Chào các bạn! Vì nhiều lý do từ nay Truyen2U chính thức đổi tên là Truyen247.Pro. Mong các bạn tiếp tục ủng hộ truy cập tên miền mới này nhé! Mãi yêu... ♥

Episode 15: A Single Fun Day

(And here is the next episode! I know Lapis should have an episode, but I wanted to save that if I ever make a sequel to this. I may or may not, but it was a lot of fun to write this. I don't know if this will have another book, but who knows? Enjoy!)

            At work, Randy was drawing some mockup sketches for another series as he noticed Heidi and Debbie were carrying boxes of decorations with them.

"What are they planning to do?" he asked as he leaned back to try and see it.

"Oh, that's right, you weren't here last year" Howard said as he sat next to his best friend.

"What's going on?" Randy asked as he turned to his best friend with a suspicious look on his face.

"Oh, relax, it is nothing dangerous" Howard reassured him with a wave of his hand, "It is the Spring Festival. Every year, we hold four festivals. You just arrived in time for the spring one. A lot of different cultures are together and all that junk"

"Really? So, I could wear my yukata?" Randy asked excitedly as Howard nodded.

"Yeah, I've seen people wear all kinds of clothing that I have never seen" Howard reassured him with a nod of his head, "Oh, just don't go near the snack stands if this is the one from your Okaasan's country. The foods' grease and other condiments"

"Thanks buddy! Oh, I cannot wait! I wonder what the others will think!" Randy said excitedly as he pumped up his fists in the air.

Howard grinned at his best friends while everyone else was preparing for the festival too. The heroes and heroines couldn't meet up in person, so they held a video call in their respective calls. They were excited for the festival, but Randy and Lapis were curious about it.

"So, what exactly is this festival about?" Randy asked as he glanced at his yukata and then his phone.

"It is one of the Four Seasons Festival!" Star answered excitedly as she is preparing her pink dress for it.

"And what is that?" Lapis asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side.

"It is just a festival we celebrate to welcome spring" Kim finished explaining, "We celebrate by eating a bunch of different food from all over the world. We also take part in many activities that are physically challenging, but a lot of fun"

"That is debatable" Danny scoffed, "I could never keep up with everyone"

"You're not exactly as physical as Randy and me, Danny. However, there are trivia quizzes" Kim reassured him as he rolled his eyes at her.

Lapis now a little bit excited about this as they were making plans to meet up with each other and enjoy the festival together. The next day, Kim was wearing a light pink crop top with black sports pants and matching sneakers. She still had the bracelet on her wrist, but she took the hair tie off and tied her hair in a ponytail.

"Hm, I hope the others are not lost. This festival is big and always crowded with people" Kim wondered as she then took her phone out to see if anyone texted her.

She glanced at the stalls and wondered if she could buy any clothes or adorable stuff toys. She hoped she could get something from the festival at least.

"KIM!" Star yelled as she ran towards her, and hug tackled Kim from behind!

"Ow! Star! Nice to see you!" Kim greeted her with a groan and turned to hug her back, "And nice dress! I don't think I've seen this one"

Star twirled and then held her hand over her face with a grin. She wore a light pink dress with cherry blossom patterns on it. She changed her headband to a white one with petals on it and had a white bag with petals. Star still had the bracelet on her wrist along with a few others. Kim believed it suited her friend very well.

"Ah, there you are" Lapis said as she greeted them.

"Nice to see you!" Star greeted warmly as she spun and waved to her.

Lapis was wearing a black shirt and puffy, blue pants. She has her bracelet on. Instead of a pair of glasses on her head, she had a pair of blue tinted sunglasses. She wore a simple pair of blue slippers.

"And now, we just wait for the boys. Why are they always the ones who are late?" Kim asked before laughing.

Star joined in on the laughter as Lapis stared at them from a bit of a distance.

"Shall we take a look at some the nearby stalls? At least until the boys arrive" Lapis suggested as she gazed at the some of the stalls near them.

Star happily skipped towards it while Kim and Lapis were following her. Kim was glancing from the clothes and stuff animals, Star was happily trying on some jewelry, and Lapis was looking at some random trinkets and making sure the boys would be able to find them. She looked at Star and Kim who were both looking at a cute, pink panda bear as well as expressing an interest in a piece of jewelry.

"Ah, there you guys are" Danny said in relief, "I am so relieved I won't be stuck with this idiot throughout the entire festival"

Lapis simply nodded her head as she looked at them. Danny wore a white sleeveless shirt and blue shorts. His bracelet was still on his wrist and was checking at his phone for a text from someone.

"Hey, I am not that bad!" Randy teased back as he caught up to them.

Star and Kim were happily to see the boys, but Star was in love with Randy's yukata. His yukata was mainly dark green, but it had a cherry blossom tree on the front part while the back part had the flowers of it. The cherry blossoms' flowers were pink and blooming. His sash across his waist was purple and tied as neatly as it could be.

"Wow! You wear that! It is so pretty!" Star exclaimed to him.

"Well, only for spring and to welcome the new year. Under all that, I don't. Thank you for liking it. I wasn't sure if you would" Randy said in a relieved tone before changing to his energetic one, "So! What are we going to do first?! I've never done this here before! I don't know if this has the same stuff home does!"

He walked on ahead as Star laughed and skipped along with him. Danny followed them as Kim was ready to walk after them until she noticed Lapis was still standing where she was.

"Are you ok?" Kim asked her gently.

Lapis jumped until she composed herself and walked with her. Although Kim was pleased Lapis tended to think through her plans, but she hoped Lapis would open to her, even if it was just a little bit.

"Yes, I am fine. Everyone is behaving in high spirits and enjoying themselves" Lapis confirmed as Kim realized something.

"Oh, no. I don't mean the team" Kim said as she waved her hand in a calm manner, "What I mean is, how are you doing? Do you enjoy this?"

Lapis pondered on this as she tapped her cheek. She wasn't asked questions like this often. She was mostly asked questions about marine life, sea life, and other important questions. She was rarely asked about her wellbeing. Right, she should answer Kim's question.

"I believe I am content. Not happy nor upset. I am just content" Lapis answered as she nodded along with her sentence, "I am unsure if I enjoy the festival, because I am experiencing it at this moment. I shall give you a proper conclusion once this trip is over"

Kim answered in a supportive tone, "I am grateful you're not upset about this at least. I can't wait to hear what you think of this when we finish. That is something to look forward to!"

"It is?" Lapis asked Kim in a surprised tone.

"Of course!" Kim answered excitedly, "We experience everything differently. I may find something fun while you may not. However, through our differences, we can grow and support each other as well as have a better understanding. Isn't that exciting?"

Lapis blinked at Kim in utter disbelief. This was not something she ever expected to hear from her collogue, but she also didn't mind it either. In a rare emotional form, Lapis felt a little happier about this.

"Oh! Do you shop Lapis?" Kim asked as she broke her friend out of her thoughts.

"Shop?" Lapis asked puzzled.

"Yeah! Buying clothes you like, items you think are adorable, and other stuff you enjoy!" Kim answered her as she pulled Lapis's arm and took her to a nearby outdoor shop to look at some glasses and hats on display.

Lapis let Kim drag her to the shop and observed some of the hats and glasses on display. Although she rarely shopped for anything that she didn't need for her research and requirements for living. So, Lapis decided to try Kim's shopping and see anything that catches her attention. She looked at the glasses' rack and noticed a pair of deep blue shades and aquamarine sides. As she reached for the glasses, Kim squealed as she grabbed Lapis' shoulders and then placed a blue, sundress hat on her head! Lapis was confused as she lifted the edges to see as Kim held a happy expression.

"What do you think?" Kim asked as she held out a mirror for Lapis to see.

Lapis blinked at the reflection and smiled. It wasn't anything she was used to, but she enjoyed it. The hat complements her well and made her pale skim illuminate her.

"Thank you" she whispered as she glanced at the glasses.

"I know, right?!" Kim said as she didn't notice Lapis' glance, "Here, I'll buy it for you! Think of it as a gift from me! Though, please don't forget to tell me what you think of the festival when we are done"

Kim paid for the hat as Lapis held it close to her head and simply nodded her head.

"Hey! There you are!" Randy said excitedly as he waved to them while he was also running.

"What's going on?" Lapis asked curiously at him.

"I didn't know there were actual games!" Randy exclaimed excitedly as he rushed to them, "Star went to get us some snacks while Danny is trying to guess how many jellybeans are in the jar using something called calculus. I never got that far in math"

Kim walked up to them as she shook her head at Randy's little rant.

"It depends on the calculus, but Randy's not wrong. There are a ton of games here for everyone to enjoy. Have you tried anything? Did you win?" Kim asked curiously.

Randy shook his head before scratching the back of his head to confess, "I didn't want to play alone, and since our other two members are off, I thought I would go back and find you two"

Lapis was surprised as Kim nodded until she heard her name being called. The three of them were surprised, but Kim and Randy were soon waving at Ron and Vanessa. Ron was wearing a pink shirt and matching dark pink baggy shorts as he was eating some cotton candy. Even Vanessa was wearing a brighter outfit than her normal black suits and dresses. She was wearing a gray shirt and dark gray skirt with black shorts underneath. She has black slippers, but she had a pink pair of shades and a gray hat with a pink rose in it. She was wearing a light gray bag on her shoulders that went to her hip.

"Wow, looking good Vanessa!" Kim said impressed before turning to Ron, "And how many have you eaten today?"

"I am trying every flavor of cotton candy today for the grand prize! You cannot stop me, KP!" Ron answered determinedly.

Kim shook her head as she glanced to Randy and Lapis. Randy understood and gave her a thumbs up while taking Lapis' hand.

"Just meet up with us before the festival ends! C'mon Lapis! We are going to try some of these events!" Randy said determinedly as they were heading into the row of festivals and games.

They pass Danny who was holding his phone and making notes to find the answer to the how many jellybeans are in the jar question. Lapis just took a glance at it as she questioned how many were in the jar. She bumped into Randy, looked at him, and then at the booth they were standing in front of. She looked at the booth and found two big pools of water with ducks in them. Behind the pools was a giant cabinet filled with many stuff toys and other prizes.

"Ah, juice, we have to try this, Lapis! Actually, shouldn't you be good at this? This is your element" Randy winked and teased at her as she wondered about that.

The booth's owner walked up to them, grinned, and was holding two nets in his hands to ask, "Ah, would you like to try the net game?"

"Sure thing!" Randy answered as he opened his wallet and pulled out the event tokens to give to the owner.

The owner gave them each a net. He explained to them that they must use the nets to catch a duck. There were thirty ducks in the pool and numbered as such. One being the smaller prize while thirty being the biggest one a person could obtain.

"Good luck! You keep going until you catch one!" the owner encouraged them warmly.

"Got it! Ready Lapis?" Randy asked determinedly as he rolled up his yukata's sleeves to make sure it didn't get wet.

"Oh, ok" she answered nervously as she held her net.

They went to work and tried to catch a duck as quickly as they can. Randy ran to the other end of the pool and dipped his net in. He waited until a duck floated over his net.

"Got it!" Randy yelled determinedly and pulled the net up.

He let out a delighted yell as he caught a duck and then held it over the pool to not let the water spill over. He grinned at it as the owner walked over to Randy and took the duck. He checked underneath the rubber, yellow duck and found the number nine on the back of it.

"Well, that's better than nothing" Randy said with a grin as the owner agreed with him.

The owner then placed the duck on the pool again as he walked to the back to get a prize for Randy. He glanced to Lapis who did observe Randy's performance and then placed her net in the water. She waited longer than him and looked at the water. She waved two fingers and caused the water to push some of the ducks around. Randy couldn't help but smirk at her, but she stopped moving the water and waited.

"Here is your prize" the owner said as he handed Randy as small, stuff phoenix.

"Thank you" Randy said warmly as he held it and continued to watch Lapis.

She was sitting and staring at the water. She was listening to it and the ducks. Her eyes sharpened when she stared at one duck. She used her net to pull the duck out of the water and hold it before her. She then took the duck and checked the number as Randy held a delighted expression.

"That was juice, Lapis! You did it!" Randy exclaimed as the owner was even impressed with her.

The owner took the duck and said warmly, "Good job, young lady! Now, let me get your prize"

He went to the back of the booth and grabbed a giant, blue fish for her! Randy gasped in delight as Lapis blinked at it. She held it and was surprised at how soft it was. She blushed at Randy's constant praise as they were leaving the stand and went to find anyone else to meet with.

"There you are!" Danny exclaimed as he pointed a stylist at Randy.

"Sup! Did you win?" Randy asked with a grin as he was holding his stuffed phoenix doll.

"Of course, I did! What I did not expect was for you to leave me! Where you in on this?!" Danny asked Lapis as she hide her face in the stuff fish.

Randy noticed her uncomfortableness and said with a grin, "Nah, it was all me. She has nothing to do with this. Thought it would be funny to see your reaction!"

Randy laughed as Danny shook his shoulders. Lapis stood away from them and examined her giant fish. She was pleased that she won it, but she wondered what she was going to do with it during her time at the festival.

"Oh, there you are!" Theresa greeted as she rushed to him and bowed to Danny and Lapis, "It is also nice to see the rest of you as well"

Behind Theresa was Howard and Debbi, but Randy was surprised to not see Julian with them.

"Hey, nice to see you and the others, but where is Julian?" Randy asked with concern as he went to hug his girlfriend.

"He had work to do tonight, but he said it was fine for us to come here and get him something from the Spring Festival! Oh, I love her yukata!"

Randy rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed in surprise. He was a little worried of what she would think of it, but he was grateful that she liked it. He took a chance to look at her. She was wearing a dark pink tang top and matching dark pink skirt. She has long, black pants that stop just above her ankles. She wore black sneakers and a dark pink, hair tie to have a little bit of a ponytail. Her eyeliner wasn't black, but a bit of pink.

"You look pretty too! It is custom to wear pink for the festival? I only choose this, because it is spring" Randy asked curiously as he tried to keep his blush down.

"Thank you!" she answered brightly and explained, "Yes. For the Spring Festival, people normally wear pink, green, and blue. These colors are associated with the coming of life. People wear it to welcome the new season of spring"

"Wow! Sounds like the festivals my mother and Okaasan would celebrate at our hometown. I should take you there! Howard and I always had so much fun there!" Randy said excitedly as grabbed her hand to hold it.

She blushed as she looked at it while he had a blush and grinned. He glanced to Danny, Lapis, Howard, and Debbi. Theresa also nervous looked at them as she glanced to Randy.

"I hope you don't mind, but we would love to have a nice little date moment together. If that's cool?" Randy asked with a grin as he handed the stuff phoenix to Theresa.

"You got this, bro" Howard reassured him and smacked Debbi's shoulder, "We will enjoy the many wonderful foods that the festival always offers!"

Debbi glared at him and then turned to Theresa to answer warmly, "Sure, we can give you two some privacy. But if he does anything to hurt you, let me know and I will pound him into place"

Randy nervously laughed as Danny nodded his head, rolled his eyes, and said, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and have your moment. We will do something else. Sheesh, let's go Lapis"

"Thank you!" the couple said warmly as they held hands and went to check the other parts of the festival.

Howard rolled his eyes as he went to a snack booth first with Debbi reluctantly following him. Lapis wasn't sure where she should put the giant stuff fish as she walked with him to another part of the festival.

"Oh, what about the hall of mirrors and twisting room" Danny said determinedly, "I've always wanted to check the math on the buildings and find the trick to it"

He looked at her and noticed she wasn't sure what to do. He clicked his tongue and nodded to himself.

"Well, where do you want to go?" he asked in a knowing tone, "I can tell you were doing stuff the others mostly enjoyed than yourself. That's fine and all, but you should do things you enjoy too. It is important for mental and emotional health"

Lapis glanced to him and nodded her head. What he said was true, but she also wondered what she would enjoy. She gave it a thought, nodded to herself, and faced Danny.

"When I was in high school and college, I really liked to sing when I could" Lapis answered as she hid her face in the stuff toy, "But I wasn't very good at it"

"Hey, no one here is good at singing" Danny encouraged her with a grin, "But I am sure we can find something with singing. Let's see"

He was holding his phone and checking the areas while kneeling to Lapis' level to have her look at it. He soon found an icon where a singing booth was and grinned at her.

"Well, that seems good. Let's go" Danny encouraged as Lapis nodded her head.

They walked in silence, though both preferred it as a nice change of pace. Compared to the rest of their friends and teammates, they were always loud or did something that would make noise. They needed this nice change of pace and quiet. Danny glanced around while Lapis simply listened to the noise of the people. Danny loved to see what the people were doing while Lapis loved the noises they make.

"Ah, there it is" Danny said in a calm voice as he pointed to a stage.

There was a small crowd of people standing around it while Sam was singing her heart out and playing on her black guitar.

"Wow, she's great" Danny whispered in awe as his eyes were wide.

Lapis placed the stuff fish on the ground and took notice of Danny's expression when his eyes fell on Sam.

"Ah" Lapis said simply with a small smirk, "You want her to be your mate"

Danny nearly fell at her comment while she held herself high.

"No, no! You've got it all wrong!" Danny said quickly as he waved his hands in front of his face, "It is true that I like her, but I am not sure if I love her! I think, I don't really know. Emotions were never my strong stuff"

Lapis still held her smirk until a thought crossed her mind. She wondered if Danny only brought her here to see Sam perform. It was clear he had feelings for Sam.

"Besides" Danny confessed with a small blush on his cheeks, "She's a famous singer with a radical blog that will change the world for the better if we get rid of the old white males in charge"

He sighed as Lapis held a sadden expression of her own. She was wrong for jumping to that conclusion, but she also didn't want to spend the festival alone. Perhaps she can do something else to help themselves.

"Dipper! Come on!" Mabel yelled loudly as she was covered head to toe with glowsticks with her clothes lightning up.

Danny winced at the sight of it while Lapis held her stuffed fish in front of her face to block out the light.

"Oh, hi Danny! And you must be Lapis!" Mabel shouted as she took Lapis' hand and shook it, "Danny has told us so much about you at work whenever we invited ourselves in after school to speak with him against his will!"

Lapis looked at Danny who could only shrug in response.

"Mabel! Why did you run off like this? I know you want to see Sam perform, but why do you always have to run?!" Dipper asked he finally caught up with her and saw Danny and Lapis, "Oh, hi! I didn't expect to see you here!"

His eyes were on Lapis as he found her pretty. He glanced at her while Danny went to grab Mabel before she forced herself to the stage to embrace Sam in one of her bone crushing hugs.

"Hey! Children! Please do not wonder too far from my sight! You are both in trouble still" Dr. Ford said seriously as he caught up with them, "Oh, Daniel, what brings you here?"

Danny held Mabel in his arms and was very nervous about the reason why he was here. Lapis could tell Danny was nervous about this, so she stepped up.

"I wanted to come here and listen to the singing" Lapis answered, "I do not believe we've met. I am Lapis Lazuli. I am a marine biologist at the local aquarium"

"A marine biologist? Nice! It is pleasure to meet you" Dr. Ford said warmly as he went to shake her hand.

Lapis could only nod her head in agreement as she glanced to a relieve Danny. He mouthed "thank you" to her as she only nodded her head.

"So, is this lady popular? She kind of looks familiar to me" Dr. Ford said as he tried to look at Sam closely through his glasses.

Danny was a little worried about that while Lapis didn't see the problem.

"Dr. Ford, I don't think we are going to find your book here" Tucker said in a defeated tone as he sighed in relief at the sight of Danny and Lapis, "Oh, hey guys! What are you doing here?"

Danny was fumbling his words as Lapis stood at his side and answered calmly, "I wanted to listen to the music. I used to be sing in my free time, so I thought it would be best to hear some different kinds of music"

Once again, Danny silently thanked Lapis for her help as he nervously looked at the stage to see Sam performing. Mabel was swinging her legs back and forth until she kicked Danny's private area! The twin let out a cheerful yell as she raised her hands in the air while Danny crumpled to the ground in pain. Tucker went to help his friend as Dipper and Dr. Ford ran after Mabel. Lapis kneeled beside Danny who was groaning in pain.

"Are you ok?" Tucker asked as he rubbed his friend's back.

"I've been better" Danny confessed in pain as another person approached him and held her hand out to him, "Who?"

"Danny! What are you doing on the floor?!" Jazz asked with a concerned tone as she helped her little brother up.

If he wasn't blushing now, he surely is now. He loved his big sister, but he really hopes she wouldn't embarrass him now. Lapis was surprised to see his big sister here. She was unaware that Danny had one. She wore a pink shirt and black pants. She has her orange hair in a ponytail while she has a pink headband. She was helping her little brother who lowered his head from embarrassment.

"Jazz, I am fine. I promise" Danny groaned as he tried to hide his blushing face.

The music stopped once Sam saw her friends were huddling around Danny.

"Whoa, you ok there, Danny?" Sam asked as she pulled her guitar behind her and jumped to land in front of him.

Danny's faced was even more flushed as he lowered his head to avoid everyone's concerned expressions. He took a glance to see everyone looking at him with their concerned expressions and sighed.

"I'm fine. I am just embarrassed about interrupting your concert because I was still nervous to be with my big sister" Danny half confessed as he looked up at his friends and sister.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Danny" Jazz said with a shake of her head, "I didn't mean to make you nervous. You were just going to see your friends"

She gave her little brother a half hug while he leaned into her embrace.

"And don't worry about it" Sam said with a wave of her hand as she glanced back to the stage, "I can perform without my band. I was going to anyway. Also, breaks are important along with the care and health of my friend"

Danny smiled at her as she grinned at him. Tucker held a knowing expression between the pair and grabbed Jazz's other arm.

"Hey! We should get some snacks and drinks for everyone! We can rest on the stage and enjoy our company!" Tucker shouted as he pulled Jazz up and pushed her away from them.

Lapis glanced to Tucker who pulled her along with him. She was confused at his idea while Jazz walked towards the snack booths.

"Make sure those two stays together" Tucker whispered to her, "Those two are meant for each other"

Lapis looked at Danny and Sam confused, but Mabel exclaimed, "We will make sure they do not part from each other!"

The two young adults jumped at her statement while Dipper shook his head at his twin sister who rushed to them. She sat in front of them as Danny was confused while Sam held a warm expression to Mabel.

"Hi Mabel. What are you up too?" Danny asked in a nervous manner as he scooted closer to Sam than her.

"Oh, nothing. I was just happily sitting before my two favorite people who should get to know each other and be more than friends!" Mabel exclaimed as she stared at them with wide eyes.

Danny felt under extreme examination while Sam pushed her back. Mabel fell on her back and simply looked at the sky while Sam laughed. Danny had hid his face from her.

"I'm flattered you think of me as one of your favorite people besides this dork but come on. We are just people at the end of the day" Sam said warmly as Danny glanced at Sam for her response.

He was surprised she was taking this so well while he was flustered by the complements. He then wondered if that was because he wasn't used to being complemented at all. Sam then wrapped her arm around his shoulders and then laughed.

"You have nothing to worry about! Friends help each other out no matter what happens" Sam said with a grin, "All we have to do is support each other through it together"

Mabel's face was gushing with delight while her eyes were glowing. Danny was suddenly very concerned about the little twin while Lapis simply stood at the side and watched them as she hugged her stuff fish close to her. She didn't mean too, but she felt a bit envious. Danny's nervousness was able to bring those he loved closer to him. Why wasn't hers the same?

"Hey! Lapis!" Star shouted as she happily skipped towards her with a plate of food in her hands, "How are you doing so far? I'm having a blast!"

Lapis was surprised that Star was approaching her instead of Danny, but Star gasped at the giant stuffed fish in Lapis' arms.

"That is so cute! How did you get one?!" Star asked excitedly while jumping up and down.

"Oh, this? I won it at an event with Randy" Lapis answered as she glanced to it and then Star, "Would you want it? I don't really have any stuff toys"

Star gasped until she blinked at Lapis confused.

"Wait, you never had a stuff toy before?" Star asked surprised.

Lapis nodded her head as Star shook her head. Star then pushed the stuff fish deeper into Lapis' arms. Lapis looked at her confused while Star stuffed her fast with more food. Lapis was confused at Star's reaction as she motioned Lapis to walk with her.

"How come you don't want this anymore?" Lapis asked confused as they were walking towards other events in the festival.

"Because you need him or her or non-binary stuffed toy to you" Star answered firmly and with a nod of her head as she ate another food.

"I do?" Lapis asked confused even more as they were soon standing in the park of the garden, unaware that they were near the seal.

Star simply sat down on the ground and patted the ground next to her. Lapis sat beside Star as they were looking at the night sky. Lapis was staring at the many stars in the sky while Star hummed happily.

"Because everyone needs something to hug and give comfort to" Star answered simply.

"Really?" Lapis asked curiously and surprised to hear this.

"Yeah! Didn't you notice it?" Star asked as she happily turned to her friend with a grin, "Kim loves collecting stuff toys, Randy is a huge fan of magical girl and boy shows, and Danny's a fan of robot anime and astronauts! As for me, I love stuff toys and anything adorable!"

Lapis was surprised to hear that her teammates have childish and personal interests at this age. She believed it wasn't proper, but she might be wrong. That would explain her friend a little better now. She wondered if she was too harsh to her friend as she clutched her stuff fish close to her. Star noticed that Lapis was holding the fish so tightly. Lapis' eyes were closed, and her grip was strong around the fish. Star put her food down and stood behind Lapis to embrace her. Lapis gasped in surprise.

"I don't know much about you and our other friends" Star spoke softly, "But I know you must've gone through so much. You do not have to tell me about it either. I know that's hard to do. However, we will support you and whatever you're going through. We are starting to get to know each other after all. Hopefully, we will become better friends and know each other more"

Lapis could feel her tears prickling. Star didn't let her go and simply held her close. Lapis shook her head as Star slowly pulled away from her friend.

"Thank you, Star" Lapis said warmly as she slowly took in shaky breaths, "I needed it that"

"No problem" Star said as she was standing beside her friend, "I hope you can continue to rely on us. We are friends"

Star smiled brightly at Lapis who was still surprised at her words.

"Hey! Star!" Marco shouted as he finally found them at the edge of the festival.

He was wearing a white shirt and black shorts. He had a white bandana wrapped around his head with black shoes on. He was holding another plate of food as he happily ran to them.

"Oh, hey Lapis!" Marco greeted when he approached her, "Do you want some food?"

"No thank you" she answered as Star grinned brightly at him.

"What are you doing here?" Star asked warmly as she was rocking on her feet.

"Janna wanted to speak with you. Not sure why" Marco answered as he pointed to the festival.

Star took a bite from his food as he rolled his eyes at her. She simply laughed and continued to eat some of his food until she looked at Lapis. She didn't want to leave Lapis alone, but Lapis remained calm.

"Don't worry. I will be fine. Thank you for listening to me and giving me some comfort" Lapis said warmly, "I don't want to keep you from everyone"

Star gave her friend another smile before leaving with Marco and waving, "IF you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me"

Lapis gave her a small wave until she looked up at the sky. She wondered if she was wrong for pushing her friend and trying to change her as well. Looking back on her relationship with her friend, Lapis wondered how her friend was doing now.

"Are you doing ok?" she whispered as she hugged her stuff fish close to herself, "I'm sorry. When I can, I will come back and see you. When I do, I will apologize to you"

She couldn't hold herself back anymore and began to cry. She felt so lucky and so distraught. She found people who care about her and showed her different parts of humanity, but she also hurt her dear friend in the past. She wanted to change it, but she wasn't even sure how she could at this point. All she could do now is protect those close to her. However, unbeknownst to her and her friends, Bill had broken through a small part of the seal and was peeking around the festival.

"Ah, the Spring Festival. A festival that welcomes change, new beginnings, and other stupid delights that are covered up the lies and tricks that governments use to earn their money and freedom!" Bill exclaimed until he noticed one person was not enjoying the festival, "Well, that's certainly interesting"

He travelled through the shadows and appeared under hers. He waited and waited, but he was surprised to only hear her crying. This was different with most heroines. He was used to them either crying out their worries and fears, shouting their wishes, or even singing this! She was different.

"Interesting" Bill said as Lapis gasped and turned around to find the source of the voice.

"Who is there?" Lapis asked hesitantly.

Bill noticed her tears. They were floating in the air and at her side. He chuckled around her as he finally realized what had happened.

"Oh, just an inter dimensional being that can travel between any reality at will, but currently can't at the moment" Bill answered as he twisted her shadow to form a triangle.

Lapis' eyes were wide as she realized who he was! She dropped the stuff fish and slowly backed away from the shadow.

"You're Bill!" she exclaimed in horror as she raised her hand with the bracelet on it.

"Uh, uh, ah!" Bill said as he controlled her shadow and stopped her from using her powers, "Huh. You're just as smart as the Elemental Master of Water. I'll have to remember that!"

He lifted her up and used his shadows to read her mind and emotions. He was surprised about her past, but looking at her current memories, he understood.

"Ah, so you've made friends!" Bill said as he waved the last word around her, "And you don't want anything to happen to them! Ugh, how cliché, but typical. The elemental power of water always picked the ones with the most emotions. However, the more uses to that elemental power"

Lapis was shaking in fear as Bill used his powers to sink into her bracelet's charm.

"What are you doing to me?" she asked with worry.

"Something I haven't done in a long time! Or, well, to the previous hero that stupid book chose" Bill answered annoyed before facing her again, "You see, your friends thought they actually sealed me away. They were close! However, they forgot your elemental power. Without it, they couldn't fully seal my seal. And since they didn't bother to use the elemental power of water, I will gladly use it!"

"No!" Lapis cried as her tears spilled.

"Yes! And using you, I will be able to defeat the heroes and heroines and then FREE MYSELF FROM THIS PRISON!" Bill yelled in triumph.

"My friends will stop you" Lapis said determinedly in a shaky voice as she faced him, "They will not you win and hurt this wonderful world where we, our friends and families live in"

"That's a bold declaration to make when you're about to be controlled by ME!" Bill exclaimed annoyed as his voice changed to interest, "But hey, I like these odds! If your friends do defeat me, I will return you to them"

He clapped his hands and flew into Lapis' mind! She let out a painful scream as he possessed her. Her scream was covered up by the cheers and laughter of people who were enjoying the Spring Festival. The heroes and heroines were standing with their friends as they heard a faint scream. They each turned to it, but they couldn't find the source of the scream.

"It sounds like" Kim whispered unsure.

"Someone close to us" Randy said as he looked around tensely.

"Is being hurt" Danny said as he shivered and then rubbed the sides of his arms.

"Where is this source?" Star wondered worriedly.

However, fireworks lit up the night sky above them. They stared at it awe as everyone was cheering loudly and welcoming the warmth of spring and changes to come. As for the heroes and heroines, they were tense and worried for the coming change.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro