Author's Note: Yay, it's my first fanfiction! I've been waiting forever to write this story and share it with others! Well, I hope you guys like my debut story as a fanfiction author! And one last warning- there ARE spoilers for Professor Layton and the Unwound Future.
Chapter 1~ An Untimely Fate
The streets of London were in utter chaos. The flames of an apartment building grew higher and hotter, as what sounded like dozens of fire engines barreled into the area. A science laboratory's top half was practically demolished, with a gaping hole in its wall pouring out smoke from the recent explosion. Among the panicked crowds, there stood a man in a top hat, slowly taking in the devastation before him. He wasn't ready to completely admit it yet, but he knew exactly who was in the middle of this terrible accident. He also somehow knew that there was no way she could have survived. But he still wasn't quite ready to acknowledge what the logic was screaming at him.
A movement in the corner of his eye snapped him out of his trance. A young boy was running towards the fiery furnace of an apartment complex. Was this child insane? The man didn't know, but what he did know was that he had to stop him from going any further. He quickly grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him aside. "Just what do you think you are doing?" He inquired.
The boy struggled vigorously, attempting to break free from the man's grasp. "I have to go back!" He screamed. "My parents are still inside!"
As much as the man hated violence, especially the physical kind, he knew it was the only way to knock some sense into the boy. In one quick move, he turned the boy to face him and slapped him across the face. "Hold yourself together, boy!" He pleaded. "If you go back in there, you'll die, too!"
The child stopped struggling out of shock. He turned to look back at the building in ablaze, finally realizing there was nothing he could possibly do to change his parents' inevitable demise. He then wailed hopelessly, "No, nooo!" The boy buried his face in the man's jacket and sobbed seemingly endless tears. The man embraced the boy, not saying a word, as they needed no words to describe how distraught they both were.
A while later after the panic had died down a little, a policeman approached the man in the top hat, who was still hugging the boy. The man informed the officer about what had happened, and the officer said that the boy would have to come with him to the station to try and find where he could stay. The man coaxed the still whimpering child to let go of him and allow the officer to escort him. As he watched the boy walk away, clinging to the policeman' s hand, he felt someone yank him back by his collar. Before he knew it, his vision was obscured by a swift flurry of fists all around him.
The boy hadn't even walked far away enough to not hear the commotion behind him. He turned his head to see the man who had saved his life being furiously attacked by a small group of assailants. The boy tugged the officer's hand towards the direction of the brawl. By the time they both ran to the scene, the attackers vanished as quickly as they had appeared. Even to the the boy, it was all a blur. The officer knelt down to check the victim, who was still breathing (however, it was ragged), but he was drifting out of consciousness from the surprise beating he had received.
The man laid helpless on the cold ground as his sight began to fade into total darkness. The ringing in his ears grew louder, eventually drowning out the frantic people around him. In order to remain conscious, he tried as hard as he could to focus on what had happened and the woman he just tragically lost. Despite how powerful the thought of her was, the man had no choice but to eventually succumb into the arms of a deep and long slumber that awaited him.
Author's Note: In case any of you forgot, in Unwound Future, Layton mentions being assaulted later on after Claire's death, and he was out for a few weeks. Anyway, I promise to update soon and try to keep a steady and swift pace to satisfy my readers! Review, please! I can only become better with advice. :)