For those who are not aware, FGO Duel is a real-life tactical card game, where Masters move Servants around a battlefield and attempt to eliminate their opponent's Servants or their Command Deck. I'm aiming for this story to be the FGO Duel equivalent of the Bakugan or Beyblade anime - where the mechanics of the game influence the action - unlike a series such as Yu-Gi-Oh where the mechanics are pretty much entirely replicated.

Note that Hakuno here is a female. The male Hakuno will be referred to as Hakushi.

"All units, detain Romani Archaman at all costs!"

At such a call, a standard facility might have been filled with the cries of guards, if not the echoing fire of several guns. If his current workplace was a standard facility, however, Romani wouldn't have been put into so absurd a situation. As it was, all he could do was let out a panicked yelp as light after light attempted to eviscerate his body. Well, maybe that was being a bit generous – considering the various types who had gathered under Marisbury's banner, there were probably all sorts of different curses and whatnot all jumbled together in the deadly light show.

Perhaps such musings were better suited for another time though. Considering how Romani was pretty sure that singed scent was coming from his lab coat, taking things too lackadaisically probably wouldn't lead to anything good. Thus, his feet pushed him as fast as they possibly could, Romani making every effort to keep hold of his package as he darted through the sterile halls. Familiar faces flashed through his vision, but little more than a passing glance could be spared before further attacks spurred Romani forth. Granted, it was hardly the most poignant goodbye Romani could've given them, but the possibilities that could be birthed by his failure meant that Romani wasn't exactly rushing to compromise his efforts.

Not that he needed to put much effort into doing that. The sheer fact that he was taking part in this mad chase was already evidence enough of how manic his plans had become. Compared to the movie-style stealth mission Romani had initially envisioned, his current situation couldn't have been further from the blueprint. Could you blame him though? How was he meant to know that Marisbury would just randomly station an additional patrol in the middle of another patrol's route? That was like… well, Romani couldn't really think of anything, but it was annoying nonetheless!

"Yahoo~! Over here!"

Romani didn't need to think twice before shoving himself sideways, the building's excessive technology meaning that the sliding doors made barely a sound as they slammed shut. Or maybe it was just overshadowed by the stampeding feet that charged by just outside, unaware that their target had been replaced by a hologram projecting drone. Under less stressful circumstances, Romani might've questioned how the inventor managed to produce so detailed a 3D reproduction of his body, but as it was? Nothing but relief ran through his mind.

"…I really owe you one, Leona…" Romani struggled to say around his panting, the strength to hold himself up fleeing his body. Collapsing to the ground, it took a moment for Romani to realise that his package had left his grasp, only for his sight to be blocked by a navy glove.

"Here. Don't want to be losing it now, do you?" Leona remarked, a low sigh escaping Romani as he reached out for the package. Honestly, the fact she was able to remain so calm even in a scenario as insane as this – she really had to be made of something inhuman. Well, more so than the average worker at any rate. "Though I suppose this is just like you, Romani. Always stumbling onto the right path, whether you mean to or not."

"Yeah, yeah, maybe save the teasing for another time?" was all Romani could come up with as a reply, finally managing to muster the energy to rise from the floor. "Getting rid of all those guards isn't the same as actually getting out of here alive. How long do you expect that drone to fool them for?"

"Oh, long enough. Knowing those oafs, they'll be on a merry old goose chase for a bit." With a flick of her hand sending brown locks flowing over her shoulder, Leona would've looked like the picture-perfect replica of a princess were it not for the dismissive grin on her face. A deadpanned retort nearly made its way to Romani's lips, but a second thought bit it down; after all the effort Leona put into crafting this sort of thing, the least she deserved was some time to boast. "That little thing's been through some rigorous improvements since you've last seen it, you know. Plenty of surprises in there too even if they did find out."

"Surprises?"

"Let's just say you don't want to ask." The way she said that, punctuating it with so impish a wink, was enough to send a shiver down Romani's spine. Already, several responses were welling in the back of his mind, but in the end, all he could do was settle for a slight sweatdrop. "Anyway, let's focus on getting you out of here for now. We may have distracted the guards, but I have no idea how long we have until the cavalry arrives."

"Right. You men-"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Archaman. Da Vinci. After all… reinforcements are unnecessary." The moment that voice spoke out, any sense of relief fled without mercy. In its place, only fear could take hold; what else would there be when you were faced with one of the brightest talents of the current generation. "I'm sure you were about to speak of the dining hall evacuation route, correct? I'd rethink that if I were you. Guards have been posted there for the last week or so. Not even a flawless plan would've allowed you to escape through such predictable means."

"Marisbury… no, Animusphere. Guess we're on a second name basis now." Romani eventually muttered, trying his best to muster up a glare towards his employer. Faced with the man who had done so much to assist him though, it was far more of a daunting task than he would've liked. That must've been evident by his posture, for Marisbury failed to hide the slight hint of a smirk that took to his lips.

"But of course. Regardless of our prior relations, it would be rather strange of me as Director to acknowledge a traitor so familiarly. Don't you believe so?" Marisbury said. Regardless of the casual nature of those words, Romani instinctively clutched his heart. Though the pain may not have been physical, that did little to diminish its intensity. "Whether it's you, Da Vinci, or any other member of this company – those who betray us shall be treated the same."

"Oi, Marisbury! The name's Leona!" Leona was quick to pipe up, Marisbury allowing an eyebrow to rise at the finger pointed in his direction. As much as Romani wanted to admit otherwise, it was far from an uncommon occurrence – he just never thought it would be so common as to happen in a situation as tense as this. Perhaps the strangest part was that the relaxed tone of hers didn't seem to have changed at all. Whether that was something to be commended or feared had yet to be decided in Romani's mind. "I thought you would've gotten it by now!"

"Apologies, but I see little reason to debase myself by attending to an experiment's whims. Your genius is appreciated, your attitude is not." The Director didn't hesitate to state. "Besides, dealing with your betrayal is a more pressing matter at the moment."

"…Stop acting like I'm doing this to betray you!" met with such overwhelming indifference, the words flew from Romani's mouth before he had a chance to realise it. What a shame it was, then, that it did nothing to sway the Director's stance. "I'm doing this for your sake! Don't you get that Why won't you just believe me this once?"

"You steal our prototype, the very proof of the knowledge and power we could return to this world, and yet you wonder why I cannot believe your farce?" scoffed Marisbury in turn, a hand held to his chin. "I understand this may be difficult to comprehend, but it's unreasonable to expect me to trust you when you refuse to trust me."

"Of course I trust you! And that's exactly the problem!" now that was enough to gain Marisbury's attention, his face finally choosing to displace some level of concern. Maybe it was because he hadn't expected a traitor to his cause to suddenly burst into tears. "You and Leona are the only ones I can trust around here! Do you really think that all those Magi aren't just waiting for you to turn your back so they can stab it? You've seen the way Beryl's been acting now that we've made it this far; they aren't even hiding it! That magecraft of yours should've caught onto it ages ago!"

"And you don't believe I would have some means of preventing that? Even after witnessing the minimal level of security that you activated?" okay, now that was just mean. Yeah, Romani could've taken that as Marisbury going easy on him because of their friendship, but the deepest recesses of his mind knew it was because Marisbury simply didn't see him as a threat. "What is the phrase again? Trust in me who trusts in them? Even if you fear them, you admit you don't believe in my ability to restrain them, Archaman. When you know I have methods of dealing with even you and Da Vinci, it should hardly be strange that I have the same for everyone else. Though, considering this reaction… perhaps it would be better if I gave a personal demonstration."

"Romani, get back!" Leona immediately yelled, already stepping forth before an arm in her way forced her back. An attempt was made to meet the offender's eyes, but with Romani's head held low as it was, that was an impossible task. "What are you-?"

"You're too important to them, Leona." There was a dullness to Romani's tone as he spoke, what little reassurance there was barely audible. "They may put you through the wringer, but they aren't going to waste their efforts getting rid of you at this point. Go."

"I'd take his advice, Da Vinci. Leave now, and I promise your punishment shall be swift and… relatively light." Almost immediately, a rejection came to Leona's lips. One look at the ragged figure beside her though was enough to prevent it from seeing light. Instead, all she could do was give a curt nod, feet slowly dragging herself to the door that Romani had burst through before. Undoubtedly, there would be several guards left to greet her if Marisbury had been able to find them so easily, but Romani had spoken no lie. If it meant risking years of research, the people under Marisbury's employ wouldn't act so recklessly. At least until they could replicate the results with certainty. "Now then. The package, please?"

"…As long as you keep people like Beryl around, something li-!" but Romani wouldn't have the chance to finish, for a foot in his stomach left him with no air to do so. Letting loose a wet gasp, it took all of Romani's will not to immediately succumb, the jolt of pain that came with falling to his knees enough to keep his consciousness around a little longer.

"If only your body was as enduring as your optimism." Marisbury mused as a lazy hand reached to swipe the package from Romani's weakened grasp. Barely any attention was paid to the thing as Marisbury peeled the paper surrounding it away, ready to return it to the vault from whence it came. "Maybe then I would've been willing to trust you with its sa… What?"

Met with a painted facsimile of Leona's smirking face, Marisbury threw the figure he held as if it were diseased. Watching as the force split the toy into fragments upon the floor, the first semblances of anger appeared upon his face as he turned to Romani. That he was able to hold himself back to a grin, in turn, was frankly a miracle.

"…It really did work, huh? Don't know whether… whether I should be proud or terrified." Romani choked out, letting himself collapse sideways. It wasn't even the first time he was on the floor within this hour. Surely nobody would begrudge him relaxing a little bit, right? Holding himself up was just so goddamn tiring at times.

"When did you…?" no, that wasn't necessary. Barely a second was needed before the plan appeared in Marisbury's head. Considering the time it had taken Marisbury to enter the room, paired with the expected arrival time of Romani, the answer was obvious. He just didn't expect that it was a move they could've pulled off with the manufacturing buildings under such heavy lockdown. "Bring me Da Vinci at once!"

"Don't bother. It's not gonna be on her by this point." Never before had Marisbury considered Romani's voice so grating. Naturally, there had been times where irritation had propped up, but their friendship had done much to ease any annoyance he could've felt. At that moment though? It couldn't have burned any brighter. "Plus, the drone… the drone she's using has its, er… AI seeded with lava lamp pictures or something. No point trying to predict its movements."

"What is the meaning of this, Archaman?" as if that question wasn't enough, it was punctuated with another foot on Romani's chest, the man reduced to no more than pitiful squirms beneath Marisbury. Not that Romani seemed particularly affected, mind you. His face didn't move at all. "Is this some joke to you?"

"Like I said… it's because I trust you that I can't allow you to keep hold of the prototype." Romani eventually uttered. "All that focus on predicting every last move, playing the manipulation… game on the highest level. It's… it's blinded you to the obvious. The little… little stuff, it's beneath you… I realise that now."

"Realise? Then…?"

"Yep. This was a test. Mostly." Romani wouldn't admit it, but that was delightfully refreshing to declare aloud. "I figured you would manage to stop it. Workout all my plans down to the smallest point. I wanted you to catch me and prove that I could leave it all in your hands. Yet you didn't. So that prototype, it's going to the second safest person I know. Someone who's willing to pull out all the stops to keep it safe."

That didn't make sense. As wonderful a man as Romani was, he was unfortunate enough to have very few friends. Associates upon associates, certainly – it seemed that near everyone who came across Romani could get along well with him – but actual friends? Now that number was far lower. Of that number, even fewer could be said to rival Marisbury in power. In fact, the number was almost definitely zero. Who, then, could Romani speak of with that level of confidence? Marisbury would have to predict that as soon as possible.

"…Romani. You know full well that I will find this person." Marisbury warned, only to find himself surprised when all he received was a weak dismissive wave in response.

"And when you do, I hope… you'll do your best to support them. Because they'll do… everything you can't bring yourself to."

"Hey, Ritsuka! It's time to wake up!"

There were many ways to be roused from the realms of slumber. Having your sister bellyflop directly onto you, Ritsuka's tired mind mused, was far from the best. He could only bless his fortunes that regardless of her diet, Gudako had managed to remain relatively light. Otherwise, Ritsuka might not have been able to appreciate the following hug as much.

"Geez, I'm up, I'm up!" Ritsuka groaned, yet it wasn't until his hands reached to start tickling his sister that any reaction from her came. Forced into a fit of laughter, it would take a minute before Gudako finally rolled off Ritsuka, a deep breath of relief managing to wipe the last remnants of sleep from his mind. "What's got you so excited this morning? I thought you'd be sleeping in until twelve like usual on a weekend?"

"Are you kidding? We're finally gonna get our hands on that new game Hakuno's been raving about How am I meant to sleep at a time like this?" was the exuberant reply, a chuckle coming naturally to Ritsuka's lips. Considering the amount of boasting that girl did about how her own brother had brought her the latest trend – FGO Duel, was it? – and taught her how to play, it wasn't surprising that Gudako was itching to try it out as well. "Come on, Shirou said his mum invited us over to breakfast! Do you know how long I've been waiting to eat some of Shirou's stuff?"

"Shirou's cooking? But he brings random bits for lunch to school all the time." Honestly, that Shirou must've gotten a kick out of how much Gudako and Hakuno praised his cooking. How a boy of his age was able to handle both the various tasks around school he took up as well as all his actual schoolwork and still find time to cook as much as he did was baffling.

"Who cares? Now come on!" well, with an order like that, how was Ritsuka to refuse? Letting loose a yawn, Ritsuka let Gudako practically jump off his bed, rushing off to do whatever filled her morning routine while he stumbled towards the bathroom. Neither Shirou nor Hakuno would particularly care if Ritsuka was a little unkempt, but he was apparently going to meet Shirou's parents as well. The least he could do was try and make himself seem presentable.

"So, we're finally going to see what this FGO Duel thing's all about, huh?" Ritsuka mused to himself as he reached for his toothbrush. "A game where you battle historical figures… I wonder who I'd get on my team.

Ritsuka wasn't exactly a history buff, but he paid attention in school. So long as he was able to recognise most of the names, he'd be happy. Plus, if he didn't? well, that was a nice excuse to learn something new. Maybe recognising all the characters would be a good motivation for Gudako too. Heaven knew she needed it with the grades she got on occasion.

"Ritsuka! Hurry up in there!"

"Give me some time Gudako!" laughter permeated the words. As if Gudako would ever study more.