Absolved.

Family.

[Song: We Are One - Roy Dotrice]

A series of painful groans woke me up the next morning, and then the wretched smell of bile and stale alcohol as Gaara's hot breath hit my face.

"Ugh." I huffed as I pushed his face away.

"My head hurts." He wined, bringing his hands up to emphasize the point.

I sat up, peeling back the too warm covers and escaping the clutches of my baby brother "You deserve it."

"Why am I in your room?" His whiney voice was only seeming to get worse.

"I didn't want you to choke on your own vomit or go wandering off."

He groaned again, making himself comfortable and trying to go back to sleep.

"Oh no you don't!" I grabbed my blankets and gave them a quick tug, spilling Gaara out onto the floor. "If you're going to drink like a man, you're going to get up and be responsible like a man too."

"Kai-reeeeee" He whined extending my name.

"No, go shower before I dump some ice water on your head." I ordered. "I need to go wake up your partner in crime."

When I didn't find Kakashi in the den where I'd left him, I wandered into the kitchen where I found Temari perched at the table with a coffee, smiling for once.

Kakashi was behind her, busying himself at the stove as the smell of breakfast filled the room.

"Good morning beautiful." He smiled under his mask without the hint of the miserable hangover that Gaara had.

I was slightly disappointed, quietly wishing he was in as much pain as my baby brother this morning. When I said nothing he came over to try and kiss my forehead, which I leaned away from.

"I think that your boyfriend thinks he can get back into our good graces." Temari said lightly as she took a bite from the food he sat down in front of her. "It might be working.."

I glared at her, staying silent as I sat down.

"Don't let them bully you." Kro told Kakashi as he padded into the room, messy hair and clothes saying he was fresh out of bed. "I just wish you guys had invited me."

Kakashi placed plates of food in front of Kankuro and I, and then sat down with his own across from me. "Wasn't my idea, how is Kazekage?"

"Miserable." I stated, and then inquired with a bit more attitude than I meant to give "It wasn't your idea and yet you encouraged it?"

He eyed me.

"Would you be so careless with Naruto?" I raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi sighed, leveling his voice to a tone that was more appropriate to bickering with my siblings as an audience. "I was not about to deny an offering from the Kazekage."

"Good thing too." Gaara's voice joined the discussion as he lazily slumped into the kitchen, his hair still dripping. "I might have gotten angry."

He said the last part as though we were all still afraid of him.

"I've made you some soup, Gaara." Kakashi said, getting up to spoon a bowl out for him. "It has Sake in it, hair of the dog that bit you."

Temari and I glared at them.

"Knock it off." Kro shot, staring at both of us. "He's the freaking Kazekage, he's got all of the responsibility and stress of a man, let the man drink once in a while."

That pretty much ended the arguments, neither of us could handle Kankuro's guilt trip.

"Well, now that you're home, we should spend the day together as a family." Temari said finally, finishing up her plate.

"Let's go to the oasis." Kro suggested, seeming pleased that he'd gotten us to focus on something other than Gaara.

"The bar?" Gaara asked, looking like he may get sick again at the thought.

"No, you alcoholic. The actual Oasis." Kankuro rolled his eyes.

Gaara flung a spoonful of soup at him, but Kakashi reacted quickly, holding up a plate to catch the splatter. "Weren't we just attempting to convince your sisters that you're a man now?"

"The Oasis is boring anyways." Temari huffed. "We always go there."

"This whole village is boring." Kro agreed, shrugging slightly.

"We could go see Grandfather Ebizo." I tried to suggest lightly, tho the silent reaction of the table told me it wasn't so lightly.

"I've visited him recently." Gaara smiled, shrugging. "He isn't in a mind for visitors."

In other words, he didn't know the secret to the jutsu. That was disappointing, with all of the letters we'd been sending back and forth it seemed that neither of us had gotten close to finding it.

"I have an idea." A deep voice came from the door that made me grin. "Come with me to the training grounds, and we will put my new group to the test."

"Baki!" I shot up from my seat, running to hug my father figure.

"Now that sounds like fun." Kankuro grinned.

Baki grinned as he hugged me, more tenderly than he had in awhile. "I missed ya kid."

Kakashi stood, and requested to speak with Baki in private. They proceeded outside with Gaara as the rest of us went to get dressed.

I dressed into a cool, light outfit that would be comfortable for fighting, and added one of Temari's black kimono over top. I was happy she didn't mind sharing clothes with me, with how much we were apart it made me feel closer. I then separated my hair into two, long ponytails that hung over my shoulders.

Temari seemed to have the same idea as me, while Kankuro was in his usual outfit, his puppets strapped to his back good as new.

"Aren't you going to be too warm?" I asked him as we met the others outside.

He answered but I wasn't paying attention. Gaara, Kakashi and Baki were all smiling at me in a way I would almost deem creepy.

"Uh, ready to go, weirdos?" Temari asked.

Baki's students were impressive, holding their own against us in one to one combat. It wasn't a surprise we over powered them, but Baki had asked us not to hold back.

He seemed so intent on testing them, that he teamed us up. Five against five was the next fight and I felt bad for them. They weren't used to fighting as a unit, I could tell by the way they tried to single us out as though we would let them fight one to one again.

Gaara and I mixed our jutsus together, sand and minerals, his superior technique with the might and strength of my denser attack. Temari gathered them together against the wall we created with her wind attacks, and when the strongest broke free, Kankuro grabbed him with his Sanshouo puppet.

I was sad to see how easily they broke apart from their team, they may have had a chance if they had stuck together and combined their talents, but with a nod to Kakashi, and a lightning jutsu that traveled through the minerals they were incapacitated and the fight was over.

"That will teach them," Baki grinned, clapping his hands. "they need to move and work as a unit, thank you."

I bowed my head to him as a medical team made their way into the fighting pit.

"Speaking of teams, you and Kakashi would make a great one." Baki continued, with that creepy smile again. "You should work on that combined Jutsu more."

I didn't answer him, I was too busy gazing over at the silver haired shinobi in question. The youngest of Baki's fighters had been wounded pretty badly, and Kakashi was helping him up, commending him on still being able to stand.

The pride in his eyes, and the way he ruffled his hair made me smile and I suddenly pictured the boy as our own, with my mother's indigo eyes, and Kakashi's silver hair. My heart fluttered the way it did when ever Kakashi kissed me, and I found myself longing for a family with him.