Note: All characters, names, some settings are copyrights of Square-Enix. I am only combining them for the purpose of this fanfic.

FINAL FANTASY GUARDIANS

A FINAL FANTASY IV, VI, VII, VIII, X AND CHRONO TRIGGER CROSSOVER

CHAPTER I: A GATHERING OF HEROES

Gaspar stood at by the lamppost resting his hands upon his cane as was his habit. The time stream appeared to be at peace after the defeat of Lavos. The heroes had all returned to their respective eras to pick up the living their lives once again. Everything else seemed to be intact, though that feeling would soon fade. The cobblestone walkway that occupied the End of Time shook violently, forcing Gaspar to lose his balance. As the Guru of Time began to rise to his feet, he sensed a disturbance in space and time. At this point a large dragon appeared before him.

"Bahamut," Gaspar said, "it's been awhile."

"We need your help," Bahamut replied.

Kain stood at the summit of Mt. Ordeals. For months on end, he had been training continuously to better himself. He had gotten stronger, but his honor had been damaged severely when he was under control of Goblez and Zeromus, and that was still recovering in his eyes. True, he had been forgiven by Cecil and the others; however, he still could not face them. I'm sorry Cecil, but I have to do this. I can only hope that you understand. I must make amends for my sins. His thoughts were silenced as he felt a familiar dark presence. Quickly he grabbed his blue Dragoon helm and placed it on his head. Without a moment's hesitation, Kain left Mt. Ordeals and headed towards Baron, home of King Cecil and Queen Rosa. I must tell Cecil and Rosa about this.

Kain ran through the forest as fast as he could, armed only with the Holy Lance upon his back. Dammit, why did I have to seclude myself, I should have been there. He kept scolding himself for his actions, only hoping to make up for them. The dark presence grew stronger; he could sense it, as could the monsters that attacked without mercy. Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong Dragoon to provoke and met their ends quickly by his lance. Kain could not waste any time at all. Against his better judgment, he let his thoughts drift, causing him not to notice the winged beast that approached him. Instantly, a shuriken flew silently through the air, pinning the monster on a tree, ending its miserable life. Kain began to reach for his lance when the purple clad ninja king of Elban jumped from a nearby tree.

"You're slipping Dragoon," Edge jokingly said. Kain relaxed his grip on his weapon after cursing himself for his carelessness He couldn't afford to make any more mistakes like this one.

"Still cocky I see," Kain replied with a sharp, friendly tone. Edge laughed.

"Is that any way to thank me for saving your life?" Edge asked pretending to be hurt by Kain's words. "I always thought you were better than that."

"Fine, you have my thanks," Kain answered with a hint of impatience. "As much as I enjoy seeing and hearing you, I am afraid I must be off." He resumed his run towards Baron with Edge keeping up.

"That's no way to greet a friend," Edge replied. "Anyway, you're off to Baron, right?"

"Yes, I need to speak with Cecil and Rosa," Kain answered. He felt an inward stab as he said those words, but pushed it aside for the time being.

"Well whaddya' know," Edge replied, "we have more in common than I thought. That's where I'm heading." He stopped speaking and glanced around. All friendly animals fled the area. Kain noticed that something was amiss, but couldn't take time to ask why as he and Edge fell to their knees in pain, with the dark presence growing in power. A blue portal appeared in front of them. As soon as in manifested itself, it drew the two warriors in with a wind that pulled them. Once they entered, the portal closed and disappeared, along with Kain and Edge.

Setzer stared into the sky as he piloted the Falcon about the twilight sky. The wind blew back his silver hair and black coat as the sun began its final descent. He was at peace; he always was when he flew. Though he could not help but feel empty. Sure, Kefka had been stopped and the world was slowly healing, but something was missing in his life. Adventure, how things have slowed down since Kefka's defeat. He sighed as he neared his destination, remembering the reasons for his visit. Quickly he put those thoughts behind him as he prepared the Falcon for its landing near Mobliz. Setzer thumbed his pockets checking for his razor edged cards and his own personal deck he shuffled absentmindedly at times. Seeing that both were present, he descended below deck and exited the Falcon as he made his way towards the house of a good friend. The moon and stars had already begun to make their appearance in the early evening sky. Once he arrived at the only house with a light on, he knocked softly on the door.

"Just a minute" a voice echoed from inside. A few moments later, a woman with green hair tied behind her head opened the door, smiling at her guest.

"Hello Terra," Setzer said.

"Hi Setzer," Terra replied as she hugged him. "It's so good to see you. Please, come in." Setzer stepped into the house as Terra closed the door behind him.

"I hope I didn't wake them," he added as he sat down in a chair.

"No, they're sound asleep," Terra replied as she too sat down in a chair. "So, what brings you by here?"

"Just thought I'd say hello and see how things are going," Setzer answered. "I was in the area anyway. Oh, the others send their regards…" He stopped before he could finish as another knock was heard.

"Guess tonight's a night for company," Terra added. Setzer let out a chuckle as she answered the door. All expressions faded as they saw the evening visitor. Surprising would be an understatement. "Oh Shadow, hello." The ninja walked in without a sound or gesture, with Interceptor close behind. They knew better than to question him, everyone did.

"Nice to see you Shadow," Setzer chipped in as he wondered why the ninja stopped by.

"Terra," Shadow said, "I need to ask you something." The tone in his voice was serious yet desperate, differing from his normal cold one. Terra and Setzer sensed this as he sat down.

"Sure," Terra replied, "what is it?" Before Shadow could answer, the ground began to shake and a sharp pain jolted through their heads.

"Interceptor…get help," Shadow ordered his faithful canine companion. Interceptor reluctantly left to find someone.

"The children," Terra said as she tried to stand but fell. The pain was too much.

"What is this?" Setzer asked as he fell to his knees. The ground had stopped shaking, but the pain intensified. A dark blue portal appeared behind them, sucking them in like a black hole. They vanished from the room without a trace as a familiar laugh plagued the area.

Cloud was returning from a successful delivery back to his home in Edge. It wouldn't have taken so long except for the increased monster activity recently. That was the reason for him having his First Tsurugi fully assembled upon his back rather than inside his motorcycle. His goggle covered eyes swept the area outside the ruins of Midgar. Nothing out of the ordinary. He continued along until the scene seemed to pulsate. Quickly, he stopped his motorcycle. What the hell? He felt a pain surge through his body, similar to the one he experienced when he was plagued with Geostigma. No, not again. It can't be…Geostigma? No, that's impossible, maybe some other result to the experiments? The details of what happened to Zack and him in the Shinra mansion were still hazy to himCloud dropped to his knees as the pain strengthened, severely weakening him. His cell phone rang, but he couldn't answer it. His goggles landed on the dirt beside him.

On the other line was Tifa, trying to get a hold of Cloud. She only wanted to make sure he was doing fine, something out of habit now. She was worried with the increased monster activity, not that Cloud couldn't take care of himself. He had defeated Sephiroth twice and finally come to terms about the deaths of Aerith and Zack, and was finally opening up again. Cloud not answering his phone did little to ease her worries. Still, Tifa hoped he would answer but to no avail. His focus was shattered by the pain so much that he couldn't answer it. After getting his voicemail, she hung up and walked about 7th Heaven. Cloud, where are you? She was too preoccupied with the well being of her friend until the pain struck its course. Tifa dropped as she struggled with it and noticed that something was pulling her. She couldn't see it, but she felt it all the same. A portal had opened up behind her and drained her in, much like Cloud only moments earlier. Marlene walked down from her room on the upper floor.

"Tifa," she called out. No answer. "Tifa, are you here?" Still no response. She looked about the bar frantically, but to no avail. Tifa had disappeared completely.

Squall placed his hands upon the railing as he gazed out into the evening sky. He took a deep breath, releasing some of his anxiety with it. At times he wondered if Rinoa found some delight in making him wait so long. Truthfully, he didn't mind. He was happy, so he would indulge some of her tendencies like this one. Even though Squall was a hero, he still did not enjoy crowds, and knowing what was he was going to attempt tonight wouldn't make it easier on him. But he did enjoy a challenge, but one of a different caliber would have been nice. His Lionheart gunblade was nearby, in case of some emergency. Squall always preferred to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. His thoughts were disrupted by a friendly call.

"Howdy," said the sharpshooter Irvine, tipping his black cowboy hat at Squall.

"Good to see you Irvine," Squall replied, giving his fellow SeeD a handshake.

"Nice to see you're not the hugging type," Irvine added with a chuckle. Squall couldn't help but chuckle as well. Looks like being with Rinoa really has helped him out.

"I'm a fan of breathing," Squall replied.

"Yeah, but try telling Selphie that," Irvine added. By the expression on Squall's face, he could see that he had tried but to no avail. "That's Selphie for you, gotta love her the way she is. Speaking about love," he gave Squall another glance, "word is that tonight's gonna be pretty big for the two of you." Squall tried to shrug it off as he moved his hand through his jacket pocket to find a small box.

"And how exactly did you find out?" he asked curiously, wanting to see if Irvine's answer matched his guess.

"What better way to Zell's heart than his stomach," Irvine answered, "You would be surprised at what a few hot dogs can do to him."

"I should have seen that one coming," Squall replied, trying not to laugh too much at the situation. "That damn fool, remind me to hit him with my gunblade hilt later."

"Or we could just let Selphie hug him." Irvine added with a smile. He really enjoyed talking about her.

"Don't tell me you hugged the truth out of him," Squall replied. "I liked the hot dogs better."

"You think I'm that inhumane?" Irvine asked. "C'mon, you should know me better than that." Squall nodded. "Anyway, I'm here to offer you my support while you wait for her."

"Whatever," Squall replied. "Thanks."

"No prob," Irvine added, tipping his hat once again. Squall rubbed his scar, trying to brush off the small headache he felt. "That's kinda weird."

"You've also got a headache?" Squall asked.

"Yeah," Irvine answered. They both felt the pain intensify.

This is no headache. Squall and Irvine dropped to their knees, trying to cope with the pain that kept growing. The dark blue portal appeared and sucked them in with a force they could not resist. Where the two stood was now empty, without any sign of what happened.

The ocean was still except for the slight breeze that blew by. Yuna stood by the pier on Besaid Island. She whistled, just like Tidus had shown her, hoping he would appear. Just like all the previous attempts, nothing. A tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered all the blessed moments she had with him on their journey one year prior.

"Stay with me until the end…please?" she had asked him.

"Not until the end…always," was his answer.

The tears came faster as she remembered their first kiss in Lake Macalania and his fading away after the fight with Yu Yevon. Why did you have to fade away? It wasn't supposed to be like this. I know you said it was your story, but in all truth, it was our story. The tears slowed. I have to be strong for all of Spira. They look up to me especially now that Yevon has been exposed for what it is. Even though I've lost everyone that I've loved, I have to be strong; they would want me to move on. Still, I'm not giving up. There has to be a way to bring you back Tidus. I love you and I'll find it. She regained her composure and began to walk back to the island when she fell down as she was struck with pain. Yuna couldn't bear it; it was more intense than anything she had felt during her pilgrimage. The dark blue portal had appeared on the ground she rested on, and took her in like the rest.

Nothing was what happened in the Farplane. Auron stood looking out into the distance. He finally could rest in peace after wandering the world as an Unsent after Braska's Calm. His sword could finally be laid to rest, or so he thought as he heard the familiar voice of Bahamut.

"My apologies Auron," Bahamut said. Auron stood silently as he had usually done while in thought.

"You need my sword," Auron replied.

"Yes," Bahamut answered. "I am sorry, but we need your aide. I cannot explain here."

"I know," Auron replied just as he had when he saw Jecht one year prior inside of Sin.

"Do you accept?" Bahamut asked.

"Every story must have an ending," Auron answered. "It's time to see to it." He nodded, not sure whether Bahamut could see it or not. A portal appeared in front of him.

"You will be returned to life for the time being," Bahamut said, "exactly as you looked when you put our dream to rest." With that, his voice was no longer heard. Auron stared at the portal pondering over what Bahamut had told him.

I'm sorry Yuna, but he be returned to you one day. He walked into the portal and disappeared from his resting place, returning to walk among the living as one of them this time.

The mountains of 12, 000 B.C. loomed before the former leader of the Mystics. Magus' encounter with Crono and the others had changed all that. In all truth, they save his life, even spared him afterwards. To think I dared to slay Lavos alone. He was given a second chance to save Schala and took it, even though it meant siding with the bearer of the Masamune, Frog, formerly known as Glenn. Magus could understand why Frog didn't trust him. He would probably do the same to the person who killed his best friend and cursed him into his present form. Somehow they had managed to put their differences aside and after resurrecting Crono set out and defeated Lavos. Schala, I will find you, even if I have to search through all of time. Magus flew the sky looking for anything that would help him. So far nothing, but he had just resumed his search.

He descended to the nearest settlement, asking the Enlightened Ones and Earthbounders if they had seen or heard from his sister, not mentioning that he was in fact Prince Janus. The last thing he needed to do was disrupt the flow of time. Magus flew off, snorting at the lack of competence with Schala and continued seeking out any tidbits of information. He felt a slight headache, but thought that it was due to his nerves being restless. A gate then appeared before him, something he thought rather odd since he did not summon it nor see anyone exiting it. And since he was floating high above the ground, only the Epoch could meet him at his current position, and the flying time machine didn't use gates. Magus also noticed a strange force that seemed to pull him in. Resisting was futile, and he knew it, but more than anything, he hoped that this gate could lead him to his sister. Without any more hesitation, he flew straight into it, wherever it would lead him.

After Magus and the others were warped through time, the Mystics were left under the rule of Ozzie, Slash, and Flea once again. That didn't last long. The group was lead back to the era of 600 A.D. and saw it fit to make sure the Mystics no longer harassed the humans, especially the Kingdom of Guardia. Frog made sure of that. He even laid the spirit of his close friend, Cyrus, to rest, though he had yet to slay Magus. They both shared a hatred for Lavos, keeping them at bay from one another. He was hailed as a hero, and knighted. His loyalties rested with Queen Leene and Guardia continuing to uphold his oath to Cyrus.

Frog wondered about, making sure the kingdom was safe from harm. Tis rather a peaceful day. He enjoyed the tranquility now that the war with the Mystics had ended and was honored to have taken part. However, he still wished to return to his human form, to no longer be Frog, but Glenn. His silence was disturbed by the appearance of a gate and a slight pain he felt. A gate, but who summoned thee? Frog knew that he hadn't called upon a gate, and saw no one else in sight. Perhaps the work of Sir Crono. No one entered from the gate. The pain began to increase, but Frog endured to the best of his abilities. The gate began to drag him in, and with the pain he was experiencing, he could not resist the pull. Instead, he went along with it. He jumped into the portal and it sealed behind him.