Author's notes –

As always thanks to my betas for, well, everything – without you I'm sure that I'd be turning off a lot of readers with my poor grammar, simple sentence structure, bad spelling, and bad continuity errors. Lance, Teturo, and KitsuneOverlord – thanks for making this fic so much better and for reigning in my ideas when I try to stretch them just a bit too much.

Thanks for the reviews (I loved them of course!). Special thanks to wolf40k for your loyal dedication to the fic; RanmaChaos, Observer01, Kamen Rider Den-O, Dumbledork, Quathis, JS1210326, and Wonderbee31, Ranma girl 14, Darkforce222 for your reviews of the last couple of chapters; and of course to everyone else who's reviewed the fic.

Finding shelter under a rocky protrusion Asuna listened to the hard rain of the storm around her. While the late summer storm had pinned the two fugitive girls by keeping them in the region it also helped to erase their scent and tracks, making it harder for any bounty hunters to follow them.

Lightning lit the small clearing, providing Asuna with a quick glimpse of the rocky outcropping. Yawning, Asuna couldn't help but think that there was something familiar about the stone slabs that she and Setsuna had found shelter in. Unable to fight off her exhaustion, the redhead slowly slipped into unconsciousness, loosing her train of thought as her eyes closed shut.

Watching the looped feed of the many traps and pitfalls that she had set up for the poor cursed pig boy Ryoga, Eva couldn't help but laugh. Being able to mess with the lost boy was clearly the highlight of her summer. Even all the incidents where Ranma barely held a candle to the four or five hours she'd spent toying with the piglet. Seeing how the water seemed to aggressively seek him out she made a note of the time and frame.

Looking up at her clock and calendar a sudden realization struck the tiny vampire. Summoning a minor demonic spirit she quickly haggled a price for the messenger's service before giving it a small package and envelop. Smiling as she dismissed it she went back to watching the replay of the lost boy's antics in the bathhouse.

Listening to the casual rustle and bustle of the crowds Kotaro (as Kojirou) smiled. A natural morning person the hanyo especially enjoyed the mornings in Granicus. While he preferred the wilds or small villages like Mahora, Granicus was a welcome experience considering its size and population. Unlike larger cities like Tokyo and Ostia (from what he'd heard) which never slept when they held festivals, the small tournament city was much more relaxed and enjoyable. Even with the tournament over the fighters that remained were relaxed and easily approachable. Then again, none of the other teams had won the tournament, so they apparently had less to fear from other vengeful teams that were still looking to earn their spot to the Championship Tournament.

Shaking his head Kojirou shrugged off the unpleasant memories of the ambushes that he and Nagi had endured yesterday. Sniffing the air he smiled as he caught the scent of freshly baked sea kittens. Following the scent he found the quant shop but stopped abruptly as he recognized one of the three figures standing outside the café.

"Fancy seeing you here," the now fully healed cougar demon said. Towering over his companions the cougar grinned at the smaller hanyo. Turning around his four companions quickly focused their attention on the member of Team Negima.

"Kojirou," the hunched over lizard man said with a nod.

"I guess we couldn't put off seeing you until Ostia," the tall dark elf added with a smirk.

"Blitzack, Santana," Kotaro replied as he eyed the group.

"There won't be any fighting here," the cougar demon stated. "Unless you think you can cut in line just because you won this tournament."

Relaxing a bit Kotaro nodded, "Their baked sea kittens are that good?"

Grinning, the cougar walked over and handed the young hanyo a menu. "The best you can find in the desert. But if you really want something to remember Granicus, order half a dozen desert oysters and naga battered wyvern eggs."

Seeing the other members of Team Korwin salivating at the mention of the breakfast order Kotaro knew that the dish had to be good.

"If you can finish that before me, it'll be my treat," the larger demon added.

"You're on."

Standing in the ruined cavern the incubus stared at the small crater that was left from Crimson's treacherous trap. True, it apparently worked, but Hakkon couldn't help but think that using the chains that had bound the four hapless girls as the trigger for the explosive trap was very honorable, especially after the incubus had given the bounty his word that the fight was over.

Looking at the charred remains of the bounty that the younger cat warrior held up triumphantly the incubus couldn't help but cringe. Ranma deserved a better death then the trap had given him.

"Vengeance is ours!" the young warrior cried out. The cavern soon erupted with cheers as the remaining bounty hunters cheered at the sight of their bounty's decapitated head being held up by the prize fighter.

Hearing the distant rumble of the passing storm Setsuna knew that the storm would keep any potential hunters at bay. The strong electrical currents and winds would just now be reaching the village while it had just started to clear by the river.

Grabbing her sword Setsuna looked over at the still sleeping Asuna. Despite having to wake up early for her deliveries it was clear that the girl preferred to sleep in when she could. Leaving the redhead to rest the swordswoman decided to wash up.

Making her way out of the small clearing she realized that they had somehow made it to a ruined settlement of sorts. What she had mistaken for rocks and boulders in the dark were apparently the ruined remains of buildings, statues, and fountains.

While not an expert on jungle plants she could tell that the tree had yet to grow to full maturity despite their massive size. Clearly the jungle had reclaimed the ruins in only the last decade or two.

Feeling the faint traces of the magical wards Setsuna cautiously approached the river that divided the ruined city. Finding nothing but traces of the small animals that inhabited the ruins the swordswoman set her sword atop the crumbling remains of two intersecting walls. Peeling off her wet clothes she rung them out and shook them before laying them on the sheathed blade to dry.

Cautiously stepping into the cool water of the river Setsuna relaxed. Stopping when the water reached her knees she released her wings. Cupping her hands she rinsed her wings.

After a few minutes of preening she froze as she spotted several large, white feathers in the water. Plucking a feather from the surface of the water she examined it, comparing it to her own feathers. White but not albino, the feathers were clearly not hers.

"Aah!"

Hearing a startled scream the swordswoman knew that the source couldn't be too far away. Rushing back to her sword and clothes Setsuna quickly dressed before rushing upstream to find the source of the scream. Had a griffin found humanoid prey or was it an injured aven? She needed to know. Either way, someone was in trouble and needed assistance.

Feeling the warm morning sun on her cheek Akira slowly roused from her dreams. Realizing the significance of the fact that she hadn't dreamed of her partner the swimmer quickly jumped out of bed. Reaching into her satchel she pulled out her pactio card. Alarmed she sprang out of bed. Wrapping a sheet around her as she dashed to find Kazumi and Haruna the athletic girl tried to recall her dreams.

Seeing her two rivals in the hallway she stopped as she exchanged glances with them. Seeing their cards in their hand she knew that she wasn't the only one that had slept… well, they had slept.

After an awkward moment of silence Haruna walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "We have to tell Negi."

Nodding, Akira wiped her eyes with her other hand as the manga-ka led her and Kazumi towards Negi and Kotaro's room.

Looking through the merchant's inventory of healing salves, potions, and ointments Konoka wondered if the mysterious and expensive "Elixir" was capable of healing all ailments. Could it cure petrifaction or did the fact that the victims couldn't actually consume the potion limit its effectiveness?

"Do you have anything that might cure petrifaction?"

"Hn?" the merchant replied as he stared at something over her shoulder.

Seeing that the wizened elf was clearly distracted Konoka turned around to see just what had captured the old man's attention.

"The unseasonable cyclone ravaged the eastern desert and even reached the coast," the succubus anchor woman reported as footage of the path of destruction was shown on the monitor. "Fortunately the cyclone didn't hit any of the small settlements or caravans on the nearby trade routes, so damage and casualty estimates are expected to be minimal."

"Oh my," she exclaimed as she realized what caused the sudden tornado in the arid desert.

Looking at the unedited footage of the unusual tornado that had hit the desert region the mercenary couldn't help but smirk as she recalled Ranma's fight with Asuna. Zooming in she could just make out the rough figures being thrown out of the twister.

"Breakfast is that good?" her companion and former sensei asked as he pulled up a chair. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up.

"I've had better," she replied as she handed the smoker the personal screen that she had spent a nice sum of drachma on.

Taking a long drag of the cigarette he raised a brow, clearly intrigued with what he saw on the screen. "Even the best CG couldn't pull off something this good," he stated as he handed Mana the monitor. Picking up the menu he glanced over it. "Oooh, chimera tail steak and acridian eggs."

Spotting the waitress the scruffy blond held up the menu. "Does the chimera tail steak come with the poison sack and stinger?" The waitress nodded. "Great, I'll have the acridian eggs, sunny side up, with amber nantuko, and chimera tail steak."

Nodding, the tall lizard woman licked her lips with her forked tongue. "Exsssellent choice," the waitress hissed.

Looking down at her plate the mercenary pushed her half eaten breakfast away. She just didn't feel that hungry any more.

Waddling out of the café Kojirou couldn't help but think that he needed bigger pants. Feeling his stomach straining against his pants he knew that he would definitely not forget the Seven Delights' famous desert oysters and naga battered wyvern eggs.

"I'm impressed kid," Jareth chuckled as the towering cat warrior ducked under the door frame. "Not only did you finish one order of oysters and eggs, but you managed to finish a half dozen baked sea kittens too."

Grinning the young hanyo took a deep breath as he fought to keep all the food inside of him. "When you get to Ostia stop in at Urborg, we can see who can finish their famous Cloudchaser waffles."

"Just make sure you grow at least another foot," Santana added as the dark skinned elf waddled over to his veteran teammates, "unless you want to jump around after the waffles."

Waving goodbye to Team Korwin, Kotaro grinned as he walked back towards the fighters' dorms that he and Negi were staying at. "I think I ate twice my weight," he muttered. No longer trusting his ability to bend at the waist he leaned against a wall as he caught his breath.

"…casualties are expected to be minimal," the succubus said as she finished her portion of the news.

"At least we have some good news to report," the stunning incubus anchor added as the cameras shifted to him. "Word from the bounty hunter's guild is that a high profile a bounty has been claimed. The three hundred thousand drachma reward on Ranma Saotome has been claimed by the bounty hunter and prize fighting team Wicked Redeemers. Lead by Crimson, team spokesman said that the team wanted a worthy but unorthodox opponent as they prepared for the Ostia Championship Tournament."

Under the cover of the powerful storm a silent, mysterious figure quickly rushed through the river valley. Slipping from shadow to shadow the figure stopped as the lightning lit up the jungle floor. Waiting for the lightshow to subside the figure dashed off as the thunder crashed overhead, hiding the sound of her steps through the muddy stream.

Reaching the green dragon's lair the figure checked her mask, making sure that it was on tight. Feeling a spike in magical power the masked figure slipped back into the shadows. Scanning the clearing and the stormy sky the silent figure dashed over to the entrance to the dragon's lair. Seeing the dragon's tail slowly disappearing into the cave the figure knew that the job wouldn't be easy.

Poking at her half finished breakfast the dark skinned girl couldn't help but wonder if they had accidentally doomed the cursed boy. Having approached the incubus so that he could deliver a message to the pigtailed martial artist might have tipped the coalition off as to how to get to Ranma or what he associations he had.

Looking at the updated reward poster she half-heartedly listened to the news reports regarding the desert tornado and the Wicked Redeemers collecting the bounty on Ranma's head.

"You seriously think he's dead?" the scruffy blonde asked. Seeing the look in her eyes the blonde knew that he didn't have to bother getting an answer. "Good, we should head to Ostia."

Rubbing some healing salve over his bloody chest Jedit growled as he felt the sting of alcohol against the wounds. Never one to bother with the minor pain caused when treating his wounds the leader of the last Ostia Championship Tournament winning team, the powerful cat warrior smiled grimly at having avenged his mate.

"That boy would have been a worthy opponent in the arena," the team's lieutenant stated as he set one of his teammate's leg. "He deserved a better death."

Grunting, Jedit continued to rub the salve on his many superficial wounds. At least only one of his teammates had his leg broken. Of the seventy eight fighters that had entered the cavern only six had emerged completely unscathed and twenty had not suffered some sort of debilitating injury. Of the seven teams that had joined the coalition only three could field a respectable bounty hunter team.

"He's not dead," another voice interrupted.

Looking up Jedit eyed Hakkon, leader of the Seven Hells. Only the one member of the Seven Hells had been significantly injured, and even that was a hyper-extended elbow. The man had sis arms, what was one hyper-extended elbow?

"I saw my sisters in the dreamscape," the incubus explained. "I don't know how he did it, but he managed to escape."

Pacing around the room Chamo's mind was racing. There were so many unknowns. Ranma was already chaotic, but throw in magic and he was… well, where did you go after chaotic?

Looking at the black and white pactio cards the familiar ran over to a stack of books. Pushing several over he began flipped it open, paging through it. Finding the right page he began to read through it.

Suddenly the door to the room opened as an excited Kojirou entered. "Turn on the monitor!"

"What?" Chisame shouted as she tried to jump from the subject of pactio cards to the monitor and Kotaro's sudden appearance.

"Just do it," the hanyo huffed.

Reaching for the remote Chachamaru quickly turned on the monitor, "What channel?"

"News," Kotaro snapped.

"World news, local news, or regional news?" the gynoid asked.

Grabbing hold of his stomach the dog demon cramped up as his overloaded stomach caught up with him. Unable to deal with the strain he had placed on his body the young hanyo collapsed.

"Kojirou!" several girls shouted as they rushed over to the dog demon as he curled up in a fetal position on the floor.

"The spokesman for the bounty hunters guild confirmed that Team Wicked Redeemers claimed the bounty on Ranma Saotome after an epic battle in the desert region of Granicus."

Looking up at the monitor Akira's knees buckled as she heard the news report while Kazumi slumped into the chair beside the table where the pactio cards were set, and Haruna fainted. Rushing over to check on their classmates and friends Ako, Makie, and Yuna while Natsumi checked on the still curled up Kojirou.

Ignoring the drama going on around him, Chamo turned the page as he continued to read from the book. Looking up at the calendar he looked over at Negi and the girls. "Chachamaru, do you know what day it is in the old world?"

"August 11th," the gynoid answered automatically, "Ranma's birthday."

"His 18th birthday?" the ermine asked.

"That is correct," Chachamaru replied. "Oh."

"Oh!" Negi added as he looked at Akira and Kazumi's pactio cards.

Looking at the shell shocked girls Chamo sighed. "Ranma's still alive. If he were dead your cards would not have the black boarder or show your artifact." Walking over to the tiny ermine Chachamaru grabbed the book Chachamaru propped it up so that the girls could see it better. "Your cards are just lost their color, which means that they are temporarily inactive."

"Maybe you should wait until they're coherent," Chisame deadpanned as she scanned the devastation across the room.

Ducking under a leaning tree the redhead hoped that her companion had not found any more trouble. After the run-in with the bounty hunters and the blue dragon Asuna really wasn't in the mood for another fight. Gripping her enchanted harridan the hotheaded girl leapt over another large rock. Seeing Setsuna standing by the river's edge Asuna relaxed visibly as she reached her companion.

Seeing several figures standing in the river the redhead froze as she recognized the new comers. Though Misora was one of her classmates and knew of the magical world, Asuna didn't know why the runner would be in the magical world. "Misora, Takane, Kokone, Mei; what are you doing here?"

Sneaking into the green dragon's lair Kaede hoped that the powerful beast had just fed. From what she understood of the magical creatures, dragons tended to be more aggressive after eating before sleeping as they digested their food. While the ninja girl was looking to test herself, she knew that if the fight went badly she could run without having the dragon seriously chase after her.

"Come in," a booming voice ordered. "I could smell you the moment you stepped into my lair."

Realizing that she had lost the element of surprise Kaede entered the dragon's chamber. Scanning the cavern she wasn't surprised to see that the chamber was lit up. With its forelegs covering the source of the soft white light the dragon appeared fairly relaxed despite the presence of a supposedly powerful warrior intruding on its lair.

"I take it that you were foolish enough to take the job of convincing me to leave the area," the dragon stated rather then asked. "I may not be as large as many of my cousins when they get to be my age, but I assure you, you're several decades too young to force me to leave."

Looking the dragon over Kaede knew that despite the creature's apparently small frame, it radiated power. No wonder the villagers were afraid of the creature.

"I simply want to be left alone," the dragon stated, "if the villagers stay out of my territory I won't bother them. I don't mind if they start farming or do some hunting and fishing in my territory either, as long as they pay for the right to do so."

"What do I get out of this?" the ninja dared to ask.

Chuckling the wise old dragon casually broke eye contact with the girl. "You can take her," the beast offered, removing its forelegs to reveal the source of the light.

A/N

Yeah, a short chapter. I figure that last chapter was long, and took a while to post, so this chapter is a bit shorter, but quicker to update.

Don't expect to get anything until after the Super Bowl. Well, good reviews could inspire me to do more on my computer then just follow my now defunct fantasy football leagues as we plan our post season parties.

Oh, and everyone, stay safe and keep warm (legally, no underhanded things like sneaking into someone else's bed without their knowledge and consent before hand…. You know who you are people) since this seems to be a bitterly cold winter.

Dreamingfox