JLA high

2

(Batman/Bruce POV)

I watch as Diana learns more about 'Man's world'. I see her face crinkle with a smile whilst talking to Shyera. I'm sitting silently in class when the 'invisible' Superman strides in with Vixen beside him.

"Ooh, Diana is here." Superman says happily and walks over to her.
"Hey D." He says, flexing his biceps.
"My name is Diana, not D." She says irritably and then walks over to me.

"Batman, I want to ask a question." She says.
"Hit me with it." I reply.
"How did you become this Batman person?" She asks, obviously curious.
"I don't like talking about it. End of story." I say gruffly.
"Oh, ok then." She says, slightly disheartened.

"Ok, class, today we will be using our skills to practise fighting." The teacher says and then sighs when Aqua Man, Green Lantern and J'on arrive in late, as usual.
"Now, close your eyes and clear your mind." The teacher commands and we all complete the task. When I open my eyes, I realise we are all standing in the middle of a collosal battle stadium.

"Alright guys, you are going to be put into teams." The teacher says.
"J'on and Green Lantern." He assigns.
"Wonder Woman and Batman"  He decides. Diana smiles and walks over to me.
"Vixen and Canary," He says quickly. "And Aqua Man and Flash."

"Now, you will be paired up to train. This will show how much trust you have in your partner, and how well you work together. Whoever finishes first wins." The teacher explains then assigns battles "J'on and Green Lantern against Batman and Wonder Woman."

Suddenly, we are transported into another arena.
"The battle will begin in five minutes. Spend the next few minutes discussing strategies with your partner." The voice com booms.
"Batman, may we go with a battle strategy I have learned on my island?" Diana asks.
"Sure, ok. Then we carry on with my strategy." I say.
"I hope you put your trust into me." She says but I don't respond. She starts talking about her strategy and I have to admit, it was good. We quickly discussed the weaknesses and made a few small changes.

"BEGIN!" The voice com yells. Diana flies high and I stay on the ground. I see a green glow out of the corner of my eye and stay in position. He charges at me and I prepare to fight, but Diana stops him with her lasso.
"The lasso of truth compels you, where is your partner?" She demands.
"In the south tree, waiting for my signal to get you." Green Lantern admits with a groan.
"Send the signal." Diana commands and he quickly sends the signal. J'on immediately starts to sprint in our direction, weapons raised. Diana nods at me and I block him out of my mind, a skill I learned many years ago. I swiftly throw a baterang at his head and Diana hits him from the back. The combination of both attacks knocks him out.
"Well DONE!" I say quickly so the speaker is aware the battle has finished.

We are transported back into the stadium we were previously in.
"Well, you two are the winners. Well done." The teacher praises.
"Good, let's keep it that way." I say. The teacher then walks away from us to talk to Vixen, Canary, Aqua Man and Flash, so Diana and I are left alone.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Diana asks quietly.
"Why?" I ask, confused.
"Well, you don't seem, uh, you know, you act as if you don't like me. As a friend, I mean."
"I don't have friends." I say gruffly and start to walk away but she grabs my arm.
"Let me change that." She says quickly "I have lived on an island with just women and have only been friends with my sisters. I have never been friends with a man". I don't say anything and slip from her grasp. She looks at me with eyes full of hurt and I feel a twinge of guilt.

Suddenly, we are moved back into the classroom. I don't do friends, Diana has to understand it is not personal. I walk quickly to my next class, which she frustratingly happens to be in as well. I scan the classroom for seats but only one is empty. And it's right next to Diana. When I sit down, she turns to look at me, but I pretend not to notice.

"Ok class, today we will be attempting to deactivate a time bomb before it kills you and the citizens. Yes, Superman, it will go off if you try to crush it." The teacher says.
"Shit!" Superman moans.
"Language." The teacher warns.
"If it goes off, you will be protected. However, you must remember in a real life situation, the citezens wouldn't be lifeless dummies. They would be real people who could easily lose their lives if you make a mistake. So treat this test like a real life situation. Be sensible and don't do anything stupid." She stares hard at Superman when saying the last sentence, which makes me smirk.
"Now your partner for the semester is the one you are currently sitting next to." The teacher announces and I hear several groans. Diana doesn't even smile, she just stares at the teacher. Guilt and sadness bubble up inside of me and I unsuccessfully try to destroy the negative feelings.

Before I can even move, we are transported to a wood, bombs resting in our arms.
"You will have three minutes to disarm this bomb." The teacher says and then counts down from three until the timer starts.

I place the large bomb on the floor and open it up.
"Where are the hostages?" Diana asks.
"Over there." I say quickly and point at the large cage containing 7 or 8 dummies. She sprints over to it and hits it several times. After 4 or 5 hits, the cage finally breaks and she grabs all the dummies and flies off somewhere. "Now!" Diana yells and I grab my cutters from my belt. 2 minutes left on the clock. I mess around with the bomb and my cutters until I hear her shout "Batman, it's going to go off in 30 seconds. Hurry!". I then cut a wire protruding from the bomb and it stops.
"Done!" I yell and fistpump the air in success. But then the timer speeds up ten times faster. Diana grabs the back of my suit and flies up high into the sky.

Then there is an explosion.

"We failed." I say, defeated.
"No, I think they said it was a five mile radius, so I took the dummies and took them as far away from here as I could in case it went off." Diana says and then flips me so I'm being held bridal style.
"Put. Me. Down." I say in a warning tone.
"OK." She says and laughs as she drops me and I fall. Before I hit the ground, she catches me in bridal style again.
"Are you sure you want me to put you down now?" She asks cheekily.
"No." I say and she smiles. Her smile is radiant and beautiful, it seems to light up the world.

Diana flies downwards to meet up with the class and I quietly say "I apologize. For not saying anything. Um, we can be friends.". She drops me on the ground and wraps her arms around my neck in a hug.
"I don't really do hugs." I say uncomfortably but she doesn't reply.
"Thank you." She says happily.

"Well, the students that were the most successful were Batman and Wonder Woman.They worked as a team and got the citizens out of there before the explosion happened. Well done!" The teacher praises.

Diana smiles and the beauty of her grin brings a smile to my face as well.