Prologue - - - Searching

"Excuse me!"

Cinder turned around at the sound, looking left and right, but didn't see anyone in the frozen wasteland around her. She shrugged it off, shoving her hands deeper in her coat pockets, but just when she was about to continue walking, she felt someone tug on her pants. Looking down, she sees a little girl with brown hair and silver eyes in a red hooded cloak that was much too big for her and was no taller than Cinder's knees. The teen arched an eyebrow questioningly at the little girl, "Yes…?"

"I'm Ruby Sh-Sha-ow W-Wlong." She introduced herself, stuttering over her name "What's your name?"

"… Cinder…" The teen stated cautiously.

She was met with a bright grin from the child. "Can you help me look for heaven?" The little girl asked with a wide smile

The black haired teen couldn't help but let her eyebrows shoot up in question. She looked around, hoping someone would come by and save her from communicating with this child. As expected, no one came. She sighed as she looked back at the red hooded girl warily, "You mean Haven Academy? If so, you have a long way to go kid."

The little girl huffed, "No! I mean Heaven!" She proclaimed with a stomp on the snow and a hand pointing to the sky.

Cinder stared at the child and slowly glanced up at the sky, and brought her gaze back down. "… Why?"

Ruby beamed, "To be with my Mommy! Uncle, Papa, and my sister Yang told me that my mommy died and went to heaven, but I miss her so I'm gonna go there so I can be with her!"

The amber-eyed girl couldn't help it, so she let out a loud laugh.

The black haired child pouted, "What's so funny!?" she demanded

"Little red," the teen chuckled "Heaven doesn't exist."

The child gasped, "You take that back! Heaven does exist! It does!"

Cinder furrowed her eyebrows, "No… It doesn't."

"Does so!"

"Does not!"

"Does so!"

"Does not!"

"Does so!" Ruby proclaimed with another stomp of her foot.

"Does not!" Cinder shouted, having enough of this childish foolishness. "Your dad, uncle, and sister lied to you! There is no heaven! Your mom didn't go anywhere, she died, which means she's gone forever! So she's never coming back, ever!"

The child had tears in her eyes from being yelled at, but refused to back down. "You're the one who's lying! Heaven does exist! Everyone goes there! Papa said so! He said everyone who is loved goes there after they die! And I love my mommy! So she HAS to be there!"

The little girl's statement struck something in the teen, causing her eyes to well up as tears threatened to fall.

Ruby looked confused and forgot about her initial anger, now worried about the older girl. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you so sad?"

"I'm not sad!"

"Yes you are! But that's okay, because I'm sad too!"

"…Why are you sad?"

"Because you're sad!"

And that did it. Cinder couldn't help but to fall to her knees and let out a heart-wrenching sob. It only got worse when the little girl merely climbed into her lap, hugged her, and cried with her.

After several minutes of crying, the teen began to calm down and let out a watery chuckle. "You don't even know why I'm crying."

"I'm crying because you're sad!" The child stated, punctuating it with a loud sniffle.

Cinder couldn't help but let out a laugh. The girl was so simple, so straightforward, and so empathetic… "Do you want to know why I'm sad Ruby?"

Ruby nodded

"I'm sad because… If heaven exists, then I won't go there." The teenager said with a sad smile.

The little girl tilted her head, "But why?"

"Because…" Cinder sighed, "Because I've done some bad things, bad things that cause trouble and hurt people. And because no one loves me."

Ruby stared at the older girl for a while until finally… She let out a wail.

Startled and worried that something was wrong with the little girl; Cinder took a gentle hold on the child's tiny shoulders. "Ruby? What's wrong?"

"It's just so sad! Everyone needs love! Everyone!" The little girl cried.

Cinder just gave a small sad smile, "It's okay Ruby… I'm use to it."

"No!" the little girl shouted, startling the older girl once more.

"No?" Cinder asked confused

"If no one loves you, then I will!" Ruby shouted with determination, leaning forward so quickly she knocked the teen back into the snow and gave her the hardest hug that her small arms could give.

Cinder was so shocked and touched, she couldn't help but let the tears fall once more and wrap her arms around this tiny child.

"Do you mean it?" She asked in a voice that could barely be considered a whisper

She couldn't see it, but with Ruby's head in the crook of her neck, she felt the child nod. "Yeah, I love you s-Sinder!"

The teen couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh, a result of attempting to hold back another sob and the child attempting to pronounce her name. Being loved was all Cinder ever wanted and asked for, and here a little girl with a heart much too big was, handing it to her so easily.

The feelings of happiness overwhelmed her and made her feel so warm and giddy. There was no way she would be able to comprehend this. And now that she felt it and was being given it, she refused to let it go.

Getting up, she helped the little girl to her feet, "Ruby, I'll help you look for heaven, but you have to stay with me okay? Promise me you'll stay with me?"

The small child stared up at into Cinder's eyes, noting the odd tone of her voice and amber eyes that were much too dim for their color, but nodded her head eagerly and took the teen's hand, her little fingers being tightly wrapped around by the other's larger, but slender fingers.

"I promise" Ruby said as they walked away, her red cloak dragging behind her... Erasing her footprints in the snow.

AN: A little short, but the following chapters will be longer. For those curious about Ruby's and Cinder's age. Ruby is 4-5 and Cinder is 13-14.

Loosely inspired by kinzaibatsu91's AU of Mama!Cinder