An Ageless Problem

Yuri shifted nervously outside the infirmary door. It was difficult enough to think about these things in the relative privacy of his own bedroom. Actually asking for help understanding it was nearly impossible. Asking Gunter was out of the question. First off, the excitable man was liable to over react. Second, when Gunter calmed down enough to try and be helpful he would start babbling about some former king for hours on end and the explanation would be lost somewhere along the third or fourth tangent. Conrad would know, but... it was too painful. Yuri couldn't ask Conrad a question like this. Gwendle was out for the same reason, never mind that Yuri couldn't imagine sputtering out his worries in front of the stern general. Wolfram was likely to call him a wimp then either ignore or rage against his concern, mostly as a way to avoid being terrified by it himself.

Gisela was the best option. She was a doctor… or like a doctor anyway. At the heart of it all, this was a medical question. Yuri pulled out the page of notes he'd written. He didn't think he could get through explaining it if he didn't have it written out. Several deep breaths later he was sure he had it all sorted.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Yuri jumped at the sudden question. The mint-haired healer had opened the door while Yuri was fidgeting and stalling. The young king blushed brightly.

"Oh, um… Well, no. I just… I had something I wanted to ask you. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course your Highness. Please come in," Gisela welcomed. In no time at all Yuri was sitting in a private office on the far side of the infirmary with a cup of tea and a biscuit. He was still fidgeting. After a long moment, the healer took mercy on the young man. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Um, I was wondering about… about myself. I… well here." Yuri thrust his notes at the healer. "I wrote it all out."

His notes read like math homework:

-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-

How old am I and how long will I live?

Given:

H=Human, D=Demon, M=Mixed (half and half)

H= 1/5D and 5H=D and a simple average for half-demons is: M=1/2(D+H)

Then:

2M-D=1/5D simplified to:

M=3D/5

Also,

2M-H=5H simplified to:

M=3H

In short: Compared to humans, demons age in one-fifth time and half demons age in three-fifths time.

My current situation: I am a half demon. At 15 I should appear to be a 9 year old human. This is the same as a 45 year old demon. I actually look like a 15 year old human, or a 75 year old demon, or a 45 year old half demon. Three years have passed since I arrived according to the dates I read on my paperwork, but I have skipped months here when only a few days passed on Earth. It has actually been about six months on Earth, and I am now 16.

Questions: Am I catching up to Wolfram's age? I was seven years younger than him (according to my physical appearance after math using the demon calendar) when I came here and now I am five years younger than him according to my birth date on Earth. Does the fact that I have lived longer than six months in this world make me older than sixteen in actual age? Am I actually as old as I look on the outside? Do the common people know my real age? Do the nobles? Will it affect my engagement? Does it affect my health?

-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-

"Well… I," Giesela squinted at the page, reading it over more than once. She pulled over an abacus from the corner of her desk and shifted some of the beads. Yuri let her study the page for a while before his patience ran out.

"I was trying to do my schoolwork and it just kept bothering me. So I tried to solve the problem the way Shouri does," Yuri said. "It's kind of embarrassing…"

"This is brilliant… I mean, I can follow the logic, your Highness. I've never seen the numbers written out this way. This is very advanced mathematics." She shifted a few more beads.

"You don't have to say that," Yuri blushed. "I do alright in my classes on Earth. So, is it accurate or…?" Yuri could see the change come over the soldier as she laid the paper on the desk. She went from impressed and slightly confused to fully focused and professional.

"In my experience, I think it would hold true. The half demons I have read about and cared for as a physician do age at about 'three-fifths time' as you say," Giesela confirmed. "I am not sure about some of your questions. As I understand it, Shinou made special arrangements. You were to age, grow, and learn at a rate equivalent to the people of Earth until you came here."

"Age, grow, and learn? Are they separate for demons and half-demons?" Yuri asked. "How do demons age differently than humans anyway? I mean, they don't look one year old for five years crawling around before they start talking, do they?"

"Demon children age much like human children in their earliest years," Giesela spoke on auto pilot, clearly reciting a textbook she had memorized. "By the time they are three years old, demon children have slowed down their physical development to about one fifth that of a human. By age five, the mental development plateaus. From age five to age twenty-five demon children hardly age at all, mentally or physically."

"They just… stop? Like, stop learning things too?"

"Those twenty years are called the 'creative years' by most demon families. The children do continue to learn from their experience, but they don't build complex concepts and remain at a certain level of social development. Mathematics skills are limited to simple operations with numbers under a hundred." She pulled out a slim book from the bottom drawer of her desk. It had a picture of a crawling baby on the cover. She slid it over to the young king. "While complex social concepts don't develop, it is a highly experimental and artistic time. Some half demons experience this, others do not. After the creative years demon children age emotionally, mentally, and physically at one fifth the rate of humans. This book is a guide to parenting healers have on hand in case a soldier has a surprise wedding."

"Remind me not to let Wolfram catch me reading it," Yuri laughed. Giesela broke her professional facade and giggled along with him.

"As a physician in charge of your well being, I can't recommend letting Lord Bielfield see you reading a book usually given out to parents of unplanned children!"

"Ok, so, that's how most people age. What about me?" Yuri asked when he'd gotten his laughter under control. "Do the people know how old I really am or do they think I'm Wolfram's age? That coming of age ceremony was awesome, but they never mentioned my age."

"Demons come of age at eighty. The general public believes you grew up on a small island in the east. There are several such islands populated by demons that are technically not under the rule of any noble. They rejected the continued rule of Shinou after his death, though they do submit to the authority of your throne. The nobles were told the truth about Earth, and that time works differently so that one of your years is five of ours." Gisela poured some more tea. "I know, because I have been charged with your healthcare, that that is not strictly accurate. I don't know the exact details. You say here that it has been six months?"

"Yes, and I lived every one of those days except for during the fight with Soushu. I lost one day then. I'm not sure how many days I've lived on this side. Not three years."

"I could find out. We should have been keeping track, but if my father doesn't have a record then we can easily figure it out. When you arrive and leave has been documented somewhere, I'm sure."

"I'd appreciate that. It's probably not important, but I'd feel better knowing. I… have a rather personal… Is there any way to check how old I am? Like, since some demons age faster than others, is there a way to test for it?" Yuri fidgeted and blushed. He didn't want to come right out and say it if he could help it.

"There is a medical scan that can be used. Usually it is done before a marriage if one partner expects the other may age differently or after a serious and prolonged illness to asses any permanent damage to a person's magical core. It is rather invasive and uncomfortable technique lasting around an hour."

"I'd like you to do it," Yuri immediately said.

"I… your majesty," Gisela stammered.

"Do I need to see a specialist?" He asked. "I… I really want to know if I'm healthy and everything is working properly." Gisela rushed around the desk so quickly Yuri barely saw her move, the green glow of healing magic enveloping her hand where it pressed against his chest.

"I can do the scan. It will take me a day to prepare. Is there some symptom? Do you not feel well?" the soldier asked, concern dripping off every word. Yuri blushed brightly again.

"It's very personal…" The glare he received made him gulp.

"The scan will require you to be naked under a thin sheet while I apply delicate potions primarily to your chest, arms, and legs. It is physically taxing for both patient and healer. If you have any physical weakness I will need to compensate for it or risk doing you harm."

"I feel fine, really. It's just, what I can't feel that has me worried." Yuri took a deep breath. "You… you know that Wolfram and I have been living in the same room for a while now and he isn't unattractive… I just… I can't," Yuri made a vague downward gesture. "He's very polite about those kinds of things. A gentleman, really, but still, I should have some reaction to him in the bath or walking around in his nightgown. I just don't. It isn't him either, I don't ever… you know…" he made the gesture toward his lap again. "At my age, if I am my age, things should have started working by now." Gisela joined his blushing.

"Your majesty," she started, stepping back behind her desk now that she was sure he wasn't in immediate danger. "I would be happy to perform the procedure. You are quite accurate. It is very abnormal for a man of your apparent age to have sensual difficulties. I also think it is important to chart exactly how old you are in actual days. I will have one of my assistants put that together while I prepare the potions. If anything strange comes up in the scan, we can set up an observation plan. We may have to repeat the scan several times in that case."

"That's fine. I just want to be sure nothing is wrong," Yuri sighed. "Well, nothing that won't solve itself in another couple months or whatever."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, your majesty. It could simply be stress related. I've seen plenty of that in new recruits. If you are still living your life in sync with Earth's timeline, then you are likely still adjusting mentally to all the changes and challenges you have gone through. You said you lived almost every one of the days that have passed on Earth. What exactly do you experience when you switch worlds? Do you leave at night and return with the dawn?"

"No, I just kind of blink back and forth. It happened at an aquarium once and no one even noticed I disappeared. I was sucked under the water and the dolphin trainer never lost sight of me, they were really shocked that my clothes mysteriously disappeared in front of their eyes. That was the time Gunter plucked me out of the ocean and I came back through the bath."

"So time stands still while you are gone?"

"Yes, except for during the fight with Soushu. While I was in the temple time passed the same on Earth as it did here, but just during that time. About thirty-six hours." Yuri always felt really cold when he talked about that time. His father had taken him to an official baseball training center near Kyoto, just the pair of them, on a weekend trip. They spent a lot of that time talking, in that non-obtrusive way his father had, about what happened in the temple during the final battle. His father made it very clear to Yuri that he had been in a war and tortured for hours. Post-traumatic symptoms would be normal. "That… that could be part of it too, at least now."

"If you age in sync with Earth and time on Earth freezes when you are here, then your mental and physical development would be completely frozen until you return and time starts moving for you again. That would not stop you from having emotional or sensual responses or developing relationships. Children in their creative years can develop new friendships and…"

"I mean the torture. That's one of the after effects, right?"

"What torture?"

"What Shinou and Soushu did to me in the temple, ripping into my soul and," Yuri choked on his words, "everything else that happened."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea you had suffered any injuries."

"It wasn't physical, or it didn't leave any physical marks after all the magic was done flying around." Yuri shuddered, hugging himself to try and stay warm. "I'm not exactly sure I didn't stab myself with Morgif at some point since the two of them were inside me when the sword got to me. You get the big sword at the end of the game and you stab the bad guy with it, right? That's how it's supposed to work, and the hero goes home to his family. I don't remember what happened very well. Wolfram said something about me just walking away after it was all over. I remember him shouting about my mother." He would throw up again if he kept talking about this…

"It's alright now, you are safe here," Gisela's voice startled him. He'd forgotten who he was talking to. The healer was at his side again, holding out his teacup with one hand. Her other hand was hovering at his side. "Drink some tea. Would you like to lie down?"

"OK," Yuri accepted, taking her empty hand. "Dad just put me to sleep when," his stomach twisted and his knees shook, "I was fine when I woke up." He vomited before they got to the cot, getting his jacket filthy.

"Lay down, I'll get a get you something to help you sleep." Gisela was good at her job, and she'd seen mentally battered soldiers before. She unbuttoned his jacket with a practiced professionalism, handing him a small cup before untying his shoes. Yuri was certain he was in good hands, and that relaxed him more than the bitter syrup she fed him. He didn't have to think about it long, the potion was strong.

Long after her king was asleep, Gisela was still worrying over him. He seemed so perfect: happy, whole, and healthy no matter what happened. The extreme strains he was under never showed on him, a bit of petulant whining about mountains of paperwork notwithstanding. No one had given a second thought to the time he was trapped in the temple after he walked out apparently unharmed, and she would have heard about it if he'd admitted to being hurt in any way during that battle since his return. Perhaps he had confided in Lord von Bielefeld? No, the former prince would have immediately demanded his fiancé get a full physical exam and enforce bed rest until the king's health was confirmed.

"Better late than never," she said to the sleeping king as she worked. She would do a simple examination now and start prepping the lifespan scan for tomorrow. While Gisela had more limited interaction with the king compared to the three brothers, Lady Anissina, or her father she still considered him a friend as well as her king. She'd sent for the supplies she would need as soon as she was sure the king was sleeping peacefully. She also sent word to Lord von Voltair that Yuri came to her with an upset stomach.

She was mixing one of the potions when her door was slammed open by an oddly dressed fire demon. Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld was wearing his military issue blue pants with bedroom slippers, a pink nightgown, and his unbuttoned field uniform jacket. Greta trotted in after in her own nightgown and robe.

"Where is he?" Wolfram demanded, having enough sense not to shout.

"I gave him a sleeping potion, he's on the cot," she said, her pointed finger directing the worried pair to the king before she'd finished speaking. "Please don't wake him." The princess hurried over to her side after looking her father over briefly.

"I he going to be alright?" she asked in a hushed voice. Wolfram gave the healer a demanding look over the Princess' shoulder. Gisela took a deep breath, finishing the last step in the first stage of her potion before she spoke. She would have to speak carefully with the princess in the room.

"He had a touch of nausea. At first I thought it was a bad reaction to something he ate, but it looks like it was just stress." She heard the blond soldier scoff. The princess also looked a little annoyed, though at which parent Gisela wasn't sure. She beckoned the other soldier away from her delicate patient. "He hasn't complained, but I found evidence of strain and did a bit of thinking." She waited until Wolfram surrendered his post at Yuri's bedside before continuing.

"Since his majesty's return he hasn't had a single moment's rest. First there was that unfortunate business with King Saralegui trying to manipulate him right after he returned from Earth, something that was quite a shock to him as he had not expected to return. Then, while his coming of age was a big party for you and I, it was also a lot of excitement and hard work for his majesty. Immediately after that he had the crisis with his engagement. On top of everything else, I found out this evening that very little time has passed on Earth since the great battle with Soushu and he had never fully recovered from the battle."

"I didn't know he was hurt!" Wolfrmdid an about face and was immediately hovering over his fiancé again. "Stupid wimp, you are supposed to tell me these things!"

"Please be quiet, he needs his rest," Gisela urged. "He likely didn't realize it himself. He nearly overspent his magic in that battle. After we talked he asked for a lifespan scan. I want to ensure he is as rested as he can be for that."

"A lifespan scan?" Wolfram breathed, fear in his voice. She wished he'd been more discreet in front of the princess.

"What's that?" the young girl predictably asked. Gisela bent down so she was eye level with her.

"A very powerful test healers use to check a number of things. It is called a lifespan scan because it was invented to determine how quickly a demon will age before marriage to someone who suspects they will greatly outlive their partner or vice versa. It will also show the health of his magical core and several other things. I'm sure he is perfectly fine, and just needs to rest and fully replenish his reserves."

"I'll make sure no one bothers you during the scan," Wolfram said, back straight. "Greta, you should go back to bed soon. You need sleep just as much as Yuri does."

After a few more assurances and a sleepy hug the princess was escorted back to bed by one of the guards. The former prince took a seat at Yuri's bedside. Gisela started the next stage of the potion. An hour later she finished, stretched, and turned to see two sleeping men. She gently shook the soldier awake.

"Lie down and sleep. I'm going to bed myself. We won't be any use to him tomorrow otherwise," she ordered. Barely awake, he shrugged off his jacket and flopped into the next cot. Gisela nodded to the night shift on her way out. Tomorrow would be a long day.

AN: This is being completely rewritten with some major timeline tweaking. I have left this first chapter up as it will not be greatly altered.