Another Form of Power

Hecatomb

Inko smiled at Representative Kakurete as she handed him a homemade snack. He always accepted her snacks after giving a speech.

"Thank you, Inko. You shouldn't have."

And he always said she shouldn't have.

She shook her head. Of course she should have! No matter what he had said that one time, she knew Imoku Kakurete wasn't Izuku. He had said that to comfort her. He had apologised later and while Inko desperately wanted his words to be true, she knew they weren't. He was, however, the one man who had made sure that the investigation into Izuku's disappearance was never forgotten. He was the one who made the police chase up any new leads. He was the man who made sure the world hadn't forgotten Izuku.

He'd even named a piece of legislation after Izuku. It was dealing with Quirkless rights. It was enough to make her cry at times. And when she did, he was someone who would comfort her, silently handing her a handkerchief and making sure she recovered.

So how could she not ensure he got little treats and other homemade goods? He lived alone, and as a Representative she had no idea if he could cook, or even if he had the time. He could go to the most upmarket restaurants. She knew that, but he always accepted her cooking and he always complimented her on the taste. He was genuine about it as well. If he wasn't, she was sure that after all these years, he'd have found some way to tell her.

As a result, every time Representative Kakurete was giving a speech in her area, or even a little bit away, she was always there with snacks. He'd actually arranged clearances for her, so that she was always close at hand.

Inko was realistic. Imoku travelled more than she could, and she knew he was well fed then, but that didn't stop her.

He bit into the small muffin. It was specially made to be packed with calories. One of his assistants had told Inko that Imoku's quirk was high calorie. She didn't know what it was but she made sure she packed as many calories into her snacks as she could. Tazukuri was good as were Koinobori biscuits but she had found that western food was sometimes better since it often tasted better cold. She wanted Imoku to enjoy her snacks.

"It always tastes so good, Inko!" he said, taking another bite.

She smiled and handed him another. This one was wrapped in a napkin. He placed it in a pocket and took another large bite out of the first one. Then he smiled at her, reaching up to brush away crumbs. Inko smiled back, and that was enough.

She couldn't keep him, and she watched as Representative Kakurete turned to the crowds who had gathered. That was another thing she liked about the Representative. He cared for the people he spoke to, genuinely cared. He always made time to speak to people one on one after his speeches, not like other politicians who were whisked away by their security and never actually knew the people they were meant to represent. There was a reason Imoku was one of the most popular members of the House of Representatives. She was proud to call him her friend.

That's why she smiled and clapped as he moved on, and she turned with the rest of the group to follow him. Inko had done this often enough that she knew what was expected. Those who were in the 'support crowd', where she stood, had to smile, clap and look adoring. Imoku had laughed at the description but he didn't deny its truth. She tracked Representative Kakurete's suited form with her eyes, He was smiling and shaking hands, and generally answering questions.

He looked happy, and the crowd was happy.

The world changed so fast. Inko wasn't sure what it was. Someone didn't look as happy. A spike of alarm went through Inko, but she wasn't too concerned. Kakurete had bodyguards after all. It wasn't until the woman shouted, and drew a gun that Inko knew it wasn't just someone who disagreed!