"Good to see you, Asuka," Shinko said as the two exchanged a quick hug. She then stepped inside and did the same with Rei, before planting a good morning kiss on Shinji.

Asuka underwent quite the transformation herself in those two years, probably more so than her fellow pilots. Taking into account the things she'd gone through in the later stages of the Angel War, and what her own childhood had consisted of, if anyone was in the most dire need of professional help, it was Asuka. No longer letting her pride get in the way, she was the first to sign up for the counseling offered in the aftermath of the battle. She, Shinji and Rei wound up in a series of group sessions together, which enabled them to finally air their grievances, figure out where they stood from there, and help each other hopefully move forward. (An additional anger management session also greatly helped her; she also found an outlet to channel her aggression after joining the school's Kendo team.) For her and Shinji especially, reconciling their respective feelings for one another took some doing, but going slowly helped them open up more and more. The two were together ever since, much to the 'chagrin' of Shinji's two fellow stooges once they returned to the city. Asuka also made a bit of a stylistic choice in that she stopped wearing her A-10 connectors, realizing that her life didn't need to be defined by her being an EVA ace. It took some doing, but Asuka was growing into a more patient, better-adjusted young woman.

At that moment, both Kira and Seika stepped back into the living room, now each clad in their respective school uniforms. Seika beamed a big smile when she saw the new arrival.

"Asuka!" she said as she practically jumped into a hug.

"Morning, squirt," Asuka replied as she lightly ruffled the girl's hair. Seika looked up to Asuka as something of another big sister, and the former EVA-02 pilot took it in stride. "Make any progress on Golden Sun?"

Seika nodded affirmatively. "Already on the Fuchin Temple!" she eagerly answered, making Asuka smirk. She'd given Seika the game for her birthday only a short while ago.

Soon enough, Shinji and Rei had everyone's lunches packed, and everyone piled out of the apartment, followed by Rei locking the door. Soon enough, the sextet were greeted by the sight of their next-door neighbors heading out for another day of drudgery. Said neighbors being, for the better part of a year now, the happily-married Mister and Missus Ryoji Kaji, both of whom Asuka's current foster parents.

"Hey guys," Misato said as she greeted Shinji and his sisters. The ever-present Pen-Pen poked his head out the door, causing Seika to give him a scratch above his beak, making him tap his foot repeatedly.

In the aftermath of the last battle, once the initial investigations had been conducted, it was decided by the UN that NERV would continue on in a limited capacity, focusing on not only the destruction of the Evangelions and any remaining Angelic material, but also in freeing Yui Ikari and Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu from the cores of the now-decommissioned Units-01 and 02. (By a stroke of luck, Yui and Kyoko were guiding the efforts after those on the outside discovered a means for them to communicate from within the cores.) Kozo Fuyutsuki, worn out from all the conflict, had opted for retirement, leading Misato to be selected as the new commander of NERV, with Kaji acting as vice-director. The two had also negotiated something of a 'work-release' arrangement for Ritsuko, making the case that she was an unwilling party to Gendo Ikari's and SEELE's machinations. Their leadership was a much-needed change of pace from the command structure of two years prior. In that time, the two had tied the knot, and were appointed Asuka's long-term guardians, after she made it apparent that she was done with the father who'd essentially abandoned her. These days, Misato and Ryoji had another thing on their minds besides the bureaucratic navigation that their current positions entailed: Misato herself was currently three months pregnant with their first child.

"Morning," Shinji replied as the group started making their way to the elevator. "The grindstone beckons?"

"Oh yeah," his former guardian replied. "I'm starting to think I got off lightly when I was ops director. Compared to the paperwork I used to do, they've practically got me rock-climbing everyday."

"I'm also getting a good idea of what Fuyutsuki had to put up with for all those years," Kaji added, inferring his thoughts on his share of the paperwork he and Misato had to plow through most of the time.

The conversation kept going as they took the elevator down and made their way to the front of the apartment building, at which point the commanders made their way to Misato's car, which had finally gotten a much-needed repair job. Reluctantly, given her current state, she'd ceded all driving duties to Ryoji, much to his relief. (And the collective relief of nearly everyone in the city.)

"Say hi to the pair-o'-docs for us, will ya?" Asuka implored as she and the others waved goodbye.

"Will do!" the Kajis said as the car started.

Asuka was referring to, of course, Ritsuko and Maya, the latter of whom had pursued and gotten her doctorate in the intervening years. On the day the clones had been found, when they'd returned to the bridge, Maya abruptly got up where she'd been sitting, ran up to Ritsuko and kissed her passionately, confessing her feelings at last. Ritsuko, bewildered at first, surprised everyone when she returned it, Maya's kiss in effect causing her to have an epiphany right on the spot. The two took it slowly as they eased into their new relationship, and everyone proved to be happy for them. Rits sponsored Maya's doctoral pursuit, and once in-hand the two of them were put in charge of the efforts to free Yui and Kyoko.

The sextet of students continued on until they reached the building that was Seika's elementary school, where they were met by a quartet of familiar faces: Toji and Sakura Suzuhara, and Hikari and Nozomi Horaki. Toji and Hikari had gotten closer while they'd been away from the city, with Hikari mellowing out a bit more. When they'd returned, Toji set about volunteering at a rehab center for people with prosthetic limbs, which he genuinely felt good about. He'd cleared the air with Shinji long before then, giving both some sense of closure over the Unit-03 incident.

The three little girls immediately and eagerly convened, exchanged their (patent pending) secret handshake-something the older kids still couldn't crack-and quietly exchanged a few small goodies to slip into their siblings' bentos, guaranteed to result in something hilarious. They then started making their way through the front gates of the school, waving their siblings and Asuka off.

"See you after school!" they all said simultaneously, before a case of the giggles overtook them. Said giggles inspired a tiny pang of worry in Shinji, Toji and Hikari.

"Should we be afraid...?" Toji asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Knowing those three, definitely," Hikari answered.

"I'm sure it'll be priceless," Asuka said with a smirk.

"And that Kensuke will be sure to get it on film," Rei added, referring to their bespectacled otaku friend. In the intervening years, he'd decided to use his shutterbug skills for good as a photographer for the school paper.

"Oh heavens, trust them-surely they wouldn't!" Kira chimed in while waving a hand dismissively. "There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune."

Shinko merely chuckled, which proved to be contagious as the rest followed her lead as they continued towards the high school. As they walked along, Shinji took another look at the scene he was in, surrounded by friends and loved ones, hand-in-hand with Asuka. Life hadn't been peachy for him two years ago, so he now treasured every bit of his present. He had a girlfriend who loved him, dependable friends, and not one, but four sisters who cared about him. He'd fought long and hard, and vowed that he'd protect this peace with all he had. Add in the likely possibility that he and Asuka might be reunited with their mothers at some point-which was becoming more and more of a possibility each day-and Shinji felt extremely lucky to be where he was at the moment. Rei, in her own way, felt the same, looking back on where she'd come from and where she was at now.

Most importantly, both siblings were looking forward to where their lives would go, regardless of what happens.

END Part 3.