Thank you all kindly for your lovely reviews! I'd hoped to get this up on Saturday but two 21sts in one weekend tend to be a bit of an issue at times. Anyway, here's the next instalment!

~Kavbj

Global Concepts

Chapter One

I think it burns my sense of truth

To hear me shouting at my youth

I need a way to sort it out.

After I die, I'll re-awake,

Redefine what was at stake

From the hindsight of a god.

I'll see the people that I use,

See the substance I abuse,

The ugly places that I lived.

Did I make money? Was I proud?

Did I play my songs too loud?

Did I leave my life to chance

Or did I make you fucking dance?

10 Months Later

Kanda huffed and straightened. He pressed his dirty palms to his lower back and arched, stretching out his weary muscles. His shirt was soaked through with sweat and all of him felt filthy. The sun beat down relentlessly.

"Oi," he called, squinting up at the sun. He could see clouds building in the distance but they wouldn't hit until well into the night. "When are we stopping for lunch?"

"Brat," the man beside him muttered fondly. He too straightened and massaged his sore muscles. His tanned skin glistened with sweat and his crows feet creased dramatically as he followed Kanda's gaze to the midday sun. "Yuu's right, Iwao," Mamoru called out. "I think it's as good a time as any to stop and take a break."

Iwao was an impressive hulking man. It always amazed Kanda that the man had ended up working in the fields instead of some other laborious job where his sheer size and strength would be a serious advantage. "All right, I concede," he joked, his face, red from exertion and sun exposure, breaking into a broad smile. "Let's take a break, men!" he hollered.

As they began to trudge from the fields to the nearby trees providing shade, Kanda came up beside Mamoru. "Oi," he grumbled lowly, jabbing the man in the arm lightly. "How many times have I told you not to call me Yuu?"

Mamoru smiled warmly and nudged him. "I'm getting old, Yuu. I don't think I heard you correctly. Were you just telling me how much you loved being called Yuu? Why didn't you say so!"

Kanda scoffed and pulled away before the man could throw an arm around his shoulders. "You heard me damn fine."

"Don't cuss at your elders," Mamoru warned. "Especially not your father."

"You're not my father."

Mamoru laughed. "I feed you, clothe you, provide you with a bed and a warm home. I might as well be your father! Ah, what's this? Are you trying not to smile? C'mon, Yuu, smile for your Otousan."

"All right, all right!" Kanda conceded, pushing the man away. He sneered at him briefly instead of smiling. "But still: don't call me Yuu."

The group of 20 or so workers settled under the trees. Kanda sat at the edge of where the new dam was being carved out. His legs dangled over and he hit his heels against the dirt twice by habit before starting on the bento that Mamoru had been kind enough to prepare for him that morning.

Mamoru sat beside him with a noisy sigh. "I really am getting old," he huffed, opening his own bento. "Here," he said, using his chopsticks to take some of his soba and put it in Kanda's bento. "Have some more. I know it's your favourite."

"Mamoru - "

"Just eat, brat."

Kanda nodded once. "Thank you…" he muttered, using the chopsticks to bring some of the soba to his mouth. He chewed slowly, gaze shuttered as he stared out at the dam project.

"How you doing these days, kid?" Mamoru asked quietly. "You never talk to me."

"I'm fine."

"And your head?"

"Also fine."

"Would you tell me if you got one of your headaches again?"

"Probably not," Kanda admitted, taking another mouthful of the soba.

Mamoru sighed and squeezed Kanda's shoulder fondly. "Well, if you say you're fine, then you're fine. What about - "

Kanda hissed and set his chopsticks down. "Jesus, Mamoru, everything's fine. I'd - "

"You would not tell me. You just admitted to it."

Kanda pursed his lips. "You're getting old, remember? Your hearing is going. I'm sure I told you that I would tell you."

"Hey!" Mamoru laughed, cuffing Kanda up the back of the head. "Watch it, brat. I'll be serving you burnt soba next time round." He settled back and watched Kanda eat. "But honestly, Yuu, there's - "

"Nothing," Kanda said bitterly. He looked down at his lunch. He wasn't hungry anymore. "There's still nothing. No faces, no names, nothing." He slid the lid back onto his bento and stood. He bowed to Mamoru. "Thank you for lunch. I'm going to head back to the fields."

"Yuu, hang on a minute - "

"Yuu!"

Kanda started, almost dropping his lunch. The syllable of his first name was accented but it was said with such familiarity and yet Kanda couldn't place the voice. He turned to see who it was, ready to chew out whoever had dared called him by his first name, when his foot, too close to the edge, sunk into a loose piece of dirt and gave way from underneath him.

This time it was Mamoru who shouted his name.

Needless to say, he dropped his lunch.

Lavi slid down out of the saddle, stroked his fingers down the length of his horse's nose, then turned to observe the fields. They stretched out across the land but each seemed to operate in their own circle. There were groups of 20 or so men scattered about, each attending to their allocated slot of land. To the right, a large chunk of the earth had been dug out. Going from the size and location, Lavi guessed it was the new dam project the village council had mentioned to him 10 months ago.

"10 months, huh, Yuu?" Lavi muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I wonder how you are now?"

A group of workers, closest to the dam, caught his attention as they began to come in for lunch. Lavi smiled slowly, watching as a man in his forties sat himself at the edge of the dam, beside one of the younger workers.

"There he is, Spot," Lavi said quietly, stroking his horse again. Spot's original owner had not been impressed with Lavi's name choice. "Guess I'd better head on down and say hi…"

Leaving Spot to himself, Lavi started down the hill for the group of workers seated under the trees. The midday sun was relentless and Lavi shrugged uncomfortably under the heavy weight of his cloak. His Exorcist uniform was packed away in one of the saddle bags. He'd thought it best not to wear it, for fear of Yuu's reaction to it and the possibility that one of the villagers may recognise the Order's crest. The village council had been notified that an Exorcist was in the area to check on Yuu's condition, but they weren't aware as to who exactly was swinging by, and for now, that's how Lavi intended it to stay.

As he neared, the workers began to glance up from their work, no doubt curious as to the redheaded foreigner visiting their small village. He nodded at them but continued past them, sights still set on the resting crew. His gaze locked onto the pair sitting at the dam's edge and he grinned, spotting the younger of the two rising.

"Yuu!" he called out, raising an arm to wave. There was this burning knowledge that this was him, despite it not being the Kanda Yuu that the Black Order once knew.

Yuu's head jerked in his direction. Lavi watched him pivot on his feet, no doubt to chew him out for calling him Yuu. Lavi hoped that at least that much about the fierce Japanese teen hadn't changed. Before he could address Yuu again, though, the Japanese boy's foot hit a loose chunk of earth and he tumbled down.

The man who had been eating lunch with him shot to his feet with a shout of Yuu's name and Lavi ran to join him. The workers stood from their places and they too joined the older man at the dam's edge.

Yuu had managed to catch himself half way down and, swearing beautifully, began to climb back up. Lavi laughed joyfully and crouched down, reaching out a hand to Yuu to help him up over the edge and onto solid ground.

"Yuu," the old man said, taking Yuu's shoulders in his hands as he ran his gaze over the youth's form. "Are you ok?"

Yuu shook him off and began to brush himself down. "I'm fine, Mamoru," he muttered. He realised that everyone had gathered and scowled. "I'm fine!"

"Now, now," Lavi stirred, his Japanese flawless but for the accent. "That's not very nice. They're just concerned, Yuu."

Again, Yuu's head jerked in his direction. This time, Lavi's hand shot out to take Yuu's forearm. He wasn't entirely sure why he did it. Yuu wasn't close enough to the edge to go for another fall, so Lavi put it down to old habits. He wasn't about to take a hit from Yuu two minutes into their joyous reunion.

He took the opportunity to admire Yuu's appearance. 10 months of recovering and living in the village had tanned his pale skin, making it golden and sun kissed. He'd cut his hair but with his hair pulled back into a ponytail, Lavi couldn't be sure of the length.

"Don't call me that," Yuu growled, eyeing Lavi up warily. His gaze dropped to Lavi's hand on his arm. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Yuu," Mamoru admonished. "He helped you up."

"He's the reason I went fall - ah," Yuu gasped, head ducking down between his shoulders as he opened his mouth around a wince. He exhaled loudly and quickly, grimacing. His free hand came up to dig his knuckles into his temple.

"Yuu?" Mamoru asked quietly, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Lavi ducked his head to try see Yuu's face. His teeth were clenched and bared as he narrowed his eyes against the pain. His breath shuddered out of him and he winced again.

"Is it your head?" Mamoru continued. He reached back and tugged Yuu's hair free. It fell down to hang around his shoulders. "Here. This will relieve some of the pressure hopefully."

Lavi fought back a grimace. The sight was strangely painful. Yuu looked nothing like himself. "Yuu," Lavi murmured. "It's your head, isn't it? Does this happen a lot?"

"Here." A large man came up to them and held out a flask. "Give him some water and sit him down. Just relax, Yuu."

"Iwao's right," Mamoru said. "Let's sit you down, Yuu."

Yuu shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. He forced them open and glared. "Would everyone stop calling me that," he panted.

Lavi chuckled and ruffled Yuu's bangs. "I think that's the least of your worries right now, Yuu-Chan."

Yuu went rigid. Lavi glanced down at where he was still gripping Yuu's forearm. The muscles were so tense they were bulging. His gaze snapped up to Yuu's face the same time Yuu looked to him, and they locked gazes.

Lavi narrowed his eye slightly. You recognise it, don't you, Yuu-Chan?

Yuu's lashes fluttered.

"Yuu…?" Lavi murmured, taking a step closer. "Yuu-Chan," he said again, adding a musical lilt to it as he used to do.

Yuu's knees buckled, eyes rolling back into his head. There were shouts of his name and Lavi cursed, bending at the knees quickly to loop his arm around Yuu's back. He huffed as he slipped his other arm under Yuu's knees and hefted the older teen up into his arms.

"All right," Lavi said, careful to make sure Yuu's head was resting against his chest. He shifted Yuu in his arms a bit, fingers gnarling in briefly before he forced them to relax. "Does this happen often?" When he looked up, he found the group of workers staring at him suspiciously. He laughed nervously and shifted Yuu in his arms again. "Uh…"

"Who are you?" Mamoru demanded, arms folded over his chest. "How do you know Yuu?"

Lavi smiled as disarmingly as possible. "I knew him a long time ago. We're old acquaintances." His Bookman instincts came forward and he pushed for information. "He didn't seem to recognise me though… I suppose it has been a while."

Mamoru dismissed this. "Yuu had… an accident at the beginning of the year. He lost his memory."

"Oh," Lavi said, glancing down at Yuu with surprise. "I'm sorry to hear that. This accident, I don't suppose it had to do with a head injury?"

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at him.

Lavi continued quickly. "Just, his head was clearly bothering him, and the only reason I can think of for him to have lost his memory is either some form of trauma or a head wound."

"Yes," Mamoru ground out at last. "It was a head injury. Please, set him down under the trees. I'll organise for a horse and cart and take him back home."

"Ah, that's all right," Lavi said cheerfully. "Is Yuu doing all right lately? Has any of his memory begun to return?"

"No. Now set him down, please. It's very kind of you to help him but as Yuu doesn't recognise you, unfortunately I'm not sure I can trust what you say. I'm sure you understand."

"I do, I do. But honestly, I'm not lying to you. And I'd be happy to take him home so that you can continue with your work. My horse is just - huh…" Lavi nodded slowly, gaze ghosting all over the hill, the road and the fields. "I seem to have lost my horse."

Mamoru raised a brow. "Yes, it would seem so. I will not ask again. Please set Yuu down."

"Mamoru, let him take the boy home," a man said, stepping forward from the crowd.

"Jirou - "

"It's all right," Jirou said, meeting Lavi's gaze head on.

Lavi straightened up somewhat and held Yuu to him tighter. He knew the man. He was on the village council. Lavi didn't doubt that he was in charge of the fields. He glanced down at Yuu's face as he heard the Japanese teen release a small whimper. His brow was furrowed, eyes clenched shut. Sweat was beginning to bead along his forehead and Lavi doubted it was due to the midday sun.

"Please, it's best to get Yuu home as soon as possible, is it not?" Lavi argued.

"Mamoru, tell the young man the directions to your home," Jirou said. Mamoru made to protest but Jirou held a hand up. "It is all right. What he says is true. He knows Yuu."

"Jirou - "

"He knows, Mamoru." Jirou sent Mamoru a meaningful look.

Mamoru backed down and nodded begrudgingly. He looked at Lavi, expression stony. "Head north along the road."

Lavi set the cup down on the bench and licked his lips, catching any stray drops of water. He'd been parched. Yuu was light, but only so light, and he'd carried the unconscious teen for a good 20 minutes in the midday sun, dressed in a heavy cloak.

Inhaling deeply, Lavi let it out slowly, fingers still wrapped around the cup he'd found in one of the cupboards. The house was small but adequate. There were two bedrooms and the kitchen, dining and living all fed into each other. Lavi had found the one bathroom when he'd wanted to wash the dirt and sweat off his face. He'd also, possibly, only slightly, looked through the small cupboard in the bathroom. He'd found herbs and medicines designed for pain relief, some of them expensive. Some, to his surprise, had still been the ones quickly prescribed to Yuu before he was transported from the Order.

A whimper caught Lavi's attention and he looked up sharply. He heard it again and titled his head, green eye drifting in the direction of Yuu's bedroom. He left his cup on the bench and moved to check on Yuu.

The room was stuffy. Lavi moved to the small window and cracked it open, then drew the curtains. The sun was shining directly onto Yuu's face and the redhead doubted that it was doing much to help Yuu's headache. Next he took up the small metal basin he'd found and filled with water, dipped in the washcloth he'd located in the bathroom, wrung it out, and draped it across Yuu's bare chest.

Yuu hissed at him in his sleep, teeth baring themselves briefly. Lavi chuckled lightly and swept aside the dark strands of hair that were sticking to Yuu's sweaty skin.

"There, there, Yuu-Chan," he cooed, tracing Yuu's tattoo with a steady finger. He pressed his palm flat to Yuu's chest, felt the rapid beating of the other teen's heart. A glance at the sharp furrow between Yuu's brows confirmed that Yuu was suffering some sort of torment in his sleep, only heightening his pain.

Lavi's gaze trailed down slowly, settling on Yuu's parted lips. They were red and tender from a combination of the sun and the countless times Yuu had bitten them in the past hour. A pink tongue kept peeking out to try soothe them and they glistened wetly with saliva. Add the flush to his cheeks, the sweat on his skin, the tangles in his hair, and Yuu almost looked more debauched than ill.

Swallowing thickly, Lavi glanced at where he'd subconsciously taken Yuu's hand. He turned Yuu's palm over slowly, inspected his fingers and knuckles, prodded lightly at the bones to feel their structure. He squeezed Yuu's hand and then, without even consciously making the decision, Lavi swung himself up onto the bed to hover over Yuu on all fours.

Yuu stiffened, sensing Lavi's too close presence. Lavi lowered his head, keeping his gaze level with Yuu's closed eyes. Their noses brushed past one another and Yuu's lips parted to let out a shaky breath. Lavi breathed it in and felt his chest go unbearably tight. He grimaced and clenched his free hand in his shirt over his heart. It hurt. A lot.

"Yuu-Chan," he breathed, singing the name across Yuu's lips. He brushed his nose past Yuu's again and then over a high, flushed cheekbone. He settled his lips at Yuu's ear. "Yuu-Chan…"

Yuu pressed his head back into the pillow and his breath shuddered out of him as he arched his back, his chest pressing firmly against Lavi's. He made a strange noise, somewhere between a whine and a whimper, in the back of his throat and bit down on his bottom lip.

Lavi's gaze was immediately drawn to that bottom lip. He lifted his free hand, still more than content to leave his other entangled with Yuu's, to swipe his thumb slowly over Yuu's abused lips. He pulled down on the bottom lip gently, revealing clenched teeth, and Lavi smiled knowingly.

He finally released Yuu's hand and braced himself with his hands either side of Yuu's head. He tilted his head, running his gaze over Yuu's form. Working in the fields had ensured that Yuu remained fit and lean, his skin bronzed. But it was the shorter hair that Lavi couldn't get past. He ran a hand through it then took a fistful of it and tugged, jerking Yuu's head back to reveal a column of skin that Lavi had once been well acquainted with.

"Hey, Yuu-Chan?" he whispered, brushing his nose over Yuu's pulse. "Once… upon… a time…" He pressed his lips ever so lightly to Yuu's skin and dragged them up, up, up to the hinge at the other teen's jaw. Yuu shuddered beneath him and Lavi's gaze shuttered. "Hey, Yuu-Chan…"

He settled himself on his forearms, bringing himself closer to Yuu. Now he definitely knew he was crossing lines. Yuu didn't remember. If he woke up now Lavi would be more than screwed but that was the problem. That was the reason for this strange self-torture. Lavi remembered. He remembered. Every time, every moment, every stolen chance, every fleeting press of chapped lips, every sweet breath, every breathless call of his name.

Lavi squeezed his eye shut and shook his head violently. With a gasp for air, he wrenched his eye open again and studied Yuu's face slowly as he cupped it. He brushed his thumbs over Yuu's cheeks, felt the heat in them from the fever, and again without any conscious decision, slowly lowered his lips to Yuu's. He paused, so close he could feel each puff of air as Yuu breathed. Licking his lips, Lavi tilted his head and -

Stopped.

His gaze on Yuu's lips sharpened as they moved around a two syllable name. Pulling back, Lavi readjusted the damp cloth on Yuu's chest and climbed off the bed. He fetched his cloak from where he'd hung it on the door handle. Glancing one last time in Yuu's direction, Lavi let out a quiet 'heh' and left.