Hell hounds

Chapter Two

Betrayal was never something that one could shake off. It wasn't that simple. It was something that buried it's self into your heart and waited until trust would rear its stupid head in before it reminded you how bad it felt. Being betrayed never sits well with anyone. It always gave you that sour taste in you mouth when the person was mentioned. The twist of you gut as you knew deep down that hatred was the only thing you could feel, but can one feel more then hate? Pity perhaps? For the person who would personally slam the door in you face. It was painful to think about it anymore. It was like a wound that wouldn't heal, and each of her action just kept pouring poison into an open wound.

"Your highness?" came a voice to her side. The girl in front of her looked concerned as she looked straight at her.

"Yes what is it?" she asked as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"You had a strange look on your face." She explained as the queen smiled softly.

"I'm sorry I must've worried you."

"You don't have to apologize you highness. It is I who must apologize for my rudeness." She muttered embarrassedly as her white cheeks blush a bright red. The queen gave a soft smile again as she looked around at her surroundings. A white stag come and nuzzled her neck as she smiled at it and pet it on the head.

"I know your worried too." She said softly as she looked over to her lady in waiting. "I'm fine Lady Hinata, just lost in thought. There is no need for you to apologize. How go the preparations?" she asked silently as she went on petting the stag.

"The guards have been made aware of our coming guest, but your really think it wise your highness? To greet the dogs of the order that is?" she asked silently as she fiddled with her hands.

"Would you have me send them away?" she asked as stood up. She was far taller then Lady Hinata. She was tall and lark while lady Hinata was short and plump in the right places. "No, it isn't an option. The order has set it sights on me blindly believe what they want to believe. I might sit on the throne of a kingdom now but in the eyes of the Order I will burn for my crimes. The Order believes in what they can control and I'm an uncontrollable variable. It's only logical to send their dogs to my door." She explained as she touched the branch of a tree. The branch was totally devoid of leaves and flowers. She stroke the bare branch as new life sprang from it. "I will not hide from my enemies lady Hinata that would put my subjects life in danger. They are welcome to storm my gates and I will wait for them alone. The less resistance I put up for them the more lives that can be spared."

"But you can't fight them all, my lady." Said Lady Hinata as she tried to reason with her queen.

"Your right about that I can't fight them all. It would be stupid to try." She said with a smile. "But until my last breath leaves me I will try."

"Let us help you." She tried to plea.

"You help me enough as it is." She told her as she smiled at her making Lady Hinata cry. She walked over to her and brushed her tears away. The droplets turned into diamonds as they hit the floor. "Dry you tears my dear." She told her as Hinata tried to dry the tears that kept falling one after another. "How is the boy?" she asked Hinata as she knew her queen didn't wish to speak of their coming visitors. "I was told he is in your care."

"Aye, he's doing fine. He's a strong boy. For someone so young to see such violent scene I'm surprised he's sane." She muttered as she got courage to tell her queen what the boy had told her. "He also mentioned one the hunters tried to help him." She said as she produced the amulet Naruto had given the boy. "He gave him this and told him it would shield him from his partner's eyes." She explained as she handed the amulet over to the queen.

"A witch hunter with a conscious." She muttered in amusement as she looked at it. As she turned it around she noticed something. "No, a witch hunter with a secret." She said silently.

"A secret your highness?"

"Pay me no mind, I was simply talking to myself. Give the amulet back to the boy."

"But if this can help you…."

"I will not hide." She said as little sternly. She stood tall and looked at Lady Hinata with bright eyes. "I will not cower while they keep suffering thanks to that dog's ignorance." She stated as the tempter around her became icy cold. Hianta cowered slightly at her queen's anger.

"I'm sorry if I've offended her highness." She muttered as she bowed down.

"Rise, we have work to do." She ordered as she walked out of the garden with Lady Hinata following her close behind.

~~else where~~

They had ridden for about four days straight and they didn't seem to be getting any closer to this unknown godforsaken kingdom. The horses were completely wiped out and so they had no choice but to stop to rest for the day. Sasuke watched as Naruto read over the contract over and over again.

"I don't understand." Muttered Naruto as he ate a piece of bread still reading the contract. "It says here that we'll find this witch in at Raven castle but other then that it doesn't say anything. Nothing about what she looks like besides her age it's all blank."

"Does it matter? We just have to smoke her out." Explained Sasuke as he cut into an apple with his knife.

"It matters." Replied Naruto. "We can't just walk into Raven Castle and announce we're looking for a witch."

"I'm sure the king won't complain about a witch being removed from his court.

"Queen." Corrected Naruto

"Huh?"

"The ruling person is a woman."

"Great.." muttered Sasuke darkly. He didn't like dealing with women from high society they all seem to think it was perfectly okay to flirt with him. Women were annoying that way all ways wanting his attention, besides witch hunting he wasn't interested in anything else.

"Maybe if you flirt with her this might go a lot smoother." Mocked Naruto as Sasuke shot him a glare.

"Over my dead body." He muttered.

"I don't know I've heard rumors about this queen. They say she's quite the elegant beauty."

"Like I care."

"She has a flowers name too."

"Not interested." Answered Sasuke as he throws the apple core at Naruto.

"Well get interested we have to visit her court in order to search her kingdom." Informed Naruto. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he made a hand gustier for Naruto to go on. He never like formalities but it was something they had to do once in a while. "Her name is Queen Sakura. She's been ruling the kingdom since she was child. Her parents died together in a freak carriage accident when she was young. She has a Lady in waiting by the name of Hinata. Lady Hinata comes from a long line of dukes. She is normally around the queen at all times. Their have been more then a few attempts on the queens life. The most recent was about a week ago. Two assassins tried to kill her in her throne room." He commented as Sasuke looked over to him.

"She not very popular is she?" he questioned with a bit of amusement.

"But she is." Muttered Naruto. "She protected but an elite group of assassins, all who flocked to her. She didn't look for them they came to her."

"Elite assassins?"

"The best, some of them I wouldn't want to tangle with."

"What is she hiding?" question Sasuke as Naruto looked over to him.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he looked way from his paper over to Sasuke.

"Why have such an elite guard around? Why is someone trying to kill her? If she's so well liked what type of secret is she hiding that someone is willing to kill her for it?"

"Sometime good rulers attract wrong people." Muttered Naruto

"No it's not that." Sasuke responded. " I not sure why but something isn't right in this picture."

"Our job is to hunt down a witch not to play detectives with the queen." Remained Naruto

"You're the one that brought it up."

"Wish I hadn't I didn't think you saw guilty people everywhere you look."

"I never said she was guilty."

"You have the look of a hunter playing with its pray." Remarked Naruto as Sasuke gave a small smirk. "It's remarkable how twisted you are." Muttered Naruto slightly disgusted.

"In the end everyone is guilty of something." Answered Sasuke as he pulled the scroll away from Naruto and kept reading the assignment.

"What are you guilty of?" questioned Naruto as Sasuke slowly turned his head over to him. It was almost in an instant Naruto saw his red eyes flash as he smiled at him.

"Do you really want to know my guilt?" he questioned Naruto almost daring him to question him. Naruto sighed deeply and threw his body against a tree.

"It's impossible talking to you." He muttered angrily.

"Funny, I always thought the same thing about you."

~else where~

"Master," said a man in the shadows as he bent to his knee and bowed his head down to a women sitting in a dark throne.

"You better bring me good news." She hissed as she picked up his head with her foot. The man lowered his eyes slightly.

"Apologies my lady but the strike team failed." He explained as her face darken before she kicked him square in the face. It sent him sprawling back as she stood up. She picked up her hand making him fly upward. The man struggled to breathe as he grabbed at thin air.

"You dare return to me with that news?" she hissed angrily before she tossed him into a nearby wall. She fisted her hand as he came flying back to were she was standing struggling to breathe. "I gave you a simple order." She yelled at she tossed her hand upward sending him sailing in the roof before she brought her hand down making him slam into the floor. The sound of breaking bones was hard to miss as she relaxed her hand as the man on the floor breathed heavily. He coughed as he spat out blood as he tried to catch his breath. "What is it going to take to kill this bitch?" She hissed as she walked over to her thrown and threw herself on it. Whizzing and hacking blood the man tried to speak.

"We've sent….. the dogs…." He tried to say but kept coughing up blood.

"The dogs? My dogs?" she questioned as she picked up her hand and this time glided the man over to her like he was floating on water. "You've sent my dogs to fetch that bitch?" she questioned as the man floated lightly in front of her.

"They left….four days ago.." he managed to say before promptly passing out. The woman looked at him with disgust before she dropped her hand making him fall straight to the ground.

"Four days ago..." she mused out loud. "Will see how well you fair this time bitch."