"Yuna! Come on, get ready for the show!" Rikku cried from the doorway, warning the blue-and-green-eyed girl about the upcoming performance that Yuna was supposed to give. Yuna sat obliviously, texting Tidus, her boyfriend of two years.

Tidus, Yuna typed, I'm not hurt by that comment you just made. I'm stronger than you think.

But I shouldn't have said that Yuna. It was rude, we both know it. I'm crap, Tidus replied.

Yuna looked up at the ceiling, exasperated. Lately, Tidus had been very concerned about what he said to her, and sure, she got hurt by what he said sometimes, but she didn't want him to feel so bad. That's the thing, when you love someone, being hurt by them is better than receiving affection from anyone else. Yuna loved Tidus dearly, but his constant apologizing for whatever he said drove her up the wall. You're not crap Tidus, stop worrying about hurting me.

How can I? You deserve better than me.

I don't. I'm pretty bad sometimes too.

Not as bad as me though.

I'm just as bad. You're blind if you think I'm the better person, Yuna typed vigorously. She had to get ready for the show soon, this conversation needed to come to a close. Her phone dinged, and Yuna stared at the text. Consider me blind then.

Look I have to go bye, Yuna sent the text, then dressed for her performance. The concert was being held in a huge arena, and Tidus had a blitzball game to go to. Yuna wished he could be there to watch her sing, but she didn't want to ask him since she knew that this was the most important game that determined whether the Zanarkand Abes would go to the championship. She knew the championship was important to him, so she didn't ask.

Yuna emerged from her room in her songstress outfit, consisting of a black mini skirt, a blue shirt that had frills along the hem and down her back, sleeves tied tightly to her upper arms and wrists with string, and a pair of brown boots. She combed her shoulder-length hair, making sure it didn't get tangled with the beads laced with her earring on her right ear. She paced around the backstage area, trying to contain her feelings of sadness. Yuna didn't know what to do about Tidus; she loved him, she was happy with him, but it was like he was pushing her away, not wanting to hurt her but doing it still. He often told her that he was considering staying away, just to spare her pain. She was utterly confused by his abrupt thoughts, seeing how they were together for two years and he suddenly turned gloomy. All she wanted was to be with him, to make all the pain go away, to be… just, happy.

Rikku ran up to a startled Yuna and told her, "You're on, Yunie."

Yuna walked up the steps to the stage, grasping her microphone tightly. Crowds appeared, cheering, screaming, applauding as she approached the stage. Yuna felt overwhelmed as always, seeing these large crowds, but that never stopped her from singing. She brought the microphone up to her lips, and she spoke to the crowds. "Hello, everyone."

She was greeted with louder screams, and she began to talk again. "Welcome, and I hope you enjoy the concert."

She started to sing and the music began to play.

When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale

I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

When the curtains call
Is the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out at the mess you've made

Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I need to save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

Yuna finished the song, her heart pulsing in her ears, a tear trailing down her cheek. The song broke her heart a little, when she sang "I need to let you go." She felt strength and sadness in singing this song, a fresh power surging through her. The sadness was overwhelming though; tears rose and threatened to spill on her cheeks, waiting to fall after the first of the tears fell. Yuna was strong, and so she forced herself not to break down crying, but those very words coursed through her, breaking everything inside her that felt. It was shocking enough that her voice didn't crack in the middle of the song. To feel as if she was being set free… her heart shriveled up just thinking about it.

Yuna walked off the stage at the end of the concert, feeling better when she sang "Real Emotion" and "1000 Words." She walked off, telling all the stage hands what a wonderful job they did, and inviting them to the after party. When most of the crowds were gone, Yuna walked down the steps of the front of the arena, departing for the after party. An idle figure stood, facing her, and Yuna had to shield her eyes from the sun just to see the figure. It was a man, she could tell, who had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, almost like…

"Tidus!" Yuna cried, running towards him. She ran into his arms and he grasped her tightly. "I thought you weren't coming, what about the game?" Yuna murmured into his shoulder.

"We won the game," he replied, "Besides, I didn't want to miss your concert."

Yuna's heart lit up, and she couldn't help but smile. She looked at her boyfriend and said, "So the Zanarkand Abes are going to the championship!"

Tidus smiled back at her and said, "Yeah, seems like everything's good now." He lowered his eyes as he remembered their argument. Yuna looked at him sadly and said, "Tidus, I'm sorry."

He looked up and said, "Don't apologize, you haven't done anything Yuna. I need to treat you better."

Yuna reached up and rubbed Tidus' cheek, then lifted his face up to meet her eyes and told him, "I love you, and that won't ever change. Stop apologizing, because I guarantee that we'll have tough times like these, but there will always be more better days to outnumber the worst."

Tidus looked into her eyes and kissed her. He broke away from the kiss and smiled, replying, "Okay, Yuna. Let's try to make these days better." Tidus hugged Yuna, kissing the top of her head then kissing her lips once more, savoring her sweet taste. They started to walk off together, feeling closer than ever.