The Bandits, Chapter 15

Memories Everlasting

Michele's POV

It felt strange seeing a copy of Perry just die before my eyes. For a moment I felt like it was really him dying. Or worse, it could be me next. I was beginning to get a bit scared.

"This place is scary!" I proclaimed to the group that I began to call my friends. "Don't worry. Stay close to us and you'll do fine Michele. I mean, that's how I lived through everything." Perry told me. His words filled me with resolve. "Ok. If I lived through that Omega Weapon thing I must be strong, right?" I asked everyone. "That's how it works. The more you fight the stronger you become." The spiky haired blonde told me.

"Let's step through." Perry told us walking through the white doorway in front of us. Once I made it through we were all in some odd place.

"This...this was my house. In my old neighborhood." Perry proclaimed to all of us. "You sure?" Yuffie asked him. Yuffie seemed much like me only more vibrant. "I'm sure. See there's my room." He told her pointing to a small room. We all walked inside and saw a small child, about five years old, playing with toys.

"Is that you?" Tifa asked Perry. "It seems so. How are we seeing this?" he thought aloud. "Perhaps we are inside your clones thoughts." Nanaki speculated. "That's true. He must have the thoughts I did at this young an age." He said in agreement. "How do we get out of here?" Cid asked looking around. "Perhaps the front door." Perry suggested going downstairs.

Once we opened the door the whole house changed into a scary looking dungeon like building. And a monster appeared before us. "What's that?" Vincent asked aiming his rifle at it. "This was a monster I was afraid of when I was a child." Perry explained drawing his two guns. "But I'm not anymore."

You may not be, but I sure am! It was a large gray beast with sharp scythes for arms and it floated in the air. "Ugh, this thing is scary! Let's just get it over with!" I said raising my fists into the attack position Tifa had taught me.

Vincent was first to fire upon the beast. It jerked back from the blast as Perry soon shot it twice with both weapons. Then I concentrated and. "Bolt3!" I shouted feeling stupid but it wore off when a surge of electricity shot through the monster inflicting damage to it. Then Barret, I think that was his name, fired a blast from that cannon on his arm at the monster. It died faster than I thought.

Cait Sith's POV (who saw this one coming?)

Well this was a strange place. I almost wished I could defend myself so I could fight with them and not through this doll in the safety of this operations room. "Well, it looks like we can leave." I said into my headset that spoke through the doll. Everyone began to walk out the front door as I used the controls to maneuver the toy to follow them.

Once through we were in another place. Very strange if you ask me. Some kind of endless concrete field.

"Where are we now?" Cloud asked looking around. A number of people started to appear and walk through us. "These people are familiar. I know them all." Perry said walking up to one. Then somebody appeared behind us. "That's right." A small kid told us.

"Who are you?" Yuffie asked. "Don't you remember me? It's Perry." The child said. "Me?" "Yes. This is your Chamber of Memories. Here is where all the people that ever and still matter to you wander through your mind forever." It told us. "What's that got to do with anything?" Cid asked.

"I am only the spirit of the clone. I want to help you. Just so you don't go on hating me forever." He said looking down. "Don't worry. I understand why you did it. But your help would be appreciated." Perry told the child. "Thank you. To reach Hester you must make it through your mind. She had hidden herself in the back of your mind." It explained to us.

"Well let's try to get there." Cloud suggested to everyone. "Then I will tell you one thing. Find her." The child said pointing at Michele before vanishing.

"Me?" she asked feeling more scared. "Don't worry. It's probably nothing like you think." Aeris told me putting her arm around me. "I suppose."

We walked through the crowds of people and found some girl that looked like Michele. She stood up and turned into a monster.

Yuffie's POV

"Another one?" I griped throwing Conformer at it. It was a large monster that looked like water. My weapon didn't hurt it. "What the heck?" I said catching Conformer and being hit by the creature's counterattack. "You need to be strong! Like me!" Barret said with confidence firing at the creature but getting the same result.

"You were saying?" I mocked. "Shut up foo!" he said standing. "Why can't we harm this thing?" Nanaki speculated. "Whenever we attack it seems to just attack back at us. There must be a weakness." Michele thought hitting it with Bolt3. I was expecting a counterattack but nothing happened. The monster wasn't hurt but it didn't do anything back.

"It's made of water. Maybe we could try this!" Perry said blasting Fire3 at the beast. It felt pain this time and didn't even move as it suddenly began to evaporate. "That was easy." He said looking at a set of stairs leading down.

"Stairs?" Michele said confused. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "Doesn't make much sense to have stairs appear out of nowhere." She told me. "Well. Being here in the first place makes just as much sense." Aeris answered for me. We all naturally walked down this new path.

This new room was very odd. A bunch of clocks and furniture floating in midair. A television was stationed in the center of the room. Some odd stuff was going on in it.

"This is the game." Perry said looking at it. "Game?" Cloud asked him. "Final Fantasy 7. The game you guys are from." He told them. They believed him soon enough when they saw themselves. "Wow. We look kinda goofy." Tifa said. "Well not the whole time. Must be remembering how this all started." I said speculating.

It was at a point in the game thought Perry told us never happened.

"How can you be sure?" Vincent inquired. "Believe me. I've played the hell outta this game and been everywhere! I've memorized it all. As pathetic as it sounds." I told them. "Well. You're knowledge of the game has helped us a bit, so I wouldn't say that." Nanaki told him.

"What do we fight here I wonder?" Michele asked looking around the strange place. "Fight?" We all asked her. "Well in each room we had to fight something. Wonder what it is here." She told us all. "I hope it leads to Hester." Perry said.

Aeris' POV

This was an odd place to be in. Perry's Mind was full of selective things. But then the television transformed into a very large creature. It was a large ball with a person on the top of it with several holes in the ball area.

"Oh shit!" Perry said looking at the monster. "What now?" Tifa said preparing to fight. "Well one day I was so depressed I wanted the whole world to pay. I imagined myself turning into that." He told us. "Big brother I wish you didn't think like that." I told him. "Sorry sis. This was when I was like 8" he told us shooting at the creature.

Suddenly a series of hexagonal pieces came from the holes in the ball. The creature laughed as one of them opened and headed for Perry. A claw came out and grabbed him painfully. Then the claw exploded on him. "Holy *$&@ that hurts." Perry said doubling over in pain. "Hold on!" Yuffie said handing him an Elixir. He felt better after that.

"This thing is strong." Cloud mentioned slashing at one of the hexagons. "But I imagined a stronger attack." Perry answered. "Big Guard!" I shouted casting Barrier, Mbarrier, and Haste on us all. "Good thinking sis."

Then the creature lifted its hands into the air and a white ball captured all of us. We were brought to some strange space. Then the world collapsed on itself in one large-scale blast. We were ejected from the ball with immense force. We barely hung onto life. Michele however lost hers.

"You bastard! Life2!" Perry yelled waving his hands over Michele's broken body and she was able to stand on her own. "What happened?" she asked confused. "You kinda died but I brought you back. Don't ask." Perry told her getting into a fighting position again.

Eventually we managed to wear out the creature and then came one of my favorite attacks. Perry, Yuffie, and I called it Bandit Buster. The three of us used Limit Breaks all at once. We rarely used it on missions, as it was quite powerful.

"Ready?" Yuffie asked tossing her Conformer into the sky. Perry hit it with his sword at the enemy and as I rebounded back I shot it with both pistols. Then as Yuffie caught her weapon Perry took her and literally threw her at the monster. She went through it as Perry soon went around it slashing like crazy. Then the three of us jumped in the air and used Fire3 all at once. In one big blast the creature was vanishing.

"What was that move?" Michele asked the three of us. "We call it the Bandit Buster. Yuffie came up with the name." I told Michele. "Oh. It was amazing." She told us. "I think of the best things." Yuffie beamed.

Then we were met with another doorway. In we went.

Perry's POV

This next room was something any RPG fan might recognize from most games. It was a small room with a door before us, and some fountain on one side. A voice spoke to us.

"This is the Final Save. Beyond that doorway lies Hester. The fountain is used to restore your vitality. But do not enter until you are fully prepared." The voice said before vanishing.

"Let's have a drink. Couldn't hurt." I said taking a sip and feeling very strong again. We all drank from it and decided what to do next.

"Let's just bust in there and kick that whore's ass!" Cid shouted. "Let's sleep." I said. "Sleep? The &$^%s that gonna do?" Cid spat at me. "Well aren't we tired. I'm sure Hester isn't going anywhere. We need to be at our best to beat her." I suggested. "He has a point Cid." Tifa said agreeing with me.

"I say that's not a bad plan." Cloud said. Soon we all agreed and chose a spot on the floor and rested. Yuffie of course was next to me as usual.

I slept rather uneasily knowing this was the last battle, again. But Yuffie was still up and we both had a quiet talk.

"I know how you must feel Perry, but we can't run from this can we?" she told me. "I know Yuffie. Last battles are always hard. We should know." I answered. "Well I'll be there with you and so will Aeris, Cloud, Tifa, and everyone else. Don't worry Perry." She told me holding me close. "Thanks Yuffie." I told her drawing her near into a lovely embrace. I now knew that I could ask her to marry me after we were done. It had to be after that or else it would interfere too much.

In the morning, or at least when we thought it was morning we all prepared to enter the final doorway. "Everyone. This is it. Leave everything sad behind! We go through this door with our heads held up high and our spirits with them. We came here to save both worlds so let's get out and do this!" I said to motivate everyone. They seemed to like it as I opened the door and we stepped through.