For a while, his face seldom came.

Was he avoiding her? Did Satan often do such a thing? He had said he never became uncomfortable, so, surely, that was not the case.

But if not, then what other reason was there?

Sasuke came and went without schedule, without announcement, and if he did ever show up at her apartment, it was to hand her the warm soul of her cousin before he, again, disappeared. Hinata would wake up cold, no soul or Devil in sight, and she'd count the hours until he came again.

But that Wednesday morning, as she left to get the mail from her box in the office, she saw that face.

Or … wait.

"S-Sasuke?"

That wasn't his face.

"Oh." Dark lenses of sunglasses turned her way, and beneath them, a mouth parted, shock clear in the corners of those lips. "Hyuuga."

Chapter 12

Sasuke Uchiha, Human, Can Act Devilish At Times

"Are you stalking me?"

People moved around them, carrying boxes and furniture from a truck in the parking lot. They hardly spared them a glance as they moved by, and inside the apartment right next to hers, tearing cardboard and shuffling could be heard. It was quite clear what was happening, and while Hinata gawked and stared, Sasuke simply leaned against the railing of their connected porch, arms crossed and head tilted in an incredulous manner.

It took a pause for those words to reach her ears. Then, with a sputter, Hinata said, "N-No! Of course not. I … I live here."

Over the maroon frames of the sunglasses he wore – the ones she had gotten him, Hinata just then realized – Sasuke's brows rose in surprise. "Here?"

"I'm the door to your immediate left." She looked at it, then back at him. "I … didn't know you were moving."

"I don't make it a habit to tell just anyone."

"O-Oh."

She waited, and he waited, but no one said a word. People moved and the world moved, but they were still, her watching him trace a hand down the post of the porch and him listening to the work inside his new home.

Realizing she was being rude, Hinata pulled herself out of her thoughts, cleared her throat, and unlocked her door. "You can come in while they work," she said, "if you want."

"This better not be pity." But his cane was already hitting the step into her apartment, and he entered with grace and perfection.

"No," she said. "Just welcoming my new neighbor"

He smirked, pleased, and she moved to the dining table, making sure to keep her movements slow and loud so he could follow without problem. When he reached the table and found the back of a chair, he sat, and she went to the kitchen to bring out chips and salsa and water.

"Why did you decide to move?" Hinata didn't know where he had stayed before – maybe his parents' home, or on campus. But her first question already seemed a bit too personal, so she held back and placed a bowl of chips before him, telling him what it was.

Sasuke rested against the back of the chair, relaxing in the cool air that felt terribly nice when compared to the outside weather. "My other place was too small," he said. "I was told the apartments are larger here. It's annoying when I bump into everything."

Hinata hummed as she sat and sipped her water. "I hope it's better for you."

"Hn."

She nearly had the mind to ask why his family was not around to help move him in, as none of the people before looked anything like Uchiha. But, again, that seemed invasive, and she instead said, "If you ever need anything, I'll be next door."

Sasuke grabbed a chip and tried to find the salsa bowl. Hinata held it over for him to dip it in, and he huffed. "Yeah. Sure."

…

And he took her up on that offer not two hours later, when the moving people were done with setting up everything for him. He told her to lead him through the place and tell him what it looked like and what was where, as he had no idea how the workers decorated the place.

Hinata, of course, agreed. But when he pushed his key into the knob and pushed the door open, he held his left hand out to her. "Just in case," he had said, and while Hinata was a bit wary, she took it without complaint and led him into the apartment.

For a while, she took time to carefully detail every nook and cranny of the place to him. She described the small bookshelf by the front door that had a box on top full of books for him to organize, but nothing more. The kitchen, she explained, was a bit larger than hers, and all the installed appliances had braille next to their corresponding buttons for him to read. The sofa and chairs in the living room were low so that his cane would not miss it as he walked by, as was his bed in his room. It was a minimalistic apartment, and Hinata wondered if that was because Sasuke was blind or because he simply was not overly materialistic.

"You have no lamps," she realized aloud as she came to his bed stand.

His hands felt the comforter on his bed, and he frowned when he felt wrinkles and tried to flatten them out. "Why would I ever use them?"

"I-I know," she said. "I just never thought of it until now."

When Hinata returned to his side, he touched her arm and slid his hand back into hers. "The bathroom," he said. "Show me how to use the shower."

So Hinata did, taking him to it and instructing him what knob did what and how to get the water to run through the showerhead. He practiced once, got it right the first time, and then told her to teach him about the new washer and dryer.

It was … strange, Hinata thought. For such a prideful man, he had no problem asking for her help with these things. But she didn't dare say it outline, only followed his orders as any kind friend and neighbor would.

…

For a few hours, she was alone in her place.

But right as dinner time came –

Three knocks. Loud. Purposeful.

And when she opened the door, Sasuke was there. Sasuke Uchiha.

Obviously.

"I have no food," he said, entering her home and pulling off his shoes. "Make me dinner."

So she did. She boiled up some spaghetti and tossed a caesar salad, and when they sat to eat, she was a bit awestruck by his refined manners as he held his silverware properly and took slow, careful bites.

"I might be blind," he muttered, grey eyes staring in her direction, "but I still know when you're staring."

Hinata apologized and snapped her gaze away, face heating up with shame. She couldn't help it. He looked like her Sasuke, who didn't even know how to use silverware when he first started eating with her. It was weird to see that person with that face act so … human. And in her home, no less.

She never let people in her home.

If Sasuke was here … what would he think?

But … he wasn't, and Hinata turned back to slowly eat her food, appetite quickly disappearing.

…

"Give me your number."

When he leaned back on the wall to pull on her shoes, he said those words, and her heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

His lips parted, then pursed. "I'm not flirting with you," he affirmed, turning away slightly. "I just don't want to have to keep knocking on your door when I need something."

So … this wouldn't be just today?

He'd still come to see her and ask for her help after this?

She … really didn't know how to feel about that, but Hinata didn't let it bother her much as she waited for him to pull out his phone so she could recite her number to him. When he left, she pressed her back against her door and listened to his footfalls. And when she heard his door close shut, she blew out a breath she had not realized she was holding and went to clean the dishes.

…

He was a … needy man.

She woke up early that morning to a text from him telling her to help him put his groceries away; after that, he told her to give him a tour of the apartment complex and to show him where his mailbox would be. Then, at noon, he requested lunch from her, despite the food she knew well was in his kitchen.

"Hey," he called not even a minute after she placed down a plate of biscuits and gravy in front of him. "This needs more gravy."

Yes, Sasuke Uchiha was a needy man, and with a sigh as she poured more gravy on his dinner, Hinata decided to let him know as such. "For a month, you wouldn't let me study with you because you didn't want me to think you were helpless. Now, you won't even make your own food."

His eyelids sank. "Is there a problem with that?"

The sharpness in Sasuke's tone made her heart stop, and she yelped, "No, of course not! U-Um, I was j-just … curious if anything changed, is all. Sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude."

He dug the side of his fork into his food and began to eat, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "You've heard the rumors, haven't you? That my entire family's dead?" What? Hinata had never heard that one before. "It's true, you know. They were killed about five years ago. Plane crash. If I hadn't been sick that week, I would have died with them."

Cracked heart racing, Hinata squirmed in her chair. "I … didn't know that."

Sasuke stopped eating, dropping his fork on the plate and leaning back. "I've been alone for a while, always taking care of myself, not letting anyone get in my way." There was a sag to his shoulders, which matched the unusual sag in his normally stern voice. "I thought I'd live that way forever. But when I came here, I remembered what I was missing for so long. The cooking of my mother, the efficiency of my father, the ever-present helpfulness of my brother, no matter how annoying it got. It's … nice."

Guilt zapping through her system, Hinata left her seat and went to his side of the table, catching his shoulder. "I-I'm so sorry, Sasuke," she whispered, hoping he heard every ounce of genuineness. "Please, you're always welcomed here. No matter what. You're not alone anymore."

And he was supposed to do something that fit the mood. Maybe not cry – Hinata didn't think that was totally in his character. But maybe he'd quietly agree or mutter a small thanks her way, and then things would get better and he'd stop looking so sad –

But … wait – he didn't look sad.

Actually, he looked ready to laugh in her face.

An amused huff escaped him as he took her hand and pulled it away from him. "You're so gullible."

Hinata looked down at that hand. "What?"

"I'm joking," he said. "That's not it at all."

She felt the red burning her ears and stepped back. "S-So your family isn't –"

"No, they are." He waved a hand. "That part was true, and I do miss them, but that has nothing to do with why I'm here."

And … she had no idea whether to be pissed at him lying about something so emotional or relieved that, at least, he wasn't feeling that empty pain that he had described.

"Then why are you here?"

Sasuke paused, then sat forward and went back to eating. Not a word, a sound. So they ate for a moment, and when he was finished and cleaned his mouth with a paper napkin, he asked, "You live here alone, right?"

That was a tricky question, but Hinata just nodded. "Yes."

"Good."

He grabbed his plates and cane and cleaned after himself, unlike last night. Not that Hinata was complaining.

"I'll call if I need anything," he told her as he went to the door. "Listen for your phone. I hate waiting."

And he was gone – not as mysteriously or as suddenly as the Devil – but still enough to leave her breathless.

…

That night, as she impatiently waited for Sasuke to come from the depths of Hell, she kept her phone nearby.

Just in case.

Chapter 12 - End