[Kingdom Hearts][Epic Mickey] Lost Lights

In Memoriam

Thank you for reading!

. . .

Sabrina hefted the D.E.C. grate up with a grunt. It opened up enough that she was able to slink out, then got into a position so she could force the grate open the rest of the way. She even helped Ven out of the D.E.C. without so much a blink at him. Ventus gave her a small nod of thanks before getting a look at their new surroundings.

It wasn't much at first. The small space the D.E.C. resided in held nothing but brown rock, with the occasional light blue or amber crystal jutting out from the side. It was when Ventus and Sabrina stepped out into the open more that he immediately gawked at their surroundings. The two were now standing on a steel floor with vents blowing steam into the air, protecting them from the active lava flow underneath. Connected to the floor were a series of pipes that went up and over to an even larger pipe that stood in front of the source of the lava flow.

"What is this place?" Ven wondered as he stepped further out. The heat from the lava becoming more and more overwhelming with every step. Sabrina's face was starting to flush from it- there was enough sweat starting to build on his back that Ven wondered if he was looking a bit overheated as well.

"This is the Devil side of the Angel and Devil Caverns." Sabrina told him, making a vague gesture at a large carving on the opposite side of them. It detailed a round demon-like face that sent a small shiver up Ventus's back. "Stay close. That lava's just as, if not more, bad for you as thinner is."

Ven gave a quick nod before sprinting closer to her.

"Is this where you want Aqua to train you?" he curiously asked.

"Of course not." she spat. "The place we need is up there."

The boy gave Sabrina a curious look before noting what direction her finger was now pointing in. What he saw made his jaw drop. At an almost equal divide, the other side of the Angel and Devil Caverns revealed the meaning of the dual name. Where the Devil side was low to the ground, the Angel side had many raised platforms. But the main interest was the carving of a large woman with angel wings into the rock. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but Ven couldn't quite place it. Sabrina, too, seemed to keep her gaze locked on the angel before giving a small shake of her head.

"Come on." she told Ven. "It's too hot in this area to stay for too long."

Ven only gave a short nod as they continued on. By the metal platform on this side of the cavern, there were a series of rock formations. The formations were just spaced about that you could simply jump from one to another, granting a more than exhaustive way of reaching the Angel portion. It worked either way- Sabrina seemed sure in her footing while Ventus was close to stumbling behind. They kept climbing until they got to the main platform of this area.

"This is it." Sabrina decided as she stood a bit straighter, her gaze focused on the angel carving. "This is where I want Aqua to train me."

"It's beautiful." Ven remarked in wonder. He moved close to the edge of this platform and realized with a jolt how much higher up they were now. Ignoring another shiver from running up his back, he then went on to ask, "Why here, though?"

At first, Ventus was given nothing but silence. The lack of answer made him blink for a moment before turning around. Sabrina wasn't there anymore. Before he could panic though, he realized that she was still on the main platform, but she had taken a spot that was directly looking at the angel carving.

Ven gave a curious tilt of his head as he moved closer to her. "Sabrina?" he carefully asked. "Are you alright?"

Still no answer. As Ven considered placing a hand on her shoulder to get Sabrina's attention again, that was when the young woman finally said something.