A/N: This is a short, somewhat pointless little oneshot written for the Pharaoh's Palace Valentine's challenge. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy (and review....)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

It's funny how sometimes you never know what you want until it's right there in front of your face; how you can go through life each day never knowing that you were even lacking in anything until you see it, and then realization slaps you across the face so hard that you're left shaken and dumbstruck, wondering how you possibly could have missed something so important. And yes, in that moment your life changes; though not in that ridiculous goofy sort of epiphany from unimaginative romantic comedies, the kind that leads to the predictable climax of the hero and heroine's dramatic kiss after they profess their love, but rather that moment spurs a change, a chance to send your life in a different direction, all depending on how you react to that realization.

It was strange, the way I realized the truth. Surprising, too; but when I finally admitted to the feelings that had been hiding right under my nose, lurking in my subconscious for so long; the overwhelming relief, the sweet, refreshing catharsis, left me with a warm, buzzing feeling all over my body and I felt perfectly content for that brief moment.

Well, looking back I suppose I actually did have a "goofy" moment of epiphany. I, for one, blame it on that ridiculous excuse for waste and consumerism that the greeting card companies call a holiday (and no, not Christmas). That's right. Valentine's Day. Though, I suppose some of the blame could be laid on my little brother, since Mokuba begged me to come along with him while he picked out Valentines for his friends and the other children in his class; although he wouldn't have needed the Valentines in the first place if it weren't for the holiday itself; so technically it's still the fault of Valentine's Day…

But I digress. Anyhow, Mokuba dragged me to a greeting card store – the lavish sort of place saturated with the scent of potpourri and displaying tiny glass figurines on every shelf that only does business around the holidays – so that I could give him my opinion on which cards to buy for his classmates. "I don't want to give out the really sappy ones," he had said. "Seto, why don't we have Duel Monsters Valentines?" The answer, of course, was that I had never felt the need to involve my favorite violent, stamina-testing game with such a fluffy, sappy holiday; though I hadn't told Mokuba that.

The designs for the Duel Monsters Valentines started not long after that. They should be ready by next year.

So, anyway, a few days before Valentine's Day, Mokuba and I stood in the aisle of a sickeningly over-decorated greeting card store, browsing through various Valentines. After half an hour, when Mokuba still hadn't decided on anything, I began to grow restless and let my gaze wander aimlessly around the store while he dug through the boxes on the bottom shelf. My eyes fell on a display of teddy bears piled together in the center of the store, all of them various sizes and colors. This display wouldn't really have interested me at all, except…

One of them had ruby eyes.

Ruby eyes… Wasn't that unusual for a stuffed animal? And not particularly nice-looking, either. So why did I keep staring at the thing? Why couldn't I look away from those deep, thoughtful crimson eyes, eyes that flashed at me so challengingly across the dueling arena, blood-colored eyes that would have looked evil if they weren't so wise…?

And that's how it happened. My deep, profound realization of my one true love, found in the stuffed animal display of a greeting card store. Ironic, isn't it? But, like I said, my epiphany wasn't like those clichéd, theatrical scenes from Hollywood's romantic comedies – though it did lead to a dramatic kiss. But that comes later.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Mokuba's cry of satisfaction tore me from my staring contest with the teddy bear display, and I vaguely registered the box in his hands before I nodded and strode to the cash register to pay for Mokuba's Valentines, my mind still lingering on breathtaking crimson eyes. No, not the bear's red eyes. The scarlet eyes of my rival, Yami Mutou.

Why hadn't this occurred to me before? Yami really did have beautiful eyes; and, though he was small, he had a lithe, muscular frame, accentuated perfectly by all that leather he wore. His hair was a little weird, though. But, really, that spiky hair just added to his exotic style…

These were the sorts of thoughts that filled my mind all throughout the drive home. I think I must have had a glazed look in my eyes because of this; since, when we got back to the mansion, Mokuba said that I looked like I wasn't feeling well and made me go to my room and lie down. I obeyed, but I didn't even try to sleep. Instead I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Yami.

It really was strange, the way all those feelings suddenly hit me like that, as if from nowhere, but I must have been attracted to him for a while and just not noticed it, or not accepted it… Still, why did I start thinking about this now, without even any warning? I mean, I hadn't even been looking at Yami when I decided I liked him – he wasn't even the same building.

Though I supposed how it happened didn't matter much, as long as it did. Now all I had to do was determine what I should do about it. Asking him on date seemed like the most plausible course of action; and Valentine's Day was just around the corner, so I could plan the perfect, romantic evening – aided by the predictable, lovesick atmosphere provided by the commercialized holiday itself – guaranteed to make Yami fall for me by the end of the night. I'd go over to his house first thing tomorrow morning and ask him out.

My plan of action thus decided, I turned off the lights and relaxed against the pillows, getting ready to go to sleep, when my eyes snapped open again as a horrible thought crossed my mind.

What if he said no?

It's inevitable, I suppose. Whenever you prepare yourself as thoroughly as possible for one thing, the opposite happens, and you're usually so ready for what you expected that you begin to react before you realize that something else actually occurred. That's why, when Yami said yes, I turned and began my proud, rejected walk away before his response actually registered in my mind.

I froze mid-step halfway down the sidewalk.

Then, as Yami's three-letter answer finally processed in my central nervous system, I slowly turned back around to face the King of Games, who shifted awkwardly in the doorway of the Kame Game Shop, his scarlet eyes watching me curiously from under his long, blond bangs. "Kaiba?" he questioned.

"Wait – what did you say?" I asked.

He furrowed his brow in confusion even as a faint blush spread across his cheeks. "I said yes, I'd love to go out with you," Yami answered, and his face reddened even more. It was surprisingly endearing.

I blinked. Then a slow, wide grin spread across my cheeks as the truth finally sank into my mind. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven," I said shortly, and turned to walk away again – but paused mid-step and strode back over to Yami, only stopping when I stood directly in front of him, almost close enough to invade his personal space. I stared at him for what seemed like a long time before he spoke.

"Kaiba? What is it?"

"I forgot something."

With that, I reached down and grabbed his chin, tugging his face upward as I lowered mine to his, so that our lips met in a slow, soft, kiss. Yami gasped in surprise, but then moaned softly and returned the kiss, his arms sliding around my neck as if they belonged there. But, when I felt his tongue slip through his lips and hesitantly probe at my teeth, I pulled away, smirking at his dazed expression.

"Goodbye, then."

"Grmph," Yami replied.

Though Yami's response the day before was certainly encouraging, I couldn't help feeling worried as I rode in the back of the limo to pick him up for our date. I had tried to plan something he would enjoy, but not something cliché; though I wasn't even sure Yami was the sort of person who thought about clichés… Anyhow, I had decided to take him to the orchestra. Hopefully they would play something romantic.

Though I wasn't sure if Yami thought much about romance, either.

Just then, the limousine stopped in front of the game shop. I could see Yami stepping out the door as the car stopped on the curb, but I climbed out anyway and walked to the game shop entrance. I casually rested a hand on the small of his back and guided him to the car, holding the door open for him when he slid into the limo. When I climbed back in beside him and shut the door behind me, Yami was wearing an enormous, happy grin.

I decided he did think a little about romance, after all.

We rode mostly in silence the rest of the way to the orchestra hall, though that smile stayed on Yami's face the entire time. I tried not to stare at him too obviously.

But, once the two of us sat in the darkened auditorium, the haunting melody of some classic aria I couldn't name drifting through the air, I didn't have to pretend anymore and watched Yami openly as he observed the orchestra members. He wore a black jacket, though not leather for once, which hid most of his slim, shapely neck, its high collar catching him just under his well-defined jaw line. Yami's thick blond bangs swept over the flawless skin of his cheeks and hung in his stunning crimson eyes – eyes which were now closed reverently as he listened to the slow, sweet music.

He was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen.

I reached across the armrest between us and grasped one of the slender hands that lay in Yami's lap, twining our fingers together. Yami's eyes popped open in surprise at my touch, but he glanced briefly at our joined hands and smiled; then scooted as close to me as possible – though the armrest was in the way – and rested his head on my shoulder. We sat like that for the rest of the concert; warmth spreading throughout my body from the simple contact. I never wanted it to end.

But of course eventually it did, and I had to take Yami home; though we sat the same way in the limo, curled up together so that there wasn't even an inch of space between us, Yami's slim frame molded perfectly against my side. It was amazing how flawlessly we fit together…

The limo stopped.

Yami and I sat there a moment longer, not moving except for my hand ghosting along his back, drawing slow, invisible circles on his jacket. "We're here," Yami finally said.

"Hum," I murmured in reply, still tracing languid circles on his back. We sat there a minute longer, until Yami eventually sighed and pulled away, opening the limo door. I followed him out of the car and walked him to the door, stopping just under the dim yellow light that illuminated the sidewalk around the game shop entrance.

"Well… Good night," Yami murmured quietly.

I took a deep breath and stepped closer to him, my heart pounding furiously. "Good night," I murmured, and tilted my head down as Yami raised his chin, our lips meeting in a slow, soft union that drew the rest of our bodies together as if magnetically – while the kiss deepened on its own, neither of us fighting for dominance, just simply enjoying the sensation of our tongues sliding against each other and tangling together; Yami's arms rose to wrap around my neck and my own arms made their way around Yami's waist, until we were embracing each other as closely and intimately as the tongues that traveled back and forth between our mouths.

Our arms stayed wrapped around each other even long minutes later when we finally broke the kiss, gasping for air; and Yami buried his face contentedly in my chest, his rapid heartbeat echoing against my ribs.

I held him a little more tightly.

"Seto?" he murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Can we go out again?" Yami asked softly, pulling back just enough to examine my face. In answer, I merely leaned in and captured his lips once more. "I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled against my mouth.

And that's how it happened. Simple, really, how I ended up with the love of my life; though I was always a little surprised that Yami agreed to go out with me that first time. I suppose he must have felt the same underlying attraction that I finally acknowledged that day in the store with Mokuba, though I never asked Yami about it. Honestly, it doesn't really matter. People tend to make these sorts of things much more difficult than they need to be; and frankly, until recently I always thought I would be exactly the type of person who hopelessly complicated them.

But, it's like I said. Sometimes the truth can hit you like a slap in the face, and you get a chance to make a decision that will inevitably change your life, though whether for better or worse depends on the choice you make.

I'm just thankful that, for once, I made the right one.