Isle Of Singers (Under Editing)

A Night Walk

"We're going to watch 'The Fairly OddParents'!"

"No! We're watching 'Winx Club'!"

Leon sighed to himself as two girls argued. It was a Friday evening, also known as nostalgic night in the Zero mansion. Leon and the other vocaloids from the first generation would usually watch cartoons from their childhood. This was their nostalgic night tradition.

It was now the girls' turn to pick a cartoon for the cartoon marathon but they did not seem to come to a suitable conclusion. Lola and Miriam wanted to watch their favorite fairy cartoons and they were indecisive. While the girls could not make up their minds yet , Meiko and Kaito chuckled, amused at their childish act.

Getting tired of the pointless bickering, Leon got up and prepared to take a breather. He desperately needed some fresh air. Noticing this, Kaito quickly jumped into action. He was not going to let two immature girls ruin Leon's night.

"Come on Leon," Kaito tried persuading with a wall. "Don't leave. You always liked nostalgic night. Come on. Stay. We got your favorite sour cream and onion potato chips."

At that time, Lola and Miriam stopped noticed the change in atmosphere, stopped their argument and faced Leon with guilty faces. Meiko also turned to watch the drama. Now, everyone in the house was facing Leon, waiting for his response.

He was being cornered and was feeling uncomfortable. Even though celebrities were supposed to be used to be in the centre of attention, this was something Leon always hated. Plenty of eyes on him for the wrong reason brought him discomfort. He was fine with live concerts though as everyone was watching him for an appropriate reason.

Leon closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shook his head. Indicating he did not wish to partake in the activity. He could feel everyone's disappointment. Leon felt bad to a certain extent but he really needed a time out. Lately, he had been more irritable and lost his temper fairly easily. This was not fully Lola's and Miriam's fault but something else-something he swore to never ever face.

"Don't worry. It's not anyone's fault. It's mine. I've haven't been feeling myself lately. I just need to clear my head." Leon explained, his voice weak and pleading.

The others were not very convinced with Leon but they let him go. It was no use. They knew how he felt, especially Meiko. Meiko had the most empathy among the group of friends. Plus, it was for the best.

Leon took his favorite coat from the chocolate brown coat hanger and wore it over his blue button up shirt and changed into black knee length boots before leaving the house. Even though he felt bad for treating his friends that way, he was relieved for not snapping at them like the other day. Everyone glued their eyes on Leon and saw him walk through the door. The guards did not even stop him. Leon quickly exited the neighborhood and walked down the main street.

When he was walking down the street, he realised he had forgotten to change his appearance. I really am getting old. Leon thought to himself.

Leon turned into a nearby dark alley and began to change. His previously blonde hair turned dark and more messy, resembling a night without any stars. Ruby red eyes replaced emerald green ones and Leon changed the shape of his face. He now had sharper cheekbones. Satisfied, he continued his stroll.

Leon was a shape shifter, hence his ability to change his appearance. Humans were not the only ones who ruled the earth. There were also fairies, shape shifters, deities and many other species.

The atmosphere was relaxing. The stillness of the air combined with star filled sky and the lack of noise from peak hour was appealing. It was something that was rare to experience nowadays. There was always a distraction to disrupt our inner peace.

The streetlights casted shadows. These shadows were one of a kind as they seem to be awake and alive. Leon smiled to himself as reflected upon the fond memories of his past when he was still singing. Even though he was not well known, producers still gave him a song to sing and he would sing with all his heart.

Now Leon walked under a bridge and he was now engulfed in the shadows. He was not visible except for his eyes that were now gleaming with anger and frustration. He had been singing for nearly a decade and his company finally told him to retire. The incident happened years ago but Leon still felt hurt. It was like a one thousand degree knife stabbing his heart. No matter how much he tried, he could not let go. He did not know how Lola and Miriam got over it so quickly. Leon just could not understand them.

It was true that he did not have the clearest voice but he had no idea why his company made the decision. After all the hard work, time, effort and money invested into the operation, the outcome was unthinkable.

Reaching the end of his train of thought, Leon realised he had no clue where he was. He was near a beach and he had no idea on how to return home. Leon started regretting not exploring his surroundings more often and sooner. He had been living on the island for more than a decade for crying out loud. Slipping his hand into his pocket, a moment of panic shot through Leon as he had left his mobile phone in his bedroom.

Leon did not notice this at first but he suddenly felt something an unknown liquid dripping down his face. Touching his cheeks, the liquid turned out to be tears.

Leon fell onto his knees on the cold, hard concrete that did not provide any comfort and looked up to the sky. He envied how endlessly the stars sparkled. He earned to sparkle like them but to no avail. Now matter how much effort he put in, none of the producers seem to be satisfied. Leon wanted the producers to look at him the same way like how they looked at the other vocaloids. With admiration, pride and amazement.

Leon was kneeling in his position for a very long time. If no one brought him back to reality, he would have stayed like that for all eternity.

"Leon? What are you doing here?" A familiar feminine sounding voice filled with concern asked.

Leon wiped away his tears with his sleeve and turned to the direction of the voice. It took a lot of effort to simply look in the eye of the woman.

"Good evening, Prima. What a pleasure to see you again." Leon said, trying his very best to sound friendly. "What brings you to the beach?"

"I was just taking a walk with Tonio but he went to the toilet and I'm still waiting for him. Leon, this is the first time coming to this beach isn't it? You're lost, aren't you? Neither were you good with directions nor acquainted with exploring."

Leon chuckled before hastily answering Prima's question. "Yes, I'm lost," Leon confessed. "I did not bring any money or my phone. You really know me very well. You even saw through my disguise. This old man is getting pathetic day after day."

Prima did not give a reply to Leon's crude comment about himself. She simply just fished for her purse and gave some money. "It's late. This should be enough money for you to hail a cab. You can keep the change. Don't put yourself down like that. You are amazing, remember that. Goodnight Leon, I'll see you around soon." Prima bid goodbye. And with that, she pulled out her BlackBerry, left the vicinity and dissolved into the night, her dark hair trailing behind.

Leon was speechless but he heeded Prima's advice. He hailed a cab and reached his home in twenty minutes. The trip would be shorter if the taxi driver was not so talkative and just focused on driving.

Leon collapsed on the couch once he step through the front door and closed his eyes. He was not sleeping or napping, just closing his eyes. While he was closing his eyes, he returned to his usual form. His golden blonde hair, cheekbones and green eyes were back.

While he was enjoying his rest, Leon felt someone tapping his shoulder. Opening his right eye, it turned out Lola was the one who woke him up. Despite her dark hair falling over her eyes, Leon could make out the guilty expression on her delicate face.

"Leon, I'm sorry for earlier. I should have known better back then. But that's not all! A producer booked you! They want you to sing a song tomorrow morning at 10am."

Leon pinched Lola's left cheek and said, "Silly Lola. Didn't I say it wasn't your fault? And thanks for informing me! It really means a lot!"