Lawli: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed the first chapter. Sorry it was more of a teaser chapter more than anything, but I did say in advance it would be very fragmented chapters, the same as in 'Back to You'. Kind of all little puzzle pieces that make the bigger picture. What I am hoping to do with this story that I didn't do much of in BtY is introduce more CG characters. We'll see if that actually happens... lol

This chapter skips to the present day, Suzaku's POV. Enjoy~

Minutes Per Heartbeat

II.
Roads Untraveled
"Cause beyond ever bend is a long, blinding end
It's the worst kind of pain I've known."

Suzaku sits hunched in the plastic chair, head buried in the palms of his hands. Illuminated before him in black and white is his latest chest X-ray, and beside it a doctor clinically explaining the buildup of fluid in the myocardium. The words are lost on Suzaku. Anatomy and Physiology is a senior-level class at his high school, something he won't get to take for another year, so none of what he is being told actually registers.

It's the heart, some little part of him seems to understand through the gestures the doctor makes. The fluids around your heart.

He'd come in for an exam complaining of fatigue and shortness of breath. At first he brushed the symptoms off as nothing more than working out too much. With football season underway he was out in the sun training almost every afternoon – but after he collapsed on the field in the middle of Monday's practice he knew it had to be something more than that. Perhaps only stress and overtaxing his body – he's spent the whole summer relaxing by the beach, he's certainly not in the best of shape - but a doctor's opinion can't be a bad one to have.

"Any family history of heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes?"

Suzaku opens his mouth but no words come out. The doctor gives him a sympathetic look. "I know it's a lot all at once," she says. "I wouldn't label yours a serious case of pulmonary edema, so you don't have anything to worry about. We just need to rule out all the possibilities so we can see if there's anything else at work."

Suzaku nods. He understands – not all the fancy medical language, but the fact that it's a legal issue. The doctor needs to cover all her bases, lest it is a real problem and Suzaku has cause to sue for not being taken seriously.

"I don't know. My mom died when I was just a kid and my dad..." His voice trails off as something flashes across his mind: a room with the curtains drawn, his father lying in a pool of his own blood with a knife and his wedding band clasped in his stiff hands. It's not my fault. "He's not around." He wasn't even when he was alive. It's not my fault.

The doctor doesn't say anything at first. The pity in her eyes makes Suzaku squirm uncomfortably. He's afraid she might call someone – child services or something, try to get in contact with the old orphanage, not that they can do anything since he's legally allowed to be on his own.

"I'm going to order an ECG and echocardiogram. That should give us a clearer picture of what's going on inside. But for now," she pins Suzaku with a serious look and he straightens in his chair, "I want you to promise to take it easy. That means no more football for a while, I'm afraid."

Suzaku immediately protests. "I can't just quit," he says, and he's on his feet, shaking his head at the very idea. "We have our Homecoming game—"

"Mr. Kururugi... Especially without the guidance of your parents it is imperative you look after your health." She's gathering his file, taking the X-ray down from the board. "This is nothing permanent. Just until we get the results from your tests. Hopefully everything will turn out normal and you'll still be able to play at the Homecoming game, but until we know for sure I want you off the field."

With a heavy sigh, Suzaku nods and sinks back into the chair.

Neither of them says anything while the doctor fills out his script.

This chapter's music:

"Roads Untraveled" - Linkin Park