Yay! I've actually updated! I'm really really really sorry for the wait. I wanna get the story moving, so lets get those reviews answered!

Naomi: I totally forgive you for not reviewing chapter 5. I hope you like this chapter though!

The Hitokiri Battousai: Glad you like it.

Okay, we've gotten that out of the way, its time to WRITE!

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American Orphan: Who is Koji Really?

Chapter 7

Reclaimed Past

Several hours later the poison began to wear off. Slowly, Koji began to regain conciseness.

*My head hurts* she thought.

She didn't open her eyes immediately. Instead, she tried to remember just exactly what happened before she passed out. She was inside and she could have sworn she saw a strange shadow by the window. Kaoru had come inside to say hello, just as she felt a prick on her arm and she began to have trouble breathing and felt sick. Seconds later she passed out.. Could the shadow she saw have anything to do with it?

*Maybe I'm not paranoid... Maybe...*

Koji opened her eyes and saw that it was dark outside. *How long was I out?* she asked herself. She closed her eyes again, feeling weary. Suddenly, she remembered. Everything came back to her in a hard-hitting blast. Despite her tiredness, she sat up quickly and placed her head in her hands. "Oh my God," she whispered. Pain welled up in her heart and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Just then, the door slid open, but Koji didn't give any notice. Kenshin and Kaoru walked in. In an instant, Kaoru was at Koji's side asking, "Are you alright, Koji? What's wrong?" Koji jerked her head up and stared at the two for a few minutes, then looked away. "I don't want to talk about it right now," she said through her tears. "I just want to be alone. Please."

"But-" Kaoru protested. Kenshin put his hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "We should leave her alone for a while, that we should."

Kaoru stood up, and she and Kenshin left and closed the door behind them. The moment they were gone Koji lost control of her emotions and began crying loudly.

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"Do you think it's a good idea to leave her alone like that?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin sighed. "Koji has been going through some rough times, and this must be very distressing for her. I think some time on her own would be good for her, that it would." Kaoru's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Kenshin?" she asked. Kenshin shook his head. "I'm not sure myself, only that her life may be in danger, and the lives of others as well."

Kaoru couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What is going on here, Kenshin?" Kenshin looked at her, his face a little bit more serious than it usually is. "I'll explain later, Kaoru. Right now, it's best if we all went and got some sleep, that we should."

Kenshin turned and left, but Kaoru stayed. She stood, staring at the door. She could hear Koji crying. She could almost feel the pain and despair Koji must have been feeling.

*What happened to you?* Kaoru thought. *What could of happened to make you cry like this?*

She stood there for a few more minutes, then finally turned and left.

~~~~

As the sun rose the next day, the morning showed no sign of the distressing event that took place the day before. There were few clouds, and the day wasn't to hot. The birds were singing their own songs, as if to harmonize with the cheerful day. But the faces of everyone at Kamyia Dojo did not reflect the day at all.

To Kaoru's disappointment, Kenshin still refused to tell her what was going on.

When Megumi got word of what happened to Koji, she rushed right over, and got Sanosuke to accompany her. Everyone at the dojo was worried about Koji, but no one wanted to disturb her sleep.

Instead, Kaoru thought that now would be a good time to clean up the dojo, and got everyone to pitch in, even Sanosuke. Little Kenji helped Yahiko mop the floors, and using his height and strength, Sano did a few repairs that were needed around the dojo.

Kaoru didn't tell Sano about what had happened to Koji and why they were all so worried. Deep down she knew that she was only trying to keep her mind of anything but Koji. But there was still that nagging feeling that wouldn't leave her alone. Worry was stretched across everyone's faces. Except Kenji though. He was the only one who wasn't worried out of his skin. But he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

A couple of hours later, they all braked for a quick rest. But, unlike she hoped, Kenshin still didn't tell Kaoru anything about Koji. What was going on?

The plop plop of bare feet and the rustle of a plain kimono could be heard through the dojo. Moments later, a very tired looking Koji appeared to the Kenshin-Gumi. Her tears had smeared on her face and there were shadows under her eyes. She had obviously been through a rough night.

"Dang, Koji," Sano said out of the blue. "What happened to ya, kid? Ya get nightmares or sumthin' last night?"

The moment he said he, he regretted it. Koji's bottom lip started to shake, and her eyes started to become glassy with tears. "Uh, forget I said anything, kid," he said, embarrassed. He stood up and walked away. He could be heard mumbling, "I'll go over here, where no one can hear me. Damn my big mouth."

"Kenshin? Kaoru?" Koji's voice was soft, and sounded weak. "Can I talk with you guys? Alone?"

"Of course, Koji," Kaoru replied. She and Kenshin stood up and followed Koji to her room. Once they were out of earshot, Yahiko said, "What about me?" Which was followed by a bash on the head, via Sanoske's fist.

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Once they were in Koji's room, Kaoru slid the door shut and waited near the back of the room.

"Tell me, Koji," Kenshin said gently, "what's wrong?"

Koji closed her eyes and several tears slid down her cheeks. It was hard to find the words to tell them.

"Was it another dream?" Kenshin asked. Koji shook her head. "Not exactly," she said. Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible. "Tell us, Koji," Kenshin pressed. "What's wrong?"

"I... I..." she began. "Well?" inquired Kaoru.

"I remember."

She opened her eyes to the two people who became her family for the last six years, who both now stood in shock. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. "I've finally remembered," she said. "Remembered what," asked Kaoru.

"I remember the time before I lived here. When I lived in America." She closed her eyes as the memory swept over her.

"I know it isn't much," said the girl's mother, "but our income has been slow and we may not be able to enjoy a filling meal for a while." She was cooking a single small fish over a tiny stove. There was a hint of worry in her voice. The girl's father who was standing in a corner laughed softly and said, "To me, it doesn't matter. I don't care if I have an empty stomach, as long as my family fills my heart and soul." Everyone, the father, the mother, and their daughter laughed in the comfort of their home and in the company of each other.

"Now that I've remembered," Koji said through tears, "I'll never forget that night, back home in America. I'll never forget..." She sniffed. "Time didn't exist for us. We just lived our lives as every day came to us. But our peace, our happiness, was shattered. If it wasn't for those men..." Her voice trailed off.

As the family sat down for dinner, the windows shattered. Soon after, men clad in dark clothing began ransacking the house. The father instinctively stood up and shielded his wife and daughter. The mother was in such a fright that she couldn't move or make a sound. The young girl, however, was crying loudly. The family watched in horror as their already broken-down house was damaged and destroyed. Even though the girl wasn't anywhere near the strange men, she felt as though they were tearing her heart.

"Can you tell me what they did?" Kenshin asked gently. Kaoru held her breath, but it wasn't in fear or anticipation. She could see Koji's memory as she told it! She looked at Kenshin and caught his eye. It didn't look as though he could see Koji's memory.

"I can't describe the horror that happened that night in words alone," Koji said. "If you wanted to know what it was like, you would have to climb into my heart and experience what I felt that night. It was pure terror and fear. And those men, they were feeding off it." Kaoru gave out a sob. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. This was what had been plaguing Koji. This was what was terrorizing her dreams.

The crooks continued to destroy the family's beloved home, until the father could bear it no longer. "STOP!!"  he shouted in a voice that his daughter had never heard before. At the sound of his voice, every man stopped and looked at him under masks that hid their faces. "Stop this," the father commanded. "Why are you doing this? Why don't you just leave us alone? Please, leave us be and go." His wife snapped out of her trance and tried to stop him. "They'll kill you," she said through tears. "If you try and stop them, they'll kill you!"

"I never thought I'd live to see the next day. What I got was worse." Tears kept falling down in a steady stream on Koji's cheeks. "Life is such a precious thing. Why take it away?"

The leader of the crooks stepped forward and addressed the father. "You can try and stop us, or you can just sit and watch, its up to you. But no matter what you choose, all of you will still die." Just as he finished speaking, a man from seemingly nowhere came up and grabbed the daughter. She began to shout, even as her captor pulled a dagger and held it at her throat. "I'll make you a deal," the leader said.  "If you let us take your darling little girl, and we won't kill you. What do you say?"  The father clenched his fists in anger. "What do you want?!" he shouted, unbelieving. "You'll never take her!" The leader shrugged, and charged forward. He took out his own dagger and thrust it into the chest of the girl's heroic father. His blood splattered over the floor. His killer only laughed. With the last of his life and strength, the father threw a punch to his killer, but it was like a pinch to him.

"I saw my father die trying to protect me," Koji said through her tears. "What I hated most was the fact that I didn't know why he had to die." Kaoru continued to see Koji's memory as if it were her own. "What worse, I still don't know!!" Kaoru didn't know how much more she could take. Why was she seeing these things? Why?

The daughter screamed even louder, and her mother couldn't take it anymore. In an unexpected burst of rage and strength, she somehow managed to rescue her daughter and escape outside on the street. They ran as fast as they could, but they were perused by the man who killed her father. "Keep running," her mother said. "Just keep running!" They ran for a minute or two more before they ran into a stranger. Their pursuer was getting closer and closer. Her mother said to the stranger, "Please take care of her. Her father is dead, and they want to kill her as well. Please- -!" But her words were cut short. The man that killed the girl's father plunged a knife in the mother's back in front of the girl's terrified eyes! She felt a blow on her head, and all was dark.

"For all I know," Koji said, "my parents are dead and those men that were after me before must be after me again."

"STOP!!" Kaoru's cry had startled both Kenshin and Koji. They looked at Kaoru. She was on her knees with her head in her hands. "Stop," she said again. "Please, no more. I can't take it anymore."

"What do you mean, Kaoru?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru stood up. "I saw everything, Koji." Koji gasped. "You mean, you saw... my memory?" Kaoru nodded. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kaoru," Koji said franticly. "I didn't mean for you to- -"

"Its okay, Koji," Kaoru said gently. She rushed over to Koji and held her in a tight embrace. "But it's okay now, Koji. Your friends are here for you every step of the way. It's going to be okay, Koji."

"Um, Mrs. Kaoru?" Koji said sheepishly. "My name's not Koji."

Shocked, Kaoru pulled back and stared at Koji in disbelief.

"My name is Leigh Carver."

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Long chapter this time around. I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while. I just now have finally gotten to it. I hope you like it, and if you do, review please!