Kaiba feels...strange. It's so weird to let Marik close to him like this, to willingly drop his guard. But they've bonded on the start of this strange journey, and away from all the drama of the past, surrounded by teams who love them...maybe they can both stretch beyond the boundaries they lived within before.

Even still, the word feels heavy on his tongue. A concept he scoffed at so many times, yet...

"You're my first human friend too," he admits softly. He'd had something with the Pharaoh by the end, and Yugi had wanted them to be friends, but...they'd never gotten there. Maybe it could've happened someday. But now he has this. Marik, teaching him the ways of the wild and encouraging him on this journey. And he wants to make sure Marik finds his dreams too. If anyone deserves freedom, it's him.

He reaches back, winding his own arm around Marik's shoulder. "You too. Looks like we're stuck together, and...I protect what's mine, including my. Friends."

It's said with an awkward little chuckle. Still getting used to that word.