Here i stand helpless and left for dead... i close your eyes, so many days gone by. easy to find what's wrong harder to find what's right. i believe in you i can show you that i can see right through all your empty lies, i won't stay long in this world so wrong! say goodbye as we dance with the devil tonight, don't you dare look him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight!

Illidan Stormrage, POV.

I fought among my Demon Hunter brethren, laughing madly, in pride and blood madness as we bathed in the blood and entrails of our foes, my tattoos and warglaives pulsing madly as blood splattered upon them and I did my Kaldorei ancestors proud, or at least that was what the Kaldorei part of me wished to believe.

The demonic part of me which was more bloodthirsty but realistic, figured they were probably more horrified than proud and shrugged as if to say 'ancestors can't live with em can't eat their hearts and suck their bone marrow cause their more than likely already dead.' before going back to feasting on the hearts and drinking the blood of our current foes.

And then I came face to broken face with Akama. We stared at each other, so much that could have might have been said and done to keep this moment from coming, but hadn't been. Akama raised his scythes and I raised my warglaives.

We struck out at each other and I blocked his strike from above with the warglaive in my right hand, using the other the remove Akama's hand which had struck out at my stomach with my other hand and Akama cried out in agony and fell back just a step.

I lowered the warglaive from where it had been blocking Akama's scythe raised my other warglaive and drew them across Akama's torso, nearly cutting him in half.

Akama fell, dead nearly instantly as my warglaives disemboweled him, sliced through his heart, split his ribs and nicked his spinal cord.

A battle, that should have been great, mighty and final. Done in under 15 seconds, it felt cheap and dirty and I felt nothing but a small pang of sadness for the old Broken one, who had seen nothing but darkness, tyranny and greed within my heart and had wanted nothing more than to bring peace and light back to the Black Temple, back to his people, unable to see the vision I had for this world, a sanctuary for the forsaken, the damned, and the fallen. A place, where the unjustly persecuted could find justice and understanding.

I sighed and realized that the battle was almost over. There were only about a dozen of the ground Naga remaining and they were backing up towards holes they had dug through my citadel and fleeing back down them.

But I saw all the death and destruction around me, all the dead Naga and Blood elves, all the pain and suffering all because of me, was it really all worth it? I felt old, really really old.

I ran one bloody hand through my thick raven hair and froze as my sight fell across the prone figure of Sylvanas Windrunner.

No! I thought, "Beloved!" I shouted… I don't what came over me.

Sylvanas Windrunner, POV.

I felt like someone had shot me in the head, threw me off a cliff and then set me on fire. God I was tired and that area where someone had struck me down was really hurting and to add to that some idiot was shaking me and yelling into my face.

Wait a minute, is that Illidan? Why the hell is he shouting beloved? Maybe he's calling for that Vashj bitch for some reason.

I groaned and I heard a loud sigh of relief, which was strange as considering all the things I'd put him through as well as just his plain out dislike of me I'd figure it'd be more a sigh of disappointment.

"Thank Elune, your alive… I thought I'd lost you for certain this time." Illidan sighed and I felt my heart clench, he was thanking his Kaldorei goddess for my continued existence? What did I miss.

"Fallen Elf… undead ranger, Sylvanas… Dark Lady, my friend. I don't quite know what to make of you, one moment I was intent on using you the other I was intent on killing you, then it was back to using you for my own personal gain… and now, now I do not know what to make of any of this. I think that I've come to… feel a great deal for you… towards you Sylvanas, your story is so similar to mine I just can't help but sympathize with you and… I think that maybe, just maybe we could be… by Elune's grace, friends maybe even great friends though its doubtful maybe even something more."

I could feel my heart clenching and twisting in my chest. Friends? Something more? What the hell could he mean by that? And, why do I feel this way, why do I feel so, so… touched? No one had touched me, not like this… not for close to a decade I think.

I decided now would be a great time to open my eyes, I found myself staring up into Illidan's fiery Orbs and I blinked up at him, surprised at just how close he really was and he yelped just a little in surprise and pulled back a little. "Sylvanas! Your awake, how much did you hear?"

I blinked at him, feigning confusion and I sat up stretching a little, "How much did I hear of what?" I asked innocently. Even as I felt out strained and sore muscles from my recent exertions, "I just woke up."

He was about to reply, when Remo slithered over to us, "Lord Illidan," he called out, "we have taken care of the ground serpents, whom were driven completely insane by Wolfe's fear chemicals as you requested and we have managed to capture one of the ground serpents alive, we scouted the area around and inside the Citadel with our best of hearing warriors, we appear to have driven all of them off."

Illidan got to his feet and nodded to the great serpent, "Very good, now whats the bad news?" he asked.

"We have taken heavy casualties, 500 of the 3000 Naga are dead, 140 blood elf mages are dead, an unknown but quite large amount of the Fel Orcs are dead, over a thousand at least, though there certainly are plenty to spare and the demons well they appear to have gotten off the lightest."

I winced at the losses as did Illidan, "Very well, anything else?" Remo nodded, "Yes young Kael'Thas has appeared to have had a mental breakdown from being caught by one of Master Valentine's fear potions, we've had him sedated and carried off to the dungeons and had some healers take a look at him but the damage appears to have been done, he may never recover."

Illidan sighed sadly, "Yet another fine Mage and man, put down because of my doing." I sat up somewhat surprised to see that I was on a bed, Illidan's bed. I shook off this surprise to touch his arm gently, "Its not your fault Illidan, you couldn't have known this was gonna happen, things like this happen all the time its unavoidable."

Illidan looked like he wanted to argue, but then he just sighed and nodded his head, resting his hand over my own just for a second. "Yes I suppose so, thank you Sylvanas, Ranger General."

I sighed softly, "Its fallen Ranger General remember? I'm not ranger general of anything now."

Illidan winced, "Sorry, with all that's happened I forgot."

I waved his apology off, "Oh its nothing, sometimes I forget it myself and snap at people for not addressing me properly." I sighed and feeling more touched by his apology than I really should have I stepped up close to him and hugged him resting my head against his stomach.

He stared down at me, in surprise slowly resting a hand on top of my head to stroke the hair at the back of my head. "Thank you." I murmured softly, grateful for what he was doing for me, even if I wasn't great at showing it.

"errm, no problem." I quickly released my embrace and I think he sighed a little in relief, "Now if you don't mind I gotta go find my quarters now."

He stared down at me, "You can't go walking around, your hurt!" I smiled feeling a tingle go through me at his concern, "Not really, if you'll notice Looord Illidan Stormrage, I don't have a mark on me, I'm just tired right now and that's all."

I got to my feet, groaning a little at the pop of muscles and bones, "Thanks for the bed, nice sheets, you need a shower you stink." he smirked, "Your not all that pleasant to be within smelling range of either Fallen elf."

I snorted, "Way to make a girl feel good about herself, Stormrage, bravo. Now if you'll excuse me."

I paused at the doorway, thinking, isn't there something I should do or say? Something important? I glanced back at him in confusion and then it came to me, "Oh and Illidan," he turned to me, a great big question mark on his face, "I think I've come to feel a great deal towards you as well." I smiled sweetly at him before turning and was about to leave when I heard a familiar snide Naga voice, "Well well, if it isn't little miss whorebitch, Sylvanas Windrunner, or should that be missus little miss whorebitch, Sylvanas Windrunner." Todd laughed.

"What are you-" I started and then I remembered Illidan's speech on the roof and I felt heat in my cheeks, yet again only psychological, I wasn't really blushing something I was grateful for. "Oh, you didn't think news of that little speech of Stormrage's wouldn't get out did you?" he asked in his high nasal voice, "news travels fast, especially after something like this, by now almost everyone knows."

He grinned and I snarled at him, feeling rage and humiliation, "Shut the fuck up Todd." I growled, "Oh struck a nerve did I, why was that the first marriage proposal you got? Did no one care enough for their precious protector to see if she was happy? Maybe it was because she was such a cold tight fucking bi-"

All of the sudden Illidan was there, with his hand around the Naga's throat, "She said, to shut the fuck up, Todd." he snarled, "Maybe you ought to listen to what she says, if you don't you might well find yourself in the scorpion pits. Scorpion venom won't kill you, but as I understand it, scorpion venom is a fairly painful poison that even the Naga, especially the Naga are quite susceptible too, wont kill you but it will hurt like fucking hell."

"Let him go, Illidan." I growled softly and I looked at me in surprise, "But-" he began and I cut him off, "He's just speaking his mind as well as everyone else's, not a surprise, can't really blame them can you? After that… you know what I take back what I said, no wait I take that back, I do have a great sense of feeling towards you too I think and let me tell you, it isn't very friendly." I snapped, turned and jogged away towards my quarters, feeling pain and betrayal deep inside myself… though I wasn't sure if the betrayal was entirely on Illidan's part.

Illidan Stormrage, POV.

I stared after the retreating figure of Sylvanas. I shook my head, with a groan "All that hard work, all for nothing undone by a few words." I sighed, then I thought. Oh well, what are we if not slaves to this torment and all that.

"What was that about?" Quiz'dishar doweer asked. "Oh nothing, just the ramblings of a mad fallen elf, with marital issues." I sighed, "So Quiz'dishar doweer-" I began and he said, "Remo."

I stared at him and he shifted uncomfortably, "just a name the Dark Lady put to me, it… it sorta grew on me."

I nodded, "uhhhuh, well go see an apothecary or a healer and get it scraped or scorched the hell off, it doesn't suit you in the slightest. Now when were you going to tell me that you were poisoned?"

The newly christened Remo blinked up at me, "How did you-" he began to ask and I waved him off, "I can smell the poison it's a wonder no one else can, its so rancid, go get yourself to the Wolfe, have him take a look at it, there is a great reason behind why I tolerate his presence in this Citadel, he's got a touch with chemicals that I have never seen before, he's talented and skilled beyond belief and if there's anyone who could possibly be able to take care of that poison, its him."

Remo nodded, "Very well Lord Illidan." and he turned to go, but I had a question, "Rem- Quiz'dishar doweer, were those Warglaives, Windrunner was fighting with?" I asked, and he nodded, "Yes Lord Illidan, she apparently got them off a dead Demon Hunter Trainee, level 6 named Valiant." I nodded at this new information "Very well, one last thing, what cell number is Kael'Thas, in?"

"669, sir." I nodded, "very well, now go find that madman."

"yes sir."

I sighed and turned to face the sunset, "Valiant." I snorted and felt bad for it, a Demon Hunter was dead, that was no laughing matter… but still I just had to chuckle. "So, the Windrunner was capable of taking up someone else' a dead Demon Hunter's Warglaives and she was a natural at it? Yes, yes she was, she fought almost as well with them as she did with Tokijin…" I shook my head. "How in the hell did she do that?"

I laid myself down in my bed, to contemplate the impossibility, the enigma, that was Sylvanas Windrunner with a tail in the middle.

Author's POV. (Yay more of me! Lol)

In the cell 669, Prince Kael'Thas, shuddered and flinched back from every shadow and phantom he saw, as all them looked to form all one thing, the thing he had been most terrified of since he was a child and he had gotten lost in a farmer's fields… Scarecrow! he muttered it over and over again, he sang it and sobbed it, laughed it and wept it, lived it and cherished it.

He didn't notice the real shadowy figure in the corner of the cell, the one that wasn't just a figment of his shattered mind, didn't even notice when the figure walked right up to him and pushed back his ragged newly ear length blond hair, to stare directly into his eyes.

"Heh, that Wolfe, really does have quite the miracle potions doesn't he?" the Warlock said, laughing a little. "You still have that spell up and running right? You still have that Orb?"

Kael'Thas just stared dumbly up at him and then clarity came and he nodded slightly, "Yes, its hidden within me just the way you showed me to hide it, bound to my flesh disintegrated and one with my blood, my bone, my meat."

"Good." the Warlock nodded, "Very good, now that its just you and Magtheridon and me of course, we're going to need each other when the time comes to overthrow this place, by the way thanks for the advice about the Sand Naga, really helped. Now don't say a word about this, just keep going on about your little scarecrow and everything will be alright."

Kael'Thas nodded and the Warlock smiled and melded back into the shadows. Leaving Kael'Thas to stare thoughtfully after him and trace the black veins that popped up in his right hand, for a few moments, before sinking back into his flesh. "Scarecrow." he murmured and went back to rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, flinching at every shape and shadow he saw.

Broken.

Sylvanas Windrunner, POV.

I made my way, to my quarters sighing softly as my head made itself known to me and I rubbed at it, tiredly.

I felt like there was something I was forgetting, something important. But for the life of me I just couldn't remember what, maybe it was some side effect of whatever or whoever had hit me in the battle, maybe some damage had been done to my mind that even the Synthablood couldn't heal.

I sighed and looked up, yet again into the pale grinning face of Valentine Constantine Wolfe. "Hello there, Ranger General, hows your head?"

I screamed a little in shock and jumped back, putting a hand to my hammering heart. "Make some noise why don't you, you skinny fuckwit! Oh my god, I think you just nearly gave me a heart attack." I snapped, breathing in deep long breaths.

His crimson smile grew wider, "Hmm possibly, did you know that I got my box of chemicals back, ranger general?"

I glowered dispassionately at him, "No I did not, thanks for informing me, how are your genitals, they get away from you again? And stop calling me that, I lost my title when I died."

He frowned, "But I thought that he- oh right that hasn't happened yet," he laughed slapped himself in the head and grinning, "please excuse the lapse, I had my mind in whole other time zone entirely, I'm currently testing out these wonderful little mushrooms I found in the caves below us where the Sea Naga reside, along with this special little acid native to this world that I found that when diluted enough, doesn't quite burn so much but has rather odd and potent effects psychedelic on the brain." he cackled madly.

I stared at him for a long few seconds, "uhhhuh, listen I'm dead tired, literally on the dead part and in fact I'm extra tired, I don't know when the last time I slept properly was, I was wielding strange weapons that told me repeatedly that they weren't mine and that it was just a temporary thing till the crisis was over, I miss Tokijin and I have a killer headache, so please stepaside.

Valentine snickered, as I walked past him to the door, "Very well miss Windrunner, have a nice night, don't let devils bite, oh but one more question, if you will?"

I sighed and turned to him, he giggled and I wanted to punch him. "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" I scowled at him and was about to ask what the hell that meant, when my headache turned into a migraine and I moaned just a little as my head became agony and I leaned against the doorway, "Goodnight Valentine, please go off somewhere and die."

"Sweet dreams are made of these, Sylvanas Windrunner," he cackled, "who are you to disagree." I slammed the door in his face.

Warlock, POV.

I stared across the sea of dark angry faces, "You never said anything about water!" they cried, "You never mentioned that the betrayer had become as he has!" others cried and I sighed taking their angry and outrage as it came for a good 4 minutes before I made a gesture and every single one of them had their voice boxes crushed.

They all stared at me in pain and horror as this happened and some tried to flee and I quickly set them alight with fire. "Okay, okay people, yes, yes I neglected to mention that this betrayer of yours you hate so much, Stormrage, had become so powerful and demonic, true I failed to mention the sea naga, which in hindsight were poor decisions on my part, but does any of it really change anything? Hmm? He's still the same bastard that betrayed you all when things got tough, he's still the one who turned his back on you when a girl he liked got caught in the crossfire, so what if some of your highborn brethren decided to stick it out with him to the end, he's still that same exact bastard who stabs people in the back for a girl and not even a girl who returns his affections, get over it and gather your companions and your pets and recuperate we're attacking again later, I have the place mapped out, I have inside guys, next time we strike, we strike together. Isn't that right boys!" I called back to the dark figures in the cave and one by one, sets of scarlet eyes opened up and the black revenants laughed in agreement and I laughed with them.

The Ground Serpents shivered, as they finally realized, just how much more over their head they truly were, than they had initially realized. I smiled coldly at the sand Naga, "Now get out of here!" I snarled, "Get out of here and wait for my call, I have a lot to arrange and get planned for this next and final attack and I don't need the distractions." the Naga nodded and hastily made way through the sand and rock.

I howled with laughter as the scent of their fear came to me and the Revenants laughed with me.

I whirled around and snarled at them, "What the hell are you laughing at! I wasn't just talking to the stupid snakes you dumbfucks, get the hell out of here! Go down fuck yourselves to sleep in the caverns, do something! I need to think!" to hasten their retreat and put it clearly into their heads just who was in charge here, I made the testicles of a huge Orc explode.

I whirled back to face the desert, furiously. I hadn't expected the first strike against Illidan's temple to work, but damn it I'd expected to do a lot more damage than I had, but the bastard had quickly discovered their weakness to water and flooded the large courtyard on the ground floor and the holes with water, more water than I'd of thought possible considering just how fucking desolate this land was and I certainly hadn't expected to take as many casualties as I did.

Out of the thousand I'd discovered laying dormant, only 466 came back alive, less than half. It was damned apothecary's fault, Wolfe. His fear chemicals had been the ultimate turning point in this fight, even with the water the Sand Naga had stood a fair chance, but those fear chemicals had taken that chance away big time.

I rubbed at my forehead and sighed. Hopefully next time would go better, considering the fact that Kael'Thas had used that Orb I'd given him to harness the power of those fear chemicals and to give him the power of the chemicals in magic form.

I frowned remembering his mutterings about scarecrows and looked down at a brown burlap cloak, one of the Revenants had drops in their haste to get back down to the deeps below.

Scarecrow huh? Well everyone's gotta play for Halloween some time, I wonder where the enchantment for immunity to poisons, went off to.

Illidan Stormrage, POV.

Location, the dungeons.

"What was the plan?" I asked, staring at the large beast shackled to the wall. "That you just, slither right into my Temple and try and take on all of my forces all at once? Why did you attack me? Why did you choose to follow Akama."

For a while the ground Naga, looked as though it would just continue to hang there and glare spitefully at me and I just as I was gesturing for the Wolfe to begin administering more pain magic, the Naga spoke, "We attacked you!" it hissed, "Because you betrayed us, ten thousand years ago. You joined with the Queen, all those years ago, only to betray her and over that bitch of your's Tyrande. We were the Highborn who were present to glimpse you're betrayal, those years ago, we were in the room and we saw you, you and her. If you had sided with us we could have fought them off, however you sided with them instead and in so doing you lead to our downfall, you the most powerful sorcerer in the world could have had even more power but you threw it all away for a girl!"

It sneered in contempt and I held on to my temper, to the best of my ability but it was tough. "The Demons would have destroyed us all," I said calmly, "they didn't want just parts of the world gone they wanted it all gone, every last living thing on Azeroth, would have been eliminated. Plants, animals, people. Good and bad, defenders and sympathizers. I did what Azshara should have done but was too love struck with Sargaras to do."

The Naga roared and flung himself against the chains that bound him to the wall and kept him from going down into the ground, but it was no use.

I gestured and Valentine grinned even as he flung a crimson bolt of Pain energy towards the Ground Serpent and the creature howled in agony as every muscle in its body cramped all at once and his blood boiled in his veins. When the pain past it looked up into my eyes and hissed, "The master will get you, he's coming and he's after you. I don't know why but I do know that he wants you dead and I hope he makes you suffer and I hope I am there to see it. It is because of you we fell and because of you we were changed this way, because of you we were forced to adapt to this fiery hell hole, known as Outland, we will have our revenge on you."

"What master? If Akama didn't summon you who did? Who was Akama working for?" the Naga just bared his teeth in a smirk and ground out, "One who will bring ruin to you all."

"Valentine, again." I said softly and he shook his head, "No, sorry Milord, but I'm afraid this dumb beast here, doesn't know anything, look at the way it moves and how its muscles are, how scared he really is. If he knew anything he'd of told us but now."

I looked at the creature, saw the way its eyes flashed and danced in the shadows, how tense its body language was. How its Aura flashed and twisted with fear and hatred and I realized Valentine was right. This stupid creature really didn't know who had summoned him, only that it wasn't Akama and that he was dangerous.

"Very well," I said softly and I summoned my Warglaives. "Any last words?"

The Naga spat at my hooves, "Die alone, you bastard!" he snarled and I removed his head, with one quick fluid motion and his body fell slack against the wall, though the occasional twitch and spasm did rock it.

"Very good Valentine, you can go about whatever it was you were doing before. Any word on Kael'Thas' condition?"

Valentine shook his head, "No sir, young Kael'Thas took a concentrated dose of my Fear gas and ran off before I could administer the antidote, I fear he is most likely permanently lost to us, both from the damage to his brain as well as the trauma to his mind. Though time may eventually heal him. Now if you'll excuse me I really must be attending to this party I'm setting up."

I nodded, "Very well." I wondered briefly whether I should be upset at Valentine for what he did to my Lieutenant, or worried about this party he was setting up, but decided there were better things to be done, such as convince Sylvanas that I wasn't her enemy here. Though just why I wanted this to be so was something of an enigma to me still. She was irritating, arrogant, disrespectful and… so completely like me that it hurt damn it!

I ground my teeth and rubbed furiously at my horns, needing more than ever to bathe in the wonderful cleansing waters of the Lake of Eternity, but still having so much to do.

God I hated complications. "You know, Lord Stormrage," Valentine ventured cautiously and I fought not to jump at his sudden appearance at my side. "If you like I could slip you a little something to help out with that stress."

I shook my head, not wanting to taint my mind any more than it already was, "No thanks Valentine, go do your thing with the party."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose with my rock hard nails, I felt that dark power rise within me once more, that power that linked me directly to the heart of this broken shattered world and I sighed softly in pleasure as I touched that power that link I had and even more power trickled into me and immediately set about to relaxing me and relieving my stress as the world that had saved my life, took little pieces of it away, doing what it could for the one man that could still hear its screams of torment and did what was possible to ease its suffering and to love it.

For no other reason, than that it had once saved my life. I wasn't even trying to gain more power, which even if I did try I wouldn't be successful, for much like the eye of Sargaras, it held far too much power than even I could consume and it wasn't my type of power anyway though it was close. I didn't even have the barest hint of lust towards the power of this shattered world and if I ever did the instant the power lust even began to form inside of me for the power of the world, the still beating heart of the planet would burn my essence to ash. But I didn't think it'd come to that, I cared too much about this world. This world that had been betrayed and drowned in the blood and suffering of thousands and millions if not billions of lives, tainted by the evil of the Demons, corrupted, just as its people had been corrupted and ultimately shattered, by the very people whom the planet had once loved and cared for so deeply. Yes there was a deep history in this world, this shattered, broken world, that clung on so tenaciously to life even though it had been warped and mutated far beyond what it had once been, to something both more and less than its original form… so much like me, this world so much so… like me and just possibly… Sylvanas Windrunner as well.

Trembling, crawling across my skin. feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine!