Fate Diverted/Rental Magica/If We'd Never Title: Fate Diverted Rating: G Prompt: If We'd Never... Fandom: Rental Magica Character(s): Iba Tsukasa and Iba Itsuki Wordcount: 619 Notes/Warnings: AU, alternative take on the events of episode 2 Disclaimer: Rental Magica is an anime produced by ZEXCS, based on the light novel by Makoto Sanda. Teaser/Summary/Synopsis, etc.: "The passage I'm reading about talks about Glam Sight."
"Father, I'm home!" Iba Tsukasa, founder and first president of Astral Mage Dispatch, grunted in reply to his son's announcement, more focused on the papers sitting upon his desk than his son in front of him.
When his father didn't acknowledge his presence, Itsuki laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "Ummm...our grades came in today. I'm a little weak in sports, but everything else is about...average." Silence filled the room as Tsukasa continued scribbling notes in his book and Itsuki struggled to come up with something else to say. With his father rarely home and always busy, the gap between father and son had grown so wide over the years it would be more accurate to call them strangers than family. "Ahhh, and a letter came from Honami yesterday."
Tsukasa paused in his work for the first time, looking up at his son. "Oh? How is she doing?"
"Well, she says that she's still studying druidic magic. It's taking her longer than she thought it would."
Tsukasa 'hmmed'. "It's a difficult branch of magic, mostly passed on verbally and almost never written down. I'm surprised that she's having any success at all."
Itsuki's eyes widened. "Really? I always thought she was really smart. And other mage companies are already offering her jobs, too."
"That I expected. Having an expert on lost druidic magic would be a valuable asset to any company."
"...Yeah." No longer interested in the conversation, Tsukasa began leafing through the old tome on the desk to his right, jotting down short-hand notes every so often in his notebook. "I miss her."
"You used to follow her everywhere," Tsukasa commented as he paused at a particularly promising passage, pen moving swiftly down the page. "You even followed her into a haunted house, once."
"Into?" Itsuki echoed, puzzled. "But didn't you stop us?"
The pen froze midway down the page as his father paused, deep in thought. "Yeah, I did," he finally replied, sounding almost...relieved?
As Itsuki tried to figure out the odd tone in his father's voice, Tsukasa returned to his work, letting the conversation drop. The only sound left in the oppressive near-silence was the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the far wall until, finally, Itsuki attempted one last stab at conversation. "What are you reading?"
"A book about Fae."
"Fae?" Itsuki leaned over the desk, attempting to get a closer look. "I can't read it," he admitted, squinting at the strange characters.
Tsukasa finally laughed, the sound deep and pleasant. "It's an old book, and not written in any writing system native to Japan. I wouldn't expect you to."
Itsuki laughed sheepishly. "I suppose not. But, what is it about?"
His father hesitated for a moment. "The passage I'm reading about talks about Glam Sight."
"Glam Sight?" Itsuki repeated, wincing as a sharp pain suddenly lanced through his right eye.
"It's the ability to see the true nature of things. Only one or two people in the world have it." Tsukasa gave his son a sharp look. "Don't you have homework?"
Itsuki took a few steps back. "Yes...I should getgoingonthatrightnowseeya!" Turning, Itsuki all but fled from the room, a cold feeling sliding down his spine as the sudden urge to get away propelled his feet forward.
Tsukasa watched his son's hasty departure, dropping his pen with a tired sigh as the door clicked shut. A moment passed before he retrieved a small, golden key out of his suit pocket, using it to unlock the topmost desk drawer. Inside, sitting alone, was a small, dark eyepatch that looked sized to fit a small child.
"I think this was for the best," he murmured to himself, stroking the eyepatch with a finger, "don't you?"