Chapter 20: The Mask

"Hey look what we have here. A real Blitzball Player." Laughed a girl's voice from behind, as she grabbed onto my ass.

Usually I would have turned around and told them that I was the leader of Zanarkand and that they were being disrespectful. But tonight, I was simply going to forget everything and try and find the real me. The person that I didn't really know. I suppose it didn't matter if I had forgotten my past. Deep down my old self was waiting and it would show itself to me when it was ready. I just wished I knew who I was now. Strange…lately all I had been thinking about was the girl and who I was. Usually I wouldn't have had time for such thoughts. But now…I don't know. It felt like ever since she had come to Zanarkand…my thoughts and feelings had changed. I had been more gracious towards the people around me including her; well at least I thought I had been. I could still remember feeling sorry for her back in the forest. I had helped that boy up in the crowd that night, and I had let several people talk to me as if I was…not the leader of this city.

An equal. That was it. I was letting myself be treated like an equal. Somehow I felt that I had been like this once before. Perhaps I had been nothing more then another person in my old life, with no great importance.

This uniform that I was now wearing…it was beginning to make me feel strange. I was starting to see visions of the girl in my mind. I remembered the day I had told her in the chamber that she was the main distraction before I left her world. I somehow knew that she was the main distraction, but I didn't know why.

In the back of my mind, a thought that I had been pushing away since the forest, kept nagging me. I was too upset to even think that it could have indeed been possible.

SHE WAS YOUR LOVER!

The thought broke through and I ran through the crowd scrunching my eyes shut, trying to forget everything.

She couldn't have been. No I won't listen to such drivel. It isn't true. I won't believe it. I couldn't exactly remove the thought from my mind. It was almost as if it was trying to tell me something. Maybe it was a part of me I had forgotten. Maybe she did used to be…

I stopped in the middle of the crowd abruptly. I ran my fingers through my hair stressfully and then let my hands fall back over my face and peered through the gaps between my fingers. I saw that everything was spinning around me, people were all laughing in slow motion and faces that I'd never seen before came flying into my face.

There was a redheaded man talking to me, "Hey Tidus…you ready to go ya?"

He faded and then a black-haired woman with scarlet eyes appeared and simply said, "You truly are clueless."

A young blonde girl squealed, "Come on Tidy, Yuna's waiting."

I widened my eyes at the mention of that name.

"Yuna?" I questioned to the fading face.

I blinked a few times and saw that a girl was standing in front of me. She smiled at me for some strange reason. I found myself smiling back, but it was more of a natural reaction that had come over me.

As I stared at her more closely, I noticed that she was a rather beautiful looking girl. Sweet honey-brown hair, skin that was probably as smooth as silk. Her body was so slender and covered in a stunning garment. I felt that I had seen this image before. I looked away and rubbed my eyes, hoping that when I looked up again my vision would be much clearer.

As I looked up, I noticed that the masked girl was tilting her head to the side, as if she was concerned about me. I felt an awkward feeling wash over me and I just laughed out loud for no reason.

Her mouth broke into a smile and she too began laughing. She had a wonderful laugh. I suddenly calmed down, with a wide smile still planted upon my face.

"Why are we laughing?" I questioned, as I stared into the most beautiful, bi-coloured emerald, sky-blue eyes that I had ever seen.

She stopped laughing too, but still had a peaceful smile upon her lips.

"I don't know. But it felt good to laugh." She said, with the most serene voice, and it made me feel so welcome.

I didn't know what else to do, we were both just gazing at each other, as if we knew one another. I scratched the back of my head and started to say, "I'm…" but trailed off, thinking that it wasn't wise to state my name, even if I was supposedly just going to be myself tonight.

She however bowed her head as if knowing what I was about to say.

"It's okay…it's The Mask…we don't have to know each other's names." She whispered understandingly.

I tilted my head down to get a better look at the expression on her face, but as soon as she looked up I turned away. I peered out of the corner of my left eye and saw her smiling the same smile again. It made me feel good inside somehow. Something I hadn't ever felt before…well not that I could remember anyway…had begun to pulsate through my veins, and my skin tingled with a feeling of desire.

I gazed back at the girl curiously through my black mask and wondered if she was the one making me feel like this. I didn't care that I looked like a complete idiot for just simply staring. I just wanted to know what was happening to me. I felt myself wanting to just hold her. Hold her? Could I do that? Of course I could. But was it appropriate? I don't care; I'm going to do it.

I stepped closer towards her…my mind was suddenly becoming a whole new personality. She gazed up at me so innocently, that I just couldn't take it anymore. I reached forward with both arms and pulled her into my embrace. I nestled my face into her neck and she rested her head on my right shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and wished that I could stay that way always.

Always? Such a familiar word. I remember telling someone that I would be with them always.

I nuzzled my face deeper into her sweet smelling neck and tried to remember whom I had said it to. Why were so many faces and voices coming back to me now? Why were they showing themselves to me after all this time? Were they even real?

Flash Back

I opened my eyes. They widened as I realised that I was not at The Mask anymore.

I was heading towards the person in the spring. The person I hadn't been able to reach the night I had almost fallen out of my study window.

I was going to find out who it was this time, I wouldn't end this vision until I knew exactly what was going on. I was almost there. I was behind the person. Just as I parted my lips to speak…

End Flash Back

I opened my eyes calmly staring into the night sky above.

What happened?

I felt someone holding onto my left hand and as I rolled my head to the side on the ground below, I saw that it was the girl. She seemed quite distressed and I noticed that a few tears had trickled down over her mask.

My hand left hers and travelled up to her face. I gazed into her eyes and my gloved hand wiped away the tears.

I gave her a soothing smile, which said everything was okay. Then it hit me.

Why was I acting like this with her? I didn't know her…did I? Then why did it feel as if I had known her practically all my life? Why did it cut so deep to see her tears? Why did she make me feel real?

My voice suddenly took the first step to calm her down, "It's okay. What happened?"

She leant down, embraced me and whispered into my left ear, "You fell. I thought I lost you. I called for you and you didn't answer."

She thought she lost me. Was there something she knew that I didn't?

I lifted my hands up and gently placed them on her upper arms, lightly moving her away from my body so that I could look into her eyes.

For all I knew there were people staring down at us, or they were still carrying on with the celebration.

Her eyes were shut and she kept crying. I suddenly felt myself wanting to sooth her in a way that I thought would calm both of our souls. I pulled her back down to my face and watched as her eyes opened to stare into mine. She began to breath heavily and I too felt my lungs begin to take in fast gulps of air. I could smell her scent lingering into my nose like wild roses. She turned her head away but I lifted my hand to turn it back to me. She was gazing at my mouth passionately, the same way I was looking at hers.

Could it be that we both felt the same way?

Slowly I moved in and let my lips stop just a millimetre away for hers. I could hear her breathing become more anxious and her chest was moving up and down against mine with every gasp of air, sending a feeling of warmth running throughout my body. She was so close to me and it felt so right.

Finally I brushed my lips lightly across hers and watched as she let her eyelids fall down. I closed my eyes serenely, as if this was enough pleasure for one night. But no…I had to make this right. I had to…

I finally pressed my lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of her kiss fill my mouth. I felt like this was the first time I had been alive in so long.

She began to wrap her arms around my neck and ran her fingers through my hair, then travelling down over my chest, resting in between each muscle and tracing around them with one finger. It was as if exploring my body was the most interesting thing she had ever done. I too found myself running my hands along her spine and felt her body move up and down on top of me, ever so slightly every now and then. I found myself wanting more and more. I released my lips from hers and moaned as she gave me so much indulgence. She was kissing my neck and I felt tears escape her eyes and slide down my skin. I was about to ask her if she was all right but she spoke up.

"Maybe we should stop." She said as she removed her lips away from my neck and rested her face on my left shoulder.

I opened my eyes with confusion and whispered, "Why?"

She giggled, "One: everyone is looking at us."

I gazed up at a few people who seemed to be enjoying the view from where they were standing. Thank Zenit it was The Mask. Imagine if they knew who I was.

"Two: I can't do this anymore." she finished quietly with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Her last words seemed more serious and I knew that I shouldn't pursue the subject any further. She slowly removed her head from my neck and sat on the ground beside me.

She looked away with closed eyes, and I swear she was trying with all of her might to fight back the tears that were so desperately wanting to escape.

I let concern glisten through my eyes as I stared at her. My gaze was fixed on her as if she was the most captivating thing that had ever entered my life. I began to pull my body up from the ground below and stared at the side of her face sadly. I couldn't bring myself to look away. I just wanted to be with her right now.

"Yuna…" I whispered, the name rolling fluently off my tongue.

The blonde girl I had seen had told me Yuna was waiting…but why did I call this girl Yuna? Was this the girl that was waiting for me?

She turned to face me with eyes that were so longing and yet so determined to be strong, and whispered, "I must go." She then jumped up off the ground and ran through the crowd out of my sight.

I wasn't going to let this girl leave me, so I left the ground quickly and ran after her, the whole time calling out, "Wait come back!"

I was crashing into every person that stood in my way, but I didn't care, all I wanted was to find out who she was. I could see the end of her garment disappear through another group of people. I was by now caught up in the crowd and couldn't fight my way through.

I stared out at the last place I had seen her. My blue eyes shined with sadness. I was alone again. I didn't know who she was. I didn't know who I was.

Maybe I just wasn't meant to be happy.

A/N: Okay, first love scene ever, besides the second chapter. But that was just a memory. And the scenes are gonna get longer too. Hehehe!

It's gonna get more intense from now on.

Yunie Tidus