And here it is finally. The Epilogue! I can't believe it and I'm quite sad actually. Thanks so much for all your support!

Epilogue – The Fujiwara Legacy

November:

"I need to talk to you." Enji stared intently at the short woman in front of him.

Fujiwara nodded curtly. Then she moved aside to let him enter. "Of course, Todoroki. Would you like some tea?"

Enji nodded although he didn't think she'd want him in the house long enough to finish his cup. He knew she wouldn't like what he had to say. Still, he followed her invitation sitting on the cushion in the living room.

"I hope you're doing alright," Fujiwara asked from the kitchen. "I heard about what happened. Horrible."

Was that his fate now? He hoped he'd live long enough that people stopped asking him about the stroke immediately after seeing him. Suffering a stroke was one thing. Having his physical state be broadcast nationwide was something else entirely. Everybody knew how frail and weak he was. It was infuriating.

"I hope the recovery is going well?" she asked, nodding at the walking stick that he had put down besides the cushion. He hadn't needed it in Tartarus because he had Hairo then. Now, he was alone. Matsuura had dropped him off here and was still waiting in the car outside. It wouldn't be long, Enji knew.

"It's getting there," he said vaguely. He didn't want to elaborate, and she had the decency not to nag him about it.

"So, what can I do for you?" She put the tea set down in front of him and poured both him and herself a steaming cup.

"It's about Quickstep." He decided there was no point talking around it. Sooner or later, he'd have to tell Fujiwara, and it would be better to make it quick. He had no way to make it up to her, so he knew it wouldn't help to drag this out. Nothing he had to say would make this right.

Fujiwara nodded. "I almost guessed it." She smiled. It looked relieved, like a stone was dropping off her chest. "I'm just glad it's finally happening. For that horrible woman to be locked away."

"Yes," Enji almost choked on his reply. He took the cup and quietly sipped on the hot tea. He almost spit it out again as he burned his tongue. He bit down on a curse as he put the cup back on the table. "That's what I wanted to talk about. Since Noone, Raining Man and Relax were killed, she's the last of the core members of the villain group that called itself Justice for Natsuo."

She blew on her tea, as she listened. "Yes, I heard. It makes me angry. Believe me, Todoroki, I didn't shed a tear over the other ones, but I regret that they won't get just punishment. I wanted them to see justice in a court of law, not like that."

"Hm," he hummed his approval. "Which makes Quickstep the only remaining member of the JfN," he repeated. "Now, I'm not certain, if you were informed about this, but Quickstep has played an important role in the battle against the League – including her former comrade Relax – in summer."

"The battle you were injured in," Fujiwara stated matter-of-factly. "I've heard about it, yes. My lawyer told me. He expects her sentence might be reduced because of it." She looked conflicted. Enji could only imagine…

"Yes," he agreed, sounding regretful himself. Just say it! "What you might not be informed about, is that I myself made a deal with her."

"What?" She blinked confused, then she shook her head. "No, that can't be right. You're the main witness for the Prosecution."

"I know." He nodded. "And of course, I will be completely honest in front of the judge. However, as a hero I made a deal with her. She saved my sons. And myself. She did that, relying on a guarantee I gave her that I would put all my effort into trying to get her free."

"No," she shook her head. "No, you can't!"

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Her cheeks wobbled with the shaking of her head. "What do you mean you're sorry. Will she come free? She'll just walk right out of the courtroom! As if nothing ever happened? As if she didn't do anything?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But that's what I'm working on. We're working on a deal with the prosecution, and I can't give you any details, but she might come away with a short sentence on parole."

"So, she'll go free!" Fujiwara acknowledged. "The woman who killed my husband!"

"I thought you should know before—"

"She killed my husband!" She screamed suddenly. Her hands were trembling, tea spilling over her fingers. She hissed as the hot liquid burned her skin and put the cup down. "This woman! She's the last one…the only one of this group who could ever see justice. And you'll take that away? My husband admired you, worked for you for years. And you're just moving on?" She was crying.

Enji reached out, but as she flinched away, he pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry." He shook his head. "She saved my sons."

Fujiwara hissed. "She only ever did it for your sons! Justice for Natsuo! Justice for your son! Because of what you did to him. That's why my husband died." She jabbed her finger at him, not quite touching his chest. "And I don't blame you. I told you, I didn't blame you. And you even caught her… But if you let her go… If you let her get away with it… If she walks free, I'll never forgive that." She shook her head decisively.

He knew, there was no arguing with her. They stood at two different sides. At a chasm, they couldn't bridge.

"I understand." He stood up, not drinking another sip of the still-too-hot tea. He bowed respectfully. "I didn't move on," he explained to her. "Your husband's death is my biggest regret. And I have a lot of those. But on this issue, I'm afraid I can't budge."

"Get out!" she yelled at him.

He bowed again, a bit more formal this time, and grabbed his walking stick, before he limped out of the house.

January:

Enji almost overheard the ringing of the doorbell over the noises of Houn and his friends playing soccer in the garden. He didn't go to the door either. Most of the time the visitors were for Hairo or his kids anyway. Enji didn't have many friends who came to visit regularly. The only exceptions were Fuyumi and Shoto, but they would always call ahead.

Hairo's daughter, Hidzume, came trampling down the stairs, opening the door eventually. He heard her silently talking to the new arrival, then the door to the living room slid open. Hidzume looked at him.

"It's for you." As she stepped aside, to his surprise, Shrinking Girl entered the living room.

He hadn't expected her here. Her least of all. His former sidekicks visiting wasn't that big of a deal, but mostly it would be Silent Tracker or Brazen. Sometimes Shoto would also bring the old interns with him to visit. Avalanche had only come once to tell him that he was ready to start his own agency. He wondered if it was the same for Shrinking Girl. Did she only come to say goodbye?

"Ichika," Enji called out to her in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you. Come in."

"Do you want tea?" Hidzume asked, still lingering around curiously.

Shrinking Girl, turned around to smile at the girl. "No, thanks. I'm not staying long. You must be Hidzume. Kosuke mentioned you." Brazen.

The girl nodded with a slight blush. "Yes, uhm…I'll leave you alone then." She nodded at Enji and quickly left. Soon after, they heard her heavy steps climbing the stairs again.

Shrinking Girl turned back to Enji who had stood up from his spot on the couch.

"No," she said quickly. "You can stay seated, Boss." She looked as if she was worrying about his state.

Enji chuckled a bit embarrassed. "I can stand for a few minutes." He pointed at the cushion opposite himself. "Or you can sit with me," he offered, and as she moved to sit, he sat back on the couch. "And I'm not your boss anymore."

She chuckled. "Technically, you still are. It's your agency after all. But not for long anymore."

He was confused at first, thinking she was still talking about the agency, but then he understood. "You're moving on?" he asked sadly.

It was of course a given. The interns and sidekicks were keeping the agency afloat, but it was only meant to last for as long as it took everybody to move on. Losing Shrinking Girl so shortly after Avalanche would be a blow. They'd have to rely even more on the interns, and that didn't sit right with him, although DynaMight had guaranteed him, during his rare visits, that he gladly did it, because nowhere else did they get to do as much as in his agency. It was a bit of a backhanded compliment.

"I fear it's time. I'm changing to Team Lurkers."

Enji smirked. "Mt. Lady and Shrinking Girl. What a combination. It's a good choice."

Shrinking Girl smiled. "I know, but that's not the reason I'm leaving. I would've stayed, but it doesn't work anymore."

Enji frowned at her choice of words. Had something happened? An altercation within the agency that he had missed, which caused Shrinking Girl to make the decision. "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh, nothing tragic." She pulled her bag close and took out a stash of money, putting it on the table between them.

Enji didn't pick it up. Instead, he frowned at her, baffled. "What is that?" he wondered suspiciously. This was odd.

"During the last few months, Brazen and I alternated in guarding your son, Natsuo." She pointed at the money. "That's half of the sum you paid for his protection for this month and the last – which by the way, is ridiculous since the agency is yours anyway. I'm afraid I'm not liquid enough to pay for the months before that."

"I don't understand," Enji admitted. At first, he entertained the thought that something might have happened to Natsuo, so she wanted to pay him back, feeling guilty. But the thought was absurd. She didn't look as if anything bad had happened. There was a melancholy expression fitting for an employee quitting a well-liked job, but not the grief or shame over failing, and telling the father of a victim that something horrendous had happened.

"It feels wrong to accept payment to spend time with my boyfriend."

Enji coughed in surprise. His eyes widened as big as saucers. "Your… Since when?"

Her lips pinched a bit as if she was embarrassed to answer. "Turns out if you bodyguard a person for months…You get kind of close." She took a deep breath, clearly nervous but also relieved that the most difficult part was out now. "Which is also the reason why I can't keep working for you."

Enji frowned at the implication.

"Don't worry. He didn't force me. He didn't even ask me to quit…but I know it makes him uncomfortable. I don't know how serious this is, but I want to give it a fair chance. And for that, I think it would be better to move on."

Enji shook his head at the sudden realization that Natsuo… Natsuo was dating a hero.

"How is he doing?" he asked, desperate for information.

Shrinking Girl smiled almost pitifully. "He probably doesn't want me to give you any details," she said squirming in her seat. "He's fine."

Enji accepted that at face value. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Nor did he want to stand between them, putting her on the spot.

"Okay," he nodded. "If you insist, I accept that money, but keep the rest. I expect you didn't start dating him right on the first assignment." He chuckled at the notion.

"I did not." She snorted. "To be honest, he was insufferably difficult at first."

Enji could imagine. "I'd love to hear more about that," he said, but he knew she wouldn't give him any more information. "Good luck with Team Lurkers."

"Thank you." But instead of standing up and leaving, she pulled something else out of her bag. She placed a USB stick next to the cash.

"And what is that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"This is the tested beta version of what we call Fujiwara Legacy." Her fingers tapped against the USB stick meaningfully. Enji understood immediately. Completely disinterested in the money, he almost knocked it off the table in his haste to grab the USB stick.

"It's his—" he started turning it around as if the plastic shell would tell him anything about the content. "This is Inari's… What he was working on?"

"Yes…" She pulled out a stack of papers and handed them over to Enji. Instructions and test results. "Before he died, he and I worked together testing the alpha version. It's a program that will make communication and team ups between heroes of different agencies a lot easier. It's Fujiwara's brainchild, but during the last few months, the team from IT and myself have put a lot of work into finishing the program. We've managed to patent it for the agency, which means…it's yours. It's not quite perfect yet, but in our tests, it's proven itself quite useful." She smirked proudly.

"It's not ready for implementation, though… Mostly because in our tests, we've found one massive flaw that we can't quite solve… The program lacks intuition." She shrugged. "It's a learning AI. At this stage, we can feed a lot of information in, but unless it tests out different scenarios in real time, it won't learn. However, of course, we can't just let it loose on the vulnerable public."

She hesitated for a moment. "I thought we could maybe solve the issue by using human intuition. Combining the program with an experienced hero who is able to make decisions quickly and without fault from the information the program gives him." She looked at Enji expectantly.

Enji needed surprisingly long to catch on to her meaning. He blinked disbelievingly. Enji had already given up on it. Being a hero again… It was impossible. He didn't have his quirk. He couldn't even walk right, and there were tasks he had accepted that he'd never be able to do them again. But if he would just be expected to sit on a computer and give commands? He could do that! Maybe not now – as he still had some issues with concentration and getting exhausted quickly, but in the future… It wasn't out of reach!

He nodded eagerly. Yes. Yes! Feeling incredibly grateful, he closed his fist around the stick, holding on tight.

Shrinking Girl smiled. "You know, Fujiwara always said, 'if I can't be a hero myself—'"

"—I can still work for a hero and make their job easier," Enji finished the sentence thinking about Inari. He couldn't even say why he remembered those words so clearly. But Inari had lived and died by them.

Thank you, old friend.

June

Just over a year had passed since his stroke. Since the end of Endeavor and the beginning of…whatever this was. Somewhere – he assumed in Musutafu, but he didn't know – Natsuo had just celebrated his 21st birthday two weeks ago. Enji didn't know if he was still with Shrinking Girl. If he was, he hoped they were happy. If he wasn't, he hoped his son was happy regardless.

Shoto had started his third year in UA. Just yesterday he lost the Sports Festival quarter finals to Deku. Which was a shame, that it was the quarter finals and not the finale or semi-final, but also not much of a surprise. Deku was a menace and from what Enji could tell, impossible to fight.

Fuyumi and Azumi were still together. They had moved to a quiet neighborhood a bit outside Aldera. Fuyumi was crushed when she had to hand her class over to the next teacher. They were fifth graders now. She took over a new class, and soon she started telling new stories about new kids and Enji came up with new nicknames for them: 'The Thunder', 'the Jokester', 'the kid with rollerblades' 'the neon light kid' 'the strong kid' and 'the one who stood in front of Enji's door one day, asking him if Todoroki-Sensei was really his daughter'.

Rei… Rei had started dating again… Tentatively. Which he hadn't taken as gracefully as he maybe should've.

And Touya… He didn't know. He was still in Tartarus, serving a life sentence, eligible for parole after 10 years.

Enji lived in the house alone again. After living with him for over eight months, Hairo had decided to move on. He still worked for Enji and still came to visit regularly even outside of his working hours, but since Enji didn't need him 24/7 anymore, Hairo and his wife had thought it the best decision to move on. Enji thought he still felt as if he were a charity case. In any case, Hairo earned a big enough salary to pay his own rent for a three-room-apartment in Dagobah.

"I can't have my kids think punching heroes pays off," he had joked before he left.

Since then, the house stood empty again, which prompted Enji to consider moving out himself. There were still apartments in the agency. Most of them were now rented to those who had lost their homes in Nasadaa. There was a constant coming and going. Almost a small community by itself. Enji could live there. The apartments were big enough for him, and he didn't need that much space. In the agency, he still had a gym for his daily exercises, so he wouldn't even miss the dojo. Never mind that he needed it a lot less, since he didn't work as a hero anymore.

Enji seriously considered the possibility of moving. Especially if he started working at the agency again now, it would be more convenient. Of course, if he did move – what to do with the house? He didn't want to leave it empty, but he also didn't want to sell it. Although he hated being alone in it, he had grown quite attached to the place he had built up with Shoto.

Shoto, who would graduate from UA in less than a year. Maybe he would have need for a house if he ever wanted to start a family. Enji decided to keep the option open. Who knew if Shoto even wanted the house? Did Shoto look at it and see the place of his torment or did he see the building he had rebuilt over the course of six months with his father?

Today… Today he had different things to think about. It was his first day back in the agency. He sat tentatively in front of the desk in his old office. The one he had destroyed in his battle against Touya. Nothing of the destruction was visible now. The whole office had been fixed long ago.

"Great to have you back," Silent Tracker said, as she left her position for him the second time. "Don't think about leaving and coming back again. I don't like this back and forth, and I swear to god, I don't want this position again." She stared down at him, waiting for an affirmation. "I told you before, I'm not interested in it. Shoto is almost an adult now, wait for another year, then you can leave it to him."

Enji nodded. "I don't plan to retire in a year," he said. He grinned sheepishly. "What's the standard retirement age for normal jobs again?"

Silent Tracker frowned at him. "I don't know. I don't work a normal job. I'm the on-again-off-again CEO of the Endeavor Hero Agency, does that sound like a normal job to you?" But she looked amused as she signed her signature down on the form Nakamura had given them. She was right, he had signed this form too many times now.

"It's 65," Taro said from the door, a shy grin on her lips.

"65!" Enji called out after Silent Tracker who was already leaving the room. "You hear that? 65! You'll retire before me, Silent Tracker." He turned to Taro. "You! I need you to move your desk into my office."

She looked surprised at that. "I uh…I don't understand?" she said, although she had clearly understood, she just didn't get the reason.

Embarrassed, Enji avoided her gaze. "There are a few things I might need help with," he admitted. "Writing for one. Typing long paragraphs… When I'm tired, I can't even handle the mouse… So, it would be easiest if we work closer together, from now on." His hands moved experimentally over the keyboard although the computer was still on stand-by. "And I'm not good with computers anyway."

He shuddered, realizing how badly equipped he was for this new role he wanted to play.

Taro chuckled. "Okay, I'll have it moved right away. Is there anything else?"

He considered her for a quiet moment. "Yes," he said eventually, "in fact, there is. When we first started working together, I wasn't entirely fair to you. I realized that even back then, but it didn't make me behave any better." She blinked at him, surprised. "I was still grieving over your predecessor but that is no excuse."

She blushed. Shaking her head, her bangs fell in front of her face. "It wasn't that bad. It really wasn't," she insisted. "We were all still grieving."

Enji nodded. "It wasn't okay regardless. So, maybe we can start anew?"

"Of course." She nodded sharply.

Enji bent down to turn on the computer. It was still booting when his phone vibrated. He flicked it open with his good left hand.

'Welcome back, Endeavor. Get Fujiwara Legacy started! I can't wait.' Hawks wrote.

When Enji closed the message, he saw 24 other unread messages. Baffled, he stared at the list of names.

There, right at the top, was a message by All Might: 'Welcome to the other side, Endeavor."

Enji stumbled over the message and didn't know how to interpret it. The other side? His brows furrowed in thought. Then he snorted, as he understood. Who would've thought that he and All Might would end up in such similar situations?

Meanwhile, on the desktop his start screen appeared. He typed in the new password. Then he moved the cursor to the icon for 'Fujiwara Legacy'. It moved jerkily with his unpracticed hand.

The program needed a moment to start. Enji watched the loading bar move slowly. He was so distracted by it, that he didn't hear the door open.

"I told you before," Shoto said, startling Enji. The boy was leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, "that Endeavor is an amazing hero—"

Enji nodded, still remembering those words, right after his battle in Fukuoka.

"But Enji Todoroki is a terrible father," he added because he knew how that sentence ended.

Shoto cocked his head to the side. "Is that what I said?" he wondered out loud. "I don't remember saying that. I remember asking you what kind of Dad you'd be."

Enji squirmed under his gaze. Should he feel afraid, apprehensive? "And?" he asked tentatively.

Shoto huffed. "A stubborn one for sure."

Enji snorted.

"One I can forgive." Enji almost fell off his chair. Wait, what? "Not for what you did to Mom, that's not my place. But for what you did to me."

"What?" His own voice felt foreign to Enji. "What do you… I don't…" He hadn't struggled with words like that since right after the stroke.

"I know the last two years were difficult for you," Shoto added with a shrug. "But for me…they were pretty darn amazing. Maybe we could keep that going."

Doubtfully, Enji watched Shoto. Did he mean that? "I'm not sure how many strokes I can survive after that," he joked half-heartedly.

"Yeah, we can skip that part this year. Welcome back, Dad. And just so you know: I'm proud of you."

That's it! Done over and out!

While I considered writing a sequel about Natsuo and Gramps Enji, I've for now decided against it. The decision isn't final, but if I'll write anything about that, it won't be anytime soon. There are other projects I'm currently working on. (If I ever do, I'll probably use this series for it - and create a new one for all my Enji stories over all haha)

(On that note, I don't think Natsuo's relationship with Shrinking Girl is permanent, I just wanted to show him start living his life again.)

After all, I decided that just because Enji can't jump around anymore, doesn't mean he has to stop working completely.

I had so much fun writing this story and I'm now really sad that it's over. Thanks so much for everybody who stuck to it and commented regularly to keep me motivated. I still remember some of your names and it's always cool to recognize people coming back even after a short absence. This was the longest story I've ever written. I noticed a few of the people reading my story have started writing their own Enji story, which I absolutely love. There can never be enough of those! He's the most horribly underappreciated character in this fandom.

For that sake, of course, I don't want to stop writing Endeavor stories any time soon. I have a few important exams coming up soon again. (And I say that even knowing I'll probably write been if I shouldn't, lol), and I've recently also started a few other stories. But i will write about him again eventually! Hopefully not too far in the future.

If you read the A/N's over the last few chapters you maybe saw me worrying and planning about what next to write for Enji. I can now say that I've come up with an idea, that I'm pretty happy with. No promises, because I'm still working on the plot, but if it turns out the way I want, expect my next Enji project to be a horribly self-indulgent angstfest just to make Enji suffer.

On that note: a guest asked if I wanted to write the continuation of this fic from Deku's perspective, writing his battle against Shiggy... I don't plan to write anything about that. I actually feel litle desire to write any story not focused on Enji, lol.

/Completed!