Author's Notes: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Soul Eater - they are owned by Tetsuya Nomura and Atsushi Okubo!

Chapter 4 – A Month Later…

Despite how the first few days of training went for both Lea and Patty, both individuals were progressing quite well in the art of the Keyblade. A few mistakes were made here and there but they managed to get through them with ease… in fact, Patty was a quick learner from the looks of it. Her skills and moves… impressive.

Yet, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It seems that something urgent had come up involving Kairi – her training wasn't going very well and she needed some extra set of hands to teach her due to Sora and Riku taking off on orders. Lea was assigned to that task and some days later he left for Radiant Garden to check in with Merlin – Patty was now alone and she had to practice all by herself.

It wasn't much of a challenge since Lea had taught all everything that she needed to know in order to stay fit for the fight while also learning the art himself. Speaking of the two individuals – every evening after the training session had concluded, they would discuss things about their lives, homes, friendships, etc. Lea himself was particular intrigued by Patty's home – Death City and her story along with her abilities. In a way, it reminded him of his time in an old group of his…

But that was all about a month ago… right now, it was the present. Originally, Yen Sid had planned to sent both Lea and Patty to seek out Merlin so he could provide more equipment that would be useful to that two in the upcoming battle but only one was sent. The blonde stayed behind so she could keep training until she was ready – Patty was content with that.

And thus, Patty continued to train by her lonesome self without Lea – luckily, there were training dummies that she could use as target practices. Days and weeks passed and in that time, the blonde improved a lot with the Kingdom Key. She no longer made any blunder/mistakes and took down her opponents with just two/three hits from her weapon.

And then… the day had arrived – one that Yen Sid had been anticipating for the past month. Patty was ready for the trials that laid ahead… she had to departure as soon as possible.

Speaking of the blonde, she was currently wrapping up her training session by cutting down a training dummy in half – sweat was present all over her face as she took a couple of breaths and kneeled on one knee. She concluded that training was hell… it reminded her of those special courses and lectures at the D.W.M.A. in a way.

Wiping off the sweat and standing, she dismissed her Keyblade just as the training dummy disappeared into the air like magic. "Another day, another lesson finished." Patty commented – who knew that Keyblade training would be just as hard as trying to become a full-fledged Demon Weapon?

Speaking of that, she still couldn't enter her 'Gun' form which didn't worry her too much seeing as how she was already wielding a weapon but it still brought some questions in her mind – how long until she had gotten her demon weapon ability back and will she be able to use it without Kid or Liz's help?

Those were questions that held no answers yet… but hopefully they would come one of these days. For now, she had to focus on the present.

Walking over to the table, she picked up a water bottle and began to drink in order to stave off the tiredness and the smell that was coming from her body… All those days of training really put a dent in her hygiene – a mental note was formed in Patty's head: Take shower and wash my hair.

Taking a good look at herself, she noticed wet spots on her jacket's armpits and bubble shorts… plus, her hair as well. "Ewww… when was the last time I had a proper shower?" She wondered to herself.

Hmmm… if she recalled correct, every two or three days after training she would shower and get clothes cleaned up… the last shower she had was… three to four days ago. Ouch, no wonder the smell was so bad…

Getting up and stretching herself, she began to make her way towards her temporary bedroom was – her plan to take a shower and then report to Master Yen Sid on her progress. It was the sensible thing to do… she didn't want to report to the wizard whilst smelling like a pig!

(Meanwhile…)

Darkness… for the past hour, she was laying on the bench and staring at the ceiling which was complete dark and filled with spiders. What else was there to do besides watch and remain silent?

With a heavy sigh released, the girl with pig-tails wondered how it is that she ended up in this state – being a prisoner of a witch who wasn't just evil but at the same time cunning… in a way it reminded her of Medusa.

How did this come to pass? About some months ago, she was living her normal peaceful life in Death City with her friends and was enjoying some R&R after the fall of the Kishin Asura… only for yellow-eyed black ants to show and ruin everything.

They weren't Kishin unfortunately… oh, no – they were so much worse than that – monsters of unknown origin. No matter how many she and her friends had destroyed, more showed up out of the blue… and then the worst had happened:

These creatures had the ability to steal hearts – Miss Marie, Doctor Stein, Black Star, Her father… and worst of all Soul. In the end, all that was left were more black creatures forming in the places of the victims. To her relief, she didn't spot Tsubaki, Kid or the Thompson sisters… maybe they had gotten away in time or were completely lost. She just hoped that they were okay… they were her friends after all.

What happened next was a complete blur… the creatures dragged her down through a black puddle as she watched the blue sky in Death City get clouded in the form of a dark purple storm. Soon, she was sucked in and lost in the darkness for good… or so she thought.

Once she woke up, she found herself in an old dungeon being watched over by an over-weight cat and a mysterious woman with a staff. Using her Soul Perception ability, she found out that the woman was an evil witch and plotted to use the girl as a tool for vengeance. Unfortunately, the pig-tailed girl had no intention of supporting her or her plans… which resulted in remaining in the dungeon until she changed her mind.

Every day, the woman would attempt to convince the girl but to no avail… as punishment, she went without meals or anything to drink. In the girl's mind, this was indeed a cruel lesson to be learned. A month later and the convincing still didn't give any results.

All-in-all, the girl was praying for anyone to come and liberate her… Soul, Kid, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty, anyone if it was possible…

"Enjoying yourself, my dear?" The familiar feminine tone of Maleficent inquired as the girl was snapped out of her thoughts and glared at the witch – she knew why she had come here and it wasn't going to work… not now or ever.

"Hmph… I told you already – I'm not assisting you in revenge or anything! There is nothing that you can do to convince me!" The girl stated to the witch plain and clear.

Said woman just smiled. "Ouch… your feelings hurt me, dear Maka. Its such a shame that you don't even care to see the good in me." She replied with a fake pity in her tone to which the girl known as Maka snorted.

"Hmph… yeah, sure. Do you honestly think that was going to work? It's not… so, leave me alone. I'm not helping you and that is final." Maka told her plain as day which only made the woman continue to smile in amusement.

"Such a shame… you have such talent yet you waste it away… very well, the decision is yours… but know this – one day, you will submit and become a worthy soldier for my cause. Struggle all you want… but victory will be mine!" She declared before laughing and leaving.

The cell door was shut tight and locked but Maka didn't care about that – at least, she was alone again. Now she could think in peace – a plan on getting out of here no matter the cost. There was no way in hell that she was helping this witch – not now or ever.

The woman was evil with a capital 'E' and that was not good in her book – all her life, she dedicated herself to protecting the innocent from evil such as Kishin and Witches. No way was her priority changing – not now… or ever.

"She's wrong… I'll never submit to her whim. Never." She declared to herself clearly and full of determination.

She would show the woman and escape this place – then find her missing friends and family. Nobody would stop her… no one.

(Maleficent's P.O.V.)

Hmmm… it seems that my convincing will be all for naught – that brat Maka is far too stubborn to listen to what I have to say. I must give credit where its due: she easily broke through my façade and refuses to do as I say. Curse this fate…

I had hoped that she would join me since I can sense how powerful she was but no such luck. I can't seem to find a proper person to use as my puppet for my goals… sometimes I do really miss using that boy Riku – unlike her, he obeyed at least and was more easily convinced.

Walking down the dark corridors of my castle in my home kingdom, I struggled to think of something to use against Sora and his meddlesome friends… especially that new wielder. I can't quite put my finger on it – something about her seems off.

She doesn't seem like anything special and yet a copy of Sora's Keyblade appears in her hands? Something seems off… I already am aware that it was Xehanort and his Seekers that assaulted her world yet… why was the young child spared? For a back-up plan or something…

For now, I had no answers… only questions. Its best to move on with the current objective in mind: stop the Warriors of Light and their new addition. No use in corrupting the new wielder since her darkness was too small.

Hmmm… what to do… what to do… I suppose I could send someone to keep an eye on the new wielder – for the time being. Plus, I had to see what Xehanort's move was.

Pete was out of the question since he was a bumbling buffoon and Maka would be of no help… With a heavy sigh, I had no choice but to send in a special kind of person.

I dreaded using him since he was worthless to me but I had no choice in the matter… With my mind made up, I made my way towards my goal:

Enlisting the help of my brat of a son to watch over that new wielder.

(Yen Sid's Home – Mysterious Tower…)

"Apologies for being later, sir… I was taking a shower." Patty told him before bowing as a sign of respect – she was completely cleaned up and her clothes were fresh, the familiar scent of sweat was no longer present.

Yen Sid raised his hand to tell Patty that she needed no explanation for her actions. "No need for apologies, Young Patty. Keeping up your appearance is important as well – not just training. I trust that you have rested and you are ready for the trials that lie ahead?" He inquired as Patty nodded.

"Yes, sir… my training has been going well so far. A few mistakes made here-and-there but I'm learning from them." Patty reported her progress.

Yen Sid nodded in satisfaction – she was learning the art and skills very quickly without any trouble. Although, he knew that it took years for wielders to become proper Keyblade Masters, there was no room for debate now… Xehanort was on the move and the Realm of Light needed all the help it can get.

"Good… with that said, I believe that your time has arrived." Yen Sid told her as Patty's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, you mean that…" Yen Sid cut off Patty with a nod and answered her question. "Yes. Your training is completed and you will be allowed to assist us in the fight against Xehanort whilst searching for your friends."

Patty couldn't help but feel joy and excitement inside herself – she was going to finally get out into the Realm of Light in order to assist her new friends and get involved into the fight against Xehanort. She was so ecstatic!

Oh, right! She nearly forgot to bow once again in order to show a sign of gratitude and respect towards Master Yen Sid. "T-thank you, Master. I appreciate it."

Yen Sid nodded with a hidden smile on his face – he could easily tell how much Patty wanted to find her friends and restore the balance that Xehanort had disrupted.

"No need to bow. I know how much you care about your friends and sister… Patty, before I release you – there are some things I need to warn you." He stated with a seriousness tone.

"Yes, sir?" Patty inquired with a curious yet serious attitude as well.

"First… remember that the world order must be protected. No one is to know that other worlds exist lest we risk mass panic occurring. Keep that secret to yourself… and if anybody asks, try to think of something that would convince them. Understood?" The wizard asked as Patty nodded.

It wouldn't be easy to think of an excuse for why she was on a different world but she had to try as best as she could to keep it a secret.

"Good… the second thing – on some of the worlds that you visit, you may find some allies of mine that have helped me out over the years. Seek them out for any information that you might have and don't hesitate to call them into battle." Patty gave another nod at the wizard's information.

"Next… before you progress into your journey, I want you to pay a visit to an old friend of mine that lives in Twilight Town. His name is Merlin – another wizard like me. He has something that he wishes to give you before you depart to search for your friends: an important tool in a way." Yen Sid told her.

"Right. Speaking of worlds… any mention of Sora and his friends?" Patty inquired – while training, she wondered how they were doing so far.

Yen Sid gave a small sigh. "For now, progress and training are slow… it will be a while before they are properly ready to step forward into the fight against Xehanort. They also passed me a message to send you their best and wish you good luck." He told her as Patty smiled gently.

"Thank you, sir. I wish them luck as well." She replied as Yen Sid nodded.

"Lastly, I believe you had best take this as well." Yen Sid opened a drawer behind desk and took out what looked to be a blackish-red smartphone with a golden crown-like cover.

Handing it to Patty, she began to examine it. It was definitely resembling a smartphone but at the same time it was different.

"What is this, sir?" She inquired.

"A good friend of mine had his two best inventors design this: a Gummiphone. You can use it to store personal information, collect data and also communicate with us in case of emergency. Keep it at all times, understood?" The wizard asked as Patty nodded.

The Gummiphone was worth examining since it had an interesting design… plus, she couldn't wait to check out the features. But when she was alone… for now there was a task that needed to be completed.

Pocketing the Gummiphone, she turned her attention to Yen Sid yet again. "That's all I have to say. You will learn more throughout the journey that is to come. The vessel that will take you to Twilight Town is stationed outside my tower. Please pass on my greetings to Merlin when you see him." He told her.

"Right." Patty acknowledged with a nod as she turned around and prepared to leave before being stopped by Yen Sid for the last time. "Also, do take care, Patty… Xehanort or any other villain will not rest until they see you captured or dead."

In response to that, Patty just looked at Yen Sid and nodded in full understanding. "Yes, sir… I won't let them use me. Especially Xehanort… I'll make sure that he is brought to justice no matter the cost." She assured him before leaving the room.

With clear thoughts and determination, she ascended down the stairs towards the front door in order to get to her vessel…

Twilight Town and Merlin were awaiting for her!