Authors notes: Three part wish fic, explaining different stages of promises. The pairing is SORKAIRIKU. Meaning this story contains a three-person relationship that I'm becoming rather fond of. Kairi as a character had brought me through many phases, i'm glad I can accept her again =]

Mini-SorkaiRiku is a few years before game, Mid-SorKaiRiku is slipped into the first game, and now-SorKaiRiku is a few years after the 2nd game =]

Disclaimer: Riku owns Sora owns Kairi owns Destiny Islands. All characters, places and names belong to Squeenix + Disney, iz only playing for a little while 3

Summary: mini-, mid-, and now- SorKaiRiku. It had taken a little more then usual, cost a lot more then most, and they knew above anything, that the prize was worth so much more then anything.

Wishes and Fishes - I

When Riku was eight, Sora was seven and Kairi was a few days away from being seven herself, their parents took them on a picnic to the gardens on the mainland.

It was a bright day, the first week of school holidays, and the three children were vibrant noises in the forefront, while there parents strolled along behind them.

The flowers and waterfalls and stone statues were pretty and all, but the park benches were more fun to leap from. The piles of neatly raked leaves more fun to cannonball, and the tree's more fun to climb.

Kairi would roll in the leaves and grass, tackling Riku from his taller pile and tickle Sora silly, then when they retaliated she'd run ahead, sticking out her tongue and telling them not to touch 'a Lady'.

Sora would charge anyway, without a moments pause, pushing her facefirst into the autumn mess of crinkling folaige.

Riku would hesistate, older and wiser (and with a mother that made sure her son knew how to treat a lady) but when Sora would laugh breathlessly as he was again tickled without mercy, he'd laugh too, and come to save the boy.

They had so much fun on the park benches, by the time their parents finally reigned them in to come and eat lunch, they fell together on the picnic blanket - competely worn out.

They ate and listened to their parent's talking, but the words were boring, even when Riku started explaining what the harder words meant.

Kairi rolled her eyes when they started going on about work stuff, and Sora tried to start a foodfight merely out of boredom, but stopped abruptly, before his beloved butterscotch pudding could be taken away.

They ate until they couldn't eat anymore, and when they grew restless enough to whine about it, the adults finally packed up to go.

On the way out, Sora noticed a path he hadn't seen on the way in, and with all the enthusiasm of an over-curious kitten, he disapeared through the rose archway to investigate.

With an annoyed grumble, Riku followed, and with her own curiousity piked Kairi followed them both away, without a backwards glance to see if their parent's were following.

"Woooooooooooowwwww," Sora's voice marvelled, eye's locked on a stone fountain surrounded by flowers in various shade's and breeds.

Riku silently echoed his awe, emerald-blue eyes wide on the water feature.

Kairi stepped towards it in a little half movement, one hand reaching out as though to touch it.

Sora stumbled forward a few steps, as though someone had nudged him from behind, and his footsteps straightened as he followed a thin path to the base of the fountain.

"Wee- Weesh- weeshenn," his face crinkled in frustration, looking back towards his friends as though for help.

Kairi skipped forward quickly, taking hold of one of his hands, "what's it say?" she inquired, as though the boy hadn't been trying to read it. Sora huffed, but kept hold of the girls hand, he'd suffered so many lectures that his lack of reading ability was laziness and impatience.

Riku padded over then, the taller boy stepping up beside Sora and cocking his head to one side, studying the writing that still looked mostly like gibberish to the other two.

"Wassit say Rii?" Sora asked, echoing Kairi's actions and claiming the boys nearest hand.

"Wishing well," Riku read aloud, after double checking in his mind he was reading it correctly.

"It's a wishing well?" Kairi's voice perked up, she leant forward, resting her chin and her free hand on the stone side, "my gramma used to tell me 'bout 'em, she says if you throw in munni, they give you a wish!"

Sora's eyes widened, "really? Like, any wish you want in the world?"

Kairi looked over her shoulder to the boy, "nah, I think it's gotta be something you reeeeally want, not something like icecream."

Sora wrinkled his nose, "maybe I reeeally want icecream," he argued.

Riku moved closer to look in, "look at all the wishes in there already," he whispered.

Sora leant over, gasping at the collection of coins in the bottom of the water, and the slow moving goldfish swimming about, apparently uneffected.

He suddenly released his friends hands, searching his pockets quickly.

"Sora?" Kairi called, wondering why he stopped looking at the wishes with them, or maybe just because he let her hand go.

Sora cheered suddenly, pulling something from his pocket. He passed the gift out, a small coin for each of them, "now we can have a wish too!" he exclaimed.

Riku held up the coin, regarding it seriously, "thank you Sora," he whispered.

Kairi, as though reminded of her manners, echoed the thanks swiftly, her hand squeezing tightly around the munni she'd been given.

"Do ya think," Sora whispered, again stepping closer, "if we all wish the same thing, that it will make the wish stronger?"

"It has to, right?" Kairi agreed, "what do you wanna wish for Sor?"

Sora grinned, a triumphant looking face, "I wish that we could always be together, forever and ever!"

His friends watched as the boys coin spun in the air, landing in the water with a 'plop'.

Riku stepped back in line with him, "I wish we could always be together, forever and ever," he copied, smiling too as his coin followed Sora's path and landed to mix among the others in the bottom.

Kairi giggled, dropping her own in, "I wish we could be together forever and ever!"

Sora's bright grin reflected up from the water when the ripples ceased, his friends slowly appearing on either side of him.

"That's a wish that we all want really bad," Sora promised, "so that one HAS to come true!"

"I betcha it will Sora, it's a good wish," Kairi agreed, one of her hands lowering until it almost brushed the water.

Riku smiled again, pushing his fringe from his face, "I dunno, I think that one would have come true anyway."

Sora turned his bright smile to the silver haired boy, "yeah," he agreed.

Suddenly, their parent's voices could be heard, calling them back to the rose archway where they were patiently waiting, for now.

Sora took both his friends hands in his and pulled them along, not looking back.

Kairi giggled, making sure she didn't stumble. She already had a bandaid on her knee this week, and her mum would be grumpy if she got another from 'playing to rough'.

Riku did glance back, as though he could watch the magic as their wishes were heard, but he didn't stop running alongside Sora and Kairi.

Wishes and Fishes - II

They were lying in the sand, the three of them. The sky was a darkening blue - the beginings of dusk. They should be at least in the boats, heading home before their parents could worry, but they were contented and lazy.

Besides, their raft was almost completed, they had to prepare saying goodbye to this island.

"I wonder what I'll miss most," Kairi wondered aloud, her hands resting clasped on her stomach just under her bust.

Sora hummed beside her, "I think I'll miss my mum," he commented, then turned pink when he realised he said that out loud.

Riku, beside him, chuckled softly as was expected, but didn't tease him like Tidus would have, "I think I'll miss this beach," he thought.

Kairi's eyes flickered to the boys on her right as Sora shifted to pull his hands free from underneath his neck, burying them in the sand on either side of himself.

"Maybe I'll miss the treehouse," she mentioned shyly. The treehouse had been their playground since they'de been able to row themselves to the island, they'de played games in there without care for many years. Sometimes games with Dragons and Damsels, sometimes games with monsters and hero's, even the occasional games of house, before Riku and Sora grew up enough to understand that people didn't like the idea of two boys being married with a baby, and Kairi didn't want to always be the mum.

Sora smiled, as though remembering the same games, "Yeah, I'll miss the treehouse too, and this beach, and the island," he confessed, "but I'm taking all my favorite things with me."

"You can't take your mum," Riku teased playfully, shifting only enough to dodge the nudge Sora attempted to give his ribs.

"I meant you two, nimrod," the brunet growled playfully.

Kairi snickered at his choice of insult, but glowed a pretty pink at his compliment, "yeah, we'll be fine, as long as we have each other."

Riku remained silent, but he moved back beside Sora smoothly.

The night grew colder, but not to cold, and the moon lit stars up in the night sky.

They all looked up to catch the sight, rare as it was with their parent's no doubt worrying over them and planning punishment.

"We have to stay together," Sora murmered softly to his friends, "even if we get seperated, we have to stay together."

Kairi sat up a little, "Sor?"

Riku too sat up at the rather solemn tone Sora used, "we wont get split up," he promised.

Sora remained in place, eyes focused beyond his friends, to the starry sky instead, "If we do though," he insisted, "if for some reason we get torn apart, we have to stay together in our hearts." His voice cracked over the last word, one hand reaching up to clench the fabric on his chest.

Kairi pulled the brunet into a tight hug, her body falling to align to Sora's side, "of course we will Sora," she breathed into his cheek.

Sora's hand free'd itself from his shirt, his eyes on Riku now, and the insecurities on Riku's face. He pulled Riku down rather roughly, pushing him into his other side. He didn't care what anyone else thought, he liked it when Riku was close, just as much as he liked Kairi being close.

"We will Sor," the silver haired teen promised, voice husky with emotions he refused to name. His breath tickled Sora's shoulder, where he buried his face when the younger boy allowed himself to be held.

Sora pressed them both against his body, breathing in the mix of their scents. Riku's strawberry shampoo, Kairi's faint poupu perfume, the sweat the three of them worked up searching for peices for their raft.

Kairi's arm moved slowly, hesitantly shifting to encircle Riku as well, and though surprised, Riku echoed the movement to complete their triangle.

It was so warm, in their little cocoon, it didn't seem to matter if one of their heartbeats pumped a little faster, because the other two picked up soon after.

Suddenly though, Sora pushed them aside as he sat up, pointing to the sky. Startled by the break in their three-pointed embrace, the other two followed the outstretched finger.

A star was flying across the sky, glittering faintly.

"Wish it!" Sora pushed, "we can wish it!"

He shifted his weight, sitting up on his knees and smiling, face bright and hopeful in the moonlight.

"I wish that our hearts will always be together, no matter what," Kairi breathed from his side before he could.

"I wish for our hearts to be together forever, no matter what," Riku whispered from his other side, almost immediatly.

In his happiness, Sora didn't try to stop his hands from reaching out and claiming one from each of his friends.

"I wish our hearts could stay together forever, no matter what," he told the shooting star.

They watched it's path, awed, until it faded from sight.

They exchanged glances then, and Sora's bright grin was echoed by a softer one from Kairi, and a smaller one from Riku.

"That's a wish that has to come true," Sora informed them, squeazing their joined hands as one, "you're always gunna be in my heart now."

Kairi held her free hand to Sora's chest, glancing at Riku over Sora's head. Their was acceptance on her face, not like the warning looks she'd been giving him lately.

Riku accepted the invitation, and enterlaced the fingers of his free hand with hers, over Sora's heart.

"You're in ours too, Sor," Riku promised quietly.

The fact that he could say that aloud meant more to Sora then almost anything, and their hands over his heart seemed like a promise just as good as the one before the shooting star.

"Always and forever," Kairi added softly, warmly.

They stayed like that until Sora's eyelids drooped, to contented and happy to feel anything but sleepy.

Kairi giggled as he yawned, gently squeazing Riku's hand, promising that the truce wasn't a temperary one, before pulling her hand's free so she could stand, hands on her hips.

"Our parents are going to be worrying themselves sick," she scolded them both, "and you are going to get a cold if you try to sleep out here Sora!"

Riku chuckled and pulled himself to his feet, holding a hand out to help Sora do the same, "we need sleep," he agreed, "keep our strength's up."

Sora bedazzled them both with another of his free smiles, "okay."

To break himself from falling under the boys spell again, Riku snickered, "C'mon sleepy-head, race you to the boats."

Sora scoffed, but challenge flared in his eyes, he stepped beside the older boy, glancing back to Kairi, who was smiling.

"Ready, Set," she offered, "GO!"

They raced ahead, and she good-naturedly jogged after them. After all, she was a lady, and if her mother saw more fresh sand marks on her skirt, she'd doubtlessly be scolded. It didn't mean she couldn't beat them if she wanted to.

She smiled to herself, wondering if they even knew that she could keep up them together in rivalry too, if she was inclined too.

Wishes and Fishes - III

They'de been back maybe just over a week. Back to the warm sun and glistening sand. Back to their parents, their friends, their lives.

Even though those lives felt too calm now, odd in all the ways it was wonderful, they'de been suitably entranced enough to take school without complaint, but the holidays were coming up in a month, and they would have plenty of time to get used to complaining about homework again.

Tonight wasn't a school night though, and they made their excuses and headed out to the dock. Riku picking up Sora on the walk, then they both picked Kairi up.

They spoke of silly, simple things. Selphie and Tidus' tentative new relationship, Riku getting his drivers liscence.

They climbed into their respective rowboats, things that had seen better days, though they weren't in disrepair quite yet. Riku voiced aloud, the thought that the boats were getting a little small for them all. The other two had laughed.

The rowing was still a familiar, repetative movement. That was good, Sora had a breif moment of panic that the years away would make him forget the simple things like this. Things like kissing his mother on the cheek when he left, things like sleeping in a bed, eating at a table.

He pushed the thought aside. He remembered this, that's what mattered.

They'de all become stronger, since their last paddle out. The ride was smoother, faster, and the island they'de reunited over a week ago came into view like a dream.

The knots were still easy to tie, and he looped them smoothly, following Riku to the end of their little warf.

The air was cool, but not cold. It was night, the stars twinkling. No parents were waiting for them this time though, and even though they didn't know it, Sora, Riku and Kairi were all even better then they were at keeping themselves safe anyway.

The three of them walked slowly, along the edges of the tide.

"That treehouse," Kairi mentioned softly, in a tone that warned them she would be talking about something from before, something when they were seperated, "I sat in that treehouse for hours, trying to remember. I could, better then everyone else here at least, but never enough."

"That's 'cause our hearts were connected," Sora told her after a moment, "like how you could see Riku, even when he... wasn't himself."

He glanced at Riku, who flinched slightly, but didn't seem to be brooding, which was always a danger when talking about the Darkness.

Kairi smiled softly, "yeah, that makes sence."

Sora suddenly threw out his hands, wrapping his arms around both his friends and pulling them into his side, chuckling at their tencing, pushing their fight-impulses away with the sound.

"God I missed you guys!" he exclaimed, squeezing them a little, "the whole time I wanted to yell at Xemnas to back off for one bloody minute so I could talk to you guys properly."

Kairi giggled, wrapping her arm around Sora's waist, "I'm sure that would have gone over well."

Riku snickered too, imagining the dumbfounded look on the nobodies face, " 'time, is not eternal'," he mocked.

Sora threw his head back to inhale the air through his own laughter, relishing in the warmth of his best friends on either side.

"On the other hand, we are all so awesome," Sora commented when the mirth had died off a little, they were still walking along the beach, though the door leading further away from the warf was approaching, "we totally kicked their asses."

Riku gave him an odd look, and Kairi blushed a little, Sora noticed both reactions.

"We so did!" Sora defended his words, "Riku, you totally saved my butt when Xemnas did that 'heart to spare' thing, and Kairi! I didn't know you could fight like that! You should have sparred with us more!"

Riku was blushing now, and Kairi wouldn't meet his eyes.

Sora grinned, releasing them abruptly to jump up the wall, onto the path leading to their refuge under the poupu tree.

He peeked over the edge, "hurry up, hurry up!" he taunted.

The pair gave each other a shared look of incredialty, then followed, latching onto the side as they hoisted themselves over.

"You remember when we were kids, and we went to the gardens on the mainland?" Sora asked, padding over the bridge.

"And we made that promise in the wishing well?" Kairi inquired.

Riku stuffed his hands into his pockets, "we wished to be together, forever?"

Sora turned to look at them, grin bright as he walked backwards, "remember when we were building the raft?" he asked, checking Riku's features again for signs of immenent brooding. Riku seemed okay though, it seemed he'd finally gotten to the point either he or Kairi could talk about it. They'de forgiven him enough, it was about time.

"With the shooting star?" Riku asked, seeing the trend but not knowing where it was leading too.

"When we promised our hearts will always be together," Kairi agreed.

Sora tucked his hands behind his neck, "I figured you two, being hopeless like you are, might still not get it," he confessed. His friends fought the urge to scoff at the really oblivious one amongst them, "so I wanted to prove to you what I meant."

He turned at precisally the right moment, as though he'd practiced things, and jumped onto the low lying tree that he'd spent much of his youth leaning, lying or sitting on. He reached out and snagged the little star shaped fruit hanging there, as though waiting for him.

Kairi gasped, her fingers raising to hide her mouth. Her cheeks turned a pretty pink again, this time it spread slowly, smoothly covering her face.

Riku was speachless, jaw hitting his chin. It would have been comical, if it weren't for the reason.

Sora, now, was a pretty pink shade himself, sitting on the trunk of the poupu tree, it's fruit sitting heavy in his palms, but he was determined, and once determined there was no stopping him.

"I understand that you might not want what I do," he assured them, "and I know it's kinda selfish, really, but I love you, both of you. I can't imagine my life without you..." he looked to the poupu fruit, hesitating a moment, "I know I can trust you both enough to tell you this, and not have you hate me, but I need to let this out before it consumes me. I want to be your boyfriend, both of you, I want you to be mine Riku, and I want you to be our girlfriend Kairi."

A moment of silence pressed down on them, Sora refusing to look up.

Riku seemed to unfreeze first, and he looked at Kairi, his eyes glittering with to many emotions to contain, his hand reached out for hers, slowly.

She inhaled, shakily, and took his hand, smiling her own mix of emotions out.

They stepped forward, closing the distance between them and Sora. Kairi leant forward to kiss Sora's cheek, making the boy look up with nowhere near concealed hope. Riku smiled, a soft rare smile, and leant in himself to kiss Sora's spikes.

"Of course I'll be your boyfriend," Riku promised the brunet, then squeezed Kairi's hand and leant to her, kissing her temple gently, "and yours, if you'll have me."

Kairi squeezed the hand back, kissing Riku's chin before he could fully pull away, "I'd like that, no, I'd love that, to be a girlfriend to both of you."

Sora beamed, reaching out to embrace them both, almost smooshing them together. The poupu fell to his lap, but he kissed the spot where their cheeks were pressed together.

"Oh I love you both, so much!" he cheered. He released them just as quickly as he'd grabbed them, reclaiming the poupu, "one more promise?"

Kairi looked thoughtful, "the legend says 'when two people share one'," she confessed, though her grin took over before anyone could think she really beleived that made a difference.

Riku searched his back pocket, finding his swiss army knife and handing it to the other boy, "three promises, three people, three slices of poupu, makes sence to me," he all but smirked.

Sora slid onto his feet, pulling the knife attatchment free of the contraption, nodding slightly before he sliced it into three equally sized peices. He shared it out, returning the knife to it's owner, regardless of the sticky juice on his hands.

He held it to his lips, tentitively licking it to sample the taste. Then, without a pause to check if the others were doing the same, he took a bite.

Riku shivered slightly at the sight, then bit down on his own peice, watching as Kairi did the same beside him. They ate in silence, the sweet fruit dribbling over their chins and hands like the watermelon used to when they were kids.

"Now our bodies, hearts and souls are intertwined," Riku commented, the first to break the silence, he took in a deep breath of air.

Sora licked the juice from his fingers, humming happily at Riku's announcement.

Kairi smiled, softly and beautifully, "nothing can pull us apart now," she promised.

Sora threw his hands up in the air, practically bouncing in place, "we are so awesome!" he announced, much like his previous claim, "I just totally snagged the sexiest man and the most beautiful.. Lady on the entire islands!"

Kairi started to smile, then she noticed the hesitation, "hey! I'm a lady!" she assured them both. Riku started to laugh at her defence.

"Kairi, love," Sora told her calmly, "you have to admit that you have just as much fun as we do running around, climbing tree's and beating up badguys. You're like... a baddass woman, but lady is pushing it a bit."

Kairi tried to matain a straight face, a scolding look, but it broke down as she tackled the boy into the sand, going straight for the ribs.

"Nonono!" Sora laughed as her fingers tickled him unmercifully, he held a hand out to Riku for help.

"Oh no," Riku chuckled, throwing a leg over his knees and sitting firmly in place behind Kairi, "Kairi gets to have a baddass woman moment," he winked to the redhead, "since you so insisted she loves them."

Kairi crowed in victory, pressing a quick kiss to Riku's lips, startling the boy, then her fingers moved lightning quick over the brunets torso, tearing laughter from the boy.

Squirming despirately, Sora pleaded and wriggled and finally threw his arms up into the air in surrender. A moment passed, Kairi's fingers still in place warningly, and suddenly Sora brought his hands down, going straight for Kairi's ribs.

Kairi let out a nearly screamed burst of laughter, wriggling right off the boy, and Riku, seeing her fall, immediatly swapped allegiances, chuckling at Kairi's yelped and faux shout of betrayal.

Sora leant in as their positions were reversed, showering the girls face with butterfly-light kisses in between tickles, then when he realised Riku too was close enough, not getting out of the way fast enough when Sora had shifted, he stole a kiss from the older boy too.

He got distracted, though, when Riku started kissing back, and his hands stopped just long enough for Kairi to pull free. She sat up, Sora still in her lap, and her hand raised, this time to bury itself in Riku's hair as she watched her boyfriends kiss.

Riku turned to her when Sora fell back to breathe, pressing their lips together softly. Somewhat still breathless, Sora embrassed the pair of them, murmuring endearments until Kairi released Riku's lips to claim his.

It was sweet, warm and comforting, and they smiled, softly at each other.

"Love you so much," Sora murmured.

"Love you too," Riku and Kairi promised together, and their embrace was three pointed and without a doubt, the most perfect moment in any of their lives.

xxx

Authors Note:Thank you to anyone reading this, I'm rather proud of myself, and I hope you will let me know if you liked it too xxx

In regards to the pairing this is listed under, i've found that I'm more likely to find readers who would like a three person pairing where people are more inclined to accept that two of the three are male, hence the SORIKU pairing this is listed under. It was an attempt to both avoid flames, and assure this is more likely to be read by people that would enjoy it. If I was wrong, let me know.

Also, there is an Epilogue in the next chapter, which contains an M rated lemon. The story rating will not go up, because I think this is a cute fic for all as is, but don't read further if you are underage or are happy with only fluff, the Epilogue is mostly to see if I can write it. Feedback appreciated =D