(A/N: Reviews, reviews, I love reviews! Thank you everyone. This next chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I felt like it filled the gap I was trying to fill. Hope you like it.)

Chapter 13: Deceiving the Deceivers

Nausicaä marched towards the Kalvandir ship, Teto resting on her shoulder. She was going to find and rescue Asbel if it was the last thing she did. And if those Kalvandirs did anything to hurt him…

'I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.' she thought.

Right now she had to do the job of distracting the guards. It had been Lord Yupa's idea. She would go to the Kalvandir ship and do her best to keep everyone busy while he searched for Asbel. She had the utmost faith in the sword master, she just feared that it was too late. The thought of discovering that Asbel was dead made her almost afraid to actually find him.

"He's not dead." She said out loud. She looked at the fox-squirrel on her shoulder. "He's not."

Teto squeaked in response, almost as if he were agreeing with her. Nodding, Nausicaä made her presence known to the Kalvandirs and the monitor came on

"Ah, Princess, good day to you." said the guard.

Nausicaä nodded in greeting. "I was hoping to see Prince Ved."

The guard nodded. "But of course. I shall inform him of your presence."

The monitor turned off. Nausicaä waited for a few moments before the door opened, allowing her entry. A few guards were waiting for her on the other side. They bowed to her as she approached.

"His majesty is glad you have come." Said one of the guards. "Please follow me."

As Nausicaä expected. She was brought up to Ved's room. The Kalvandir prince looked happy to see her, and she suspected that he thought that maybe she had changed her mind about who her heart belonged to. If so, he was in for a rude awakening.

"Nausicaä, how good of you to come." He said warmly. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

She offered him a smile. "I was hoping that perhaps you would be able to help me find Asbel."

The Kalvandir prince's smile visibly lessoned. "I am sorry, princess, but I don't see how I could be of any help."

Nausicaä motioned around her. "You have all this technology. Shouldn't you be able to track him or something?"

"Technology has its limits." Ved explained. "I don't see how I can find him if he's gone off into the toxic forest." He cocked his head to the side. "And even if I could, I don't think he wants to be found, at least not until he finds whatever it is he's looking for."

Nausicaä's fists clenched. Ved was very crafty. His words would sound reasonable if she didn't know the truth.

Hanging her head, she tried to look upset. "I guess you're right." It was time to for plan B. "But that was only one of the reasons I came. I also wanted to compare what we know of the toxic jungle. Perhaps we can find some answers to our questions."

This seemed to brighten Ved's mood. "It would be an honor. Please, come with me. I shall show you to our lab."

Teto hissed at the Kalvandir prince and Nausicaä shushed him. Ved didn't seem to notice as he led her down the seemingly never-ending hall of his airship.

"How do you remember where ever room is?" she asked.

Ved chuckled. "You eventually memorize it. Just like you learned your way through the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä nodded. "I suppose that's true. Still, this is a big place."

"I've noticed." Ved joked. "Here we are. "I'm afraid Teto will have to wait outside."

Nausicaä frowned. "Why?"

"This area of the lab is still filled with toxic spores." Ved explained. "So we'll have to wear our masks, and I don't have anything for your little friend. He can stay with one of my guards."

Nausicaä looked hesitant about this. As far as she was concerned, these people were her unofficial enemies. Would she risk leaving Teto with one of them?

"But Teto doesn't really like people he's not familiar with."

Ved gave her a smile. "Not to worry, he shall be treated as one of my own royal pets."

Nausicaä didn't know how to turn him down without looking suspicious. Carefully, she took the fox-squirrel off her shoulder and spoke to him. "Teto, now you be a good boy, ok? I'll be back for you soon."

Teto squeaked and licked her nose. Nausicaä chuckled and handed him to the guard that came to take him. Teto growled lightly at being handled by someone he didn't know, but behaved himself al the same.

"Excellent." Said Ved, clapping his hands together. "Now, shall we begin?"

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Even in the metal maze of the Kalvandir ship, Lord Yupa had managed to pick up Asbel's trail. Years of training had allowed him to be able to track anything that wasn't capable of flight.

He was currently in the very same air duct that Asbel had been in not too long ago. He wondered how far his apprentice had gone before he had been caught.

He came to the turn Asbel had made that led him to the room holding the giant insect. The fan was once again up and running. It didn't take Lord Yupa long to figure out how Asbel had gotten into the other room, and he realized that this was how he had been caught.

"Oh, Asbel." The sword master sighed. "You should have known that they would be able to hear a knife being jammed into a fan."

Not willing to make the same mistake his apprentice made, he doubled back. Though he had not heard the sounds of the insect in the other room, he knew that something in there had made Asbel investigate. Now he needed to find a way in.

As he made his way through the air ducts, he heard a familiar noise. It was not the insect he had unknowingly passed, but it was still a familiar sound.

He looked through the ventilation shaft and saw what his ears told him. Two guards were standing outside, one of the holding a leash that was holding a very angry Teto.

"Quiet you little rat!"

Teto just hissed loudly and pulled some more on his leash. The second guard snickered at the first guard's irritation.

"He's got you babysitting the Guide's pet?"

"Shut up." the first guard snapped. "It's not funny. Why do I have to watch this little nuisance?"

Lord Yupa smirked. Perhaps little Teto could be useful. He just needed to free the little guy. That shouldn't be too hard. The guards would be out before they even knew what hit them.

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"Clean soil and water are really all it takes?" asked Ved, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.

Nausicaä nodded. "That's all it takes. I told you, it's not the plants that are contaminated, just the soil. The plants absorb the toxins and become poisonous themselves."

"Extraordinary." Ved said. "I still can't believe that it was as simple as that."

Nausicaä smiled. Regardless of the fact that she was just distracting Ved, she was still somewhat enjoying herself. But since Asbel was in trouble, she didn't feel the same type of joy she normally experienced when she was working.

"Sometimes the hardest of problems have the simplest of solutions."

"A very wise statement."

Nausicaä smiled. "Lord Yupa taught me that."

That made her think about the sword master. He was somewhere in the Kalvandir ship by now. She hoped he was close to finding Asbel.

A loud voice suddenly filled the room as someone spoke over the intercom. "Your majesty, we have a problem."

Ved frowned and went over to the wall to push a button. "What's the problem?"

"Two of the guards have been found unconscious. One of them was the one you assigned to watch the Gui- I mean, the princess' pet."

"Teto!" Nausicaä cried.

She ran to the door, already heading down the hall. Ved swore and went after her. The last thing he needed was the princess coming across something he didn't want her to see.

"Teto!" Nausicaä called, running down the hall. "Teto, where are you?"

She heard Ved call after her, but she ignored him. She didn't want to lose anyone else.

Making a turn down the hall, she saw, much to her relief, the little fox-squirrel running towards her, having heard her call.

"Oh, Teto, thank goodness." She said picking up her beloved pet. "I thought I told you to behave. Don't go running off like-"

Teto bit her sleeve and pulled. Nausicaä frowned, wondering what was wrong. When she put him down again, the fox-squirrel took off in the direction he had come from, stopping briefly when he realized that Nausicaä wasn't following her.

Nausicaä's eyes suddenly widened. "Did you find Asbel?" she whispered.

"Nausicaä!"

Ved was catching up. Nausicaä ignored him and followed Teto. The fox-squirrel led her to the end of the hall and began scratching at a door. Nausicaä noticed right away that a code was needed to get inside.

"Is he in there?" she asked her pet.

Teto squeaked, almost as if he were replying. Nausicaä picked him up, but before she could do anything else, Ved caught up to her.

"Nausicaä, I told you that shouldn't wander around on your own. It can be very easy to get lost if you don't know your way arou-"

"What's in here?" she interrupted.

Ved looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Teto was trying to get in here. Why? What's in here?"

Ved just waved it off. "Oh, nothing important. Merely storage. Let's go back to the lab."

Nausicaä narrowed her eyes. "Can I see?"

Ved frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to. If it's just storage, then there should be no problem."

Ved's fists clenched. "I really don't think that it's a good idea." He told her in a serious voice.

Nausicaä didn't back down. "I would like to see."

The two stared at each other for a few moments. Ved noticed the hostility in her eyes and came to a decision.

"Very well." He said quietly.

He entered the code on the door and it unlocked. He stood aside to let her pass, and, with only thoughts of saving Asbel on her mind, she entered the room. Strong hands seized her the moment she walked inside.

"Hey, what's this?" she cried.

She received no answer as another pair of hands grabbed her. She struggled and protested, but whoever grabbed her was much stronger.

"Let me go!"

"It will be better if you don't struggle." Said Ved calmly, walking in the room. "I did warn you that you wouldn't want to enter here, but you were so persistent."

"Tell them to let me go!" Nausicaä demanded as she continued fighting against the two guards.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I had to make decisions that I would normally not make."

"Just because I wanted to see what Teto was curious about in here?"

Ved sighed. "I had a feeling that it was going to come to this eventually. Ever since I realized how you felt about that Pejite outcast. And when I saw that look in your eyes just now, I knew that whether you entered this room or not, I would have to use force."

"Asbel is not an outcast!" Nausicaä shouted at him. "And I know that it was you who was responsible for his disappearance. Now where is he?"

Ved sighed again. "I really didn't want to come to this." he said, ignoring her question. "It would have been so much easier if you would have just cooperated. Now I'm going to have to do something that I'll regret."

He motioned for the guards to follow him as he headed further into the room. Nausicaä felt a chill run up her spin as the guards dragged her along. What was going to happen to her now?

(A/N: Uh oh, Nausicaä's in trouble now. What's Ved going to do to her? He still needs her to keep up his deception of being the prophesized one. So what's going to happen? And what about Asbel? Will they be ok? Don't forget, Lord Yupa is still 'on the loose'. Will he save them, or will Ved go through with his plan? Things get serious in the next chapter, and the mystery of the strange insects and Ved's plan are revealed, so you don't want to miss it.)