luck, but I suppose that's just how it goes. But never mind that, you did the job and you did it well. Best of all, there's more where that came from... if you think you can handle it."

The pink-haired woman seemed to consider it.

"I could handle it. I could try to help. But there's something I need to do. If you won't change your mind until I'm back...then I can try."

The answer was pleasing enough. "Alright then. Go finish whatever task you have to do, then come back and look for me in the Ragged Flagon. We'll talk about your future in the Guild afterward."

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One theory holds that the Guild suffered a loss - it's strongly believed that their Guild Master was slain by one of their own. This Guild Master, known only as "Gallus," maintained strong ties with many of the influential families in Skyrim. When he perished, those bonds perished with him. Without these bonds, the Guild could no longer safely operate within Skyrim's holds."

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Sakura let the body of her attacker fall on the ground of the tunnel with an echoing thud. She couldn't help but feel some pity while snapping the necks of the Lowlives which swarmed the Ratway. They were seen as nothing but rats by the citizens of Riften after all. The man who did the mistake to think of Sakura as easy prey happened to be an Orc. An Orsimer. And he happened to be incredibly weak, maybe even weaker than the average human. Orcs were supposed to be much larger and even stronger, strong enough so Sakura would have some trouble beating one in a hand to hand combat; no chakra, no weapons, no fancy moves. This orc was malnourished, and for someone like her, he could have barely been registered as a threat.

She took out Signus' device and harvested the Orsimer blood before tucking it back in her knapsack. She stepped carefully, not to step on the dead bodies which littered the floor. She reached for the door and stepped inside the Ragged Flareon. Just like with the Ratway, her whole bright appearance made a stark contrast with the dull ragged tavern. And it brought the looks of the others right on her person, mostly because even after dwelling with all the dirty slums of the tunnels.

The Ragged Flagon was a tavern, completed with a bar and several tables. Thieves and dwellers were sitting around, or having a drink, and unlike the people from above, they were reluctant to talk and stubborn about it.

Sakura could, however, make out one person from the mass, and that was Brynjolf. He had changed out of his fine blue clothes and replaced them by his usual, thief outfit shared by many others, maybe a little different. A woman avoided making direct eye contact with her, holding an expression similar to fear, and she supposed that was the person named Sapphire. The woman which tried to sneak inside her room.

"Well, well, well. Color me impressed, lass. You're here in one piece, and even more notably, without a scratch. Not even your clothes are dirty after all that filth."

He walked over, clapping his hands slowly.

"Getting here was easy." 'But only because weak men roaming the slums is hardly a challenge.' She wanted to add. She truly felt bad for them. For the second time in her life, she regretted taking someone's life.

"Reliable and headstrong? You're turning out to be quite the prize, aren't ya? Now that I have whetted out your appetite at the marketplace with our little scheme, I have a second task for you as soon as you're done. I have enough patience." And Brynjolf kept his promise, even more so by calling over a woman.

"I am Vex. Brynjolf has told me you've been looking for me, so here I am. Talk." Vex was a blonde, Imperial thief, one with a no-nonsense demeanor. She looked just like someone hot-headed enough to blow someone to bits if needed.

And meanwhile, to Vex, Sakura couldn't look as future guild member material. And one could start with that obnoxious pink hair -of all colors.

Sakura kept a cool face. "All I need is to know about a certain Isabelle Rolaine. Her lover is terminated without her, and the innkeeper's wife told me she ran away with you." Sakura crossed her arms, expecting an answer, while Vex couldn't help but blink owlishly.

"So you're telling me you came all the way from Winterhold to Riften just to find me and ask about that Breton woman?" She shook her head.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Look, all I know is that she came to us, wanting to be a thief, to earn quick money. But she lacked the necessary traits, and I sent her to Hob's Fall Cave to prove her worth. But that happened a long time ago, I doubt she made it out alive..."

"And you sent an inexperienced woman to deal with that alone?!"

Vex's eyes widened at Sakura's sudden outburst. The cave could have been crawling with several thugs or worse...an untrained woman sent in their middle was sure death. And Vex was not used to be yelled at; everyone minded their words around her and stepped on their toes. And as much as it annoyed her, she was too stunned to speak a word.

"Tell me where is it. If they're keeping her captive...at least there's a chance."

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"A second theory suggests that the Guild is experiencing some sort of mystical "curse" causing normal activities for its members to become exceedingly difficult. While there is no solid evidence to support this theory, the last two decades have seen an unusual rise in failed attempts by the Guild to execute highly lucrative heists. Reasons for the presence of this supposed curse is being attributed to everything from the aforementioned murder to divine interference."

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Sakura bit the tip of her thumb and smeared the blood along her arm. As soon as her palm slammed on the ground, a beautiful Ragdoll cat appeared from the thick summoning smoke. The cat was medium-sized, with bright blue eyes and a white coat, with the exception of her paws, ears, and muzzle. They were brown. She also had a Konoha hitai-ate tied around her neck, as a collar.

"Sakura-chan? Where are we?" Sakura summoned Chihiro somewhere outside of Riften, away from all the prying eyes. She started running top speed through the trees, and right back to Winterhold.

"We are in Riften, Skyrim. It's a country far away from Fire Country, I know, but I really needed some company and stress relief." Sakura sighed. Chihiro the Ragdoll cat's gaze softened.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. I will let you pet me as soon as we stop somewhere, alright?" Sakura smiled gratefully.

Chihiro's fur was a little strange. The cat was an avid genjutsu user, and she'd send little, barely visible bubbles of chakra on top of her fur. Someone like Sakura wouldn't be affected, but someone without the knowledge of dispelling genjutsu would fall asleep soon after they would pet her. It worked similarly like 'Temple of Nirvana'. Someone like Sakura would just calm down instantly.

"Thank you, Chihiro-chan."

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan." The cat kept following her master through the trees. "It's...a different country...I must admit. Colder." Chihiro commented absently as the trees they had to travel through were getting colder and colder. And more hollow too. Sakura would take out the coat from her backpack and at least wrap it around her shoulders, but she was too determined to find that woman. Maybe there was a chance. That after all this time, she could be alive. Half-dead and maybe in a coma, but still alive.

"Why is it so important for you to help these people?"

"Because.." Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure of it myself. When I was aboard as Luffy's First Mate, he never hesitated to help someone, even if he wanted something in exchange. His good heart and intentions rubbed off on me. This woman was that man's treasure. And even if it might be too late...at least he will have a chance to say goodbye."

The cat sighed. "You have a good heart yourself. Don't let anyone change that."

Little did Sakura know, that it will be very hard to keep her promise about that.

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"In order to solve this mystery once and for all, I've spent the last two years infiltrating the Thieves Guild. Initially making contact with them in Riften proved difficult, as they're quite wary of outsiders, but through repeated efforts I was able to gain their confidence. It's my hope that once I've gained access to some of the guild leadership, I can learn more about their decline and publish a second volume of my work."

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Sakura sat down somewhere close near the entrance of Hob's Fall Cave. She sat somewhere in the shadows, petting Chihiro, who purred on her lap. She occasionally saw men and women dressed in black robes, walking in and out of the cave, but they were unable to detect her. Much to her pleasure.

"What do you think, Chihiro-chan? Should we strike?"

Said cat hopped off her lap and drew a long yawn, stretching her furry body.

"As soon as you're ready, Sakura-chan."

Sakura grinned.

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"Although helping the Guild perform their petty crimes brands me a criminal, I feel that it's a burden worth bearing. The mystery of the Thieves Guild's fall from power needs to be solved once and for all as a matter of record and as a footnote to Skyrim's history." - Fall from Glory, Nithilis Lidari

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A/N: Okay. This chapter was shorter. I hope it wasn't TOO short for you. I wanted to keep the Hob's Fall Cave separated. So chapters may be shorter if I keep within a theme, within just a few settings. It's easier to follow and name the chapters as well. Hope it makes sense.

Whoever did and started these missions, you might notice some stuff are different. Like the chance of Isabella to be alive. Welp. Sakura has arrived in Skyrim BEFORE Ulfric was imprisoned and sent to Helgen. Hence why no one is making comments about dragons. The guards would at least.

I think it's obvious that Brynjolf is a potential pair. I simply love his personality. And that Irish accent. He's normally not marriageable in the vanilla game, but modders decided to fix this.

I have something big planned for Sakura in a few chapters.

Now, I suppose we can take a look at the stats.

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Sakura's Balance: 163 septims.

Sakura's Inventory: Summoning scroll, several storage scrolls, Boethiah's Proving, Sakura's Journal, Quill, Inkwell, Walking the World, Volume XI: Solitude, Potion of Health, Lockpicks (10).

Sakura's Storage Scroll (Total): Kunai set, exploding tags, sealed senbon, shuriken, bandages and wrappings, first-aid kit, several instant ramen cups, cosmetic bag, Akatsuki cloak, Akatsuki ring (Slate blue with the kanji of 'Sky'), both formal, casual and shinobi attire: at least three sets from each.

Sakura's Quest Log (Started): Discerning the Transmundane, Drowned Sorrows, Join the Stormcloaks

Sakura's Quest Log (Completed): A Chance Arrangement

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I think this is it.

Well...how about some feedback now? I'm getting dozens of viewers but no feedback so as long as you keep the beef out the door, I could use some advice.

Bye-bye til later!