***
Jiro was anxious. Why wouldn't she be? She was finally about to see Max face-to-face. Finally about to stare him dead in the eye and demand why he had left her without so much as a word? She'd been angry of course, she had every right to be. But ultimately, she just felt relief that he was alive and fine.
'Maybe a punch or two first…then I'm dragging his stupid ass back home.' she thought.
The car screeched to a stop near the coordinates. They had arrived.
On the console, the trackers pulse thumped erratically. Eleanor's face hardened into a mask of seriousness as she turned to Jiro. "Max is likely engaged in a battle. Maintain caution.
Jiro nodded tensely, "Yeah."
Unbuckling her seatbelt, she threw open the car door and followed Eleanor into the evening.
A sudden flash of golden light flashed up ahead. Jiro's heart leapt in her chest. She'd recognized Max's quirk anywhere. She broke into a sprint, desperate to bridge the distance, she rounded the corner as she could finally be able to see Max again…
Her legs froze in place.
She watched in stunned silence as Max executed a devastating overhead slash upon a massive, towering silhouette. Calling the monstrosity a man was a stretch, but what happened next made her stomach turn. The creature exploded in a roaring inferno, screeching an ear-splitting wail that made Jiro stumbled back a step as she clenched her ears in pain.
'W-What was that?! Jiro thought in horror, her hands trembling.
But then, she watched as Max's figure was blown back by the shockwave of the explosion, his body skidding against the cracked asphalt. Her body tensed, instincts yelling at her to rush to his side. But then, a woman emerged from the dust not too far from him, an arm wrapped in a makeshift sling as she limped towards him.
Who is that woman?! Why is she with him? Jiro had so many questions
Before she could process it, grey capture tape whipped out of the smoke, binding Max and the woman tight.
A figure stepped into the night, the pro Hero, Eraser Head. His eyes burned red, his hair floating wildly. Her heart dropped.
"Rest isn't in tonight's schedule," Eraser Head declared coldly. "You two are under arrest."
The words echoed in her head like thunder. A…arrested?! No, that's impossible! Max isn't a criminal!
"M…Max?!" she blurted out, taking a trembling step forward. Eleanor remained quiet by her side, her face stoic. But a quick glance could tell the older woman was just as shocked as she was.
Max's head snapped towards her. He looked the same, yet completely unrecognizable. She didn't know how to put it. The familiar warmth, that bright warmth in his eyes that always seemed to brighten a room was completely gone, replaced by a deep exhaustion. What has he been through?
She watched as shock flashed through his eyes followed up by a wave of guilt.
"J…Jiro."
Jiro had finally found Max. But as she stared into his hollow eyes, a fearful thought washed over her, the Max she knew was gone.
***
Life has a cruel way of mocking your intentions. Placing you in situations you desperately try to avoid. That's the paradox. Each time Max felt like he was pulling away from his life he knew, it seemed to snap back towards him, always with him like a shadow. But as he sat bound in capture tape as he stared into the horrified eyes of his best friend and the disappointed one of his grandmother, he hated the decision more than ever. But he hated himself that he'd have to choose it once again.
Eleanor stepped forward, her refined posture exuding a heavy presence that always seemed to make even the air hold its breath. "Eraser Head. There has been a severe misunderstanding. My grandson is not a criminal."
Aizawa didn't break eye contact but his jaw clenched just that bi,t tighter. "I'm sorry ma'am, but your grandson was engaged in combat with an unknown person, actively helping and aiding the woman over here, said woman who is a known criminal that works under the Kyodai syndicate. Currently at the site of a bombed warehouse site." He listed.
"B-But that's impossible!" Jiro cried out, stepping out from Eleanor's side. Her hands trembled at her sides, gesturing wildly at the flames. "I-It has to be a misunderstanding! Max isn't a criminal! Tell him Max! Tell him he's wrong!"
Max lowered his head, not wanting to see her broken expression. He couldn't afford to. "He's not wrong." he muttered.
Jiro gasped, taking a sharp step back like she had been hit in the face. "T-That's not true. Y…you're lying."
"I'm sorry." Max muttered. He didn't expect forgiveness even as he said it.
Aizawa's hand clicked against his radio, his voice flat as he detailed their location and called in the armored unit. Within minutes, blue and red illuminated the streets. Neither Max nor Vox offered any resistance as heavy quirk-suppressing cuffs were locked tight around their wrists. Soon, shoved into the back of the armored van.
Max kept his gaze locked on the steel floor. He hasn't looked at either Eleanor or Jiro even as they hauled him into the van. He couldn't. He just couldn't.
The van was silent as it drove off.
"So," Vox broke the silence "Who was the cute girl, Darling? Your girlfriend?" She asked, leaning lazily against the seat beside him. Not bothered by the fact she was in a van on her way to Tartarus.
Max offered no response. His mind was chaotic at the moment, he didn't need her adding more fuel to his already chaotic thoughts.
"Man," Vox groaned, slumping into her seat with a dramatic pout. "Kazumi is going to be sooo mad."
Remembering the man, anger boiled in him, but the sting in the tattoo on his hand reminded him of the deal he signed willingly. Being in jail wouldn't get him any closer to finding Raphael or clearing his debt.
He glanced at Vox, "Will Kazumi do something about this?"
Vox smirked, glancing at him. "Oh look who decided to finally speak." She shook her head, "Yeah. Given the absolute fireworks we threw, he's definitely going to take the breakout route."