Now before you all get too excited for the new story, first I'd like to say that this is a trial run. I'm not as far along with this as I am with my other stories but I want your opinions before I get too invested in it. This is my first time using one of Blizzards NPC's as a main character, not only that, but it's one of those "real girl transported to fantasy land" type stories, so I'd like to hear what you guys think!

Disclaimer: Zuni and World of Warcraft belong to Blizzard. Sasha and plot belong to me.

Chapter One: Up All Night.

'Everyone's cross to bears the crown they wear on endless holiday.

'Everyone raises kids in a world that changes life to a bitter game.

'Everyone works and fights, stays up all night to celebrate the day.

'And everyone lives to tell the tale of how we die alone some day.

'Let me get this straight, do you want me here?

'As I struggle through each and every year.

'And all these demons, they keep me up all night.'

"NOOOOOOO!" The scream rose like a death wail from the dimly lit room. The air was stifling, as if the occupant hadn't opened a window in quite some time.

"OH MY GOD."

"Sasha? Sasha?! Are you okay?! Say something!"

The door burst open and the man and woman looked around frantically before spotting their daughter staring wide-eyed at her computer screen. The parents inched closer to investigate, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She didn't have skype or her email open, no creepy man threatening or harassing her. She didn't seem to be reading any dreadful news about some third-world country.

The screen was engulfed by colorful scenery, some sort of tropical island with... snake creatures and blue-skinned tusked elves. Suddenly the mother and father were very irritated.

"Zuni is dead! I couldn't save him! That's totally not fair! Right?" The teenager demanded, looking to her parents for sympathy, only to be met by death glares.

"Your scream just startled the whole neighborhood," her mother seethed.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I didn't scream that loud." However the teenager's retort was shot down by the frantic knocking at the door and the faint sound of sirens in the distance. Her father groaned as she glanced out the window.

"I'm not getting that," she told them decidedly. Her mother rose a slender brow and crossed her arms. Police got here freakishly fast... were they waiting around the corner or something? she wondered.

"Oh really?"

"It's not my friends, I don't need to answer it." She knew she was being rude, but she really didn't want to listen to any of the people next door and she sure as hell wasn't going to look a police officer in the eye and tell him that he and half his coworkers were called out because she screamed over a computer game.

Sure, it was World of Warcraft, but still.

"How do you know it's not your friends? You haven't opened the door."

"I can see from here!" Sasha said, peeking out the window again, but her mother seemed to develop selective hearing and herded her husband out the room.

"Answer the door, young lady, and you'd better explain yourself. I'll be watching!"

Sasha scowled and stomped down the stairs as forcefully as she could. It wasn't her fault this house echoed. It wasn't her fault the neighbors were nosey, and it definitely wasn't her fault Zuni's death caught her by surprise like that. Why did he have to die anyway? Stupid Blizz, of all the NPC's they had to kill, it was the one cool one. Why not Garrosh? Or Wrynn? They were ass-hats, no one would miss those two. Oh, but if Garrosh died, who would be the new Warchief? It couldn't be Thrall, he was busy saving the world and having babies or something. Sasha had heard something was going to happen to Garrosh very soon, but her parents were "subtly" trying to kill her gaming addiction and refused to buy the newest expansion. No pandas for her.

Vol'jin and Sylvanas would totally duke it out for Warchief. Hmm, Sylvanas would win, she's a crazy bitch, she decided with a happy skip in her step. Sasha was whole-heartedly a Horde player, never really bothered with Alliance. She couldn't ever level an alliance passed 30, not since her cousin introduced her to the game. He would always go on and on about the Alliance, about how they were the "good guys" and how only "dicks and 12 year old boys" play Horde. After that, Sasha immediately created a troll priestess, just to piss the annoying gamer off. She didn't like stereotypers and stubbornly refused to play Alliance until her cousin conceded that the Horde wasn't evil. Though at some point, she may or may not have developed her own stereotypes against the opposing faction, like most gamers do.

Listlessly, Sasha opened the door, not even bothering to plaster a fake smile on her pale face. Her newest neighbors (and probably the same people who called the police) Mr. and Mrs. Newman stared at her with frightened faces. They were about the same age as her parents and had way too much free time on their hands, always visiting, always inviting them over for dinner. They were that freaky couple Sasha always saw on tv that were too perfect and too chipper. And then they turn around and chop you up and mount your head above the fireplace.

Or something.

"Oh, Sasha! We heard that scream! Was that you? Or your mother? Are you both alright?! Don't worry, we already called the police, they're on their way, and if it's nothing, don't worry about that either, we'll just say it was our mistake. So are you alright?" Mr. Newman asked frantically, his wife nodding her head with each syllable he produced.

Sasha gave him an even stare. "My friend died."

The Newman's gasped. "My God!"

"Asashura Lucille Grove! That is NOT what happened! Tell them the TRUTH!" came her mother's scolding tone from the top of the staircase. Yes, her name was Asashura. No, it wasn't a real name, at least as far as she knew. Her mother combined two others for stupid creativity and because it apparently meant "healer of mankind." And no, no one other than her mother called her by her full first name. Sasha rolled her eyes. Fine, her mother wanted the gossipy neighbors to know? They'd know.

"I was playing an mmorpg," Sasha said. Her face took on a cheerful yet embarrassed expression as she explained to the confused couple. "A computer game. And I just got so caught up in it! It felt like real life! Better than real life! But then it turned into a nightmare when my character's best friend died," she pouted. "It caught me by surprise so much that I just screamed! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare anyone!"

Mr. and Mrs. Newman shared a disbelieving look.

"A... computer game?" the wife asked.

"Yes! It's so much fun, you should play sometime!" the teen offered happily. Mr. Newman held up a hand.

"Sorry, maybe next time. We're busy today with uh-"

"Dinner guests."

"-Yes, dinner guests. And we can't keep them waiting."

Sasha feigned disappointment. "Aw, that's too bad. Oh!" She turned to glance at the upcoming police officer. "Well, I'll leave this guy to you. You did say you'd talk to him for me, right?"

Mr. Newman hesitated, clearly not excited by the prospect of retelling the ridiculous story. "Uh..."

"Great! Thanks!" she said before closing the door on the visitors. She turned back to face the furious adults. "Have no fear, citizens. Danger has been averted. No, please! Save your praise, however if you truly feel the need to thank me, I take all the usual forms: cash, credit, checks, first born child-"

"Which is you," her mother pointed out, her arms still crossed over her chest.

"Hey, who doesn't want more of me in the world? No one, that's who. However, the world might not be able to handle the sheer awesome, so hold off on the clone at least 'til I'm older, that way the younger generation will always have a 'me'." She was rambling now and she knew it, but there was no other way to delay the scolding Mrs. Grove was planning for her daughter.

"Asashura-"

Dammit, talking wasn't working, time for Plan B. "Soooo, mind if I go up to my room now? There's a raid in an hour and I need to get ready."

"No, you may not. We need to talk."

Okay, Plan C.

Mr. Grove looked at the teenager, perplexed. "Didn't your friend just die? Don't you have to go to his funeral?"

Sasha arched an eyebrow at her father. She somehow could never get used to the amazingly stupid questions her parents threw her way. It was like human beings naturally dropped an IQ point every year after 25.

"Dad, it's a game. Y'know... the whole purpose is to kill countless people many, many times and dance on their corpses until they inevitably rage-life-quit? We don't really do funerals."

"That sounds terrible." Sasha shrugged. "Children play this game?"

She scowled. "Ugh, children are the worst! Seriously, there should be an age requirement on that thing. Actually, I'm pretty sure there is."

"What's 'rage-life-quit'?"

"Enough! I'm not finished!" Her mother seethed.

During all of this Sasha had managed to inch her way around so that now she had her back to the staircase leading to her room while her parents faced her with their backs to the front door. She gave her mother an impish grin.

"Oh yes, we are. Aaaaand I'm gone!" The young blonde scurried up the stairs, quick as a rabbit. She made a mad dash for her room as Mrs. Grove shouted after her.

"Young lady, get back here!"

She shut the door behind her, flicking the lock into place. The doorknob rattled and her mother's indignant tone rose from behind the barrier as if it were nothing more than paper.

"Feign death," Sasha whispered to herself in amusement. She sat in her chair with a satisfied sigh and slipped her headphones over her ears. I really need to sound proof this room, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Turning her attention back to the game she logged off the low level alt and onto her main, Cihuateteo. The corner of her screen immediately lit up with green text from the guild, some of it addressed to her, some of it obviously mid-conversation.

Arrowtoknee: Teo! U raiding tonight?

Chihuateteo: ofc! Do U kno what we're doin? DS?

Arrowtoknee: I thought Kara.

Orphandonor: Heard it was Uld.

Chihuateteo: lol so no one knows. Whens Mega getting on?

Orphandonor: idk, he was on a min ago. Wanna bg til then?

Chihuateteo: yeah sure.

Snoflakez: ooooh, me too!

The girl gamer quickly inspected her priest, switching both her spec and her set. The invitation for Orphan's group popped up and she accepted, the images of a forsaken and blood elf appearing in the top corner of her screen.

A few hours later and still no sign of the guild leader. Core raiders drifted in and out like the wind, quickly losing interest once they realized the raid was nonexistent. Sasha glanced up at the tiny clock attached to her minimap and groaned. It was ten o'clock and she still had homework for three different classes due tomorrow. Her rumbling stomach reminded the girl that she hadn't eaten since lunch. Apparently this was either her mother's passive-aggressive revenge or she was trying to starve her child out of her room. Either way, Sasha was fairly certain it was child abuse.

Chihuateteo: Ugh, sorry guys, gotta call it quits, gotta do my homework.

She added a sad face at the end as emphasis for her apology. Snoflakez didn't reply, already immersed in another battleground, but Orphan replied with a quick goodnight before returning to guild chat.

She moved over to her bed and stared miserably at her schoolbag. She really didn't feel like doing her homework, but both her math and science papers were in there, the two subjects she was flunking, and if she continued to ignore them she probably wouldn't graduate highschool with her friends. She snatched the bag up, huffing irritably and rooted through it for the right binders. Whatever, she'd suffer through these then coast through her spanish, then sleep and pretend like there was no school tomorrow or ever.

12:00 am.

Fuck it! I'm sleeping. The science was done, Sasha just blindly answered everything and anything that required even the smallest mathematical effort she left blank.

But she couldn't leave the entire math assignment blank. Not only that, but her teacher demanded she show her work, and since she couldn't staple her calculator to it she was forced to break her brain over things she was positive they had never gone over in class. Halfway through and tired as hell, she gave up, wishing she could find whoever invented homework and mind flay them to death.

Bet Zuni didn't ever have to deal with homework, Sasha thought as she changed into a pair of grey cotton shorts and a white tank. She loved the new troll starting area, it was her first time playing it even after cataclysm started, more interested in the new zones and leveling her other alts than anything else. However she was still incredibly bitter that the npc Zuni was killed and Blizzard made it quite clear he wasn't coming back.

Why go through so much effort of making a character awesome- of giving him his own voice actor and then kill him before you even leave the island? Whatever, Blizz is lame, she decided with frustration. She popped her headphones in and set her ipod's volume low as she settled in to sleep.

Someone should've told Zuni the rules about fire...

††††

††††

Zuni perked up at a sudden noise. A rise in voices toward the beach. It was late, the sky was painted with colors as the sun disappeared below the the horizon. Normally, everyone would either be in the center of the island, eating together and enjoying each other's company after a hard day's training, or the more solitary trolls would go straight to their huts and eat there.

But not today.

No, something had caught everyone's attention at the shore. Zuni didn't know what it was, but he could sense it in the air, washing over the island. Panic, confusion, alertness. Danger.

His eyes narrowed as he quietly snuck over to the beach. He was still a shaman in training, and technically he shouldn't investigate. He should have left it to the experienced soldiers and trainers to deal with; but if the growing crowd at the shoreline was anything to go by he wasn't the only one ignoring his better judgment. He stretched to his full height, trying to catch a glimpse over wall of tusks, ears and flashy hair. What he saw made his eyes go wide with astonishment.

A human. A small human girl curled up and sleeping in the sand. She seemed unarmed, wearing nothing more than a skimpy pair of shorts and shirt that would do nothing to protect her from the mob of enemies currently surrounding her. Her blonde hair was short and blocked her face from view but despite that Zuni could tell she was young, barely a woman.

The circle of trolls watched and wondered. How did a human get all the way to the Echo Isles? Zuni tore his eyes from the sight to cast a quick glance around. He quickly spotted a familiar green crest of hair and silently made his way over to the other troll.

"Oi, Zen! Ya see dis, mon? What's goin on?"

His friend, Zen'Toki, a druid also training on the islands, looked over at him and grinned in excitement. Before the taller troll could answer, he was interrupted by a stern voice from below.

"What's it look like, ya fool? A human girl has snuck onto da island. I've never seen sometin' so reckless in my whole life," Setija exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. The two men looked down at her. Setija had already finished her training as a shaman some time ago, but she returned to help the Darkspears reclaim their home from Zalazane. Even after the others left she stayed behind to help train the fledgelings and restore the Echo Isles to their former glory.

Zuni turned from his friends to look back at the human. "Sooo, she just washed up here? Is anyone gonna wake her up?"

"I think dey waiting' for Vol'jin," Zen said and pointed as the troll leader made his appearance. The great shadow hunter towered above the others. He peered down at the girl, a look in his eyes Zuni couldn't place.

"What's da meaning of dis?" Vol'jin's voice rumbled, silencing the excited murmurs of the crowd.

One of Vol'jin's men, Tortunga, spoke first. "The human was found washed up on shore less than an hour ago. No boat or companions or any signs of a struggle. It's as if she just appeared."

"Could be a mage!" Zuni glanced around to find the owner of the voice, but no one stepped forward. Vol'jin's eyes briefly rose to the crowd, the only acknowledgement he gave to the suggestion. Seti, however, refused to let the comment slide.

"No way, mon. No mage is so stupid dat dey just port demselves to da echo isles."

Zen blinked at her. "But ya just called her an idiot. Make up ya mind!"

Seti glared wickedly at him. Zuni and the other trolls silently watched. Setija was normally a calm and easy going woman, even in the middle of battle, she took everything in stride. Zuni was among a few trouble makers that had tried figuring out what it would take to make the older shaman snap only to fail in the end. Apparently it took an unconscious member of the Alliance infiltrating her home island.

"My mind is made up! I said mages aren't stupid. None in their right mind would port to the middle of Horde territory alone and no supplies ta speak of! Dis girl aint a mage. Not a mage and not a soldier!" Seti turned her glare on the human. "She sometin' else."

Her words set the other trolls on edge. No magic or combat training, so the human was probably a civilian and not sent by the Alliance. Then why was she here? Zuni wasn't entirely sure about what Seti said. Something about the human felt … off. Almost mystical but completely foreign to him as a shaman.

"Well," Vol'jin said, silencing everyone again. "We won't know 'til she wakes, so…" Without hesitation he reached for the girl.