A very merry Christmas

Cloud, Sephiroth, and Vincent got off the train and practically ran to the apartment complex. When they got to Kat's apartment they nearly collapsed on the floor.

"What happened to you three?" Kat said coming over to help them to the couch. Cloud was holding onto the bags still trying his best to make sure that Kat didn't see what was in them.

"Where were you guys?"

"Aya asked us to come over." Sephiroth said coming up with a quick lie. He is good at that kind of thing.

"Aya asked you to come over? I didn't know she had my number." Kat said. She had calmed down while putting up the decorations.

"I like how you decorated. Very festive" Cloud said changing the subject before Kat could ask what Aya's number was.

"Ya, well turns out that my aunt and uncle are getting here tomorrow morning, so I'm going to bed. Who knows maybe it will snow and they will get stuck at the airport, that would be a nice Christmas gift." Kat said standing up clearly tired. When Kat was in her room and the lights out Sephiroth said.

"So I guess we put the gifts under the tree?"

"I think that's what we are suppose to do."

"Yes well, I think we should put them under the tree and go to bed our selves." Cloud started to put the gifts under the tree he wasn't sure if that was what they were expected to do, they had just learned of Christmas that day.

"Hey there is stuff under here already." Cloud said pulling out a box rapped in red paper with flowers on it. It was addressed to Sephiroth.

"Kat must have put these under there." Vincent said as he looked at the gift that was addressed to him.

"I didn't know that Kat had gotten us something." Cloud said looking at his present.

"Cloud put them back under the tree." Vincent said handing Cloud his present, Sephiroth did the same.

"Well I'm going to bed." Cloud said standing up walking to the guest room. Sephiroth followed Cloud. Vincent took off his crimson cape and used it as a blanket. He liked the red cloth that Kat had put over the couch.

Vincent laid on the couch looking at the ceiling, and for the first time in a long time a calm peaceful sleep took him. Even the Chaos was at rest and not restless with rage and anger like it normally was.

Christmas day

Kat walked out of her room dressed in the sweater her aunt had given her last year knowing that she would be offended if Kat wasn't wearing it. Kat knocked on the door to the guest bed room. Sephiroth opened it again, this time not a sleepy looking.

"Come on get up you two, they are going to be here soon."

"Alright." Sephiroth said closing the door. Kat herd Cloud yawn and ask.

"Its time to get up already?"

" Vincent, come on get up."

She said shaking Vincent's arm some. He opened his eyes, he looked a bit confused and asked in a soft tone.

"Lucrecia?" Kat looked at him confused then she remembered Lucrecia was the woman Vincent loved. But she betrayed him and with Hojo's help they made him the way he is now. Vincent blinked a few times then sat up fast, putting his human hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, you just look a lot like her." Vincent said his crimson eyes focused on Kat but his head facing strait ahead.

"Your eyes aren't bluish green, just green."

"I took my contacts out, I just need them for reading and on Christmas I don't see the point in wearing contacts."

"I see." Vincent said putting his hand down.

"Come on get up and get dressed, my aunt and uncle are going to be here any moment."

Vincent walked off to change. Kat herd a soft thump looking over at the tree Chi was playing with the ornament he had just knocked down, His bright holiday collar was missing. Kat noticed the presents behind the playful kitten. Kat smiled and picked up the ornament and put it back on the tree. Walking to the kitchen Kat tied an apron around her waist. The smell of fresh pancakes filled the apartment. When the three came out dressed they saw three plates with two pancakes on each one with a side of eggs.

"What is this for?" Sephiroth said looking at the plates of food.

"Thanks, for going out the other day. And thanks for being such a bad liar." Kat said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door, everyone went silent and looked over at the door out of the apartment.

"Come now Kat open the door. Its rude to keep family waiting you know." A high pitched voice came from behind the door. Kat opened the door and revealed a thin woman with an expensive coat on. The woman walked in followed by a teenage boy that was in dress pants and a dress shirt. He was holding the woman's bags along with his own.

"Oh Kat! Look at how much taller you have gotten." the woman said grabbing Kat and giving her a tight hug.

"Auntie, these are my friends, Cloud, Sephiroth, and Vincent." Kat said pulling away from her aunts hug. Kats aunt looked at the three and said in a more disgusted tone.

"Is this why you don't have room us to stay with you?"

"Yes, they are in prep school to get into Tokyo U. they are helping me study."

"Are they now. Then you with the silver hair, tell me what year was white day made a holiday?" Kats aunt wasn't facing Kat. Giving Kat the chance to mouth the year '1980'. With relief Sephiroth had made out the year and said.

"1980, that's when white day originated."

"Alright, so they do know something. I don't approve of them staying here though, and you don't need their help studying for your entrance exams Kat. You aren't smart enough to get into Tokyo U. I knew this since you were born, but you foolish mother and father thought that they should put away all that money so you could fail in life. They were fools, and you are a fool to think that you could get into Tokyo U."

"You aren't the one that determines whether I go to Tokyo U. or not."

"It doesn't matter if you want to go or not anymore, You have no tuition dear, you cant afford to look at the text books at Tokyo U."

"What! What happened to all of that money my parents put away for me!"

"I used it for something productive, your parents were idiots to think a little prostitute like you could get into a high class school. Now you should be sensible like my son Leo, he knows how smart he is. He could make it into Tokyo U."

Kat glared at the ground, her fists were shaking but she held in her anger at her Aunt.

"Before I forget here is the gift your parents wanted me to give you once you decided to go to Tokyo." Kat took a 2 by 3 box from her aunt. It was poorly rapped in a tattered pink paper. With no bow and just written on it in pen 'Kat'

"Dear god, look at this place. I have never seen sadder decorating in my life! Kat darling I know you want me to stay here with you for the holidays but I have to be somewhere else today. I am going to a show down town, its going to be much more pleasurable than this…apartment." Kats aunt looked at her expecting a complaint of her leaving.

"Get out, get out of my home." Kat said with a shaky voice.

"Kat that is no way to treat you auntie!" Kats aunt said.

"You have insulted me in every way you can. You took my tuition you have insulted my parents and multiple times have called them idiots and morons. I have never said anything to make you hate me and my parents so much. Now I am making my comments. You are a oni, you have no respect for anyone, you don't even know who Leo's father is you Bitch! You don't even call me to tell me that uncle died! You just talk to me when there is something in it for you! Now I have nothing more I can give you! So get your fat ass out of my home!" Kat yelled tears had formed in her eyes. Kats aunt sneered and left rambling on about how Kat had been so disrespectful to the person that took her in and cared for her.

Vincent closed the door as Kat fell to her knees crying. Cloud put his hand on her back, she was shaking. They lead Kat to the couch where they let her cry for a while. When she seemed to calm down Sephiroth said.

"Kat, we should open presents now, why not start with the one from your parents?"

"Ok," Kat said dully as she pulled the tattered paper from the box. The box was a nice cherry wood, it was aged and had a little latch to keep it closed. Kat opened the cherry box to reveal a shimmering red orb no bigger than a plum.

"What is it?' Kat asked confused.

"Kat, that's Materia."

"What!" Kat asked with shock, there was no such thing as Materia in this world, only in the final fantasy games.

"How can this be? Materia in this world."

"Perhaps Kats parents found a connection between our worlds. Maybe they were able to cross over into our world and bring back a summon Materia." Vincent said studying the red orb.

"Then perhaps that same connection is what brought us here. Kat you might not even know if you are the reason we came to this world. But if your parents had Materia the only way they could have gotten it was by going to our world. Kat picked up the Summon Materia from the box, as she looked at it there was nothing else it could be.

"Can we talk about this later?" Kat asked looking at them.

"Yes, lets finish opening the presents." Cloud said. Vincent picked up the present with his name on it and opened it. It was a cell phone, not a terribly new model just a cell phone.

" How did you know I didn't have a cell phone?" He asked a little shocked.

"Come on a fan girl like me has her connections."

Sephiroth opened his gift, it was a cell phone like Vincent's.

"Thank you, in our world I never had a need for a phone, but seeing as I am in this world I thank you for this."

Cloud opened his present. It was a pager.

"Because you never pick up your phone."

"That's not far to say. I picked it up the other day."

"Ya because no one has called you since you came to this world."

"Whatever there is still stuff under here for you." Cloud said handing her his gift. Kat opened it and smiled.

"Thanks Cloud, I have been wanting this style for some time now."

"I'm glad you like it."

Vincent handed Kat his present for her. She opened it and a little laugh came from her.

"You couldn't decide?"

"I didn't know what you would like."

Sephiroth handed Kat his present to her. She opened it and pulled out the panda bear stuffed animal.

"Its so cute!" Kat said.

"It was the closest thing they had to a Moogle."

"Thank you guys, I love this stuff."

"There is one more." Cloud handed Kat the present from John.

"Oh I told him not to get me anything." Kat opened the box and inside was 5 key chains with Final fantasy characters on them. There was one with Cloud, Sephiroth, Vincent, Reno, and Rufus.

"What are they?" Sephiroth asked.

"Key chains." Kat said holding up the one with Reno on it.

"Now we have opened the presents. So what is next?" Cloud asked.

"Next we should go to the temple and make a wish." Kat said pulling out some coins.

"Ok, should we go then?" Sephiroth said standing up.

"Let me change out of this sweater first." Kat said quickly walking to her room.

One they were out the door Sephiroth asked.

"Are we taking Shinjuku station?"

"Are you kidding they trains will be so packed that you wont be able to breath. No we are going to walk, its not that far anyways."

The four of them walked for about 20 minutes and final came to the temple.

"This is it." Kat said walking up to the stone steps to the temple. Kat bowed slightly to the temple monks then continued. Cloud, Vincent, and Sephiroth did the same. The three watched Kat as she dropped her coins into the offerings bin. Kat pulled the rope and the bell rang once, she then put her hands together and said her wish in her mind. When she was done she turned and said to the three.

"Its easy, and everyone's wish is herd." Kat waited until they were done making their wishes then she said.

"Well now that we are out, we have the day to spend doing whatever." Kat said cheerfully. The rest of the day they spent walking around town and they even visited Aya. Aya had thought it would be fun to invite them in and serve tea, giving everyone but Cloud normal tea. Aya gave Cloud the Sage tea that he nearly spat up. And this time, he did spit it up. By the time they got back to Kats apartment they had totally forgotten that she got a Summon Materia from her deceased parents.

"We need to talk about how your parents got this Materia. It could be the link to how we got in this world." Sephiroth said sitting on the couch. Vincent sat on the other side while Kat sat in the middle. Cloud sat in the chair across the table. Kat opened the cherry box again the Materia shimmering red just like before.

"I don't know how my parents could have gotten this." Kat said taking the Materia orb out of the box and looking at it. In the box there was a satin cloth, and a little piece of folded up paper. The box was originally made for an ornament but it worked perfectly for holding the Materia.

"Kat there is a note in the box." Sephiroth pointed out. Kat picked up the letter and unfolded it carefully making sure not to rip the paper.

"To my dearest daughter. I hope this finds you well at your home in Tokyo. Me and your mother give you this Summon Materia as our last gift to you. We had found a link between the real world and the world of Final Fantasy. Our trip there we made together, but when we came back something went wrong. Your mother was left behind while I was able to return to this world with this Materia. We were planning to tell you when you were 15, but the chance to was taken away when your mother wasn't able to come back to our world. So now I am left to tell you, that you are completely alone in this world, with me and your mother the only pure blooded Cetras left. We passed the heavy responsibility of being the only Cetra in this world to you. We both hope that you will find this link between the worlds and perhaps one day you will make the journey there and back. With all of the love we have.

Thomas Gainsborough ""

Kat starred down at the letter from her father. Gainsborough was her parents last name, it was changed to Gain when Kats Aunt took her in.

"Kat I'm sorry." Sephiroth said as he thought back to when he killed Aerith.

"Sephiroth my mother couldn't have been Aerith, she was to young to be my mother. That means she might still be alive." Kat said her eyes shining with the thought of finding her mother in the Final Fantasy world alive and well. Kat folded the letter up again and put it back in the box with the Materia.

"You guys will help me find the link between our worlds right?" Kat said eager to find the link to the Final Fantasy world in hope that her mother was there.

"Alright, we'll help." Vincent said looking at Kat.

"Great! Tomorrow I am going to see when the next flight to Osaka, my Aunt has all of my parents stuff up in her attic. And since my parents left me everything that stuff is really mine. I'm sure that there is something about the link hidden in their stuff." Kat said with excitement. She grabbed her laptop and checked what the tickets were priced.

"If we leave tonight it is 3rd class with about 30 other people. But if we go on Friday then we can pick our class and there are going to be less people on the plane."

"Alright, lets go then." Cloud said.

"Ok!" Kat said with enthusiasm.