Chapter 20

Tanks and Tanks

***
"Yukina, stay down." Genkai said as she ordered Yukina to stay back. Yukina nodded.

Back at the temple, the same night, Genkai sensed something coming near them. At first she thought it was the boys but their auras seemed different.

She sensed someone, but she could not figure out where. She pondered on the place where the person, or rather- the demon, would appear.

There! Genkai said as the demon stood in front of them. The demon smirked.

"You must be Genkai." The demon said as he bowed to her. Genkai snorted. "And you must be the fair Yukina." he said, talking to Yukina. She backed away. "No need to fear me." he said, "I won't hurt you that much as I have done before."

"You've met?" Genkai said as she looked at the ice apparation. Yukina nodded.

"We have met." she said, "Although not in a good manner. We were in the Philippines at that time. His name was Antiochi and I am very sure that Hiei killed him."

Antiochi smiled ever so politely and bowed down in front of them then disappeared. Genkai bit her lip. Her spiritual power was getting low and this kid looked at the prime of his life.

Genkai stared around. Where could he be? She thought, if I were the demon, where would I pop out? In the front, my side... then her eyes opened wide. THE BACK!

Genkai turned around but too late; she only caught Antiochi's smirking face before being knocked out. Yukina screamed.

Antiochi turned to Yukina who tried to run away. "Kuwabara! Hiei! Help!" she screamed. She gasped as Antiochi appeared in front of her.

"A-Antiochi!" she said.

Antiochi grinned at her. "I want to be your friend unfortunately, I have my business to attend to." he said. This ice apparation was very nice, he thought, too bad we just can't be friends. he thought as he punched her.

***

Sumiko and the others stared at the people talking in the room hiding behind a shelf and peeping underneath. They seemed to be in a conference room and their leader was sitting in the middle of a rectangular table with chairs around. There were refreshments around. Sumiko transformed to hide her spirit energy and her friend's entire weak aura.

"Master Hanma, when will we get our share?" a greedy human said. Sumiko began wondering if this was a demon or a human. He seemed like a human but, ok never mind, who was this Hanma?

"I thought that was Lu Alvarer." Botan said, not sure if he really was or was not. Keiko looked at Botan knowingly.

"He is Lu Alvarer. We had better warn him. if we don't well, these demons could kill him!" Keiko whispered back.

"I bet those people around him are helping all those demons." Sumiko whispered back, "What do you think Shizuru?"

"I don't know but we have to see what will happen. I still don't have a good feeling about this." she whispered back as she rubbed her arm.

Sumiko, Keiko, and Botan just shrugged and looked at the three. "I still think we should help Lu." Keiko said. Sumiko frowned.

"It's strange, though, why do they keep calling him Hanma?" Sumiko said. She suddenly had a vision of Hiei when he was sleeping and shook her head as she shrugged it away. (note: it didn't mean anything. You know the feeling when your in a tight situation and visions like these pop out? I guess it's the brain's way of releasing tension in the mind. In this case, the brain thought of Hiei because she starts to like him... oh well...)

"Um, you ok?" Keiko whispered back to Sumiko.

"Huh? What? No, I'm ok?" Sumiko whispered hastily as she tried to listen to what Hanma was saying.

"...pearls and money. I can get you all that. I will give you all as much pearls and money as you want as long as you all support my campaign." Lu was saying, "Also, we must organize more crowded events like this as food for my people. You must all also support my terrorist group and then you will be rich. That is all I ask."

The officials looked confused but then nodded thinking of the money that they will receive. They shook hands with Mr. Lu Alvarer.

"That freak!" Keiko hissed, "He was not really that good after all! He was using and buying our votes!!! That fool! That moron! And to think I was planning to vote him."

"Shh!" Sumiko quietly said, "Quiet now or he'll hear us." Keiko nodded but her face still wore a look of anger.

"So that must be it. He's real name is Hanma, not Lu." Botan said to all of them. All of them nodded. Sumiko had another vision of Hiei talking.

Now what in the world is wrong with me? Sumiko thought as she shrugged the thought away, the more I get nervous, the more I see him. Now I see him when he was training... Ack! The more I get nervous, the more I see him in attractive- ok I'll change it, too attractive positions.

Maybe if I get nervous I might see him... Yack! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! she scolded herself, Why am I even thinking about this? Why can't I get through in this age? That way my hormones don't get too... rowdy?

Man.

What is wrong with me?

There was a slight knock on the door and muffled sounds of slapping and pinching. Hanma looked at the door as if he knew who was to come but he wondered where the muffled slapping and the pinching came from.

Hanma decided to open the door. The moment he faced the door, he started laughing (not a real laugh but it could pass for a laugh) and them turned serious. He talked to whoever was at the door.
Sumiko tried imagining how Hiei would look like if he did not have his shirt (please, shirt only. She has never seen him train without a shirt)

STOOOOPPPPPPPP!!! she shouted to herself.

Slowly, the door opened. The girls gasped. It was Yukina!

"What was that noise?" Hanma said as he turned to the place where the girls were. They quickly stood up in chairs, very quietly and fast so Hanma won't see their feet.

"I'll go check it out father." came a boy's voice.

Sumiko frowned. She seemed to have remembered hearing that voice before but she could not piece it out where.

Botan gulped, the shadow was coming nearer and nearer.

***
Hiei opened his eyes as he heard a faint rumbling sound. He opened his eyes and saw that a rectangular piece of the wall surrounding was sinking back to the ground. A tank was entering. He immediately jumped into a nearby tree and stood there as he watched thousands of demons, tanks, and hundreds of humans enter. Despite the crowd, it was near to silent compared to the shouting inside the stadium.

Hiei looked at the soldiers positioned around and decided that one way to know how everything went was to highjack a tank. Ok, so if the Spirit World will get to know that he highjacked a tank and imprisons him for it... speaking of which, where are the people in the Spirit thought.

It means one thing, Hiei thought, this must really be a controlled operation. A great operation if the Spirit World did not manage to hear about this.

Hiei searched to look for a tank to highjack as demons were looking at demons that his jagan burned. They did not panick. They blamed the tank that ran over those dead bodies.

Hiei looked around, searching for a tank when he saw one. It was in the farther edge of the wall around the stadium. He hit three demons in the head, hid them in the bushes, and covered them with leaves. Quickly, he opened the upper thing of the tank (no, not destroy it) and entered in the uniform that he stole from one of the guards.

"Kurama?" he said when he saw someone in red hair underneath the helmet. Kurama looked surprised when he saw Hiei.

"Sshhh!" he said as he placed a finger in his lips, "We're lucky we're in a tank that has lazy pilots. Still, we don't want them to get suspicious."

Hiei nodded. After a few minutes of silence, "Kurama, how did you get here?"

***
"Where in the Ningenkai are Sumiko and Shizuru!" Kuwabara shouted as he walked the empty streets of Japan. "They said they won't be gone for long."

"Hey Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted to him. Kuwabara turned around and saw Yusuke. He looked glum and sad.

"Ahehehehehe. What happened Yusuke? Keiko hit you again?" Kuwabara said as the two of them walked together.

"Nah, worse than that! She did not even show up on our date!" Yusuke wailed.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Kuwabara teased. "Oh, by the way, did you get to see Sumiko and Shizuru?" Yusuke said no. "Man, where did they go, aha! The concert! Maybe they went there outside just to check it out! Yusuke, go with me!"

Yusuke sobbed, "I have nothing to do so all I have to do is go with you." he thought soberly.

"Whoa! This is strange! Why are there soldiers around?" Yusuke said, "Ok, this is serious." he said as he and Kuwabara watched a guard slay an unsuspecting bystander, turn to a demon, eat it, then back to human form again.

"Gross!" Kuwabara said as he turned away.

"I'm calling Botan." Yusuke said as he flipped open his communicator. "Botan?" he called.

***
"Uh..." Botan said as Hanma punched her in the stomach when she refused to reveal anything.

"You can stop father." Antiochi said, "I take it she does not know anything. However, I take it someone will know." he said as he looked knowingly.

"Well, who is it?" Hanma said as he looked at all the five girls. Botan, Yukina, and Sumiko were tied to the wall and bruised and Shizuru and Keiko were in a cage, unhurt.

Antiochi turned to Sumiko. Sumiko gulped but gathered her courage, "How did you live?" she said angrily. Hanma watched amused.

Antiochi smirked. "I'm not that easy to defeat Sumiko." he said. "My father revived me and that is all you need to know."

Sumiko glared at him. "You know, you should get angry more often." Antiochi commented. "I admit, it really looks good on you."

Sumiko turned away, her face pouted.

Just then, Botan's communicator rang. Everyone in the room jumped in surprise. Even Hanma's colleagues. Antiochi stared at Botan who tried not to know where it was.

Stop ringing! Botan said as she silently begged the ringing to stop.

"Antiochi, check it for me." Hanma said as he walked away. He knew Tena was in Sumiko but he wanted to see how his two children would react. Hanma closed the door as some of his colleagues were counting the pearls that Yukina had shed.

Antiochi nodded and reached out in Botan's pants and took out the communicator. He flipped it open.

"Botan! Are you alrigh- Antiochi!" Yusuke said as he stared dumbfounded at the face that appeared in the screen. Antiochi immediately closed the receiver, mumbling angrily.

:Father: he said telepathically.

:What is it Tochi? I have business here you know.: Hanma answered calling his son by his nickname.

:Father, we are in serious trouble.: was all Antiochi said to catch his father's attention.

***
"KOENMA! KOENMA!!!" Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted as they ran the corridors of the Spirit World. There were onis trying to catch them.

"COME BACK!" the demons shouted as they hurled at him papers that were meant to be for Koenma.

"What is it Yusuke." Koenma said as Yusuke and Kuwabara nearly passed the place Koenma was staying. He was stamping papers with stamps.

"KOENMA!!!!!"

"Alright! I can hear you!" Koenma said. Mukuru walked into view.

"Mukuru! What are you doing here?!" Yusuke shouted.

Mukuru smirked, "I'm here in important business. I have found out of so many things about these strange demons roaming around Japan."

"Strange demons?" Kuwabara asked. Mukuru nodded.
"Quit yapping around! We have a big emergency on our hands!" Yusuke shouted.

"The only danger I can see is that Keiko running in with a big frying pan in her hand coming out to hit you in the head." Koenma smirked.

"I'm not kidding!" Yusuke shouted to the toddler, his face inches from him, "There are thousands of demons entering the stadium T-41 is performing in!"

"T-41?"

"It's a band Mukuru." Kuwabara explained.

"No matter, I don't believe there are thousands of demons grouped in one place. I would have known of it." Koenma said.

"Well, too bad, you don't." Yusuke said crossing his arms.

"Yes I don't so now, LEAVE!!!" Koenma said, "I have so many papers to sign!"

"Look toddler!" Kuwabara shouted, pointing at him, "Why don't you check it out? For all I know, Sumiko and Shizuru might be there as well as thousands of humans watching the concert?!"

"There are many people in a concert?" Mukuru and Koenma asked.

"Duh!" Yusuke and Kuwabara said at the same time.

"Um, what's a concert?" Koenma asked

***
"Whoa Hiei! These demons can shout." Kurama whispered to Hiei as they watched five tanks shout at each other.

"I don't know whatever is going on Kurama but Sumiko might be inside..." Hiei said.

"Worried for her?" Kurama teased.

"I am not." Hiei said, "I am merely saying this because if something bad happens to Sumiko, Kuwabara might get to hit me. It's strange, he never gets to hit me until I get too close to Sumiko."

Kurama shrugged. "So what was your suggestion?" he asked.

"I suggest that we make them all fight each other." Hiei said simply.

"I like your idea." Kurama said, "Just like in the old days, sabotaging and making people fight." Hiei grinned.

Soon, five tanks were destroying each other and dragging others with them along. Hiei and Kurama were hiding in a tree, watching the fruits of their hard work.

"Not bad Kurama." Hiei commented as he and Kurama watched the fruits of their handiwork. "So tell me, why are you here?"

Kurama told him that about the time wherein he was kidnapped. "Then there were two ningen detectives who were supposed to have fun in the concert. They weren't that stupid you know, they managed to figure out everything."

"Everything? Kurama, exactly what is going on?" Hiei said. Kurama unfolded Hanma's almost too perfect plan. "Hm, so how did you escape?"

"Those detectives gave their lives to save me. They managed to figure out that I was a demon and a good one at that and so they made sure that I got out safely." Kurama answered.

Hiei grinned. "Well, I guess we don't have a choice but to save these ningens, aye?" he said. Kurama laughed.

"Yes, I guess we have no choice." he said. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::

Waaaaa! Only nine pages! I didn't even get to mention Mukuru that much. Who was the person who really liked Mukuru? I like her too! And Hiei, Yukina, and basically, those are the top. Kurama with his Youko comes next. Still, I love KURAMA and HIEI!!!!

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