Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, and nor am I making any money off this fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney respectively. The Brother Grimm’s The Princess and the Frog does not belong to me, either, nor am I making any profit from it.

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Author’s Notes…

A new project! I know, I know, but I’m really excited with this one (what’s new, right?) I’m taking The Princess and the Frog and I’m embellishing it a little… a lot. Well. You’ll see. The prologue is short, of course, and it may seem odd, but I know where it’s going, trust me. I hope you enjoy.

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Frog Prince

Prologue

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Sora sighed, watching as Riku rushed across the gym’s floor, his sneakers squeaking against it as he carried the orange ball in his hands to the home basket. Riku was so in his element right now, his damp hair flying about his face, a sheen of sweat coating his slender body, his brows furrowed in intense concentration. Moments later and hoots of triumph erupted from some of the players as Riku slammed the basketball into the net, dangling briefly from the hoop before jumping back down to his feet.

Below, the coach blew on his whistle, holding up a hand. “All right, game over! Take your showers and get ready for your classes or whatever!” he yelled, pulling the whistle out of his mouth. “Daemonson, before you go, I want to talk to you for a moment.”

Riku paused as his teammates clapped him on the back, looking around towards where the coach was standing. He grinned, saying something to one of the guys, then slapped a hand over his bicep and parted ways with the group, heading over to the stern looking man. Sora heard him say a bit loudly, “What’s up, coach?”

Realizing that this may take a few minutes, Sora began to gather up his books and things, slinging his bag over his shoulder and then reaching down for his camera pack. Putting this over his shoulder, too, he started down the stands, the sound echoing through the gym, but no one really paid him any mind. They all knew he was Riku’s friend and also on the newspaper team. He came to every practice meet, he didn’t bother anyone, and he stayed out of the way.

Sora looked up as Riku let out a particularly angry curse, and he took this as his cue to skirt around the edge of the court, making it look like he was giving them privacy by leaving while really he was just eavesdropping. As soon as he was around the little corner that led out to the school hallway, Sora peered around it, hoping to get a grasp of what was going to be putting Riku in a Mood.

“What do you mean, I’m a selfish player?! No one wanted to come forward for me to pass the ball! They all rely on me!” Riku shouted, waving his arm about, his green eyes blazing with fury. “How dare you blame this on me?!”

The coach thrust a finger towards his chest, lifting his chin into the air in a way that booked no room for arguments. Sora had seen it a dozen times before—Riku and the coach were always fighting, it seemed. “Watch your mouth, Daemonson. If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re our best player, you’d be off this team for that alone. Now listen to what I’m saying instead of hearing what you want to hear. I said that maybe if you just talked to your teammates a little, pumped them up for some passing, they’d be more inclined to do it out there. Right now, they all just watch you.”

“Oh, and that’s my fault?!” Riku barked right back.

Sora closed his eyes and shook his head. Riku was so hardheaded, but it was usually one of the things that Sora loved about him, despite how much trouble he could get in because of it.

“That’s not what I’m saying, kid!” Coach Morgan cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “Basketball is a team sport! Not Riku Daemonson sport! These kids respect you, kid, and that’s great! But the other guys? None of them respect you!” He waved his hands around this time, opening his eyes wide. “What they see when they look at you is a guy who is too much of a shmuck to share with his team, and that’s a weakness that they can take advantage of! That’s why we keep losing!”

“I can’t believe you!” Riku said heatedly through now gritted teeth, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. “Isn’t it your job to tell them to get open for a pass?!”

“I can only do so much,” Morgan finally sighed, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose. “They look up to you, Daemonson, and so does the whole school. But you know—I’ve about had enough of it. No one likes someone that hogs the court.” He turned, beginning to head off towards the locker rooms. “Sooner or later maybe all of you will figure it out. Until then, wash up. I’m through talking to such a hardhead.”

Riku waited until Coach Morgan had closed the locker room door shut behind him before he threw down the basketball in his hands. It bounced four times before rolling along the polished floor, only stopping when it came in contact with the stands. Sora took this as his cue to move back into the line of Riku’s sight, calling out the boy’s name, offering up a reassuring smile for him.

But Riku was in his Mood now. He glared hard at Sora before jerking his head towards where Sora had just walked from. “You’re not supposed to be here. Just go, okay?”

Sora faltered, clutching his notebook to his chest. “…Oh, well I…” He opened his mouth to say that he was Riku’s friend, you know? He was there for him, despite what Coach Morgan said (even if Coach Morgan was right). He wanted to say that maybe Riku shouldn’t be so rude to someone who just cared about them. But Sora had never been good at standing up to Riku, so he did as he was told.

He left the gym, his shoulders slumped and his footsteps as heavy as his heart. With him went his broken promise: the promise to stand up to Riku today, to not let his friend put him down yet again. Riku had broken his promise, too, though. The one he had made yesterday. At least Sora normally kept all of his, but Riku could promise Sora he’d treat him better one day, then give him a bloody nose and make him cry the next. That was the thing about Riku—there was a string of broken promises and hearts no matter where he went.

That was the thing about Riku…

So why did Sora still long for him?