𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖

☾𖥔𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖚𝖉𝖊 𝖙𝖜𝖔𖥔☽

(Happy Halloween!)

Hinata skipped the entire way out of town, and sure enough, he couldn't have missed the huge manor. It was in the traditional style with a wall around the outside and the actual housing in the middle. Suddenly being hit with a wave of uncertainty, the ginger paused right as he was going to knock on the door.

The innkeeper had said that Crow was trying to wash his hands of them, so that meant he probably didn't want Hinata lingering around to say thank you or anything like it. Maybe the best thing he could do was turn around and--

"You gonna knock or what?" A voice asked, startling the poor ginger so much that he almost jumped out of his skin. Whipping to face the new arrival, Hinata found a young man, a bit older than himself and maybe five or six inches taller than him, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were on Hinata, and even though he was giving off the vibe of being relaxed, the swordsman could see that he was ready to spring into action if need be.

"Who are you?" Hinata eventually decided to ask, causing the person to shrug.

"Just a guard on patrol, but you can call me Suna," He introduced himself, pushing off the wall and moving so that he was a few feet away from the ginger. "And who are you?"

The air thickened around them, as if that question was going to decide if Hinata lived or died.

"Knock it off already," A voice the two were both familiar with rang out, and Suna barely missed being kicked into the wall. "I told you guys there was no need for guards today," Crow deadpanned, something big slung over his shoulder.

"And we told you you're full of shit," Suna retorted, then paused as he realized the situation and allowed his eyes to wander to Hinata. "Oh, saved some travelers last night, is that it?"

"Yeah," Crow confirmed, nodding to the ginger. "Sorry about him. Come on in, I caught some of the good stuff so we'll be feasting tonight."

"I-is that so.." Hinata wasn't sure how to respond to that, which brought a hint of mirth to his savior's face.

"You and your companion are welcome to come, unless you plan on leaving today," the ravenette told him, causing him to shake his head.

"Nope! We'd be glad to come," He beamed, so the man nodded.

"Good then. Let's go inside," He jerked his head, signalling for Suna to get the door, which he begrudingly did.

"Oh, you're back," Someone exclaimed as Crow stepped over the threshold. "How did the hunt go?"

"Better than expected," the owner replied, handing his kills over to the man. He had his hair tied in a low bun, and had a bit of a beard coming in. "Go help Osamu prepare it, would you?"

"Sure," The dude nodded, excusing himself quickly to do as told.

"How have things been here?" Crow asked, and at first Hinata thought he was asking Suna that question, but not only was he no longer within sight, two guys suddenly appeared like ninjas.

"All has been quiet, Crow-sama," The blonde reported.

"No irregularities to speak of," The dark haired one said.

"Good work, take a break," Crow dismissed them, so with that, they disappeared as if they had merged with the wind. "Sorry," The apology was directed at Hinata. "It's been a while since we've had a visitor, so you'll have to forgive the unruliness," He said, but the ginger was instantly shaking his head.

"Not at all! It's very cool," He assured him, still smiling. "I'd love to see more of your manor."

"Can you believe he built this in a week?" Suna asked, joining them with another person by his side. The new person had unnatural blonde hair, which Hinata only knew because his roots were showing. The dude was grinning as he embraced Crow and kissed his cheek.