Warriors of the Wind: The Return of Nausicaa

Truth and Lies

(A/N: No reviews? Come on, I want to know how people are enjoying my story. But I guess that if you're reading it, then you're enjoying it, but reviews would be nice. So, here's the next chapter.)

Chapter 12: Truth and Lies

Even before Lord Yupa opened his eyes, he knew that the Pejite prince wasn't in the room. It was very obvious where he had gone, and Lord Yupa sighed in frustration.

"Oh, Asbel, why don't you listen?"

He got up and retrieved his sword, heading out to the Kalvandir ship. He didn't want to look like he suspected anything, so he asked everyone he ran into if they had seen his apprentice, receiving that same answer every time.

Pressing the button on the large steel door, the sword master waited patiently for the Kalvandirs to respond to his call. He didn't have to wait long as one of the guards appeared on the screen.

"How may I assist you?" the guard asked.

"I am searching for Asbel." Lord Yupa replied calmly, making sound as if he was simply curious as to where his apprentice currently was.

The guard frowned. "I do apologize, Lord Yupa, but Asbel is not here. I have been working monitor all day, and he has not stopped by."

Whether the guard was lying or not, Lord Yupa wasn't sure, especially since he figured that Asbel had most likely snuck in. He simply bowed his head to the guard and turned to leave.

"Thank you for your time. Should you see him, please tell him that I am searching for him."

The guard nodded. "Will do, sir. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

Lord Yupa waved over his shoulder as he continued walking away. "No thank you. Have a good day."

His outward appearance made it seem as if he wasn't concerned about his apprentice, but inside the sword master was very worried. 'Asbel, what has happened to you?'

He decided not to jump to conclusions until he had all the facts. Perhaps Asbel had simply decided to watch over Nausicaä rather than investigate the Kalvandirs. He made his way to the palace to search for the princess. One of the servants informed him that she was in the dining all, having breakfast, and he went to meet her.

He found her sitting at the large table, feeding what she did not finish to Teto, giggling as the little fox-squirrel gobbled down the food.

"Oh, Lord Yupa, good morning." She greeted. "Did you sleep alright?"

The sword master nodded. "I slept fine."

"That's good to hear. Would you care for some breakfast?"

Lord Yupa shook his head. "Perhaps later. I'm looking for Asbel, have you seen him?"

Nausicaä frowned. "No, not since yesterday. Perhaps he's training with Ved again."

Again, Lord Yupa shook his head. "I checked the training arena, he was not there. Nor had he gone to the Kalvandir ship."

"Hmm." Nausicaä tapped her chin. "Where could he have gone? He wouldn't have gone into the toxic jungle, would he?"

"Not without informing someone, at least you or me."

Nausicaä pushed out her chair and stood up. "I'll help you look for him. Let's ask Ved, perhaps he's seen him."

As the two left the dining hall, they ran into the very person that they were searching for. The moment he saw him, Lord Yupa could tell that something was wrong. There was a strange atmosphere around Ved that he hadn't sensed or noticed before.