The envy in Kaiba's voice was little more than a blade.

Bit by bit it cut at the walls he built around himself that he used to protect his friends, chopping down bricks and slicing cement so deep that it could barely hold.

Chip.

Chip.

Piece by piece, bit by bit...

Kaiba...I always knew you were lonely. In a lot of ways...we're similar, aren't we?

"No, you're the idiot."

Yuugi said, low and soft.

(Fond.)

"Nothing can stay still forever, just like Absolute Zero can't exist outside controlled conditions.

"This isn't about making you feel better. It's about being your rival."

Your friend.

Your...

"What kind of rival would I be, if I didn't meet you head-on and be my most authentic self? And what kind of rival would you be if you didn't meet me head-on as your true, most honest self?"

Rivals.

Yeah.

Rivals had to be equals in every way, didn't they? He felt this about Kaiba but not about anyone else, so that's what this had to be.

"So I challenge you to come at me. As yourself. To prove to me that you're an immovable object that can't be affected by momentum."

The momentum that Yuugi already brought into his life.