Okay, here's the last ending. Thank you all for those who read and enjoyed it. Belatedly, I noticed that moving the endings around to be in ABCD order would mess things up a little, so I'm going to put them back in the order I posted them. Anyway, here it is!
Daiba answered with the first place that came to mind, his voice soft with sleep. "Home," he murmured. "Just want to go home."
It made sense to Taro. After all, that was where Daiba had constantly been trying to go when he was stuck at the house. He wanted to go back to his own home. "Where's that?" Taro asked. "Can we get something to help us there?"
"Just my apartment out on Eighth. Maybe Harlock will know to look for me there." He wasn't even sure if Harlock knew where he used to live, but it wasn't that far from the old observatory. To him, it seemed like a reasonable place for them to meet up. There was just no telling whether or not it had become occupied again.
Taro chewed his lip and gently shifted Daiba as he felt his fiancé starting to fall asleep against him. "Alright, but if your captain doesn't show up fast enough, I'm going to take you to the hospital."
"He'll be there," Daiba breathed. "He always shows up just in time. He's like magic."
Taro managed a nervous smiled as he settled them on the bike, leaning his cheek to Daiba's hair as Daiba rested his forehead on Taro's shoulder. "I should really have gotten our helmets," Taro muttered as he kicked the bike to life.
"No," Daiba said, though he couldn't have been heard over the roar of the engine. Even with the strain on his head from sounds, he just wanted to be able to rest against something. He tightened his arms around Taro's middle against the pain. It wasn't so bad if he could just sleep. If he could just take a little nap…
"Tadashi, I'm lost," Taro said. Daiba's head shot up, and he blinked to drag the world back into focus. The bike was rumbling softly as they idled at a red light. "If you lived on Eighth, I can just get there from Ninth, right?"
"No, the numbered roads run parallel," Daiba grumbled. "You have to get off of Ninth and go onto one of the perpendicular streets to get to Eighth."
"Oh," Taro frowned. "Well that explains how I ended up on Fourth."
"What?" Daiba slurred, blinking hard to clear up the blur of letters on the street sign beside them. "What the hell? That doesn't make any sense at all. How are we on Fourth?"
The light turned green, but Taro decided to remain in place since there was no one around them. "Maybe I should stop and ask for directions."
Daiba grabbed hold of his ear and twisted it until noises of distress were coming from his fiancé. "You are not asking for directions. I know exactly where we are. Just go where I say."
"Sorry," Taro sighed and chewed at his lip. "I didn't want to wake you up, and I thought I could get it. I've just had someone else driving me around for a long time. Maybe we should go ahead and take you to the hospital. You don't sound so good."
"I'm fine. Just turn right here." Sleeping would have to wait. He needed to focus on making sure Taro didn't send them completely off course, and he tried to keep his mind on it over the pain starting to creep up into his chest. He guessed he'd been breathing in too many fumes from the bike, and he pressed his nose and mouth closer to Taro's shoulder as they started off again.
Taro's biggest worry was that Tadashi would quickly become so ill that his only option would be to go to the hospital, and he wouldn't be able to find it with Tadashi too weak to talk. Taro could feel the smaller boy's quickening breaths against his back, and each time Tadashi gave him a direction, his voice sounded weaker.
The entire trip was a blurry mass of colors to Daiba. He was glad he knew the way to his home by heart, because he couldn't read any street signs, and buildings were one big glob apiece to him. His mind was still well enough intact to manage a small plan. His phone was at his apartment, and he could easily call and notify the police of their position, which of course sounded like a terrible idea, but if the Arcadia was paying attention to the police reports, it could probably reach him faster. Perhaps it wasn't the most elegant plan, but his terrible decision to head home in that moment of weakness had cost him. Still, he couldn't think of any other place he could have gone. There was nowhere completely safe for him except the Arcadia.
His main problem now was the nausea rising from his stomach. If Taro didn't stop sometime soon, they were going to be in trouble. Luckily, the apartment was just another block away.
As they rounded the corner Taro swerved. Daiba wasn't sure why. He didn't even notice it had happened until he was no longer on the bike, grasping at empty air. For Taro, there was no avoiding it. Either they hit the bar head-on or from the side. He'd managed an angle, but the force of it had been enough to snatch them both from the bike.
It had stretched along the entire road, the barricade that shouldn't have been there. He knew it had been placed just to stop them. As his momentum carried him, he prayed he could rewind time if just to grab the helmets.
Daiba was carried farther, crashing into the front bumper of a parked car. Taro hit the street, continuing to roll until his arm was pressed against his fiancé's. "Ta…Tadashi," he wheezed. Everything hurt. His left arm had taken the brunt of it though.
"Taro," Daiba answered, his voice barely a whisper. It hurt so much already to breathe, but with his new broken ribs, each breath came along with a whimper of pain. He could only see the sky and the pinpricks of starlight. He wanted to tell Taro that he could see Ursa Major again, but his attempt to speak was broken by a whine.
The car's door opened, and Taro could only stare in horror as Lucas stepped out, a lazy grin on his face. "You didn't…" Taro pleaded.
"I was really hoping you two would come back here. I mean, I knew it was a long shot, but that went far better than I ever could have guessed," the older male hummed. He pulled his phone from his pocket. "See, this is payback, Taro, for beating me up, humiliating our group, and for me having to deal with you for so many years. And for Tadashi, it's for basically everything." He began dialing, calling his father to send the police his way. He'd caught the traitors.
Taro felt himself crying, because it wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair, none of it, but he had to fix it. With tears rolling down his face, he dragged himself to his side and pushed himself up with his good arm. He hooked his arm around Tadashi's chest, pulling the boy up with him as he started to stand, but he had to stop when Tadashi's agonized scream tore through his ears. He dropped back down to his knees, unsure what to do. He just had to get Tadashi to his apartment. He had to get him somewhere safe.
His left arm sent out wave after wave of razor sharp pain through him like a bolt of lightning as he moved it, but he carefully scooped Tadashi up into a cradle and picked him up with it. His legs nearly fell out from under from the pain. Still, he took one step. Then another.
He heard Lucas laughing somewhere behind them. "Good luck."
"Where's your apartment?" Taro hissed through gritted teeth.
Daiba reached up a violently trembling hand and pointed toward his door. The complex was just across the street and through the parking lot. His hand dropped to fall across him as his strength to hold it gave out. "Taro," he called through a breath. "It hurts…"
"I-I know, but I've got you. We're alright. I'll take care of you, okay?" If he could just keep walking. One more step, he would tell himself. Just take one more step. Just one more. After every step, he just had to take one more.
Daiba began coughing, which turned into a gory fit as blood began to splatter across his arms and clothes. He swore his chest was tearing to pieces.
The cars around Taro blurred as more tears fell from his eyes. Just one more step. One more. Then another. "Talk to me, Tadashi," he begged.
"About what?" He could no longer see anything. He couldn't tell if it was because his eyes were closed or because they'd just stopped working.
"Tell me about you. Tell me anything."
Taro sounded so sad to Daiba that it was worth it to push through the pain and speak for him. "Did you know I can play the harmonica? I'm pretty good at it." Each sentence was split raggedly by his breaths. "And Harlock's always getting onto me, because I don't listen. Even though I never got my license, I'm damn good at flying."
"That's wonderful." Taro smiled. Just one more step, and he was there. "Where's the key?"
He held a moment's panic, thinking they wouldn't be able to get inside. "Plant," Daiba answered. "Water."
On a scrawny table beside the door was a small potted plant that had long-since died. Taro pushed it off, causing it to shatter against the ground. In its dried-up water basin was a little gold key. He had to maneuver awkwardly with Tadashi in his arms, but he managed, and the door swung in as Daiba's legs pushed it.
"I'm home," Daiba called as though someone would answer. A pained smile eased onto his features, but it didn't reach his dull, unseeing eyes. Each of Taro's ragged steps jolted him as his fiancé continued on. Then, as gently as only Taro could manage, he felt himself lowered onto his couch.
To Taro, the apartment was so cold and dark, but Tadashi looked so happy that it must have been a wonderful place at one time. He fell to his knees beside the bed, his broken arm hanging lifelessly at his side. "Welcome home," he finally answered, his voice cracking as he placed his good hand to Tadashi's cheek.
The younger boy smiled brighter, leaning into the touch. "Taro, would you kiss me again?" he requested softly.
"W-why?" Tadashi had never asked for anything like that before, so it didn't make sense to Taro. His eyes were wide and frantic. This all had to work out, so when was it going to be fixed? Why did Tadashi seem to be fading away in front of him? Harlock was supposed to be here. Like magic.
A line of blood trailed from the corner of Daiba's mouth. "Because I love you."
So Taro kissed him, as warm and desperate as the first time. But now Tadashi's lips were so cold against his.
Daiba missed the scent of bubble bath and cut grass, but Taro still smelled so nice. It was just comforting to have him close, someone that was his.
"I love you too," Taro sobbed as he pulled away. "So you can't… Y-you have to… Please live for me."
Daiba's hand ghosted up to catch hold of Taro's, still warming his cheek. "Thank you," he breathed out, soft and even.
And Taro cried, because it wasn't fair.
He woke up in an unfamiliar room with a familiar girl that looked as sad as he felt. And yet, she remained unflinching at his side. She brushed strands of hair from his forehead and told him all his injuries would heal just fine, though his arm needed a little time.
When he asked where Tadashi was, sorrow cracked even further into her expression. "Well, he's…he's with the stars, you know?" she said, trying to force a smile as her eyes began to fill with tears. "He did love to look at the stars."
He reached up and brushed her tears away, because she was too young and too pretty to cry. It wasn't fair for someone like her to have to cry. She managed a more genuine smile, though her eyes were filled with just as much exhaustion and sadness. "I told the captain we had to take you," she said. "And he won't talk to me or anyone else right now, so I don't know how long it will be before he talks to you, but just give him some time."
"So this is the Arcadia?" he murmured. The room he was in looked like an average ship infirmary, though he'd only seen them on TV.
"Yes," she nodded. "My name is Kei, but we've met before. This is your home now, because it seems we've taken yours from you. They branded you an outlaw last night."
He shook his head. "I'm not a real outlaw. That's just my dad completely losing it. But I owe this ship and everyone here, so I'll serve you all in any way that I can."
"I don't know that you owe us anything," she whispered, her voice heavy.
"But I owe him everything," Taro answered. "Because I took it all from him." He felt as though he lived only because Tadashi hadn't, and the weight of the ring on his broken left hand felt like far more than he could ever bear, but he would have to, because it was the weight of everything he owed, of every smile he'd seen and every kiss he'd stolen.
It was the weight of what he'd taken from Kei, who always looked at him with sadness in her eyes.
It was what he'd taken from Harlock, who rarely seemed to look at him at all.
And he wished he could go back and change it. He wished he could have kept it all from happening. Even though those few short days were the happiest of his life, he would have taken it all back just to let Tadashi live, even if that meant letting him be loved by someone else.
Sometimes you have to accept that people's part in your story is over.