Welcome to my first story, "Shadow of a Doubt". The plot to this story was originally a challenge that I designed for anyone who felt up to it. Then, I felt up to the challenge.

Disclaimer: I keep a list of the things I own. "Kingdom Hearts" is not on that list. Do the math.

--------------------------------------

Chapter One: Cold Reception

It was always the same.

No matter where I went, I always got the same cold reception. Someone would see me, stop in their tracks, stare at me for a moment, take a few steps back, and run off. I'd never see that person again, or any person, for that matter, unless I left and came back later. And even then it was the same cold reception as always. It was a shock at first, but I've grown accustomed to it since.

One time I ran into a child who couldn't have been more than five or six years old. This happened after my usual "welcoming party", so this was pretty unusual. Finally, maybe I could get some answers and set things straight. I took my chances and walked over to him. But when he saw me, he took off running. I ran after him out of instinct.

The path he chose led to a dead end. He sat against the wall sobbing and shaking. I tried to approach him in an attempt to comfort him, but getting closer only seemed to make things worse. So I tried to calm him down with words. I searched my mind for the right words and said:

"…"

What? I'm... mute? When did that happen?

Not only did I instill fear in other people by just existing, but now I couldn't talk! It was official: My life sucked. As I was cursing my own existence, I received a swift kick that sent me flying. I shook off the blow and was about to retaliate, when I saw that my assailant was a woman who pulled the child close to her before she picked him up and ran into a nearby house.

I did a lot of traveling soon after that. I hoped to find a world where I would be accepted instead of feared. I lost count of how many worlds I visited. It seemed like I would never find a place I could call home.

Eventually, I arrived at a town called Radiant Garden. No, wait… It was Hollow Bastion at the time. The moment I arrived, someone saw me. I had every reason to believe that this person would be no different than the thousands of others I had encountered.

But I was wrong.

He stepped forward.

He wasn't afraid of me? Maybe there was hope for me yet. Maybe I could call this world my home.

But I was wrong.

He brought out a giant sword that he had behind his back and ran towards me. At this time, I knew two things. One, he definitely wasn't afraid of me. Two, this wasn't going to end well. So I did what anyone with a shred of intelligence would do: I ran away. He chased after me, determined to kill me for some reason. I didn't know my way around Hollow Bastion, and having a sword-wielding maniac on my tail didn't help either. I wound up running into a dead end alley.

The irony here is just sickening.

--------------------------------------

End Chapter One

Please review. I'm not really confident in my writing abilities. If it was good, I'd like to know that. If it wasn't so good, tell me why and don't hold back. That way I don't suck so much next time.