Changes

An Astro Boy Fanfic

Change One; Food

by Prettywitchiusaka

"You don't really care about me, do you?" she asked.

Once he heard that, Tenma just stared at his wife, allowing her words to sink in for him. Of course, she did not notice this. By now, her gaze was on the rocky ground beneath her, watching her tears hit the solid earth.

"I'm sure that when it's time, you'll just dispose of me too, right?" she asked.

Of course, she could no longer see the ground by this point as her tears began to cloud her vision. Though really, she could care less about that as she buried her tearful face into her hands. Her shoulder shook violently as she continued her sobbing, her wails getting louder with each passing second.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of lanky arms wrap around her body, and embraced her in a tight hug. She said nothing as he pulled her into his embrace. If anything, she was too dazed to process that his arms held her so tightly, or even that she could feel his breath tickle the very top of her scalp.

"I would never dream of hurting you, my darling Hoshie," he said.

Hoshie said nothing, she simply allowed his words to sink into her. Was this just a dream? Could he really be here, telling her these things? Was he-

"Hoshie? Hoshie?"

"Huh?" she said.

The young woman then turned around, only to remember where she was, and who was with her. She was right in front of her house, about to open the door. Astro and Zoran were right behind her, sporting different expressions. Zoran looked confused, while Astro seemed concerned.

"Oh, Astro. Zoran," she said.

"You haven't opened the door yet. Are you okay?" Astro asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just spaced out looking for the keys, that's all," she explained.

She then dug her hand into her purse as she began looking for the keys to her home. She rummaged through her purse for what felt like an hour, before she finally found the keys. With a huge smile beaming brightly on her face, she turned around to face the door. But as she did, she felt her arm slip . Realizing it was from the weight of her purse, and the grocery combined, she simply let the bags slide back onto her elbow.

"Oh, this silly thing sure is heavy," she said.

She chuckled, much to their dismay.

"At least it's not as heavy as when she took it to the counter," Astro said.

"I know; not even Dr. O'Shay eats that much for a midnight snack," Zoran replied.

Astro simply stared at her. He had already been concerned when Hoshie admitted that she could not cook very well, but once she said that she had at least a weeks supply of instant ramen stocked in her kitchen, he could not help but wonder if she really did take good care of herself.

Before he could dwell on that thought for long, Astro suddenly heard a little tune that caught his

attention, one that sounded very close. And sure enough, he turned his head, to see Zoran. She was rocking back and forth on her feet while she hummed that little tune, almost as if she were a little kid who could not wait to open their Christmas presets. Seeing this display, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"I know you're excited, but you shouldn't rock on your feet so much," he said.

She stopped her rocking as she turned to face her brother.

"Sorry, I just can't wait! I've never taught someone to cook before. Just think about all of the knowledge can bestow upon a new generation!" she replied.

Astro cringed a bit.

"Uh, Zoran, are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Well, you saw what she was eating. She can't live off of cupped ramen for the rest of her life," she explained.

"Yeah, but you're not exactly world's cleanest chief," he reminded her.

"So? Who cares if it gets a little messy!? What matters is the food that comes out of it," she explained.

Astro sighed as she went into her usual spiel.

"Great Master Chiefs never think of messes first. All we're concerned with is making the best dish we can. Just like that duck I made last week," she explained.

He just gave her an annoyed stare.

"What Master Chief strikes a match and almost throws it in the oven while its cooking? You're

lucky Dr. O'Shay wasn't home," he said.

"Well how was I suppose to know the gas was on!?" she defended.

"Is something wrong?"

Hearing that sweet voice, the siblings turned to face a concerned looking Hoshie.

"Uh, nothing,"they replied.

Hoshie just flashed a smile.

"That's good," she replied.

The two simply let out a nervous chuckle, Astro even rubbed the back of his metal head. Upon seeing that the door to Hoshie's house is open, they followed her inside.

Tough unbeknownst to them, a familiar looking robot dog was hiding in the bushes just across from the house. Its red eyes gave off an ominous glow as it ran across the street, and towards the little backyard. It jumped over the white picket fence, and ran as fast as it could. That is, until it saw something; a row of nicely trimmed bushes. It quickly jumped into the bushes, and sat down to keep from being noticed. It then focused its eyes on the kitchen window, keeping an ever watchful eye on Hoshie.

Astro stirred the rice for a bit, before smiling as he placed the lid on top of the silver pot.

"The rice is done, Hoshie," Astro said.

He places the pot on the counter.

"Oh, good. Now that's one less thing I'll need to worry about. Thank you, Astro," Hoshie said.

The little boy nodded as a little smile formed on his face. Hoshie did not notice however, since

she was busy dumping the chicken into the wok. Once she heard the meat beginning to sizzle, a confident smile formed on her face as she placed the cutting board in front of her. She then grabbed the nearest green bell pepper, and placed it on the cutting board.

"Wait, Hoshie."

Hoshie turned to face an pouty looking Zoran.

"You washed that cutting board, right?" Zoran asked.

"Was I suppose to?" Hoshie asked.

She just sighed.

"No, Hoshie. You either wipe the board with hot water, or you get a new one. We talked about this!" Zoran explained.

Zoran grabbed the board as she walked towards the sink, causing Astro and Hoshie to chuckle.

"Sorry about that. Actually now that I think about it, my husband warned me about that quite often," Hoshie replied.

Astro just stared at her as she pulled out another cutting board. It was not uncommon for her to mention her husband, let alone speak his name.

"Did your husband do lots of cooking?" Zoran asked.

Hoshie placed the bell pepper onto the new cutting board as she began to slice it.

"Well, actually-"

She felt someone grab her knife hand; it was Zoran. She lifted the knife until it was at an angle.

"Uhbububuh, knife on the diagonal," she said.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Hoshie replied.

Zoran beamed with confidence.

"Anyway, my husband could cook. But, he always came home late, so I was left to my own devices. Although, he would call to see how things were going. Why, he would even tease me,"

she explained.

She chuckled.

"I'd like to see HIM try to cook for a growing boy!" she replied.

She began to chop rather viciously, much to their shock, and surprise.

"Oh, sure. He'd always say "Don't worry, darling. I'll teach you how make a proper meal one day." But, of course, he'd spend the weekend working on his OWN PROJECTS!" she yelled.

"Hoshie!" they screamed.

Hearing their voices, she stopped as she began to reevaluate her surroundings again.

"Huh?" she paused. "Oh, sorry. I guess I was having an episode there."

"Uh, that's okay, Hoshie," Astro said.

She just chuckled.

"To be honest, I always thought it was sweet that he'd call to check-up on me…until he started mocking me. Thankfully, my son, who did help around the house, was nice enough to stand up for me," Hoshie explained.

Hearing this, Astro did a double take.

"You have a son? Wow! What's he like? How old is he? I'll bet he's really cute," Zoran replied.

She just gave the little girl a sad smile.

"Actually, he's no longer with us," Hoshie replied.

Astro just stared at that sad smile on her face with concern; this was not the first time she had dodged a question like that. If anything, she seemed to dodge any question concerning her past, even any questions concerning her past connection to him.

All was quiet at the dinner table. The lights were dim, yet warm and comforting as nightfall overtook the day. Even in the dim light, one could see the steam emitting from the curry, and that sleek shine the rice had. Hoshie began piling on the rice as Astro and Zoran sat there in complete silence. They watched as she filled her bowl past the rim with rice, then when she was done with the rice, they watched as she placed a huge chunk of curry on top of her rice.

Hoshie then blowed on the fork, before she took a bite. She took her time to chew the food, allowing herself to take in its taste and texture.

Of course, this did nothing for Astro, and Zoran. They simply sat on the edge of their seats, keeping their ever watchful eyes on the young woman as she ate her food.

"Is it good?" Zoran asked.

Hoshie said nothing; she simply finished eating, and placed the fork down on the table. As she did, a small smile surfaced onto her face.

"This is delectable," Hoshie said.

Hearing that made Astro smile, while his sister began to jump for joy,

"That's great!" Zoran said.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without both of your help," she paused. "I just hope I can remember everything I've learned today."

"Well, you just got to keep at it. No one becomes a master chief overnight," Astro explained.

"Yeah, it took me a few months to learn to cook before I became a master chief," Zoran replied.

Astro just stared at his sister, unsure of what to say.

"Anyway, cooking doesn't happen overnight. If you learn one dish today, you can learn another one tomorrow," he explained.

"Yes, but you both forget that certain talents come naturally to certain people," Hoshie explained.

"Well, you shouldn't let that discourage you. Dr. O'Shay once told me that just because you haven't found a talent, doesn't mean you don't have one," he replied.

"I have a talent," she replied.

"You do?" the siblings asked.

"Yes, it's just not applicable to everyday life," she explained.

"Really? What is it?" Zoran asked.

She gave a soft smile as she turned to face the grand piano in the corner.

"See that piano?" Hoshie asked.

"Yeah," the siblings replied.

"To me, that piano makes the most beautiful sound in the world," she replied.

She then stood up from where she sat and walked towards the piano, all while the siblings watched her. A small smile began to form on her face as she opened the Fall, and sat herself down on the piano seat. For awhile, she did not play a single note, something which confused the

two siblings. Once she did play however, they just sat there, completely entranced. The way her hands moved flawlessly across the keyboard, the graceful tune that piano produced, it was unlike anything they had ever heard, or seen before.

"That's amazing," Zoran said.

"Just like your cooking, right?" the young woman asked.

Outside, the robot dog sat in the bushes, its red eyes still locked on Hoshie. Of course, it was not really watching her. Its eyes merely served as a monitor or its owner; Tenma. Yet unlike previous stalking attempts, he had no evil scheme in the works.

If anything, he looks at peace as he sits in his lab chair. His eyes were closed, and a smile was clearly visible on his face as he allowed himself to be taken in by the melody she played so effortlessly.

As he let out a deep, relaxed sigh, he opened his eyes to stare lovingly at the young woman.

"You still play so beautifully," he paused. "Don't you, Hoshie?"

End Change One

Hello everyone I'm back and with a new story! An Astro Boy story, to be specific.

Some of you who aren't familiar with Astro Boy lore, you're probably asking; just who the hell is Hoshie? Well in answer to your question, Hoshie is Tenma's estranged wife. She has only ever appeared in one story arc of the original manga, and has sadly never appeared in any one of the three anime series.

So ever since I wrote "A Cruel Irony", I've been asking myself what would it be like if Hoshie was incorporated into the 2003 series. And this was the result. Okay, there are a few other stories I've come up with, but this was the one I wanted to put to paper for both yours, and my enjoyment.

Feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, praise and criticism, and I hope you enjoy!