Jeffrey joined Valerie, Selphie, and Riku. "We can take you on," he added. Note to self: lay off the magic for a bit. His eyes widened when he saw Shadow Sora. Water turns to steam and Blizzard just melts, Kairi thought. Better stick with Thunder for now. She fired a bolt of electricity from Destiny's Embrace.
"Hey, Tidus!" Wakka called to his friend, spinning his blitzball on the tip of his index finger. "You up for this?" "You bet!" The boy replied. Wakka kicked the ball towards Tidus, smashing through Heartless on its way. The two passed it back and forth, destroying any Heartless in its path. Lulu's Moogle doll did its best to attack the Heartless, while its owner cast volleys of Fire and Thunder spells.
"Crap!" Several Neoshadows were surrounding Jeffrey. Think, Jeffrey, think... He had to find some sort of a spell to take these out all at once. Erm... Quake? "Well, it's worth a shot!" He stabbed his katana into the ground. "Quake!" The ground around him and the Neoshadows cracked and shook. Chunks of earth dislodged by the spell destroyed the Heartless. But there were still plenty more besides the ones that attacked him, and he could feel sweat pouring down his face from the spell.
"I'd tell you to feel guilty about this," Jeffrey told Gexln. "But I know you can't!" He stayed in a defensive position. This time Kairi fired a Blizzard spell at the Phoenix Heartless, hoping for it to freeze some of the feathers. Lulu held her Moogle doll in her right hand and grabbed her necklace, a pentagram in a circle. She launched a Thunder spell at the Heartless. Waka threw his blitzball up into the air and kicked it towards the Phoenix as its landed.
Jeffrey jumped down into the water right next to the shore. Standing up, he drew his katana. Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace and ran up near Irvine. "Water!" an orb of water shot out of the Keyblade straight for the Heartless's wings.
Jeffrey stood up and put one hand on his katana. "I wonder what's the problem..." He searched the skies. "I don't see the Heartless anyway..."
"Yep," Jeffrey replied, looking at the fruit. "I wonder what it tastes like - sweet?" he joked. Privately, he was glad it was night, so the darkness could hide his flushed cheeks.
Jeffrey stood next the door near the bridge to the paopu tree island. He noticed Valerie was on the island across the bridge and walked over there. "Hey." He sat down on the paopu tree and looked up the sky. "Isn't it great out here? You can see all of the stars." He frowned. "No moon, though..."
"And to do that, we have to stop Gexln and... that Heartless," Jeffrey said. He didn't want to call it by Eden's name. It wasn't their friend, just a Heartless hiding her heart.
"Good luck to both of you!" Kairi shouted. "Sora's totally gonna win," Tidus told Wakka. "I dunno, ya? Riku's usually the winner," Wakka replied. "Whoever thinks the quickest will win," Lulu added. The three seemed to be making bets on who would win. "Well, this'll be fun to watch..." Jeffrey said.
"You seem to have left that bit out," Jeffrey replied. "Well, that means we'll have to go to Twilight Town once we leave, right?" Kairi nodded. "It's the only way to get to Master Yen Sid's tower."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Jeffrey told. "There should be a third with us, but..." He trailed off. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours," Tidus said, joining the crowd. Wakka and Lulu both nodded. Lulu picked up the Moogle doll, which had been walking slowly behind them. "Since both of you helped protect us, you're welcome to the Islands any time," the mayor added.
Jeffrey stood watching the others with Valerie. "Everyone's getting such a nice reunion. Hopefully this bit of peace will last for a short while."
"So if Eden somehow managed to get her Heartless to retreat, that means there must be some way we can get her to take control," Jeffrey said. "And then we can get her back!" Kairi searched through the people exiting the shack. At the back of the group, she saw the mayor. He was a short and plump man with thinning brown hair and light brown eyes. The cuffs on his dress shirt were singed from the fire. "Mayor!" Kairi ran up to the man and gave him a hug. "It's good to see that you're safe," the mayor said. He smiled and ruffled her hair.
"I'll go," Kairi told Sora. "You're too close to fight now." She turned to Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu. "Lulu, Wakka, you two stay at the entrance and help if we need backup." The goth girl nodded. "Tidus, you'll be a last resort, since you can only fight in close combat." With that, she ran out and cast a protection spell on herself. Jeffrey went up to Valerie, careful to avoid the Heartless's attacks. "We need some sort of plan. We're not getting anywhere right now."
"Earth!" Jeffrey launched a volley of stones at the phoenix, not caring whether or not they hit. He drew the katana from his side. "So you're what Eden's become? I gotta admit, it's a step up from a Neoshadow."
"Where's the Mayor?" Kairi asked. She couldn't see the man she had lived with since he arrived in the islands anywhere. "He's in the shack with Selphie and Irvine," someone replied. Good, he's safe for now. "Not without me you're not!" Jeffrey bolted after her, knowing they'd have a better chance with two people.
"So much for secret, huh?" Kairi joked, seeing Riku somewhat annoyed. Then she remembered that the drawing of her and Sora was there. She blushed in embarassment. "Maybe there are refugees in there," Jeffrey said, walking over to the entrance the secret place.
"This is horrible..." Jeffrey could see smoke rising from somewhere on island. "I hope everyone's okay..." Kairi whispered. She knew that many people would have their hearts taken, or even be dead, but she still held a hope that their friends were still alive.
There were no votes for no.
