It was in a split second that my life came crashing down, or well crashing in. On the eve of my seventh birthday, I was running away from some men who had tried to kidnap me from my home. I ran as fast as I could go all the way to a busy street intersection to escape them by crossing the road and changing directions, but it wasn't far enough. Instead of grabbing me like they planned, I pushed out on to the road. Luckily for me, the car that hit me was slowing down and coming to a stop for the light had just changed to red. The timing may have been right, but the car still hit me with enough force that I was flung backwards through the air in an arc. The impact with the concrete was hard and as soon as I landed I lost consciousness.
I awoke in a hospital room. I laid still, unsure of where I was. I peered around the room, struggling to think and come to a conclusion, when I realized that I didn't even know who I was. What was my name? I thought over and over again. I didn't know. Why didn't I know? Freeing myself from the questions I couldn't answer, I finally felt the pain of the accident. Every muscle in my body was aching, every bone in my body felt broken, and every thought hurt to think. The silent tears formed in my eyes and fell in slow cascading streams that stung my eyes and burned my cheeks.
How long had I cried before a nurse came in to check on me I didn't know. She comforted me and told me that I had been in a car accident. Her sweet words didn't help me much and I felt the tears threatening to resurface. She asked what my name was and I couldn't even tell her that much. I was hopeless. She said not to worry because a man had come up claiming to be my father. In my state, I wouldn't even have recognized myself. So how would I recognize someone else?
After a few weeks of recovering in the hospital, I was finally allowed to be released. The man claiming to be my father visited nearly every day and I slowly began to lose my wariness about him. Something about him seemed off, despite all the kind things he had been doing for me. I was given a plain sea green sundress to change into before my release. While trying to change into it, I was having so much trouble figuring out how to put it on that I had to ask for help from the nice nurse that had been treating me. She helped me change and get ready to leave. Bending down to my level, the loving nurse pulled out a small stuffed animal. It was a round puff of a pink bunny with a particular smile. Hanging around its neck was a ring. The ring was small enough to fit on my finger and I realized that it was mine own from before the accident. When I asked if it was mine, the nurse nodded and handed me the stuffed animal. A huge smile grew on face when I took the bunny in my arms; for the first time I had remembered something from before the accident. I took her hand in mine and together we walked outside of the hospital. We said our goodbyes and I climbed into my father's rather large car. I waved back at the nurse for as long as I could until she disappeared from my view.
It was soon in time that I came to find that the kind man who visited me in the hospital was not the same man who I now lived with. He was cruel and oppressive and forced upon me things I didn't want. From the day that I got there, I was beaten and forced to work as slave. Seven years later on the cusp of my fourteenth birthday, I heard the man talking about what he planned to do with me. I heard the words I was so afraid of so I ran. I took buses and trains trying to get away from him. I was so worn and exhausted I collapsed in a neighborhood park one day. There I was found by a girl who was a little older than me. She didn't ask who I was or what happened, she took to me in and cared for me. She helped stop running for the terrors I thought were always chasing me.
In their compassion, the girl and her father made the choice to adopt me. It wasn't long before I had come full circle with the Fujioka family and for the first time in forever, I was happy again. Haruhi and her father gave me hope and a home and I am forever thankful for that. I would no longer be Kenji the girl who always runs away from her problems. I would become Kenji Fujioka, the girl who has a family that cares for her and a place to live in.
Soon, it came time for Haruhi and me to move on into high school. Together Haruhi and I decided we wanted to apply for Ouran Academy, the school for the rich and the elite. Haruhi tried out for the academic scholarship and I went for the talent scholarship. To our surprise we both got in. We couldn't afford the uniforms, which were a costly 30,000-yen. I didn't care that we stuck out from the crowds of students at Ouran. I was happy as I could be. That is until I met the Host Club and my life changed forever.