A/N: Okay I know Sora probably wouldn't 'hit the bottle' so to speak, but this my fic! So deal with it! And this fic is going to be a AU.

Chapter one: The Smell of the Ocean, And The Accident…Or so it seems?

"Sora! Sora! Big brother Sora!" Sora turned to his little bright eyed sister, "What!" he asked irritated. "Come play with me! Riku got me a new doll! Come play, come play!" She said while grasping his hand and attempting to drag the annoyed boy to their home.

He snatched his hand away, "No way! Why in the seven hells would I want to play with you!" She cocked her head to the side, unfazed. "Why wouldn't you?" "Because stupid," he said with malice. "You're just some stupid little girl, that I have to deal with cause My parents died." She looked at him confused, "Why did you say 'my' instead of 'our' parents?"

He glared at her heatedly, All his pent up feelings from the past week...The week Sora and his sister's parents died, came rushing from his lips before he could stop them "Because they're my parents not yours! They found you in a basket, you're just a freak that my parents took in, cause they felt sorry for you!" . " What do you mean…?" she asked softly. "You know exactly what I mean! That's why you don't look like me, or sound like me or anything!" Now she was confused, "But our eyes…" Her vision started to blur.

"No my eyes, you're just some freak who copied my look." He said, malice, dripping from his voice. (A/N: Okay I now it sounds lame, but ya have to remember, he's like 7 in this chapter, so go along with it.) He then shoved the small girl backwards. But what he didn't realize, until it was too late, was that the girl was in front of a long flight of stairs.

She let out a shriek of terror as she flew down the stairs. She fell head over heels, until she landed in an odd position at the foot of the stairs. She was bleeding profusely. Once he saw what he had done he ran away, and hid. A boy with silver hair and sea foam eyes ran to the stunned girl's side.

He was afraid to move her for fear of worsening her injuries. "Mina? Mina, hey look at me..." The stunned, bleeding girl looked into the silver haired boy's eyes, "Riku?..." He nodded, "Yeah, yeah that's right, Mina what happened?" Her striking blue eyes started to water. "H-He…I-I…S-" She stuttered. "He? He who?" She shook her head, and cried into the boy's chest.

She sat bolt right up in her bed. Cold sweat seeping out of her pours, and cascading down her body. She took deep ragged breaths as she got up out of her bed, and walked to the window. It opened with out a sound, and the breeze that followed through was a comfort, in her distress.

A sigh escaped her lips as she thought, 'I'm so glad Riku didn't find out what happened that day, if he had…' Her thoughts trailed off as she imagined what Riku might have done to her brother. Another sigh passed her lips at the recollection of that memory. 'It's been seven years since then.'

She took another deep breath, 'It smells like the ocean.' She laughed at herself, well of course it did she lived on the beach. The sun was beginning to rise, 'Riku will be here shortly.' She thought absent mindedly.

He rose just as the sun did. He changed his clothing, and ran out into the dawn to greet Mina at her window. He ran down the sandy shores till he got to her home, where he saw her figure on the window sill, staring out on to the rising sun. He snuck below her, waiting for the precise moment. He was about to spring when, "Riku, don't even try I already know your there."

He stood up slowly scratching the back of his head, "Heh…You always know when I'm there don't you Mina?" She nodded, with a small smile. He always could make her smile. "Go get dressed, we have something important to talk about." He ordered. She moaned but complied.

She came out wearing her usual attire, a knee length dark blue sun dress, with the same colored sandals. "I'm ready." She said quietly. Riku smiled, took her hand, and drug her to the shore. He bade her to sit, and she did. "Riku?" she questioned quietly. When he didn't answer she let out a sigh, and leaned against his leg.

He awoke from his trance like state as he felt her body pressed against his leg. He looked down at her and smiled slightly. As he looked back out at the sun rise, his hand made its way to the top of her head. She in turn looked up, and took his hand entwining her fingers with his.

"And here you said we had something to talk about Riku, you liar." She said playfully, as he plopped ungracefully on to the ground next to her. "We do." Was his reply. She smiled, and put her head on his shoulder. Her arm was making its way to his shoulder but he stopped, and examined it.

She looked up. He looked in her eyes; "You have another bruise," She looked down, "I'm listening." She tried changing the subject. "And another cut…" she took her arm back, "I'm listening" Was her reply. He decided to let it slip this one time, and took a deep breath, "Tomorrow's your birthday isn't it?" He said nonchalantly she in turn nodded. He smirked, "Well We'll just have to celebrate won't we?" She shook her head, and stood up.

"No we won't. I hate the day of my birth, and wish not to celebrate it." He frowned slightly, "Two things; one that was a rhetorical question, and two; why not!" she looked out at the sunrise, "Because-well because….Because I just don't want to ok!" He let out a sigh of frustration, and stood up next to her.

"Okay, okay we won't celebrate, Jeez…" he said while walking to the island with the papou tree, arms behind his head. She followed him, and attempted to pull herself up on to the papou tree, but failed. Riku just shook his head, and lifted her up on to the tree. "Oh!" she smiled, "Thank you Riku."

He shook his head again, and looked back out to the horizon. She could be so care free some times. He sighed heavily, as he leaned against the tree next to Mina. She looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong Riku?" He looked at her, but then looked away giving no acknowledgement of the asked question.

Crestfallen, she lowered her eyes, on to her hand. Was he still mad at her? 'I know he saw the scars, and the more recent markings, cuts, bruises ect. But he just walked away before, he didn't give me any recognition that he was angry or…or anything'. "Riku are you-" "Something's gunna happen tonight."

He cut her off. She raised her eyes, and gave him a hurt yet questioning look. "What I mean is-" He didn't finish, as Mina screamed out in pain. The cause of this scream was her brother, pulling her down off the tree by her hair.

"Mina! What the hell did I tell you!" Tears were welling in her eyes, "Brother…Sora, please let go you're hurting me!" Riku was up in an instant, "Sora What the hell!" He questioned his best friend. "It's none your biznuss Riku! She'z My sisther, so Back ofth!"

'Oh no...' Riku thought, 'he's been hittin' the bottle again. I have to stop him before he really hurts her this time!' You see, four years after sora's parents death he had had to take care of Mina as well as himself, and so when he had free time he drank. And unfrotunately for Mina, he was a mean drunk. "Sora!" Riku said blocking his childhood friend's path, "Sora, Let her go…" Sora shook his head, "No! She's an ungrathful brath…I hate her….I'm gunna-"

"SORA!" Riku cut him off. "I've had enough of this! Let her go, or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp! SORA!" He yelled again as he tugged on her hair, resulting in another sob of pain. "Let her go she's your sister, you're just too drunk off your ass to see that. You wouldn't hurt her otherwi-"

"Yes I would!" Sora interrupted Riku, "I would hurt her…It's-It's her fault my mother died! It's her fault I don't have any parents…" Riku glared at Sora and said, "No Sora, It's not. It's not her fault, she didn't kill them, and you know it." Sora let out an angry growl, "No!" He then looked down at his adopted sibling.

"It is your fault, it is! And now I'm gunna make you pay." He glanced out at the water, then back at her, "Ha, goodbye little sister." She screamed as she felt her feet leave the dock. Her adrenaline kicked in as she remembered what was underneath the dock, her worst fear; Water.

Riku was enraged. "Sora you bastard!" Riku punched him in the jaw. He fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Riku kicked his shoes off, and dove in to the water.

She never learned to swim, she was always to afraid to. She was going to drown. 'I'm going to die down here' she thought sadly. 'But…At least he knows…at least he knows how I feel about him.' She heard a distant crash above her, but paid it no mind. She couldn't breathe. She felt an arm encircle her waist, as she lost consciousness.

Riku swam, and swam, until he finally broke the surface. He gasped, trying to get air while swimming to shore. He felt his feet touch sand, and dragged the unconscious girl on to dry land. He put his ear next to her mouth. She wasn't breathing! He immediately started chest compressions, and mouth to mouth resuscitation. She awoke coughing and sputtering water. "Mina…" she looked up at him, and started crying. He held her to his chest, as she sobbed.

Mina's eyes opened with a start. 'Where…Am I? What…Oh' she sat up and sighed as she remembered the events of earlier that day. 'He tried to drown me.' It was dark, and there was a storm. Where was Riku? She got up out of the bed she was in. 'How did I get here? Hm…I guess I must have passed out.' She walked to the window, but before she could pull back the drapes, a cold horrible feeling hit her, hard.

'Riku!' The door slammed shut behind her, as she ran to the island. She could see him. He was standing almost exactly where he had that morning. "RIKU!" She called his name as loud as she could, but it was obvious that he couldn't hear, the storm was too loud.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She stopped abruptly as horrible black, bug looking shadows rose from the ground. She held in a shriek, there were at least six of them! Her tiny frame began to tremble. She took a few steps back, and then ran straight at them.

The creatures were slightly startled, but regained their composure, as she came at them. But she never collided with the strange creatures. Instead she soared over them. She landed, and ran towards Riku. 'Good thing Riku taught me how to hurtle.' She stopped again but this time it was because her brother was standing right in front of her. "Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. Theres no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We cant let- " Riku abruptly stopped conversing with Sora, and looked at Mina.

He looked different, she noticed. Like he was in a daze. Riku gave her a small smile, and reached his hand out to her. "Come with me." She didn't need to be told twice. She ran forward – while shoving her brother out of her way- right into Riku's awaiting arms. She buried her head into his chest, as he put one of his arms around her waist. "Sora…" she raised her head at her brother's name. Riku's other hand was out stretched towards Sora.

"Come with us Sora, I'm willing to forgive you for hurting Mina and-" Sora cut him off, "No way! Why would I want to go with her! She's ruined my life!" Riku withdrew his hand, and put it back around Mina's waist. He lowered his mouth to Mina's ear. "Mina, I don't want you to fear the darkness," She nodded. "Because if you do…" She saw that they were sinking in to a black hole in the ground. "The darkness will take you from me." She held on tighter. 'I'm not afraid, the darkness has been my refuge from my brother, it has been my home, so I'm not afraid of it. But what I am afraid of… is losing you Riku…I can't lose you.'

She held on to him as tight as she could, she wouldn't let go. But she could feel his grip loosen. She opened her eyes, and saw that Riku was dissolving. "Riku!" Her voice echoed across the darkness. He was disappearing! She was terrified, Riku was almost gone. "Riku! Riku please don't leave me!" Mina's hands went through air as Riku had completely vanished. She sobbed, "Riku…You promised, you promised…" Her body went limp, as conciseness left her.