Reclaim What's Ours | The Promised Neverland (Emma x Ray) |

What You Don't Know

The strands of hair on Emma's forehead curled and twisted. Even though Emma's eyes weren't open, she could tell someone was playing with the strands of her hair. Their hand was gentle. The touch was soft as it slowly caressed Emma's head, moving strands one by one. A comforting feeling that let her know that she was being cared for.

It was like her entire body was exhausted. As much as she wanted to sit up, she could barely move a muscle. She couldn't understand why until she remembered what took place.

Unconsciousness.

What was it that happened again? She remembers lying on the ground. Her back was in excruciating pain. It was unbearable to the point where she just couldn't run anymore. It was her fault for hiding such a wound. The wound she received after shielding Norman from the fall. Her back was the first to make impact with the rocks in the river. She didn't think that she and Norman would get chased by a demon right after finding safety. It was a poor miscalculation on her part.

Yeah... that's what happened. She remembers looking up and seeing the look on Norman's face. He was grimacing, knowing that he couldn't carry her nor leave her. A face of helplessness that she's seen a thousand times over in the 18 years she's been alive.

Emma remembers how she was teetering on the realm between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her eyes threatened to stay awake. She remembers the pulsing of her heart wildly beating in her chest.

Get up.

Move.

The same two words screamed in her head as she laid there on the ground. She tried so hard to will her body to get up. There was no way she was willing to die just yet, not when they were still young and full of dreams.

Yet as much as she struggled, her body wouldn't get up. She could see Norman pleading, though her back never let up on the pain it dealt her.

Her eyes started to blur. She was losing too much blood. It was then that she heard the roar of the demon behind her. With the last of her strength, she looked up from the ground and saw the faint outline of a person running towards them. There came a head of short black hair that she'd recognize from anywhere.

It was like she was instantly relieved. The moment she recognized it as Ray, she felt her body relax. If he's come, she knew she could leave everything to him.

Perhaps that's why she fainted when she did.

But now she's awake. Perhaps not fully, but she was conscious. She could still feel the pain on her back, though not as severe as before. She could hear the crackle of a fire and the dirt she laid on.

Using the little strength the has, she opened her eyes.

There was only one person who'd touch her so absentmindedly and carefree like that. It was just as she expected. As she laid on the ground unconscious, Ray was sitting right by her side, leaning on a tree and keeping guard, his eyes were cautious as they looked into their dark surroundings. He was absentmindedly stroking her hair as she slept, playing with it in the palms of his hands. When he noticed a pair of eyes on him, his head slowly turned towards Emma, and she could see the relief in his eyes.

"You're finally awake," Ray said with a little sigh he just couldn't hold back. With one final head rub, Ray removed his hand from her head. He leaned over Emma, staring into her eyes as she stared into his.

"You've been asleep for a whole day, idiot," Ray told her in a soft voice. "You fainted yesterday. It's already the night of the next day and you've only now woken up."

Emma didn't say anything. She just continued to look into his eyes. Despite having woken up so late, Ray was much calmer than she was expecting. She was expecting him to be screaming at her, scolding her for putting herself in danger at such an age and for the worry to leak out of his voice.