CHAPTER XVII
ROCK THE BOAT
Sora joined Donald, Goofy and Kairi back on the deck of the Barrett. Goofy was sprawled out over his chair while Donald piloted for a while. There wasn't much to do except dodge a stray meteor everyone now and again.
"So…how did you manage to get back into the cargo hold?" Sora asked Kairi, trying not to think about the kiss she had given him too much. It was just the cheek, after all…he had kissed her on the cheek a few times in the past, what was so different about her kissing him? He couldn't figure it out…
"I grabbed onto the tailfin of the Barrett as it passed by and hung on until we were clear of the implosion. I didn't mean to scare you…but trust me, it was a lot scarier from where I was hanging," she said, chuckling to herself.
Kairi really had a good handle on the whole 'near death experience' thing. She seemed to come out of every one of them stronger than before.
Sora nodded and checked the monitors – only an hour and a half until they would touch down in the World That Never Was. He was thinking about finding Leon and Sully's Nobodies when a giant wooden ship filled the entire view screen of the Barrett.
It was nothing like the heartless ships – he could tell that right away. Giant sails were drawn all over the ship, with orange patterns and a yellow glow to the otherwise white fabric. It almost looked like a solar panel, but slightly more primitive. There were giant rope buckles on either side of the mast, and the ship was positively spotless – not a speck of space debris on it. The body of the ship looked wooden – well, a wood substitute, he figured – and it was built like the wooden ships he had seen in Port Royal. The main differences were the enormous jet engines that glowed with blue flame jutting out the tail of the ship, and the fact that while a normal wooden ship only had two or three large sails, this one had to have at least ten of varying size and shape. He read the name as it passed them by, going the opposite direction of the World That Never Was.
"R.L.S. Legacy? Guys, do you see that ship?" Everyone rolled their eyes at this question – it was impossible to miss.
"What a weird ship…" Kairi said, half to herself.
They could see the World That Never Was up ahead. It was still at least an hour away…but they could see the world, and that made all of them sigh with relief. But what they saw open up in front of them after that made them feel what was quite possibly the exact opposite of relief – complete panic.
A black portal, identical to the ones the Legion of Shadows used, opened up in the center of space, in the direct flight path of the Barrett. Out of it shot a tiny space craft. The ship was a sleek black and had white tribal markings all over it, just like the Legion uniform. It was clear that it was a one man craft…but Sora knew that one person can quickly lead to trouble if they have the necessary means.
The small craft sped up with multiple boosts until it was right next to the R.L.S. Legacy. It extended what looked like octopus tentacles and docked onto the back underside of the Legacy – a location that would have been completely undetectable to anyone on that ship.
"We've got to follow it," Sora decided.
Goofy and Donald's jaws dropped with shock. "But, we're almost to the World That Never Was! If we follow it, there's no telling how far away it'll bring us!" Donald quacked.
Goofy nodded in agreement. "I'm with Donald, Sora. We need to find Sully's Nobody…we made a promise to Mike!"
Sora got angry. "And I'll keep that promise, you guys know that! We just need to help out that ship! I'd wager the entire Barrett that the little craft we just saw is a member of the Legion…and we can't let them turn anyone on that ship into a heartless. Besides, if Sully's nobody even is on the World That Never Was…"
"And that's a big if, you guys…" Kairi added.
"He'll be safe there until we can come back," Sora finished.
Goofy and Donald looked at each other, exasperated. "Fine, let's follow the Legacy," Goofy mumbled, and turned the Barrett to follow the giant flying sea-worthy vessel into the unknown.
