Date: 8/17/11 (Edited 13 Apr 2020)

Disclaimers: I don't own the movie or the manga; just a HUGE fan who found need of a good Nausicaa fanfic. :)


Chapter 4: The Mission

Something was coming. Nausicaa's sensitive ears heard the faint sound of a flying craft of some sort; even the wind exhibited a sense of expectancy, tugging nervously at her hair. It was late in the afternoon; she squinted against the waning sunlight and noticed a small glider entering the Valley. After hastily climbing down from the top of a windmill, the girl reached the stretch of land just as the glider touched the ground and heavily dragged to a halt. A young man emerged from the glider, still wearing his hat and mask but Nausicaa instantly recognized him, overjoyed by his surprise visit. However, her joy quickly subsided when she looked into his eyes; she could already tell something was wrong. His hair was messy beyond redemption, and his whole frame exhibited weariness and worry. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Anxiety immediately flooded her soul as she ran towards him.

"Asbel!" she cried when she reached him. She unconsciously snatched his hands and noticed they were shaking. Gazing concernedly into his eyes, she detected unrest bubbling vigorously in those hazel depths.

"Quickly; inside." She instructed urgently. As if afraid he would drop unconscious any minute, she looped an arm through his and walked with him into her home. After crossing through the front door, she ordered him to sit down while she headed towards the kitchen. No sooner had he sat down than he opened his mouth.

"Nausicaa-" he was abruptly cut off by the princess, who was now pulling a cup out of a drawer.

"No talking until you drink something. You look like you ran your way here through the desert from Pejite." She returned with a steaming cup of light brown liquid.

"It's just a mix of herbal teas to calm your nerves. Careful, it's hot." She spoke gently, carefully handing the cup to Asbel. Feeling too mentally fatigued to object, he received the cup and took several gulps in silence.

Nausicaa slowly lowered herself into the chair across from him, waiting until he finished.

"Now, tell me what's happening." She said, after he had a couple moments to calm himself; her quiet brown eyes gazed firmly into his. By this time the two were joined by Lord Yupa, Obaba, and Tersa.

"My mother is sick, with an unknown illness." He began.

"Sick?" Nausicaa gave a surprised frown. The full-figured woman she remembered as Asbel's mother was far from frail.

"The doctors don't know what it is – they've never seen it before."

"What are the symptoms?" she asked, still listening intently.

"It started out as a simple fever, about a month ago. We thought she would recover after a few days, but two weeks passed and she did not improve; in fact she grew weaker. Not long after that she started vomiting, and lost her appetite. Her pulse is abnormally rapid; her face is pale and unnaturally yellow.

"Is there any wheezing?" Nausicaa interrupted, sitting on the edge of her chair.

"Yes." His eyes were intensely fixated on her; the level of anxiety surging through him nearly tripled. Horror visibly washed over her countenance, as if her worst fears had been realized.

"It's reached Pejite." she breathed, and looked at Lord Yupa worriedly.

"What is it?" Asbel gasped.

"An old disease that's visited the Valley before, some 10 years ago." Lord Yupa pronounced gravely. "Cases were rare, then disappeared completely when we started using the pure water filtered by the underground sand of the Sea of Decay. We've never seen it since – until this last week."

"Someone else in the Valley has gotten sick?"

"A young child and an elderly man." Lord Yupa replied.

"Do you have a cure?" continued Asbel.

"No. It came and slipped away so quickly that we did not have enough time to find a cause or a cure." Nausicaa answered.

"Is it contagious?" Asbel pressed.

"We don't know." Nausicaa breathed wearily.

Asbel's heart sank. He was a tiny bit relieved that the sickness was not entirely unknown on the face of the earth. But what if it was contagious? What if it would rampage through all of Pejite?

"What happened to the victims?" He blurted, and saw Nausicaa flinch at the question. Fiery hazel eyes stared expectantly at hesitant dark brown eyes. Silence passed between them, as if to give him time to prepare for her answer.

"They don't usually survive," she replied very quietly.

His mind froze momentarily, as the gravity of those words sank into his brain. Despite feeling very disheartened, he snapped himself out of it and resumed thinking in a level-headed, objective manner. He wasn't one to wallow or despair; if there was a problem in front of him, he was going to face it.

"How much time do I have?" he demanded.

"About one month."

"We have to find a cure. Not just for my mother; for the sake of the Valley and the people in Pejite. It could be contagious; I will not allow us to be helplessly plunged into an epidemic." A steely resolve began to build within him.

"I'll look through the medicinal plants in my lab for possibilities." Nausicaa stated.

"We will need a cure sooner if we want to save those that are sick right now." Lord Yupa answered grimly.

"You should pay a visit to Healer Kerlin." Croaked Obaba.

"Who is that?" Asbel frowned.

"A very renowned doctor who is familiar with every sickness and cure known to mankind. Some forty years ago he disappeared and people thought he had died; however he was recently discovered to be living in a small secluded hut, out in the middle of nowhere."

"Where can we find him?" Nausicaa asked.

"Belden Swamp, on the other end of the Sea of Corruption. In light of your situation, it looks like he may be the only person able to help you." Obaba uttered slowly and calmly.

"Then we'll set out to find him. Lord Yupa, will you come with us?" Nausicaa turned to the bearded old man.

"Most certainly, Princess."

"Thank you. Let's gather a small team to go with us. I'll see if Jarel is willing to come along - we may need his piloting skills. And Tersa?"

"Don't even think about going without me, Nausicaa. Lord Yupa may be the best swordsman on the face of the earth, but you'll need someone who can shoot a gun in her sleep." The girl practically barked; Nausicaa smiled. Tersa's devotion was second to none in the Valley.

"I must return to Pejite to inform the Palace of my plans, then come back to the Valley. Thank you all for your willingness to help." Asbel stated; once the plans were solidified, everyone rose and left to make their own preparations.

The Pejite was about to head out the door again when Nausicaa reached out for his arm.

"Asbel, rest first." She suggested. "The flight to Pejite takes half a day. The sun has already set, and you look exhausted. If you fly now it will be the middle of the night and you can't do anything in the Palace anyway." He didn't like it but she had a point.

"Just stay here overnight; leave tomorrow as early as you like. We'll set out as soon as you return from Pejite and you can rest on the plane." Her calming voice reasoned with him persuasively. Asbel didn't actually feel tired until she mentioned it, but now exhaustion swept over him, sapping the strength from his bones. He decided to follow her advice.


The two of them were spreading out a couple of blankets for Asbel's makeshift bed when she noticed a tiny streak of a blood stain on his sleeve.

"What happened to your arm?" she inquired, worry spreading across her features.

"What? Oh I don't know. Probably nothing big." He threw a disinterested glance at it.

"Let me see it." She demanded firmly.

He frowned at her, then reluctantly pulled up his sleeve, revealing several inches of ugly gash down his forearm. She gasped; it was swelling, and blood caked along the wound.

"Asbel," she reprimanded in a very disappointed tone.

"It doesn't hurt," He responded coolly. "Can't even remember exactly how I got it. Probably happened while I was jumping onto the glider."

"It looks terrible! Sit down please." She ordered.

"I'm fine really; it'll heal." He retorted, covering it up again.

"No; you're not going anywhere until I at least get a bandage on it." She barked, already marching toward the medicine cabinet on the other side of the room.

A very sullen expression settled on his face as she brought a wooden box over and carefully pulled his arm towards her. She opened a strange looking bottle and poured out some viscous yellow liquid, then gently dabbed the liquid onto the cut. It stung painfully and he instinctively snatched his arm away.

"Ow! Are you sure you're helping?" He snapped.

"It's chiko oil – fights the infection so you can heal faster. Now hold still or we'll both be stuck in here for the next hour." She rebuked.

"I could have done it myself." He grumbled, but remained still.

A couple minutes later she finished wrapping the dressing over the wound. She was skilled at healing wounds; the bandage firmly protected the cut but did not cut off circulation. She had an aptitude for taking care of others - both humans and insects. Taking a step backwards, she admired her handiwork: an unamused Asbel blankly staring at his arm. A very motherly love rushed through her blood; she brought her hand to rest gently on the bandage. Asbel first looked at his arm curiously, then glanced up at her. He could almost swear he saw something flicker in those dark brown depths; he recalled seeing a similar gaze back at the Festival during the dance. He stared back searchingly at her, wondering if he really saw a tint of – could it be?

"Please be more careful." She whispered. A ghost of a smile touched her lips; Asbel simply nodded, grateful for her motherly concern.

The cut began healing at an astonishing pace; within hours the swelling had stopped and a healthy-looking scab appeared. Asbel was completely surprised by how fast it was improving. Perhaps chiko nuts weren't so bad after all.


"Mom, I'm going to find a cure for you; just wait." He declared resolutely. Asbel stood over his mother, checking her pulse; it was still ridiculously rapid.

"Ehh, don't worry about me; it is you that needs to be careful. Your mother's stronger than you think; I don't think it's time for me to go just yet. Besides, I want to see my grandchildren before I die." she chuckled.

"Grandchildren can come later. Right now you need to get better from this sickness." Asbel chided. He rattled out a list of instructions lengthy enough to give the servants a headache, then headed toward the Valley. After he left the room, Asbel's mother let out a deep sigh.

"Well, later is better than never." She told herself, then flipped open a book.


Thanks for reading! :)