A/N: And Mk3 of this story is up. If ANYONE is still bothering to read this, your loyalty astounds me. Either that, or there aren't any good fic updates lately. If that's the case, then get writing people! As for those who are actually curious, I've rewritten this completely. So gone are the short chapters, Luke getting run over by a horde, the rumour incident etc. This is a brand new story christened with this name. Mk2 will forevermore be unfinished, and Mk 1 resides in the shadowy depths of my CPU. Special thanks to Dark Dragon Dave for proofreading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or its characters. I do own the Corsairs and Luke Mason. I do not own whatever else that pops up in this story which isn't my own creation. I do own this plotline plus the plotlines of Mk1 and Mk2 versions of this story.

Time Is Everything

Chapter One

Battle Over Mahora

Tensions were always high between the Kantō Magic Association and the Kansai Magic Association. Under the jurisdiction of Dean Konoemon, the Kanto Association has long employed western style magic, but at the cost of strained diplomatic relations with its neighbouring mage organization, devoted to eastern magic usage. This has culminated in few outright clashes between them, one of which is the infamous Kyoto affair, carried out by radicals of the Kansai Association. Due to the swift resolution of the incident, little paid note to it afterwards, allowing the radical elements to retreat and plan. They were leaderless, their commander, Chigusa Amagasaki, having been captured by the Kansai during the Kyoto affair, and without any warriors of their own. The mercenaries Fate Averruncus and Tsukuyomi had left soon after the disaster that was Kyoto, swearing never to work for their incompetent employers again.

Left in a precarious position, the Rogue Kansai resorted to others for aid. They were the Corsairs, a wandering band of fighters which accepted the contract offered to them by the organization. Their main task was to free Chigusa Amagasaki from her imprisonment in Mahora. They also had the optional objectives of capturing Konoka Konoe and teaching Negi Springfield the folly of acting against the Kansai Rogues. Few expected them to make much headway, for Mahora was the headquarters of the Kanto Magic Association, and it would take more than a mere bunch of mercenaries to succeed against its defenses. And so they were to be used as a distraction whilst the remains of the rebel forces themselves attempted to free their leader.

Yet in a stunning move, the Corsairs disregarded the warnings of their employers, and instead launched an all out attack on the academy. The forces of the Kanto Magic Association were mobilized to defend the students. But that is when the news reached. Under the cover of the attack, Chigusa Amagasaki and Konoka Konoe had been whisked away to the Corsairs' transport. Even as mages and demons warred around them, the mercenaries prepared to flee with their precious cargo, whilst a mage and his partner mounted a desperate rescue operation…

Air rushing past, the two figures flew gracefully above the dark cloud of smoke, faces betraying their determination. Turning to each other, the pair nodded and dived down, through the choking haze and out the other side. The boy's pair of eyes widened in shock at the sight below, the other remaining cold and hard as the steel sword the figure was holding. The air was saturated with magic as the Kanto Magic Association battled with the demonic horde, spells and curses criss-crossing the air above Mahora. The normally fresh breeze reeked of war, of pain and suffering. Flames flickered from outstretched palms, jets to water hosed down the foe. And still they came on.

A blast of darkness struck a floating mage to the falling pair's left, hurling him away with shocking force. Still the duo fell, before sharply pulling up and flying towards their target, right through the crossfire. It was a swirling mess of combat, demons and mages flitting this way and that, shooting at each other with spells, or striking at one another with blades and claws. The boy barrel-rolled on his staff, avoiding a beam of light which traveled on and impacted on another demon's shield, whilst the winged swordsman next to him beat her wings and rose above a careening fireball. A scream tore through the noisome brawl as a pack of squabbling demons fell upon a mage from above whilst he fought. Silently, the girl struck out with her blade as she passed by, slicing through the ambushing creatures before vanishing with another beat of her wings.

A quick incantation, and the boy just ahead of her made is own contribution to the fight, ninety-nine arrows of light arcing from his miniature form and striking whatever demon got in the pair's way. Abruptly, a second long lull in the fighting revealed a direct path to their destination as the demons and mages fell back to their respective sides. Seizing their chance, the young teacher and his student hurled themselves down the rapidly diminishing avenue as both sides launched themselves back into the fray. Dodging and weaving between the magical projectiles, the rescue team closed the distance before a gang of demons noticed their progress and swooped down to intercept, screeching vengefully.

The first three had their wings snapped before they realized what was happening, dropping like stones, whilst one was beheaded with an elegant swipe of the sword. The rest of the demons paused in shock at the sheer speed of the offense, and the pair were already leaving them behind. Angrily, the remaining spirits turned to give chase before being swatted from the sky by a gigantic blast of kanka. Looking back, the boy caught sight of another teacher, this one much older and grinning at him as he fell through the combat, leaping from demon to demon to remain airborne, and striking out with blasts of pure energy at any large concentration of the aggressors. The younger teacher smiled to himself and nodded his thanks before pulling up his staff, trading speed for altitude, the swordsman matching his movement with powerful beats of her white wings.

"The ship is right ahead," communicated the boy to his partner over the sound of the fighting. The angel just nodded in answer, her fury restrained only by her training. A true warrior, never allowing her emotions to dictate the flow of battle-

"Break!" she cried out suddenly, eyes wide in shock. Trusting her completely, the child mage veered off course and shot away from her as the turrets lining the aircraft opened fire.

"Setsuna-san!" he cried out as the air between them was filled with bullets from sixteen hull mounted turrets. The sound was awful, like fabric being torn through sheer force, and the volume of bullets formed a solid wall between the two of them. Tightening his hold on his staff, the boy shot off directly at the aircraft, weaving and dodging the bursts of fire sent his way. As he passed over the massive, manta-like form of the ship, he incanted quickly and confidently, feeling the power surge through him. He reached out and unleashed the spell, nine-hundred and ninety-nine arrows of wind blasting from his hand and seeking out their targets in a heartbeat. They speared through the smooth hull of the craft, silencing the turrets instantaneously, but avoiding the main body and engines. Last thing he needed now was for the ship to explode or crash.

"Turrets have been disabled!" cried Navigator, wrestling furiously with the controls, trying to keep the aircraft steady as magical attacks battered it from all sides. He reached to the console on his left as it exploded, searing his hand. The man screamed as his flesh was burnt and his sleeve ignited.

"Out of my way!" snarled his co-pilot, hefting up the whimpering man in one clawed gauntlet and hurling him from the cockpit into the hold. "Get that taken care of," added the static-laced voice as the armoured figure sat down in the chair and began furiously tapping at a side screen whilst yanking the controls to the right with his other hand, throwing the ship into a sharp spin as he ignited the stabilisers. Yelps of surprise and shock met his ears as the passengers of the ship were hurled about as if in a whirlwind.

"Seek, the HELL are you doing?!" shouted one of the mercenaries from the back, hanging onto the weapons rack running down the middle of the ceiling, his black greatcoat swirling around him, one hand holding onto their hostage.

The cybernetic warrior was about to answer him when he noticed something from the view screen. He swore and kicked himself away from the controls, the chair screaming as the metal supports were ripped off and it was sent flying away from the cockpit along with the co-pilot, just ahead of the silver blade which stabbed through the screen, nearly skewering the draconic head.

"Return ojou-sama to me," whispered the girl crouching outside, ripping her sword free of the glass and striking it once more, shattering the flimsy barrier and dropping inside. Still on the floor, the draconic figure slammed the door release, and a steel bulkhead dropped into the portal, sealing off the cockpit as the girl stood up, her eyes blazing with fury, her stance relaxed, and the blade in her hand held at the ready. Snarling, the mechanical flipped onto its feet, talons digging into the metal beneath, eyes blazing as power surged through his systems. Twirling her blade, the swordsman raised her blade in preparation as the android assumed a hand-to-hand combat stance, legs apart, arms raised, tail lashing the ground behind him. The explosions surrounding the ship cast lunatic flashes over his grey armour, making the red trim appear as crimson as blood. And on his left shoulder, in small black stencil, was written "Kaminari Grand Industrial".

"Ojou-sama? Oh, I see! You're her guardian, Setsuna Sakurazaki. A sword maiden of the Shinmei-ryu," he finished with a sneer, flexing his glinting claws. The winged warrior facing him did not respond, but glared at him with a look that could incinerate the soul. Yet the machine just shrugged it off. When one had been glared by an expert (and if a hacked-off demon host wasn't, God only knew what was), such petty looks became minor annoyances. Silently, Setsuna charged at the war machine. Grinning savagely, he leapt forwards; blocking the slash she threw his way with his forearm, and swung up his leg. The half-demon sprang back nimbly towards the broken view screen, allowing the machine's leg to swing past and slam into the wall, leaving behind a noticeable dent.

Like a striking serpent, Setsuna struck, stabbing the blade into the foot and on through, embedding her sword in the wall. There was a hiss of steam and a jagged gauntlet struck her in the face, hurling her back. She crashed through the jagged remains of the screen, the broken shards scratching her pale skin, and she hit the smooth surface of the craft's hull before skidding to a stop. She looked up coldly, raising a hand to wipe away the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

A primeval roar shook the air as the Corsair burst from the ruined cockpit, shredding his way to the surface of the ship. In one claw he held Setsuna's sword, and he crouched down, slamming his other hand onto the smooth surface they were standing on, bracing himself. "Let's see how well you do against your precious blade," he growled coldly.

"Don't fear the reaper," she responded in kind.

Watching down from above, the boy mage noted Setsuna's swift and efficient strike at the enemy's controls. That should immobilise the vessel long enough for them to rescue Konoka. Quickly he withdrew her pactio card from within his robe, and closed his eyes, quietly muttering an incantation. Immaterial tendrils of magic spread out, enveloping the stricken aircraft below, searching the metal confines.

There!

Opening his eyes, he smiled briefly before diving down, uttering another spell.

Warning, cabin depressurised. Warning, cabin depressurized…

"Great…" muttered the youth in the black jacket to himself, running to the hanger whilst balancing the bound girl in his arms. Whilst the contract had not specified the condition she was meant to be in upon their return, it kinda made sense that since the employers wanted her alive, they wanted her in perfect condition. And so it was only natural to try to keep her out of harms way. Of course, her struggles didn't help matters much, but that wasn't important. Silently cursing, he threw himself into a slide and ducked beneath another closing bulkhead into the access corridor. He grinned victoriously at his stylish manoeuvre, though the damned girl in his arms was still struggling. At that moment in time, he was seriously tempted to leave her there. Sure she'd get rescued and secondary objective beta would go to hell, but who cared? They'd taken care of the primary objective! Everything else was just a bonus. Something he could live without!

That's when the ceiling exploded, and the corridor was enshrouded in steam from the ruptured pipes. Springing back nimbly to avoid any dislodged debris, the boy exclaimed slightly in surprise as a dark shape materialised in front of him.

"Release Konoka-san!" demanded the figure. Ok, screw objective beta!

"Sure," answered the Corsair, throwing the girl at the intruder before leaping after her.

The shadowy being seemed taken aback as he caught the inheritor of the Kanto Magic Association, still keeping a hold on his staff, but totally powerless to prevent the mercenary from leaping over him and running down the remains of the corridor to safety.

"You gotta be bolder than that to capture the elusive Muse!" called back the Corsair, sliding past a closing steel door.

Glaring after the cowardly mage, Negi wrestled with his emotions before concern for Konoka won over the urge to make the Corsairs suffer for their actions. He looked down at his student, suddenly realising how much she weighed. Quickly setting her down, he undid her bonds, and allowed her to tear the gag off her mouth before embracing him in a ferocious hug.

"Thank you Negi-kun! You were so heroic! Especially framed by that steam! It was like a dream, with you as my knight and –"

"K-Konoka-chan, I…c-can't breathe!" the child mage managed to gasp out.

"Oh! Sorry Negi-kun!" she apologized, releasing her cute homeroom teacher, allowing him to fill his lungs with air. He looked up at her and smiled slightly before answering.

"It's ok. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. They were actually rather nice for kidnappers. I got my own room and everything. They didn't try any of that perverse stuff like that lady in Kyoto-"

"Alright! No need to go further!" interrupted Negi quickly, blushing slightly at the memory. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

His student clapped her hands together, oblivious as always to the gravity of the situation. "Ah, I get to fly with Negi-kun! This day is turning out so fun!"

"Where's the girl, Muse?" queried the child, looking up at him, curiously peering at him with her large brown eyes.

"Boarders. Rescued. Her," made out the older teen in between gasps before yelping in pain as the small girl whacked him on the head with the flat of her blade.

"Idiot! You've lost our bonus!"

"So what?! So you won't get another little doll-" he started before being shut up by a kick in the shins. "Oh you stinking little…"

Further argument was interrupted rather spectacularly by the hangar roof caving in and Seeker crashing into the floor. The two humans looked at each other before running and skating back down the ramp towards their fallen comrade.

"Seek! You ok?" asked Muse, sliding to a halt near the machines head whilst the girl hovered nearby, blade drawn. No answer came. Sharing a glance, the pair leaned in before cursing in unison. Seeker was heavily damaged, as if he'd been pushed under a bulldozer. His lower jaw was missing, his armour was covered in rends and tears and one eye was sparking.

"I'll take that as a no," said Muse before being punched in the face by the wounded machine. "Aw son of a bitch!" he swore, clutching his broken nose. "Sorry Maiden," he apologised to the girl. There was a hiss of static as the wounded war machine tried to insult the cocky musician, struggling up.

"Come on, lets go!" buzzed the black haired girl, spinning on her skates. "We can't lose two Corsairs in one mission!"

Hefting up the two tonne machine, Muse staggered back to the escape craft, Maiden skating around him protectively. She had a point. Bad enough to have to leave behind Clockwork, but to lose Seeker too? The whole ship shuddered as the clambered aboard their remaining avenue of escape, an old HinD helicopter gunship.

"Everyone here?" called out Muse, dumping the hissing machine in the corner, leaving the girl to tie it down.

Y-yeah," answered their Navigator, nursing his burnt hand sullenly, jerking his head to indicate the last remaining Corsair sitting in the corner, chanting quietly to himself.

"Who the hell are you people?!" demanded Chigusa Amagasaki, sitting between the muttering man and the Navigator, looking around angrily. None of the mercenaries deigned to answer her. Speaking to her wasn't in the contract after all. "Answer me!"

They ignored her as Muse ran into the cockpit and engaged the engine.

"Ojou-sama!" greeted the angel, swooping down to meet them as they rose from the wrecked aircraft.

"Setsuna-chan! You're here too?" cried Konoka happily, reaching out and embracing her long time friend and protector, nearly falling off Negi's staff as she did so. Negi sighed to himself at his roommates childish antics, half turning his head to look back at the crippled manta-like plane, wobbling slightly now, smoke billowing from the cockpit where Setsuna had broken in and destroyed pretty much everything in reach.

"Negi-kun, I see you have Konoka-san," said Gandolfini, standing on a floating seal. The ten year old nodded at his fellow teacher. "Good. Take her back down. We'll clean up the remains of this mess."

Startled, Negi and his students glanced about, noticing the lack of demons in the air. And the force of mages still battle-worthy. "Of course Gandolfini-sensei," answered Negi dropping back down to the Academy. He'd have to land somewhere in the woods to avoid breaking that cameo spell the mage defence had erected around the entire aerial battle, keeping those below ignorant of what was occurring.

Gandolfini watched the children sink away, smiling slightly as he pushed up his sunglasses. They were good, of that there was no doubt. Who knew what they would be able to do in several years…but that was some time off. In the meantime…

"Attack."

Silently, the stealthed HinD took off, peeling away from the rapidly descending Relentless. Maiden pressed her nose against the window, watching sadly as the Manta-class air dreadnought died, magic attacks tearing through its majestic form. The smooth hull splintered and cracked under the onslaught as the Corsairs fled, their mission fulfilled. With a resounding flash and deafening blast, the ship exploded into a sphere of pure energy, dissipating almost immediately, leaving nothing behind but a stench of metal on the air. By then the mercenaries, with Chigusa Amagasaki were gone.

Except one.