I've been lazy. That's my only excuse for not updating sooner. But I started watching YJ again to get my inspiration back for this and the other fic I'm working on. Hope you enjoy!

8.

The next day was weapons training. Artemis's hands were practically itching to hold her bow as soon as she woke up that morning, primed and ready for anything the day had to throw at her. She was excited for weapons training – what she lacked in superpowers, she made up for with her skills with a bow and arrow. She was the first one in the cave when Black Canary called them all in.

"Morning, everyone," Black Canary said cheerfully when the team was all gathered. "I hope you all got your rest. Today we begin weapons training, which will be considerably harder than what you did yesterday."

Wally groaned. "I don't even need a weapon," he said. "All I need is to run fast. Can't I just skip this part?"

"No," Black Canary gave him a somber look, and he sighed. "Every member of this team is required to complete all aspects of basic training, and that includes weapons. Should a mission ever occur where you would need to use a weapon – and trust me, it will happen – you need to be prepared. My job is to make sure you know how to handle it." She cracked her knuckles and grinned, and the team watched her step to the side. Behind her was a metal table, laid end to end with all sorts of weapons. There were guns, clubs, spiked sticks, maces, axes, grappling hooks, knives, throwing stars, bows and arrows like the one Artemis carried, nunchucks, and even a few swords. Some of the guns dispensed things other than bullets, like poison darts. There was a laser gun, too. But Artemis wasn't focused on anything besides the bow and arrow. It was all she ever needed.

"I'll go through each one and explain what it does, and then you'll each take a turn at target practice," Black Canary said. "Be cautious and careful."

Robin's favorites were the escrima sticks. Two long black poles that he wielded with ease; some parts glowing blue to show that they were mechanized. With a press of a button, the sticks could sprout a sharp blade on either end. Robin was very at home with them.

Aqualad liked his water-bearers; the twin swords he carried strapped to his back were able to conduct electricity and turn water into a weapon. He preferred to use them in combat over anything else.

Wally was still adamant about not needing a weapon. He had his speed and his goggles, and that was all he needed. But if he had to pick one, it would be the laser gun. Or the nunchucks. Way cool.

Superboy preferred to use his hands in combat; his strength was his greatest asset in battle, and he was hesitant towards using a weapon. But when he picked up one of the heavy wooden clubs, he liked the way it felt in his hands.

Miss Martian, like some of her teammates, preferred not to use a weapon either. Her mind was her weapon; telepathy and telekinesis were her greatest strengths. But since weapons training was required, she begrudgingly picked up one of the throwing stars and aimed it at the target across the room.

And Artemis, of course, loved her bow. There was nothing better than the feeling of pulling her shoulders back, nocking an arrow, and letting it fly, watching it soar through the air and hit its target true in the center. She always got a little thrill every time she did it. Her arrows were special – there were normal ones, obviously, but she liked the ones that spouted knockout gas, or the ones that shot out nets to capture the bad guys, or the ones that encased her enemies in high-density polyurethane foam. There were explosive arrows, bola arrows, incendiary arrows that caught on fire, flash arrows that blinded her opponents with a bright light, arrows that could hack into security cameras, pressure arrows, Taser arrows, and tracer arrows. Artemis didn't want to say anything, but she felt like she had the superior weapon to anything else on the table, and she felt as powerful as she ever would while she was using it.

By the time weapons training was over, each member of the team had practiced with each weapon provided. It wasn't guaranteed that they would ever need to use some of them in combat, but Black Canary drilled it into their heads that it was important to know how to use each one regardless.

"So does this mean we get to go out on a mission tomorrow?" Wally asked when they had been dismissed for the day, and Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Do you ever listen? They have to put us through training simulations first. Exercises to see how we would do out in the field and see how well we work together. Then we get a real mission."

"If Batman thinks we're ready," Robin added.

"Which we will be," Wally said confidently.

"I believe we will be ready, too," Aqualad said. "You have all proven to be exceptionally skillful warriors, and already you have each gained my trust. In the short amount of time we've known each other, you have all become my friends."

"That's sweet, Kaldur! You're all my friends, too," M'gann said cheerfully. "My best friends. Well . . . my only friends, I guess." Her face fell.

"Do you think Bats will ever let us outside the mountain so we can interact with normal people?" Wally asked. "I mean, I know we have to go to school here and stuff, so does that mean we're never gonna see the outside world again?"

"No, you idiot," Artemis snapped, unable to help herself. God, he made it so easy! "He's not going to keep us here and force us to be mole people. I'm sure when we're not training we'll be allowed outside. We have families, after all."

"When are we not gonna be training?" Wally asked. "Do we get weekends off or something?"

"I think we just get free time whenever it comes," Robin said. "If there's no crime to be fighting, we can just chill. There's a beach outside the mountain. We can hang out there."

"I'd love to go shopping for Earth clothes!" M'gann said, turning to Artemis with a bright smile. "Artemis, will you come with me?"

She shrugged. "If they let us. I don't really like shopping though." M'gann looked sad, and Artemis quickly recovered. "But it would be nice to see my friends from my old school. I could . . . introduce you, if you want."

The Martian's face immediately lit up. "That would be wonderful! I love meeting new people!"

Artemis smiled. As the others talked, she hung back and tried to get used to the idea of calling these people her friends. She liked M'gann, even if she was a little too friendly, and Kaldur seemed like someone she could trust. Superboy was still too quiet and closed-off for her to get a good read on him. Robin was nice, and a little immature, but she liked that about him. And Wally . . . ugh. She could not see herself being friends with Wally. But the others?

Artemis smiled to herself when no one was looking. Maybe, just maybe, she could get used to this.