Birds of a Feather

26

Beast Boy visibly shuddered as my voice distorted into something sultry. Every part of my being wanted to just take him right here and now if it weren't for Starfire to ruin the moment.

"Forgive me for not knowing, but what is the Lust?" She asked innocently. For a moment my attention shifted to her, and her stunning figure. I looked her up and down as I walked over and levitated up so that we were eye to eye.

"Well you see, Lust is the opposite of love. It's an uncontrollable desire for all things intimate, with no strings attached" I smiled as I brushed her hair out of her face. Something clicked in my brain and all of a sudden it was like I had been hit by lighting. Power ran through me again and all of the energy I had lost came flooding back. As I looked at my hand that was currently right next to Starfire's neck I seized the opportunity and grabbed at it tightly.

"You should know all about that though. The way you paraded around with Robin, not caring who was watching. It was disgusting. You didn't even have the guts to support him, you out of all people should know the shallow feeling of lust. You never loved him, you used him and got rid of him at your convenience." I growled, my demonic voice had reappeared as well as the fear in her eyes. She looked at me and though I knew her small mind only half understood what I said, she still took offense by it.

Even though she appeared to be struggling under my grasp, her left leg swung up and kicked my arm back with such strength it knocked me out of the air. I landed on the floor with a loud thud and heard metal fall to the floor. Over by Slade's computers I watched as my mirror began to rise with a light glow. Out of it came severed pieces of the Sladebot that had entered my mind. The click happened again and as I turned to see Beast Boy helping Jason sit down near the corner where Cyborg's head and chest were laying.

"Oh Jason that won't do." I stammered as I rushed over. He immediately tried to enter a battle stance but winced with the pain from his leg. "Can't have you hurt now can we, you're going to need all the energy you have." I looked up at him through my eyelashes as I began my healing spell over his leg. He let out a scream when the knife left but after a few moments I could feel the lust emanating off of him as well.

I looked at him when I was finished healing his leg and crawled over to sit on his lap. His hand instantly went to my back as he looked at me sadly. Running a hand through my hair he said "What have they done to you sunshine?"

There was another click, and my vision immediately went red. Four eyes appeared and I grew to ten times my size. "How dare you touch me. You violated me, humiliated me and for what bragging rights? No you will pay. You will all pay." I screamed as I started to drag Jason across the floor with one of the demonic tendrils of magic.

"RAVEN!" I heard a shout. I looked over and saw a now awake and combat ready Nightwing.

"I see the boy wonder has finally woken up. I know I've been waiting for you." I sneered as I left Jason and turned my attention to Nightwing. I shrunk back to my normal height and prepared to fight when I heard another click. This time though there was no sultry voice or demonic strength, there was just an overwhelming sadness. I collapsed onto the floor as I could hear Nightwing shout orders to find Terra.

He rushed to my side afterwards and held my head close to his. "Raven I got the others to wake up. You're going to be okay; I promise."

I shook my head and suddenly all of my worst thoughts came to mind. Fears and phobias rushed to my imagination and I couldn't help but start tearing up. I looked up at Nightwing through teary eyes and with a broken voice said "Please leave. She's still unleashed I don't want to hurt you. Please leave. Please."

He shook his head and brought me into his chest. I heard the click again and suddenly being in his arms was all too enticing. I reached up to grab his jaw but he swiftly stopped me. "Oh come on Dick, don't you want it as bad as I do? Isn't that why you found Lust after all?" I smiled and pressed my body closer to his.
"I found her because I knew she would be the only one locked up and safe from the Sladebot attack. She was also the only one powerful enough to stop Rage by herself." He said. I shook my head and continued my attempt to get closer to him.

There was another click in my head and this time all I felt was giddy. Letting out a giggle at my current situation I stood up and began laughing at the fact that I had been sitting in his lap. Another click and suddenly I was ready and in a battle stance. I looked around for any immediate danger but only saw the remnants of the cafeteria. Another click and the sadness was back.

It kept going like this for what seems like forever. It was as if each emotion cycled through my mind and was in control only long enough to escalate the pain in my head. I watched as all of the remaining tables in the room started hovering in a black aura. The Joker had vanished along with Slade but all of their equipment that I hadn't disposed of was left where it was. The lights began to flicker and somewhere in the distance I could hear Cyborg rebooting and telling Starfire and Jason how to reassemble his limbs.

I looked at Richard desperately my breathing growing heavy and staggered. "Help me." I said frantically as I started to feel Rage slip back into control only to have Happiness take over again.

Richard took my head between his hands and crouched down to see my face better. "Raven you're going to be fine. Just look at me, focus on me. The other emotions are putting Rage and Lust back in their confinements. It's going to be okay, I promise." He said calmingly. I nodded but every ounce of me didn't believe him. I had never experienced emotion well, let alone all of them all at once. My powers were directly connected to my emotions and the stronger I felt the stronger my powers. I watched as a black aura encased the walls of the cafeteria and started creeping onto the floors.

"Get them out of here." I said in multiple voices. It was no longer demonic sound but rather just sounded like multiple me's speaking.

"What?" He looked at me confused and I could feel even through my emotional turmoil that he was afraid, either for me or of me, I wasn't quite sure.

"This building won't hold, I can't control it, you need to leave." I struggled to say as I began to see the walls crack down to the floor. Richard looked at me and then looked up at the remaining team members who were all battered and bruised in some way.

"I'm not leaving you. Not again." He whispered as his thumb moved along my jaw.

"Nightwing we need to leave, the building is collapsing let's go!" Cyborg shouted as the three began running towards the broke window. I watched as Starfire lifted Jason out and into the patch of land outside then came back for Cyborg.

"Let's go Raven you heard him." Nightwing started to move and take me with him but as he did the building shook even more.

"I need to gain control, otherwise the destruction will just follow me. Get out now." I said as forcefully as I could.

"I am not leaving you!" He shouted back at me as the roof started to crumble around us. I heard Starfire scream in fright as Cyborg held her back from re-entering to save us. Chunks of the roof were now falling rapidly and in my final moment of clarity I threw myself over Nightwing and produced the strongest barrier I could. In that instant my powers that had been letting loose on the building disappeared. Tables and trashcans were flung in all different directions and the walls crumbled instantly. I heard Nightwing say something to me but wasn't able to comprehend what he had said as a large piece of the ceiling landed straight onto my barrier. The magic cracked and when the second piece hit, the shield bounced back at me rendering me unconscious.