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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Sakura has followed Shisui to the training chamber beneath the city. Leaving their masks behind, he motioned her to follow. Sakura has calmed down, meanwhile. She wiped her tears away and when Shisui mentioned something about training, she followed him.

Shisui yanked on a chain and cleared the path to something which looked like the same underground arena she fought in, just an hour ago. It was the perfect battleground.

"I was supposed to be dead. I know. Obito has fished me up that evening from the river. He and your father stole my mother's eyes, and my blood allowed me to use the Sharingan again."

Sakura listened closely. It still felt so surreal... she had trouble taking everything in.

"I was supposed to join him in his grand plan, but I couldn't just watch you and Itachi suffer. I ran away. With all the wounds and the pain, they didn't expect me to make it too far away. And they were kind of right. But I stumbled across a ship of sailors. I became a cabin boy as soon as my wounds healed. Besides all the duties I had as a cabin boy... I was often protecting them against pirates too. We formed a bond over the course of two years."

"And it took you two years to get here?"

Shisui shrugged. "We were hurrying up to reach the New World. But we took a wrong turn and got lost a few months before I woke up washed up on the shores of the Gold Coast. We must have run into a Sea King. The ship was reduced to splinters and I only found the shards of the log pose in my pocket. An old couple from Bravil was nice enough to take me in. They taught me their language and the way their world worked. It was clear I set foot on uncharted grounds."

The feeling was extremely mutual on her side as well. She has gone through very similar emotions during her first week in Skyrim as well.

"It took me a while. Of course, the war made it hard for everybody. The Third Aldmeri Dominion might be at peace with the Empire, but I call it the calm before the storm. Skyrim's torn apart by the Civil War too. General Tullius is requesting troops to install in half of Skyrim and more."

"But how did you... you know..."

Shisui tousled her hair, just like she did when she was little. "I'm getting there. The old couple died eventually. It saddened me greatly. They had no children or family, so they left me a small fortune so I could start on my own. I headed towards the Capital, still in reconstruction, but it hasn't been like anything I've ever seen before. I sought fortune. But then, as cliche as it might sound, an old lady was being mugged in the market place. I chased the guy to Waterfront and gave him a good beating."

"Was that guy a thief?"

"No, he was just a thug." He shook his head. "But the old lady was one of us." He smiled. "She expressed gratitude. I told her I came here because I wanted to earn a living, and told me to follow her into the slums. Then, I met the Gray Fox.

He was a rather strict guy. Strict, but fair. Yet a shift in the wind has been making everything hard for them. A blind man would catch your hand in his pocket, a lockpick would break into an easy training lock... you name it. So we decided to turn the page. I trained them in the ninja arts I could - without revealing any secret clan techniques, and they let me join."

"Well... the same thing's happened in Skyrim as well. The bad luck thing. We had to take down Mercer Frey; the bastard stole the Skeleton Key."

"Lady Valentia told me. Gray Fox was executed a few years back, for obvious reasons. But he has taken off his mask by then, so they didn't know it was the Fox. They just thought he was just a very skilled thief. The mask was passed down onto me and I became the Guildmaster. We fought against the odds, from that point. But the ninja techniques proved themselves to be useful... going against the curse. And that's what I've been up for almost a decade."

"And why... didn't you say anything? I managed to find a way to send messages with my cats. I often summon them when I need help."

Shisui shook his head. A sad smile played on his face. "I never thought I'd survive, imouto. I broke the contract with the crows. One single bird stayed loyal to me, and that crow I gave to Itachi. I don't know if he signed the contract as well. I guess it was fate that I washed up here. I wish I knew how to let everyone know I was alive and well... but I didn't. I still don't know how we strayed away from our initial course on that faithful day."

"I... guess that makes sense. I missed you a lot, Shisui-nii." Shisui returned the warm hug just hard enough not to pop her bones. He missed Itachi and little Sasuke as well.

Now that Sakura was here, he had a tie with the world back home. But the question still stood: What in the name of Ysmir's beard was his little sister doing there? And in Skyrim, of all places?

No place in Tamriel was safe, at that point. Not Morrowind and the massive ashlands, not Summerset Isles and the high elves, not Cyrodiil and any place in the Empire, and certainly not Skyrim.

Shisui told her his story. Now it was Sakura's turn, and she started from the very beginning. From the massacre to her status as a double agent. How she gained Naruto and Sasuke as her brothers, and how the infamous Copy-Nin Hatake Kakashi became their sensei. How they almost killed each other and how she landed over the seas, how they sailed to hell and back and how her captain became the King of Pirates.

He grew sober when Sakura reached the part of the war back home. All the destruction Madara has done and how Obito redeemed himself in the very last moment. How both her and Sasuke awoke their Rinnegan, and how Madara's eyes prevented hers from deteriorating beyond repair.

"Four long years have passed from that point. I don't really use it because it saps away my chakra. Matatabi made me keep a tail worth of it but... I guess it's more satisfying to punch the hell out of everything than to put everybody into Tsukuyomi."

"I'm proud of you, Sakura. I'm just disappointed I wasn't there to teach you more than the Body Flicker. There was so much I could have taught you..." He stared at the opposite wall.

"I still can't believe you swam all the way through the Sea of Ghosts and landed right in Skyrim. On top of that, you met a crazy old man who was in deep shit with a Daedric Lord."

"When you put it that way... it does sound crazy."

"Even crazier is your fish maternal lineage. Or how Lady Valentia came to me saying that there was a seeker of the Cowl on a divine mission from Nocturnal, I said 'Sure, let them jump in the Arena if they want it so bad,' then I find out that Tobias was burnt to a crisp with the Amaterasu and my little sister joined a life or death tournament." He sighed.

"What am I going to do with you? If I knew it was you, I would have just given you the Cowl; after all that grief you'd think I wouldn't let you buy back your soul? But you can't back down from the Tournament. You have to go and you have to win because the alternative choice is death."

"I know it's crazy. I didn't expect the Gray Fox to be my brother either, but here we are. Do you really think I would have threatened your guy Padfoot to blurt your whereabouts if I knew he was your friend? What in the Oblivion was Tobias' deal anyways? The Motierres are supposed to be protected."

Shisui looked at her long, before nodded. "Old Man Delvin would be proud that you memorized the shadowmarks so quickly. There are thieves who remember the escape route in a prison on the day of their execution. Then they realize they could have been long gone weeks ago."

Sakura scratched her cheek. "I still... have trouble with a bunch of them. I swear I will make Mr. Delvin quiz me when I go back home. I remembered 'Protected' because it's kind of important not to dig the graves of your allies; and Fence... for obvious reasons."

"What I mean is that the fool believed that the Motierres carry around a lot of gold and nobody would mind if you fished a coin or two. But he was an imbecile and took you two as hostages. I have warned him before, and now he got burnt. Literally. He was a nuisance around here and nobody really misses him."

"If you follow orders you end up rich. That's one of the first things that Frey taught me." She could guess that the Tobias guy took it for granted.

Shisui noticed the change in her attitude and put a hand on her shoulder. "I missed a big part of your childhood and a big part of your training. But now I will try to make it up to you. You joined the Tournament and you have to win. I will teach you as much as I can and I will be damned I won't do everything in power to make sure you will be prepared." He promised her, with a grin. He may have grown up and changed, but that grin stayed the same.

The same encouraging grin she got used to getting whenever she caught a cat, or whenever the Body Flicker was performed right enough for him to deem it at least decent.

"You will wipe the Arena with their asses."

Sakura shook her head, smiling. "That was a really nice pep talk. Have you been practicing?"

"When you're the ultra charismatic and handsome leader of the Thieves Guild, sometimes you gotta use words to pull your underlings from the ground. Follow me."

They were standing in the middle of the ring. Then, Shisui began to move in a series of typical khajiti taijutsu stances. Sakura was watching him the entire time. It was noticeable how his hands were not closed like fists, how they were supposed to be. The fingers were curled, to mimic claws.

The movements were languid, but ferocious, clawing at a supposed opponent. Then, he climbed on his hands, twirling in rapid hits, kind of resembling Sanji's fighting style.

"That, my dear sister, was the Whispering Fang, but adapted to fighters that do not have a tail to help them in battle."

"The Whispering Fang?"

"Yes. It's one of the three fighting styles adopted by the Khajit monks of the temples in Elsweyr. Padfoot has taught me how not only to fight but how to counterattack if you would ever be facing a Khajit in battle. You did good, but if young Motierre wouldn't have shown up, Padfoot wouldn't have lost his concentration. Not that easily." Shisui motioned her to stand next to him, as he was going to go through the katas with her.

"Raise your arm. Don't close your fists. Let chakra collect in the tips of your fingers. Slash, duck, swipe. Climb on your hands and swing your legs."

Sakura mimicked his pattern. Padfoot was spectating the training session. Shisui wanted to do a good job teaching her the Whispering Fang, especially with a khajit in the audience.

"The leg movements are meant to substitute a khajit's tail. Now come, use those katas on me."

Sakura nodded and walked in front of Shisui. She raised her arm, hooking her fingers, and leaped. Shisui moved away and blocked a 'claw' hit with his forearm, before advancing on his own. They were moving pretty fast, making hard for the 'spectators' to keep up with their movements.

It didn't take him long to grab her ankle and throw her on her back.

She raised her head and shook her hair.

"Not bad. You're grasping the basics. You've gotten pretty fast too."

"Last time we fought I was still a kid." Sakura smiled and took the extended hand to lift herself up. Out of a sudden, she yanked it down, making him gasp in surprise, before she applied a shin right to his ribs.

"Don't let your guard down, big brother."

Shisui groaned and stood up on his own, brushing his black cuirass. "I take back everything I said. You haven't changed at all."

He walked closer, but while Sakura was expecting a counter-attack, he merely poked her forehead with his middle and index fingers.

He smiled widely.

"Shisui-nii..."

"Don't start now. Come on, let's go get a drink or something."

"I'm sorry, I was getting a little sentimental."

Sakura took a deep breath and smiled. It took them a while to notice that Padfoot was not alone. Shisui patted her shoulder as they walked over.

"Padfoot, kid, this is my little sister, Sakura. Sakura, these are Padfoot and Alessio."

Sakura shook their hands.

"Padfoot is glad we were able to meet in... friendlier circumstances."

"So am I. And I already know Alessio. Do they know...?"

Alessio nodded. "Mother and father don't, but big brother and Alessia do. They don't know about me being here though, so I'd rather not have you rat me out." He did sketch a small smile.

"I won't. So that's why your family is protected then?"

"Sort of. Amaund Motierre, our uncle, has strong ties with the Thieves Guild. Sure, we haven't been on the best terms, but only because of his personal feud with father. But we," gesturing to him and his imaginary twin sister, "get along. Big brother has always been paranoid about him, though."

"Huh." Sakura nodded her head. "Makes sense."

"You've seen the guy in the stadium, Sakura. He had bodyguards flocking around like crazy." Shisui noted.

"Wait, that guy was your uncle? I'd expect him to only witness the big fights."

Alessio shrugged. "He's a big fan of gladiator combats. He doesn't miss a fight if he has the time for it. I'd say he liked the show you made. The moves reminded me of what boss does when he teleports."

"Of course." Shisui swung his arm over her shoulders. "I taught her my Body Flicker when she was this short and had that cute big forehead." He boasted, fondly.

"My forehead is not big."

"It was... a little larger than average. You have to be honest." He then turned to Padfoot. "Do you mind tending the desk while I show my little sister around?"

"Knock yourself out, boss. The fights are over anyways." They followed Padfoot to the main chamber of their headquarters. It was... pretty cool.

But not cool enough to have their own tavern. Sakura couldn't help but feel smug about it.

Shisui's desk was in the open as well, and the trophy case behind, right against the wall, was filled with all sorts of trinkets and artifacts. They earned enough coin to burn and flush down the sewers, so they afforded to keep some of the precious creations.

"Well... this is my desk. The boring part of the whole operation." There was a map of Cyrodiil spread across, something which appeared to be a business lodger, writing instruments and a strangely familiar statuette.

Sakura picked up.

"That's the statue of a real snow elf." It was made entirely of gold, and two diamonds were sculpted and used as eyes. Didn't Karliah say something about Gallus finding something similar inside a nobleman's house?

"Oh... I know. We... have seen it. During Mercer's chase."

"You did?" Shisui looked down, surprised.

"Yeah, in the Ruins of Irkngthand. They were beautiful... but it was crawling with Falmers and I almost died by Mercer's blade. I still have one of the eyes... Mr. Mallory wanted only one of them."

"So you have the real deal."

Sakura nodded. "It's big to carry around... but I guess I will just keep it as a souvenir. I usually keep something from my major explorations." Like the sapphire claw from Shroud Hearth Barrow.

She got a really hard pat on the back from her brother, followed by a laugh. "What were the chances?" Shisui chuckled. "But honestly now, tell me more about your Guild. I heard you'll be taking the reins soon."

"I guess you could say that." They continued their tour as Padfoot sat down in the boss' chair as asked, and Alessio soon left for the Hanging Gardens district.

The guild had a small mess hall - as opposed to their own tavern, several training rooms - Shisui's favorite installments, and a medical bay. Two twin sisters have once been priestesses of a divinity - which one Sakura didn't know, but they became rogues after a certain incident that has not been revealed to her just yet. Not that it mattered.

Shisui, who understood the importance of medics and healers, knew instantly that the Guild needed capable healing hands to patch them up. Going to a healer in a temple might prove itself to be risky for their current profession, so having a built-in sickbay could make you worry a little less about your health.

"What can I say about my guild... the Cistern is smaller than your quarters I guess... but it's still pretty cozy. Brynjolf said that he and miss Karliah will teach me everything I need to know about running the Guild. Brynjolf has been his right hand ever since the death of Mr. Gallus... you'd think he might be fit to lead since he's the reason the Guild has not been totally flushed."

Shisui listened and pondered over it. "I didn't know Mercer Frey very well. We didn't have an 'alliance' either. But the few interactions I had with Skyrim, were through either Brynjolf or old Delvin. If they believe you are fit to lead, then I believe them."

"You were supposed to be on my side."

"No, I was not. Chin up, when you are 'crowned', we can talk possible alliance terms and conditions. Hasn't your outfit been doing better since you landed so graciously in their laps?"

"I guess so. But only because I returned the Key back to Ebonmere."

"And why did you return the Key? Weren't you just one part out of the Trinity?"

Karliah was too ashamed to do it. Brynjolf was needed back at the Guild. But at the same time... returning the Key would out Karliah in Nocturnal's good graces... and they could have occupied Brynjolf's place back at the Guild while he returned the Key. Sakura's shoulders slumped. "Huh. You're right."

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? Now come on, I said I'm treating you with drinks for your good fight in the Arena. Today you experienced a little fight and a little training, but tomorrow, your work intensifies." He said, seriously.

"I will teach you everything I know about all kinds of people I have encountered on Tamriel. Their strengths and witnesses. How to use their own power against them."

Sakura looked up to Shisui. She was met with a grin.

They changed out of their clothes. Sakura couldn't go as Karasu and neither could Shisui as the Gray Fox. He'd be tackled down and arrested in an instant.

She was given a tunic shirt to wear over her tight, black, top replacing the tan overalls.

Shisui simply changed into more casual clothes, and skillfully, they exited the sewers beneath the city. They headed for the floating tavern in the Waterfront District, where Sakura knew Alessia has been singing for a while.

And she still did, playing a lute this time. Shisui and Sakura got a table as far away as possible from the prying eyes. The pirates cheer brought weird feelings of nostalgia.

A waitress took their order and would bring back to their table two mugfuls of ale.

Shisui has already noticed the young bard-in-training. "Right, I've been meaning to ask you. You've been staying with the Motierres for a few days, right?"

Sakura nodded. "How did you know that?"

"I know everything that happens in my city. But I'm kind of curious why."

"Oh. Me and Marcurio kind of met in Riften. I needed someone to help me with a Dwarven ruin and he boasted on how knowledgeable he was about them. We kind of... stayed friends after that. Until he found out I was a thief. I guess he was worried about the safety of his family. That's something I can understand."

But it was clear on her face that it kind of hurt.

Shisui tapped the table with his fingers. "I honestly don't know what to say. You're not a stranger in Cyrodiil anymore. You have your brother and you have Lady Valentia. Now you need to focus on winning the Tournament and getting the cowl from me."

What was the point of crying over the spilled milk, anyways?

A waitress came back with their drinks, with a smile, and Sakura took the opportunity to raise hers.

"There's no point in moping around, I suppose. Let's drink then."

Shisui clicked his mug against hers.

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Sakura woke up in Lady Valentia's shack, that morning, oddly energized and well-rested. She has gone over her training schedule with her brother last night, and she was ecstatic to start.

It still felt so surreal that he was alive.

They made a promise to start writing letters when everything was over. As much as Sakura liked Skyrim, she loved her family even more. In her own way. Man, they haven't been in touch for months.

But there was no time for shame; not yet.

"How did you sleep, my dear?" Lady Valentia was sitting in a chair, knitting. She looked up from her bundle of crocheted wool, smiling eerily and youthful.

"I slept like a log. I can't wait to see what big brother is going to teach me. I'd say the Arena will be easy, but I don't want the Gods to jinx me."

Lady Valentia chuckled. "Just don't forget your amulet. It gives you blessings right from the Lady Luck herself."

Sakura has almost ran out of the house until she was reminded of the Amulet. She stopped, gingerly grabbing it from the top of the drawer, and clicked it at the nape of her neck, careful not to catch a painful strand of hair.

"You're right, I've almost forgotten."

She was met with a smile and a dismissive shake of her hand.

Sakura was expected in the underground training arena, and the first thing she had to do was react quickly. Shisui attacked her out of nowhere with the Whispering Fang.

Her fingers hooked, remembering the lecture last night. She moved her body out of the harm's way - in this case, chakra-laced claw imitations.

Shisui stopped. "Good. You reacted quickly enough. It could have been quicker, but that will follow naturally, the more we practice. Sadly I do not have any kind of intel on your next opponent. You will have to memorize everything we go through. Think of it as an exam. You have to study three commentary volumes and risk getting a single chapter on your paper. Until you get jumped from your stage as a Pit Dog, you will be dragged in the mud with all kinds of gladiators. The interesting ones are closer to the end of the Tournament."

"And what are the good news?" When Shisui raised an eyebrow, Sakura continued. "The way you put it, it sounded like those were the bad news."

"The good news is that your performance last night allowed you not to stay behind too much. The average newcomer has to go through a shit ton of matches before they can even think of touching the Pit Dogs boss. If you did just as much to swing an ax or win by luck, you wouldn't have this privilege."

"Lucky me."

"Lucky you, indeed." While Sakura was even remotely sarcastic, Shisui wasn't at all. "Go through the katas with me one more time, and then we'll move on."

Sakura stood next to him, as together they went through the basic moves of the khajit monk style. The whole technique was appropriately more feline inclined. And it kind of fit her like a glove. She wouldn't mind incorporating it in her regular fighting style either.

Argonians followed next. They opened their fists in hand to hand combat as well, using their claws. Why use a knife when you have ten natural blades yourself? Their scales were hard and were tough opponents even when unarmored properly. Yet, there were a few sensitive spots on the neck, bellow their chins, that weren't as sturdy and scaly as the rest of the body.

They all worshipped the Hist. Shisui was not quite sure what kind of 'deity' was that, but he has seen Argonians withstand hard blows in the Arena, moments after they got their asses handed out to them. Kind of like a last resort trump card. They sometimes won too. It allowed them to go berserk while sustaining minimal injuries.

They had a weakness, though. The Cold. You'd think their scales would protect them but no. A human with regular skin - that was not a Nord, would resist cold weather better than your average Argonian. For some unspecified reason. Frost spells were a go-to in this case.

Altmers, while very proficient magic users, were rather slow. Bosmers could withstand blunt and melee attacks worse than others. You could easily tire out a Breton, and a Dumner is more likely to fall for an illusion. Imperials more likely to fall than keep their balance, being less agile. Nords, while lacking wit, they compensated it with strength.

Orcs were slow but were almost invincible when they went berserk, and a fight with a Redguard could go on and on without breaking a sweat.

Of course, exceptions happened all the time. But having a mental chart of strengths and weaknesses, made her feel a little more confident about the upcoming fights.

While training, Sakura had the pleasure of meeting a few more of Shisui's mates. She has met Alessio and Padfoot - Shisui's right... hand, but the most vigorous spar she has had was with an Argonian named Walks-With-Shadows. She used no chakra at all, not even to harden her skin, so she felt every hit, even if it was blocked.

The name was pretty fitting too. Sakura has asked him about it, and the green-scaled Argonian was actually happy to humor her.

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"Argonians born under the sign of The Shadow used to be taken from birth and trained to become Shadowscales. Sadly my order has been extinct for a while... but at least all that training I got as a hatchling has not gone to waste." He explained as they took a short break.

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And just as Shisui told her, Imperials were not that nimble on their feet, unless they specifically trained as assassins or thieves. Or dancers. No judging. The first opponent of the night was a Cyrodiilic from Chorrol. She has not paid much attention to the guy's life story, nor could she care less.

The fight itself was pretty interesting. They were both presented two rapiers.

They bowed, and the fencing match began. It was a lot like a fencing match, at least. There was no referee and the risk of taking someone's eye out was the least worse thing that could happen to you. Lucky her, she has a mask. But just like a fencing match, there was more about speed than strength.

That's what the guy lacked. Speed. He was easily not only disarmed, but the thin blade hit the right vital points for a quick death.

She kind of felt stupid for joining the whole Arena deal.

"Karasu strikes again!" The Disco-wanna-be called out, walking over. "But she can she withstand the Monster of the Marshes?!"

The crowd chanted and hollered. They already placed their bets.

"Well... fuck me," Sakura muttered, beneath her mask. The scaled guy had the arms at least as thick as Sakura's torso, shadowing over her body, and could very well pick his teeth with one of those rapiers. As an Argonian, he could choose not to use any weapons, since claws were as dangerous as they got.

"Begin!"

Sakura jumped back to avoid a claw swing. And a second claw swing. She focused her mana in her body, raising her left, unarmed hand. The light was well hidden by her clothes, but the application of Stoneflesh all over her skin was announced by a loud pop. Then, she charged straight forward. Sakura jumped and climbed all the way up on his arms and shoulders.

The Argonian growled.

Sakura raised the rapier and slammed right into the shoulder. Right before her eyes, the blade snapped under the hard, scaly skin. She audibly gulped.

"You're mine now!"

A large green hand wrapped around her body. She was hurled and a fist sent her flying on the opposite side of the Arena, with a strength she hasn't felt in a really long time. Maybe for the first time since she ever stepped her foot on Tamriel. It felt oddly nostalgic. And painful. And it would have been worse if Stoneflesh wouldn't have absorbed most of the hit. She regained her balance and landed on her feet, kind of wobbly, as she held the back of her head. That thing packed quite a punch.

"Not quite yet." Sakura took a deep breath. And ran right for him.

The Argonian raised his hands, blocking a deadly, chakra-filled punch, but he knew that something was wrong in an instant. He hissed in pain. The skin on his palms was hot and burning. But it was only for so long he could block the gloved, tiny fists. Tiny in comparison. He felt the bone crack in his wrists. As he turned around to aim with a tail hit, Sakura grasped onto the extension and jumped. Right above his head, her chakra-punch collided with the skull, cracking it instantly. The ground shook under the impact and cracked, driving most of the body into the dirt.

The dust clouds settled down.

"And... we have a winner..."

Sakura heard someone as she mellowed out. Stepping off the shoulder of her ... former opponent, she looked behind and could only be thankful she wasn't stuck with cleaning the Arena. Or getting rid of the body. She exited the ring and headed right for the Dunmer lady at the desk.

The woman's red eyes widened just a little before she smiled.

"Oh, you again! Congrats on a well-played match! Just a minute, until I get your payment." She opened a drawer, and a few more, before pulling out three coin purses. "50 for your first battle, and 100 for the last. Oh, and boss told me to inform you of your new rank. You're the first outsider to become a Brawler so far. But you're the last one to sign up too. The others moved up already."

Sakura took the coin and nodded. "Thank you."

She bid the Dunmer woman farewells and left the sewers, taking a deep breath of fresh air. In less than two weeks... it would finally be over.

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A/N: Ahem. Sorry for the shitty fighting scenes. I had something in my mind about the fight but... Long review reply down there. I'm working on a chapter right now, maybe two, which will be published tomorrow or so. I hope. Until then... I hope this chapter will be good enough.

First of all, I wanted to note that the traits regarding the races of Tamriel were made using the wiki articles. There is stuff included by the Creation Club - perfectly canon with the game. I personally don't have it but since it's canon and it's a story, it would kind of make sense as to why could I implement CC features too. 'I'm sorry, the Argonian can't have the cold debuff because the Aedra haven't purchased the CC pack from the store.'

Nor will Sakura hit an imaginary barrier when wanting to swim past Skyrim's borders. That would be weird.

I'm also using elements from Oblivion, just in case you're wondering what the hell have I cooked up here.

(I want to warn you, long review reply ahead.)

Second of all, I got a guest review this morning - I was still a little dead, and I couldn't go back to sleep because my mind would overthink all kinds of possible reply ideas. Gotta get it out of my system, I guess.

Kay so. You can see it among the reviews, but this was posted on my fourth chapter. The guy/gal is less likely to see this because they said they stopped reading, I don't want to go through the nightmare of updating everything again, but they took time out of their day to write a review so I can thank them by replying.

I'm normally replying in private... if I can. In this case, I can't, since it's a guest review. Back in the fourth chapter, my story was at the very beginning. Still. The 'Forward Note' states this fic was, is and will stay a brain vomit. I also stated that I welcome criticism regarding my writing style. Because I want to improve. So I do want feedback. To improve. Not to make the same mistakes over and over. But story elements are done for a reason. I am, however, listening to ideas regarding what to write and what sceneries could I implement.

That being said, at the stage of the fourth chapter, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with the story. I found the opportunity to write about the Thieves. And I did. Sakura COULD fuck with them, Sakura COULD kill them, but she didn't. Why? The Thieves Guild is my favorite faction so far. It's the only one that gave me a lasting positive-ish impact. A second close is the Companions or the Dawnguard.

Having a connection of 'underlings' under your feet all over Skyrim also would make her stay a thousand times easier. No worries about a roof over your head, about coin or ...anything. The Thieves also became a really important part of the plot so far. On top of that, the picture of striping Maven off her influence was burnt in my mind from the very beginnings. Also... playing as a thief brought me tons of money. I'm not regretting shit. I wouldn't steal a gum in real life, but I love being a rogue/thief in video games.

Sakura COULD have gone against them. She could pull a Susano'o out of her ass and massacre them. But... why? How would that be interesting? Yeah, you take down the Thieves. Omg, hero of the city. Then what? The story goes on, you move to the next faction. It's the reason why I hated the Dark Brotherhood storyline. You join or you destroy them. But if you choose to destroy them - you have to kinda accidentally kill Astrid before she gives the mission otherwise she turns essential thus unkillable, without knowing at first you can do that.

Then you tell a random guard 'Hey, I killed Astrid - they don't doubt you at all as you don't show any kind of proof.' Then you go to Commander Maro and he throws you in their den without as much as a little backup. Nice.

I never liked the Dark Brotherhood either. Not the characters and certainly not taking orders from a lump of rotting flesh. If anything, it was more enjoyable in Oblivion *cough* Lucien *cough*.

(Yeah the Oblivion graphics are meh but check his official Elder Scrolls: Legends artwork.)

But Sakura won't be the leader of everything you can think of. Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Archmage of the College of Winterhold... certainly not. Now that she's on her way to becoming a Guild Master, I'm thinking of different ways to introduce her with the other factions.

I actually have something cool planned for the Dark Brotherhood. 'Uninspired Skyrim hash' my ass. XD The only problem with it is that it would have such a big impact over the Empire, perhaps the Civil War too, I don't even know. Should I keep it as the last semi-canon arc? Since who knows when will this going to happen... and I bet you'll forget til we reach chapter 500... here's a sneak peek thingy:

Be Sakura;

Kill Grelod;

Take Aventus as your pupil;

By Malacath's toenails, Astrid kidnapped Aventus!

Something possesses you and you go rampage in the Sanctuary;

Not everyone dies;

Temporary become the Emperor's bodyguard.

The Brotherhood in Skyrim screwed the Five Tenets, Sakura kills almost all of them... you can make the connection as in why her judgment was clouded. Shrouded.

Regarding the other factions... yeah.

I know this was long, and I want to let you know that I was not triggered. XD Far from it. Usually, a review can correspond with the actual thoughts of other readers, but one out of a dozen actually wanted to speak their minds. Maybe, just maybe, I answered potential questions you had but for some reason, you wanted to keep them for yourself.

I tend to go overboard with details when describing what's going on with my mind.

That being said, Long Live the Guild! I don't care, they are my favorites, leave me alone. XD I'm kidding. But before I decided to go with the Thieves, it's not like I got suggestions on what to do with the story. Guess I just went with the flow. I'm more careful with planning now. Maybe one day I'll come back here to rewrite.

But the whole strategic point of view still stands. I do think that my writing style refined a little since that chapter tho. Maybe just a tiny bit. Gimme a break, I bet it's been almost a year since it was originally published. I released the first chapter in 2018, on August. Actually... it's been over a year. Damn, time flies.

So... how's your day? How are you guys feeling? I hope you're all healthy and fine, especially during this outbreak. I'm relatively okay, just tired. I'm working on a cute chapter idea. A complete filler to let my mind rest for a little. Feel free to hit me up if you wanna chat. About the story or not... your choice.

Cheers!