Blood is Thicker Chapter 3

A/N: Please enjoy, read and review! Thank you to everybody who favorited and reviewed! ;)

King Nintendo: :) won't have to wait to long!

Starfire201: Yes, we aren't done with Karin! And as for Matsuri, we aren't done with her either.

"Oww! What the heck was that for?" a child yelled out in pain. Sakura straightened herself and smiled.

"I just popped your shoulder back into place. That's how we fix something that gets disjointed." she said with a pat on his head, before turning to the genin's doting mother. "He shouldn't be feeling any pain after this, it should feel right as rain."

"Thank you, doctor!"

Sakura walked away with a smile, while filling out her patient's chart. She handed it to Ami at the nurses station.

"Please discharge the genin. I popped in his shoulder." Sakura said, picking up another patient's chart. Ami rolled her eyes at the girl she used to make fun of in the academy. She sometimes felt like the medic liked keeping her busy on purpose. But then again, Sakura kept lots of nurses busy. Her patients normally recovered pretty quickly, compared to some doctors.

Sakura went to her office to pick up her lunch and drop of her paperwork. Upon entering, she saw her mother, Mebuki standing there examining a card that came with a bouquet of flowers. They had been delivered earlier in the morning.

"Aren't they pretty?" she asked her mother.

"They are!" her mother, a Mebuki Haruno replied. "You ARE going to dinner with Naruto, right?"

Sakura nodded. Mebuki smiled.

"Good, i hope you enjoy yourself but I don't want to see you set a foot in my ward!"

Sakura laughed. Her mother was Konoha's top medic in the maternity ward, her specialty being the safe delivery of Konoha's newest citizens. Sakura once tried to help out, but greatly preferred dabbling in all areas of medicine. That, and birth was gruesome.

"I brought you lunch, Sakura." Mebuki said, reaching into a bag, and handing it to her.

"Thanks mom, but I brought a salad." Sakura said, showing her the wimpy salad that had lost its appeal after sitting all morning. The younger Haruno sighed and accepted the warm meal, much to her chagrin as her mother grinned gloatingly.

Karin looked at the new clothes Sakura had bought her. They had chosen black capris, And a lavender turtleneck just to start her off until she could afford newer clothes. Karin insisted on long sleeves, so as to cover her scars. For shoes, she had black ninja sandals with a chunky heel that was about an inch high. Karin struggled a little with the zipper to her capris, and then picked up her new headband.

Staring, Karin tried to figure out a way to wear it. She placed it like Sakura's, but found it disagreeable. She lifted her bangs, and held it to her forehead, but didn't quite like that either. Eventually, she gave up and just tied it around her left thigh. Satisfied, Karin took one last precursory check in the mirror to examine herself. Finding nothing out of place, she exited Sai's bathroom.

Sai's home was very plain. There were two bedrooms, his own, which Karin had never set foot in, and hers. The room was rather bare, with a simple futon set up for her. The closet housed extra art supplies, which she planned to pack up and give to Sai, so she could hang the clothing she would eventually buy. The bathroom was also plain, with a full length mirror and the basic bathroom appliances. The kitchen had a small table with one chair. The cabinets were nearly empty, housing neatly stacked dishes and exactly one pot, one pan, and one tea kettle. Sai was currently sitting on a black couch turned to face his kitchen area. Karin guessed that was his sitting room.

She approached him, and saw that he was sketching. Sensing her presence, he turned his sketch pad away from Karin and looked up at her.

"I'm leaving to see the Hokage." Sai nodded and stood, setting his sketch pad and pen on his bare coffee table.

"Then we are leaving to see the Hokage."

The two had walked in a rather awkward silence as Karin observed the village. She wasn't used to large, bustling places. She was used to quiet places, like caves or abandoned buildings. But yet, something about the Leaf seemed homey to her. The villagers walked among the ninja, and most of the residents were bright and cheery, going about their errands or catching lunch with a friend. Konoha's nin were odd too, rarely serious or threatening while at home. Sai was an exception, being rather blank in any situation, but Karin had seen that he was at least attempting to act like a normal person.

Upon arrival, Sakura and Shizune shot Karin a sympathetic look, but Tsunade greeted her happily.

"You're here! Good! First, I want you to do this stack of paperwork. Shizune will explain what you need to do. It isn't important stuff, so don't worry. Then, when you finish, come see me, and I'll evaluate you to see what you know!"

Karin nodded, but Sai raised his hand.

"What shall I do, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade grinned broadly. "You'll be doing paperwork the whole time."

When Karin did finally finish her massive workload, she stepped into Tsunade's office as told. However, she found her in deep conversation with a red haired man- the Kazekage.

"Well, if you can get her to agree to it, I'd say it's worth a shot, but I'm not so sure you're plan will be met with support..." Tsunade said, before looking up to see Karin. "Ah, Kazekage-sama, since we appear to be finished, I'm afraid I have something to attend to, I expect you'll visit before you leave?"

The redheaded Kazekage nodded before bowing and exiting Tsunade's office. Gaara followed a path he had memorized from a map while still in the hotel. He continued along the path, as it led him into a nicer district of Konoha, where the big clans lived. He stopped after reaching by far the biggest home, the Hyuuga home.

He opened the gate and entered the property, feeling almost silly when he rang their doorbell. He waited a moment, before Neji opened the door, surprised to see Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama? Can I help you?"

"I would like to see Hinata Hyuuga, please."

Neji nodded, slightly confused, and opened the door to allow Gaara inside. The long haired man led Gaara to an elaborate sitting room, and explained he'd bring Hinata in a moment.

Gaara waited, examining the elaborate rugs, the intricate fireplace and the antique furniture. No doubt about it, the Hyuuga clan was loaded. He felt out of place, as no place in Suna was quite so extravagant.

Hinata entered the room, and seeing Gaara, she bowed and greeted him demurely.

"Kazekage-sama. You requested my presence?"

He nodded, and stood to face her. "After our talk a couple weeks ago, I felt...involved. You shared personal things with me, and I feel oddly fond of you for doing that. Most are very professional around me, due to my status. After our discussion, I feel obliged to help you." he stated, in the best way he could, speaking quickly, so he didn't stop.

"Help me? I...I wasn't asking for any help, Kazekage-sama." she said, a little nervously.

"I want to help."

"How exactly?" Hinata asked, very warily.

He paused, wondering the best way to put his plan. Finally, he just let it out.

"Marry me."

A/N: That's all for now kiddies! Please be kind and leave a review with your thoughts!

-MyHikari