Despite the fact that the LenRin fic I'm also currently working on writing has like, 10 times the views as this fic, I'm updating this fic first... despite the fact that this one isn't a request fic... because I've been getting greater encouragement and more feedback from viewers about this fic. :)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy where I'm taking the story! Thanks for sticking with me through this chapter, and also for sticking with poor Kaito (and Rin) here. :) I kinda think they need your support, haha... ^^

Kaito: Master, that's in bad taste, and really isn't funny as a joke.

...ohhh... yeah. I guess you're right.

Kaito: I'm right about some other things, too. *scolding eyes*

*whistles a cheery tune and pretends not to hear, but smiles to myself*

Kaito: You're not fooling anyone, you know, Master. *crosses arms and sulks, pouting* I know you can hear me.

HEEHEH *whisper* yes I am, yes, I am o.o I am the wind... whoooooooosssh

...

Every car that drove up to the store was Master's car. Every person who got out of their vehicles was Master. Everyone who walked by became Master as they approached Kaito and Rin, who sat uncomfortably, waiting in fearful silence, on the bench of the corner store.

Kaito's shoulders were bunched up from tension as he stared, unseeing, downwards, his other senses practically on fire from the anxiety. He flinched a little every time someone came too close as they walked by. One person's coat actually brushed against his upper arm as they walked, somewhat rudely, by. Kaito shuddered at the sensation.

Rin had arranged Kaito's scarf over the bloody, bandaged stumps that now existed as the ends of his arms. It covered the bandages and damage enough so that it wasn't as immediately obvious to the casual observer that there was something very wrong with the picture of the two of them.

It felt like an eternity, like time's meaning had been corrupted, and the regular flow of minutes and hours was all twisted up, before a yellow taxicab finally pulled into the store's parking lot. Rin put her hand gently on Kaito's shoulder, shaking him very slightly to get his attention. She was afraid to shake too hard, even though her heart had jumped in nervous, stressed-out relief upon seeing the yellow vehicle.

"That's our ride. Let's go," Rin whispered urgently under her breath, and helped Kaito to stand. He felt very unsteady, lightheaded, and his legs wanted to quit working. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to feel. He almost didn't even want to act, but the thought of going back to Master, of being caught again, propelled him to force his body to obey.

Rin's eyes darted around the parking lot. She grabbed the scarf awkwardly as it fell from Kaito's stumps, and scanned the perimiter to see if anyone was noticing their progress. Rin and Kaito walked to the yellow cab car. The window was open, and the cabbie looked at them and smiled for a moment, before his eyes fell on Kaito's bandaged stumps, and his expression froze, his face frowning in a slight look of concern.

Rin opened the car's door for Kaito and helped the bluenette to slide into the vehicle. It was hard to do; Kaito was used to being able to use his hands to help arrange himself and move his butt into the proper, seated position. When he successfully got in, albiet in a somewhat still uncomfortable postion, Rin reached over to buckle his seatbelt for him.

She accidentally knocked the metal part of the belt against one of his stumps as she tried to pull the seatbelt over Kaito's front, and Kaito let out a painful, high-pitched yelp of shock.

"I'm sorry- I'm, I'm sorry!" Rin said, aghast. Her hands were shaking again, but she managed to get the belt to lock in place. She closed the door on Kaito's side of the cab carefully, then quickly moved to the other side of the vehicle to get in, herself.

"Uh," The cabbie paused for a moment before starting the vehicle. "Do you kids need to, go to a hospital? I was hired to take you to a house a few cities over but, uh..."

Rin's ears heard the word hospital, and it wasn't a bad idea, she thought. But the important thing was to get to Gakupo's place first. Get them out of danger, and then worry about the rest after that. "Um, can you just take us to the place like you were hired, but... um..." Rin's thoughts scrambled for a moment and then settled in place, "Once we get there, can you wait for a minute before you leave?"

The cabbie nodded, keeping one wary eye on his rearview mirror, watching his two passengers in the backseat with a bit of apprehension. He turned the vehicle on, and the sound of the engine sounded like freedom to Rin. Her body relaxed in a sudden sense of relief. They were going to be okay.

The cabbie pulled smoothly out onto the low-traffic street, making his way through the intersections, stop signs, and lights. Rin looked over at Kaito, and smiled encouragingly, but silently. Kaito looked back. He cognitively knew that he should try to smile back, too, but his mouth and lips didn't want to move.

The ride was quiet, with only the background noise of the traffic passing them by, and the soft music coming from the front of the cab, when the cabbie turned the radio back on. Rin watched the outsides of the windows as they drove, watched the scenery go by. Watched the people inside their vehicles, with a growing sense of relief as none of them were Master's cars, none of the people were Master.

"It's gonna be okay," Rin whispered again, and Kaito looked over at her, his blank eyes watching her face, and he wondered which, of the pair of them, she was talking to.

The cab rolled up into a paved driveway with a nicely trimmed lawn. It looked like a good neighborhood. There was a man with long, purple hair standing in the front of the house, his arms crossed over his chest. His arms dropped down as he watched the cab pull in. It looked like he was waiting for them. Kaito glanced over at Rin again, without moving his head.

Her eyes were alight in obvious relief, focusing on the purple-haired man as he walked from the door towards the driveway. The cabbie turned the ignition off, and Rin unclipped her seat belt quickly, nearly flying out of the car, into her friend's arms, to give him a heartfelt embrace. The man smiled down at the petite blonde, and Rin gave a trepid smile back up at him.

"Are you okay?" Gakupo asked, holding Rin back away from him by her shoulders, his eyes scanning quickly her small body for injuries with a worried expression. Not seeing anything immediately damaged, his violet eyes glanced back at the cab car and the remaining person sitting in the backseat there.

Rin noticed the location of Gakupo's glance, and shook her head. "I'm okay, but..." She trailed off, not even sure how to explain the situation. Rin suddenly felt overwhelmed. "I asked the cabbie to wait for us. I'm not sure, but I think Kaito might need to go to the hospital. He... I..."

Gakupo's face darkened in worry as Rin floundered. "You don't have to give me all the details right this second, but tell me briefly what happened. Then we can decide, okay? If he's sitting upright, I'm guessing we have enough time for that, before we get too worried. Does that sound alright, Rin?"

The violette's calm, assured voice soothed Rin's anxiety enough so that she was able to regain a little of her own mental facilities. She nodded, grateful for Gakupo's solid, reliable presence. "Yes. I... thank you. I... we... we ran away, Gakupo. From our home. Master... Master has gone crazy. He cut off Kaito's hands. His hands are gone, Gakupo."

Rin's eyes filled up with tears as she admitted the fact aloud. Gakupo's eyes widened slightly, his mouth opened slightly, wordlessly. Gakupo's eyes suddenly went back to their normal size, reacting quickly, as he urgently asked, "Do you know where they are? His hands? If there's still time, we can get him to the hospital. Maybe the doctors can reattach them."

Rin's tearful eyes widened at this. There was still hope to fix this horrible thing? But... her voice was anguished as she softly replied. "I don't know. When I got there, I didn't see them anywhere. Maybe Kaito would know, but, how can I ask him that?"

"If there's a chance to save his hands, we can't afford to waste time by being sensitive. He doesn't know me, I'll ask him." Gakupo let Rin go and strode over to the side of the car door.

"Wait! Gakupo!" Rin protested weakly, but knew that as hard as it would be for Kaito to be asked such a thing, that it was his only chance. Rin's eyes shimmered and she clutched her hand to her chest as Gakupo opened the car door, looked to the front of the car briefly, and asked as politely as he could if the cabbie could take a brief walk so he could ask Kaito a private question for a moment.

The cabbie frowned at this, not wanting to leave his vehicle. However, from the unusual situation with the boy who apparently had no hands... he shook his head to himself for a second, and got out of the vehicle.

"I'll be back shortly. Keep in mind that my time here while I'm waiting is still on the clock. You're paying for it, got that?"

Gakupo nodded his acknowledgement, and turned to face Kaito's blank, pale... too pale... face. "Tell me where your hands are," Gakupo said in a quiet, blunt voice that could not be argued with. Kaito's body began to shake badly. His eyes welled up with tears and he stared silently back into Gakupo's purple eyes, not saying a thing.

"I know you're upset. You're probably in shock. I know enough about basic first aid to figure out that much. But this is important. If we have your hands, we might be able to reattach them. Now. Tell me. Where are your hands?" Gakupo's expression was not unkind, but Kaito could tell he was insistent. Kaito's face crumpled up further.

"They're gone," Kaito whispered in a broken voice.

"Gone where? Do you know where they are right now?" Gakupo prodded further, feeling the anxiety of wasted time.

"Master..." Kaito's whisper broke off for a moment. Gakupo was about to question him further when Kaito finished his statement, "...ate them."

"Oh," Gakupo's eyes widened in horror, and his statement was more a shocked noise than a reply to Kaito's statement. Gakupo wondered if he should say something like, "I'm sorry," but the statement seemed petty to him. Gakupo tried to regain his wits, but they were rattled.

"Listen. Kaito, right? I need to take a look at them. Your... uh, arms. Rin told me that you might need a hospital. But..." Gakupo trailed off. Kaito was silent a moment, then raised his stumps up for Gakupo's inspection.

Gakupo shook his head, briefly. "No, not here. In the house. If it looks bad, I'll call an ambulance to get us there. But I don't think we should do this outside, where other people can see. Not to mention the risk of infection. I'm going to need to wash my hands first. Do you need help getting out?"

Kaito was quiet a moment, then nodded his head, casting his eyes downwards again and putting his arms down. Gakupo nodded back at Kaito and reached forward, undoing the seat belt. He put his hand underneath Kaito's armpit with a gentle strength, helping the bluenette struggle up out of the backseat of the car. Gakupo watched the exhaustion and stress on Kaito's blank face with a deep, unhappy, rather worried frown.

"Gakupo..?" Rin's voice asked anxiously.

"Get the cabbie, Rin. Take some money out of my wallet, and pay him whatever his fare is owed, include a tip. We're going to go inside." Gakupo dug out his wallet from his pocket with one hand, while his other steadied Kaito. He handed the slim, black leather wallet to Rin and started to help Kaito inside.

"But- his-?" Rin's uncertain voice asked as she took the wallet.

"No," was all Gakupo said as he turned away from the small blonde female. Rin's hand clenched hard around the wallet. Her eyes picked out the cabbie, who was leaning against the far side of the house and smoking a cigarette while he waited for them. Rin looked down at the ground, then back up again, and walked over to where the man stood.

"How much do we owe you?" Rin asked, quietly.

...

Author's note:

Oh, also, it occurs to me to mention, (6 chapters later,) that the meme that I referred to, in regards to the fic's title, is from Episode 1 of Llamas with Hats. You can find it on you tube, if you're so inclined. And yes, to me, llamas are dudes. ;)

Although, my exposure to this meme the first time was from a (youtube) video called "-MMD MEME- JEEEFFFF" and it featured Kaito, Slendy, and Jeff as the characters, rather than the llamas. Kaito's presence there in is, I'm absolutely sure, the only reason the video even popped up for me as a recommended video in the first place.

I laughed so hard. -S