I have a feeling that Starfire and Raven wouldn't have a television in their room, but for the sake of this story, there will be some. Sue me. T_T (Please don't actually sue me…It's just something I always say LOL)
On with the story~
"Have you heard of the Midnight Channel?" An innocent question. A question that was purely asked out of curiosity and to experiment it with others. But no one had expected the consequences that occurred as a result from it.
Time: 1500 hours PST
Location: Titans' Tower, San Francisco
"-strikes him out! And we go onto the bottom of the 8th inning with the Angels trailing from a score of-"
"-steals the ball from Johnson and passes it onto-!"
"-pour some water into the po-"
"Man…there's nothing to watch," Beast Boy mutters, leaning back on the couch as he flips through the channels. The Titans have not had any eventful incidents; only a minor robbery here and there are the crimes they've handled. But even then, it's not much since the police can easily handle the common robbers.
"Man, move over," Cyborg demands, jumping over the couch onto the cushions, clutching a CD in his hand.
"What's that?"
"It's the new game that was released today."
"Ooh! Is it Monkey Ninjas VI?"
"Heck yeah it is."
Beast Boy leaps up, grabbing the CD, and inserts it in. The screen immediately loads and the two situate themselves on the couch. "I'm gonna kick your butt," Beast Boy taunts.
"Try me," Cyborg retorts, clutching his controller in front of him.
Several hours later…
"What are you doing?" a monotone voice asks as she enters the room and seeing them argue over something. Rain is pitter-pattering against the windows of the tower.
"Hey! I know I pulled off that combo! You probably did something and hacked me before I had the chance!" Beast Boy accuses, gesturing wildly. On the screen, his green ninja - monkey lies on the ground with the words OHKO flashing across the screen. Cyborg's chosen character poses victoriously with a thumbs up and a big grin on his face.
"No way, man! You just didn't get your combo off in time so I just whooped your sorry butt!" Cyborg defends himself.
"That's total bs! I put in the combo and all that happened was the monkey just freaking stood there before you attacked me!"
"Maybe you didn't put in the combo right!"
"I know how to play this game! Don't doubt my skills!"
"You want a rematch, then?!"
"Challenge accepted!" Beast Boy accepts, jumping back to the couch. Before either teen could reach for their controllers, Raven envelops them with her aura and floats them just out of range of them.
"Yo! Give 'em back, Rae!"
"Not if you're just going to pointlessly argue the day away."
"Come on! It's a new game! We just wanna try it out!"
"I'm pretty sure you already had a chance to try it out. And it's time for you to stop before you somehow blow up the tower."
"But that only happened onc-"
"Yeah and whose fault was that?" Raven interrupts.
The pair exchange guilty glances before Cyborg presses the power button on the gaming console. "Now what are we supposed to do?" Beast Boy complains.
"What do you mean?" Raven asks, floating over to the kitchen and pouring some tea into a mug for herself.
"There's barely been anything going on for the past 6 months. 6 months!" he emphasizes. "I'm bored to death right now!"
"Maybe you should clean your room. Maybe that'll-"
"Don't even joke like that," Beast Boy interrupts.
"I wasn't joking," she retorts, taking a sip from her tea. At this point, Robin and Starfire had walked in, discussing about something.
"Something going on, guys?" Robin asks, noticing the agitation on Beast Boy's face.
"Grass stain's just complaining about how we haven't had anything happen for the past few months, so he's just really bored."
"Hey! Who you callin' grass stain?"
"You, grass stain!" Cyborg retorts as the boys engage in a bickering contest. Robin palms his face, turning back to Starfire.
"So what was that rumor you were talking about, Star?"
"A rumor?" Raven asks, floating over to the pair.
Starfire nods, a knowing smirk on her face and an excited glint in her eyes. "Have any of you heard of…the Midnight Channel?"
Everyone, sans Robin, in the room turn to Starfire, curiosity on their faces. The Midnight Channel?
Time: 1500 hours Japan Time
Location: Junes, Inaba
"You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?" a teenage girl with short brown hair wearing a light green, high-collared athletic jacket adorned with several buttons and a dark mini-skirt asks, leaning back against the plastic chair. "You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen…And they say that person's your soul mate."
A boy her age, with short and slightly unkempt, fawn-colored hair, sits next to her with his arms crossed over his chest. His pair of headphones rest on his shoulder, on top of his Yasogami High School's uniform. "What? For a second, I thought you were actually gonna say something useful…How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?" he dismisses the rumor.
"Childish, huh?" She asks, agitated. "You don't believe it, do you?!"
"Of course I don't!"
"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out – then you'll see!"
The boy looks at her skeptically. "Try it out..? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself?!" he asks in disbelief. He closes his eyes. "Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…All that aside…you know that "incident" yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it is still lurking around…?" He snickers, teasing her.
"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one…?" she scolds him. "All I'm saying is, you guys should try it out tonight."
"All right, Chie…I guess we'll try it out," the last teenager speaks up, taking a bite of his steak.
"What? You too, Yu?" the boy in the middle asks in disbelief, turning back to him.
"If it's true, wouldn't it be awesome if it was that Saki-senpai for you, Yosuke?" Chie teases him, a playful smirk egging him on.
Yosuke freezes, sitting in thought. "All right! Let's watch the Midnight Channel tonight!"
Time: 2300 hours PST
Location: Titans' Tower
"Midnight Channel?" Cyborg asks.
"Yes, it is a rumor that has been floating around. I was just finishing telling Robin about it when we entered the room."
"If you look into a TV screen that's switched off at night, alone, while it's raining at midnight, someone will appear on the screen," Robin explains, taking it from there.
"L…like a ghost?" Beast Boy asks fearfully, hiding behind Cyborg instinctively.
"Where'd you even hear about this?" Raven asks skeptically, moving the mug to the sink with her powers.
"I was at the mall of shopping when I encountered someone. She had long and wavy gray hair and she suddenly walked up to me."
"That's…suspicious," Raven begins.
"She simply said, 'The Midnight Channel will show your soul mate' and walked away. I tried to look for her, but she somehow disappeared without me noticing. That is why I decided to return and research more about this myth. When I found out what it was, I thought you would all be interested in it so I was heading here when I ran into Robin on the way," Starfire summarizes. Truth be told, she was a bit skeptic and hesitant about this myth and whether or not it was actually true. She didn't expect it to actually be the main topic in the forums in Japan.
Then again, it's not like these discussions are 100% accurate. It could just be a bunch of random teenagers trying to grab the attention of those around them.
"Are you seriously going to try something like this out? It's probably just a childish legend," Raven questions them, doubt clearly on her face.
"Why not? It seems interesting," Cyborg replies, shrugging.
"You can't be serious."
"Come on, Rae. You gotta loosen up once in a while," Beast Boy urges, placing his hand around Raven's shoulder.
She shoves him away, glaring at him. "This is pointless."
"But Raven-" Beast Boy begins to protest.
"I'd rather not." She turns around, floating out of the room.
"Yeesh, what's gotten into her?" Beast Boy asks, confused.
"Maybe she's just afraid of finding out who her soul mate is," Cyborg assumes, glancing at the other two knowingly.
"But, isn't she curious? I know I am," Beast Boy asks, even more confused by Cyborg's glances.
"Well, there's still an hour left. You guys wanna head back to your rooms to watch it?"
"Too bad we can't watch it all together," Cyborg complains.
"If we all have different soul mates, it wouldn't work," Robin reminds him.
Cyborg sighs. "You're right. I'm gonna make a quick snack and I'll head back to my room."
"I'm going back to my room. Gotta clear out the area around my TV so I can see it," Beast Boy says, leaving the room first.
"I shall prepare some food for Silkie as well and then I shall head back," Starfire decides, flying over to the kitchen area and searching for the food.
"What're you gonna do, Rob?"
"I'll head back. I guess I'll read some news here and there before midnight. Wanna meet back here after we've seen it?"
"Are you sure it's safe to discuss who our soul mates are?" Cyborg asks hesitantly.
"We all have different soul mates, after all. I don't think there'd be anything wrong with talking about who they are," Robin argues.
"I guess…"
"See ya in a bit." Robin leaves and heads directly to his room. He stops as he turns the corner, sensing something strange. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a bird-a-rang, gripping it tightly. He glances around the corner, seeing Raven on the ground clutching her head. Caution goes out the window as he runs towards her. "Raven!" He kneels down beside her, placing his hand on her back. "Are you ok?"
She shakes her head, clearing away the dizziness that had washed over her. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
He helps her up, letting her lean on him for a moment. "What happened?"
"I…" She pauses, trying to recollect her thoughts. "I was just walking back to my room when this wave of dizziness hit me. I…I heard a voice."
"Was it Trigon? Is he back?" Robin asks, immediately on alert.
"N-no. It wasn't his voice. But I can't figure out who it was."
"They didn't mention their name?"
"I…I think they did, but I'm not sure if I heard it correctly. I heard something like Iza…mi. Izami…?" she mutters unsure of the name.
"Don't think too hard on it. It'll come to you eventually," he comforts her, as she smiles at him.
"Thanks." She steps away from him. "I'll be fine now. I think I just need to head back to my room and rest."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Later…
Raven lies on her bed, trying to piece together what she can remember. But it's too hazy for her. She sits up, shaking her head, disappointed in her inability to recall anything. "What were you trying to tell me…?" she mutters to herself. A faint image of a figure clad in white robes dance around in her mind, but she is unable to connect it to anything. She glimpses over to her TV hidden in the corner of her room. She rolls her eyes, unable to believe that she'd actually go through with this childish rumor.
She grabs her clock, looking at the time: 23: 55. Palming her face, she walks over to her TV, checking to make sure it's unplugged. After confirming it, she sits down at the edge of her bed, staring straight at the TV. She looks down at her clock again: 23:59. Looking back up at the TV, waiting for something to happen, she can't help but wonder if the others are also doing this.
Beast Boy collapses on the ground, sighing exhaustedly. His TV is finally clear from the mountain of dirty clothes, the mountain having moved to his bunk bed. He looks up at his clock: 11:59. He resists the urge to contact any of the other Titans until after the channel appears. After all, it's not like he wants to know if his soul mate is…
He blinks. Ok, maybe he does.
"Here you go, Silkie," Starfire offers a spoon of the crushed zorkaberries to her mutant, moth larvae pet. He accepts her spoon, instantly devouring the rest of the bowl.
Starfire checks the time on her Mumbo clock: 11:58. Silkie coos, getting her attention again. "Silkie, would you like to watch the Midnight Channel with me?" He immediately starts bouncing up and down in the high chair, urging her to pick him up.
She carries him out, placing him down on her bed as she checks to make sure the TV is unplugged. "Just one more minute." One more minute before she can confirm whether or not she should continue to pursue her crush.
Cyborg finishes up his ham sandwich, setting the plate down on a tray nearby his "bed". He doesn't have a TV, per se, but he tries to unplug one of the screens in his room. Who knows, maybe he'll see something on it. It's not like they specifically said only the TV can show the Midnight Channel.
Then again…if he misses it, that'd be embarrassing for him. He grabs the empty plate, heading to the main room. Might as well watch it there and then catch up with the others. He's rather curious about who his soul mate will be. He grins, knowing that there's bound to be relationships after this channel reveals who their soul mates are.
Robin closes up the manila folder for the umpteenth time, rubbing his eyes. He knows it's been a year since Slade mysteriously disappeared after being resurrected and helping the Titans fight against Trigon. Slade hasn't been confirmed to have appeared anywhere at all, although there were rumors of a one-eyed man that would appear nearby where Titans would arrest a criminal.
But none of these rumors have been confirmed, and that just agitates Robin even more. He needs to know if Slade is going to be another obstacle in peace in Jump City.
His attention shifts over to the clock by his bed: 23:59. He tosses the folder back onto the table and turns off his TV, unplugging it as well. His ears focus on the rain outside, making sure that it is raining. He refocuses his attention on the TV and it flickers yellow.
He frowns as the screen tries to focus itself. His eyes widen when he realizes that there is a female on the screen, writhing around. But he can't figure out anything beyond that. It finally flickers off and Robin sits there, confusion written across his face.
What the hell just happened?
Beast Boy leaves his room, running into Starfire. "Star, did you-?" He stops when he realizes how shaken up she seems.
"I cannot believe that my soul mate would be a female. Especially one that I do not even recognize," she mutters to herself.
"What? You got a girl?" Beast Boy asks in disbelief. Is it possible it was the same girl?
"Yes, although I do not recognize her at all."
"What did she look like? Wait, no, let's just go to the main room and talk about it with the others."
Starfire nods in agreement as the two head to the room.
Cyborg sits on the couch, frozen in disbelief. It worked. The Midnight Channel actually worked! He hears the door behind him slide open and he turns around, seeing Starfire and Beast Boy walking into the room. "Yo! How'd it go? I saw a girl on mine!"
"So did we, but none of us recognize her," Starfire agrees.
"This is getting weird," Beast Boy mutters suspiciously.
"Did you guys see her kinda being tossed around the screen?" Cyborg asks, remembering how painful it looked.
"Yeah…it looked like something was trying to eat her. And she looked really pained…"
"Where is Robin and Raven?" Starfire speaks up, looking around the room.
"Maybe they're still in their rooms?"
"Let's just wait here for them. They're bound to show up eventually," Cyborg suggests. Starfire flies over to the windows, looking out to the rain falling down on the water. She can't help but feel nervous about what could happen.
Raven stares at her hand, moving the fingers and clenching it into a fist, trying to reaffirm that her hand is still intact. She stares back up at the TV from her position on the ground, noticing that she only sees her reflection left. She had looked at the TV, noticing a girl on the screen flying around in pain. But the image was too grainy for her to figure out what was going on.
As she was going to dismiss it and head back to bed, she was hit with another wave of dizziness and she staggers. This time, she hears another voice.
I am thou…
Thou art I…
Thou art the one who opens another door
The strange dizziness passed and she glanced back up to the TV. She reached out to it, her index finger barely inches away from the screen. She tapped on the screen, ripples appearing on it. Surprised, she tried to push the rest of her hand, feeling a tugging sensation as the TV tried to pull her in. "Whoa!"
She managed to pull herself out before her entire body could go throw and now she sits on the floor, trying to recollect herself.
Knock-knock-knock! She pushes herself up, staggering slightly. "Raven! Are you okay? I heard you scream!" Robin's worried voice is muffled from the other side of the door. She takes a few calming breaths, gliding over to the door. It slides open and she sees Robin clutching the sides of the doorframe, worry and concern on his face.
"It's nothing. I was surprised by what I saw on the Midnight Channel," she dismisses what had happened to her. It's better to not worry Robin even more.
"So you saw the Midnight Channel too?"
"Yeah, did you see your soul mate?"
He nods, "I don't recognize her though. Come on, let's go talk about it with the others. I'm pretty sure they're all there already." He walks ahead of her.
"Yeah…" She follows him, her mind trailing back to when she put her hand into the TV. But she dismisses it. It's not like someone else has that ability as well.
I'm aware that there is a time difference between Japan and where the Teen Titans live (I'm assuming Southern California). Which is why I'll have to skip around and such and throwing in flashbacks so it'll all fit together. You'll get what I mean in the next chapter. Also, just to let you know now, I support RobinxRaven so don't expect any RobxStar shipping at the end.
If you're curious about my entire OTP for this particular series, feel free to PM me. And if you don't like the OTPs, feel free to leave.
Please review! :D