AN: Haven't been in the writing mood in quite a while. I should be writing the next chapter for my first story, but the hurdle feels so huge that I just want to push it on the back burner. So instead here's chapter 2 and my vision of this supposed crossover. Warning, lots of exposition, theory and non-canon lore stuff.

"…" Talking

Italics=Thinking/flashback/letters/dreamscapes

Authors Note and Very serious talk

Try as he might, it was difficult staying awake for Auron, which was odd due to his extreme stamina and focus; not to mention the fact that pulling all-nighters was nothing new to him.

"Well I did just fight Sin/Jecht, … I'm tired." It was then that Auron was really feeling his age, or at least his age on the inside considering his sudden youthful makeover. Truthfully, he's been feeling that way since his 3rd encounter with Yunalesca. All that sadness, anger and grief was fully realized and released from his usual calm and collective self during that battle and if he was being honest; he put more into that battle then he has with either of his encounters with Sin.

He never got over his outrage of the result of Braska's death and the endless cycle that Yunalesca has created for Spira. He loathed his past self for giving in and sacrificing his 2 closest friends, all for the sake of a false peace. Yuna and Tidus … neither of them gave in and even though they were seen as enemies/traitors of Yevon, scorned by practically everybody all across Spira, they were the ones to bring the eternal calm; no more Sin, no more fear, forever.

"Tidus …." The thought of his fate … was an unfortunate one. Unfortunate that he won't be able to continue his life with Yuna and you'd have to blind to not see the amount of affection and care both have grown for one another. He truly has grown from that tiny brat from Zanarkand and became Spira's greatest Guardian; a title more deserving for him rather than himself.

He knew what was in store for him and yet … he continued to fight on and ultimately find love along the way … his fate if he were to kill Sin for good. He thought as he tried to rationalize the choices and decisions Tidus has made during Yuna's pilgrimage.

Hmph, this one goes out to you; your story has ended on a high note. Auron raised his Nog in honor for his fallen comrade/student and downed the last remnants of his rum.

Does … this taste stronger than normal? Auron thought as he blacked out.

-Dreamscape-

Auron gently stirs as he awakes … what appeared to be his old home.

"This is …." Auron started.

"A dream." Someone finished for him

Auron turned towards the direction of the voice only to see … a child.

"I've … seen/met you before haven't I?" Auron questioned as he tried to discern the identity of the child only for the child to chuckle.

"Yes and no, though I would wager you've never seen me in this particular form and only momentarily in passing during your fight with Yevon." The child answered, and it was then that Auron was able to line up the pieces.

"You're a Fayth … but for which aeon?" Auron asked.

"Normally I'd answer with the fact that it doesn't really matter but in this case, what I'm asking of you is really personal, so I'll answer your question. I am the Fayth of Bahamut, King of Dragons." The child answered.

"Personal?" Auron believed that all the aeon's goals were to find a way to permanently kill Sin and finally put themselves to rest and be at peace; that was the pay off for their loyalty towards their summoners, what more can they want or at least this particular one?

"Yes, personal." The child confirmed.

"I'm going to guess you were the one to send me here … why?" He said with a little bite to his voice.

"Because I felt that you were the best person for the job not to mention the little fact … you owe me a favor." The child responded, not reacting nor afraid of the man's attempt at intimidation.

"A favor?" The man questioned.

"I helped guide your little protégé in the right direction." The boy chided.

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't, however my deeds, my actions helped get you what you ultimately wanted; return me to Spira and let me rest in peace. You of all people should know the desire of such things." Auron said with barely restrained fury. He killed a much more powerful variant of Bahamut, he can do it again.

"I know, and I will, but not before I explain myself. What I'm asking of you is a request, one where you are free to choose to deny but just know, whatever is waiting for you out in Spira, will not result in what you want or even deserve." The child said.

"What do you mean?" Auron asked.

"Even if you were sent by a summoner … not everyone will make it to the farplane. I'm sure you are aware of how the world works, even the celestial ones, that there are consequences to whatever decision or action or even inaction you make. Actions that include not passing on when you should have Auron." The Fayth said.

The man had nothing to say to that which only prompted the child to continue further.

"You'd be where Maester Seymour is right now … purgatory. It's where all the souls go who fail to pass on including those who became monsters. From there you will be judged and even if you lived for sake of good intentions and committed good deeds while living as an unsent, the Knights of the Round don't take kindly to those who break the rules and trust me, those guys don't mess around. They have the strength to completely decimate Sin 100x over."

"And exactly what would have happened to me if I were to be judged by them?" Auron asked.

"Well … as I said, they don't like rule breakers and they would have more than likely sentenced you to a death beyond death, complete erasure; in other words, an execution. The only way out would be to challenge them to battle where you'd be fighting all 13 of them at once and just one of them is enough to completely wipe out all life in Spira. I couldn't let them do that to you, so I hijacked your spirit before they could get their hands on you and sent you here. If you choose to accept and complete my request, I'll give you my Right of Passage."

"Right of Passage?"

"That's right. The Right of Passage is given to all Fayths that have the power to become aeons for their "services" for a lack of a better word to the mortal world which gives us aeons the right to pass without having the need to be judged. Souls are judged and determined by how bright their respective soul is. If a soul is deemed to be too dark or too evil, they will be sentenced to purgatory otherwise they'll pass on normally towards the farplane. Since our existence and actions are controlled by the actions and whims of a summoner, there is no definitive way for our souls to be judged which is why even the soul of Jecht was allowed to pass on peacefully; it is the reason why the other aeons are allowed to pass on peacefully despite what the humans did to create a dark variant of ourselves." The child said to what sounded like bitterness and anger.

"However, we were to hold on to this until the mortal world no longer needs us or in this case even power us, then and only then are we free to pass on peacefully."

"Is that really something you can just give away? Sounds too good to be true." Auron said skeptically.

"I haven't really passed on yet as I still have some grievances to take care of so technically I still have mine and there's no rule that says that I'm not allowed to give it away. Because I passed on as a child, my soul is too pure to be sent to purgatory even if I was judged but at the same time, I'm not going to give this to just anybody, not even you."

"Hmph, you're not really giving me a lot of options here but whatever this request is will be my ticket to be with my friends again. I'll do it, I … have a lot to apologize for … for Braska and for Jecht." Auron said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, our stories are not yet finished but if you play your cards right, you'll have your happy ending, I guarantee it."

"So … what is this request? We're obviously not in Spira and definitely not in Zanarkand. Where are we and what is this place's connection to you?" Auron asked.

"This place has absolutely no connection to me, but I don't plan on leaving without settling a debt. This world I sent you to is called Earthland; a planet that is brimming with magic. It is this planet's magic that made it possible to defeat Sin."

"What do you mean?"

"Auron … the world of Spira lacks any form of real magic. The spells you were able to cast is only in part in thanks to taking the overabundance of this worlds magic by the Fayth of Zanarkand. As the Fayth had the power to bring dreams to life so too is its ability to take magic from a different world. Now that the Fayth are no longer there to supply the world of Spira with real magic, its inhabitants will soon need to find other methods to cast their old spells." (AN: AKA Dresspeheres/materia if FF7 theory is to be believed)

"Seeing how this world aided ours from the brink of destruction, it's only fair that we returned the favor. This planet houses a great evil, one that might even be more dangerous then Sin. A dark, powerful and evil dragon by the name of Acnologia. Around 400 years ago, a wizard from this planet somehow managed to connect with me. I could only guess it was due to the stolen magic. I was curious and answered her call via dreamscape. We talked, and she told me of her fears and the threat that her planet faces while I told her mine of what Spira is going through. It was surprisingly a pleasant time seeing as how I can only communicate with summoners of Spira but due the constant crisis that Spira faces every 10 or so years, the both of us had our own problems to deal with. An immortal foe vs an unbeatable one, we both had something to worry about. But now we know that our foe isn't truly immortal, I don't think this supposed dark dragon is unbeatable either."

"400 years is a long time, even if it is a dragon; is this thing even alive anymore? The fact the planet is still around, and the environment doesn't look like a burning hellscape, I'm going to wager that this dragon isn't doing a very good job of being a mighty threat as you claim." Auron said.

"The motives are unclear, but I can definitely say that this dragon is still alive. As a dragon myself, I can feel it in my bones; an unpleasant and uneasy feeling. He has the strength to destroy or rule this world, yet he hides and leaves the world be but based on what the wizard has claimed of the atrocities Acnologia has committed, leaving this beast alive would be a detriment to this world and possibly other worlds if his powers are to be believed." The child said causing Auron to heave a sigh.

"Before I even accept this request I must ask, why do you even care about the fate of this planet? Sure, we borrowed this world's magic, but you personally don't owe them anything." Auron asked.

"Maybe, but we Fayth who have chosen to become aeons believed that our powers and our entire beings will be used for good. We believed it was the right thing to do and even now that is my reasoning for taking on this task."

"If I'm going to be honest with you, I don't think I have it in me, though that doesn't mean I'm not going to try, it's just … I don't have the same passion I did during my first journey nor do I have my anger, hatred and regrets as well as a promise to fulfill that pushed me on my second pilgrimage. I have no motivation outside of my own selfish desires and in my eyes, I'm the biggest failure."

"It's unfortunate that you see yourself that way but that's not the way I see it. You're capable, experienced, brave, humble, loyal and most of all righteous. You have regrets, you've experienced true despair and heartbreak but despite it all, you've always fought for what you believed was right. You didn't force Summoner Yuna nor Tidus to see your own viewpoint but to forge their own and see the error of the endless cycle. You guided one and raised the other, you've done plenty, but your talents are still needed; this world needs you Auron. If anything, the girl that you found at the beach looks like she could use some of that guidance."

"She can manage on her own, her eye may look dead, but I sense fire in her eye; she's a survivor."

"If I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure you gave a silent promise that she wouldn't be alone; that you would be there for her. Now is not the time to disappoint me Auron."

"…." He didn't have an answer to the mighty dragon deity.

"I'm not sure where all of this self-doubt came from, but I know you can pull through this, if not for yourself, do it for her." The floating child said pointing towards a ghostly wisp of the girl with red hair sleeping peacefully.

"I just met this kid … why would I …." Auron began only to get interrupted.

"Because you need something in your life to give you purpose, to protect with all of your being, that's how you've always been; a Guardian." And once again, Auron was left speechless.

"But I'm not going to force you to do any of this, it's still by the end of the day, a request. I can return you to Spira and from there, you will be judged by the strongest deities of our worlds. They're strict but they're not heartless and might make an exception. It's all up to you."

"It's worrisome that whatever this threat is, is comparable to Sin but if you think I can help this world then fine. I'll find this dragon and it will fall."

Whether it be by my hands or …. Auron thought to himself as his gaze rested on the red headed child. Based on his initial interaction with her, she knows how to carry herself and by the way she was holding the stick in a threatening manner, she also knows how to use a sword.

No, this is my problem. Auron immediately dismissed the idea.

"It seems your mind is made up then." The Fayth of the Dragon King seemed pleased with the answer.

"Yes, but once this is all over …." Auron didn't need to finish that statement.

"We are in agreeance then. In exchange for saving this world from destruction, I'll give you my Right of Passage to pass on peacefully."

"The terms of this deal are to either kill or aid in the destruction of this dragon am I correct?" Auron asked and the child seemed to smile.

"I never did say you couldn't have help nor have someone do the job for you but that is correct. As long as Acnologia is destroyed, you have completed your side of the deal; you are free to approach this however you want." The child confirmed.

"And if I fail?" Auron asked.

"I know that you're not going to fail but let's say that you do. Should that even happen, I'll still give you my Right of Passage if you gave it your all. I can't really imagine someone like you, even with this negative mindset you currently have, to ever give up or give in to anyone or anything ever again." Yunalesca left a deep scar in him and it seems the child is aware of the fact.

"You certainly have a lot of expectations for an old man such as me." Auron said sarcastically which was ironic considering he was talking to a Fayth that was more than likely many centuries older than him.

"Ah, speaking of which, I'm sure you were a little surprised to find yourself in your current state. Well if you didn't already know, I used a good deal of energy brining you here and back to life. You're as young as the day you died but it seems some traits of your unsent-self carried over."

"I would be around 25 then."

"You weren't much of a drinker back then were you?" Is that why he blacked out? His younger body hasn't fully adjusted to his drinking habits and let's just say, his rum is made to be especially powerful.

"Well that doesn't matter, I have full faith in you, good luck." Was that a pun?

Before Auron can even answer ….

-End Dreamscape-

Auron woke up with a jolt though the sudden shake wasn't enough to wake up Erza. He clutched his head and groaned as he was starting to feel the effects of a heavy hangover.

He looked up to the skies and saw that it was early morning, the sun not quite up yet but getting there. His gaze transitioned to the now dead campfire and finally to the child that was resting on him.

Well at least I know what my purpose is but what now, and what am I going to do with you? Auron thought as he placed his hand on her head and she seemed to lean into it.

"Hmph, you're certainly a lot more adorable than Tidus but I have a mission to do; you'll just be in the way. If you stick with me, you're going to be placed in a lot of danger." Auron reasoned while Erza didn't give any inclination that she heard or was even consciously awake.

"I guess for now, I'll take you where you need to go; a place where you can be safe. After that then …." Auron began but stopped himself.

You promised. He remembered the Fayth's words and heaved another sigh, his migraine getting worse.

"What did I get myself into?" He grumbled as he closed his eyes. Whatever problems he has will be dealt with at a later time but for now, he will rest while he still can.

AN: that's where I'll be stopping so let's discuss. That's right, the spirit of Bahamut was the one that transported Auron here. Auron is put on hot water so to speak for breaking the rules of the afterlife and his only hope is to complete the request given to him by Bahamut. The Knights of the Round make an appearance as the arbiters of the afterlife. If you've ever played FF7 or FF14 then you will know who these guys are and just how powerful they can be. They don't judge everybody that dies and goes to purgatory, just those who were powerful enough to still maintain their forms and were unsent; people like Auron and Seymour. Not sure if I'll continue this or not so I'll spoil just a little bit of a story idea that may or may not be implemented. What if I were to tell you, the Spirit King is one of the Knights of the Round which goes to show just how powerful the other members are. I never did state that The Knights of the Round only inhabited in the world of Spira but all life forms of the after life and beyond.

If you're questioning Auron's characterization of this story, that he's being OOC, this is simply my interpretation of his character based on what I know of him; of how he acts in both FFX and even Kingdom Hearts. I don't know about you but I'm getting a major survivors guilt kind of vibe from Auron even though he technically died too in the end. We know he hates his past self based on the scene where he tries to attack a projection of himself while in Zanarkand. It's been said he hates being seen as some legendary guardian and he hates how political, power hungry and corrupt the people of Bevelle became. He hates the outcome of Braska's journey and he hates the false peace that Spira is facing in the endless spiral of death.

His lack of confidence is not from lack of ability but of motivation. His passion to save Spira and realize Braska's vision was what carried him on his first journey while the promises he's made for both his friends is what carried him on his second journey and even denied death for. Motivation plays a key factor in all of our lives; without it we're aimless and without purpose. What will be his motivation on this new journey? Well, that's the big question isn't it? To fight for himself is something new to him considering he's somebody who's always fighting for others. Sure, he has his own aspirations, goals and motives but he's always put them aside for the benefit of those he's sworn to protect.

For one thing, Braska told Auron that he doesn't wish for his daughter to become a summoner and well … even though Auron looks up to Braska more than anybody else, Auron knows that its not for him or even Braska to decide and allowed Yuna to go on a pilgrimage despite knowing the truth. Auron could have told Yuna the futility of it all but doesn't because she as well the other guardians needed to figure it out themselves and pass their own judgement rather than listening on what he thinks and feels.

He is still human, he could have had plans and manipulated behind the scenes and make the others follow a script of his design but doesn't because in his eyes, the essence of a pilgrimage is to find the truth of Spira. I'm not even going to mention what Auron did for Tidus. What Auron gave to both Yuna and Tidus was huge levels of growth that let them forge their own paths.

Now his current journey, his path, his story is one where he must forge his own; his own legacy which is alluded in the end of Hercules World in KH2. You might think it contradictory what with the title of this story, that it's ultimately Erza that will become the end game hero; just another child that Auron shaped to become a legendary figure but as to what that is, is simply a literal title. As Natsu is regarded as Salamander and Erza is regarded as Titania; Auron will be known as the Guardian or more specifically Erza's Guardian; the man who trained the legendary fighter Titania because that's the only thing he'll be recognized for and that's simply how he prefers it; because he doesn't do any of the heroic things for recognition. He still has someone to protect and there will be much more as the story progresses but ultimately, this is HIS story. Alright long rant/explanation over.

See you next chapter maybe.