The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying

Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence

Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Sakura fainted shortly after spitting out that soul gem. She has found the worst time to take a nap, really. But even Marcurio could guess that having your body drained out of your life energy and being possessed by a maniac necromancer with mental issues could take a toll on you. He simply leaned her against the wall, because they couldn't leave just yet.

It took him a while to find his staff, satchel of scrolls, and Sakura's basket full of - well he didn't know exactly what was she hiding. Or at least he didn't until he decided to take a peek, and he was kind of glad there wasn't anything strange. She mostly had a collection of dried flowers, a few storage scrolls, and a coin purse. There was also a leather-bound journal he decided not to open, as he has invaded her privacy quite enough, and just placed back the book given to her by Master Canuldil.

She was so airheaded she has forgotten it on a rock, and Marcurio has been holding it for her ever since.

A panther was ensuring Sakura's safety while Marcurio was making sure they were good to go. The necromancers stopped wailing, and the voices were quiet. Galanoth's influence has started to fade, and they slowly regained their senses. But they were not capable of fighting, or defending themselves, as their brains were too gooey and in pain to perceive the world around them just yet.

Then, he stepped in front of the vat of pure mana. It was quite a lot too and had a faint blue glow to it. It was mesmerizing, in a way. A stain of purple was floating around, that he could guess it was Matatabi's influence.

He placed a hand on the glass, and in a moment of impulsivity, he punched it. The surface smashed and the contents dissipated immediately into the air, but not without leaving his knuckles bloody and sore.

"Let's go, then. Let's get out of here."

Marcurio let the panthers grab Sakura's basket and carry it out because he couldn't trust them not dropping her body on their way out.

Sakura was shifting in his arms, shutting her eyes tight, and that prompted Marcurio to run faster, past the awakening necromancers. Their way out was clear and yet... they had a long way down.

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Voices were talking to each other. The words were not too distinguishable... Sakura could hear different tonalities in their voices, but nothing concrete. Her body was aching, and she felt her strength being sapped away. Being almost void of chakra was a terrifying feeling - she almost felt powerless and handicapped. Like a blacksmith without hands, or a singer without a voice. Her eyes fluttered open, and her hands felt around herself, touching the soft sheets.

It was the same bed she has awoken on, that night... when she has found out the truth about the Gray Fox.

And speaking of Foxes... he was there, talking to Marcurio. Alessio was beside his brother too, apparently defending him, and Lady Valentia has walked over with a tray of tea and a blue colored potion flask.

Shisui, while he was not actively arguing, his words were far tenser than they should be.

"Easy there, easy..." Valentia coaxed her on. That immediately brought her brother's attention to her awakening.

"Mara be praised! You have almost given your brother a heart attack. Twice!" Shisui exclaimed, completely forgetting his hood and all the other present souls in the room beneath the Imperial City. It was the same room she was brought to after their first encounter, just far more crowded.

"Do you want to kill your brother, Sakura-chan? Do you want to see me buried 6 ft. underground?"

Sakura was not given enough time to answer, as she was immediately brought into a tight, bear hug.

She lazily wrapped her arms around Shisui. "I feel like I was trampled by a stampede of mammoths." She was let go, and Sakura immediately moved to throw the covers off her body. She flinched, as her body was almost too numb to move around. And she had to fight that night. She was so screwed...

"You might as well been." Marcurio has been quiet since her awakening and has only broken the silence just now. Worry was obvious on his face, as clear as daylight, but he didn't move from his stern position, with his arms crossed.

"He possessed your body and almost killed us all. You started bleeding out whatever Solas has filled your chakra pathways with and corrupting whatever was keeping you alive. If Solas wouldn't have killed us, you most likely would have been dead because of that maneuver he has pulled out of his ass."

"I've done as much cleaning as I would." Lady Valentia said, gently, to calm both parties down. "You'll live. But right now you're not in the condition to fight in the tournament. It's your last night in the underground arena, and they're looking to weed out as many subpar fighters as possible. In this condition, you could get killed."

Lady Valentia has gotten a chakra replenishing tea recipe from Shisui and was more than happy to brew her a few cups. She held the cup for Sakura to drink, carefully.

Sakura inhaled deeply the steam, and couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the familiar scent of the herbs usually found in the forests around Konoha. One of the cats must have also delivered them.

"Thank you, Lady Valentia. But you know that the alternative option here is death. If I don't die in battle, they'll hunt me down. I must at least... try... to put up a fight. I can't back down."

Stupid hood... stupid nii-san... stupid necromancer...

Nobody has paid much attention to Alessio so far. It was only natural for him to follow the Gray Fox around because he was his mentor. But everyone has been focused on their siblings, that have barely escaped death and have shown up in the sewers more dead than alive.

Lady Luck was on their side, praise Nocturnal.

"You know... you do not have to fight." Alessio walked closer.

"Haven't you heard about me? Of course, I have to fight-"

"YOU do not have to fight. Me on the other hand..." Alessio cut her down, suggesting. "I may or may have not been taught that weird disguising technique you guys have."

Marcurio gave Shisui a pained glance. "Please tell me you didn't..."

"I did." The Fox shrugged. "What kind of sensei would have I been if I didn't teach my young thieves in the making, everything I know. And if I'm not mistaken, your henge is pretty decent. Decent enough to fool even the Count's finest hound dogs." It was common sense to know that certain dog breeds could be unfamiliar with someone's scent, even if in theory, they had the servant's face. And the Count of Bruma especially had highly trained hounds, shipped right from Markarth.

"You can bet, boss. Nobody would be able to tell me and the real Sakura apart." His grin almost split his face in two.

Sakura didn't know the appropriate expression to show off. Weirded out? Angry? Happy?

"This idea is just so stupid..." she sighed. "So stupid it might just work. But I can't let you fight in my place, Alessio. What if something happens?"

Several scenarios started running through her head. He could die. He could be seriously hurt. The disguise could fail and they would both be hunted down for cheating. Many things could go wrong.

"You both severely underestimate my student, you two." Shisui patted Alessio's shoulder, rather hard. And yes, he was addressing both of them, because even Marcurio looked like he was going to say something and perhaps start a fight.

"He's not going to fail. In these past two years, I have seen him learn at a really fast pace. While he can not cast elemental ninjutsu to save his life, he seems to be proficient in using any kind of technique that might help his pilfering and burglary needs. It's kind of scary."

Alessio felt his chest swell up with pride.

"So? Have we settled this down then? Can I do it? If so, I want half of the coin."

Sakura sweatdropped, before shaking her head. "I don't know what to say... if we get found out... we are toast."

Alessio moved his hands into a hand sign sequence, and with a puff of smoke, an almost perfect double of Sakura was standing right in front of them. Only almost, because Alessio-Sakura was not currently experiencing severe chakra exhaustion, and looked more alive than ever.

"I feel weird. Like my field of vision dropped down drastically. But that might be because you're as tall as a doorknob."

He had to dodge the teacup chucked in his direction.

Rubbing her aching temples, she sighed. "Fine. Shisui-nii? Marcurio? It seems we have no other choice."

"If the cover does get blown, I'll just cast an illusion." Shisui scratched his chin. "Can I count on you two to watch over my sister?" He turned to both Lady Valentia and Marcurio, who stood beside her bed. He gave him an affirming nod.

"Of course, son. Go and make sure the rounds go smoothly. You have sparred with her a few times. Show him Sakura's mannerisms in battle. It's not enough to look like her. He also has to fight like her."

"You make a very good point, Lady Valentia. Come on, kid." The Gray Fox nudged Alessio by his back.

"Good luck you two..." Sakura waved.

"Be careful... little brother." Marcurio was merely met with a wide grin, that was typical to both his brother and the woman he was currently impersonating.

"I don't like this... I don't..." At that point, Shisui and Alessio were both out of their hearing range.

"He might die, Sakura. I don't want my little brother to get splattered by gods-know-what kind of beasts or gladiators dwell in that hell hole... people die in those areas. What would our parents say?"

Sakura snorted. "Of course I know how the arenas are. I have been part of those since I have stepped foot on Cyrodiil." Then, her expression softened.

"I think we should trust Alessio's fighting capabilities... he risks dying or getting caught every day. Hell... both of us risk our lives because of the path we chose in life. And he has chosen his..." she paused. It was not surprising that Sakura has felt guilty about the whole ordeal. She was the one who had to be temporarily replaced and impersonated. But at the same time...

"We couldn't have known that we would be sent on a wild geese hunt, Marcurio. Not even Canuldil could have foreseen that the ruins were plagued by weird necromancers. The tools were said to be destroyed, but there is nobody alive that was present during that time period to confirm the authenticity. For all we, and your professors know, they could have lied to protect the artifacts. You couldn't have known."

Sakura got no reply back. He appeared to be in deep thought, as his head hung low. He was sitting on the bed, with his hands resting on each of his sides. On the pristine white sheets.

She made the bold, but shy and innocent gesture, of placing her small, pale hand, over his, gently brushing his knuckles with her thumb.

"You couldn't have known either. All that matters is that we are alive. And if something happens, my brother is a very capable illusionist to get him out of any sticky situation. Everything is going to be alright." She gave him a tired, reassuring smile, that made something swell up in his chest.

"Thank you."

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The crowd was cheering from ahead, and Marcurio has gone to watch the match. Lady Valentia has returned with a brand new batch of chakra replenishing tea - bitter and horrible - and placed it on her bedside. She has also brought her a new book to read because Sakura has had enough of Sancre Tor to last her for an entire lifetime.

It was a theater play, that could be watched in the designed theater hall run by the local bards college. But she has been sitting on the same page for almost 20 minutes now, unable to turn to another one and continue her lecture.

"They should have been done by now, Lady Valentia. They should have been back." Sakura broke through the tense and painful silence.

"What if something happened...?"

"Just two hours ago you have done your best to make sure Alessio's older brother wouldn't incinerate anybody for allowing him to replace you. Now you're the one having doubts?" Lady Valentia chuckled, as she patted Sakura's tense back.

It was strange just how calm could that woman be. Her inability to become stressed.

"They are going to be fine. I wouldn't worry."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something.

"Who's going to be fine?"

It was finally over, and Sakura slumped back into her pillow, relieved. Alessio was shaking a coin purse, with a stupid grin on his face, followed by The Gray Fox and Marcurio.

The henge was gone now, and overall he seemed to be alright, save for a few cuts and bruises. He passed her the crow mask, which Sakura gingerly placed on her end table, and Alessio dragged a chair beside her bed.

"You should have seen me, Sakura! They didn't know what hit them! He was like 'where has she gone!?' and I was like 'haaaa!' and sliced right through his spleens. They didn't know where I could come from next!" Sakura listened to Alessio's tale with great intent, as it was accompanied by exaggerated hand gesticulations and facial expressions, which overall made it entertaining to listen to. It was simply... funny. Cyrodiilics had a particular style of storytelling.

"Now, here's your share of the coin. I did use your face after all. Shame, they wouldn't know just how awesome I was."

Sakura moved to take the coins, before stopping herself, shaking her head.

"Keep it. Less likely you'll fight in the arena again. Your uncle is literally in the tribunes; it would be far easier for him to sniff you out and tell your parents if he first-hand saw you fighting, when all you're supposed to do is help your father with shipments."

Alessio's smile fell, but he didn't complain about the coin, really.

"Damn. You're right."

"Well..." Shisui began. "You performed brilliantly, kid. I think I can let you go home earlier. Just change first, before you give your parents a heart attack."

His mood instantly lifted. "Aye aye, boss! Wait for me, big brother!"

Marcurio stopped for a moment. "Come to our house next morning, if you feel better. I have promised you we'll get ready those health pills, and I'm intending to keep that promise."

Sakura had a few questions, such as what has happened while she was out... or if Tora was okay. She knew very well that Tora has been perched on top of Marcurio's shoulder when they have raided the Golden Hills, and when she has woken up, the tiny brown cat was gone.

Marcurio was not entirely enlightened either. He wanted to know what was that sensation he has felt back then, when Solas/Sakura was ready to obliterate him. That supernatural feeling was powerful and overcame any kind of humanly possible limits. It was like his senses transcended the third possible dimensions perceived by your average mortal, feeling the sorrow around him, and easily predicting the movements of the other.

And no matter in how many life-threatening situations he has found himself before, nothing was as intense as the imminent death he has faced just a few hours ago. Something in him has awoken, and in secret, he has tried to recreate the feeling and focus, but to no avail.

But Sakura knew he could hear him. She could see him, and he could hear her, and Sakura has taken full advantage of it. She has nudged him to trust his fresh instincts, until she has finally regained control of her body.

She knew. And just like her, he wanted answers.

It was a silent agreement, when their eyes met. Tomorrow.

"I will. Thank you... and good luck trying to find an excuse for Alessio being so banged up."

There was so much Lady Valentia could do. She may have been a former Agent-then-priestess, but she has not grasped more than the basics of Restoration.

"We'll find an excuse." Alessio grinned, hopping back in, as he wiggled in his boots, to quickly fix them on his legs. "Rest well!"

They waved each other goodbye, and nothing else was said.

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A/N: Welp. Finally. It took me a while as I was waiting for inspiration to hit me. I'm starting to give Alessio an outline for his character. Like... I have a few plans for him.

Save for Alessia as well. But she'll get defined a little later on.

This chapter was not so ... well it was pretty ... eh... I guess. Like it's just the aftermath. I didn't squeeze in Alessio's fighting scene just yet. He'll have another time to showcase his fighting abilities, even if the arc is theoretically done. I don't think I'll make him a one-time character.

The next chapter will also be a 'calm before the storm' kind, which I hope it won't be too bad, while I lay out the ground for the final battles. And I'm also progressing Marcurio and Sakura's relationship a bit. Dunno.

I also have something special planned later on, for the wintertime holidays. You'll see.

If you have any ideas, lemme know. I'm trying not to stretch out the Cyrodiilic chapter too much. I also constantly apologize for my shitty fighting scenes. It just comes hard for me I guess. Any ideas how to improve? I kept reading articles and stuff.

Either way.

Cheers!