We join Jen at her lonely picnic of one...

Fourth Consequence

Dark green eyes looked up at the sky but a peaceful gaze was missing, instead she looked worried and bored. 'I should start home but I don't want to yet…' She sat up from where she lay on the yellow blanket and reached her hand into the basket next to her. After a moment she retrieved the orange and knife she had been looking for and started to peal and cut the bright fruit. 'He did say not to wait. Which means he'll be mad if he shows up and I haven't eaten anything yet. But I do want to wait…' She shook her head sharply and slipped the knife across the orange again, digging down to deep and cutting into her palm. She dropped the knife and fruit in surprise but merely looked gloomily at her wound.

"Where is he?" Jen wondered out loud and clenched her fist tightly. 'I know I shouldn't worry but it's what I do. I just wish I had something to distract me…'

The deep voice was completely unexpected so Jen had to ask him to repeat what he had just said. "Are you going to clean that?" He said again and Jen glanced at her fist. Red drops were staining the blanket in a few places.

"I don't really feel like it." She admitted and looked back up at where he stood by the edge of her picnic, looking down at her with cool green eyes, red hair standing out against the clear cool sky. "Would you like to join me?" She offered, changing the subject.

She could tell he was running it through his mind on what to do and waited patiently. The more he thought about it the more he was distracting her from what was making her sad. Jen should have been surprised when he finally decided to sit with her but it didn't really strike her as strange at the moment. "Where are your brother and sister?" she asked casually.

"I don't know." He replied simply and slipped his gaze over the half full basket and few dishes already set out on the soft blanket. It was during this he felt an odd sensation and looked up to bright green eyes latched onto him, but that wasn't the strange part. "What are you smiling about?"

"I guess I'm glad you chose to sit with me." Jen shrugs and reaches to retrieve a piece of the orange that had escaped her. Drops of red followed her hand as it continued to bleed freely.

Gaara glanced at Jen then her injured hand which brought the orange piece to her mouth and reached for another section. 'Doesn't that hurt? And if she keeps bleeding like that she'll get lightheaded and probably pass out later…' He observed as she licked a bit orange juice off her finger, a dab of blood also getting on her tongue but she just retrieved another orange slice.

'Hm, it's not so tangy when mixed with blood…' Jen thought indifferently and extended her hand again. 'If Neji was here he would be so mad right now that I'm just letting myself bleed all over the place. I'll have to clean up the blanket when I get home so he won't know…' Her fingers jerked as Gaara's hand latched onto her wrist and pulled it towards him.

She didn't pull away he noted as he grabbed the end of a roll of bandages with his teeth and pulled to unravel them. Even though he never needed them, he still carried bandages as a policy, just in case. He wiped away the pooling blood in her palm and quickly started covering the gash with the wrappings. 'She has small hands…'

'His hands are soft…' Jen thought and let him finish. She was not about to argue with the Kazekage especially over something as trivial as cutting her hand. 'I'm determined and sometimes stubborn but not stupid.' She reasons and finally takes her hand back. "Thank you…"

His breath caught as she smiled. As her lips curved so easily he saw much more then happiness… inside was buried pain paired with uncertainty. It lasted too long yet not long enough. Her smile slipped to be replaced by a confused frown in which she gently bit her lower lip. He didn't say anything but just looked at her expressions, waiting for what was next.

"It feels weird… I don't know what to call you…" She said and glided her fingers over her bandaged palm thoughtfully.

He blinked carefully. 'What? What to call me?' "Just call me Gaara." He said obviously, leaning back and shifting to get more comfortable.

"Hm, Thank you Gaara." She smiled that eerie smile once more and continued laying out her picnic. Once done Jen passed him a pair of chopsticks and broke her own. "Help yourself. I made plenty." She offered and caught a slice of sushi from one of the numerous plates.

Not about to argue, Gaara broke his chopsticks and tried the first thing he could reach.

The two ate in content silence. Though Jen had never really met Gaara before she had heard a good deal about him and knew he didn't like to talk much. She was just thankful someone else was there to keep her company. 'It's depressing to have a picnic by yourself.' She thought and glanced back up at him. She was being careful not to stare but when she tried to observe him even just a little she caught herself staring. And the worse part was she knew he saw it too.

'She is very quiet. What's her name again? Jen I think… But she keeps looking at me. It's almost as if she's trying to have a conversation with her eyes instead of with her mouth. Not that I mind anyway…' He bit down and glanced up, catching her eyes.

Jen froze unwillingly. 'I wish he wouldn't look at me like that. It's so strange. And I can't tell what he's thinking at all. He's like Neji but worse!' Jen swallowed hard and tore her eyes away with great force. 'No, keeping mind off of Neji…' She inwardly shook her head and smacked herself a few times before settling back into where she was and what she was doing.

'What was that?' He frowned clearly and continued to watch her. 'That was a strange look. I'm not sure what to call that…' He broke his eyes away and continued eating slowly. She was confusing him. Much more than anyone else (excluding one Uzumaki Naruto). Not only did her smile contain so many emotions at the same time but so many thoughts rushed through her eyes in seconds. He could only wonder how complex her mind actually was to hold so much and switch tracks so fast.

Jen could feel her face getting warm. 'Don't tell me I'm blushing. Why would I be blushing?' Thankfully a distraction was presented as a shadow passed over their outdoor lunch. Jen glanced up and jumped to her feet instantly. "Neji!" She cried and slipped her arms around him quickly.

He gladly returned the gesture and set gaze on the familiar redhead. 'What's he doing here?'

Jen pulled back reluctantly. "I thought you weren't going to make it. What took so long?" She questioned and sat, giving him space to kneel beside her on the ground. Gaara was taking careful note of how pure her smile was and how her eyes seemed to sparkle now, compared to before.

Neji took a steady breath and looked at her, readying to tell her why he was so late but something caught his keen eyes before he opened his mouth. Jen instantly sensed his change in attitude and slipped her bandaged hand out of sight but it was too late. He took her wrist and held it firmly, looking to her diverted eyes. "What's this?" He didn't mean to sound so angry but he was worried about her. Anytime something happened when he wasn't around he inwardly panicked but somehow projected anger instead of concern.

"It's nothing. It just slipped." Jen mumbled quickly, not wanting to look at him. It killed her when he was like this. She knew he wasn't actually mad at her, she could tell by looking in his eyes but she would rather listen to his rage then look at his worry struck eyes and see the pain she had caused.

"What slipped?" His voice was still sharp but his grip was light, almost no pressure at all. It was too much a contrast to believe he wasn't squeezing her wrist painfully, causing the wincing look on her face as she kept her eyes cast away from him.

"I-I was cutting an orange and the knife slipped…" She mumbled so softly both males had trouble hearing it. She bit her lip gently, showing her indecision until she finally looked up into perfect pools of white silk.

He had relaxed now, still cupping her wrist. His gaze was relaxed and voice calm. "You're so clumsy you know." He sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry." Jen faintly replied and bowed her head again, pink sweeping across her face in an instant.

Moments of nothing but the wind rustling the trees gave way as Jen cleared her throat and turned back to the picnic. "We're never going to finish this if we just sit here." She proclaims and picks up her chopsticks to continue eating.

Gaara sat still as Neji searched for another pair of chopsticks he knew were stashed in the basket somewhere. Emerald orbs swept over her. Something in her had changed since he arrived. She was more reserved now, almost shy. She kept her gaze to herself and a blush was fastened to her pale cheeks. She blinked slowly, as if her eyes were heavy and dropped her food, chopsticks tumbling from her grip.

It was an instant reaction. His hands reached out before he could think and held her limp form up. He sat like that, frozen for a moment, no thoughts passing through his mind for the longest time.

Neji halted his search and glared at Gaara, though the redhead wasn't paying attention. It wasn't as if he hated the young Kazekage or anything, but when Jen was added to the equation, Neji couldn't help but be protective. Recovering from the unappealing scene, Neji pulled Jen's unconscious form out of Gaara's lax grip and looked down at her carefully, looking for a hint as to why she fainted.

"She lost too much blood." Gaara said as if knowing what was on Neji's mind.

The long haired male nodded shortly and stood, whisking away his girlfriend to the hospital, or Sakura, which ever he ran into first…

Cool green eyes watched as Neji carried her off quickly, abandoning the picnic and him without any visible second thoughts but Gaara didn't mind. He himself was known for just leaving without a word and he couldn't blame the Hyuuga for running off then. Gaara was tempted to lift the honey haired girl and take her to get help the second he caught her but his mind wouldn't work that fast. By the time the decision was made, Neji was already stealing her from his hands.

Gaara sighed and stood. He actually had things he should've been taking care of and now that no excuse was present he stalked away silently, thoughts filled of the short yet memorable encounter with the unfamiliar Konoha kunoichi.

Ooooh, conflict! Now it's getting more interesting. And Neji's being possesive too. I could just giggle!