Disclaimer: Evangelion and Secret of Blue Water are owned by Studio Gainax and Hideaki Anno.

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Traitors of the Stars

Chapter 9: Clash of Fate

NERV HQ, Command Center

"Where the hell did Kaworu go?" Misato asked. "He wasn't at the briefing room."

"Probably going to search for the Angel Hideout like everyone else." Gendo said. "That boy is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. But what I want to know what was going on with Shinji. It's unlike him to run away after killing most of the Angels."

"I may have a theory, but I don't think it would make since. Considering we are his parents." Yui said to the Captain. "He was corrupted by an Angel."

"That would make sense. According to the others, he really got hurt in the last battle, but he came back like nothing happened." Misato wondered.

"In any case, we sent three of the Warriors to at least try to talk some sense into him." Gendo said. "Let's just hope that they can stop whatever he's doing."

Over the Pacific Ocean

"We have to try to talk to Shinji." Nadia pleaded. "Violence will not help us."

"You can't possibly think that. Even after everything he said you're still defending him." Asuka couldn't believe what she was hearing, Nadia is defending Shinji Ikari, the one who verbally abused her.

"It wasn't him. I know it has to be someone else, or probably something else." Nadia explained.

Asuka laughed at that. "Either way, he's going to get a real good talking to. "

Nadia tried to retort, but Rei stopped her. "You better sit down. We're really close."

Nadia sat down. "I guess it's a good thing you don't have the same hostility."

"Don't let my lack of hostility fool you. I'm just as angry as Asuka is." Rei coldly said.

Nadia looked at Rei, who was holding her anger deep inside. "You really love him do you?"

Rei looked up at her. "That's definitely an out-of-nowhere question."

"But it's a good question that I want an answer too." Nadia pushed the question.

"Yes, I do. I love him and so does Asuka. You know what? We decided to share him. She didn't care that we both love him and neither did I." Rei said.

Nadia smiled. "So you're really doing it for all of our sakes."

"I really like to believe you but that does not mean Asuka will believe you as easily" Rei assured her.

Nadia and Rei smiled at each other.

Chichen Itza

Shinji looked around the ruins. 'Things really changed when I was gone.' He walked to the direction to the pyramid. 'Damn, security guards guarding my temple. Something has to happen.'

He walked up to the pyramid. The security guards see him and stopped him in his tracks. "Excuse me, sir. I'm afraid you cannot go up there." One told him.

"It's for your own protection. I'm sure you understand." The other said.

Shinji's eyes turned red as he lift them up. They screamed as it happened. "Get off of my lawn." He said in a deep voice. Both of them nod their heads and ran when he let them go. "Time to go change the world." He went into the temple.

Meanwhile, Nadia, Rei, and Asuka walked around the ruins wondering where Shinji was. "Why would Shinji go there?" Rei asked.

"Maybe he wanted to come here at one point." Asuka chuckled. They saw two guards running from the ruins. "At least, we know something is going on there." They ran to the direction to the temple.

Inside the Temple of Kukulkan

Shinji walked into the temple and chanted, which opened a set of stairs that lead down. 'This is the perfect time to feed.' He thought to himself as he made his way down. He made it to the end of the stairway and saw a huge door. Shinji said a word in a language that is long dead, which was a secret word for the door. The door opened to reveal a machine and other stuff that would be impossible in that time. Shinji pushed some buttons and activated the machine. Shinji heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see three people. It was Rei, Asuka, and Nadia. "Ah, so you all have come? I was worried I would have to see this all alone."

All three of them were stunned to see this in the temple. "What is this place?" Rei asked.

"This, ladies, is the Temple of Kukulkan. At least the part of it that people weren't aware of. The temple itself was originally a weapon to destroy any and all humans that try to invade. Think of it as an ancient Tesla coil." Shinji smile as he explained.

"You've really lost it, didn't you, Shinji?" Asuka asked.

"No. I'm just doing what I think is right, and I see you bought the princess with you." Shinji pointed at Nadia.

Asuka and Rei looked at her. "Princess? No way! She can't be a princess."

"You didn't know? I heard that she was trying to destroy all of her enemies. Remember, your highness?" Shinji said to Nadia, smiling.

Nadia remembered what he said back in NERV HQ, but she stood tall. "I do, but I do not consider you an enemy. "

Shinji smirked. "We'll see about that." He summoned wind to knock back Asuka and Rei. "Let's have a duel." He said as he drew his whip.

"Please." Nadia took out her katana. "Don't make me do this."

Shinji ran towards her and slashes her. She dodges the second attack. "I really must've gotten under your skin. If you cannot stop me, you cannot stop the Angels."

"I can stop you." Nadia used her blade to bring Shinji down.

"Using the back? That's child's play." Shinji mocked her.

"I refuse to kill you Shinji. Even after everything that happened." Nadia said to him.

"What is this? I drove you to despair." Shinji looked at Nadia with fear in his eyes. "Why are you not filled with despair?"

"It's going to take more than words to completely bring me down. After all words are a weapon of a weak warrior." Nadia threw her sword down and charged at Shinji.

She beat him up with her bare hands. 'What's going on?'

"Why isn't she hesitating?" Quetzalcoatl asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She is the Princess of Tartessos." Shinji said as he walked toward the creature. "If she cannot have faith herself, then everyone will die." The Feathered Serpent was scared. Shinji was free. "Look upon me, creature! I am Shinji Ikari! Killer of Angels! Warrior of Fate! We are mongooses!" Shinji unleashed the extra power that his uncle gave him and smiled. "And you are our prey!"

"What is this?!" The feared Feather Serpent was scare at what was happening. "No, stop!"

"I really hope you have family wherever you're going, because no one will miss you here." A burst of light emanated from Shinji! "Get out of my head! NOW!"

Shinji knocked Nadia off of him as he held his head screaming in pain. Green smoke emanated from him and he collapse. "Damn that child. His dying breath was supposed to be an opportunity."

The Warriors were shocked at the very sight of the creature. Green scales symbolizing nature, blood-thirsty red eyes, and feathers with the colors of a rainbow. This was no Angel. "What is this? What's going on?" Rei asked in total fear.

The creature looked at them. "I am the Feathered Serpent, Quetzalcoatl! They sacrificed many in my name. It matters little that my vessel was a little disagreeable. I made it this far. It's been a while since I had any blood. I guess I can take yours first, vegan princess. An appetizer before the main course."

"It was you the whole time wasn't it?" Nadia asked. "The death of the Angel, The strange behavior at Tartessos, and the verbal abuse. Everything was you."

Quetzalcoatl chuckled. "Guilty as charged. Although I tried taking control of his body many times in the past three years. The same year he faked his death to Tartessos. I found him collapsed and I went inside his body."

Nadia started to chuckle. "Quetzalcoatl, you're pitiful. After many centuries you turn this weapon of war into a place of worship, activating it when a certain time came. I know I said I refuse to see you as an enemy, but I was talking to Shinji Ikari." She said as she picked the sword back up. "And I will have no regrets."

Quetzalcoatl strikes at Nadia but she dodged the attack. She slashes the serpent, only to be deflected off of him. "My scales are not just for show. They harden in response to danger. Not even obsidian could hurt me."

He strikes at her again, but she held the creature's mouth and slashed the inside. Quetzalcoatl screamed in pain. "Looks like I found your weakness."

Quetzalcoatl was furious. Asuka and Rei, getting over their shock, rushed in to help her. "I am the Feathered Serpent! I will not be treated like this!"

Rei used an ice spell on him. "Chill out, dickwad."

Quetzalcoatl broke out of the ice. Asuka skewered his underside, just to be deflected again. "My underside can harden too." He said as knocked the weapons out of the Warriors hands with his tail. He noticed Shinji and swallowed him whole.

"NO!" Nadia screamed.

"Trust me, milady." Quetzalcoatl mockingly said. "He's going to a better place. My stomach!" Suddenly, he starts writhing in pain. He eventually coughed up blood, and collapse. "Wait… Something… is wrong. This isn't supposed to happen. What's… going… on?" Quetzalcoatl asked.

Nadia took Asuka's spear and skewered the inside of his mouth leading to his brain. "It's over, Quetzalcoatl." The Feathered Serpent dropped dead.

"It's really over." Rei said. They see Quetzalcoatl's stomach move.

A hand came from the serpent's mouth. It was Shinji. He was alive, much to everyone's surprise. Nadia held out her hand. "Welcome back, Shinji." Shinji moved back from her, knowing what 'he' did. "What's wrong?"

"I said horrible things to you. I don't deserve your sympathy." Shinji told her as his back was against the wall.

Nadia knelt down to him. "I know it wasn't you. Even then, the Shinji I knew would never say those things. It just caught me off-guard."

Shinji looked up at her and saw the sincerity in her eyes. "Nadia, I… I'm sorry!" Shinji wrapped his arms around her, crying his eyes out. "I should have been stronger. I could have stopped all of this."

Nadia hugged him back. "It's okay, Shinji, you saved us."

"No." She looked at him questioningly. He reached to the serpent's mouth and pulled out the katana that Nadia used. "You saved me."

Nadia hugged him harder than she ever hugged him before. "Okay guys." Asuka said. "Let's save the pleasantries after we get back to HQ."

Rei nodded. "I agree."

"I'm sorry ladies. I'll be right there. In a few minutes." Shinji said before he passed out.

"The VTOL is coming in. We better get out of here." Rei told Nadia as they carried Shinji out of the building.

Asuka closed the door leading to the machine with the deceased body of Quetzalcoatl behind them. "I really hope that's the last time we have to see a creature like that again."

Council of the Angelic Order

"So the last of the Old Gods are dead?" Adam asked Zeruel.

"That seems to be the case." Zeruel said. "We are still weak. After the death of Areal, we know someone else is involved, and they can take control of us. I say we wait until the warriors takes care of this threat."

"You're right." Adam said. "Let the lions kill this threat and attack them when they least expected."

"As you wish." Zeruel said as he left.

NERV HQ, Medical Bay

Shinji was in a field of sunflowers. He looked around, he felt no darkness, didn't sense any malevolent force. It was official. Quetzalcoatl was gone. He was free. "It feels good."

He felt a presence. He looked at the direction to see his uncle, Keisuke Ikari. "You did good, Shins. You did good."

Shinji smiled, "Couldn't have done it without you."

Keisuke smiled back at him. "I'll let you go. Your friends need you. And if you see your mother tell her I said hello."

"Will do, detective." Shinji started to wake up.

Shinji open his eyes to see all of his friends. "Welcome back." Nadia told him.

He looked around the room to see get well soon balloons and flowers of various kinds. "This is all for me? This has to be a dream."

"Not convinced? I swear you are an idiot sometimes." Asuka said, then smiles. "But you're my idiot." She walked up to him and kissed him on the lips.

"You are wrong, Asuka. He's our idiot." Said Rei as she walked up and kiss him on the lips next.

"I swear you're a lucky bastard, Shin-man." Touji said.

"I believe it's the perfect time, Shinji." Asuka said.

"Huh?" Shinji didn't know what she was talking about.

"The promise about telling us how you and Nadia meet." Asuka reminded him.

"Oh, should I tell them?" Shinji asked Nadia.

"Of course. I've been with you guys for a while and none of you truly know who I am. This should set the record straight." Nadia accepted.

"Okay, then I suppose I should tell you everything." Shinji told his friends who were listening in.

AN: And that's the end of this story. But do not fret, for this next story will come. Stay tuned for Traitors of the Stars II: Genesis.

And thank you to everyone who stuck around and gave me the encouragement to keep moving.