A/N: Since I can relate to Atem, I'm venting through him. Don't go hatin' just because I detest Valentine's Day. This takes place in a future story that I'm writing, and I don't know when that'll come out.

This actually happened to me on Valentine's Day of 2009. Granted, it didn't exactly happen like this, since my boyfriend and I were together for a month before Valentine's, but the majority is the same.

The final chapter of this story will come out on White Day.

Dedication: Dedicated to my ex. I kind of wish we were friends again, but I realize you've already moved on. Happy Valentine's Day, even though you'll never read this. xD

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO.

One and Only

Author: Fenikkusu

Chapter 1 – Single Awareness Day

Atem Sennen truly detested Valentine's Day, and it wasn't entirely because of the massive amounts of cards that were stuffed in his locker. It was a combination of the falling letters, the public displays of affection, and the lonely hearts that had to endure all of the ruckus. He himself wasn't one of those usually pathetic people, though he was single. As to why the most popular boy in school was single was a mystery to everyone but himself.

Having a day dedicated to love was stupid. To Atem, this was just a marketing scheme for chocolates and cheap gifts. If someone truly loved you, they didn't need a day to show it off. Valentine's Day just made it painfully obvious who the singles were, hence his ideal of Single Awareness Day.

Rumors tended to fly fast in high school, especially one as small as his. The Firelight Institute of Technology was a four year high school with a population around 250. That meant everyone knew everyone and everything that was going on, all of the time. If anyone knew that Atem harbored feelings for the loner Yuugi Motou, his reputation would be ruined. It wasn't as if he cared, but his so-called 'friends' did.

But why were they allowed to be happy and not him? Bakura and Ryou were together, as were Jounouchi and Kaiba. Atem was glad that his friends found happiness, don't get him wrong… He was allowed to be jealous, right?

Pfft, no. Not in the eyes of his parents. They always chided that school came before everything else. Relationships would only put a strain on his studies. A part of Atem agreed with his folks, but honestly, he would be eighteen in a month. He was allowed to make his own decisions. He was already a senior at FIT, and if he didn't make a move sometime soon, Yuugi would be lost to him forever. He didn't know where Yuugi was going to university, but Atem had a feeling he wasn't going to Johns Hopkins like he was.

Hell would freeze over if he told Yuugi his feelings today. No, Atem would wait until all of this was over and done with.

At exactly 7:30 A.M. Atem made his way to the basement, where his locker was located. He ignored the blatant stares as he prepared himself for the worst. The Egyptian student made his way over to the last locker, taking out the cleaning supplies kept there. Moving two doors to his left, he took a deep breath and unlatched the door. Thankfully the majority of the cards fell right into the garbage can.

One item in particular caught his attention, though. A solitary rose sat in his locker. As Atem gently tugged it out, he discovered there was no note or anything attached to it. A small smile pulled at his lips. There was something about this gift that was different than the others. It seemed like something that Yuugi would give but… Crimson eyes shifted to the boy's locker. It was closed, so that meant that he wasn't here yet. Here at FIT they left their lockers open, as they knew no one would take anything. It made getting from class to class much easier.

"You're not even going to look at them?" came a soft voice from his left. Atem blinked out of his thoughts and saw Anzu Mazaki. She had already gotten into Juilliard on one of their instant decision days. She and Atem were childhood friends, but their feelings for each other never grew past that of those who could share their secrets with each other.

"No," was Atem's immediate answer. He shoved the garbage bag along with all of the cheap cards into the nearest trash bin.

"But you're clutching that rose like it's a lifeline," Anzu teased, poking one of Atem's shoulders. "Who do you think it's from?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. I appreciate the gesture, though."

Anzu peered over to take a closer look at the rose. She pursed her lips as if she were about to say something, but she instead pulled back and glanced at one of the digital clocks hanging from the ceiling. Before Atem could ask what she was thinking, the warning bell rang.

"Whoever it is really knows you well. They even know you don't like chocolate!" Anzu exclaimed as she gathered her bags and walked away.

Hn. She had a point. Still holding the rose close, Atem grabbed his books for the first three periods and headed toward his Latin class. Although the school was in the shape of a Q – where the basement was at the end of the bottom line – the classroom was on the exact diagonal from his locker. It took three of the allotted five minutes to reach room 160, leaving Atem two minutes to get himself settled.

Mrs. Sawyer, more affectionately known as Magistra to everyone, was Atem's second mother. She treated all of her students as if they were her own children. When Atem was in the hospital a month earlier for gall bladder removal, she was the one who told him to "cuddle into the blankets with a good mystery novel." She knew that something was wrong with Atem the moment he sat down at his seat.

Magistra grinned. "So, Atem… Who's the lucky guy?"

The boy immediately flushed. "W-what?"

"I asked, who's the lucky guy?" Magistra gathered her supplies from her desk and took her seat in the front of the room next to Atem. She merely faced the class where as Atem and the others faced the white board. "It's not everyday you come in holding a rose."

"I honestly don't know," Atem reiterated with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

Magistra laughed at his expression. "When you do find out, make sure you tell me!"

Atem flushed again; thankfully his dark skin didn't give away his blush. "You'll find out anyway. Rumors fly quickly." After a moment for it to sink in, both of them laughed. They both turned their attention to the open door, where Jounouchi had barely made it through. In the process of sprinting into the room, however, he toppled over one of the desks.

"I'm okay!" the blonde announced as the final bell rang.

Kaiba, the president of the Student Government Association, came across the speakers. Once the pledge finished, the brunette's voice drawled over the speaker. "We all know that today is Valentine's Day. Dr. Coleman is gently reminding everyone to keep all of your… activities PG-13. If you're caught in anyone's way and/or blocking the hallways, there will be consequences. In other news, the Senior Class is giving out all the candygrams ordered over the past week during the first ten minutes of class. Please excuse the intrusions, teachers. Have a wonderful day." Kaiba made the sarcasm obvious in his last sentence.

Atem wasn't expecting to get a bag of candy, given to him by Kaiba of all people. Though, it did make sense seeing as Kaiba also took Latin with him and Jounouchi. He peered into the see through bag to see a bunch of gummy worms. The tag was typed, giving Atem no inkling of who sent it.

You've been on my mind, I grow fonder every day

Lose myself in time just thinking of your face

God only knows why it's taken me so long to let my doubts go

You're the only one that I want

Figure out the puzzle, Pharaoh.

More clues will be revealed over the day.

You have until the final bell at 2:20,

To decide if you want to be my Valentine.

How in the world… The use of the word Pharaoh was the first clue. Only those really close to Atem even knew the reference. He was given no time to think as Magistra called for everyone's attention.

The second class of the day was Calculus. Here Atem had some time to think, as he'd done all of the work ahead of time. He knew the words at the top of the tag came from a singer named Adele, but this was odd as One and Only wasn't a single. That meant whoever wrote the note knew her very well. The end of the class came without much else happening.

The third class before lunch was Statistics. Atem inwardly groaned; most of the couples in the grade were in this class. They were rowdy enough without the hype of Valentine's Day. Seeing as Mrs. Black was also the senior class advisor, all of the leftover candy from the candygrams was stored in her room… Thank Ra Jounouchi hadn't taken the class as an elective.

Kaiba walked alongside Atem. "Figure it out yet?" he asked, referring to the tag.

"Partially," Atem replied as they entered room 140. "Nothing of great use, though."

"Hmph. You better hurry up," Kaiba scoffed as they took their seats next to each other. Mrs. Black handed out a relatively easy sheet, as they were preparing for the APs in May. Of course it was Valentine's themed. With Kaiba and Atem working as a team, they finished the packet early, leaving them forty minutes to muse over the mystery candy and flower.

Once Mrs. Black had seen they were done, she collected the work and graded it immediately. She rolled her eyes. "You two don't even need to see the grade. You did perfectly, as usual." The duo nodded. "So, Atem, I hear you have a secret admirer," Mrs. Black said, attempting to start some kind of conversation. There was nothing better to do, as the other kids obviously goofed off until the last minute.

"And how do you know already?" Atem asked.

"Rumors fly."

Atem nearly snorted. "Right. Anyway, an Adele fan gave me this." He handed the tag over to Mrs. Black. "Any idea?"

Mrs. Black's eyes shifted from side to side as they read the note over. "Do you know any tenors or baritones, Atem? Aside from yourself." Come to think of it, there were a handful of them at school, one of which wasn't here today.

"Yes…" Atem trailed, raising an elegant eyebrow. "Where are you going with this?"

"It's easiest for those two vocal ranges to reach the notes she can sing without transposing the music too far. She's British, isn't she? Why don't you ask Ryou and Bakura at lunch?" Mrs. Black suggested.

"That's a good idea. Thanks, Mrs. Black," Atem said with infinite gratitude covering his tone.

Third period ended without another hitch. Atem made sure he was the first one out of the room so that he could catch Ryou and Bakura before the lunch period truly started. Thankfully he came across the two standing by Bakura's locker. The smaller of the two grinned and reached into his backpack, handing Atem a sealed manila envelope.

"What's this?" Atem asked, looking the thing all over.

"You open it, idiot pharaoh," Bakura replied. That earned him a sock on the shoulder from Ryou. Atem did so, pulling out another note paper-clipped to some stock sheets.

I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before

Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all

You'll never know if you never try

To forget your past and simply be mine

You made it this far, Pharaoh.

Read between the lines

Find the melody hidden in the music

I'll come when the correct song is sung

"Ryou, do you know if the piano is free today?" Atem inquired as he finished reading the note. He pulled apart the papers, and his suspicions were correct. Handwritten sheet music showed seemingly random notes. Although Atem could sound it out in his mind, he had a feeling that there was a hidden meaning in the chords written on the sheets. Seeing as Ryou was the leader of FIT's Jazz Band, he'd know about the instruments stored away in a corner of the school.

Ryou grinned. "It's free but only during lunch. You might want to hurry."

Atem cursed beneath his breath and rushed upstairs. He barely registered the, "Good luck, idiot! You'll need it!" and the following smack.

At least the senior lockers were right beneath the instruments. Atem slowly uncovered the piano and plucked a few keys. Ryou had pushed the Jazz Band's budget to its limit get this old baby grand tuned a week ago, and it really did make wonders happen. Crimson eyes glanced around the corner and saw no one. Although lunch was an hour long, he'd only be alone for half an hour.

Read between the lines, Atem thought as he played the notes. What does that mean? As he originally figured, the notes were random. Does it mean the notes between the staff lines? There needs to be a cipher of some sort…

"Wait… The key signature changes," Atem discovered. "One and Only is written in the key of F major. If I only play the measures written in that key signature…" Surely enough, this combination of notes made sense.

"I dare you to let me be your, your one and only

Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms

So come on and give me a chance

To prove I am the one who can walk that mile

Until the end starts"

At a silky tenor voice, Atem whipped around. Yuugi stood at the end of the hallway, the noon sunlight filtering around his form. It made him look ethereal; he was dressed in a white button down shirt and jeans. His amethyst eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"Hi," he whispered. "You… you never cease to amaze me. You've never heard that verse, but you've got the timing and everything right."

"Yuugi… I thought you weren't in school today. Your locker was closed," Atem began, his mouth dry.

The younger took a few steps closer. Atem shifted to one side of the piano bench, allowing Yuugi to plop down on the other side. The smaller bowed his head forward, his hair shadowing his eyes. "Yeah, that was intentional. I hope that I didn't bore you with this stuff… I gave you until the end of the day, but you already figured it out!"

"I'm where I am for a reason, Yuugi," Atem replied with a gentle smile. However, that smile quickly faded. "Yuugi… did you mean what you wrote today?"

"Every word, every note…" was the pitiful whisper. After this, Yuugi turned away, facing the window.

A touch to Yuugi's shoulder caused him to turn around and stare into Atem's eyes. For a few moments, it was as if they were gazing into each other's souls. Before they could understand what they were doing, the teenagers were leaning into each other. Their lips met in a simple kiss. This was nothing like Atem had read. There were no fireworks, no amazing confessions of love. There was only growing warmth, the kind which spreads through your body like a softly kindling fire.

When they separated, Atem opened his eyes to a smile which mirrored his own. He placed a hand on Yuugi's cheek, the other's pale palm covering his, keeping it there. "Thank you," Atem murmured.

"Oh, it was nothing! R-really, it wasn't all that good, and I'm really sorry… I should have made it har—" Atem's thumb moved to his lips, effectively shutting him up. His free arm wrapped around Yuugi's waist and tugged him closer. A chuckle followed the sudden squeak that the younger made at the movement.

"Stop putting yourself down so much," Atem commented. As Yuugi opened his mouth to protest, Atem kissed him again. The boy initially tried to pull away, a tad irked at getting caught off guard. Once he found that he couldn't escape Atem's grip, he slowly conceded defeat. Atem swiped his tongue over his bottom lip, and Yuugi's soft moan allowed Atem an entrance.

CRASH.

They immediately broke apart, hearts and lungs racing. It took them a few seconds to realize the sudden disturbance wasn't caused by them. Yuugi coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Err… Wanna go see what happened?"

Atem could only nod dumbly.

Yuugi giggled and got off of the bench, closing the piano for Atem. He gathered the sheet music with one hand and offered the other hand to Atem. The red-eyed one gladly took the offered limb. Instead of immediately getting up, though, he tugged the boy back into his lap.

"Does this mean you'll really go out with me?" Atem asked.

Yuugi's bright smile was the only answer Atem needed.