Dark Glasses: A Rainbow Parakeet and Rock story

[Sixty-four K]

This is a story that I have been imagining for quite some time, but have only recently started to write. It follows the parallel adventures of the Rainbow Parakeet and Rock Holmes, two of my favourite Tezuka characters. I count this story as an Astro Boy fan fiction, since it takes place mainly in the worlds of the 1980 and 2003 animes, and mainly follows these two characters' appearances in these animes, although it does reference many of Tezuka's other works. It does have a few OCs in it, so be warned if you dislike that sort of character. The story is also up on fanfiction.net as well. I hope that any fans of these two characters will enjoy this story.

[B] Chapter One: The Detective
“I wish that you'd take that pipe out of your mouth, Holmespan. That smoke you're breathing in can't be good for your health.”

I turned to Dr. Winston. “As far as I know, Doctor, all of the tests that have 'proven' that tobacco is a carcinogen have been performed upon lab rats, and never upon me. I beg you, please speak only upon subjects that you are knowledgeable about.”

Dr. Winston shrugged. “Well, Holmespan, I am a medical doctor, and I know a carcinogen when I see one.”

We walked down the street, passing other commuters on their way to work. After several minutes of silence, Dr. Winston abruptly spoke. “I wonder about you, Holmespan. You're a young man, yet you're quite knowledgeable about many subjects. What did you do before you joined the force?”

I chuckled. “So, you want my life's story, do you, Dr. Winston? Alright, I'll give you a brief summary, but only because I know that you can keep secrets and because you are my only friend.”

“Now Holmespan,” interrupted Dr. Winston. “Don't say such things. Chief Eyre has the greatest respect and admiration for you, and young Ellie certainly thinks of you as more than an acquaintance, no matter how she tries to hide it.”

I remained silent until Dr. Winston realized that he had interrupted my monologue. Sheepishly, he motioned towards me. “Go on, Holmespan. Don't let me stop you.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Dr. Winston. To make a long story short, I was the younger son of a wealthy family in Japan. Although I excelled at every academic subject related to the arts, such as music, painting and acting, my family forced me to study mathematics, a subject I detested, in university, hoping that I would take over the family business. Because of this, and because of my family's cruel treatment of my fiancee, I ran away to New York City where I studied the theatre. When I returned to Japan, I became an understudy to many star actors. Acting, however, was not my only profession. I was also a thief.”

“Holmespan!” sputtered Dr. Winston. “You, of all people, a thief?”

I went on. “Don't worry, Doctor. I never stole from anyone who couldn't afford it. The purpose of my thievery was not to make myself rich. Rather, it was to attract the attention of my former fiancee, who, after suffering a car accident, which caused her to lose her memory, became a police officer. I had hoped to win her back by causing her to pursue me.”

“Well, what happened, Holmespan? Did you win the girl?” asked the doctor.

I sighed. “No. She never caught on. It didn't matter what stunts I pulled; she never saw me as anything more than a criminal. Finally, the futility of it all became too much for me. I needed a new purpose in life. I wanted to do the world some good, so I became an agent to the Queen, here in England. I believed that my penchant for disguise would serve England well. Chief Eyre didn't seem to think so at first, however.”

Dr. Winston chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, that one is suspicious of everyone at first sight. He accepted you after you saved his niece's high school from that bomb threat last year, didn't he?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “I'm surprised that Ellie decided to intern at Scotland Yard because of the attack. I doubt that the paperwork that she's doing is her idea of saving the world.”

“Well, it's a start,” chortled Dr. Winston. “I say, Holmespan. I'm not entirely surprised that you've had such a colourful past. I won't tell anyone about you're having been a thief, since you believed that I wouldn't, although it goes against my conscience to do so. I have a question, though, It's about your name.”

“What about it, Dr. Winston?”

“If you were originally Japanese, you can't have been named Randolph Holmespan. Do you realize that this conveniently Anglo-Saxon name that you've chosen for yourself closely resembles that of Great Britain's most iconic detective?”

“That was quite the sentence, Dr. Winston. Indeed, I was aware, just as you must also be aware of the resemblance between your name and that of the aforementioned detective's assistant.”

“Erm, well...” coughed the doctor. “I say, Holmespan! We've reached Scotland Yard.”

Indeed we had. Scotland Yard- that stronghold of justice, where I had been stationed for the last year, and where Dr. Winston held the position of resident physician. Where I would spend my last day as a healthy, living, air-breathing human.

References for this chapter: The Rainbow Parakeet Series

Astro Boy(1980's anime): The Man-made Solar Sphere

[Sixty-four K]

Here's a link to the second chapter.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/10942055/2/Dark-Glasses

It's still from the Rainbow Parakeet's point of view; however, I will switch to Rock's POV soon.