Infected

Chapter 37: Favors

"You have to send someone after him." Mizu couldn't feel her fingers. Despite the heat, she shivered.

Kankuro was apparently one step ahead of her. He was already ordering people about, and a group of ninjas ran off in the apparent direction that the kidnappers went in. After he finished, he turned to her and said, "Go back home for now and wait. There's nothing you can do."

It seemed like his statement was aimed at both of them because he looked just as desperate.

"Can't you go after him yourself?" Mizu asked.

Kankuro grimaced. "No... Temari isn't here to take care of things anymore. I can't run off to track him this time."

"This time? Does he get kidnapped often?" Mizu wondered what sort of future she was supposed to be looking forward to.

"No, there was a time though... That's a story for another day. The village is in a panic. I need to go take care of the damage. Go home for now." Kankuro met a group of medics that had come rushing and started giving them directions.

Mizu looked around at the devastation, feeling helpless. She turned and walked away. Her eyes were glued to the ground as she went.

"Mizu."

She looked up and Miomosa approached her quite fast for an older woman. Before she could say anything, the woman grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside into an alley.

She whispered low so that only Mizu could hear. "Mizu, you need to leave the village for your own safety."

"What? Why?" Mizu took a step back. "Gaara is—"

"He's been captured, but the ninja that took him were found dead with him nowhere in sight." Miomosa explained.

"How do you know that?" She looked at the old woman suspiciously.

Miomosa sighed. "If you think that Lord Kazekage has a private life, you're sorely mistaken. Almost every distinguished family has one spy watching him or another. Mine just reported back to us. I'm telling you this for your own sake, leave the village. If we couldn't track him, then there's no telling where he's at. If he ends up dying at the abductor's hands, there will be many people who don't look favorably on you that will turn their aggressions your way. You may end up hunted."

"I'm not leaving." Mizu took another step back.

"Mizu—"

"I understand your good intentions and I appreciate them, but I'm not leaving. I have nowhere to go now and if Gaara dies... Good day, Miomosa-san." Mizu turned and practically ran away to Gaara's house. She locked herself in and collapsed at the table, crying.

Just a bit ago we were having so much fun and now he'd been taken. He might die? What do I do? I don't want him to die. He's saved me so many times, isn't there anything I can do? Yoki's gone. How can I save him? Who can I ask for help? Who owes me enough to help? It donned on her who to call. She quickly got ready. If she was going after Gaara and they hurt him then she'd need her stuff. Once her herbalist travel belt was secure with all the remedies she could carry, she pulled out a small bottle filled with green chakra. She ran up to the bathroom and opened the bottle, pouring the chakra on the mirror. It flashed, blinding her eyes.

"Mizu? Whoa, it's been a few years. I heard in the spirit world that you've been released from your duty. Congrats!" Edora gleefully grinned at her from the other side of the mirror.

"Edora, shut up. I don't have time for you to play around. Gaara, the Kazekage has been taken. I've been told to run from the sand village because if he dies, I might be targeted." Mizu looked at her old acquaintance.