The Flower Shop [A Gaara Love Story]

38: A Cause For Concern

"We shouldn't even be here." Kankuro spat through his teeth, "The longer we wait the further away she gets."

"We don't know that," Temari replied, her eyes fixed on the council as they talked amongst themselves before the meeting started.

There was a space between them at the head of the table, waiting for the Kazekage to start the meeting. He had been out late every night for the last three days, not returning home until the early mornings and only resting for an hour or so before going out again. Gaara helped check the surrounding cliffs that bordered the village, sometimes with teams of shinobi but usually always by himself. Kankuro went with him most nights, but sometimes he stayed behind in the Kazekage Tower just in case any word came back. Temari seemed to be the only one with a cool head these days, but even she began to feel the weight of time passed.

Finally, the door opened and it made the whole room go silent as Gaara entered.

His mood had been foul, almost to the point of frightening. He said little and showed even less, his tired eyes almost always narrowed and his jaw clenched tightly. He entered rooms like a storm cloud, gloomy and dampening the mood in an instant. It was to be expected, so no one had the stomach to point it out to him.

He took his seat at the head of the table and there was silence as he only shifted through papers for a moment before addressing the council.

"I'm going after her myself." Gaara finally said, his words low and almost daring anyone to oppose him, "I'll leave at sunset."

"L-Lord Kazekage," One of the councilmen said, his nervousness clear in his words, "W-We don't believe that would be wise."

"You're too important to risk going out alone." Another man said, then shifted through the papers, "Witnesses say there was a band of them, at least five."

"I can handle them."

"We don't doubt your power, my Lord," A different council man said, "But there are precautions that need to be taken into consideration here."

"Such as?" Kankuro snapped, "Give us one good reason why he shouldn't leave right now!"

"Kankuro," Temari warned from Gaara's other side, but her brothers paid her no mind.

"Miss. Akiyama is a civilian, with no training experience or any history of conflict." One of the  men spoke before going through her file that sat in front of him, "Whoever has taken her obviously did not have her in mind. It's likely that it was an attempt to get to you, Lord Kazekage."

"I'm aware of this," Gaara nodded, his words cold enough to make a few of the men at the table around them avoid his eyes, "Which is why I should be the one going after her."

"O-On the contrary, my Lord," The first man spoke, his eyes only meeting Gaara's for a moment before flickering away, "This is not as simple as a personal issue. She's recently come into the public eye as being your partner; this makes her kidnapping a political affair."

"Politics don't have anything to do with it!" Kankuro huffed, and Gaara nodded in agreement.

"That's unlikely," The Kazekage replied, his patience growing thinner by the moment, "There hasn't been any civil unrest since I took office."

"Nevertheless," A councilman replied, his hands folded on the desk in front of him, "Any attack against anyone directly related or affiliated to you becomes a political affair. You're a very important man, Lord Kazekage, it's unlikely that this was coincidental."

"Politics or not, there's no reason I shouldn't be allowed to go myself," Gaara said, "I can find her easier on my own than a whole squad can."

"B-Be that as it may," The first councilman spoke up, hesitantly, "There are other...concerns we have over this issue."