From the Ashes

Authors Note: HOLY HIP HUGGERS BATMAN (I had to do it…)!This chapter is LONG (It's just nine thousand words…)! That's a good thing…right? Ha! The end of this chapter didn't turn out as well as I had hoped…I dunno, maybe it's just me being paranoid. You guys let me know. Gah! The hype I'm getting from this fanfic is just freakin' awesome. I'm walking around my house just plotting things. Side stories and everything. I think it's safe to say this may turn into a series. Woo! You guys let me know about the idea in the review section! Speaking of which- don't forget to review! You can also favorite and follow if you want! Thank you! I love you!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Young Justice, DC or any other reference I make in From the Ashes. I just own the plot and my OCs.

Chapter Three

Mount Justice

July 17th, 2012 7:15 AM EST

Deep sleep was a strange thing. It always seemed to grab hold of you and never let go. When Sasha finally came to, at about seven AM, body heat had built under the thick comforter and she didn't want to leave the warmth of her bed. Amber eyes fluttered open to the ragged stone walls before closing again as she turned under her blankets, delving deeper into a much wanted sleep. Ebony locks messily fell in front of her face and the compression of space soon got to her and she had to poke her face out of the covers to avoid inhaling too much carbon dioxide whilst trapped under the covers. She sighed as light made its way through her closed eyes and finally she gave up on the battle between herself and her restlessness. The girl scowled at the ceiling and let out a yawn as she sat up slightly, propped by her two pillows.

A sudden realization hit the girl like a hot skillet and she got up without any hesitation and started searching through her new clothes for something to wear. After pulling on comfortable clothes, including her dress coat, Sasha ran out of her room and down the hallway, bare feet carrying her to the living room area where she ran into a familiar face. Conner was just coming from the direction of the briefing room, his eyes wide to see that Sasha was up already.

"Uh, everything okay?" He asked with an arched brow.

"Is there a way out? Like to just go outside?" Sasha answered his question with two other questions. This just made him curious.

"Yeah…" Conner muttered. "There's a private beach-"

"How do you get there?"

"The bay door through the hangar. Why?"

Before he could get an answer, Sasha was gone.

The sun. Sasha felt as though she hadn't felt natural rays of light on her skin in years. When the sixteen-year-old managed to find her way out of the Cave and onto the private beach, she just stood in the sand near the bay and looked at the sun. She huffed a breath before allow a small smile on her lips. Who knew that the sun could make her so happy? It felt like an eternity that she let the sun soak her, the heat didn't both her much, if anything the heat felt great. Then, amber orbs found the large body of water before her. It was so foreign and…frightening in all honesty. Sasha didn't know if she knew how to swim, and she wasn't too willing to find out. She was, admittedly, scared of the deep, dark abyss.

"Sun screen?" Offered a kind voice. Sasha glanced behind her to meet the gentle gaze of M'gann who held a bottle of sun screen towards her. The younger of the two smiled and took her offer with a small 'thanks' before applying sunscreen to any visible skin on herself. M'gann giggled lightly. "Wouldn't want you to burn. I bet it's pretty easy to get sun burned with such a pale complexion, not that it's not pretty- your complexion, I mean."

Sasha just chuckled at her save for any type of offensive words, though she honestly didn't mind being pale. "I wouldn't know if I burn easily," She said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh…" M'gann muttered. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," The raven-haired girl dismissed. "To be honest, I'm already used to not having my memories. I still want my memories back, of course, but…" She took a deep breath. "I can handle myself," For the time being.

M'gann smiled. She admired how strong Sasha could be. That strength would help her in the long run. "It's a good thing, but if you need anything just come to anyone. Black Canary can give you therapy sessions for anything you need," She told the girl. There was a flick of defense in her amber eyes and she scoffed, rolling those same eyes.

"I don't think that will be necessary." She said, and M'gann had figured to back out of the subject. It was obvious that Sasha didn't want to talk about it.

Silence overcast the two as Sasha stared on at the sun. M'gann slightly marveled at a new found discovery. In a way, she felt like Sasha's amber eyes burned just like the sun. Full of energy and fire; determination to burn on. M'gann giggled quietly and smiled, trying to guess her personality. It wasn't all too sure. Sometimes she could be kind, with the occasional snide remark, then she could be bitter. She also seemed to have a sharp wit about her, clever with bother her words and actions.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Sasha interrupted the Martian's thoughts with a sharp, annoyed tone. M'gann looked up into narrowed eyes and smiled sheepishly.

"S-Sorry!" M'gann apologized quickly and looked away. She heard Sasha sigh in defeat.

"Nevermind. My temper's just bad, that's all."

M'gann huffed her laughter. Sasha wouldn't be the first here to have a bad temper.

It was a little after eleven when Wally and Robin finally woke up from their place on the couch in the lounge. M'gann was in the kitchen, preparing what looked like lunch, Garfield was sitting on the island in the kitchen, and Conner was sitting at the other end of the couch, watching television. The clone was the first to notice their wake, he cast a glance at them and scoffed. "About time you two woke up,"

Robin sat up and yawned. "Any missions today?" He asked. It was Wally's turn to laugh. Leave it to Robin to worry about missions first thing in the morning. Wally shook his head.

"Really?" Came Gar's voice as the boy looked over at his older colleague. "That's what you're worried about?"

M'gann giggled at her 'blood brother' and pushed him playfully. "Well, not everyone wants every day off, you know," She chided jokingly and went back to cooking.

Gar just smiled. "Already noted." He put in. "Besides, I want a mission too, I haven't been on one in almost two weeks!" He gave M'gann a pointed and comical look. "I'm still jealous that you got to go infiltrate the League of Shadows base."

"Trust me, little man, it wasn't that great," Wally said and stood up, walking around the couch and to the bar of the kitchen. "By the way, where's little miss Russian, anyway?" He added.

"And no one answers my question…" Robin muttered under his breath before looking at Wally through his sunglasses. "Really, dude? She has a name,"

"Yeah," Wally let out a bark of laughter. "Her name is Russian,"

"Oh, you mean Sasha?" M'gann questioned, looking over as she chopped cucumbers. "She's at the beach, sunbathing." She said as she scrapped the cucumbers into the salad bowl. "Alright, lunch is ready!"

The two boys left on the couch stood up and approached the kitchen. M'gann had prepared a light meal, salad and sandwiches. No one was complaining. M'gann gave everyone their serving before helping herself, then joined in the chat with the rest of her friends as she sat down next to Conner.

"Kaldur said he isn't going to be here until a little later, Zatanna is coming back from her summer training today, she'll be here later this evening," M'gann began informing her friends as they ate.

"Artemis said she'd be here this afternoon," Wally chimed in with a grin. The Martian chuckled at the ginger before continuing.

"And Raquel will be here later this evening as well," She finally finished, then added with a shrug, "Haven't heard anything from Batman today," M'gann looked at Robin for any news that Batman might have passed onto him. The Boy Wonder shrugged.

"Won't be long until he calls in, though," He said and continued picking at his salad. With that, he got a text. Robin smiled and pulled out his phone. I heard about the run-in Artemis and Sasha had in Gotham.

Of course he did. Nothing got past the number one dective on Earth, especially in his own city. Robin didn't even bother wondering how he knew. For all he knew, Batman could've been watching them since they went to Gotham. Robin grimaced at a sudden thought. Am I in trouble? He replied quickly.

Sasha was not allowed to leave the Cave, was Batman's reply. Robin groaned. That meant 'yes.'

You never said anything!

It was implied.

Of course it was. Robin set down his phone and dropped his head on the counter. Great. His sudden doomed behavior was not unnoticed by his teammates as they eyed him with worry, not knowing about the silent conversation between him and his mentor. "Everything okay, buddy?" Wally asked caution towards his best friend. Robin grumbled something in coherent and then grabbed his phone as another text came in from Batman. "Apparently, Sasha wasn't allowed to go out with Artemis last night…" At this, Wally winced, knowing that Robin was probably in trouble now.

I saw what she did to their pursuers. Batman texted (Of course, he was watching). Robin was curious now. He didn't really get all the details of the run-in, but whatever Sasha did, it spiked Batman's interest. Another text came in. I want to test her. Now Robin was really curious. If Batman was onto something about Sasha, then that meant something serious. Though, he didn't like the idea of Bats testing her. She wouldn't stand a chance.

Are you sure you should test her? Maybe I should. Robin texted back in haste. Though, it was a while before he got a text back. Once again, he question wasn't answered.

I'll be there in thirty.

"Well…great…" Robin muttered and took a bite of his sandwich. "Batman's going to be here soon. He wants to test Sasha…" He informed and glanced at Wally who stared at him wide-eyed.

"Whoa, seriously? Like, fight her? She won't stand a chance!" He blurted. Robin just nodded in agreement and sighed.

"Should I go get her?" M'gann asked worriedly. The black-haired fifteen-year-old shook his head and got up.

"I'll get her."

Sasha had moved into a more shady area, slightly favoring the dark over light, and grabbed a stray stick to trace things into the cool sand under the shade. It was all just strange doodles. A swirl with squiggly lines around it, maybe a sun; a make-shift ocean; a lightning bolt; an arrow; then finally…some strange symbol that looked like a flame. She favored the flame a little more than the rest of her drawings and made a note to draw it later on paper.

"Sasha?" A voice carried over to her and she turned her head at the call of her name. Amber eyes met blue ones.

"Hey!" Sasha called and stood up, dusting off sand from her cargo shorts. She walked over the Robin and a sudden thought racked her mind. She hadn't really apologized for attacking him the day before. "Oh-uh, by the way, sorry for, you know…attacking you," The girl took a deep breath and then added quickly and sheepishly, "And kinda holding a knife to your throat,"

"What?" Robin gave her a confused stare behind his sunglasses before remembering the incident. "Oh! Oh, don't worry about it. You weren't really feelin' the aster. Besides, I get it all the time." He forgave her with a shrug of his shoulders. Sasha gave him the strangest look ever and ignored his butchered English.

"That's not exactly a good thing…" She said bluntly. Robin chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I guess not, huh?" He joked. Though, Sasha just scoffed and smirked at him, rolling her eyes. The two laughed together, as though they could relate to the situation a bit, though Sasha didn't quite know how. Not that she would remember if she'd been in a situation like that. Well, not quite like that. "Oh, um, by the way I was told to bring you inside,"

Sasha arched an eyebrow and looked at him in question before folding her arms across her chest. "Oh, yeah?" She questioned, a smirk still on her face. "Why's that?" There was a hint to teasing and playfulness behind her words, but…also a familiar sense of mischief. She could sense he was hiding something, and she was determined to find out what.

Robin caught her curiosity and reflected her smirk. "Why so curious to find out, Volkov?" He countered smugly. The game was on.

"I like knowing things in life. Not book wise of course,"

"Don't like books?"

"Street smarts are the only thing you need to survive this world."

"I can prove you wrong."

"Oh really, Birdie Boy?"

Robin scoffed. "Birdie Boy? What kind of nickname is that, Sash?"

"Well, since you have yet to mention a name, I think Birdie Boy fits you perfectly."

"So, you want to know my name?"

"Just a little,"

"Curiosity killed the cat,"

"The cat has nine lives, Birdie Boy."

The two were caught in each other's words, staring at each other with the same exact smugness and arrogance. Though, while Sasha was pure teasing and mischief, Robin couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with how nosy she was. She had a quick wit about her, sharp and as cunning as a fox in all honesty, and she also had the patience to be so persistent. It was obvious she enjoyed the play with words, not that Robin didn't, he just wished she would just drop it.

Robin finally let out a huff of air, "Can we just get inside?" He asked, gesturing towards the bay door behind them.

Sasha scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Birdie Boy," She teased before adding, "Don't think I won't get that name outta you," The ebony-haired girl snapped her fingers infront of his face before walking ahead towards the Cave. Robin just blinked behind his shades before shaking his head and laughing.

Sasha and Robin entered the briefing room and already the girl could feel thick tension in the air. Amber eyes scoped the room before she stopped in her tracks. Something was wrong.

Robin had noticed her sudden halt and stopped by her side. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she didn't allow at that as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards and behind her. The motion of darkness was swift and quick, as well as her movements, and as she brought up her arm to guard herself. A black-gloved fist came in contact with her forearm, rattling the bones in her arm. Sasha's jaw clenched to bear the strike before she looked her opponent in the eye- er, well, mask. Amber eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Batman?"

The girl didn't think she'd get a response from the masked vigilante when he swept a high kick at her. Fast reflexes pulled her down into a duck and she pushed Robin back out of harm. She barrel rolled out of her cornered position. She turned quickly only to see the Dark Knight had disappeared. Her awareness heightened just in time for Batman to reappear again in a black blur. Thinking fast, she threw up on arm to block an attack, then another. Each punch thrown pushed her back even farther until the Dark Knight round housed her, catching her small body off guard. The kick threw Sasha across the room and she fell with a hard crash before sliding into a wall.

Sasha sat in a crouch when another fist came at her, she moved quickly so that fist hit the rough wall, leaving a fairly large depression in its wake. That's when it hit her.

This was all a test. She could tell from that single punch that he had the skill and strength to kill or render her unconscious in just two movements. This wasn't an attack at all!

Now picking up her speed, she found a quick strategy. She had to make sure she wasn't cornered. Sasha pushed Batman's arm out of her cornered area before grabbing the neck of his costume, pushed herself off the wall, bringing him along with her. A smile tugged on her lips as the two flew in the air, just two feet off the ground, and she kicked one foot off his chest, letting go of him as she dived for the other end of the room.

Though, the bat had other plans. He grabbed her ankle before she could realize it and stood his ground, spinning her around before launching her to the farthest wall away from them. Sasha's small body hurled towards the wall, but she caught herself on the wall just in time. Breathing heavy, she still held a smirk on her face as adrenaline pumped through her, she didn't even feel the several bruises that formed on her arms, around her ankle, and in her abdomen. Subconsciously, she knew her body would ache later on. Though, right now, she loved fighting.

With all the built-up tension in her body, Sasha kicked herself off the wall and launched herself at Batman. Just before she got to him, he stepped aside to allow her to roll onto the ground. With a quick turn, the smiling girl raised her fist in the air to attack Batman. Having just the same speed as her, Batman whirled and caught her fist. The fight paused. Sasha still held herself with a lopsided smile as her chest rose and fell. Batman grunted his indifference before whirling a kick at her that sent her crashing to the ground. Though, Sasha recovered quickly, too stubborn to give up, and she rose to her feet. She met the steely gaze of Batman behind his mask and the two stared at each other, exchanging silent words and then Sasha dropped her hands to her side, accepting defeat.

Everyone stared. They were all gathered around, watching the fight with opened mouths. Sure, Sasha had lost the fight, but no one expected her to last more than three seconds. Adrenaline pulsed through Sasha's veins. She didn't want to stop fighting, but as the spinning world and her rush slowly began to leave her, she grabbed her bicep in attempt to brace herself for the oncoming pain.

"You fight well for a girl without memory," Batman said towards her. "Which can only mean one thing; you were trained under the League of Shadows,"

Sasha's smirk faded and her eyes narrowed. "I am not an assassin," She hissed bitterly.

"Maybe not, though you could have been trained to be," He told her. "Though, once again this leads to the theory that something went wrong with your hypnosis, causing you to lose your memory. Depending on how strong the hypnosis was, your amnesia could be permanent."

"What?" Sasha gaped, her brow furrowing. "But I remembered something! I remembered that I spoke Russian" The volume of her voice rose just a little.

"It was an insignificant detail in your memory,"

Now that made her snap. "Nothing is insignificant about my memory! It's my memory! The only thing I have to tell me who I am!" She was near yelling at the Batman now.

"Who you were," He corrected her calmly.

"Who was I supposed to be?!" Sasha screamed. She didn't notice how much her hands burned and how her body heat rose to impossible levels.

"Enough!" Batman yelled right back at her, the intimidating aura he burned off expanded onto her. Sasha didn't calm down, but she did shut up, too scared to cross the line. Her eyes were narrow and angry at him, and she stood her ground in silence, despite her fear. "There is one way we can try to recover your memories, but it's your decision on whether to go along with the plan," Sasha stayed silent, allowing him to continue speaking. Batman eyed her before turning towards the teens across the room. "M'gann," He called.

The green-skinned girl peered out of her huddle and came forth, casting a nervous and concerned glance at Sasha. "Can you go into Sasha's mind and search for her memories?" Both girls allowed their eyes to go wide.

"She can do that?" Sasha asked absently, her fear now turned into curiosity and hope. M'gann just blushed slightly.

"Martians have telepathy," The girl turned to Batman with a worried look. "But what if I can't do it, I still have to train and I might lose control,"

"Do it."

All eyes were on Sasha now as she looked determined at M'gann and Batman. "It's worth a try, right? If she can get into my mind and recover my memories, then I'm all for it." She said eagerly.

M'gann pursed her lips. "I don't know. There's no telling what damage could be done if I'm not successful. Even if I do go inside your mind, you'd have to come with me," She explained hurriedly. Sasha arched a brow and scoffed.

"Then that's a chance I'll have to risk,"

"There's no need to be reckless," Batman growled, causing the Russian to shift her narrowed gaze towards him. She didn't realize how rash she was being. This was the delicacy of her mind, they were talking about. "I don't want any action towards this until tomorrow, when both myself and Martian Manhunter are present to supervise."

Sasha knew she was too stubborn to fully accept this. Though, the laws of nature came to her: a hunter has to patient to leap upon its prey, otherwise things could get nasty. The girl wouldn't dare risk this opportunity to slip from her because of short tempers; she was already hanging off a cliff with Batman after screaming at him. Having to suck up her pride, Sasha sighed and turned the other cheek. "Fine. I'm willing to wait, but don't think I'll change my mind by then, Bats," She said, her tone slightly defeated but still holding her smart-ass attitude. Once again, the corner of her mouth tilted up to show a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side, allowing her bangs to sweep away from her left eye, revealing it on a rare occasion.

Sasha saw Batman relax only a little, not giving away the fact that he was a bit tense. He knew of her temper, very observant, she'd have to take note of that for later use. "Alright then, I'm off for today, as far as the Team is concerned there are no missions. Feel free to have a free day until further notice." Batman informed the others before, with a slight swish of his cape, he left the room to stand in the Zeta-Beam.

"Recognized: Batman, 02."

Sasha's shoulders dropped an inch and she sighed, running her hand through her hair to get it back in place. "It's not often that a fox survives a run-in with a wolf," She muttered lowly to herself with a huff. "Lady Luck must be on my side today," This time Sasha spoke aloud and she turned to face the others. "How'd I do?"

"How did you do?" Wally repeated with a choked scoff. "That was freaking amazing!"

Sasha chuckled. "I lost. On both accounts,"

"Still," Robin came forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You stood your ground and avoided tipping Batman off- well, for the most part,"

"A smart girl knows her boundaries and limits, and every woman knows that to get what she wants from a man, she has to let said male creature to think he won," She explained coyly and then added with a shrug, "I wouldn't say I outsmarted him, Batman knew I was trapped and I had no choice to accept his terms, otherwise I could've risked not having a chance with M'gann's telepathy. He was testing me the whole time to see if I would crack,"

Everyone looked at her in surprise other than Robin. He'd known that Batman would pull that kind of stunt, though he had to admit, he didn't think Sasha would figure it out so quickly. Though, he couldn't shrug off how she pushed him out of the way when Batman attacked. Was that a test of trust and sacrifice? More than likely. Clever and very much like Batman. Suddenly, Sasha hissed in pain and she grabbed at her arm. M'gann stepped forward to get a closer look at her injuries as she pulled off her white dress coat, revealing a large bruise all along her forearm.

"Well, I did learn something from that little fight, though," Sasha winced and glanced up at the others. "Don't mess with the Batman,"

"Huh," Garfield huffed. "Noted." The boy bounded over to her to help M'gann. The two helped Sasha walk over to the lounge and kitchen area.

Sasha managed to sit up on the counter to let M'gann mend to her bruises as she engaged small talk with the others. A part of her attention was on M'gann's small instructions, another part divided to her chit chat, and the last of her attention was on a flickering tea-light as she played with the small fire. She glided her hand over the flame, smiling in marvel at the small thing. It's heat didn't affect her, and she didn't even really seem to notice; no one else did. Curious, she held her hand over the flame for a while. She wasn't burning. Amber eyes widened as she examined her hand. How strange.

"Sasha?" M'gann's voice snapped the girl out of her trance. Sasha turned her head to meet the martian's gaze in a silent response. "I'm going to press down on this bruise right here," It was her largest bruise on her left forearm. "I want you to tell me when it hurts most, alright? Try to bear with me," Sasha nodded before M'gann began to press down on the center of the bruise with both her thumbs. It didn't take long for a sharp pain to sear her entire arm and the ebony-haired girl let out a quick gasp before clenching her fists and jaw in reaction, her gasp now a hiss. With concerned eyes, M'gann looked up and sighed. "You might have a stable fracture in your forearm, nothing serious; we'll just have to bind it up to keep the bones from going out-of-place while it heels. I'll get you a cast soon, but until then, bandages will have to do,"

Sasha nodded her understanding and allowed M'gann to securely wrap that area of her arm in bandages. With her free hand, Sasha ate the sandwich that was prepared for her as she continued talking with Conner.

"You really have a temper, huh?" He questioned with a chuckle. Sasha snorted.

"Just a bit, guess it's more my 'wild' side." She said and the two laughed. "I just lost my head, that's all,"

Conner shrugged. "It happens," He said in understanding and turned to look at Robin who sat on the couch with Wally. "Hey, so any idea what the outcome was on Batman's test?" The Boy Wonder shrugged before flipping the channel on the TV.

"Aw, c'mon! The Summer Olympics? Isn't there something better on?" Wally groaned and snatched after the remote in his friend's hands, though he was unsuccessful in claiming it.

"What's wrong with the Olympics?" Robin gave the speedster a pointed look. Wally deadpanned, he didn't give the younger an answer before pouncing on them and the fight for the TV began. "Dude, what the hell are you doing? Cut it out!"

"Gimme the remote!" The ginger strained for the remote before both boys fell off the couch and rolled about on the floor. All eyes were on the commotion now, M'gann was giggling to herself, Conner and Sasha just gave them a questioning look, and Garfield…

"Dog pile!" The boy howled before joining into the fight. It was an interesting sight, seeing the three of them roll across the floor in an epic battle for the remote. Well…okay, not so epic, but it still earned a genuine laugh from Sasha. She couldn't hold it back as she doubled over and laughed. Everyone looked at her as she tried to stop herself and when she did, she looked at the three boys with a smile.

"It's decided. You guys were make the weirdest brothers,"

"Hey! We should have a beach party today!"

"Hello, Megan! I wish I could've thought of that," M'gann said as she finished up the last of the dirty dishes. Sasha looked back from her place on the couch to view the conversation between Wally, M'gann, and Garfield.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Garfield questioned with an arched brow. "You and Robin don't exactly live here twenty-four seven, do you even have your swim suit?"

The speedster gave a wide smile. "Well, I didn't pack those and a bunch of party food for nothing!"

The three remaining on the couch, Conner, Robin, and Sasha, all deadpanned at this news. "He's been planning this the whole time?" The three said in unison with glum tones.

Sasha huffed and stood up. "I'm off to the library," She muttered and grabbed her jacket as she strayed off away from the lounge. Though, Wally was of course quicker than she. Within a second's notice, he was already infront of her. The girl frowned.

"C'mon! I thought you didn't like books," The ginger whined. Sasha crossed her arms and threw him an amused look.

"I don't like academic books, though I like a story or two. That's beside the point, I'm not going there to read," She sneered. Before anyone could question why she would go to the library if not to read or research, she spoke again. "I just need to find some…stuff…" In all honesty, Sasha didn't quite know what she was looking for. Though, she was intent on finding something to draw with.

"Oh, no," Garfield said and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the hangar. "You're not getting out of this, Sash,"

"Garfield!" M'gann scolded, her hands on her hips. Gar just flinched a little before looking up at his sister with a sheepish smile.

"No, no, it's fine. I'll go…" Sasha said and waved M'gann off. The Martian sighed and gave her a grin of approval. "Though, I didn't make it a point to buy a swim suit when Artemis and I went to Gotham last night…"

M'gann stood by her side. "No problem, you can borrow one of mine,"

With that said, the two girls walked together to M'gann's room. The travel was quick and quiet, so it allowed Sasha to think over recent events. She finally realized how rash she was by arguing with the Dark Knight. She should have calmed down. Luckily enough, she was in the right mind to know how far to go in the argument. She had to learn how to get this temper thing under control. Otherwise, it could quite well be the death of her. Finally, the two approached M'gann's room.

"Sorry about Wally and Gar's behavior," M'gann said sheepishly as they walked into her room.

Sasha shrugged. "They're boys, what can you do?" She chuckled with a grin. The ebony-haired girl sat on the bed and crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knees. "So, whatchya got?"

The redhead chuckled and searched through her closet. "Hmm, I have this old black one that might fit you," She said and tossed Sasha a black two-piece. "Go ahead and try it on in my private bathroom over there," M'gann gestured to a near-by door. Sasha smirked, lucky her to have a private bathroom.

Sasha leapt up from her spot, with the two-piece in hand, and walked into the bathroom, once inside, with the door closed, she undressed. As she slipped off her top, a burning-like sensation traced along her back. It was sudden and caused her to turn her head to look at her back. Her eyes widened at the long, deep scar that traced diagonally across her back. Why didn't she notice sooner? A small hand traced the deep, pink line and she winced aloud at the pain that shot through her body. The wound was still fresh, probably a little over a month old. What had she done to earn this?

"Sasha? Is everyone okay?" M'gann voice, muffled through the door, called into the bathroom. Sasha's head snapped up and she quickly staggered to get the swim suit on.

"I-I'm fine! Do you have something I can wear over this…I don't feel too comfortable…ya' know, like this," The fifteen-year-old called back. She didn't want to deal with the questioning and suspicion that would come with this scar.

"Uh…" M'gann sounded skeptical at first before obliging. "Yeah, I think I have a matching pool dress, let me go get it," It didn't take long for her to find the pool dress and open the door just a bit to allow Sasha to snatch the black pool dress. Throwing a quick 'thanks', she slipped the dress on and made sure it covered the majority of her back. Successfully, it covered her large, ugly scar. Pleased now, she opened the door. M'gann was already dressed in her own suit. Hers was a bit more colorful than Sasha's, adding more to her kind personality.

"We should get going," She suggested and the two left her room and started to the briefing room. There they were met by everyone, including Artemis who had just arrived. She stood by the Zeta-Beam with her arms crossed, Wally's arm draped around her shoulder. She was having a quick conversation with the other boys when M'gann and Sasha finally walked up. Her face brightened a bit with a smile. "Artemis! Glad you could make it," M'gann greeted with a hug.

"Hey, glad to be here," Brown eyes shifted to Sasha who waved. "I heard about your little fight with Bats," She said accusingly. Sasha chuckled.

"It was a lot scarier than it sounds," The girl admitted and shuffled her feet. "I was almost convinced Batman was trying to kill us,"

"Is that why you guarded me?" Robin asked before scoffing. "Didn't know you cared so much about me, Sash,"

"Ha!" Sasha barked and placed her hands on her hips. "You wish, Birdie Boy, I just thought you wouldn't handle it against Batman,"

"He's my mentor, I'm pretty sure I could've lasted a lot longer than you have,"

Wait. Robin was Batman's…protégé? Sasha wasn't entirely informed of this. Though, that didn't hold back her snickering voice.

"Is that a challenge, Bird Brain?"

"Bird Brain? Really, the names you come up for me,"

"Speaking of names-"

"Uh, guys?" Garfield interrupted, his brow arched and a hand raised in question. "Beach party, remember?" The two turned their heads to look at those staring at them. Artemis and Wally had the largest grins. Sasha sighed and crossed her arms, looking the other way.

"Right…" Robin muttered. With that settled, the group began to make it toward the bay door. Though, a familiar hand rested on Sasha's shoulder, only this time she didn't flip the person over. "By the way, yes, that was a challenge, Sash," The Boy Wonder's voice murmured to her and she gave him a lopsided grin.

"You're on, Birdie Boy,"

"I look forward to it,"

Sasha traced things into the sand and then let it all wash away as the sea water swelled. She stayed near the shore and didn't dare go into any water as high as her knees. It didn't take long for her to confirm her fears for the water, though the others were unaware of this. Whenever someone would ask to come into the water, she just waved off their offer, telling them she wasn't feeling all too well. Wally and Conner were setting up some sort of…net on the far side of the beach, and Robin and M'gann were trying to get the grill to work. Apparently it was a gas grill, though they didn't have any gas, so instead they tried to convert it to a coal burner. Artemis and Garfield were out swimming.

Sasha couldn't help but feel a bit unsocial, being by herself, curled up and tracing things into wet sand. Though, her mood turned up when Aqualad- er, Kaldur had made his appearance by her side.

"I could not help but sense your uneasiness…" He hesitated on her name, "Sasha?" It was a question that she answered with a nod before speaking.

"I'm just not feeling too well, I have a bit of a head ache after my fight with Batman…and well my body hurts a lot," She replied with a nervous laugh, trying to hide the truth of her discomfort.

Though, Kaldur didn't seem to buy her little lie. "Excuse me for prying, but that's not the true reason why you refuse to go into the water, is it?" He inquired. As if that didn't freak her out. This guy could read her like an open book! Though, surprisingly, she didn't raise her voice in attempt to defend herself. She felt comfortable talking to him for some reason. Maybe it was that…sort of big-brother-like air about him.

She scoffed lightly and smiled. A bit amused how easily he saw past her guarded actions. "Yeah, I guess you could say I have a small case of aquaphobia," She admitted freely and then gave a nervous smile. "Don't tell the others, okay?"

"Of course," Kaldur nodded. "Though, the water isn't all that dangerous,"

"Says the guy with gills," Sasha said bluntly with bark of laughter. "I dunno, I just feel like I need to stay away from the agua- or at least most of it,"

"I see," The Atlantean said and didn't ask any further of the subject. Instead, he sat down and started a new conversation. "I hope you've been copping well with staying here, even if it is temporary,"

Sasha nodded her answer. "Yup! Good rest, good food, good company. Even if I do get attacked every now and then," She said, noting the fact that in the two days that she's been at Mount Justice she's been attacked three times. Okay, so the first time wasn't necessarily an attack…

Kaldur laughed at her last comment and waved away her worries. "I suppose we've learned to get used to things like that around here," He said modestly. Sasha scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You and Bird Brain both," She murmured, shaking her hand. "I swear, with influences like you guys I'll surely go looking for trouble one of these days," The girl shrugged. "Not that it's a bad thing, though," She continued to trace symbols into the sand. Things she'd never seen before popped into her hands. It looked like a bunch of runes or some sort of alien language. She didn't mind it much.

The eldest of the two opened his mouth to respond, though that response was interrupted by Wally's sudden outcry, "Net's all set up! Let's play some ball!" When nobody came to the court, he frowned. "C'mon! Bats could arrive at any moment with a surprise mission!"

"Chill, Baywatch," came Artemis's reply as she trudged out of the water. "You minus well put in bold print on the head of the newspaper telling everyone who were are," She grumbled as she rung out her hair. Joined by Robin, M'gann, and Garfield, she ran over to the court. It didn't take long for Kaldur and Sasha to exchange glances before they too got up and joined the others by the net.

"You ever played volleyball, Sash?" Wally asked as she approached. Sasha deadpanned at the boy. Her sudden glower made him realize his mistake. "Oh, right,"

"Smooth, Kid Mouth," Robin joked and turned to face Sasha. "The game's simple, just don't let the ball touch the ground on your side and try to get it on the ground on the other side. You can't catch the ball, you have to hit it to try and make it over the net," He tossed her a white ball, and thanks to fast reflexes, she caught it.

"Sounds simple enough," Sasha shrugged.

"Great!" Robin smirked. "You serve,"

The girl was suddenly oblivious. "What?" Her absent question was left in the dust as the others parted to form teams. Artemis, Gar, M'gann and Sasha were one team, and Robin, Wally, Kaldur and Conner were the other. Artemis told Sasha were to stand and gave her more narrowed down rules than the vague ones Robin had exchanged with her. After given the 'okay' Sasha served and the game began. The teens scrambled left and right as each struck at the ball as it bounced from person to person. Conner was the first to earn his team a point, thanks to an impressive spike he performed.

The teams switched their position and it was Gar's turn to serve. Sasha met Robin at the net, familiar, lopsided grins and smirks on their faces. "May the best man win," He said smugly. Sasha rolled her eyes and snickered.

"Don't you mean the best woman?" She countered with a sneer.

"Unlikely," The bird said simply.

"You wish, Bird Brain,"

"Let's go!" Gar called and the two stepped back into their positions, eyeing each other as they did. It was official. The rivalry between the two was infinite. Gar served the ball and the second round began. The play lasted a good fifteen minutes with the teens sprawling across the sand and making near-impossible moves just to get a hit. It amazed Sasha how agile they all were, even more surprised at how close her own abilities matched theirs. It was clear they had more control with their bodies, whereas Sasha could only improvise due to lack of the knowledge of real 'moves.'

"Sash, to your right!" M'gann called. Quick with her wits, Sasha dived to her right just in time to hit the ball on her forearms. Though, it wasn't the best idea. Instead of landing like usual, her impulse was to yank her wounded arm to her chest and fall on her back in the sand. She felt her arm numb itself and the pain settled in, Sasha curled up in a ball, cradling her arm. She shouldn't have done that. Whilst the ball was still the in air, Artemis leapt over Sasha and spiked the ball to the other side of the net before landing and turning to run towards the injured adolescent.

"Sasha, are you alright?" Artemis asked as she helped her sit up. Sash still held her arm defensively and had a wince on her face, but she managed a small, pained smile.

"That was an idiot move for me to make," She chuckled. Artemis huffed and her shoulders sagged as she returned the smile.

"I forgot about your arm," M'gann said as she crouched to their level. "Is it alright? Maybe you should sit out this game," She rested a hand on Sasha's shoulder and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, maybe I should," Sasha said with a short nod. "But then your numbers would be odd,"

"I'll step out!" Robin offered with a wave of his hand and Wally shot the two a…strange grin. The ebony-haired girl glowered at him. Of all people to even the odds, it had to be him? She sighed and shook her head before walking over to the shore were she was before. Robin followed not long after and the others proceeded with their game. He sat down next to Sasha and watched her as she began to trace things into the sand again. "So, why won't you swim?" He inquired, earning a glare from Sasha.

"I'm not telling you," She stated immaturely. To top it off, she stuck out her tongue at the boy and continued with her drawings.

"So stubborn," Robin commented with a chuckle.

"Why'd you step out of the game?" Sasha questioned, ignoring his infuriating comment.

He answered in a mocking tone, "I'm not telling you," and stuck out his tongue. Sasha rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

"You're a dork," She said simply and flicked the bridge of his nose. Bewildered by the action, he stared at her and blinked for a moment before displaying his smirk again.

"And proud of it," He boasted. "How's your arm?"

Chuckling, she took a while to answer, and a smile spread across her face. "Honestly, I was almost tempted to plan a way to land a good punch on Batman," She admitted. Robin laughed at her reply.

"Good luck with that,"

"No kidding, huh?"

The two sat in silence together, staring at the horizon as it darkened. By then it was probably five PM and it wouldn't be long until the sun would begin to set, casting colors of all kinds into the darkening sky. Sasha took a deep breath and exhaled, her body relaxing for a moment to relish in the peace. Well, maybe their rivalry wasn't technically a rivalry.

"We should get your arm checked out tomorrow. A simple x-ray, might need a cast, you should be fine if it's just a hairline fracture," Robin explained. Once again, Sasha didn't know the full meaning of these terms. Ah, well. "You'll need pain killers though, that'll definitely hurt like hell in the morning."

Sasha scoffed. "Yay," She said sarcastically. "As if it wasn't enough that the rest of my body was killing me," The two shared their laughter before Robin got up.

"I'm gonna get you some ice,"

The Boy Wonder left the scene through the bay door, leaving Sasha on her own now. The touch of a wet nose on her shoulder told the girl that she wasn't quite alone. When she looked over her shoulder, she came face to face with Wolf. Sasha grimaced and with her unwounded arm, she reached over and placed a hand on his muzzle. The large animal made an accepting growl before lying down by her side and she continued the pet Wolf on the top of his head.

"Ya' know, I'm still not sure whether or not I'm a dog or cat person," She said to the canine. He gave her a disapproving growl and a short glare that caused her to laugh lightly. "Don't worry, you're a wolf, not a dog or a cat," Sasha assured Wolf and he huffed and closed his eyes in contentment.

"Zatanna, Rocket! You're here!" M'gann's voice found its way over to Sasha and she turned to see a young girl with long black hair and blue-grey eyes walking out of the Cave, followed by a darker-skinned woman, possibly older, her hair had a boy-cut, but it matched her somehow. The first girl was probably Sasha's age, definitely taller. Both Sasha stood up to join the others and Wolf padded over to his owner that had finally managed to make the grill work. Flames erupted above the metal rack that covered the basin of the grill.

"Hey guys!" The dark haired girl replied with a wave, smiling slightly as she approached them.

"Wasup?" The other chimed in and stopped by her side. Blue-grey eyes found Sasha and flickered with something she couldn't quite recognize. Familiarity? Knowing? "Uh, who's that?" The dark-skinned woman asked as she leaned to the side to peer at Sasha. Sasha shifted in her spot and looked down at her bare feet. She was still holding onto her arm like it was a lifeline.

"Sasha Volkov, fifteen-year-old amnesia victim," She quipped a little too enthusiastically. Both girls arched a brow at the girl before the younger one introduced herself.

"Zatanna Zatara," Zatanna said and the two shook hands. "That over there's Raquel," Raquel waved kindly.

"Hey, Sash, nice to meet you,"

"Likewise,"

"How was training?" Artemis asked Zatanna, breaking off the introductions. Zatanna scowled.

"Hard to cope with," She muttered gruffly, though her expression lightened, if only a little. "I think I'll just stick to the books for now,"

M'gann rested a hand on her shoulder, "It was worth a shot," She said with a weary smile that Zatanna managed to reflect. Sasha didn't quite understand the situation, and she thought it was best to keep out of it. If Zatanna wanted to talk about it, she'd talk about it.

"I guess," She shrugged and looked around. "Where's the Boy Wonder?"

"Right here," Robin was behind her, a bag of ice in one hand as he walked up to them. "Hey Z, how's it hangin'?" He asked as Zatanna turned and the two hugged each other. They parted shortly after.

"I'm doing pretty good, you?"

"Definitely feeling the aster," He replied with a smirk.

Zatanna chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You've gotten taller in the last two months," She told him and placed a hand on her hip.

"Really?" He questioned and compared heights with the magician. Sure enough, he was about half a head taller than her. "Huh, learn something new every day," He turned his gaze to Sasha and tossed her the ice. "You owe me,"

"Don't hold it against me, Bird Brain…" She said, trying to sound miserable while she sneered at the boy. She placed the ice pack on her arm and pain like she'd never thought existed shot up her arm. Sasha shrieked and threw the ice pack away from her before grasping her arm and clutching it to her chest. The cold of the ice felt like liquid nitrogen on her skin, so cold it burned like hell.

"Sasha! Are you okay?" M'gann asked, concern covering her tone. A sudden cry escaped her lips. "Your hand!" Sasha looked down to see both her hands a light with the strange runes and patterns, as well as the center of her chest and her feet. She gasped and gawked at the runes that glowed with the fiery colors of red and gold. This was definitely unnatural.

"You're a metahuman?" Wally questioned, his eyes wide.

"That's not the works of a metagene," Zatanna clarified. "I thought I felt a strong mystical power in you,"

"W-What is this?" Sasha breathed and examined the rune son her hands.

Zatanna took her hand and started tracing the runes. "I haven't seen anything like this before except in books, these runes are that of an elemental,"

"Elemental?" Sasha repeated, her tone worried.

"Basically a human personification of the elements. The runes and patterns show how advanced you are in your elemental magic and trust me, this isn't all that advanced." She explained and down at her. "My best guess is that your element is fire, considering how you reacted to the ice,"

"It…It felt like someone just shot liquid nitrogen into my arm," Sasha said with a grimace.

"Sounds about right," Zatanna said simply, trying to smile.

"So you're saying she can control fire?" Robin asked as he stepped up. Zatanna shrugged and ran a hand through her hair.

"In all honesty, I don't know. These are basic runes, more than likely she's a beginner in magical arts, even still the way it works isn't in my line of work." She said and frowned at Sasha. "Sorry,"

The fiery runes began to dim and Sasha shook her head, displaying a smile on her face. "Let's try it out," Everyone's eyes widened at her sudden enthusiastic personality. She dusted herself off, for no apparent reason, and shouldered her way past the others to go to the flaming grill.

"W-What are you doing?" Garfield protested and grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Sasha's amber eyes narrowed.

"I'm going to stick my hand in the fire?" She asked as though it wasn't obvious.

"What?" Artemis gasped.

"Don't be reckless!" Robin protested. Sasha smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"If I'm thinking clearly, fire is reckless," Sasha said simply and both her eyes and runes flickered like fire.

"Noted," Garfield quipped and sighed. "But you might not be thinking clearly," Sasha shrugged and held out one hand towards the grill. She concentrated on the heat that the lit coals burned off, breathing in and out as she closed her eyes. The embers off the coals began to flare and come to life as they sparked into flames that swirled out of the grill and through the metal cover. Flaring about like dragons breath, the flames down their way to Sasha's palm and engulfed her outstretched hand. The heat was welcoming like a camp fire. It didn't burn her, though she could feel the tongues of the flames slightly burn the skin above the first half of her forearm. At that feeling she opened her eyes and waved the fire back to the grill where it delved back into the coals, lighting them ablaze once again.

"That…worked…" Conner muttered as he stared at the coals and then back at Sasha. Wolf huffed as though he were to laugh at the comment.

Sasha looked at her hand as the rune dimmed out of sight. "I think the runes not only act to show how advanced I am, but also where I came be touched by fire." She said as she touched the small red burns on her upper forearm. "So, I'm not entirely immune to fire…"

"This…is so weird," Artemis murmured and Wally nodded slowly to agree. Sasha chuckled and gave a shaky smile. She was still trying to take this all in.

"Well, that was fun," She said and laughed. Robin picked up the stray ice pack and grimaced.

"So, no ice pack?"

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