Lily: this is done from Naruto's POV. i've never really done anything from his POV so i decided to try it.

Can't you see them?
Chapter Nine
Beginning to see

I smile as I wake up, glad to see that Gaara is sleeping. Lately, he's been able to take little cat naps, but only when he knows he's sleeping as close to me as possible. It's a funny feeling, being a security blanket. I like to watch him when he sleeps. He looks so pretty, at peace but also a little sad.

Uh oh.

He's caught me staring at him. He's grinning now. Damn that bastard, he always thinks it's so funny when he catches me being sentimental.

Watching me sleep again, Naruto?
No. You had a piece of dirt on your face. I lie and flick an imaginary speck off his cheek.
he yawns and stretches like a cat.

I get out of bed and put some waffles in the toaster. Gaara really likes waffles. (Why the hell would Shukaku like waffles?!) Lots of butter, lots of syrup, so that they're more puddle than waffle. Gaara sits down at the table and I put the plate of waffle-puddle in front of him. He gives me a small smile.

He smiles more now. That's good, especially since he looks so hot when he does. Not that I'm gonna tell that to him. If I did he'd use it against me all the time.

We walk to class together.

Kakashi is late as usual. Sakura and I yell at him as usual. He begins to explain how Iruka wanted to try this new thing and... I clamp my hands over my ears and scream, Sasuke listens intently, Sakura looks mortified and Gaara is laughing at me.

Iruka-aniki is great and I've learned to put up with Kakashi-sensei, but I really don't wanna know what they do at night, ok?

We practice for awhile, new jutsu, new techniques. Iruka, Neji and Lee come at break and have lunch with us. I thought Lee would die of happiness when Sakura kissed him in front of everyone, his eyes have gone all twinkly. Iruka and Kakashi are eating in a tree together, I think I hear Iruka giggle. I move away from the tree. Neji is sitting suspiciously close to Sasuke, who keeps spacing out between bites of sushi.

It is pretty funny to watch Sasuke zone out. One eyebrow will raise up and then the left corner of his lips begins to twitch and I have the strongest feeling that he's not thinking about what we have been learning in class...

Going by the fact that Neji is actually here, that Sasuke is looking rather... pleased with himself and that Kakashi keeps sniggering when he looks at the two, I figure that Sasuke and Neji's relationship is not just rivalry.

Kakashi says that since we're all here we might as well train together.

Sasuke and Neji train together so they can develop their Byakugan and Sharingan.

Lee is helping Sakura with her speed, which has gotten really good lately.

Gaara is trying to explain how to avoid attacks to me. I know perfectly well how to avoid things. I just don't really feel like it. Gaara sighs and stabs a kunai at my hand. I shriek and jerk my hand back.
Did you feel like it then?
You were going to stab me!
It was an attack. It was supposed to hurt.
Yeah, but...
Think of every attack like that. The other person is not just attacking, they are attacking you. Don't let them.
Ok, ok, I see.
good, lets try some more.

Another thing I won't tell Gaara, he looks cute when he gets annoyed. That's why I like to piss him off so much.

My suspicions are confirmed. I was on my way to get a drink of water and I saw Neji and Sasuke together. Neji had Sasuke pressed up against a tree and was touching him all over. I stopped dead and gaped. Whoa. Sasuke opened his eyes, saw me, smirked against Neji's mouth, which was rather busy, and winked at me. I glared at him and went and got the water.

Stupid Sasuke.

Never imagined Sasuke being uke, though...

Never imagined Sasuke in the first place.

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful, minus a few times that people keep accidentally falling into their sparring partners. I didn't even yell at Gaara for calling me clumsy when I tripped over an invisible tree root and landed on him.

Gaara and I are sitting at our favorite spot again. Gaara is doing that thing where he puts his lips right against my neck and talks against my skin. It makes me go all shivery, not that I'll tell him that. I lean back into him and look up at the thousands of stars.
You're not looking at the stars tonight, Gaara. I tell him.
I was wondering why he hadn't been looking at them, like usual.
Gaara flips me around in his arms so that I'm pressed up against him.
I don't need to, idiot. Your hair is brighter any way.
He combs his fingers hair through my hair and his lip twitches slightly.

I think he's beginning to see the stars.

But I won't tell him that.

He already knows.