To get to the village, Sasuke had to cross a long wooden bridge. He took one tentative step onto it, but it swayed uneasily, the wind pushing it even farther.

He looked behind him, his eyes trained to see in the dark, and saw nothing. There were no creatures prowling towards him, so he would be able to take his time in crossing.

The rope cut into his hands it was so taut, his grip crushing. One step. Two. Three. He counted the steps he took as he crept across the bridge. The wind swaying it slightly, but thankfully the wind was only blowing to the south so it only moved the bridge on direction a tad.

It was in the middle of the bridge that a vision hit him so suddenly, so painfully that he fell to his knees.

Running, the woman was running through a dark cave, an old, ancient piece of land. She careened through the darkness, and Sasuke lived her anxiety and fear. As she turned back around to find something, listening to the quick tapping sounds and her own thrumming heart, Sasuke was thrust back into his own world.

The bridge was quivering below him furiously, his hands now gripping the wooden planks rather than the rope, splinters embedding themselves into the flesh of his palms. He hissed as he stood, pulling the tiny slivers from his skin.

He knew those feelings well, the feeling of being lost, scared. He had just felt those same things just over a week ago when he arrived home to find his parents murdered by his brother.

What was happening to her? He could not prevent the feeling of helplessness as it washed over him. This light in his life that he had been given should not need to worry about a sorrow such as this. He had found comfort in her happiness, his own rage soothed over, mollified somewhat, because of her.

He needed to find her, but how?

Closing his eyes, he searched through his memory for anything that might point him in the right direction, a sign that he could use as he asked around.

His mind recalled every vision, every detail that he had not thought twice about before. Finally, he landed on a seal that lay above a doorway, a coat of arms that bore a proud tree, the roots long and deep, flourishing this way and that, and inlaid into the trunk of the tree was a blazing sun.

That was it, a coat of arms would work.

He opened his eyes and moved faster across the bridge, each second to pass felt excruciating knowing that the woman from his visions was in such distress. She was not safe, and he felt compelled to find and protect her. An ache ripped through his body, the desire to be next to her rather than continue to see these visions was so incredibly strong.

For a fleeting moment, a voice nagged in the back of his mind, asking how he even knew if this woman existed, if she was in fact just a figment of his imagination.

But, he waved it off instantly. She was real, he knew it deep in his gut that she was out there, and that he could help her.

His boot hit soft grass rather than splintered wood and he let out a sigh of relief. He tossed aside his cautious movements now that he was back on solid ground, and he took off into the night.

The village was imbedded into the mountain side, the roads going up and then twisting to go the opposite direction in a zigzag formation, going all the way to the top. His legs ached with the effort, but they did not buckle, did not phase him as he rose higher and higher, looking madly for the nearest inn.

He had just turned the corner and there it was. The door lay just beyond a low gate. He opened it up and took just three strides before his hand clasped around the bronze door handle.

The inn was quiet, just one hallway leading up to a flight of stairs at the back of the room. A fire sat crackling in the middle of the space, a grate secured around it. A man and a woman huddled there, their bodies leaning close together as they murmured to each other when Sasuke hurried passed them.

The boy behind the counter was startled at Sasuke's urgency, and he stood up in awkward haste.

"Do you know anything about a family crest bearing a tree with a sun carved into the trunk?" he asked, his body leaning over the counter slightly.

The boy gaped at him, but shook his head. "Did...did you want a room, sir?"

Sasuke couldn't stop the growl from coming out, and now the boy was even more terrified.

"You speak of the Balmenor Tree." The answer came from a corner of the room, a man standing in front of an armchair. Sasuke had completely missed his presence in his rush.

The man had a hand to his side, fingers resting on the hilt of a broadsword as he gave Sasuke a leveled stare.

Sasuke put his hands up in front of him. "I mean no harm, I'm trying to find a castle with that insignia."

The man did not drop his hand. He did not step closer to Sasuke. "If you are in need of the castle, then I would suggest you leave quickly. The journey there is long and difficult, not one for the faint of heart."

But Sasuke kept gazing at the sword attached at the man's hip. If the journey was to be as challenging as the man says, then Sasuke would need to prepare himself. He had no weapons to his name, so how was he to get some?

"What could I give you for that sword?" Sasuke asked.

The man's eyes widened, his fingers clutching at the hilt even tighter. "I would never part with it."

The silence stretched on, Sasuke struggling to figure out if he should attempt to just steal the sword outright and run for it, or if he should find another way. The thieving seemed easiest, but he could not bring himself to take a step towards the man.

As if understanding the inner battle Sasuke had raging behind his eyes, the man spoke again. "There is a blacksmith that should be able to help you with your lack of weapons." The man cocked his head in the direction of the door, a weary look set into his face. "I'll point you in the right direction."

Sasuke nodded and followed the man. His senses open for any kind of deceit all the while.

As they passed through the doors, the man pointed up the hill at a squat building, the candlelight flickering beyond the windows.

A quick thank you rolled from Sasuke's tongue before he made his way to the door, rapping his knuckles on the thick wood before pushing it open and walking in.