To Have You Back | Ray × Emma [The Promised Neverland] Fanfic

Chapter 1: Strangers

It's been 2 years since the day he stepped into this world of humans for the first time, and also the day when she disappeared without any warning or a word of goodbye. Never did he imagine he'd feel such a suffocating yearning for her, despite the fact that he knew she was alive somewhere out there.

She just had to be, because that's how they carefully worded the promise. Maybe that's precisely why he was longing to have her back. And so, he searched for her relentlessly.

A month had passed since the day when that desperate prayer was answered, and he stumbled upon his dear lost friend once more.

Unfortunately, the price she paid to fulfill her wish was more than just being separated from her family. It hurt him to think that she took the burden all on herself as she went so far as to sacrifice her precious memories in order to protect them. But that's exactly the type of person she was, always thinking of other's happiness before her own.

Thus, he decided to do just that. Be happy. Happy to have escaped to the human world unscathed. Happy to find her alive in this world. Happy to see she's all well and healthy. Happy to live together with her along with their big family again. Happy to have her back. There's nothing more he could ask for, reuniting was already a dream come true.

Or so Ray thought...

Leaning his chin on his hand, Ray watched Emma interact with their classmates, fitting in perfectly despite being the last among all the escapees to join a regular school. Her new peers also warmly welcomed her, not surprising at all considering her vivacious personality and growing up with so many children to boot. The sight should honestly be a relief to any of her old friends.

In spite of it, something else was prickling Ray's mind. He expected Emma to take her time familiarizing herself with the family all over again. Naturally, she'd be uncomfortable and distant at first. He didn't think everything would be the exact same either. But what he didn't know was that he wouldn't be getting his best friend back.

Suddenly moving in to the gigantic house provided by the Ratri household to live with more or less hundred people who are essentially strangers would be an overwhelming experience for anybody. Emma had been showing apprehensiveness that she never had before, and no one could blame her for that. Despite everything, all her siblings managed to make her open up to them bit by bit. The little ones especially made a huge progress with reestablishing their old kinship.

All they needed to know was that she's their Emma. Phil would happily come to chat with her. Thoma and Lannion would perform their mischievous antics on her in an effort to make her smile. She may not remember her own dauntless efforts, but Chris made sure to thank her for looking after him during his coma. Alicia, Jemima, Sherry, Dominic and the others would pull her by the hand to join them playing tags.

Then there were the girls. Emma is a teenager now going through puberty, of course she'd need close female friends to confide in her day to day troubles. Gilda, Anna, Gillian and Violet all made her feel at ease with congenial approach. Even Don, Oliver, Hayato, Nigel, Zack and the other boys were slowly becoming her buddies like before. Norman's bond with her may haven't been as close as it was in the past, but their gap was shrinking all the same.

Everything could be right with the world. Could be, because one look at Ray's situation would throw the feeling out of the window.

It all started with that one incident.

Emma lost her appetite amidst all the confusion and anxiousness she was feeling. She'd skip meals pretty often when she first came. Besides, it'd also allow her to evade having to interact with so many unfamiliar people at once. Just keeping up with them would be a tough grind for her, and more than anything, she felt like an intruder in their lively gathering.