Absolved.

Homecoming In The Leaf!

              {Part Two: Belonging} 

[Song: Start of Something New - Daughtry]

I should have known Gaara wasn't going to let me travel on my own, but I had to be grateful that he didn't send Sora and Kuru with me. Baki and Kankuro and brought me all the way to the gates of the village. Izumo and Kotetsu, the Konohagakure gate keepers had almost jumped out of their seats when they saw us. "Sand siblings!"

I raised my eyebrows at them, unsure of their excitement.

"Hey guys!" Kankuro greeted them, heading off to chat.

"What the hell is that about?"

Baki gave a half laugh from beside me, crossing his arms as we watched Kankuro. "Don't you remember? Your siblings helped this village out."

"I guess it is just weird to see them so welcoming to us, after Orochimaru..." I sighed, but smiling nonetheless.

"The only one in danger here is you." Baki had moved closer to me, lowering his tone to a whisper. He continued when I looked up at him, shocked. "You don't think that old man Danzo harbours grudges?"

I hadn't thought of him in so long, I hadn't thought of anything about the Root past my psychological training. Officially it had been dissolved, it didn't exist anymore but I knew better. "You think they will attack me?"

"I just think you should be careful, stay close to Lady Tsunade and Kakashi Hatake if you're going to stay here." Baki smiled, trying to put my mind at ease while keeping me cautious. "Gaara is very different than Rasa, but he would still start a war over you."

I smiled a little, then it faded. Honestly, I didn't know if Gaara would go against Naruto if it came down to it.

"Kankuro! IS THAT YOU? GET BACK HERE YOU SLIME BAG!!"

Kankuro ran back to Baki and I, wrapping his arm around me in a quick hug before he darted out the gates, pursued by a brown haired girl. "I LOVE YOU KAI GOTTA GO!"

Baki and I exchanged a look and burst out in laughter.

"Come home soon." His face had a hint of seriousness.

"So you can marry me off?" I grinned.

He shook his head, with a roll of his eyes. "I miss you when you are gone." He said, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged him back tightly, and whispered something I had always felt but had never said out loud. "I miss you too, dad."

He pulled back from the hug, and I could tell he had been taken by surprise. There was pride in his eyes, but I also knew how deeply he was loyal to Rasa and that must have felt like a betrayal. "Take care of yourself." He nodded and then disappeared after Kankuro.

"No way! Kairi is that you?"

I looked towards the village to see who called my name and practically screamed out "Asuma!"

I ran to the Jounin, and he crouched down and held his arms out. I couldn't help but laugh as I jumped at him, knocking him backwards into the dirt. During the last week I had spent in Konohagakure, when they weren't out on a mission Asuma and Kurenai had come to visit me in the hospital.

Asuma stood up, still hugging me and carried me into a shop he had apparently just come out of. "Hey, Kurenai... I found a stray!"

I saw her turn away from some flowers she was looking at, and those red eyes of hers lit up as she saw me. "Kairi!"

I struggled free from Asuma's bear like hug and ran to her, wrapping her up in my arms as I hugged her. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too kid!" She smiled, pulling away so she could look at me "You're all grown up on me."

"Oh come on, I haven't changed that much."

They brought me to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch and I realised that for all the times I'd come here to spy on Naruto I'd never tried it. They filled me in on their lives as I ate, not much had changed with their relationship they were still keeping the worst kept secret in history.

Asuma lit a cigarette outside the shop when we were finished and fixed a serious gaze on me. "Have you seen him yet?"

"You haven't?" I asked, surprised Kakashi hadn't filled them in yet.

"We haven't been able to visit, Gai took him straight to the hospital when they got back.." Kurenai said softly, looking up at the building in question.

"The hospital? He's still in there?" I felt my own concern growing. "I guess I didn't realise how bad off he was.."

"So you did see him?"

I nodded to Asuma. "When he saved Gaara."

He raised an eyebrow, looking like he was about to ask how it went but Kurenai stepped in front of him. "They haven't let visitors in, just Lady Hokage.. But his room is the third window from the left on the second floor."

I smiled at her and gave her a quick nod. "I'll.. Uh, I'll catch up with you guys okay?"

"Uhuh.." Asuma laughed, dropping an arm around Kurenai as they left the other way.

I ran off towards the hospital, following Kurenai's directions to the window. I paused outside, trying to think of something to say once I made myself known.

"You can't sneak up on me.." His voice was raspy, but he sounded amused.

I dropped into the window and sat on the sill, smiling like a cat who had caught a mouse even though he had spoiled my surprise.

"Kairi.." He coughed a little, throwing his sheets back to expose the tight black sleeveless shirt he wore, the one that connected to the mask on his face.

I stopped smiling as I watched him try to sit up, winced as he groaned in pain and began to cough again. I shot from the window to his bedside, my hands on his shoulders gently trying to get him to lay back down. "Hey.. Just rest okay?"

He did as I asked, laying back in the bed but didn't look happy about it. He looked exhausted, I'd never expected he would be out for more than a day.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, shifting so that I could sit on the edge of his bed.

I smiled, taking his offer and sitting down. "Gaara wants me to be here, in case the Akatsuki come after Naruto."

He nodded, and then winced a little. It seemed like he was just in constant pain. I reached out to brush some hair out of his eyes as he closed them. It wasn't long before he was lightly snoring.

I was beyond tired from the journey but I hadn't gone to see Tsunade yet and I didn't know where I would be staying. I sighed, his room was about the same as the one I had been in when I was weakened by the curse mark. Just one bed, a delux suit. I slowly moved off his bed, careful not to wake him and dug some extra pillows and blankets out of the cabinet by the door.

I layed out a makeshift bed on the floor below the cot he slept on, packing in with the annoyingly thin hospital pillows so I wouldn't have to lay on the hard floor and spent the night.