The Emperor's Dragon

Light Shines Through

Inko sat quietly while the lawyer dithered. She wasn't paying him by the hour so she wasn't bothered by the time. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to do this. It was something she should have done earlier.

"How may I help you, Mrs Midoriya," the lawyer, Watanabe, asked.

Inko gave him a smile. After the ladies had given her the information about Hisashi and Tsu, she'd thought about a few more things, and she had forced herself to go through their official papers. It had been hard to see her wedding certificate, and Izuku's birth certificate but it had led her here. When they were married, she'd known Hisashi Seki had alternate interests and he had promised he would integrate them with hers over time. But then Izuku came along and that plan had been forgotten. That meant his will was still in his name. And it had been written by Hawein, Mori and Nishimura, which was why she was here, at their offices.

"I wish to know if my husband has altered his will," Inko told Watanabe. There was no point in beating around the bush. While she was not paying him at the moment, if there did come a reason to pay him, she wanted it clear that she wanted the straight forward service, not anything designed to milk her purse.

"We do not hold a will in the name of Midoriya," the lawyer told her.

"I believe you have it down as Hisashi Riji," Inko said sweetly. She held up one hand, already knowing what the lawyer would complain that she had no right to ask that. She reached into her bag, and pulled out several pieces of identification. "Hisashi Riji, also known as Hisashi Seki, married name, Hisashi Midoriya," Inko told him.

She was satisfied to see that Watanabe was surprised.

He took the documentation and carefully examined each one. She'd included her driver's licence and a copy of her officially issued identification number.

"Thank you very much for the documents," Watanabe said after a few moments. He then turned to his computer and typed a few things.

Inko tried not to be disappointed but Meigo had told her this was likely to happen. Watanabe would be checking her documents against Japan's registry to confirm that she was who she said she was, and to confirm that her marriage was legitimate.

She felt a moment of vindication when Watanabe's eyes widened slightly. She wasn't sure what document caused the surprise but it was satisfactory.

"Ah, Mrs Midoriya, I must admit, I was unaware that our client, Mr Riji was married," he admitted when he turned back to her. "You do understand that Hisashi Riji is officially missing, and thus you cannot have him declared dead."

"That is not what I wish to do," Inko retorted. If she had, she would have had him declared missing when he kidnapped Izuku, and then... well, he would have been declared dead about two years ago. If he remained missing now, it would be another three or so years before he could be declared dead. "I simply wish to know if he has changed his will recently," she repeated her request.

She wasn't sure if Watanabe knew why she was asking. The man shook his head. "Mr Riji has not changed his will for the last eight years," he told her.

Eight years. Izuku would have been five and a half. Hisashi had changed it after he had left her. She wondered if it was to remove her from it. "Thank you," Inko inclined her head. "I take it you haven't heard from my Husband for the last few years?" she asked, fishing for a bit more information.

"The last communication we had about Hisashi Riji was from the Government, informing us that he was missing," Watanabe told her.

Inko ignored the stab of disappointment at that. She had been hoping he'd make a mistake. It didn't look like he had and there was a chance Hisashi had been genuinely killed in the battle in Tsu.