Confabulation. (A Skip Beat! Fanfic)

Happy Together.

Thanks always to my wonderful Beta reader @rsrdiall

It was the sixth day since she had lost him. For six .hard days her heart had been threatening to fall apart. The Fuwas had been happy to see Kyoko in their own way, but as soon as she had introduced Rosa as her daughter and asked them to respect her privacy when they asked her who the father was they seemed less happy somehow. Still though the they had given her a place to stay, even insisting on her taking her old room. Kyoko was surprised to find they had not touched it since she had left. The Fuwas could see Kyoko was not the girl who had left them all those years ago. Nor was she the woman they had seen so many times on the TV. Kyoko was hurting, they could see it in her eyes and in her fake smile that she seemed to paste onto her face as soon as she realised anyone was present. But there were times when the Okami or Taisho would catch her unaware. In those moments the pure torment and desolate look in her eyes made the couple think she had lived through something terrible and they worried their son was to blame.

Kyoko held the basket in one hand and Rosa in her other arm as she strode off towards the familiar path she had walked so many times as a child. It had taken her the 5 days since being here for Kyoko to work up the strength to walk this path. At the moment Kyoko's strength was in her arms. Rosa's hand was playing gently with her hair as she silently watched the world around her. Kyoko strode forwards towards the one place where as a child she had been able to forget about all her worries and troubles. The one place she had felt truly free and happy for that short amount of time... that very short amount of time when Ku..he had been there.

NO! Kyoko scolded herself in her head as she pushed away any thoughts of him. Don't think about it, I have Rosa. I am strong for Rosa. Kyoko knew without a doubt without Rosa she would have given in by now, she would have cried. She would have broken down, but with Rosa she couldn't. With Rosa she had to smile, she had to hold in all the tears and be strong for her daughter. He had told her she wasn't her mother, she wasn't like her and even though she could not think of him, it was his words that held her together.

It wasn't a long walk, but with the basket and Rosa, by the time Kyoko stepped into that clearing next to the stream Kyoko had worked up quite a sweat. The sun hit her eyes as she stepped from beneath the trees, blinding her slightly as she took in the familiar scene. The scene she had seen in her mind, memories and dreams for so many years. Kyoko gasped as in her blinded state she saw something move near the stream. For a moment Kyoko's heart stopped as she remembered the person she had met here all those years ago. It took a few moments for Kyoko's eyes to adjust to the light difference, but when she did her face showed her complete, empty loneliness that had already consumed her body and heart as she stepped forwards and the Red-crowned crane took flight. In a flurry of white and black wings, the 'Fairy Crane' took flight.

Before the sight of the crane would have caused Kyoko to smile, but now it just didn't seem to have the same effect on her as it once would have.

"Look at the pretty birdie, Rosa." she murmured simply for the fact Rosa had turned at the sudden sound and movement. Following the bird as it took flight to whereever it had been heading. Kyoko found a small grassy patch and sitting Rosa down, laid out the blanket she had brought with them before she settled them both down on top. Rosa lay beside her mother playing with a few small toys Kyoko had brought with them.

"You know Rosa this is a very special place." Kyoko didn't know why she had said it, but as she sat there she felt the need to let feelings show, if only for a little while.

"Me and your daddy met here for the first time you know." and there and then Kyoko spilt her heart to the 7 month old child that was now the centre of her life, the one thing that was holding her together.