Disclaimer: I don't own the characters nor the rights for Vivo, those rights are owned by Sony and Netflix and a few others. I DO own a few characters in this fic, though.

A song of the heart

The dining hall of the Mirage resort hotel was bustling and full of energy.

It had been decided that everyone got to know one another before they had final rehearsals the next day.

Everyone had decided to gather and have a celebratory dinner to befriend one another as equals before they parted as competitors. Of course not only did the groups loud chattering earn them looks varying of both intrigue and annoyance but lots of other diners were looking over at the singers/possible celebrities and some were even bold enough to ask for autographs and photos with them individually.

The dark foyer was illuminated by the chandelier that hung from the ceiling. The floors were glittery and walls made the entire room feel more at home. Ornaments and trinkets decorated the walls which made the room look more beautiful.

The dining hall was huge with silvery floors and glitteringly golden walls that shined and sparkled like diamonds so little specks of light danced on the walls and ceiling, being cast from a disco ball-like chandelier that hung on the ceiling overhead. The furniture consisted in a couple of small round tables with tablecloths draped over them and cutlery as well as napkins and softly-lit candles set atop.

The silverware twinkled and shined in the lights being cast by the chandelier itself.

The group just continued to try and focus on one another since they didn't have much time left before it would be time to compete against each other…

Seated at the large table were Gabi, Rosa, Esteban, Tyrone, Bea, Ella, Rufus, Louie, Nigel, Nico and Nick collectively.

The animals were perched right next to their owners but Vivo's absence hung heavily in the atmosphere like a blanket.

It was obvious he was missing but nobody wished to point out the metaphorical elephant in the room.

The group all shared laughs and told tales about their individual lives.

But Gabi's heart weighed heavily in a mix of confusion and an odd sense of betrayal.

She couldn't help but feel upset because Vivo was nowhere to be found; she was given special permission to stay up passed her bedtime and he had vanished once again to venture off into the city —it was no secret that the Kinkajou had become entranced ever since he had arrived and something had been distracting him, but what that something was truly eluded her and whether or not it was due to the fact that Vivo couldn't tell her that it eluded her…

Would he have told her even if they could speak the same language, though?

She shook her head in refusal, trying to bury those negative feelings deep down.

She didn't like feeling so bitter and especially not when such an exciting time was upon them! She tried not to let it show, though, as she didn't want her ponytails to sway so hard with her head shakes that they slapped someone and, not to mention, that she didn't want to spoil the party by being a party pooper. She couldn't risk wrecking the joviality that permeated the atmosphere so she just forced a huge smile while nudging her food with her fork, too glum to actually eat anything.

"…And it was after m'ah first auditions that night that m'ah stars aligned and ah' decided to chase m'ah dreams to play the violin all over the county!" Bea finished weaving a dramatic tale of how she became a violinist in the first place.

Everyone nodded and gave impressed compliments about Bea's story.

The violinist was currently wearing a green satin dress and her hair was tied back into a ponytail.

"That's some story, kid." Said Louie, leaning back in his seat with a relaxed look etched upon his facial features. "How 'bout next we tell my story of how I was a jailbird who got int' rappin' by entertainin' the otha inmates just to save my own skin from bein' turned black 'n blue? Before then I was just a skinny lil' sprout who had to turn to a life of crime and steal jus' ta be able ta eat."

All eyes at the table switched to the 25-year-old tan-skinned man leaning back in his seat when he first spoke.

Louie had short brown hair covering his head and wore a red hoodie, baggy tracksuit bottoms and a pair of sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose. The man from New York also had a pair of scars lone right next to his upper lip and the other right next to his eyebrow, indicating a past full of trouble.

Tyrone chuckled aloud, now gaining the attention that the older man had previously garnered. He wore a lime green sleeveless vest and with denim jeans and a green cap to cover his pale platinum blonde hair. His skin was as pale as a fresh blanket of snow. He didn't look as though he took much care of his appearance and just hung back as life passed him by, having a rather nonchalant approach to everything.

"Woah, for real?" He asked "I spent a couple years drumming in the streets for money. My dad wanted me to work in his flower shop but I wasn't much of a florist so I just kept drumming in secret until I got approached one day by this woman who wanted me to be in this "Neon lights concert/contest". I heard it was a huge deal so I took the opportunity first chance I got."

"What about your dad?" Asked Rosa, with a soft look of disapproval. "What did he think of it?"

The 15-year-old sighed and avoided everyone's gaze.

"He…He didn't like it much but he let me go anyway."

A terse silence passed everyone by as they absorbed what the teenager said.

So, Taylor's dad probably let him go on this trip because he cared for what his son wanted despite not entirely agreeing with it. It made everyone wonder about what they would do if put in such a spot…everyone except for Rosa because she somewhat knew exactly how that felt.

She kept her lips sealed for now.

She wanted to support what Gabi wanted, she wanted her daughter to know that she would be by her side no matter what so she could never bring herself to crush her daughter's hopes and dreams even if she might have disagreed with them. Of course she knew that there would be times where she would have to step in if it meant that Gabi was getting in over her head but that time hadn't come yet.

Rosa and Esteban exchanged a look as they both shoved a forkful of food into their mouthes.

Now it was time for a change of subject.

Said change of subject came.

"Erm, if you don't mind me asking, Ella, where are your family? Didn't they come with you?"

Ella shook her head.

"My mummy is back in London. She asked me to go with Ruffy and share our talents because she needs to stay back home and take care of my daddy and brothers."

Everyone blinked in confusion.

Did that mean that Ella had come all alone to America with nobody but her dog accompanying her?

It was a bit sad that the young girl had come alone, especially without a parent or guardian there to accompany her…but she seemed to have been taking it on the chin; she didn't show a sign of upset or sadness even while speaking about her parents or family's not being there. Her eyes were bright and filled with sweet innocence. Especially when petting her pet dog's head.

As if sensing everyone's perplexity, Louie proceeded to explain.

"Da girl's daddy is ill and her mama's gotta stay back to take care of him and her family. Ella and Rufus need to get famous so they could earn the money to help get the medicine to cure her papa's illness."

Gabi frowned sadly as she looked at Ella.

"Oh…I'm so sorry about that, Ella,"

Ella smiled brightly, albeit sadly.

"It's okay, Gabi. My daddy will be ok."

Gabi didn't say anything. She couldn't help but sympathise with the five-year-old because, while her daddy was still alive, she could relate to the fact that she was probably facing life without her dad depending on what condition he's got that must be cured. Plus this was her and Rufus' second year of this, right?

Maybe this could be her chance to win it?

Nico scratched Nick's feathery belly, in the meantime, and just nodded along to everyone's conversations.

It appeared that he was waiting for a chance to change the subject.

"Sooo…why don't we talk about something else, like how I-"

Nico was interrupted by Ella who looked at Gabi with enlarged and adorable eyes.

"Where did the orange kitty-cat go?"

Gabi flinched when she heard that question.

Why did that question have to be brought up?

She didn't know where Vivo was and if it wasn't clear that he was missing before then it was clearer than crystal now!

Even to Rosa and Esteban it was obvious and they didn't know of his nightly absences until now and that made Gabi panic that much more! She couldn't risk either one of them getting too worried and she refused to allow such a thing to happen, especially not right now.

Gabi chuckled awkwardly as she fumbled for a good excuse.

She couldn't tell her new friends that her partner had been dancing by day and missing by night. But what could she tell them!? She couldn't just tell them the truth even if she knew what it was herself! She felt as her stomach started to knot with concern and worry with how to explain where the Kinkajou had gone.

He couldn't have even gone far, could he?

She tried to come up with a good excuse or a good enough convincing lie so she continued to wrack her brain. She thought and thought until her skull started to pound in response and she kept trying to make her brain churn any ideas that could help her excuse her partner's absence. She couldn't say he was sick, she couldn't say he was playing…she didn't want to lie even though she felt she had to.

She chewed her bottom lip and her eyes hardened as she kept trying to come up with a good enough lie.

She just her head sadly.

Just why?

Why couldn't Vivo just do what they had planned?

That's what they came here for, right?

Is it possible that he was just so nervous that he felt the need to sneak out to avoid worrying her?

Rosa caught her daughter's somber expression and proceeded to place a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Gabi? Is everything alright with Vivo?" She asked.

Gabi swallowed as she just kept hanging her head whilst disappointed within herself set in. She couldn't even bring herself to reach up and wrench her mother's hand off of her own shoulder, nevertheless care about that.

How could she bring down the mood of this friendly gathering set before final day rehearsals tomorrow?

She needed to buck up and pull herself together but, more importantly, she needed to talk.

She had to talk with Vivo but she didn't know how she was even going to start with the conversation, if she had done something wrong and needed to apologise then she needed to set things right with him…but Vivo wasn't the type to hold grudges.

….Right?

Finally she mustered the energy to speak up.

"Hes sleeping…!" She finally uttered "Y-Yeah! H-He's gotta keep his energy up for the big show and s-stuff."

That was a pathetic fib, she knew.

When she was backed into a corner and then forced to lie, she knew that they came out in better quality than this.

But no.

It wasn't as airtight this time.

She didn't know why she felt she had to lie to the others but she didn't want the others to know of the truth, Vivo was committed beyond all else and she didn't want others to think otherwise. They probably wouldn't really think that since Vivo was seen as nothing more than an insignificant animal at times but the girl refused to let anyone think less of her best friend —no matter how upset she was!

"Uhhhh…okay. Let's order some dessert on me!" Bea exclaimed in an effort to salvage the good mood which somewhat worked.

All Gabi could do was nod in agreement while wishing the ground would swallow her up.

She just wanted and was determined to speak with Vivo about this and make her feelings known.

A few hours later…

The sun was beginning to rise when Dancarino finally flew back both Vivo and Marie to Las Vegas.

The skies were a rich pink hue which was blended with both orange and a pale lavender colour, the stars were fading into nonexistence and small puffs of pale pink cumulus were beginning to lose opacity and take their shapes among the early-morning sky.

The rosette spoonbill carried both Vivo and Marie on his back as he soared across these beautiful early-morning skies. Speed and a bracing wind dried out his teary eyeballs well, he relished the feeling of the breeze brushing through his primary wing and tail feathers; he was still quite emotional after the hatching of his and Valentina's only daughter, Viva, and had practically been crying waterfalls of joy ever since he left.

He constantly had to blink back any remaining tears.

It didn't take long until Dancarino had finally decided to land on the rooftop of a random building so Marie could disembark. Vivo assisted the blind female Kinkajou by grabbing hold of one of her paws and guided her down the bird's back until she was safely standing on the roof independently.

Vivo let go of Marie's paw and shuffled on the spot in mild discomfort.

"I, erm, uhh, ahem…." He cleared his throat awkwardly and offered her both a helpless shrug of his shoulders and a crooked smile. "I'm…sorry about what happened tonight."

Marie couldn't see the mild embarrassment on his face but she could hear the hint of shame present in his voice. She turned to face Vivo (or, at least turned in the direction in where she heard his voice) and replied in a voice mixed with sarcasm and kindness —an odd but strangely warm voice that made the male Kinkajou become weak at the knees…

"That's okay. I actually…kinda enjoyed it, with the exception of the 'kidnapping me against my will' part."

There was a brief awkward silence that settled in between the two Kinkajous.

That accidental kidnapping aspect of that could have not happened and that could have made things a bit better but Vivo couldn't help but like how things turned out because he got to hear her beautiful singing voice. It may had been a short song as she was simply humming but, when both of their voices intermingled together, it made Vivo's heart take flight and he wanted to listen to her sing once more.

Nevertheless he decided not to push his luck and ask right now…

Anyways, Marie raised a hand to her mouth in order to try and hide a burst of laughter behind it —her flurry of giggles turned out to be contagious as Vivo started to laugh too and they both shared a hearty laugh when the amusement of the entire situation fully caught up with them.

Neither Kinkajou had expected any of this to take place, especially Vivo.

He had expected this to be as peaceful as the previous nights but he should have guessed that life would have thrown another curveball as it had been known to do that…

They finally stopped laughing as they let a moment pass them by.

Marie opened her mouth and let out a big yawn; to hide said yawn, she raised her hand in an attempt to conceal it. Her yawn as long but it took a few moments to finally let her mouth close and her eyelids started to make an attempt to close over her slightly 'reddened-from-exhaustion' eyeballs.

"Ugggggghhh…."

The female rubbed her stiff neck as she suddenly seemed a bit saddened, she needed to leave.

She lowered herself, crouching down to stand on all four of her legs, making sure that she could begin running at a moments noticed as she mentally prepared herself to begin heading back to wherever she spent her nights to rest. She turned around in order to make her way towards the edge of the building before she cast a look to Vivo, glancing over her own shoulder while she threw on a soft smile.

It was a smile that made Vivo's heart melt.

Marie bowed her head as her soft peach-coloured fur blowed in the breeze.

"Sleep well, Vivo." She said.

Vivo felt a bit sad that she was departing now but threw on a tired smile as he stared at her.

"Y-You too…"

Marie made a running start before she jumped into the air, using her tail to swing on a nearby television aerial pole before she flew through the air and started to run across the other rooftops, clearly well-practiced in scaling those rooftops despite her lack of a particular sense…she was extraordinarily good at using her parkour skills to run where she needed to.

She ran away but Vivo felt as a bit of his heart left with her and the fake happiness in his smile melted away like ice in the sun and his mouth dropped into a forlorn frown.

He couldn't help but admire how she managed to navigate the world in spite of her inability to see anything. She was kind and, while scared and reluctant, he saw something within her that made his heart skip a beat as he thought about how she was quick so on her feet and seemed to know exactly where everything was without much trouble at all. This all made him wonder how long she had been living here on the streets? Where was her family? Did she have anyone to help her?

He wanted to ask her but didn't know if that was way too personal and he didn't want to reopen old wounds she may of had.

As Vivo watched Marie leave, his gaze fell upon the beautiful heights of Las Vegas.

The city lights were beginning to die down and switch off due to it being morning. All the colours of the neon lights were beginning to dull in the daylight and the amount of active city folk began to actively dwindle as the nightlife started to settle. The air, despite it being Summer, was cool and crisp while the accompanying morning atmosphere was cool and breezy.

The male Kinkajou didn't know why but he found the view rather enchanting.

It was simply breathtaking.

Then he gave a small shiver of his body, his own body automatically scrunching up in an effort to not only make himself smaller but also in some way to huddle up and keep himself warm. It did little to warm himself and he forced himself to withdraw himself from his furry ball and stand on his own two feet while furling his arms around himself to keep warm.

The breeze was cool and somewhat wintry, in spite of the fact that it was the middle of Summer so it shouldn't have been like this.

Vivo grit his teeth and rubbed his arms to warm himself, he ducked his head in between his shoulders and used his own tail to keep a hold on his hat to prevent it from being whisked off by the breeze. But then his ear twitched when he heard someone speak.

"Heeeeey! I can totally be your wingman!"

Dancarino had a huge smile blossoming on his spoon-shaped beak.

Vivo almost felt embarrassed that he forgot the rosette spoonbill was there and he wasn't even going to bother mentioning or acknowledging that dreadful pun…

He just clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and rolled his eyes. Since he was the one who coached Dancarino into talking and falling for Valentina to begin with, he didn't exactly see how the spoonbill could possibly give him romantic advice. He scratched the back of his head with a paw, his tail still keeping his hat well-perched upon his head, and exhaled a heavy sigh he hadn't known he'd been withholding.

"….N-No, thanks, Dancarino….I think I'll be fine without one. Besides I'm a little tired."

The rosette spoonbill leaned down and wrapped a wing around the Kinkajou, a huge smile on his beak.

"C'mon, lil' fuzzy buddy!" He exclaimed assuringly "Valentina and Viva'll both be resting for awhile so I've got some time! Besides, what better way to spend said time by giving you a couple tips to help ya get with that cute lil' Honey bear girl!"

Vivo stared up at the bird as though he had grown a second head. He frankly just wanted to slide beneath a bunch of blankets and fall asleep, he wanted to deal with this a bit later. He couldn't muster the energy to be rude, though, so he simply gave a dismissive "pffft" sound with his lips and his eyes lidded in a mix of fatigue and exasperation —nevertheless that didn't stop him from unsheathing his inner snark.

"You wanna give me dating advice? Me? Remind me, who set you up with your girlfriend while you were literally digging a grave for yourself because you were too scared to make the first move?"

Dancarino would have blushed bright scarlet if birds could blush…

The bird just chuckled weakly as one foot scuffed the rooftop tiles, his eyes drifting down to stare at said tiles, clearly embarrassed. He didn't answer that question as he evaded looking his friend properly in the eye; Vivo just gave him a flat-faced glare in exchange, still hugging himself to keep himself warm against the slight chill in the breeze.

He just wanted to get back to the hotel and Gabi and try and get a semblance of sleep.

Plus he just wanted the spoonbill to leave.

But then again there was the fact that he refused to be a jerk wasn't going to outright tell him that since he didn't want to be rude to someone who just wanted to lend him a hand with his apparent troubles regarding his love life, though.

He took a cursory look down at his own wrist as though there were a watch attached to it and looked back up to Dancarino.

"Ohhh…would you look at the time? I'd better get back to Gabi!"

Dancarino apparently had an idea.

"Okay, how 'bout this?" He proposed, taking to the air in a few wingbeats. "I go an' spy on her from above and see if I can get any information on how to woo her?"

The musical orange and purple Kinkajou wanted to facepalm and not just because he was exhausted and wanted to go to bed and sleep. He didn't particularly like the idea of spying on someone as fearful and panic-stricken as Marie, he was more of the mindset that she would open up to him in her own time…but, upon reflecting about the matter, he only had three days or so left here in Las Vegas and he wanted to get to know about her as much as possible.

Nevertheless, Vivo had a few other misgivings about spying upon someone as perceptive as Marie.

"Dancarino…you wouldn't be a great spy, you are many things but 'subtle and quiet' isn't either of them. Plus you've seemed to forgotten that Marie isn't stupid —she'd hear you from miles away and that's not just because she's blind and has enhanced hearing…"

The spoonbill kept his wings flapping to keep himself airborne and smiled in an oblivious manner.

"Don't worry that little head of yours, you just get some sleep and leave the rest to ol' Dancarino!"

Vivo sighed.

At the very least this should keep him out of his fur for a while.

"Fine, fine, alright…just be careful not to disturb her sleep too much."

"Aye, aye!"

With that, the male rosette spoonbill elevated his own height and took to the skies. His wing flaps were a bit clumsy due to the cool breeze he was having to glide through but he soared rather gracefully off into the distance to go and do his little "spy mission" which Vivo secretly hoped went well as he was reminded once more of how he only had three days left before the show…and then they'd leave…

He shook his head.

No, he needed to get some rest instead of focusing on melancholic thoughts!

Vivo lowered his tail from his hat and took a quick look around, getting a sense on where he was, before he did what Marie had done earlier and dropped to all fours and took off whilst carefully scampering across the rooftops. Due to him being able to see where he was going, he wasn't as careful as Marie but he started to realise that the drumming of his paws and feet hitting the rooftop tiles and gables harmonised with the pace of his breathing to create a quick but steady beat.

His musical senses engaged, the musical Kinkajou decided to amuse himself.

He tutted and hummed a little ditty as he ran.

There were no lyrics to his song, just a low yet melodic hum.

It didn't take long at all until he arrived at the window ledge pertaining to the bedroom that Gabi had taken to sleeping in.

Thankfully the door was oh-so-slightly ajar so Vivo didn't have much trouble squeezing in through the gap and, upon sliding in through the window, Vivo let his eyes sweep cautiously across the room.

Gabi's homework lay on a desk in the corner of the room, all finished but clumsily set aside. Her clothes lay in an unsightly heap on the carpet as they had been obviously thrown to the floor uncaringly. The door had also been left slightly ajar, probably Gabi noticed he wasn't there and left the door open to make it so he could enter whenever he wished.

Seeing that made Vivo's stomach knot up in guilt.

He hadn't meant to make Gabi worry, that's what he'd been trying to avoid…

Gabi lay in bed on her side, the blankets pulled up to her shoulder. She had clearly forgot to take her glasses off as they remained perched upon her face and she had a troubled look etching itself upon her facial features and it was an expression that could break hearts as it pinched up in mild distress.

Vivo's heart definitely broke a bit.

Despite his exhaustion, he was determined to explain things as best as he could.

He owed her for it.

He sighed tiredly when he spotted the bed that Gabi slept in and then took a quick glance over towards the digital clock that sat next to the bed and it read "5:30" on its surface. The Kinkajou proceeded to remove both his hat and bandanna, placed them both next to the clock and heeded the call of the bed.

The nice, warm, comfortable bed…

He lay on the mattress, pulled the blanket up to his mid-chest, burrowed himself into it and then let his eyes close. His breathing started to both deepen and slow as the he started to find it hard to focus on said breathing and could sense his consciousness slipping into the dark, cozy void that he hadn't seen much of these passed few days.

He hadn't thought about how all those nights out talking with Marie could impact him so much…even though he felt somewhat silly for not thinking about this as a consequence.

He was staying out all night and didn't, himself, think about how exhausted he'd become.

How much sleep had he got these passed couple days?

He didn't sleep the night before they first arrived Las Vegas, he didn't sleep much the next night when he and Rufus both set out to find and meet Marie and now he hadn't slept at all throughout the night since he and Marie were playing babysitter for a hatching spoonbill hatching.

He hadn't slept very much at all for three days!

Of course he'd be fatigued!

As time slipped by, his breathing continued to deepen as the void of cozy blackness continued to consume him to the point that he was practically drowning within it. His pulse was steady and drum-like and his heart pumped slowly in his chest as dreams started to swirl around in his mind and carry him off into a slumber so deep that not even the depths of the ocean itself could try and match it. It was a lulling depth which made Vivo comfortable enough to lay his head down on the pillow and draw his own tail near his body.

Then the soothing draft to had begun to do its job and whisk him off to a gentle sleep and it didn't take long for his exhaustion to catch up with him as he finally relinquished and fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Hi, everyone!

Sorry this took a while to update.

I decided to make a chapter involving the other contestants because I didn't want to brush characters aside so I decided to make an attempt to dedicate a chapter to them. We'll get to Nick (the mean blue-jay) and his owner's origins at a later date, I promise.

Next up we will hopefully get the long awaited confrontation between Vivo and Gabi!

I hope you are all having a nice morning/afternoon/evening/night and I'll try and update a bit faster next time.

-Chloemcg