Illidan Stormrage, POV.

Location, his room, staring into the skull of gul'dan, thinking.

It has been three weeks since the scene on the mountain and in the cave. I questioned Sylvanas about her fighting skills with the Glaives and how was able to wield them and gave me a few lines about how as Ranger General it had been part of her job to find and wield all weapons and devices with at least an journeywoman's skill and to know how to duel wield weapons as well… but while that may or may not be true I know that isn't it, it can't be. Those glaives had belonged to a deceased Demon Hunter, the glaives of a demon hunter, can only be wielded by another demon hunter, no matter how skilled you are the runes engraved into all special Demon Hunter weapons, ensure that only other Demon Hunters and Demon Hunters in training can wield the things…

Which meant either Sylvanas's Synthablood gave her some sort of immunity to the runes or more likely, she was getting secret training from a Demon Hunter in the Temple, probably a trainee someone who can be easily enough manipulated or coerced by a woman… but who?

I shook the question off as unimportant at the moment, though I certainly didn't dismiss it entirely, I'd give her a while still before I questioned her about it, cause for better or worse we were mates now… or almost mates considering we hadn't actually done anything other than some kissing yet and if worse came to worse and she betrayed me.

I flinched at that thought, but I had to get it through head. If she betrays me like so many others have… I'll use the lingering energy of the Tokijin, that holds to her aura and… what? I rubbed at my forehead and wondered what Gul'Dan would do in this situation.

A quick survey of his memories told me exactly what he'd do and that wasn't helpful in any way whatsoever other than to educate me further on torture spells and torture techniques and a few other things even I shuddered at in disgust. Just when I thought I'd seen everything! I thought sourly, what in the name of everything that is holy was that bastard doing with that cheese grater? How was he doing it? that's cruel and unusual even Maiev would shudder at that, I think.

So answer is, Gul'Dan would never have even gotten half as far as this with a woman… great… so what would Malfurion do?

I blanched as I thought of it and I felt sick to my stomach. God don't think of him.

We're going to have to think of him sooner or later, Illidan probably sooner as we're undoubtedly going to be meeting him at this hero convention or whatever.

I sighed and pressed my forehead to the skull's, "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I have to talk to him, I can just talk to or at other people, till he goes away."

Oh yeah, real grown up Illidan, ignoring your brother two feet away from you, I bet Tyrande and Sylvanas will be real impressed. I clenched my teeth, "Sylvanas will understand, she's like me and Tyrande… god I don't know." I whispered.

Illidan, you have to face your brother sooner or later, face him and kick his ass royally, be it physically or… spiritually or something else. Anyway, you need to do something, something to make them see that you are so much more than what they say you are.

I snorted, "Why? Its not like Sylvanas cares, for as much as she might have opened up to me in the cave and on that mountain, she still isn't telling me everything and besides that, for as much as she might want to believe it she isn't good, I know what her people have done and… she and her people possess potential I won't deny that, but she sympathizes with my need for revenge, because her need for revenge on people is so strong as well, with Arthas gone, she's going to need knew outlets for her vengeance over what's happened to her, its like an addiction and she's almost its slave, when she's thought about it enough she'll decide that those who shunned her are deserved of her wrath as well, if she hasn't already and then she'll start using me to help her gain her vengeance and it might very well cost me whatever's left of the light in this soul of mine… I've had enough of being used."

Maybe so… but like you've been saying, you and her are a lot alike, you sympathize with her just as she sympathizes with you… you are both unique, both rejected by those you love and loved, both called evil for things that needed to be done in order for the greater good to take place. You talk the good talk, about being all good and all despite things you've done, despite what you've become, about it all being for a greater purer purpose, to do the things no classic hero would do, in order to achieve even greater heights of heroism, but can you live it? Can you be none hypocritical and believe in her, so that maybe just maybe she can believe in herself and possibly you as well?

I thought of that for a long second, thought of how things could go if I went that path once more, though it was far darker and more twisted than before… could I allow myself to love Sylvanas Windrunner, could I go with it? Could I love a woman who was as equal parts of a monster as I was, an undead… could I let myself trust her, despite all everyone including her had done and continued to do to brand them all betrayer in my eyes?

You've already fallen for her Illidan. You've fallen for her spirit no matter how dark it is, its just the same as yours. She craves vengeance, she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, she's loyal to her people even if they aren't loyal to her, she loathes all that she has become and loves it all at once, her dark passion, her determination, her courage… or sorrow, her grief… it all fits to you, binds you, entices you, fucks you over faster and harder than a Blood Elf wretched… she enthralls you, you can't resist her any more than you could resist Tyrande, maybe even less so… you love her. The question is like you said, can you bring yourself to trust her?

"If I do let myself trust her… then I'll be just as vulnerable to pain of betrayal, as I was ten thousand years ago when I saw Tyrande and Malfurion."

True, but that was a faliure before it hardly even began and you know it and like the ogres say, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few heads.

"She could betray me."

Yes, but once again, as you said before… there's always Tokijin, then at least she'd get a taste of her own vile medicine.

"True." somehow, I really didn't think that I'd enjoy that half as much as I might've 2 or 3 weeks ago…

So when's this party start again?

"About 4 days from now."

Shouldn't you tell Sylvanas that? Or get the spells prepared?

"Already done, as you should know, you're in my head after all."

Yes but I tend to block out all the boring bits, I mean you know how much all those incantations and stuff make my head spin and get me all sleepy and stuff.

I sighed, "Too true, if I had you to where you would actually listen to some of the things I didn't that were actually important you might actually be useful Oz."

Maybe so, maybe so… Illidan… just remember that when dealing with Sylvanas… trust is a two way street. One of you has to cross the street before the other so the other can cross as well.

I growled, "but I have trusted her, I've trusted her enough to walk around the citadel, I've trusted her enough to know most of my life's story, the important bits anyway, I've trusted her to know my weaknesses.

Yes, but, that whole Tokijin comes into play her as well, not much trust if you ask me, since you let her wield that damned blade.

"Shut up you stupid ghost, specters should know their place. Get out of my head Ozymandius, before I make you get out."

Fine, fine, but just so you know, its you who walks yourself into these little traps, not me.

I snarled and threw the skull aside, not carrying if it got damaged, it had spoken to me enough as it was and I had all the power I needed from it and more advice than I could stand in a thousand life times.

But what will you say in a thousand and one, Illidan Stormrage? What then?

"I told you to shut up ghost." with that I walked out of the room thinking over the ghost in my head's words, which like with the memories I had also inherited from Gul'dan's skull when I absorbed the majority of his power.

I thought over what I had done, in giving Sylvanas the Tokijin and felt just an inkling of remorse as I knew what it would do to her, or at least I had a pretty good idea, if I ever did use that power over her, hell if she even ever found out about it, it would probably be the end of… whatever the hell this was… but it had been my decision and I'd just have to live with it and who knows, maybe everything would turn out for the better, but as I've stated numerous times, I am fairly certain that that is not going to happen.

I sighed and felt a tug in my blood and a deep hunger started to well within my blood, within my very soul and I realized it had been a while since I'd bathed myself in the waters of the Lake of Eternity and that only my thoughts of Sylvanas and our new… relationship had kept me from running to it like usual, strange normally nothing could make me forget my demonic side's need to feed off the energies in that lake.

I felt that heat inside of me, that hunger deep inside of me a hunger that was rapidly spreading to my throat where it became a dry ache and I swallowed the saliva in my mouth in an effort to quench that thirst, but it did no good. I wasn't thirsty, I was addicted and in craving.

I thought of how long I'd been spending at the lake and wondered briefly if I should tell Sylvanas where I was going and I was about to go and do just that, when my stomach cramped and the dryness in my throat became a furnace and I nearly dropped to my knees and I croaked out a low wet cough and with a snarl I whirled back around to the window and dove through it and spread my wings wide as the cool air and the lovely blood tinged sunset both met me, the breeze carrying with it the smell of magic and I felt the fire dwindled to low burn that was ready to become fire all over again, if I separated my senses from the magic awaiting me.

So I glided on, towards the lavender river tinged with red here and there and a few lines of pure white, that fairly sparkled with the daylight and when the sun was really high indeed in the sky it tended to look rather a lot like diamonds.

I flew on till I was just over the lake and as I gazed at the mass of swirling dark energies within those waters, I felt that ache deep within, inside of me and I snarled even as I dropped like a boulder and fell towards the great source of magic there, loving it and hating it all the same… sometimes I think Malfurion and Tyrande were right about me… but thoughts of how I had saved the Night Elf Race and all the other races, quickly banished those thoughts from my head.

And as I plunged into the water, allowing it to sooth the pain inside of me, allowing to feed my addiction and take away all those nasty worries of mine, all of it lost meaning… all of it, but one particular undead Elf… how strange.

I thought even as the water surrounded me and filled me with what felt like liquid light… god it was incredible, so pure and yet so very, very damning all at the same time, if my Kaldorei brethren were to be believed anyway.

Sylvanas Windrunner, POV.

I dodged, hacked and kicked out against Hellbourne, flashing and dancing all around in a fury of blows, feints and stamping feet.

I'm getting good at this, but not good enough. I though savagely as I took one of Hellbourne's kicked on my hip rather than in my stomach where it had been intended and I winced at the pain but kept on at it. Hellbourne was driving me towards the corner slowly but surly and it was pissing me off, cause once I was in the corner I was almost undoubtedly going to lose.

I kept on dodging and lashing out at him, but he deflected my blows like they were flies to be swatted and that ticked me off even more.

I almost had my back to the corner and I had to do something, something damn it! And then I saw it, I had a flash into how the next few seconds would play out, saw the punch he directed towards my stomach while he feinted at my eyes with his other hand, saw the punch land and me driven back against the wall defeated. I saw all this and I knew what I had to do to avoid it

I intercepted the from his fist meant for my stomach, ignoring the hand coming at my face and redirected it into a nearby wall and he howled it surprise and pain as knuckles crackled and popped and I used this moment of opportunity to kicked out against his ankle and he fell with loud cry and a slight crack.

I put one of my boot's stiletto heel's against his heaving chest and asked, "Give?" fully knowing what I could do with that heel, if he wasn't careful. He nodded.

I got off him and went to the nightstand with several water bottles on top of it and threw one to him. He caught easily enough and drank down the water greedily and I did the same.

"You're getting good, Sylvanas," he managed between his deep heavy breaths, "you're almost as good as me and it seems you've certainly got more a knack for it than I, it took me 4 weeks to get that move you did where you redirected my blow like that and I hadn't even spoken to you about that yet."

I shrugged, "Yeah well, its not like I haven't had plenty of practice fighting and I did spend a bit watching you and the other Demon Hunters, I was able to pick up a few things from that."

He shook his head ruefully, "Its more than just that though, Sylvanas, isn't it? You saw my blow before it was coming and saw how to do what you did, didn't you?"

I felt my face lock up and I looked at him stonily and answered cautiously. "Maybe, maybe, so what if I did?"

He laughed, though it held little humor on it. "If you did, Sylvanas, then that would mean that you actually have a chance at being a half decent Demon Hunter, I mean there's no way in hell you could be a full Demon Hunter, not with the way you heal and stuff, that'd keep us from blinding you we'd need to, to bring you fully into the fold, but still, you do seem to be born for this, like Illidan was."

"Hmm." I murmured thoughtfully, Born to it, Illidan Stormrage, dark past one can sympathize with, doing what needs to be done to get vengeance on those who have wronged him and damning the consequences, betrayed by those he loved most… so much like me, just as I was so much like him… apparently in more than a few ways… are we alike enough though?

"No other way I suppose?" I asked, he shook his head. "No, none that I can think of, except maybe if you were to do a favor for Sargaras or something to get him to give you the same things as Illidan."

I sighed, sadly. It would be nice to be able to recognize Demons and Demon Hunters from a mile away.

"Oh well, anyway I gotta go, I promised Valentine I'd help him out with something."

He frowned at me, "Are you sure that's wise? I mean, pretty much everyone in the Citadel, knows you and Illidan, sorta have a thing going on and… well…"

"Don't tell me," I sighed rubbing at my temples, "everyone also sorta knows something happened between me and Valentine right?"

He nodded. "Well, tough luck. I'm not Illidan Stormrage's property, I can go and see whoever the hell I want to see, if he gets jealous that's his problem not mine."I growled, even as I tossed aside the empty water bottle and made my way to the door.

"Miss, Windrunner." Hellbourne started and I paused to glance back at him, he looked flustered and his face was slightly flushed as his gaze met mine and he glanced away quickly, "Be careful alright, I don't know much about Wolfe, just that… just that he showed up mysteriously, claiming to have served Magtheridon, as a High Apothecary, but none of the Demons can really confirm this and Magtheridon isn't talking, all the other Apothecaries just nod in agreement with him and… they say things about him, about the things he does and can do with his potions."

I snorted, "Yeah, I've seen what he can do with his potions Hellbourne, don't worry I'll be fine, I can't die remember."

"Yeah, but there are worst things to fear than death." he said softly.

I thought about replying to that, but I decided against it and just turned and walked away, knowing I'd probably find Valentine either in the High Apothecary room, or in the Blood Elf Sector. But first i'd have to go see Illidan, i had a feeling about him... a feeling that something bad was happening, that he was doing something that i should really be worried about, but i couldn't figure out what.

I tried to decide whether I was just insane, or if I was really getting a few worried vibes here about Illidan Stormrage, my… something I'd rather not loose. And for the life of me, I really think I was worried here.

I ran my fingers through my fine silver hair and wondered idly if maybe I should consider dying it, maybe back to its former glory as a very pale blond, or just leave it as it is.

i made my way through the mad maze of the Citadel and when i reached Illidan's quarters... i knew he wasn't there, he'd been there recently i could still see the faint scorch marks in the floor from his hooves, but the man himself was no longer here.

i sighed and noticed a young girl at a desk by the door i had seen before and I walked over to.. what i assumed was Illidan's secretary or something like that she smiled up at me, giving me a surreptitious once over as I did unto she.

She was a an extremely cute, very curvaceous, very young looking little blond thing, about 5'4, with a heart shaped face, full lips, voluptuous build, with perfect perky medium breasts and surprisingly long crurvy legs, large feline slanted green eyes that I envied.

She wore a blood red, tight velvet… something, that had not so much a neckline as… well almost a waist line, it was so damn low, just a few scant micro inches above her nipples and ended above her belly button.

And below that was a tight in the hips, blood red velvet skirt that was loose around her thighs, that showed off her ample curves in her buttocks and hips. She looked to be around 17 years old in age… it was right about then that I decided Illidan Stormrage was a filthy lecher, particularly if he had chosen her, herself. "Hello there, I am looking for Illidan Stormrage, you may have heard of me I'm Sylvanas Windrunner, I saved he's life on the roof… just so you know."

She nodded, smiling brilliantly at me, showing off teeth so perfectly white they shone just a bit blue in places, teeth so beautiful and perfect they put Valentine's to shame. Oh Illidan's teeth were nice enough alright… just not perfectly so, something else I had in common with him. "Yes I've heard of you, Lord Master Stormrage told me of that horrible sunset, you know is it just me or do the sunsets around here seem to always have blood spilled during them? Also don't they always come just a little soon?"

Finally, someone who shares my views on the days here! I thought distantly, more focused with Lord Master! Oh Illidan I care for you, but some things are going to change if we are ever to go beyond kissing! I smiled at her, "Yeah, they do seem to come awfully quick don't they… so have you seen Illidan, lately, I want to talk to him about some… stuff."

She shook her delicate looking blond head, sadly, "Sorry, but no, I haven't seen him for a while, though that isn't so unusual, he's always off somewhere out there." she nodded out the window, "He should be back in an hour or so, check back with me then, okay, oh and please do say hello to Valentine for me and thanks, he gave me some special day after pills its no big deal."

I frowned at her, "Day after pills?" I asked, she waved me off, "Oh their nothing, just a little concern I had after… an encounter, just go."

I nodded and was about to leave when a thought struck me and I turned back, "Hey, whats your name?" already with her nose stuck into some documents she looked up, "hmm, oh Jena, Jena Sunreaver, been working for the Lord Master Illidan for 40 days now, Vashj got me the job, after she found me working as a concubine for that lecherous pig Kael'Thas."

Okay maybe not so bad, a thing if her previous job was working as a slave for a prince. I thought, and then I glanced back down into Jena's cleavage and felt at odds within myself once more.

"Well when he gets back, let him know I'm looking for him, kay."

"Okay." she chirped and went back to her reading.

I watched her for a few seconds, before turning back and going on down the hallway, through the by now somewhat familiar twists and turns of the Citadel, to where I was reasonably certain, Valentine's High Apothecary lab thing, was… reasonably certain anyway.

When I got there I found a good deal of complete and utter chaos, mixed in with decadence, depravity and… something a lot like an opera.

On the ground nearby an Orc male and a darkspear Troll female were having anal sex, with the orc as... the recipient somehow.

A Tauren female, with deep mahogany hair lay on the floor completely naked from the waist down, smoking a pipe. While a blood elf humped, madly away at her.

I watched as a troll, did a dance on his hands, singing something about being from a neighborhood and his people was gonna take some mutha humpas down, or something along those lines and while he did this he rubbed his rhubarb madly, his strong toes almost encircling his long member and I think I could see friction burns starting to show up on it.

I looked away only to be greeted by other such signs of madness.

Rats singing love and tragedy songs about Jack Random and Ruby Journey, before they turned on each other sprayed their partners in the face with some sort off gas that made them fall dead with smiles on their face while the partners either stabbed them, shot them, or kicked them in the nuts and ran off screaming about the great Terror coming and the Covenant coming back and how Azeroth's destruction was their will and that we were all their instruments.

A 5'10, blond, reasonably handsome, blood elf danced with a 7 foot tall black skinned red Troll woman of some kind.

And as they danced, the elf shot a nearby Fel Orc through the head and the Troll whipped out two swords and decapitated eight nearby trolls all in one single fluid movement, four with each blade.

When they were done, they ripped out the guts of the dead people and adorned themselves with it, the troll woman giggling and groping his ass while he pulled more guts and blood and other things on top of them and kissed and suckled her bloody toes.

And among it all stood Valentine, dancing and gesturing with a wand, like that guy in an orchestra. Sweat leaked from his pores and his wild curls and ringlets swung around him wildly as he gestured and waved and cursed at everyone in sight, he threw bottles and fired guns, he made the sign of the cross at some and the sign of the extremely cross at a few of the stoned madmen and women who broke things or made a mess. His pupils were so expanded the whites… weren't there, not quite anyway and with a shock a realized that this was probably something of a good sign as all the previous times I'd seen him all I had seen had been black he had been so stoned on some substance or another the whites had disappeared.

God, this man is so… extreme! I thought, distantly as Valentine's mad laughter filled the room and he danced to a beat heard only in the confines of his own mind.

I cleared my throat, but he didn't notice still enraptured by his own personal world. i threw a coin at his head but again he didn't notice. so it was with a sigh that i drew my gun pointed it up towards the ceiling and fired. That.. almost failed to get his attention but it distracted him enough for him to tear his almost all black eyes from the depths of the potion he'd been staring into, to glance at me with great irritation and malicious intent.

Then when recognition filled those strange dark eyes he smiled and tossed aside the wand where it lodged in one if his assistant's eyes. "Ahh Sylvanas, how good of you to join us, i almost thought the mushroom people were wrong and that would be so disapointing... not the least of which is because i'd have to murder them painfully and slowly and its hard to find good mushroom peopel to talk to you nowadays." He looked sad for a brief moment before he snapped out of it and he grinned broudly at me and handed me a quiver of arrows. "Ahh Sylvanas, here you go, with all your knowledge about arrows and how you loved a bow and still do love a good bow above all other weapons, I sorta figured, if you're gonna be gone on this trip, on the night of my celebration, you should at least have some protection, so here you go."

I stared down at the quiver full of arrows. They were made of a strange blue crystal and hummed with arcane energy and their tips were strangely padded with a single long needle in the center of the pads. "What the hell are these?" I asked, he shrugged, "Just a little something to put you at ease, it shouldn't kill anything man sized, but it will incapacitate him or her or it, the more so if he's, she, or it is in wet metal armor… particularly copper, I made them myself."

"erhm, okay." I slung the quiver of arrows across my back, making a mental note to leave them in my quarters and have em looked at by a professional, "it's a nice gesture Valentine, but I was sorta figuring I'd get Illidan to give me that sword of his, Tokijin, though I'll definitely take these with me even if he does."

Valentine winced, "Oh Tokijin, god he is so gonna regret that, oh well past is the past and the now soon to be the past to make the future the new now. So what sorta potion would you like today?"

I blinked and shook my head slightly, in effort to clear it, "Umm, say what?"

"What sort of potion would you like?"

"Uhermm… I don't know, potion of courage maybe… or intoxication, or better yet memory potion, something to make me act completely normal and at ease and stuff and for good measure, to wipe out the night's memories."

Valentine, shook his head sadly. "No sorry can't do that, you'll have to go to the magisters for that, their more into that whole mystic thing, I mostly go chemicals first, magic later. And most of the magics I know are mostly focused on pain and fear and suffering. So no joy there, heh no joy." he giggled to himself and swept a handful of multicolored pills from a nearby table and shoved them into his mouth absently.

"OKayy… how about something to just make everything seem as sweet dreams to me and unable to feel the bad?"

Valentine snorted, "I told you Sylvanas, Sweet dreams, are made of these. You'll just have to live with it I'm afraid, though if you'd like to experience great emotional pleasure instead of pain and humiliation, sort of an intoxication potion I certainly could do that if you'd like."

I nodded gratefully, "Yes Valentine I certainly would love such a potion, you got any on hand right now?"

He nodded chewing thoughtfully at a nearby green apple, "Sure, sure just give me ten minutes and a vial of your blood and it shall be done."

I was just rolling up the white silken sleeve of my blouse, when Illidan came in, looking as gorgeous as ever, dressed only in dark brown trousers that ended a few inches above where his ankles should have been and not a stitch else. The better to show off the powerful muscles in his arms and torso, as well as the scars.

I shook my head, but then stopped with a resigned sigh. I'd more or less given up on concealing my attraction for the man, so I might as well as go with it, I guess.

"Sylvanas, its time to go." he growled, his voice the usual gray silk spread over gravel, that I had grown to feel quite fond of.

"But can't we wait ten more minutes?" I asked, "Valentine's about to cook up a potion for me, incase it all goes wrong and I think I'd like that."

Illidan stared at me and then looked up obviously thinking back and he shook his head, "No the last thing I want is for you to be drunk on something of his while we go to this thing, the last time that happened you told me to that I was too serious and that I needed to lighten up and then you breathed fire in my face. If you thought I was too serious, you'd think the whole place was full of distilled seriousness and try and burn the whole place down. Not that I'd object if you did something similar to my brother, but…" he shrugged.

"Sorry Valentine, but maybe later alright, enjoy your party." Illidan called back to him.

And we left the room.

Illidan came to a stop just outside the room and turned to me, "Alright Sylvanas, this is your chance probably your only chance to change your mind, do you still want to go on with this?" he asked staring steadily into my eyes or as much as he could. I nodded, feeling somewhat queasy in my stomach, "Sure," I nodded, "lets go."

He nodded and brought his hand to my face in an uncomfortably close gesture and then the ground underneath us shook and quivered, my legs went numb and then my waist and my torso and then I couldn't feel anything, the world blurred and shifted and distorted and then it all when completely black.