Hi YJ fans! At first I wasn't going to continue this...but since the majority of you wanted me to continue this...I'M CONTINUING IT! Whoa, that was repetitive...anyways, this is Artemis' chapter. Anyways, there won't really be any pairings in here, it'll be more like friendship or brother/sister, so don't ask me to do Waltermis. Please. Don't. (I don't really like it.) Thank you so much for your lovely reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned, Red Arrow would be on the team, and he would stop acting like he has an arrow shoved up his ass all the time. OH! And he would wear that ADORABLE suit he wore in Targets more often!

Warnings: A bit gory, character death (obviously)...that's about it.

Rating: T, 'cause of the gore and character death...

Now...ON WITH THE STORY! Artemis POV, dreams/flashbacks are in italics...that's 'bout it...

"We are not strong enough to stand up against endless grief..."

~Charles Frazier

"Oh, God," Wally sobs, lying spread-eagled on the ground. The canary-yellow top of his uniform is now almost all crimson, and a puddle of scarlet surrounds his lithe body; his limbs are twisted into unnatural positions, dotted with purple bruises and speckled with cuts that stubbornly leak out more blood. I try to look away, try to look away from the huge, gaping cut on his stomach, showing off his intestines, a bloody mess of gore. I try to look away from his face, his lips twisted in pain, tears dripping down his high cheekbones, which are now stark white, try to look away from his glazed-over green eyes. I try. But I can't. It's like I'm being forced to watch this horror show.

"Wally," says Dick, his voice cracking, tears dripping down his childish, innocent face. "Hang in there. Just...hold on. You're..." he swallows hard as more tears pour down his face, leaving glittering, pearly tracks on his face. "You're going to be fine."

"It's not working," Wally moans, shifting slightly to the left and wincing hard. Dick takes his hand, takes it in his small, pale white one, trying to soothe the red-haired boy. "Why isn't...why isn't it working?"

"What is working, Wally?" Dick chokes out, and by this time I've gotten over to them. "What's wrong?"

"My speed healing," Wally says, but the last word is gurgley, and before I have time to react, a wave of foamy red spurts out of his mouth and drips, drips down, staining his lips, drop sliding down onto his exposed neck. I gasp, horrified, as Wally lets out another strangled cry, and more crimson streams out. A miniature waterfall.

'GUYS!' I scream telepathically, trying to get to Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, anyone! 'HELP! Wally...he's...he's...' I slump to my knees next to the broken speedster, flinging my bow to one side and my quiver to another, my body giving up the fight. My fingers stretch out, shaking, and I stroke his blood-matted hair, sobbing as he cries out in pain, his lips twisted into a God-awful grimace.

"It's going to be okay," Dick whispers, his words faint, leaving his lips then trailing away like fragile smoke. I can't tell if he's talking to Wally or himself. "It's going to be alright."

"I love you guys," Wally rasps, another drop of blood dripping down his face. Why? Why him? "Tell the others. Tell them...tell them I love them. Tell them I love them more than anything else in the world. And-" he coughs, and blood spurts up against my face, causing me to flinch, "-tell Uncle Barry," his voice falters for a moment, "tell him...thank you. And that I love him and Aunt Iris so much."

"Wally. Don't do this," Dick cries; one of his tears splatters onto Wally's blood-drenched lips. "Don't leave us. Please!" Wally only smiles before his lips quiver and the expression fades on his face, his eyes glassy-

"ARTEMIS!"

I wake up screaming, tears streaming down my cheeks, screaming so hard my lungs feel like they're on fire. I've probably been screaming the entire time, and I continue to scream, the shrill shrieks reverberating all around my room. Someone grabs my wrists, wrenching them away from my face, and wraps their arms around me, enclosing me in a warm embrace.

For a moment, I think it's Wally. But it isn't. It's Aqualad, murmuring soothing things in his home language. I wish it's Wally. And for a moment, I let myself pretend that it's him, that when I break away from the much-needed hug, I'll see his smiling face, see his sparkling eyes, see his unruly red hair. I pretend that I'll hear his voice.

"Jesus, Artie, way to be over dramatic!"

My screaming slowly fades to heart-wrenching sobs that shake my entire form as I huddle against Aqualad's chest, my tears soaking his uniform. I shiver against him, and in turn he wraps his arms tighter around me.

"You were having a nightmare." Robin's uncovered, startling blue eyes narrow. This isn't a question; he knows it, and I know it. Nightmare? So I was asleep? I honestly can't tell anymore. My whole life is a nightmare right now, whether in the real world or not. Then his lips quivers. "He's not coming back." The young boy slips quietly out of my room as more tears drip down my face, some entering my lips. They taste like salt. Blood tastes like salt, too. Blood...like the blood that poured out of Wally's mouth, the blood that leaked out of the gaping rip in his stomach...oh, God, no.

"Sorry," Kaldur whispers in my hear, his warm breath tickling me. "He is...not...over W-"

"Don't say his name," I hiss.

"I apologize," Kaldur says.

"No, I'm sorry...I should've...that was really rude of me...I just..." I spit out half-completed phrases listlessly.

"Are you okay?" Conner asks, showing a rare moment of compassion.

I pause before I answer. Truth or a lie that everyone know is false? "No."

"Do you want me to make cookies?" Megan inquires, and I look at her thoughtfully, tears still distorting my vision. She hasn't made cookies since...since...no, Artemis, don't think about it, don't remember...

"No," I reply after a moment. "I'm...fine. Thanks for asking." My voice is hollow and raspy. Just like Wally's was... "Could I...maybe..." my voice sticks in my throat and I have to swallow hard before I continue, "could you guys...possibly...like..." I can't even finish a sentence.

Aqualad nods, his gunmetal blue eyes reflecting the grief, sorrow and misery in mine perfectly. "We understand. You wish to be left along. But if you need us," he pauses for a moment, "please, do not hesitate to ask." I nod, looking down at my dark covers, more tears dripping down my face ask one by one, they file out the door silently. When in shuts, I close my eyes, just sitting and taking deep breaths to calm myself down, pressing my hands over my face.

I sit like this. For a long time. Hours, maybe. I can't tell. All the minutes and the hours and the days...they just blur together. One never-ending streak of tears and pain. It's been like this ever since his death. Blurry and disoriented. Maybe I'm just losing focus. Losing focus on life itself. I decide that I should probably walk around to get blood pumping through my legs, which have gone numb. Not that I can tell. My body is numb everyday now. I can't feel anything anymore.

I open my door quietly, inhaling sharply as it squeaks irritatingly. Cautiously, I peer around in the darkness, trying to make sense of the discernible blobs of darkness. When my eyes have adjusted, I step lightly out into the hallway, closing my door softly behind me. I walk down to the end of the corridor slowly, my footsteps making soft, padded noises that fall into a steady rhythm. Until I'm about a foot away. Then I stop, my body jerking backwards. I stare at his door, which leads into his room, which is where he used to sleep. Oh, God. I can't do this. I can't do this.

But I step forward and place my hand on his doorknob, flinching when the frigid metal presses against my skin. Frigid like his cold, dead body...I open it, only cracking it open a fraction at first, but then I open it another inch, and another, until I'm staring into an open doorway. I stand there for a long time, contemplating anything and everything, before I take a small step inside. I shut the door behind me, and relax when it clicks, the usually small noise breaking the silence loudly. Then I turn around.

My throat burns and my eyes tingle as I bite my lips to try to keep from crying again. Two sets of bunk beds with navy covers, one on either side of the room. All normal. Except these beds are immaculately made, cold and unwelcoming. His body hasn't warmed them since he died...

A sparkle of gold catches my eye as I survey the normal looking room, and I turn slightly, my heels grinding into the floor, towards his shelf of souvenirs.

"Souvenir!" His joyful voice rings out inside my head, laughing and carefree, and I immediately wince. Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I look carefully at each and every one of the objects he had collected: a mechanical eyeball, a red hood-looking thing, Cheshire's mask, Dr. Fate's helmet, among others. When I see an ornate arrow with green feathers at the end, I tense.

It was the arrow I used against A.M.A.Z.O., using my quick thinking and even quicker archery skills to save him.

This time, I wasn't fast enough.

I wasn't strong enough.

And I couldn't save him.

Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks!

~lilmissf