Dedicated to my Kairi and Sora.

Little kid fluff ahead.

Disclaimer: Kairi, Riku, and Sora are © Disney. Selphie Tilmitt is © Square Enix

Wishes

--oOo--

"Geez, what is all this junk, Kairi?" Riku asked, hands on hips as he stared at the expanse of cardboard boxes spread out and piled in the girl's garage.

"They're my mommy's," she told him, bending over slightly to adjust a strap on her left sandal.

"And it doesn't look like junk!" Selphie declared, giggling a little as she poked at a rather oddly colored and shaped lamp.

"Momma says that there is really cool stuff out here that we could play with!" Kairi declared, walking through the maze of boxes, Sora hot on her heels.

"Cool stuff for us?" he asked and decided to peer in the closest box to him, which happened to be filled with a number of bandanas and scarves.

"Wow, neat!" he yelled, grabbing up a handful of flowing scarves.

"Hey, look at this!" Selphie declared, holding up a rather large hat. It was quite obnoxious and red, and had a huge yellow feather protruding from the top, "it's like a pirate's hat!"

"We could play pirates!" Sora said and jumped up and down happily, making a bee-line for Selphie. He snatched the hat out of her hand and placed it on his head, which looked overly adorable on him.

"Captain Sora reporting for duty!"

-.-.-.-

"Raise the sails! Man the bows! Swab the poop deck!" Sora barked, then paused at his last order, starring at the other three oddly, "what...exactly is a poop deck?"

His friends simply shrugged at him as Sora turned back to the front of the boat and looked like a regal captain while his "crew" rowed them to their play island.

Selphie had a patch over her left eye, and wore a baggy shirt tied at her stomach, and Kairi wore a bandana tied in the back with a peasant looking dress over her regular clothes. Riku threw on a big shirt with a fake earring in his left ear and a bandana tied on the side of his head. Together, they made up the crew of the S.S...uhm...

"Hey Sora...," Kairi started, but Sora turned to her with a "glare".

"...I mean...CAPTAIN Sora," this caused him to smile and nod his head in acceptance, "what...IS the name of our ship?"

He opened his mouth to answer her but paused, looking around as if the open water held the answer to her question. He glanced back at his "crew" and a light bulb appeared over his head.

"The Selrakaiku!" he declared, a finger thrust into the air. Riku, Selphie, and Kairi just sort of stared at his back as they paused from rowing. Of course when Sora realized they weren't moving anymore, he turned and looked at them funny.

"What..? Why'd you stop?" he asked, and after another second of silence, they continued rowing with three simultaneous shrugs.

"Sora...I mean..Captain Sora, what does "Selrakaiku" mean?" Selphie asked, looking awfully confused.

"Well, DUH! Sel-Selphie, Ra- the end of Sora, Kai - Kairi, Ku- the end of Riku!" he said this with such a tone that he sounded years older than he was. Of course after this explanation, there was a round-about chorus of oooooh's.

They little boat soon glided up to the dock, and Sora hopped off, and tied the boat to one of the wooden poles. The other three followed him slowly, a little tired from all that rowing, but of course were soon recovered after Kairi has announced she had brought a map with her.

"We had a map? For what?" Riku asked, coming to stand behind her to look over her shoulder at the "map". Apparently, someone had drawn out a map on the back of a fast-food bag. It wasn't exactly the most creative thing in the world, but whomever had made it knew all about their play island.

"It's to find the treasure of course!" Sora said, snatching it from Kairi who pouted at him and stuck her hands on her hips.

"Lets see, it says we start from the dock and take thirty paces to the right," he said, starring at the paper with all the concentration he could muster. The four of them soon rushed over to the dock in a single file line and started counting, all at different times. Sora stopped suddenly which caused Kairi to run into his back, followed by Riku into her's and Selphie into his.

"There's no way we're going to get there if we all count at the same time!" Sora said and they all had to nod in agreement.

"Does anybody know how to count to thirty?" Selphie asked and Riku raised his hand, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Okay, lets start over. Riku you count and when you say thirty we'll stop!" Sora said, happy that he had thought of a "strategic plan" to find the buried treasure.

So the four of them lined back up single file and started walking together to Riku's counting. To anyone else they must've looked like a rather large caterpillar or something, each different heights, their heads bobbing up and down while walking, but their feet moved to the same steps at the same time.

"30!" Riku yelled, halting everyone. Sora looked around, and surprise-surprise, they found nothing.

"Now what, Captain?" Selphie giggled, poking her head around Riku's shoulder.

"Lesse', it says: Bent and low, these star fruit I grow, find me and I will share my clue with you," Sora read, turning to face his friends who were each looking in a different direction, looks of thought over their faces.

"Star fruit...hmm..I know!" Kairi yelled excitedly, jumping up and down "the Paopu tree!" at this, they all smiled and took off in the direction of the shack which would lead them up to the little island that the Paopu tree grew on.

Sora was the first to reach it naturally, being the fearless captain that he was, and looked around the tree to discover a blue colored bottle with a note inside. He scooped it up and they plopped on the sand to listen to him read it.

"I'm cool and I'm fresh, and the only thing you can drink, find me and I'll give you a clue that's best," Sora said and looked up puzzled at the others.

"Drink obviously means water," Riku pointed out, to which they all nodded.

"I know! The little wall of fresh water on the other side of the island!" Sora yelled happily and stood up.

He led his crew across the bridge and down, until they reached the other side of the island. They each waded in the water over to the freshwater chute that came out of the side of a rock. Nestled in the sand and under the water was a green bottle, a cork pressed into the bottles opening, with of course a note inside.

"I want to read this one!" Selphie declared and snatched the bottle from Sora.

"So kids, now you've found this second clue, and I'm tired of playing games with you. Be quick and be smart, finding this treasure is an art, just be back before sundown, and stay close to the ground. That's all I'll say, so don't lose your way!" she read and they all looked at her really funny.

"Stay close to the ground?" Kairi asked, her head tilted to the side and resting on Riku's left shoulder.

"I guess that means it isn't up high," Sora suggested.

"Well wherever it is, we should find it quickly! The sun's going to set soon!" Selphie warned, and with that the four set out.

An hour later, and they had checked every nook and cranny the island had to offer. They sat on the ground, legs spread and leaning against one another's backs, exhausted expressions on their faces.

"I'm beginning to think there IS no treasure," Selphie whined, to which Riku placed his head on hers to comfort her. They were all just as frustrated and tired as she was, and it didn't help that the sun was setting.

"Hey, Kairi, do you think if we moved that rock over there, we could make a really cool hideout in that cave?" Sora asked, weakly pointing to a huge rock that covered the opening to a cave.

Kairi looked up and was just about to reply a "sure" but something else popped out of her mouth.

"Sora! You're a genius!" she declared, hopping up and rushing over to the rock. She began to try and push it aside, her eyes squinted shut. The other three just watched her until she looked at them in exasperation.

"Guys! C'mon, help me!" she yelled and they rushed over to help push. Finally, the rock began to roll against the stubborn sand to reveal a treasure chest nestled amongst a patch of mushrooms and scattered grass.

They all kind of stared in wonder at it before rushing in all at once, ending up getting stuck in the entrance to the cave.

"Stop shoving!"

"You stop shoving!"

"Ladies first!"

"You're not a lady!"

Sora finally squeezed through, which caused the others to topple over and roll on the sand. Sora bent down and was about to open the chest, when another bottle caught his eyes. Its pink glass glowed dully against the setting sun as he snatched it up and took out the rolled note.

"Congratulations you cuties you, you finally got what you wanted, didn't you? Inside is something special, something rare and unique, so take good care of it, love it and treasure it. There's nothing more important than the friendships you have, dear Sora, Kairi, Selphie, and Riku, and there's no better treasure to have than this darling...Paopu?"

Sora lowered the paper from his face and opened up the chest to reveal a tiny Paopu nestled amongst a blue sheet. The others must not have believed him as they gathered around to have a look at the tiny star-shaped fruit.

"You've gotta' be kidding me!" Riku whined, plopping back on his butt. Selphie and Sora soon followed suit as they sat on the ground, whining about how hard they had worked all day to find nothing more than a stupid little fruit.

But Kairi on the other hand, being the thoughtful girl she was, scooped up the Papou and cradled it close. She got the meaning of the hidden treasure, and why it ended up being nothing more than what it was. She turned back to her friends who were now waiting for her outside the cave.

"Everything okay, Kai?" Riku asked her, leaning close so their foreheads were touching. She giggled and pushed up to rub their noses together.

"Everything's fine, 'Ku!" she said and smiled at him when he looked at the Paopu then her.

"You're gonna keep it?" he asked, starting to walk back to the dock. Sora and Selphie were in front of them, giggling about one thing or another.

Kairi stayed at his side, starring at the fruit that was as big as her hand. She didn't answer him right away, and the silver-haired boy was getting a little worried, but she turned to him with a cheeky grin.

"Yes, but there's no reason! I have a feeling my mommy set up this game, so I'm going to bring it home and show her we found it," she told him and he nodded.

"C'mon you guys!" Sora yelled, standing on the beach and waving frantically. Riku and Kairi caught up with them, and they kept walking across the beach to the dock.

"Look! A shooting star!" Selphie yelled, pointing up, causing the band of "pirates" to shoot their eyes heavenward. Sure enough, a dainty star shot itself across the sky.

"Make a wish!" Sora said and almost in sync they bowed their heads to make a silent wish.

Kairi stared at the yellow fruit in her hand, and smiled. Her fingers held close to it, as she brought it to her heart and slipped her eyes closed. What she wished, is of course, and always will be a secret.

But if you think about it long enough, you'll know what she wished for. And you'll know that there is no better kind of wish in the world.

--oOo—

Fin.