#sokaiday

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

Happy Sokai Day everyone! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

SoKai Day is on September 17, 2025, and this year's theme is Festival Fun 🎆 🏮

Other SoKai festival-themed prompts are welcome as well ❤️

A big thank you to @jaysosillyart for the beautiful festival-themed promo art ❤️

AO3 Collection

SoKai Day - Fireworks 🎆

Summary: Invited to experience the Tanabata Festival in San Fransokyo, Sora and Kairi’s date ends with a promise witnessed by the heavens under a lit up night sky.

👑⭐️🎇

“C’MON SORA, THE FIREWORKS WILL START ANY MINUTE NOW.”

She tried her best to keep a stern expression on her face, to let him know how serious she was, but the minute he smiled at her, she cracked. 

Kairi’s answering grin bloomed on her face, her shoulders shaking with silent giggles. This goofball knew her weakness against his smile, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

The Guardians of Light had a rare time of vacation, approved by Master Yen Sid himself, and Sora had nervously asked her to go on a date with him to a festival in San Fransokyo, and who was she deny to him? His nervousness at asking her had caused her to smile, happy that she made him just as nervous as he made her. 

Kairi was happy to know she caused butterflies in his stomach. 

She had been very curious about the festival Sora would be taking her, doing her own research as she prepared for the date. She had gone to look for kimono’s with Honey Lemon and Go Go, eventually finding a sweet pink, star patterned kimono that fit her perfectly. She couldn’t help but decorate her hair with flowers reminiscent of Destiny’s Embrace. 

Taking a look at Sora’s yukata, blue with decorated crowns, she couldn’t help but feel happy that the two of them matched, like a perfect fairy tale couple.    

The Tanabata Festival, also known as the Star Festival, is very popular in San Fransokyo, celebrating two mythical figures known as Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers from each side of the Milky Way.

Kairi personally found the myth to be very romantic, letting out a dreamy sigh when Honey Lemon recounted it to her. 

Orihime, the weaver princess, fell in love with Hikoboshi, the cow herder. Because of their adoration for one another, they stopped working hard at their respective jobs; Orihime weaving clothes and Hikoboshi herding his cows. 

Orihime’s father, a god from the heavens, became infuriated at their lack of responsibility, and harshly forbade the two lovers from being together. Orihime couldn’t accept that, and she pleaded and pleaded to her father for the two to stay together. 

Because of the love he held for his daughter, the god decided to lessen the punishment so that they could meet once a year – the seventh day of the seventh month. 

Kairi personally disliked how harsh Orihime’s father had reacted. Sure, Orihime and Hikoboshi shouldn’t have slacked off on their jobs, but to only let them meet once a year? Kairi wouldn’t have been able to accept something like that.

Being separated from Sora… 

That’s something she can’t accept anymore. She’s had enough of being left behind. 

Shaking her head to dispel those thoughts, Kairi absentmindedly recalls their day so far at the festival, as the two walk through the crowd with their hands intertwined. 

They got to try takoyaki (which Sora almost spit out because of how hot they had been), yakitori (which Kairi personally enjoyed), okonomiyaki (Sora’s favorite), and Tanabata somen noodles, to which Kairi had to take pictures of on her gummi phone due to the stars that decorated the noodles. 

They wrote their own respective wishes on the tanzaku papers, making sure the other would not see, and hung them on the bamboo branch. 

They even got to play the goldfish scooping game that Hiro had told them about, and Kairi is now the proud owner of an orange goldfish she’s affectionately named “Minnie” after Queen Minnie. 

Kairi is content, after so long of fighting, disappearing, waiting, and hoping. Everything is alright with the worlds now; Xehanort is gone, no more Master of Masters (stupid name in her opinion), no more Sora disappearing before her very eyes. 

And yeah, she’s got some days where she wakes up frazzled and panting, feeling phantom pain from where Xehanort slashed her in battle. Sometimes, when she’s in Radiant Garden, she needs to pause and take a breath as memories from before everything went wrong threaten to overwhelm her.

But she’s got a support system behind her back. She has painting sessions with Naminé (who is her sister in everything that matters), she trains with Riku and gets to surprise him a few times, Aqua is the best teacher she could’ve ever hoped for (sorry Merlin!), and Sora is there, all the time. 

He’s there when her nightmares get rough, a call or text away. He’s there when she’s goofing off with Riku, a warm presence pressed against her. He’s normally not there when she’s training with Aqua, but she appreciates that because she does need her space sometimes and he gets it. 

He needs it too after all. 

Kairi is content with her life, in a way she’d almost resigned herself she wouldn’t be after Destiny Islands fell. And she’s grateful she can spend her days with the person she loves the most. 

Arriving at the spot Honey Lemon had told them would be best for viewing the fireworks, they had thankfully arrived just as the show started. 

Watching the first firework explode in a colorful light show of reds, blues and greens, Kairi couldn’t help but gawk. The lights in the sky were beautiful, and numerous more fireworks followed after the first one, illuminating the sky beautifully. 

Some exploded in a full circle, others exploded as rays, and many colors joined the party. 

It reminded Kairi of that time she watched the fireworks at Disney Castle with Sora and Chirithy.

It reminded her of the shootings stars that graced the sky during her first goodbye with Sora. 

But this time, there were no goodbye’s, no I’ll see you’s. 

It was just Sora and Kairi, hands intertwined as they were meant to be, watching the fireworks of the Tanabata Festival. 

Feeling Sora’s hand grip her own a little more tightly, to get her attention before letting go, she turned to face him. He was already looking at her, his blue eyes glinting due to the lights. 

In his hands, he was holding two paopu fruits. 

Letting out a soft gasp, Kairi’s eyes moved from him to the fruits, not sure if she was seeing correctly, before a soft smile spread on her lips.

“This time, I’ll keep you safe Sora. No more being left behind.” 

This wouldn’t be the first time they shared fruits together. Once upon a time, they did so before the big battle against Xehanort. She let herself echo his words to her, on that fateful day, but it no longer felt cloaked under desperation and fear. 

It was a promise, one she was determined to never break. 

“We’ll both keep each other safe. No more going away.” 

Sora echoed her words back, but edited to fit better where they now stood with each other. Because Sora might be lauded as the hero of the story, but Kairi isn’t some damsel-in-distress anymore. She is a keyblade wielder, just like him, and he’s proud of how strong she’s become. 

It made him feel a little regretful, in quieter times, that he’s missed a lot when it came to her. But no more, because Sora is staying right by her side, as he’s promising right here and now. 

With their eyes closed as they bite on their respective end of the paopu fruits, they miss a firework that lights up before them in the shape of a heart, Orihime and Hikoboshi witnessing the scene before them and giving their blessings to the young couple in front of them.

"I wish for Kairi to live a happy life."

"I wish for Sora to live a happy life."

⭐️👑🎇

A/N: Woohoo, happy SoKai Day 2025 everyone! I'm very happy to have participated in this event, and the prompt was extremely cute! At first I didn't really know what to do with festivals, but once I remembered the Tanabata Festival, I knew I needed to do something regarding it. Sora and Kairi going to Tanabata together is a very cute concept, and I hope I executed it well!

Thank you so much, @sokaievents and I hope you all enjoy this one-shot!

Summary: Kairi writes about a Tanabata festival on Destiny Islands. She and Sora help their families run stalls across from each other, all while wishing they could spend more time together in a mirror of the famous legend. ~555 words. Happy SoKai Day 2025!

👘 🎆 🎋

Dear Diary,

Today there was a special Tanabata festival on Destiny Islands! The whole town got involved with everyone wearing their best festival yukata, obi belts, and geta, or wooden sandals, and I saw so many pretty kanzashi hair ornaments, too. And there were so many delicious food stalls and lovely lantern decorations and fun games: goldfish scooping, yo-yo fishing, super ball scooping, and ring toss. Riku and his family ran the ring toss, and it's a good thing, too, because his aim is absolutely impeccable, and he would clear his family out of prizes if he wasn't helping them run the stall.

There were the usual standard festival food stalls like snow cones, candied fruits, takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, taiyaki, and chocolate bananas with sprinkles, and there was also a stall just for buying masks. Selphie’s family ran that one, and she and her parents took turns manning the stall. I got matching fox masks for Sora and I to wear during one of my breaks. He got a real kick out of those.

Speaking of Sora, his family ran a food stall featuring a Destiny Islands specialty: kawara soba, a special type of green tea and buckwheat noodle served on curved roof tiles and topped with pork, shredded egg crêpe, and dried seaweed. It’s usually garnished with leeks and a lemon slice that’s topped with grated radish mixed with chili powder. He hawked the dish for hours until his voice got hoarse, and those noodles sold ridiculously well. I think everyone in the town had some.

“There’s no heart your smile can’t reach.” ➕ “I’m always with you.”

A KH4 speculation illustration + fic, with more chapters to come! 🏙️💞

Chapters 1/3 ✨

Happy SoKai Day!