Cinder Falls... For Ruby Rose (ch18)

Early release for all my patrons! Thank you!

To couple with the previous chapter being about Cinder finding out about Ruby's past, this chapter will be Ruby finding out about Cinder's! The idea about Cinder's childhood was proposed by the person supporting this fic s22132, and I absolutely loved their idea for it!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 18. Hope

Naturally, after Ruby had gone out of her way to bring Cinder into her personal life, Cinder couldn't help but consider returning the favor. Though she didn't make any snap decisions on the matter. After all, her childhood hadn't been like most people's, and it was very different from even Ruby's.

As the two of them enjoyed their time together with Yang Neo and Tai on Patch, the thought lingered in the back of Cinder's mind almost constantly. At night, when she curled up in Ruby's bed beside her, after her girlfriend had fallen asleep, Cinder debated with herself for many cumulative hours.

But by the end of their little getaway, she had come to a decision.

She shook Tai's hand with confidence as he saw them off, right before Ruby all but tackled him with a hug. Yang slung an arm around him as well as they promised to come back and visit soon.

From there, the air ship took the four girls to Haven first, where Neo and Cinder took their leave. But not before peppering their girlfriends with sweet goodbye kisses and promises to see them again very soon.

Once they'd stepped off the ship, Ruby and Yang took the flight back to Vale together, and once again made the adjustment of texting them instead.

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It was only a few weeks later when Cinder invited Ruby to come to Haven. But she made it clear it wouldn't just be for another date this time.

And she also made it clear that she was only inviting Ruby. While any of the others were welcome to come visit, she would prefer if they didn't tag along to where Cinder planned to bring her girlfriend.

And though Ruby was ecstatic at the prospect of getting to see Cinder again, as always, the sudden invitation puzzled her a bit too. While she was texting Cinder that evening from the privacy of her bunk bed, she asked why.

//Of course I'll come! But where would we be going that you wouldn't want anyone else...?//

She sent her message and waited, rolling over a few times until her scroll buzzed again. When she read Cinder's reply she could hear it in her voice.

//You brought me to the place where you spent your childhood. Now I would like to return the favor.//

And Ruby understood right away with that explanation. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know much about Cinder's past, other than having the general knowledge that she'd grown up and lived in Haven. But Ruby knew nothing about her parents or whether or not she had any siblings. So she answered in the affirmative without hesitation.

//Really? I'd love that! I'll come to Haven by myself this time. We can finally kinda have a real date since it'll just be the two of us!//

A moment later Cinder's reply came.

//That sounds very nice.//

From there, they simply sent each other their goodnight wishes and went to bed.

But it wasn't long afterward when Ruby found herself packing her bag again, hugging her teammates goodbye for the weekend, and taking a flight back to Haven.

Cinder was waiting for her at the dock, and Ruby darted into her arms, giggling and squealing and feeling as though they'd never parted in the first place.

Cinder brought her back to the room so she could drop off her things and greet the others.

"Now then," she said calmly. "Would you care to rest after your flight?"

"That's okay! I napped a little, so I'm all ready and raring to go!" Ruby made a triumphant fist as she dropped off her luggage next to Cinder's bed. "So where are we gonna go today?"

"That," Cinder smiled. "Is a surprise." She offered her hand invitingly. Ruby scurried over instantly to accept.

The two of them headed out of the school building and continued walking off-campus. Ruby slowly swung Cinder's hand in hers, excitedly taking in the sights of the now somewhat-familiar school grounds. If Beacon Academy was her second home, then Haven Academy was going to become her third with how frequently she visited.

They entertained casual conversations as they strolled along the sidewalks that gradually led them toward town. It was a bustling place with nicely-dressed people and dark-colored buildings.

Cinder didn't take Ruby directly to their destination. She first pulled her aside and guided her into a local cafe. Cinder and her teammates would often come here on their free days, and now she wanted to share it with her girlfriend.

Ruby eagerly purchased a chocolate-chip cookie and some hot cocoa, which she let cool significantly before drinking, so it was essentially chocolate milk. Cinder got herself a cup of tea and a blueberry muffin.

They enjoyed themselves, this being one of their first times together in a while without any of their teammates being in the general vicinity.

For the most part, as per usual, Cinder simply listened in silence as Ruby babbled on about anything and everything, though she did mainly focus on telling Cinder just how much her father had liked her when she'd come to visit.

Cinder had to hide her blush behind her teacup. She wasn't used to hearing praise about herself from someone else's parents. In fact, this was the first time.

Ruby took another bite of her cookie, still grinning.

"Yeah, my dad liked you a lot! He said you were very mature and stuff!"

"That is... very kind of him." Cinder sipped at her tea again.

Ruby finished off her cookie and her cold cocoa with a happy sigh.

"I wonder if your parents would like me."

Cinder tensed up a little at the comment. She looked down at the last bit of her tea and studied it.

"We'll soon find out as much as we can."

"Really?" Ruby piped. "Is that what we're doing today? Visiting your house?"

Cinder finished the last of her tea before finally looking up at her again.

"Something like that. Come now, and I'll show you."

So they threw away their napkins, returned their cups, and then headed back into Haven's streets. Ruby locked her fingers through Cinder's even more tightly, energy wafting off of her with every step.

/I wonder what Cinder's house is like! I can see her living in a mansion, not as big as Weiss' or Blake's house, but still bigger than mine. Does she have any pets? I hope her parents are nice. And what about her siblings? Doe she have any?/

Since Ruby was internally asking herself all of these questions and more, it meant that she wasn't asking them out loud to Cinder.

So their walk was pleasantly quiet for a time as they continued to navigate the streets. Cinder kept her eyes trained ahead, making note of where they were in regards to where they needed to be.

"It isn't much further now," she murmured.

"Okay!"

But Ruby was a little confused. They weren't really nearing any neighborhood-looking areas where there were many houses or apartments. They were still in the city, just a bit of a less noisy area.

Ruby was dying to ask more questions, but she held herself back as Cinder led onward.

After a few more minutes, Ruby felt her girlfriend's grip tighten a little.

At last, Cinder came to a stop.

"Ruby... welcome to where I grew up."

Ruby looked up at the humble little building, guarded by a rock wall and a little gate, which was open for the time being. Overhead was a sign : Hope Orphanage.

Ruby didn't say anything. Her mouth opened slightly but no words came out, and her grip on Cinder's hand subconsciously tightened too.

Cinder stood there beside her in silence, looking up at the old familiar building. As she coaxed Ruby a step closer, she started to explain.

"My village... was attacked by Grimm when I was very young. The damage was so terrible my village was wiped off the map. Of all the carnage, I was the only survivor."

She didn't looked down to Ruby for fear of her own emotions. But she heard the girl gasp and whimper, and Ruby started crying long before Cinder was even at risk.

"Cinder... th-that's... that's so awful, I-I'm... I'm so sorry..." Ruby wrapped her arms around Cinder and hugged her softly, burying her face in her shoulder. "I h-had... no idea..."

"Of course you didn't," she murmured, patting the girl's hair softly. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. But I wanted to finally tell you the truth."

Ruby clung to her for a moment and wept, and her emotions had tears brimming in Cinder's eyes as well.

After a few moments, both girls composed themselves again. As Ruby eased back, Cinder kissed her forehead, then each of her cheeks to dry the tears. The brunette sniffled and looked back up to the building's sign.

"S-So then... you grew up here...?"

"I did. The caregiver here is like a mother to me. She is the one who trained and helped me through my studies so that I could attend Haven Academy to become a huntress. I would like for you to meet her."

Ruby sniffled and wiped her eyes. She realized this would be her equivalent to meeting Cinder's own mother. So she straightened her back and gave a sharp nod.

"Yeah! I'd love to meet her!"

Cinder smiled and kissed her one more time.

"Then let's do so."

She led Ruby through the open gates and up a little pathway surrounded by tiny flowers. In the distance, Ruby could hear children laughing, either inside the building or out in the backyard space or both.

They made their way to the front doors together and paused. Cinder needed a moment to steel herself as well. She hadn't given notice that she'd be coming here today.

She took a deep breath, felt Ruby's hand still firmly in hers, and gave a few knocks.

There were a few shouts from childish voices about someone being at the door before a much calmer voice quelled them. Cinder's heart lifted at the sound. She and Ruby stepped back as the door opened inward.

The woman who answered was tall, dressed mostly in flowing black skirts and shawls in contrast to her pale skin. Her hair was stark white, pulled back into a messy bun, and her eyes were red like fall leaves. Her tone was collected and polite as she looked over her guests.

"Good afternoon, how may I-"

But she paused instantly as her eyes came to rest on Cinder. The woman's expression froze for a second in shock before a warm smile came onto her lips.

"My, my. It's been quite some time, Cinder."

When she opened her arms, Cinder slipped away from Ruby and went to the older woman, who wrapped her in a warm embrace.

Ruby smiled as she observed their little reunion, feeling a swell of joy for them both. She hung back and waited patiently until Cinder had stepped back.

"It's so good to see you again." Cinder turned briefly back to her girlfriend, waving her over. "Ruby, this is Salem. She raised me after my village was destroyed. I owe her everything."

"You owe me nothing, child." Salem patted Cinder's shoulder softly before reaching out a hand to Ruby. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I can't recall the last time Cinder came home to visit with someone other than her teammates."

"N-Nice to meet you too! The name's Ruby! Ruby Rose!"

"Ruby Rose..." Salem smiled kindly. "What a beautiful name."

"Oh, th-thanks..." Blushing, Ruby took a step closer to Cinder as she shuffled her feet.

Salem chuckled and invited them both inside.

Almost instantly, they saw a dozen little faces peer out from behind the doors of the various little rooms. Some of the children were as young as toddlers and some were as old as Ruby herself.

There were several other young adults here who Ruby could assume were workers who helped with all the children.

As the kids all crept out and gathered around, a few who recognized Cinder ran up to her for hugs. And as soon as they all realized they had visitors, the house was filled with curious little voices.

"Who are you?"

"Is that Cinder?"

"Who's that other girl?"

"Are you a huntress too?"

They all swarmed around Ruby and Cinder, asking a million more questions. Even Ruby was a bit taken aback as she tried to answer everyone all at once. Salem had to step in, and with a slow sweep of her arm she coaxed the children back.

"Now children, let our guests get comfortable first. Then I'm sure they'll tell you everything you want to know."

She led Ruby and Cinder to a little kitchen area where some of the kids still trailed behind whispering excitedly. So Ruby politely declined the offer of tea in favor of addressing the curious minds.

"Okay! I'll answer every question that I can, but you gotta raise your hands first! Wow, I sound like Weiss..."

Instantly, a dozen or so children came scampering over and sat down around her like students to a teacher. All of their hands shot up as Ruby called on them one by one.

"Are you a huntress?"

"Yup!"

"Which academy do you go to?"

"Beacon!"

"What's the biggest Grimm you ever fought?"

"Giant Nevermore!"

The children oohed and aahed and asked more and more questions.

Cinder and Salem sat at a table together a little ways off, enjoying some tea and some time together. As Cinder sipped at her cup she smiled.

"The cafes will never make it quite like you do."

"You flatter me," Salem mused. "So tell me how you've been. Anything new since you last visited? I mean other than her of course."

Cinder almost choked on her tea.

"Pardon?"

Salem's smile couldn't possibly go any wider.

"Cinder, please. I wasn't born yesterday. If the fact that you were holding hands at the front door wasn't telling enough, you look at her as though she's ended world hunger."

Cinder said nothing, but she felt the blush flare up in her face. Her eyes naturally strayed back to Ruby throwing out her cape dramatically as she recounted the tale of how she'd defeated the Nevermore. She had the kids in awe and in silence, their eyes wide with wonder. Cinder's heart swelled with pride and with love-

"You're doing it again dear," Salem chuckled.

Cinder quickly looked away, back down at her tea. Salem reached out to put a reassuring hand on hers.

"So tell me how it happened. I want to know everything."

Salem was the only person on Remnant other than Ruby whom Cinder would ever talk to so much. She told her how she'd met Ruby at the Vytal Festival months back, how they'd started seeing each other and how they'd enjoyed a few dates so far.

All the while Salem listened in contented silence, nodding and smiling every now and again until Cinder had finished her story.

At that point Salem stood from her chair, invited Cinder to do the same, and then pulled her into another loving embrace.

"I'm so happy for you, Cinder. It took you some time, but you've finally found what you've been looking for your whole life. And I can tell she'll only continue to surprise and delight you."

Cinder was quiet for a moment, simply tucking herself beneath her foster mother's chin, letting her nostalgic scent wreath around her.

"I know she will, too. It is all thanks to you I was able to attend Haven Academy and meet her. Thank you, Mother."

"You needn't thank me, my dear. I'm very happy for you and very proud, Cinder."

Salem kissed her forehead, then turned back to the children who were gradually inching closer and closer to Ruby in their excitement. She dispersed them to give Ruby a chance to sit and talk at the table.

The three of them stayed there for a few hours, simply talking and sharing news and getting to know one another.

But soon, Salem mentioned dinnertime for the children, so Cinder and Ruby took their leave.

But not without a few last hugs.

Cinder held onto Salem for a long wistful moment at the door before stepping back and taking Ruby's hand once more.

"Thank you, Mother."

"Do come again sometime soon."

"Yes."

"I'll come again too!" With Ruby's declaration there were a few chants from the kids, and she giggled.

Together she and Cinder walked back down the little path and through the gates. Ruby let out a big sigh.

"Wow! That was so much fun! Your mom is so nice!"

"She thought the same about you."

"Really? Phew!"

Cinder paused them for a moment, looking Ruby fondly. Her girlfriend tilted her head.

"What's up?"

Cinder simply smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing at all."

She pulled her in for another kiss. Ruby squeaked happily and kissed back, and Cinder could feel her smile.

When they parted, they headed back out into town, with the Hope Orphanage standing proudly at their backs.

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A/N: I was so happy at the idea of Foster Mom Salem. Writing nice!Cinder and nice!Neo/Em/Merc was fun, but writing nice!Salem was a real treat!

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