(A/N: My Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind story has begun. But before I get started, I just want you all to know that this story is related to the movie, not the manga. There's lots of action, drama, and romance to come, so I hope you're up for it. This first chapter contains one of my many theories that I got when I saw the movie, including Nausicaä's true role in the prophecy. Don't immediately dismiss the idea when you read it, it will make sense. Hope you like it)

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"WARRIORS OF THE WIND"

Chapter 1: Reunions

Princess Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind raced home on her glider. Mito had contacted her, via communicator, and told her that they had arrived. She was so excited, she hadn't seen them in two years.

Some movement inside her shirt caused her to giggle. "You're excited to see them too, aren't you, Teto?" Almost as if it were answering her, the little fox-squirrel squeaked, poking his head out of her shirt. Nausicaä smiled. "Yeah, it's going to be great seeing them again. I wonder what they've found."

Her valley was in sight. She was the ruler over all of it, ever since her father had been killed by the Tolmekians. It had been tragic, but so much had happened that she didn't even have time to grieve the loss of her father as event after event occurred. But for such a tale, one must go back to the beginning.

Over 1,000 years ago, Giant Warriors suddenly appeared. For seven days, which became known as the Seven Days of Fire, these mighty god-like beings completely incinerated the earth. Civilization was almost completely destroyed, and humanity was brought to the brink of extinction. But after the seventh day, all the Giant Warriors turned to stone.

Slowly, humanity began to come back, but nature evolved as well. Insects evolved and mutated into giant creatures, the dominant ones, known as Ohmu, became the guardians of the earth.

As for the earth itself, it had become polluted beyond belief from the Seven Days of Fire. A toxic jungle, known as the Sea of Decay, grew over a majority of the planet. The insects alone were the only creatures capable of breathing in the toxic spores without being harmed by the poison. But slowly the poisonous plants petrified and crumbled into sand, purifying the earth once again. It would take thousands of years, but it would be done. The Ohmu would see to it.

But humanity was not as pure-hearted as the Ohmu. They needed a leader to show them the way, and to lead them out of the darkness. It was prophesized that such a person would come 1,000 years after the Seven Days of Fire. And come they did.

It had started when the Pejites accidentally made a horrifying discover deep within the earth. One of the Giant Warriors from the Seven Days of Fire had never risen, with its brethren, nor had it turned to stone. It had yet to be born, and yet to unleash its own terrible power.

It was then that the Tolmekians attacked. When they received word that the Pejites had a dormant Giant Warrior in their possession, they became fearful. They, as a war-like society, feared that the Pejites would use the Giant Warrior to take over the world, which could easily be done with the god-like monster.

So they attacked. The Tolmekians invaded Pejite and took over. They held the princess, Lastella, hostage as they stole away the dormant Giant Warrior. What they hadn't counted on was that the Giant Warrior was too heavy to transport. The airship carrying it quickly ran out of power and crashed in the Valley of the Winds. There were no survivors.

But the Tolmekians didn't hesitate to take over the valley. After killing off Nausicaä's father, King Jhil, they easily gained control of the small kingdom. And with the knowledge that the Giant Warrior could not be moved, they began to bring it to life right where it was. They planned to use the monster's power to burn down the toxic jungle and wipe out all those that opposed them.

What they hadn't counted on was the Pejites fighting back in the only way they knew how. Knowing that they could not allow the Giant Warrior to be completed, they drew the Ohmu into the valley to ward off their enemies. This left the Tolmekians with no choice but to awaken the Giant Warrior before its body had completely grown.

At first, the Giant Warrior unleashed its mighty powers, revealing just how and why the entire planet had been nearly destroyed in just seven days, but due to its early awakening and incomplete birth, the mighty god-like being soon perished.

All that was left was to watch as the rampaging Ohmu continued to stampede, destroying all in their path. But Nausicaä would not let her people and kingdom be destroyed. In a heroic effort, she tried to stop the Ohmu's angry rampage, which resulted in her death. Touched by the princess' selfless and kind act, the Ohmu stopped their rampage. They then brought Nausicaä back to life, and revealed her to be the one in the prophecy.

And so, the war ended. Princess Kushana and her second-in-command officer, Kurotowa, led their army of Tolmekians out of the Valley of the Winds to return to their own kingdom, while the Pejites left to build a new kingdom for themselves.

Not all the Pejites left with the others. Lastella's twin brother, Prince Asbel, stayed in the Valley of the Winds until he left with infamous sword master, Lord Yupa, on a journey to explore the toxic jungle and other kingdoms.

That had been over two years ago. And now they had finally returned. Nausicaä was so happy that she could see her old friends again. She knew what to expect from Lord Yupa, but she wondered how much Asbel had changed. After all, being Yupa's apprentice couldn't be easy, but she was sure he had managed.

"Get ready, Teto," she told her pet, "we're coming in for a landing."

She directed the glider downward. A group of people were crowded around two others. The first person was a man in his forties with a large gray mustache, covering his mouth, hiding his facial expression.

Almost as if he sensed her presence, he looked up to see the princess come in for a landing. Beneath his mustache, a smile spread across his face. "Well, look what the wind blew in."

Smiling, Nausicaä hopped off her glider. "Hey, this is my valley. I never left. So technically, you're the one the wind blew in." She embraced the sword master. "It's great to see you again, Lord Yupa!"

The old man chuckled. "And you, my dear. I believe you've gotten taller."

Nausicaä smiled. "Well, two years is a long time."

"And you haven't changed a bit. Still enjoy running around in the toxic jungle, eh?"

"Hey, you're one to talk. You and Asbel have been running around in it these past two years." She looked around. "Where is Asbel, anyway? He did come back with you, didn't he?"

She heard a chuckle behind her. "Come on, now. I haven't changed that much."

Nausicaä turned and her eyes widened. Though he was dressed in rags, like Lord Yupa, and his face bore the start of a beard, indicating that he needed to shave, there was no mistaking the Prince of Pejite.

The years had been kind to him, as well as Lord Yupa's training. He was taller and more muscular. His hair had grown longer and he looked more mature. Regardless of his, at the moment, scruffy appearance from traveling in the toxic jungle for so long, he had become very attractive.

Finding her voice, Nausicaä addressed the prince. "Asbel, is that you?"

He smiled. "The one and only."

Releasing Lord Yupa, Nausicaä threw her arms around the Pejite prince. "Asbel, it's so good to see you."

Asbel hugged her back. "And you. I see things have been going well. Anything good happen?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes. Did you know that I finally discovered the cure for the sickness the toxic jungle causes?"

"We were just telling them." Said one of the villagers. "Apparently, the answers were in the purified area of the toxic jungle."

"Well done, child." Said Lord Yupa. "You've made a fantastic discovery that will save many lives."

Nausicaä frowned slightly. "It only cures the disease. Now I'm trying to find a way to prevent anyone from getting it to begin with."

"I'm sure you'll find it." Said another villager. "We have faith in you, Princess."

"Maybe I can help." Asbel suggested. "Master taught me a lot about the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä smiled again. "Being Lord Yupa's apprentice can't be easy."

Asbel laughed. "I won't lie, it's been tough, but well worth it."

Nausicaä laughed. "Aw, has your master been pushing you too hard?" Lord Yupa cleared his throat. Nausicaä laughed again. "I'm just kidding. Come, you two must want to settle in and get refreshed."

Asbel nodded. "Sounds good to me." He ran his hand through his hair. "I could use a haircut, and a bath."

Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, that sounds appealing. We must also speak with Obaba. Nausicaä, you must come as well." His face became serious. "There's something about the prophecy that we've discovered, and it's very important."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Nausicaä waited with Obaba for Lord Yupa and Asbel to return. Neither one of them were surprised that the two were taking so long to clean up; after all, they hadn't been around civilization for awhile, and it wasn't exactly easy to find a place to bathe in the toxic jungle.

"What do you think Lord Yupa and Asbel found out?" asked Nausicaä.

"I know not, child." Replied the old blind woman. "But we shall find out shortly. Perhaps they discovered what you must do to lead society into the light."

"I hope so," said Nausicaä, scratching Teto behind his ears, "because I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

Obaba chuckled. "I don't think you truly have to do anything. I believe that things will just happen as they are meant to. But perhaps I am wrong. We shall see what our guests have to say." The door opened. "Ah, excellent timing."

Lord Yupa walked in, looking much cleaner, but otherwise unchanged, besides his mustache having received a small trim. Asbel came in after him, and Nausicaä felt her eyes widen. His hair was cut and his face was shaved, making him look more like the Asbel she remembered.

'Was he always that attractive?' she wondered, feeling a blush coming on.

Asbel's eyes locked with hers and their gazes held for a moment. Nausicaä felt her blush deepen, and she looked away. Had she continued to look at the Pejite prince, she would have seen a small blush staining Asbel's cheeks as well.

"Lord Yupa, Prince Asbel, welcome back." Greeted Obaba. "How were your travels?"

"Very well, Obaba." Lord Yupa replied. "And how have things been in the Valley of the Wind?"

Obaba nodded. "All is as it should be." She turned to the Pejite prince. "Prince Asbel, you will be pleased to know that your people have long since settled down and began a new society."

Asbel smiled. "Yes, Nausicaä already told me, but thank you all the same."

"You are very welcome, child." She smiled expectantly. "Now, it's your turn to tell us what you've learned."

"Obaba!" Nausicaä cried. "That's rude."

The old woman laughed. "Forgive me, child, but you can't blame an old woman for being anxious."

Lord Yupa smiled. "It's quite alright. I'm sure Obaba has been wanting to hear what we've learned about the prophecy since we got back." He cleared his throat. "Very well, listen closely. For the last two years, we have believed that Nausicaä was the one the prophecy referred to. However, there were a few things that I wanted to check up on before I was convinced. The prophecy clearly states, 'After a thousand years of darkness he will come, clad in blue and surrounded by fields of gold, to restore mankind's connection with the earth that was destroyed. And he will guide the people of this planet, at last, to a land of purity.' Though Nausicaä did indeed fit into place of the prophecy, I was still uncertain."

Obaba chuckled. "It is only natural that you would question the legend. Your destiny does revolve around the prophecy."

Lord Yupa ignored the comment. "As I was saying, I was still uncertain about the prophecy, so I did a background check. According to the legend, the prophesized one should come 1,000 years after the Seven Days of Fire. But when I checked, from the time Nausicaä descended on the field of gold, it was not quite 1,000 years."

Nausicaä blinked. "Really? You actually searched through the books and checked?"

Lord Yupa nodded. "More than once. I wanted to be sure."

Obaba scratched her chin. "Hmm, we had never checked to be sure. We had just assumed it was 1,000 years. It has been about that long."

"Close." Asbel replied. "When Nausicaä was saved by the Ohmu, it had only been 998 years since the Seven Days of Fire."

Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, we were off. But that wasn't the only thing that held my uncertainty. The prophecy clearly states that he will come, and that he will guide us. On top of that, the figure in the prophecy is a man as well."

Obaba crossed her arms. "I see your point, Lord Yupa. Perhaps, in our moment of joy at discovering the princess being alive, we jumped to conclusions."

Lord Yupa nodded. "That was my assumption."

Nausicaä frowned. "So… I'm not the prophesized one?" she asked, feeling both relieved and sad about this.

"No, not quite." Lord Yupa replied.

"But you still have an important role." Asbel added. "Perhaps more important that the prophesized one himself."

Nausicaä cocked her head to the side, thinking. "What role could I play that's more important than the prophesized one?"

"There's more to the prophecy." Said Asbel. "There was a second verse, one we didn't know of."

"But through our journeys, we've discovered the rest of the prophecy." Lord Yupa concluded.

Obaba was beyond herself. "Tell us, what is the second verse."

Lord Yupa recited the prophecy in its entirety. "After a thousand years of darkness he will come, clad in blue and surrounded by fields of gold, to restore mankind's connection with the earth that was destroyed. And he will guide the people of this planet, at last, to a land of purity." He paused to take a deep breath, and said the second verse. "But he will be influenced by the darkness that humanity has fallen into and in need of a guide. He will follow the one that walked the golden road before him. She shall be his soul mate and guide as he leads the people into the light. And together, they shall join bonds with the great earth."

With that said, he looked at Nausicaä, letting her digest this new information. The princess was silent as everything registered to her.

"So… what exactly does that mean for me?" she asked.

"Child, the message was clear; do you not understand it?" said Obaba.

"I just want to be sure."

Obaba sighed. "Lord Yupa, you have the most knowledge on this, you should explain."

"Very well." The sword master replied. "Nausicaä, you are not the one to lead the people into the light. You are the guide of the one that will. You, clad in blue, walked the golden rode before him. The true prophesized one, whoever they are, will not be as intoned with the earth as you are. You will show them the way, and he shall show the rest of us. It will be by your guide that the prophesized one shall show us the way."

Nausicaä thought about this. "So it's up to me to find and lead the one the prophecy truly speaks of."

Asbel nodded. "And he will lead the rest of society."

"And…" Nausicaä blushed. "He will be my… soul mate."

Lord Yupa nodded. "I think it is safe to say that you will fall in love with the prophesized one, and he with you." He sighed. "And I think it will happen soon. This year is the thousandth year since the Seven Days of Fire."

Obaba's blind eyes shot open. "That means…"

Again, Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, the true prophesized one will arrive this year."

(A/N: The first chapter is done. I know the first part was a recap on the movie, but it's like that with a lot of my stories during the first chapter. By the way, how do you like the way I changed Nausicaä's roll in the prophecy. Her responsibility is now just as great, perhaps even greater than the true prophesized one. She will be their guide. That's a pretty important job. Without her, there will be no prophesized one. But who is the person the legend speaks of. That won't be revealed for awhile yet. So tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time.)