For Day 19 of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Countdown Challenge - Wish.

Sora leaned back on his hands and sighed. All around them were a bunch of lanterns lighting up the night sky like thousands of stars. Water lapped against the dock where they were sitting, and the way the lanterns reflected off it was like their very own private show. They couldn't have asked for a better view.

This was what he loved about traveling. This was the kind of thing that made all the time spent away from home worth it. If he had to be away from Kairi and Riku, at least he was making memories like this to share with them when he got back.

"Seeing all these lanterns really reminds me of home," he said. "The stars reflect off the water at night, and it kinda looks like this."

"Gawrsh, I bet it's real pretty, then," Goofy said.

Donald stared in awe at the light show surrounding them. "Yeah. We have fireworks, but nothing like this."

As beautiful as the sight was around them, Sora couldn't help but wish he was back home.

No, that wasn't exactly it. He liked being here. It was like there was something, or someone, missing—

Jiminy stirred in his hood and perched on his shoulder. "You know what they say about stars, dontcha?"

Sora turned to look at his friend. "That they're other worlds?"

"Well, that too. On my world though, we say that if you wish upon a star, your dreams will come true."

"My dreams… will come true?"

"Sure. Why dontcha try it? Maybe it'll work on lanterns, not just stars."

He thought about this for a moment. What were his dreams?

Well, he wanted to find a way for Roxas to be his own person. Naminé, too. She deserved to be her own person, too. He wanted to help Terra and Aqua and Ventus get their bodies and their lives back. He wanted to stop Xehanort and keep the worlds safe.

What else. Oh, right. He wanted to see Riku again. Being separated from his best friend all the time kinda sucked. Yeah, Riku had an important job to do, but it didn't make being apart from him any easier.

His eyes spotted Eugene and Rapunzel together on a boat a little ways away. They both had shy smiles on their faces as they talked about something Sora couldn't hear. Together they launched a lantern into the air, and Sora couldn't help but smile, because the two of them together like that made his heart feel all warm.

Love really was a beautiful thing. Time and again he'd watched people fall in love on his journeys, and he never got sick of seeing it. The stolen glances, the blushing and stuttering, the eventual confessions, the first kisses—

Yeah, love was pretty special.

For a moment he didn't see Rapunzel and Eugene on that boat. For a moment he was in the boat instead, and Kairi was seated across from him. She gazed in wonder at the sight around them, then turned to him and smiled.

"Sora, just think, someday… this could be us."

"I wish it was," he said softly. "I wish you were here with me. Then we could finally be together."

She pulled out a lantern from behind her. "Then let's make a wish. After all this is over, we'll come back here. Together."

She held out the lantern, and he put his hands over hers. His heart sped up a little at that, and Kairi's smile got bigger. Together they released the lantern into the sky to join all the others, but Sora didn't let go of her hands.

Her eyes flickered from their hands to his face. "Sora?"

She was so close now, her face just inches from his. His eyes rested on her lips, then darted back up to her eyes. He took a deep breath and swallowed. Her breathing got heavier as he leaned close, her eyes fluttering shut as he—

—tumbled into the water with a loud splash, ruining the moment and his fantasy.

Donald burst out laughing, and Jiminy laughed, too, even though he was still in Sora's hood and was only kinda shielded from the water.

Sora muttered to himself as he climbed back onto the dock. Talk about embarrassing. He made sure to shake the water from his clothes and hair onto Donald, which didn't do much to get the duck to shut up.

"You look like a wet cat," he said in between quacks and cackles.

Sora just glared at him as he took his seat next to him again. "Yeah, well, it happens."

"You were thinkin' about Kairi again, weren't you?" Goofy said, a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Sora wanted to groan. This again. He was never gonna be free of their teasing, was he?

He crossed his arms. "So what? Jiminy said to make a wish, and I did. None of your business if it involves Kairi or not."

Donald covered his beak with his hands, but a few snickers still escaped, especially when Sora shot him another glare.

"Well, Sora, if you really did make a wish to see her again, I'm sure it'll come true," Jiminy said.

As Sora spotted Eugene and Rapunzel again on their boat together like they were in their own world, he couldn't help but sigh.

He sure wished it would.

I always loved how Sora is a hopeless romantic in KH2 and I'm hoping to see that side of him again in KH3. And I realize I have neglected Jiminy in… pretty much all of my stories, so I figured it was about time I gave him his moment in the spotlight.

As always, thank you for reading!