Here I am again!

Ty for the lovely response!

To make up for my lateness, I've decided to give you guys some visuals… If you would like to know how the inside of the apartment building where Sasuke and Hinata live looks, please just search My Love From Another Star Apartment in google images. That's the sort of look I was going for, except with changes, obviously, based on descriptions I've already given.

This chapter is dedicated to all those that sent me PMs and reviews urging me to continue writing! Thank you guysss!

AN:- Thanks to Coco21 for the correction! I was so tired I entered it backwards! HAHAHA! Error fixed, thanks!

Chapter 5: The Silent Friend

Sasuke swerved into the apartment building's parking lot, narrowly missing a woman walking past. She gasped and yelled at him, but Sasuke didn't have time to do more than shout an apology and pull to a stop near the apartment's front door. He leapt out of the car, leaving it still running, and impatiently waved the valet over with his hand.

"Park it," he said shortly, swiping the black gift bag off the seat and running up the front steps. He breezed past the receptionists and made a beeline for the elevator. He'd missed Santa every day for the past week, and even Hinata was getting fed up with the cranky attitude that resulted from that. He didn't want to miss her again.

Hence, he'd gotten home in record time. He was going to go and wait in front of his door for her to show up. And when she did, he'd finally talk to her, and he'd finally get some answers. He'd finally get to thank her for giving him a reason to get up some days.

Sasuke reached the elevators just as the doors were closing and ran to slide his hand between them so they'd reopen, but he was too late. A mild curse spilling from his lips, Sasuke jabbed impatiently at the buttons. He would take the stairs, but the last thing he wanted was to stumble into her in the halls, panting and sweaty before her gorgeous self. He was an Uchiha, damn it.

After what felt like hours of waiting, the elevator doors finally reopened, and Sasuke jabbed in his floor number.

"Hold the elevator!" a voice called. It sounded vaguely familiar, but then pretty much every voice sounded familiar here, because these people lived in the apartments. Hence, Sasuke didn't even think twice about letting the doors close without making an effort to hold them open for the faceless woman. As the elevator rose, Sasuke's heartbeat began to speed up, and the young Uchiha clenched his fists against the nervousness.

What if she didn't like him?

He paused a moment, and almost face-palmed at the thought. She had to like him, right? She'd been giving him gifts every day for weeks now, and sent him insightful messages in every one of them. Maybe she was a stalker.

The thought should have given him pause, but quite frankly, the fact that he'd lasted this long without seeing a psychiatrist or actually killing himself was enough to make Sasuke uncaring of exactly who his Santa was. He was grateful.

The elevator dinged as it reached his floor, and Sasuke was out as soon as the doors opened. He speed-walked down the hall, and sighed with relief when he saw that no gift bag had been placed at his doorstep yet. He stopped in front of his door and turned, leaning against it with the gift bag still in his hand.

He'd see her this time.

Hinata scowled when the elevator doors closed before she got there. Some people could be so mean. There was a chance she would meet Sasuke this time. He'd been telling her of his plans to get home as early as possible to meet Santa. For how inwardly anxious Hinata was to meet Sasuke for real, she found her efforts to get there earlier than ever so as not to meet him pathetic. But she was so scared.

After he saw past the gratefulness, would he still like her? Would he want to get to know her? Couldn't she just encourage him from the shadows? Couldn't it stay like this?

When the doors re-opened, it was all Hinata could do to just not turn back. With shaking hands, she withdrew her mobile phone and opened her LINE chat with Sasuke.

- Are you home yet? -

She stared at her phone as the elevator rose, but Sasuke didn't read the message. He must still be driving. She'd nagged at him enough times about texting and driving for him to finally promise that he'd lay off the habit.

Feeling some of the nervousness subside, Hinata took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. The elevator came to a halt, dinged, and then its doors opened. Hinata checked her line chat again. Sasuke still hadn't read the message.

Gripping the white bag in her hand, she stepped from the elevator and began making her way down the hall, sliding her phone into her skirt pocket. She looked up from the carpet as she drew closer, and stared directly into obsidian eyes.

Sasuke had been waiting for her.

Hinata halted in her tracks, her heart in her throat and her breathing growing labored.

Sasuke had been waiting for her.

She watched the corner of his lips tilt into a smile and he pushed away from his door and moved towards her, a black gift bag in his hands.

"The scarf looks good on you, Santa," he said when he stopped a mere two feet away from her. Hinata's hands raised slowly to her throat, where the scarf was wrapped loosely. Her fingers curled into the soft material for a moment before they loosened and she dropped her hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and before she could feel embarrassed, she felt relieved. If Sasuke heard her voice, he'd know for sure who she was.

Instead, she smiled hesitantly and held out the bag in her hands to him. He reached forward, and Hinata's eyes were drawn to his manly hand. The skin was lightly tanned, and his fingers were slim and long. His nails were short and clean, and his hand had those incredibly manly veins running over the top. He was still wearing his office suit, so she couldn't see his forearms, but Hinata had a feeling that they were just as impressive.

She released the bag into his hand, shyly pulling her hands away at the brief moment of contact. One of his dark eyebrows rose, and his gaze dropped to the dark bag in his other hand.

"I'll give you this in a moment. Why don't you come inside?" he asked, looking at her enquiringly. Hinata nodded shyly and followed him back to his door. He deftly used his keycard to open the door, and then he opened it and let her go in first.

And Hinata realized that all the times that she'd been teasing Sasuke about being a tightass and a neat freak she'd been dead wrong.

Her friend was a slob.

Sasuke could have really slapped himself in the face when he saw the state of his apartment. He'd managed to misplace a pair of cufflinks Santa had given him as a gift and had turned his apartment upside down in an effort to find them. By then, he was late for work and had ran out leaving the place in the same state.

Sasuke cringed at Santa's little laugh when she saw his place. He swiped a hand over his face.

"Please excuse the mess. It's not usually like this…" he said a little lamely, stepping ahead of her to scoop some stuff off the sofa and rearrange the things on the coffee table. He cleared his throat. "Uh, take a seat… if you like…"

He'd thought that someone who'd sent so many inspirational messages would have had more to say, but Santa had not even said a word. Conscious that her eyes were on him, Sasuke hurriedly cleared up the most of the mess he had left before work. When his apartment regained some semblance of normalcy, he sat on the sofa across from her and took a deep breath.

Silence descended upon them both, and for a few slightly awkward moments, they both just eyed each other. His first impression had been correct. Santa was absolutely gorgeous. She had a delicate face, with flawless skin, full lips and large pale grey eyes that were fringed with long dark eyelashes. Her hair was cut in the princess style, with thick, straight bangs over her forehead, and fell in straight locks to right under her generous bust.

She was dressed simply in a white fitted T-shirt which was tucked into a mid-calf length black high-waisted skirt. The scarf he'd gotten her was a perfect accessory. Sasuke allowed himself a brief scan of her pale, shapely legs, and neat ballet-flats encased feet. His Santa was a ten.

Sasuke cleared his throat, and stuck out a hand.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to meet you," he said. He watched as she hesitantly reached forward and slid her hand in his. Her skin was soft and smooth and warm, and Sasuke allowed his fingers to curl over her smaller hand. "And you are?" he added. Her eyes widened and she looked about from side to side before taking out her mobile phone.

He watched her thumbs tap over the keyboard before she turned the screen towards him. Sasuke saw that she'd opened a memo pad and had typed a message there for him.

- Nice to meet you, Sasuke. My name is Kanada Hana. I'm sorry… I can't speak… -

Sasuke blinked at the message. She couldn't speak?

"Ah, Hana. I've been calling you Santa all this while…" he said with a chuckle. She smiled at him, but it was a nervous smile. "Why can't you speak? Are you sick?" he asked. Her gaze dropped, her eyelashes fluttering. She typed again.

- I'm incapable of speaking -

Incapable?

"Incapable?" Sasuke echoed his thoughts. "You mean you're… dumb?" he asked, cringing when she cringed at the word usage. Still, she nodded. Sasuke fell silent. "That must suck," he said after a moment. When he heard his words replay in his mind, Sasuke cringed inwardly again. That hadn't come out right. But when he looked up, Hana was laughing silently, her shoulders shaking and her eyes almost shut.

She was cute as.

Sasuke found himself grinning at the sight. He watched her type something and show him.

- Yes, it does really suck -

"Alright, well do you want us to check out these gifts then, huh?" Sasuke asked, reaching for the white bag she'd rested on the coffee table. She shifted in her seat and rapidly typed a message to show to him.

- I hope you like it… (*o*) -

Sasuke chuckled.

"Well, I like everything you've sent so far, even that chocolate. And that's saying something, because I hate chocolate," Sasuke muttered. He looked up again to see Hana laughing again. Sasuke opened the bag and peered inside. There was a burgundy box inside, approximately three inches wide, by seven inches long, by two inches thick. He withdrew it, and the card.

~ You never know which moments in life should be recorded. Hint: press the button on the side and say 'I'm Awesome' ...~

Sasuke opened the box and found a platinum wristwatch and a classy fountain pen. The watch had an extra button on the side opposite the knob used to set the time. Sasuke pressed the button.

"I'm awesome," he said out loud, feeling a little foolish. When he pressed the button again, he heard his own voice.

"I'm awesome," the watch said. Sasuke's gaze shot to Hana's face.

"This thing records?" he said with a chuckle. "Wait 'til I tell Hinata…" he muttered. Hana's hand flew over her phone's keypad, and then she turned the screen to him.

- The pen can do it too (^_^) Enjoy -

"Like heck I will," Sasuke said with a grin. All the stuff she sent him were different and special and undeniably cool. "Well, it's your turn," he continued, pushing the black bag closer to her.

She leaned forward slowly, her eyes glittering with interest, and lifted the bag onto her lap. She stuck her hand inside and pulled apart the gift paper inside. When she withdrew her hand, she was holding a silver hair accessory with a comb to attach it. The clip was in the shape of flowers on a vine, with rather expensive crystals at the flowers' centres.

Sasuke watched her eyes widen and her mouth parted in a little 'o'. She looked up at him with a wide smile on her face.

"You like it?" Sasuke asked, still holding his breath. She didn't reach for her phone in favor of nodding vehemently. Sasuke released his breath on a sigh. "Good. I've never purchased so many gifts for one person in my life," he muttered. Hana laughed and reached for her phone. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and she turned the screen towards him.

- Thanks so much! I'm going to wear this the next time I have a function (#^_^#) -

Hana stayed with him for another two hours, and they spoke a bit more to get to know each other better. Sasuke found himself smiling and laughing with Hana even more than he did while on the phone with Hinata. And that was saying something, because Hinata made him smile more than anything else did. In fact, Sasuke could hardly wait for an opportunity to call her and tell her all about Hana.

Sasuke was in the middle of asking Hana about the tomatoes when her phone rang.

He watched as she declined the call, and opened a chat server. Once again her fingers flew over the keyboard and she sent a message. She looked up to him and nibbled her lower lip. She lifted a finger, then began typing again. She turned the screen to him.

- I'm so sorry. I have to go now (T_T) -

Sasuke nodded in response, and reached for her phone.

"I'll put my number in. Give me a one-ring so I can get your number," Sasuke said. She nodded and gave him the phone. Sasuke entered his number and saved himself as a contact. She took the phone back from him when he was done, and stood.

'Thank you,' she mouthed. Sasuke nodded at her and stood as well, leading her to the door.

"Text me," Sasuke said when he opened the door. She gave him a little bow and a wave, and then she was gone.

Sasuke had barely closed the door before he was holding down the number two and calling Hinata. She answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"She can't freaking speak, Hinata. Santa's name is Hana and she can't speak," Sasuke said without preamble.

"Uh… you mean she's dumb?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah… The funny thing is it doesn't detract from who she is at all," Sasuke said. "She's freaking gorgeous… and she's got the most perfect body…" he said.

"Someone sounds starstruck," Hinata murmured on the other end of the line, her amusement clear.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped irritably. "It's just she's so beautiful… and when she smiled I think I forgot to breathe," Sasuke found himself admitting. Hinata laughed.

"So tell me, how did it go? Was she impressed with your glistening abode?" she asked, the cheeky words somehow still maintaining their teasing impact with her whispery voice.

"Don't even mention that…" Sasuke groaned. "My place looked like a hog's pen… I couldn't find the cufflinks she'd given me last Thursday, and turned my place over trying to find 'em… By the time I did, I was fifteen minutes late for work so I just left… and forgot clean about it until I was opening the front door for her," Sasuke spat in self-disgust.

"But apart from that, how was it?" Hinata asked after her laughter had died down.

"I think it went well…" Sasuke said. "Well at least, I hope it did. I got her number, so…"

"But tell me something, Sasuke…" Hinata interrupted. "How much would I laugh if I had to witness you of all people being the only person in a room that was talking?"

Sasuke scowled.

"Shut up. When did you get so crass?" he grumbled, hoping she didn't hear the smile in his voice.

"It's your bad influence that you have to blame," Hinata replied with a bit of a snooty attitude. She giggled. Sasuke felt the smile slip from his face when his thoughts trailed back to Hana.

"Ah, Hinata…" he sighed. "I wish I could merge you two. She could look like herself, and talk like you."

The line went silent on the other end, and Sasuke would not know, for a long time, why.

There it is, guys! I apologize for the delay! Hope you enjoyed this!